Huge G.R.A.W. update soon - VGF

2nd Opp · 06-21-2006, 04:32 AM

The following is from : http://www.teamxbox.com/

If you don’t know it by know, you should- Ubisoft’s GRAW rocks. Whether you’re running through Ubi Paris’ thrilling single player missions, or mixing it up with Red Storm’s multiplayer mayhem, there’s something for everyone in the best Xbox 360 game to date.

Never resting on their digital laurels, Ubisoft is set to release Chapter 2: some killer premium content for GRAW’s multiplayer arena. We don’t exactly know when Chapter 2 will hit Xbox Live, but inside sources say that sometime at the end of June is a definite possibility. Pricing is still up in the air as well (it will cost you some Microsoft Points for sure), so stay tuned to TeamXbox.com for news updates.

Ubisoft led the downloadable content train in the last generation, and it’s apparent that they’ll do the same on the Xbox 360. As you’ll see below, the possibilities for upgrades to a modern military fighter such as GRAW are open-ended, and a snap to do via Xbox Live Marketplace.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Red Storm continues to cook up new maps, weapons, and extras on an annual basis, or at least long enough to hold FPS fanatics over until GRAW 2 lands.

We were able to join some BIG debug matches using near-final code of Chapter 2, and let us be the first to tell you that what Red Storm put together here is worth nearly any amount of Microsoft Points. The amount and quality of the content in Chapter 2 is what impresses us. And of course the 10+ player matches ran flawlessly on Partner Net, which is a harbinger for how things will run via Live.

Let’s take a closer look what Ubisoft and Red Storm will make available in Chapter 2 (hopefully) by the end of June...

Weapons

The standard weapons of GRAW are well balanced, but there’s always room for improvement in the firepower department. Rather than messing up the balanced cache of arms, Red Storm enhanced the lot with some interesting options that are sure to become popular online.

Please note that the standard magazine capacity listed will go up if the weapon is being operated by its most logical class. All other upgraded statistics are in effect with these weapons too. For example, the SR-25 will be most accurate in the hands of a Marksman, a rifleman will load a SCAR-H SV the fastest, and so on.

Here’s a breakdown of each new weapon included in Chapter 2:

Weapon name: SR-25 SD
Standard class: Marksman
In-game particulars: silenced/20 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot,/8x and 16x zoom

The most important word describing the SR-25 is quiet. This is your only chance for silenced, long-range plinking in GRAW so marksmen take note. Fires the larger, 51mm version of the 7.62mm round.

Weapon name: M468
Standard class: Marksman
In-game particulars: 28 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot and full automatic/3x zoom

The 5.56 round is as NATO friendly as it is enemy friendly. This weak projectile has been known to cause little damage to even lightly armored enemies, so it’s time for an upgrade. The 6.8mmx43mm round out of the 468 is strong enough to penetrate light armor, giving it a large advantage over the 5.56mm round in the field. Weapon name: M468/M320
Standard class: Grenadier
In-game particulars: 28 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot and full automatic/3x zoom

This new Grenadier-class weapon uses the same body as the abovementioned M468, but adds a standard 40mm shell launcher in an over/under fashion.

View full size image.

Weapon name: AK-47 LMG
Standard class: Gunner
In-game particulars: 75 rounds per magazine/6 magazines standard. Full automatic operation only/iron sights

The most famous weapon in the world has been modified more than Pamela Anderson. One popular configuration adds a high-capacity drum to the Russian rifle, thus giving is the ability to hold 75 round a clip. This particular version is full auto fire only and has the standard iron sights, making it effective for little more than suppressive fire.

Weapon name: SCAR-H SV
Standard class: Rifleman
In-game particulars: 20 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot/2x and 4x zoom

The new favorite arm of the U.S. Military has been modified slightly to make it more user friendly in GRAW, removing the heavy barrel and adding a magnified scope has made this version of the SCAR less of a L.A.V. threat, but more of an accurate light armored, long range threat.

