Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising Preview

Weapons are understandably another essential component of the game. Next to vehicles, each team gets to brandish several types of light and heavy firearms. If you’re playing with the Joint Ops team, you will be allowed to use the following weapons: M16, M4, Mark 19, SAW and many others. Indonesian forces, on the other hand, are equipped with stuff like RPG's, PKM's, and, of course, the indispensable Assault Kalashnikov’s, also known as AK-47 and AK-74’s. There’s a praiseworthy variety of combat situations, which will make every primary and secondary weapon helpful along the way. To add a bit more flavor to the gameplay, your characters are allowed to use mortars, anti-vehicle weapons, stationary gun turrets, etc.

Crap, is this the right road?

OK, men! This is it! Lock’n’load!

Both single-player and multiplayer maps were designed, using NovaLogic’s revamped Delta Force: Black Hawk Down engine (which, by the way, previously powered Comanche 4). NovaLogic is looking to enhance the surroundings as much as possible, by adding many details such as abundant wildlife; ya know, plants, trees, and so on. A cool moment is that most trees can be knocked down and even climbed. Additionally, dense undergrowth is spread throughout the map, authentically portraying the rough and wild ambiance of the jungle. Every plant, shrub, and flower sways gently in the wind and bends as you pass along. The cool thing is that the jungle thicket is not there merely to provide a convincing in-game atmosphere. Actually, once the going gets tough, your squad can often rely on the rich underbrush to hide and set up ambushes for enemy soldiers. (Just like in the good old voxel-powered Delta Force games! - Ed.) Players will also come to appreciate what the developers did with the water effects. As you know, water is not always transparent and sparkly (the kind of unrealistically gleaming water you can see in most 3D games nowadays). Water surfaces in Joint Operations will have a slight degree of murkiness and will differ according to the surroundings. So, as you venture through the regions of Indonesia, you’ll see stuff like sludgy jungle rivers, muddy ponds, etc. Water, of course, is a vital component of gameplay as well. Much like the rest of the environment, it can also be used for concealing your team from unfriendly eyes. Be warned though, there are many ways to expose your position inadvertently. For instance, the sound of gunfire will disturb the birds, making it easier for enemies to pinpoint your location.

NovaLogic added several additional features to their BHD engine. Amongst the aforementioned environmental effects, this enhanced technology denotes a new-fangled dynamic lighting system, which should help immerse players even deeper into gameplay. For one thing, all maps have day and night cycles, exhibiting bona fide sunrises and sunsets. From the looks of things this presents the pinnacle of the game’s visual appeal. Shadows will also shift to correspond with the sun’s position, making the experience even more enjoyable. During the day, your character’s vision can sometimes be obstructed by the sudden glare of the sun. When this happens, the screen will become blurry for a few seconds, until normal vision is restored. Clearly, the designers went all out to exploit most of the game’s technology, incorporating its facets deep into the gameplay itself. As night draws nearer, it will be more difficult to spot opponents. The new lighting, however, can be of some use in these situations. Reckless troops who open fire could easily give away their position, due to sudden flashes that illuminate the nearby area. Consequently, the enemy could discern everything from your face to the color of your uniform. There are a few items that are of great use once night ensues. To improve vision gamers might want to consider using the ITPIAL infrared sensor, which is attached to the standard issue M-4 rifle.

That’s about all the info and media we could score at this time. Going through all of the game’s features, we have reason to believe it has a very strong chance of becoming a steady competition for upcoming games like Battlefield Vietnam and Soldner: Secret Wars. We were slightly disheartened when we heard the game had been pushed back for release in Q2 2004. Hopefully, this will give them enough time to polish all single-player and multiplayer facets before the game hits stores. Building upon a solid technology, and dedicated to the traditions of Delta Force: Black Hawk Dawn, NovaLogic strives to leave a significant mark in the industry with this one.

We’ll keep you posted as to developments.