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Author Topic: (Review Completed) [SP] OPERATION RATTLESNAKE V2.1  (Read 22033 times)

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Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] UPDATED!! Operation Rattlesnake (V1.3) (7/12/2011)
« Reply #45 on: 16 Dec 2011, 09:10:37 »
Thanks for the feedback Aldo

Very interesting indeed; I've never noticed that the crew weren't synchronised with the alarm countdown. That can be changed easily. As for voices in the outro, that's definately something I'll work on once all possible showstoppers are out of the way.

I have been working on another project but I will put aside some time to make these improvements.

Unfortunately no I cannot speak Spanish. If you want the mission in spanish then that can be arranged.

Regards,

Gruntage
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] NEW UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.4) (27/12/2011)
« Reply #46 on: 27 Dec 2011, 19:27:47 »
Version 1.4 is now available to download.

I've finally gotten around to adding voices to the outro, as well as a few extra features. Some sound effects have been added, as well as an extra scene to the outro.

Hopefully there are no showstoppers now. If the Zodiac is still causing problems or if those tanks really can't stay away from the beach, then I will need to rethink the evac strategy.

Thanks for all the feedback so far

Gruntage
« Last Edit: 27 Dec 2011, 19:49:12 by Gruntage »
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] NEW UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.4) (27/12/2011)
« Reply #47 on: 03 Jan 2012, 18:35:50 »
Anyone going to give any feedback on v1.4?  :D
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline savedbygrace

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Re: [SP] NEW UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.4) (27/12/2011)
« Reply #48 on: 06 Jan 2012, 01:10:13 »
I will eventually. Sorry, I'm spread pretty thin and I've got a lot of things to balance. I've still got some betas in the Arma2 section before drifting back this way but its going to be at least a week before I get to them. I know your anxious, just be patient, please.

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] NEW UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.4) (27/12/2011)
« Reply #49 on: 06 Jan 2012, 10:27:05 »
Alright, thanks for the heads up SBG
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.45) (12/1/2012)
« Reply #50 on: 12 Jan 2012, 20:14:58 »
A new version (v1.45) has now been uploaded. I've made a couple of changes to the gameplay which should make it easier for the player to leave the mission area (which has proven to be quite difficult). An A10 now appears once the Shilkas are destroyed to destroy the enemy armour approaching Houdan (the player will now be able to see the nice particle effects upon ending the mission)

After intensive testing on all three difficulty settings I have not found any bugs that could be potential showstoppers. If the player accelerates time during the first minute of the mission the zodiac does have a tendency to not follow its waypoints. But this has only happened once.

I still need to add a few more radio messages. Hopefully the final version will be ready next week  :D

Thanks to all those who have tested my mission thus far

Regards,

Gruntage
« Last Edit: 12 Jan 2012, 20:17:50 by Gruntage »
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Inlesco

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Re: [SP] UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.45) (12/1/2012)
« Reply #51 on: 12 Jan 2012, 22:18:49 »
Okay, I've finally got a new report on your mission, mate...

v1.4 of the mission was played on OFPR 1.96.

Intro is as good as it has always been - calm, relaxing soundtrack chosen to give user an impression of how easily NATO military can spy their enemies by using satellites. It's all fine at this point, but maybe some context of missions pre-history would perfect-en entire intro and then it'd contain everything that matters. Sometimes I find watching an intro much more enjoyable than reading 4-5 pages of briefing text.

Briefing is greatly detailed, contains all the needed intel and maybe too much, depending on player's taste. Although I don't think there is anything wrong with it - we obviously can't make everyone happy with our design choices, so it's all fine!  :good:

...and then the action begins. Of course, having everything voiced would enhance the atmosphere and that 'realistic environment' feeling probably. One thing I've never liked while playing on hard or medium difficulty levels is too long column of a group walking around Houdan by rule. Sometimes it doesn't seem realistic enough, so in your case I'd go for reducing number of enemies appearing dynamically each time. I managed to reach the beached and overall it was fun to see "fireworks" in the distance, calmly moving away from operational area.

Outro sets the victory mood and that's all about it - I can see that it did its purpose very well.

Suggestions:

  • IMO, you could remove Zodiac and go for CoC Combat Swimmers instead of using the boat for evacuation. Players like freedom and independence, so under-water arrival and an escape would be a proper solution.
  • Minefield'd beaches to prevent enemy appearance on them. What do you think about it? It'd make entire mission more challenging than ever!
  • Very optional: any hint of a secret objective or an additional mission to take care of because of unexpected events.
  • Well, outro dependence on how many of the objectives you've made is always a welcome and great feature for a single mission, it extends replayability a couple of times, at least.
  • Any custom ambient music from franchises like STALKER or Thief to enhance feeling of the tension in the area. Such tracks it the background can make a good effect on player's impressions, I'd say. Emotional context in night missions, no matter what they aim for, is important and probably needed.

