Missions Depot > OFP - Reviewed Missions
(Review Completed) [SP] Abandoned Armies
THobson:
Update September 2006
The final version of this mission was submitted for review in October 2005. It had not been reviewed when ofpec went down in January 2006. We now have a new process for submitting missions for review which requires missions to be submitted from this beta board. In compliance with this new process, below is a link to the final version for which a review is requested. The mission is unchanged from the one submitted last October - but I have updated the Readme file to deal with the fact that the old links to ofpec will no longer work
Get the final version here
Edit: This mission has been reviewed and is available from the Missions Depot.
Single Player mission. Long and difficult.
Built and tested in version 1.96
Addons needed: General Barron's Editor Upgrade v 2.2 included in Download
Other requirements: (1) **** Set your: Video Options/Terrain Detail to Normal ****
(2) You must be able to navigate over open country in the dark with only a map and compass
If you don't have your Terrain detail set to normal some very strange things will happen to the objects placed on the map. This is a problem with Flashpoint. In most missions it is not noticable but because of the size and duration of this mission it can become a problem.
XCess:
downloading mission now. Heard you talkin about ur idea on the forum somewhere else before. sounded like a nice concept then. I'll give it a try.
Report on go. OFP ver 1.96 ECP; benchmark 2419
Overview
In a word: confusing.
Intro
In a word: wow!!!! the camera angles could be improved slightly, and theres a bit of jerkiness in some camera movements but the custom music (great choice) and narrative text bring you into the mission amazingly.
Unfortanelty OFP crashed on alt-tab ::)
Briefing
Liked the briefing. Notes were just saying what had already been said in the intro, change it for a personal diary or something. Give the layer a feel for your characters day to day life. Voice was a nice touch, although the tone of his voice was a bit too bright for the subject I think
Missison
Can't see a damned thing! Too much rain!!! I'm not sure if this is ECP or FlashFX EU cauin problems but it's nothing to do with the mission... will post more when i sort this out.
Edit
Retry on FDF
Rain addon still there ??? I'm guessin it was with the very messy FlashFXUR install i did.. tim for a fresh install i think.
Tried playing the mission anyway, going up the hill was a bit of a problem, located the fence NW of Vigny and moved SE until i spotted a building (light lets me see in the rain). Pop one loon with sidearm. Skirted round to the other side of the building where i shot one more. Had a US soldier point an m16 while i was fiddling with a new magazine. Luckily he couldn't be bothered to find his trigger before i reloaded. Three loons down. Enter building - Cutscene.
Your voice acting needs more empathy. The girl's just been raped but she doesn't seem to care, she sounds like an everday person going about her routines.. or maybe it is routine... Also "i just killed three soldiers in the other room hohum lala". Empathy! You need empathy!!!!
So the custcenes over and im back inside the building. Spot a Jeep outside so I run through the wall and jump in. Lights on thank you very much!!
Start moving a bit.. the lights trail up so I can't see anythin again. Hit a bush. No more jeep.
Jump out the jeep and head back to Vigny to look for some NVG. While I'm running back to the house i run into an american officer... "does he have NVG?" i think. Pop one cap in his head. Yep he has NVG ;D So after some fiddlin about cos of some lag i pick up the NVG. Equip!! I can play! I can play!!!! Yeah great. Thanks to my joy, and the carelessness it brought upon me... I get a 5.56 in the back of my head from someone I can't see.. cos of this damned rain addon..
NVG from the start wud be nice methinks ;)
/more when i loose the rain
macguba:
Goody goody goody! *bounces up and down in chair*
Aw, shit, do I have to go to bed now, can't I have just 5 more minutes?
No ECP. Benchmark 5660. Vet mode obviously, and cheat savegames.
Overview
I know Overviews are meant to be short. For some reason I think this one might get away with being longer. The third page will the technical shit like your name. The first two pages will be a slightly longer description of what is going on - currently it is too laconic - with two or maybe even three photographs of the same hanging from different angles.
Intro
Very good. I nearly used Mars for Unimpossible. The biggest problem is setting up the story - you don't do enough background. (I know you're trying to keep it tight so that it is not long and boring, which is right, but we need a little bit more on the past.) What happened to the civilians during the war? We go straight from marauding soldiers to the chief of police. Was the conflict CWC? How can you keep something secret just by abandoning the soldiers there? Why can't they just radio the world for rescue? If all else fails use the good old armageddon scenario: the whole world blew up in a nuclear war but the cute little ol' Malden isles, where the whole thing started, were too remote and were unharmed. Don't get me wrong, what you've got is excellent - we just need a little more of it.
In detail it's all pretty good. At the start you don't have total blackout. If necessary put the player unit somewhere dark, make it night and use skipTime just before the fade in. The voice acting is good and the files are good quality, which is no mean feat, but the whole offshore island scene is very weak. Zooming into nothing, music stopping dead, people buring stuff right next to graves, no shot of the hero, no sense of what this spot is, no decent shots while your mum is talking. Bin the lot and start again, sorry. Just the outlying island bit I mean, the rest is good. You have a good slow pan motif throughout the first part of the cutscene. Either continue with that, or do something completely different. Just fade out the music.
