Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad

Drake

Synthesis wrote:

Anti-tank operations are awesome...except on maps like RedOctoberFactory, that are basically a straight line and require you charge tanks head on if the other team is competent enough to post one or two guys near their tank and thus make sneaking impossible (to be fair, another team being competent isn't a fault). Something about throwing an anti-tank grenade is a magical experience.

Yeah, or the feeling you get when you destroy that monster with an AT rifle. It's like becoming Zeus.

emp123

This game keeps downloading updates and I dont know whats in them. I really wish companies were forced to give you the patch notes via Steam, I dont really want to screw around on Tripwire's forums looking for patch notes.

wonderpug

Are there still a decent number of active servers for this? Both Battlefield and Call of Duty fell flat for me this year and I think I'll be jumping back into RO2 soon.

Drake

Here's the patch notes, in case anyone is interested. It's all looking like good stuff.

http://store.steampowered.com/news/6828/

Spoiler:

Updates to Red Orchestra 2 have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Map Balance
- Reduced Elite Riflemen and Assault roles on all maps.
- Fixed various spawn camping issues on all maps.
- Apartments - Added additional allied spawn after capturing the first set of objectives
- Barracks - Fixed an exploit that allowed you to get into a wall
- Fallen Fighters - Added missing spawn on squad leader spawns to sewers and trenches
- Grain Elevator - Added a spawn for the Allies that is on the 4th floor. This for when the allies are defending the Foothold
- Spartanovka - Fixed a issues with spawn protection incorrectly showing up when one of the objectives was captured in the 16 player version.
Also fixed an Allied spawn not working correctly on the 16 player version.

Performance/Stability
- Reduced the fps hitch during first spawn
- Improved the frame rate smoothing video setting to give more stable FPS
- Fixed memory spike when changing teams in the role selection menu
- Improved physics performance (removing another cause of hitching)
- Fixed a crash when device was lost

Other
- Fixed a wall exploit while leaning
- Satchel objectives can now be 'captured' by destroying the target
- Fixed getting kicked for idling if the server has set MaxIdleTime when reinforcements have run out, or when dead in countdown mode.
- Fixed momentary green scope texture when taking over a bot with a sniper scope.
- Fixed a bug where tank crew members would be invisible the first time they unhatch from the driver seat
- Tank geometry should no longer disappear after being killed as a tank crewman
- Several problems with the hero rank have been addressed (Enemy loadout weapons not showing up, losing hero status after death, UI refinements,
etc...)
- Launching the game the first time will add a setting, HUDTipsLevel, to ROGame.ini. Changing this will reduce the amount of text tips that appear on the HUD (0 - All Tips, 1 - Moderate Tips, 2 - Few Tips).
Looking for feedback and later on we may add it as a menu option.

Bastable

Drake wrote:

Synthesis wrote:

Anti-tank operations are awesome...except on maps like RedOctoberFactory, that are basically a straight line and require you charge tanks head on if the other team is competent enough to post one or two guys near their tank and thus make sneaking impossible (to be fair, another team being competent isn't a fault). Something about throwing an anti-tank grenade is a magical experience.

Yeah, or the feeling you get when you destroy that monster with an AT grenade. It's like becoming Zeus.

Yes particularly when the cackling maniac is crowing about it on PA vent while the rest of us are rooted in shock at our friendly PIV exploding beside us.

And the golden moment when he remembers he's playing on the german side with the rest of us.

Synthesis

Once the semester comes to an end, I'll have to try and get on a PA server again. Sounds like good times.

Tediak

COMRADES! This game is great. Why are we not playing it?

I really wish there were more smaller servers that were populated. 64 man servers turn into camping/sniping fests. The most fun I've has been on Countdown maps with less than 20 people.

Drake

I just took a little break from the game, not sure exactly why. I do really love the game so much.

Yeah, I think I'll be playing this some more.

Synthesis

I do play it periodically, but I don't know where you guys normally do....and Steam hates me, so attempting to join my Steam friends doesn't work.

emp123

I kinda stopped playing since BF3 came out, which is something I think I always knew would happen, just like how I know I'll probably stop playing BF3 when The Old Republic comes out...

Maybe I'll play RO2 now...

