Art's JC2 game impressions

[Art Blade]

The thing is, before I got the game I watched guys on youtube playing it. When I saw the first guy who didn't use massive firepower (automatic weapons, explosives) taking out govmen cold-blooded with single shots to the head, I realised that he played the way I wanted to... that is why I never used anything but my pistol, then additionally my revolver (never dual wielded) and it was only logical to go for the sniper rifle.

[fragger]

(erm, drug dops.. are those like acid drops, only with drugs in them instead? Nice sweets they have there LOL).

Sounds like sweets that I have fond flashbacks - er, memories - of.

[Art Blade]

lol ;D ;D

[Art Blade]

I just found out that a fully upgraded revolver can take down a military helo (I think 12 shots, though, you can carry 60 rounds for it max), wow  ;D

[Art Blade]

I decided to try the BOLO mod (3.0) to see what it does. I treated myself to maxing out my explosives and the usual loadout, and one faction mission ("Above the Law" - help a hacker high up on a sky scraper collect data, defend a satellite dish against like 5 military helos who come one by one) forced me to change the sniper rifle with a rocket launcher, so I maxed that one out, too. With unlimited ammo and weapons like that, the game actually turns into a madman's paradise... blow up everything, and the opponents keep coming... so much fun to send govmen's cars flying up with the rocket launcher while they approach at neck-breaking speeds  ;D The stronger grapple is funny, too. I tried multiple wires but resorted to a single (default) one, but kept the modded strength of it. A lot of fun, really :)

[Art Blade]

Tried dual-wielded SMGs, maxed out. Devastating... they take a chopper down in like 3 seconds LOL

[Art Blade]

I decided to finish the "official part" (agency missions) and watched the end credits. Now I'm in merc mode... still a lot of faction missions to do, and all that stuff... 37% of the game finished so far, 60 hours game play (not always mission orientated), around 200 166 locations discovered. I keep finding places when I happen upon them, sometimes I take a trip to undiscovered locations if I feel like it. Really nice to have a playground that big even after finishing the plot.  :-X

edit: overly optimistic number, now 70hrs and 180 locations, 38%.

[spaceboy]

So true Art I'm amazed at how much I've been doing since going into merc mode and I'm still only at like 47% - about 55 hours of gameplay.

[fragger]

Great value :-X

Can't wait to get into it, as soon as the stores more copies in stock... :'(

[Art Blade]

Indeed, space, now the fun begins.. having finished the plot :)

Fragger, good luck getting your copy.. make 'em get one for ya  :-* ;D

[Art Blade]

Those army choppers got on my nerves quite a bit until I found a nice cure for them: Instead of hijacking them with the grapple, I tether them to the ground so they can't fly around and hide behind trees (they do that a lot). When they are trapped like that, I just shoot them down  ;D

Many locations sport ammo crates and weapon crates. Those weapon crates mostly contain a SMG. So I swapped my pistol and revolver for two SMGs, kind of hard to run out of ammo now.

I tried a WWII-style dogfight with a smaller military jet hunting some small plane. Took me ages to take it out, and then there was a second small plane right next to me, so again I hunted that one, too. Only this time I managed to smack my jet into that plane and both planes exploded. When I hit the water, I was miles away from the shore, but I could call the black market chopper to extract me. Phew  ;D

[fragger]

Nice tips and story, mate :-X

I should be there soon... I took your advice Art and made them get me one. I grappled the sales guy to the wall until he agreed to order a copy in ;D

[Art Blade]

 ;D :-X

[Art Blade]

PZ mentioned a couple of times how beautiful sunsets and sunrises were. I concur  ;D :-X Sometimes when I am not in the middle of a fight and realise the sky shows a change in day/night, it is great to watch the blue sky with pink and orange clouds spread about, other clouds may pass by, and the sun reflects on the sea with occasional sunbeams breaking through clouds or come from between hills and mountains... seagulls play around in the breeze (can't shoot 'em down, tried that) and sometimes a lone plane on its way to some place exotic... truly a nice view. When some palm trees stand in my sight, I just lob a hand grenade over (or c-4) and create a clear space in front of me  ;D

[spaceboy]

Nice one Art - let me blow up these trees so I can enjoy the view lol.

[Art Blade]

Precisely. Hell, when nature is in my way when I want to enjoy nature, it's only natural to blow it up  ;D

[eor123]

Precisely. Hell, when nature is in my way when I want to enjoy nature, it's only natural to blow it up  ;D

And with that, we can now bestow upon you honorary US citizenship.

