I got Ostfront on a whim back in 2006 short after release, and I played until the launch of RO2. I'd never played a game that long before (besides Civ IV, but that's neither here nor there) so I was naturally super excited for RO2. It launched, it was really rough, and I was angry, and I put it on the shelf for a while.
But if I've come to expect one thing from Tripwire over the years, it's that they stick with their games. They develop on their games potential, and use fan feedback to craft something unique and exciting. So I kept HoS in the back of my mind, waiting while I played Deus Ex, Skyrim and Battlefield 3. I read the patch notes, tried again with each update. And then you guys finally reduced the number of assault slots. That made the game fun again, made it feel closer to what I think all the fans had wanted. It honestly brings out the fun in the other classes when you aren't getting hosed down by one of six MKb toting Germans.
But we aren't quite there yet, which is why I figured I'd give my two cents now that I've been playing again on a regular basis. First, I'll tell you what I really dig about this game. Fluid movement is a serious improvement from RO. The weapons. They all handle really well, and are fun as hell to shoot. The cover system is boss, and you guys have really top notch animations all around. The sound design is flawless as well.
Now for the not so great. The guns really, really need more sway, especially after sprinting. I shouldn't be able to jog 50m under heavy fire from an MG, dive into a ditch, pop up and kill him with one well placed shot. Right now the game feels like MW3 or BF3 when it comes to running and then aiming your weapon.
Next is the unlocks. Unlocks are great in in Modern Warfare or Battlefield 3. Because in CoD the chain of command sees fit to reward its soldiers for killin the enemy doodz with chopper support, spy drones and crates of bullets dropped by parachute into the middle of the firefight. How convenient! In BF3 my soldier can drive a tank, fly a jet/helicopter and destroy both while on foot in a single spawn. They don't strive for realism or recreation, so who cares if I'm rewarded with a bunch of frivolous crap to slap on my assortment of assault rifles so lovingly provided by the DoD of Fantasyland?
But unlocks don't fit in RO2, because the unlocks you can conceivably give WWII weapons, especially those limited to use at Stalingrad, aren't exciting or even all that enhancing. The unlocks feel tacked on and really forced, such as the 1.5x scope and the dual magazine MP40/MG34. And the MKb42? For shame Tripwire, for shame.
The map situation is something I know you are already addressing, and the SDK will soon give us plenty of community maps, so I won't harp on this for any longer.
Lastly, performance still isn't quite there yet. The game is pretty, no doubt. Really pretty, actually, but it still doesn't perform as well as it should. I've got an Athlon II X4 640, 4GB RAM and a Radeon 5770. This isn't the fastest system, but it's no slouch. I also play on a 720p HDTV at 1366x768, so it isn't like I run it too hard or anything. It's perfectly playable, but I run BF3 on high settings and it never skips a beat, which says that RO2 still has a ways to go with optimization.
Also, please let me take the bayonet off of my rifle. You don't even have to go through the trouble of animating it, just let me spawn without it even if that means I can't have it.
Still, I'm happy that RO2 has progressed from the sorry state that it launched in to a game that I actually enjoy playing and will continue to for the foreseeable future.
But if I've come to expect one thing from Tripwire over the years, it's that they stick with their games. They develop on their games potential, and use fan feedback to craft something unique and exciting. So I kept HoS in the back of my mind, waiting while I played Deus Ex, Skyrim and Battlefield 3. I read the patch notes, tried again with each update. And then you guys finally reduced the number of assault slots. That made the game fun again, made it feel closer to what I think all the fans had wanted. It honestly brings out the fun in the other classes when you aren't getting hosed down by one of six MKb toting Germans.
But we aren't quite there yet, which is why I figured I'd give my two cents now that I've been playing again on a regular basis. First, I'll tell you what I really dig about this game. Fluid movement is a serious improvement from RO. The weapons. They all handle really well, and are fun as hell to shoot. The cover system is boss, and you guys have really top notch animations all around. The sound design is flawless as well.
Now for the not so great. The guns really, really need more sway, especially after sprinting. I shouldn't be able to jog 50m under heavy fire from an MG, dive into a ditch, pop up and kill him with one well placed shot. Right now the game feels like MW3 or BF3 when it comes to running and then aiming your weapon.
Next is the unlocks. Unlocks are great in in Modern Warfare or Battlefield 3. Because in CoD the chain of command sees fit to reward its soldiers for killin the enemy doodz with chopper support, spy drones and crates of bullets dropped by parachute into the middle of the firefight. How convenient! In BF3 my soldier can drive a tank, fly a jet/helicopter and destroy both while on foot in a single spawn. They don't strive for realism or recreation, so who cares if I'm rewarded with a bunch of frivolous crap to slap on my assortment of assault rifles so lovingly provided by the DoD of Fantasyland?
But unlocks don't fit in RO2, because the unlocks you can conceivably give WWII weapons, especially those limited to use at Stalingrad, aren't exciting or even all that enhancing. The unlocks feel tacked on and really forced, such as the 1.5x scope and the dual magazine MP40/MG34. And the MKb42? For shame Tripwire, for shame.
The map situation is something I know you are already addressing, and the SDK will soon give us plenty of community maps, so I won't harp on this for any longer.
Lastly, performance still isn't quite there yet. The game is pretty, no doubt. Really pretty, actually, but it still doesn't perform as well as it should. I've got an Athlon II X4 640, 4GB RAM and a Radeon 5770. This isn't the fastest system, but it's no slouch. I also play on a 720p HDTV at 1366x768, so it isn't like I run it too hard or anything. It's perfectly playable, but I run BF3 on high settings and it never skips a beat, which says that RO2 still has a ways to go with optimization.
Also, please let me take the bayonet off of my rifle. You don't even have to go through the trouble of animating it, just let me spawn without it even if that means I can't have it.
Still, I'm happy that RO2 has progressed from the sorry state that it launched in to a game that I actually enjoy playing and will continue to for the foreseeable future.
