DOWNLOAD IT.

Alrighty folks... if you have ever played First Person Shooters and you haven't played this one... you have no clue what you are missing. Counter-Strike has been the game of choice at work (LucasArts) afterhours for 3 YEARS... and we never found anything good enough to replace it. But the second i played this, i knew i'd probably never touch CS again. It's unfreakinbelievably good. We've been playing it on the network every free second.

There's been multiple threads in our game theory board at work about why it's so great... and one of the resounding answers is the shear cinematic beauty of this game. Everytime you play you see something straight out of a movie. That and the fact that you can drive tanks, pilot planes, captain a battleship or aircraft carrier, drive jeeps, man coastal defense guns, etc etc... all within one game, and within minutes if you like.

They've nailed the consequence of dying aspect as well. The fact that you had to wait an entire round if you died in CS held a lot of people back, and the insta-spawn of quake (while kick ass) sorta took the realism out of it. I'm not gonna explain how it works... you just all have to check it out. Get the multiplayer demo and play Wake Island... you won't believe you eyes i promise ya!!! I could go on... but i'll spare ya the rant.

(sorry... it's just been a while since a game got me excited!)

I'm one of the people who disliked counterstrike, partially because of the die-then-wait problem. So I'm definitely going to check this out on your recommendation.

It's 3 am... i started playing directly after posting that... and haven't stopped since. That was the longest campaign i ever played in that game... WOW. I was shelling the hell out of the island with the battleship... sooo much fun!!!

Are you talking about downloading the demo or the whole game? I've been trying to download the demo with no luck so far...

It just gives me a blank page at this url:

http://www.ea.com/eagames/official/battlefield1942/gamedemo.jsp?state=111

- Jon

I started at the Bluesnews.com mirror, got that going in GetRight, then followed Blue's links to the other mirrors, brought up the Mirror Manager pasted the other links into it and did the GetRight segmented downloading so it was grabbing it from multiple sites at the same time. Despite my T-1 speed on this wireless connection, it still took several hours over last night and today to get it downloaded.

I just installed it and I can't connect to any servers. It starts to connect, but then it crashes and drops back to the desktop half way through "loading wake island". The installation went fine, and since that install goes through at least two stages worth of unzipping, I know there was nothing wrong with the file I downloaded. It all works right up until it's supposed to start the map. Then click, my screen goes back to the desktop (at a lower rez with all my icons messed up, as usual, thanks DirectX).

Most of the mirrors were getting hammered last night. Although, after about 4-5 tries, I finally got it to start and got 155k/s solid until it finished, for both the multi-player and single-player demos. I've played both a little here and there and they seem to work fine. As far as I can tell, the game seems pretty well thought out, although I haven't really played enough to justify an opinion either way.

That looks a lot like that game WWII Online I think it was called. The only problem with that game was its requirements blew my computer out of the water...

I was able to DL it in less than a 1/2 hour over my DSL from the 3D gamers server Sunday afternoon. I spent a good 6 hours after that playing Wake Island. I wish I'd have seen this Friday instead of Sunday as I spent most of the weekend playing Medal of Honor Allied Assault... Battelfield 1942 blows MoHAA away... Thanks for the heads up!!!

Tony, make sure you have the latest drivers for everything. I had to update directx, my video card driver, and the sound card driver on my old machine before it would work.

It's definitely worth the trouble. Trust me. It does take a pretty beefy machine though. oh, and some people here at work reported that they had to install the gamespy app that comes with it to get it to work.

amazing isn't it?! It's the most addicting game i've played in recent memory.

amazing isn't it?! It's the most addicting game i've played in recent memory.

I totally agree. MoHAA was pretty damn cool, but this takes the cake. If the rest of the maps are like the Wake Island demo, it'll be awesome.
I'm still trying to get the flying down. Every so often I get an aborted takeoff but now I'm working on accuracy with the bombs. I cannot wait until the full release... Hopefully it really will be Sept. 02...

Well after just playing 8 hours of straight CS I'm definitely gonna download this. Thanks for the link.

EDIT: did you ever find anything new on your stolen player?

Tony, make sure you have the latest drivers for everything. I had to update directx, my video card driver, and the sound card driver on my old machine before it would work.

