Scouting and side missions FAQ

[wattywatts 76]

I'm starting this thread to put an end to all the confusion here :)

Below are facts of how they currently work on the dev branch.

"Main missions" - classic campaign missions

"Scouting missions" - optional missions, where you can explore the wonderful places of Stratis and Altis, collect equipment from the deceased you find or make and improve your tactical and combat skills

"Side-quests" aka Side missions - optional tasks of various kinds included in the scouting missions itself

Scouting missions

1. How to start the scouting mission?

- leave the base by foot in any direction.

- activate the "Start scouting" action from the quad-bike (Survive, Adapt) or offroad (Adapt only) at the base (if you cannot find it, open map and zoom in, there's a marker "Patrol").

The map will open and you'll be able to choose from few predefined starting points. They are dependent if you go on foot or with a vehicle.

You can only go for scouting before being informed about an upcoming main mission.

2. How many scouting missions are there?

There are five scouting missions, one for each base.

All enemy patrols have a certain chance to be present in each playthrough - so stay aware even in the areas which were enemy-free in your previous scoutings.

All empty vehicles and "unique sites" (corpses with valuable equipment etc.) have also a certain chance to be present. However after you have found them already, they will be taken/stolen/looted/buried by locals afterwards.

3. How many times can I go to the scouting mission?

As many times as you want before you move to another base or have to go for a main mission.

4. Is there any time limit for the scouting missions?

Yes, it's the remaining time for the next main mission briefing.

If you fail to get back before timeout for next mission, you will be automatically moved back to base.

5. Where can I get any vehicles?

There is always a default vehicle at the base you can use.

There are also usually some vehicles close to the starting positions of the mission. Beside these, you can find some vehicles in almost every city and mostly also in the AO of the side-quests.

6. Can I take some comrades-in-arms to the scouting?

Yes, at Gori and Topolia in Adapt you are able to go on scouting with a small team.

- both bases have a limited pool of warriors which can accompany you

- they are always already waiting for you in the vehicle (offroad or a different one you take from the scouting)

- to go on scouting with them, activate the "Start scouting" action on a vehicle they are in

7. What equipment I collect in the mission is saved?

All equipment is saved.

8. Are the vehicles saved in some car park?

Yes, there is always a default vehicle at the base you can take to the scouting. Beside this, the vehicle you return to the base with is also saved.

If you return with more vehicles at Gori or Topolia, only yours will be saved.

9. Do any of the actions I make in the scouting missions or side-quests have an impact on the main missions?

You can 'only' have a better equipment for you and your team.

10. How can I fully heal myself if I don't have a medic?

- there are some medical trucks you can use or you can return back to base (a very skillful doctor will take care of you before you enter the base :) ).

- there is also one medic willing to accompany you while at Topolia.

11. My vehicle got immobilized, can I repair it somehow?

As you are not a repair specialist, you cannot. Try to find a new one and drive more carefully next time :p

12. I got killed by a sudden explosion, is this some sort of script?

Yes, the area you can move in is limited, yet clearly marked on the map.

13. I found/got killed by a real mine, can I defuse it somehow?

As you are not an engineer, you cannot. However some mines can be triggered by a nearby explosion or you can step over them.

A mine detector is a vital instrument in some areas.

14. It's pitch black and I don't have NV goggles.

You can always find some flashlights and chemlights in the armory. NV goggles can be otherwise found on certain types of enemy units, mostly the commanders and special forces.

Or, if you don't like dark adventures, you can first go to a next main mission (if it's not the last available mission from the current base) and go scouting later.

15. Are there any static weapons I could use?

Yes, there are few of them and some are carried by infantry support teams.

Side-quests

1. What are the side quests?

They are the optional tasks included in the scouting missions. To learn what exactly are you supposed to do in them, please read the task info.

2. How can I receive the side quest?

There are two ways - you either overhear a conversation between some men in the camp, or when you reach a pre-defined distance from the side quest's AO in the scouting mission.

3. How are the side quests distributed among the scouting missions?

Each side quest belongs only to one scouting mission. If you move to another base before completing some of them, they won't be active anymore.

4. How's it with saving the game?

The game will be automatically saved when you 1. enter the side quest's general AO and 2.when you complete the task.

