OpFlash: Dragon Rising DLC this month

By Robert Purchese Published 21 October, 2009

Vehicle missions, levels, modes, more.

Codemasters has told Eurogamer that the first batch of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC will be out soon, alongside a network "optimisation" patch to "make it flow a bit better".

"Within two-to-four weeks of release, tops," executive producer Sion Lenton told us in an interview published today.

"Our intention is to align [the patch] with the first DLC pack that's coming out as well, which is due around the end of October. Hopefully we'll do the whole thing in one."

Sion Lenton said there will be more DLC down the line, although what that will be has not been decided. He's waiting to see what you want.

"It's quite open-ended," he added, "it's not a lot of fuss for us to make new content - it's actually quite easy for us to get it out there, with regards to things like levels, game modes, etc."

"The other thing we actually like to look at is getting some new equipment in there as well."

"One of the things we're hoping is we can address the balance of vehicles in the game," he added, "as there are people who expected to be able to use them more than they can in the final game. We're really ramping up the vehicle-specific missions in there. It's all really great tech, it all works, you can get in these things, so again, we'll be trying to exploit that as well."

He would like to expand on the campaign missions, but there appear to be no plans in place at the moment.

"We've got some stuff initially planned for this year, which I'm sure we'll be announcing soon - I'm looking at the PR here. I guess at the end of the day, let's see how it goes. But we'd love to do more stuff with it, we really would," said Lenton.

Head over to our full post-release Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising interview to find out more. It's told from two perspectives: Lenton's, and that of Neil Powell, a former army major we quizzed about the game's authenticity.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (57) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • cianchristopher #1 2 years ago

    Love the aggressive DLC flogging going on these days!

    Pretty soon we won't need games at all, we can just pay for DLC upon release date....

  • mism #2 2 years ago

    Perhaps they could fix the actual game before shipping DLC. The squad AI is utterly atrocious, scripted events can fail forcing a mission restart and walking up a flight of stairs can result in instant death.

  • MiniAmin #3 2 years ago

    "Our intention is to align [the patch] with the first DLC pack that's coming out as well, which is due around the end of October. Hopefully we'll do the whole thing in one."

    Yes, because it's more important to prioritise DLC rather than releasing a patch which makes the actual game work properly.

  • LOLLERS #4 2 years ago

    "it's not a lot of fuss for us to make new content - it's actually quite easy for us to get it out there, with regards to things like levels"


    Maybe they should have put more in the actual game then? This better be free DLC or it's being traded in...

  • booner #5 2 years ago

    Should be free this close to launch, I mean 8 missions!!! No wonder it's nice and easy to get DLC ready....just slash the campaign in half and you have 8 missions ready to charge people for just after launch.

  • Skire #6 2 years ago

    I'm starting to dislike Codemasters more and more. I used to love them back in the days of the incredible Colin McRae games.

    I really hate the yank-friendly over-the-top adrenaline arcade racers they make these days. I've never understood why people were so positive about Dirt, Grid and even Dirt 2. It leaves me completely cold. Just give us a good rally sim again!

    It's also funny how Operation Flashpoint 2 should've been released Q4 2008. But then it got delayed like 4 times to be released in Q3 2009. And even after all the delays the game is still pretty buggy and average at best.

    Jup, they've lost my respect.

  • draycen #7 2 years ago

    What a joke. DLC within weeks of a game that's sorely missing a crap load of content. So glad I sold this already. This is a disgusting trend. "Oh look, here's a load more content we've just knocked up in 2 weeks and definitely not held back from the game we released 3 weeks ago, noooo"

    Tossers

  • cianchristopher #8 2 years ago

    Well, to be fair to Codemasters - I loved DiRT, GRID and DiRT 2. But this game seems to be taking a wrong turn for them!

    They should stick to the racing games, it's what they're good at....

  • SlackMaster #9 2 years ago

    TBH I was happy with the game and haven't had any bugs so far. Played it online and off and haven't got through all the campaign missions yet.

    I'll be happy for more DLC as it's a great game. There is a bit of a hole in the market for this type of game on consoles, especially with no GRAW or update to R6 this year.

  • XdarXideX #10 2 years ago

    It's a shame I'm having so much fun with the game... because otherwise I could be crying about optional DLC and bugs that are being fixed too.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 15:35

  • Nephirion #11 2 years ago

    Bug fixes are sold as DLC these days, you guys only just realised that?

  • Helios_CM #12 2 years ago

    @Nephirion - Just wanted to pop on quickly to make it very clear that the title update/patch being released to address bugs and networking issues is completely seperate from the DLC, even if they are released on the same day.

