Even before the merger, DICE was already busy drawing up the sketch for the new game, learning from the experience of the development of Codename: Eagle. The developer of Codename Eagle, the Sweden-based Refraction Studios, would later merge with another Sweden-based studio, Digital Illusions CE in 2000 shortly after the release of Codename Eagle.
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This included the free use of vehicles, ranging from small jeeps to tanks to large zepplin airships, in the multiplayer, as well as fairly large and open maps for its time. MultiplayerĬodename Eagle's online can be played in any of the three modes.Ĭodename Eagle had several features which would later become well-known and popular hallmarks of Battlefield 1942.
The game is set in an alternate timeline in 1917, World War I has not happened and Germany have yet to become involved with the other world powers. The goal is to uncover the Tsar's plans for Europe, using whatever means to demolish the Russian war machine from within who are threatening to take control of Europe. Trivia: Codename: Eagle formed the framework for the Battlefield series, with developer Refraction Games getting bought out and put on new projects by DICE.You take control of an operative of the secret organization "Shadow Command" known as Red. I never managed to get past the first three or four levels and the experience soured me enough that I never even returned to the demo. It was said, but I'd kind-of loved the game to death, I suppose. Even that happened rarely, as the early levels I got stuck on were mostly stealth-based affairs. I'd played against my own imagination for too long and was used to single headshots everytime, but in the actual game you'd need a steady stream of bullets to fell a foe. Worst of all the balancing wasn't in line with what I'd imagined.
Levels were over-long the campaign was an endurance contest as you worked your way through the obvious story and tried to topple the Soviet war machine. We were never able to get the multiplayer actually working and the singleplayer proved to be indomitably difficult and annoying, requiring pitch-perfect accuracy and driving skill. Unfortunately though, the reality of the game didn't quite match up with the imaginary battles we'd had. My brother had a similar experience, which eventually drove him to buy the game. I loved Codename: Eagle in a weird and very lonely way. I'd do a loop the loop in a fighter and spin blazingly into the sea, or try and wingwalk, machine gun in hand. I'd try and take the almighty zeppelin as high as I could before parachuting out and trying to land on a tank.
When I got bored of that (which happened only rarely) then I'd test the limits of the game.
Then I'd destroy the bridge, isolating myself from those fictional enemies and I'd flee in a biplane, spraying the landscape with bullets as I went. I'd grab a flamethrower and spent ages running around the base shooting imaginary foes before jumping into a tank and gunning it across a bridge, desperately racing to the nearest hangar. When I played the game though all I did was spend ages messing around and making up fantasy battles that I played through in my head. The demo was clearly meant to be played with as many players as possible there were two bases, fleets of planes, artillery emplacements and motorbikes stationed all over the expansive island. The graphics were basic, but seemed beautiful back then