Be aware that some save games may happen when you are in contact with enemies, though we made our best to have the save game areas enemy-free. I'd advise to return to base after you finish one or two side quests.

5. What happens to the objects included the side quests when I complete them?

All units, vehicles and ammo boxes will be deleted when you go to the scouting mission again. Therefore decide carefully what you want to take with you back to base.

6. How many side quests are there in total?

I'm not telling you...

Edited June 12, 2014 by WattyWatts

[wattywatts 76]

Updated. Current state in 1.18 and newest devbranch.

[OMAC 254]

Thank you very much for the excellent information! :)

One little thing I was disappointed with was the Strategic Map in the camps. Only real campaign missions were on them. I think it would be more interesting if the scouting missions, and/or the side quests learned about from guys standing around at camp, were on there also (perhaps not selectable, but their locations would be shown).

It would be very helpful if a driveable vehicle of some kind were added to the locations where you have to eliminate crews of disabled enemy vehicles. I had to walk many kms through hostile ground to get back to camp after completing those quests.

About healing at camps: so, if you approach a camp after a scouting session, you will be auto-healed? Is this a new feature in 1.18? Will the healing happen once you see the message that if you approach more closely, the scouting mission will end? If so, should you stop when that messages comes, don't approach closer, and you will be healed? This healing functionality is important to clarify.

Are important campaign changes included in current dev build? Should I wait until next stable branch to restart campaign, or should I plunge in now? I'm at 1.18 stable now, and thought that the campaign should only be played with stable builds.

I accomplished one scouting session at Topolia, and 4 at Gori:

I guess the 4 at Gori included lots of side quests, like two where I had to confirm intel of downed choppers (one CSAT "Crashed Gunship", one AAF "Hellcat Down")*, two where I had to eliminate crew of damaged AFVs ("Immobilized Armor"), two to eliminate enemy checkpoints ("Enemy Checkpoint," hooray for my sniper rifle and convenient damaged ambulance on road nearby), one to neutralize CSAT "Elite Warriors" in Syrta (one of whom was inside a house with a blocked entrance; it took forever to find him, as he apparently couldn't fire at me and couldn't leave building - I shot him through a boarded-up window), one to get the smugglers' cache ("Illegal Weapons") west of Syrta, one to kill a sniper in a factory west of Kori ("One Shot One Kill") with related nearby side quest ("Reconnaissance") to eliminate about 8 CSAT roving in hills NW of factory, and another one to get medical supplies at "Vet Clinic" in Fotia. There was also "Abandoned Battlefield" on the west coast, where you must investigate a blown enemy APC, and have to battle several squads of CSAT in the area. Man, what a lot of work, but the best way I can imagine to get to know Altis. That's 12 side quests from Gori for me. Here is my near-final scouting situation at Gori:

I think the Topolia scouting mission included 3 side quests:

"Air Dominance" was the one to eliminate high-value AAF Air Force officer in house on shore of Neri Bay. Getting back to camp after completing that mission was very difficult and time consuming, given multiple roving AFVs on roads and CSAT patrols in hills. There was even an opfor chopper which nailed my truck at one point.

There was also the awesome "Mysterious Cache" quest to investigate cache on Makrynisi island. Getting to the island is the interesting problem!

And "Weapons Dealer" to get cache near Edessa Bay. Here is my scouting situation from Topolia:

* the roving bands of CSAT ninja warriors circling the crashed chopper in "Crashed Gunship" are perhaps the most lethal, hardcore, and highly-skilled fighters I have ever experienced in Arma. If they see you, you are dead. Period. I could have taken them out with a sniper rifle, but I didn't have one. I just killed a few and got the hell out of there by the seat of my pants after confirming the intel. :eek:

Edited February 17, 2015 by OMAC

[wattywatts 76]

Each base has one repeatable scouting mission, which can be started as many times as you want (I have 14 replays of Scoutings in Adapt :)). The Scouting task is a parent task of the side missions, to distinguish them from the campaign missions.

Regarding injuries:

The injuries have never been transfered across missions, so you can simply travel back to be "auto-healed".

Regarding replaying campaign:

Double spoiler warning

There still is some work going on for the campaign, so it might be worth waiting a little longer.

