After a lengthy absence I'm back on ofpr 1.96 with a decent laptop... If all goes to plan I will test this mission today and offer my feedback asap. I do like the early stages of this mission due to the fact it requires a small amount of add-ons and was challenging.. Im just hoping its not overkill after reading the changes..
If there is any error messages I am supposed to ignore, then that will be a showstopper for me.
Ok here are my thoughts on this mission. Here goes........
Intro:Ive said it before and I will say it again.. EXCELLENT . good music too.
Overview:The overview is okay, It does what it says on the tin.
Briefing:Straight to the point and clearly explains the objectives.
Duration: 3 hours. 35 minutes. 20 minute break
Mission: *I had used the toggle\save game 15 times through-out the mission and lost 7500pts.
*I hit the retry button countless times so I could BETA test entirely from start to finish.
*The music during the game-play\mission was absolutely amazing. For about 45 minutes........... It was great the way the musical orchestra intensified from mellow to frantic once you become detected by the enemy.. But after 45 minutes it became a demented nuisance and too much of the same thing... I turned off the music volume after awhile and god dam I missed the escape music at the end.......... Is it any good ?
*I played regardless to a stealthy approach and engaged the enemy on first sight.
*I did not test mulitplayer, or intend to.
*After being killed and clicking the retry button. The Vfog is back.. But dont worry about that too much Haroon. its just a radio click away...
Preference:Veteran Mode \ Super AI = ON
Music volume 50% = ON
Toggle Day time = ON
Toggle Vfog = OFF
Toggle Random weather = OFF
Mission recap:I simulated the tactics I used the first time round when testing version 1.25. Firstly We (my team) headed North to the road, and then we followed the road East into (SC.52) = The sparkling center 52. We came across a group of Soviets patrolling towards us approx 5 or 6 which were quickly cut down. From there we had just enough time to occupy the ruined building North-West in (SC.52).
Once inside the ruins I gave my men iceman and stalker orders to guard, and watch the two exits East & West sides. From There onwards we spent our ammo picking off the Soviet troops that was frantically seeking to destroy us.. Eventually Two enemy troops entered the building one of which was carrying an HD RPD Machine gun. And the other an AK74 HD. After several attempts and retries of mowing down enemy troops with the RPD on all sides. I decided the tactic wasnt working. Instead I waited for the BMP's And T72 to rove out of sight. Then I made a crazy dash for the ruins directly north of (SC.52), cutting down a couple of troops along the way... Once here I found myself stuck between a rock and hard place. After one hour of killing and taking cover at my new position. I was then finally free to move around. By now my men was long ago killed. I had armed Stalker with the AK74 which gave him away to a hand grenade...
Once free I slowly worked my way into the heart of (SC.52) towards the first ZSU with my last pipe-bomb.
(At the insertion I had decided against the stealth approach) resulting in me having only one pipebomb left at this point. I had used my other two pipe-bombs against the T72 & a BMP in the hour long firefight.. This was an unconventional but fun task..
(It felt like the Saving Private Ryans. Sticky-bombs scene)
Jumping out to place a bomb right beside the tanks then ducking back under cover 8 - 10 meters away, Detonating before he moves or strikes....
Initially I had scavenged an RPG within reach of my position. But the RPG had proven ineffective with the OG-7 AP Rockets... I tried several times to destroy a BMP and managed to make 6-7 direct hits to one alone.. But the tactic failed due to the vunerability of RPG Launching with so enemy infantry around.
Interestingly without any AT weapons carelessly scattered around, the tanks become a complete objective all on their own. (kudos)
(this wouldnt be the case in Stealth mode)
Anyway to cut a long story short.
After many ass-clenching moments I destroyed my first ZSU then had to fight my way back to my dead comrades position to retrieve some pipe-bombs..
Earlier I had seen spetnatz fall down to my RPD bullet-storm's, so I returned to their bodies.
But to my disappointment I discovered they was just spetznatz spotters equipped with hand grenades and the venture was in vein.
Never the less I eventually got my pipe-bombs from my dead comrades and continued to destroy the rest of the ZSU targets.
Through-out the mission the Enemy A.I never let up. While advancing on the move I was constantly but unexpectedly under H.D fire. Constantly harrassed, and always running away to cover from the line-of-sight of the remaining roving BMP's. The Soviet HD Fire rate gave the mission a great combat atmosphere. And gave the player an ever so slight chance of survival..
By the time the primary objective was completed I had decimated Sparkler Center 52. All apart from one, or two BMP's, and a handful of troops....... I ran and ran to the extraction without a persuit, Boarded the blackhawk and headed home in one piece
Suggestions:*Do somthing about the in-game mission music at some point, Possibly use it until the first or second detection only. Then it serves its purpose of intensity...... After that It really does become repetative. Also this might cut down in the pbo. file-size. And remember this is just a suggestion, Not a major problem.
*I may consider voice acting for this mission. I am uk english. Though do bare in mind I am a humble common man from the north, Manchester to be precise. And my local dialect is far from the stereotypical englishman
contact me. Email wizard4444uk@yahoo.com
Overall:The mission itself is a masterpiece. I enjoyed every single minute of the mission. Even though I rushed on and was K.I.A many times over, The mission kept me coming back for more. Not once did I get bored. The unconventional tactics I used to complete the mission do make this S.A.S style. Who Dares Wins..
I fully understand the alternative to my gung-ho action approach to this mission.. By using a stealth approach would be equally and probably more fun.. Aswell as time consuming.
The next time I endure this mission I will use stealth, Night & Vfog.. But this will be when I have more time.. Much more time.. So be sure Haroon1992... This mission is staying put in my single player missions list.
Thank you for this mission Haroon. Nice work and well done... Even though its ten years late its still a superb piece of video gaming. And knocks spots off any of the original BIS campaigns\mission....
I do hope the very busy OFPEC staff soon review and publish this mission as final... To all BETA tester's and OFP enthusiasts I highly recommend this mission for your [SP] collections. Stealth, or All out Action this mission is the dogs bollocks
Review: 9\10
Debriefing
You may notice on the debriefing my duration say 53 minutes.. this is most likey due to the break I took while testing, Using the Save Game then resuming. not the radio command save game..