Tediak

Well, if we want to choose a "regular" server, I nominate |LMC| Tactical Realism - (LMCgaming.com) 208.167.246.224:7777

It's 32 player, usually has at least a few people playing, but it's not so big that we won't be able to play together.

BigDes

emp123 wrote:

This game keeps downloading updates and I dont know whats in them. I really wish companies were forced to give you the patch notes via Steam, I dont really want to screw around on Tripwire's forums looking for patch notes.

Usually you can right click on the game icon and view news for the patch details?

Tediak

Gonna hop on PA vent and play for a couple hours if anyone wants to join me. Nazis v. Commies ROUND ONE FIGHT!

emp123

BigDes wrote:

emp123 wrote:

This game keeps downloading updates and I dont know whats in them. I really wish companies were forced to give you the patch notes via Steam, I dont really want to screw around on Tripwire's forums looking for patch notes.

Usually you can right click on the game icon and view news for the patch details?

Oh shit, thats what I was trying to find. I could have sworn Ive checked that before only to see zero information about patches... I remember having to hunt through their forums for a patch note thread (which I think is stickied now).

Its good to see theyre still keeping up with this game, and I guess it makes sense that they would since its their most successful game, but I played a couple rounds this morning and jesus sometimes its just super brutal. It doesnt help that I was playing on a realism server (everything else was fairly empty or had terrible ping; what happened to the Tripwire servers?) Server selection may be a little sparse, but its nice to know that there will always be somewhere to play, if RO1 is any indication.

Drake

Yeah, now that all the sperglords have left for other games I think RO2 will start to accumulate more players over time. Especially once Tripwire starts adding in the stuff that didn't make release. This seems to be the pattern with TWI games. Rocky release, massive nerd-rage, loving support and free DLC, then a smallish but strong community builds up.

Taranis

I'll definitely go back to playing this game eventually, whenever I get tired of BF3.

emp123

Yeah, BF3 temporarily killed my interest in RO2, but Im sure I'll go back eventually. I was kind of surprised they havent had any new maps yet, but Barracks and Apartments are still fun. Actually, I dont know if there are any shitty maps.

Drake

Red Oktober Factory can be pretty shitty if you are playing on a disorganized Soviet team. More so than other maps by far. But when you get on a good Soviet team and knock the objectives out properly they fall like dominoes. So I can't really say it's bad design, just brutal design.

As far as new content goes, they won't work on that until they get the game running like they want and things balanced to the satisfaction of the players and devs. Then we'll see new tanks, Half Track troop transports, new maps, the co-op mode and who knows what else. According to the Steam page the SDK is getting the final touches too, so we'll start seeing some mods too.

XX55XX

Have they fixed the problems with joining via the in-game server browser yet? Because my modem goes dead whenever I refresh the browser. I have to join games via the Steam server browser.

No Great Name

Holiday Gift pile achievement
Fighting The War on Christmas - Participate in a successful territory capture on Commissars House

I guess I'm playing some RO2 tonight

Also it's 50% off today.

TychoCelchuuu

Yeah I dropped into a game just now to pick up the achievement and it's running a lot smoother than it used to. And it's just as fun as it used to be too. This game still has issues, but it's truly a worthy followup to RO. There are things that RO2 does that no other game does. THe infantry combat is quite fluid and brutal.

Synthesis

Hopefully I can run into your guys here tonight.

Drake

Yeah, looking forward to getting this one. Commissar's House has become a really interesting fight. I don't know if they tweaked it or what, but Soviets actually get wins on it now.

TychoCelchuuu

Drake wrote:

Yeah, looking forward to getting this one. Commissar's House has become a really interesting fight. I don't know if they tweaked it or what, but Soviets actually get wins on it now.

haha, I'll tell you what's changed. People want the achievement and are therefore trying to take objectives.

You see? You see what kind of bullshit this is? The game is fun and dynamic and amazing when it's played the right way, but 99% of the time people treat it like it's Quake and they try to just rack up the best possible K/D ratio. Capture the objective? NYET COMRADE I MUST SNIPE THE GERMANS AND GET MANY POINTS, DA? Hold the position against the incoming Soviet horde? NEIN COMMANDANT, ZAT VILL NOT GET ME ZE POINTS I VISH TO HAF.

