Mac Gaming Mods

I know I could be acussed of 'rubbbing salt in the wounds' ~ but I thought it would be interesting to document where PC gamers are in comparison with the original Ghost recon on the Mac...

You will all probably aware of the PC best seller 'Battlefield 2' ~ which offers a fair - though rather more 'arcady' - feeling infantry squad game, a couple of steps up from the original GhR.

However, things have moved on again - and there is a split developing on the PC where half the developers are working on battlefield games that are more 'fun' based, while others are working on battlefield games that are more 'realistic'.

The 'fun' games are futuristic battlefield games like 'BF2142' and 'Quake Wars' ~ which are based on a lot more fast moving, arcade shooters (like Unreal Tournament)...

While the more 'realistic' battlefield games - based on modern era conflicts - are the likes of 'Armed Assault' and 'America's Army 3'.

Click on images to enlarge:



Above: 'Armed Assault' screenshots ~ this game is based on the same central/eastern European theatre as the original 'Ghost Recon'.

These game - IMHO - are just the sort of game that would appeal to people who liked the 'sim-esque' approach of the original Ghost Recon.

(I discount GR:AW as that has turned out to be one huge white elephant.)

I enjoyed BF2, but the arcade feel of it did frustrate me ~ despite the fact it had some cool tactical tools in it to allow players to carry out well-planned team games. Sadly, the majority of people just wanted to use BF2 as a sort of 'Unreal Tournament' with 'real' weapons!

'Armed Assault' seems to be a game that the Mac GhR players have dreamed about.

It has the realism, the tactical squad element, new weapons, new vehicles and a facinating custom capaign editor! -- It's like a Ghost Recon players wish list!

It's by the makers of the legendary 'Operation Flashpoint' (another PC game that we Mac GhR'ers drooled over), but polishes up many of the edges and makes it a far more team/tactical game.

...This is the game I'm moving onto next.

ISN'T IT A REAL SHAME THAT PC GAME DEVELOPERS DON'T MAKE OLD/OBSOLETE GAMES - LIKE 'OPERATION FLASHPOINT' OPEN-SOURCE SO THAT MAC DEVELOPERS COULD HAVE A SHOT ARE PORTING THEM?

The problem with the current FPS games coming out is that even if they came to Mac I wouldn't like them. All the game companies are making the games geared towarded console play instead of comp play. Look at GRAW. I'm interested in the mod aspect but the game play and the look just turn me off. BF2 is the same way. I like the modding but just can't get into it although not for the same reasons a GRAW.

Armed Assault looks like my kinda game. I'll most likely pick it up when it's published, and I get an Intel Mac.

Yeah I agree with That.........I didn't think
the Realism in GR was that critical, but seeing the latest products....
makes me think the future would be better served by reworking the old games. They Look that much better. I think refining the movements
are the key to future thrills.

I have an MFA in Photography, but I made it there through
Animation....Lucas' wife Barrie was my prof. And the thang was
that I was able to go through a Fine Arts Program while
Manipulating the media....distorting photographs.
I Hate that SuperRealism dawn's early light look....
what's so great about a perfect photograph?

But then look at GRAW and what have they lost?
Believability......I don't Believe what I see on the
screen. I like Unreal...it can be cartoony and still
be believable......but there's an uncertain Depth
where I suddenly engage and forget that it's just a game.
There's a certain Realness to Unreal.

If I'm going to sit there and stare at a screen in
all of its monochromatic simplicity it's going to have
to be a Whole lot better than reality......to overcome
the dreary feeling it leaves in me eyes.

I think better animations might be a key to the
monochromatic solution......but only if they start
using the dual processors better. Maybe a mammoth
server with a billion animations would work.

Or we could rewrite ghost from the ground up.

Monoman wrote:The problem with the current FPS games coming out is that even if they came to Mac I wouldn't like them. All the game companies are making the games geared towarded console play instead of comp play. Look at GRAW. I'm interested in the mod aspect but the game play and the look just turn me off. BF2 is the same way. I like the modding but just can't get into it although not for the same reasons a GRAW.

Interesting reply Mono...

If I had to categorize the new games coming out, I would say that the ones I called 'fun' games are the ones ideally suited to a console ('BF2142 & Quake Wars)...

Semi-sims like 'Armed Assault' and 'America's Army 3' are just way too complicated to be properly done on any console (unless they really stripped down the interface and command screen like they did with BF2 to make it work on a console).

Armed Assault *looks* like an ideal candidate for modding - it's heritage is 'Operation Flashpoint', which next to Ghost Recon must be one of the most modded TFPS games out there.

Like Ghost Recon, Operation Flashpoint has been keep running a long time because of the modding community (five years in fact).

So you have to assume that the developers are going to keep a winning recipe.

I dislike consoles for everything but racing games (I'm a big TOCA Race Driver fan), platformers and fighting games. - Things you can pick up and then leave after 15 minutes.

I'd love to see a Monoman mod some day for Armed Assault.

PS - nice to hear from you Monoman!

Vir2L™ wrote:Armed Assault looks like my kinda game. I'll most likely pick it up when it's published, and I get an Intel Mac.

Yep - it's looking good mate!

I like the European theatre of operation (to be hionest I have kinda got a bit fed up of desert and jungle games!)...

The European theatre somehow *feel* more real - don't ask me why.

I remember the first time I played the Vilnius map in GhR ~ I literally said 'WOW'!

...And 'Red Square'! - Well, you know what I mean!

If we were able to have ANYTHING we wanted (say our Fairy Godmother granted us our wishes! LOL) - I would have all the original Ghost Recon maps re-made using the Battlefield 2 engine!

That's all I really want - GhR with a more modern engine and weapons in view (instead of the cursor view), and vehicles! LOL

But - I could go on, and on...SO I'll leave it there!