Project Reality

Project Reality (abbreviated to PR) is a modification for the computer game Battlefield 2 on the PC. Project Reality's aim is to use the game engine, developed by Digital Illusions CE (DICE), to create a more realistic combat environment than standard Battlefield 2, and place a greater emphasis on teamwork and cooperation.

Game mechanics
The game mechanics in Project Reality have been greatly modified from standard Battlefield 2 in order to provide for more realistic gameplay.

Game modes
Project Reality features five game modes. Two of the game modes involve capturing and holding control points, similar to the Conquest mode of Battlefield 2, although control points must be captured in a certain order, AASv3 has many points that are chosen at random for a battle, giving many different areas on a map for firefights and replayability. Vehicle Warfare mode gives AAS a twist, by putting full emphasis on heavy vehicles, and restricting access to infantry kits. The Command and Control mode removes all control points, instead focusing combat around player built fortifications. The Insurgency mode, intended to simulate asymmetrical warfare, involves a conventional forces team searching for and destroying illegal weapon caches while the other team, the insurgents, try to defend them. The mod also features a co-op mode, where human players may play alongside with, or against, computer controlled players.

Realism
The weapons and vehicles in Project Reality have their properties modified for increased realism. Ballistics are adjusted to reflect those of real weapons, including characteristics such as bullet drop. Project Reality features a locational damage system. If a vehicle suffers heavy damage to its tracks, it will likely be immobilized. Likewise, damage dealt to the turret of a tank will immobilize the turret.

Spawning
Players can no longer spawn at flags which their team is in control of, nor can players spawn on their squad leader. In PR, players can spawn at a permanent spawn point at their main base, at their squad's rally point, or at Forward Operating Bases.

Rally points are spawn points placed by the squad leader of a squad (as long as one other squad member is near the leader and the squad lead has an officer kit). Only the squad members of that squad may spawn on the rally point. These are primarily for regrouping the squad temporarily, and as such they expire after a short period, or if enemies get within a certain distance.

Forward Operating Bases are special player deployable assets. Squad leaders may place Forward Operating Bases if they have 1 supply crate dropped from a Logistics Truck or helicopter and an officer kit. A Firebase (as it tends to be called) can be reinforced with deployable razor-wire fences, foxholes, an AA-turret, anti-tank missile installation, and up to 2 HMG nests. These assets can be placed by any friendly squad leader, and have to be built using the shovel, a tool most individual soldier kits carry.

Rally points and Forward Operating Bases may be over-run or destroyed. The one permanent spawn a team has is at their main base. This is typically the last flag able to be captured by the opposing team (other times the main base is close to the last flag, but not the flag itself). Almost all vehicles spawn at the main base of team.

The exception to all this is the insurgent team on the Insurgency game mode. In that case, the insurgents get spawn points on their weapons caches (or time-limited 'spawn caches'), however they lose the ability to spawn there if the weapons cache is destroyed or the enemy force gains intelligence about the cache. Along with these points, the insurgents can deploy and construct destructible Hideouts to spawn at, which act in a similar way to the Forward Operating Bases the Blufor can deploy.

Kits
Players can no longer spawn with all the kits that are ultimately available. A player may spawn as an Officer (with or without scope on the primary weapon), Rifleman (again with or without scope), Combat Medic (limited to one per squad), Rifleman Specialist (not to be confused with special forces; he only carries some extra equipment like a shotgun), or Automatic Rifleman (limited to one per squad). In order to spawn with the Officer kit, a player must be a squad leader of a squad with 2 or more members. Other, more specialized kits such as the Heavy Anti-Tank, Light Anti-Tank, Anti-Aircraft, Sniper, Marksman, Grenadier, and Combat Engineer have to be requested (Officer, Automatic Rifleman and Combat Medic can be obtained in this fashion as well). This is done from a friendly supply crate dropped by logistic trucks or larger transport helicopters. All these kits are limited in the amount that are available. The exceptions are Crewman and Pilot kits (see below). Kits can also be picked up from dead enemy soldiers, which is useful as taking a specialized kit will deny the enemy that kit until the soldier using the kit loses it.

Crewman and Pilot kits are needed to drive armoured vehicles and pilot airborne vehicles respectively. They are unlimited in number and may be requested from the entry points of the appropriate vehicle, or from a friendly supply crate.

Some specialized kits may be pickup kits. Pickup kits are laid on the ground and may be picked up as the name suggests. These are especially prevalent for the insurgent team. This is because the insurgents may not request kits in the normal fashion.

