[COOP/SP] Marshal of Savanna [sandbox A2 Isla Duala]

[ArmAIIholic 10]

[COOP15] Marshal of Savannah [sandbox A2 Isla Duala]

Story

The story follows protagonist, codename Teal Brass Doberman, as he attempts to prevent the OPFOR forces taking control of weapon trafficking secrets on Isla Duala, 2009.

Duala is an African big island ~56km2 divided into two warring countries: Afrene on South and Molatia on North. River divides the two countries with a buffer-zone in between, monitored by international peacekeepers.

Features

15 mercenaries slots -- a simple assault rifle, grenadier, medic, marksman or balaclava...

5 full scale missions and plot + 6th mission that is practically open ended.

Powered by new WICT v7.0c which create all warfare around you.

Don't be Rambo --- you need to survive here!!! Difficulty is increasing gradually.

All support you need --- tactical airlift focused on deploying resources and material in mid-flight, each support type has time penalty -- combine them wisely + Black Hawk transport.

Artillery is at your disposal at any time --- annihilate enemy or just make your way through enemy lines.

Norrin's revive script --- you have 60 sec to revive your teammate.

Occasional civilian life and patrols.

Time shifts --- enjoy the beauty of Isla Duala, both during night and day!

Required addons

RCIR - UN Peacekeepers by Sander

Desert Mercenaries and BlackOps by SchnapsdroSel

Isla Duala 1.81 by IceBreakr

Download

Editor files open for you to have a peek in :

http://www.mediafire.com/?pl1viug26apiuu7

http://rapidshare.com/files/452206007/Marshal_of_savannah_editor.zip

PBO MP version :

http://www.duckload.com/download/3642216/Marshal_of_savannah_PBO.zip

http://rapidshare.com/files/452206177/Marshal_of_savannah_PBO.zip

Thanx goes to aurondude for helping with plot twist (but I simplified it a little bit, since I didn't have time to make more missions), and also to zapat for helping me with scripting WICT v7.0c.

Story & Characters:

Teal Brass Doberman: An BLUFOR agent sent with his team on the Duala to do the dirty work. Very little information is known about his background, other than he was raised in some OPFOR country as the son of an BLUFOR ambassador to OPFOR before the war broke out, that he studied at Tin Snake Willisburg shortly after BLUFOR's entrance into the war, and the fact that he was chosen for this mission because Balabango was his childhood home, long ago when Duala was OPFOR colony.

Marshal Nelson Hamada: A military marshal who Teal Brass Doberman is assigned to help capture and escort out of Duala to any BLUFOR country in order to prevent him from falling into the hands of the OPFOR. Hamada played a key role in helping the BLUFOR develop weapon trafficking plans, and is therefore wanted by the OPFOR for his knowledge on the subject.

General Russel Mahdi: The Congress Leaders have always known that Hamada visited Duala several times before to meet his old friend Mahdi, but never suspected that he has been abducted by Russel Mahdi. The Congress Leaders mistakenly believe that someone (Top Secret Agent), who's often visited Mahdi, has spent the last two years using newest technology to secretly record the intimate conversations between Hamada and Mahdi. However, weapon trafficking never came up as conversation topic.

Now, the war is raging and it is clear that Molatia forces got their weapons from somewhere. It is up to the Teal Brass Doberman and his team to find how they got their weapons and to investigate Marshal Hamada’s and Mahdi’s connection with that war.

The highest figures in command chain of Afrene troops have actively concealed the fact that every person who was connected with weapon smuggling and escaped alive from Duala has spent the last five years running from a team of elite commandos all over the world, possibly under direct orders from Mahdi. Therefore, our intel says that Hamada’s family might be in danger, since there is no evidence that he has any financial or political interest in such operations.

Our forces do not have clearance to investigate whether or not Marshal Hamada is performing any illegal operations connected with weapon smuggling; therefore Teal Brass Doberman is our only chance. We need reliable intel in order to successfully cut off smuggling pathways. Helping Hamada’s family might be a good way to make Hamada testify against Mahdi.

Military installations:

The biggest strategic importance in both countries have airports. There are two major ones used for military and also civilian traffic. Two more are dirt runways (NW Molatia and SE Afrene) and used mainly by small planes. There's a word that drugs and weapons are shipped in and out of the country this way.

