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Author Topic: (Review Completed) [SP] Punishment Battalion  (Read 17576 times)

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Offline LeeHunt

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(Review Completed) [SP] Punishment Battalion
« on: 07 Aug 2007, 16:18:43 »
Please Review (total package should have all necessary items & screenshots, I've uploaded addons separately for mission distribution later)
And of course, reviewer please take your time, I'm not concerned about how quickly this one gets reviewed (been working on the mission off and on since February!). Thanks :)

1) Download Total Package, addons & readme included (Recommended)
http://files.filefront.com/PB+Final+Total+Packagerar/;8957017;/fileinfo.html

Version: FINAL
Type: SP
Island: Sahrani
Requirements: ArmA version 1.08 (3 Add-on's included in download: Rellikki's Urban Troops, Solus's SLX People, Editor Update)
Installation: Put the Punishment Battalion PBO in your ArmA\Missions folder and the 3 Addon's in the Arma\AddOns folder. Don't forget to check out the very valuable PunishmentBattalionReadMe.txt document....


Thanks to great betatesting feedback on this forum and in many e-mails, I've hopefully improved Punishment Battalion dramatically for you and fixed the major issues, while adding some new features and more challenges.  There is also one more addon included in the download package for those who've already played, please take note.

While there are probably over 150 changes/improvements/fixes, here are the major changes:

Car Radio in full effect, with all ArmA songs
Environmental Sounds script from Abandoned Armies now fitted correctly for PB, birds & crickets sing during the day, frogs, wolves & owls come out at night, etc
Fixed Carla issues (she can now only use one satchel charge, can only drive her car, and refuses to stay in tanks, machine gun trucks, BRDM�s etc)
Less rain after first half hour, weather system fixed and more variable
Bagango police attack works properly now
Difficulty level increased slightly, more counterinsurgency forces added, player has less weapons and AT weapons at the beginning
Finale cutscene now runs only once, not twice
Ambush scene at beginning made more realistic and shortened to one scene
Pita Base strengthened with some new exciting features (thanks Johnnyboy)
More voiceovers
Basically every change LCD suggested implemented
Resting & Healing now fades to black and then back in
Player changed to civilian uniform, but has first aid kit
Maria female civilian addon replaces character on beach
Saved game issues fixed, drastically reduced number of variable names to fix that
Floyd�s helicopter transfer works smoothly now
Briefing edited, shortened and separated into Mission briefing and Author�s Notes
AI movement issues with �dostop� fixed
   
Thanks Betatesters!!!!!!!!!

I have run through the mission many times and so far all the storyline and features have worked in 1.30 (at least for me), so i'm most concerned now about difficulty level (is it still too easy?), did anyone hear the environmental sounds that come in randomly around you every 10 minutes or so?   Are there any other things you'd like to see?  What can be cut?  etc etc.  Thanks  :)

Overview:General Beria has put North Sahrani under martial law to exterminate a growing Resistance. Find and recruit the Resistance, rescue your girlfriend, destroy Beria's regime and bases. More details to follow. Choose your own strategy of guerilla warfare as you go from not even a weapon to master of the Island.  Your judgment and instinct on when to fight, when to run and what strategies to employ will make more of a difference than your marksmanship (though you'll need plenty of that too).



Mission length: 7 to 24 hours

Features:
Over 130 voiceovers from a dozen different actors
15 cutscenes
Nearly 100 scripts
Many underlying aspects of THobson's game "engine"
The "Mandoble Mortar"
SharkAttack's Airstrike
Unlimited Saves (you'll need 'em!  I sure did)
A ruthless enemy counter-insurgency force
Rellikki�s SLA Urban Troops
Solus' SLX People

This mission has been many months in the making, and I'm really grateful to THobson for his patient advice on using a modified version of the Abandoned Armies game "engine."  Like many other OFP fans out there, I loved Abandoned Armies and thought its structure could be used to create many more missions.  Without THobson's groundbreaking work and the scripts, tutorials and forum posts of people here at Ofpec, I would not have been able to create this mission.  85% of the scripts & technical work are credited to someone else, so thank you very much everyone here!!

Though there are many scripts, the mission is not "scripted."  There are no setpos tricks or snipers waiting for you in unrealistic places (though there are snipers in base guard towers where you'd expect them).  Half the enemy force is randomized.  The AI will respond to your strategies in different ways and except for the main plot and story, no player will have the exact same experience. 

All that being said, this is a humble betatest, and I am open to people's ideas, criticisms & suggestions.  Thank you for taking the time to play Punishment Battalion and I hope you enjoy it!!!!

Download the entire package (PBO, readme & 3 add-on's) here:
http://files.filefront.com/PunishmentBattalionV130Paezip/;8659192;/fileinfo.html



« Last Edit: 05 Sep 2008, 19:48:52 by Cheetah »

Offline Denz

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #1 on: 07 Aug 2007, 16:31:32 »
Sounds good.Links to the addons would have been better though, they are hardly obscure and it would cut the download from the whopping 34meg.
Take a look tonight mate.
I've got 'em right where I want 'em - surrounded from the inside!
Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver, SOG Recon One-Zero
24/09/41 - 24/04/69

Offline LeeHunt

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #2 on: 07 Aug 2007, 16:38:38 »
Understood Denz, was going for the "convenience" factor of a one click download.  Will post another link to just the PBO and post the Addon links later (late getting to work as it is finishing this up  :D!!)  And looking forward to betatesting the surge of new missions this weekend!
« Last Edit: 07 Aug 2007, 16:40:13 by Lee »

Offline Rellikki

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #3 on: 07 Aug 2007, 17:05:13 »
Hello Lee.
Nice to see my addons being used in missions. I'll give this a go later and write you a beta-report. :) By the way, SLX people are not Deadeye's addon. Solus is the author of it.

