(Review Completed) [SP] Path Switcher

[Rellikki]

Path Switcher

Mission by Rellikki

Version: 1.02 Final
Type: SP
Island: Sahrani
Requirements: ArmA v.1.08, Skaven's RACS V3

Overview:
Intelligence has reported an enemy convoy preparing to supply enemy's positions. You, as an RACS specop soldier,
have been assigned to destroy a bridge in the middle of the convoy's way, forcing them to use a different path,
which will make the main operation to destroy the convoy easier.

This is my first submission here and my first official mission release for OFP / ArmA ever. I have edited missions
for many years though, since the release of Operation Flashpoint, so no need to worry that this is some amateur
mission - I have much knowledge of mission making... I really hope you enjoy it, because I rarely come up with any
good mission ideas or manage to finish them without any progress-stopping problems.

Download link:
Path Switcher v.1.02 (807kb)

[firecontrol]

Heya. Good to see new missions!


EDIT: Ok, I'm gonna have to play this tomorrow when I have more time, see below.

ArmA v1.08 (Orig: 1.06 Atari), Veteran Mode, only Scaven's RACS mod used.

Overview

Ok. Maybe add a version number? Always comes in handy. Even a mission name if you're so inclined.



Briefing

Looks good. Seems straightforward. I'm sure others here will tell you the notes section is lacking. I'm not that worried about it personally. Nice weapons selection with some new weapons.


Intro

Nice. Nothing special, sets the scene. Could really do with some sound though. Either voiceovers or some music that fits the mood. When the camera zooms in, the binocular view is delayed a bit.


Mission

Well, it seems that the odds are really stacked against me. I do like that Scaven's RACS mod though... I'm an M14 lover. Really wanted to see an M60 in there, hehehe. That mod makes everyone reaaaally inaccurate though. I used all my ammo up just trying to pick off the handfull of SLA on my side of the bridge. The SLA must have been pretty low on ammo too, I had every single enemy in sight unloading on me, but only got hit once or twice I believe. Just enough to keep me prone from here on out.   I knew a close-in fight would be futile, as there is no cover to speak of aside from the rocks where we started... I avoid trees like the plague since the enemy has no problem seeing right through them.

And that officer who's with me... that bastard. Just sat there the whole time, not even so much as a "You're doing good, keep shooting them! Hey there's one over there! No no no, not that way, the one who's shooting at you, the one that I could easily kill right here and now but I'm not going to! Need some ammo? Too bad! Come talk to me when you need satchels."


Summary

In any case, I'm going to need to come up with a better strategy, and sadly, I'm not in the mood at the moment. I can't say that this was much fun for me. I'll try it on Cadet mode next time, and see how that goes.

Not to put the mission down, it looks to be a very challenging ordeal, and I love a challenge. I'll try sneaking down below the bridge next time and see if I can't surprise them. Oh yes, they'll pay.    I didn't notice any errors or anything majorly wrong though, which is very nice. Although I didn't get all that far into it. Will update tomorrow.

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test.

I will add some voice acting when I get actors and when it has been enough tested. I thought I'd make this a bit larger project (a campaign), so the officer is there, well let's say, just to "test" the player and his skills. I tried to create this kind of mission to OFP and believe me, it seemed more "logical" in there. The player was a mercenary of somekind and there was some not-so-skilled officer who escorted him to the insertion point, so that's why he wouldn't come with the player. Doesn't seem to have much point in the ArmA version anymore... and the bridge was more easy to approach. But I hope this is fine. Thanks again.

[LeeHunt]

hi Rellikki,

Going to test this Sunday morning and give you some feedback then.  I am using your SLA Urban troops mod to outfit the entire OPFOR in my mission, definitely makes it a lot cooler and I wanted to say I appreciated that creation very much!

[Rellikki]

Thanks, will be looking forward to it. The SLA Desert pack would suit this mission better though - just a suggestion.

[LeeHunt]

hey Rellikki, i did use the Skavens RACS V3 for this (using our Urban Troops for a mission i'm still designing)

Ok here we go:

I like the simplicity of this mission and the bridge target etc.

