Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

[Shawn Zipay]

Well, looks like the embargo for press has been lifted for Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad. This means that all new shots are able to be released, all of these below courtesy of yours truly. Keep checking back for more as we have some 70 shots to upload, so the gallery WILL be expanding.



[spoil=Exclusive screenshots for Red Orchestra 2]

Shots of the menus that some have requested:

[/spoil]

New shots (ignore the shadow issue on the tank shots, this is a known issue and is already addressed in internal builds):
[spoil=CLICK HERE to see more shots featuring tanks, gore, etc.]

[/spoil]

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

Shots of the menus that some have requested:

[spoil=menu shots] [/spoil]

[Cinco Hanscom]

these are awesome. the amount of work that went into this is glaringly obvious. these are perhaps the most detailed first and third person animations i've ever seen for a shooting game. one small criticism: the germans are too skinny. there's almost not sag or to their clothing. i don't think german uniform tailors were that precise.

[Cinco Hanscom]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

other crits:

germans are missing their mantels. if this was done for gameplay purposes so players can distinguish between friend and foe, please reconsider, as i don't think that's necessary. the soviet uniforms were more of an earth tone despite weathering. the running animations themselves should be enough as well.

some of the buildings do not look like they are surrounded by debris, they look like they've been merely snowed in. i think if you put large jagged fragments of walls protruding from the mounds surrounding the buildings, it would look better, and appear less clean.

univermag's interior is also too clean. there should be coat racks standing and toppled, as well as wood cabinets and closets.

[SgtMattBaker]

Zips, I know you've been testing the game and obviously talking to some community members.Would you mind asking if someone is using a 9600gt 512mb and at what settings are they running the game?.

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

Zips, I know you've been testing the game and obviously talking to some community members.Would you mind asking if someone is using a 9600gt 512mb and at what settings are they running the game?.

I just heard from an internal tester that you can probably run on "Low". If your CPU is like, any good at all, you MAY be able to run on medium.

[Anarchy1]

Do you have any videos as well? The screenshots all look wonderful.

[Shawn Zipay]

New shots (ignore the shadow issue on the tank shots, this is a known issue and is already addressed in internal builds):
[spoil=CLICK HERE to see more shots featuring tanks, gore, etc.]

[/spoil]

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

Do you have any videos as well? The screenshots all look wonderful.

Sorry, we aren't allowed to take videos. TWI is working on releasing some trailers soon.

[Cinco Hanscom]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

Some observations:

-Russian collar tab has been fixed to display the correct pink color.
-Germans have at least three varieties of head toques. 1 displays entire face, 2 sags down to the tip of the nose, 3 covers up to the middle of the nose.
-Guards badge and General assault badge displayed on right and left breast pocket, respectively.

Well done, the attention to detail is astonishing.

[Cinco Hanscom]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

Since there is a lull in screenshot posting, I'll just post my thoughts on the game. Right now, I can only concentrate on what I can see and infer. And it is breathtaking.

The character artists are geniuses. Just one example: Whoever worked on the soviet tanker helmet has a keen understanding of how to maximize detail within an efficient polgyon budget. The design of the high polygon sculpt accentuates the volume of the padding and the undulations of the fabric perfectly.

The normal mapping on the arms of the German soldiers is exceptionally well done. Whoever did it likely has a studious mind, and I would imagine has caressed the fabric over and over again for intimate understanding. The way the material bunches up along the sleeves reflects exactly its real world behavior. You will NEVER find this level of attention to detail anywhere else. In the entirety of the call of duty series, and the dozen or so games developed for the franchise on both PC and console, their uniforms were never worked over in this way, instead they scanned it and then optimized it using mannequins. That is why their normal maps give their midget models the appearance of crumpled up cardboard.

Certainly, by itself, the character models and props in RO2 are works of genius, but in comparison to other[lesser] works, they are God-like. I certainly hope the larger video game industry as represented by no talent hacks like EA, UBIsoft and Activision takes a break from their typical stupidity and recognizes these artists and give them as many opportunities to further their careers. But if Tripwire wants to hold on to them, that would be very shrewd as well. Why give up the best when you can have it for yourself?

