Ghost Recon: Wildlands

[Kchrpm]

This is the game I am most excited about from E3 2015. It's almost like an open-world, co-op Splinter Cell: Blacklist.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdJub3Kz2wI

Choose your own playstyle and objectives in an open world, with sweet sweet Ghost Recon team gameplay.

[lostnight]

Looks cool, haven't hardly touched any GR before. I do like the open outdoor environment, sort of like RDR's world but more lush. Actually, another RDR would be cool. Random thoughts here. Will this be on the 360?

[Kchrpm]

Nope, XBone/PS4/PC.

[GreatScawt]

I didn't realize how much they were able to show for this. Looks awesome.

[lostnight]

I may have to upgrade one of these days, but Rocksmith 2014 seems to work better on the older systems as far as DLC and stuff. Can't decide if my next system will be Xbox or PS, or maybe even one of those Alienware console/computer things. Not in a hurry to decide.

[Kchrpm]

It took Carlo commenting how how he hopes you can drive shitty cars for me to realize how similar this is to Mercenaries (or at least Mercenaries 2, I think that's the one I'm picturing in my head).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercenaries_(series)

[Phil_SS]

That looks pretty fricken cool.

[Alan P]

That looks like fun. Another game on my radar.

[Drachen596]

definitely looks 4 player co-op Mercenaries to me.

if it plays as well as the first Mercenaries did then its probably gonna be a pretty good game.

[Kchrpm]

It will not have the over the top destruction of calling in a bunker buster air strike, I'm guessing.

[Kchrpm]

There was a closed door demo (described as a theater presentation, journalists didn't get to play) where it was shown that not only is the entire map open all the time, but you can also split up over it for missions.

There are setup missions for the main missions (an example given is acquiring a helicopter), and each player can do them individually, but call for backup of things go south.

They're also including AI squadmates for when 4 people can't get together.

[Kchrpm]

Oh, another (optional?) setup mission was finding a snitch who will give you intel on the base. Because of doing this, all the enemies on the base were tagged when they started the main mission.

[Freude am Fahren]

:up: sounds pretty sick.

[Kchrpm]

Depending on how far that goes, that could end up like *whispers*Freedom Fighters, where you could attack certain parts of a level in a certain order to affect what resistance you ran into on the other parts of the level. Blow up a bridge and the troop transports will stop coming with reinforcements. Blow up a helipad and the attack chopper won't be there.

But I don't want to jinx this like I jinxed Homefront...

[21Kid]

Definitely looks like fun co-op action!!!

Like most games, I don't think I'd enjoy it playing with randoms. Even more so in this case though where you decide how you'd work as a team.

[Kchrpm]

Yes, I'm requiring that Carlo put his child up for adoption.

[novicius]

LoL hey now -- I still play nightly, it's just in the 10 PM to 2 AM slot now! :D

[Kchrpm]

Was watching/reading some updates on the official website, there is barely any new information, just them talking about how authentic they're going to be while still making it a game.

One tidbit that did come up was related to the side missions: if you take out a communications tower in an area, all of the bases in that area will be unable to call for reinforcements when you attack them. I'm excited about how much they can expand on that.

[Kchrpm]

Things they have made no real mention of that I am hoping for:

- Character customization, from armor to clothing (including backpack!) to character appearance/sex/build. I'm not looking for anything close to Fallout 4, maybe just a few different heads and then body types that represent Rainbow Six's Low/Medium/High armor and speed (in addition to armor choices; and have players be reacted to if they show up into populated areas in full armor)
* From what little I can glean from the screenshots that have been released/captured in videos, it looks like there is some amount of choice and customizing to the backpacks. I'm noticing different pack styles/elements, patches with names and symbols, carabiners holding what I think are flares. They could just be changing design choices rather than customizations, though.
* I also see different clothes and hair (which may or may not mean different heads, it could just be custom hairstyles on static faces).

- Broad weapon selection + customization; full on Gunsmith style would be nice, but as long as we're not getting silly restrictions on who can carry what, and what gun can carry what scope/attachment, I'll be pleased.
* Based on the ability to play missions in whatever way you choose, this is probably a no-brainer.

- Rifle + pistol + player choice. Since every operative seems to be wearing a nice-sized backpack, I feel like the normal two-weapon restriction should add a player choice third slot for a wildcard of sorts: small grenade launcher, SMG, drone, squad support item (extra reloads or medkits maybe?), stuff like that.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5CZkcb7mpE

Highlights:
- Entire game is non-linear, any mission can be done in any order. The overall goal is to destabilize the cartel, do it however you want.
- They mention that mortar strikes and heavy artillery are an option
- Players + AI always = 4
- Third person view is used so you can see in your peripheral better, but you can aim down sights and it switches to first person to do that
- "A lot of opportunity to change your physical makeup, clothes you're wearing, equipment...flares, C4, mines, grenades, different weapon types that can be augmented with a multitude of detachments." Also, Gunsmith is mentioned :up:

[Phil_SS]

- Third person view is used so you can see in your peripheral better, but you can aim down sights and it switches to first person to do that


That's the same as the previous GW games. Totally acceptable for me. :up:

[SkylineObsession]

This looks like my type of game. :hard:

[Kchrpm]

Many of the things I listed above are in The Division. Good sign :up:

[Kchrpm]

My guess is Wildlands won't be coming out for a long time. Ubisoft's fiscal calendar goes from May to April, and Wildlands is marked as being in the next fiscal year. Seems to me this is why The Division is being released in March, and by the same reasoning I would expect Wildlands to come out this same time next year.

[Phil_SS]

The more I read about the game the more I get excited.

I'm hoping for a big reveal at E3 and then I figure it will drop for Christmas 2016.

[Rare White Ape]

I hate Ubisoft with a passion, but between this, The Division and FarCry Primal, they're on fire at the moment.

[GreatScawt]

Replace Primal with RB6: Seige and I'm with you. I actually friggin gave in for the Division beta and installed uPlay on my computer. The seal is broken...

[Kchrpm]

I was not expecting there to be any kind of PvP, but when asked about it on Reddit, a Ubisoft employee said "We haven't released any information on adversarial mode."

Also: "but the reality is the game is still early in development, and we just plain don't have a release date, yet."

[Kchrpm]

Checking out the Internet Movie Firearm Database, they have an image that confirms the P90 will be in it, and also the gun is slung on his back to one side, similar to how The Division places your unused primary/secondary weapon. Dual weapon + sidearm confirmed?????

http://www.imfdb.org/images/4/48/GRW-P90.jpg

[Kchrpm]

Actually, no, I forgot, unlike in The Division, you can run around with your hands empty, and that's why the gun is on the back. There are multiple shots of one gun on the back and the character's hands empty or holding an item.

[Phil_SS]

I've seen that screenshot for awhile and I'm in love with it.

Actually, all the screen shots they have make the game look fantastic. I hope they can pull it off. Being able to parachute in or bring a beatup pickup will be awesome.

[Kchrpm]

Questions I had this morning after having the impulse to get in 30 minutes of The Division:


the idea that with just 30-45 minutes of gaming time, I can accomplish something that will improve my character/experience, I wonder how that might translate ... 2) to GRW, with its co-op centric gameplay.
...
2a) How good will the AI be in GRW?
2b) Will me + 3 AI be sufficient/satisfying to accomplish side missions leading up to a main mission?
2c) Will the completion of side missions be transferred over? For instance, could 4 people complete the 4 side missions on their own, and then combine their info/progress for the main mission?

(yes, I know it's weird that I'm quoting myself, but it felt weirder just copy and pasting a post)

[Kchrpm]

Some GTA V players just couldn't wait


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ_HaiRBtdQ

[SkylineObsession]

If that screenshot turns out looking like that in the final game - with an open world, then... *faints*

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jmzo4KvRmsM

[Phil_SS]

"shotgun"

[21Kid]

:popcorn:

[Kchrpm]

From http://ghost-recon.ubisoft.com/wildlands/en-US/home/index.aspx


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFxyfkA6oEQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0azPVhF-A


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYDTUSFEhfc


Play with your friends anytime, anywhere. Recruit some backup or join another Ghost's game and you'll maintain all your missions and character progression.

