Evil's Last Will (Arma 3) Under Review

[Undeceived]

Evil's Last Will
(Arma 3)

Version: 1.4 (updated March 20th, 2023)
Author: Undeceived
Gametype: SP


Description:
Eliminate a target person and witness how murder and hatred only stoke more fear and death in this land - when evil fulfills its last will.


Trailer:



Features:

• Story-driven one-mission-mini-campaign with many objectives, ported from Arma 1 (OFPEC score back in the days: 8 out of 10)
• Modernized and optimized with Arma 3 features
• Full voice acting (German)
• English and German subtitles
• Thrilling and dark story, set in the deep forests of northern Sahrani
• Play as a Germany / NATO special forces operator: Infiltrate enemy positions, take out a highly valuable target, try to help local resistance forces, adapt to harsh circumstances due to missing allied support
• Cutscenes
• Custom music
• Custom main menu design
• Choose your equipment in the Arsenal, not in the briefing

Version history:
v. 1.4:
Fixed the main menu cutscenes (Arma 3 Invaders minigame deactivated).

v. 1.3:
Bugs eliminated (including a showstopper - the evacuation chopper wouldn't come)
Added task types (icons)

v. 1.2:
Bugs eliminated
Optimizations

v. 1.1:
Countless bugs eliminated
More optimizations and stuff added
Finished the mission package

v. 1.0 (beta):
Mission ported from Arma 1 to Arma 3
Fixed tons of bugs
Optimized tons of scripts and features
First release


Required mods:
CUP (Vehicles, Units, Weapons, Maps, Core)
CBA (required by CUP)


Download:
Evil's Last Will (A3) + required mods @ Steam Workshop


Thanks to these beta testers:
savedbygrace, Cheetah, Wolfrug, Zipper5, bert, mathias_eichinger, johnnyboy, Tyger, Sponbo, NightJay0044, schuler, Trapper, Manzilla, h-

[johnnyboy]

Hi Undeceived.  I forgot how awesome this mission is.  Music, cinematics, suspense, excellent voice acting.  But I'll save all the rave reviews for when you publish it (to help generate some buzz ).

So far, I've only got as far as sniping the officer, and halfway to back to exfil.  All worked perfectly, no bugs.  Great balance.   Found enemy camp 1/2 way to sniper position and decided to take it down.  3 campers is perfect challenge for solo sniper.   Foolishly tried to take on enemy sniper position, and failed.  So avoided it on next try.

Here's 2 grammar fixes for your briefing:

0. change "welcome on" to "welcome aboard"
1.  change "surprising attacks" to "surprise attacks"

The camp 1/2 way to sniper position has a little min-bunker with an ammo crate in it, but the ammo crate is not accessible.  Not really an issue, but players will try to interact with it, and not be able to.

Questions: 

1. Did you have to recreate all your cutscene camera work?  Or did the ported custcene scripts miraculously just work?
2. Did you convert all your .sqs to .sqf?

[Undeceived]

Thanks, johnnyboy!

I corrected the grammar issues. Keep them coming!


1. I don't remember anymore but I had a lot of work with the cutscenes. But this also has to do with my noob scripting (after all it was my very first mission).

2. I converted some important scripts to sqf, yes. Looking at it as a whole today the scripts are one total MESS. Absolutely chaotic and noobish, even I can't believe what I did there. Sometimes I created 3 scripts where only one would be ok.


But you know what? It works. As I said - I converted some things, but the rest is a good example of a somewhat working chaos.

Looking forward to the rest of your test. Thanks.

[h-]

What, something like 20Gb of addons for one mission 

...

It never crossed yer mind to re-make this with the vanilla content for example.. 
Well, will be testing this after downloading CUPs for a day or so



Oh, and yay, we got some posts on this old forgotten useless forum. 

[Undeceived]

Hi h-,

To be honest, no, I never thought about making it vanilla. You will see why - everything in this mission is about Sahrani, voice acting, briefings, etc. I waited years for this chance (recreation of the old Arma assets in Arma 3 in one big package, CUP), as unfortunately back then, when I finished ELW, Arma 2 came out, and the players (me included) were gone.

I recommend the CUP downloads at Steam workshop, as this is the easiest way to get the mod. CBA is on the workshop too, so it should be a piece of cake (at least for the end user, maybe not for the internet connection ).

