GhR: Worst Game Play of 2003?

[Brian Koppi]

I just spent 45 minutes SCREAMING at my monitor because the game play in Ghost Recon is at times so dismal.

Here a just a few of the things that send me into a frothing rage:

1) Character won't drop
I pound on the drop stance key repeatedly, the appropriate sound effect plays each time, but the character refuses to drop for several seconds. My assumption here is that the game is busy animating some inane little character gesture and has to wait until the model state returns to neutral before it can animate the drop sequence. I long ago lost count of the number of times I've been shot because my character refused to drop.

2) Character won't throw
I select the grenade, hold down the mouse button to complete the "wind-up" process, release the mouse key...and nothing happens. This seems to happen most often on an attempt following a successful grenade toss.

3) Invisible barriers to bullets
This must be a clipping issue in the environment models. After 10 minutes of painstaking creeping to line up a head shot I lean around a debris pile, put my crosshairs on the enemy's ear, and squeeze off a round. Rather than a satisfactory spray of blood a bullet hole suddenly appears in mid-air floating more than a foot away from the nearest object. The enemy tosses a grenade and I die.

Even worse is when no bullet hole appears and I have to try a half-dozen carefully aimed shots to figure out where the edge of the invisible object is.

4) Disparity of physics
This comes in many forms, but has to do with a different set of rules applying to the enemy AI. Disparities such as the ability of the enemy to load, aim, and fire the M136 dead on target every 1.2 seconds when it takes the player 3 to 4 times as long. The ability of enemy snipers to see through dense fog at far greater ranges than the players (or fire dead-center at the source of a gun shot from behind bushes on the other side of the map). Especially unnerving is the ability of the enemy AI to fire over ledges before the model even appears on screen.

There are really too many instances of disparity of physics to begin to try and list them.


Is it just me? Do I expect too much? Ghost Recon is such a good game in creative premise that I find myself wanting to play even despite the terrible implementation problems. However, when half-an-hour of time invested in a winning session is shot due to some pointless failure in game play I'm tempted to yank the CD and snap it in two.

Anyone have any scoop on the possible development schedule of GhR II (or have any war stories involving the crappy game play problems)?

[Mr. Lothario]

     I've said it once, and I'll say it again: Red Storm sucks. ::shrug::

[Jeb]

If you need a 1337 visual basic script talk to redstorm (perhaps even a program made in fortran), they aren't good at games, or even game design. I've yet to see any other company that is so unprofessional in the way their attributes and objects are managed. Realistically Microsoft makes better games in terms of quality. All the problems with Clipping happen because they have yet to make a good 3D engine. Even in RS there were issues, mainly the fact that at any place you can poke your head into a wall and shoot people.
Another thing, there are no proper lighting effects, and the game runs like SHIT!

BTW sometimes when i try to throw my last grenade, nothing happens, or is thrown. I also have some problems opening doors, door will open then close before i can get through it.

[Toxic::Joka]

BTW sometimes when i try to throw my last grenade, nothing happens, or is thrown. I also have some problems opening doors, door will open then close before i can get through it.

*nods head*

[|3ID| Solidus]

Brian,
I'm not saying this is an answer to all your GHR problems, and you don't mention if this is in Multiplayer or SinglePlayer mode, but most of the situations you have described have happened to me on a Server that is "lagging". For example when you can't open a door-wait one minute -because the server you are on will crash sure enuff. Grenade throwing delay, dropping delay are all due to lag, especially as you put it-after a "successful throw"-because your processor is working on the previous explosion. The people that kill you, if it is multiplayer, are either smart enough or lucky enough to anticipate the lag. For example you can kill someone on a full run in a laggy situatiion by firing before they come around a corner. I have a Yikes 400 with a Gig of Ram and an aftermarket NVidia card and usually have very little problems except for certain areas that "glitch".

I have noticed that GHR plays worse since 10.2.6 and played much better under straight Jaguar. A new patch is sorely needed from Red Storm, that's for sure.
-Solidus

[killertoad]

i have those problems to like when im reloading i start getting shot and i cant lay down until im done, or when i try to crawl backwards my guy moves forward then backwards which then reveals my head around corners and crap like that

[0 Kilz:M:]

*Has no sympathy for some that takes 10 minutes to "painstakingly crawl" to line up a headshot.

[Toxic::Joka]

or when i try to crawl backwards my guy moves forward then backwards which then reveals my head around corners and crap like that

Thats not really a bug, see....  the way your upper torso is alligned depends where your aiming. And if your aiming to the side your body will be making a bent. So when you start crawling backwards the body needs to get straight first...Same stuff when you move sideways liying down, you press the button and can hear the "moving sounds" but they guy is somewhat still until he starts moving....do I make any sense?   Anyway, makes sense to me.

And hey.... I wouldnt recomend crawling to anyone, worst possible way to move around in GhR, or wait...moonwalking behind enemy lines might be worse  ...just a tip

[.::|N| DIESEL]

I am fully aware of all of the flaws that Ghost Recon has to offer.  Despite all of the complaints this is the hottest game out for the Mac side of gaming.  I, nor many other still play the game regularly with the problems present.  If you feel this game is to be labeled the worst of 2 game of 2003, I suggest on playing it and dealing with the flaws or playing moving on to play another game.  

I, personally, don't feel GHR is that unbearable to play with all the problems at hand.

[Jeb]

naw,
its a fun game and i enjoy playing it... Its  just the worst made game of the century.

[.::|N| DIESEL]

I think that is better put Jeb, however we still find ourselves playing it 24/7... go figure...

[killertoad]

i see the point but crawling is sometimes a must because i dont wanna stand up whle being shot at

[Supernatural Pie]

I sometimes experience the "Press drop stance, hear a sound, nothing happens" bug.

I found that the solution is to press the "raise stance" and then try to "drop stance" again.

Reason: My guess is that somewhere along the line you already tried to drop, but something got in the way, and the game THOUGHT you had already dropped, when in fact you didn't. Therefore, if you tell the game to raise stance, it will know that you are once again at the top-most stance. From here, you can drop again normally.

I win.

--Supernatural Pie

[Saberian 3000]

Yeah, when it comes to first person shooters, i dont think there has been a game made that dosent have serious issues like what we are experiencing here in Ghost Recon.  Another reason why Ghost recon players notice it more is because ghost recon is a game where every round takes it's time and makes a serious difference, whereas other games like Quake III and whatnot the game style is quite different.  so when it comes to games like ghost recon, it is true that there are issues with the game, but that dosent mean as people we cannot overcome them.  Plus for being the first series of games like this it isnt bad considering that most of us are still playing the games.

+MOD+Saberian