Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising not the game people had hoped

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising was recently released but appears not the game people had hoped.  Many fans of the original military simulator Operation Flashpoint, developed by Bohemia Interactive and published by codemasters, flocked to get their hands on the newly released game.  Codemasters decided to release this game themselves and got rid of Bohemia Interactive.

Unfortunately it appears that the latest game has fallen down in many ways.  The release of the game without any dedicated server software has annoyed most PC gamers as Codemasters has chosen to go with the console style P2P connectivity which has many PC games complaining of lag, or, the system not working at all.

Many PC gamers are also complaining that they have managed to play multiplayer games, however, it appears that many people on multiplayer have downloaded the game for free due to no copy protection… another hint that the game was developed for consoles primarily.

Hopefully Codemasters release a patch soon to resolve all the bugs in this that has good potential.  Hardcore Operation Flashpoint fans might wish to check out the Arma line of games from Bohemia Interactive.

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PS3 firmware update

Firmware update 3.00 was released for the PS3 today.

The playstation firmware site hasn’t updated yet with all the changes, but, some of them are below.  This article “PlayStation 3 Firmware (v3.00) Update” says:

Additional highlights from update 3.00 include:

  • “What’s New” – The “Information Board” will be replaced with a “What’s New” section, which allows you to enjoy interactive PlayStation news every time you start the PS3 system. Located under the PlayStation Network icon, “What’s New” displays the latest and greatest game, video, PlayStation Network and PlayStation news and releases, as well as your recently played games, in a sleek, new animated format.
  • Status Indicator – In the top right corner we’ve added an indicator bar, which displays your user icon, friend icon, the number of friends you have online and a small message icon to let you know if you have any new messages. The indicator also includes a scrolling ticker that features the latest news from PlayStation Network. In addition, when you press the PS button, the battery life indicator will no longer cover up the clock.
  • Friends List – Now your PlayStation Network friends will appear in a slightly redesigned format on your Friends List. Also, messages will now be viewable from each of your friends’ respective profiles.
  • PlayStation Store Shortcuts – We’ve added a handy shortcut icon to the PlayStation Store under both the Game and Video categories so you can access the latest content quickly and easily.
  • Personalization – Personalize your PS3 with new dynamic custom themes and avatars. Dynamic themes as well as free and premium avatars will be available through PlayStation Store. A dynamic theme takes your screen to a whole new level as it incorporates animated objects into the background.
  • Trophies – Showcasing your hard earned trophies just got better. Update 3.00 gives game developers the ability to modify how they display trophies for add-on content. Base and add-on game trophies will continue to be combined into a single list so you can see where you stand in a game as a whole. Within that list, trophies will be broken out into subcategories—base trophies and add-on trophies—that way, you can easily view the percentage of your base game trophy collection,and separately track your trophy progress in add-on packs. Look for this enhancement to be included in upcoming games.

I hope they have sorted out the friends list as how it was, the Xbox 360 friends list was much better.