Ghost Recon : Wildlands V1 - Some are Soldiers, We are Ghosts.

[PieClock]

If I have 1 suggestion to make this game far more fun in coop if you want somewhat of a challenge out of this game:

turn markers off in the hud options.

Having to keep track of enemies makes walking around in camps feel more of a threat.

[Breakfast Buddy]

Was on the fence about this game as it's 60 dollars, but some of my friends bought it so why not. Turns out it's pretty fun; the mechanics are satisfying enough and it's pretty hard on extreme difficulty.

[hypno-toad]

I find this game makes more sense within the GR universe and feels more like a GR game if you abandon the pretext that you're ghosts saving the country from the cartel and are rather just an an elite death squad sent in to destabilise the country in a terror campaign.

I think I've acidentally run over and/or blown up like 15 civilians in my 7 hours of gameplay. I've straight up shot a few in the face in QcQ and, I've repeatedly shot down helicopters over top of densely inhabited urban spaces. I've went up to cartel members who are bird-watching and have burst their heads with .50 cal sniper rifles. All of it just seems exceedingly harsh, and I feel like the games inhabitants get a pretty raw deal in the whole thing, being stuck between a murderous cartel and a rampaging group of sponsored terrorists.

Once you realise all this, the concept of the game starts to make more sense.

"Some are soldiers. We are [del]ghosts[/del] a foreign guerilla death-squad"

[Ravenholme]

Well, your character openly boasts that this is a revenge mission. There is nothing honourable about the deployment, it is simply "They killed one of ours [whom was a deep-cover agent who's hands were pretty bloody] so lets kill a thousand of them so no one fucks with us again."

And [sp]a lot of the Kingslayer files you can find imply that Sandoval and by extension Bowman are not particularly clean people[/sp]

[hypno-toad]

Yeah, a lot of the squad banter seems to also imply that the main character is basically an apathetic killer as well, like the whole conversation about [sp]special forces officers training cartel soldiers. I sort of expected the PC to condemn them in a cliche way like you'd expect in GR1/2 but you basically sympathise with them like "yep, we're fighters. I'd rather go out in a blaze of gunfire rather than retire and settle down." All the while you're extra judicially executing said officers that you empathise with[/sp]It comes off as being jarhead banter really, but it's a bit disturbingly detached when you think about it :v:

[Ravenholme]

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;51935422]Yeah, a lot of the squad banter seems to also imply that the main character is basically an apathetic killer as well, like the whole conversation about [sp]special forces officers training cartel soldiers. I sort of expected the PC to condemn them in a cliche way like you'd expect in GR1/2 but you basically sympathise with them like "yep, we're fighters. I'd rather go out in a blaze of gunfire rather than retire and settle down." All the while you're extra judicially executing said officers that you empathise with[/sp]It comes off as being jarhead banter really, but it's a bit disturbingly detached when you think about it :v:[/QUOTE]

Basically we need a GRW version of this:

[t]https://i.imgur.com/Q5rl8S2.png[/t]

Another conversation that highlights their detached nature is [sp]the one where they basically admit that a lot of Bolivians basically had no choice but to become Sicarios for the Santa Blanca, and that when they topple them another cartel will just take over. But what they conclude from this is basically "eh, fuck 'em, they're on the wrong side"[/sp]

I sort of wonder if there might be a ham-handed meta-commentary about American Interventionism here.

[Coldmute]

Ohh, your character is absolutely a sociopath who admits that they'd just as soon be part of Santa Blanca had their circumstances been different. They delight in the killing and bloodshed and violence. And if you listen to your squad they aren't far behind themselves, like one of them, (Holt?) likes to bring up after short firefights that he was getting in to it and didn't notice the fighting stopped. His bloodboner is so strong he just keeps wanting to fight even when everything is dead.
But yeah Nomad, the player character, especially shows this when you listen to their dialogue and how they act in general. I mean in the beta just from the helicopter ride I could see it, but by the time my character was criticizing Yuri and Polito's torture not because it's torture but basically because they have no respect for it and even the squad was a little unnerved it was obvious Nomad is just full-on sociopath.
Thinking more about it, Nomad makes me think of The Comedian from Watchmen. They're fully aware of the horror and depravity they are wrapped up in and they love it.

