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Earlier today I had the urge to fire up FC2 again, which I did a couple of hours ago.  I loaded an old save - evidently in the middle of the police chief mission at about 8%.

As I listened to the startup music, and then started navigating my way to the target area listening to the environment and subtle music in the background, I was transported to 2009 when I played FC2 incessantly.  I'm in Leboa, and my load-out is a suppressed AS-50, full auto AR-15, and a 6P9 (of course).

Clearly from the description, the weapons have been modified, and now the 6P9 will actually kill a foe with a single bullet (that would make JRD happy)

I'd actually forgotten the exact modifications I did to the weapons, but was pleasantly surprised by their effectiveness.  I'm able to reach waaaaaay out with the AS-50, and as long as no one sees my target go down, no one is the wiser.  It is so much more fun than the vanilla game where the weapons were so limited in function.

I guess the summary is that even though I've been looking for "the next FC2", I doubt I'll ever find it - this game is truly a classic that is number one in my book, and nothing else has ever come even close.

Quote from: PZ on December 12, 2013, 11:25:39 PM

I guess the summary is that even though I've been looking for "the next FC2", I doubt I'll ever find it - this game is truly a classic that is number one in my book, and nothing else has ever come even close.

A gem indeed.  :-X

You're very right there PZ   :-X
One would think developers learned something from FC2, they haven't, and never will   :o

Unfortunately the developers are programming for the masses rather than us old guys

Quote from: nexor on January 10, 2014, 07:30:21 AM
...One would think developers learned something from FC2, they haven't, and never will   :o

I think some devs have learnt something while developing FC2, and forgot to ever apply it again. Probably because they were focussing on what ~indeed~ the crowd wants.

I was just thinking over this very same issue the other day, and realised that FC2 is so brilliant to most of us because the game isn't polished. It's raw, like an experiment. Some ingredients mashed together in a playground that's way too big for proper experimenting. The result is; utter liberty for the players! ^-^ :)

And to add to that Binn, it was players like OWG members that made it a fantastic game  :-X

exactly, nexor. I would have thrown that game into the rubbish bin if I hadn't found OWG (back then still known as farcry2maps hehe) and the lively and friendly and funny discussions here on how to have fun with that game. :-X

I totally agree with all comments.

I don't remember any kind of fanfare announcing the release of FC2 at the time, maybe there was and I missed it, I dunno. I just happened to see it on a shelf in a shop one day and wondered if it was any good. I'd rather enjoyed the original Far Cry so I took a punt and bought it. Once the nature of the game became apparent I was not only hooked but ecstatic - this was the game that I always hoped somebody would make! Three years later on and I was still playing the dickens out of it. So far it's still my all-time favourite FPS.

I've sometimes thought that seeing as how the release of FC2 was so low-key (as far as I know) and considering that not only was the gameplay a major departure from Far Cry's but was also quite original, I've wondered if the devs had doubts about it doing very well. It was almost a tentative offering, like, "Oh well, let's put it out there and see if anyone buys it". It did better than they thought it would, well enough and with a sufficiently large fanbase to induce them to invest in developing a sequel - eventually. But, same-ol' same-ol' - they wanted to make as much profit as possible, which meant dumbing-down the game and making it more CoD-like to appeal to the broader and dare I say less-mature gaming demographic which would most likely yield that profit.

Never mind us old guys, we'll just dodder on out the back and play horseshoes.

I could be mistaken because FC2 was the first serous game I ever looked at, but I seem to recall it being billed as unusual in that it consisted of a 50 square kilometer map of a world in which you can travel anywhere, and do anything.

That goes for me too PZ, the only game I played was the original Desperado's Dead Or Alive which was even further afield from today's 3rd person shooter style games.

I...I...I did it again and started another playthrough. Although FC3 has more "complex" gameplay features I love the whole atmosphere and the realistic scenario way more in FC2. I also think that the graphics looks more natural and not so cartoonish.

The thing why FC2 is so good is that it is so simple. Just kill and become war itself. Also the story is better but they could have made more with it.

 :)  :-X  +1  (for recognizing a good thing and for sticking to it)

I too will often fire up FC2 at a few different favorite save points just to enjoy jumping in and mixing it up with my buds the mercs.  :-D

same here, mandru, I got some savegames from which I start to play a bit every once in a while  :)

And I agree with you, Stranger, simple is good, the way FC2 does it, and the graphics are still great. :)

I too did not appreciate the more cartoonish harsh colors in FC2 - the muted browns/greens/grays to me were much more appealing.

One of a kind, that FC2 - likely will not be repeated because there are not enough of us old gents that like that kind of game.

Agreed. FC2 is definitely the thinking person's FPS. And graphically, it's by far the more aesthetically pleasing of the two games. I could almost feel the wind and the temperature, and the way they put across the impressions of crisp mornings, blazing noons, cool twilights... Just beautiful.

If they could combine the look and the down-to-earth immersion of FC2 with some of the cooler innovations of FC3 they'd have one terrific game. For us old-timers, anyway :-()

FC2 is a w@&k of art :-X

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Very nice, fragger - just beautiful  :-X

absolutely :)

 ^-^

I may have encouraged myself to get back into it again...

Sometimes there's no word to describe how much I agree with the above. There's something magic in that African air.

There's got to be some weirdos somewhere on the planet doing the same trick again. There's got to be a FC3, I mean a true sequel to our beloved game. I'm sure of one thing; it won't be called FarCry ;)

Quote from: fragger on October 18, 2014, 04:29:38 AM
^-^

I may have encouraged myself to get back into it again...

I think you may have encouraged me to get back into the game, particularly since I modded the game to my satisfaction

sounds like a plan, actually.. now that I got a modded AS50 and those DLC..  :-()

I also am refreshed by the fact that I do not need to sign into an online game server to play the game

 :laugh: that is SO true.. :)

By the way, only recently, after getting my "new" DLC (well, DLC for the first time) I finished a new playthrough. Kind of forgot to mention it here :)

And the picture of today is..

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Im back in FC2 with a silent AS50, full auto AR16 and of course, the 6P9

My AS50 has a long range, and the silent nature is even better than the original dart rifle.  Because I have the high jump toggle turned on, I can jump to high ledges and pick off mercs in just about all of the areas - loads of fun because they do not know where I am (unless they see me)

I had forgotten the delight of the experience when changing from night to day, and rain to sunny weather.  The environment is just stellar - better than anything I see in the games produced today.

Excellent :-X

I'm going there myself right after this forum session ^-^

Well, I went there. Man, what a difference! It's like revisiting an old neighbourhood. It's taking me a while to get back into the swing of things with this one as I haven't played for a couple of years, but I am enjoying it a lot.

Several things stand out:

1. No tagging bad guys
No wimping out with a camera, grey silhouettes and little icons floating above enemies' heads. You have to keep your eyes open and actually try to remember where the bad guys are.

2. No "detection meter"
You have to listen for footsteps and comments like, "I thought I saw something". You only know if you've been spotted when the bullets come flying at you out of the shrubbery.

3. No fast travel
Except by bus, if you can get to the nearest stop without getting shot.

4. Tougher combat
Unless you score a headshot, be prepared to pump a good few rounds into a baddie to make him bite the dust. Hits will hurt you (how much depends on skill level, of course). No body armour to soften the blows.

5. Rich dialogue
Elephant dung being eaten on a dare, maggot infections resembling macaroni dinners, the wonky-eyed doctor who took grenade schrap in the head and should be cut some slack... Mercs are way better conversationalists then pirates.

6. The unparalleled time of day effects
No further comment necessary.

7. No tripping
NO @#$%& TRIPPING!

Gritty, down-to-earth and real-world... A gutsy game for those who prefer to employ their heads instead of their reflexes. There really is no substitute :-X

I agree with everything you wrote, fragger.  :-X

I forgot to mention another characteristic I changed with weaponry - no longer need to empty an entire magazine into a merc to take him down - a single shot or two to the chest even with the 6P9 will do it.

After all, how much protection does a tee-shirt provide against a bullet.  :-()

 :-()

Although I did not remember it, I must have changed the weapons degradation because I do not need to visit the weapons shop unless I wish to purchase something new (or do a mission).  It greatly takes the tedium out of having to continually visit the weapon shop to pick up a fresh weapon, and allows me to more freely roam the landscape.

It has changed my game play so much that I am exploring (and traveling) areas I have never visited before because my normal shortest route would have been with a weapon shop on the path.

Cool :-X

I forgot to mention one other major difference - the handheld in-game map, which is a far slicker concept than FC3's mapping system.

totally agree :)

Totally agree about the game map - although I am accustomed to the mini map in most games, they are not nearly as immersive in my opinion.  The problem with deactivating them is that the developers have programmed the game to rely on them, else your navigation is severely impacted.

As you mentioned, it is much more fun to have to scan the environment for a merc rather than the icon above the head of the enemy - that is more for kids.

