[OFP] Operation Hungry Birds by OFP_f3d3

Review by Walter_E_Kurtz

Overview

The Overview is smartly done with a clear picture. It could probably have been made to fit on a single page, but it's elegant enough as it is.

Intro

The Intro displays a good grasp of camera scripting. However, given its length, it may leave you wondering what you are supposed to gather from it. The judicious use of text (or, for the big points, text in some other font) would have helped to communicate the story.

Briefing

Plenty of info is provided with links to secondary pages and markers on the map. It's all fairly relevant, but some parts are more useful than the rest, such as the location of heavy AT weaponry (in the truck where you start).

As with the Overview, there's a suspicion that the objectives could have been squeezed onto just one page. However, as the mission is quite linear it's no serious disadvantage.

The Group tab is where you first get a taste of the variation within this mission: your squad may consist of five men, or six. Clearly, with an extra man you can expect the Russians to have a few more also. Since this does not particularly change the balance of the mission, I doubt very much that this is the best way to offer an advantage to weaker OFP players.

Mission

In a word: straightforward. Everything is laid out on the map; follow that and you won't go wrong. As long as you read (and re-read) the briefing, surprises are few and far between.

There is the potential for slight frustration in a couple of places: at the factory, you might be served by demolishing the processing plant with satchel charges (found in crates on the ground floor); at the end, two boats come for your evacuation - if one doesn't take you away, try the other.

Outro(s)

A brief scene of thanks from the C.O. that almost had me shouting "let's see how grateful you are!" Maybe it should be considered a tribute to the Special Forces tendency to understatement and disinclination to accept medals.

Special

TakeOffTim's artillery script gives you fire support at the [Alt]+[Shift]+Click of a mouse.

Overall

Honestly, the score have been anywhere from 3.5 to 7.5 - I'll take the average and call it 5.5, rounded up to 6 to compensate for reviewer bias (I suspect I've been a bit harsh). I felt repeatedly that I was constrained to follow too closely the path laid down by the author. The overall atmosphere struck me as odd: individual soldiers standing far away from their comrades; the prescribed ambush site being a small, cramped hamlet; the factory defences facing one direction.

This is a mission worth playing, and even replaying once or twice. All the essentials are in place, it's just that as far as positives go I didn't find anything exceptional.