    Also, the exact dates for the release of the title updates/patch and the DLC are still yet to be officially confirmed.

  • LOLLERS #13 2 years ago

    I think the point, XdarXideX, is that we don't want it to be optional DLC since the game is so light on content to start with, plus given how long it was in development we should expect major bugs to have been fixed BEFORE it was shipped...

  • booner #14 2 years ago

    "XdarXideX
    21/10/09 @ 15:35
    ignore poster | #11

    It's a shame I'm having so much fun with the game... because otherwise I could be crying about optional DLC and bugs that are being fixed too.
    "
    I think I speak for a lot of people who don't mind paying for DLC if they don't feel that the game was cut short to make way for downloadable content. If a game is a complete package, like GTA, people don't mind paying for the DLC episodes as they are extending an already polished experience and want to enjoy it further. A half finished game released much later than expected.... with DLC available a matter of weeks after release date just looks really bad imo and puts people off paying for the DLC.

  • XdarXideX #15 2 years ago

    DLC comes with an AutoUpdate to allow it to work anyway. What he meant was that he wants the bug fixes AND the autoupdate that allows the DLC to work to be one and the same.

    The game would have been ready roughly 6 weeks before release... since then they would have been working on DLC and minor bug fixes that their internal QA found... and that's if they've not been assigned to a new project. Now that additional bugs have been found after release, they will have to work on those too. So an update to fix the bugs will probably take longer than the DLC to be released. Except they've just said that basically they're pushing to get the fixes out alongside the DLC.

    But you're gonna whinge anyway aren't you guys?

  • mingster #16 2 years ago

    Lol @ instadeath for walking up a flight of stairs.
    Don't you know its dangerous.

  • XdarXideX #17 2 years ago

    @Booner

    Half finished as in buggy? Or too short? If it's the latter then maybe it was designed to be played over and over in co-op or singleplayer... hence the large open-world environment. Yes the game is going to be a DLC machine (and they HAVE already mentioned this) but apparently much of this DLC is going to be free.

  • XdarXideX #18 2 years ago

    Sorry but I fail to understand how this game is light on content still... please explain. How many hours have you people put into it? How many playthroughs? Secondary objectives? Co-op? Hardcore mode? Multiplayer?

  • LOLLERS #19 2 years ago

    Probably spent maybe 11 hours on it, but given about half that is just walking...yeah it's light on content. And replaying on different difficulty levels or in co-op is not extra content.

    I don't like how there's at least 5 missions kept out of the game to be given to retailers as 'exclusive' unlock codes either.

  • stoopidgreg #20 2 years ago

    i would much rather they fixed the hundreds of bugs listed on their forum before they even think about adding more content.

  • booner #21 2 years ago

    @XdarXideX

    Well I am taking it slow and already on mission 6 on regular difficulty. I have been doing secondary assignments where possible, but due to the nature of the missions rushing you to certain objectives to avoid failing, there is little time to take these slowly or even explore a vast landscape.

    Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying it, although I feel as though it could have been a massive game and it's fallen really short of this.

  • booner #22 2 years ago

    I agree with Lollers

  • JensonJet #23 2 years ago

    TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE.

    As others have said, the game should've worked perfectly when it first arrived. Ignoring the bugs, the difficulty in getting three other friends into a ranked co-op game are a joke. Not to mention that the missions are dull beyond belief.

    I thought this was supposed to be a sim-like combat game... I assume the supposed sim-quality doesn't include vehicles. As for the helicopter, could that get any more arcade in it's controls. Close quarter fighting is a joke. And with distance battles, once the AI has spotted you, their radar-like vision is locked on for good.

    All in all a rip off at it's current price. An absolutely boring videogame. Poorly executed combat. Bad feature decisions. Ridiculously arcade vehicles (although why I expected anything less that this from Codemasters is beyond me!). Bug ridden. And incredibly boring. Everyone I know has already gotten rid of this or is planning to. I tried on several occasions to get back into the game, but it's literally sucking the fun out of videogaming. Fortunately I can part-exchange it on Friday for Forza 3. I already feel sorry for the poor sod who's going to end up with piece of crap.

    I'm getting Modern Warfare 2 as I think this will be far more sim-like than Codemasters could ever create. A sad demise to what was once my favourite developer who used to be a guarantee of gaming fun and brillance.

    FU C*ntmasters. You've disappointed me with three games now. Now hurry up and screw up that F1 game so a decent developer can take over the franchise and do a proper job on it.

  • zuljin #24 2 years ago

    To all the people bitching and moaning about paying for DLC, please understand this:

    People work on the DLC. These people get paid. If they charge for DLC, its probably to cover those costs. If the DLC is free however, then this ALREADY came out of the games budget, and the game is not as polished as it could be.

