Soldner?
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- Colonel Ingus
-
- Posts: 1147
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2003 11:05 pm
- Location: St Paul MN
Soldner?
by Colonel Ingus » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:15 am
Anyone pick this up yet?
I know several people had mentioned it previously and I saw it on the shelfs the other day at the game store.
Any reviews or opinions on it?
I want real info from gamers I trust and I did a search but saw no posts for it.
So anyone have any info? worth it or a waste of money?
Thanks ahead of time guys
I know several people had mentioned it previously and I saw it on the shelfs the other day at the game store.
Any reviews or opinions on it?
I want real info from gamers I trust and I did a search but saw no posts for it.
So anyone have any info? worth it or a waste of money?
Thanks ahead of time guys
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ... Benjamin Franklin
by Buliwyf » Tue Jul 06, 2004 11:28 am
LOl, judging from this IGN review I am passing bigtime on this piece of crap.
score: 5.0 out of 10
July 02, 2004 - Despite what I have been telling the other editors all week, Söldner is not German for "bug" or "incomplete" or "disappointment." It is, as far as the native speakers tell me, the German word for "mercenary." It's also the title of a new multiplayer-focused, military action game in the tradition of Operation Flashpoint and Joint Operations. It is also a buggy, incomplete, disappointment.
Featuring support for 36 players on unbelievably massive battlefields with a whole suite of modern weapons and vehicles, the game would seem on the surface to be a refinement of the Op Flash approach and a nice alternative to the more infantry combat focus of Joint Operations. But as we've all learned, things are rarely what they seem. Inconsistent modeling and an overabundance of toys makes Söldner more confusing than compelling and more frustrating than fun.
Though there's a single-player campaign, it's not the point of the game. Söldner is a multiplayer-oriented game and this single-player campaign merely serves to introduce players to the concepts and tactics that drive multiplayer. The AI in the offline portion is about on par with that of the original Battlefield. Though you're initially challenged by the disparity in numbers and equipment, even a little thinking will give you the upper hand in most of the game's non-linear, detached missions.
We give the developers credit for bothering to include a lot of weapons and vehicles but, sadly, the vast amount of weapons to choose from will often leave you at a total loss as to what to take. Three different forms of the Panzerfaust? Is that absolutely necessary? Sure, super hardcore tech heads will thrill to the options here but the majority of us will merely stare bleary-eyed at a long list of possible arms. This had better be handled between spawns as smarter players will camp the weapons lockers, counting on you standing around for a few seconds as you decide which of the game's sixty-some weapons you'd most like to purchase.
You'll encounter the same problem with the 70 or so vehicles but at least here there are some definite and obvious distinctions. I'm certain that an Abrams tank is more effective on the field of battle than a tractor, for instance. (The decision to go with a tractor instead will be based either on a lack of funds or a morbid sense of irony.) The vehicles here at least improve on those in Joint Operations in that they have plenty of driver-fired weapons and you can even set a 30-second timer that keeps other players from taking control of a vehicle you just purchased.
Sadly, the aiming is poor with the reticle often disappearing completely within a certain range. In any case, the large shells of the tanks have too great an arc, giving the impression that you're firing a very deadly, but woefully underpowered slingshot. Strangely, this doesn't seem to be as big a problem with the shoulder-fired launchers in the game.
Nevertheless, the ground vehicles are much better designed than the aircraft. Joystick support is still completely screwed up and the mouse-flying options you're left with are hardly sufficient for the task. If you thought the flying in Battlefield 1942 was poorly implemented Söldner proudly shouts, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!" The mouse control allows you to tilting the aircraft to steer it but the mouse moves through such a small range that it's hard not to oversteer, particularly with the planes. This scheme also makes it harder to aim whatever weapons you might have. The most fun you can have is in taking the Little Birds up to a completely unrealistic height of 7.5 kilometers above the ground before jumping out and seeing how long it takes you to fall.
Taking the fight to the enemy on foot has its own share of complications. To begin with, the sprint toggle switches off as soon as you take a step to the side or to the rear, meaning you have to hit the sprint key again to enable running. The running is fairly slow as it is, as in most realistic military games. The default animation is a bit too swishy for my tastes. We have editors here who swish when they walk and even they though the animation was a bit odd.
It seems that the fine folks over at Wings haven't noticed that other games map automatically trigger a reload when you try to fire an empty weapon. Having to manage the reloads on your own isn't too terribly taxing but it's another in a long list of inconveniences that the game forces on you.
The physics are sometimes great and sometimes horrible. On the great side, you'll notice how the vehicles rock back and forth on their suspensions and how cars and lighter vehicles spin out when they try to turn at too high a speed. Trees will be knocked over (and even into each other) as a result of explosions and vehicle crashes. This can really change the layout of the battle by offering better cover and vehicle barriers. The buildings can be destroyed too but they fall apart according to a pre-arranged script rather than per-pixel physics. It is quite cool however that your heavy weapons fire leaves small craters in the landscape that act as a hazard to vehicles and serve as cover for infantry.
On the horrible side, you'll see vehicles flip up into the air from the slightest contact with certain objects. Nudge a barrel and you're as likely to see your jeep flip completely over as you are to see it just come to a complete stop. Though they shatter windows, grenades won't actually go through the glass and will instead bounce back at you as if they were shot out of a cannon. While we're talking about houses doors will merely pop open and shut in an instant. I could go on with more examples but you get the idea.
You can see from the screens that the game looks a bit plain compared to the recent Joint Operations. Things like sun flare and weather effects are pretty good and the overall impression of the level seems very natural and realistic. The areas you'll fight in seem less like levels and more like realistically rendered locales that just happen to be located in a game. The positioning of trees, the clusters of buildings and the overall lay of the land make the game world seem very realistic.
Character and vehicle models are sufficiently detailed and you'll even be able to see the weapons and kits you've chosen on your character model. Animations are generally good (apart from the swishy run mentioned before) and the range of character customization options means you can make your character stand out in a crowd. Though the overall interface is relatively clean and efficient, the vehicle HUD is a ridiculously old-fashioned green-line affair.
This game runs poorly even on our Alienwares and pretty much not at all on the minimum spec machine. In any case, there's lots and lots of clipping in the game. Tank turrets clip through walls, grass grows up through the floors of houses and snow fails to fall directly on porches and balconies. You'll even be able to steer your parachute through close stands of trees without any trouble at all.
In fact, the game is such a burden on your system that you're not allowed to play and host a game from the same machine. I'll repeat that: you cannot play and host on the same machine. This means you'll either have to run another copy of Söldner on another machine in your house, or you'll have to join an existing server. Throughout this week we've seen at least three or four games with ten or more people going at any given time.
On the subject of player numbers, there's a commander interface for this game but it requires more teamwork and familiarity among the player community than exists right now. It's convenient enough alright and lets you assign particular soldiers to particular tasks. But the real purpose of the commander is in distributing the funds players will need to buy the vehicles and weapons in the game. We're hoping that a "sky's the limit" approach will be taken (as was with the original Tribes) so that players can at least try out whatever options they find most appealing.
Closing Comments
It's the mediocre games that fade into obscurity. Though we love the time we spend with great games, the truly terrible experiences are equally unforgettable. Blaze & Blade, Braveheart, Apollo 18; these are all games that are bad enough that I'll carry the frustration of playing them with me as long as I keep playing games. Söldner isn't quite as bad as those titles but it does stick out as one of the worst games we've played so far this year. But then perhaps we're just blocking out the memory of worse games.
Though the underlying design has some obvious flaws, it's the overall lack of polish that ultimately kills any fun that Söldner might offer. There are far too many issues that ought to have been resolved before the title shipped. As it is, the game did come with a patch that we had to install before it was even playable. After ten minutes of playing, we were already asking the publisher where the second patch was.
-- Steve Butts
links :: guide faqs codes boards previews reviews news features
Ratings: Description:
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
4.5 Presentation
A good idea unfulfilled. It offers far too much in some areas and far too little in others.
7.0 Graphics
The environments are laid out well but the individual assets are poor. Lots of clipping and inconsistencies.
6.0 Sound
Zoldner! Zoldner! Zoldner! I never tire of hearing your name. The other effects are unimpressive.
5.5 Gameplay
Moments of genuine fun are there to be found but they're few and far between.
3.0 Lasting Appeal
Single player isn't challenging and multiplayer requires a dedicated server? We're done here.
5.0 OVERALL:
score: 5.0 out of 10
July 02, 2004 - Despite what I have been telling the other editors all week, Söldner is not German for "bug" or "incomplete" or "disappointment." It is, as far as the native speakers tell me, the German word for "mercenary." It's also the title of a new multiplayer-focused, military action game in the tradition of Operation Flashpoint and Joint Operations. It is also a buggy, incomplete, disappointment.
Featuring support for 36 players on unbelievably massive battlefields with a whole suite of modern weapons and vehicles, the game would seem on the surface to be a refinement of the Op Flash approach and a nice alternative to the more infantry combat focus of Joint Operations. But as we've all learned, things are rarely what they seem. Inconsistent modeling and an overabundance of toys makes Söldner more confusing than compelling and more frustrating than fun.
Though there's a single-player campaign, it's not the point of the game. Söldner is a multiplayer-oriented game and this single-player campaign merely serves to introduce players to the concepts and tactics that drive multiplayer. The AI in the offline portion is about on par with that of the original Battlefield. Though you're initially challenged by the disparity in numbers and equipment, even a little thinking will give you the upper hand in most of the game's non-linear, detached missions.
We give the developers credit for bothering to include a lot of weapons and vehicles but, sadly, the vast amount of weapons to choose from will often leave you at a total loss as to what to take. Three different forms of the Panzerfaust? Is that absolutely necessary? Sure, super hardcore tech heads will thrill to the options here but the majority of us will merely stare bleary-eyed at a long list of possible arms. This had better be handled between spawns as smarter players will camp the weapons lockers, counting on you standing around for a few seconds as you decide which of the game's sixty-some weapons you'd most like to purchase.
You'll encounter the same problem with the 70 or so vehicles but at least here there are some definite and obvious distinctions. I'm certain that an Abrams tank is more effective on the field of battle than a tractor, for instance. (The decision to go with a tractor instead will be based either on a lack of funds or a morbid sense of irony.) The vehicles here at least improve on those in Joint Operations in that they have plenty of driver-fired weapons and you can even set a 30-second timer that keeps other players from taking control of a vehicle you just purchased.
Sadly, the aiming is poor with the reticle often disappearing completely within a certain range. In any case, the large shells of the tanks have too great an arc, giving the impression that you're firing a very deadly, but woefully underpowered slingshot. Strangely, this doesn't seem to be as big a problem with the shoulder-fired launchers in the game.
Nevertheless, the ground vehicles are much better designed than the aircraft. Joystick support is still completely screwed up and the mouse-flying options you're left with are hardly sufficient for the task. If you thought the flying in Battlefield 1942 was poorly implemented Söldner proudly shouts, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!" The mouse control allows you to tilting the aircraft to steer it but the mouse moves through such a small range that it's hard not to oversteer, particularly with the planes. This scheme also makes it harder to aim whatever weapons you might have. The most fun you can have is in taking the Little Birds up to a completely unrealistic height of 7.5 kilometers above the ground before jumping out and seeing how long it takes you to fall.
Taking the fight to the enemy on foot has its own share of complications. To begin with, the sprint toggle switches off as soon as you take a step to the side or to the rear, meaning you have to hit the sprint key again to enable running. The running is fairly slow as it is, as in most realistic military games. The default animation is a bit too swishy for my tastes. We have editors here who swish when they walk and even they though the animation was a bit odd.
It seems that the fine folks over at Wings haven't noticed that other games map automatically trigger a reload when you try to fire an empty weapon. Having to manage the reloads on your own isn't too terribly taxing but it's another in a long list of inconveniences that the game forces on you.
The physics are sometimes great and sometimes horrible. On the great side, you'll notice how the vehicles rock back and forth on their suspensions and how cars and lighter vehicles spin out when they try to turn at too high a speed. Trees will be knocked over (and even into each other) as a result of explosions and vehicle crashes. This can really change the layout of the battle by offering better cover and vehicle barriers. The buildings can be destroyed too but they fall apart according to a pre-arranged script rather than per-pixel physics. It is quite cool however that your heavy weapons fire leaves small craters in the landscape that act as a hazard to vehicles and serve as cover for infantry.
On the horrible side, you'll see vehicles flip up into the air from the slightest contact with certain objects. Nudge a barrel and you're as likely to see your jeep flip completely over as you are to see it just come to a complete stop. Though they shatter windows, grenades won't actually go through the glass and will instead bounce back at you as if they were shot out of a cannon. While we're talking about houses doors will merely pop open and shut in an instant. I could go on with more examples but you get the idea.
You can see from the screens that the game looks a bit plain compared to the recent Joint Operations. Things like sun flare and weather effects are pretty good and the overall impression of the level seems very natural and realistic. The areas you'll fight in seem less like levels and more like realistically rendered locales that just happen to be located in a game. The positioning of trees, the clusters of buildings and the overall lay of the land make the game world seem very realistic.
Character and vehicle models are sufficiently detailed and you'll even be able to see the weapons and kits you've chosen on your character model. Animations are generally good (apart from the swishy run mentioned before) and the range of character customization options means you can make your character stand out in a crowd. Though the overall interface is relatively clean and efficient, the vehicle HUD is a ridiculously old-fashioned green-line affair.
This game runs poorly even on our Alienwares and pretty much not at all on the minimum spec machine. In any case, there's lots and lots of clipping in the game. Tank turrets clip through walls, grass grows up through the floors of houses and snow fails to fall directly on porches and balconies. You'll even be able to steer your parachute through close stands of trees without any trouble at all.
In fact, the game is such a burden on your system that you're not allowed to play and host a game from the same machine. I'll repeat that: you cannot play and host on the same machine. This means you'll either have to run another copy of Söldner on another machine in your house, or you'll have to join an existing server. Throughout this week we've seen at least three or four games with ten or more people going at any given time.
On the subject of player numbers, there's a commander interface for this game but it requires more teamwork and familiarity among the player community than exists right now. It's convenient enough alright and lets you assign particular soldiers to particular tasks. But the real purpose of the commander is in distributing the funds players will need to buy the vehicles and weapons in the game. We're hoping that a "sky's the limit" approach will be taken (as was with the original Tribes) so that players can at least try out whatever options they find most appealing.
Closing Comments
It's the mediocre games that fade into obscurity. Though we love the time we spend with great games, the truly terrible experiences are equally unforgettable. Blaze & Blade, Braveheart, Apollo 18; these are all games that are bad enough that I'll carry the frustration of playing them with me as long as I keep playing games. Söldner isn't quite as bad as those titles but it does stick out as one of the worst games we've played so far this year. But then perhaps we're just blocking out the memory of worse games.
Though the underlying design has some obvious flaws, it's the overall lack of polish that ultimately kills any fun that Söldner might offer. There are far too many issues that ought to have been resolved before the title shipped. As it is, the game did come with a patch that we had to install before it was even playable. After ten minutes of playing, we were already asking the publisher where the second patch was.
-- Steve Butts
links :: guide faqs codes boards previews reviews news features
Ratings: Description:
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
4.5 Presentation
A good idea unfulfilled. It offers far too much in some areas and far too little in others.
7.0 Graphics
The environments are laid out well but the individual assets are poor. Lots of clipping and inconsistencies.
6.0 Sound
Zoldner! Zoldner! Zoldner! I never tire of hearing your name. The other effects are unimpressive.
5.5 Gameplay
Moments of genuine fun are there to be found but they're few and far between.
3.0 Lasting Appeal
Single player isn't challenging and multiplayer requires a dedicated server? We're done here.
5.0 OVERALL:
XBOX 360 Gamertag
- Colonel Ingus
-
- Posts: 1147
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2003 11:05 pm
- Location: St Paul MN
by Colonel Ingus » Tue Jul 06, 2004 12:03 pm
Well i guess that pretty much says everything I need to hear:D
Thanks Buliwyf
when it looks like shit, smells like shit, and when you step in it it squishes like shit... well its probably shit then.
Thanks Buliwyf
when it looks like shit, smells like shit, and when you step in it it squishes like shit... well its probably shit then.
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." ... Benjamin Franklin
by Face » Tue Jul 06, 2004 12:08 pm
I heard that this game was originally going to host 128 players, but it looks like it released with 32 player support. It sounds as bad as that Typhoon Something title I bought that lags to high heaven on my very good machine.
WinXP Pro, Asus A7V8x MoBo, Athlon XP 2400+, 1GB RAM
ATI Radeon 9800 Pro, SB Live! 5.1, Klipsch 4.1 400Watt,
Logitech MX700 Cordless Mouse,
Logitech Freedom2.4 Cordless Joystick
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