I struck me this evening... I'm very, very excited with what's going on with the mod these days... Allow me to explain:

I'll begin with the latest major update:

• Omaha and Gold beaches... Two maps I have virtually prayed for since moving over to FH2 from FH1. The Gods (old and the new) were good and we now have both in the Mod. And fellas... They're SUPERB maps...
• Updater. In my opinion the BEST thing that has happened to this mod since Normandy. Think about it: Omaha needs tweaking? Done a week later. Gamespy shutdown threatening to end online play for the mod? Pft easy... (No I bet that took a lot of hard work to do, great job to the team that made that happen. At least distributing the fix was easy )

Current Stuff:

• Dev blogs are plentiful and spectacularly detailed.
• Going along with that, the mod team to public communication has been superb as of late. Official folks are much more open about the progress of the mod, what's being worked on etc. Dare I say the days of "you'll find out later, calm your ass down in the meantime" when asked about future updates are at an end?
• Shake-n-bake has brought some great PR to the mod through his videos! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLT2yWZD0aQDVeZDjMVRKV--p2JcqNuBDa
• Player count is still chugging along nicely.
• Seems to me that there is an increase in new folks, which I'm thrilled about.
• Pacific side project. If you haven't caught up with this yet, you don't know what you're missing... http://fhpubforum.warumdarum.de/index.php?topic=19824.0
• Hop on the modding sub-forum to see some other sweet projects in the mix!
• The forums just seem to be a happier place! Devs have become noticeably more active on the forums. Popping in to share stuff they're working on, helping newbies out with their modding projects. People seem friendlier, less bickering about the same 'ol stuff. It's great!

Looking forward:

• Russia is coming... (2x kewlness multiplier for the second GoT reference)
• Just look at the news updates for the past year or so. We've got some incredible content coming in hot for the Eastern Front. Like, whoa...
• 1st Eastern Front map complete! Russian player models hinted at being complete!

What excites you about FH2?

Hey guys,

So the General Discussion forum has been incredibly boring these past few weeks... Let's get some FH chatter going!

I’m a very defense-minded player. I much prefer setting up a kick-ass defense than being part of an attack spearhead. Putting the pieces of a solid resistance together and watching wave after wave of attackers get crushed against it is one of the best parts of FH for me

One of my all-time favorite defensive maps is Alam Halfa. The British front line is incredibly well designed and fun to defend. It is also one of the few maps where player-placed mines can be tremendously effective. I’ve often thought to myself how a “perfect” defense of the map could be organized, but I finally sat down and thought it all through. I’d like to share my defensive plan, and get your overall impressions.

Scope:
I designed the plan with a normal 64 person server in mind (so there would be 32 players on the British team). It could easily be applied to the 128 server, there would just be a lot more infantry. This plan also only outlines the defense of the first two flags. The assumption will be that the enemy will be kept off of the first ridge and will not manage to capture the first two flags (7th Motor Brigade and 4th Light Armored Brigade).  The key to winning this map as the British is to DELAY the Germans for as long, and as much as possible. Our goal is to be a tremendous pain in the ass for Jerry and keep him as far away from the last flags as possible!

I may someday put a good plan together of how best to defend the later flags, but for now it'll be up to the in game Commander and Squad Leaders to improvise 

Also, the plan is pretty detailed, down to where every man on the British team should be. The only way for this realistically to happen would be in Tournament play, so don't hold your breath on the public servers haha.

The Geography of Alam Halfa:
We are tasked to defend two key control points (flags) nestled behind a low ridge and a prickly bunch of tank obstacles and static mapper-placed minefields. The static minefields are instrumental to the defense of the front lines but allow three routes which tanks may pass. I have codenamed these three gaps in the minefields as Able, Baker, and Charlie, with Able being the northernmost gap. Behind these gaps we have some well placed AT guns, which we will get into further.



Defensive Summary:
The defense will be organized so as to place three levels of resistance:
      1. AT gun fire.
      2. Concentrated artillery barrages against enemy tank formations.
      3. A near impregnable player-placed minefield to expand on the static minefields.

