Tactical Ops
| Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Kamehan Studios | ||
| Publisher |
MicroProse Atari SA |
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
December 23, 1999 (Mod / Beta) April 24, 2002 (trade) |
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| platform | Windows | ||
| Game engine | Unreal Engine | ||
| genre | Online - tactical shooter | ||
| Game mode | Single player , multiplayer | ||
| control | Keyboard and mouse , alternatively other game controllers possible (PC) | ||
| system advantages preconditions |
450 MHz, 64 MB RAM, 150 MB hard disk space, CD-ROM drive | ||
| language | multilingual | ||
| Age rating |
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Tactical Ops , also TO / AOT for short, (in German: tactical operations) is a computer game from the online first person shooter (FPS) genre from 1999 and 2002. It was originally a modification of the PC game Unreal Tournament from Epic Games .
Development history
The initial name was SWAT and the first beta version was released in April 2000 after the French developer Laurent "Shag" Delayen had been programming on it since December 22, 1999. Since the initial name was protected by the game of the same name by the company Sierra , the modification was renamed Tactical Ops in June 2000.
The most successful versions were the beta 2.0 and 2.2 at the time of which most of the players were active in the community . Due to the increasing success of the game as a counterpart to Counter-Strike and after a number of changes and bug fixes, the developer group decided to bring a retail version onto the market. With MicroProse a partner was quickly found and so the game was published under the title Tactical Ops: Assault on Terror in April 2002 in North America and a short time later in Europe.
The current version of the game is the TO: AoT 3.50 Community Patch . This patch was programmed exclusively by a selected development team from the community.
Part of the old team programmed a successor called TO-Crossfire based on the second Unreal Engine . The first beta was released on April 28, 2006.
Game content
Two parties face each other in the game: terrorists and special forces . They start at the beginning of each round at their respective starting point. There is a buy zone (predefined shopping zone) in which you can buy and sell weapons and equipment. Each round usually begins in this zone with a short (approx. Ten seconds) shopping time, during which one can neither move nor shoot. Purchases are made with a click of the mouse. Alternatively, you can assign purchase commands to keys, so-called "keybindings", in order to shop faster. A player can equip himself with a maximum of three weapons, whereby a distinction is made between three types of weapon. In the first weapon group handguns can be bought, in the second the player can opt for submachine guns or shotguns and in the third machine and sniper rifles can be bought. In principle, both sides have the same types of weapons, with a few exceptions, e.g. B. the terrorists have an AK47 and the Special Forces an M4, but the Special Forces also have a sniper rifle, which gives them a slight advantage over the terrorists. He also has the option of buying armor and grenades (two hand grenades of different strength, smoke and stun grenades), whereby you can only carry one of these at a time. If he comes back to his buy zone during the course of the game, he can sell or buy weapons and equipment at any time.
After the start of the round, the teams must try to eliminate their opposing team before it is over (a round takes about four minutes). However, the round can also be won by reaching the respective map objective.
Game modes
A distinction is made between four main scenarios.
Hostage liberation : The Special Forces must try to free hostages who are held “captive” by the terrorists on the map at a certain point by escorting them to a “Rescue Point”. The terrorists must prevent this from happening without killing the hostages. The hostages can pick up weapons lying around and thereby also take out terrorists. The Special Forces win if all terrorists have been eliminated or all hostages have been taken to the rescue point. The terrorists win if all special forces have been eliminated or if the lap time runs out without all of the hostages being rescued.
Laying a bomb: The terrorists must try to place a bomb at a point marked for this purpose and protect it until it explodes. The aim of the Special Forces is to prevent this from happening. The Special Forces win if all terrorists have been eliminated or the bomb has been defused in the allotted time. The terrorists win if all special forces have been eliminated or the bomb explodes before the lap time ends.
Hacking: This is a scenario in which both teams usually find a "console" on the map and then have to hack it. The Special Forces win if all terrorists have been eliminated or if they hack the console first. The terrorists win if all special forces have been eliminated or if they hack the console first.
Escape: In this scenario, the terrorist team must try to reach a certain point or area on the map with at least half of the team members. The Special Forces must prevent this by eliminating the terrorists.
Finally, there is the scenario where the first side wins that manages to eliminate the other team. In every official map, however, one of the above scenarios is provided. The elimination of the opposing team leads to winning the round in any case, unless the bomb placed by the terrorists explodes.
Capture the flag:
This is a flag game whose goal is to get the opposing flag with the help of your team and bring it to your own flag. However, it should be noted that your own flag must still be present when you bring the opposing one to you.
General: A round usually lasts four minutes. Then all players are returned to their starting point and a new round begins. A map usually ends after 20 minutes on public servers. Then the players either choose a new map from a "map pool" or follow a fixed map sequence.
Point systems: There are different point systems in the various leagues; on the one hand ActiveRounds, on the other hand MaxRounds. The first of the two systems embodies, among other things, the point system of the eConliga and ESL.de; the second system is used for example in the GSL, ESL.int, ECL or the XGC, LDC. With the AR system, a certain time is set for the map (usually 20 minutes). Now the active team must try to score as many points as possible. The passive team, on the other hand, must try to repel the attacks. With the MR (for example 12) system, the time of the map is usually set to 60 minutes. Now both sides have to try to win the rounds, as both sides can score. On the active side you can score by fulfilling the map objective or eliminating the opponent, on the other hand only by defending your opponent on the passive side.
The game on the Internet / LAN : In a public game, games are hosted on public servers (so-called “publics”). The players enter the server and can choose a team. As soon as the current round is over you can play immediately. The team-based concept of Tactical Ops requires a certain amount of consideration from every player and the ability to keep an overview in heated battles. The integrated chat function is not very helpful here and is limited to simple commands such as "Enemy Spotted", for example to communicate that an opponent has been sighted somewhere. A strategic approach is therefore rarely but not pointless on public servers. This is completely different in Clan Wars, however, as the communication between the individual team members is better. Communication programs such as TeamSpeak or similar are mostly used for this . This means, for example, that actions can be timed. An otherwise superior opponent can usually be defeated with good tactics.
Online tournaments: In online tournaments, point systems similar to those used in leagues are used. However, online tournaments are not held over several days or weeks, but rather in a time window that extends to within 24 hours. Such a tournament is carried out with a limited number of participants (clans). As a special feature, unlike in current league operations, the game is usually played in double elimination mode, which means that every team has a second chance to win the tournament overall if they lose a game.