[editline]9th March 2017[/editline]

[QUOTE=hypno-toad;51935422]Yeah, a lot of the squad banter seems to also imply that the main character is basically an apathetic killer as well, like the whole conversation about [sp]special forces officers training cartel soldiers. I sort of expected the PC to condemn them in a cliche way like you'd expect in GR1/2 but you basically sympathise with them like "yep, we're fighters. I'd rather go out in a blaze of gunfire rather than retire and settle down." All the while you're extra judicially executing said officers that you empathise with[/sp]It comes off as being jarhead banter really, but it's a bit disturbingly detached when you think about it :v:[/QUOTE]
Seeing it put like this, and some of the other stuff that has been said, I'm actually also starting to see Nomad a bit like Big Boss as written by Ubisoft. Like, the while idea of "We're soldiers, fighting is all we have. We can never stop." Is literally the main ideological motif of Big Boss.
I saw someone say elsewhere on here about the game basically being MGSV's open world gameplay with co-op attached and yeah that is very true. I guess maybe some managers/leads on the project were big MGS fans and Wildlands is MGSV fanfiction.

[Raidyr]

Honestly if a anything gave me MGS/Big Boss vibes it was the El Sueno intro video. Was preparing myself for "The world calls for cocaine and we answer" :v:

[Protocol7]

I played this game for like 4 hours straight last night, it's pretty damn good. I love just how customizable everything is.

[🦇Pachira🦇]

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;51935479]Ohh, your character is absolutely a sociopath who admits that they'd just as soon be part of Santa Blanca had their circumstances been different. They delight in the killing and bloodshed and violence. And if you listen to your squad they aren't far behind themselves, like one of them, (Holt?) likes to bring up after short firefights that he was getting in to it and didn't notice the fighting stopped. His bloodboner is so strong he just keeps wanting to fight even when everything is dead.
But yeah Nomad, the player character, especially shows this when you listen to their dialogue and how they act in general. I mean in the beta just from the helicopter ride I could see it, but by the time my character was criticizing Yuri and Polito's torture not because it's torture but basically because they have no respect for it and even the squad was a little unnerved it was obvious Nomad is just full-on sociopath.
Thinking more about it, Nomad makes me think of The Comedian from Watchmen. They're fully aware of the horror and depravity they are wrapped up in and they love it.

[/QUOTE]
I'm pretty sure Nomad means they'd join Santa Blanca to survive and provide for their family if that was their only choice. That's what the conversation was about. Not about enjoying all the killing and such.

Also for that Yuri and Polito conversation, that wasn't Nomad. Or at least in my version of that conversation it wasn't Nomad.

Personally I wouldn't say they are sociopaths or anything. They're special forces soldiers making cold analytical comments about the situation they are in.

And besides that isn't all they discuss, they also make goofy jokes and stuff too.

[IAmIroningMyDog]

So hows the game? Is it good?

I played the open beta and it was pretty unoptimized and I would constantly get this weird flickering thing all over the terrain

[Xenomoose]

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;51935479]Seeing it put like this, and some of the other stuff that has been said, I'm actually also starting to see Nomad a bit like Big Boss as written by Ubisoft. Like, the while idea of "We're soldiers, fighting is all we have. We can never stop." Is literally the main ideological motif of Big Boss.
I saw someone say elsewhere on here about the game basically being MGSV's open world gameplay with co-op attached and yeah that is very true. I guess maybe some managers/leads on the project were big MGS fans and Wildlands is MGSV fanfiction.[/QUOTE]

Given that Kojima himself received a copy of the super collector's edition of the game, I'm thinking that probably was the case. The game really is an MGSV-lite, and that's part of the reason why I love it.

