[Arma3] Steal Qilin by NightJay0044

Review by Gruntage

Overview

Whilst the overview is simple, it does a decent job of conveying the objective of the mission. Overkill was certainly avoided here.

Intro

None. I do believe that no matter how simple a mission is, there is always room for some sort of introduction cinematic. Intros are a perfect tool for setting the stage and establishing the stakes, not to mention also being an immersion multiplier. We could have learned about how the FIA acquired the Qilin, or how the we've come to learn of the Qilin's whereabouts. These things can of course be communicated through the written briefing, but a picture paints a thousand words, as they say. So, in summary, it would have improved the overall quality of the mission had there been cinematics.

Briefing

This briefing is, in a word, brief! Given how simple the mission's objective is, a large written briefing would have been unnecessary. What we are presented with is decent for the scale of the mission; we have the objective described in a concise manner, and we have some intel to provide some background to the story.

Mission

The mission begins with the player having just taken control of a small house on the outskirts of the mountain village of Abdera. With the infiltration having already been done, it is now up to the player to decide what path to take; a stealthy approach or a gung-ho all-guns-blazing approach. Whilst the latter approach may seem appealing to some, it's worth noting that CSAT reinforcements will scramble to safeguard their Qilin. This is a nice progression towards realism; the player can opt for a more daring strategy but will be punished as a result. The stealthy approach however is by no means a walk in the park; the village is well-guarded, and sentries are well-placed.

The author has also implemented a randomised location of the Qilin, which adds to the replayability of the mission. Whilst the mission is simple in its structure, in keeping with the original mission from Operation Flashpoint, it's good that the author has taken the time to add some improvements, such as ambient wildlife and an appropriate time of day. I found the best part of the mission was racing out of town with the Qilin; it's simple but a nice pay-off for the time taken to locate and seize the Qilin. The music is a nice addition here too.

Outro(s)

None.

Special

As said previously, whilst the mission is simple, what stands out are the subtle improvements made on the original 'Steal the Car' mission. The replayability of the mission is certainly there, and the realism is a nice touch.

Overall

With this mission, the author set out to create some quick fun for the player. I think the author has succeeded in this endeavour. Moreover, I commend the author for taking the time to improve on the original mission. Whilst it would have been nice to have seen some cinematics (which would have improved the overall mission score), what we have here is a worthy play regardless.

For those wishing to subscribe to the mission on the Steam workshop, here is a link to the mission: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2365621084