Flashpoint Friday Night?

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:50 pm

Boys:

Anyone up for some Operation Flashpoint on XBL at 10:30 p.m. (EST) tonight? I'm recording Syracuse-Florida in hoops, so that can wait until later.

I can host, but I have created no missions. So anyone with some good created missions can feel free to host.

Hope to see some of you cats.

Take care,
PK

Gurantsu · Post by **Gurantsu** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:53 pm

I'm there! I'll try to finish up a couple missions. Plus I'd like to see if we can actually finish the first one I created.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:55 pm

I'll give it a shot. I've got to drive to Birmingham right after work but I should be back by then or shortly thereafter. I really want to like this game but I'm just not there yet.

ProvoAnC · Post by **ProvoAnC** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:06 pm

sorry bros...gotta work

have fun and don't fall out of any choppers...or at least when the chopper shows up yell like Arnold "run...get to the choppa!"

webdanzer · Post by **webdanzer** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:13 pm

If you guys can live with a silent dude who might need to split at any given moment, I'll try and find my way into your room later on tonight!

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:20 pm

I'm there, might be a little late if the family watches a movie.

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 3:55 pm

webdanzer wrote:If you guys can live with a silent dude who might need to split at any given moment, I'll try and find my way into your room later on tonight!

Don't sweat it. Communicate with the D-pad quick chat stuff.

Mix seems like you just aren't buyin' what it's sellin'. It'll be great to have you along tonight, and maybe you'll have a breakthrough or something, but those of us who like the game seem to have liked it right away. Somehow I still think Teal will be like a pig in s***, but what do I know? Hope he can find a copy for tonight.

I've been wanting to join you guys for some BF:MC, but I'm waiting for my copy to get in from Gamefly, and I don' think it's gonna happen by tonight. None of the local rental joints have it, so it'll be after T-giving before I get to join you in that. Speaking of, I sure thought there was going to be a 360 version of that game, but now I can't find anything on it. I hope they make this one back-compat sooner rather than later, if there won't be a 360 version.

I hope we can get a good 'pilot down' game going, and try some of the other team missions.

Millennium · Post by **Millennium** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:09 pm

I'm going to go rent this, so I should be around tonight. You guys may have to lead me through the first go-round though...

Wrekcut1 · Post by **Wrekcut1** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:32 pm

I'm supposed to play some Sniper Elite a little earlier in the night, but if we are done I will definitely switch over.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:49 pm

Gurantsu wrote:I'm there! I'll try to finish up a couple missions. Plus I'd like to see if we can actually finish the first one I created.

Gurantsu:

Are you going to host? I don't think Zep's connection can handle more than four or five guys.

If your connection gets spotty, I can always take over as host. But I have no custom missions, so I'd like for you to host first so we can play your cool custom stuff.

Take care,
PK

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 6:08 pm

Im in, shoot me an invite please. Just picked it up seeing as tho Fri is a good night for me to game .
Jimmy.

GT "The Deicide"

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 6:14 pm

pigpen81 wrote:I'm there, might be a little late if the family watches a movie.

Put some long trousers on will yeh.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 7:09 pm

Zeppo wrote: Mix seems like you just aren't buyin' what it's sellin'. It'll be great to have you along tonight, and maybe you'll have a breakthrough or something, but those of us who like the game seem to have liked it right away. Somehow I still think Teal will be like a pig in s***, but what do I know? Hope he can find a copy for tonight.

Did you mean to say, "it looks like pig s***"? Cause if you did, I'd agree wholeheartedly. Good grief! Guys run like they've got the runs and are frantically trying to find the bathroom!

Yes, I have it, Zepp, and I made sure to buy it at a place that has a no fuss 7 day return policy. So far...no dice. I mean, I see what they're after, and I love what they're after, but I'm not going to be able to get around the pathetic graphics, I don't believe. But I'll be there tonight, nonetheless, hoping for a miracle.

To be fair, I did the instant missions, and the one where you pilot the attack chopper I enjoyed. Didn't know what I was doing, but got the controls down fairly quickly, and it felt real, so long as you didn't look at the ground, which you have to do b/c that's where your targets are.

Anyway, right now being a ground grunt sucks majorly, and I'm amazed at the flattery the thing is getting...

Oh, well, only put in, like 20 minutes or so, so that's not a fair assessment, so we'll see...