As there will also be some new assets for our future projects, those which will fit, might be added as well.

[OMAC 254]

Great, thank you very much.

But can you be healed at a camp without ending the current scouting mission you are in? I think not, but...

[foffy 58]

I wanted to know if there was a list of all of the possible Scouting missions the campaign has to offer. I know I didn't do all of them in Survive, and as I have been playing Adapt I

have lost the starting base, thus removing all of the Scouting missions for that base.

I also grasped from another thread that a patch a number of weeks ago added a few more of these missions for Survive, so for the only guide I've seen, so that is outdated.

I'm only asking because I'm someone who likes to 100% games, and that includes the side stuff. Knowing I've missed a good chunk of the stuff as is makes me feel sad. I like partaking in stuff made for the game! ):

[OMAC 254]

From WattyWatts' post, I think that you are looking for a list of side quests for each of the five camp-based scouting missions. I updated the spoiler in my post above with all the side quests I found for Gori and Topolia bases, and map screenshots. I found twelve for the former and three for the latter. But who knows if recent 1.18 update added more... After I restart campaign I will post side quests for Survive and Bomos camp for Adapt.

I must say that while I am psyched that the campaign will be enhanced in future updates, it has taken some wind out of my sails in that I have to wait to jump back in and replay it, and I'm not sure how long I have to wait...

[wattywatts 76]

Updated

These changes are one of the last on the East Wind campaign. With the Bootcamp DLC, some new assets - clothing and headgear - will be re-added to the campaign.

I'd like to thank my colleague Jiří 'Warka' Wainar, as it was his magical scripting abilities that made this all possible :p

[OMAC 254]

I'm starting this thread to put an end to all the confusion here :)

Below are facts of how they currently work on the dev branch.

I assume that all changes mentioned in this thread other than the new kit related to Bootcamp DLC have been implemented in stable branch (v1.20+)?

[TheSaintHD 10]

Unfortunatly nearly all the stuff I bring back "home" is not saved. At least not the weapons and the attechements.

Last side-mission I did was to attack a checkpoint. I succeeded and looted a Zamaak full with weapons, ammonution, attechements. I took several Mk20C with ammo and a LMG also with 6 ammobelts, but none of those where saved in the weaponstorage back in the camp near Bomos. The funny thing is that my Zamaak is saved and I can use it to go on patrol again.:confused::confused:

The most disappointing thing is that I found a NATO weaponbox in the north of the camp near Bomos with different very good weapons, ammonition, suits, NVGs and other stuff. I looted as much as possible into my quadbike but all the loot was gone when I returned back into the camp.

This is so frustrating, please someone help me because if my collected weapons aren't saved in the HQ all the patroling doesn't make any sense.

I really did everything exactly the way it was written in the first post here but nothing.

Little funfact: Last time I've played the campain some months ago, I could do the sidemissions, looting the good stuff into a car, drive back and everything was saved. Except the cars. They weren't but I didn't care, because I didn't need them anymore. Another thing is, that the "patrol starting screen" where I see those icons to choose where I want to start my patrol didn't appear last time. I just started patrolling in the exact direction I left my camp. So if I went out of the camp north I automaticly started my patrol north of the camp. I also don't remember to had the option to choose a ATV at the camp to start my patrol.

Edited July 4, 2014 by TheSaintHD

[pharenhite 10]

I am very happy with the retroactive updates to Survive and Adapt -- the Armory Checklist is a great alternative to forcing and overwriting existing equipment.

Two questions for the FAQ:

It seems pretty clear, but to get a direct answer: equipment you bring back CAN overload a full crate when sorted into their respective containers, correct?

Can/Do comrades in Gori and Topolia who are also driving a vehicle back with you have their vehicles inventory and equipment resorted into the armory as well? Their backpacks and vests?

The weapons dealers and mysterious cache locations are chock full of great equipment, it would be great if a player could be rewarded for bringing back as much as he does with his comrades by organizing a caravan. Would seem to be a fairly basic patch -- to iterate through all the storage of the group and their vehicles, since it's going through the player and his vehicle already.

