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January 2005 to June 14th 2005
 BF2-DEMO LIKES & DISLIKES "Part 2"
14, June 2005   Review - by Bama

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I reminded you this review is on the BF2 Demo only and are my first thoughts on the game play and the features of the game as provided by the demo. I'm sure with the release of the retail version in 7 days, and more personal game play I will have a reason to review again.

First from part 1 below I would have to up my rating on the fixed stinger performance.  I have seen several players hold a lock on a target, and shoot down fast moving jet aircraft that are trying to evade the lock.  Also I notice you must keep a line of sight on the target or the lock will be lost.

After playing quite a bit yesterday I think this review will take a "Part 3" to complete.   I also noticed many more things I liked about the game, but my option still holds on the Helicopters, they suck.  The jet aircraft I need to work with some more, it seems a few players are doing quite well with them.

Ground-Pounding Combat:  This is where BF2 shines, and after only a couple of days of playtime it starts to come across to this writer and a lot of old DC players just how much it does shine.  DICE put a lot of work into the ground combat aspect of BF2, and it's starting to become a lot of fun playing the ground-pounder rolls.  There is so much to talk about here, so bare with me.  We will start off with the kit choices, and rather than get into all sides I will just use the USMC seeing how all others have the equivalent weapons. I also will not get into to much detail on everyone.

The order of choice is:
  1. Special Forces: Car-15 with Laser-sight, Silenced Beretta, C-4 Explosives, Grenades, Knife.
  2. Sniper: M-? Bolt-action scoped Rifle, Silenced Beretta, Claymore Mines, Grenades, Knife.
  3. Assault: M-16 with 40mm Grenade-Launcher, Beretta, Smoke-Grenade, Knife.
  4. Support:  "SAW" Squad-Automatic Weapon, Beretta, Ammo Re-Supply, Grenades, Knife.
  5. Engineer: Pump Shotgun, Beretta, Anti-Tank Mines, Repair Wrench, Knife.
  6. Medic: M-16, Beretta, Med-Packs, Defribulator, Grenades, Knife.
  7. Anti-Tank: MP-5, Beretta, Laser-Guided Anti-Tank Missile, Knife.  "Stingers?"

The Special Forces kit has one major function, and that's the C-4 is the only thing in the game which will destroy the Enemy Commanders Artillery.  So this kit is very important if the player uses it for this purpose, if he does not then he's killing his team mates, and could cost the game.  It takes two C-4 packs to kill the arty, and any armor vehicle. The Car-15 is a very good weapon, but its only accurate if you use the laser-sight.   The Silenced Beretta rocks, and everyone will need to work on his Grenade throwing and Knife skills in all the kits.

The Sniper kit is one which I have very little experience using, but from what I have heard the head shot is much harder to get in BF2.

The Assault kit is another one I have not used much, but from my little experience the M-16 is quite accurate, and 40mm Grenade-Launcher will take some work to gain skill in it's use.  One smoke Grenade, what in the world is it for, and why only one.

The Support kit is by and far one of the most important kits in BF2, for with out it you can not re-supply your ammo.  The Support Trooper can drop ammo packs, or just stand next to you with one to replenish your ammo.  This kit comes with the SAW, a full-auto light machinegun with 200 round boxed belts. The SAW is not accurate in anything but the prone position and then only in short burst, it also over heats quickly if you hold down the trigger.

The Engineer kit I do not have much experience with, but it's a must for a tanker to have one close by.  The shotgun is a great close in killing weapon, but you better stay hidden until the enemy gets close.  Anti-vehicle mines will play another important role, but the Engineer Trooper needs to work on his mine laying skills.

The Medic kit is again one of the main kits, and every squad needs at least one if not two of them. remember this guy is the only thing that can fix you up on the battlefield.  He can drop med-packs or just stand next to you, and if he gets to you quickly after your killed he can revive you with his Defribulator, and this is one great feature. the Medic is armed with a M-16 that shoots 3-round burst and is very accurate from the kneeling & prone position. Try using the iron sights.

The Anti-Tank kit, my favorite of all the kits.  He's armed with a laser-guided anti-tank missile that once fired all you have to do is keep your left mouse button pressed then keep your sight on the target, and that's even if the target is moving.  As long as you have visual sight with your weapon the missile will track right to the target, and that will also work on low, slow flying helicopters. His 9mm MP-5 is good from the kneeling and prone positions in short burst.  All this kit needs is just two "please" hand-held Stingers.