Game Types

As if you didn’t have enough options to deal with already, Red Storm has thrown two new twists into the pot. Team Battle is an epic fight that expounds on the standard objective type war by including A.I. unit support. You may see some A.I. friendlies throw down suppressive fire with a light armored vehicle, or mix it up in the trenches via infantry support. It looks as though there can be up to twenty five pieces of A.I. support per team, so you can imagine what kind of skirmishes ensue when the server is full of gamers. It’s worth mentioning that the A.I. units are only responsible for offensive support, and will not get involved in handling objectives that are a part of the briefing.

Team Blind Siege puts one team on the offensive, while the other squad must defend a central waypoint. The beauty of this mode is that the defenders have no clue as to when, where, or how the attack will occur, as all lines of communication are severed.

Maps and Co-op Campaign Missions

There are four amazing new maps that will come with Chapter 2. Along with these maps are fresh campaign co-op missions which allow a whole squad of human ghosts run through a single story.

Each map is as intricate and detailed as any of those included with GRAW, and in some cases, more interesting. The central theme to each new map seems to be varying vertical height, whether in the form of a hilly depot, or the lofty deck of an oceanliner. This creates more “sitting duck” scenarios, and other advantages which come from having the higher ground.

Of course there’s a lot more going on in each of these maps, so let’s take a bit of a closer look at each of them, along with a quick briefing on each Co-op Campaign mission objective…

Map Name: Coffee Plantation
Time of day: Day
Co-op Campaign objective: Eliminate the kingpin in an arms running racket.

View full size image.

We never considered sacks of java beans to double as battlefield sandbags, but in the case of Coffee Plantation, they do the trick. Various objects that one would find at a coffee processing plant provide the majority of the cover in this Nicaraguan locale. Sniping opportunities are limited due to the short sight lines, so it’s best to call on your suppressive fire and close-quarters specialists and weapons to solve any conflicts.

Map Name: Shipping Port
Time of day: Evening
Co-op Campaign objective: Thwart the enemy from smuggling weapons into the country via a particular port of call.

A map like Shipping Port is a wonderful addition to GRAW. As you know, your Ghost can’t climb, so any sniping points must be reached by stairs. Well, get ready to climb, as the port has massive shipping container crane towers which give an overview of nearly the whole map. The decks and towers of the ported oceanliners also create numerous opportunities for snipage. If you plan to stay around sea level, leave the frags at home and equip the smoke grenades; there are too many open areas to be running around unconcealed.

Map Name: Jungle Mine
Time of day: Day
Co-op Campaign objective: Secure the enemy camp, destroy their cache of weapons, and eliminate the ringleader.

The mine caverns create many blind corners and situations where characters are constantly at differing elevations. There’s a good mixture of open areas and woodlands too, which when compiled with the mines, makes for a great overall design. It’s best to creep through the mine paths, as there are ample, dimly lit hiding spots that stealthy Ghosts always seem to take advantage of.

View full size image.

Map Name: River Depot
Time of day: Dawn
Co-op Campaign objective: Secure an enemy warehouse facility while at the same time destroying shipments of illegal weapons.

The hilly terrain of depot makes for a tough challenge, especially in territory capturing-type matches. Red Storm has accurately calculated how much slower a soldier will be while ascending grades, so be mindful of this when picking out heavy weapons. Weapon weight matters, so try to stick with feathery, agile weapons if you plan on humping the hills.

River Depot (Dawn)

This map puts the Ghosts in a jungle area that the Rebel forces have infiltrated and are using for storing and shipping out illegal weapons. The goal of the Ghosts is to secure the warehouse facility that holds crucial information concerning the placement and shipment of weapons. As the player weaves through the jungle and eliminates the patrols of enemies, they must also destroy all the weapon shipments and keep the Rebels from extracting from the area. Massive trees, loads of weapon shipments, and enemy transports are unique characteristics of this mission.