Took a FN-FAL and met with Alvarez, then proceeded to "Shoot 'n Scoot" my way around the first bridge, picking off the bad guys one by one and drawing them to me. This took a while, got killed a few times.  Was wishing i could have some fellow squadmates or support of some kind.

Cleared the bridge, planted two satchels and took it down.  Made my way down to Iguana and climbed up into the lighthouse for a better look. Managed to kill a few bad guys from there but got pinned down and was killed probably 6 times trying to get out.  More bad guys come down the bridge, easy pickings, but once i cross over its a nightmare. I got killed at least a dozen times on the approach to the radio station, even though i kept approaching from different angles etc, there was always some bad guys lying down in an alley or wherever who got the first shot.  The BMP was stuck in a wall and i took it out with a satchel charge. Went back to Alvarez for more.

Then came back, more frustration because there were so many bad guys. I think this mission is too difficult for the average player (like myself) without help.  I would recommend either less bad guys or squadmates for the player.  Also I could not find an anti-tank weapon until i didnt need it anymore.

Maybe add some more sounds?  Its kind of quiet throughout.

Right now I'm at the radio station an AK (out of FAN-FL ammo a long time ago) and getting beaten up pretty bad. So close but yet its too hard, especially from Iguana on. 

So i do like, just too challenging at present.

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test, Lee. Many of my friends have said that this mission is too difficult, so I will remove some enemies to make it a bit easier. I was also thinking that Alvarez could give you sniper support when you radio him, so he would come useful at some point. What version of ArmA did you use because I didn't notice the BMP being stuck on a wall? But I'll try to fix it anyway - I'll change its waypoint to somewhere else to avoid getting stuck. I will make these changes on the next update. Let me know when you manage to finish the current version so you can tell me what do you think about the outro and how it was overall!

[LeeHunt]

hey Rellikki, not your fault on the BMP getting stuck. The AI almost certainly did that on its own, regardless of the waypoint.  I am trying to modify THobson's script that bumps stuck vehicles out of place, haven't quite gotten it right yet (might have to setpos it like 5 meters to the side or something, but then that could place it in a building, still not sure how to do it).

Finished the mission and returned to the starting point, Alvarez kept offering me satchels.  No outro-- so i de-PBO'd the mission and tried putting myself in "God" mode (this setcaptive true) and blew up the two points.  When i came back to Alvarez he offered me more satchels.  Tried running the Outro.sqs with a radio command and got shots of the road. Was there a convoy supposed to come through I'm guessing? 

Anyway, still EXTREMELY hard but on the right track 

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test. I'll fix the ending ASAP. The outro doesn't happen in the mission itself, but in the Outro - Win cutscene.

[Rellikki]

Update v.1.01 released!

List of changes:

• Reduced amount of enemies
• Added optional support from Alvarez
• Added an ammo crate at the begin
• Enchached enemy reaction at the bridge area
• Fixed ending trigger
• Some minor issues

Download available from the first post. Looking forward to your beta-tests!

[LeeHunt]

hey Rellikki, downloaded and will play this weekend. I responded to your comments on Punishment Battalion, thanks for testing it 

[LCD]

i gonna b da 1st judge 2 get a point in da competition


ok i played it once... and heres da resaults

package

1) readme shud probably have credits 4 beta testers
2) couple of adv pics shud b added b4 release

Overview

1) maybe addin da mision name in da overview somewere
2) da pic shud have border

Intro

No intro

Briefing
1) it shud contain more paragraphs
2) u cud do somin in da notes section... like sit rep or anything else... leave da contact details 2 da readme
3) use 1 marker 4 da insertation and extraction instead of 2

