No sense in removing rockets from loons at the end, but maybe run a check so that if a new combined squad has several law loons some of them lose their launchers in a puff of code.
Upon completing v1 I mentioned a lack of slickness. This has been much improved, but again, it's one of these things to think about as you're tweaking. Always go for the slickest way. When you're placing a vehicle in a base, sure think about looks and how it would really be and so on, but also think "what makes it quickest and easiest for the player?" For example, ordinary trucks should face out of nets, so you can drive away. Ammo and repair trucks should face in, so that they are useable easily.
- The intention with this mission is to get the player to a point where they think: "Now what should I do?" and have plenty of options to choose from. Does it succeed in your view?
Basically yes. The more you can develop the story and characters teh better from this point of view. The information the deserter gives you is absolutley critical: the script of that scene must written very carefully indeed, as it is the transition point from prescriptive play (rescue him now him) to imaginative (what will I do now?)
- Each side gives up when their leader is dead and they are down to a loon count of 10 or less. What does this feel like? Too many? Too few?
Didn't really notice it at either end, so I presume its fine. At the airfield (when I went back after Andropov was dead) there were an awful lot of loons just milling around in the middle. Having them on two or three groups might be better.
Groups of bodies in Stamenov's area: make them more diverse. Different numbers, cramped up or spread out - they are too similar.
Bring back the mad women if you can.
Sequence of objectives is now fine.
Replay value. An interesting one this. It is the kind of mission that many people will really want to play twice. It doesn't need random starting locations (which I know you've taken out) becuase the replay value is not in the randomness: it is in the player's choices. Do I rescue all these civvies? Do I start the war? Do I go to La Trinite? The more randomness you can take out, the better. You want it to start off identically each time you play, so that you can try different things. Petty randomness, like the number of loons guarding Tatyana, is obviously good.
Combine rating, time passing and objective completion with setSkill commands to increase the skill of all of your squad throughout the mission. This will provide a reward for keeping your loons alive. Perhaps a sound file or two of conversation to bring the player's attention to this.
I did look out for the cd player in vehicles but never found one, or never noticed it if I did. Add it to more vehicles.
Starting to read mikero's comments. Most of the remaining lag in the mission is mostly caused by static objects, have another trim. (I know I've mentioned this before.)
I recommend again, if you haven't done it already, to convert to stringtable.csv. Gets everything in one place so you won't miss andythng and can change stuff. Makes life much easier.
It's very noticeable that about the only weapons not in the mission are G36 and Steyr. The ones you really want. It feels harsh: don't put them in, but take out some of the others. Uzi for example. Keep it to the standards: HK, bizon, AK, M16, MGs, snipers.
Mikero felt the need to have a firefight before colleciting all teh civvies. I did too, although I managed to restrain myself. I think most players will.
@mikero yes a squad will protect its flanks. Annoyingly, most of a squad in wedge look behind you, rather than at least some looking the same way as you.
I believe one or two of the signposts on the island are just wrong. Not sure though.
I'm a bit off balance with no machine gunner in my squad,
It is a real problem. In fact I had a machine gunner (carrying a satchel instead of one mag) for most of the mission but it occurs to me that in fact my squad didn't do much of the shooting, it was mostly me. With a normal squad of 8 or 9 you could easily carry what you need but with these three civvies you are very short. Consider having one of the civvies changing into uniform and becoming a soldier during one of the cutscenes. (i.e. replace one unit with another.) Preferably the girl.
(sorry this section is a bit confusing as to whether I'm talking to Thobson or mikero, but I'm kind of betting you'll both read it and will be smart enough to figure out what's what.)
Consider putting a field hospital at the fuel depot northeast of the airfield. You have Saint louis in the south. The problem at both bases is the hospital is unusable until you have completely cleared the area, and apart from Saint Louis neither of them has a hospital anywhere nearby.
Consider having the second civvy pickup deep in the heart of the mission. You could add back the medic at that point if he has been lost. This would depend on getting a radio message from somewhere, but you know my views on that.
You're an unlucky bastard mikero ... you're constantly making reasonable assumptions that turn out to be wrong. ;D
Interesting that you feel lag adds atmosphere. I don't entirely agree but I do know exactly what you mean.
You're right about the left flank (odds) being stronger than the right. (evens) It wasn't so pronounced for me but I did notice it.
If it's possible, we need more flags. I did see one or two, but not many.
Keep the armour that arrives in the end game, although in may case at the airport it was too late. Mitigate the Abrams problem by committing all Abrams to the war, if you havn't already.
I laugh when I see people complaining that the OFP limit of 63 groups per side is too small!
So do I. Or rather I cry, since those folk have no conception of how powerful triggers and waypoints are.
Big AT minefields are very difficult. I've thought about them and its not clear how to make them really effective and really fun without buckets of triggers to keep the home team out.
Leave the wagons in La Trinite. There is just time to have a quick look round and steal them between convoys, but only just. Your second attempt, after the retry, keeps your heart pumping. I was even caught when I tried to grab them in 1.1.
Yeah, take the flags out of the Briefing. At least at first. But have more in the mission maybe, yes why not for infantry if the game can take it. Let the player work it out. Choose a different flag for the north, its ugly and too similar to the southron one - both are three solid blocks. Have one that is fundamentally different.
Topic: (Review Completed) [SP] Abandoned Armies (Read 263371 times)