Far Cry 2

[mr_woo]

I've been playing more with the mod today, racked up around 7 - 8 hours of playtime already It's brilliant just being able to drive through checkpoints and the majority of the time them not following you (though sometimes they do) Admittedly most of my time is spent off road anyway but it's still great.

I did a mission earlier and I was able to sneak about in my camo suit a bit more effectively than before and take everyone out with a silenced MP5. Even managed to flank some folk after I had been spotted and take them out pretty effectively.

I definitely advise going for an Infamous/Realistic Mod playthrough. It's can be hard as hell but very satisfying and tense. The PC version also has a Save/Load from anywhere on the map so you aren't restricted to only Safehouses. I tend to use a mixture tbh and try not to abuse QuickSave, you especially need the Safehouses for resetting buddies

[Vulgar Monkey]

Aye, this was always one game where I never missed the quicksave THAT much.

D'ya know if that gfx mod has any extra system spec requirements, or is it purely tweaking contrast values and such?

[mr_woo]

Aye, this was always one game where I never missed the quicksave THAT much.

D'ya know if that gfx mod has any extra system spec requirements, or is it purely tweaking contrast values and such?

Aye it's pure tweaks, there's no new textures or anything like that as far as I know. The game's not that moddable unfortunately.

[Vulgar Monkey]

Sweet, just wondered if I'll be able to run it without taxing my computer more than the vanilla version already will.

Assuming the vanilla version itself runs acceptably.

[davejm]

mr_woo, I like the idea of the mod; is it better to play through vanilla first or just go for it? I like the idea of enemies going down quicker, but if that makes it too hard for me because I'll also go down easily I'm not so sure. And I suck at shooters which doesn't help.

[mr_woo]

mr_woo, I like the idea of the mod; is it better to play through vanilla first or just go for it? I like the idea of enemies going down quicker, but if that makes it too hard for me because I'll also go down easily I'm not so sure. And I suck at shooters which doesn't help.

Hmm I really like what the mod does. You have to remember that I'm playing on Infamous difficulty as well so it's rock hard because of that. I also like the way it changes some things apart from how quick you can kill people. For example everytime you rushed through a checkpoint it was something like 90- 100% guaranteed they would chase you whilst with the mod it's now something like 60% chance. Also the stealth camo is now twice as effective as before (and I recommend being one of the first things you get).

I'd say try Vanilla for at least one or two checkpoints and see how you find shooting folk, if you feel it takes too long. If you don't like that they try the realism mod but try Normal/Hard difficulty instead of Infamous, especially for a first timer since the game can be brutal for newcomers. Or just try Vanilla/Realistic Mod on easy, seriously there's no shame on that if you want to enjoy the experience.

It also really depends on your playstyle. You have to remember that I loved walking about in that world so I naturally tend to sneak past a lot of checkpoints or go via boat in the rivers etc. Some people hate the checkpoints as they'd just drive right through them and get into battles constantly.

[CarloOos]

Never saw the problem with the enemy health myself. Headshots would put them down, and the unpredictability of whether you've finished someone off from a distance was yet another thing that added tension to the game (even better when trying to track down someone you've shot in the long grass, only to find them missing).

Halo and FEAR both feature what could be described as bullet-sponge enemies, and it's no coincidence that they're both highly regarded for their combat. It's what allows their ai to shine, with battles playing out in a distinct and memorable manner each time.

[davejm]

I'll always go for the stealthy approach. I love taking my time in games like this, so my preferred method is to take it easy rather than diving in. Is there a specific stealth suit I need? I want a sniper rifle too.

[Puck]

Camo suit and dart rifle for ultimate stealth assaults. Backed up with a silenced MP5.

[Spacehost]

You can save up for camo upgrades at the arms dealer, but they aren't cheap.

I really wish I was playing this again, dammit. So awesome. Loved the map editor too, if only for making slightly crap levels full of things that catch fire.

[mr_woo]

There's only one stealth suit I think. It costs 20 diamonds and get it pronto, it's awesome especially with the mod. I'm not going to lie, sometimes when they spot you it can be like the Vanilla 'laser vision' but there's a lot more stealth, flanking opportunities to be had.

As has been said, for true silent you want the dart sniper rifle but I love sitting upon a hill and using the very loud bolt action rifle to shoot enemies with. Sure they can hear you and start looking for you but man it's fun with how awesome that gun is.

[Spacehost]

My preferred sniper rifle was actually the Karl Gustav, because it was utterly fantastic firing it down from a distant hillside into a crowded checkpoint or settlement and watching things explode and people run about on fire and so on.

Clint Hocking is now at Valve I believe If anyone would want him for advice on immersion in a FPS it would be them but goodness only knows what he's working on or even what his role actually is.