Border & Buffer zone:

Afrene didn't build fence wall, but Molatia constructed it all along the border marking their territory they gained in 10-year war. After peace treaty Afrene and Molatia build couple of outposts along the border. There's no confirmation on mine fields, but in decade long war a lot of them were placed and later removed by international mine clearing teams. Afrene built a wall around a border town on East in order to stop Molatian terrorists travelling around. Both sides also have powerful air radars covering most valleys. Afrene set up a heliport near border to stop smuggling operations. Molatia uses helicopters stationed far North in safe cover of thick jungle. There is a rumor that jungle outposts also house OPFOR instructors training local troops, but there is no official word on that.

Settlements and towns:

Both Afrene and Molatia have capitol towns: Kinsella and Balabango. Slums can be found in both, majority of people living on Duala are very poor. Smaller towns feature markets, industrial compounds, rent houses, offices, etc. All towns and villages are marked on map.

Edited March 12, 2011 by ArmAIIholic

[-)rStrangelove 0]

-- placing enemy and friend bases, their configuration (infantry, light vehicles, tanks, air etc.)

Hey mate,

so i could send you placements of buildings & other objects as a mission.sqf (as you described in your spawning-the-beast article right?

Can you do the configuration part? Because this is specific for WICT and i dunno how to do this.

[ArmAIIholic 10]

Yes of course, but just stick to the story --- OPFOR are on the north and BLUFOR are on the south.

You could focus on placing objects, bases, road blocks etc. I can do soldiers and other units if you like. If you do something like that, I can use some positions for WICT bases later.

Thanx mate

P.S. anyone else who wants to help like this --- pick a spot on the map and place some objects in 3D editor. Thanx in advance

[ArmAIIholic 10]

Here I am posting a map with some markers if anyone is interested to help.

There are some numbers marking global areas, from 1 to 12, so you can pick a number and write a story - mission, objective, side quest, whatever you like.

Players will start on the island that has numbers 1,2,3.

1) Gilberto Gavia is kept in a maximum security prison by international peacekeepers. He knows that it's only a matter of time before only person last spotted in Balabango that has spoken to General Russel Mahdi is deported for interrogation out of the island. His helicopter is scheduled to fly off the island by the cover of darkness. Afrene units and BLUFOR forces need him to give up any intel he has, therefore that helicopter must not leave the island. Teal Brass Doberman and his men need to do this job, quickly, quietly and efficiently.

2)...

3) Hugo Mounger is a serious businessman, as he likes to call himself. He is involved in drugs trafficking and all sort of "soul-healing" plants grow in the plantage so expensive and large that no one can touch him, even the peacekeepers forces. He is simply out of reach. But not for Teal Brass Doberman...

4)

5)

6)

7)

etc.

---> So pick a number, location, event, write a story, it is not much. You can let free your imagination, follow the story and help me make this.

You can even add location, send me coordinates or nearest city/village.

Don't be afraid to write several stories.

Thanx in advance,

Sincerely,

ArmAIIholic

Click on this image

[katipo66 94]

Cool idea AH2! i always wanted to see a good assassination type scenario... ill write something up and send to you

[ArmAIIholic 10]

5) Intel is pointing out several disguised groups to be mistaken for local fishermen working in this region around dirt runway in SE Afrene. The runway is not guarded well, because heavy military forces around this position could reveal the location of the runway. However, we have doubts that enemy already know about the location and that they are ready to assault and take position.

[ArmAIIholic 10]

---

Katipo66 and zapat suggested I need to provide more guidance for mission design.

As I mentioned above Teal Brass Doberman and his team are special forces, but sort of mercenaries --- they are not declared as BLUFOR side and they don't need clearance for any actions. If they are caught there is high probability they need to find their way out without any help. They are not stationed in any base, regularly, and although I didn't decide whether they will have some "secret" camp or not, they definitely go from point A to point B, without need to go back to some kind of base.

This is free-roam and player will have complete freedom to go anywhere (starting at point A, multiple Bs). Missions WILL differ if you have completed some other mission first!!! In other words, mission can and will be interconnected.

As I said about the outline Teal Brass Doberman and his team are trying to find Hamada's family, because BLUFOR and Afrene governments suspect they are hold in captive to make Hamada cooperate. But in the same time they have to find Hamada himself and to arrest or eliminate Mahdi and his associates.

Players are BLUFOR/west faction, but independent of that faction. I downloaded Desert Mercenaries and BlackOps by SchnapsdroSel, so I will be using some of those models.

Locations on the map are just given so you can focus on some area and mission design is completely free.

--what type of missions are needed and even what locations so that people can go to the places in the map and visulize a mission

---Do you need idea, or

-Do you need a detailed story, or

-Do you need a mission(part) WITH story.

