What is Red Orchestra?

[Varsity]

Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45, to give it its full name, is the standalone sequel to the Red Orchestra mod for Unreal Tournament 2004. The team behind it (now Tripwire Interactive) came first overall in the "Make Some Unreal" competition to encourage modding and mapping for UT2003 and 2004, and part of their prize was a full Unreal Engine 2.5 license, the result of which is Ostfront. Tripwire also have a full Unreal Engine 3 license, but they haven't announced anything using it yet.

Ostfront differs from Day of Defeat in several ways. It is a more gritty game, based on the Eastern front (Germany vs. Russia) rather than Western. Where DOD has sun-drenched beaches and tightly-packed houses, Ostfront has dark, dank ruins and scarred, drizzly and grey landscapes. It prides itself on its realistic gameplay: you won't be running around like you do in DOD, and the balance of flag captures won't switch suddenly. It has no crosshairs, little in the way of a HUD and, yes, really, simulated bullet physics. It is, all in all, a far slower and far deeper game than DOD.

It also features vehicles, but not as you might know them from Battlefield 2. There is no third person view, only eye slits or uncovered seats (unless you want to stick your head out of a hatch), and a tank takes two or three people, not one, to operate. The best way to think about Ostfront is as a military simulator rather than a game.

Official website
Screenshots & other media
Purchase
Reviews

Official PR blurb:

Fight in the theatre of war that changed the world forever. Battle alongside your compatriots on some of the most inhospitable environments of the Eastern Front in Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-45. RO places you in the most realistic WWII first-person multi-player combat to date on the PC, allowing the player to fight through some of the most intense combat of the war. You can play as infantry, using a wide range of infantry weapons, or crew one of the many armoured combat vehicles available in the game, from half-tracks all the way through to the most famous German and Soviet heavy tanks. You can engage the enemy with everything from your bayonet at close quarters up to the massive 122mm cannon on the Soviet IS-2. And if that isn't enough, find an officer and a radio to call in thunderous artillery strikes to shake the enemy loose.

[yellowteddy]

I want to play this game. Once I get my computer built this Christmas, it'll be one of the first games I install. Don't get me wrong, I love Day of Defeat, but I find Russia's part of WWII to be very under-rated and under-spoken. I love the WWII theme, but am a little exhausted of the Western and Commonwealth countries being the focus of the themed video games.

I've seen screenshots, and it looks very impressive.

[riko]

Dear God, i cant wait for it !!!!11!1

RO Fan since 1.0

RO > all.

If I knew, that game will be released over Steam I did not begin to spend money for such $h!t, as DOD:S. Whatever, i still play original DOD with his classic gameplay.

i have to say that game looks absolutely amazing and i will have to make sure i buy it

I bought UT2004 just for Red Orchestra about a year ago and since then I've always been very impressed with the game. Trust me, you guys will not be dissapointed, especially with this new and polished release -- the graphics have been updated, new features, weapons, and even vehicles have been added. It will definitely be a great time for gamers everywhere!

[Yoshiro]

The description is perfect, and we look forward to all of you entering the eastern front battlefields through Red Orchestra: Ostfront

how many people play online currently?

[Wilsonam]

The mod version, last updated March 2005, was the most-played Unreal Tournament total conversion. All-time, apparently, we have about 100,000 players recorded - covers the last couple of years.

Needless to say, producing it as a full-scale, standalone retail game, distributed through Steam, SHOULD bring that many people into playing it on a daily basis!

[d889]

Hell yeah, military simulators make the best online experience. Operation Flashpoint is a prime example.

[Fraiser]

VALVe developer community has a page about it:

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/w...Ostfront_41-45

[Dwarden]

Originally posted by Fraiser
VALVe developer community has a page about it:

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/w...Ostfront_41-45

neat , thanks

[Woutsie]

awesome

[dangle]

release date ?

The release date will be sometime around january 2006.

[riko]

Screenies from RO 3.1:

http://www.redorchestra.clanservers....reenshots.html

RO 3.1 Trailer:

http://www.gamershell.com/download_7531.shtml

A bit old, but if u never saw it u should