The three tanks the British have at the beginning of the map will be used as a reserve force to plug any gaps which the Panzers may try to exploit.

Force Structure:
There will be one squad devoted to the defense of each of the three gaps in the minefields and a few other supporting squads to take over other functions on the battlefield. There will also be six designated “sappers” or engineers charged with placing and maintaining minefields across the front line. These six men will be divided among the three front line squads.
      1. Able Squad – Charged with the defense of gap “Able” and the overall defense of the 7th Motor Brigade flag. (4 men +2 Sappers)
      2. Baker Squad – Charged with the defense of gap “Baker.” Also available as a reserve unit to be pulled off the front line and directly defend one of the two flags if the line is breached. (4 men +2 Sappers)
      3. Charlie Squad – Charged with the defense of gap “Charlie” and the overall defense of the 4th Light Armored Brigade flag. (4 men +2 Sappers)
      4. Sappers – Six men who will be subdivided amongst the three front line squads. In charge of the minefields.
      5. Artillery – Four men. Two on the 25 Pounders and two on mortars.
      6. Anti Aircraft – Four men on static AA guns and one man in the Spitfire representing the RAF.
      7. Tank Corps – Three men. To be used as a fast-deploy reserve unit.

Sappers:
The first thing which must be done at the beginning of the round is get our minefields down. The Sapper members will spawn at the two middle flags on the map and move to the front in the ammo trucks. The trucks will be important in ensuring they have enough mines to get down. Each man can lay 5 mines and we’ll make sure every single one of those is well placed. The map below shows where the mines will be laid. Three men will be placing mines in gap Able, one in Baker, and two in Charlie. The Baker gap is much wider than the other two and it would be very difficult to get an effective comprehensive minefield down. The Sapper responsible for Baker will only lay down five mines in a key location. The defense of Baker will rather depend on AT guns and the tank corps. After the sappers have laid their mines they will join the Able, Baker, or Charlie squads and function as ordinary rifleman. It is imperitive that they stay alive though. Once the German tank force arrives it will be extremely difficult to replace exploded mines, and even more so to replace an entire stick of 5 if the sapper is killed. Therefore, the sappers should stay out of harm’s way as much as possible. They can still be used if necessity calls for it, such as if one of the other wire gaps is breached.

The mines will function as a last ditch “net” to prevent the Panzers from breaking through. If they manage to advance far enough past the AT gun’s area of fire, they will either be destroyed, or hopefully delayed long enough to allow reinforcements to arrive or to get the guns repaired.

In the map below, the solid yellow lines show where 5 mines (one sapper’s worth) would be laid. The yellow dots in gap Baker are the relative position where that sapper’s mines would be placed. The red lines depict impassable areas for tanks, either through minefields or solid lines of tank traps.



Tank Corps:
The British Tanks are really at a disadvantage on the map. They’ll lose in a 1 on 1 engagement with any German medium or light armor and the ever present threat of Stukas is a major concern as well. For this reason, I’m choosing to deploy the tanks in a mobile format. The Brits start with a Crusader at the 4th Motor Brigade flag and a Stuart Honey at each of the middle two flags. Rather than entrenching them in the front lines, I’m keeping them further back to function more as a reserve/quick strike force. They’ll be more free to maneuver and get side shots in on the enemy tanks and will be tougher for the Stukas to find (in theory). Using them in the reserve capacity will allow the British team to quickly deal with any German tanks which may trickle through the main line of defense. The tank corps will be under the direct command of the in-game commander. The commander will have a better view of the development of the battle and will be able to make a better call of where the reserve tanks should be mobilize in order to neutralize the enemy. The Crusader at the 4th Light Motor Brigade flag will patrol the Baker and Charlie gaps, paying particular attention to the Baker gap due to its large size and lack of defensive mines. The Honeys will stay mobile outside of the main front line flag zones in order to dodge the stukas and be able to respond quickly to Panzers that manage to get through.
 