{
//Parse _x inventory into armory
//Parse vehicle _x inventory into armory
} forEach units group player;

[OMAC 254]

Here is a map showing side quests for Bomos base scouting mission.

Edited May 11, 2015 by OMAC

[reforger 30]

I mentioned this problem in an other thread before, but I will try to find help again. A few weeks ago I heard about these new side missions and wanted to try them out. When I go to the quad in Survive, open the strategic map and choose one patrol point the screen turns black and I am back in the campaign menu. The same happens when I walk outside the camp.:(

[Janez 507]

I mentioned this problem in an other thread before, but I will try to find help again. A few weeks ago I heard about these new side missions and wanted to try them out. When I go to the quad in Survive, open the strategic map and choose one patrol point the screen turns black and I am back in the campaign menu. The same happens when I walk outside the camp.:(

Four side missions have been added to Survive campaign some time ago, see here.

Are you using any mods? Did you revert whole Survive campaign, specific mission or did you press replay?

[reforger 30]

Four side missions have been added to Survive campaign some time ago, see here.

Are you using any mods? Did you revert whole Survive campaign, specific mission or did you press replay?

There are no mods in use. I just used the replay button, because I only wanted to play the new side mission. I completed the campaign one year ago. Will I lose the later missions when I revert this specific mission?

Thank you for you help.

[drebin052 323]

You'll only lose what progress you made for Survive if you revert. Adapt and Win won't be affected, but they'll be locked out until you complete Survive again.

[Janez 507]

What you can do is navigate "My Documents\Arma 3 (Other Profiles)\<YourProfileName>\Saved\A3" and make a backup of 'Missions_F_EPA', 'Missions_F_EPB' and 'Missions_F_EPC' folders before hitting revert.

[OMAC 254]

There are no mods in use. I just used the replay button, because I only wanted to play the new side mission. I completed the campaign one year ago. Will I lose the later missions when I revert this specific mission?

Thank you for you help.

I recommend reverting to start of Survive, but making backups as Janez suggested is a good idea just in case. I don't think you will have any problems with the scouting missions then. Don't forget to check out the other thread that Janez mentioned if you have any questions about the new scouting missions.

Another reason to revert is that fixes have been made to several Survive missions, including Blackfoot Down, Wet Work, Radio Silence, and Tipping Point.

[reforger 30]

Thank you for all your helpful informations. I will try it out today.

[Jona33 51]

Alternatively set up a new user profile and just use that to play through survive, if you get bored or stuck just switch back to the normal one and carry on the campaign. Saves messing around with backups.

[GrimValeria 10]

just curious about the Abandoned Battlefield scouting mission. I went through and killed everyone here, however I only found 2 PCML rockets and a MK18 EBR with some mags. is there something i'm missing here?

[OMAC 254]

just curious about the Abandoned Battlefield scouting mission. I went through and killed everyone here, however I only found 2 PCML rockets and a MK18 EBR with some mags. is there something i'm missing here?

No, I don't think you're missing anything. Just RTB Maxwell and you're done.

Alternatively set up a new user profile and just use that to play through survive, if you get bored or stuck just switch back to the normal one and carry on the campaign. Saves messing around with backups.

Yep, that's what I did. I played through campaign under main profile a long time ago, and then played it again under another profile once many fixes had been applied.

It will be interesting to see if and how various changes (resting/deployment/suppression, etc.) in 1.42+ effect Survive and Adapt campaign missions. In 1.42 RC, the Infantry Showcase suddenly became super easy, and in 1.42 I fired only about 20-30 shots total in the Win episode on Veteran (I went the Paradise Lost -> Status Quo route at the end this time)...

Edited May 16, 2015 by OMAC

[OMAC 254]

Here is a link to a post in another thread showing a map of quests from Camp Maxwell in Survive episode.

[badboy8469 0]

Ok i have a question. I am scouting right after the first mission in survival. I went to camp tempest and killed everyone there then looted everyone and everything to bring back to camp (gotta keep the camp supplied right lol) and i put it all into Zamak transport to haul back. But there is no option to enter the vehicle. So far the only vehicles i can drive that i have come across are the quads. Are enemy vehicles locked out, or only this one? Thanks.

[OMAC 254]

Most enemy vehicles on scouting missions are locked out as I remember.