    If the DLC for operation flash 2 was free, chances are the operation flash point 2 you are playing now would be even more buggy.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 16:29

  • LOLLERS #25 2 years ago

    Zuljin, see - Burnout Paradise.

  • XdarXideX #26 2 years ago

    Ok, I can understand there is a lot of walking involved in the game, but at no point did I think this game was going to be an action filled, COD-like experience. It was always marketed as a slower paced, realistic military shooter that was closer to simulation than a typical FPS video game.

    As for the amount of bugs in the game... well you can't catch everything and you can't fix everything before your time is up. As someone said, the game was delayed several times. I'm sure Codemasters were getting pretty desperate to get the game out... but that doesn't mean it was unfinished. Bugs are found by consumers all the time. It's hardly new to video games.
    Edited by 2 at 21/10/09 @ 16:37

  • skillian #27 2 years ago

    @zuljin

    It's just not that black and white though is it? I mean it's not like sales are there to cover costs, they are there to make profit obviously. How much profit they make and whether that comes from game sales or DLC is entirely up to the developer, as is the budget they decide to spend on those things.

    @ XdarXideX well you can't catch everything and you can't fix everything before your time is up.

    Well maybe the time spent making this DLC would have been better spent catching and fixing.
    Edited by 2 at 21/10/09 @ 16:37

  • ChaK #28 2 years ago

    @jenson

    I'm getting Modern Warfare 2 as I think this will be far more sim-like than Codemasters could ever create

    LOL

    seriously...

    I though dragon rising was crap (sorry helios), but saying MWé will be more realistic...

  • zuljin #29 2 years ago

    @LOLLERS
    "Zuljin, see - Burnout Paradise."

    See what? Did they offer free content or paid content? Does it contradict anything in particular I said?

    @skillian
    "It's just not that black and white though is it? I mean it's not like sales are there to cover costs, they are there to make profit obviously. How much profit they make and whether that comes from game sales or DLC is entirely up to the developer, as is the budget they decide to spend on those things."

    True, you could argue too that the additional DLC release re-boosts falling game sales, but the point still stands. People need to get paid, and that money needs to come from somewhere.

  • XdarXideX #30 2 years ago

    @skillian

    I understand your point, but they may not have seen these bugs before working on DLC.

  • LOLLERS #31 2 years ago

    They offered loads of free content for Paradise. Yes it costs money, but the point is that instead of getting money in return you build a community of fans instead.

  • striker #32 2 years ago

    A game like this is based on:
    -A big map
    -In-game assets
    -Generic rules
    -Mission editor

    The missions themselves are nothing but a series of scripts, of enemies placed in location x, or circling area y.
    No cut scenes, no new assets, nothing.
    All it takes to create a new mission is a bit of imagination, pacience and time, as any OFP veteran must remember.

    There were lots of user-created missions available for the first game, some really great.

    Creating more missions as DLC is the right thing to do in this type of games, especially since console players won't be able to play user-created content.

    Was the game cut short to sell missions as DLC? I don't know, I hope not.
    What I'm sure is that a month is more than enough for a group of developers to create a pack of missions for this, so perhaps it wasn't cur before release after all.

  • XdarXideX #33 2 years ago

    Burnout Paradise consistently... from day one... failed to attract a large community of online players. It needs free DLC more than any other game.

  • skillian #34 2 years ago

    @striker

    Actually, that's true. I take back what I said, these missions (as far as I can tell) could have been cooked up in the small window between game going gold and release.

  • JensonJet #35 2 years ago

    ChaK,
    I'm pretty sure Mario-Kart has more realistic vehicles than Operation Sh*tf*ck! And having played the original Modern Warfare I'm sure the combat in the sequel will be more realistic than Codef*ckers efforts. If you're enjoying the game, I'm happy for you. You're one of the few. And to think, I actually convinced a couple of friends to get this. What was I thinking... Cockmasters making a good game... those days are over. Anyway, you get the idea... I'm incredibly annoyed with another massive dissapointment of a game, that was sold on a promise that didn't deliver in the slightest. I was even warned to rent it before buying and the idiot that I am, I didn't listen. I've finally learnt my lesson about this developer... steer clear of anything they produce!