And yeah, I'm glad to have some feedback here in this legendary forum. I made some advertising, PMing some of the old beta testers of ELW at the BIF (among some other guys) and mathias_eichinger said well, that meanwhileOFPEC has become a good place for some private beta testing. 😃
And I also resisted the temptation to release the mission at the "public places" such as BIF or Armaholic at the same time. I want to be sure that it's somewhat stable first. That gives me back that special feeling of the glorious OFPEC times.

See ya!

[savedbygrace]

I have began the downloads. Unfortunately, I haven't played Arma 3 in probably a year, maybe? I'll have to become familiar with the game again but I'll give some extensive feedback for sure. I won't do it for just anyone anymore because mission makers just don't care like they use to. I'm eager to see if the new title messes with the immersion at all and if CUP ported all terrain properly. I recall this mission well since I had played it so many times. I think one of the biggest hangups was AI interaction with the steeper terrain. I think there were also a few questionable camera choices and that darn dual rifle script. I tried using one of those in my OFP mission but it kept messing up. I don't think that's going to be a problem in this one. I think, if I remember correctly, Arma 3 forces a penalty for weight carry and I am hoping that it doesn't hinder the long distance foot travel.

[Undeceived]

Good to hear from you!

I think that the AI mountain issues still are there but I didn't test it extensively. At least they cross the mountains where they did in Arma 1 too - if it became better I don't know.
Other than that cars leave the road sometimes, but they reach their targets.

There's a weight penalty, yes, but (contrary to older versions) at the moment the biggest restriction is normal jogging pace (thanks God! ).

No dual rifle script this time but a big backpack where the player can put another weapon in. But at the moment the player starts with his main weapon of choice only (+ pistol) --> please let me know what you think about that. I could script a secondary rifle or machine pistol into the backpack but so far I didn't have the feeling it would be needed.

[h-]

To be honest, no, I never thought about making it vanilla.

I was only being about 0.25 serious

Played this thing through just now and as I have no talent in writing any sort of review I just list things
- Very well made, I am a fan of sniper missions of this sort
- Didn't come across any game breaking bugs (not really any bugs I guess).
- Many nice ideas like dropping weapons and whatnot (don't wanna spoil anything)
- Good voice acting although it escapes me why everyone on Sahrani was German now (although in original A1 everyone spoke English, so....). This might have been explained in the massive briefing but probably just went unnoticed by me.
- Had no AI trouble with mountains.

Since I always like to focus on the negative  , here goes some of that too:
- A bit melodramatic for my tastes.
- I generally dislike cutscenes (mainly because they tend to me painful to watch on the technical side), this has plenty, so..
- Regarding cutscenes, there were several a bit weird 'blinks' (fade to/from black) before some conversations took place, like there was about to be a cutscene but then it wasn't.
[spoiler]- At the Black Venom camp you apparently trip some sort of tripwire no matter what (judging from the sound) but the venoms don't react to it at all?[/spoiler]

at the moment the player starts with his main weapon of choice only (+ pistol)

I think this is fine, You can later on pick some AK from fallen enemy anyway.

Would be nice though if BIS finally made it possible to carry two primary weapons (at least for the sniper class).

[Undeceived]

Thank, h-!

- A bit melodramatic for my tastes.
- I generally dislike cutscenes

Haha, depending on the weight of these reservations you might be disappointed with my other / past / upcoming projects. There is plenty of it in them - cutscenes definitely, melodrama maybe (as it's a bit subjective).

But anyway thanks for the good feedback. I'll have an eye on these fade ins/outs and see if I can avoid them.

And... That tripwire sound was never meant to be a tripwire but an animal which is scared and runs away in the bushes. But you're not the first one who thinks like that. Maybe I should look for another sound....

[h-]

depending on the weight of these reservations you might be disappointed with my other / past / upcoming projects.

I don't mind drama but, and this is just my opinion of course and nothing more, it could be a bit more subtle at least on the player's part because what I personally dislike in games in general is forcing the player to feel something.

Cutscenes are fine but I'd hope people who make a lot of them would actually at least try to familiarize themselves with image composition rules, framing shots etc, and natural camera movement.
And please please never ever use the infuriating "setCameraTarget-somesoldier-bouncy-cam" awfulness.... 