So What's Next?
The big thing here is simple, you can have all the best weapons in the world, but if your not in a working squad with all the main kits together your screwed.  I spent all yesterday working with the same three squad members, and to put it simply we started to rock harder with each game. We selected a couple of flags that were ours and we spent each game going between the two as each was threatened.  This was our kit layout, I was Special Forces with the c-4, one of us was a Medic, which we used his favors on a regular bases. Another was Support, and again he was constantly re-supplying us with ammo, and his SAW was great at killing boats trying to land on the beach.  The 4th member had his choice of the other kits, and I think he switched up on kits a number of times.  My C-4 was used many, many times keeping the enemy Commander's Arty blown to hell.

So what am I really talking about in the above paragraph?  If you don't know then you had better go back to BF1942, yes, the Squad based system of BF2, and it rocks.  This feature alone will make the game best shooter of the year.  The squad feature forces players to join a squad, but still only the quality of the player will make a difference to the squad.  Just because your in a squad along with several others does not mean success, the squad members must be savvy skilled players who know how to communicate.  My suggestion here is to play with the same few squad members all the time, and after awhile each will know every members moves as if the squad were one player.  The Clan community will take to the squad feature like a duck to water, and I pity the loaners on each server for they will take one hell of a licking.

The one thing I have not worked with as yet is the in-game VOIP.  Our group has been using Team Speak for our squad communications, but rest assure I will get to it.  I could cover much, much more in the Ground Combat of BF2, but I will not at least for now.  How do I rate the kits and the small Squad team system?  Bare in mind I will get deeper into the overall Team system in "Part 3".

Ground Combat:

The Kits: 8   "Not having handheld stingers for one kit keeps this from a 10"
The Single Squad: 10
Ground-Pounding Combat: 9

Part 3 , hell I'm waiting till I play the Full Game.

 
 GAMESPY LOCKS OUT DCBB BF2 SERVER
13, June 2005   Notice - by Bama
The BF2 Demo, which the in game join-servers interface is controlled by GameSpy.com has locked the DCBB BF2 Demo Server from the join page.  We like 99% of all the players do not like a dumb 12 minute time limit.  Twelve minutes is just way to short of a time period to immerse yourself into the game experience.   What were DICE & EA thinking?  It seems like they are just plain trying to piss off the community, and I'm sure GameSpy is acting on their orders.  keep the community happy and rake in the cash, don't and risk loosing how many millions.  I know this is a small thing, but small things have a way of turning into much bigger issues.  All I have to say is Screw GameSpy, The DCBB will keep it's server with no time limit for the next week when the retail version hits the shelves, but we will not forget. 
 BF2-DEMO LIKES & DISLIKES "Part 1"
13, June 2005   Review - by Bama

Have a Say on This Article --> Comments
The BF2 Demo has been out for a couple of days now, and after I have my say I would love everyone's comments on the Game.  Let me qualify my observations by saying I do not play BF1942, I play only Desert Combat, and DC_Final so some of my negative observations on the demo are because playing a great mod for over 2 years.

First off let me say DICE did a great job with the game engine and network code.  The graphics are awesome on high detail & high resolution, however the detail of all the spawn equipment is not so detailed.  A main battle tank in Desert Combat has much better detail as does all the other equipment in DC.  What I am reminded of here is the BFV spawn equipment just not as bad.  This lack of sharper detail gives the game a cartoonist look and feel which we could have done without.  Could this lack of detail been a network issue?  As we all know the more detail the more rendering and the more load on the networking. If that's the case then I understand, but could it have been the same modeler who made the BFV crap? If so then they need to fire the dude.  As to the net play, well it's smooth, they did a fantastic job here with no real graphics lag at all.  Even while DICE & EA state the minimum requirements to play the game is a 1.7mhz computer we have Clan Members playing on a lot less, like a 1.2mhz gamer.  These low end gamers still have a decent video card, i.e. like a ATI 9800 Pro, and they have settings set to a lower quality, but they can play.

Ratings Are By a Desert Combat Player and rated From 1 to 10.

Spawn Equipment Detail: 5
Overall Graphics: 9
Network Code: 10

Lets talk Air Combat & Anti-air Combat.  Lets go to the helicopters first.  Just as I had predicted months ago it's BFV all over again with the easy baboonish flying, lousily maneuvering worthless excuse for helicopters.  Simply put, they are a flying coffin with little or no use as a team asset.

Fixed-Wind Aircraft: Here DICE came much closer to a DC aircraft as far as maneuverability goes, that is if you can figure out how to set it up in the air options, which is no small feat.   There are two major negatives with the fixed-wing aircraft that I think takes away from the game. One is the very slow forward thrust, and very little ability to slow down.  The lag between hitting your forward or backwards button is ridiculous.  Because of this it's very hard to line up on a ground target, and this takes away from the game play.  Why the lag on these keys? 

While the ceiling is fine for the helicopters, the ceiling set for the jet aircraft is to low for maneuvering in a heated dog fight. This most defiantly needs to be increased somewhat.

Now I know all the old BF1942 Prop Pilots have not used this next feature which is not included in BF2, but for all the many thousands of DC players it's a major issue.  Where is the freaking radar?  These jets move very fast and with out radar and the ability to hear them your flying around blind. This brings up another problem, the sound when your flying is so damn loud it's impossible to hear even your Team mates on VOIP.  The weapons systems seem good and will take some work to become proficient with them.  I'm talking about the bombing, and the TV guided missiles here, however the heat-seeking sidewinder missiles are pretty much useless against anyone but the pure Newbie.

Anti-Air Defense:  I know this is the demo and we have not seen everything as yet, but I do know the heat-seeking Stingers are worthless against anyone who knows how to fly a fixed-wing aircraft.   Any good Pilot can out maneuver a stinger with no problem whatsoever and no need for flares.  While all of the heat-seeking missiles look cool they can't hit crap,  I prefer the ones non-guided from DC which rely on the skill of the Pilot.
 Where are the personal stingers, like the Armies of today don't use them, duh?  I also hope and pray they have anti-air guns in the Retail Version, and if not then that's a major screw up. The only one in the Demo was the Phoenix on the Aircraft Carrier which did a decent job, and the only thing I saw able to shoot down a good pilot.

Helicopters: 2
Fixed-Wing: 7
Overall Air Combat: 5

Anti-Air Missiles: 2
Sidewinder Air to Air: 2
Anti-Air Guns: n/a
Overall Anti-Air Combat: 2

I'll continued this review of the BF2 Demo tomorrow covering ground combat, personal weapons, vehicles, and fixed weapon emplacements. I will also cover the new Team system as a whole, and the squad and commander system.  Anti-Hacking and Punk Buster will also be covered.  It seems that the Demo has already been hacked, see http://forum.eagames.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=725
 DCBB BF2  64-Slot Server
8, June 2005   Article - by Bama
The DCBB on or about June 22nd, the expected release date of BF2 will be offering for public play a new BF2 64-slot server.  This server by rtgn.com will be a 3.2ghz box located at "The Planet" in Dallas Texas, and will be dedicated to only one BF2 64-slot server.   No other BF2 servers will run on this dedicated Box allowing the 3.2ghz processor to concentrate only on this one 64-slot BF2 server.   This should allow for much smoother game play with a full server of 64 players.  The selection of the Dallas location along with "The Planet's" state of art server farm should  allow most players across the country and Canada to have decent ping times to the server.

The new server will not in any way be connected with EA Games or it's stats recording feature.  The DCBB would hope to be involved at such time EA Games decides to expand this feature to some of the responsible members of the BF2 Clan community.  Why not lease this server from EA to avail ourselves of this feature?  Simple, the DCBB along with almost 100% of the Clan community is not willing to pay twice the server price in order to record stats to a central database.  The Clan Community of any game has in the past, and will continue in the future to provide 99% of all on-line game servers.  Also a stat-whore is just that, a stat-whore, and can become so involved with his stats that he ceases to be a good team player.  My understanding is while playing on a non-EA stat recording servers each player will still have their stats recorded to his/her own BF2 game files for their own personal evaluation.