I must be thinking of someone else then. Half-Life 3: Epic zebra edition.

[mr_woo]

Man I would laugh so hard if Gordon was using his crowbar and it all of a sudden broke on him whilst twatting a Combine across the head with it

[Spacehost]

In Soviet Russia crate breaks you, etc.

[nfx]

Just started this again after the Games of the Generation thread reminded me of its greatness. On reflection, it really is my favourite FPS ever, a genuine challenge and such a great atmosphere. I wish I'd put it further up my top ten as it deserved to be higher than number 44, one place above Bioshock Infinite.

[stefcha]

I kept getting as not-very-far as attacking a mansion early on. I've got rubbish weapons and no access to more, and I kept just getting shot to shit while hiding in the bushes. The one time I did get through it, I left and then got shot to shit in the midst of some absolutely ridiculous jeep pileup (there must've been 4 or 5 of the fucking things) on the way to the nearest safehouse. I decided to leave it for a bit after that.

[Spacehost]

Stay off the roads.

[stefcha]

That's what I was trying on the way in! Sneaking in, and some bastard always saw me in the undergrowth. By the end of that one time I got through it, I was just desperate to get to a safe house as quick as possible only to immediately find myself in some sort of Burnout 2 Crash Junction crossover. God, I'd kill for a sniper rifle. Or I would if my guns weren't shit.

[CarloOos]

Stealth does work, but the enemies have a much more realistic field of view than your average game. If you can see them then the chances are they can see you, it's all about hit and run and breaking the line of sight.

I struggled with the mansion at first too, but once you ditch the assault rifle and pick up a sniper/uzi combo there's no going back, the next 50 gaming hours of your life are sealed. The learning curve is massive, but the rewards are even greater.

One thing I can't remember is whether you've unlocked the buddy system at that point, which basically acts as an extra life.

[stefcha]

I want those guns

[Mr Do 71]

There are a couple of golden guns hidden in the map, they don't fuck up

The Dart Rifle is the gun you need.

[Vimster]

I remember that mansion. I approached it so many times and got shot to shit but for some reason I just wanted to try different ways of approaching it, finding good cover from snipers, trying to scavenge guns, you were given the freedom to try new approaches, that was the genius of the game.

Did try to start this again a couple of times recently but for some reason it just didn't click like the first time. Just need to devote some time to it, make a full evening of it. Hmmm, just thinking of those respawning patrols, jamming weapons and malaria....

Even an infinite malaria meds mod/cheat would be welcome.

[CarloOos]

I know what you mean, and if you ever try to go back to it again my advice is to whack it straight on the highest difficulty. Chances are you're never going to finish the whole thing again, but what it does is turn every single little skirmish into an extended and palm-sweatingly tense game of cat-and-mouse. You'll spend most of your time either making mad near-death dashes for cover, or cowering in tall grass looking for the missing body of someone you thought was dead, and it really lets the AI shine.

[Pob]

Stealth does work, but the enemies have a much more realistic field of view than your average game. If you can see them then the chances are they can see you, it's all about hit and run and breaking the line of sight.

Actually, the key to stealth in FC2 is buying the stealth suit, then remaining still when you think you might get spotted, in undergrowth if possible. Movement seems to be what gives your position away the most.

[Guest]

Far Cry 3 was one of my favourite games of the generation, and I'm hyped for FC4, so I've decided to get FC2 to fill the gap.

From what I hear it fixes one of my main issues I had with FC3, where you become a stealthy, super powerful killing machine quite early on. The enemies and animals generally aren't a worry once you've put a few hours in. If it's a different story with FC2 I'll be happy with that.

Any tips or settings I should change before I start? If anyone was starting FC3 I'd make sure they played it on hard and toned down the HUD. Should I be doing anything similar for this?

[CarloOos]

Turn off the music was the big one, and expect to be infuriated at just how much better the HUD and map were in FC2 compared to the sequel. Enemy behaviour is heavily based on line of sight, use the grass and the foliage to move around a lot.

Also despite being the go-to weapon in pretty much every other FPS, the assault rifles are arguably the worst guns in this game. Get yourself set up with a sniper/SMG combo as soon as possible and feel the joy.

[Fury4k]

This was better in every way than its sequel.

[ZOK]

Turn off the music, turn off as much on screen stuff as you can, and enjoy an African holiday hunting the deadliest game...

Oh, it might be included in your version, but there was a DLC that introduced quad bikes as vehicles, that is well worth getting.

[Pob]

Crossbow and sawn- off shottie were also DLC, and quite fun.

[Vimster]

Crossbow and sawn- off shottie were also DLC, and quite fun.

Explosive crossbow and silenced shotgun, silenced shotgun

If you buy this digitally you'll get the DLC, and even when I bought a boxed copy in 2009 for PC it came with it.