That tripwire sound was never meant to be a tripwire but an animal which is scared and runs away in the bushes.

In that case use pig screaming or something because that would scare the hell out of people..
I guess I'm not the only expecting the venoms to protect their camp with traps hence the thought of a tripwire being tripped 

[Undeceived]

what I personally dislike in games in general is forcing the player to feel something

That's a good point which I will definitely keep in mind.

I guess I'm not the only expecting the venoms to protect their camp with traps hence the thought of a tripwire being tripped

You're so right... Damn - I think I will have to tweak that part resp. really make it a trip wire... Right now the player can't miss the trigger which was supposed to be the fleeing animal - I think I'll put triggers only at certain spots in the forest where the tripwires are set by the spetnaz (e.g. at the most obvious approach routes) and then send a patrol to check it out after it is tripped.

[h-]

You could also maybe even make the tripwire triggers shoot up a flare, to simulate a flare trap.
Would give the player a proper "damn, we're made" moment.. 

Mines could also be used but could be a bit frustrating for the player?

One thing, and again a pet peeve of mine , that you could tweak also is:
Soldiers standing in default wedge formation next to a camp fire doesn't really look like soldiers camping, would look better if they were sitting and such. There's a nice function BIS_fnc_ambientAnimCombat that does this and allows even a condition to be passed that frees the AI from the anim accordingly (if you're using the 3D editor and Eden Enhanced mod it adds this function functionality into the unit attributes).

Same goes for having sand-bag fortified positions in a forest which is a bit odd, but that's just my stupid perfectionism talking 

[Undeceived]

Damn, are they just standing around?? Oops Thanks for the hint, I forgot to optimize that.

Some nice ideas for that part, expect the one or the other in the next version.

[mathias_eichinger]

Wow, what a mammoth of a mission. Let's see if I can compile one of my detailed  beta tests like back in the old days. 

Overview and loading screen

Great choice of images, sparse overview text, but piques my curiosity.

Briefing

Very detailed, original military style affair, tells me everything I need to know, and it also features pictures.

Cinematics

Some weird camera angles, but these are probably leftovers from ArmA1 scripting, e.g. back then you might not have had the whole knowledge. Voice overs are great, especially since they are German.

Mission

Great weapon selection, how did you manage to implement the Armory into your mission?

Insertion went without a problem. I could avoid any patrols, but felt some urgency, as I could hear some distant shots, maybe the enemy would already gun down civilians.
Just before I took the shot that killed that villain, memories of Arma1 came back, as my character mused if he should pull the trigger or not.

But I waited and then the mission became much longer. I travelled to a village to discover that dropping my stuff too slow is rather unhealthy (great idea to implement this), RV'ed with my comrade, cleared a village, a forest SF camp, ambushed a convoy, had a hot exfil towards Hunapu (those pesky paratroopers killed most of my squad), and finally I was picked up by helo.

Yes, this mission IS melodramatic, to the point that the only thing missing is the line Tell *cough* my wife *cough* that I love her..... 
But that is your style, and when it is a wee bit toned down (like in Black Lands Campaign), it is an excellent feature.

There are only 2 potential bugs:
1) After the civilian goes his own ways just before Hunapu my #2 gets stuck in the forest, and only ever moves when ordered to board the evac helo.
2) The voiceover gives ArmA1 coordinates, the on-screen text gives the ArmA3 ones (really a minor thing).

Summary

A mission that feels realistic (I don't think real SF soldiers get a helo lift for just a few kilometers between their objectives) yet sports a kind of made-for-TV-movie-drama at the same time. Unique and likeable mixture.

[Undeceived]

Danke, mathias - much appreciated!