Offline LeeHunt

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #4 on: 07 Aug 2007, 17:59:52 »
Thanks Rellikki- sorry Solus, fixed that my bad!

Offline sharkattack

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #5 on: 07 Aug 2007, 19:53:38 »
I have been playing this for the last week or so ...
enjoying it a lot ...
will post a full beta report  when ive finished it ...  :good:

Nice one Lee
"HOLY SARDINE" - see Shark-Attack meet his match

Offline LeeHunt

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #6 on: 07 Aug 2007, 20:05:43 »
thanks SharkAttack - let me know when you finish. The finale cutscene is much improved in the latest version now on filefront, I can tell you how to de-PBO and watch the better one instantly when you are ready.  Though it will be different depending on who survived and who didn't in your squad.  Thanks again for testing it!    :D
« Last Edit: 07 Aug 2007, 20:08:10 by Lee »

Offline Nixer6

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #7 on: 07 Aug 2007, 23:21:59 »
Downloading now.

Sorry I'll be away for a month (maybe 2 weeks). Not much use as a Beta Tester this month.

I know I'll enjoy it, loved your little vid on U tube.

I may get get lucky and get occaisional Internet access. If I do I'll check in.
Why do I have to be a Rocket Scientist to make a good mission?

Offline firecontrol

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #8 on: 08 Aug 2007, 01:31:34 »
Ah, the much awaited PB.
I'll do the whole beta report when finished, but:

Outstanding mission!!!
Even if people don't fancy beta testing, this is easily on the level of (or quite close to!) Abandoned Armies (One of my all time favorite OFP experiences,) in terms of gameplay and style. Once some of the bugs that necessarily come with a mission of this magnitude are worked out, it'll be perfect.

Holding off on getting this new version, don't think my savegame would transfer over. :)

Anyway,
By the time this is done with the beta process, methinks I smell a two digit number. ;)


Offline Denz

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #9 on: 08 Aug 2007, 14:44:52 »
I can't quite believe that a mission of this magnitude and quality has been created so soon after ArmA's launch.
The player can choose to take many different paths through the mission and just about every circumstance that can be encountered has been provided for with a careful eye for detail.
To be honest, I'm not sure what to write here as I really don't want to give any spoilers.
Spotted one typo: shell > she'll
in the private conversation with Marco about his sister.

A minor criticism I know, but the information about saving the game, while valid and useful is abit over the top. The hint box and readme should be enough.

The couple of hours I spent last night playing this didn't even scratch the surface. This is already something to be savoured.
I've got 'em right where I want 'em - surrounded from the inside!
Jerry "Mad Dog" Shriver, SOG Recon One-Zero
24/09/41 - 24/04/69

Offline LeeHunt

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #10 on: 08 Aug 2007, 15:03:47 »
Hi Denz, you made my day!!  Thanks so much.  I started this in February (bought the German version and got the English translater mod for it) and spent probably the first two months trying to understand how Abandoned Armies worked.  I went through an entire notebook with little notes like
"Write script for what happens if player decides to RPG Marco inexplicably before they even meet"
or
"Make it so the player can take the bodies out of the truck at the beginning" (a process which took forever for noob scripter like me)
which led to more notes like:
"figure out how to get the direction that the truck is facing before the player removes the bodies, then make the new truck have the same damage and facing" etc etc.  Many people on ofpec have helped me with these questions and I'm very appreciative.

I couldn't figure out in the description.ext how to make "she'll" show up versus "shell" when they spoke.  For some reason those apostrophes didn't come through- if anybody knows how to fix that please post  :D

Point taken on the save game, Firecontrol mentioned the same thing. I will keep it to a hint.

Offline Cheetah

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #11 on: 08 Aug 2007, 15:26:06 »
Quote
I couldn't figure out in the description.ext how to make [...]

You aren't using a stringtable for the texts?
Like missions? Help with Beta Testing! or take a look at the OFPEC Missions Depot for reviewed missions!

Offline LeeHunt

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #12 on: 08 Aug 2007, 21:27:01 »
no Cheetah, i've got to learn how to use stringtables.  :dunno: everything's just in the description.txt. De-PBO'd Bardosy's Perpetua missions and can learn from there how....

Offline Cheetah

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #13 on: 09 Aug 2007, 18:44:44 »
Ah well. It is not that hard to learn to use stringtables, you just have to understand it and you will keep using it ;).

Please check your messages Lee.
Like missions? Help with Beta Testing! or take a look at the OFPEC Missions Depot for reviewed missions!

Offline igor7111

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Re: [SP] Punishment Battalion
« Reply #14 on: 09 Aug 2007, 20:30:14 »
Guess I'm the only one having trouble with this. 
I loved Abandoned Armies for OFP so I was pretty
excited about this.   Loaded up fine, SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER ALERT
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So I managed to hook up with the American  pilot, found another dude at a marked location
and proceeded to the abandoned safehouse to wait out the day.  Saved through the 0-0-0
command.  But now I can't resume.....it CTD every time I try to reload the mission. :(  :(  :(

Any ideas?