So I finally installed Battlefield 2

[Nebor]

Now, I never played Battlefield 1942, or any of the other games at all. No demos, I don't even think I looked at screen shots or read any reviews. But because every other post in this forum was about Battlefield 2, I decided I had better get it.

I got it last week, and let it chill in the shrink wrap for a bit while I played Area 51 (purchased at the same time, pretty good game.) So I update my video drivers, and I press the upgrade button on the BF2 console, and install the patch. After a couple restarts, I'm ready to play. I read the instruction manual cover to cover while it's installing.

I think I'd rather take an internet course on how to solder your own microprocessor. Jesus, it's a game. I want to be able to put it in, and play it, and have fun. Instead I'm greeted with some unholy bastard child of an RTS and an FPS. I've got maps out my ass, telling me all kinds of things that I don't understand. I've got all these classes and squads that I have basically no clue about. I don't know who or where my squad leader is. I don't know how to call a medic. I don't know how all these people are getting vehicles. All I know is that I can kill everyone until I get to the boss of the level, which is a tank. But I can't find any panzerfausts to take him out with. Then by chance, my own team's tank wanders along and blows it up. But that doesn't win the level. Oh, and my own commander seems to continually hit me with artillery. Oh, and enemies and friendlies look pretty much the same.

The levels are huge and complex. There is a mind boggling amount of stuff all going on at the same time.

I wanted to sit down and play a game. I wanted it to be fun. Shoot some enemy soldiers, maybe drive a tank around. It all sounded good. But I have no desire to spend hours just learning what's going on. The learning curve is absolutely insane.

I'm not saying this is a bad game. Certainly a lot of you seem to enjoy it. But for me, it's too complicated. It's not fun. Just... complicated. If it makes you feel better, just say that I lack the mental facilities to play this game.

I'd rather take the time required to learn this game and master open heart surgery. I think the intracacies and complexity levels are pretty similar.

You'll find me playing Counter-Strike, or Doom, or Half-Life, or any other game where you shoot the bad guys.

Oh yeah, and multiplayer was entirely busted. No server list.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Have you played BF1942 and the Desert Combat mod for it?
If you haven't, pick them up and play them first, they are simpler than BF2, and have had a good number of the bugs worked out.
My only complaint is that the physics are kinda bouncy.

 

[Rogue 2]

Yeah, I guess if you've never played BF1942, BF2 will seem overwhelming. To me, BF2 was cake to learn - because it played just like BF1942, except there was "more". Learning the "more" didn't take too long for me. I think it's fun.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Nebor
Now, I never played Battlefield 1942, or any of the other games at all. No demos, I don't even think I looked at screen shots or read any reviews. But because every other post in this forum was about Battlefield 2, I decided I had better get it.

I got it last week, and let it chill in the shrink wrap for a bit while I played Area 51 (purchased at the same time, pretty good game.) So I update my video drivers, and I press the upgrade button on the BF2 console, and install the patch. After a couple restarts, I'm ready to play. I read the instruction manual cover to cover while it's installing.

I think I'd rather take an internet course on how to solder your own microprocessor. Jesus, it's a game. I want to be able to put it in, and play it, and have fun. Instead I'm greeted with some unholy bastard child of an RTS and an FPS. I've got maps out my ass, telling me all kinds of things that I don't understand. I've got all these classes and squads that I have basically no clue about. I don't know who or where my squad leader is. I don't know how to call a medic. I don't know how all these people are getting vehicles. All I know is that I can kill everyone until I get to the boss of the level, which is a tank. But I can't find any panzerfausts to take him out with. Then by chance, my own team's tank wanders along and blows it up. But that doesn't win the level. Oh, and my own commander seems to continually hit me with artillery. Oh, and enemies and friendlies look pretty much the same.

The levels are huge and complex. There is a mind boggling amount of stuff all going on at the same time.

I wanted to sit down and play a game. I wanted it to be fun. Shoot some enemy soldiers, maybe drive a tank around. It all sounded good. But I have no desire to spend hours just learning what's going on. The learning curve is absolutely insane.

I'm not saying this is a bad game. Certainly a lot of you seem to enjoy it. But for me, it's too complicated. It's not fun. Just... complicated. If it makes you feel better, just say that I lack the mental facilities to play this game.

I'd rather take the time required to learn this game and master open heart surgery. I think the intracacies and complexity levels are pretty similar.

You'll find me playing Counter-Strike, or Doom, or Half-Life, or any other game where you shoot the bad guys.

Oh yeah, and multiplayer was entirely busted. No server list.

Sounds like you went into it not even wanting to like it. Any game that you have no clue as to what it is, you can't expect to just jump in and know everything. Especially BF2, where it's a bit more strategic and a little more complex in execution than Area 51. Granted, EA didn't give you much of an introduction with their shotty manuals, but you should've gotten something from it.

Here's my responses to your impressions. You say you have maps out your ass, there are 12 total. The things the game is telling you that you don't understand is beginner's instructions. Should be fairly simple to follow. Classes and squads are easily figured out by doing a little research on the game, or asking one of us kind AT people . Finding your squad leader is also very simple, using the on-screen radar or pressing the caps lock key to bring up the map while in battle. To call a medic, you press Q, which will bring up a menu of things to say or request. Pick an option with your mouse movement, and click away. People are getting vehicles by pressing E while next to them. If you're the first one in, you're the driver. If you're not, you'll take up position inside the vehicle if one is available, either as a gunner or passenger. Taking out tanks harks back to which class you pick to play as. There is an anti-tank class, which does exactly that. The commander hitting you with the artillery is a tricky thing. Once he calls for it, it will show on your radar approximately 10 seconds before impact. That gives you enough time to get out, otherwise it's your ass.

I think you should give it another try, and I'd be happy to teach you some stuff so you can get started. BF isn't definitely something that you'll master from the start, but the game is very fun once you don't describe it as a "mind boggling amount of stuff going on at the same time." Once you can figure out what's going on, it's fun.

 

[userman]

I fvcking hate it!,
I sold my copy to a friend and he hates it now too.

 

[luigi1]

To the above poster. Can I have your stuff?

 

[sandorski]

Play it for awhile. If you want something easy with noo learning curve, play Freecell or Solitaire.

 

[Nebor]

Originally posted by: sandorski
Play it for awhile. If you want something easy with noo learning curve, play Freecell or Solitaire.

I have FPS skills. I expected an FPS. Thus little to no learning curve.

I played it a little more. It might grow on me. The maps seem enormous. It takes forever to run from point to point, and it seems like vehicles are few and far between. Vehicles also seem to make ground troops obsolete.

Also, maybe I'm just used to Counter-Strike: Source, but it seems to take a lot of bullets to kill another player.

 

[linjy2]

BF2 = more realistic
CS = less realistic

cs u can run forever, but bf2 u can bunnyhop lol

if you have fps skills, just join a squad, spawn at the leaders position and fire away, no need to heal people or anything, those are just extra. thats how i started the game and gradually learned. i still just roam around on foot like cs and shoot. just more options now.

 

[clamum]

Is that a serious post? I thought you read the instruction manual...

 

[ryanv12]

Originally posted by: linjy2
BF2 = more realistic
CS = less realistic

cs u can run forever, but bf2 u can bunnyhop lol

if you have fps skills, just join a squad, spawn at the leaders position and fire away, no need to heal people or anything, those are just extra. thats how i started the game and gradually learned. i still just roam around on foot like cs and shoot. just more options now.

more realistic? lol.

Battlefield 2 is as silly as it gets when it comes to realism. Now, it's very very fun, I do think so. It's a very complex game as well. Yes, Battlefield 1942 was much simpler and is a good way to ease into Battlefield 2. Once you get into it though, there's nothing like playing a nice team based game and winning

 

[suklee]

Hold down "Q" and move your cursor to the bottom left to call for medic.

 

[gorcorps]

I'm having a hard time liking it too. It seems too sluggish for me as I'm used to the fast pased CSS style run shoot w/out thinking playing. I'm getting to like it more, but it does have too hard of a learning curve and it isn't very noob friendly. The singleplayer bots are too dumb and the multiplayer guys are too good to have fun with.

