(Review Completed) [SP] Last Hope

[Cheetah]

Information
Version: 1.00
Author: Cheetah
Type: SP
Size: ~1 MB
Length: 25 minutes
Addons: none
Requirements: ArmA

Mission Summary
Rahmadi has been overrun, your platoon has no other option than to put up a fight. Will reinforcements arrive? Or do the
SLA forces pack enough power to spell disaster.



Download
Location 1

Comments
Note that the mission is still in a working though beta phase of development. Several things can and will be improved with your help.
I'd like to get feedback on the mission, intro, overview and briefing parts of the mission to improve it and iron out any bugs.

Thanks for your attention, hopefully you'll enjoy the mission.

[bardosy]

22 minute, score: 28000

Sorry to say this, but I didn't enjoy it.
The placement was fine, but the action started slowly. A few minutes nothing happened and then come a lot of SLA. I work with the SAW, it was fun. Oh, and in the begining - before the first SLA wave I saw a friendly officer far west from the village. I saw him only in the map (cadet mode). Who was him?

Then they come from everywhere and I killed a lot. Later I must run into the hangar back of me. But AK could fire through the walls (it's realistic, but how can they see me?). I saw a lot of dead friendly. I got and order: fall back to the center. I ran to the little fortress, but didn't go inside, but hide near a wall. I went to one corner and kill about 5-8 enemy, then went to the other corner and kill also a lot. I got a radio message choppers come, but who speaks to me? Everybody was dead. I heard the choppers and I tried to survive. They came from the two sides and I shoot there and the other side. The choppers arrived, but they wasn't effective. They killed nothing. Sometimes they shooted, but without effect. I have no brothers in arms, I was alone.
Finally I ran into a garden(?) and the stupid AI couldn't follow me. I killed a lot of SLA from close distance, but nothing happened. The choppers flyed around but didn't shoot, just flyed. The enemy ran around my garden. I must retry a few times, because they droped me grenade. It was very boring: alone with useless apaches (or cobras)...
Finally mission ended.

My suggestions:
1., a little cheat with revive some friendly soldier. It's too unrealistic defend a village alone. And a living friednly could give some hope. Maybe the officer could undieable...
2., I didn't find first aid tent... Is there?
3., More valuable choppers, please!!! Maybe a script share the information of player about enemy with AI choppers? (what player see, the choppers know) (Oh, and congratulation, the choppers didn't crashed with each others. Do you use some script?)
4., More effective friendly riflemen! (share they the info?)
5., More dreadful thing for the enemy at the end. Now I was alone and the useless choppers and SLA soldiers started run away... It was unbelievable for me. Maybe a Harrier airstrike with huge bombs? Or comeing BlackHawks with infantry...?
6., It's not vital, but something could be interesting in the begining...(maybe a cutscene) But it's not important... Now the player have time to discover the village and the possiblilities.

[Cheetah]

Yeah, already thought that this mission was lacking. It does indeed a better ending, probably a more defendable center in the town with more guys who stay alive and infantry reinforcements. Those choppers are indeed a bit clumsy when it comes to clearing large infantry groups - or individual soldiers.

Thanks for the test and the tips on how to improve it. However, did you get the artillery strike at the beginning? I'd have to fix the officer, so that he stays in his bunker and will survive.

I never saw any officer moving away, will look into it. Can't see any soldiers on the map though, have disabled that.

1. I'll make sure that you have some soldiers with you in the later defense. Must have deleted too many friendlies, in an earlier version you would start with twice the amount of friendlies, it was too easy.
2. No first aid tent, only medics (two of them). Because the artillery strike is likely to destroy the tent, will include one. Better to have more support.
3. Next version will have an info share script and infantry coming to help.
4. Will do my best. Infoshare is the best I can do probably.
5. They will feel our presence next time.
6. There should be an artillery barrage (enemy) forcing you to take cover.

About the enemies knowing you're in the hangar, it's true and very unrealistic. My conclusion, you liked the beginning of the enemy assault, and hated the end.

[bardosy]

Sorry! I forgot the arty strike... Yes, it happened, but I thought you don't want kill me in the begining, so I didn't worry about it...

And you're right: I enjoy the shooting to the half of the mission. But when I got the order to retreat to the center, I was alone almost alone. A few friendly try to retreat, but killed and only I could retreat. The officer was inside the fortress in the center of the village? The SLA soldiers could walk through this fortress (it's not your fault, I know), but how my officer could survive it? When the SLA soldiers are inside the fortress?

I think no need more friendly, but from the half of the mission they need some scripted cheat to survive... If I could see 4 of my men I will happy. (one must be a medic!)

For the end phase, when friendly infantry reinforcements come, it could be nice if they come by BlackHawks (BHs can use their miniguns!) and the all scene looks like the air-cavalery attack in the movie: Apocalips Now (with Wagner music )

[Cheetah]

Thanks for the additional feedback on feedback bardosy. Yes, the massive BH (well in the movie probably Huey) action, would be very cool. Maybe with LB with rockets if I can get them to fire their missiles. I'll see what I can do to solve the problem of the friendly soldiers.

If you've survived the artillery strike, you're bloody damn lucky. Those are normal HE rounds from the D30 and won't hesitate to kill male, female or animal - or whatever they get threwn upon.

[bardosy]

Thanks for the additional feedback on feedback bardosy. Yes, the massive BH (well in the movie probably Huey) action, would be very cool. Maybe with LB with rockets if I can get them to fire their missiles. I'll see what I can do to solve the problem of the friendly soldiers.

You must be careful with rockets and bombs to don't kill the player at the end...

If you've survived the artillery strike, you're bloody damn lucky. Those are normal HE rounds from the D30 and won't hesitate to kill male, female or animal - or whatever they get threwn upon.

Ooops! I thought this is a script to blow up some shellt in predefined positions and these positions are far enough from player...
This arty strike didn't harm me.

But if it's a real arty srike script, how did you think it? The player killed in the begining and try again. And then killed again... And when he retried 20 times he will enjoy the mission?

[Cheetah]

I just don't want the player to play like he's invincible . And if the player is still walking through the base, not finding any cover, after being killed 19 times by the artillery - he deserves the 20th death don't you think? At the starting position there is a fortified shed the player can use to take cover. Only to be killed by a direct hit and those are rare. I played the mission numerous times and haven't died when inside - so players who use their mind will survive by going inside a bunker.

See it as a filter - if people report that they got killed 15 times and stopped playing. I know how to judge their qualities in ArmA thus how to judge further reports. Just kiddin' by the way.

About the rockets, I hope that the LB pilots know what to do . I won't randomly create them that's too dangerous for the player.

[BensTooCool]

I've just been playing your mission but I haven't finished it yet.

Overview
Nothing really to say hear it seemed fine

Intro
A good intro only thing I can suggest to improve on here was that at one point I couldn't hear the voice due to the noise from the trucks moving.

Briefing
A good briefing in general, no weapon selection available though and maybe some extra intelligence could be useful.

Mission
I thought the artillery went on a bit too long and it wounded me the first 2 attempts and killed me once but the 4th go I managed to survive, I could have gone to the medic but I figured by the time I crawled to him the town would be swamped in enemy soldiers  anyway my 4th attempt I got down and started to let my SAW go and killed as many as I could.

I was ordered to move back to the center of town which I did but I ended up moving to (damn can't remember which side, think was to the other end of town from where I started) as it seemed they had overrun the defenses, I held them off until the choppers arrived but they didn't help and by then I was on my own and had no protection from my rear which is how I ended up dying, shot in the back by some coward SLA 

Suggestions

• I don't think you did this but I recommend you give a break in the incoming waves of enemy, enough time for you to rearm get healed and generally get an idea on the defenses.
• Radio messages throughout the attack giving the player information on which side the attacks are coming or if a side is overrun.
• Add a Medic Tent

Bugs
I think this is a bug? I kept getting a hint message thing with stuff like "enemy ratio 1"

[bardosy]

I don't want suggest you the first one (delay in tha attackin waves), but the sencond one suggestion is GREAT! Radio messages...

And the 3rd one: I also suggested the filed hospital tent, but you said the arty destroy it. What's about a medic M113/Stryker?