I implemented the arsenal this way (cudos to Larrow at the BIF!):

Code: [Select]

//Preload arsenal lists
[ "Preload" ] call BIS_fnc_arsenal;

//Add all your stuff to the PLAYER ( all it does is sets some variables on an object, that object then acts as arsenal whitelist )
//[ whitelist object, STUFF, isglobal, add action ]

//Weapons
[ player, [
"CUP_arifle_MG36",
"CUP_launch_M136",
"CUP_srifle_DMR_LeupoldMk4",
"CUP_lmg_L110A1_Aim_Laser",
"CUP_srifle_AWM_wdl_SBPMII",
"CUP_srifle_M40A3",
"CUP_srifle_Mk12SPR",
"CUP_srifle_M107_LeupoldVX3",
"CUP_srifle_M24_wdl",
"CUP_hgun_MicroUzi",
"hgun_Pistol_heavy_01_F",
"CUP_hgun_Glock17",
"CUP_hgun_Colt1911"

], false, false ] call BIS_fnc_addVirtualWeaponCargo;

//Magazines
[ player, [
"CUP_100Rnd_556x45_BetaCMag",
"CUP_M136_M",
"CUP_20Rnd_762x51_DMR",
"CUP_200Rnd_TE4_Yellow_Tracer_556x45_M249",
"CUP_20Rnd_556x45_Stanag",
"CUP_5Rnd_86x70_L115A1",
"CUP_5Rnd_762x51_M24",
"CUP_HandGrenade_L109A1_HE",
"CUP_HandGrenade_M67",
"CUP_PipeBomb_M",
"CUP_30Rnd_9x19_UZI",
"CUP_17Rnd_9x19_glock17",
"11Rnd_45ACP_Mag",
"CUP_7Rnd_45ACP_1911",
"CUP_10Rnd_127x99_m107"
], false, false ] call BIS_fnc_addVirtualMagazineCargo;

[ player, [

//Optics:
"CUP_optic_LeupoldMk4",
"CUP_optic_SB_3_12x50_PMII",
"CUP_optic_Leupold_VX3",
"CUP_optic_CompM2_Woodland2",
"CUP_optic_ACOG",
"optic_AMS_khk",
"optic_MRD",

//Silencers
"CUP_muzzle_snds_G36_desert",
"CUP_muzzle_snds_M110",
"CUP_muzzle_snds_AWM",
"CUP_muzzle_snds_M16_camo",
"CUP_muzzle_snds_M16",
"CUP_muzzle_snds_MicroUzi",
"muzzle_snds_acp",
"muzzle_snds_L",
"CUP_acc_ANPEQ_2",

//Headgear:
"H_Bandanna_khk_hs",
"H_Watchcap_blk",
"H_Watchcap_khk",
"H_HelmetB_camo",
"CUP_H_Ger_Boonie_Flecktarn",
"H_Booniehat_khk_hs",
"CUP_H_FR_Cap_Headset_Green",
"H_Shemag_olive_hs",
"H_ShemagOpen_tan",

//Uniforms:
"U_B_GhillieSuit",
"CUP_U_B_GER_Flecktarn_1",
"U_BG_Guerrilla_6_1",
"CUP_U_B_USMC_MARPAT_WDL_TwoKneepads",
"CUP_U_B_FR_Corpsman",
"CUP_U_B_FR_Light",
"CUP_U_B_FR_Scout2",
"CUP_U_B_FR_Scout3",
"CUP_U_B_FR_Scout",

//Goggles:
"G_Balaclava_blk",
"G_Balaclava_oli",
"G_Balaclava_lowprofile",
"G_Bandanna_blk",
"G_Bandanna_oli",
"CUP_FR_NeckScarf",
"CUP_FR_NeckScarf2",
"G_Combat",

//Stuff:
"NVGoggles_OPFOR",
"NVGoggles_INDEP",
"Rangefinder",
"FirstAidKit",
"ItemMap",
"ItemGPS",
"ItemRadio",
"ItemWatch",
"ItemCompass",
"CUP_B_GER_Pack_Flecktarn",
"B_Carryall_cbr",
"B_Carryall_khk",
"bipod_01_F_blk"
], false, false ] call BIS_fnc_addVirtualItemCargo;

sleep 0.1;

//Pop open the arsenal display - [ full version, object that holds whitelist, object to alter ( user of arsenal ) ]
["Open",[false,player, player]] call bis_fnc_arsenal;

sleep 1;

//Wait until Arsenal is closed by player:
waitUntil { isnull ( uinamespace getvariable "RSCDisplayArsenal" ) };

On the potential bugs:

1) After the civilian goes his own ways just before Hunapu my #2 gets stuck in the forest, and only ever moves when ordered to board the evac helo.

• Did only one resistance fighter survive? (did he go alone or was he picked up at that house?)
• Do you know which one it was? Jegor, "resistance fighter", "young fighter" or "Mateas" (the sniper)?
• Did FALKE stop right after joining you again? Can you elaborate on that a bit more?