Mision
1) use da players name instead of player : in da conversation between alvarez and player (titletext [format ["%1:nla bla",name player],
"plain down"])
2) mebe addin a medikit... in case da player get seriusly injured (its not fun 2 crawl all around da mision
3)it seems dat on da bridge da guarding soldiers (standin around da MG) just stay in place even after i start shptin em (1 of em did move but it took him ages)
4) it took me 5 scatchels 2 get da bridge down... mebe i position da 1st couple somere wrong... so u cud comment about dat in da brief
5) do da enemies near da bridge go somewere.... or is dere really really small amount ? cuz i went (after killin da soldiers on my side) back 2 rearm and returned and dere were somin like 4 soldiers left...
6) in da town have da driver climb out of da jeep if his gunner is dead
7) da soldiers at da start of da town shud move if i start sniping dem
i sugest addin a save between radio tower and bridge
9) have da enemy soldiers move more... in da town it seems most of em lay on da ground and dont look around (very easy 2 flank) u can also kill 1 and da 1 near it wont even look @ u
10) 1 of da soldiers was laying prone inside a blue crane (he had jeep and couple of ammo boxes near him) he cudnt shot from inside it (his head and gun were stickin out)
11) mebe add a couple of scatchel charges inside da ammo boxes in town... i had 2 run all da way back 2 alvarez 2 get some
12) on my way back 2 alvarez i found an unarmed soldier near da BMP wreck
13) mebe addin radio msgs after every complete objective ?

outro

I like 

conclusion

mision has no show stopers and it runs smoothly... but its still basic (kinda fun tho) i suggest u improve AI response (also da bridge cud get rienforcments from da town or somin... 2 show dat dey r conected nd help each oder)

LCD OUT

[edit] ps dis mision also needs da fixed sandbags addon (i didnt have till it asked me 2) either remove it from mision or add it 2 addon requirments

Project Beta Approved

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test, LCD.

use 1 marker 4 da insertation and extraction instead of 2

Didn't I?

use da players name instead of player : in da conversation between alvarez and player (titletext [format ["%1:nla bla",name player],
"plain down"])

I was planning to give them identities. It's just as a place holder.

it took me 5 scatchels 2 get da bridge down... mebe i position da 1st couple somere wrong... so u cud comment about dat in da brief

That's weird. Which part of the bridge did you try to destroy? I dammaged the bridges so you can take out one part with two satchels.

do da enemies near da bridge go somewere.... or is dere really really small amount ? cuz i went (after killin da soldiers on my side) back 2 rearm and returned and dere were somin like 4 soldiers left...

They must have fled. I'll have a look and try to fix it.

i sugest addin a save between radio tower and bridge.

Will do!

have da enemy soldiers move more... in da town it seems most of em lay on da ground and dont look around (very easy 2 flank) u can also kill 1 and da 1 near it wont even look @ u

Hmm, ok, it should be easy to do.

[Cheetah]

Patch Switcher

Package

I prefer the zip format. No advertising pictures present in the package. Please change the readme name to something different from readme.txt. There is a %20 between Path and Switcher. Looks odd. You can fix this be removing the space of the folder (in my documents..) or just removing the %20. Readme contents are fine.

Overview

No title, no version number and no border around the picture. Text is fine.

Intro

None? There seems to be only an ingame intro, which is alright, but two is better than one 

Briefing

The notes section contains the contact information, I prefer having that stuff in the readme or a tiny note of who the author is on the overview combined with a version number. The Mod allows me to have different weaponry, I select the galil and ingram (reminds me of counterstrike  )

Please add a few paragraphs to the text, they sure make it easier to read. Map is fine. Well done.

Mission

Nice interactive intro, I decide to go on my own. Voiceovers would add a lot to the cutscene. Savegame..

First time I have an interesting firefight trying to get to the bridge in a direct way. I'm behind the only tree and can't move on as there must be at least 6 enemies looking/shooting at me. Damn, retry.

Decide to do the objectives in reverse. Most of the cars are locked, also the MG jeeps, is this done on purpose? I always like hijacking one hehe. Just before arriving at the radio tower, after taking out the enemies guarding the southern bridge, I notice a BMP with reinforcements move in.. damn! It takes me a lot of saves/loads to get to the radio tower and to get out after blowing it up.

The western entrance looks good. I like the fence and the guards at the roof! However, I could take them out pretty easy . I tried to make my way towards the blue container and oil barrels (this piece of the map always reminds me of Tonal), where I get involved in skirmish. After taking out most of the enemies I'm down to only 4 bullets, with two guys left on the bridge (prone) and about 6 men alive on the other side of the bridge - I have to move in closer if I want to use my secundary weapon (ingram - already used it in Iguana though). So I crawl to the bridge and place my two satchels on the eastern side, of course blowing them won't do much damage (5 required). Figure out that I will have to return to my starting position to get more satchels.. damn.

I swim to the other side of the bridge (losing my RPG and galil - only 1 bullet left after taking out the two guards on the bridge) and use my uzi to clean up more enemies. With a borrowed AK74 I manage to get rid of all the enemies. With three more satchels I can destroy the bridge and get back. Mission completed!

Outro

Well done! You could do a voiceover telling what happened after that. However, the camera is pretty good and a voiceover would be a plus - not a requirement .

Overall

I liked the mission and the addon. Didn't see too much of my own self (new skins) but using these weapons sure was fun. And the HD enemies made for interesting firefights. I suggest that you try to add a few things here and there, other than that, it look good to go!

PROJECT BETA APPROVED

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test.
Why should I change the readme name? And also, is the title on the overview really necessary? I mean, you can see the mission name when you select it from the list... And yes, I locked the vehicles on purpose, so it wouldn't be too easy for the player. You know, it takes a while for the enemy to understand that there is an enemy inside the vehicle, so you could just drive next to the radio tower with it, plant a bomb and then disappear like nothing. The voiceover on the outro is a good idea...
I just spotted the problem on the bridge. I forgot to dammage one of the bridge parts, and you two, LCD and Cheetah happened to try to destroy that part...

[Cheetah]

Why should I change the readme name?

You don't have to, but we have enough readme.txts. I have / had a few at my desktop and it asked me to replace them during the extraction. That stuff can be prevent by making the readme name more unique.

And also, is the title on the overview really necessary?

Not required. But I find it good looking. 

I locked the vehicles on purpose, so it wouldn't be too easy for the player.

Hehe, indeed. Took me more time this way . Good luck fixing stuff!

[LeeHunt]

Project Beta latest version of Rellikki's Path Switcher:

Overview

Picture was fine.
 
BriefingIntro
Mission

Ok I was excited to try the new version Rellikki. This time I picked an M-14, probably the same difficulty using as the FN-FAL.  I asked Alvarez to join me and I positioned him on the hill as I swept around to the road.  I picked off a few SLA and then the others started running- Alvarez did his job and took down a bunch!! 

The other SLA tried to run around the river edge and flank me.  Alvarez & I finished them off and I crept up the bridge, silencing the machine gunner.  Blew up the bridge and sent a wounded Alvarez back to the hill so he would not die. (I did shoot him at the beginning to see if the mission would fail, and it did J)

The number of bad guys at the Radio Tower was much better, it was still a challenge but not frustrating and took me a few reloads but got it done.  Picked off a few bad guys from long range and yep, I used the Colt Anaconda as I closed in on the tower!  Got close enough and decide to use the RPG on it rather than the satchel charges.  After blasting it I ran away and finished the mission, 32 minutes, but it really took me an hour with reloads etc.   

Outro Conclusion

Well done Rellikki I like this new version much better. I was not frustrated by too many enemies and the new additions and Alvarez the mission was much improved.   

PROJECT BETA APPROVED

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test, Lee.
I fixed the grammar issue in the briefing now and added some paragraphs as the other beta-testers suggested. I'm glad everyone has liked the interactiveness on the intro so far (to choose to go with Alvarez or not). I'm also glad to hear Alvarez came handy.
I have started recruiting voice actors for the mission, so if anyone's interested, head here.

[Rellikki]

Update v.1.02 released!

List of changes:

• Added voices
• Changed the package format to zip
• Added promo screenshots in the package
• Fixed some enemy positions
• Tweaked the briefing and overview a little
• The whole bridge is now able to be destroyed with two satchel charges
• Some minor tweakings here and there

Alright, the final version (hopefully) is out. If there aren't any issues to fix, then this will be the last version before the review. I tried to implement as many of your suggestions and ideas as possible. Grab it from the first post and have fun.