PS: there's nothing realistic about shooting someone 4 times in the chest w/ a sniper, them not dying, then you getting killed in 1 shot with a fvcking pistol

 

[linjy2]

Originally posted by: ryanv12
more realistic? lol.

Battlefield 2 is as silly as it gets when it comes to realism. Now, it's very very fun, I do think so. It's a very complex game as well. Yes, Battlefield 1942 was much simpler and is a good way to ease into Battlefield 2. Once you get into it though, there's nothing like playing a nice team based game and winning

well if you are comparing it to reality, then no. its just a game. you cant respawn in real life. but my point is clear, if you played both game. BF2 is more real compare to cs. more stuff, physics, teamwork, etc.

Originally posted by: gorcorps[
PS: there's nothing realistic about shooting someone 4 times in the chest w/ a sniper, them not dying, then you getting killed in 1 shot with a fvcking pistol

as for the sniper, it is hard to use, i found aiming towards the head gives me better chance of a kill than at the body. and if you were shooting a assualt guy, he would have more armor compared to a sniper with no armor.

 

[XBoxLPU]

I can't hit anything while sniping :/

 

[skace]

It appears you're entire distaste for the game is based on you not knowing things. So let this be your education.

Like already stated, there is 12 maps, these maps are modular, in that depending on the number of players the server has selected, the map slightly changes. The number of flags and vehicles are all dependant on the size version of the map. IE: The 32 person version of the map may not have any air vehicles, where as the 64 person version may, which would drastically change how that level is played. This means that although there are only 12 maps, the learning curve may be a little more around 24, which still isn't too bad.

Now, how are people getting tanks? When you spawn, you can hit M and it will show you where all the vehicles are for the spawns your team controls. The gray vehicles are empty and the blue vehicles are currently being used. If you see a blinking red vehicle, then someone has radio'd in an enemy vehicle and it will be visible for a short time.

If you want to blow up a vehicle, you want to use the "Anti-Tank" kit, as it is so aptly named. If you are suicidal, you may want to run around as "SpecOps" although, that is somewhat played out.

Squads, if you hit your map key you will notice certain players are visible by a number instead of just a dot, or their vehicle has a number following it around. These are all the squad leaders on the map. The one that is florescent green is your squad leader. Your squad leader is a mobile spawn point and you can hit enter and choose to spawn at him at any respawn.

So how do you win the level? Well, the only game mode available at this point is conquest. I am guessing that there will eventually be other game modes, but for now this is it. The conquest game mode is won by a very simple mechanism called tickets. Each team starts with a pre-determined number of tickets displayed in the upper right and through kills and base captures, causes the other teams tickets to run out. So every base you capture, flag you defend, time you don't die, time you revive a critically wounded player, and time you kill an enemy, you are helping your team win the map.

Honestly? The game isn't that complicated. The only real complication is learning to be good at specific vehicles. Certainly, not every person will be a good jet or chopper pilot. But they don't need to be, infact it is better if people who arn't terribly good at these vehicles would stay the hell away from them. I'd be a lot happier knowing I don't have to compete with Isuck@BF2 everytime the freaking chopper spawns.

I don't expect every person to like BF2, but I'd expect better reasons than it is too complicated and slow. BF2 has a faster pace than CS:S (you don't slow down when shot, you can bunny hop, lots of vehicles keep the pace very fast).

I bet I could get you liking BF2 in a couple hours of being the gunner in my chopper. When people get in the gun spot they experience a whole new game that they didn't even know they were playing. A fast paced wild ride through the trees, under bridges and through every enemy base on the map. I've circle strafed houses only to take a tank out while flying sideways and had my gunner nearly crap himself =p. I guess the point is even the people currently playing BF2 right now havn't experienced everything it has to offer. A lot of people hate the chopper because most people can't fly it at all. They get in it and it feels like they are riding a swing set in mid air. Most people will never know what a good jet pilot can do either. My buddy bombs sites left and right while dodging AA by doing barrel rolls. But most pilots will spend all day slamming into transport choppers so that they can go 2:1. Most tanks ride right into enemy bases and die in 3 seconds where as I've seen a good tank sit outside a base as support and rack up 20 kills in a row with some insane accuracy.