Hope I'm not bursting any bubbles!

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 7:40 pm

tealboy03 wrote:Hope I'm not bursting any bubbles!

Nope. If graphics are any kind of a priority, this ain't your game. But the gameplay is unsurpassed, in my opinion, more than overcoming the visuals.

If you can't get past the visuals, then you'll hate this game. But if you can deal with them, the gameplay more than makes up for it in spades.

Take care,
PK

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:55 pm

Well the single player aint gonna fly for me campaign locks up at training mission and 3rd single mission locked up on extraction point.

Multi better be fun or im sending each of you a 3 dollar invoice Pigpens will be 10.
See u tonight.
Off to play Hockey....MMMM Hockey.

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 9:49 pm

pk500 wrote:
tealboy03 wrote:Hope I'm not bursting any bubbles!
Nope. If graphics are any kind of a priority, this ain't your game. But the gameplay is unsurpassed, in my opinion, more than overcoming the visuals.

If you can't get past the visuals, then you'll hate this game. But if you can deal with them, the gameplay more than makes up for it in spades.

Take care,
PK

PK:

Graphics help with believability for me. Immersion is just as important as accuracy. I have no doubt that this game is without peer, technically speaking. But I can't aim worth a darn so far, and am not entirely sure I am aiming at a guy much of the time!

I'm glad you guys love it so much, and I'm not going to carry on tonight about how bad it is to me. That's not fair to you. And who knows? You may yet be able to show me the diamond in this rough. I'm going to keep an open mind...at any rate, you should be able to enjoy it without taking needless potshots from naysayers. If I don't feel it, I don't feel it. Again, we'll see...

nyisles16 · Post by **nyisles16** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:00 pm

count me in.... i wanna see some more "chopper, meet rock" hehe

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:12 am

Guys, what a freaking blast tonight. I needed a night like that in the worst way. Flying the Blackhawks is a rush like no other. Just getting the 1 pilot felt like a huge victory.

I love how we get together with strategy. Never had we had a game where we strategized with so much intensity.

The pilot mission are incredible. Zep, Gurantsu, can you build off of it even more?

It felt so cool to swing the copter around while the gunner was trying to take out the armor and jeeps.

I am off the whole week and cannot wait for our next session.

Thanks for a fun night.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:30 am

Ditto to Piggy. That's about as good as it gets on Live. Fantastic fun with you cats.

We WILL beat that Oil City co-op mission that we attempted about 10 times, even if it takes us until we're all 80 years old!

Take care,
PK

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:30 pm

PK:

You asked me at the end of the night if my opinion had changed. I didn't want to give a complete answer right then and there, because I wanted to have my opinion based on the game itself, and not on the great comraderie that has been missing for me in DSP poker nights for too long.

After playing it both online and off, I must say that my opinion has changed in one sense, and but it also hasn't.

The Pilot Down missions were great. There is a very tangible sense of urgency, and piggy is a heck of a Black Hawk pilot! I love the choppers, the feel of them, even simply riding in the back of them is a riot. (I didn't jump out of any at 30 feet, so I don't know how free flying feels!

)

Once out of the chopper, however, rescuing the pilot was cumbersome and frustrating, as was much of the rest of it to me. I said before that I just don't get it. Well, I get it now. I know why there is so much love for this game. It's intentions are excellent. As I said before, I love what this game is trying to do.

I think I could even deal with the graphics, were they just a tad bit better.(I've seen screens of OF2, and they are-here's hoping for a 360 update to that one) But the wonkiness of the controls(especially on foot)
has got to change before I'll bite. Animations and things of that nature really pull me out of the experience.

So, yeah...I suppose the graphics, when taken as a whole, are going to keep me from enjoying this. You're right-the vehicle graphics aren't bad. In fact they're pretty good. And I know that in a game of this scope, graphics aren't going to be gorgeous. There's just too much for the engine to do. OF2 looks better, but still can't hold a candle to much in the PC or console market. Granted, again, this game is doing way more computations, but still. Immersion is as important to me as realism. I've got to believe I'm there in order to get lost in the moment.

That being said, I had a blast last night, and simply based on having the old squad back together, I was caught up. But I wanted to base my impressions on the game, and in that aspect, the idea is for me, but the execution isn't.

