The Right Stuff

[Brettzies]

Finally got the GRAW dvd on Saturday(BestBuy US) and after some computer "issues," I've been able to play for a good amount of time beyond the demo.

We all know about the system killer and multiplayer problems GRAW is suffering, but what about all the stuff they got right? From the SP(or even Coop) aspect, I think they did a lot of nice stuff. Graphics issues, bugs, MP(lack of?), aside, what are some things you love about the game? For me there are plenty:

·insertion and extraction. when's the last time you played a tac simy game that had both from the 1st person pov? you actually ride out on the helo for a few minutes as opposed to the mission just ending.

·one shot one kill theory. you don't have to shoot an enemy 50 times for them to go down. maybe 2 or 3.

·the weapons - few but good

·chambered round ala Raven Shiled - empty and full reloads

·weapon sounds are great

·first person weapon models and textures are great

·iron sights. i don't know if it's real or not, but i like the iron sights in this game more then any other i've played.

·weapon customization with balance factors - people have been screaming for this in RS for years. now you can make a silenced, grenade launching SCAR-L with a combat sight to boot.

·blowing sh!t up! i didn't realize how much fun and satisfying the grenade launchers were till the 3rd mission.

·bullet effects and sounds wizzing by, bouncing off walls, hitting dirt, etc.

·movement, stances, and walls. a little tricky, but i like how the weapon goes down if you're too close to a wall. with the exception of a few things, running, crouching, going from one stance to another feels good.

·animations and poses. enemies and freindlies dying, moving, etc. very nicely done. you don't have the fear that an enemy will snap turn and plug you in the forehead with a pistola from across the plaza. i get the impression that if a gun isn't pointed at you, they won't be able to shoot you either. not like some games where it looks like an enemy is pointing at th ground, but all of a sudden your dead.

These may sound like relatively simple things to get "right" but so many games don't. They either go too far like SWAT or too arcady like BF2. I really do wish the game ran better on my system because that does have a huge impact on enjoyment but I was expecting to take a hit. Hopefully they can build upon this in the future, because I think they did so many good things it'd be a shame for this game to fade out.

Edited May 8, 2006 by Brettzies

[Crimson]

All the things you mention are great.

One of the best things about the game is the feeling. It's border line scarey... intense is probably a better word. Reminds me of FEAR in a way.

[Razors-3Dge]

Awww i cant wait to play the game; i got to wait tell june or july tho, hey if you all gave me a quarter i would have ehough to buy the game.

[Colin]

People often forget the good in a game, because of one or two things they hate,and are not prepared to waite.

The good things in this game far outway the bad, as the above post justly say`s.

It is real good to see a post with the good and not the bad.

I beleive its a great game in many aspects and it will get even better as time goes on.

I am one person who is willing to waite to see the improvements the team can offer, and be patient while I waite.

[spotH3D]

The good certainly does outway the bad.

I figure play the singleplayer and co-op (on my LAN, which admittedly might be a lot easier than playing with joe blow on gamespy), and June will come soon enough with the MP patch.

This game certainly does bring the tension.

[Lightspeed]

I have really enjoyed the Demo so far and cant wait for the Full, however, there do seem to be a lot of bad bugs out there, the game seems to demand too much of most PCs and nees some optimising, and there are a lot of game types missing. This leaves me with one huge question:

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE 6 MONTH DELAY? I thought the delay was to perfect the game.

In addition, did they not test the game on what would be considered a game players average spec machine and realize that it would be laggy as hell?

Like what Ive played, but cant believe some of the mistakes.

[Stig]

Good post.

Well I can't say too much cos I only have the demo at the moment & My PC runs everything on minimum so the eye candy isn't so good having said that though Theres alot I can tell they did right.

open gameplay I can play it how I want to play it.

Tension filled, sure I played it with great caution & found it easy so I relaxed then got owned. It does keep you on your toes.

Big Well designed maps.

& the other stuff you've already mentiond. Theres more but I gtg now so I'll end this here but I can see this game is a worthy return for GR. I'm looking forward to some PC upgrades then giving GRAW a good thrashing for several years.

well done grin, Patch the bugs, expand the MP & you've built a winner.

[Brettzies]

I have really enjoyed the Demo so far and cant wait for the Full, however, there do seem to be a lot of bad bugs out there, the game seems to demand too much of most PCs and nees some optimising, and there are a lot of game types missing. This leaves me with one huge question:

WHAT DID THEY DO DURING THE 6 MONTH DELAY? I thought the delay was to perfect the game.

In addition, did they not test the game on what would be considered a game players average spec machine and realize that it would be laggy as hell?

Like what Ive played, but cant believe some of the mistakes.

I hear ya. I've wondered the same thing with regard to what they tested on, the delay and so for. But, this is what it is right now. I know my system is falling a bit below average these days, though I was expecting a little better trade-off.

Kind of reminds me of Falcon4 or Lockon. Big daddy flight sims that reqired more then a nice graphics card and had lots of bugs and issues at the start. Hopefully it gets better in the perfromance department and multiplayer.

[zwitherow]

@brettzies

@lightspeed

now that we've learned that GRIN only worked for 1.5 years, i don't think that 6 month delay was for bug testing, lol.

/speculation

[ruggbutt]

The good things in this game far outway the bad, as the above post justly say`s.

It is real good to see a post with the good and not the bad.

The good and the bad are the sum of the whole game. And the bad equals the good in GRAW. I see some great things in the game, and I see some show stoppers. The problem is right there at the top of the page, where it says "The Definitive Ghost Recon Fansite". If you guys continue to fawn over this game when there is so much wrong with it you'll never see it fixed to the point where it's a contender to be a true successor to GR. Much less seeing GR4.

[jsonedecker]

I have been vocal in pointing out the tech limitation I have seen and have purposefully stayed away from commenting on actual gameplay.

But, I think I will a bit after playing the final game some.

One thing I do think they did a good job on is the command map. It's simple to use and displays pretty much what you need. Good job. As I have mentioned, I even like watching some of the firefights play out in it.

A few things would help to streamline it even more IMHO:

1. Let you use your movement keys to scroll the screen. Much easier than the mouse to the edges.

2. Move the buttons closer together as it takes a fair amount of time to select a team member then move all the way to the other side to execute. Sure, I can use keyboard commands, but it's good to have the UI as streamlined as possible. I can easily see why it was done this way as well. It gives each mode and system it's own distinct area.

-John

[silent_op]

We all know about the system killer and multiplayer problems GRAW is suffering, but what about all the stuff they got right? From the SP(or even Coop) aspect,

I don't know about the adversarial portion of MP, but the CO-OP side is far from "done right".

The CO-OP was all wrong from the day GRIN ever mentioned 4 player CO-OP. That got lots of people concerned. They knew this, which is why Bo most likely kept telling us that it can be resolved. Even the GR.net staff that gave us the hands on report, was told by Bo that this can and will be fixed.

With that said, I do play GR:AW and there are lots of good thing about it. But there are lots of bad thing about it as well. The CO-OP is not the only issue I have with GR:AW. I only keep playing GR:AW in its current extremely flawed incomplete state, because I believe GRIN will deliver the "Mother of All Patches" in June. When I go online and play CO-OP on GameSpy, I put up with all the server related garbage. I put up with the poor CO-OP mode (and all the other game play issues and sound issues that have been raised before).

If GRIN got one thing right in my eyes, it was the overall design direction they took with GR:AW. It could have been worse, this could have been the PC version of UBI's super SOCOM to beat all SOCOMs, ported to PC. GR:AW (PC) does still retain certain GR1 qualities and feeling. As flawed as it is, I'm able to see the diamond underneath all of the mess. With a first initial huge Patch, and maybe some later small ones, GR:AW (PC) will show itself as the diamond that it is meant to be.

silent_op

Edited May 8, 2006 by silent_op

[Druac_Blaise]

There is indeed much to like about this game in SP. Unlike MP, I have not found anything that I actually dislike about the SP side of things. Whatever was different, I got used to, and I have yet to come across any huge bugs or design issues that I have issue with in SP.

Because of the issues with MP, I find myself playing SP more than I would normally in a shooter. I actually feel I will finish the SP campaign because of this, which is VERY rare for me.

However, even with this, I find myself turning to MP over and over again, and being shut out by the issues after a short time playing. Usually, just as I am getting into the MP and having fun, I get disconnected

Whatever they do, they need all patches and add-ons to focus 100% on the unfinished MP game. When that is done I will be a happy camper.

[Brettzies]

The problem is right there at the top of the page, where it says "The Definitive Ghost Recon Fansite". If you guys continue to fawn over this game when there is so much wrong with it you'll never see it fixed to the point where it's a contender to be a true successor to GR. Much less seeing GR4.

I'm not a fan of unjustified dev worshipping, but I do think there are moments when they deserve praise, like when they went gold, that sort of thing. It can be difficult to discuss the game when people are too far on one side or the other. You end up with comments based on emotion rather then objectivity. I do see the problems that exist and people have spent a good deal of time outling them.

While I like discussing the problems as well(people do have good insights) it almsot becomes a religious or political battle. Like the "dumpster" thread. If people don't understand the point of that thread, they never will.

So, this one is more about pointing out the things Grin got "right." Big or small. At least in my eyes. As opposed to either blind praise or angry frustration. Things you enjoy about the game etc. It's ok to dispute them as well. I have no problem if someone doesn't like something I do and wants to offer a reason why.

However, this thread really was about listing or commenting on what was done right, not so much what they got wrong(that's fine too though). It's not a "Grin Rocks they are the Lords of all Destruction and War!" thread, "Thank you Grin you saved my life" thread, or a "this game is so craptacular I'm taking it back to the store...that'll show 'em" thread. It is kind of a "stop and smell the gun powder for a moment" thread.