In about 2 weeks, the reign of Battlefield 1942 should, by all rights, come to a close.
With the release of the apparently bigger, badder, better looking sibling, Battlefield 2, the remaining 1580 servers should go dark, a quiet monument to the only online shooter to truly give CounterStrike a run for it's money.
Originally released in 2002, Battlefield 1942 has spawned 2 expansions, a misguided graphically updated romp through the Vietnam Conflict, and 65 mods (according to Mod DB).
Of those 65, three of them have true merit, and should be played by anyone with Battlefield discs before the servers empty: Forgotten Hope, Battle Group 42, and Desert Combat.
Forgotten Hope
http://www.fhmod.net/
Forgotten Hope is Battlefield 1942 Realism edition. Of the servers recently surveyed, FH appears to be the second most successful mod, behind Desert Combat. And with good reason.
I've heard about bringing a knife to a gun fight but this is ridiculous!
The whole project is designed to push the games' rendering engine into ever more realistic extremes, through actual battle locations and scenarios. Weighing in at 1.7GB for the base .65 install, with an additional 565mb update, the mod better deliver. It does.
Downtown Arnhem, 1943-ish
The entire texture, sound, and model base has been thoroughly revamped. Panzers, when you come across them, look every bit as menacing as the real thing, and just as detailed. Player kits and uniforms are right out of the books. Gunfire sounds authentic, with both realistic echo and retort. Explosions ring in your ears as you sprint from building to building, searching for cover.
That's Not a Friendly!
This is the way Battlefield should have been in the first place.
Battle Group 42
http://www.battlegroup42.com/
There are several Battlefield mods that have had not had that great of success, as far as overall popularity, but deserve mention nonetheless. The best of these is Battle Group 42.
With only 10 servers remaining, the Battle Group 42 mod looks eastward for action, adding the Russian and Pacific theaters of the War to the basic game.
Running The Korsun Pocket
Sniper on Overwatch!
The basic install is a 560+ mb basic mod, plus the 1.1 update, which adds another 265 mb download. What you get is a bunch of new models, including aircraft, tanks, boats, and player kits. Want to fly a Zero over wake Island? Go ahead, it's there.
Nice model!
Overall, the mod is solid. There is not as much realism as Forgotten Hope...the down to the last texture level of production detail just isn't there, particularly on the maps. You never really forget you are playing a mod, as you do in Forgotten Hope, but what you do get is the opportunity to confront a line of Panzers in the Korsun Pocket, or make a stand at Wake Island. That's reason enough for the download for me.
Desert Combat
http://www.desertcombat.com/
Before the Desert Combat team was absorbed by DICE, the Desert Combat mod stood for all that is good in the world of Mods.
And That's Just One Load Screen!
I've got a M4 and a HumVee, point me in the right direction!
Set in Operation Desert Storm era combat, Desert Combat added modern weapons and vehicles to Battlefield 1942. The models are realistic, as are the maps and gameplay. The Desert Combat team spent a lot of time revamping the basic code to handle the modern weaponry, but it certainly paid off: running across the Iraqi desert in an M1 Abrams, you almost feel like you are there.
Something for the Armor Grognards....
Oil Fields Map, Bradley v. T-72s
And that is where the mod excels. Big armored battles in expansive maps such as Desert Storm is a blast, but requires strict teamwork and air cover to be successful. Running through the desert, shelling infantry positions and engaging T-72s at range? Classic.
To be fair, it's not that urban maps, such as Basrah or Basrah Nights are not compelling, it's just that there isn't much to distinguish them from any other Team Death Match game, such as Joint Ops.
Basrah, A Quiet Night
Of course, in making that comparison, a mod compared to a released game, shows how good Desert Combat really is.
With 2 weeks before the release of Battlefield 2, you have no excuse for not downloading these and seeing the best of the Battlefield Community.
Get these now, before they are gone, soldier!