AA Team:
Communication will be key. I want every AA gun to announce immediately where they see one of the three enemy planes. We need to deal with two Stukas and a BF-109 which is also armed with bombs. The Spitfire should patrol the front lines and also be ready to strike the enemy planes as they are spotted by the AA gunners. If the BF-109 gets behind the Spit, the Spit pilot should fly right near the friendly AA guns who will support in getting the enemy fighter off his tail.

The Brits have a Bofors and two Breda AA guns on the front line, all these must be manned. Additionally, the Bofors at the middle flag with the 25 Pounders should be manned again to prevent the Stukas from picking off a pair of easy targets.

Artillery
Close artillery support will be extremely important. Plastering the enemy tank concentrations will keep them moving and break up their attack. Keeping them on their toes will be important to prevent accurate shots against friendly AT guns. The two 25 Pounders can be effective using HE shells, at least to scare and disorganize the attack. Any enemies trying to repair or attack on foot should be the primary targets. Additionally there is a mortar in between the 7th and 4th Brigade flags which should be manned. This could be used either as an anti infantry tool, or to lay smoke down to blind the enemies. Remember that smoke works both ways though, it will be tougher to place accurate shots with our AT gunners. There is a pick up mortar kit at both of the middle flags. These should be brought to the front for additional firepower. The front line squad leaders will be primarily responsible for directing artillery fire.

Commander:
Everyone’s favorite BF2 position! This whole defensive strategy of course relies on a tremendous amount of teamwork. Assuming an appropriate team can be assembled to correctly implement the plan, I think it is fair to assume there will be ample teamwork to have the squad leaders and commander communicate. The commander will be responsible for coordinating the defenses, particularly in terms of deploying the reserves. He will also assist with providing supply drops to keep the guns active, and using the commander asset artillery when needed. The commander will keep an eye on how the defenses of each of the wire gaps are faring and reallocate personnel and material to best suit the needs of the battle.
 
Front Line Squads:
The front line squads (Able, Baker, and Charlie) will be ultimately responsible for defending their respective gaps, and making sure they call for the necessary support. All three squads will of course have a squad leader. His job will be to coordinate the defense of the gap, call in artillery, and request commander artillery support and supplies. Additionally each of the three squads will have a designated Bren or Boys gunner. his job will be the keep enemy infantry at bay, or at least pinned down. The Boys could be useful in the early stages of the battle to pick off enemy half tracks. Later switching to a Bren will be very important in terms of enemy suppression. Each squad will also have two AT gunners and two Sappers who will be allocated differently between each squad. Keeping the AT guns going is imperative. The sappers will be able to assist with repairs but could also be delegated as ammo runners or basic riflemen as the situation decrees. As mentioned before, their number one job at the start of the battle is to stay alive to ensure their mines stay down.

Able Squad
Able squad is of course responsible for the defense of the Able gap. They are also ultimately responsible for preventing the 7th Light Brigade flag from being captured. Able squad has a very well positioned 6 Pounder which will be the focus of the defense for this gap. The 6 Pounder also has a bunker beneath It, which is a good hiding place for the SL and the sappers. The hill that the 6 Pounder is on will be a main defensive bastion, hosting the Bren/Boys gunner (Shown as "B" on the map below), and one of the sappers ("S"). That Sapper can quickly run down the hill to replace mines if need be. The other Sapper will be on the Lewis gun further back. His job will be to cover the flank of the hill. He can also run ammunition if need be. The final squad member will be on the 2 Pounder back within the flag zone. He is positioned to ambush any Panzers that get through. He is also available if the squad leader has any special jobs to take care of if the enemy tanks are being held at sufficient distance. There is a Sniper kit near the gun that he could grab. He better be ready to sprint back to that gun if need be though!


