Operation Flashpoint (computer game)

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Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
Operation flashpoint cwc.svg
Studio Czech RepublicCzech Republic Bohemia Interactive
Publisher United KingdomUnited Kingdom Codemasters
Erstveröffent-
lichung
Windows June 22, 2001 August 30, 2001 July 9, 2004 Xbox October 28, 2005 November 8, 2005
EuropeEurope
North AmericaNorth America
AustralasiaAustralasia

EuropeEurope
North AmericaNorth America
platform Windows , Xbox
Game engine Real Virtuality
Real Virtuality 2 (Xbox)
genre Tactical shooter
Game mode Single and multiplayer (64 players, LAN and Internet)
control Keyboard, mouse, joystick
system advantages
preconditions
medium CD-ROM
language German texts, English voice output
Age rating
USK approved from 16
PEGI recommended for ages 16+

Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (short: OFP ) is a computer game from the Czech developer studio Bohemia Interactive , which was published on June 22, 2001 by Codemasters for Windows . It is an important representative of the tactical shooter genre . The fictional campaign simulates the battle between the Soviet army and NATO troops for supremacy over three islands. 2001 and 2002 the game was through the Extensions Red Hammer and Resistance expanded, appeared on 17 November 2005 under the title Operation Flashpoint: Elite is a customized version for the Xbox . Since 2011 the title is sold under the name Arma: Cold War Assault . Naming rights holder Codemasters published two sequels titled Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising (2009) and Operation Flashpoint: Red River (2011).

action

Operation Flashpoint deals with fictional military clashes in the Cold War during the 1980s, in which US Army and Red Army units fight each other on the fictional islands of Everon, Malden and Kolgujev. With the expansion of the Resistance , the island of Nogova was added. The missions consist only to a relatively small extent of skirmishes or spectacular battles, but rather at the beginning mostly depict the everyday life of the soldiers on the front, the real tragedy and danger of which only become apparent through surprising twists and turns. Quite often, the player has to carry out inconspicuous secondary activities such as patrols or courier trips, during which the player character is involved in conversations with other soldiers. Scripted events create unexpected twists and turns.

1985 campaign

The focal point of this campaign are the three islands Everon (actually a free, unoccupied island), Malden (island occupied by NATO troops) and Kolgujev (island occupied by Russian troops). The Soviet General Guba has set himself the goal of bringing Everon and Malden back under his control. As part of the single-player campaign, the player takes on the role of various soldiers of the NATO troops, who defend the islands against the troops of the breakaway Soviet general Guba.

You start out as a simple soldier named David Armstrong on a small side island of Malden, which has been expanded to become a base for NATO troops. The intro shows how you sit in a hut with your comrades and listen to the radio while the instructor bursts in and orders everyone to train. Here you learn the basic controls of the game (sprinting, crawling, shooting, etc.). Once this has been done, another video sequence follows, in which Colonel Blake (commander of the NATO troops) explains that unknown troops are said to have attacked Everon.

In the following mission you will be brought near the city of "Morton" by Blackhawk helicopter, where you will then receive your baptism of fire. This is followed by rather smaller missions in which you have to chauffeur soldiers or go on patrols in the forest. It is interesting to know that at this point in history the NATO troops are mercilessly outnumbered. The next important mission is to conquer a small village called “Montignac”. This mission is different every time. Sometimes you can conquer the village and have to withdraw later, or you have to withdraw before the village is even sighted.

Then it is reported that all NATO troops are moving out of Everon. Unfortunately, the main character doesn't manage to get to the evacuation point in time. So you are alone in enemy territory, shortly afterwards you are captured by the opposing troops and immediately afterwards rescued by local resistance fighters, for whom you have to do a few jobs before a NATO boat comes to pick you up. A long struggle for supremacy in Malden ensues. However, the NATO troops can drive the Soviets out of there and finally begin to retake Everon. On Malden you slip into the shoes of another character for the first time, namely Robert Hammer, a tank commander.

Back on Everon, you have to play both as David Armstrong (who is already a lieutenant at the time and commands his own troop) and Robert Hammer. In addition, another character is introduced, namely Sam Nicholls, helicopter and later fighter and airplane pilot (is later shot down and captured over Kolgujev). After Everon was retaken, NATO troops attacked Kolgujev and, after some tough fighting, were able to arrest General Guba, who - as it has since turned out - had started the invasion on his own without political backing.

In between, you slip into the role of James Gastovski, veteran from past wars and leader of a special unit. With him you have to blow up depots behind enemy lines, sabotage tanks and so on.

At the end of the campaign there is a bonus mission ("Status Quo"). As James Gastovski you fly to Everon Airport in a small private plane. There you rent a car and have to pick up your old comrades, namely: David Armstrong, who is waiting in a barracks, Robert Hammer, who is waiting in the town of Lametin, and Sam Nicholls, who is fishing on a lake. When you have collected all of them, you drive to the local pub and have a beer there.

