I'm no Coder or Programmer and to be honest not that much of a modder. The most I can do is map at the moment. This Idea of mine was to kind of create Red Orchestra 2 the way the Ostfront Veterans wanted it. If this project gets off the ground, it will be a Realistic and Historically Correct version of Red Orchestra 2. We will get rid of the things that were not need in Red Orchestra 2 and replace them with the things that were left behind in RO1.
Some Ideas;
- Get Rid of Ranking system
- Get Rid of Unrealistic Guns and Attachments
- Regular Class System (No Hero or ranking stuff)
I would like to see the Hero feature remain though as I think a fully realized feature of the Hero can add a tactical role to the gameplay. It's similar to a Commander or Squad Leader as it has special field abilities (Morale boost, etc.) but is unique enough to differentiate it from the other special roles.
The ranking to me is okay if it was implemented in a way where more experience players can attain Hero (one per each side obviously) are of those of higher levels.
This will at the least theoretically help a bit with giving more consideration to more experienced players with special roles. Also retaining the avatar looks of fresh soldiers in comparison with the dirtier, experienced ones as one ranks up.
Just get rid of the weapon unlocks that don't fit the scope of the original RO and make the more historically typical weapons available to everyone like you suggested.
Code the game to play like RO, you already hit some of the high points in your initial post, although I'd keep mantling and dump cover. Get the weapons and vehicles to function like in Ostfront, get the avatars to work the same way, and we will be well on the way.
Why dump cover? If you're going to take on this endeavor I'd suggest to at least refine some of the added features RO2 has instead of eliminating them. Cover, while clunky in some circumstances, is still very innovative and brings a immersion element to the game. I say try and refine cover instead of dumping it completely.
Like Stalin said "Not one step back." This should be an evolution, moving forward with the potential of a RO:Ost in this age of gaming. You want to keep the features that push innovation forward and bring in the beloved game play mechanics of RO:Ost as well.
Edit: Just thought too. Seeing as RO2 is 64 players. The maps that we take from RO1 might need some editing to basically make larger to play a bit better.
Some scaling and re-visioning would need to be done. The scale of everything seems bigger in RO2. Maps can easily be converted but with larger scaling, the use of cover and numerous RO2 features that you do plan to retain have to be considered with the re-working of older existing maps.
Also the pace and paths of older maps need tweaking. Similar to what TWI did with Apartments from Danzig, some places on older maps need to be opened up, closed and alternate routes implemented. Some of the old maps in the new RO2 engine would be breathtaking to say the least like Leningrad and Zoobunker to mention a couple.
Besides my critiques, of which I hope no one finds offensive, you guys have my full support. If I had any inkling to modding games or using the UDK I would have given you my time with it without a doubt. Good luck.