Point of Existence 2 - The Next Chapter

**whistler** · 03-11-2009, 07:28 PM

Point of Existence 2

Looking Back

It is hard to believe but it has been over two and a half years since Point of Existence 2 was launched here at Tactical Gamer. PoE2 is a total conversion mod for Battlefield 2 that started with two armies, 12 maps and had the full support of the TG community that was looking for something new as vanilla BF2 was winding down. Twice the amount of time vanilla BF2 lasted has passed since then and the community has had its ups and downs. The entire time though we have remained the top destination for North American gamers to play PoE2 and welcomed a large amount of players that found a home at TG.

The mod itself has gone through many changes: the addition of a full army(USMC), 22 new maps, lots of new vehicles and weapons along with countless tweaks and bugfixes. The PoE2 of today is a much larger modification but also a much more mature one. Almost all the kinks have been worked out and the gameplay has been heavily refined for balance and playability.

Throughout that time frame TG has been heavily involved with the PoE2 development team. Several TG members have been integral to the internal testing of the mod and a few of the devs have become regulars on our server and forums. A very close relationship that we are proud to be a part of.

Moving Forward

So now it is time for the next chapter in PoE2's life here at TG. Due to difficulty in maintaining a healthy population 7 days a week we are moving to Tuesdays and Fridays only for regular gameplay. These have been the most populated nights since the last release and the community has identified these nights as the times when play quality is highest. Although it is always disappointing to have to limit playtime as a game reaches old age, we are confident with more focused play we can reinvigorate the community and look forward to many great PoE2 experiences yet to come.

We also will be attempting to run scrimmages every two weeks. These will take place on Sunday and signups will be posted in our forum. During some of the off weeks we will be running other events as well. These events may highlight the exclusive gamemodes offered by PoE2 or perhaps will add a new dimension to familiar gameplay through use of server side mods.

If you have not given PoE2 a try now would be a good time to take a look. Or if you once gave up on PoE2 and would be open to a return then this would be a good opportunity to reunite with some old friends. Time commitment is low and each night should see high quality play. The very best of PoE2 will be on display and the mods diehard fans will be happy to welcome some new faces. Hope to see you on the battlefield soon!

How to get started with PoE2 (for free)!!

Thanks to FBMantis for the original post!

**WhiskeySix** · 03-11-2009, 07:40 PM

excellent!! See you Friday!

More about the mod:

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigC

The War -- 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.

The Mod -- 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.