If I knew all of that, I wouldn't need help :D :cool:

1. First I need idea with some story
   
2. If you can provide details that is great
   
3. If you can provide location and broader concept -- that is excellent
   
4. If you can help me develop the plot (just a conspiracy theory) that is more than welcome
   

- Find and destroy rebel base in Kirabo

- Arrest warlord in Canto

- Ambush weapons convoy between Balabango and Xibo

etc etc

great thought from Katipo66, so when I start making missions I will have that in mind.

Which types of missions? -- any type there is in SecOps and I am quoting here:

"ambush","attack_location","trap","rescue","patrol","escort","defend_location","destroy","search" (missions available via SOM).

But if you can think something more, something tightly connected to the story, to help me develop the plot etc.

You can use these if you need:

Random Conspiracy Theory (just to inspire you)

The Random Name Generator

Codename, codeword or project name using the generator

Thanx,

ArmAIIholic

[katipo66 94]

Nice AH2, thats a lot clearer, i like the mercenary angle... im picturing FarCry2 for obvious reasons, could be a source off inspiration :D

Maybe a good idea to update the first post with that somewhere

[ArmAIIholic 10]

Yes, the best analogy is FarCry2, but instead for alone shooter, it should be for a team COOP or SP.

I updated the first post.

[zapat 54]

Allright, I gotcha now...

I'll send you two pieces this week. I just need to walk a bit around Isla duala.

I guess I send you what I have soon and will add details later on.

One mission to rule them all!

[ArmAIIholic 10]

-- removed --

Edited February 27, 2011 by ArmAIIholic

[ArmAIIholic 10]

-- removed --

Edited February 27, 2011 by ArmAIIholic

[ArmAIIholic 10]

We are back in the game with WICT 7.0, so if anyone is willing to help, please join the ride...

[djczing 10]

Actually A2H, I was messing with WICT yesterday, trying to get my first small mission going.

Coincidentally, it was on Duala, at the border crossing. The mission concept and name was going to be 'border patrol'.

I wasnt able to get WICT spawning anything, as im sorry to say the wiki is a bit difficult to follow. Even the 'create a mission in 3 steps' didnt work well because, well, step #3 wasnt explained well - I assumed I was supposed to just move on to base creation, safe zone creation, etc. So, I created 2 bases (blue and red) just to get it working, but couldnt. I wasnt clear whether I needed to be using the editor in server mode if I was creating the mission for servers, or if I could use the editor in SP mode, and still be able to preview.

In any case, I like the concept of your tool. A couple things im hoping you will consider is:

1. Integration of UPSMON

2. Finishing the tool by putting a front-end on it that will create the zones, markers and bases, and that will edit the existing startup files to reflect spawn ratios and probabilities.

Ill be playing with it again here wihtin the next couple of days. I think my biggest issue with your instructions is due to my relative ignorance regarding using triggers and markers as a whole, and inexperience in doing so.

Thanks for your work. I hope your duala mission works out. I, too, would like a sandbox on duala. It could be epic, and there are already some bases and outposts around to use. I was going to start at the border crossing and build out.

First, though, I have to successfully make it work with 1 base per side, then I can expand on the theme.

[ArmAIIholic 10]

Start WICT from init.sqf

//{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{} AUTO START WICT{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}{}
// negative number means OFF, greater or equal than 0 = number of seconds
_null = [5] execVM "WICT\autoStart.sqf";

Place two triggers regInfantry_0 blue and regInfantry_1 red about 500m apart?

How hard could it be? I really made it easy in new version.

All base types are unlocked, it is the same as in video on Youtube, but instead mixedBase, you write regInfantry.

In the editor you can use both SP and MP template --- MP works only if you make PBO MP....

Play with that tool, and if you have trouble PM me.

I didn't test it with UPSMON. Everything I need can be created with WICT -- it has own patrol + it can be created in detail with Murklor's script.

[katipo66 94]

So how do you want it, from 3D editor .sqf? also what units etc?

[djczing 10]

Ok so if MP only works if you make a pbo, then what you are saying is that to just preview it in the editor after setting up the bases wouldnt work right ?

I /think/ that was my problem then.

Sure its a piece of cake to use -- if you are used to triggers, markers, scripts, and the editor.

Once I get it to work once, then ill be on my way !

[aurondude 10]

While I am horrible at mission-making (the WICT tool is WAY too confusing for me), I can write/flesh-out the story for you. Just let me know if you need some kind of story/mission briefing made, and I'd be happy to help.