I've got the latest DirectX, but I will try grabbing more recent video drivers from Nvidia. I've got a 64mb GeForce2 GTS on a 650mhz PC, that should be beefy enough, right?

davec: THE trick to flying... use a joystick... or better yet... what i'm doing. I got one of those sub $10 Playstation controller to USB adaptors and am using the analog sticks on the PS controller to fly. It's sooooo much easier and accurate. On top of that... always hit F10 once you hop in the plane to get the rear vew. MUCH easier to fly.

d33zy: Nothing new.

Tony: Yeap, that's the card i have at home and it runs smooth. Just make sure you get the latest drivers.

oh yeah. Here's a little hints and tips doc someone passed around here at work:

Tips and Strategies for Winning Battlefield 1942

Land Vehicles
When driving the tank, take out foot soldiers with your co-axial machine gun by clicking on your right mouse button. This allows you to fire the machine gun without exposing yourself to return fire.

Damage takes armor and angle into account, so shoot tanks from the sides or behind at a perpendicular (90 degree) angle to maximize inflicted damage. But remember, shooting at the frontal armor will only cause minimum damage.

Artillery can fire further than any other vehicle. Use the increased range to disrupt enemy movement from safe distances and use snipers to scout enemy units.

Remember to use [C] or [F] keys to change views while in vehicles. Use them to occasionally look behind you when in vehicles, especially tanks. Tanks can be destroyed with one good shot from the rear.

The scout car can be used as a bomb if driven correctly. Just aim it at a tank or other target and hit the accelerator. Don’t forget to jump out before you hit. You can also run over infantry if you’re going fast enough.

The APC will heal and resupply you if you sit in the back.

Be careful driving over rough terrain, if you’re going too fast you can damage your vehicle.

You can drive over landmines if you go slow enough. Of course you’re a sitting duck while you navigate this way.

Air Vehicles
Zoom and Scoop -- This maneuver is for when you're in a dive-bomber and have an empty backseat. Fly very, very close to a ground-based teammate. Have your teammate hold down the enter vehicle key [E]. If your teammate is close enough, they will pop into the rear seat of the bomber for a quick getaway. This is really useful in CAPTURE THE FLAG games

Drop torpedoes from planes at a low altitude or they might go under the ship you are targeting.

Use the [F9] key to toggle your plane's HUD (heads-up display) on/off. You can fly planes with arrow keys (as default) instead of mouse.

If your plane is about to crash, hit [E] to eject and [9] to open your parachute.

Planes are probably the deadliest vehicles in the game. They can blow up tanks with one well-placed bomb. Create your own multiplayer game and practice bombing vehicles. A good bomber is a valuable asset to any team. Joysticks help A LOT when flying, try binding your yaw and throttle to the keyboard, but leave the roll and pitch to the joystick. Remember to stay away from the AA guns!

You can resupply your planes by flying slow and low over airfield/carrier ammo sources. You’ll know you’re near one if the ammo icon appears on your screen.

Airplanes are weakest in the engines... shoot for those in dogfights. Just a few well-placed shots can turn your opponent into scrap metal.

Watch for AA (anti-aircraft) and machineguns... they can turn your plane into swiss cheese. To avoid these, approach them from below their horizon and drop a bomb on them as a wake-up call.

The B-17 is as slow as a pig... but it can lay a devastating carpet of bombs on the ground. With two gunners to keep fighters off of you, this is a potent weapon. Your gunners can also act as paratroopers.

Infantry
Short bursts produce higher accuracy than continuously holding the FIRE key. Firing while standing still, crouching, or prone also helps with accuracy.

Pay attention to uniforms. When you first spawn, look at your teammates' colors. Usually one team's clothes are darker than the other. Sometimes the player tags don’t show up quickly, so pay attention. DON'T KILL YOUR TEAMMATES!

When using the sniper rifle, hold the FIRE button down after you shoot to stay in zoom mode. This will allow you to see how your shot fell. When you release the FIRE button you will un-zoom and reload.

The scout can place cameras with the binoculars fire and the artillery pieces and ships can cycle through those cameras with [ALT] + FIRE.

Right mouse click when you are on foot for a slightly magnified view.

Shots are not instantaneous; depending on the distance you may need to aim in front of a moving target. Experiment to find the correct adjustment for all your weapons.

You can throw grenades a short distance with [ALT] + FIRE.