  • Stroller4 #36 2 years ago

    @ Helios_CM : The single player is great - I *really* enjoyed it and found "Experienced" to be a good level of challenge and I'm about to start a "Hardcore" run through. It is VERY short though (something not mentioned in any reviews) and I was really suprised when the credits ran signifying that the main campaign was over. I then put in the codes I earnt from the official website plus 4 more I found on IGN. That extended it a little but once finished I moved onto the car-crash that is multiplayer.
    I thought this would be the most fun and interesting part of the game, adding longevity but is in fact schockingly poor - assuming it finds any games to start with - actually getting intop a lobby is very hit and miss (though looking for a host with "UK" in their gamer tag works most times). Spending 15 - 30 mins hitting refresh, trying to connect and then hitting refresh again until you finally connect to a lobby has no place in 2009.
    Once in, it's just a bun fight, no real skill evident. This is mainly due to the collision detection being way off as compared to the campaign mode - you can take time (5/10 mins), carefully flank all the way round behind an unsuspecting enemy, crawl into your final position, line them up in your sights, (no need to adjust for distance as I'm *THAT* close) and then put a whole clip or more into someone, blood/mist blooming from each shot and then they just turn round and kill you with two rounds! Then you re-spawn, it's often into an AI soldier that's got himself shot to hell and about to bleed out!? Not good. Not rewarding of effort or tactics. Not finished.
    Yes a Beta would have helped, so why wasn't there one? It's not like the game hadn't been delayed enough. Before you release a game, make sure it damn well works!
    Finally, if you are releasing DLC within a few weeks of launch, it's either what you've been concentrating for the last couple of months instead of doing the fine-tuning that you should have been spending time on, or it's going to be rushed and suffer for it, or maybe it should have been part of the campaign but CM figure they can squeeze a little more money out of people before MW2 comes out?
    I've had CM games since BMX simultor on an Amstrad CPC 20 odd years ago and while that was short, it was a budget title and you got what you paid for. With DLC this close to launch, I can't help but feel that I'm NOT getting everything that I paid a LOT of money for. Fix the game first, then look at padding out your margins. I just hope that there is still a good Trade In value for this when MW comes out as the Campaign will have been done by then on Hardcore and if it's not sorted, the multiplayer will still be a complete waste of time.
    /rant over.

  • local_celebrity #37 2 years ago

    I wish they'd give us some DLT instead. That guy was AWESOME!!

  • Helios_CM #38 2 years ago

    @Stroller4 - The upcoming patch/title update has a large focus on improving the MP experience through numerous networking improvements and game fixes. As an example, a common issue we've seen is where you on occasion shoot someone 10 times and they don't die, this will be addressed in the patch/title update.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 17:14

  • Boomerang #39 2 years ago

    "DLT"... groanlol

    Helios_CM: "As an example, a common issue we've seen is where you shoot someone 10 times and they don't die, this will be addressed in the patch/title update."

    One has to wonder how the chuff that got past QA...
    Edited by 3 at 21/10/09 @ 17:13

  • VibratingDonkey #40 2 years ago

    Will this update add artificial intelligence to the game?
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 17:13

  • XdarXideX #41 2 years ago

    It would be nice if we had seperate game-finding servers for the UK or EU... though I've found that friends on BT/Sky broadband have latency issues connecting to my games, and vice versa. I'm not a Network engineer so I have no idea why this could be but I assume it has something to do with the network code as other games are fine.

    @Boomerang - From my experience in testing, I can tell you that these things can often crop up in a retail environment without being seen in testing. Some issues are unpredictable, especially on unique game engines.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 17:16

  • SwitchBladeUK #42 2 years ago

    Really glad theres a patch coming, hopefully it will fix this broken, but great game :)

  • Stroller4 #43 2 years ago

    @ Helios_CM : That's great to hear. I *really* wanted this to be a game that I was going to be playing for years and if the MP is fixed, it may still be. At least I will reserve final judgement until after the patch.

    As others have said, the out-of-the-box lack of a Mission Editor, or a free roam option where you can encounter enemy patrols as you make your own way around the island... it just limits the long term appeal. Hopefully that can also be patched/made DLC as a mission editor (available for the last X-Box would help build a community for the next in the series far more than a few extra missions.

  • Matt_B #44 2 years ago

    Helios_CM: "As an example, a common issue we've seen is where you shoot someone 10 times and they don't die, this will be addressed in the patch/title update."

    "One has to wonder how the chuff that got past QA..."

    +1
    The equivalent racing game issue would be… we’ve noticed that the steering doesn’t work on certain tracks. Last time played an FPS shooting and killing was the core mechanic. I might add that this bug has f'ked me on numerous occasions whilst playing hardcore and I’m still on my first play through.

  • ChaK #45 2 years ago

    @jenson : if you readed my message, you should have noted I thought game was crap. Sold it 3 days later.