Thanks!

Yeah - they say Arma 1 coordinates, that's true. But I'm not in touch with the voice actors anymore so I can't correct that.

[mathias_eichinger]

Oh, sorry, I don't rember it detailed enough - if you want me to I will re-load an old savegame and try again in the coming weeks (upcoming holiday travel tomorrow).

[savedbygrace]

Tested the mission once. Here are my findings.
Looked through the old thread and noticed you missed Manzilla in the testing credits. Not sure if this was intentional or not. You also didn't include any of that detail in the mission download Readme. Perhaps a link to this thread would be enough? Whatever you decide, there are no standards anymore.

INTRO
I didn't get the intro til the end. I was confused why you had a heli insertion during the intro when you used boats at mission start. It wasn't until contemplating the mission whole after the play test that it became apparent that the whole thing was a recalling of memories. My favorite scene in the intro was the slow motion angle above the little bird as the rain was falling.

MISSION
Being unfamiliar with the armory, i just skipped without changing anything. I was afraid of altering the balance or leaving something essential behind. Perhaps a hint or two to help the player know that all is ready unless he would like to change something? Not sure really.
 
I was eager to see how different the game play would be from Arma1, since Arma3 is superior in every way. I was not disappointed. I was utterly immersed throughout the infiltration. The only thing i dislike about Arma3 is that you as a player try to pick the shaded paths to navigate through so sunlight doesn't reflect anything into the distance but as you turn the shadows change. I have to remind myself that the AI don't see shadows. They are programmed to acknowledge objects by using variables such as class name, stance, speed and line of sight. That's how immersed I was though. I found myself repeatedly reminding myself of protocol when faced with patrols or guards. Avoid them and stick to the game plan. I made it to the over watch without being spotted, spilled through the whole cinematic process and did end up having to reload several times because I would jump the gun and kill the officer before given the order. Alas, I finally waited orders and took out the target. I had been able to fire a burst then roll behind a rock before spotted. I then stayed put for about 5 or 10 minutes while the bees buzzed. I thought ex-filtrating away from the scene would be more difficult but again, reminding myself to only engage when engaged saved me from unneeded pressure. In fact I was spotted by a lone officer along a ridge and shot at but he missed and I was able to flank and kill him to grab some more supplies.

At one point during my trek to Pacamac, I was prone beneath a conifer and a patrol(without NVGs) literally crossed within a stride of me on either side but never spotted me. I'm not sure if it was because I didn't move or what. But it was certainly a raised blood pressure moment.

Once over the mountains, I adhered to the high slopes as best as I could until I heard the lone civy shouting for help. This was immersive also until he shouted on the radio too. Once you join him to the player, the radio commands were loud and disruptive to the immersion. Especially when he began to call out targets.

At Pacamac, the whole cinematic went by after dropping my weapons, I push back to the mountains, glad to be rid of the civy, to meet up with the others. Mataredo went well, as did the spetz camp. Grenades were still very effective against them but this time, those behind cover actually remained alive(imagine that).

Maybe spawn a rabbit with that sound in the bush? Makes no real difference to be honest, the player should be focused on whats ahead anyhow.

Afterward, the convoy was disabled(I missed a tank due to the spread) and I encountered some trouble with the AI not wanting to traverse too steep of slopes. So, I was forced to move along the ridge until I was close to Hanupu.

I was engaged with a patrol when the radio for resistance delivery was issued and missed the coordinates. Instead I went onto Hanupu, where a cinematic of the spetz group approached the town. I think the resistance fighters began firing on them because the car stopped, the officer got out and went prone in the grass for a while. I also noticed some dead soldiers in the car. After a while, the officer gets up and stands there. Moments later it switches to him walking to the civy, the car has been moved? And the cinema plays out. I approach the town, the officer is standing still, the uaz is nowhere in sight, and there are 2 other soldiers in the town(survivors from the resistance shooting at the car I guessed) I take em all out, climb the hill and totally overlook the radio command at first. Nothing happens so I begin to run toward Pacamac. That's when I trigger the resistance to part ways with us along the road. Rid of them, I finally see the radio command and rush to the hill and call for evac.

