(Review Completed) [SP] Abandoned Armies

[Wingless_]

Hey all.
 Been a while since i've posted and i've played the mission a bit however, I am still in the same place.
 Realised that the convoy from 3 is hot on my heels and there's no way to avoid them. My squad is really p*ssing me off, all they do is get in the way. I'm probably going to send them back to the lodge and go the rest of the mission rambo style. Last night after about a half an hour of gameplay I'd managed to single handedly kill about sixteen men, and a vulcan all around St louis however my squad who i'd told to "find cover" decided to find cover UNDER THE TRACKS OF A GODDAMN ABRAHMS!!!! So while they got massacred i nicked a truck and ran for the hills but i decided it wasn't worth it and hit retry.


@GRK
I really don't agree with you about the whole voice thing. The more the better. IMHO THobson should leave them as they are.

Later
Wingless

[Dubieman]

Bam, I think Mikero is right on the money. Tatyana and the civvie voices are not going to go well together. I actually did go about the town the first time I played 1.23, I retried later cause I got shot in the hands by a soldier in the house, and I went to each body and it fit very well. I felt like a detective almost, and it would have been more fun to explore the area without threat of an enemy. Simply knowing the enemy is around ( but the author actually not sending anyone), makes you sneak and peek and think. Also with no enemy and no Tatyana, I think it'd be easier for the player to draw their own conclusions and then connect the straws later. (on Stamenov's meanie factor ;D)

@a house down the road before La pessagne: I like that too.

I really don't agree with you about the whole voice thing. The more the better. IMHO THobson should leave them as they are.

I'm curious, why? Its good that beta testers cannot agree on everything.

EDIT: Quickie update.....

I've gone behind Andropov's forces, through the desert(with a BMP Ambulance ;D), and I've found a crucial weak spot in his base. That I do think needs addressing unless this was meant to be to even out the advanteges and disadvantages of both sides.

Possible spoiler....
(not really)
But I ran my ambulance out near the northernmost fuel station and ran over some ppl. I quickly crossed the runway on the same level as the mentioned fuel station. I then jupmed down near the coast and ran over a whole squad that seemed ripe with AT weapons and they were in column formation! Easy picking for a BMP looking to run stuff over. ;D

After that, I found no resistance at all and simply drove up between the buildings and ran over the spetz natz mastermind and his bodyguards. I set up my BMP as a shield, collected weapons and I picked off soldiers until I felt it was time to leave and drove out the way I came. Careful to avoid the T80 and M2A2 on the way out back to base.

I thought I should just let you know, unless it was a coincidence that another squad may have been away and most of the armor was fighting the war, plus all aircraft were down. Anyways, I just thought it seemed much too easy to kill Andropov as sneaking into Stamenov's base would be very tricky.

So what do you think? Did you make this hole or was it a coincidence or simply bound to happen after the war as started?

cheers
GRK

[THobson]

Tatyana and the civvie voices are not going to go well together

Not if Tatyana comes first I agree

Did you make this hole or was it a coincidence or simply bound to happen after the war as started

None of the above.  One big problem that I can do little about is how poorly the AI soldiers react when being run over by certain vehicles.  Nobody got into the base so easily using that technique before though.  I am really puzzled by the small number of soldiers you seem to have encountered.  There should be close on half a dozen infantry groups plus some armoured units that you would need to get past following the route you took.  Even if you triggered the all-out attack (which I don't think you did) there would still be plenty of units to give you a warm reception.

I think we can all guess what is likely to happen to the vehicle count in v1.24

PS:
I am now off to the airport.  Back in a couple of weeks.

[THobson]

One more thing before I go.  

I have a problem I am not sure how to deal with and would welcome suggestions.

If you visit www.flashpoint1985.com you will find the BIS forums.  In those forum there is a thread called favourite missions in which this mission has got a mention.  That is great.  

Unfortunately someone there took it a step further and put my mission on the User Missions board.  They used my name and put a link to this thread so there was no attempt at plagiarism, but they did do this without doing me the courtesy of contacting me, and of course their name appeard at the top of the thread.

BIS in their infinite wisdom then publicly announced that the mission was released in Flashpoint News.

The mission is now turning up as a released version on many sites around the world, sometimes under my name and sometimes under the name of the person the started the thread on the BIS site.  

The reaction of BIS is: 1) they agreed to delete the offending thread - which is a bit stable door and bolted horses; and 2) no apology and it seems that ‘these things happen'.

The individual concerned was somewhat horrified that people were saying he was the author and has taken steps to try and correct this.  But interestingly there was no apology and no indication that putting my mission on their site without contacting me was in any way wrong or discourteous.

This mission has been my passion during a long and difficult year and has involved a large proportion of my family.  I wanted to release it only when it was finished and not before.  But now when that happens there will be many people who think they have already played it.  Some sites have even scored it already!

So what do I do?  I have a couple of weeks to think about it.  Options that come to mind it the heat of the moment now include:
-   Forget the whole thing  and go back to photography
-   Change the mission's name
-   Make a BIS voodoo doll and stick pins in it
-   None of the above

I now really am going to the airport.

[MrN]

What do you do?

Go to the airport, enjoy your holiday then carry on regardless.

