Project Reality is a series of combined armstacticalfirst-person shooter video gamemodifications which aim to create a realistic combat environment where the core gameplay encourages teamwork and coordination. The original version, Project Reality: BF2, was released in 2005 for Battlefield 2, it is still being updated on a regular basis and became a stand-alone game in 2015. Project Reality for ARMA 2 was released as a beta in 2011, development was later moved to ARMA 3 in 2013. In September 2015 it was announced that the project had been suspended. Squad, a commercial game built on Unreal Engine 4, is a spiritual sequel to Project Reality.
''Project Reality: BF2''
Gameplay
Project Reality features five game modes. Two of the most popular game modes are Advance and Secure and Insurgency. AAS involves capturing and holding control points, similar to the Conquest mode of Battlefield 2. In AAS, control points typically must be captured in a certain order with one team attacking, and one team defending. The second most popular game mode, Insurgency, is intended to simulate asymmetrical warfare. The Insurgency game mode involves a conventional forces team searching for and destroying hidden weapon caches while the other team, the insurgents, try to defend them. Moreover, the other game modes are Vehicle Warfare and Command and Control. The Vehicle Warfare mode differs by putting full emphasis on heavy vehicles and assets, and restricting the player to one kit role. The play style for Vehicle Warfare is otherwise identical to the Advance and Secure mode where players must capture objective points in order. Finally, the Command and Control mode removes all control points. The objective instead is focused around player built fortifications and their single Forward Operating Base. Players must build and defend their hidden Forward Operating Base while also searching for the opposing forces' base. The mod also features a co-op mode, where human players may play alongside or against computer controlled players. Co-op can also serve as a single-player mode. In contrast to the original system of Battlefield 2, players may not spawn at their squad leader when they die, but must instead spawn at permanent spawn points such as main bases, or at temporary rally points created by the squad leader. Players may also spawn at Forward Operating Bases which can be constructed if supply crates are delivered to the desired location. When constructed, other fixed defences such as stationary machine guns and various defensive constructs such as barbed wire or foxholes can be placed afterwards with the delivery of additional supplies. The Insurgency game mode diverts slightly from these rules, limiting the insurgent side to spawn at their weapons caches which they must defend, or they lose the ability to spawn. The opposing team can discover the location of these caches by catching informants for the insurgents, after which an enemy cache will be marked on the conventional forces' map, indicating its position. However, insurgents can still deploy and construct destructible "hideouts" to spawn at, which act in a similar way to the Forward Operating Bases in conventional game modes. The conventional forces are also able to construct their own Forward Operating Bases for forward deployment. Project Reality features over 15 factions with more in development.
''Project Reality: ARMA 2''
Project Reality: ARMA 2 exists as a standalone modification requiring both ARMA 2 and . It remains self-contained, self developing and does 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 is a 'one stop shop' as an installation package, with no requirement for additional multiple add on packs. Project Reality: ARMA 2 v0.1 BETA was released on September 2 which was shortly followed by the release of Project Reality: ARMA 2 v0.15 beta on March 16, 2012. A year later on March 1, 2013 0.16 version was released including two new terrains. With the release came the news of a cease in development with the ARMA2 mod and a movement of efforts towards ARMA 3.
Successors
In early 2009 it was revealed through the official Project Reality forums that a standalone successor Project Reality 2 is in pre-production. A license for the C4 Engine has been purchased as of 2010. An entry for a game called "Project Reality 2 - The Beaten Zone" has been posted to the official Crytek developers community crytek.net, stating that the game would be using the CryEngine 3. Project Reality staff have dismissed the supposed engine change as rumor, and did not acknowledge any connection to the crydev.net posting. However, new announcements from the Dev Team, made sure that PR2 will be in fact using the CryEngine 3, since most of the people involved in the development of the game on the C4 Engine thought it wasn't so good to work with, and they have chosen the CryEngine 3 as their new engine to work on. There is no set release date for the game. Since 2014 there has been no more word from the team behind the standalone. One of the main developers also mentioned that the game's production had stopped. On October 10. 2014 a team consisting of current and former Project Reality:BF2 developers announced a new commercial game based on the Project Reality gameplay formula. The new game is named Squad and is built on Unreal Engine 4. The game, as of December 2015, is available on Steam Early Access. The game was initially funded through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter.
Reception
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 arrive 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".
