PC Gamer (UK) article - PART 1

[Pave Low]

Buggs has posted over at BIS forums, some scans of an article in the August issue of PC Gamer magazine:

*Click the images for the full screen versions

and here is a copy of the text in the article (Covering game #1):

Bohemia's battleplans aren't simple. They're positively complicated. They're working on two Flashpoint sequals, for a start. The first pressing on the boundaries of the original, critically-acclaimed Operation Flashpoint. The second game, as the previous page hint, pressing on boundaries full stop.

Operation Flashpoint was a tactical shooter like no other. Set during a hypothetical Soviet invasion of the West, its vast scale made you feel like a small cog caught in the wheel of a very large war. The lulls between engagements felt genuinely melancholic and the action was a rare blend of excitement and fear. We've longed for a sequel ever since.

And now Armed Assault is due in autumn. Think of it as Flashpoint 1.5. It includes all the missions from the original, plus expansion pack Resistance, plus the technological advancements from the Xbox version and Bohemia's VBS1 military sim. It features a new campaign, a new boot-camp and their next-generation graphics engine.

Technologically, the game has improved hugely. While most complain about games hampered by Xbox co-development, Bohemia have discovered that optimising their code for Mr Gates' ageing console has caused them to craft a game that hits PC hardware like a depleted uranium shell. An obvious bonus is the increased draw distance. Flashpoint played across realistically huge single-world maps; so the further you can see, the better it is. 2km of viewable terrain is Bohemia's current aim, thought they're simply planning on pushing it as far as the system will go. Sitting at the top of a hill, able to see the military ants of the opposition inch around a village while you play your approach, is an example of how the new technology rejuvinates Flashpoint.

Similarly, old limitations have been removed. Flashpoint was famous for its horrific collision detection inside buildings; but no more. Forests were originally created as single map objects, meaning they were strictly limited in terms of how you could interact. Now, they're made out of individual trees, which can be knocked down when you get in a suitably armoured vehicle. The improved engine means that Bohemia can also increase the density of the foliage, resulting in some surprisingly thick forests. They can also be integrated with buildings, so that you can have a cottage in the middle of the woods. Inland lakes are another welcome addition to the world, and hills now cast shadows.

The new campaign, on an equally new island, has been created to showcase the improved features of the engine. It's much larger and more detailed than Everon and previous worlds. Codenamed Sara, it's going to feature dense woodlands and as big an urban environment as the game can take. Also, there's a whole new story to play through. While the game island is fictional, made of jig-sawed satellite images of Eastern Europe, it has a politically resonant background. The island's despotic North has been threatening the democratic South, which is under US protection. The US, believing the threat has passed, have started pulling out ...at which point an attack occurs.

While the defensive nature of the campaign distinguishes it from the norm, the most intriguing part is its unusual structure: the game is 'told' in flashback form after the war, as you are interrogated by your fellow officers. What happened? That's for us to discover as we play, with our actions helping decide whether this will be a court-martial or a commendation.

Armed Assault - especially as a mid-price release, which Bohemia are considering - is a genuinely welcome addition to the gaming calendar. Given the game that Bohemia have planned for 2006, however, it feels like merely a teaser for what's to come. The game that we can't call Flashpoint 2 is something of a monster. "Originally, we didn't want to do another old game at all," explains Bohemia's Managing Director Marek Spanel. "Just a new game, no sequals, that was our intention... We don't want to make a game that's a clone. We have a vision for a game we want to do, that is different... but we realised it woudl take us ten years to get there. And we'd like to do that, but just can't." So rather than do it all in one giant leap, they're heading there in small steps.

Part 2 of the article continued HERE

great stuff!