(Review Completed) [SP] Abandoned Armies

[Brandon]

Is there anything that would help the weather in terms of viewdistance?

A. My PC lags like crazy. I am running no 3rd party addons other than the one's provided in the mission.

----Spec:
CPU: 4200X2 AMD Dual Core (Affinity on 1 core)
GFX: 6800GT
Ram: 2GB
HDD: 300GB
SFX: Creative Audigy
FPS In Game Avg: 10
Textures: All reduced from the 4XXX thousand to 1024 (In preferences outside game)


Also, is it normal for the AI to be able to see through the bad weather as so you cannot see them? I continously get shot over 400m away, which is too far for my game to see due to the rain. Is there anyway to "lighten" the rain amount just a bit so I could at least see the guy shooting? I have it at a point now where all I have to do is hit retry and stand there. To be shot. I have to run forward at least 100-200m before I can even barely see him. Something's got to be going on.

[macguba]

Your machine should be able to cope, although you'd need something huge to be totally lag free all the time.    Check your addons folders again (both of them) and switch off background stuff.   If necessarily temporarily remove the BIS ones.    Run a full standard comp maintenance schedule.    It's something to do with your comp, not the mission.

IIRC there are certain circumstances when the rain and fog combine to give the AI an unfair advantage in that they can see you but you can't see them.   It's a game "feature" and not related to this mission.    Try a different part of the island:  the weather script is sophisticated and hiding under a bush waiting for visibility to improve isn't particularly fruitful.

[reFlex]

I think I found one way that works seems to work for me to reduce/minimize the lag/sluggishness that tends to happen at times during game play.

pause/unpause the game with 'Esc' key.
Voila! no more lag (although this is only temporary).
If/when the lag starts show up again during game play, just pause/unpause game again with 'Esc' key

[OAM]

Alright, here are some questions I came up with while the site was down.

1)  What exactly is the way the oposing side garrisons captured towns, because I found no less then a abrams, a T80, a vulcan, and a full squad of infantry guarding a captured frontline town!  (ofcourse I cleared this town then came back and got a nasty surprise later, took annother recon run to reconize it was the other side)

2)  If I destroy some convoy vechicles, say taking out the lead APC, will the rest keep going after I leave the area?

[Cheetah]

@OAM, point 2)
Yes they will continue moving after searching the area for any enemies. At least that's what happened when I played Ab. Armies and did a hit&run again a convoy.

For the 1st point someone with more knowledge of/experience with the mission is required.

[THobson]

OAM:

Cheetah is absolutely correct.  The convoys keep running until there are no servicable vehicles left.

In your first question, I think the mission is now getting old enough to release a few of its secrets.

Extract from my spoiler document:

In the case of one side determining that it is strong enough to mount an all out attack on the other side it will use the following plan of attack (note that ownership of a town is determined by which flag is flying there):

Andropov (Northern Army):
Two infantry groups and an armoured group will attack La Pessagne.  Once the town has been captured one infantry group will remain in occupation and the remaining forces will move on Chapoi.

Three infantry groups will attack Arudy.  Once the town has been captured one group will remain in occupation and the remaining forces will move on Chapoi.

Six infantry groups and an armoured group will attack Dourdan.  Once captured one infantry group will remain in occupation and the remaining forces will move on Chapoi.

A separate armoured group will attack Chapoi directly.

If the attacking army suffers significant casualties then up to four additional infantry groups will be released one at a time from the forces at the airbase to join the attack on Chapoi.

Helicopters will operate independently.

A maximum is placed on the number of units attacking Chapoi so as not to generate too much lag if they all arrive there at the same time.

Stamenov (Southern Army)
Ignore Goisse.  Stamenov is not a military genius but he is probably right, if he has enough strength to attack then Andropov must be so weak that Goisse cannot be a threat - can it?  In addition the airbase is a tough nut to crack, so Stamenov will need to concentrate his forces on this task.

