The development process of Squad, commercial heiress Project Reality, passed quite predictably to some time. Already repeatedly compared the debut of the Canadian studio Offworld Industries with creations from the masters of large -scale tactical shooters – Bis and Dice. Squad descriptions often skip in user reviews, as something between the Battlefield arcadeity, and the complexity of ARMA. A kind of compromise, devoid of a little of that, a little of this, but has a concentrate of ideas and concepts Project Reality.

Genesis

Let most fighters among the virtual fields of the battles of Squad and its pedigree is unknown, the difficulties in comprehending the intricacies of the local battles sometimes even experience the assault on the underground fortifications Kozelsk’a. Squad was the first independent project, deeply leaving roots in the Project Reality gaming mechanics. However, the legacy of the painstaking work of more than a dozen models have already tried to transfer to new rails. An attempt to introduce the concept of Project Reality into the ARMA2 space of ARMA2 did not give special results, and the undertaking with ARMA3 ordered to live long. An ambitious project called "Project Reality 2" also took place. In 2010, Project Reality developers have acquired a license of the C4 Engine game engine. After some time, it was decided to find more modern "digital gears". Since mid -2012, the development of a full -fledged sequel was conducted by a small team based on Cryengine 3. Having caused genuine interest from the regulars of the forum, PR2 was a little noisy on various resources, and quietly went into the shadows. Specific reasons for the attenuation of such an ambitious jerk from the mod to a full -fledged game were not called. Once a message on Reddit on the inconsistency of the team’s actions, about the willfulness of the project management, and so on in this spirit, surfaced. Nevertheless, the official statement of cancellation of the development of Project Reality 2 was not there and no.

It just so happened that for quite a long time the Project Reality idea, once recessed on the fertile soil of Battlefield 2, did not take root in other seemingly fashionable media. Despite this, immigrants from the Project Reality team again decide on a risky business: in March 2015, the Kickstarter campaign for the collection of funds for the development of the Squad shooter is launched. The spiritual heir of tactical fidget from one point to another now becomes on commercial rails. The bets are high – a lot is promised, and just get out of the implementation of the declared plan will not work. Now the newly -made Canadian spill studio is commanded by the parade – Offworld Industries. Whether the team has held back? In the yard, the middle of 2020, some cards from the original fashion all the same migrated, Russian and British troops on the spot, it remains to wait for the individual settings for equipment, “fast-rures” and other good.

Deployment

Being the ideological heiress of the modification of Project Reality, Squad rethinks most of the predecessor mechanic. If earlier it was enough to unload ammunition, build an advanced operational base (Ang. Forward Operating Base;In the common people – "Foba") and rush the dream of playful in the sky -high distance, now Squad complicates the process: now ammunition and building materials are separately coexisted, which makes the player carefully think about the rescue of each building. Moreover, having revived at the front line, the first thing you have to reach the point of replenishment of the ammunition, since the equipment is automatically not fulfilled. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Operational base in the realities of Squad – the phenomenon is extremely voracious. In addition to constantly arriving fighters, to fill the pouches with everything that is possible, a good part of ammunition points eats the stationary weapons of fobs: machine guns, mortars, anti -tank weapons. It remains to remember one thing – the bullet overcomes the distances faster than a truck with ammunition.

Veni, Vidi, Morti

In Project Reality, the death on the battlefield is terrible not only by the fact that from the nearest revival point (unless of course Fobu was bothering to expand) to the current defense/capture point, the distance can be extremely large, but also because the equipment of the fallen fighter can be caught by sabotage. All the turmoil begins with the choice of the role. For example, grenade launcher equipment with tandem shots for RPG-7 is issued in the amount of two pieces for the entire team. The loss of such valuable equipment, in addition to clarifying the personality of the dodger-master, is fraught with a sudden meeting with enemy armored vehicles. This gimmick was quite elegantly solved in Squad: automatically binding the role to the player when choosing it. It would seem that the player’s equipment is from now on safety, and death ceases to gain such tragic notes. However, if you get a fatal dose of lead, and no one has bandages, it remains only to rely on the will.

From now on, anyone can return the brothers in arms from the ambulance mode. In the presence of a bandage and a pinch of luck, the lifeless body of the Sokomantnik again acquires life. Of course, the field physician copes with the dressing faster, and the restoration of the health of the fighters is subject only to him. Nevertheless, if you have already got it from the other world, but there is no orderly nearby – if you are pleased to fight, despite the dull screen of the screen. Such an interesting solution in terms of interaction within the detachment, and the team as a whole, hides, however, another no less significant problem. Suppose we managed to calm the four adversaries with one throw of the grenade. But the fate of the villain knows his job – the acquired overwhelming throw is rebelled. And to the sense of this grenade? Given the previously described opportunity to call on the battlefield to everyone who is not lazy, the extremely gloomy picture is loomed: he killed the enemy – the guard corpse, otherwise they will be resurrected. Alas, the legacy of Project Reality allowed the shots to cut the path from the underworld. An indispensable phrase of the orderly: “So, while still lie down. ", Addressed to the fighter brought to his senses, meant the irreversibility of death in the first couple of minutes from any crazy bullet.

Science and technology

There is nothing to say about the arsenal. Models Patrick Spins Casino look quite decent, animation does not hit the eye. From the innovations, the emerging ballistic of light small arms should be noted, which forces the amendment to the distance. In Project Reality, the attractive force applied only to large -caliber representatives of the firearm fauna. The only thing I would like to see in Squad in terms of weapons functionality is 3D sights. A similar technology was running out back in 2004 at Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, and for a long time was one of the chips of shooters from Tripwire Interactive.