The entire mission there were no tasks displayed in the task area(Which is why I was confused what to do at times). Out of all of those tasks(according to the mission log) only 3 completed..."Attack convoy", "Little Bother" and "Evac". If I had not played this one before, I may have not been able to finish.

Also, none of the map markers disappeared after completion. Removing those and only displaying the current marker would also help to guide the player.

The mission end cutscene had some dark scenes that were pointless.

OUTRO
I think I could see your vision of how you wanted this to unfold but it seemed a little cut up and the flow was disrupted by poor angles and swift camera sweeps as well as uncontrolled AI movement.

OVERALL
The only potential bug was at the end as I explained with that cinema. What if the resistance would have killed the officer? Would the scene had continued or become stuck?
If you're not going to use tasks, use markers and waypoints as guides for the player. And force the resistance to hold fire at the start of that cutscene just in the case the player brings them with him to Hanupu.

Perfect length, I feel. The mission was not too taxing but as the same time, challenging in that it provides a sense of how unexpected events can effect a mission at any moment, forcing a unit to adjust and dig deep to find that extra strength to keep going to see it through.

The horrors of war have become so visible in our internet society that people have become numb to its effect. So trying to portray not only the grisly nature of ending someones precious life early but the effects of it upon someones mentality can be a daunting task in these days.
I think much of the depth of what you tried to convey was lost in your attempt to bring it to Arma. If the faces had animation to show emotion, you would have been much more successful.

I realize that this is only a port. I don't think you have the heart to mess with it much more(I wouldn't). Just fix the markers, the tasks or guidance system and prevent the AI from interfering with cut scenes and I think it would all be good.

[johnnyboy]

Finally put another hour into this and got as far as Pacamac.  Everything works perfect, no bugs.  Sniper before Pacamac was puzzling, I could see his muzzle flashes, but not him.  Sent civ as bait over to him, and he didn't take the bait.  So I ran away from him.

I dropped my weapons in Pacamac and took 2 steps back and they hosed me.  Guess I need to stand still.  Will find out next session.

One more grammer correction: When you get new orders to go to Pacamac, there is this phrase:  "take over the coast for since a few days".  Remove the word "since".

I still think this is one of the best (if not the best) SP mission I've played.

I admit a few stretches were long walks and I 4Xed them.

[Undeceived]

Now these were some thrilling posts - very immersing as well!

SBG you did it! You really found a way to destroy the mission. Good job! I never thought about what happens if the player takes the resistance fighters along to Hunapu. I'll take care of that, the farewell should take place in every case - if not at the designated place then on the way to the village.

On the missing tasks - damn, this is a bug! I experienced it as well (normally every task should be there) but have no idea how to reproduce and how to fix it. If all fails, I'll probably put a note in the briefing. The solution is to exit the mission and then resume it.

Other than that - great posts full of useful feedback. Still some work to do. Thanks, guys!


Edit:
Somehow I overlooked Manzilla - I'll definitely add him. And the Readme still is "alpha" too.

[Undeceived]

Fear not, guys, the project isn't abandoned.

It's just that I have the absolute ultimate excuse for the break: I've got a child.

Need some time to get back to normality but it won't take so long anymore.

Other than that I'm happy not having released the mission as Apex came out and many players jumped on it.

[Undeceived]

Thanks!


I have a new version ready and released it "officially" now.

Thanks again for your time and feedback, guys! 👍☺ This beta phase was real fun, especially here and not releasing it elsewhere (which for me is what beta is meant to be).

A new project should be ready for testing soon. 😎

Btw., as many of you (in A1 times too) mentioned the noise that comes when the player approaches the Black Venom camp in the forest ☺ - the Spetsnaz unit now has a warning system, spread around the camp.

[Undeceived]

Thanks mate!
Really appreciate your time and patience.
I copied it now, you can remove it.

[savedbygrace]

Well brother from another mother, feel like finishing this one? Or would you prefer your other submission first?

[Undeceived]

Nice, SBG bringing a breath of fresh air in these halls!

Finish? I consider it finished since 2016, since then I didn't touch it. Or are you planning to review it?

Underdogs is considered finished as well, btw.



EDIT:

Oops, sorry, I saw that I updated the mission in March 2023. I'll update the first posts of my projects...
(Done)

[savedbygrace]

I'm reviewing Bobcat at the moment. I'll get yours next.