Choose your kit wisely. Just because you like sniping doesn't mean your team can survive without a medic.

Increase your grenade's distance by jumping when throwing. You can throw a grenade about a block and a half by doing this.

Learn to use the environment as cover, hide behind trees/rocks/buildings and don’t shoot until you see the whites of their eyes (you won’t give away your position, and you’ll have a better chance of getting an easy kill).

Tanks are easily outflanked by fast moving foot soldiers. Always attack tanks from the rear. Throwing grenades beneath the tank is also effective.

Land Mines are effective for closing off areas to tank and vehicle movement. Remember to tell your teammates where you place them.

Watch your ammo and health: Grenades may be great for killing enemy soldiers, but unless you're an anti-tank or engineer soldier, they're your only weapons against enemy tanks. Remember to reload whenever you see an ammo box and heal whenever you see a medical locker or APC.

Teamwork is your key to winning and getting a good score: Try working as an anti-tank soldier or engineer with a friendly tank. As he distracts them in the tank, you can get around them for the killer rear shot or plant some dynamite. Afterwards, you can repair your ally. If quick travel is necessary, he can give you a ride. Type a quick message about strategy, and don't assume he heard it unless he responds.

In concentrated street battles often reloading is too slow. Try switching kits [G] with the guy you just killed!

As a medic you can also heal yourself.

When in a firefight from a distance, STAY LOW. Go prone or keep moving.

Naval Units
You cannot command enemy ships. But you can steal the airplanes off of their carrier.

Submarines go slower under the surface so drive long distances at surface level and submerge when you spot a target.

The destroyer is your only means of sinking a submerged submarine... keep them near high-priority targets to sniff out those sneaky submariners.

Watch for the submarine’s periscope. Use radio commands to notify your team when you’ve seen it. That will give everyone a general idea of where it’s located.

The pilot of the destroyer can drop depth charges with ALT+Fire. The gunner in the rear turret can use the guns in indirect fire mode if a sniper calls for artillery.

Watch for the shallow water. The bottom will rise abruptly as you approach dry land. Try to avoid beaching your ships.

The battleship can use its guns in indirect fire mode if a sniper calls for artillery.

Ships can take a lot of pounding... but just a few torpedoes will sink you. Watch out for submarine and torpedo bombers.

All ships except the submarine have landing craft attached to them. These can be used to make landing assaults.

The ramp on the landing craft is lowered/raised using the up/down arrow keys.

Miscellaneous
Axis nametags are ALWAYS red and Allies are ALWAYS blue. Remember that.

You will see teammates in your minimap as the color of your current team: BLUE for Ally and RED if you’re Axis.

Strategy. Don't just run, blaze away, and die. This isn't your standard first-person shooter, and that will get you killed. Think, aim, move, fall back, repair, get healed, and backup your teammates.

Man the shore batteries to keep the ships at bay.

Use 16-bit color for better framerates.

Experiment with your sound settings for a better framerate. Also see if you can use hardware acceleration.

Don't win the fight but loose the battle. Remember to focus on control points in Conquest.

Memorize and use the radio commands.

The direct route to an objective is rarely the safest; use alternate routes to achieve goals. Be sure to watch the spawn interface when you are dead, be prepared to click on a new spawn point if yours is lost, because you don't want to wait for another spawn cycle.

Choose your spawn points wisely. Examine your map before spawning, look for vehicles, and look for places that may be spawn-camped by the enemy. Do you want to defend or attack? Where is the fighting concentrated? Do you want to join the main battle or execute a backdoor strategy of your own?

Learn how to use all the weapons at your disposal effectively. Each hand weapon and vehicle has strengths and weaknesses.

Try your best to respond to your teammates' radio commands. If you're an anti-tank soldier and you hear a request for anti-tank support, look at your minimap and see who's talking -- they’ll flash yellow.

If in a conquest game and the spawn point aren't changing flags, look around for the enemy who might be nearby preventing it.

Keep your eyes open. Snipers, landmines, expacks, and artillery are silent killers. ALWAYS look out for these.

Vary your class to fit the situation. If the enemy is not using tanks, don't play an anti-tank all the time. If your team is mostly on foot, be a medic and heal them. If your team is in tanks, be an engineer and fix them. Supporters are every bit as important as attackers and defenders.