When playing solo, you'll always have a team of 3 Ghosts providing you backup. Give them orders and they'll help you accomplish your missions in whatever way you choose.

[novicius]

:up: :up:

[Phil_SS]

I have to say it looks effing amazing.

And I really like this,

"You Decide What:
Forget your uniforms and standard issue gear. Ghosts are given access to the military's newest and most powerful tech, and they decide what weapons or tools to bring to the field."

Which if I remember was the way it was in prior Ghost Recon games.

[Kchrpm]

The video shows a variety of backpacks, clothing, facial hair and character models. No ladies yet, but fingers crossed. I know what I want my look to be already.

http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/haywire_14.jpg

[21Kid]

I have to say it looks effing amazing.

And I really like this,

"You Decide What:
Forget your uniforms and standard issue gear. Ghosts are given access to the military's newest and most powerful tech, and they decide what weapons or tools to bring to the field."

Which if I remember was the way it was in prior Ghost Recon games.

Indeed. :D

[novicius]

Sniper. Hand-cannon. Jockstrap.

Ain't got no time for anything else. :cool: #businesstime

[Alan P]

There are ladies in The Division (I play one) so I'd imagine there will be Ladies in this too.

[Kchrpm]

Based on what comes in the Deluxe Edition of the game, looks like we can confirm the following:

- Selectable sunglasses
- Selectable jacket
- Selectable backpack
- Selectable weapon camouflage
- Emblems (that do what? maybe you can put them on your stuff)
- XP is gained and does something (presumably unlocks things)
- Presumed: there is some way to request a saved vehicle (why else would a vehicle be listed as a reward if you don't have someway to get it repeatedly)

Edit: Apparently people have also gotten a good look at the physical map and seen two MOBs (main operating base).

http://www.ghostrecon.net/ghost-recon/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/ghost_recon_wildlands_uplay_collectors-edition-2.jpg

[Kchrpm]

Found a larger version of the above picture: http://i.imgur.com/omVdzK9.jpg

You can see two MOBs (southeast and northwest), and three airports.

[Alan P]

I notice this is up for pre-order on UPlay on PC. Will wait and see what E3 brings. I can get 20% off with some uPlay points which I already have so might jump in after E3.

[Phil_SS]

So, since they are releasing all this info including game editions it would seem this game is pretty close to release.

[Alan P]

Probably later this year once The Division's hype train runs out of steam. It's available to pre-order on UPlay for PC.

[Kchrpm]

*checks to compare the history of The Division*

It's delay to March of this year was announced in May of last year, so maybe we're good :up:

[Phil_SS]

Probably later this year once The Division's hype train runs out of steam.

So they should release it now then? :p

I'm figuring October. Guess we'll find out next week.

[Kchrpm]

http://www.polygon.com/2016/6/7/11874922/watch-dogs-2-launch-date-nov-15-2016


An advertisement on IGN (pictured above) that went up by mistake early this morning says Watch Dogs 2 launches Nov. 15.

If Watch Dogs 2 comes out this holiday season, Wildlands is not likely to directly compete.

[Phil_SS]

Isn't Watch Dogs a different style of game?

Doesn't seem like they would compete with each other.

[Kchrpm]

They're tentpole Ubisoft releases, I didn't think they released multiple of them at the same time. I didn't do the research, though, I'll check.

[Kchrpm]

Starting in 2010, list of major action console games from Ubisoft. Information is all from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ubisoft_games

I'll bold the ones that are within two months, and add italics to the ones that are close and are both in the "Ubisoft big open world" category

April 2010: Splinter Cell: Conviction
May 2010: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands
November 2010: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
September 2011: Driver: San Francisco
November 2011: Assassin's Creed: Revelations
October 2011: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
May 2012: Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
November 2012: Far Cry 3
August 2013: Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist
October 2013: Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
May 2014: Watch Dogs
November 2014: Assassin's Creed Unity (XBox One/PS4) and Rogue (XBox 360/PS3)
November 2014: Far Cry 4
December 2014: The Crew
October 2015: Assassin's Creed Syndicate
December 2015: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
February 2016: Far Cry Primal
March 2016: Tom Clancy's The Division

You're right, Phil, not only have they released games close to each other (many examples), they have released multiple large open-world games during the same holiday season before (2014). Fingers crossed they do it again!

[Kchrpm]

Bad news: March 7, 2017.

Good news: YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqoX0WSE-SE

[Kchrpm]

I think we will have to bring this enemy leader in alive

http://static9.cdn.ubisoft.com/resource/en-US/game/ghost-recon/grw/grw_cartel_smuggling.jpg

[Phil_SS]

That looks all kinds of awesome. And March time frame should be perfect timing for diving into a new game. :up:

[21Kid]

I'd totally watch your back as a sniper, fly you to your destination in a chopper, etc... while you do the dirty work. ;)

I like all of the stealthiness. It's been a while since I've played something similar.

[Kchrpm]

Hopefully they'll do like they did with Splinter Cell Blacklist a few years ago and have another version of the demo that plays out differently: properly planned and completed, not with the necessary-for-exciting-demo escalation to a big car chase.

[21Kid]

But, ADRENALINE!!!! GET EXCITED!!! :hard: GET HARD!!!!! wait...

[Kchrpm]

GET HARD!!!!! wait...
No, you're right.

http://static9.cdn.ubisoft.com/resource/en-US/game/ghost-recon/grw/grw_cartel_smuggling.jpg

[21Kid]

She looks... naughty. :devil:

[Kchrpm]

Almost every post and comment in the Ghost Recon subreddit is about how disappointed they are, as the gameplay demo is far from tactical. I agree with them that the realism was sorely lacking, but I like the idea that you can plan for things to be done cleanly and quietly, but if it goes wrong, it goes *really* wrong, and you have to work much harder and do more than just run and shoot to get things done.

[21Kid]

Haters gonna hate.

[Jason]

If its friendly to absolute noobs like myself, its probably gonna turn off the hardcore :lol:

[Kchrpm]

This should be a video of the game being played more "properly" (I haven't watched it yet, it was posted on teh reddit and this will make it easier for me to get to later!)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2EEmp9jTp0

[21Kid]

That looks ready to play now? What's the holdup? :finger:

It sounds like there is some AI chatter from your characters.
It would be nice if you could choose a custom call sign... instead of them all saying "I'm on the ground." they could say "Alpha 3 is on the ground" "Charlie 9 is on the ground" and so on. So you knew which of your teammates were talking. "Kid21 is at the chopper" ;)

[Kchrpm]

We'll be handling that on mic.

"Mama Bird on the ground."
"Chicks en route."
"All chicks on board."
"Mama Bird taking off for the nest."
"Chicken hawk to the north! Get some egg in his face!"

[21Kid]

*mute

[Kchrpm]

Watching the video on my phone, finally noticing that the player does have two "main" weapons plus a sidearm :up:

Oh, it tells you when the "Manager" is escaping, so that seems to be a built in part of the experience. Knowing that you have to always prepare for that, you can probably block them accordingly.

[Kchrpm]

At one point they get a prompt saying the gang is engaging local rebels, and see you see a friendly NPC with a gun. I wonder if that's something you specifically trigger, or if rebels are somehow/randomly going to start fighting the cartel with you.

[Kchrpm]

Listening to an interview, different area "managers"/bosses will react differently when they figure out you're there, based on their history. Some will surrender immediately (if they are non-violent gang members, like accountants or the like), some will run like in the video, and some will stay and fight.