Extensions

Red Hammer describes the invasion of the islands from the perspective of the Red Army (as a soldier Dimitri Lukin), while Resistance is located in front of the main program in 1982 and tells the story of a resistance group (led by Viktor Troska), which the island of Nogova against invading Soviet troops defended under the leadership of the then Colonel Guba. The expansion offers a completely new island and the additional point of having to manage the war material of your own troops in the campaign.

Gameplay

General

Operation Flashpoint is a tactical shooter that emphasizes realism and requires the player to proceed in a well-planned manner. In the course of the campaign, the player receives combat missions as a foot soldier , elite soldier , tank driver , helicopter or fighter-bomber pilot and officer . The player usually controls a pawn, but in some missions is also a troop leader for up to eleven soldiers controlled by the program, to whom he can give tactical instructions. The game can be viewed either from the first person's perspective or from the perspective of a pursuer ; as a troop leader, he also has a limited bird's eye view .

The increased closeness to reality means, among other things, that the character may only receive a few hits before it is unable to fight. Wounds have a negative effect on the ability to act, for example lead to trembling of the hands and thus to inaccurate shots or that figures with injured legs can only crawl around. Soldiers can also suffer from exhaustion. Running too fast stresses the soldiers and also results in shaky hands and an audibly increased breathing rate . The weapon behavior is also more realistic compared to other games. Accurate shooting during the race is much more difficult; instead, foot soldiers have numerous different locomotion options and gaits to choose from.

Since Operation Flashpoint is mostly located in open terrain, enemy units often have to be shot at over hundreds of meters away. The player has to aim his weapon exactly over the rear sight and front sight and hold it up accordingly in order to get hits. For weapons with sustained-fire mode, the player has to take the dispersion into account, while rifles with telescopic sights make aiming easier. Bazookas can only be fired while crouching and hand grenades continue to fly when thrown with a run-up. Furthermore, due to the outdoor scenario, great importance is attached to cover in the game. The player can hide behind or in a variety of plants, objects or buildings and ambush the enemy. This way, the battles are much more realistic, as the direction and source of enemy fire can rarely be determined immediately.

Communication within the associations also plays an important role. Enemy sightings, successes and losses are reported via radio, orders are given and help requested. In this way, the player in the role of officer must also give all tactical instructions. This includes specific tasks such as the allocation of goals and waypoints, but also general instructions on combat and movement behavior and formations.

In the game it is possible to control every available vehicle and aircraft , almost every building can be entered - unless the doors are locked. By default, all battle tanks are operated by a three-man crew (commander, gunner, driver). These people can be controlled individually and ordered out at any time.

The integrated memory function limits the player to a single save per mission. Before important events, however, the game sometimes automatically creates save states.

Game world

The game simulates the environment of the player with important details that are important for realistic perception. The starry sky , weather and tides are simulated realistically. In the original campaign of the game, for example, you break out of a Russian camp as a prisoner and have neither a compass nor a map at hand. You can find your way around the precisely simulated starry sky, which contains all the constellations , including the North Star , with the help of which you can point your way towards friendly troops in the south.

A natural sound environment is also simulated. The water rushes on the coast, crickets chirp in the field, the chimes of bells announce the time, but combat events are also calculated down to the last detail: if a tank shell hits a few kilometers away, all you can hear is a dull rumble on the horizon, with a distant explosion due to the finite speed of sound is seen first and then heard with a corresponding time delay.

The island scenarios in the game have a number of larger and smaller locations that are connected by streets of different sizes and types. In between there are small details such as street signs, power poles or fences. The villages themselves consist of buildings of various sizes, some of which are accessible, from the size of small barracks to large villas or entire churches.

The landscape itself is more or less hilly and overgrown with different plants, on which different types of landscape can be identified. The islands included in the game feature flat pastureland, extensive forests that are impassable for vehicles, barren mountain ridges and rocky cliffs.

equipment

Cold War Crisis (1.00) Red Hammer (1.46) Resistance (1.75 - 1.96)
weapons
United States USSR Resistance (FIA)
M16 A2 AK-74 Sa vz. 58
M16 / M203 AK-74 / GP-25 AK-47 / GP-25
M16 / grenade attachment
M60 machine gun PKM PKM
M2 machine gun M2 machine gun (east)
M21 SVD Dragunov CZ 357 hunting rifle
XM-177 E2 AK-74SU AK-47
MP5 PP-19 Bison SD
M72 LAW RPG Nh-75 RPG Nh-75
FFV Carl Gustaf AT-4 AT 4
FIM-92 stinger Strela-2 Strela-2
MM-1 6G30 grenade launcher Kosliče shotgun
HK G36 Heckler Koch G3A4
STEYR AUG FN FAL
XM-177 E2 with reflex sight
Beretta 92 F Tokarev TT-33 ČZ 75
Glock 17 Sa-61 Scorpio Ingram MAC-10
Glock 17 SD
IMI UZI SD
.357 Magnum
M26 hand grenade M26 hand grenade M26 hand grenade
M19 anti- tank mine TM46 anti-tank mine
vehicles
United States USSR Resistance (FIA) Civilians
Ford MUTT M151 UAZ-469 UAZ-469 Škoda 105
5 ton truck Urals-4320 Praga V3S Škoda 130
M113 BMP-1 BMP-1 (captured tank) tractor
M60 T-72 T-55 Trabant 601
M1 Abrams T-80 T-72 / T-80 (captured tanks) Mini
M163 Vulcan ZSU-23-4 City bus Škoda SM 11
M2 Bradley BMP-2 Wrangler police jeep
HMMWV BRDM-2 jeep bicycle
LST armored landing craft
Mk II PBR Patrol boat
UH-60 Blackhawk Mil Wed-17 Cessna 172
AH-1 Cobra Mil Wed-24
OH-58D Kiowa Warrior
AH-64 Apache V-80
CH-47D Chinook
A-10 Thunderbolt II Sukhoi Su-25
  • In the demo version of the game, the Willys Jeep was still the standard Jeep in the USA and was replaced by the Ford MUTT in the full version. The old jeep was then part of the resistance fighters' fleet.

