Get the Joint Operations demo off Worthplaying (210mb)
1. Introduction
Thank you for playing the Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising Beta Demo.
This Demo is a beta release. Like all beta releases, this version of the game may contain bugs which will be addressed for the final release of the game.
Visit NovaWorld (www.novaworld.com) to discuss the Beta Demo with others and to submit problems, questions, or comments.
2. Beta Features
* Anybody can download the Beta Demo.
The Beta Demo is available at the www.novalogic.com, www.nvidia.com and www.gigex.com.
* CD key is not required.
The Beta Demo can be played without a CD key. However, the official game will require a CD key.
* One map.
The Beta Demo plays one multiplayer map. The map splits players into two teams, Joint Operations and Indonesian Rebels, with each team starting on a separate area. Your team must control all the bases in the map to win the game.
* Players can join the multiplayer Beta Demo games on the internet. NovaWorld.com hosts 100+ player games for the Beta Demo. You connect to those games through the Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising menu.
* Players can host Beta Demo games.
You can host up to 32 players in your own games using the one map, or you can play games hosted on NovaWorld.
* LAN games are available.
In addition to hosting Beta Demo games over the internet, you can host LAN games up to 32 players, with this Beta Demo.
* Two teams.
You can play as a member of the Joint Operations force or as an Indonesian Rebel. Each team can access different weapons and vehicles.
* Drivable vehicles.
You can control vehicles on land, through air, and across water.
* Expiration date.
The Beta Demo can be played after the official game is available, and will be available for a period of time thereafter.
3. System Requirements
The Beta Demo build is not fully optimized. Because of this, the system requirements the Beta Demo of Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising do not necessarily represent the system requirements for the final release.
Minimum:
1.4 GHz Pentium III or Athlon MP 1600 CPU
DirectX 9 compatible, AGP video card with 32 MB memory, that
supports HW-T&L (Hardware Transform & Lightning)
Examples: GeForce2 Ultra or ATI
256 MB RAM
1.5 GB free hard disk space
(additional space required for the Windows swap-file and
DirectX 9.0 installation)
Internet connection via cable-modem or DSL
16X Speed CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, speakers or headphones
Microsoft compatible mouse
Keyboard
Recommended:
3.0 GHz Pentium 4 or Athlon XP 3000 CPU
DirectX 9 compatible, AGP video card with 128 MB memory, that
supports HW-T&L (Hardware Transform & Lightning)
Examples: GeForce FX 5900 or ATI Radeon 9800 Pro
512MB RAM (DDR 333 Mhz or faster)
1.5 GB free hard disk space
(additional space required for the Windows swap-file and
DirectX 9.0 installation)
Internet connection via cable-modem or DSL
16X Speed CD-ROM/DVD-ROM
DirectX 9.0 compatible sound card, speakers or headphones
Microsoft compatible mouse
Keyboard
Supported Operating Systems:
Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP, or Windows 2000.
4. Server Settings
The Beta Demo for Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising allows you to play multiplayer games hosted on NovaWorld, or hosted by other gamers.
Automatic Team-Size Balancing
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When a game server cycles to a new map, the server will balance the teams automatically. This way, when one team in a game has more members than the other team, the server will swap the correct number of people from one team to the other. The players that are swapped to the other team are the players with the least amount of time in that server.
Switching Teams
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During games hosted by other players, you may be able to change teams in mid-game. This depends on whether the game is hosted with this option. To do change teams, press the ~ key (without pressing the SHIFT key) to open the command line. Enter “server swapteam” (without the quotes).
Enable AI
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When you host your own multiplayer game, you can add computer-controlled players to the map. These players will help each team guard and attack, using their artificial intelligence.
To add AI players, go to the hosting page from either the LAN button or the NOVAWORLD button on the main screen. Click on the Game button to see settings for the game you are going to host. Change the Enable AI setting to Yes. When you start hosting your map, both teams will include AI players.
5. Drivable Vehicles
You can now operate land, sea, and air vehicles.
The controls are simple.
Walk up to a vehicle and see the attach points. Press the SHIFT key to connect to the highlighted point. To detach, press the SHIFT key again. To move to an empty seat shown in the vehicle display of the HUD, press the SHIFT key and the corresponding number key at the same time.
Use the typical WASD keyboard keys to control movement. Steer the vehicle by moving the mouse. To look around without turning the vehicle, hold down the right mouse button and move the mouse.
Players can control any vehicle they come across on the battlefield. If the enemy leaves a vehicle unattended, you can jump in and take control.
You can drive each vehicle at three different speeds. Control your speed with these keys: Z (slow) X (medium) C (fast)
For helicopters, press the E key to raise your elevation. Press the Q key to lower your elevation. Press and hold the SPACE key to increase your altitude temporarily. To orbit an area, press the W key and either the A key or the D key.
The final version of the game will offer more vehicles than the beta.
6. Weapons
Several weapons are available for both teams. Each team uses some weapons that are exclusive to that team. More weapons will be available in the official release.
Hand weapons
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M9 Bayonet [J]: The classic knife for silent kills up-close and underwater.