[Kchrpm]

Whoa, same interview just said you get to choose your race and gender at the start :up:

[21Kid]

4 non-blondes coming up!!!

[Kchrpm]

We can make the female Expendables movie before Hollywood does :up:

[novicius]

:lol: :up:

[Alan P]

Whoa, same interview just said you get to choose your race and gender at the start :up:

:up:

[GreatScawt]

Another video of gameplay.

Apparently this was on the PC version, on a gamepad, during E3.

It doesn't look as impressive as other videos... :|



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL5PZsckOVI

[Kchrpm]

As a console player, I'm fine with the graphics considering the size of the world and the amount we can see at any one time. Many have said the gameplay was basically on a very easy mode at all the E3 demo booths, I'll be curious to see if they have differing difficulty levels for the full game or, if not, how they tune it overall. Will you die from just a few bullets like the enemies do? Or will you be able to run around by yourself and just shoot guys after they've already plugged you a few times.

[Kchrpm]

This gameplay looks interesting. It's the first time I've seen someone get downed, looks like he tried to jump on the target's truck as he escaped, then fell off. You can see a teammate reviving him. There is some lag/teleporting, as well. The video is really choppy for me, and YouTube is not buffering additional when I pause, so it's a bit tough for me to watch.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fxjFTKpErM

Edit: or maybe it was just a shitty capture vs buffering...or it's 1080p60 which my laptop struggles with :(

[Kchrpm]

New info from https://youtu.be/-0zVvoB8ph4 that is summarized in this Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GhostRecon/comments/4pcb3y/wildlands_has_a_lot_of_features_that_werent_shown/

Bolding from writer, red from me.


- Competitive MP is coming, no further details
- No RPG Shooting mechanics, all regular gun mechanics (well, duh?)
- Players can seamlessly drop in/drop out of co-op, all progress is saved
- Players can be anywhere in the world whenever you hop into someone's lobby (you can be doing a mission while someone else is skydiving into a herd of llamas for fun)
- NEW DETAIL: Unlike what we heard previously, if you hop into an online coop session, it does not fill the remaining player slots with AI. 2 player online coop means just 2 players and no AI. Previously we were told that the AI would fill out the remaining slots whenever you go online so that you always have a squad of 4.
- Difficulty will scale to the number of players in the group
- Furthermore, difficulty in the demo was artificially (well beyond the "easy" setting in the full game) lowered to help people experience the game at E3. Expect a brutally difficult game on higher levels
- There is a gunsmith, and exploring the open world is extremely important to find new weapons and parts for weapons
- Over 60 vehicles in the game spread out over land, air, and sea
- Each squad member gets binoculars, night vision, and a drone (drone is critical)
- There is no "tower-unlocking" mechanism like in AC and Watchdogs
- There are mines, flares, and C4
- Like Hitman and GTA V, NPCs have a fixed schedule. This means if you notice someone keeps driving into a highly secure compound that you need to get into, you can kill him, take his place, and drive the same van into the secure compound without triggering any alarm
- There will be an RPG-like system for upgrading items/leveling up (no further information)
- High value targets can't just be "run into". You have to interrogate low level cartel members to find info about higher level cartel members.

[21Kid]

Yay for no AI :cool:
I 'm guessing the RPG like system will be similar to unlocking stuff in Battlefield. Unlock better guns, more attachments, etc...
Not sure I like the fixed schedule. Once you get the pattern down it will be too familiar. :( Unless there's a ton of missions, it will get boring.
Not sure about exploring the world to find weapons/parts. Will we have to fly to the top of a plateau to find a blueprint for a MP5? Sounds tedious. :erm:

[Kchrpm]

I think it means that just a specific AI will have a specific schedule. So every day at 4:15 pm a white van will show up at base XYZ, but maybe it's a blue pickup truck at 3 am for base ABC.

I'm curious as well about the exploration for weapon stuff. I'm hoping it just means we have to find local hardware/weapon stores/dealers, not that there will be Zelda-like chests in a cave.

[novicius]

:(

Wildlands a bust?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWDQqI9JeIE

Looks like last-gen shovelware. :smh:

[Kchrpm]

I've seen that video in so many search results, and just based on the title I haven't bothered to look at it. The game comes out in almost a year, and I don't care that the graphics aren't as lush as the original demo. The graphics weren't what excited me, it was the breadth of the world and the different ways you could go about missions. I don't care if the graphics are 360 GTA V level or worse.

[novicius]

Here's hoping they clean it up. :up:

[21Kid]

Yeah... it could look better. But, honestly Ghost Recon has never been known for good graphics.
As long as the gameplay is there, I think it'll be fine. He's only reviewing someone else's video and editing. He can't tell how well it plays by someone else's video.
I hope it's good. If there are more concerns about it, I may wait to see some real reviews before buying it. Amazon Prime's 20% discount applies for the first few weeks I think.

[Jason]

I must have low expectations, it looks fine to me :lol:

[Alan P]

It looks a bit, well, clunky but I'm sure they've been looking at game mechanics and networking issues rather than sprucing up the graphics. besides, graphical stuff doesn't take long if the textures etc are there, but I still wouldn't be surprised if it got a delay

[SkylineObsession]

I always remain sceptical when i see early footage of games, as i know enough about how they are made to realise that somewhere along the line compromises may have to be made to get things working right. Has worked well doing it this way, as haven't been disappointed by visuals yet.

But then of course sometimes a game surprises you by coming out with the same incredible visuals etc you saw early on. Looking at you Uncharted.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs9fwJEPXnE

Oh yes.

[21Kid]

Nice!!! :rawk:

I don't suppose they are bringing weight back into the equation though are they?
Wearing a full ghillie suit, body armor, or carrying a 249SAW, would be much different than a silenced pistol or MP5. Something like the protection vs mobility in R6V.

Or preferably a limited size inventory. Something like... you get 20 slots to fill, and for each empty spot you get 4% extra agility.

A 249/MPG/M82(sniper rifle) takes 6 spots, while a midsize (M4) takes 3, and smaller (MP7) 2 spots.
Pistol or grenades takes 1 spot.
And body armor 2 for each section.

If you wear full body armor, that's 14/20 spots. You can still carry one heavy gun, or mix/match others, etc...

[Kchrpm]

I honestly doubt they'll do that, you'll probably have to go back to your base to change out gear so you'll only have what you can see plus consumables in the backpack.

I'm looking forward to an F2000 with an underbarrel grenade launcher, and a P90 secondary.

[21Kid]

I didn't mean in the field... just as an initial setup prior to the mission.
Choose what gear you will equip, before you head out. That would make a big difference in the mission approach.

[Kchrpm]

Ah, ok. That would be cool :up:

[Phil_SS]

IMO:

Armor should only affect your mobility and armor rating. It should never effect what weapons you can carry. Weapons should only affect your mobility and damage output rating. It should never effect what armor you can wear. Everyone should be able to carry a Primary, Secondary and grenade weapon.

If you wanna be a tank, be a tank. If you wanna be a ninja, be a ninja.

[21Kid]

But, what if I want to be a ninja tank?!? :hard:



;)
Your way would be fine too. I just think there should be something more than just looks & weapons. :D

[Kchrpm]

But, what if I want to be a ninja tank?!? :hard:
Silenced M60.

[21Kid]

:lol: Exactly!

[Alan P]

Oh sweet I get to play a Lady!

[Kchrpm]

https://www.reddit.com/r/GhostRecon/comments/4yi32g/the_gamescom_demo_described/


Customization was first, there is a lot you can do with your character, from gender, faces, to outfits, which have huge variety and a broken into parts. Gunsmith is there as you've seen, and looks as wildy deep as ever.
The demo was then a replaying of the E3 El Pozolero mission - but at night, in the pouring rain, and pure stealth. I think they wanted oto correct the impressions from E3. Team split into pairs, one entered the camp, the other on overwatch. They did the usual, tagging and sniping their way through to the computer hack - but everything was really slow pace and more Recon.
Best things I got to see from it were:
Rain looks amazing. Just like the early footage night rain is a great way to se the game.
They tactically knocked-out lights to move through exposed areas of the camp unseen. Some sniped, some pistol.
The difficulty must have been way up from last time, because when they got exposed near the end, a team mate went down from one burst of fire. So the cautious playthrough until then had been necessary.
We seem to be able to use custom badges/patches for our kit.

