Mod of the Year 2008 Phase 2 Voting
It’s that time of year once again, when players vote for their favourite mods in the annual Mod of The Year (MOTY) competition over at ModDB.com. As many of you are aware, Project Reality has made it into 2nd place 2 years running. We are hoping that, with your help, PR will be able to break the cycle this year and finally claim the title of MOTY 2008. We have made it into the top 100 mods, and now Phase 2 of the voting has started; this is where YOUR vote really matters to us. We ask that you vote for your favourite mod(s) from across the board. If you think Project Reality deserves your vote and deserves the MOTY award, we would very much appreciate your participation. Every vote counts – registering is free, quick and easy. Winning the MOTY award is definitely something we have been aiming towards for the past 2 years, as it gives the whole team a tremendous sense of accomplishment and a huge boost to our motivation level in continuing the project. For more information on MOTY and how to vote, click HERE.

British Army’s AAC Lynx AH-7
The Lynx AH-7 is the fastest rotary aircraft in the world, and one of the many new assets for you to play with in v0.85. The Lynx will act as the Light Transport Helicopter for the British, much like the MH-6 Littlebird for the US Army. The Lynx can fit an entire 6 man squad in the back, plus pilot, and can transport them at fast speeds across the battlefield. Credits go to [R-DEV]foul_killer & Wybl for the model, [R-DEV]Pride for the textures and [R-DEV]TrahnLee for exporting and coding.

New Maps in Project Reality v0.85
Like with every release of PR, the most anticipated additions are new battlefields to fight on, and in PR v0.85 we have spared no expenses. There are four brand new maps made exclusively for Project Reality with v0.85 gameplay in mind. In addition, most current maps have received updates and overhauls, with bug fixes and various improvements to improve gameplay.

- Asad Khal
British Forces v. MEC
Map By: [R-DEV]Deer
This map features a rural middle eastern landscape with open fields and old village buildings. An AAS infantry battle between the British and MEC forces with four main objectives. For more information and screenshots, click here.

- Fallujah West
USMC with US Army Support v. Insurgents
By: [R-DEV]duckhunt
Created by [R-DEV]duckhunt, with lightmapping and bugfixing by [R-DEV]Rhino while duckhunt was away on tour in Afghanistan with the Royal Marine Commandos, Fallujah West gives a whole new meaning to urban warfare in Project Reality. This map is very compelling at capturing the environment of the recent conflicts in Iraq. Fallujah makes full use of the insurgency game mode with Insurgents defending Ammo Caches in many hidden locations inside buildings, compounds and underground bunkers, along with being able to setup ambushes for advancing USMC troops (with US Army Bradley support). For more information and screenshots of this map, click here.

- Karbala
US Army v. Insurgents
By: [R-DEV]~KILL~Pirate
More Iraq-themed urban combat which hopes to offer tight CQB fire fights in a hostile city, one of the major strongholds of the Iraqi Insurgent forces. For more information and screenshots of this map, click here.

- Kozelsk
Russian Forces v. Militia
By: [R-DEV]Deer
Kozelsk offers some incredibly detailed woodland combat, mixed with Russian-style missile bases. This map features the new Russian Forces, who are attempting to secure an abandoned missile silo in a remote forested region. This region was recently overrun by Chechen Rebels, and the mighty Russian Army is rolling in with it’s heavy armour and APCs. The Chechen Rebels will need to rely on defensive choke points – kitted out with ZiS-3 Anti-Tank Field Cannons. For more information and screenshots of this map, click here.

We hope to see many of you on the battlefield with us this coming weekend playing PR v0.85. Keep your eyes on the forums for more information on v0.85 and it’s impending release!

- The Project Reality Team

However, as many of you may know, today is Remembrance Day, where we commemorate the sacrifices made by those, in conflicts past and present, to preserve the freedom which we take for granted everyday. So although Project Reality is just a game, let us not forget the men and women who have fought in the past, and those on the front lines today. Please show your appreciation with 2 mins of silence at 11am GMT.

