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Author Topic: (Review Completed) [SP] Darkness Before Dawn  (Read 12432 times)

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Offline dmakatra

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #45 on: 16 Mar 2003, 11:58:26 »
IÂ'll test your new version, and IÂ'll use the old review but at the places I changed I write in blue ;).

Offline dmakatra

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #46 on: 16 Mar 2003, 14:22:19 »
INTRODUCTION:
This is a black op mission. The standard stuff. Blow up that, kill that, blow that, proceed to extraction point. We all know the plot too well.
OVERVIEW:
Not much, no picture, and it doesnÂ't scream out "play me!".
INTRO:
You get a breif from a commander on an airbase. Scripted, thank god.
BREIFING:
Are you the kind of guy who loves to read 10 pages of breifing? Then youÂ'll love this breifing. I like more a quick, but understandable breifing because all you want to do is to get to the action. However, you donÂ't have to read everything to understand what you need to do, which is good for those who are as me.
I couldnÂ't find any spelling errors. Perhaps one, but itÂ's not much for a breif that big.
A big weapons selection, a must for black ops missions.
Very well done!
THE MISSION:
The first objective is to blow up a Shilka. At your first try you might find it easy, but thereÂ's always a patrol that catch you. The place a crawling with russians and you really get the stealth atmosphere. Even I who always complete stealth missions by blowing up half the map was forced to make a stealth entry. After a try or two you enter the camp.
Now is the difficult part of the mission, to blow up the shilka and get out of there. Since itÂ's very dark I crawl the whole way back, but it ainÂ't as easy as entering, because now the guards are looking for me. And theyÂ've got several boats with search lights. However, DarkAngel as made it possible to leave the area, as well as entering the area in many, many ways.
So far so good. Now to the bad part.
Your second objective is to upload a virus to a comm center computer. You might think that a virus is something new but it have exactly the same style as blowing up the computer.
*REMOVED BECAUSE I DIDNÂ'T PLAY CADET MODE*

The comm center is bang, bang, duh, me like bang, bang. Far away from the strategy of the shilka destroy. There are a lot of enemies too. Too many. Why the hell put 50 people on a hill that only got 2, 3 tents? I would have put some AA soldiers/vehicles and some guards over there. And perhaps put some mines around.
The guards scripting arenÂ't the greatest either. Some of the guards react like crap

I donÂ't want to spoil what is gonna happened next but I recommend you take the Ural. The AI have some strange problems and donÂ't want to board the UAZ.
OUTRO:
Scripted, but not very much. You see a fight between a couple of guys in Modrava and thatÂ's it. You see some credits and stuff but that is really it. Cool music though, sounds like Seventh but IÂ've must have missed it cause I didnÂ't recognize it. A standard outro, 5/10.
OVERALL:
A very nice black op mission. Deserves your download.

Camera
6
Scripting
4
[/color]
Overview
3
Breifing
10
[/size]

General Score
7
[/size]

NOTE: The overview score is 3.5 and the camera score is 6.5
« Last Edit: 16 Mar 2003, 14:24:52 by The real Armstrong »

Kaliyuga

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #47 on: 18 Mar 2003, 21:11:35 »
  I've been playing this a bit this morning and once again I have to say that this mission is lots of fun.. just the kind of mission i like to play ;D

 Still getting that error regarding boat2 and his setbehaviour command once the alarm went off......

 and as I was playing just now,  I had crept into the camp without firing a shot....  and planted my satchel....  gave myself a 5 minute timer this time ... and had barely managed to sneak across the fence again when it went off...

 And I got that titletext saying "looks like they know I"m here" (or something like that anyways ;D)    

 I dont think you really need it...   I've never been a fan of titletext in missions... cutscenes are cool since you can't use radios in them.. but  since the alarm went off , and there are flares as well.. it should be evident that your presence is now known...

I didnt get too meet my squad however.. as some infantry and a BMP were heading down to check out the damage I caused  I got into a small firefight and was killed......

This next time I might lay more satchels about ..and definately give myself a nice 8 to 10 minute timer before those puppies go off...

I got you some  pics as well....   well.. one really good one (I think;D) and a couple others that are average looking shots....

all show a black op planting a satchel  by the shilka...  and I added a couple other things to the shot to make it interesting ;)

They're all over the 50k limit so I uploaded the ones I like best here:

(copy+paste links)  

http://www.freewebs.com/meds2you/dark.jpg
http://www.freewebs.com/meds2you/darkness1.jpg

http://www.freewebs.com/meds2you/ninja.jpg  (this one is 256x256, I have the larger version still if you want to see it.....  
I can also send you the unedited screenshots I took if you want.... they are full screensize bitmaps ....  let me know ;)

P.S.    they had to be lightened up a touch because of how dark out it was.. the unedited ones are really dark .. so if you want to play around with the brightness/contrast at all.... the originals will be best

I'll give this another try really soon ...




