Red Orchestra 2: Heroes Of Stalingrad

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Summary

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad (RO2) is the follow up to Tripwire interactive's popular FPS Red Orchestra: Osfront 41-45. Red Orchestra 2 features a realistic ballistics firing system, bullet drop, realistic tank control and interior, and several other gameplay features that set Red Orchestra 2 apart from other FPS games. In RO2, players can chose to join the German Wehrmacht or the Soviet Red Army. Tripwire Interactive has realistically designed weapons in the game to look and act era appropriate, and realism is stressed in Red Orchestra 2.

Weapons

Machine pistols and Sub-Machine Guns

MP40 Issued by the Wehrmacht and most major German military organizations to ground troops, naval infantry, paratroopers, and military policemen alike, the Maschinenpistole 40 was an open-bolt submachine gun most often seen on the frontlines of the Second World War in the hands of assault troops and noncomissioned officers. Firing at 500 rounds per minute, it was effective out to 150m. In-game,the iron sights can be adjusted to 100m and 200m. The MP40 was well liked by its troops, generally reliable, highly controllable in full automatic fire, and accurate. The weapon does not feature a selector switch--fully automatic fire is the only option. The MP40 fires the 9 x 19mm Parabellum round, better known today as "9mm Luger". This cartridge is still used today in many modern handgun and submachine gun designs for its good stopping power, with the invention of high-capacity 9mm automatic pistols during the second part of the 20th century further adding to its popularity.

An experimental version of the MP40, designated the MP40/II, is featured in-game, unlocked at weapon proficiency level 25. Designed to directly counter the Soviet PPSh-41's firepower and magazine capacity, the MP40/II features a widened magazine well with room for two side-by-side 32-round magazines. When one magazine was exhausted, the operator could quickly switch to the second, with only a brief pause in firing. While sound in concept, the MP40/II was plagued by reliability issues, and those who tested it found it unwieldy and forward-heavy. One benefit of the MP40/II, which is reflected in-game, is that the dual magazine design results in additional weight, making an already controllable weapon even easier to handle when fired in long bursts.

In-game, the MP40 is highly controllable, suitable and effective both in close-quarters combat and at medium range. In close quarters, however, its lower rate of fire makes the weapon less desirable in certain circumstances when facing the PPSh-41. The MP40 is used by Squad Leaders, Commanders, Engineers, and Assault Troopers.


PPSh-41

The primary submachine gun issued by the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army (RKKA) during the Second World War, the PPSh-41 fired the 7.62 x 25mm Tokarev round at a rate of fire of 900rpm. While effective out to 150m, the iron sights can be adjusted to 100m and 200m. A fire selector switch in front of the trigger allows the user to choose between single-shot and fully automatic fire. With over 6,000,000 units manufactured, it was by far the most prevalent submachine gun on the Eastern Front. While the weapon itself was renowned for being robust, reliable, and lethal in close quarters, the 71-round drum magazines often suffered from feeding issues and were increasingly replaced in frontline service by curved 35-round magazines.

During the Battle of Stalingrad and beyond, the PPSh-41 earned a fearsome reputation for its close-range firepower. The weapon was a favorite of Russian infantrymen and even some Wehrmacht soldiers. The weapon's compensator, heavy chrome barrel, and full wooden stock made it surprisingly controllable even when set to fire on full automatic. With entire Red Army assault platoons equipped with the PPSh-41, the Germans learned to respect the short-range firepower the weapon offered. One officer decried the Russian use of what he called "gangster tactics" in his diary, likening the fighting style of Russian submachine-gunners to that favored by Prohibition-era mobsters wielding the American drum-fed M1928 Thompson submachine gun.

A decade later, American officers facing the PPSh-41 in Chinese hands would remark: "on full automatic it sprayed a lot of bullets and most of the killing in Korea was done at very close ranges and it was done quickly - a matter of who responded faster. In situations like that it outclassed and outgunned what we had. A close-in patrol fight was over very quickly and usually we lost because of it."

The PPSh-41 is one of the best close-quarters weapons in the game, combining high rate of fire, good stopping power, and high magazine capacity into a single, lethal package. While recoil, particularly when using the 35-round stick magazines, is rather high compared to the MP40, it can be easily controlled by pulling the mouse downwards as the weapon is fired. The high recoil, however, can put the weapon at a disadvantage at medium range when facing the MP40. The drum magazine is unlocked at Level 25, with the Selector Switch available at Level 50. The PPSh-41 is used by Squad Leaders, Commanders, Engineers, and Assault Troopers.