I'd like to fraps a few rounds in the chopper someday, but for some reason I don't exactly think that would be playable.

Here's my player rankings

 

[Stuxnet]

I don't think the learning curve is as bad as you say, but this is definitely not a pick-up-and-play game.

That said, the intricacies are DEFINITELY worth learning. The game is a blast, especially when you're on a team that's clicking. With a responsible, attentive Commander and Squad Leaders who know how to do their jobs, it's a real thrill.

Of course, the flip side of that coin is if you're on a team where no one has really joined a squad and your Commander has his Out of Office Reply turned on, it can be one of the most aggravating game experiences.

I suggest starting a local server from within the game and then join it. Practice using all of the classes and, more importantly, the vehicles.

Once you're familiar with all of the vehicles and classes, play some single-player. When I first started playing BF2 (and, like you, I hadn't played the others before), the hardest thing to get used to was all the crap that was going on on the map/radar.

Here's my impression of the icons on the radar. People, please correct any mistakes:

Blue Dots - Teammates not in your squad
Blue Dots with a Number - Squad Leaders (but not yours)
Green Dots - Teammates in your squad
Green Dot with a Number - Your Squad Leader
Blue Dot with Yellow Star - Your Commande
Red Dots - Bad people. Kill them.
Red Vehicles - Bad people in vehicles. Try to kill them.
Blue Vehicles - Vehicles with teammates that are not in your squad.
Green Vehicles - Vehicles with teammates.

Learn to use your Commo Rose. This is the quick-access menu to frequently used voice commands.

Don't settle for servers that have a mess of unorganized teams. The game is most enjoyable when your on a team where everyone is pitching in. The first major warning that this isn't happening is by checking the squads menu. If the squads are empty, leave. Your efforts will likely be quite fultile, especially as a newbie.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: skace
A lot of people hate the chopper because most people can't fly it at all. They get in it and it feels like they are riding a swing set in mid air. Most people will never know what a good jet pilot can do either.

I can fly a chopper like I was born in it, but I just can't manage the speed of jets very well.

 

[HeroOfPellinor]

Wow. You're the first person I've heard of who wants games that offer little challenge.

When I fired up BF2 for the first time, I was getting pwnt hardcore......and I liked it. It meant there was more to this game than 'pick up a sub-machine gun and point it at the bad guys'. I had to learn the maps and players' tendencies and the commands and the controls and the weapons.

 

[sbuckler]

Learning curve for bf2 sucks, it's not that the game is that complex but there is hardly anything to help new players.

Manual is completely pants - it hardly explains anything, such as for example how the map works and what all the dots mean.

Offline play can't prepare you for online - in particular you can't just fly around a map with no enemy to check it out, learn where everything spawns and have a go flying all the various vehicles. You can't even play most of the map offline (16 player limit = fraction of the map available).

The game will needlessly loose many new players because of the above problems, and the fact the game is buggy as hell.

 

[Acanthus]

Originally posted by: skace
It appears you're entire distaste for the game is based on you not knowing things. So let this be your education.

Like already stated, there is 12 maps, these maps are modular, in that depending on the number of players the server has selected, the map slightly changes. The number of flags and vehicles are all dependant on the size version of the map. IE: The 32 person version of the map may not have any air vehicles, where as the 64 person version may, which would drastically change how that level is played. This means that although there are only 12 maps, the learning curve may be a little more around 24, which still isn't too bad.

Now, how are people getting tanks? When you spawn, you can hit M and it will show you where all the vehicles are for the spawns your team controls. The gray vehicles are empty and the blue vehicles are currently being used. If you see a blinking red vehicle, then someone has radio'd in an enemy vehicle and it will be visible for a short time.

If you want to blow up a vehicle, you want to use the "Anti-Tank" kit, as it is so aptly named. If you are suicidal, you may want to run around as "SpecOps" although, that is somewhat played out.

