(Review Completed) [SP] Realistic Combat Patrol

[General Barron]

#1: The helo should leave when there are no more enemies around, but I guess that's another one of those things to work on

#2: The ammo comes down via parachute, but it takes around 5 minutes before it is dropped. The parachute will drift while it is falling, just like when you are in a parachute normally, so the ammo won't always land right where you tell it to go (especially if it is windy, which it is in the mission). Unless I include AC-130 gunship support, I'm not going to actually have a plane fly overhead and drop the ammo crates. Besides, in rain/fog you can't see it flying above about 300 m anyway.
   I'll add in an "ETA - X mins" thing for the ammo drop, like with the air support (Which is accurate and changes depending on where the helo is, btw)

About the last thing:
  Do you know about enemies nearby when your guys go away from the group? If so, that may be OFP's AI making them go after the enemies. Though that wouldn't explain the whole rally business you ran into, since they would still be part of your group...
  I've been thinking about disabling that part of the AI ("target"), or giving the player that option. Without it, your guys wouldn't do anything on their own like that, but that may make things more of a hassle in the midst of combat. Keep me posted on your thoughts/observations on this subject

Thanks for all the help so far!  I really appreciate it  

[General Barron]

I've finished the remaining hand/arm signals, and included a readme. The link in the first post has been updated. Feel free to use/distribute the hand signals addon with your own missions if you want; just be sure to always include the readme with the addon

[deaddog]

Excellent.  I was going to ask you about that.  These will go great with Earl and Sucheys Marine Assault Pack.

I'm playing again right now.  The "ammo found by enemy" comes up with my POWs.  That shouldn't happen.

The "village cleared" objective doesn't check off if I have POWs, until I get them back to base.

Final stats:  5 killed, 5 civies killed, 1 POW (although I actually had two)
1 hr 43 min, score 2800, 11 personal kills.

[dmakatra]

OVERVIEW:
The text is good but it needs more info on the mission itself. Also, the pic is too small for covering such a big area.
INTRO
Uh... OK... Quite strange... First of all, remove the CWC models and replace them with real Res models. They look horrible. Also, I got my Dad Character shot while he was in that flashback or whatever. Loose some of the blood and make it heavier so it'll drop faster and not blow away so far, just looks like some hollywood massmurder movie. Also, why the hell is he lying down and then right up again?
BRIEFING
Oh... I know this area, been playing around here quite much in Lost in Nam by deaddog, VERY nice mission.
The briefing is perfect. Yummy.
MISSION:
Remove those binocs, as the mission starts with you looking into them.
Remove those beds in that bunker, that bunker is an outpost, not a place where you sleep.
The squad moves EXTREMLY slow, could you fix this?
Hahahahahaha! OMFG!!! I ran into a VC squad, and I mean really run into! I was 10 centimeters from a VC!!! Lol, too bad I had no bayonnet 'cause then I would've accidently killed him. ;D

Can't play more right now. The system seems nice but it seems quite a pain in the bottom to use in the heat of battle. You might also want to change some of the animations since some of them were, well, bad.

:beat: *Gets Shot* :beat:

[General Barron]

The squad moves EXTREMLY slow, could you fix this?

  Yeah, I'm not really happy about the speed they move either; and I'll definately look into improving that. However, due to limitations from scripting, I will never be able to make formations that are as perfectly tight as the in-game ones. I wouldn't want to even if I could though, because that is too unrealistic. First off, RL patrols don't run around the countryside; they walk (I know running helps speed up gameplay, but it is a little overboard methinks). Secondly, do you think that you could keep track of where you should be to keep formation, if you were running through the thick jungles of 'nam? I know I wouldn't, especially if I were in front of the squad leader.

   Anyway, for now, be sure to walk around, using the "F" key. It will greatly help you keep formation. In the future I you will likely still have to walk, but your men will keep up with you better.

Remove those beds in that bunker, that bunker is an outpost, not a place where you sleep.

  Actually, the men in that outpost (firebase) have to sleep somewhere, and I only assumed that most men would rather sleep in a nice safe bunker than in the open where they can get shot/mortared.