That's it for now, I do hope you find this helpful. ;)
« Last Edit: 12 Jan 2012, 22:22:33 by Inlesco »

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.45) (12/1/2012)
« Reply #52 on: 13 Jan 2012, 11:00:49 »
Wow, some very interesting feedback there 'Lesco.

Quote
Intro is as good as it has always been - calm, relaxing soundtrack chosen to give user an impression of how easily NATO military can spy their enemies by using satellites. It's all fine at this point, but maybe some context of missions pre-history would perfect-en entire intro and then it'd contain everything that matters. Sometimes I find watching an intro much more enjoyable than reading 4-5 pages of briefing text.

Thanks for your kind words. I had intended the intro to be the 'quiet before the storm'  :). When I started designing the intro I already knew what music track I wanted to use. So I needed to design my intro around that music track. Because the track is quite short, I had to limit what information I show in the intro, and make up for it in the briefing. I didn't want the the track to finish and with the intro still going (it does atm actually but only for a couple of seconds). I also want the player to be able to read everything I put in the intro, which means having the text visible for long periods of time. I might consider tweaking the intro, but I'm not sure yet.

About the briefing. It could probably do with being trimmed down a little bit. There are some parts which aren't entirely necessary (the information about weapons can probably be reduced).

Now for those suggestions  :D

Combat Divers. Hmm it sounds interesting. I'll have to look into those.

I did consider placing mines on the dunes, but because of the poor quality of OFP AI I decided against it. Placing mines would discourage the player from the using the 'infiltrate as a group option'. If it was a solo operation (just the player, no one else) then placing mines would be fine.

A secondary objective. It sounds good, but if I do choose to add one it would probably be situated close to the main objective. Even though I strongly advocate allowing the player roam freely around the island, I do feel that in missions like this, one should draw a line somewhere. In other words, I'd much rather have the player and his team stay within a certain boundary, without having to stray far from their primary objective.

Random patrol sizes. This is definately something I'll be adding the next version. After several tests I have been able to randomise the sizes of the groups patrolling the village. Sometimes they could be as big as twelve or as small as two, depending on the difficulty.

Ambient music during the opening stages is definately something I'll be adding as well.

Some very valid suggestions there 'Lesco. Very good feedback indeed.

At least you were able to finish the mission this time, which is a huge improvement on past versions (annoying bugs prevented the mission from ending properly)  :D

Thanks for your time 'Lesco

Gruntage
« Last Edit: 13 Jan 2012, 11:24:51 by Gruntage »
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Inlesco

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Re: [SP] UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.45) (12/1/2012)
« Reply #53 on: 13 Jan 2012, 13:27:28 »
More suggestions on the way:

  • Creating a frontline not far from Houdan would enhance realism feature. I guess russians know that US holds other part of Malden and they must prepare fortifications appropriately. I'd make a border-zone between Houdan and Lollise with mines, sand-bags and that stuff.
  • When enemy finds out that AA systems in Houdan are gone, they could randomnly start firing artillery shells on the town and player with his team should be forced to leave the area as fast as he can.
  • Paratroopers arrival from air after alert or completing main objective would make mission more intensive, I believe. Board a group of Spetz Natzs or something similar into a Mi-17 and it will make escape more interesting for sure!
  • Changing alarm sound at Houdan... I know it's optional, but something from Vietnam or WW2 era should fit better, anyway. Browse freesound.org to find anything to your liking.
  • Dynamic patrols, encampments guarding the beachead line?
  • As for an additonal objective, yes, it should be situated close to Houdan, somewhere on the West, moving closer to a barn there... Just my 2 cents.
« Last Edit: 13 Jan 2012, 13:29:05 by Inlesco »

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] UPDATED!! OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.45) (12/1/2012)
« Reply #54 on: 13 Jan 2012, 14:27:40 »
Again, some very interesting points there 'Lesco.

The fourth suggestion is definately something I'll add in the next version. The others are worth considering, particularly the artillery shells.

Thanks for your input 'Lesco

Gruntage

EDIT: Have decided to remove Kilo force from the mission. Doing so would allow me to build up a small 'border zone' south of the base. With Houdan being a frontier zone, not having a small camp to the south would be somewhat unrealistic. Kilo were in many ways an expendable force.

EDIT 2: Have decided to place numerous patrols along the southern road (with possibly a tank). Briefing and scripts have been changed accordingly.
« Last Edit: 13 Jan 2012, 15:51:48 by Gruntage »
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Offline Gruntage

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The final version has now been uploaded and is ready for review  :D

Just thought I'd address a couple of points that Inlesco mentioned.

