[SP] The Battle of Tora Bora (Deep Recon)

[h34dup 147]

Out now on Armaholic (v0.91): http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=17216

My goal with this mission, and with most of my missions, is to recreate an actual op that happened in the real world. This op took place on December 9, 2001, and was mentioned at in the book I used as reference, but not described in detail. Having seen a request for a deep recon mission on the Armaholic boards, and with deep recon being one of my favorite mission styles, I decided to recreate December 9th, 2001 in the Tora Bora Mountains.

Requirements:

Arma 2 Combined Operations

Tora Bora (island) by Chill xl - http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=12969

Tier One Operators (units) by McNools - http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=11249

Research:

I've been reading about the Battle of Tora Bora that took place in December of 2001, when Coalition forces almost had bin Laden cornered. Based on the account in this book, A Different Kind of War: The United States Army in Operation Enduring Freedom 2001-2005 ( http://www.scribd.com/doc/34259081/A-Different-Kind-of-War ), I've done my best to reconstruct the battlefield on December 9, 2001, based on maps from the book, accounts of the situation at the time from ODA 572, and a bit of imagination.

Mission:

As a member of Task Force 11 (TF11), an elite Coalition SOF organization made up of US and UK Tier One operators, you must command 4-man AFO Viper on a DEEP RECONNAISSANCE mission in enemy-held territory. This mission makes use of well over half of the 'island', and features a minimal but engaging storyline.

(Optional) Request assistance from Eastern Alliance (EA) 'security chief' Hazrat Ali

Phase 1 - Rendezvous with ODA 572 and the other half of your team at OP Cobra Alpha

Phase 2 - Assault defensive line at Gharunta village and destroy reported enemy weapons cache

Phase 3 - Perform deep recon on villages of Sanaag Bari, Wanat, and Yak Ghar

Phase 4 - After completing your objectives, you must return to friendly territory and report back to TF11 TOC

(Optional) Find and eliminate the Al-Qaeda HVT before he leaves the AO

Features:

* Average playthrough time will be at least 1-1.5 hrs, makes use of more than half of the "island"

* Highly detailed briefing modelled after the US Army's "5-paragraph format"

* Access to customized ATV with M107 (similar to what you see in Medal of Honor 2011)

* Optional objectives can earn you extra manpower and backup

* Randomness applied to enemy forces chance of spawning and waypoints, allowing for replay value

* Many tactical approaches allow you to tackle the challenge in your preferred style

* Things like fuel and terrain become highly important when using the ATVs as intended

* Little details populate your HQ, the no-man's land, and the menacing mountains surrounding the objectives

Screens:

A screen of your custom ATV, "Ol' Skanky" (ATVs are ideal for the rugged terrain)

TF11's TOC (Tactical Operations Center) across the road from EA HQ

Speak to Hazrat Ali and you might be able to procure some extra backup

Deep recon is all about getting as close as possible without being detected

Edited July 21, 2012 by h34dup

[Craig_VG 20]

This looks really well done, and very detailed!

I love a good SP mission, so I'll be checking it out!

[h34dup 147]

Thanks bobtom, 90% of the mission structure is in-place, so it will be very detailed while I take the time to optimize everything, add functionality, and test, etc. But it should be ready for beta release soon!

Edited July 14, 2012 by h34dup

[h34dup 147]

Did some improving and play testing earlier. Very satisfying mission, definitely going to appeal to people who enjoy longer, more involved missions like the deep recon mission in Operation Cobalt for example. The mission is feasible from the total stealth perspective, the sniper's perspective, or the cqb perspective...and it's enjoyable to try these different approaches.

I think the people who play it will like it a lot, just wish there would be a better way to hear from those people. Feedback is so encouraging, so feel free to give a shout if you think this sounds cool!

[Kommiekat 11]

I think the people who play it will like it a lot, just wish there would be a better way to hear from those people. Feedback is so encouraging, so feel free to give a shout if you think this sounds cool!

Is the mission out yet? Is it ready an any phase for testing and commenting on?

I see that it's "coming out" but no "out", so of course, cannot comment on something I cannot test for you.

Cheers

[h34dup 147]

Is the mission out yet? Is it ready an any phase for testing and commenting on?

I see that it's "coming out" but no "out", so of course, cannot comment on something I cannot test for you.

Cheers

It will most likely be released this week, going to spend another day or so tightening things up, adding a second bonus objective, reworking the story and bringing in more research. Also need to square away debriefing, scenario screen img/txt and a loadscreen.

I'll admit I was slightly inebriated when I made the above post whining about how it's not getting more of a response, so you have a point, but I do look forward to hearing from people once it is out there. :p

Edited July 16, 2012 by h34dup

[spotter001 82]

it looks very promising. i like this type of missions, deep spec ops recon. can't wait to try it out.

[h34dup 147]

Things are definitely on-track. Today, I added an optional objective to take out an Al-Qaeda HVT who travels around the AO-- you have about an hour and a half to find and kill him before he heads south and the CIA takes care of it. The CIA coordinator, Gary (a reference to the author of Jawbreaker, one of my research sources) gives you periodic updates of the HVT's reported position.