PS- nothing to stop you picking up some pins in the Duty free shop

[Planck]

I understand how you might be upset, but it isn't a perfect world (thank goodness), and things like this are almost inevitable.......... occasionally.

I would just carry on regardless after a nice relaxing holiday on the greek beaches.

When you have completed the mission, which will be, and already is, a classic, put a bit in the readme explaining the fact that the mission was released previously by someone else without your permission and in a beta state.

I wouldn't let it all get to you.  


Planck

[Mikero]

@THobson
You're tired, drained, emotional and need a break. Words of Wisdom from MrN and Planck.

At worst, v1.23 is eminently playable. I think you and your family who contributed so much to this, should all bask in bit of well deserved sunshine, hopefully a nuke or two, along with heaped on glory. Sit back and look forward to the raves your STILL BETA mission is going to get  from people who never knew it existed.

It's not quite the same for you THob as ordinary things go, you're just feeling sore that your finished version is not yet done and wanted the wham from that. Believe me, the finished version will be POUNCED ON too when it's good and ready.

Go with a huge grin on your face.

[Dubieman]

I'd say once you get back, go to those sites where you know they have your mission and tell them what happened and demand that your mission be deleted until you are finished with it. If they question your authenticity, then point them to this thread and I and many others would be glad to inform them that you are the author of this mission. I would also go a bit ballistic on the dumb arse that released your mission on BIS forums and also ask him to help in the search to delete your beta mission from those sites that took it as finished. Other than that, once you're done, make a big deal on the BIS Forums and you know that the people that really matter, know how much work you put into this and that it is yours. (I would try to fry the releaser later for an apology though, it was really stupid of him to do that) Plus from now on, I''d include sometthing saying the mission beta version may not be spread to other sites without your permission, even though I know my missions won't reach the fanfare yours does, I'm gonna put a warning like that on my work.

Have a nice vacation and don't worry about your homicidal beta testers who seem to want to nuke your island. We'll keep them at bay, or maybe we'll join'um.... ;D

[MrN]

I would also go a bit ballistic on the dumb arse that released your mission on BIS forums

I think this opens an interesting debate in itself. Forgive me for going off-topic for a moment but if I remember correctly the guy that posted it on the BIS forums had the best intentions. I.e. - WOW look at this mission I've been playing it's the best thing I've ever played, you should have a look too.

It wasn't meant as plagiarism nor did his post imply anything like it. You should take it as flattery THobson. The cat is out the bag.

I wanted to release it only when it was finished and not before

You have. What happens on the OFPEC Beta board isn't secret, it's in the public domain. It's unfortunate that some sites have taken your creation and reviewed and published it but just think of it as more Beta-testers!

Ultimately the only people you have to please with this are You and Your family. The people that have spent the most time with it.  

And all this coming from someone who has yet to play it through.

[Dubieman]

@ballistic: I mean just express that you are dissappointed people took the beta as final and spread it all over. Did the person say it was beta in the thread?

And all this coming from someone who has yet to play it through

You sir, have not expierenced OFP at its finest. ;D

[tudders]

I'd try and get the mission removed from the sites and make it known that this was only a leaked beta version.

If people are co-operative and it is removed think about it this way - we all love the mission, so will everyone else.  The beta version can be thought of as a trailer, a far greater number of people will anticipate the finished version.  I don't think that there will be anyone put off this mission from playing the beta  

I course it's still a very annoying thing to have happened and the person responsible should apologise.

[Uber-Pea]

whatever, delete the fog from your mission xD
its just...argh. its destroying everything. i would just restart the mission and give it a new play....but no, not as the fog remains

greetz
uber

[Mikero]

@uber

fog reduces considerably as you move forward in time towards middle of day. In early stages you are meant to feel dissoriented and arrrrgh, put up with it, it's actually terrific and such a relief when it goes, rather than demanding it isn't there to begin with.

[Uber-Pea]

didn know that. maybe played old version. Thank you, ill give a try

[lilwillie_WI]

Well, I've keeped from posting since thobson is on vacation but won't have a chance in the next few myself.

v1.23, I don't know what is going on. Choppy lag at times, which I have never had. Also I cannot seem to regain my save points. I am stuck on a previous save at the begining. I've restarted the mission and it happens again. Some random save point becomes my permanent home. Trying everything I always end up at a old save point. And I am using the ingame saves. Want to go threw with no cheatsaves.

Which is frustrating. Since v1.21 I have no changes in my PC, nor my usage of it. Nothing extra added or taken out of OFP. Weird. My only thought. Could leaving v1.21 in the game effect v1.23?

I pushed threw regardless. Playing for a few hours without a save. Which in fact made me really concentrate on not taking one in the noggin. Made it to base camp, saved the civs at Db46, made it to Houdan and got my russkie. Made it to Dourdan and got bitched at by the pregnant woman. Which is pretty realistic since I can attest to how pregnant woman can be and trucked north to get ready and say hi to her husband. If he is sitting at home waiting for her he needs a bullet. It's your pregnant wife dang it, get your ass out looking for her ;D

Anyway, beyond my unknown save game problems the mission is so close to perfection it is incredible. Don't know why the lag kicked in, but it has been managable to a point.

I know people have mentioned how to get back those saves,but it is just not working for me at this time.