Four infantry groups attack Larche.  Once the town has been captured one group remains in occupation and the remaining forces join the attack on Saint Louis and the airbase.

Seven infantry groups (plus any coming from Larche) and two armoured groups attack Saint Louis.  Once the town has been captured one infantry group will remain in occupation and the remaining forces will move on the airbase.

A separate armoured group will attack the airbase directly

If the attacking army suffers significant casualties then up to four additional infantry groups will be released one at a time from the forces around Chapoi to join the attack on the airbase.

Helicopters will operate independently.

A maximum is placed on the number of units attacking Saint Louis and the airbase so as not to generate too much lag if they all arrive there at the same time.

A Counter-attack
If one side initiates an attack as described above and either due to some misfortune on their part or the action of the player they suffer significant losses then the conditions may become favourable for the other side to initiate its own attack.  If this happens there will be a counter-attack.  In practice this is highly unlikely, but the coding of the mission will allow this to happen if the correct conditions arise.

Randomness
Note that the Northern attack on Chapoi and the Southern attack on the airbase use several groups that are also ‘on Guard'.  These groups may be distracted from their attack to deal with the player and his team should they start getting involved or to deal with other enemy units that have been detected so the whole thing is quite unpredictable.

[OAM]

Excellent, here is what I witnessed.  The war was on by this point.

1)  Comming from my hideout on the East Coast, I approach Dourdan, eleminate 3 guys in safe mode on patrol.

2)  As I'm looting a North group comes over the hill, eleminate them.

3)  Run back to base with loot.

4)  Trip to Le Porte (whever the prision is, La Riverera?  so similer names))

5) On my way back I check out Dordan again after dumping my loot at a safehouse.  Find some weapons I missed, go around a building into the road and run smack dab into a M1A1.   Got away before I noticed.

6)  Feeling darring Went over to Arudy and cleared it.

7)  Stopped by Dourdan again, this time there is a full infantry group with the tanks, and as I watch, annother shows up.  Intrestingly, there is now a destroyed South 5ton truck there too.

  Made a trip down to the farm west of Houdan.  Singlehandedly wiped out an entire North infantry group that came over the hill from the North (only 2nd time I've ever done that)  I also started hearing tank and helo fire from the South, went to investigate.  And thats where I am now.

Sound like the Northies were marshaling at Dordan to attack.  I had atleast wiped out 2 of their infantry squads there.

[THobson]

Made a trip down to the farm west of Houdan

So you found the barn from the intro scene!

Sound like the Northies were marshaling at Dordan to attack.

They do wait around a while before moving on.  I suspect that by now these forces are lying dead around Chapoi.  Sometimes the more you kill the more you have to kill.  Weakening the northern force attacking the south means that more of the southerners will survive and so be waiting for you. 

[OAM]

That barn is one of my favorite spots to visit (and not for the girls  ) It was the first place I went of my own initiitive the first time I played.  I've also found it good for getting AT weapons, as there seem to be alot of that type of loon around there.  I also have a soft spot for the Northies, but its war, you do what ya gotta do, I would have prefered to let them have Dourdan, but I though the patrol was Southie when I entered and didn't realize the side untill I ran into the Abrams with the flag, by then I was about ready to visit the bathroom after a near death experience  and wasn't in my rational mind when fleeing.

[Sibmot]

Help! I'm a noob but I loved the sound of ALL of this mission... I downloaded it and I think (being quite competent in the use of downloaded stuff) I installed correctly... but it's coming up with a message saying "cannot load mission - missing addons: editorupdate102, bis_resistance, mini, bis_weaponpack".

I have Operation Flashpoint V1.46 and no mods.

Also I noticed that the readme for this mission says "link broken - the mission editor is included in this zip file now"... but I have found the only editor type zip file in the archive, unzipped the editor.pbo file thingy, put it in "addons" (nothing to replace, it added) and still nothing. the editor appears to be the same still.