Features and additions
In addition to gameplay changes intended to make the game feel more realistic, Project Reality also includes new factions, assets and fighting theatres.

New assets
Although Project Reality reuses some of the models from Battlefield 2, it also features many new weapons and vehicles (with some of the existing hardware from the original game being revamped to make it more realistic). All of the maps in PR are new, including some based on real life locations, such as Al Basrah, Muttrah, the Korengal Valley, the Gaza Strip, Fallujah and Mestia, and some based on generic fictional locations in the Middle East, East Asia and around the Black Sea.

Factions
Project Reality currently includes eleven factions. These include the United States Army, the United States Marines, the British Armed Forces, the Russian Army, the Israel Defense Forces, and the Canadian Forces. As well, there are the Iraqi Insurgency, the Middle Eastern Coalition (a fictional Middle Eastern alliance carried over from Battlefield 2), the People's Liberation Army, Hamas, the Militia (based on Chechen resistance fighters) and the Taliban. It is confirmed that the Dutch Armed Forces and the Bundeswehr will be included later.

Project Reality 2
In Early 2009 it was revealed through the official Project Reality forums that a standalone successor "Project Reality 2" is in pre-production.

While PR2 is still in the planning/experimentation stage, a license for the C4 Engine has been purchased.

PR:Arma 2 (PR:A2)
It has been announced by the Developers of Project Reality that a version called Project Reality: Arma 2 will be released for the Arma 2 game. The main aim for PR:ArmA2 is:

"To create an immersive modification for ArmA2, which focuses on encouraging teamwork through gameplay"

The following information is quoted from the official Project Reality website in reference to the new mod.

As with Project Reality's original conception on the Refractor 2 engine, at this stage PR:ArmA2 should be classed as a Mini-Mod; we have to start somewhere! Don't be fooled though, this release will by no means disappoint, due to the large number of high quality art assets already created by the Project Reality Team, and the considerable experience of the PR:ArmA2 Development Team on the Real Virtuality 3 engine!

PR:ArmA2 will exist as a standalone modification. It will remain self contained, self developing and not rely on or use externally held add ons from other sources where at all possible. What that means to the player is that it will be a 'one stop shop' as an installation package, with no requirement for additional multiple add on packs.

We also want to emphasis we are not in direct competition with any of the other great mods out there. However as a team we want to see what we can now do with the Real Virtuality 3 engine, as well as the continued full scale continued development of PR for Battlefield2. We are not in any way changing engines. We have simply expanded the team's reach into ArmA2 with new developers. It is not PR2, nor are we ceasing PR:BF2 development.

PR:Vietnam (PR:V)
What was thought of as an April Fool's joke turned out to be quite real. In an announcement by Trahn Lee Liao, a developer of Eve of Destruction Devs Team, which makes one of the premier Vietnam mods for the Battlefield series, it was stated that PR:V was in fact real. It states that PR:V is a joint co-operative effort between the mod teams of Project Reality:BF2 and Eve of Destruction. It was later also announced on www.realitymod.com.

Critical response
Major game review websites, IGN and GameSpy have both reviewed Project Reality. IGN review states "why all BF2 players should download this mod." while GameSpy says that "the mother of all realism mods [has] arrive[d] for BF2". PC Zone Magazine also reviewed Project Reality, saying that "not only does it make the virtual warfare harsher, Project Reality also adds fantastic new maps, vehicles and weapons to the fray".

Awards
In 2006, Project Reality won Mod DB's Silver Spanner in the Mod of the Year 2006 awards, with 80,000 votes in total, and out of 4,000 mods PR came in second place.

In 2007, Project Reality won a variety of awards, including GameFlood's $25,000 Mod & Map Contest in the category "Best FPS Mod", and Total Gaming Network's "Best Modification of 2007 Award". Furthermore, Project Reality won Mod DB's Silver Spanner in the Mod of the Year 2007 awards. In 2008, Project Reality won both Mod DB's Editors Choice of Best Multiplayer Mod and the Mod of the Year, which is player's choice.

Press coverage
Project Reality has been featured in a variety of magazines. It was featured in the February print edition of Computer Games Magazine, a magazine distributed in North America. Project Reality was published in the March issue of GameStar as well as being distributed on a CD with the magazine. It was also featured in the April 2008 edition of the Soldier Magazine, the official magazine of the British Army.