If you catch an enemy from behind at a distance, don't shoot right away -- you may miss and alert him to your presence. Close in a bit and make it a sure thing.

Empty vehicles that are nearby will appear on your minimap as gray icons. If one of these disappears abruptly, you know an enemy has jumped into it

PSA for those who are playing Battlefield 1942:

The [9] key is the default parachute key.

Or the enemy team will be singing "It's raining men"

I repeat, the [9] key is the default parachute key.

This was a message from the Foundation for Cleaner Beaches.

Damn Loren, that game is great. It's a bit tought, but thats a good thing.

I have been having one problem though. After a game is over, BF1942 will automatically exit and go to Windows, right after it shows the final score and whatnot. Anyone else have this problem?

Other than that, man, can't wait till it comes out.

amazing isn't it?! It's the most addicting game i've played in recent memory.

Yes, that is until you guys deliver Star Wars Galaxies. Now, that's gonna be sweet. Anyway, I downloaded the single player the other day, and it kept on crashing. I'll try the multiplayer and see what happens. I've been having fun with Medal Of Honor, as well as Ghost Recon

Thanks, Loren. The newest Nvidia drivers did the trick.

However they seem to screw up the refresh rate with my monitor. I can't seem to set it to a non-flickery refresh rate, it seems to default to 60 hz or something no matter what I pick in the control panel. This includes the windows desktop as well as in the game itself.

Yes, that is until you guys deliver Star Wars Galaxies.

If you were talking to Loren, I didn't think LucasArts was doing "Galaxies". I thought that was... lemme think... Verant?

If you were talking to Loren, I didn't think LucasArts was doing "Galaxies". I thought that was... lemme think... Verant?

True, but LucasArts must have something to do with it. I believe all Star Wars games go through them. I'm wondering how "Galaxies" will pan out on Xbox and PS2 online. That will be interesting...

However they seem to screw up the refresh rate with my monitor. I can't seem to set it to a non-flickery refresh rate, it seems to default to 60 hz or something no matter what I pick in the control panel. This includes the windows desktop as well as in the game itself.

This is "normal" for any quake3 engine based game. For some reason the Nvidia drivers and win 2000 don't get along, so the monitor jumps back to 60Hz.

To solve this I use a small util called Refreshlock. Pretty easy to work with and it does the trick.

One caveat : it also permits you to push your video signal way beyond your monitor spec. Beware of this.

Thanks, I'll give refreshlock a shot, but remember that I'm talking about the Windows Desktop here, not the game.

True, but LucasArts must have something to do with it. I believe all Star Wars games go through them.

In this case, I believe LucasArts is simply acting as the publisher and perhaps being consulted on the intellectual property and trademarks. I'm sure Loren will come correct me.

... Refreshlock ...

Ahhh.

Thank you, many times over.

Glad it's working for you. It's not for me. Does a rather nasty thing where it blinks the screen trying to change the refresh rate to what I told it to. After the blink, it discovers the refresh rate is not that rate. So it does it again. And again. And again. Vainly trying to set the refresh rate about twice per second.

Like I said, these new Nvidia drivers have some kind of a problem.

Just for reference's sake, I'm running a GeForce3 Ti 500 with nVidia driver 6.13.10.2832 (that's what I've had running for a while -- I didn't seem to need to upgrade) and everything seems to be working okay for me after running RefreshLock (except for the fact that I'm running a dual 333, and that's not really fast enough to run the game). Actually, it was fine before, but it went to 60Hz during the game (and all the other games I've run on this machine since reinstalling), which is very annoying.

(Want me to try to cram in a few more parenthetical phrases?)

Damn, it won't work for me. I installed it, and when I try to open battlefield 1942 the screen goes black like it's about to load then it just closes and makes an audible "bing". No error message or anything. I tried installing it twice, maybe I should try downloading it again?

While y'all are having problems getting it to run, I gotta ask this... Why do these imbiciles in the game insist on shooting me when I get in the airplane just because I got to it first? We're on the same team for crying out loud!!! Spent most of last night fragging the island from the battelship. Sooo much fun!!! BTW I'm running the Radeon 8500 AIW 128M card. Installed first time, runs with no problems and looks great!

d33zy... that's the same thing that was happening to me before i got the new drivers. I also reinstalled and made sure to install the gamespy stuff that comes with it.