[21Kid]

:)

[Kchrpm]

Oooooh yeah


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-xaC80m47w

[Phil_SS]

I'm still optimistic. :)

My question is will you be able to recon and setup your mission in that way. AKa have a place prior to the mission to discuss how to infiltrate. Like a ready room with a map.

[21Kid]

I would think that you'd have to, in order to know who's bringing what gear, etc...

[Kchrpm]

I like the idea of having a formal room, though, and a shared view of the map where each player has their own colored cursor and marker.

[Kchrpm]

Open beta coming in Q1 2017

http://www.gamespot.com/articles/ghost-recon-wildlands-open-beta-coming/1100-6445084/

[novicius]

Nice, I definitely want to get hands-on before dropping some coin. :up: :up:

[Phil_SS]

Almost every Triple AAA game has a Beta nowadays. Just makes sense to get free information from your player base prior to release. Plus I'm guessing the excitement generated far outweighs the negatives.

I was completely turned off of The Division because of the beta but I'm sure there are plenty of people that were roped in by what they saw during the beta. The same can certainly be said of Destiny.

Looking forward to the beta for this. :shocker:

[Alan P]

I may (or may not) have played a closed alpha version recently on PC. Played well with very few issues but it was a tech test rather than a free for all so we had set objectives around testing the networking code etc.

[novicius]

How did it look? How did it play? Fluid or stilted? Decent action? How did the vehicles handle?


Would you buy it? :)

[Kchrpm]

I mean, in theory, if you *had* played a closed alpha, what do you think those answers might have been, theoretically?

[Alan P]

I didn't really have a huge amount of time but it didn't crash and it was mostly leaving, re-joining, getting invited, inviting and all that stuff but I did half about 30 minutes to play and it seemed OK. As usual the AI teammates didn;t seem to do much but it was smooth and trouble free. Or it would have been if I'd played. I'd imagine.

[Kchrpm]

http://wewritethings.co/2016/11/16/ghost-recon-wildlands-matchmaking/


"We were able to create a matchmaking system that connects players who have as much in-game experience in common as possible, like locations they’ve visited or what missions they’ve played. This was a focus of ours so we could stay true to giving players full freedom of choice.

“We will continue to test and tweak our system to maximize fun for players up until release, but yes our system is already up and running. With the matchmaking system that we are implementing, we looked to make the player’s choice of whether to play solo or co-op easier by creating a united progression system. All your story progression as well as all your character and gear progression are the same whether you are playing solo or co-op,” Couzian said.

[novicius]

Very cool. :up:

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QUccFa1jlc

[Kchrpm]

Solo gameplay walkthrough


Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Atsfgm554

[Phil_SS]

I'm gettin more and more excited. The world is fricken huge. :D

And I'm glad to hear that on highest difficulty you can only take one bullet. That should make for an intense experience.

[Kchrpm]

But you'll be willing to help me out on normal difficulty until I get up to speed, right? :)

[21Kid]

I'll play in-between. medium-hard. :p

[novicius]

Three angry inches! :lol:

[21Kid]

:shocker:

[Kchrpm]

And now 4-player co-op gameplay


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlqRJBhgESU

The automatic team chatter is awkward in places, and you can't hear the chat between the people playing, but seems to show a lot of new gameplay detail. I'm only five minutes in so far, will edit if anything jumps out.

Like just now it showed if you fly a (stolen, in this case) plane too high in the wrong spot, you'll get SAMs fired at you.

Your player character in co-op has a voice, unlike The Division, but the acting isn't the best. Maybe these are early reads, I feel like the single-player playthrough had better

Loving the amount of freedom there seems to be in the missions themselves, and they aren't all just going into a fortified area.

Haha:

Ghost: You got a name?
Scared Captured Low Level Gang Member: Emilio.
Ghost: Shut the fuck up, Emilio.

Your squad's handler tells bad jokes/stories while you're flying to missions. It gets cut off whenever you do something to start the mission. Actually, maybe that's just your other squadmates talking, not the handler.

You can ride on the side of and shoot from a tractor :D

The difficulty is low in this video so it doesn't seem necessary, but I hope they have the enemy suppression similar to The Division so actual tactics can be used to survive, not just better aiming...holy shit they realized they could fit an APC in this tunnel they needed to breach, so they *really* don't need to worry lol.


Frag out, coma esta, bitches!
---------------
Frag out, get some!
---------------
Shitballs!

Ooh, the interrogations aren't always just simple threat+info, in this one the guy calls target to set up bait.

[Kchrpm]

Tons of videos on YouTube, the embargo must be over. Checking out character customization on my phone, he's going through every option available.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wPZw324-BI

[novicius]

Looks damn good! :up:

[Kchrpm]

Someone on reddit compiled "all" the preview and video links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06gqVujzygc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnjOrtwiyDY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n291QZ9jhDg
http://www.ign.com/videos/2017/01/25/10-minutes-of-new-ghost-recon-wildlands-gameplay
http://www.pcworld.com/article/3161012/software/ghost-recon-wildlands-abandons-military-tactics-for-just-cause-style-mayhem.html
https://www.vg247.com/2017/01/25/ghost-recon-wildlands-the-pros-and-cons-of-multiplayer-co-op/ '
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CMzA7Mm0l4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1rsh329ekc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlqRJBhgESU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wPZw324-BI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=722kzzrOCiU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_S8r6cNDeo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qU_VO9TIZUI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGWOpv-B9Dc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MCpHimKYaU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=722kzzrOCiU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAeyviAF4oo

[Kchrpm]

FYI the last one is a former soldier doing things methodically. Watching now and hoping that it shows some "proper" stuff.

Also points out that there are four difficulty levels: Recruit, Veteran, Elite, Ghost.

About Ghost mode: "if you play co-op with other people that don't know anything about stealth, you're all going to be dead very very quickly."; says you can die from two shots

There's no picking up downed enemies in the version everyone played.

He does an extraction of a prisoner without being seen by an enemy, no shots fired, no kills, no knock downs :up:

There are convoy missions where you have to set up traps on the road to stop/destroy a convoy.

In Ghost mode, AI teammates can only revive you once.

You can pause and change your loadout wherever you are, but the game world apparently doesn't stop, so you can't really do it in the middle of a firefight.

[Phil_SS]

Beta will be Feb 3rd to Feb 6th.

[21Kid]

I like the customizations... and that you can have a set of preset outfits to quickly swap.

I'm prefer abstaining from all of those videos though. I'd rather have the experience be new when I play for the first time.
I've done that before, and when I play something and go "Oh, I saw this in trailer #1, E3, and the live demo." It starts to feel old to me. :shrug: I'd like to form my own opinion, outside of general reviews.

[Kchrpm]

Just FYI they have left out all of the cinematics, and the gameplay is so open that there isn't really a specific thing for you to spoil, really. They only really show a couple missions, and they consist of "go into this fortified area and capture/kill/extract someone." There's very little in the way of spoilers.

[Kchrpm]

Go here to get a closed beta code: http://betacode.ubi.com/e0dac9c2

Go here to redeem the code: http://ghost-recon.ubisoft.com/wildlands/en-us/beta-redeem/index.aspx

[21Kid]

Cool. Thanks!

[novicius]

Already gone.

[novicius]

I do wish your character would alter its available playstyle to being shot. That's a lot more immersive than just a lifebar.