;)

[Art Blade]

LOL nice one ;D ;D ;D

That made me chuckle for some time, matey  :)

[fragger]

ROLF, you guys are funny ;D ;D ;D

[Art Blade]

I've been flying some planes quite a bit lately and crashed several of them trying to fly under bridges of all sorts. Meanwhile I got a collection of 30 individual bridges I passed underneath, and earned a bridge limbo achievement only 1% of all steam players managed. I think I understand why there are only a few people with that achievement ;D

[Art Blade]

The greatest pastime for me is surfing cars (faster cars = better) and shoot pursuing govmen with my fully upgraded machine gun. Around 5 to 10 bullets and their rides are toast, and so are they  ;D Also, tethering those pursuing cars to the ground is hilarious to watch as they flip or can't continue to follow... then shoot them until they blow up :)

I watched motorcyclist govmen pursuing me after both of their tyres were gone, engine on fire, a flaming wreck... yet they kept chasing me! Until they blew up, that is  ;D

[Art Blade]

As Eeyore said, "embrace the absurdity" of the game. I am mostly between amusement and annoyance when it comes to pursuits. Govmen can spot me from far away if I hide behind a corner and perhaps my nose sticks out. When someone spots me, the entire area is on alert immediately.

Choppers play "seek and destroy" for a good while, not really easy to escape those... so I tried to play with them: grapple a chopper and tether it to the ground or something that can't be lifted, then dash away... the chopper nailed to the spot I last saw it... if it can't follow, it won't be able to spot me any more after a short while, especially when I move behind obstacles, hehehe  ;D

Last time I tried something else: tie a pursuing jeep to a pursuing chopper and let both play wrecking ball with their mates on the ground while I was taking a French leave ;)

While surfing a civilian car, I aimed at the tyres of a chasing jeep. Got both front tyres and the gunman. So the driver of that jeep, screeching on its metal wheels, kept pulling up on his own and overtook my ride. So I shot both of his rear tyres, too. He kept the pace and ahead, so I tethered the jeep to the carmack which resulted in a harsh jerk, jeep nearly flipping, but he fell behind. I released the grapple, and that toughy came pulling up again. I mean, his jeep was more suited for rails than road, but he did it anyway! Until he wacked an oncoming motorcyclist which made both their vehicles stop, go up in flames, and finally explode. Nice, serves you right, ba$t@rd!  ;D

I managed to "cook off" hand grenades just right (keep them ticking in my hand so, when thrown, they explode nearly immediately) and take out pursuing govmen by surprise HEHE  ;D

This game is fun  :) :-X

[Art Blade]

I decided to switch off SSAO, point light specular, Bokeh filter and GPU water simulation. The rest is on its max. Average fps 30.41, that I can live with, and everything looks still great :)

Having updated the nVidia driver 257.21 I now get 40.75 fps with these settings! whoa  :-X

[Art Blade]

Today I had got time for a long drive in Panau. I wanted to go by car from the desert in the Southwest to Panau City in the Northwest, requiring me to drive almost full circle because there is no short connection which means I had to drive around the sea almost passing the centre of the map. I marked the destination on my map to which the game reacted with showing arrows hovering above the tarmac showing me where to go. Apparently the navigation system isn't exactly perfect, I realised on my way that I could have used a shorter route but still it was fun. Took me nearly one hour in real time.

What I wanted to do as a secondary objective was to keep the same car, a Hamaya Oldman convertible, red. Those Oldmen are very common since every village's entry and exit is guarded by govmen and next to their jeep there is always a civilian car, as if to provide you with a ride. In the desert, it's almost always an Oldman, in other parts of Panau there may be other cars. What I like about JC2 is the fact that all vehicles come in different colours, quite many colours actually. Even military vehicles feature a camouflage that matches the surrounding, ie. in the mountains they are white with grey, in the desert yellow/beige, in the jungle green. That goes for planes and choppers, too :)

Civilian vehicles often come in different types, like the Oldman may be hard- or soft top or convertible. Also interesting how much detail you can admire: When you drive for a while, your car gets dirty and dirtier; they sport different layers of dirt that looks as if someone had splashed muddy water across the chassis. Even the windows show layers of dirt. Then accidents actually do affect your vehicle, and you can see where you damaged your car. For example, I once lost control and the car turned sliding into a lamp post with my right rear side, and I lost the mudguard. I could see the right rear tyre from behind. Once I hit something brutally with my left front wheel, and it inclined as well as produced a rattling sound, the car wouldn't steer straight any more.

Well, starting midday on a sunny day, I got involved in a little fight on my way to the city and also some pursuit only because I passed a not yet completed military compound. Those bastards ruined my red convertible and I had to find another one. During my trip I exchanged my ride a couple of times because it was so dirty (used different types of Oldmen, whatever type there was) but for the majority of time on say the last half of the trip I could indeed keep a red Oldman convertible. The landscape was beautiful and the weather rather favourable. When I arrived at dusk, it started to rain. I parked and watched the car, curious to know if the rain washed the dirt off, but it stayed dirty. Well. Still a good game ;)

[PZ]

Good story  :-X

I too like the way the vehicles "age" with dirt and body damage.  The helicopters I manage to hijack typically have a windshield cracked from bullets, or shot out altogether.