Operation Flashpoint

What happens when you combine elements of strategy, RPG. and wargame, then tie the whole thing up in a combination 1st person/3rd person perspective interface? A surefire recipe for a mess right? Wrong. Bohemia Interactive has defied the odds and done what so many other design studios have failed to do; successfully blend elements from multiple PC game genres into a stable, workable and fun game. Now let's get one thing straight up front; Operation Flashpoint isn't going to displace Combat Mission as a historical war simulation, nor is it able to compete with Falcon 4.0 as a flight simulator. What is does do, however, is provide a very believable atmosphere, some seriously difficult mission objectives and take you for one hell of a ride back the in glory days of the Warsaw Pact. Ah, the good old days of the Cold War...

The game takes place back in 1985 on a series of islands that sort of remind you of Bosnia or Kosovo. The Red Army has suddenly invaded for mysterious reasons (I don't want to give too much away) and the outnumbered NATO forces are all that stands in their way. You start off a a lowly private caught in the middle of all this mayhem, but during the course of the game you will assume the roles of many different characters. Everything from machine gunner to helicopter gunship pilot to special forces commando. The sheer variety of missions and equipment is one of the many strengths of Operation Flashpoint. Sometimes you may be called upon to do several different tasks to accomplish a single mission. In one mission I started off as a regular infantry soldier, then had to jump in a truck full of soldiers and drive several kilometers down the road, and finally scout out enemy positions on foot. All this in one mission!

The missions in Operation Flashpoint are exceptionally well crafted for the most part, although there are a few stinkers here and there. Most of the missions are divided into a set of sub-tasks that often must be accomplished in a certain order. For instance, your mission might be to seize a strategic village. Although you could choose to rush the village in a blaze of glory, you'll quickly discover this isn't Team Arena. Foolish or impetuous acts will quickly get you killed along with most of your team as well. To seize this village we'll first need to move through a large forest, take out the enemy patrols encountered along the way, and then destroy an enemy anti-aircraft vehicle prior to calling in air support. Sound like fun? Well that's just the beginning! I forgot to mention that halfway through the mission the enemy suddenly launches a surprise counterattack of their own and all our carefully planned mission objectives are changed by headquarters. That is until the radio is shot up and we're left to escape the marauding Red Army alone, armed with only an M16 rifle...

Although Operation Flashpoint isn't going to dethrone the reigning simulation champions in the realism department, one thing it does do better than any other game currently on the market is provide a battlefield atmosphere. The game does this by way of a fascinating graphics engine. Operation Flashpoint doesn't really have "levels" like most other 1st person games. Rather, scenarios take place on portions of very large maps. You'll find no artificial barriers such as invisible walls, impenetrable fog and such. No, in Operation Flashpoint you're free to wander around the whole battlefield if you're so inclined and can spare the time. These battlefields may be islands, but they're plenty big enough to please even a jaded gamer like myself. When I say the battlefields are big, I mean BIG! You can literally jump in a five ton truck and drive down the road for miles and miles without running into any sort of roadblock. Terrain is amazingly well done considering the sheer size and number of trees, bushes, shrubs, rocks etc. There are also many towns and villages with very believable buildings and houses. Some of the buildings can be entered and have separate rooms to explore or defend. A few even have staircases that can be climbed up to a second or even third floor. One castle-like building situated on top of a mountain had at least four or five levels.

Graphics effects throughout the game are crisp and clear. Textures are not near as detailed as a true 1st person shooter like Quake III, but for the most part they are quite good. Lighting is handled very well with lens flair effects for the sun, realistic explosions, tracers, etc. Artillery and missiles light up the night sky and you can also shoot aerial flares in case you need a little more light. Of course night vision goggles are provided for the covert missions when you want to keep a low profile. I have one small quibble here. The resolution of the night vision is fairly grainy and makes them next to useless except for close up work. It's a small complaint and doesn't really detract much from gameplay.

Vehicles and aircraft all look pretty good, although the textures on some look a bit washed out. Probably the best looking unit in the game is the Soviet Hind helicopter. The first time you get a look at this beast flying towards you through binoculars it's a gaming moment to be savored. The developers made sure the individual soldiers got their fair share of graphical detail as well. Animation is slightly above average and soldiers come in many different types and styles. Machine gunners, commandos, officers, vehicle crewmembers, civilians, resistance fighters and plenty more.

Gameplay in Operation Flashpoint is fast and furious, but forces you to use your head as well as watch your ass! This ain't Quake and one bullet or a nearby explosion is often enough to send you to an untimely grave. Firefights can take place at ranges unheard of in other games of this type. This can be a little frustrating and takes some getting used to. Enemy infantry is far more deadly than you may initially expect. They will effectively engage and kill you at rages well over 150 meters. When using small arms such as automatic rifles and machine guns you can switch into a "weapons view" that brings up a useful crosshair appropriate to the weapon type. This certainly makes long ranges encounters easier, but there is a definite learning curve here. Fortunately, the early missions are essentially tutorials that teach you how to make use of all these different weapon types.

Bohemia Interactive really has to be given credit for creating such a large and diverse game environment that is for the most part bug-free. There are some occasional graphics glitches here and there, but I ran into no show stoppers. Installation was straight forward and frame rates were never an issue, even in built up areas with vehicles and aircraft engaged in a massive battle. This has to be one of the most polished products I've seen released in quite a while. Take note developers, this is how you do it right!

Operation Flashpoint does have a few drawbacks. AI is usually pretty good, but sometimes your own forces will do some questionable things such as charging straight at enemy bunkers, etc. More than once I was killed while one of my own men moved right in front of me and blocked my line of fire. Although the missions are very good and each come with detailed maps and briefings, occasionally it can be a bit confusing what you need to do. I was stuck in one mission where I needed to destroy an armored vehicle, but wasn't supplied with any weapons to do so. After much frustration after being killed for the 20th time, I finally discovered a anti-tank weapon on a nearby dead soldier. Night scenarios can also be a bit frustrating at times until you learn to use all of your equipment and movement techniques. The interface for controlling ground vehicle movement is a little twitchy and controlling tanks definitely takes some practice.

Operation Flashpoint comes packaged with a ready to use mission editor. This editor is head and shoulders above the unreliable and pitiable offerings often tagged onto PC games at the last second. The editor has a ton of options and allows the end-user to create scenarios just as complex as any found on the CD. A lively mod community has already sprung up and rumor has it that Bohemia Interactive may soon release a map editor as well. Although the included maps are huge and very well done, a map editor would be a great addition to an already excellent product.