After due consideration I have chosen to incorporate only a couple of 'Lesco's suggestions. The random patrol sizes and a second music track have been added. But I have decided against placing a secondary objective, artillery and an Mi17 filled with reinforcements. All of these were considered possibilities, but in the end I decided against them.

I don't want to fall into the trap of overdesigning a mission. My mission was designed to be relatively quick, small, and ideal for 15 minutes to 1 hour of fun. But I felt that adding aspects such as artillery might ruin the immersion and realism. Using the artillery as an example, I can't see artillery being used against five special ops lol. I'm not saying I dismissed your ideas without any thought 'Lesco. So I hope you don't take offense to my comments.

If I change my mind about any of your suggestions then I will certainly add them before the review process is complete.

Thanks to all who have beta tested this mission  :)

Hopefully no bugs will be found. I've played the mission through many times in the last couple of days and so far I haven't found anything (but then, whenever I've played the earlier versions I wasn't able to find any bugs then but others did lol)

EDIT: Let me know if there are any problems with addons, or any error messages concerning addons. I have removed the 'lampa' addon from the mission.sqm, so hopefully you won't get any messages like 'missing addon: lampa'.
« Last Edit: 16 Jan 2012, 20:39:25 by Gruntage »
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Aldo15

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Re: [SP] (PLEASE REVIEW) OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.5) (16/1/2012)
« Reply #56 on: 17 Jan 2012, 00:02:51 »
I have a free time tonight, so, Downloading right now. I was waiting for it.
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Offline Inlesco

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Re: [SP] (PLEASE REVIEW) OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.5) (16/1/2012)
« Reply #57 on: 17 Jan 2012, 20:31:06 »
I've tested 1.5 and it seemed to run completely smoothly. Almost everything was fine, except some things of objects layout at Houdan (if we consider Op. Rattlesnake as realistic as possible), but those are not worth to mention, because it will be nothing but an explanation of my personal opinion.

Speaking of outro, penultimate scene was quite stupid - Hinds got kicked out of the airfield as little russian toys by over-effective shells. If I were you, I'd change them over with a smoother type of explosion.

All in all, it was a fun, entertaining experience. It's indeed ready for a decent review. I'd like to write one, but, well, I'm not allowed to.

Offline Gruntage

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Re: [SP] (PLEASE REVIEW) OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.5) (16/1/2012)
« Reply #58 on: 17 Jan 2012, 20:32:52 »
Thanks for your feedback 'Lesco. I do agree I think I'll take that chopper scene out.

EDIT: New hotfixed version is up, with that outro scene taken out (I wasn't sure why I put it in there to begin with lol. Think I was just trying to add an extra scene for the sake of it really)

EDIT 2: Made a couple of little additions to the a base; few more wood fences and wires (making the base look more fortified). I've also randomised the shilka locations (well sort of, only by a distance of about 30m maximum from their original position).
« Last Edit: 17 Jan 2012, 21:28:12 by Gruntage »
"But one thing I can tell you from not just OFP but life in general:  criticism is directly proportional to quality. The more criticism a mission receives, the better the outcome" - macguba

Offline Aldo15

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Re: [SP] (PLEASE REVIEW) OPERATION RATTLESNAKE (V1.5) (16/1/2012)
« Reply #59 on: 18 Jan 2012, 00:42:00 »
Hey Gruntage, I'm sorry for post late, but this is my review of your mission v.1.5

I liked the intro, I just want to tell you, it'd be better if you add some satelite sound when it starts.
I didn't see bugs in the mission, I just want ask one thing, maybe you could make a script to 'hide enemy units'
because I saw several enemy dead bodies on the ground and their friends walk over them, and I'd want to make a script to alert all enemy units if they see their dead friends. I don't know if that can do, but it'd be good. I want to take a suggestion from SVG, it's use 'onmapsinglemap' command to disembark and to embark to units. In the outro I didn't also see bugs, I agree with inlesco, maybeo you should change 'laserguidedbombs' for another bombs.

I'd also want to add some units coming fot the sea or jumpimg from heli, just to make the mission most hard. What do you thinking? It's better for the sea. Ah I forgot in the mission, The 'Hospital' was destroyed by one shilka,I'll suggest you, add some heal script, because it's not funny to shoot injured.

That was my review
Cheers,
Aldo15

« Last Edit: 18 Jan 2012, 01:02:50 by Aldo15 »
My OFP stuff
FMF Project by Aldo15. Coming soon.
If in the high school or university, Teachers add a new subject about how to make scripts, missions, for ofp. I'd be number one of my classroom