GRAW

[Gunther]

I downloaded the demo to Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter demo. So far this is looking to be a decent FPS/RTT combat simulator. I prefer the acronym RTT over RTS because it is more of "Real Time Tactics" than "Strategy". I like the feature that you can equip your other team mates ahead of time. It is important to remember who has what weapon. I always used the guy with the Light Machine Gun to lay down a base of fire and cover the rest of the team while we were moving. If you have access to the demo, DL and try it. it is worth it.

[rhonnin]

Any idea if this will have something like a co-op multiplay option? Something similar to rainbow six where 4 to 6 people could play through the levels together would be great fun.

[Gunther]

Yes. 4 players can work together online to play.

[Gunther]

From GameSpy:

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (PC)

Come May 2nd, the lengthy period of the condition we like to call Ghost Recon Envy will have completely run its course in the PC gaming community. After PC gamers were completely excluded from the second game in the series, that's the date that Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter for PC will hit the streets. If the hands-on multiplayer session we got to sit in on yesterday was any indication, the PC version of GRAW looks like it's shaping up to be fairly impressive.

First, the basics. GRAW for the PC will be substantially different from its counterpart on the Xbox 360. The maps will be two to three times larger, the tactical features more robust, and the third-person mechanics have been nixed. In short, the PC game will lay-on sim elements with a much heavier hand. In single-player, this means that you'll have a much more meaningful level of control over your squad members. The tactical map has features that allow you to plot movements with a level of precision that HUD-based "point-and-shoot"-style tools simply can't approach.

What's most interesting is how these controls have been adapted to work in the multiplayer game. When you're playing co-op missions, one of the players in a four-member team is assigned the role of team leader. Team leaders will be able to utilize the tactical interface to send commands to their squad members. Essentially, they'll be assigning move orders, either individually or as part of a series of waypoints, which appear on the HUD of the player to which they are assigned. Utilizing these tools to maintain a consistent level of precision is key, as the co-op game is intensely hardcore. Case in point: if the team leader dies, it's game over. No reloading saves and no restarting from checkpoints.

On the 360, one of the game's most talked-about features was the immense co-op mode. It consisted of an all-new set of standalone missions (taking place in Nicaragua rather than Mexico) designed for teams of up to 16 players. Things will be a bit different in the PC version, however. There will be no new missions; rather, you'll be able to play co-op games on the single player maps, the rationale behind this being that the PC version's maps are several magnitudes larger than the 360 ones -- up to two or three times bigger in every case. Whether this is a good or bad thing is unclear. (In other words, wait for the review.)

In terms of competitive multiplayer, GRAW seems to have some similarly compelling stuff going on. The game will ship with a mode called "Domination." It works like this: two teams of players, up to 32 in total, will be thrown into maps of varying size and asked to take control of different sectors within them. The gameplay is a twist on your "capture-and-hold"-style match, not far removed from the concept behind UT2004's Onslaught mode: each map will be divided into different sectors, which are connected by a series of supply lines. In order to win, you have to be the team controlling the most sectors at the end of the match.

In addition, for every sector that your team controls, you will be awarded "tactical points," which you can use to reequip yourself or perform other metagame tricks, like, say, spawning right next to your team leader. There's a rub, though: In order to collect points from a sector, you have to control every sector in between it on the supply-line chain. This brings into play strategies that involve cutting off the opposition's supply chain, effectively forcing them into their home sectors. Interesting in theory, but also very compelling in practice, as the demo match that we got to play yesterday offered some exciting moments.

It looks like Ubisoft is trying to atone for its Ghost Recon transgressions against the PC community by offering up a meaty, unique version of Advanced Warfighter. The fun shouldn't stop with the retail release, either -- a traditional deathmatch mode is planned to be added to the multiplayer package come June. Will it all pan out? Will it turn out as great as the 360 version did? Keep your eyes on this space for a full review not too long after May 2nd. Need a fix sooner? Look no further than the fully playable multiplayer demo available on FilePlanet.

[Gunther]

I would get this game to play online if there were a few others willing to join me. It looks interesting. I've been trying out the different weapons available. The sniper rifle is awesome and the Light Machine gun does what it is supposed to do but it is difficult to control it's fire. I like this because if you've ever fired a M249 SAW or an M60 MG you know the barrel rises when you pull th trigger. This game reproduces that feature well. Also, when you are in the kneeling position you will see your sight rise and fall with your breathing. Most of the rifles available are in concept form in real life and are projected to maybe replace the M16/M4 family of rifles. I do like the peeking around the corner trick.

Unlike Quake/Doom type games the path you follow is not linear. The map is no where as large as TR Sanctuary but it is big enough to maneuver around the enemy and catch him in surprise. I wonder if you can play force on force against other clans or it is just us against the NPCs? I found several dark back alleys that you could use to avoid frontal contact with the enemy and hit him the flanks and in the rear. When fighting against the AI, the enemy behavior is consistent. That is fun for now, because i don't know where everyone is and half the fun is not knowing where the bad guys are.

So, this game comes out next week, but I'm going to ask the wife if I can get it as a Wedding anniversary gift on May 15th. See you on the fields of battle!