 
Baker Squad
Baker squad is not directly responsible for the defense of either of the two front line flags. They can be called to defend either on command due to the central location. Baker gap has fewer mines, so it is especially important for their AT gunners to be on target. There is an extremely convenient AT barrier extending out of the eastern minefield which prevents tank passage though (shown in yellow). They have a 6 and 2 Pounder directly on the front lines to cover their defensive area. There is also a Lewis gun on the Eastern flank which should be manned by one of the sappers. The other Sapper should be on the hill to the West where Able squad is housed. He will have laid his mines in the Able gap, so he should be ready to replace those mines in need be. The Bren/Boys gunner should stay centrally located. He has the support of the Lewis gun to take care of additional infantry. The Squad leader should stay on the hill to the East. There is a good walled area to hide behind which also offers a good view of the gap. Baker squad also has the support of the Crusader who will primarily be looking after the Baker gap due to its vulnerability.



Charlie Squad
Charlie Squad is responsible for the Charlie Gap and the defense of the 4th Motor Brigade Flag. The have a 6 Pounder on the front lines, a 2 Pounder in the flag area, and the AA gun on the extreme East flank which can be called in to attack light armored vehicles. The Squad leader should stay positioned behind the 6 Pounder, there is a decent amount of cover there. The Boys/Bren gunner should deploy on top of the ridge along with one of the sappers. The other Sapper should stay with the AA gunner on the East. He can easily reach the mines, and can assist with repairs of the AA gun if need be. The rear 2 Pounder gunner can be used as a sniper/ammo runner/whatever since he does not have a direct view of the battlefield. Again, he better be ready to rush back to the gun if the Germans break through. The Crusader can be called in to support if need be.



Known Deficiencies:
This defense is very anti-tank oriented, making it particularly weak against infantry attacks. A good infantry squad supported closely by tanks is the key to winning this map for the Germans. A real threat to the plan is if an enemy infantry assault squad pops into one of the shell craters in the defensive zone and starts picking off the British AT gunners.

It is very susceptible to enemy artillery as well. This can be mitigated by having Spit strafe the German artillery occasionally but the applicability of that will depend on the server rules since it is kind of a lame move to attack the enemy's base.

I also assumed there will be enough time at the beginning of the map to have the sappers get their mines down. Realistically, it will be very difficult to get a full minefield out before the German tanks arrive.
 
In Conclusion:
Well thanks for reading everyone, I hope it was at least interesting and may influence some desert defensive strategy in the future! Please feel free to let me know what you think of the plan. How do you think you’d defeat it as the Germans? What could be done to modify or bolster up the defense? This is meant to be more of a fun discussion, I know that there's probably zero chance of this being carried out, but maybe you'll take some of it away for the next time you play Alam Halfa

Thanks!
TASSER

Hey everyone,

I've been looking for a cool Omaha Beach map to get my Dad, and found this sweet aerial photo poster of the Les Moulins draw: Awesome aerial shot. (They also sell posters of Pegasus Bridge, Juno Beach, etc.) I'm planning to frame this up nice so he can have it in his office.

I'm pretty well decided I want to get this, HOWEVER just a couple questions:
-Anyone know what time of day it was taken? The resolution is pretty lousy in that link, but I'm guessing the bigger ships are LCI/Ts? Would that make it early afternoon?
-The only place I've seen this poster sold is on a couple British sites. Anyone know of a place in the U.S. that sells them?

Also, I found a couple pretty superbly detailed battle maps of Omaha and Utah. These are great becase they show the German resistance lines (although the WNs aren't spelled out), the planned landing areas, and where the units actually landed. AND the Utah map shows where each stick (planeload) of the two American airborne divisions landed. AWESOME!!!! 

Quick question on these two maps
-Those two links are from this page, on Military.com. I'd love to have these two maps printed out and framed as well. Any idea where I could get a higher resolution of the maps? Or any other way to have them made up? (Get original or higher res copies, etc.?)

Just wanted to share what looks like some pretty neat holiday gifts, and hopefully get some questions answered!

Hello all,

As most of us know, the Dev team is always looking for more people to join and help contribute to the mod. What I'd like to propose is some sort of system where amateur modders in the community that may not have the time to devote to being a full time Dev could still donate some of their work to FH2.

This would work by perhaps having a section on the forums where the Devs can list material they would like to have, but may not have the time to do (statics, atmosphere items, buildings, etc.). An interested community member can take that list and try their hand at making an item and submit it to a designated Dev for inspection and approval. Or maybe just have a Dev act as a point of contact where people can send their content to.

