[SP Campaign] M.E.R.C.S. - mercenary expendable ruthless covert selfish

[IndeedPete 1038]

Glad to present two new shots of the just finished 9th contract mission "Protection Money". After the cowardly attack on our convoy in "Sauerland Express" we're striking back! Looks like Raif is planting some really bad stuff into the ground...

[IndeedPete 1038]

Hi there,

I've made a quick video to show the Glass system a little bit. It's nothing fancy, just a quick showcase. Please ignore the low framerate sometimes and my crappy shooting. I've recorded it on my small laptop and it's quite hard to hit something with 18 FPS.^^

[IndeedPete 1038]

Decided to get into the creation of whiteboards. Every cool project here has whiteboards. So I need whiteboards too!

[IndeedPete 1038]

Just two quick development snapshots from the 10th contract mission "An Eye for An Eye". Looks like ION is deploying the good stuff. I raise to you: "Betty the Bobshell"

In other news we're all anticipating the Arma 3 update 1.20 by the end of the week. Since BIS is changing some stuff regarding adding uniforms to units I expect parts of the shop system / uniform changing to break. I'm aware of this issue and will release a fix ASAP after the update. Stay tuned! :)

[IndeedPete 1038]

Latest news from the science lab!

Our specialists have been experimenting with a combat enhancement drug called "alcohol". Their results show a vast impact on combat efficiency. Sadly, not in the expected way. Nevertheless, our test subjects enjoyed the case study. ;)

[Barabbas 10]

Hello!

Thanks for a great couple of missions! Played the first two yesterday, but had to abort because of the TPW skirmish mod making a mess of most things. Turned several of them off, but will MERC work with any TPW mod?

Overall I'm impressed by the quality of the design you have made, thank you!

Lastly, any news of the 1.20 compatibility update you mentioned?

PS. Voted for and supported! :) DS.

[IndeedPete 1038]

Hey Barabbas,

glad to hear you've enjoyed it so far! And thanks for the vote & support, always welcome!

I would turn off tpw as I use parts of the scripted version of the mod which causes troubles if you use the addon version, I'm sorry! Until the campaign is finished I can not recommend any mod use. However, when the project reaches beta or gold state I will make list of popular mods and try to sort out compatibility issues so you guys can fully enjoy user addons together with M.E.R.C.S. But for now: Use mods at your own risk! :)

I've made some tests by myself and had no issues regarding uniform loss. It was announced by BI that uniforms will be bounded to specifc sides and you need other script commands in some cases. Thinking about it this shouldn't become a problem for the player anyway, I'm more concerned about naked enemies. I'll do some more testing and provide an update anyway - there are still some issues with the glass system I need to sort out. In the meantime, please let me know if you encounter naked dudes with guns and I'll look into it! ;)

[IndeedPete 1038]

Proud to publish the latest development snapshots. Our protagonists take a break to enjoy the cheap Alitan bars. Is there a better view for a post-party-piss than the old Kavala castle? ;)

I'm also working on a "corporate ppEffect" like The East Wind has - only in more extreme. Below some (unedited) screenshots of what I humbly refer to as "Glow". I like the unnatural, "insanely hot" look for M.E.R.C.S. and it matches my image filter. Maybe still a little bit too bright for good gameplay though.

Oh, and the shots also show Black Arrow's (ION's strongest competitor) new uniforms - thanks again to Surfer for creating the awesome flag patch!

[Private Evans 498]

Very nice background story, cool features and setting...this looks very promising ! I really hope you can get some voice actors on board. One minor thing though...seeing story character models used from A3 campaign (Milller and Nikos) feels somehow strange but maybe that's just me :)

keep up the good work

[IndeedPete 1038]

Thank you!

I see your point but I find the "regular" models rather boring. Gathered some useful tutorials about object / character modding lately. If I have time I'll look into it. Maybe I'm able to create my own, unique models. (Or at least change their display names...) Another option would be to import faces from Arma 2, Cooper would make a nice Raif in my opinion. I read somewhere that it's possible.