The extras

The five new weapons, two new game types, and four new maps/missions comprise the brunt of Chapter 2, but Ubisoft and Red Storm didn’t stop there. To add a little extra flavor to this premium content, the design crew thought it would be nice to update and add content to make the upgrade more of a bargain to stingy gamers.

Red Storm has tweaked the lighting on maps such as Old Town, Nowhere, and Fishing Village in order to vary the gameplay a bit. Fishing Village, for instance, take a whole new playing style, as the dusk-like setting creates a low-light nightmare. Further reliance on night sighting is the norm in the relight of Fishing Village, which easily changes the entire approach tactics.

In keeping with their theme of providing mil-spec weapons, equipment, and wardrobe, Red Storm has added two new camo types to the Chapter 2 fray. The Canadian CADPAT is a computer-generated woodsy camo that does well in Jungle Mines and River Depot.

Known worldwide as one of the best concealing patterns, British DPM- or Disruptive Pattern Material- has been included for those looking for a fresh look, or a bit better cover while in the thick of it.

View full size image.

To go along with the two new textile options are four new camo face options. These look similar to the older camo faces, but it looks as though you can don the “war paint” look, some squiggly lines that are a bit less menacing, or two fairly standard Ghost looks.

View full size image.

The outlook

If you already own GRAW. and play on a regular basis, then you’ll want to download Chapter 2 as soon as it hits Marketplace.

Think of Chapter 2 as a booster to an already stout game. The included maps are as good and in some instances better than the stock set, the new weapons are potent without causing imbalance, and additional game types is something you don’t find every day in DLC.

We expect the price to be pretty much in check, which means that most online GRAW matches will be running this new material. So what are you waiting for? Oh yeah, Chapter 2 hasn’t come out yet. Our bad! But keep your eyes peeled at the end of June for Chapter 2. Ghost out.

