asch

Since Joint Operations is the new flavor of the month, I wanted to find out some more info about the game. I've downloaded the demo and jumped on the server (when it was empty), ran around checked out some of the vehicles... but I wasn't all that impressed.

I'm a big Battlefield fan and tend to compare other games to BF. I like the graphics and gameplay of BF. How does Joint Operations compare to BF? The graphics didn't appear quite as nice but I wasn't in it long enough to figure out the gameplay. The controls seemed a bit awkward and I was having a hard time figuring out what keys did what... partly because it's a demo.

My gaming time is limited so I tend to stick to one game. Is JO worth leaving BF for a bit?

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jex

JO has bigger maps, and more maps. The graphics seem fine to me and I actually prefer this over BF. The Mission Editor also allows easily customizable missions as well so there should be a good deal of stuff from the modding community.

JO tends to be more player orientated than vehicle orientated like you get in BF. In BF you tend to grab a vehicle and go off on your own, in JO you grab a vehicle, grab some buddies and make sure your player is packing the right firepower, then you go off and assault it together. Everytime I played BF there never seemed to be any of this teamplay that i kept hearing about whereas in JO it's all about teamplay and we're constantly communicating with each other and working together on practically every mission.

JO also incorporates MP Coop so that'll mean playing missions GR/OFP style if the finished product comes out right.

So far we've only seen a few vehicles - I'm not sure what other vehicles they'll include in the full version so we may see some tanks or heavier aircraft.

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Jex

=Sarc=

The Advance and Secure gametype is a lot like a Battlefield push map. I tend to like this type of play a lot better because it forces players to work together instead of one-many-army-steal-your-back-flag tactics. I like the interface that tells you how many defenders and attackers are near a flag. The compass/minimap has an arrow pointing to the next attack point and your current defend point. It is also a little like BFV where the more players by the flag, the faster you take it. You also don't have to kill everybody near a flag to take it, just outnumber the defenders and you start converting the flag. Sniping is a bit more trickier because you have to take elevation into account for your shot. Some snipers out there are really good when they get a nice hiding spot. Mortars seem to be more effective because of the easy to use targeting interface. Coupled with a sniper using a target designator, some devastating mortar fire can be brought down on enemy bases.

I would say try it out more and definitely hop on when you see a few of us on TS. It's something you have to try out and judge for yourself since the gameplay is so similar to BF. You might like BF more because of the graphics or you're used to the controls but there are some differences in JO that I happen to like. If you get on at the same time there are other TG'ers, you should get the hang of it in one night. Then you can decide if you want to continue it for another night. In all, I'd say you have to sacrifice two BF nights to get a good opinion of JO.

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CingularDuality

I think it's worth trying out for a few nights. I've been playing it for a bit and I'm not impressed. A lot of these guys are really into the co-op thing, so JO is right up their alley. The two games are very similar, though. Like Jex said, the vehicles in the demo are very weak and unrealistic. But while this may encourage offensive teamplay, it likewise detracts from defensive teamplay. Some of the things in JO are a bit too idiot proof, IMO. Helos are very difficult to crash and indirect fire is simple. Both require no skill whatsoever, unlike BF. This isn't good or bad, just different.

Overall, I haven't seen anything that would get me to buy the game. It's like a tweaked version of BF with crappy graphics.

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asch

Doesn't this spread ppl out if the maps are too big? I know on BF it's sometimes hard to play the larger maps because there aren't enough ppl to support the map size. Are there more maps total? ... or just core maps? BF has a bagillion custom maps.
What makes folks playing JO more team oriented? This to me is a state of mind and not the game. What's to stop ppl from waiting to load up a vehicle in BF? I guess a lack of vehicles could be one reason. The game style as Sarc mentioned is another. The push maps on BF are my favorites.

How are folks communicating differently in JO? Is there a difference that makes JO better to communicate in? ... or is it just using team speak?
Granted, the AI in BF sux so coop is worthless. However, I've never been a big fan of playing against the AI. I'm in for the shooting the other guy.

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jex

The maps are a certain size on a certain terrain type. What they they do is replicate the maps and stick them side by side and on top of each other (so if you zoomed out, you'd see a repeating pattern of squares a bit like a chess board). This make the maps almost infinite as you can walk over man chess squares, right out the combat area.

What keeps people close though is the areas of interest. Bases, spawn points, etc which draw players to those areas. The push maps works thus;

you start (at present as only 1 map on the demo) on an island with 2 bases. Water seperates you from the enemy island which also has 2 bases. You have to capture bases in order and once you capture a base, the enemy has to recapture it before they can move on to take another base, so e.g.

You start with base A and B, the enemy C and D. You capture C first and then D. With C held they cannot take A or B. You cannot jump straight to D without first getting C. Reverse the process for the other side.

As well as this format there is also Team death match, team king of the hill and I'm hoping for other game types. The retail has 30-40 maps apparently but as they are so large, you can use only certain areas so each map can be used to make it look as their are more maps because of this.

I'm not sure why it is more team orientated. I would guess that because you have a single goal of grabbing bases in order it naturally follows that some will attack together and the best way to do that is team up. Some stay at base to fend off counter attacks too and comunicate on enemy positions.

We use teamspeak but there are wav files accessable through macros - i.e. if you board a vehicle you can quickly send a request out to players asking if they want a list. If they respond yes, a tag appears next to their name indicating they are wanting transport.

It's pretty fast paced too. Sometimes you can't get a shot but you see someone else ahead and you call them in or warn them. Chances are they'll respond and get the kill. It's a bit like setting up your main man to get the goal. You provide the pass and he scores, so they're a good feeling of accomplishment.

You need to play the game though to see for yourself. Anytime your on come and grab one of us - there are plenty ready to play so numbers seem to increase when people see a game is in action.

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Jex