-Project Reality v0.85 Patch Update
With the release of PR v0.8 we have had lots of feedback on the forums regarding changes we have made in the release and we our selves have seen what has worked as intended in game, and what has not. Overall the PR Team is very happy with the way PR v0.8 has turned out, its been another very successful release for us. As always there has been some unwanted bugs and gameplay failings in v0.8, which is what our current focus for v0.85 will be: tweaking, improving and fixing these issues. The PR team has been working hard on fixing various bugs, many of which were discovered by community members in our forums. We are also looking towards the future, evolving the gameplay and adding new gameplay elements as well as refining the content features that were included in the last release. Expect further updates on these developments either in the Developer Journals or in future news posts!

-Community Matches Update
Its been sometime since Objective Peach was played, and a great success it was, we have now moved on from that a little and have created a dedicated team of [R-COM]’s to ensure we continue to bring you gameplay with a twist. Maps have been changed, assets have been added, and the whole experience promises to be something new for all the PR Community. The team, made up of the community, have been quietly working in the background to make sure they bring you the best, and I think you will agree that they certainly have done that. UN Peacekeepers our latest addition will ensure that the matches are played fair, and also give you something else to look out for, before you squeeze that trigger !! For more info head over to the Community Match sub-forums for more info.

-Royal Air Force Chinook HC2
Planning ahead for future releases, we have been creating the RAF Chinook HC2 for the British Forces. The Chinook is the life blood of the British Army currently in Afghanistan; transporting and re-supplying ground forces over large areas of desert in a quick and effective manner. To that end, we can’t wait to see this flying around on [R-DEV]Dr Rank’s ‘Sangin’ in the not too distance future. The model and texture are both the work of [R-DEV]Stigger, who is putting a lot of hard work into the Chinook, which as you can see is really taking shape!

-Army Air Corps Lynx AH7
And as if the Chinook wasn’t enough, we have also been working on another chopper, the Lynx AH7. The Lynx is renowned for its speed and agility, having served with the British Armed Forces since 1978, it looks set to stay with the upgraded Super Lynx coming into service soon. The Lynx will act as a light transport / utility helicopter in PR. Unfortunately however, we will not be including a version fitted with TOW Anti-Tank missiles since they are currently being phased out in favour of the Apache, which fulfils the Air support role far better. Modelled by Wybl & [R-DEV]foul_killer and skinned by our newest Developer, [R-DEV]Pride, as a DEV trial task which has turned out very nicely.

That’s all for now, but there is still lots more to come! Make sure you keep your eye on the News and Dev Journals for further updates, as well as little hints in other areas of the forums on what might be round the corner for PR

- The Project Reality Team

Following the last release of Project Reality (v0.75), we have been continuously working to improve multiple aspects of game-play and resolve bugs. Thanks to the continued support from you, the community, and our dedicated team of testers, we have successfully corrected many of the bugs in v0.75 and added several new features and tweaks. Initially, the Project Reality v0.8 file downloads are being provided as an exclusive early release from FilePlanet.com. Tomorrow we will be releasing the client files across multiple other community sites.

Please note that due to the size of the mod, we have split the download into 2 parts, the core and the levels. You will need to download and install both to run the mod. To download Project Reality Reality v0.8, click the banner image below.

New Weapons
What first person shooter release would be complete without an array of new handheld toys and weapons to play with. Along with the long overdue overhaul of the grenade launcher systems, the MEC faction has recieved a healthy injection of new small arms and AT systems to further diversify the MEC as a fighting force.

Speaking of injections, the new equipment the medics will be recieving includes an adrenaline injector to replace the defibrillators as well as other tools to help them forfill their battlefield roles.