06-21-2006, 04:32 AM	#1
2nd Opp Member Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Alta loma, Ca, USA Gender: Posts: 2,009 Thanks: 0 Thanked 6 Times in 5 Posts Points: 8,171.81 Bank: 34,961.67 Total Points: 43,133.48 Donate	Huge G.R.A.W. update soon The following is from : http://www.teamxbox.com/ If you don’t know it by know, you should- Ubisoft’s GRAW rocks. Whether you’re running through Ubi Paris’ thrilling single player missions, or mixing it up with Red Storm’s multiplayer mayhem, there’s something for everyone in the best Xbox 360 game to date. Never resting on their digital laurels, Ubisoft is set to release Chapter 2: some killer premium content for GRAW’s multiplayer arena. We don’t exactly know when Chapter 2 will hit Xbox Live, but inside sources say that sometime at the end of June is a definite possibility. Pricing is still up in the air as well (it will cost you some Microsoft Points for sure), so stay tuned to TeamXbox.com for news updates. Ubisoft led the downloadable content train in the last generation, and it’s apparent that they’ll do the same on the Xbox 360. As you’ll see below, the possibilities for upgrades to a modern military fighter such as GRAW are open-ended, and a snap to do via Xbox Live Marketplace. We wouldn’t be surprised if Red Storm continues to cook up new maps, weapons, and extras on an annual basis, or at least long enough to hold FPS fanatics over until GRAW 2 lands. We were able to join some BIG debug matches using near-final code of Chapter 2, and let us be the first to tell you that what Red Storm put together here is worth nearly any amount of Microsoft Points. The amount and quality of the content in Chapter 2 is what impresses us. And of course the 10+ player matches ran flawlessly on Partner Net, which is a harbinger for how things will run via Live. Let’s take a closer look what Ubisoft and Red Storm will make available in Chapter 2 (hopefully) by the end of June... Weapons The standard weapons of GRAW are well balanced, but there’s always room for improvement in the firepower department. Rather than messing up the balanced cache of arms, Red Storm enhanced the lot with some interesting options that are sure to become popular online. Please note that the standard magazine capacity listed will go up if the weapon is being operated by its most logical class. All other upgraded statistics are in effect with these weapons too. For example, the SR-25 will be most accurate in the hands of a Marksman, a rifleman will load a SCAR-H SV the fastest, and so on. Here’s a breakdown of each new weapon included in Chapter 2: Weapon name: SR-25 SD Standard class: Marksman In-game particulars: silenced/20 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot,/8x and 16x zoom The most important word describing the SR-25 is quiet. This is your only chance for silenced, long-range plinking in GRAW so marksmen take note. Fires the larger, 51mm version of the 7.62mm round. Weapon name: M468 Standard class: Marksman In-game particulars: 28 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot and full automatic/3x zoom The 5.56 round is as NATO friendly as it is enemy friendly. This weak projectile has been known to cause little damage to even lightly armored enemies, so it’s time for an upgrade. The 6.8mmx43mm round out of the 468 is strong enough to penetrate light armor, giving it a large advantage over the 5.56mm round in the field. Weapon name: M468/M320 Standard class: Grenadier In-game particulars: 28 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot and full automatic/3x zoom This new Grenadier-class weapon uses the same body as the abovementioned M468, but adds a standard 40mm shell launcher in an over/under fashion. View full size image. Weapon name: AK-47 LMG Standard class: Gunner In-game particulars: 75 rounds per magazine/6 magazines standard. Full automatic operation only/iron sights The most famous weapon in the world has been modified more than Pamela Anderson. One popular configuration adds a high-capacity drum to the Russian rifle, thus giving is the ability to hold 75 round a clip. This particular version is full auto fire only and has the standard iron sights, making it effective for little more than suppressive fire. Weapon name: SCAR-H SV Standard class: Rifleman In-game particulars: 20 rounds per magazine/10 magazines standard/single shot/2x and 4x zoom The new favorite arm of the U.S. Military has been modified slightly to make it more user friendly in GRAW, removing the heavy barrel and adding a magnified scope has made this version of the SCAR less of a L.A.V. threat, but more of an accurate light armored, long range threat. Game Types As if you didn’t have enough options to deal with already, Red Storm has thrown two new twists into the pot. Team Battle is an epic fight that expounds on the standard objective type war by including A.I. unit support. You may see some A.I. friendlies throw down suppressive fire with a light armored vehicle, or mix it up in the trenches via infantry support. It looks as though there can be up to twenty five pieces of A.I. support per team, so you can imagine what kind of skirmishes ensue when the server is full of gamers. It’s worth mentioning that the A.I. units are only responsible for offensive support, and will not get involved in handling objectives that are a part of the briefing. Team Blind Siege puts one team on the offensive, while the other squad must defend a central waypoint. The beauty of this mode is that the defenders have no clue as to when, where, or how the attack will occur, as all lines of communication are severed. Maps and Co-op Campaign Missions There are four amazing new maps that will come with Chapter 