[Denz]

There isn't alot to add that hasn't already been said by Bardosy and Ben. I did like the first part of the mission - even if the first time I played it I received a direct hit from the artillery barrage
I don't think there should be a delay between waves either- it keeps the pressure up. In real life they don't call half time do they.
Medic/ambulance support is a must though, three times now I've been wounded and reduced to crawling to the centre of the position as the medics along with virtually everyone else have already been killed. Trying to cover a 360 degree arc is fun occasionally but it gets old real quick.
Maybe make an aid post inside the shed behind the starting point (or some other fairly covered position) so there is a chance to heal before heading to the "last redoubt."

I like the background story and so to tie in with it, maybe have an artillery strike around the village perimeter to simulate the Navy's "big guns" positioned off-shore and/or a harrier strike as the SLA's final assault advances instead of having reinforcements coming in- as long as a couple of AI soldiers make it that far the player should be in a good enough position to see it through - perhaps the Platoon HQ would have been holed up somewhere and come out for the last stand.

[mathias_eichinger]

Hi Cheetah!

Here are my experiences with the mission:

Overview and Briefing are just fine, but the Briefing could need a weapons selection (I will explain later why).

Intro

I liked the voiceovers and the soldiers coming out of the mist. Maybe if you find time you can put the SLA soldiers in a marching formation as well - having them standing in no order in the mist would not be out of place in a zombie mission as well 


Mission

Terribly accurate barrage at the start - I was slightly injured and then realized to use the makeshift bunker. It is interesting to watch the counter, but I have no idea what the i=1 etc. means.
I also like the layout of the fortification you put me in.
But I have to say that it is a bit a contradiction with weapon I got. What do I mean by that? There are plenty of sandbags to crouch behind but with the SAW I can't hit a barn door firing it from a crouched position, hence I did not take advantage of the sandbags and was forced to lie prone in front of them or well within the village to obtain a good firing position.
Here, a weapons selection would come in handy and it would add a bit of replay value.

The mission itself is very tense, and seeing the enemy finally at the wire and in the base gives me the creeps! Good job here. I was able to survive, but I think I was pretty much alone in the final minutes.  Also, I did not notice any effect from the chopper, but maybe it made them running without firing or I was too preoccupied with warding off the attack.

Suggestion:

*Add weapons selection to the Briefing
*Add a medic tent to the village

Bottom line

I did like the mission very much, just a piece of hectic action as opposed to the long treks and stealthy maneouvers we all came to know in OFP/ArmA. It is not complicated but a nice change to usual missions.

Cheers

Mathias

[Cheetah]

Mathias, bardosy, BensTooCool and Denz. Thanks for the comments they will be implemented in a future version of a mission, but that could take a lot of time as Royal Security has priority and RL has been and will be busy.

[bardosy]

Good news, Cheetah! Long live the Royal Security!!!

[Novusordo]

hey man i tested this mission. i played this months ago but i played again to refresh.

the first part with the arty was well done. the wait was boring, you should make it more atmospheric. maybe use NIM weather mod or something?

the SLA attack was as good as it could be. can't say I get joy out of killing wave after wave of enemy, really not my thing atall but I can bear a considerable amount but you made far too many enemies. it became very boring after about 3-4 mins of shooting enemies. i suggest a far smaller SLA force. about 3 minutes worth to shoot at...

ok so I fell back when I recieved the order to get to the center of the town and I went into the bunker, I lay down and then after 1-2 mins my comrade thought it would be a good idea to fire the m203 out the bunker slit. needless to say everyone inside was blown to bits including myself. this happend 3 times.

on my forth try I fell back into a building roof to the west side of the town and spent about 6 mins picking off SLA with an m4 M203. that was quite fun but it never ended and I got bored after the 4th minute or so.

then i heard the helicoptors and hoped they would give us support but all they did was fly around. i never heard any of them fire but then again i was indoors looking out from the roof so I can't say for sure.

so my suggestions are...

build atmosphere between the arty strike and the SLA attack. the tension was very much there, though

reduce the SLA attacking force to 3 minutes worth

fix the AI firing the m203 in that bunker.

get the support choppers to give fire support.

have an optional objective to search and destroy the enemy FO's (forward observers) to stop the arty pound.

maybe have a little flanking mission where one of your sergeants orders a few men to rally on him and flank the SLA attacking force.

[LCD]

is dis still alive ?

if yes ill test it

LCD OUT