Machete [R]: A long blade common to the jungles and perfect for stealthy kills.
Colt 1911 [J,R]: High-powered clip-loading sidearm famous for reliability and stopping power.
Smith & Wesson .357 [R]: This revolver is a heavy hitter like the Colt.
Assault rifles & submachine guns
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AK47 [R]: The well-known Russian assault rifle, popular in third-world countries. AK47s can be equipped with grenade launchers.
AK74 [R]: The AK74 fires a smaller round than the AK47, but it fires more accurately, and recoils less.
M4 [J]: This lightweight rifle works best for quick and close fighting. M4s can be equipped with the optional M203 grenade launcher.
MP5 Silenced [J,R]: This silenced rifle can be heard only by those near it, but the smaller bullet requires better aim.
M16 [J]: A heavier assault rifle than others, but more accurate.
Machine guns
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M60 [J]: This heavy gas-powered machine gun fires a dangerous round, but the tripod should be used for accuracy.
M249 SAW [J]: The Squad Automatic Weapon machine gun delivers a large volume of effective fire; perfect for close quarters battles.
PKM [R]: This belt-fed portable machine gun fires more accurately when aimed with the bipod.
Sniper rifles
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Dragunov [R]: Powerful semi-automatic sniper rifle with a faster rate of fire than bolt-action choices.
M82 Barrett [J]: The .50 caliber ammo shot from this semi-automatic rifle can deliver a message from a long-range.
SR-25 [J]: Possibly the most accurate semi-automatic sniper rifle.
Specialty weapons
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M224 Mortar [J,R]: A light and portable mortar allowing engineers to fire a highly explosive round at a designated target.
Target Designator [J,R]: The visual line-of-sight provided by a designating player enables an engineer to fire a mortar from a safe distance.
AT4 [J]: Portable rocket launcher designed to destroy armored vehicles.
RPG-7 [R]: This shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenade launcher is muzzle-loaded and can be fired at nearly anything.
FIM-92 Stinger [J,R]: Point one at an enemy helicopter, wait for the lock-on signal, and fire. The stinger will track the helicopter through the air, but a good pilot might be able to avoid it.
Explosives
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Satchel charge [J,R]: Place the explosive package on a target, move to a safe position, and press the detonator.
Flashbang grenade [J,R]: Disorients and distracts enemies in a non-lethal manner.
Fragmentation grenade [J,R]: Exploding shrapnel causes casualties out to 15 meters.
7. Voice and Radio
Team communication during the game can be enhanced by using both the voice emotes and radio macros. The menus for both voice and radio communication include dynamic choices that change depending on your player class and location in the game.
Voice
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Press the F9 key to see a list of voice emotes for your character. Then press the number key of the emote you want your game character to say. Other players standing near your player will hear the emote you choose.
Notice that the choices for the 8 key, 9 key and 0 key are displayed in a different color. Those three dynamic emotes change depending on your character class, and player locations such as in vehicles and on emplaced weapons.
Radio
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Press the F10 key to see a list of radio messages. Then press the number key of the message you want your character to speak into his radio. Everybody on your team will hear you on their radio.
The choices for the 9 and 0 keys will change dynamically based on your game situation.
8. Mouse Controls
Left mouse button Fire
Right mouse button Scope toggle
Mouse movement Look up or down. Turn left or right.
Mouse wheel Cycle through weapons
9. Default Keyboard Mapping
ESC Exit / Load saved game 1 Knife
F1 Help 2 Sidearm
F2 1st person view (no gun) 3 Primary weapon
F3 1st person view (with gun) 4 Flashbang grenade
F4 3rd person view 5 Fragmentation grenade
F5 Quick-save (single-player) 6 Smoke grenade
F6 HUD detail level 7 Explosive
F7 Cycle waypoints 8 Radio detonator
F8 Cycle flags 9 Medic pack
F9 Voice emotes 0 Armory
F10 Radio macros
F11 Screen shot
F12 Map legend
W Move forward B Binoculars
A Strafe left N Night vision goggles
S Move backward M Map
D Strafe right - Zoom in HUD
Q Lean left (roll left if prone) = Zoom out HUD
E Lean right (roll right)
Z Prone position
X Crouch position SHIFT Attach / Use item
C Stand position SPACEBAR Jump
R Reload weapon F Friendly tags (on/off toggle)
T Talk (all players) G Goals
Y Team talk (your team)
U Recent messages
I Info
O Aimpoint brightness
TAB Player list / Kills PAUSE Pause game
CAPS LOCK Teammate commands BACKSPACE Room Takedown
' Command prompt SCROLL LOCK Auto-run toggle
CTRL+R Re-enter the spawn queue
Multiplayer game host screen
Keyboard controls for mouse movements
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P Look up [ Scope magnify - down
. Look down ] Scope magnify - up
L Turn left " Scope zero (press SHIFT key)
; Turn right / Scope toggle
ENTER Fire weapon
Duplicate Key Mapping
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Up arrow Move forward DELETE Stand position
Down arrow Move backward END Crouch position
Left arrow Strafe left PAGE DOWN Prone position
Right arrow Strafe right
Camera controls (in 3rd person view)
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On the numeric keypad:
7 Zoom in 4 Camera left
8 Camera up 5 Reset camera
9 Zoom out 6 Camera right
2 Camera down
10. Known Issues
Video
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Windows XP ALT+TAB Issue
When running Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising under Windows XP, you may experience problems task switching (i.e. using ALT+TAB) if you have set your game resolution and bitdepth to the same settings as your desktop. You are advised to either choose a different resolution in the game Options menu, or change your desktop resolution before running the game. If you don't plan on switching tasks during the game, these measures are not necessary.
