Campaign for North Africa, Part I

Welcome back for a special Forgotten Hope news update. There has been a lot of discussion--even some argument--in our public forums about what our first release should include. I am happy to be able to announce that our first release for the BF2 engine will focus on the desert campaign in Africa. Our first efforts will be to bring a selection of the battles between British and German forces in Egypt and Libya to BF2. McGibs made a special wallpaper in honor of the occasion (you can get some different sizes in the media section.)

We had many alternatives, which held various attractions and advantages, and we considered them all. In the end, though, we decided that this was the best way to get a reasonably complete and enjoyable first release of Forgotten Hope 2 into your hands, as quickly as possible. Some of you may feel disappointed that your favorite theater or army won’t be in the first release, but rest assured, this is only a beginning. We will be expanding the mod to all of the theaters it currently occupies, and more, in the course of time.

On the topic of making our first release, we are looking to expand our team of developers. We are particularly looking for people to work on sound, animation, and skinning but we will consider talented people in other areas, as well. A mature attitude is as important as modding ability—applicants should be able to work as part of a team, to give and accept criticism, and to pay attention to detail in all their work. Be prepared to provide examples of previous work, and to undertake a test project. Contact ArminAce at arminace@aol.com for more details.

Moving on, we know you won't be satisfied without a glimpse of some of the goodies you will be seeing in FH2. We aren't ready to show you our player models yet, but Zero has prepared a tiny taste of things to come. His German tropical helmet is a auspicious indication of just what can be expected for FH2.

Next up is a new version of the Kübelwagen in the colors of the Africa Korps. Many kübels sent to the troops in North Africa had special low pressure tires for the sandy terrain, based on aircraft tire designs. Besides the special tropical tires, Rad also created a unique equipment loadout for his DAK kübel .

One recent source of griping on the forums has been the absence in our news of any Panzer IIIs skinned for North Africa. We didn't forget them, we were just waiting for a special occasion to bring them out. The African versions of the Panzer III Ausf J, M and N were modeled and skinned by Rad.

   

That's all for this week, but be sure to come next week when we present a preview of the opposing British forces. Until then, feel free to visit our public forums to discuss this update and other news.