Historical inaccuracies

Regarding the game's framework, there are some historical inaccuracies in the weapons used. Here is a small list:

  • The G36 used in Red Hammer wasn't introduced until the 1990s.
  • The T-80 is already used in Resistance in 1982, but was not put into service until 1984.
  • Prototypes like the Apache and the Ka-50 are already appearing in Resistance.
  • The Bizon has only been around since 1993.

development

Logo of the Resistance addon

In 2001 and 2002 the two extensions Red Hammer and Resistance were released. Furthermore, the game has been expanded with individual patches with additional vehicles and weapons.

There were legal disputes between the developer Bohemia Interactive and the publisher Codemasters over the trademark rights that remained with Codemasters and under whose name the company later developed two successors, which, however, diverged from the focus of the debut (see below). Instead, Bohemia released a new series called ArmA: Armed Assault . In 2011 Bohemia Interactive bought back the distribution rights to the game, but not the rights to the brand name Operation Flashpoint . For the tenth anniversary of the game it was re-released by Bohemia under the new title Arma: Cold War Assault in a revised version with version number 1.99, owners of a previous version received the new version free of charge.

reception

Reviews

The Windows version of the game received positive reviews ( Metacritic : 85 out of 100), while the ratings for the Xbox version were mixed (Metacritic: 64 out of 100).

Modding

The included editor made it possible for hobby developers to develop new missions, campaigns or multiplayer cards . Over the years various mods such as the CTI-Mod , in which you have to build a base and conquer cities, have emerged. In addition to the options offered by the editor, game sequences can also be controlled with the help of a script language in order to create complex scenarios ("missions").

For ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA 2 , fans, with the support of the developers, developed a conversion of the OFP content as a free modification under the name Cold War Rearmed and Cold War Rearmed² .

Trivia

Some of the islands that appear in the game are modeled on real islands, at least in their geographical outlines. The silhouettes of Kolgujew are identical to those of the Spanish island of Tenerife , the island of Everon resembles the Croatian island of Krk and the Greek island of Lefkada was used as a model for Malden . The island of Meganisi in the east of Lefkada served as a model for the desert island Desert Island.

successor

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is a game about a fictional conflict on one of the Sakhalin Islands; a conflict that threatens to develop into a global crisis. The player takes on the role of a US soldier who fights as part of allied forces against outnumbered Chinese forces. The game focuses on a campaign that lets the player play various roles in the allied forces. The weapons, equipment and military tactics are presented with an exceptional level of detail for such games. The course of the game varies between intense firefights and quieter phases in which you have to make the right tactical decisions in order to achieve your mission goal. The entire campaign can be played cooperatively with up to four players and is expanded by a multiplayer mode.

The programmers of this version are not the original Bohemia Interactive development team. This is now being realized independently of Codemasters in the form of ArmA: Armed Assault and the sequel ArmA 2 , which was released on May 29, 2009.

The online multiplayer mode via Codemasters of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising has been discontinued. It is still playable in multiplayer via direct IP.

reception

Operation Flashpoint: Red River

In April 2011, Operation Flashpoint: Red River was the successor to Dragon Rising . It is supposed to replace the predecessor Dragon Rising , which was badly received by the Operation Flashpoint community , and increase the realism and graphics. Also this time the player has to fight as an American soldier of the US Marines against units of the Chinese People's Army and the insurgents, but this time in Tajikistan.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Release dates . mobygames.com, accessed March 26, 2014 .
  2. Operation Flashpoint becomes Arma: Cold War Assault - Bohemia gets the distribution rights back
  3. ^ Metacritic
  4. ^ Metacritic
  5. cwr2.arma2.fr
  6. Article about the real models of the islands ( Memento from April 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  7. Test on spieletipps.de
  8. Metascore rating on Metacritic.com
  9. Announcement about the appearance of “Red River” ( memento of the original from May 10, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. dated April 21, 2011 (accessed May 7, 2011) @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.flashpointgame.com