Red Orchestra 3.2 Preview

One of the most popular, if not the most popular, modifications available for Unreal Tournament 2004 is Red Orchestra. This total conversion has been in development for over 3 years now, and has matured with every single release. The latest incarnation of Red Orchestra, titled Combined Arms, even won the Grand Finals of the $1,000,000 NVIDIA Make Something Unreal Contest.

The team behind this successful total conversion is working hard on a new release. We were able to get our hands on one of the internal releases for a hands-on experience, so let us take a look at the new features that the 3.2 patch will bring us.

Expanded arsenal

The MG-42 in action

First of all, Combined Arms 3.2 will bring us the eagerly awaited and oft-demanded MG-42. This German machine gun is a real piece of beauty, accurately spitting out an awesome 1,200 rounds per minute. As with all machine guns in Red Orchestra, the weapon needs to be deployed before it can be used accurately.

Unlike the MG-34 though, the MG-42 can’t be fired from the hip, which can be a disadvantage when encountering an enemy at close range. Once deployed, the MG-42 can accurately spit out an amazing number of bullets, making it the primary choice for defensive fire. In about 6 seconds the MG-42 will rip through an entire box of ammunition. Another 6 seconds is needed for reloading, which is a couple of seconds faster than the MG-34.

Just as the MG-34, the MG-42 uses a system of changeable barrels to ensure its operating quality. Changing these happens rather quickly; in about 7 to 8 seconds the gun is ready to be used again. The barrels cool faster than those on the MG-34 machine guns, making the MG-42 the perfect weapon for sustained fire.

Heavy gear!

The impressive IS-2 heavy tank

In the area of (overpowered) heavy tanks, the German side had a major advantage with the Panther. To balance matters somewhat, version 3.2 introduces the Soviet Iosef Stalin - 2 (IS-2) heavy tank, for those moments when too much fire-power is exactly what you need. This monster is to be operated by two players and features a 122mm high velocity gun which packs an impressive punch, which makes it more than a match to the German Panther. There’s also little-to-no dropdown over a long distance, which is handy for precision bombing.

The tremendous firepower of this tank is somewhat compensated by its sluggish movement and very long reload times. After firing a shell, you have to wait about 22 seconds until a new shell is loaded and ready to be fired. During this time, the tank is vulnerable and it is advised to take cover. All in all, the IS-2 is a great addition to the Soviet side.

Enhanced Bot Support

They run away from nades, but not for tanks :)

One of the main features of this release is the greatly enhanced Bot Support. Finally, players are able to enjoy a decent game of offline practise against AI-driven opponents. Bots will take orders and immediately comply, unlike human players who tend to go their own way most of the time. Another big advantage that bots bring is their fearlessness and they will follow any command, even if it means running into certain death (true to the Russian fighting spirit). Giving orders is simple and intuitive, and you can be sure that the bots will follow your command to the letter.

Most of the time, their behaviour is a lot better than the old bots. They take cover, they run from nades, they try to flank or ambush you. Don’t expect super intelligent behaviour though, they still are and will always be artificial players.

Although they tend to be a lot smarter than the old bots, they are far from perfect. While running to an objective for example, the bots sometimes get stuck while trying to pass through places that are too narrow. They also enter vehicles, but seem to lack the ability to actually use them properly. On several occasions, bots tried to shoot through a wall when enemies came close. But hey, I’ve seen human players do the same thing too. Though the bots may not be perfect, it is a big step in the right direction.

Welcome back to Stalingrad

The Stalingrad railway station...

Seasoned Red Orchestra players will know how intense the battles in Stalingrad could be. On RO-KrasnyiOktyabr, many battles for the Red October factory were fought, and now we can begin to prepare for the second round in this conflict, which is to be fought by the remnants of the same two original forces:

Stalingrad, Russia - 26th December 1942
The German attack is stalled, and with orders not to attempt a break out the 6th army has dug in. The Soviet force arrayed against and surrounding them is the 62nd Army Battle-group “Krasnyi Oktyabr’” – a battle-group made up of survivors of 308 and 264 Rifle Divisions, from earlier battles. The stage is set; all that is left is for the players to decide the outcome of this momentous battle.

This is the setting for RO-StalingradKessel, the new map we can expect in the upcoming 3.2 patch. The battles are fought around a rail yard and many ruined buildings. The layout of the map provides a good game flow, and allows for many intense close combat encounters as well as long range sniping. Each objective has multiple ways to attack it, so defending will require a lot of teamwork. Whenever you think you have found a safe spot to hide and wait for the enemy to come by, you’d better check your back once in a while to make sure no one is ambushing you from an alternative way. This gives the map a tense atmosphere.

The surroundings are very detailed and have a realistic look and the ambient sounds are good and not to overwhelming. The random artillery bombings can be really scary sometimes, especially when you get caught between it. Another quality map that fits the Red Orchestra theme perfectly.

Other tweaks and enhancements

Shellshock

Of course these aren’t the only changes and additions to Red Orchestra 3.2. For example, most of the shooting animation for the pistol, SMG and Semi-automatic arsenal have been reworked. New effects have been added, with the new shellshock effect as the most noticeable addition. Whenever a grenade or shells explodes near you, the whole screens blurs a bit (depending on your distance to the explosion), making it harder to aim or take cover. There’s also the enhanced Voice-over-IP (VoIP) support to add that extra bit of atmosphere to the battlefield. Giving orders and information about enemy positions never has been so easy.

One of the less noticeable changes are the dramatically improved hit detection routines. The hit detection cylinders have been altered to provide the highest level op realism as possible. Don’t be frightened when your aim seems to have gotten worse when playing Red Orchestra 3.2. Keep in mind that you’ll just have to aim more precisely to hit the enemy.

Other changes include an improved scoreboard, tweaks to many of the old maps, and many other little changes that bring Red Orchestra a step closer to being the perfect realism game.

Conclusion

Red Orchestra just oozes quality and professionalism, and I’m sure you’ll be amazed by the sheer quality the 3.2 patch has to offer. The MG-42 adds a new dimension to defensive tactics, the IS-2 provides some over-the-top firepower to cause some serious havoc to the enemy forces, the new map is simply amazing in both design and gameplay, and the enhanced bot support makes the game a lot more enjoyable for the 56k users amongst us. It’s amazing to see how Red Orchestra continues its quest to become the most perfect WW2 realism game ever. Or should I say WW2 simulation?