[21Kid]

Then we'd have to make them get tired after running up a flight of stairs. :lol:


I agree though. I hate unloading an entire clip into someone and then getting stabbed to death. :mad:
Even a little stagger or something would be much better.

[Kchrpm]

"Still 4200 beta codes left, hurry up and see you in bolivia"

https://www.reddit.com/r/GhostRecon/comments/5qgrql/still_4200_beta_codes_left_hurry_up_and_see_you/

[21Kid]

https://ghost-recon.ubisoft.com/wildlands/en-us/beta-registration/index.aspx

[Kchrpm]

"You can remove most if not all of the HUD," and I *think* you can change the difficulty of the game on the fly, based on a video I just watched.

[Kchrpm]

Skill info:
* 6 skill trees with multiple individual skills, varying numbers of skill tiers for each skill; also, there are bonuses, separate from the tiers, for some skills from completing specific missions. The skills are abilities, equipment upgrades and new equipment. I'm not really a big fan of having to "earn" the ability to carry more ammo and grenades, but everyone is saying the core gameplay is still pure and simple shooter stuff, so we'll just have to deal with the progression/unlock gamification. Just noticed some had more to unlock at a higher level, so this list is likely incomplete.
- Weapon
-- Stable Aim
-- Hip Fire Spread
-- Grenade Launcher (4 tiers)
-- Ammo Capacity (4 tiers)
-- VHC Destruction
-- ADV Suppressor (1 tier)
-- Time to Aim (3 tiers)
-- Ammo Retention (1 tier)
- Drone
-- Battery (4)
-- Night Vision (1)
-- Cooldown (4)
-- Speed
-- Range
-- Stealth (1)
-- Mark Area (4)
-- Noisemaker
-- Zoom (1)
-- Explosive
-- EMP
-- Armor (4)
-- Thermal Vision
- Item
-- Frag Grenade (4)
-- Binocular Zoom (1)
-- Mine
-- Diversion Grenade
-- Parachute (1)
-- C4
-- Binocular Recon (4)
-- Thermal Vision (1)
-- Flash Bang (4)
-- Flare Gun (4)
- Physical (a few of these are scary, I hope they're represented by armor somehow and balanced so it's not just becoming all of a sudden more spongey; just read from someone that played that you can max out all of the skills, I'm guessing all this extra capability and resistance doesn't change anything)
-- Stamina (4)
-- No Pain
-- Car Shield (4)
-- Quiet Running
-- Bullet Resistance (4)
-- Detection
-- Explosion Resistance
-- Air Vehicle Shield
-- Faster regen (for Epic Skill; what the hell is an epic skill?!)
- Squad (not shown)
- Rebel Support (not shown)

[Kchrpm]

Just saw a video that confirmed bullet drop and shooting out tires on vehicles.

[21Kid]

:up:

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKYQsuoTcF8

[Phil_SS]

I gots a invite for the beta.

[Rare White Ape]

Guys, I have a beta code for this game, which means I can invite three friends to play along. Just because I'm nice to you all, I've activated a 14-day XBL free trial code that I had lying around and I'll play this on Xbox instead of PS4.

I don't yet know how to add friends, give it a day-or-so until instructions come through but in the mean time, first-in best-dressed gets a shot, or best dick pics inbox'd.

[Rare White Ape]

Well that was quick.

Turns out we have to be friends on Ubisoft.com to make this work.

Add me, my Ubi username is: guest-QWBtBuIe

Or try searching RareWhiteApe (PSN) and Rare White Ape (XBL).

The beta referral is for Xbox players only.

[Phil_SS]

my Beta code allows for invites as well. Krunch, Novi or Kid. Do you guys have a code?

Like RWA stated, you have to be friends with me on Ubisoft for me to invite you as well. I have sent out friend requests on Ubisoft.com.

Edit: Nevermind, it looks like I can invite you anyways. And it says Krunch has an Invite already.

[Phil_SS]

Ok, I sent out requests to Escobar, Novi and Cam.

[Kchrpm]

Yep, I'm already in, but thanks for checking and sending :up: Make sure you pre-download so you're ready as soon as they flip the switch.

[novicius]

Ok I'll check it out tonight! :up: #thanksphil

[21Kid]

If anyone has an extra... I'll try it out. :)

[Rare White Ape]

I've sent a friend req to a kid21 on the Ubisoft website. If this is you then get on there and accept me so I can get you onto Wildlands :up:

[Phil_SS]

I've sent a friend req to a kid21 on the Ubisoft website. If this is you then get on there and accept me so I can be on you. :toast:

..

[21Kid]

Maybe? I don't know if I've ever been on their website... I used it probably for a few games. I'll check when I get home.

[Rare White Ape]

You've got an invite incoming anyway. :toast:

[Kchrpm]

6 AM EST Friday is when it starts.

[Phil_SS]

I am locked and loaded.

[Kchrpm]

I started a group and invited the two people I could, Mr Guest (at least I hope it was RWA) and Phil. Played for a couple hours, was able to sneak in and out of some places and grab intel without ever being spotted, but also screwed up royally several times and wasn't always able to fight my way out. Having a chopper get called in on you sucks when you're on foot!

[Rare White Ape]

It's a neat game. A tactical shooter meets FarCry. I like it, but it hasn't swayed me in wanting to buy it yet. The world is MASSIVE though, I'll give it that.

After 1 hr of play:

Good points
- Huge open world
- Sweet shooter action
- Plenty of toys to play with

Bad points
- The visuals are very nice and lush but it's at 30fps BLAAAAHHHHRGH
- Car/bike/heli controls are clunky
- The menus are fucking shithouse, you have to bugger about with skill points, and it has those really retarded back story audio tapes lying around. Fuck off and just let me play the game.

Best moment so far: Piling into the drug lord's not-a-Lambo and rolling off a cliff. Oops.

[GreatScawt]

Yeah, game is super pretty, which is nice considering the showing a couple E3's ago.

Not sure how they messed up the vehicle controls. They're pretty bad :lol: The steering difference between a small input and a large input is kinda jarring. And it's almost like there's a deadzone between them.

[novicius]

Is that this weekend? I'm terrible. :lol:

[21Kid]

I've sent a friend req to a kid21 on the Ubisoft website. If this is you then get on there and accept me so I can get you onto Wildlands :up:

Apparently I'm rs21kid on Ubisoft... :/

[Rare White Ape]

Sorry man. I'm trying to get into the Ubisoft Club website to fix this but it's broken and not loading for me.

[Kchrpm]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CA_bactsmtg

Glitches aside, this is very much what I wanted from this game. Get to a compound however you want, stake it out however you want, take it out however you want. The character creation doesn't require you wear anything for gameplay reasons, it's all just to whatever feel you want, so I can just rock a flannel shirt and a boonie hat. It's by no means perfect, but I'm looking forward to the whole map opening up and having access to all the things and all the weapons.

*reads the reddit and chuckles at people going apeshit because they don't like what the AI teammates are wearing*

[Drachen596]

How do they ramp up the difficulty in this game? Do they just make the enemies take a ton more rounds to kill or do they actually make them smarter/better?

[Rare White Ape]

From my limited experience with the game, some locations only have 2-5 enemies, while larger areas which are almost big enough to call towns can have 15 or more. I'd presume that later in the game there will be full-on compounds with mounted turrets and high value targets inside. Think FarCry, but tactical shooter rather than one-man army.

[GreatScawt]

Yeah, just more enemies it seems? Also, wasn't a big fan of the radio defense mission. Seemingly 8-12 guys from all directions rolled up on us in waves. That was a bit more difficult than anything else in the game.

But I'd also like to say that I have really enjoyed what I've played. :up: I'll probably be getting this, after totally blowing it off initially :lol:

[Phil_SS]

I am enjoying it but I fear it will get old quick. But I agree with Krunch, I am really enjoying the freedom to do what I want and how I want.