Also, I think I've figured out the trick to piloting helicopters on PC. You hold Shift + W, and when the helicopter starts to dip and go down, release W and keep holding shift and the chopper will keep flying straight at an actually respectable speed. Changing direction doesn't seem to break the speed of the chopper or make you have to redo the process.

[🦇Pachira🦇]

[QUOTE=Xenomoose;51936110]Given that Kojima himself received a copy of the super collector's edition of the game, I'm thinking that probably was the case. The game really is an MGSV-lite, and that's part of the reason why I love it.

Also, I think I've figured out the trick to piloting helicopters on PC. You hold Shift + W, and when the helicopter starts to dip and go down, release W and keep holding shift and the chopper will keep flying straight at an actually respectable speed. Changing direction doesn't seem to break the speed of the chopper or make you have to redo the process.[/QUOTE]

I actually managed to master helicopter piloting during the closed beta somehow. But I am terrible with the planes. Thankfully my coop buddy is great with those

[Pinkest Catgirl]

Helicopter piloting just sounds really weird on PC, but I was able to get used to it after my first try on PS4. Guess they didn't translate it well to mouse and keyboard.

[Coldmute]

I'm really good at handling vehicles in games so honestly they didn't give me much of an issue, though I don't like the system regardless.
Basically helicopters start off in what you'd expect of a helicopter, but after picking up enough forward momentum they transition in to airplanes. Shift and control for acceleration and deceleration, forward and back for pitch, then left and right control both roll and yaw at the same time. When you lose enough momentum, they go back to helicopter mode.

[editline]9th March 2017[/editline]

The big problem is that the transition is sudden and has no clear indication nor does it account for the fact you will already have been holding the keys down for helicopter mode. So if you're not expecting and accustomed to it, you'll end up pitching down and accelerating suddenly which leads to deadly crashes.

[DudesonFan]

man, i just fucked up a gas convoy ambush so bad that it was hilarious
placed 2 mines for the lead car to run into and managed to allahu akbar myself sky high because i thought the mines won't trigger if you drive over them yourself

it was pretty fucking awesome when i got it right on the second try though, like straight out of an action movie:
lead car gets taken out when i blow up a roadside van rigged with c4
i shred the rear car to pieces with the minigun on a rebel technical hiding in the bush
the truck tries to get away but i haul ass after it and ram that fucker off the road

this really is surprisingly good for an Ubisoft game
the biggest complaints i can cook up are the complete lack of AI squad customization (i seriously hope it gets patched in soon) and the fact that you [b]can't hit a fucking thing[/b] with the helo guns

would be much better if the guns/rockets fired where you're looking instead of just straight forward

[elevator13]

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;51936525]The big problem is that the transition is sudden and has no clear indication nor does it account for the fact you will already have been holding the keys down for helicopter mode.[/QUOTE]

I noticed the camera starts snapping back to a behind-the-helo view a second or two before the plane-mode kicks in, which is a good way to time it. You'll also start losing altitude when pitching forward when in plane mode

[HumanAbyss]

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;51935479]Ohh, your character is absolutely a sociopath who admits that they'd just as soon be part of Santa Blanca had their circumstances been different. They delight in the killing and bloodshed and violence. And if you listen to your squad they aren't far behind themselves, like one of them, (Holt?) likes to bring up after short firefights that he was getting in to it and didn't notice the fighting stopped. His bloodboner is so strong he just keeps wanting to fight even when everything is dead.
But yeah Nomad, the player character, especially shows this when you listen to their dialogue and how they act in general. I mean in the beta just from the helicopter ride I could see it, but by the time my character was criticizing Yuri and Polito's torture not because it's torture but basically because they have no respect for it and even the squad was a little unnerved it was obvious Nomad is just full-on sociopath.
Thinking more about it, Nomad makes me think of The Comedian from Watchmen. They're fully aware of the horror and depravity they are wrapped up in and they love it.

