Seaver

So I recently broke down and bought the expansion.

I must admit I'm very disappointed with it. For the cost of $30, you get 6 maps. 1 is just horrid, it's night time so you have to use NVG's, but the lights are every 100yards and they blind the hell out of you. It just turns into one big sniper fest cause you cant move 10ft. without dying cause you cant see anything. The other maps are decent, much more infantry based than the BF2 maps (which I like) however for the cost of the game one would expect at least a dozen new maps.

The new guns are not much worth it. I find myself still using the medic BF2 unlockable gun. They seemed to increase the accuracy of the M24 sniper rifle, headshots are not very difficult anymore. However most of the maps are small enough that most people stick to the assult kit for the grappling hook.

While BF2 ran beautifully on my computer, there are a few maps which are completely unplayable. The Carrier-Assault map runs at 3 frames per second, with EVERYTHING graphically turned off or low. It's not my system, it's bad programming that is to blame.

The ONLY part they've added that are worthwhile IMO are the grappling hook and zip lines. Grappling hooks allow you to climb buildings without the need of a ladder (allowing you to bypass claymore'd ladders and decent sniping positions). The Zip lines allow you to VERY quickly move from one place to another (as long as it's within range and lower in height). However my biggest beef is there are VERY few medics anymore, because EA completely left them out when it comes to hook/zip lines. So while most battles take place on rooftops, medics are hoofin' it getting sniped from superior positions.

All in all I give it a 3/10, I'm very unhappy with the expansion. IMO dont waste the money on it, just wait till some of the decent free Mods come out (like Desert Combat for BF1).

Jinn

couldn't have said it better.. although, I really do like the map Warden. It's like Karkand, but you can grapple buildings and get some seriously nice spots.

As for the NVG + lights issue, I couldn't agree more.

I'd give it a 5/10..

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Nikilidstrom

my only problem with it, as stated above, is the piss poor framerates on the new maps. They look no better then standard BF2 textures, but they are resource hogs. Hope they can patch this, but it maybe too deeply rooted to solve that easily. It thought it was a little too early to release an expansion pack, and now I see why.

Caphreak

The poor frames can easily be fixed by a few CVAR changes in some config files. Do some googling.

The point of the lights in the night vision maps is to give the people who can survive long enough to use up the batts on their nightvision a place to hide. Being able to toggle NV on/off when its needed, and to keep track of every corner while doing so. It adds another awesome tactic to the game.

The medic gets the new unlock. Talk to any good player, and they'd gladly give up a zipline/grapple to have that gun. Plus, its just another way of encouraqing squads/teamplay. While the medics dont have a z/g to use, they can use ones that other soldiers place. A medic is worthless all by himself anyway.

The unlocks are awesome, although it does suck that only the SAS/US get to use them. The new unlocks are much better than the old weapons to the point that they get an unfair advantage. Playing vanilla bf2 with the unlocks is now what i do most. I can double my previous best scores on most maps, just by playing medic w/ the G36E.

The game takes a little skill to get used to, and some tricks to get running well on your system (what game doesnt?), but overall, its a worthy addition to the Battlefield family. 8/10

Lasereth

I'm definitely getting it for Christmas. I have no idea how the new unlocks work (do I have to get a higher rank and new unlock to unlock the new guns?). I'm really confused in general about the expansion...it came out way earlier than I though it would. Most reviewers are saying if you like BF2, then get the expansion, but if you're not a die hard fan then skip it. I'm definitely a die-hard fan so it's on my list! I read that many maps have no jets or tanks...that makes me really happy. Most of the fun of BF2 is the city maps that are pure infantry. I do enjoy some epic land battles with vehicles though...but the tanks on city maps get annoying.

-Lasereth

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Seaver

The medic unlock IS nice, and I use it very often. However the changes they added are not worth the $30 I put down for it. If you get it for x-mas, you'll enjoy it. However having to work for 5+hours for this expansion was not something I'm happy to do.

I basically do what Cap does, I took my expansion guns and play in vanilla BF2 servers now. The new gun is nice (I play medic 90% of the time), however it's not that much nicer than the L85 or whatever the previous medic unlock was.

Spicy McHaggis

I agree that it is NOT worth the $30.