Should be interesting to see how the 4-5 skull zones are presented; will it be a bunch of guys, a bunch of guys with body armor or will it also revolve around the compounds and weapons.

That being said, the game world is huge and I'm excited to try out the world and do missions in any order I like.

[novicius]

The Ubisoft website did not play nice on my phone so I missed out on the demo. #shrug

That said, even if it's crappy I'll still be getting it Day 1. I have fond memories of the GR clunkiness in various games of the series, I'm at least a little prepared for what to expect. :) :up:

[GreatScawt]

The Ubisoft website did not play nice on my phone so I missed out on the demo. #shrug

That said, even if it's crappy I'll still be getting it Day 1. I have fond memories of the GR clunkiness in various games of the series, I'm at least a little prepared for what to expect. :) :up:

Glad it wasn't just me. I had to jump on to my desktop to invite my friends.

I think you'll find it won't be crappy. It really feels like a bigger Far Cry + The Division. The weapon customization options are really fun too.

Also, it's simple, but I love that the aim-down-sights goes in to first person. And not some Division-esque, third person zoom. However, if you want the third person zoom you can adjust on the fly. :up:

[Phil_SS]

The Ubisoft website did not play nice on my phone so I missed out on the demo. #shrug

The Beta is still active today. Not sure when it ends though.


Also, it's simple, but I love that the aim-down-sights goes in to first person. And not some Division-esque, third person zoom. However, if you want the third person zoom you can adjust on the fly. :up:

That is the key reason I didn't pick up The Division. I can't stand third person shooters.

[Kchrpm]

The Beta is still active today. Not sure when it ends though.
I tried loading it up this morning around 7:30 AM EST and got a message saying it was closed.

[Phil_SS]

Well then. :|

[Drachen596]

FWIW my question was mainly due to the fact that one complaint I've heard lately about some games is that instead of actually making the game harder/ai smarter they just make them bullet sponges instead. Which IMO is the lamest way of increasing difficulty there is.

[Kchrpm]

I agree, that has been used a lot, and extensively in a recent Ubisoft game, The Division. Wildlands doesn't seem to have that problem, but we only saw early difficulty levels.

[Phil_SS]

Open Beta is from February 23rd till the 27th. Supposedly it will have a second province that is rated at 4 skulls. So....ahhh...yeah, guess we get to find out.

[Rare White Ape]

Second province :up:

I'm not that impressed with the game itself, being yet another Ubisoft open world multiplayer co-op game (how generic can you get? Add zombies and you'd be set).

However I am very impressed with the tech that drives the open world. Steep and a few others run on the same engine, and I love how much detail is crammed into such a large world in Steep, that scales beautifully as you move closer and further away.

[Alan P]

Managed to score a standard PC copy for £20 from an online forum that the seller got with his graphics card. Thankfully I have a 1080 now as the code is redeemed directly through the GeForce experience app now and only works if you have a specific card.

[GreatScawt]

Been playing for the past 3 hours with 3 buddies and have been laughing my ass off the whole time. Too many good moments.

[Phil_SS]

What GS stated. This game definitely lends itself to some catastrophically funny moments.

Feels like they really ramped up the hardest difficulty. The enemies feel more deadly and anytime an alarm is sounded there is a lot more enemies that come to help out.

[Kchrpm]

Agreed on difficulty changes. Which is fine, honestly, since you can just turn it down as you like. And I was still doing pretty well with the AI teammates, since they are good at sync shots and competent when set to open fire.

[21Kid]

That's this weekend?!? I should probably try it out...

[Rare White Ape]

I've got it d/l'd for PS4 this time. Will try it today.

[Rare White Ape]

I just spent maybe four hours playing this time - heeeeaps longer than I did when the first beta went up.

I'm starting to quite like the game.

I'm still not happy with it being 30fps because anything less than a buttery smooth 60 in a shooter, that loves precision like this one, is a criminal act in my opinion. And the driving/flying handling is still janky as fuck. And some enemy AI improvements wouldn't go astray - I saw some militia enemies (purple marker guys) running up against a closed gate for over ten minutes while I assaulted a training base.

But everything else I'm giving a big :up:

Speaking of that base, it is in the new large snowy province with the big red lake in the middle. The mission required that I kill three training instructors, and my plan was to strafe it from the air in a helicopter to thin out its defenses, then find a spot to land and assault it from one of the tight entrances and pick my way through. If my usual tactic is Rainbow Six style, then this was going to go down Doom style, basically, until I was back on foot where I would revert to a, ahhh, more conservative play style.

Surprisingly, the enemy didn't quite like that open attack so it rained SAMs and flung multiple helicopters at me until my little whirly-bird succumbed and tactically chose it's own landing spot right in the middle of the base somewhere. By this time the purple guys were attacking everyone as well so it became quite chaotic there for a second. Me and my guys rolled out of the wreckage and crawled to our individual safety before I decided to hole up in a canvass tent to hide from enemy eyes. I called my guys in as well, to stop them from ending up needing medical help, and hopefully protect them from the gunfire from the helicopters.

The bullets just did not let up, and it soon became apparent that I'd be out of ammo very soon if I didn't do something. A 3-storey building was spotted on the mini-map that contained a weapons cache, and my next objective was laid out before me. I changed my priority from survival to attack, and a path was cleared to that building's door. Once inside I had the luxury of cover, ammo, and the ability to pick off the multiple enemies that were close enough to spot.

The sun set and things finally quietened down, so I went upstairs to take a look and collect intel. There were still too many bad guys on the radar to safely deal with and reinforcements were mere seconds away. During the big firefight it turns out that two of my three assassination targets were killed, which was nice. Not a lot of time passed until the reinforcements skidded up and exited their cars. What was once a messy afternoon firefight now became a night time siege, since we were dug-in to this building and the new batch of targets spread themselves out on the perimeter. Lightning and thunder cracked off all around the compound, the rain soaking the ground and giving the environment a wet sheen reflected under the spotlights. This was finally my chance to use my slow and careful tactics, picking off the enemy one-by-one, slowly and methodically with the sniper rifle, creeping around corners, and taking out the enemy from the shadows.

The end of the mission wasn't as exciting as the beginning, but it was still very satisfying.

[Rare White Ape]

Here's a nice screenshot what I took while trying to chase flamingos.

http://scontent.fbne3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/fr/cp0/e15/q65/16904934_10154888426755792_162625658482423218_o.jp g?efg=eyJpIjoidCJ9&oh=e8f5a122b48f7afde0e1e17053bd62cf&oe=593746CE

[novicius]

Great write-up, Mick! :D :up:

[Rare White Ape]

Thanks Carlo :)

Thinking back on it, that story probably came about because I picked probably the toughest mission available to me in that province, and I dived in under-equipped, under-skilled, and without a plan, yet still made it out successfully.

With regards to skills, I just can. Not. Be. Bothered with skill trees buried in cluttered menus, so my character was almost bare-bones standard throughout today's play session. No perks or nothing, apart from more stable aiming and a parachute.

But a parachute is no use when the most efficient way to the ground is inside a burning wreckage.

[novicius]

Incorporate some knife-play next time. ;)

[GreatScawt]

You guys may or may not be interested in watching this, just general shenanigans with friends from Friday.

And it shows off - multiple times - the lag spikes we were getting. Creates some really weird scenes before the game "finds itself" again.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhroHnqQqCw

[Kchrpm]

Finally went to the source of a flare gun (shot off during the day, oddly), and found an impromptu deal going down between the cartel and Unidad. Mortar strike took them all out, but the gasoline supply tank for me to mark (I don't actually remember if it was indestructible or outside the mortar's hit box, but I know I've blown up an ammo crate before; it was still there and intact looking, but wouldn't let me grab ammo).

[Phil_SS]

I have to say.....There is no one in my life I would rather blow up a convoy with than Krunch. :up:


Saaantaa.....Saaantaa Blanca.....heheheheh........Thpppt

[Kchrpm]

We rocked their shit...2 out of 20 times.

