Well, what a mission. Let me start with how I've played it:
1.05
1280x1024 (see screenshots, not perfect aligned but no bugs)
ACE2 mod; custom/regular difficulty
default ACM settings and veteran button
- coffee task
- radio parts for western outpost
- search for the two lost guys (did free them)
- ambush transport trucks (one truck escaped; fail)
- did meet NAPA leader
- reconquered NAPA HQ in Novy x
- supported NAPA with destroying BMP at roadblock
- rested for the night at middle outpost
- breakfast at eastern outpost/look out tower
- did hold eastern outpost against first Russian attack wave
- started to defend middle outpost against second Russian attack wave
...canceled after the mission didn't finish when I assassinated every attacking unit I could find with ACE2 console:
player allowdamage false. I was the last survivor of the middle outpost.
Playtime +11 hours (maybe 1h waiting for unlimited savegames to load included)
My pros:
- a motivating story line
- utilizing many of the new ArmA2 editing features like one of the big official campaign missions
- unlimited savegames
My cons:
- you're burden the player with your own homework: Finding a balanced ACM setting to eventually enjoy the mission without being sub challenged or overstrained. Who would really ever want to play completely without ambient combat or being slaughtered by it to fail the mission?
- extraordinary savegame loading times, like official campaign
- mission is too big*
- most battles/tasks are too difficult**
- the first mission which tempted me to cheat with godmode
- I did expect a "normal grunt" mission but later on I recognized I was the CDF equivalent of recon Team Razor. Not bad at all I would just like the story to express this fact/role more.
*
Missions of such a scale should only be set up if necessary. There is no situation where the search of, or march through the
whole area of operations is the main interest here. This engine does disoblige living world scenarios like Fallout 3, GTA and so on. The only mission worth it that I've encountered so far is Harvest Red - Manhattan. I don't say drop anything but I would've made a dynamic campaign of all your content to not stress any PC(-user).
The players hurry miles from task to task
if everything goes right or have to fight through random ACM which is dull or deadly most of the time. Reloading one unlimited savegames per 3 minutes (the longer the mission lasts) for unbalanced random encounters is not fun.
While writing this I feel a similarity to the overplayed coop mission Evolution and the dull times between base/respawn and objective.
**
I'm sure the main difficulty issue here was playing with ACE2. Anyway ACE2 strives for realism with balance in everything so I claim the Rambo factor of your mission could be lowered. Everything depends too much on the player controlled units and his performance. Most of the time the other friendly units around are no match for the enemy. For me this is some kind of lacking realism in an ArmA scenario that I'm supposed to win without a withdraw option.
Example1 Truck ambush:
Feasible but stressing if you try to use your ai comrades for the AT weapons and have little time to move them into the right positions. I admit that's more realistic than having all the time of the world
.
Example2 Hold middle outpost:
High Command. 2 tanks, 2 squads. Call me a bad and impatient commander but I wanted to finish the mission there isn't much room to maneuver around the outpost. Plus I wasn't told to fall out and intercept somewhere else.
I've positioned the tanks close to the outpost, facing the enemy. Moved both squads to both flanks into the forest and waited. As soon as the music starts and the full scale enemy attack begins my both tanks go up in flames! Something long range kills them instantly and they didn't even report an enemy before. Of course the two squads and my own squad of three men stand no chance against the enemy tanks. Not even with unlimited savegames.
EDIT:
There's a typo concerning the breakfast scenario: "eat" not "east"
When I searched the forests for the two missing soldiers an orange arrow appeared in the upper left corner of the screen after titletext "I've heard something". Though it didn't lead me to the soldiers on the first attempt and after a second reload I've got the titletext, encountered the captive guys and their guards but no arrow at all appeared.