The militia and insurgents by no means recieve a ton of new instruments and arms to further their causes. From molotovs to cell phones, anti tank grenades to two World War 2 era rifles, both factions are better equipped to fight their aggressors. Many thanks to the Battlefield Korea and Forgotten Hope 2 teams for allowing us the use of their SKS rifle and No.4 SMLE rifles, of which we have adapted for use in Project Reality.

• All Conventional Factions – Underbarrel Grenade Launchers – M4 M203, M16A4 M203, G3 HK79, L85A2 AG36
• US Army – M4 Carbine
• US Army, USMC and British – M249 SAW/Minimi
• MEC – SSGP1 Sniper Rifle
• MEC – G3SG1 Rifle
• MEC – RPG26 Anti Tank
• British – L85A2 Bayonet
• British – L86 Light Support Weapon
• Coalition Factions on Insurgency maps – Zipties
• Militia and Insurgents – Short Magazine Lee Enfield No.4 Rifle – Ironsights and Scoped
• Militia and Insurgents – Samozaryadniy Karabin sistemi Simonova (SKS)
• Insurgents – Molotov Cocktail
• Insurgents – RKG-3 Anti Tank Grenade
• Insurgents – Cellular Telephone
• Medic Tools – Resuscitate Compression
• Medic Tools – Epinephrine Auto Injector

New Vehicles
With the addition of a new faction, comes new vehicles to compliment its infantry arsenel. We bring to you the heavy assets of the US Army, as well as a few other pieces of mobile equipment to bolster the other factions.

• US Army – M2A2 Bradley APC
• US Army – UH-60 Blackhawk
• US Army – M1126 Stryker ICV
• US Army and USMC – HMMWV
• British – Stormer Anti Air Vehicle
• British – RAF Tornado GR4
• All Conventional Factions – Return of the support jeeps

New Commander Features
Commanders in this new version while encouraged to remain away from the heat of battle, are given much more efficient tools to do their job with. As well as a couple new toys to ensure the enemy remains on their toes!

• Enterable Command Post – required for all commander functions
• Commander placeable map markers to help team coordination
• Spotting system for squad leaders and commander
• Commander deployed off-map artillery, mortars and JDAM strikes

New Deployable Assets
Commanders now have a proper means to allow their team to defend their forward positions, as well as holding strong points in a fearsome manner with the addition of heavy machine guns on a stationary platform. The Insurgents also have expanded their capabilities for operations with the addition of deployable hideouts, which work in a similar fashion to that of conventional army forward outposts.

• All Conventional Factions and Militia – Deployable Heavy Machine Guns
• Insurgents – Deployable Insurgent Hideouts

New Game Modes
Along with Project Reality’s own Insurgency and Counterattack modes, we bring to you more ways to get the most out of the already outstanding maps included in this release.

- Assault and Secure Version 3
In this third installment of Advance And Secure, we include random control points. Inspired by the Insurgency game mode, the addition of randomness to a game mode provides great replayablity with different set of objectives each time you play. Of course, it won’t be as random as Insurgency, but still adds different takes on several maps.

- Command & Control (CnC)
This new game mode features large freeform battles. There are no CP’s except for the operations bases. The enemy base can be attacked once all 4 forward outposts have been constructed. Combat can take place at any part of the map as the teams try to advance closer towards the enemy base and fortify vital positions along the way.

- Skirmish
This game mode is a scaled down version of Advance and Secure, intended for fewer players. It is perfect for clan matches and small infantry engagements. Skirmish has the same rules as AAS but with smaller combat zones, fewer CPs, no vehicles or deployable assets as well as fewer tickets.

- Training Mode
This game mode is mainly for training with different equipment and vehicles. Friendly fire is off. Spawning is very fast, and vehicles are abundant. Tickets are unlimited in this mode.

New Maps

• Korengal Valley (US Army vs INS)
• Muttrah City 2 (USMC vs MEC)
• Operation Barracuda (USMC vs PLA)
• Ramiel (US Army vs INS)
• Tad Sae (USMC vs PLA)

New Animations, Sounds and Effects
At long last we have moved out of an animation drought, and in this release we are proud to bring to Project Reality, all new animations for every single weapon and piece of equipment in the game!