I may rent it from time to time to play with you guys, but I'm going to have to stay away from pretty much all my other military shooters in order to add this one to my collection, especially at 40 bucks.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to give it a chance. I did have my opinion changed for the better in some aspects, and I have great hope in the second installment being more refined control wise, and more asthetically pleasing.

You guys enjoy the crap out of it, and I'm glad. In it's current form, however...it's just not for me...

Zeppo · Post by **Zeppo** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:36 pm

That was pretty damn fun stuff, guys. I wish we could work better as a unit and stick together more, but that will come once we all get the hang of the command system. It's very cool as the commander that you can locate the squad members when you cycle through them in the command menu. I really wish there were a way to set way-points on the map screen, and I don't know how to translate the coordinates given by the commander using the R-trigger ("everyone; head to 10 24"), but there must be something to that. I still can't figure out if a target icon appears on everyone else's screen when I give a move command (either on an object, like "head to that truck at 3 o'clock," or on the ground).

This game is so freaking wide open. It really is a sandbox game, all the way. It's amazing how customizeable the game is; check out 'my missions' online when you create a game, and check out all the game modes you can set up and customize. Not just the three co-op templates, but team play, team mission, CTF, etc. And then add in the pre-made games, like Pilot Down, and there is so much, almost too much. I hope we can find some modes that we really latch on to. I do really like co-op, I must say. But then, team mission seems just awesome. It was so fun that first Pilot Down game, when I finally figured out how to deal with the AI pilot, I had him get in my tank as driver, and with me as commander, had him drive me right back to base!

Once we get a handle on wtf we are doing (like getting that pilot to do stuff in Pilot Down, or using AI as drivers and gunners in a tank, etc.), this thing will really start to open up.

Won't be able to play this Wednesday, but hope to get a Flashpoint Poker Night going the Wed. after.

mixdj1 · Post by **mixdj1** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:18 pm

Ditto to what Teal said. I love the concept and gaming with the DSP crew last night was a blast ... especially in the pilot down missions. It's just that due to the poor graphics, the awkward control (I seem to be able to only move the crosshair a little or a lot and no where in between) and the robot AI voices I just can't get into it like you guys seem to be able to do.

I'm getting past the graphics a bit but it still really hinders gameplay at points especially when dealing with distant enemies. And I'm enjoying the single player missions when I'm solo or with a small group and the robot radio chatter isn't non-stop. But on the big co-op and single player missions it becomes a big jumble and I can't tell what I'm looking at and what I'm being told and I just end up frustrated instead of entertained.

I hope you guys have fun with it and you keep a regular poker night going. I'll maybe see you again in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter or TOCA 3 this spring.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:21 pm

tealboy03 wrote:You guys enjoy the crap out of it, and I'm glad. In it's current form, however...it's just not for me...

Well, that's a shame. But it was good shooting with you again.

This game is like crack or smack on a plastic platter for me. It's that addictive. Once again, I went to bed thinking of our missions and woke up thinking about them. Pathetic, I know!

I think Piggy's oft-repeated quote last night described our missions and battles together: "What a RUSH, guys!"

Let's play again soon!

Take care,
PK

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:24 pm

mixdj1 wrote:I hope you guys have fun with it and you keep a regular poker night going. I'll maybe see you again in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter or TOCA 3 this spring.

Again, that's too bad. We'll miss you.

FYI: GR:AW has been delayed until February 2006. And you know TOCA 3 is Xbox-only, not coming to the 360, right? Not sure if it's going to be backward compatible right away, either.

Take care,
PK

Teal · Post by **Teal** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 3:14 pm

pk500 wrote:
tealboy03 wrote:You guys enjoy the crap out of it, and I'm glad. In it's current form, however...it's just not for me...
Well, that's a shame. But it was good shooting with you again.

This game is like crack or smack on a plastic platter for me. It's that addictive. Once again, I went to bed thinking of our missions and woke up thinking about them. Pathetic, I know!

I think Piggy's oft-repeated quote last night described our missions and battles together: "What a RUSH, guys!"

Let's play again soon!

Take care,
PK

The Pilot Down mission WAS a rush-the adrenaline was off the charts. Everything else was just a little too labored on my part for pure enjoyment.

If you guys are still playing this when it hits el-cheapo status, I may pick it up, as you say, for 'shits and giggles' on live. Again, thanks for giving mix and I the chance to get a full feel for it...