Niche games like this are better than something like Battlefield 3, where to get anything other than server full of people who are pants-on-head retarded you have to only play with PA people, but even in RO2 there's plenty of idiots running around like it's deathmatch. Having fun times on Commissar's House because people are playing to capture the objectives is giving you a glimpse of what this game can really be.

stopgap

I just purchased this game. I hope to be invited to whatever Penny Arcade awesomeness is going on. I may not be on tonight, but hopefully in the coming days.

No Great Name

I thought the achievement was gunna be having to capture the whole map, it's just capture a single point. Heh.

BornToHula

We should really organize a PA group. I do so love this game, but pubbing it up is absolutely awful.

TychoCelchuuu

I was about to make a Steam group and then I checked the OP and we have one.

No Great Name

Yes it turns out OPs have all sorts of useful info!!

Drake

TychoCelchuuu wrote:

Drake wrote:

Yeah, looking forward to getting this one. Commissar's House has become a really interesting fight. I don't know if they tweaked it or what, but Soviets actually get wins on it now.

haha, I'll tell you what's changed. People want the achievement and are therefore trying to take objectives.

You see? You see what kind of bullshit this is? The game is fun and dynamic and amazing when it's played the right way, but 99% of the time people treat it like it's Quake and they try to just rack up the best possible K/D ratio. Capture the objective? NYET COMRADE I MUST SNIPE THE GERMANS AND GET MANY POINTS, DA? Hold the position against the incoming Soviet horde? NEIN COMMANDANT, ZAT VILL NOT GET ME ZE POINTS I VISH TO HAF.

Niche games like this are better than something like Battlefield 3, where to get anything other than server full of people who are pants-on-head retarded you have to only play with PA people, but even in RO2 there's plenty of idiots running around like it's deathmatch. Having fun times on Commissar's House because people are playing to capture the objectives is giving you a glimpse of what this game can really be.

I know what you are saying, but I'm talking about the last month or so. I don't know what's happened but the Sovs have gotten off their asses and started capping points. No one cries about Lockdown any more either. It's really exciting to be on a team that's pushing those objectives over like dominoes, and it's even better when SLs and the Commander are on the ball. It's been one of my favorite maps to play on lately, but when I first got the game I dreaded it every time it came up in the rotation. Now it's a great mix of interior room to room fighting and medium range outdoors engagements. It's a really fun map to play Anti-Tank on too.

No Great Name

The spawn location fixes helped a bunch.

Litany

http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/05/22/red-orchestra-2-free-content-pack-adding-action-and-classic-modes-new-map-laundry-list-of-improvements/?ns_campaign=article-feed&ns_mchannel=ref&ns_source=steam&ns_linkname=0&ns_fee=0

Does anyone still play RO2? Bots / lack of community killed the game for me personally, hence the question. Free weekend this coming weekend too.

AuburnTiger

I haven't played it since a month after release, but I'd be willing to jump back in if they added some new content.

TychoCelchuuu

It would take a year to explain my complex thoughts about this game but the short version is yeah, bots certainly helped kill this for me.

Gaslight

I sort of feel like checking this out during the free weekend but I have an overwhelming feeling this is going to be one of those "Run for two minutes and get killed by a single shot from a guy you never saw" games for me.

emp123

I kind of stopped playing once BF3 came out, but every time I scan my Steam games it makes me sort of want to play it...

TOGSolid

TychoCelchuuu wrote: »

It would take a year to explain my complex thoughts about this game but the short version is yeah, bots certainly helped kill this for me.

Aimbots or actual servers loaded with just AI bots?

Kadoken

Is the pop that bad? I've really wanted to play this for a long ass time. Will I have to get my tactical fix from ARMA 3?

TOGSolid

It was pretty bad out of the gate, I'd imagine these days it's a ghost town.

Drake

Releasing around BF3 was the worst thing for this game, aside from the state that it released in. I'm glad that TWI is sticking with the game. This is really a replay of what went down with Ostfront too, that all just happened to occur under far less scrutiny.

There really is some great gameplay in here, and the client side hit detection may help bring some people back. I'll probably dust this off during the free weekend.