[editline]9th March 2017[/editline]

Seeing it put like this, and some of the other stuff that has been said, I'm actually also starting to see Nomad a bit like Big Boss as written by Ubisoft. Like, the while idea of "We're soldiers, fighting is all we have. We can never stop." Is literally the main ideological motif of Big Boss.
I saw someone say elsewhere on here about the game basically being MGSV's open world gameplay with co-op attached and yeah that is very true. I guess maybe some managers/leads on the project were big MGS fans and Wildlands is MGSV fanfiction.[/QUOTE]

That's how I've been referring to the game since the first footage I saw of it

playing it made me go "Wow I couldn't have been more right with that comparison".

It's a good game that I'm apprehensive about buying all the same

It just seems a little bit repetitive

[Alsojames]

Re: Big Boss/Metal Gear Comparison:

[t]https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t35.0-12/17016627_10212107827588227_630425183_o.jpg?oh=a7ddd3ddcca4fc1101b9e77635f9b1e8&oe=58C424AD[/t]

You feel it too, don't you?

[Coldmute]

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;51937024]It's a good game that I'm apprehensive about buying all the same[/QUOTE]
Ok, I'd amend this because its a fun game, very fun, but its buggy and I do consider repetitiveness to be something of a drawback. So maybe not a good game necessarily, but definitely quite fun.

[Nikpo]

That's my main concern, I'm content with the stealth, the shooting, the driving is abysmal but it's kinda OK with a controller, but if it's going to go the way of other Ubisoft open-world games where it gets dull & repetitive after a short while.

I mean I already started to get bored in the beta about one and a half provinces in.

[HumanAbyss]

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;51937047]Ok, I'd amend this because its a fun game, very fun, but its buggy and I do consider repetitiveness to be something of a drawback. So maybe not a good game necessarily, but definitely quite fun.[/QUOTE]

From playing the beta/demo my three biggest take aways were;

1) This is pretty neat, it's just like MGSV but with Co-op and that's something I wanted since I first played 5 minutes of MGSV.

2) Holy shit the sound design is fucking boring and lacking. Guns should not sound this "plinky".

3) I really enjoy taking out camps but I will not enjoy any element of the game where it takes itself, and it's story seriously.

So that's why I haven't bought it personally. I'm very, very on the fence but it seems like a good bargain bin title rather than something I'd pay full price or near to full price for.

[Nikpo]

[QUOTE=HumanAbyss;51937231]So that's why I haven't bought it personally. I'm very, very on the fence but it seems like a good bargain bin title rather than something I'd pay full price or near to full price for.[/QUOTE]

I agree with this. I'd buy it for $30 but I personally couldn't justify paying full price for such a janky game.

[Trainbike]

[QUOTE=Alsojames;51937038]Re: Big Boss/Metal Gear Comparison:

[t]https://scontent-ord1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t35.0-12/17016627_10212107827588227_630425183_o.jpg?oh=a7ddd3ddcca4fc1101b9e77635f9b1e8&oe=58C424AD[/t]

You feel it too, don't you?[/QUOTE]

[t]http://i.imgur.com/JZ4gIyL.jpg[/t]

Commencing Operation [del]Snake Eater[/del] Kingslayer.

[Coldmute]

Part of me almost wants to create a second character just for the sake of doing MGS roleplay with friends now.

[Alsojames]

Let's do it.

[Ghost101]

[QUOTE=Doctor Zedacon;51937047]Ok, I'd amend this because its a fun game, very fun, but its buggy and I do consider repetitiveness to be something of a drawback. So maybe not a good game necessarily, but definitely quite fun.[/QUOTE]

I think the progression is kind of weird. Sometimes you get something useful that makes you feel like you're actually making progress, then other times you get a skill upgrade/weapon or part that doesn't even really register as an upgrade. Some of the drone upgrades are good, but then other upgrades are like "Why is this even an upgrade?"

[Hezzy]

Do we have a FP taskforce?

[Nachy]

[QUOTE=Hezzy;51939591]Do we have a FP taskforce?[/QUOTE]

Yeah.

[url]https://ghostreconnetwork.ubi.com/en-US/task-force/profile/19466/Facepunch[/url]

[Hezzy]

Requested to join, I'll pop it into the OP