We will of course announce when the new 64-slot BF2 server is up and running along with the Server Name & IP address.  The DCBB hopes you will enjoy it's use and play by the posted server rules.  In other words don't be a Smackard!
 THE DCBB, DESERT COMBAT, & BF2
2, June 2005   Article - by Bama
The BF1942 & Desert Combat Community are just a few day away from the release of the BF2 demo, and just 3 weeks away from the full BF2 release. The release of BF2 could not have come at a better time unless it had of been several months ago. If you have been paying attention to the on-line activity of BF1942 and Desert Combat "both versions" you have seen a major decrease in play over the last several months. When I first started playing over two years ago there were over 20,000 players on-line at any given time of day, and a good 7 or 8 thousand were playing Desert Combat. Today, well go see for yourself, but the numbers are very small, Desert Combat is running between 300 and 500 players. There are still a lot of servers up and running with over 2000, but most all of them are empty. It is said all things have a beginning and all things have an end. All I can say here is, if BF2 had been extended another six months there might not have been be a community remaining.

The DCBB has been lucky in the fact we have had one 50 slot server which for some unknown reason has remained mostly full. The strange thing is that it runs only one map, and that map is El Alamein .70, not DC_Final. Every time we change it up some what, like running a rotation of El Alamein DC_Final along with .70 the numbers go way down. If we try and screw with it even more it goes to no play at all. So for now anyway we will keep the EL 24/7 .70 server up and running EL .70 even after BF2 is released. We also will keep a couple of our other DC_Final servers running for mainly TWL matches and Clan Scrimmages.

As for DCBB BF2 servers "RTGN.COM"  we are planning on setting up several servers ASAP upon the release of the Demo and the full version. They will be public servers and everyone is welcome to play on them. As always we will not put up with any kind of smackard crap, and as most everyone knows all Full DCBB Members have Admin. rights. As for what maps, the size of the maps we will be running we will be experimented with them in the beginning.

Will the DCBB use Modifications on it's BF2 servers? Most likely we will at some point because old Desert Combat players like a little more realism, and better physics in certain vehicles, which the vanilla BF2 will be lacking. As to what Mod we will use, that's still up to the Modder's, but the one that builds the best, the quickest, and knows how to promote their mod to the BF2 Community will come out on top. The old left behinds from the Desert Combat mod, and the makers of DC_Final should have the edge, but if they move to slow, and don't promote it the right way they could fail miserably. They like all Modder's should always remember it's not necessarily making the best mod that counts.  There were several great mods made for BF1942 that never made it.  Like any product no matter how great it might be, it must be marketed to even have a chance to be successful.

Over the next several months we will know the answers to many of our today's questions, but until some time has passed, and many hours of playtime experienced we will not know what direction we as players and Clans will go. The only thing I do know is that we are all in for a very exciting time.
 PUNK BUSTER's SERVER-SIDE MD5Tool
6, May 2005 Announcement - by Bama
If you have been kicked from a server and received a message something like this: [PUNK BUSTER VIOLATION (MD5TOOL) #9002: =AW=Hacker (slot #6) MD5Tool Mismatch: Mods\DesertCombat\Archives\OBJECTS.rfa, then keep reading.

Last week we installed Punk Buster's MD5Tool on several of our servers including the DCBB EL 24/7 .70 server. What does the MD5Tool do? This Tool from Punk Buster does a Check-Sum on certain files on each players hard drive, and if the size of the files do not match the original official file it will kick that player each time he joins. The MD5Tool also checks for files that should not be in certain folders of your BattleField 1942 install. Why do we need to use the MD5Tool? In resent months there has been an alarming increase in players who have changed certain settings on these files which allow them to have an in-game advantage, in other words their hacking.

The MD5Tool is not perfect when it comes to reading all players. If you know you do not hack your game files I suggest you first check and see if you have another application running or process in the background that could be effecting BF1942. If this does not help then try a compleat new install of the Game and all mods. We just recently found one problem, it was kicking all players running a MAC Gamer. We now have that problem solved and MAC Players can now join without getting booted out for MisMatch files. It's a shame we have to use the MD5Tool, and it's even a bigger shame we must have Punk Buster, but with out them we would soon have an unplayable game because of all the Asswipe Cheaters. Lastly if you should find anything that effects a false MD5Tool read please report it to me ASAP.
 RECRUITMENT HAS STARTING AGAIN
2, May 2005 Announcement - by Bama
The DCBB will again start excepting applications for membership on Wednesday May 4th, 2005. An Addendum To the Membership Rules called "DCBB Recruit Requirements & Information" will be posted by Wednesday on the DCBB Membership Forum. All applicants are expected to read & remember every requirement of membership as well as all other rules and regulations of membership including Server rules. All applications will be reviewed and either accepted or rejected. If an application is accepted the applicant will be asked to meet on Team Speak with two or more of the DCBB Council Members. This is an interview where you will be asked questions about your gaming, and other non game related questions about yourself and your real life. This is simple, we wish to get a feel of who you are, and to determine if you could become a good Brother. This will be a casual meeting in a private channel on our Team Speak, no set questions are asked, we expect you to just be yourself. We do expect you to know the rules and what is expected of you if we accept you as a DCBB Recruit. Do not send us an application if you have not read and understand the rules of membership.

Depending on the response there could be a monthly quota established. We do not wish to recruit more than we can efficiently work with, and acclimate into the Brotherhood each month. GL.  The RECRUITMENT (Addendum To Membership Rules) & the DCBB Membership Application Form will be linked here on Wednesday morning. Ok we are now open for accepting Apps for membership.
 CALLING ALL TANKERS
27, March 2005 Announcement - by Bama
Today players of Desert Combat have become more specialized in combat roles than ever before.  We have players who only fly fighters, or bombers, and players who have perfected helicopters to their fullest.  We have players who can Scud you at any location on any map with a Scud. The same is true for the MLRS and Rocket Truck.  Others specialize in anti-air, while still others have perfected sneaking to almost pure invisibility.  Then we have the Pure Tanker, and the Arty-whore.  Tanking is what this article is all about.

On this day the DCBB has placed for your tanking pleasure a 24/7 DC-Final pure tanking only server on-line.  The server is called "DCBB TANKS 24/7" and it's located at IP:70.84.43.198.  Only two maps will be rotated on the server, 73 Easting & Aberdeen, and each map will run once then move on to the next.  The only rules are no TKing and no smackards.  Of Course any hint of a hack will be dealt with quickly. Anything else is ok by the DCBB Admin's.  However, anyone that has been banned from our EL Alamein 24/7 server is also Banned from playing on the Tank Server.  If you have been banned, and you wish to play on the Tank server then contact me or [DCBB]Whodat via PM on our Forums.

If you have any suggestions to help make this a great Tanking Server please post it on our "DCBB Servers Forum".  One other thing, If you can Mod, I would love to place a Dustbowl with no air at all on the Tank server.  A No-Air Dustbowl would rock as a pure Tank Map. Enjoy!
 
 


Click For Large Pic.

  
  The new DCBB Load Screen when entering an Armor Map.  This graphic replaced the DC_Tanks.tga in the menu.rfa of Desert Combat. Sorry gang it's for DCBB pleasure only.  

UPDATE: DC DustBowl has been added to the rotation.  There is No Air in the map, each main base starts off with 10 main battle tanks.  2 Tow-Hummers added to Red Main base, and flags 2 & 3 spawn Tow-Hummers for both Red & Blue.  Quite a number have played it and all agree it's one fun map for tanking.
 RECRUITMENT FREEZE IN EFFECT
 8, March 2005 Announcement - by Bama
As of yesterday March 7th the DCBB Council has placed a freeze on all recruitment of new members into the DCBB.  Since the first of this year we have added over 20 new members and the Council feels that we need to take some time to work with all the new members.  So in order to give all of our new People the attention needed, and the full benefit of our training and knowledge of the game no new membership applications will be accepted.  Any Players who now have an Interest of becoming a Member, or have already sent in an application are welcome to apply or reapply starting in May.  Sorry for any inconvenience on your part, but this is something we have to do.
The DCBB Is No Longer On The 10 ~vs~ 10 TWL Ladder!
26, February 2005 Article - by Bama
After many games played in the 10 ~vs~ 10 TWL Desert Combat ladder the DCBB Council has voted to remove the Brotherhood from this ladder. The DCBB is all for completive Clan battles, but when it ceases to be fun then we must move on. What happened to the fun? The DCBB is not a new Clan, we have been around for almost 2 years now and have many Clan Battles under our belt, and we have had a lot of fun until the last few months. It use to be that the winning team in a clan battle were just a tad more skilled, or they worked harder getting ready for the battle, or they just plain wanted the win more than the other team, and that was fun. This is not so any longer, it seems that the even-playing-field we used to play on is not so even any more. So when it matters no longer how skilled your players are, how many hours you practice, or how bad you want the win and you can't win because the deck has been stacked, and because there is no way to win then it's time to leave.