2. Along with these maps are fresh campaign co-op missions which allow a whole squad of human ghosts run through a single story. Each map is as intricate and detailed as any of those included with GRAW, and in some cases, more interesting. The central theme to each new map seems to be varying vertical height, whether in the form of a hilly depot, or the lofty deck of an oceanliner. This creates more “sitting duck” scenarios, and other advantages which come from having the higher ground. Of course there’s a lot more going on in each of these maps, so let’s take a bit of a closer look at each of them, along with a quick briefing on each Co-op Campaign mission objective… Map Name: Coffee Plantation Time of day: Day Co-op Campaign objective: Eliminate the kingpin in an arms running racket. View full size image. We never considered sacks of java beans to double as battlefield sandbags, but in the case of Coffee Plantation, they do the trick. Various objects that one would find at a coffee processing plant provide the majority of the cover in this Nicaraguan locale. Sniping opportunities are limited due to the short sight lines, so it’s best to call on your suppressive fire and close-quarters specialists and weapons to solve any conflicts. Map Name: Shipping Port Time of day: Evening Co-op Campaign objective: Thwart the enemy from smuggling weapons into the country via a particular port of call. A map like Shipping Port is a wonderful addition to GRAW. As you know, your Ghost can’t climb, so any sniping points must be reached by stairs. Well, get ready to climb, as the port has massive shipping container crane towers which give an overview of nearly the whole map. The decks and towers of the ported oceanliners also create numerous opportunities for snipage. If you plan to stay around sea level, leave the frags at home and equip the smoke grenades; there are too many open areas to be running around unconcealed. Map Name: Jungle Mine Time of day: Day Co-op Campaign objective: Secure the enemy camp, destroy their cache of weapons, and eliminate the ringleader. The mine caverns create many blind corners and situations where characters are constantly at differing elevations. There’s a good mixture of open areas and woodlands too, which when compiled with the mines, makes for a great overall design. It’s best to creep through the mine paths, as there are ample, dimly lit hiding spots that stealthy Ghosts always seem to take advantage of. View full size image. Map Name: River Depot Time of day: Dawn Co-op Campaign objective: Secure an enemy warehouse facility while at the same time destroying shipments of illegal weapons. The hilly terrain of depot makes for a tough challenge, especially in territory capturing-type matches. Red Storm has accurately calculated how much slower a soldier will be while ascending grades, so be mindful of this when picking out heavy weapons. Weapon weight matters, so try to stick with feathery, agile weapons if you plan on humping the hills. River Depot (Dawn) This map puts the Ghosts in a jungle area that the Rebel forces have infiltrated and are using for storing and shipping out illegal weapons. The goal of the Ghosts is to secure the warehouse facility that holds crucial information concerning the placement and shipment of weapons. As the player weaves through the jungle and eliminates the patrols of enemies, they must also destroy all the weapon shipments and keep the Rebels from extracting from the area. Massive trees, loads of weapon shipments, and enemy transports are unique characteristics of this mission. The extras The five new weapons, two new game types, and four new maps/missions comprise the brunt of Chapter 2, but Ubisoft and Red Storm didn’t stop there. To add a little extra flavor to this premium content, the design crew thought it would be nice to update and add content to make the upgrade more of a bargain to stingy gamers. Red Storm has tweaked the lighting on maps such as Old Town, Nowhere, and Fishing Village in order to vary the gameplay a bit. Fishing Village, for instance, take a whole new playing style, as the dusk-like setting creates a low-light nightmare. Further reliance on night sighting is the norm in the relight of Fishing Village, which easily changes the entire approach tactics. In keeping with their theme of providing mil-spec weapons, equipment, and wardrobe, Red Storm has added two new camo types to the Chapter 2 fray. The Canadian CADPAT is a computer-generated woodsy camo that does well in Jungle Mines and River Depot. Known worldwide as one of the best concealing patterns, British DPM- or Disruptive Pattern Material- has been included for those looking for a fresh look, or a bit better cover while in the thick of it. View full size image. To go along with the two new textile options are four new camo face options. These look similar to the older camo faces, but it looks as though you can don the “war paint” look, some squiggly lines that are a bit less menacing, or two fairly standard Ghost looks. View full size image. The outlook If you already own GRAW. and play on a regular basis, then you’ll want to download Chapter 2 as soon as it hits Marketplace. Think of Chapter 2 as a booster to an already stout game. The included maps are as good and in some instances better than the stock set, the new weapons are potent without causing imbalance, and additional game types is something you don’t find every day in DLC. We expect the price to be pretty much in check, which means that most online GRAW matches will be running this new material. So what are you waiting for? Oh yeah, Chapter 2 hasn’t come out yet. Our bad! But keep your eyes peeled at the end of June for Chapter 2. Ghost out.