Before calling Technical Support make sure you have installed the latest drivers for your video card.
Weapons
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Stinger: The sight for the Stinger is misaligned. Aim with the center marker.
Keyboard
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Remapping the CTRL key will cause problems when players press the R key. The default keyboard setting for CTRL+R allows users to respawn. However, when players remap their CTRL key, pressing the R key in the game can cause the player to respawn, even when they don't press the CTRL key. To revert your keyboard settings, press the Options button on the main screen, press the Controls button, and then press Game Defaults.
11. Checking for Updates
You can check for game updates by clicking on the Updates icon located with the other Joint Ops icons in the Windows Start menu.
12. NovaWorld
Visit http://www.novaworld.com to join the online community and learn about upcoming tournaments.
The NovaWorld online community hosts multiplayer games for the new Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising. When you join, you can discuss the games in forums, access squad information, monitor player statistics, access modification tools, and download updates.
13. Technical FAQs
Ping
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What is "ping time"?
Throughout Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising, you will see references to what is known as "ping time". A "ping" is when one computer sends a message to another computer and that computer sends a reply back to the first computer. The "ping time" is the time it takes for the ping process to occur. Ping times are used to determine how well your computer, their computer, and the network are operating. Ping times are usually measured in milliseconds. Low ping times means you, the network between you and the other computer, and the other computer are all relatively fast, and, generally, yield the best possible playing environment. Large ping times means some or all of the components involved in the ping process are slow, and, generally, yield a poor playing environment.
What affects "ping time"?
Generally, there are 3 components that affect ping times:
1) your computer
2) the network
3) the computer you are pinging.
1) Your computer
Your computer is responsible for generating the ping message, and for placing the ping message on the network. Then, some time later, is responsible for retrieving the ping time from the network, and then, finally, processing the ping message and calculating the ping time. If your computer is underpowered and it is taking time doing things other than managing the ping time, you can introduce lag into the system. Having a slower speed CPU, insufficient RAM, a fragmented hard drive, or a low-end video card all contribute to higher ping times. If you join a game server, options such as render detail, screen resolution, and others, all contribute to ping times. Having a faster render rate will usually help decrease ping times. If you're serving a game, choosing the dedicated server option over using a serve-and-play option will help decrease ping times.
2) The network
Most of the time the only control you have over the network is your ability to select what ISP you use and what type of connection you are using (i.e., DSL, Cable Modem, dialup, etc). Broadband networks offer a higher throughput and usually handle load much better than dial-up connections. The time of day plays a factor in the performance of a network; mornings, evenings, and weekends tend to be the busiest times and therefore cause more load on the network, which can cause higher ping times. The physical distance between you and the other computer plays a big factor as well. Connecting to game servers that are geographically near you help lowers ping times.
3) The other computer
The computer you are pinging may be accepting a large amount of network traffic, or the computer may be have a slow CPU or minimal memory. If you are a client and you are joining a serve-and-play server, your ping times may increase because the serving computer is rendering the game for someone in addition to serving it for others. Dedicated game servers can offer better gameplay results.
Where do I find the "ping time" and what do they mean?
There are 3 places in the game where Ping Times are displayed:
1) in the game server list
2) on the HUD
3) in the Player Kill List.
1) In the Game Server List
When you click "NovaWorld" from the main menu, and then click "Games", you see a game list with the ping times listed next to each game server. These ping times represent the time from the game to their machine and back. Usually, this time is the lowest out of all the ping times listed because, in this instance, the game server you are pinging uses the operating system to retrieve the ping request and send the ping reply.
2) On the HUD
In the upper left corner of the HUD (Heads Up Display), you'll see the ping time. This ping time represents the round-trip time from your computer to the server and back to your computer. This ping time will usually be higher than the times listed in the game server list because this ping time represents the time from when your game decides to send out the ping, the game running on the server computer retrieving it, processing it, sending a reply back to you, and finally your game getting the response and processing it.
3) In the Player Kill List
When you bring up the player kill list (by pressing the TAB key), you'll see the ping times next to each player. This ping time represents the round-trip time from the game server to each of the players listed and then back to the server. If a server is hosting with "ping min" or "ping max" limits, these are the values which the
server uses to perform the range checks. This ping time will usually be higher than the times listed in the game server list because this ping time represents the time from when the game server decides to send out the ping to each of the client game computers, each of the clients retrieving their ping requests, processing them,
sending replies back to the game server, and finally the game server getting the responses and processing them.