This system would only work for smaller items, i.e. not maps, seeing as how that would require quite a bit more effort by the appraiser. I know statics are currently a bottleneck in the development process, and this may be a way to help speed up that process! Simple things like Russian style military tents, ammunition crates, foxholes/fortifications, I'm sure could be tackled by skilled community members.

To the community: Brush up on those modelling/modding skills! Hit the tutorials! Get passionate about a project and make something awesome! If all goes well, and your stuff is up to par, maybe you'll be lucky enough to see your material in the mod you know and love!

To the Devs: Is this something that you would be open to? The community dearly, dearly appreciates your work, and if there's anything we can do to help you guys out let us know!

Thoughts?

With 2.45 <supposedly> close to being released, I'm curious to see what everyone does when a new update to the mod comes available.

Do you install the pre-release torrent so you're ready to go the moment the password comes out? Do you comb through the changelog and examine every inch of the new maps, making sure to document every new asset that comes with the release? Or do you immediately hop on multiplayer and learn things as you go? Is a new FH release a time where your girlfriends, wives, friends, and families know not to expect to see you for the next few days?

I usually put all the new maps and those existing maps which have been heavily modified onto a local server and spend a good couple hours checking everything out before I even think about going online. I just love exploring the new battlefields and imagining what combat will be like on these new landscape, admiring the beauty of the maps, and thinking about useful strategies that may keep me alive longer! When 2.4 came out I did exactly the opposite though. I thought it would be exhilerating and very immersive to simply log onto a server on a new map and fight my way through unknown territory. I achieved this to devastating effect on Bastogne, my first taste of 2.4 I spawned on the American team at the southern flag late in the battle, completely surrounded by German armor. I had no idea where I was, the forests surrounding the town made it completely disorienting and we were getting the crap shelled out of us, explosions everywhere. So I what any new infantryman would have done and just hid a foxhole thinking "AWESOME! THERE ARE FOXHOLES NOW!" I popped up and got a couple enemy infantry with my rifle before being taken out and the round ended shortly thereafter, but I already knew I was going to love this new patch

What are your new release stories/rituals?

One little thing that’s always gotten to me is that with some MGs the “to-aim” animation is pretty lacking. Currently, the animation is simply bring the gun painfully slowly to eye level while prone in one fluid motion. Certain MGs do this, such as the MG34, MG42, Browning M1919, and I’m sure there are others as well. I fully understand the need to balance the game out by having it take a second or two to view down the sights to prevent people from dolphin diving and spraying accurate fire downrange, but I feel the animation could be improved on. It's especially painful when you see an enemy squad at range perfectly laid out for your belt-fed MG and you've got to wait those agonizing 1.5 seconds to be able to fire and all you're looking at is your player inch the sights into view.

When you take a look at the Bren’s prone aiming animation, you can see that the player first hoists it up into his shoulder then brings the sights up. Maybe something similar to this could be implemented on the aforementioned “slowly animated” MGs. Have the “to-aim” action take the same amount of time, but simply be more animated. Something like:

 “Right-click” -> pull the charging lever back to ensure there is a round chambered -> bring the gun up into your shoulder -> flip the safety -> then be ready to fire.

The only reason I bring up something as relatively trivial as this is because Chad509 has been putting a lot of work into the weapons animations, including existing ones such as the MG 42 aiming animation (see Dev Blogs), and maybe this could be something else to take a look at!

Hey everyone,

I was wondering is some of the old timers wouldn't mind chiming in to give some insight into how the Forgotten Hope mod got its start. While its certainly easy to see how any person playing BF1942 would crave a more realistic experience; who was the person (or group) who actually said, "Hey! We should de a realism mod!" and got it going?

The archives on the website go back until October of 2003 (getting pretty close to a decade ago, how crazy is that?) and BF1942 was released in 2002.

I'm just interested in the history of the mod, any help is greatly appreciated! (That's why we're all interested in FH right? History?  )