It seems like this expansion pack encourages people to run off on their own and do their own thing (ex: the new vehicles that can only hold 1 person).

I havn't really found a use for the zipline or grapling hooks.

Zeraph

After reading these reviews I don't think I'll get it. Sounds crappy for the money. Though the new city maps would be nice..

Coppertop

5+ hours to make $30? Ouch.

Caphreak

So if the full game had 13 maps and 14 weapons(per side, or something, too lazy to actually count), and you paid 50 dollars for it, its not worth it to pay another $25 for 8 maps, 5 new weapons+ones that you can use w/o unlocking (SCAR-H), and 4 new items? I guess they couldve done better, but it isnt that bad.

Lasareth: Once you install the v1.12 patch, you have access to the SF unlocks on vanilla BF2. Basically, now its 2 unlocks instead of 1 for each rank that includes an unlock, and its retroactive. If you had 2 unlocks before, you'll get 2 more. Those new unlocks can be used on the SF weaps and the vanilla weps. IE: i got 3 unlocks when installing, and i used them on the SCAR-L, MK3A1, and the F2000. Then i got promoted to 1st sgt, and unlocked the G36E and the MP7. (note: dont unlock the mp7, it isnt worth it, you already have a pistol)

jvwgtr

I have to say, I'm really enjoying the expansion pack - I just had to pre-order it with the free T-Shirt deal...that made the pricetag a little easier to swallow.

There are still tanks in the urban maps, but no jets whatsoever. The flashbangs, tear gas, grappling hooks, and zip lines really do open up new strategies, I think. It gets you out of the rut of your old playing habits, and consider new possibilities.

The only thing I really don't like is the inability to use the new unlocks when playing as the "bad guys"...that's lame.
I'm not a big fan of the dark maps, but it does mix things up a bit.

I'm happy with my purchase, and after playing it a while, if I had it to do over again, I'd still buy it.

Nikilidstrom

Well, now that I have the config files changed and the framerate is up, this sucker aint too bad. For all those having framerate troubles, try this:

1. go to Battlefield 2\mods\ and you'll see 2 folders: bf2 and xpack
2. in both those folders is a settings folder containiing a config file called VideoDefault.com
3. open those config files,and in each change setFullScreen and allowAllRefreshRates to 1, then save. Make sure you do this in both the bf2 and xpack settings folders.

This change allowed me to set all graphics settings to high and still have smooth framerates throughout a 3 hour session last night. Hope this helps the rest of you.

Gabbyness

Does anyone have any experience with the 2x upgrades? I got the F2000 for assault, and frankly, it's bananas. I'm considering grabbing the SCAR-L for my next upgrade, thoughts?

I really ought to get the M95 now that I think about it.

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FngKestrel

So when I fire up Spec Forces and play Singleplayer, I'm limited to just the new maps. Is there a way to use the new equipment on the old levels?

FngKestrel

So I got my first unlock when I got promoted to Lance Corporal. I was looking around at the unlocks and I want to get the MG36 that's available to support through special forces. However, when I go through the unlock screen, it doesn't offer me the new unlocks from spec forces, only the original unlocks from BF2. Do I need to unlock the BF2 ones before I can use the spec forces ones? Or is there a bug somewhere here?

I should point out that even though I have spec forces installed, I still get the in-game nag screen to go buy it.

Lasereth

I'm about to get the 8th or so rank and I'm wondering how to get the Spec Ops guns too. Do they unlock with new ranks like usual? That seems a bit unfair. How do the people who already have like 6 unlocks get the new guns? It's exponentially harder to get guns after rank 4 or so. It's pure bullshit if you have to get the next rank to play with the Spec Ops guns considering I've already unlocked all but 1 of the old guns.

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FngKestrel

I did a little poking around. The Spec Ops guns are called second tier guns and are (according to online resources) available once you unlock the original BF2 gun in the class. For example, for me to get the MG36 for support, I need to unlock the PKM first. Argh.

Lasereth

Ohh cool. I guess I have a ton of guns to choose from now.

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"A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

FngKestrel

Unlocked the PKM last night. Maybe I'm getting better or maybe the weapon is damn good, but I was getting quite a few kills last night. But I was getting owned by people using the F2000 and the G36 variants.