The woman who is about to be raped and shot is too calm. Have the trio stop halfway, one guy goes to aware and aims at her, she waves her arms a bit and then they continue. Put a bed in the barn to emphasise the point.
The armoured force on top of the hill looks stronger than the one at the bottom. Maybe thin it out a little to create a stronger stalemate impression. Maybe have both sides turn and drive/march away from each other.
Put a couple of lads behind the General. Three guys don't usually surrender to one. Use worse weather - baddies traditionally have sturm und drang. It's all pleasant spring throughout this description of hell.
I'm used to Nikolai with an i rather than a y at the end but perhaps that's just me.
Put the "this is fiction" text in a different colour and in the middle of the screen to differentiate it from the story text.
Briefing
Re-record the sound files - you speak too fast. All that public speaking stuff about your granny at the back of the room applies here too. And try to sound a bit less cheery about the whole thing. Is that voice (I assume its you) going to be the narrator or the player's character? One voice per part. If you're short of actors (everybody is) make it clear that the player is also the narrator.
Plan - Say that the armed truce has existed for a while, to explain the shortage of food and fuel and the longage of ammo. Why are no supplies getting through? Is there a blockade? Are the governements deliberately trying to starve everybody to death? If civvies are caught in the middle how did the police chief get to be in charge?
Notes - what Resistance? I thought we were just fleeing civilians. Why don't we just join one group or the other? They may be nasty but at least we'll live.
Map - If the "outlying island" really is an outlying island, tell us which one it is.
Mission
Good to see the savegames. Necessary if you are going to abolish setAccTime! I headed south to approach Vigny from the south. No lag but the combination of steep ground, no 4x and pistol make the start a little tedious. Consider allowing "your father's old shotgun" with no ammo just to speed things up.
Found the occupied house easily, shot one loon from prone and another as he stood on top of me. Picked up an M16 and shot the third. Went to the girl and got the cutscene. I think I'll stop commenting on the high quality of the acting and sound files, it will get tedious. There should probably be two soldiers coming up the road - one looks a bit incongruous - but why on Earth don't you team up with the girl? You are both looking for the same man after all. Or at least say something like "you get the car while I check these bodies." She should scream or moan when she dies.
Anyway, picked up the AK since I can get more mags and shot the soldier. Nice to see the lodge on the map. When the player goes to stand over the body he should just say her name or something. Damn, shot in the back while moarning, that'll teach me to be sentimental.
Took out 3 of the squad of 4 coming in but the last one got me ... then it turns out its a squad of at least 6 ... at which point I think I'll take the cats' advice and go to bed.
You know, I knew you had promise as soon as I played the start of Defensive Strike for the second time. ;D
Just read Xcess' comments. I love the non-ECP rain (shame you get it in the dutch barn) but I agree about repeating the Intro in the Briefing. Yes you should reiterate the main points in some way, but don't just quote the script.
SEAL84:
For simplicity's sake, I think macguba's idea about the nuclear war "everywhere but here" would work well in this situation. Knowing that the parent countries are no more would probably lend more credibility to the idea that US and Soviet forces would cooperate. Also, the fact that the outside world is no more is probably more likely to cause someone to get the bright idea to control the entire island.
Notes: I played on a laptop computer with a 1.5 ghz processor, with plain-Jane OFP save for Dreamy Knight's replacement animations. No lag detected.
Anyway, I snuck into Vigny and snooped around a bit - it would have been nice to have a picture of your uncle in the briefing so that you could ID him, but when I got into the town I found out why that's not necessary. I crawled around and picked the binocs and CZ75 mags off the dead policeman and circled back around to the house - I popped the three guys inside, talked to the girl, and then she was shot.
Initially I tried to fight off the squad, but upon getting riddled with bullets and grenades I simply walked out the back door and did a little Cliffhanger routine in that strange crevasse north of the town. I got somewhat lost after a few minutes, but when I blundered into a road I immediately knew where I was. Found the house, gathered and armed my friends, and listened to the radio. I headed towards one group of civvies and heard a convoy off in the distance - I didn't see it but it sounded huge. *shudder*
Rescued one group of civvies and returned to base without incident. Then saved and started watching 24...typing this during the commercial breaks ;D
Now for some overarching comments...
Love the atmosphere. Everything from the weather to the constant overflights of unseen choppers to the fog creates the incredible sense of dread. You did a great job with the sound and I have to disagree with macguba about re-recording the briefing sound.
Methinks this mission could also serve as a template for all kinds of other special operations-type missions, from what I've seen and heard anyway. Sneaking around on your own on an island under the total control of hostile groups....this is something I've hoped was possible for a while. With some tinkering, I bet this mission could be adapted for all kinds of special operations missions.
Anyhow, I'll probably continue the mission later tonight...methinks I need some more recruits and heavy weapons, then it's time to start really hammering the bad guys :gunman:
Fragorl:
yes plz yes plz!... was anticipating this greatly.
D/Ling now... ;D
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