Rifles -Automatic and Assault

SVT-40 Manufactured in large quantities leading up to and during the early stages of the Great Patriotic War, the SVT-40 was intended to be issued to a large number of Soviet frontline riflemen. Due to military disasters suffered during the first stages of Operation Barbarossa, these plans were put on hold indefinitely by the Soviet military, with SVT-40s being issued on a selective basis to more experienced soldiers. A semi-automatic rifle firing the 7.62 x 54R rifle cartridge, the SVT-40 uses a detachable 10 round box magazine, but can be reloaded with standard-issue five-round stripper clips designed for the Mosin-Nagant bolt-action rifle. The SVT-40's short-stroke, gas-operated piston design is similar to that seen in the US-designed M1 Carbine. The SVT-40 required much more training in basic maintenance to operate properly compared to the standard-issue Mosin-Nagant 1891/1930, but served with distinction throughout much of the fighting on the Eastern Front. Both the sniper and standard variants saw combat in Stalingrad, where they were presumably more effective than standard rifles given their greater rate of fire. The SVT-40 can be equipped with a bayonet for use in close-quarters, which is unlocked at Level 25. A high-quality muzzle break is available at Level 50.

The SVT-40 design, while effective, featured several flaws. The barrel had a tendency to whip excessively when a round was fired, reducing accuracy at long ranges and rendering the weapon far less suitable for issue to snipers. Due to this drawback as well as the greater time and resources needed to manufacture this rifle, production was down-scaled and finally halted in 1945.

In-game, the SVT-40 is issued to Commanders, Squad Leaders, and Elite Riflemen, and can be unlocked by veteran Engineers. A scope-mounted variant is issued to snipers. The SVT-40 is versatile, effective at both short and long range. The 7.62 x 54R cartridge has excellent stopping power, and the detachable magazine allows for quick reloading. While the higher rate of fire of a semi-automatic design makes the weapon powerful, users should exercise care in order to avoid shooting too quickly and sacrificing accuracy. The weapon is best treated as a bolt-action rifle, with each shot carefully aimed, and it is most effective in the hands of a soldier that has mastered the Mosin-Nagant 91/30 or Mauser Karabiner 98K.

AVT-40 AVT-40 highly similar to the SVT-40, though it's difference is it's semi- and fully automatic mode. As expected of an automatic rifle firing high calibre rifle rounds, it is hard to control the rifle's recoil when the weapon is set to fire on fully automatic. It is best used with the selector switch set to semi-automatic, saving fully automatic fire for close-quarters emergencies.

G 41(W)


MKb 42(H)

Gameplay

Territory

In the Territory game mode, players are attempting to attack or defend specific Objectives. Your Overhead Map or Tactical View will show you where the active Objectives are. Killing the enemy certainly helps, but the key is to pick an Objective to attack or defend as necessary. Players will respawn in waves, unless the Commander uses his "ForceRespawn" option. You will be able to choose which spawn location you respawn at or, if your Squad Leader is alive and in a safe location, you can choose to respawn close by his location.

Countdown

In the Countdown game mode, one side will start attacking, the other defending. There are multiple Objectives, to be attacked/defended in sequence - but both teams only get one life per Objective and there is a (short) time limit in which the attackers have to take the Objective. If the attackers kill all the defenders, or capture the Objective, within the time limit, everyone respawns and the fight shifts to the next Objective on the map. If all the attackers are killed, or the time runs out on any Objective, the defenders win; if the attackers take the final Objective, they win. In either case, the attackers and defenders swap places - and the side that defended first now has to try and do better! To give the attacking side a better chance, their Commander has 2 (and only 2) reinforcement waves he can use, forcing a respawn wave, so long as the Objective timer hasn't run out. These need to be used very carefully!

Firefight

The Firefight game mode is the simplest - the objective is to kill more of the enemy than they can kill of your team. There are no Objectives to attack/defend - just find enemy soldiers and kill them, before they kill you. You will respawn close to other soldiers on your team automatically, in a "safe" location.

Multiplayer Campaign

To expand on the 3 core game modes, there is an overall Multiplayer Campaign. In the Campaign, two sides can fight over the whole City of Stalingrad, divided into 10 Sectors. Each side starts owning 5 Sectors, with their strength represented by "Combat Strength". One side gets to vote to attack an enemy-held Sector, or to defend and force the enemy to attack. Defending can be risky - get it wrong and you lose a Sector - but may be necessary if you have taken heavy casualties. Each of the 10 Sectors is represented by one of the standard MP maps. Whichever side is attacking each turn gets to choose which game mode is played on each map. Whoever wins the map takes (or keeps, if defending) the Sector being fought over. But now, your casualties matter: your casualties are deducted from your side's Combat Strength. You will receive reinforcements dependent on the number of Sectors you now hold. Your Combat Strength is unlikely to go up - but you want to make sure the enemy loses strength quicker than you do! The winner of the map then gets to choose to attack or defend - so long as they have enough Combat Strength to attack at all! One side will win if it takes all the Sectors; if both sides' Combat Strength is too low to attack, the side owning the most Sectors is the winner.

References

The RO2 manual (work in progress)