Lol, too bad I had no bayonnet 'cause then I would've accidently killed him.

  Lol, I was even thinking of working in some kind of bayonet/buttstroke attack, but ditched the idea, thinking it would never really be used

These will go great with Earl and Sucheys Marine Assault Pack.

  They should go with most other units, too. I'm pretty sure these signals are the same or very similar to the ones used by the US army. And I just got an email from a guy in the Swedish army, who says that use the same hand signals too! So I think they are pretty universal

You might also want to change some of the animations since some of them were, well, bad.

 I don't pretend to be an expert-animation maker I just learned OFP anim some three weeks ago. You think you could give me some specifics on what part of what animations need to be fixed/improved?

  All your other comments have been read and taken into consideration (both Armsty and deaddog), I just don't want to take up too much space here (lol, like I haven't already ) Thanks! :wave:

[Kaliyuga]

 I gave it a whirl the other day after downloading it...

 and I can't really expand too much on what the other guys have said without finishing it ..

 I'm not sure how I feel about the new command system, but I have been using the old for almost some 2 years or something now, so by the time I finish I'll probably be a little more used to it  ;D

[Dinger]

The "Savegame bug" is a well documented problem with OFP.  We think it's related to arrays being saved in certain slots, so the more arrays you use, the higher probability you'll get the savegame bug.  It's not an ECP problem, except inasmuch as ECP uses arrays.

[sim]

Sounds like a damn good mission and im about to download it.

Quick Question: What Marines were you in???

Royal, US or other???

sim

[General Barron]

I'm currently in the USMC reserve

BTW, I'm making pretty good progress on a new version, so if anyone was wondering, yeah its coming along.

[sim]

I've downloaded most of the stuff but is there anywhere else I can download the Patrol.zip from instead of FilePlanet because I really dont want to have to become a member to download things

cheers

sim

[General Barron]

Yeah, there is an OFPEC mirror (its listed on the first post, but here it is again):

www.ofpec.com/editors/ecfg/GB/GENB_patrol.zip

[sim]

sos m8

need to learn to read things properly, lol
i'll test the mission in a bit.

Oh yeah, I tried out your hand signal anims and they are brilliant, I intend to use them in my upcoming NAM campaign (don't worry you'll get full cred for them)  ;D

cheers

sim

[sim]

Finally!!!

I've played your amazing mission, and I have to say it's one of the best damn missions ever!!!  ;D

I watched your brilliant flashback cutscene and it was a very good idea, then read the briefing, nice and detailed, read the notes about commanding the squad all links worked fine.

Started playin the mission and enjoyed the ingame cutscene, very nice the way the camera goes around the bunker and the custom voices are good.

Choose my weapon, good ol' M16a1 never lets me down.

Found my squad an headed off to kill some VC.
At first I was using shouting commands to order my squad around and when i entered VC territory switched to hand signals (as I've said before, very nice!   ). Came across a bit of an annoyin thing when usin ur commands, when i order my guys to do things they seem to run about 20 metres in front of me an then bk to me, whih was a bit annoyin when orderin them to rally.

Anyway, so far so good.
Every so often I would stop, look at the map, and then continue.
I was running down a hill an saw a nice open space surrounded by trees and thought "ah, i'll rally my guys over there and have a look at the map"

So i got over there, ordered them to rally and started to look at the map, when all of a sudden AK47s went off and one of my guys got a bullet straight through the head.  

Oh balls! I had lead my guys into the middle of a VC group and was now surrounded with no where to go. It was madness, i couldnt see who i was firing at which just lead to blind firing into bushes. Then suddenely mortars go off taking out everyone but myself and an MG guy.
We made our last stand and a few minutes later we were both gonners.  :'(

WOW! What a mission, very realistic and quite scary to think thats how it was half the time in NAM.

Good work m8   , can't wait for more off your work. I'm off to play again.    ;D

sim

[Bohemia boy]

I've played your amazing mission, and I have to say it's one of the best d**n missions ever!!!  

darn right.

[sim]

It is one of the best missions but I still aint completed it!  ;D

sim