On November 17, 2004, Novalogic released an expansion pack, Joint Operations: Escalation. The expansion pack was not a stand alone release and required the original game be installed first prior to use. Escalation introduced new maps, weapons, and vehicles to the original game while focusing on an escalation of the conflict in Indonesia to the rest of Southeast Asia. Players had the option to use parachutes to jump out of helicopters or from elevated map locations. The parachute deployed automatically after a player had fallen long enough to reach terminal velocity. The parachute could be steered, but with a response slower than normal movement. After a player landed, the parachute was expended and no longer operable unless the player went to an armory to pick up a new one. Players also had the option of carrying body armor. The body armor would not deflect rounds, but spread out their kinetic energy, reducing the penetrative force. Similar to the parachute, body armor added weight which slowed a player's speed on foot. To counter this, players also had the option of choosing what type of bullets they could use. FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) bullets were for general use. SP (Soft Point) bullets caused more damage to enemies but could be greatly reduced by body armor. Consequently, AP (Armor Piercing) bullets could pierce body armor but did not cause as much damage as the former choices. Other new items included attack choppers, motorcycles, anti-vehicle mines and guided anti-tank missile launchers.
IGN editor Tom McNamara rated Joint Operations: Escalation at 8.3 overall ("impressive").
Read more about this topic: Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising