There's no substitute for FC2...

[PZ]

Im back in FC2 with a silent AS50, full auto AR16 and of course, the 6P9

[PZ]

My AS50 has a long range, and the silent nature is even better than the original dart rifle.  Because I have the high jump toggle turned on, I can jump to high ledges and pick off mercs in just about all of the areas - loads of fun because they do not know where I am (unless they see me)

I had forgotten the delight of the experience when changing from night to day, and rain to sunny weather.  The environment is just stellar - better than anything I see in the games produced today.

[fragger]

Excellent :-X

I'm going there myself right after this forum session ^-^

[fragger]

Well, I went there. Man, what a difference! It's like revisiting an old neighbourhood. It's taking me a while to get back into the swing of things with this one as I haven't played for a couple of years, but I am enjoying it a lot.

Several things stand out:

1. No tagging bad guys
No wimping out with a camera, grey silhouettes and little icons floating above enemies' heads. You have to keep your eyes open and actually try to remember where the bad guys are.

2. No "detection meter"
You have to listen for footsteps and comments like, "I thought I saw something". You only know if you've been spotted when the bullets come flying at you out of the shrubbery.

3. No fast travel
Except by bus, if you can get to the nearest stop without getting shot.

4. Tougher combat
Unless you score a headshot, be prepared to pump a good few rounds into a baddie to make him bite the dust. Hits will hurt you (how much depends on skill level, of course). No body armour to soften the blows.

5. Rich dialogue
Elephant dung being eaten on a dare, maggot infections resembling macaroni dinners, the wonky-eyed doctor who took grenade schrap in the head and should be cut some slack... Mercs are way better conversationalists then pirates.

6. The unparalleled time of day effects
No further comment necessary.

7. No tripping
NO @#$%& TRIPPING!

Gritty, down-to-earth and real-world... A gutsy game for those who prefer to employ their heads instead of their reflexes. There really is no substitute :-X

[PZ]

I agree with everything you wrote, fragger.  :-X

I forgot to mention another characteristic I changed with weaponry - no longer need to empty an entire magazine into a merc to take him down - a single shot or two to the chest even with the 6P9 will do it.

After all, how much protection does a tee-shirt provide against a bullet.  :-()

[Art Blade]

 :-()

[PZ]

Although I did not remember it, I must have changed the weapons degradation because I do not need to visit the weapons shop unless I wish to purchase something new (or do a mission).  It greatly takes the tedium out of having to continually visit the weapon shop to pick up a fresh weapon, and allows me to more freely roam the landscape.

It has changed my game play so much that I am exploring (and traveling) areas I have never visited before because my normal shortest route would have been with a weapon shop on the path.

[fragger]

Cool :-X

I forgot to mention one other major difference - the handheld in-game map, which is a far slicker concept than FC3's mapping system.

[Art Blade]

totally agree :)

[PZ]

Totally agree about the game map - although I am accustomed to the mini map in most games, they are not nearly as immersive in my opinion.  The problem with deactivating them is that the developers have programmed the game to rely on them, else your navigation is severely impacted.

As you mentioned, it is much more fun to have to scan the environment for a merc rather than the icon above the head of the enemy - that is more for kids.

[Art Blade]

Heh.. one merc at Merc-Fights, err, Cock-Fights surprised me. I had been sneaking around for some time trying to kill everyone without getting detected (funny side note: it just so happened that when they went looking for me, they happened upon those other mercs and a brief exchange of bullets ensued) but I finally had enough -- too quiet -- and decided to dare a little more because I didn't believe everyone was dead already. I shot at objects with my silenced AS50 until eventually I heard a merc go, "hum!" I couldn't bloody find him until I finally got shot at from within the same bush I was just about to hide in.  That was the last merc and he gave me quite a start, I can tell you that  :-()

[PZ]

... I shot at objects with my silenced AS50 until eventually I heard a merc go, "hum!" I couldn't bloody find him until I finally got shot at from within the same bush I was just about to hide in.  That was the last merc and he gave me quite a start, I can tell you that  :-()

That happened to me last night at Shwasana - I can in to the area by boat passing by the outpost on the river where it tees in to the Shwasana river.  Naturally one of them followed me as they always do, and I silenced him (literally).  Then I set up perched on a low rock picking off mercs - to my surprise I heard a "huh??" and quickly spun around.  No one to see but I was still nervous and kept looking over my shoulder - I finally saw him hiding in the thick brush behind me.

[Art Blade]

 :-D

[TheStranger]

5. Rich dialogue
Elephant dung being eaten on a dare, maggot infections resembling macaroni dinners, the wonky-eyed doctor who took grenade schrap in the head and should be cut some slack... Mercs are way better conversationalists then pirates.

What? I haven't heard any of those lines and I have about 3 or 4 playthroughs and try to listen to every dialogue in the towns. Very cool. There are still more things to be discovered.

I modded my Far Cry 2 based on the fishlords modpack, but adjusted the weapons degrading (they degrade more than it is in fishlords mod pack but slower than vanilla weapons) and the prices of the weapons (I made most of them more expensive) so that you really have to hunt for diamonds. Also all weapons are available from the start. So the convoy missions are just for fun.