Heh.. one merc at Merc-Fights, err, Cock-Fights surprised me. I had been sneaking around for some time trying to kill everyone without getting detected (funny side note: it just so happened that when they went looking for me, they happened upon those other mercs and a brief exchange of bullets ensued) but I finally had enough -- too quiet -- and decided to dare a little more because I didn't believe everyone was dead already. I shot at objects with my silenced AS50 until eventually I heard a merc go, "hum!" I couldn't bloody find him until I finally got shot at from within the same bush I was just about to hide in.  :laugh: That was the last merc and he gave me quite a start, I can tell you that  :-()

Quote from: Art Blade on October 23, 2014, 09:53:33 AM
... I shot at objects with my silenced AS50 until eventually I heard a merc go, "hum!" I couldn't bloody find him until I finally got shot at from within the same bush I was just about to hide in.  :laugh: That was the last merc and he gave me quite a start, I can tell you that  :-()

That happened to me last night at Shwasana - I can in to the area by boat passing by the outpost on the river where it tees in to the Shwasana river.  Naturally one of them followed me as they always do, and I silenced him (literally).  Then I set up perched on a low rock picking off mercs - to my surprise I heard a "huh??" and quickly spun around.  No one to see but I was still nervous and kept looking over my shoulder - I finally saw him hiding in the thick brush behind me.

 :-D

Quote from: fragger on October 22, 2014, 04:27:29 AM


5. Rich dialogue
Elephant dung being eaten on a dare, maggot infections resembling macaroni dinners, the wonky-eyed doctor who took grenade schrap in the head and should be cut some slack... Mercs are way better conversationalists then pirates.

What? I haven't heard any of those lines and I have about 3 or 4 playthroughs and try to listen to every dialogue in the towns. Very cool. There are still more things to be discovered.

I modded my Far Cry 2 based on the fishlords modpack, but adjusted the weapons degrading (they degrade more than it is in fishlords mod pack but slower than vanilla weapons) and the prices of the weapons (I made most of them more expensive) so that you really have to hunt for diamonds. Also all weapons are available from the start. So the convoy missions are just for fun.

I still want to find the black mamba mission/merc.  :-D

I heard those merc conversations quite a lot of times :) Maybe you should try the ignoreplayer cheat, just so you can listen in on them without getting shot at and without preventing them from chatting. :-D

As to the black mamba, there is one hint in the game that makes it obvious something had been planned yet never made it into the game: There are no side missions that reward you with arms. (note that the arms dealer missions are mentioned separately and explicitly just above the "other side missions")

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Having started a brand new playthrough as Xianyong using PZ's mod, I decided to do all buddy missions and to follow their alternative (blue) main missions. I started in Fresh Fish and therefore had to free Michele in Lumber, making her my best buddy. I had completed both of her side missions and one of Quarbani's when I suddenly remembered the trick about getting the rescue buddy's side missions. I had 7 rep with Michele, 4 with Quarbani and 3 with Paul, my rescue buddy. So I went to Cock-Fights and started a merc war for fun, finished them off and blew myself up. Paul rescued me and I went back to the safehouse to reactivate him. Then I cursed because I should have wounded and healed him in order to increase my rep with him -- did it the next two rescue times. Now my rep with him is 8. I just took on the first mission for the UFLL (oasis mission) and as planned, Paul rang me up -- he has become my new BB and Michele is my new RB. :-D I need to get them all killed and to get the extra buddy.. this is fun.  :)

Nice  :-X  Have fun, AB, I know that I'm enjoying doing a mission whenever I get a chance, and I always do the buddy missions to extend the game play a bit.

I remember seeing references to Black Mamba (or indirect reference) in one of the .xml files.  Did a bit of exploring, but nothing panned out, and I got the notion that it was something that was conceived but ne ver implemented, as has been mentioned

I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit  :)

Funny glitch: Ever since my first job (for Michele, recover something from the rail yard) I have kept that big red lorry you find at the rail yard -- because it lacks any engine sounds. All you hear is sound coming from the tyres, foliage you brush along, brakes, a bit squeaking perhaps from some springs.. sounds that are somewhat pleasant. So, basically, a very quiet and high ride, and uncommon. Most of the time I was running around rather than using any vehicle but now I have to recover something for Paul from the fort, all across the map, so I am now cruising in a silent lorry  ;D With ignoreplayer cheat enabled, mercs don't even realise you're approaching in this vehicle. Usually they'd say something like, "did you hear that?" -- "that f***er is mine!" but not now. They just keep talking.  :-D

I remember noticing that the lorry engine noise disappeared after installing a particular patch - the same patch that resulted in the glitch with the Jackal tapes. Before that, there was truck engine noise.

I haven't examined that, I remember engine noise but that could have been before the latest patch. I'll check if and when I see another lorry, whether or not it is silent, too.

I think fragger is correct - engine noise stopped on the Unimog as well, especially when running at high speed

I played a bit more of FC2 tonight, and I have a few thoughts on #2 vs. #3.

Let me say at the start that all things considered, I still believe that FC2 is the superior game. We've discussed the pros of this game compared to FC3 enough already without me having to go through them all again here - we all know what the plusses are.

