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***NOT INTENDED FOR CONSUMPTION BY THE ILLITERATE, IMPATIENT, OR IMMATURE***

First post here; hello all.

Let me start by saying that I've played the Far Cry games since the very first release on PC, though I was never a huge fan until Far Cry 2. I always thought the most entertaining aspect of the games was the relatively open-ended gameplay and huge, gorgeous maps. The monsters, "predator mode," and unrealistic AI (insane levels of awareness and accuracy) were the primary issues keeping the early games from earning a spot on my shelf. Really the only thing that baited me into renting FC2 was the fire propogation; man was I surprised to find one of my top 10 games of all time.

Far Cry 2 made leaps and bounds toward what I think is the goal Ubisoft has tried to accomplish with the FC series. Granted, there are a few flaws, but I believe they are greatly exaggerated (most of the time by players who simply didn't give the game enough time). I'll try not to go into what I think are the real issues holding FC2 back. I'm certain they've all been beaten to death on these forums anyhow. Instead I'd like to illustrate what I DID like so much about the game, and what I want to see return or added in a sequel.

1. The World
The map is simply astounding. Despite its size, not an inch of it seems rushed or neglected. The map/GPS system rocks for making an already incredibly immersive game even more so. I would go as far as to say I had more fun just roaming the beautiful map, finding diamonds and scouting/wiping out checkpoints, than I did playing through the story missions. Respawn times have never seemed problematic to me; I find they actually contribute to the "stay-on-your-toes" vibe of the game (besides, wouldn't you expect angry reinforcements to arrive shortly after eliminating a group of guards?). Unfortunately, it seems many players want to be spoon-fed constant, yet repetitive, action via scripted events and obvious paths. These players will never know the true joy of games like FC2 that essentially hand you the tools and set you loose to create your own brand of fun. I can't ask for much more in a game map for the sequel, except to say bigger is better! The addition of innocents and roaming friendlies/buddies would go along way towards adding life to the world, and a few more varied rewards for exploration might also be nice. What if parts of the map were "safe zones" early in the game, but conflict in the story ended up turning them into war zones? That might also add an organic feel to the map.

2. The AI
This aspect of the game and the debate surrounding it are the main reasons I started this post. Anyone who spends more than a few hours playing FC2 (and doesn't get bored/confused/frustrated and pop in a mindless turkey-shoot like CoD) will develop an appreciation for the unprecedented level of realism with regards to AI. I feel that those who make claims of overly-accurate enemies who spot and shoot the player through bushes even with the camo suit are either inexperienced players who don't take the time to learn the mechanics of the game, OR simply impatient players who refuse to put enough thought into their attack. With the camo suit I can clean out checkpoints all night long without being hit; even during the daytime it is possible to lose a group of alerted enemies in the foliage. Ubisoft, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not cater to the whiners who want blind enemies who die from a shot to the leg. If players want to go around knifing enemies in the back, they should go play Splinter Cell.

3. The Variety of Weapons
Few FPS's have as many weapons as FC2, and even fewer have as much variety among weapons. Players have the option of sniping from afar (bolt-action, semi-auto, dart, or .50 rifles, no less), assaulting head-on with an assortment of shotguns, SMGs, or assault rifles, stealthily attacking day or night with silenced weapons (pistol, SMG, even a shotgun!), blowing the place to smithereens (IEDs, rockets, MORTARS!), or even setting the entire area ablaze! The sheer multitude of gameplay options provided goes unnoticed by far too many players who think long hours of story mode or expansive multiplayer are what constitute replayability. As with the map size, the more weapons the better! High-powered revolver? Elephant gun maybe? Not a lot missing in the FC2 weapon selection really. I will say this--how about all the weapons from FC2, and more.

4. The Polishing Touches
FPS's these days are always filled with silly gimmicks in attempt to differentiate themselves from so many mediocre games in the genre. More often than not, these additions distract from the core gameplay rather than contribute to it. However, FC2 expertly integrates features like weapon jamming, catastrophic injury healing, and vehicle travel/comnbat. Many complain about the jamming weapons, and it may occur a little too frequently, but without such a feature, what is the motivation for buying your own weaponry? Besides that, pick up a G3 rifle that's been exposed to the elements without being regularly cleaned and put a few mags through it; it's pretty likely to jam up. Not only is it realistic, but it adds a degree of uncertainty and excitement to combat. It would be nice to see weapons like shotguns and AKs jam less often than more complicated weapons like ARs, but that would take resources away from more important aspects of game creation. On a similar note, the driving mechanics are far from realistic and could use tweaking. A few more vehicles is a good idea, though as always keep it realistic.

Undoubtedly most players have noted the increasing fear that the enemies have toward the player as the game progresses. I had to mention this under this category, as I've never seen a game employ such a unique system. Just a thought for the sequel: what if the player was largely unnoticed by enemies in the beginning, but they became increasingly aggressive and recognized him quicker as the story went on?

Many have suggested more use of animals in the game, especially predators. I agree, though this should take a back seat to more important parts of the game such as weapons and map development. It would be totally awesome if, while sniping, the player were to hear a twig snap and, upon turning, see a group of lionesses creeping up on him. Perhaps there could be a system of being pinned by creatures, requiring well-timed button presses to dispatch the beast with the machete. I'd also like to note that elephants kill more people in Africa than any other animal. Wouldn't it be cool to be creeping through the brush and stumble upon an angry bull? Imagine seeing the snout and eyes of a crocodile disappear beneath the water as you approach a muddy river. Obviously, these events would have to be somewhat rare, or else we'd be playing a Cabela's game. Even if there aren't enough resources to add such predatory animals, I'd really like to see some herds of antelope, zebra, etc. on a more realistic scale than in FC2.

One final note: CO-OP. Period. Think about how much it would rule to have 2-4 REAL buddies playing together, even if missions were unavailable during co-op play. Talk about endless hours of fun...

Whew, that took longer than I intended. All apologies if I'm being post-redundant here, but I mainly wrote this post for the sequel's development team rather than my peers here on the forums. I'm not normally one to spend over an hour writing about a video game, but as I said before Far Cry 2 is one of my absolute favorite games of all time, and I see a tremendous amount of potential in a sequel. So here's hoping that these words make it to at least one of the lucky members of the "FC3" dev team!

To all who finish this, thanks for reading.

-Oats

This post Rocks!
Only I think the animal suggestions should be extremely rare events. Most animals try to avoid humans for the most part (even predators).
I do think civilians needed a bigger role in the game. And roving patrols.

Thanks marsh!

Yes, the animal encounters should be few and far between...I'd hate to see them as frequent as the weapon jamming in FC2.

-Oats

I agree with most of your description of the game, and the improvements would make it even better. Unfortunately, it could never happen. The game design school dropouts that $hit this game out are far too stupid and inept to even get a simple thing such as hit points right, let alone program vehicle mechanics correctly or a pride of lions. Hell, even the physics engine seems off when two objects fall at different speeds all the time, and it uses Havok physics, so if the poor bastards that made it can't even customize a premade engine, they could never come close to what the game could be. Maybe Ubisoft will switch the development team, then we'd have a chance to get a perfect game, or at least use the dev team's faces as enemies in the game.

Oat,
Please repost this in the Far Cry 3 Suggestions Thread.
Thanks

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