Will do! *insert saluting smiley which is totally missing in this forum*

[IndeedPete 1038]

Proud to present some insider information about ION, Inc. I was able to get into my hands. Don't ask how I got that info but thanks to my informants you're now able to get some classified insights about the organisational structure of our fellow mercenaries:

Pic related: Looking forward to the custom insignia thing Moricky mentioned on twitter. I hope it also allows us to add some custom rank insignias to our characters' uniforms. :)

[Kydoimos 916]

Here you go mate!

http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/a500/Kydoimos_the_Great/Mercs_zpsd97f61b9.png (605 kB)

[IndeedPete 1038]

Ha, looks awesome! Thanks man!

[IndeedPete 1038]

Good morning!

Worked way too long on the second ending which will be part of the coming update but I'm proud to present two new development screenshots which I will leave without comment:

Additionally, some shots of a few assets which will also be part of the update. In case you miss them ingame:

[IndeedPete 1038]

Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen!

First, two new development snapshots from the brand new mission "Hereford Calling":

And now, to the important stuff. We've all gathered here today to celebrate the new update, v0.53 with some cool new content, features and fixes! But I'm also a bit sorry because I will try to make a cut here and won't provide more content in following Alpha updates. The last mission of the new content marks the end of the first stage of the campaign and I will now continue building a second hub, expanding the shop system and evaluating new mission ideas. That will require some time but don't worry, I'll keep annoying you with boring and ugly development snapshots. ;)

Changelog

0.53 Alpha - 10.06.2014

• FIXED: Glass System, should now work properly on all interface sizes and resolutions.
  
• FIXED: Glass System, Detail now ignores animals.
  
• FIXED: Glass System, task marker positioning fixed.
  
• FIXED: Glass System, various minor issues.
  
• FIXED: Some typos.
  
• FIXED: Sauerland Express, mission wouldn't end in some cases.
  
• CHANGED: Glass System, approximation of life sign monitoring improved.
  
• CHANGED: Mission rewards now partly rely on rank.
  
• ADDED: New ranks as sub-system of the custom factions.
  
• ADDED: Several custom textures / ambient stuff.
  
• ADDED: M.E.R.C.S. PP-Effect prototyped in all missions.
  
• ADDED: Three new contract missions. Players from versions 0.51 and 0.52 should be able to continue / revert from the last hub save.
  
• ADDED: Second ending implemented.
  
• ADDED: Transit mission to second stage of the campaign implemented.
  
• ADDED: Use of some assets from the Arma 3 Karts DLC. Shouldn't be an issue if I got BIS' new DLC policy right.
  

Known Issues

• The use of DevBranch or mods may impact playability, especially AI driving skills are fundamental to make some missions work. I recommend to run this campaign in stable branch! (Tested with Arma 3 v1.18)
  
• Developer console is enabled. In case you encounter a game breaker you can always execute ["Hub01", true, true] call IP_fnc_endMission; In a contract mission this is causing you to be transported back to the hub, with the problematic mission accomplished.
  
• This campaign has not been uploaded to the steam workshop as there is no option to add campaigns yet.
  
• This project uses TPW civilians. Players using the addon version will face problems. Officially, this campaign does not support any mods.
  
• Home Sweet Home: The ambient shooter at the range sometimes shoots the bystanders. This is caused by a messed up aiming AI which constantly drifts away from the assigned target.
  
• Home Sweet Home: The gambler mentions BlackJack as possible gamble but it is not implemented yet.
  
• Ransom Demand: The fleeing car might be crashing against something or the passengers disembark randomly and walk instead. I'm researching ways to rebuild this mission.
  
• Checkpoint Charlie: The incoming cars sometimes crash into or stuck at the bar gate. If they can't continue they get deleted sometimes which breaks the mission flow.
  
• Very Important Pickup: Performance might suffer under many ambient AI units.
  
• Riot Control: Performance might suffer under many ambient AI units.
  
• Panzerfaust: There's always one AI from the player's group stucking at the briefing desk. Sometimes he follows after a few regroup commands. In case he doesn't, step away from the table and type into the debug console: {_x setPos (getPos player)} forEach (units group player);
  
• Panzerfaust: Other parts of the battle group go funny ways.
  
• Glass System: Usage in an environment with lots of objects might affect performance. I recommend turning down the core functions first.
  

Credits & Thanks

• Bohemia Interactive Studios for this great game!
  
• aeroson for his get/set loadout and repetitive clean up scripts!
  
• Genesis92x for his VCom AI!
  