Having said that, there are some things about FC3 that I do in fact prefer over FC2. One of which is the weapon system, i.e. not being constrained by weapons categories. I like how in FC3 I can have any combinations of weapons I want. For instance, if I want to carry four different handguns all at once, I can (not that I ever would). It would be nice in FC2 if one could be free of the restrictions imposed by primary, secondary and special weapons groupings. I'd like to be able to pack a dart gun and a PKM, for example, or carry an MP5 and an SPAS12 at the same time.

Another thing I prefer about FC3 is the accessibility of the terrain. You may find yourself confronted by a cliff, but there is always a way to get on top of it. In FC2 there are many places that you simply cannot get to which look as though they would provide primo vantage points. This is not necessarily a bad thing as it encourages the player to explore the map more to find the best ways around, but it can be frustrating at times - that and the invisible walls, plus the inability to get over obstacles that an invalid would be able to climb over.

I like the speed and maneuverability of the vehicles in FC3. I've become quite adept at doing power drifts and reverse one-eighties in FC3 and found it pretty exhilarating. Going back into FC2 the vehicles feel rather slow and lethargic by comparison, and I can forget about the reverse one-eighties - FC2's vehicles simply don't w@&k that way. I used to think that the quad bikes in FC2 were a tad flighty, but after mastering the ones in FC3 I have no trouble whatsoever controlling the quads in FC2. They feel very tame by comparison.

I also enjoyed the hunting and crafting aspects of FC3 as well as all the side activities one can indulge in, such as shooting contests, poker games and speed trials.

But FC2 still rules in immersion value, richness of environment, AI chatter and general gaming goodness. If only the best of both games could be merged into one, I'd be one hopelessly addicted gamer :-()

I agree with you all the way fragger and I think ubi knows that too, they would never do anything like that because that would be the last game they develop  :-\\

You got that right, nex  :-X

I'm with you, fragger.  The only way to mix and match weapons in FC2 is to create a mod for the game.  For instance, I moved the AS-50 from primary slot into the special slot, effectively allowing me to replace the dart with the AS-50.

I was watching a game play video of FC4 last night, which is graphically stunning, but appears to play like FC3.  Example: the colored indicator pointing the direction of the bad guys.  There are even towers to liberate.

nex, I understand what you said but damn, that's not a good policy. UBI should make a game just like fragger suggested and then the challenge for UBI would be to top that with the next game. Only improvement and development is a goal, not to stick with half-cooked stuff as a bad excuse for not having to push the limits and grow bigger and better. The strange thing is, UBI keeps showing that they know how to do it right -- looking at their Assassin's Creed franchise. They keep improving that series and keep making it more user-friendly and really respect a gamer's wishes (I have the upcoming AC:unity in mind). Only they know why they can't do that with the FC franchise.

I think Ubi is too busy making money. Who'd blame them for that? They just exploit what they got and aim for the big public.

FC2 was developed in a time where the possibilities in gaming were still to be discovered and perfected. I think most commercial developers will never spend so much effort to details and immersion anymore as they did back then, because the commercial laws dictate to create quick pleasures. Plus, with today's standards in graphics and gameplay it would be way to expensive creating such a big and detailed world. Maybe they'd even have to develop an entire new engine to make it right. I think FC2 was an error in certain ways, and Ubi won't make that mistake again.

I agree, Fragger, with the obvious improvements in FC3. They did a good job improving the game mechanics. I suddenly realise that they show they learnt from other big franchises they develop. All the special takedowns are something they must have learnt from AC. But I disagree they improved driving a lot. In FC2 the driving was horrible. In FC3 it was getting acceptable but still a bit clumsy.

Quote from: fragger on October 26, 2014, 04:13:00 PM
I remember noticing that the lorry engine noise disappeared

I did try in the meantime, and indeed, no engine sound in any lorry.

I uninstalled, then reinstalled FC2 so I could avoid the problems associate with the update - I got back the engine noises, and also got back all the proper tape recordings.

Come to think of it, I  think gibbed developed the modding tools to w@&k with the updated FC2, so that might be the reason I'm having problems with player.xml now - some kind of end of file error.

I was just thinking the same.  :-D

Too much trouble, I think.  Plus, I like the idea that I have my engine sounds and tape recordings back, so I'll live with the 30-round magazine.  Even at that, none of the mercs have even a slight change with the load out I have

Quote from: PZ on December 12, 2013, 11:25:39 PM
I guess the summary is that even though I've been looking for "the next FC2", I doubt I'll ever find it - this game is truly a classic that is number one in my book, and nothing else has ever come even close.

I am yet to see fire effects made as fantastic as in FC2!  8)

Not to mention the immersion this game creates!

Simply amazing!

Yep, it's a standout game all right :-X

yep :)