If you've ever wondered why our two BF2 mods, Point of Existence 2 and Project Reality, are such huge hits here at TG, now is a great time to find out first hand! BF2 is now just $6.99 (!!!) from Amazon.com (via TG)!! (Both mods are free downloads) Go ahead and get yourself an early Christmas present!!

PoE2 is based in modern times and features a conflict between Ukraine and U.N.-representatives, Germany and the United States. The full context for the war can be found here. Basically, Ukraine, seeking to regain power it held when it was part of the Soviet Union, invaded neighboring country Belarus. Within weeks they had crushed the Belorussian resistance and neighboring countries began to wonder if they were as vulnerable to occupation as Belarus had been.

The U.N. liberation plan consisted of a massive airborne assault and armored spear head from Poland. The German forces would rush to Kiev in the heart of the country, while the United States protected their northern flank from the Ukrainian troops based in Belarus. On a dim night in September, the invasion of Ukraine was started.





"This aint your grandma's BF2" - Every vehicle and weapon in PoE2 is completely new - the models, vehicle dynamics, and weapon damage systems are all custom. The design philosophy was to avoid 'mirroring' - where vehicles and weapons for all factions would be have equal performance. Instead, the entire game system was designed to take advantage rock-paper-scissors balancing.

For example, while one faction's APC may have superior speed and maneuverability, the other has amphibious capabilities. One fighter may be more nimble, but the opposition has faster get-away speed with it's larger afterburner. One attack helo flies like a loaded dumptruck, but it's armor keeps it in the air - the other is agile and fast, but lacks staying power.

Or for infantry kit balance, consider the medic's kit: the Ukraine medic carries an iron-sighted AK-74u with great stopping power and full auto; the German medics carry G36k's that aren't as powerful but have nice optics; and the US medics carry an iron sighted M16, with burst or semi fire modes and laser like accuracy.

This philosophy is also reflected in map design, where both sides often have very different resources with which to complete their objectives. For example, sometimes one force will have close air support available, while the other will not - instead starting with great defensive positioning and anti-air equipment.




Gameplay - Point of Existence 2 is a squad based game with up to 6 players per squad, and 31 players per team. It has built-in VOIP between squad members only, and a seperate channel for comms between each Squad Leader and the 'Commander'. The pace of the game is slower than vanilla BF2 or 2142, and slightly faster than ArmA and Project Reality. The main reason for this (in addition to the accuracy/lethality of weapons), is that there are no "all seeing eye" devices (Satelite Scan or UAV) in the game to reveal enemy units on your minimap. This opens the door for some great tactical squad maneuvering - It's now possible to quietly flank entrenched defenders and infiltrate enemy territory while maintaining the element of surprise! Expected heated, chaotic firefights and CQB tactics in urban environments like Odessa and Port Yalta. You'll need to be slow and low in the dense jungles of Fallen and when patrolling the frozen forest of Spies Like Us. There's really something for everyone.



Objectives - The main game-mode played on the TG server is called conquest. In this mode, each side tries to hold a majority of Capture Points throughout the map. Holding more flags than the other team causes them to 'bleed' tickets. (Each death also costs your team one ticket.) If one team looses all their tickets, they loose the round. If the round time expires (45-minute rounds), the team with more of their tickets remaining wins.

Ukranian squads defending three of five flags on the map Spies Like Us.

Maps - There are currently 29 custom maps for PoE2. They support a wide variety of game play styles. There are infantry-only maps in both urban and deep-forest environments; combined-arms maps in forest, snow, mountain, and urban settings that feature armor, infantry, and close air-support; there are also several assault maps where one side is invading from offshore. The latest version of PoE2, v2.1, featured six new maps, all of which are quite epic to play. For more details on the available maps, check out the manual.



How to get started - Here's a quick overview of everything you need to get rolling. If you have any trouble, stop by the PoE2 forum and we'll get you sorted out!

1) If you don't yet have Battlefield 2, you can get it from Amazon.com (via TG) for $9.99 (!!!)

(That's pretty much free if you figure the cost per hour you're going to be playing it )

2) Download and install the latest patch for BF2 - currently that's 1.41.(536MB)

Public Download (EA.com)

3) Download and install latest PoE2 Client - Version 2.1 (2.2GB Full Install, 645MB 1.8->2.1 Patch)

Public Download

(While this is downloading, consider checking out some of the game features from the manual.)



4) Familiarize yourself with the Server Rules and general expectations:

• Teamwork and maturity are expected.
• You must join a squad within 90 seconds or be auto-kicked.
• Learn how to report rules violations.
• We have reserved slots in place for Supporting Members.
  • The server is full at 62/64. Joining with 62/64 players will cause you to be auto-kicked after loading. When this happens, just keep trying!
  • If a Supporting Member joins when the server is full, it kicks the longest-playing Non-Supporting Member.
  • Supporting Members themselves are never kicked to make room for other players. Be sure to enter you BF2 Player ID in your profile if you are a supporting member.

5) Join us on Teamspeak!

In-game VOIP is the main communication tool, so mid-round TS chatter should be kept to a minimum.

- Rules violations, requests for invites to squads, mic checks, friendly banter between rounds, etc...

- boasting about a sweet headshot, blaming the game for your bad aim, "did you guys hear the news about...", etc...

6) Join us on the server!

Name: "TacticalGamer.com - PoE2 - 62 Open Slots"
IP: 64.34.165.134
Port: 16567

7) Have Fun!