[21Kid]

I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time with the beta. I look forward to the full-game! :up:

[Cam]

I briefly tried it. I forgot how deadly Ghost Recon can be. :o That was a very contrived intro movie. I used to be into the GR series. I do not know if I like this game, but I did not play it enough yet. Maybe I'll roll with you guys soon to get a better feel for it.

[GreatScawt]

I really enjoyed the open beta.

We only got 2-3 story missions in to the second area, but it seemed like the difficulty increase was quantity of enemies. A couple of guys with more armor, but a sniper to head or AR double-tap was enough. We're not talking MMORPG-level bullet sponges here, thankfully. We also had to be really aware of the patrolling heli's. Those miniguns are devastating.

Another aspect of the difficulty curve was the reinforcements. You really want to maintain stealth / keep the alarms from sounding. Once we got to the second area and went to kill the three training officers, we kept getting spotted and the whole base came looking for us... with minigun heli's over head. That made life a lot more difficult :lol:

That is until we got our hands on said minigun heli. Those things have rocket pods! The mortar boxes never stood a chance.
Also, the rocket impacts and explosions are satisfying AF in this game.

My only issue was the really bad network hiccups / freezes. As far as I could tell, it wasn't a hardware issue and was eliminated when playing solo. And everyone I've played coop with got them.

[Kchrpm]

The interesting part of Wildlands is that it is very much a game you play the way you want to, and it reacts accordingly. You can play it as a crazy KILL ALL THESE MOTHER FUCKERS BLARGH! game, you can isolate and silently take out everyone on your path to the objective, or you can go to a base, wait in the bushes nearby in all black, wait for midnight and then watch all the guards go to their tents, and go to sleep. Then you sneak in, find the one guy you need to interrogate, and sneak out without firing a single bullet.

Phil is referring to how we set up to take out a convoy. We figured out their path, laid C4 on the road, got into opposing firing positions on different sides of the road (once), planned out the timing and how to get the helicopter, and then sat there in the blackness of night during a thunderstorm waiting to execute the plan. It felt fucking great, even though we messed up several times :)

That's what I'm looking forward to more than anything else. Recon, plan, execute, enough firepower to improvise as needed. Not every mission type allows for that (I hate you, Rebel Radio), but enough do.

My only problem is the 800 lb gorilla in a green tunic coming out the Friday before...

[Rare White Ape]

My only problem is the 800 lb gorilla in a green tunic coming out the Friday before...

Yeah, that...

It might be worth it to strike while the multiplayer iron is hot, and play while it's fresh and new and popular.

Or the alternative could be decent: a few weeks in the die-hards will still be playing, and your mayhem might be reduced but it'll be replaced with more competent players all-round.

[Phil_SS]

I'll play Co-op with my friends but otherwise I'll play by myself. So, it being fresh and popular doesn't matter to me.

[Cam]

I went to have another go at this and it's gone. :( Didn't realize the beta was over that soon.

[Rare White Ape]

Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened.

Also this means you now get to DELETE it :up:

[Cam]

I did not get to delete it. It deleted itself. :(

[Rare White Ape]

Haha really?

Damn, you missed out.

[21Kid]

really? Mine still shows in "My games"... I had to manually delete it.

Pre-ordered

[Kchrpm]

It's there, but when you open it, it will tell you that the beta is closed.

[Boda Zen]

I preordered too. Kchrpm better get it!

[animalica]

Ghost Recon Wildlands is, for most of us, a video game. For the governments of France (home to publishers Ubisoft) and Bolivia, though, it’s now a cause of national beef.

http://kotaku.com/new-ghost-recon-causes-actual-diplomatic-incident-1792912807

[Kchrpm]

I preordered too. Kchrpm better get it!

Just pre-ordered it :up:

[Boda Zen]

Sweet!

[novicius]

I'll pick it up on disc day 1 as well. :cool: #virgin

[Boda Zen]

sweet Novi!

[Boda Zen]

Theres santa blanca appearance items for free if you link you twitchprime account to your ubisoft account

[Kchrpm]

Why would you want to look like the Santa Blanca?! It's not like the AI cares what you look like for spotting.

[Boda Zen]

Just another way to dress your doll

[novicius]

I've never seen a game with more realistic physics (https://www.reddit.com/r/GhostRecon/comments/5w1yt2/ive_never_seen_a_game_with_more_realistic_physics/)

:lol:

[21Kid]

It is definitely not a driving game.

[Rare White Ape]

Holy shit!

My first thought was that he'll be waiting a while to be revived!

[Phil_SS]

I am locked and loaded.

[Phil_SS]

I'll just leave this (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152500679@N03/33128423641/) here.

Click if want to know the locations of the weapons and attachments.

[21Kid]

I'd rather find them on my own. :hard:

[Kchrpm]

:up: I will be getting a P90 and digital scope(s) immediately.

[21Kid]

:p of course you are...

[Freude am Fahren]

This might have to be my first game purchase in quite a while (FH3, I think).

Everyone playing on Xbox, I presume? Or anyone on PC?

[Kchrpm]

Dammit, that map is just the regions where you find them, which Gunsmith tells you.

[novicius]

This might have to be my first game purchase in quite a while (FH3, I think).

Everyone playing on Xbox, I presume? Or anyone on PC?
I'm picking it up for the XBONE hopefully today. :hard:

[Kchrpm]

Opened up the game, skipped the cinematics, ignored the first mission, drove to La Cruz, found a chopper, got a couple pieces of intel, picked up my P90 :up:

[Kchrpm]

Trying to figure out what to do tonight to gear up quickly, noticed that one region has multiple useful items, so I don't have to locate a bunch of different intel. Monte Puncu has the R5 RGP, Digital Scope (the one from the demo with different zoom levels), a foregrip (V4, don't know how it's differentiated), and the L115A3 sniper rifle. Then maybe I'll go for the 5.7 USG in Ocoro and be ready to go.

[21Kid]

My Amazon pre-order isn't getting delivered until Friday. I'm thinking of cancelling it and just downloading it directly. It'll cost $10 more. :/ Anyone know if you get the pre-order bonuses when downloading directly?

[21Kid]

Seems that only the Deluxe ($70) or Gold ($100) editions come with that bonus if you download it.

I guess I'm waiting until Friday. :smh:

[novicius]

Got it, Day 1 patched (2.6 GBs?!) and rock & rolled last night with Boda and his buddies on Extreme difficulty. :hard:

We just roamed around the open world map completing Side Missions and grabbing swag, and for me just getting back into the flow of GR clunkiness. :lol: At least one review I've seen calls it "a big beautiful mess" and so far that seems to be holding true.

No rappelling out of helicopters is a tragedy. Takes a Skill Point & 550 Side Mission points to unlock the Parachute, and you can't jump out of a plane/helicopter without one. Car physics is as previously reported: incredibly flaky.

I ran through the first Solo mission before joining Boda and that was decent. :up: But when you roll with a crew that are *voracious* killers, you may find yourself with nothing to do. :lol:

[21Kid]

I can't wait... :(

[novicius]

Don't worry, Kid -- I promise I won't buzzsaw through every encounter and leave you nothing to shoot. :)

[21Kid]

pew-pew

[Phil_SS]

I created a character for when I am playing by myself and a character for when I play with other people. Basically, I want to have a character where I control who is killed and how the gameplay is going to be and how that influences the game world. And a character I can just mess around with and have fun.

In my Game world: I headed Southeast and opened up parts of Ocoro, La Cruz, Flor De Oro, Malca and Pucara. Picked up the M249 and basically gathered a bunch of intel. I'll probably start picking up a few more weapons tonight.

And some skill points. I need to upgrade my Drone.

[novicius]

Good plan. :up: :up:

[21Kid]

That's a good idea.