Can someone help me use this mission? I get the feeling I need a different version of OFP or loads of mods!

Thanks

Sib

[Planck]

Unfortunately you need the Resistance expansion to play this mission.

Preferably upgraded to version 1.96.


Planck

[Sibmot]

Thank you! I will search it out!

Sib

[OAM]

Alright THobson, round two of questions.

Do crew of downed choppers/crew of disabled tanks get out and join other groups.  I saw a squad of three Americans and a American crew.  Either that or it was a rescue mission.

Also, picking up from where I left off:

1) Headed South to investigate as I said, didn't hear anything from loading untill I got to Saint Marie, however I did pass a group (the one mentioned) going North, took them out I think with granades, but I couldn't find any bodies!  So I high tailed it outta there.

2)  Stood on the mountain looking for Chapoi, but heard infantry groups attacking each other behind me, so left.

3)  Cleared La Rivera, only three loons there, right at tis time I hear a helo and atleast three tanks fighting in Chapoi.

4)  Clear the town South of Chapoi, once again just 3 guys.  Hear more fighting, but its in bursts.  Decide to steal some stuff from the fuel station West of Chapoi

5)  Sneak up, but there is atleast a full infantry squad there, and they are searching for me, as I'm not the master of stealth I should be.  Though I managed to throw them off my trail.  Despite the large scale battles heard, the fuel station looks intact.  And thats where I am now.

[THobson]

Do crew of downed choppers/crew of disabled tanks get out and join other groups.

Yes.  But also some of the southern infanty groups start off mixed in anycase.

 

took them out I think with granades, but I couldn't find any bodies!

Nothing to do with me.  If you found no bodies then they weren't dead!

[OAM]

took them out I think with granades, but I couldn't find any bodies!

Nothing to do with me.  If you found no bodies then they weren't dead!

I know but that was a scary experience for me    I'm assuming their South too.

One more question.  How fast do the guard groups run out.  It was noon and I havn't noticed any more responces to my actions, the clearing of the two towns, or the clearing of St Louis with jeep patrol.  (see my continued story for more details)  Were alot of them taken by the attacks/counterattacks, because I find towns I havn't visited have a garrison, but no patrols or responce to attacks now.

Anywho on with my story.

1)  After numerous tries to take the station and/or damage it severly, I fail miserably, and retreat to the North, find a damaged Vulcan in some trees, right in the middle, with no downed trees.  Nice parking I figure.

2)  Spot a empty vulcan, repair, and refuel truck on the road halfway between Saint Marie and Chapoi.  Steal the repair truck and go back to base after dodging two man AT patrols in the mountains, I think the south is hurt bad, as the groups are only 1-3 and mostly just AT.

3)  Get their, and find my T80 destoryed, must have been a chopper my men reported and about 1 explosion from that direction earlier.  My fault for not parking it in the trees like the rest of my stuff.

4)  Go looking for a tank to repair, no activity at Dourdan.  Full north squad at 3, so I go around, kill a guy guarding a vulcan and the vulcan, then run like h*** after making a suicide run to some tanks just to find them gone beyond repair...

5)  Back at base, I find I'm out of AT weapons besides what I have with me!  Ohh great!  I have one loon with an AT, and an empty RPG, plus one LAW I carry.  Yikes.  Decide to go to St. Louis.

6)  Wind up at the airport, the guys at the South gates were dead, with one ruskie in the perimiter dead not far away, but the main gate was guarded and saw some blacks ops milling about.  Head to St. Louis

7)  Plant AT and AP mine on road to stop any reinforcements.  As I approach the lead jeep goes threw and wipes out on the mines, no responce, wipe out St. Louis.  Go to Larche, and wipe out 3 man patrol.

  Get a good load and go investigate the desert.

9)  Investigate the North fuel station after no activity in the desert, take it.  No tanks.  Thats where I am now.  I have done massive damage to the North, but no tanks for me yet, the main purpose of my journy North.