Here's a preview of the loading screen, which shows AFO Viper, your 4-man recon team from Task Force 11 (TF11)

From L-R: Kraken, Puma, Hooch (you), Widow.

Only a few things left to do, another round or two of testing and then I'll submit to Armaholic and link here.

[Cyberide 1]

Cant wait to play this. Hope its good.

[spotter001 82]

very nice artwork! am sure this campaign will have so much immersion...

[h34dup 147]

More testing, more tweaking, I have just about everything ready to go, only issues still yet to be addressed are less critical and more abstract...

But if anyone can offer suggestions in the following areas, I would gladly look into the suggestions and appreciate the input:

* Should I be thinking about a custom FSM, is there an easy way to implement a solution that I can make sense of (I've read and understand the theory, never applied it), I see a couple of Community Tools, etc. but never thought about it until I got to this point.

* Or, should I forget about FSM and simply work more .sqf scripting in?

* Or, should I quit worrying about things that aren't a big deal anyway for now and release it so you can give it a try and tell me what you think?

* Any way to improve ATV physics or overall driving behavior (the AI does great on roads, but really has trouble on the rougher terrain of Tora Bora)

* Still investigating some strange behavior from TPW's houselights script, which I'm thinking may be connected to using Tora Bora specifically, if anyone has had freezing or unwarranted error msgs, plz check that thread over in the editing section...

Totally into adding others' released scripts to improve/add functionality, but it's just tough to know which ones are worth my while. I want to use TPWCAS but I don't want to make CBA a requirement. I may mess with this Urban Patrol Script I just stumbled across. Any other recommendations are welcome!

[Guess Who 10]

Hi, looking really forward to test out this mission.

Because you asked for some advice: use the resources at hand, the editor. Only use custom stuff if you can't get things working or looking you want without it. Don't make the mission depending on custom addons, because you will loose a lot of your audience.

UPS is very good for randomizing AI patrols but it's also very demanding on performance. Use it wisely.

CBA is a must have anyway nowadays, since almost every addon uses it.

[h34dup 147]

Thanks-- exactly the kind of feedback I'm looking for.

CBA is indeed a must, but I just know I'm more inclined to try a mission (and it seems others are as well), when the requirements list is short and sweet (basically what you just said). Anyway sounds like some of these issues I listed are things to explore in a subsequent update. I'll probably work through things for one more round and then submit.

Excited for you guys to try it!

[Guess Who 10]

Excited for you guys to try it!

I really like Deep Recon stuff. Go ahead ... :ok:

[h34dup 147]

Alright, here's what I'm going to do. Before submitting to Armaholic officially on Friday, July 20, I am going to link a pre-beta for people who have been following this thread to test out. I will edit and remove this link once submitted to Armaholic, and I may make changes between then and now.

If you decide to give it a try, please be sure to let me know how the mission played out. Maybe give it 2 play-throughs and make different choices. Your thoughts and opinions are welcome, but hearing about your experiences will really help me decide what, if anything, to change about the mission before submitting it in 48 hrs and beyond that.

Hope you enjoy!

EDIT: The link is now removed as I submit to Armaholic, keep an eye out for it there.

Edited July 20, 2012 by h34dup
Remove 0.90 download link while 0.91 is submitted

[Cyberide 1]

Hey h34dup, just thought I'd give you some quick feedback (still playing it).

1.) Any chance you can make the other 3 squad members playable so we can "team switch" into them? The AI path-finding for the ATVs is pretty horrendous and oftentimes they wont respond to my being downed (ie. offer first-aid) so it would be helpful to be able to switch into them and get them on task before switching back to Hooch.

2.) The AI for the ATVs is borderline useless. They cant path-find to save their life, they move agonisingly slow, they constantly flip and just sit there (forcing the others following to just stop in their tracks as well).

3.) All four team-members should have NVGs by default too, as they did in real life.

Anyway, just a quick heads up. The mission seems very professionally done and is quite cool so far. Going to go back and keep playing. Cheers.

[h34dup 147]

Hey thanks a lot for the feedback Cyberide!

1) That is actually a great idea. I found that the AI while trying to get around was one of the biggest challenges for just that reason...yet sometimes it seemed to do pretty well on the dirt roads. Anyway, that may be a decent fix-- Widow is playable from the get-go, and then Puma and Kraken become playable if you decide to bring them in...or something. I've been thinking a lot about doing a Co-op version of the mission, but I'm not sure what I'd need to change in what I have there now. (If anyone is willing to explain or point me in the right direction re: doing MP missions as an SP-only editor, please PM me!).

2) You're right, it can be a pain. To address this, I added the flip/repair, but if a squadmate falls way behind it becomes a PITA to backtrack and find him. I also made it possible to only approach the mission with yourself and Widow, so you would only need 1 ATV and not have to worry about the 'family vacation' effect. I think maybe the best solution yet will be to make the other guys playable-- that way you should be able to use the flip/repair ATV. Or maybe only make them playable when the ATV flips or is damaged, hmmm.