So you say: What is he eluding to here?   (Continued)
 
Today's Cheaters, Their Hacks, and Our BF1942 Community
20, February 2005 Editorial - by Bama
Well shame on me, but someone needed to talk about this.
 
There is Game Hacking, then there is Game Hacking. I have been playing on-line 1st person shooters for almost 10 years now starting with dos games using Kali in late 1995. From my very first experience in on-line gaming through today there has always been people who cheat, players who's low self-esteem make them want to fine that easy way to make themselves think the're good at the game. So from the very beginning of on-line gaming we have had hacks, players who change the game code to allow such things as invulnerability, faster firing of weapons, more powerful weapons, and many others things that give their inadequate personality a rush.

It's a shame that so many people today have such low morals, and such poor values in their real world lives. Yes, this starts in our real world lives, and seeing it on-line in the form of game cheating is just scratching the surface of what it really means in our American society. Point: If you cheat in an on-line computer game then you will cheat in school, in business, on your wife, and worst of all you will cheat your self.
   (Continued)
DCBBCLAN.COM  Web Site IS Closed!
10, February 2005 Announcement
Our new PHP Nuke Web Site is now Closed for a complete rebuild.  This old site will remain up until further notice along with the old forum.  This forum works and people can join without a problem.

Everyone who registered on the old Forum  will be able to log-in at the  using your old log-in and pass-word.  Any one who wishes to join the forum may do so now. Sorry for the inconvenience.

NOTE: We're still having problems with the new Nuke web site.  The registration of new members does not work at all along with a number of other things.  We are back using this old web site and Forum until we work out all the problems.  Most likely we will be starting over from scratch on the Nuke site.
Membership Form.
THE OLD YEAR ENDS, 2005 BEGINS
01, January 2005 Announcement
Enter the new year, and out with the old!  That's the way it's always been each year since time began, or at least since we had a calendar.   The old year of 2004 was a great year for the DCBB, which saw such things as the great merger with Dude's American Rebels, and the DCBB entrance into TWL ladder play.  Many new members came into the Brotherhood, and some Brothers were lost, moving on with their lives, and other endeavors.  Friendships were made, some of which will last a life time, and all will have memories of that will never fade.

The Brotherhood, The Desert Combat Band of Brothers, the DCBB a work still in progress even after 2 years will continue into the new year, but it will go with new leadership.  The last of the original 3 founders has retired from service effective as of today January 1st 2005.  Bama, the old dude, has fought the good fight, but even the old dude must sooner or later move on, and that time has come.  The DCBB is left in good hands, with Falcon, Piss_Ant, ILLGUNZ, Steve, Dude, and MK_Defender.   Dude should now be considered the main man, with all his knowledge of servers, the money he's donated, and his leadership skills.  Continue on my Brothers, make me proud.

Crap!  I can't retire, who would do all the mundane BS work around here to keep this Clan afloat?  Answer: No One.  So I guess I'll hang around awhile longer.  Happy New Year!
New DCBB Web Site
30, November 2004 Announcement
Within the next week or so this web address will be forwarded to our new web site at www.dcbbclan,com.  You will still be able to reach our web site using the old domain name, however some of the links on this site will not work, only the index page.  Of course this all depends on how I set it up.

The new DCBB web site will be a PHPNUKE web with all the bells and whistles to include virtual War.  I'm hoping the new web will take the load off myself, and enable each member to input his own profile information, and with V-War it should be much easer to keep up with Clan matches, TWL, Cal, and simple scrimmages.  Once it's up and running we will still be tweaking and adding features, so this is the time for any suggestions from the Membership.  Everyone can thank [DCBB]Dude for the new web, he's paying for it.  Well, I did pay for the domain name. 

OLD NEWS 2004 | OLD NEWS 2003