I still want to find the black mamba mission/merc.  :-D

[Art Blade]

I heard those merc conversations quite a lot of times :) Maybe you should try the ignoreplayer cheat, just so you can listen in on them without getting shot at and without preventing them from chatting. :-D

As to the black mamba, there is one hint in the game that makes it obvious something had been planned yet never made it into the game: There are no side missions that reward you with arms. (note that the arms dealer missions are mentioned separately and explicitly just above the "other side missions")

[smg id=7283 type=preview align=center caption="hints"]

[Art Blade]

Having started a brand new playthrough as Xianyong using PZ's mod, I decided to do all buddy missions and to follow their alternative (blue) main missions. I started in Fresh Fish and therefore had to free Michele in Lumber, making her my best buddy. I had completed both of her side missions and one of Quarbani's when I suddenly remembered the trick about getting the rescue buddy's side missions. I had 7 rep with Michele, 4 with Quarbani and 3 with Paul, my rescue buddy. So I went to Cock-Fights and started a merc war for fun, finished them off and blew myself up. Paul rescued me and I went back to the safehouse to reactivate him. Then I cursed because I should have wounded and healed him in order to increase my rep with him -- did it the next two rescue times. Now my rep with him is 8. I just took on the first mission for the UFLL (oasis mission) and as planned, Paul rang me up -- he has become my new BB and Michele is my new RB. :-D I need to get them all killed and to get the extra buddy.. this is fun.  :)

[PZ]

Nice  :-X  Have fun, AB, I know that I'm enjoying doing a mission whenever I get a chance, and I always do the buddy missions to extend the game play a bit.

I remember seeing references to Black Mamba (or indirect reference) in one of the .xml files.  Did a bit of exploring, but nothing panned out, and I got the notion that it was something that was conceived but ne ver implemented, as has been mentioned

[Art Blade]

I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit  :)

Funny glitch: Ever since my first job (for Michele, recover something from the rail yard) I have kept that big red lorry you find at the rail yard -- because it lacks any engine sounds. All you hear is sound coming from the tyres, foliage you brush along, brakes, a bit squeaking perhaps from some springs.. sounds that are somewhat pleasant. So, basically, a very quiet and high ride, and uncommon. Most of the time I was running around rather than using any vehicle but now I have to recover something for Paul from the fort, all across the map, so I am now cruising in a silent lorry  ;D With ignoreplayer cheat enabled, mercs don't even realise you're approaching in this vehicle. Usually they'd say something like, "did you hear that?" -- "that f***er is mine!" but not now. They just keep talking.  :-D

[fragger]

I remember noticing that the lorry engine noise disappeared after installing a particular patch - the same patch that resulted in the glitch with the Jackal tapes. Before that, there was truck engine noise.

[Art Blade]

I haven't examined that, I remember engine noise but that could have been before the latest patch. I'll check if and when I see another lorry, whether or not it is silent, too.

[PZ]

I think fragger is correct - engine noise stopped on the Unimog as well, especially when running at high speed

[fragger]

I played a bit more of FC2 tonight, and I have a few thoughts on #2 vs. #3.

Let me say at the start that all things considered, I still believe that FC2 is the superior game. We've discussed the pros of this game compared to FC3 enough already without me having to go through them all again here - we all know what the plusses are.

Having said that, there are some things about FC3 that I do in fact prefer over FC2. One of which is the weapon system, i.e. not being constrained by weapons categories. I like how in FC3 I can have any combinations of weapons I want. For instance, if I want to carry four different handguns all at once, I can (not that I ever would). It would be nice in FC2 if one could be free of the restrictions imposed by primary, secondary and special weapons groupings. I'd like to be able to pack a dart gun and a PKM, for example, or carry an MP5 and an SPAS12 at the same time.

Another thing I prefer about FC3 is the accessibility of the terrain. You may find yourself confronted by a cliff, but there is always a way to get on top of it. In FC2 there are many places that you simply cannot get to which look as though they would provide primo vantage points. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it encourages the player to explore the map more to find the best ways around, but it can be frustrating at times - that and the invisible walls, plus the inability to get over obstacles that an invalid would be able to climb over.

I like the speed and maneuverability of the vehicles in FC3. I've become quite adept at doing power drifts and reverse one-eighties in FC3 and found it pretty exhilarating. Going back into FC2 the vehicles feel rather slow and lethargic by comparison, and I can forget about the reverse one-eighties - FC2's vehicles simply don't w@&k that way. I used to think that the quad bikes in FC2 were a tad flighty, but after mastering the ones in FC3 I have no trouble whatsoever controlling the quads in FC2. They feel very tame by comparison.

I also enjoyed the hunting and crafting aspects of FC3 as well as all the side activities one can indulge in, such as shooting contests, poker games and speed trials.

But FC2 still rules in immersion value, richness of environment, AI chatter and general gaming goodness. If only the best of both games could be merged into one, I'd be one hopelessly addicted gamer :-()

[nexor]

I agree with you all the way fragger and I think ubi knows that too, they would never do anything like that because that would be the last game they develop  :-\\

[PZ]

You got that right, nex  :-X

I'm with you, fragger.  The only way to mix and match weapons in FC2 is to create a mod for the game.  For instance, I moved the AS-50 from primary slot into the special slot, effectively allowing me to replace the dart with the AS-50.

I was watching a game play video of FC4 last night, which is graphically stunning, but appears to play like FC3.  Example: the colored indicator pointing the direction of the bad guys.  There are even towers to liberate.

[Art Blade]

nex, I understand what you said but damn, that's not a good policy. UBI should make a game just like fragger suggested and then the challenge for UBI would be to top that with the next game. Only improvement and development is a goal, not to stick with half-cooked stuff as a bad excuse for not having to push the limits and grow bigger and better. The strange thing is, UBI keeps showing that they know how to do it right -- looking at their Assassin's Creed franchise. They keep improving that series and keep making it more user-friendly and really respect a gamer's wishes (I have the upcoming AC:unity in mind). Only they know why they can't do that with the FC franchise.