  • RobotRocker #46 2 years ago

    At least it doesn't have zombies in it.

  • DAN.E.B #47 2 years ago

    how about checkpoints for bloody co op games!!!!!!!!!!

  • RunningMan #48 2 years ago

    Loved it until the end of mission 3, plugged many troops with 6+ rounds in the head no effect and they killed me. Followed by ordering my troops to retreat and they attacked.... My mates got the PC version and loves it but he's playing co-op. Single player seems totally broken.
    Edited by 1 at 21/10/09 @ 21:21

  • PearOfAnguish #49 2 years ago

    DLC is code for "I can't believe we used to give this away for free".

    Bohemia Interactive, a much smaller outfit than Codemasters, released the ArmA Warfare mode feature for nothing as part of one of their patches. Wouldn't it be nice if Codemasters could make such gestures.

  • green_nifta #50 2 years ago

    Errm.... hasn't it already been announced elsewhere that the first DLC is going to be free? Of course, that wouldn't allow all the wah-wah-wahhhing, so perhaps I shouldn't mention that.

    Carry on.... Funting €odema$ter$!!! (ROFL!!!111!!1l!!one)

  • metalangel #51 2 years ago

    Frankly, mission editor or they can fuck right off. There is absolutely no excuse for it, the game is filled with stuff that you'll hardly ever use, a huge reason that the original, proper Operation Flashpoint was so popular was you could create your own missions. If they want this crappy knock-off to stand any sort of chance they'll do the same.

    Particularly in light of a guy discovering that the PC editor has the (Codebastards disabled) capability to export the missions in 360/PS3 readable formats. All it would take would be their enabling it and providing a place to upload the missions to a server that consoles could reach to get at them.

    Unbelievable.

    http://co mmunity.codemasters.com/forum/s...

  • IIIvirusIII #52 2 years ago

    its too late for a patch now , people wont play it since mw2 is 3 weeks away. try releasing your game in full working order next time.

  • PearOfAnguish #53 2 years ago

    "Errm.... hasn't it already been announced elsewhere that the first DLC is going to be free?"

    Well that's great if it's true, but this news article makes no mention of it being free.

  • XdarXideX #54 2 years ago

    @metalangel

    I think it's a pretty big hint at what's going to be weeks of free/premium DLC missions, and then an AutoUpdate that allows you to download missions you've created on the PC mission editor (as a seperate download) and play them unranked.

    From the point of view of Codemasters, it is a lot harder to sell extra missions that don't need assets that aren't already in the standard game, when you have a mission editor out there. Also, if they do let you use the PC's mission editor, who is going to host all the thousands of mission files people are creating? I doubt a Halo 3 fileshare style server is in their budget for the game, so DLC could front the payment for that.
    Edited by 1 at 22/10/09 @ 13:38

  • metalangel #55 2 years ago

    @XdarXidex: Notice in the interview today the developer says how easy it'll be for them to make DLC. Well, yeah, you've got the non-disabled mission editor, you can just throw together a few crappy missions in an afternoon and the desperate playerbase (having exhausted the frankly insulting selection of missions) will snap them up.

    Those Forge levels and multiplayer rules for Halo weren't big, were they? Rather like missions for Flashpoint, they'll just be a series of co-ordinates for each unit placed on the map, some waypoints for them to follow, and maybe the odd flag/script (if FUEL DUMP is destroyed, go to X). The AI then takes care of the rest. It really is nothing short of them trying to wring cash out of us.

    But as many have said, why waste all your time making that huge island, an entire armoury of weapons and an entire base full of vehicles... and then hardly use any of it? It would be like a GTAIV where you only had a section maybe five blocks wide and seven long for each mission. You couldn't leave that area, and there were only a few different cars around apart from what you started with. Meanwhile, the dozens of other cars and such created for GTA were sitting unused on the disc.

  • dogmanstaruk #56 2 years ago

    Too little, too late.

    The actual game is poor and I wouldn't even consider parting cash for DLC. The fact is that the game was shipped unfinished. Poor AI, poor networking, poor mission structure and disappointing multiplayer.

    As has been previously said the priority should be fixing the primary release before trying to pimp dlc.

  • ODB_Mongoose #57 2 years ago

    This game sucks so hard, its a shame.
    It's epic how codemasters f*cked up the name.

    for all people reading this....it's a disaster game - read metacritic, it has a user score of 4.9!!!!!!
    Don't believe the reviews...there are only a few reviewers who obviously played the game.

    Take my word for it, get arma2 in the discount, then you only know for sure that it will be supported for the next few years.
    The whole PR thingy for OFP2:DR will be over before christmas

    Absolute disaster!