The recently appeared drones from the rebels allow you to get valuable data on the situation on the battlefield, and organize the rapid delivery of several kilograms of explosives with hesitant feces. The main thing is that the sappers are always at hand.

Driving a vehicle, whether it is a truck or something more so, so far from perfection. Physics limp in places, but at least henna. Added long -awaited all tankers (since the time of Project Reality) the ability to drown out the engine and hide in an ambush. After all, earlier the driver had to get out of the multi-ton beast, since the growls of the flame engine was heard by a mile away.

The fight against armored vehicles worsened, paradoxically, the presence of armor. The colorful effect of smoke with sparks from the ricochet of a grenade launcher effectively demoralizes the infantry. Arapping of weaknesses of solid predators will have to be honed at the training ground, otherwise the practice in battle will be expensive.

In terms of complexity of maintenance of equipment, it is worth noting the system of damage to the chassis. If a tank or an armored personnel car is not possible to destroy, then this does not mean that it cannot be immobilized. Such tactics have long existed in Project Reality, but here Squad made its move the horse, allowing it to deal with light technology in a similar way. More than once happened to see an abandoned enemy truck. I don’t want to spend a grenade launcher or explosives (it may still be very useful), and give the opportunity to evacuate the enemies of state -owned movable property – I do not want to. Light movement of the finger along the trigger of the machine gun, the truck is lost by one tire. A few more repetitions of the above procedure, and eternal parking is provided. At least before the arrival of the engineer. Caterpillar technique will already require the attention of the grenade launcher. Once on the Al Basrah map, in our fighting vehicle, the infantry FV510 Warrior has hit the RPG-7 shot. The hit was so delicate that it disabled the tower. We could no longer support the infantry. I had to return to the base, repair. The principle of "yaksho is not zih, then the hungry" has weight on the battlefield.

Urgent relocation of troops is required? A helicopter to cope with the task in a few minutes. With the casting of units to the rear of the enemy, supplying distant operational bases and the delivery of reserves to important sections of the front to cope much faster than ground equipment. The tactical value of rotor -winged workers is difficult to overestimate especially in experienced hands. However, before climbing into the cockpit, it is still worth it to fly for an hour or two at the training ground, since the helicopter can radically reduce the life of virtual recruits with a light movement of the helm of the helm.

Tactics of consolidated detachments

Have any high-quality shifts of gaming modes in the succession of Project Reality happened? It’s hard to give an unequivocal answer. The transformations, of course, occurred. Two main modes: Insurgency and Advance and Secure, were practically inherited by Squad. AAS, with its sequence of attacking and defended points, has long established itself as a debugged regime that does not require special amendments. And here Insurgency underwent a little calibration: the rebels were deprived of an endless number of reinforcement points and the ability to replenish ammunition from the Cache. Weapon Cache – Armory Cacket). On the one hand, these decisions complicated the gameplay, on the other – partisan childishness disappeared. It’s not possible to die with a calm soul, to arrange a chaotic finger too.

Nevertheless, Offworld Industries did not limit itself to the gifts of the ancestor, and added several new modes: Invasion, Destruction And Territory Control.

Someone has everything, and someone. Invasion is trying to solve this problem. Initially, all points on the map are owned by the command "A". The task of the "B" team is to capture them. The extremely simple solution of the eternal problem. Destruction, one might say, is a special case Insurgency, But with the difference that the search for a caches alls the players entirely on the shoulders of the players, and its destruction becomes a prerogative of purely engineers and sappers. In Territory Control, part of the card is divided into hexagonal sectors, where the opposing teams are fighting for holding their largest number – 95%, unless, of course, reinforcement glasses are exhausted.

Last but not Least

The musical accompaniment of the main menu was also adopted by the experience of Project Reality in the form of a talented Canadian composer Scott Tobin. Anyway, everything related to the sound component of Squad is implemented at a quite decent level. A game without headphones, as in any other network shooter, is like shooting with tied eyes. Communication is one of the indispensable aspects of an interesting gameplay. To report on the situation in the controlled sector is one;The planning of the assault on the well -fortified enemy position is completely different. In addition, the ability to determine the type of approaching technique by ear is an extremely desirable skill. Praemonitus, Praemunitus.

Squad is not devoid of annoying moments. The minimum is that immediately catches your eye is the meagerness of the interior. Detailing of both oriental huts and European houses want to leave the best. The lack of developed interior decoration can be justified by a small budget, but the visibility of the flaw from this will not be less. All hatred and powerlessness in front of invisible arrows can be poured into a separate topic. Successfully taking a position, they will more than once remind of the futility of our being among virtual expanses. No matter how complete hopes and aspirations of a fighter is, the bullet always finds him. Sometimes you see a deserted landscape in front of you. Like every bush, each shack breathe emptiness. But a well-aimed line from around the corner, sometimes a stone’s throw from the player’s back, puts everything in its place.

Undoubtedly, Squad was a successful attempt to bring the ideology of Project Reality into gaming masses. Contrary to skeptical moods at the start, the game found its fans not only among Project Reality veterans. Do not forget that work on Squad is not yet completed: updates come out, various aspects of gameplay and technical plans are being finalized. It remains for us only to work out maneuvers, and to supply operational bases in a timely manner.