Offline dmakatra

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #48 on: 18 Mar 2003, 21:24:00 »
and as I was playing just now,  I had crept into the camp without firing a shot....  and planted my satchel....  gave myself a 5 minute timer this time ... and had barely managed to sneak across the fence again when it went off...

Looks like my "DarkAngel has made it possible to get out of there in many different ways" seem to work.

On my first try in the first version I blowed the shilka from a range with a LAW launcher.
In 0.95 I moved in from the west, had a massacare with my MP5, and crawled outta there.
In 0.96 I moved in from the east, quite smart cause there are no guards at all once you get past the town(DonÂ't put out more guards. You should have, if you are smart enough( ;D ) have it easier) massacared the guards and blew the shilka, then took the UAZ, drove as hell, picked up a RPG launcher, didnÂ't stop untill almost at the forest, blew the 2 BMPs that were chasing me and dissappeared. Damn that was fun!! ;D

One note to DarkAngel that I forgot in the review: The crew is quite stupid, there are guards dead all over the place but they wont enter the shilka untill shot at. And when they are in the shilka they donÂ't move. They should go look for me or perhaps get out of there.

Offline DarkAngel

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #49 on: 20 Mar 2003, 11:15:02 »
Thanks guys.

Kaliyuga, the pics look cool. Think I'll probably use the one you called "ninja" as I like that enemy soldier standing there like a fool as the satchels are placed.
I have no idea why you're still getting that error message - it's not come up in any of my tests. You are playing the latest version (0.96), right? You know it's that one thanks to the flares when the alarm goes off etc. Armstrong, did you get that message too? The reason the Shilka doesn't move is that I took out the fuel  ;) - because it's in that camo bunker, what happens as soon as the crew get in was that they'd end up destroying their own camo, so I made them stay where they were! Might change this back to normal.
They're scripted to board as soon as you're detected anywhere in the area, though - weird.

I've been a bit busy with real-world stuff just lately but the final polished version should be uploaded soon.
Cheers
"Moondark" in Beta Testing

Offline dmakatra

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #50 on: 20 Mar 2003, 19:37:18 »
Nah, I didnÂ't get an error message. :P Wierd :hmm:

Kaliyuga

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #51 on: 21 Mar 2003, 23:44:00 »
 Played it again this morning.... and yeah... I still get the same error message when the alarms go off.. regarding the boats.... ???

And there are flares ....  so it must be the latest

anyways.. I made it to the top of the hill today.. set my guys up nicely how I wanted them.... and snuck in to plant the satchel....  

I set it right by the comm tower.....  and ran off.. told my guys to retreat...
set off the satchel......  

no objective....

:hmm:
so  I had to go back up again.. and place another charge.....   and I died..

I repeated this a couple of times.... and just couldnt seem to get it in the right spot or something  cause I'd set it off.. and that tower wouldn't be damaged enough to count.. I'd go back up.. and get shot........

I've got it saved near the tower anyways so I'll keep trying ;)

Next time I'll use the two I have ... and all the ones I find on the spetz natz in that tent ;)  that should blow it up...  


Offline DarkAngel

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #52 on: 22 Mar 2003, 11:53:47 »
If this is the latest version (sounds like it is) then the objective at the comm centre has changed a bit. Instead of just blowing it up you have to access the computer in the tent, so you have to get in there and past the spetz natz guards without damaging the equipment.

That should all have been changed on the briefing.

I have absolutely no freakin' idea why you're still getting that error message... d**n that pesky Flashpoint engine! ???
"Moondark" in Beta Testing

Kaliyuga

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #53 on: 22 Mar 2003, 19:47:42 »
 geez... you expect me to actually read  the briefing man ::)

;D

Guess it shows you how much I pay attention....  ;) armed with that latest intel I should be able to make it this time

 I have no idea about the error either..... ???

Offline DarkAngel

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #54 on: 24 Mar 2003, 23:03:13 »
Hey dudes.

The boat bug is (so it seems) fixed, and I've added one of Kaliyuga's pics to the overview. I'm thinking this mission is about as good as I can make it with my current editing/scripting skill level, but I'd really appreciate any final comments. Armstrong, I'm afraid I haven't made it any easier  ;) - both targets are supposed to be top-level facilities, and while the hill may be a small base, it's well defended because of its importance. I take your point about it just being bang bang, but I like the difference between the fight on the hill and the stealthier assault on the Shilka. It makes for more variety in the gameplay of the mission.

Thanks guys for all your help; new version available now at http://www.geocities.com/tomlemans2000/DarkAngel.html.

Dark.
"Moondark" in Beta Testing

Offline DarkAngel

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Re:Darkness Before Dawn
« Reply #55 on: 27 Mar 2003, 11:48:27 »
Final version posted to OFPEC today. Thanks for all your help, guys!

DarkAngel signing off...for now.


Edit: This mission has been reviewed and is available from the Missions Depot.
« Last Edit: 23 Dec 2009, 16:24:49 by Walter_E_Kurtz »
"Moondark" in Beta Testing