Just to clarify: So two factions are trying to capture a weapons dealer who was helping BLUFOR smuggle weapons. Somehow this man was captured by someone named Mahdi, who is part of OPFOR, and even though Mahdi and this weapon's dealer (Hamada) are friends, Mahdi is holding Hamada captive. So OPFOR has the BLUFOR weapon's dealer captive, but as a twist, OPFOR has weapons smuggled in by BLUFOR, and everyone involved in the BLUFOR smuggling operation has died, so it is possible that Hamada isn't a captive, but is actually working for OPFOR, but you aren't sure. Is that all right, or did I misunderstand you somewhere?

Edited February 28, 2011 by aurondude

[ArmAIIholic 10]

@djczing "if you are used to triggers, markers, scripts, and the editor" --- there is no way to make a mission unless you use (any kind of) editor, either built-in one, or some mode.

I was talking about F2, Norrin's revive script etc. --- they work only as PBOed MP mission. WICT works in Preview mode in the editor.

Also search pages and Snippets on WICT's website --- there are some codes that you can just modify/copy/paste and you are done.

@aurondude I would use some help with the story, yes!

Hamada ONCE played a key role in helping the BLUFOR develop weapon trafficking plans. However, he was a mercenary in that job, and OPFOR is now trying to get their hands on him. Problem is, yes, Mahdi and Hamada are old friends, but Mahdi is not OPFOR, but Molitian Army. The Congress Leaders started following Hamada and there are some OPFOR activity on Duala that is in strange coincidence that Hamada is recently declared missing.

BLUFOR is trying to stop weapon trafficking (and background is that OPFOR activity would jeopardize BLUFOR business. Additional problem is that there is a war raging between Afrenian and Molitian armies and rebels and UN forces are trying to keep a piece. Therefore BLUFOR can help Afrenian and UN forces in fight against OPFOR and Molitian armies, but cannot interfere in investigations, assassinations, demolitions etc.

BLUFOR vs. OPFOR for weapons dealer, Afrenian vs. Molitian armies for power on Duala, and someone(? ) is giving weapons for both sides... + missing Hamada... and problem with Molitian leader Mahdi...

Anyone who has real story with storyline and twists please send them on PM.

If you just have suggestions that can be discussed post them here.

Thanx

--EDIT--

P.S. you can also send me now SQM from Duala, I can implement it in mission.

Edited February 28, 2011 by ArmAIIholic

[ArmAIIholic 10]

"Eagle One Bravo to Eagle One, Come In... Over..."

--"Eagle One Bravo, this is Eagle One, Over..."

"Be advised: OPFOR units spotted near maximum security prison, Over..."

--"Wait One, Standby..."

--"Intel sourced from our operatives cannot confirm such data. Proceed to the next objective."

--"Eagle One Out, Over..."

"F**k... What was that???"

[kremator 1064]

Ooooh a little teaser ?

[ArmAIIholic 10]

I still need help with stories, but yes a little teaser :D Already have 4 full missions :) -- ambassador escort, sniper assassination, prison break / breach and airport defend...

And I finally made decent time shifter, so one second is 1.5 minute in the game, so 24h passes in 16 min of real gameplay...... Duala is simply beautiful when sun comes up above savanna :)

And I am waiting Duala 1.9 :D :cool:

--P.S.--

It now looks like weather changes you can see in Crysis, Far Cry 2 or Just Cause 2. It is really ashame that they didn't made it as an option in the game.

To quote Victor Farbau:

The typical SP or MP Mission lasts between 15min and 1h. If you want to see scenic daylight changes during your missions it might happen that you never reach dawn, never get past that midday sun and never see sunset.

Edited March 5, 2011 by ArmAIIholic

[kremator 1064]

The main problem I find with time shifters is the speed of clouds ! If there was a way to make clouds move at normal speed whilst also shifting time then I'd be overjoyed.

Sounds good so far A2H.

PS. Oh and BTW I have been looking at intergrating WICT into VTS but there is a problem with markers atm. Hopefully gonza and L'etranger can fix it as I think a marriage between VTS and WICT would be absolutely awesome !

[ArmAIIholic 10]

1) speed of clouds

2) there is a problem with markers

1) They are still moving with increased speed, but I fine tuned it so they move smoothly. It is crazier to see shadows moving faster, but clouds and weather not, right (IMHO)?

Problem with Hornet's nest were instant jumps and very fast time flow. Now it is increased but fluent, so it is more natural.

What I improved is that speed up is fine tuned and there is periodical synchronization with server, so it ensures stable time flow on all clients. It really looks amazing.

2) Maybe pre-placing markers... then editing with VTS... dunno...

[domokun 515]

@ArmaIIholic: sounds awesome but your time acceleration of 1 sec = 1.5 mins sounds awfully fast. Have you tried dialing it down slightly? Say, 1 sec = 1 min? Congrats on the award btw. Well deserved!