• mrflay for his explosion detector!
  
• SHK for his SHKPos script!
  
• Surfer for his help regarding the awesome M.E.R.C.S. logo and several textures!
  
• tpw for his ambient civilian script package!
  
• And all the great people on the BI-Forums who helped out with answers and feedback to so many questions!

Download

Dropbox v0.53 ALPHA

MANW Contest Page

Vote & Support

[AveryTheKitty 2626]

There's people walking around in their underwear on Home Sweet Home. :/ Also Raif is naked too.

[IndeedPete 1038]

Ah, there's what I'm expecting any minute since I read the dev report. May I ask which version you run? DevBranch? Because I didn't have that issue yet with the latest stable. And can you recall which uniform you should be wearing? Other than that, use of mods or addons?

Thanks for your report so far!

---------- Post added at 11:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:04 AM ----------

Oh, and Armaholic link updated, thanks guys!

Download

Armaholic v0.53 ALPHA

[AveryTheKitty 2626]

Ah, there's what I'm expecting any minute since I read the dev report. May I ask which version you run? DevBranch? Because I didn't have that issue yet with the latest stable. And can you recall which uniform you should be wearing? Other than that, use of mods or addons?

Thanks for your report so far!

---------- Post added at 11:05 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:04 AM ----------

Oh, and Armaholic link updated, thanks guys!

Download

Armaholic v0.53 ALPHA

I do use Dev Branch, and I used some mods which I turned off to test. There's a lot of nude people, to sum up, whatever soldier of whatever side who's not wearing his sides' uniforms.

[IndeedPete 1038]

Ah, that's exactly what I've expected. I actually thought this would have been implemented in 1.2 already. Anyway, I've changed from DevBranch to Stable a while ago when the driving AI was so messed up that I couldn't develop. This way I can guarantee a certain stability and develop without having DevBranch issues. I guess the majority of A3 users runs Stable so I'll stick with it. I can't provide a hotfix for the DevBranch users already as the necessary commands are not implemented in the stable version yet. I'll do that ASAP when this "feature" hits Stable.

I honestly don't get why BIS changes that stuff at all - what's wrong with the addUniform approach we have now? What improvement do we get by making it even more unflexible? It's only additional work for me and other developers who like the customisation aspect of the A3 uniform / equipment system.

Anyway, for now I can only advise DevBranch users to buy / use only BLUFOR uniforms, I'm sorry.

[lexx 1363]

You need to cut down on the bloom heavily, IMO. At least on the screenshot it's just way too much bloom everywhere. It's like my eyes are trying to explode.

[IndeedPete 1038]

It's a "corporate ppEffect", but still WIP. I like the unnatural brightness. And it only occurs with overcast set to 0. But I'm aiming for feedback regarding the effect, so thank you!

[IndeedPete 1038]

UPDATE - HOTFIX

Just adapted M.E.R.C.S. to work correctly with Arma 3 v1.22 as the new uniform handling as well as some deleted weapon classnames messed up some stuff. Other than that there's just minor stuff in this update. I apologise for the rising size of the unzipped .pbo but it already contains several new WIP uniform textures which are not used in the campaign yet but will be in the future. Hafe fun and please report immediately if you see someone in underwear or experience any script errors! :)

Changelog

0.54 Alpha - 18.06.2014

• FIXED: HOTFIX, some uniforms were gone after patch 1.22 because BIS changed the addUniform command.
  
• FIXED: Home Sweet Home, drove the devil out of the guy who was levitating under his car.
  
• CHANGED: Rest and Recuperation, stuff stored in the car should be transfered to the hub box on mission completion.
  
• ADDED: Custom promotion notifications.
  

Download

Dropbox v0.54 ALPHA

MANW Contest Page

Vote & Support

[IndeedPete 1038]

Armaholic mirror updated, thanks guys!

Download

Armaholic v0.54 ALPHA

[IndeedPete 1038]

Just implemented the possibility to sell stuff in the shop system. It's still a bit clunky due to engine limitations but it's working. Doubled / tripled prices of vests and items in the process. It should either come with the next alpha update (if there will be one) or with beta!

[Degman 73]

Now, this campaign is interesting. Keep up good work. You will get my vote tomorrow (it's a bit late now :D )