And to match, sounds to accompany these new animations and weapon fire sounds to achieve an immersive experience unmatched by any other first person shooter.

• Total animation and sound overhaul to immerse the player in the battlefield
• Slowed down sight transistion times for all weapons, relative to their projected effectiveness on the battlefield
• New recoil animations to achieve a much more fluid effect when firing
• Grenades have a hand indicator, showing the general area where the grenade is going to go at throwing
• Reload animations and times have been extended
• Light anti-tank, heavy anti-tank and hand-held anti-air launchers have extended deploy times, with animations accompanying them
• New fire sounds for various weapons, from grenades, explosives, small arms and missile systems
• New visual effects such as smoke, missile trails, cannon fire, impacts, grenade explosions and area attack impacts

Bug Fixes and Tweaks
We have concentrated on tackling as many bugs as possible, here is a list of the major issues resolved in the Project Reality v0.8:

• Enhanced weapon deviation system to promote even more tactical play
• Tweaked rally point system to allow for much more flexible placement of rally points
• Spawn Time exploit fixed (no longer able to reduce spawn time by selecting kits)
• Instant Tank Gunner exploit fixed (no longer able to leave/join squad to remove the delay to use)
• Insurgency game mode overhauled and stabilized
• Fixed vBF2 “out of breath” sound bug

Project Reality v0.8 Manual
To see a list of all important changes made in the Project Reality v0.8 release and for a comprehensive guide, check out the newly updated Official Project Reality Manual:

In the past we have been doing a little bit of “mix and match” with the US assets in Project Reality, mixing US Army and USMC scenarios and weapons. For PR v0.8 there will be an official split, with the US Army using their own unique weapons and vehicles.

We are starting this update with the much awaited M4 Carbine, which is the standard issue rifle of the US Army. Newly added developer [R-DEV]Chuc has recently completed all variants. [R-DEV]Chuc has also been really cracking out loads of other excellent skins as well which we know you will all love (look for dev journal entries on this coming soon). The model and import for the M4 was done by [R-DEV]Katarn who also did the M16A4 models and imports. The texture was a joint effort between Millenia, [R-DEV]Vaiski, [R-DEV]Qwerty and [R-DEV]Chuc.

In all these screens you will probably have noticed the new Digital ACU Camo on the solider model, which is the standard combat uniform of the US Army. These skins were done by [R-CON]Spush. They blend quite well into the terrain and surroundings at a distance! [R-CON]Spush has done work on several other soldier skins included that have already been included into PR v0.75. He’s currently touching up Militia uniforms and updating US vehicle skins.

Next up is one of the US Army’s APCs (Armored Personel Carrier), The M1126 Stryker. The Stryker is an eight-wheeled, all-wheel-drive, all terrain vehicle which is used by light and mobile mechanized infantry units of the US Army. The Stryker is equipped with an RWS which means the 50cal gunner can sit inside the safety of the Stryker’s armor while using the 50.cal MG. The Stryker’s model and skin was done by retardedmonkey. The Import has been done by [R-DEV]Stinger, who also did the Landrover, Warrior and Scimitar. The vehicle coding is currently being done by [R-DEV]Jaymz.

With the help of USI we have finally replaced the infamous vBF2 “beach party” open back HMMWV with a much more appropriate battle-ready model. Although its not as well equipped as current day HMMWV’s as seen in Iraq, it provides more protection and is more authentic than the stock BF2 hummer. This updated HMMWV will be used by both the USMC and the US Army. The model, import and coding was done by jarleif and textures done by petemonster from the USI mod. We may add an even more realistic, heavily protected HMMWV model in a future update.

We hope you enjoyed the first part of the US Army update, keep an eye on the Project Reality Website & Forums for the next part and also other information on upcoming changes for PR v0.8!

- The Project Reality Team