[firecontrol]

Just gave 1.02 a whirl.

Package

All seems to be in order here. I especially like the second pic, with the RACS soldier looking toward the bridge. Nice post-processing effect on that one.  .zip is good.


Overview

Again, good pic. Descriptive text. Just needs a version number (unless this is the final version, in which case I suppose it wouldn't matter much.) Would be cool to have the mission name up there in bold, too. Oh yeah, and is it "an RACS" or "a RACS"? I'm actually not sure which is correct.


Briefing

Good, descriptive briefing. Has all it needs, and is not crowded or lacking, given the situation. Pretty straightforward mission with a straightforward briefing. I would change "enemy's" to either "enemy" or "the enemy's position" though.
On loading the mission the "Get ready..." text is a little bland. Maybe add something with the "onLoadMission" command in description.ext?

I do love the M14 that is available! Nice refreshing new weaponry here. The RACS addon is a plus. Again, I'd love an M60 that I believe comes with this mod.


Intro

I won't comment on the voices but it's much better with some sound! Good intro that works itself into the mission well.


Mission

It's still really tough on veteran mode! Having Alvarez with me helped quite a bit, but I was nervous about getting him killed, so I left him up in the hill behind the rocks to give some cover fire. I couldn't quite manage on veteran mode, so I went back to cadet.

I like the choice to take Alvarez with me. Seems a little odd for a Sgt to be commanding an officer though. But I understand the dilemma here.

Here's where I'll mention the RACS mod again: I love the effects they added when bullets whiz by or strike the dirt near you. Sounds really cool. A plus to the mission.

Well, I managed to wipe all the bridge guards out (on cadet mode) eventually. I left Alvarez where he was out of paranoia, don't need him getting killed on me. Placed my three satchels on the bridge and picked up an RPG from a dead SLA soldier. I crossed the bridge (which is another reason I left Alvarez, he'd have gone swimming otherwise no doubt, unless I made him go the long way around to the north.) Here it seemed a little too easy... I saw a lone SLA grunt on a rooftop, looking the other way. So I snuck into the town and had a good view of the radio tower from inside a building. There was a group of four infantry near the tower which were easily dealt with. It took a couple of tries, but I managed to blow the radio tower up with a well-placed RPG to the top part of it.

I heard an alarm go off, and some enemy armor started up in the distance. Nobody really challenged my escape however. I simply ran out of the town, shot the guy on the rooftop, and ran back the way I came along the shoreline. Crossed the bridge again, and when at a safe distance I detonated the satchels. The bridge fell apart in one section (closest to the insertion point.) I made my way back to Alvarez and the exfil point, and the mission ended. All objectives checked off. 

Mission complete: 26 minutes, 10200 score, 23 assorted infantry kills.


Outro

Nice! I liked the camera moving downward onto the mine in the road especially. It was nice to see the outcome of my work. A good sense of accomplishment is conveyed here. I didn't notice any stupid AI behavior, either. Only gripe may be that the center part of the bridge was destroyed in the outro, but I blew up the part closest to the insertion/extraction point.


Summary

Well done. No showstoppers, no errors. A short, straightforward mission that was just challenging enough, but maybe a bit too easy near the radio tower objective. (Although I must say I chose my route based on some recon I did from a distance through the binos, path of least resistance and all. I came into the town from the south/southeast... in between the bridges basically.)

I'd say it's worthy of calling "finished," but there could be some polish applied if you were so inclined. Nicely done Rellikki.

Project Beta Approved

[Rellikki]

Thanks for the test, firecontrol. I'm glad everything worked well.
There might be different opinions about the difficulty, some think it's too hard, some think it's easy. You just need to find the best way to complete the objectives, you seemed to find the good way.
Hmm... since there wasn't anything serious, I think it's ready for review. Thanks for the tests, everyone. Much appreciated!

[Cheetah]

I'll review this one.

[Cheetah]

Review completed.

Feel free to post your comments even now that the review has been completed.