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This patch for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising installs the Skirmish pack DLC expansion and addresses a number of gameplay issues. Content includes four multiplayer maps and two Fire Team Engagements. A full list of changes along with information about for the Skirmish pack DLC can be seen after the jump.

Download Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising 'Skirmish DLC' Patch (232 MB)
Download HD Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC Trailer (91 MB)
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While certain upcoming military shooters have yet to reveal if they will have any mod tools, Codemasters' recently released Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising game has a full mission editor for anyone to make their own maps and missions in the game. Now PC processor maker Intel will be rewarding folks who come up with the best missions for the game in a new contest.

People who own the game can use the mission editor to submitted their creations to the contest (they have to have, among other things, an Intel i7 processor as one of the mission's objectives). Deadline for entries is November 29. After the top 12 are decided by the game's community via their votes, the winners will be determined by a jury of people from Codemasters, Intel and others. The people who create the top two missions will each receive a gaming PC valued at over $2,000.

This trailer showcases the new features that will be included in the first Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC expansion, set to release tomorrow. The Skirmish pack will include four new multiplayer maps and additional fire team engagements.

Download HD Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising DLC Trailer (91 MB)
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Codemasters has been saying for a while that they have some major downloadable content plans for Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. Today the developer/publisher of the recent military shooter announced that the first such release, the Skirmish pack, will be made available to download tomorrow along with the game's first patch.

The Skirmish pack will add four new multiplayer maps to the game along with two Fire Team Engagement missions for single and co-op play. The patch will also address a number of issues that have crept up since the game was released just under a month ago. Unlike the console version the Skirmish DLC wlll be free to download for the PC version.

The PC port of DiRT 2 will be one of the first games to support DirectX 11, making it "the best looking racing game that has ever existed." Judging by the tech demo shown above, it's hard to argue with that. The DiRT 2 tech video demonstrates extensive use of Tessellation, which is "implemented on the GPU to calculate a smoother curved surface resulting in more graphically detailed images, including more lifelike characters." It also compares the DX11 look to DirectX 9.0c.

However, players will need to upgrade to Windows 7 (DX11 for Vista will be released at a future unspecified date) and ATI is currently the only manufacturer to have DX11 cards available. Players will have some time to save up and take advantage of these features, since DiRT 2 for the PC won't be releasing until December.

The official DiRT 2 for PC trailer can be seen after the jump.

Download HD DiRT 2 DirectX 11 Tech Video (98 MB)
Download HD DiRT 2 PC Trailer (65 MB)
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Codemasters' military shooter Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising seems to be doing well in both sales and in reviews but that may be just the tip of the iceberg for the game. In a new chat over at the UK-based Telegraph web site, the game's executive producer Sion Lenton is already talking about their plans for downloadable content.

We shouldn't have to wait very long for the first example of DLC for the game. Lenton states, " . . . our first pack is coming up in a matter of weeks." He claims Codemasters has some "very ambitious plans" in this area, adding, "Ours is a game that lends itself very well to expansion – there will be weapons packs, map packs – all sorts of things we can do to get our product out there." Of course we expect that we might have to pay for at least some of this stuff which, for PC gamers, is never a good thing.

[Via Blue's News]

Those that have been keeping up with the development of Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising know that the emphasis of the game is on intense realism. The island of Skira, where all the action takes place, is based on satellite footage of a real-world island located near Japan. Its 220km^2 is completely open, so players can use almost any approach when handling a mission. Everything from the sounds of the weapons and vehicles to the animations are meticulously represented in this modern day shooter. With all this attention to realism, one could probably guess that it's not meant for fast paced run-and-gun shooter fans. A single bullet can potentially incapacitate or kill your character. At the same time, the single player experience is held back by the unreliable artificial intelligence, so the best way to experience this game is alongside other players, preferably ones that are really good at realistic shooters.

Check out all Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Downloads

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, a realistic open-world military shooter, releases in North America today and in the UK on Friday. The game features a huge island to traverse, a wide variety of military scenarios and a sense of realism so high that characters can die from a single bullet. If you think you're ready for that kind of combat, go ahead and jump right in.

Download HD Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising Launch Trailer (123 MB)
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A military shooter, the latest Star Wars game and three downloadable titles are the highlights in new PC games for the next week:

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising: Codemasters developed this military shooter sequel on their own (the first game was made by Bohemia Interactive). The game is set in the near future where US and Chinese forces fight over a fictional island. Look for 70 weapons in the full game, support for realistic ballistics and multiplayer for co-op and deathmatch modes.

The latest Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising developer video goes deep behind-the-scenes to show how the authentic look at feel of the weapons, movement and vehicles were reproduced for the game. Particularly, they wanted to show how the weight of the weapons impacted the way soldiers moved. So, they put in lead weights into their props and used actors with military training for the motion capture. Fortunately, players will not need to be certified pilots in order to fly the helicopter and other vehicles in the game. Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising is scheduled to release next week on October 6th.

Download HD Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising 'Look and Feel' Video (359 MB)
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