[bf1942] BFVietnam - First Impressions

[Thomas 'TraXter' Kujawski]

Hello Rick,

Sunday, March 21, 2004, 2:11:39 PM, you wrote:

RT> If you are still reading this list Peter, thank you for your hard work in 
RT> getting the server working. That thanks is extended to everyone else at EA 
RT> involved as well, outstanding job!

Yes thanks to EA!

RT> We had a request for this game already and I had found a hack to make BBO 
RT> 4c work so I decided to buy the game yesterday and install a pub for 
RT> testing. This method works well btw, 
RT> http://bfvietnam.lightcubed.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8922

RT> In 10 mins I had the server installed and running under BBO, no surprises. 
RT> Thanks should go out to all the early installers for that :) I killed a 
RT> 1942 pub to run it and did not open any additional ports. Are there any 
RT> ports that have to be specifically opened for BFV not already open on a 
RT> 1942 server?

BF:V uses mostly BF 1942 ports + 1000. That means if you ran BF 1942
gameport 14567 it would be 15567 for BF:V. 23000 = 24000.. and so on.
I don't know all ports but you can find them over at lightcubed.com
forums.

RT> I can't report on the cpu usage over 30 players because the most we have 
RT> had on was 6 so far. However, at idle and with those few players, the cpu 
RT> appears to be about line to line with a 1942 server, again no surprises. I 
RT> can say that we don't see the reported memory leak on an smp kernel dual 
RT> xeon... after about 18 hours anyway.

RT> The consistent reports of higher loads over 30 players concerns me a bit
RT> but I am confident they will work it out. Historically games have been more 
RT> efficient under nix but the latest Valve servers exhibit the same problem. 
RT> If we do see that problem at 32 players we just not offer more than 24/28 sots.

RT> Overall, great job on the server and thank you for not making us wait 
RT> months after the game release to get it!

Yepp the server is great but i wish more power for the remote console.
We are currently trying to get a PHP Admin for BF Vietnam Servers
coded, but our most problem is that the remote console does not
feature all of admin options (i.e. you can't set ip, hostname,
maxplayers etc...).

By trying out to get the console protocol running on PHP we found some
bugs, maybe exploits that can crash the server (as far as we are now
only after you logged in to console). If we know more about these bugs
we will report and hope them to be fixed!

The lags if you reach ~25 players are confirmed by many admins, i hope
they will look at it.

This is my personal wish list for the BF:V server.

RT> That said, the game itself has me a bit torn between a love/hate thing. 
RT> This part probably belongs in the forum but here goes anyway.

RT> The in-game interface has some nice enhancements but the join/settings 
RT> interface is a step back from 1942... just a visual thing mostly but wheres 
RT> the favorites function?

RT> The vehicles and weapons are good. I am not a flyboy so not sure what DC 
RT> and EOD chopper pilots are going to think of the new, "arcade-ized" controls.

RT> I like the dual modes each class can play but some are overbalanced. The 
RT> engie torch works way to fast, no way does it take a tank out faster than a 
RT> few cannon rounds. You can pour .50 cal into a tank for hundreds of rounds 
RT> and barely touch it but a torch is going to kill it in 12 seconds? The 
RT> other new engie gear is cool.

RT> How about the anti-armor class, do they really need a squad automatic as a 
RT> secondary? I mean, the con of being a rocketeer always was that you lost 
RT> the ability to be real effective against infantry, that was the tradeoff 
RT> and it was fair. Forget the improbabilities of carrying a squad auto plus a 
RT> rocket launcher plus ammo for both in the field, this combination is just 
RT> an imbalance. If your going to give that guy a secondary it needs to be a 
RT> 12 guage or semi-auto in my opinion.

RT> This is a new engine? The graphics are so-so, I don't see any improvement 
RT> from 1942 and that surprised me. Maybe I have not found the best vid 
RT> setting yet but this machine is a 2.4 with a gb of ram and a 128ddr vid 
RT> card and it has frame rate problems at 1024 x 768.

RT> I have to say that I am most disappointed with the terrain, foliage and 
RT> maps in general. They need to go play some EOD to see what the atmosphere 
RT> should be like. A round of stream or closefire makes you feel like your 
RT> feet are getting jungle rot and I don't get that with BFV, not at all. 
RT> Actually, the terrain seems more like eastern Europe than Vietnam.  I have 
RT> not seen all the maps yet, maybe I have just not found the good jungle and 
RT> river maps yet... that is my only hope. Seriously though, EOD has the feel 
RT> and foilage down pat for all areas of operation, it is almost worth giving 
RT> up the new features for.

RT> I don't hate the game, I like it and it will probably take some time to 
RT> grow on me. None the less, I think it met only about 50% of my expectations 
RT> and I am looking forward to improvements.

I have really the same opinion about the game as you :) The look of
the trees is real vietnam style, so said the Marini at the release
party here in Germany. We know Vietnam from Hollywood and imagine this
atmosphere, but Vietnam would look relly like in BF:V he said.

RT> Rick

-- 
Best regards,
 Thomas                            mailto:nur.deppen at t-online.de