[Gunther]

Here's a few screenshots. Kinda reminds me of Bf2 but this is the year 2012.

the blue diamonds are friendlies and red/pink diamonds are hostiles. Look at the minimap in the upper right and see that the team leader has pre posted several way points.

the team leader can see what each member of his team sees by hitting the letter "G". This is what the team leader sees when he looks through one of his soldiers cameras.

The Team Leader's tactical map.

the view through sights of your weapon while "Peeking around a corner".

This is the primary assault rifle with a Grenade Launcher attached. I found this GL easier to use than the M203 in Bf2. There are about 6-8 different weapons to choose from.

Light machine Gun. I insure that one member of my team has one of these.

[rhonnin]

I would love to pick this up, I'll start squirreling away some money for it now.

[Gunther]

Coup d’tat

The demo scenario states that the Mexican army has taken the president and vice president hostage. Ghost Recon is assigned to go to Mexico City, locate the two VIPs and rescue them. This is done in two phases. The first you go to their last known location at VIP-1 and then to attack an Army stronghold near a fuel station.

After insertion I attempted to enter the fight through the west alley and kept running into enemy combatants. Although, I could easily handle them some of my men were injured and this hurt us later on in the fight. I switched tactics and exited the starting “square” from the east alley and headed north. At the first street, take a left and deploy your LMGunner and sniper on both sides of a car parked on the left side of the street. Take your rifleman and you to the alley on the right side of the street. There are two enemy soldiers there and possibly a third at the end of the alley. He wasn’t always there. With your support team in position to cover the open square west of you, insure there are no enemy soldiers at the north end of the alley and then cut through the square along the north wall. Be aware that enemy soldiers could pop out of an alley at the NW corner of this square. Once near this alley at the NW corner with your rifleman, go to tactical mode.

Deploy your support team one block west so they can view targets up the North south street due west of your location. Once they are in position, you and your rifleman enter the alley. You will have 2-5 hostiles in sight. Now you have a support team firing at them from the south and an assault team (you) firing at them from the east.

After you’ve cleared the enemy from this divided street, move your entire team NW down an alley that is still 2 blocks south of the large open square. You will notice a small covered alley way to your front left. Use that for cover during planning. The first time I did this, I probed the first street leading to the square. The problem with this location is that you can only get two guns to bear on the enemy and there are about 10 of them. After this, I developed a routine of probing each of the three streets leading from the south into the enemy filled square.

Once in the covered alley, order your sniper to take up a covered location at the corner of the first street on the east end of the square to scan for targets in the square and engage them. The sniper actually killed 2-5 guys each time I placed him there. Keep your LMG and Rifleman with you. When you exit the covered alleyway at the west end there are two enemy soldiers here. After you kill them, call your sniper to come join you and the rest of the team. I had tried to probe Second Street but kept getting wasted. I gave up on Second Street. Move as a team down one more block. Peek around the corner of the third street and take out the lone gunman behind sandbags at the end of the street. Keeping the team together, run down 3rd street and take cover on the right side and once again peek around the corner. There is a soldier manning a Heavy machine Gun (HMG) on a raised platform that is heavily sandbagged. Take out the gunner the same way you took out the first gunner on Third Street.

With the HMG gunner out of the picture, spread your guys out and leapfrog forward using fire and maneuver into the square taking out enemy soldiers as you advance. You will be moving from SW to NE. I used my Grenade Launcher a few times in this square. Once you get to the far side, move across the next east west street under the covered street corner. There is a sniper above and ahead of you. Send your LMG and sniper to look for him across the street. Keep your eyes out for one more sniper. I’ve seen him take up different random positions.

The next major event is getting into the square that contains VIP-1. It is only 1 block north east of your current location. There is also a HMG at the top of the next street. Send your LMG and sniper to fire at him from the west one block up. Take your rifleman and fire at him from the south one block east. I was able to eliminate him quickly this way. Next move your sniper/LMG (support) team up to where the HMG was and take your rifleman one block east. Keep looking for snipers.

With your support team in place in the SW corner of VIP-1 square, take your assault team and enter form the SE corner and engage hostiles in the square.

Once the vehicle is secured, quickly reposition your team to defend this area against an attack. The Mexicans are on their way.

Once this is completed you receive new information. The President and Vice President are with loyal soldiers west of your location. You are to move about 4-500 meters SW to attack a group of rebel soldiers and take pressure of the loyal soldiers west of you. During the move I encountered a few soldiers in the large square that I fought through on the way up. Be aware that areas you had previously secured are now occupied by enemy soldiers.

Take your time leapfrogging your men forward and get to a low wall NE of the fuel station. Once there, fire repeatedly at a fuel tanker in the parking lot. It explodes and several seconds later the demo ends with all three of your teammates and you alive.

[BCoop]

I've been playing this game for a few weeks on Xbox 360 now, although it is a third person shooter on that console. Just about every aspect of this game is good.

[BigBossMonkey]

Going to be downloading the demo soon, Looks good.

Edit:

Okay, I've downloaded it and installed it. This game looks REALLY fun... Has it already been released for PC? If so I'm definitly going to get it. If not, I can't wait for it to be released.