Apparently Smack_Dabb just doesn't like WWII Shooters. CoD looked far better than BF1942, and in my opinion, CoD2 looks far better than BF2. The game is great, it is exactly what I've been waiting for. I loved Call of Duty, and CoD2 is everything I was hoping it would be. They did a great job with the new graphics engine. I played the demo at 1280x1024 with everything set to maximum, and 4X AA, 16X ANISO, it looked and played fabulous on my P4 3.4 w/ X800XT.

My only complaint is that the Demo was too damn short. I can't wait to buy the full game.
This comment was edited on Sep 27, 09:23.

Apparently it's been a while since Blue had a new MS Keyboard. That key layout you describe has been in use for a long time now, at least three years anyway. I've been using an MS Office Keyboard at home for three years now, and it's keys are laid out just as you describe (plus I have a scroll wheel on the left side of the keyboard). You get used to it real quick. In fact, going back to the older style causes me confusion now. I also use an Office Keyboard at work, so I don't have to deal with switching back and forth.

FYI - In addition to some other quality issues, this is why Microsoft stopped using the Mexican Flextronics Factory nearly three years ago. All Xboxes are made in China now, and none made there have ever been identified with this problem. Blame Mexico! (to the tune of Blame Canada from the South Park movie)

Lol, "what BF1942 should have been" is in my opinion, "Call of Duty" :-)

I play more Desert Combat than I do BF1942, and I tried BF Vietnam, but it just does nothing for me. Not to mention that it just feels laggy all the time, regardless of settings.

Anyway, thanks for the info. For realistic WWII gameplay, I'll stick with CoD:UO

Ok, maybe I'm a dolt, but I can't figure out at all from their website what this mod is about. The screenshots make it look like it could be an expansion of BF1942. If it's a mod, what changed?

I've been running my 4 PCs on WinXP Pro exclusively since Late 2001. Only BSODs I've ever had were overclocking related. The stabiliy factor is what convinced me. On Win98SE I used to run SETI@Home and would typically find the machine locked up after about 24 hours, and if not, it would most certainly need a reboot if I planned to do anything else with it. Now I leave my WinXP machines running for weeks at a time without rebooting. That may sound like an exaggeration but it's really true. The only time I ever reboot is when it's required after installing a new video driver, or security patch. I've never had to reboot XP because memory leaks slowly consumed all available resources as was often the case with Win98.

And for the folks who want to slam Microsoft for making a new OS every few years, why aren't you also bitching about ID making a new game every few years? It's the same damn thing, they need to make new products to stay in business. And the truth of the matter is, people want new stuff that does new things or improves the way something is done. Some people act as though Win98 will be the only OS they'll ever need for the rest of their lives. Please, everything evolves, that's why we aren't all still driving Model T cars, and why rotary dial telephones are a thing of the past, and why we have COLOR TV instead of B&W.

Also would like to point out that "Not supported" is very different from "Will not run on". Just becuase the game isn't supported on Win98 doesn't mean it won't run. It likely means that to reduce cost and time required for testing, they simply eliminated Win98 from their test matrix when QAing the game. So while it might run, they aren't going to help you troubleshoot it if it doesn't.

Call it simplistic if that makes you fell better about yourself, but I did my homework. I forgot to mention that I also got a lot of information from Edmonds.com as well. And the CR-V is for my wife, so while I had input on what was a good purchase, the comfort, feel, ride, etc. was all up to her to decide. We did look at some other SUVs, but she didn't like the feel. Can't argue with that.

I'm not condemming all US cars. There are certainly highlights, and things that US automakers do much better than anyone else. The Corvette as you cited is a perfect example, but it's also produced in far fewer numbers than mainstream vehicles, so it's somewhat of an anomoly anyway. Also, I'll admit that the US automakers to tend to make very good trucks and off road vehicles. But these are also vehicles that aren't known for their comfort, and given the abuse they get are generally expected to have higher maintenance costs.

I guess my thoughts on the subject were more focused on everyday use passenger type vehicles that the average person can afford to drive. You can always find exceptions, I was speaking in general terms. Generally, I find American made autos to be inferior in quality to their Japanese and European counter-parts.

And my comment about the Honda CR-V being cheaper to maintain than the Ford Escape really wasn't about cost, it was meant to highlight that higher maintenance costs generally mean more time in the shop. The comment was focused more on quality than cost of upkeep.

So, to each their own. I buy what works for me, you buy what works for you. Maybe you think my view is simplistic, but it works for me. You have the time to work on your own vehicles, while I'd rather pay someone to do it for me. I'd rather spend my time doing other things, so for that I'm happy to spend the money. I'd just prefer to do it on scheduled times, rather than at random break downs. I've owned my Accord (which is a fully loaded EX by-the-way, far from entry level) for 5 years now, and have never had any problem with it. I've only visited the dealer for scheduled maintenance, never to fix anything that just "broke". That's what keeps me buying Hondas.

too get this topic back on track, I think it's great that US auto makers are offering longer warranties and that their build quality is improving. That means better and safer cars, a stronger US economy, and all sorts of lovely things.

But I still think some imports are better, and even you agree with that. I love my Hondas (I own an Accord and a CR-V). Given my past experince with American cars, and my more recent experience with Hondas, it would take a massive amount of convincing to get me to even seriously look at an American car the next time I'm in the market for a new auto.

I travel on business a couple times each year, and I always get new American cars as rentals, and they just "feel" cheap to me, even brand new. Not to mention that I can't stand all of the idiot proof features, like headlights coming on by themselves (and staying on, even when I want them to go off), and that obnoxious horn honk then I lock the car with a keyless remote.

I gladly pay Honda 30-50% more than I would Ford or Chevy for a comparably equpped vehicle, because I know I won't have any problems with it. I would love even more to be able to say that about an American Car company, but it simply isn't true. I actually looked at the Ford Escape as an alternative the Honda CR-V when I was first looking at buying a small SUV. As soon as I saw that consumer reports showed the average annual maintenance costs of the Ford Escape in the $1200-$2000 range (depending on year) and the CR-V was in the $300-$400 range, I immediately dismised the Ford as an option.

I want a car I can drive and not worry about, and I'll pay more for that. Once the US auto makers figure that out, I'll buy from them, but until then, I'm sticking with Honda.

This comment was edited on Jul 26, 14:57.

I've driven Honda's for the last 5 years, and always taken mine to the dealership for maintenancce, including oil changes. Never had any problems, and generally felt that I paid a fair price. I really think part of the problem, and I hate to say this, is that American cars and trucks simply aren't made with the same quality as some imports. I've driven enough crappy American made cars that I doubt I'll ever own another, unless I see a big change in quality. I'm not anti-american, I simply think our auto industry has perfected the 5 year disposable car. I'll agree that not all American cars are alike. I've heard very good things about Saturns, but the big three, Frod, Chevy, Chrysler, have been making crap for a long time now.

I'll agree, ToA was the reason I took a few months off. I was completely turned off by the fact that getting a regular PvE group was hard enough, and ToA requires that you have mega Battle Groups that are 3-5 regular groups in size.

However NF has put the focus back on RvR. None of my toons have any Master Levels from ToA, yet they are still able to compete in RvR, and quite effectively too. The ToA master level benefits are really just minor nice-to-haves, they aren't so overpowering that they tip the tide of battle in favor of the haves vs. the have-nots.

"As God is my witness, I will never kill another spraggon, spraggonite, elder spraggon, spraggon elder - whatever, again!

That game reuses art like nobody's business. No thank you."

Sounds like you probably ought to come back and take a look. There was a lot of that in the beginning, but you'd be very surprised at how different things are now. I took about a 4 month break from the game, and just recently came back myself. I feel like a total n00b, and I played for about 2 years, it has changed that much. And for a look at what New Frontiers has done for RvR, check out this video:

http://www.comebacktocamelot.com/newfrontiersfootage.zip

Siege weapons can now punch holes in the walls of keeps, and you can teleport between keeps. Everyone also has a realmwar map, that shows your location in the frontier, and the location of any keep or tower sieges (yeah, keeps now have supporting towers). This is what RvR should have been when they released the game nearly 3 years ago.

This comment was edited on Jun 30, 20:30.

I'm just reallly curious, isn't this game nearly a year late? What the hell were they thinking when they put HL2 coupons in the ATI 9800XT cards? We are on the next rev of the Silicon already and they still don't have a firm ship date, and they are bragging about the voice talent? Come on, that to me makes this pretty clear that the code theft last year had nothing to do with the delay. They were clearly blowing smoke up our collective asses about the game being ready to ship back then. I was really looking forward to HL2, but this is just rediculous. Please don't let this turn into another Daikatana, or worse, Duke Nukem Forever.