There is one criticism, however, and that is the overly angular and box-like nature of magazine pouches. A very tiny thing indeed, but nonetheless a consideration.

ps My praise of the character artists is in no way meant to diminish the environment, programming, effects and other departments, as they complement each other and produce what is visually, aesthetically, audio and gameplay-wise, the most revolutionary and evolutionary videogame in existence.

Special acknowledgment to Zips for sharing these screenshots.

[Cinco Hanscom]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

In essence, RO2 being revealed to the game enthusiast community is a reminder of how hollow and worthless the video game industry has become. It's a story of a shining beacon of hope in a big black mire of giant conglomerate assholes making a monopoly by feeding crap to the masses, with the masses gargling the shit and smiling. They get away with in part because the consumer doesn't know any better, and in part because they are masters of media and manipulation, dazzling the average person with spectacles and illusions, all bereft of true substance. But in most part, the consumer simply doesn't care anymore. So what if you buy Mcdonalds every once in awhile right? Yet unlike fastfood, where it's cheap, the crap produced by Activision is more expensive than the gourmet meal from the culinary masters[Tripwire]. And they'll charge you extra for fries[paid-DLCs] for around 35 percent of the price of the meal. Whereas the gourmet chef will give you endless breadsticks for free [Free-DLCs]. The worst thing is, they know they'll make a profit even if it is cheap, like Mcdonalds, they have more than enough customers to rake in the cash, yet they try to pull crap with hundred dollar collector editions, and raising the standard price from a comfortable 50[already pushing it tbh] to a vomit inducing 60 dollars. Get this through your thick skulls, dumb fucks, they're ripping you off, stupid.

This isn't about subjectivity and platitudes "whatever floats your boat", or people who think money grows on trees so it's ok if they throw it into a pit of fire, this is a real problem of the industry gorging itself to death on its own stupidity, lack of talent, and corporate-mindedness that sacrifices quality and vision for profit. The fact that RO2 surfaces these anxieties in me shows how powerful it is. It doesn't matter if RO2 turns out to be a disappointment[When pigs fly], a disappointment from Tripwire is a hundred times better than the 95% Meta-scoring[mass stupidity driven ratings], triple A[CEOs pocketting 50 percent of the profit], award winning titles[Rigged reviews]from UBIsoft or Activision.

Meanwhile...Bioware is asking people what hair color they prefer for their pretend lady RPG character to give them an illusion of control...which will surely be missing from its corridor shooting, loaded question dialog option-having, QTE infested rail action...durr, slash RPG, hur hur...game

I also have a problem with the developers of Deus Ex taking A LOT of liberties, but their pricing is somewhat fair in principle. Also, their character models are anatomically ridiculous.

Tripwire is the only non-simulation based game company I can give money to. This wasn't the case prior to 2003. I suspect this change has come about due to "investors", "ceos" and "presidents" who have no idea what games are about, but want to get in on the money train during the golden era of game design. if you ask any of these dum dums what they think a game is about they'll give you their simplistic "fun" and "needs awesome button" answers. If you want "fun" or a "waste of time" go fly a kite near a cliff, train tracks, or a shooting range. vision, creativity and artistry. that is what real game development requires.

Note: I am not ranting nor am I insane, I'm just providing some context and so people have the proper perspective on the monumental scale of Tripwire's achievement.

[The_Eliminator]

I know you cant tell everything from screenshots but am i the only one who thinks the GFX look dated? I also understand the GFX doesnt make good gameplay im just mearly making the point.

[Infernalis]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

Thanks for the screenshots! And I agree with you Cinco Hanscom (even if you look like a maniac with the clothes thing ).

[Anarchy1]

Re: Exclusive: New Red Orchestra 2 Screenshots

I know you cant tell everything from screenshots but am i the only one who thinks the GFX look dated? I also understand the GFX doesnt make good gameplay im just mearly making the point.

Extremely outdated. But it's nice to see a company focusing on gameplay with a complete disregard to graphics for once (CoD would fit in the same category if they worked on gameplay). Although honestly, I did expect a bit more from UE3.

I'll await videos before I make a decision to buy. They obviously don't care about profits with this media lockdown