I shot a chat over to Amazon, because it says my copy will ship out today (2-day delivery), and he said he can't change it to next-day air. But, gave me $5 credit. :| I'd rather have the game quicker. But, I guess that's something.

[novicius]

A fair assessment. :lol:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhB4JKoXqWs

[Rare White Ape]

His assessment is very fair :up:

But to be fair on Wildlands, Ubisoft did have to do a lot to fix AC Unity and The Division, but assuming Wildlands needs fixing, it is sitting in a far better starting position than a lot of other games are.

I actually enjoyed the open beta to give it a thumbs-up but not enough to want to buy it. Can't say the same for The Division, however. That game felt like pants.

[novicius]

I spent last night playing the game offline by myself to get my own "demo time" and practice in. Took my time making a cigar-chompin' cowboy hat-wearin' Lady Ghost (my grey-haired dude is my online character). She looks a little young to have a kid old enough to argue with about taking out the garbage but whatev's.

Slowing down the action helps the game *immensely* -- just like Ghost Recons of old! Even driving slower feels better (tho' the helicopter action is terrible at any speed). :lol: This title is just not as enjoyable to me when played as a mad-dash sprintfest from point to point competing for scraps while hoping not to take a bullet in the teeth for such recklessness. In online play there is no time to setup your drone, move into position, etc. unless you're rolling with like-minded folk. So playing it offline/alone is kind of eye-opening and really lets you savor the environment.

Using the drone not just to tag baddies but to also scout out the ways you might want to approach a destination is great. Very enjoyable -- but note that if you take too long, more baddies may spawn to refill a Santa Blanca torture site, etc.

Driving out to the main highways is fairly lethal, too. The corrupt Unidas state police will keep spawning and driving up, searching for you -- and they escalate with the seriousness of a heart attack! I got my team pinned down trying to snatch a Skill Point at a highway checkpoint, Unidas showed up to back their fallen while Santa Blanca snipers were nailing us from their crude brick towers beyond the highway fences. We fell back across the rocky terrain dodging Unidas choppers until dawn and searching for any way back to the road -- just a total shit-show. Seriously, this is like getting a star in GTA: shit will escalate well out of control in short order if you think you can just shoot your way through everything.

(As an aside, I felt that the colors were too rich and deep so I actually turned down the saturation levels on my monitor. Looks so much better now.)

So yeah, I feel a lot better and more excited about this title now after playing alone last night. :up:

[21Kid]

I would imagine playing with a bunch of :random:s is akin to Call of Duties

[Rare White Ape]

Agreed, not that I played any of the beta online, but I found the game at its best when you were stalking up to a compound from the bush, hiding in some shadows just inside the tree line, then quietly sneaking from spot-to-spot and invisibly, silently dispatching each target. Or another cool situation was in more open highlands, you couldn't sneak up close and do a pinpoint entry, you had to scope it from a distance and widen your range of targets to make it more inclusive, if you know what I mean.

Either way, the tactics were very different but it always started with aerial recon, then picking your options, then going ahead with it. All-in Rambo-style wouldn't be as satisfying to me.

[novicius]

Tales from the GTXF Hangout (https://hangouts.google.com/group/b9DEJHrvh0MHNE2u2):

Carlo: Thanks for playin' with me last night, Keith. #giver #goodsport

Keith: np Carlo, thanks for reviving me so many times

Keith: no thanks for getting us in so many unnecessary furballs

Carlo: I need much more practice on the firing range.

Carlo: 50% of those issues were missing my shots, where the baddies then were able to raise an alarm. :(

Keith: the other 50% were "hey look, bad guys!" even though we could have easily driven right by them

Carlo: The other 50% WAS PURE ROCK 'N' ROOOOOLLL!!1! #pewpew

Keith: ha

Carlo: :D

[Phil_SS]

I picked up the MK 17, M4A1 and the Digital Scope last night. Plus a few skill points.

Barely touched the story. :lol: Been having too much fun just rollin around and causing mayhem.

[Freude am Fahren]

I think I'm gonna pick this up (or maybe download it?) after work.

[lostnight]

I love the premise, been reading books about cartels and watching shows about them. If I didn't have these outstanding medical bills from my car crash, I would go buy a Xbox one now and join you. I still might be able to, haven't done my taxes yet.

[Darius]

I picked it up on Xbox one, add me if you'd like to play. My gamertag is Darius

[21Kid]

Played a few times over the weekend. I definitely like the slower pace. Being able to plan stuff out is fun.

I love sneaking in, grabbing intel, and getting out without being noticed. That's more intense for me than massive firefights.

[novicius]

DAAARIUOOOOOOS! :rawk:

I had a great time rollin' with you & Kid last night -- we did WORK!! :D :up:

::

Higher levels, better hardware, more gear pieces, and increasing difficulty all add up to a thoroughly & increasingly enjoyable experience. There is enough meat to the game to cover the gap between graphics-to-gameplay, IMO (some reviewers knock the game for maybe being shallow). Perhaps surprising only to me (having not played the demo and I really did not read about this comparison in preview articles) IMO Ghost Recon: Wildlands (hereafter GR:W) is really comparable to Grand Theft Auto V.

The only advantages GTA V has on GR:W is quality of foot/car traffic, as far as I can tell. Everything else (barring urban setting, of course) is done better in GR:W. You can do about as much in terms of gameplay, you can't go into most buildings in GTA, they both lack realistic driving/handling models (although GTA V is superior in this area), and graphically GR:W blows GTA V out of the water (as it should).

This comes as a real shock to me honestly because while I had heard "open world yadda-yadda-yadda" all along, I dismissed it as open-world like the The Witcher 3 / Dragon Age: Inquisitor / classic GR games are open-world, i.e. large maps with loading zones separating regions. Especially with these graphics on a console! Imagine GTA V brought up to The Witcher 3's resolution and graphical spendor. #yesyes-pcmasterrace

So if you see a mountain top kilometers away, you can walk / drive / fly there uninterruptedly. Just wonderfully open-world with no loading zones anywhere, open-world done right, etc. -- no loading zones for going into buildings, flying, whatever. Love it!

The campaign is looong. Way longer than GTA V. The number of bosses alone is like 30+ and while you might "just" be doing similar things over and over, I'd argue that uuuh... you're buying a paramilitary spec forces game, wtf else were you planning on doing?? Stealing an ambulance or fire truck? :lol:

::

Now that I'm getting into the real meat of the game, I tell myself all the time to slow down, let the other guys shoot first, stay under cover and hang back in case someone gets popped, etc. Kid (codename: BUSH) is turning into an absolute buzzsaw with the drone and is easily the best guy at stealth on my gamertag list. :up: :up:

Some other thoughts:

1. We need to use SyncShot more as a team -- remember: shoot on 1, as in "3 - 2 - >shoot<".

2. I'm getting better at remembering about calling out "Silencers on!" for initial approach and "Silencers off!" when it's time to rock & roll.

3. UNIDAD paramilitary forces are relentless and keep amping up. Respect them -- and I love that about this game. You HAVE to respect UNIDAD, they will send rocket-launching Apache helicopters after you once you've attracted five (I think, might be four) helicopters in addition to the heavily armed ground forces arriving via APC. If this was a situation where you could have a four-man fireteam just keeping a lid on the AI, I think the game would be worn out pretty quick. Kudos to Ubisoft for making gamers fear & sweat the bad guys. :up: :up: <3 #sex

[21Kid]

SyncShot, silencers, sneaky-sneaky I'm a bush is what I think about when I think spec ops. :cool: The C4, LMGs, and grenade launchers are fun. And they sound great.

P.S. Watch out for Pitbull! He's yellin' Timber!

[Kchrpm]

1. We need to use SyncShot more as a team -- remember: shoot on 1, as in "3 - 2 - >shoot<".
You're insane.

[novicius]

Go back to Zelda, child. #muchlove