Squads, if you hit your map key you will notice certain players are visible by a number instead of just a dot, or their vehicle has a number following it around. These are all the squad leaders on the map. The one that is florescent green is your squad leader. Your squad leader is a mobile spawn point and you can hit enter and choose to spawn at him at any respawn.

So how do you win the level? Well, the only game mode available at this point is conquest. I am guessing that there will eventually be other game modes, but for now this is it. The conquest game mode is won by a very simple mechanism called tickets. Each team starts with a pre-determined number of tickets displayed in the upper right and through kills and base captures, causes the other teams tickets to run out. So every base you capture, flag you defend, time you don't die, time you revive a critically wounded player, and time you kill an enemy, you are helping your team win the map.

Honestly? The game isn't that complicated. The only real complication is learning to be good at specific vehicles. Certainly, not every person will be a good jet or chopper pilot. But they don't need to be, infact it is better if people who arn't terribly good at these vehicles would stay the hell away from them. I'd be a lot happier knowing I don't have to compete with Isuck@BF2 everytime the freaking chopper spawns.

I don't expect every person to like BF2, but I'd expect better reasons than it is too complicated and slow. BF2 has a faster pace than CS:S (you don't slow down when shot, you can bunny hop, lots of vehicles keep the pace very fast).

I bet I could get you liking BF2 in a couple hours of being the gunner in my chopper. When people get in the gun spot they experience a whole new game that they didn't even know they were playing. A fast paced wild ride through the trees, under bridges and through every enemy base on the map. I've circle strafed houses only to take a tank out while flying sideways and had my gunner nearly crap himself =p. I guess the point is even the people currently playing BF2 right now havn't experienced everything it has to offer. A lot of people hate the chopper because most people can't fly it at all. They get in it and it feels like they are riding a swing set in mid air. Most people will never know what a good jet pilot can do either. My buddy bombs sites left and right while dodging AA by doing barrel rolls. But most pilots will spend all day slamming into transport choppers so that they can go 2:1. Most tanks ride right into enemy bases and die in 3 seconds where as I've seen a good tank sit outside a base as support and rack up 20 kills in a row with some insane accuracy.

I'd like to fraps a few rounds in the chopper someday, but for some reason I don't exactly think that would be playable.

Here's my player rankings

My rig in sig runs fraps pretty good if i drop down to 1024x768 resolution when i record.

 

[The Dude]

Yeah, the game has a TON to offer as far as playing styles. Campers, run-n-gunners, vehicle nuts, flyboys, and RTS guys...there's something for everyone.

You can get in a crazy vehicle battle, jump out and then be fighting with grenades and guns. Or, as the above poster mentioned, get in the gunners seat on the US Cobra and hit the camera cycle button once. You now can fire swiveling twin 50 cal, or 20mm cannons, I don't know which, anywhere you can see. And that's while you are not using your TV guided missles.

If the aircraft are daunting to you, just try your hand out with a Tank or an APC, or even a jeep with mounted 50 cal. Think of it as a FPS only from a vehicle point of view.

I think the game is completely revolutionary. The best thing out there right now.

 

[Nebor]

Getting better. Getting the hang of things. Prone is very important in gun battles.... Flying helicopters is impossible. I don't think I've ever seen a helicopter go upside down in real life.

 

[The Dude]

I used to have a problem with choppers. Then I did what someone recommended. Increase the mouse sensitivity up high for heli's, like 7 or 7.5 or whatever. Then make sure invert mouse is selected. Then you can practice on a server you setup for yourself. You'll just have to look at an annoying screen that says "waiting for another player to start". I did that a bit, and then started grabbing the choppers. Sure, you're gonna crash and have to bail out some, but that's to be expected.

Also, I did not know, but hovering---just don't hit forward or backward and apparently it will hover. Anyway, these tips helped me get my helicopter badge recently. I just loaded up a Blackhawk and flew around a flag so they could unload with their mini cannons a while. They like that.

 

[Yreka]

Originally posted by: The Dude
You'll just have to look at an annoying screen that says "waiting for another player to start".

Just change the minmum player to start setting on your server from 2 ( default ) to 1. Should be no message after that * just desolation *