squatpuke wrote:
Are there "empty" servers where I can go and learn my way around the game? Or can I play locally?
tyia
There are two good ways to learn your way around the game:
1.) Create a local serverAll this means is that you host a game on your machine. Unless your computer is connected to a local network with anyone else who plays BF2, your game will stay empty. This is just like playing on an empty server i.e. you dont have to do anything because theres nobody to play against. The great benefit of doing this is that it allows you to become familiar with every weapon, vehicle and map without having to worry about time limits or getting killed.
To create a local server, click on the "Multiplayer" tab at the top of your BF2 screen, then select "Create Local". Here you can select a map of any size and change any game paramaters e.g. spawn time, round time etc. Its a good idea to put the spawn time right down when youre practicing so that you can jump straight back in when you die
2.) Play Single PlayerPlaying a single player match allows you to get to grips with playing against other players (except that the bots in single player are a walk in the park compared to real-life players :S). Its pretty self-explanatory how to start a game here, just go to Single Player and select a map to start playing. Youll notice that you cant change the map size in single player, thats because theres always a fixed number of bots in-game. It wouldnt make sense to have you and 15 bots on a map made for 64 players...
Like Hellhead said, make sure you get plenty of practice in on the different vehicles and classes (soldier types) before you get online, and be sure to read the wiki pages. As I said, the bots are nothing compared to the average gamer you will find in BF2, and the first time you play on a populated server, you will see what I mean. You will get killed a lot. But dont let that put you off.
Put in plenty of practice, and you will get a lot of enjoyment out of BF2.