3) Your other 3 team members actually do receive NVGs when you cross the front-lines into enemy territory (Widow makes a comment about this when the trigger is activated), so they'll have NVGs as soon as you enter the danger zone, but I've always thought it looked goofy for AI to wear NVGs by default even when just standing around, so that's why I removed the NVGs when you see them initially.

So yeah, thanks a lot for the suggestions. Glad you are digging it so far!

Edited July 19, 2012 by h34dup

[Cyberide 1]

Awesome man. Yeah I think making the other team members playable will fix a lot of those issues too. It's a good compromise.

Regarding the NVGs, you're absolutely right. They had them as soon as we crossed the front-lines. Perfect way of doing it mate :)

I seem to have run in to a bug now though. I've finished all the objectives (even the optional one to kill the HVT) and have made it back to the TOC (which is my only remaining objective) but it's not triggering complete. Is there a specific action I need to do in order to trigger it? I'm standing right on the marker outside the TOC building (I even went inside to see if I had to talk to anyone in there, but no options came up).

Other than that, brilliant mission mate. Thoroughly enjoyed it. One of the best SP missions I've played in a long time :)

[h34dup 147]

Thrilled to hear you enjoyed it! Means my hard work has paid off :cool:

In order to finish the mission you need to speak to Buffalo actual inside the TOC (the white guy who was across the table from you in the beginning), he'll salute you and offer condolences if any of your squadmates were killed, then the "In memory of" screen and it should end. I will update the marker location and the task description so this is clearer- thanks!

EDIT: Updates have been made, version 0.91 will be submitted tmrw afternoon on Armaholic-- Active AFO Viper and EA teammates are playable (if you choose take them on your team, not from the get-go), and Phase 4 briefing/marker have been updated to remove confusion, Buffalo will now walk out to the front step to meet the player at the end. And I will add people who share their experience to the credits as a thank-you for testing.

Feedback/suggestions is welcome folks!

Edited July 19, 2012 by h34dup
v0.91 updates

[Cyberide 1]

h34dup, I forgot to add that I also get a message popup after I've played the mission saying "tpw_houselights108.sqf not found" or something like that. It doesn't seem to affect the mission and only pops up after you exit the mission and return to the Single Player Scenarios screen. Not sure if it's a bug or something I've done wrong?

Looking forward to playing the new version. Cheers.

[Guess Who 10]

h34dup, I forgot to add that I also get a message popup after I've played the mission saying "tpw_houselights108.sqf not found" or something like that. It doesn't seem to affect the mission and only pops up after you exit the mission and return to the Single Player Scenarios screen. Not sure if it's a bug or something I've done wrong?

Looking forward to playing the new version. Cheers.

That's an island config glitch of Tora Bora; annoying but unharmful.

[h34dup 147]

Yeah, GuessWho and I were looking into that earlier in the wk, along with the brief freeze when the game first starts and TPW HL boots up (I simply covered this up with an [initializing] mention at the title screen). Both issues appear to be unavoidable and aren't game-breaking, but thanks for pointing them out!

BoTBv0.91 will be submitted this afternoon to Armaholic. If anyone else would care to share their impressions I would highly appreciate to hear/read them! C'mon gents I know Cyberide wasn't the only one who gave 'er a try!

[Kommiekat 11]

I have some of the same "complaints" as the others, but I'm enjoying it so far.

I like the early music that comes in and then goes out (doesn't play throughout the mission which is a plus for me) and sets the atmosphere.

I also like the tidbits of info that comes in as you get deeper into the mission.

Liked the map you used. Nice to do something on a less used map.

Liked your placement of NPCs throughout the mission (not finished yet).

Good job!

[Guess Who 10]

Yeah, GuessWho and I were looking into that earlier in the wk, along with the brief freeze when the game first starts and TPW HL boots up (I simply covered this up with an [initializing] mention at the title screen). Both issues appear to be unavoidable and aren't game-breaking, but thanks for pointing them out!

BoTBv0.91 will be submitted this afternoon to Armaholic. If anyone else would care to share their impressions I would highly appreciate to hear/read them! C'mon gents I know Cyberide wasn't the only one who gave 'er a try!

I'll be trying it tomorrow. Guess I'll have to download McNools Tier One Operators then ...

---------- Post added at 05:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:04 PM ----------

Liked the map you used. Nice to do something on a less used map.

Good job!

Tora Bora is just lovely. You should try Wolle's "Mountain Exkursion".

[h34dup 147]

Version 0.91 beta has been submitted to Armaholic as the official release! Should hopefully be through the review process soon!

Only real changes are that your other 3 AFO Viper mates and EA backup are now playable depending on whether you bring them in, and a clarified/simplified Phase 4.

Seriously thanks guys for your feedback and support! Please rate or comment when it gets posted if you enjoyed so it will be easier for others to find. :rolleyes: