After Eight Years, Battlefield Project Reality Hits 1.0

I haven't played Battlefield 2's Project Reality mod (or any Battlefield 2, really) in ages, but this is still a very exciting occasion. Eight years. That's how long it's taken one of the best-known mods out there to be deemed fit for 1.0 status. It's been more than playable (DOUBLE PLAYABLE) for probably longer than I've been alive, though, and it's proven succulent with delicious intrigues time and time again. In my experience, rigorous team play is the name of the game, and anything less is met with swift, pulpy, never timely (yet always right on time) death.

Looks pretty spiffy, huh? Now time for a newsflash: actual gameplay unfolds nothing like that. The Project Reality matches I've played were eight thousand parts precise planning, four thousand parts preparation, and one part execution. I was, of course, typically the one getting executed, but it was super great. There's just so much more on the line when a single stray bullet can easily puree your brain and your squad's plan of attack (or defense, or anything else) is the lovingly conceived child of your loins. Mental loins. It's still pretty gross, though.

In addition to all the Project Reality staples (new vehicles, weapons, modes, constructible defenses, destructibles, overhauled class systems, overhauled weapon handling, etc, etc, etc), version 1.0 includes the following:

• All new PR Game Launcher and Updater.
• 100 player servers and 8 player squads.
• Integrated Positional Voice Chat (PR Mumble).
• 40 total maps, including 6 brand new maps.
• Updates to existing maps.
• 2 new factions: African Resistance Fighters and French Armed Forces.
• New vehicles and weapons.
• New kit geometries for multiple factions.
• Added Machine Gunner and Spotter kits.
• Reworked rally point system.
• New sounds and special effects (explosions, etc).
• Overhauled weapon handling and deviation.
• Countless other bug fixes, tweaks and changes.

That is a lot of things. Enough to make me idly wonder why DICE has decided they don't like mods anymore, because come on: look at all of that. But I suppose it's tough to justify letting your fans keep your game alive until the day fields rise up and begin battling atop humans when you haven't found a way to (ugh) monetize that sort of thing yet.

Oh gosh, now I've gone and made myself all angry and monitor-punchy. OK, OK, let's just breathe. Inhale the new mod update fumes emanating from Project Reality's direction. Mmmm, isn't that nice? Smells like a Good Thing. Perhaps - just for a few moments - we can sit back, relax, and be satisfied with that.

Project Reality 1.0 will be yours to download on August 2nd.