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EMSI

[SP] Finding Pandora

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SP multi-mission Finding Pandora by EMSI

Finding_Pandora.jpg

Find and destroy Pandora - secret weapon of CSAT.
SP multi-mission with variable options how to continue in a mission.

Features:

  • No DLC required
  • No unofficial addons required
  • Customized equipment for player and his group
  • Enabled teamswitch
  • Player can fulfill mission as a lone wolf or in a group
  • Optional tasks
  • Open ending (another multi-mission will follow the story)

Following parts of this mini-series:

Finding Pandora - TANGO - https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/179677-sp-finding-pandora-tango/

Finding Pandora - TORCH - https://forums.bistudio.com/topic/185908-sp-finding-pandora-torch/

 

Intel:

In recent months, the interest of NATO intelligence agencies was concentrated on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea - Altis.
This island is located on the edge of the demilitarized zone separating the territory under the protection of NATO and territory occupied by the CSAT units.
Analysts of these agencies were surprised by the intense electromagnetic radiation signals coming from the coordinates corresponding just to the island Altis.
Other sensors not detected any other signals or anomalies, and even no radioactivity or shake of the earth's surface.
Nevertheless, a number of our stratospheric UAVs were destroyed without any previously detected threats which may were observed by their sensors.
These UAVs were deployed over the island as a first step to unlocking this mystery.
But recently we received information from the independent rebels of FIA organization which are operating in the demilitarized zone, that the CSAT units are actually located on Altis and they are performing there different tests on some sort of a new weapons system.
And therefore with the utilization of this unknown system are probably associated physical anomalies and our destroyed UAVs.
Therefore, the situation is clear ... your task is to cooperate with the FIA and to find and identify unknown weapon system (call sign Pandora).
If will be possible disengage the Pandora from the operation, or at least try to damage it seriously.



Download links:
Steam: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=390445464
ModDB: http://www.moddb.com/mods/csla-mod-for-arma-3/addons/finding-pandora
Armaholic: http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=28227

Edited by emsi

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Sounds good Emsi, good to see you in the Arma 3 mission making scene!

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First, this mission looks to be really fun and very professionally done. That said, I think it may be a little over-engineered. Your custom scripts make for excessively rigid gameplay. For example...

  • First few times I tried the mission, I landed at the designated point...but not *exactly* at the designated point. I was, perhaps, as much as 5 meters away. When I exited the boat, somehow I bounced very high in the air, crashed to the ground, and died.
  • Eventually exited the boat at exactly the designated landing point. The boat was drifting backward a bit and since I wasn't sure if I'd need it for the exfil, I tried to get it and move it back toward shore. However, it's now locked. Why? Apparently, despite the "variable options" for completing the mission, I have to do exactly what's expected exactly when it's expected.
  • Met up with the FIA rep and was given two actions - one to accept FIA support and the other to complete the mission with just my two teammates. The rest of my team was still across the road near the water and I wanted to move them closer to my position. I thought that I could select an action once we were all together. Nope...apparently there's a trigger (on a timer? for a very small radius?) that causes that task to fail since I hadn't made a selection. The result: mission failure and I have to restart from the point where I exited the boat.

Perhaps some of this is a game bug (i.e., the first item) but I've never seen it before and having looked at the source code for the mission and the excessively rigid game logic used, I can't help but think that the scripting is a factor.

Again, this looks to be a really nice mission and I'll definitely look at later versions to see if it lives up to the claims of being a more open, free-style mission. Nonetheless, thanks for taking the time to make it and share it with the community!

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Hi zonker3210,

many thanks for your feedback. I appreciate it.

Let me try to answer and explain.

I observed the same issue with landing and exiting from the boat last week after the update of mission (but any part of the update was not applied to this part of the mission) - this should be the 100% engine bug.

In the past (during the editing phase) this strange behaviour was not observed - if I remember correctly, 1 game update at least was released - I'm using only the full updates - not BETAs.

Therefore, it looks like that in any kind of config for ejecting from vehicles, someone overrides the exiting from boat with the "real ejecting" like from the planes(?). Or there is any change on the model of the boat(?), or unknown bug directly on the map in that position(?). Let's see if this will change with another update.

Until now I'm not able to find the exact situation or find the the reason which is causing this, because the exiting and the "strange throwing" of player is occuring randomly and also I will not die always after the approx. 100m high fall(!).

Another strange think is that this will never happened to AI team mates.

Note that there is no special command/script for exiting, there is only waiting for a player action - to get out from the boat.

Once you will exit this boat, you will don't need it anymore - in the briefing there is a last task - Exfil (via helicopter) in a completely different sector.

Behaviour of the boat is driven by the game engine - I'm not affecting its move with any command/script except lock once all units are out.

Anyway, OK, in the next update I will unlock the boat, but it not make sense for further gameplay.

Once you will meet the guy from FIA and he will ask you to select next advance, an internal counter is launched - there is no trigger limiting the area of move.

If I remember correctly, it takes 60 seconds time to player to decide and select the option.

This is an easy protection to avoid to player consume playing time w/o any move or other actions. Or let's say to forget to select any option and be stucked in a "opened" mission.

Therefore, if you will not select any option and the counter will reach the zero value, mission is restarted from the last known save - in your situation, from the landing.

I will little bit extend the time. But note that you don't need to have your team mates close to you - they may be everywhere - checking the surroundings, waiting close to the boat, advancing to the target zone etc.

As is mentioned in features of this mission, you are able to fulfill this mission as a lone wolf.

Except the main milestones of the mission like contact with FIA - selection of advance, finding and destroying of Pandora, you are completely free.

There are main tasks and it's up to you how you will accomplish them.

I will do all the changes regarding to the feedback from other players and the update will be released soon, so stay watching this thread.

Edited by EMSI

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Mission has been updated - download links in first post has been populated.

Changelog:

  • Boat is no more locked as player's group will get out on the coast
  • Extended time limit for taking of decision while selecting next advance in a mission
  • Various typo corrections in localized strings
  • Added hint at the very beginning (to drive the boat)
  • Polishing of all hints
  • Modification of "follow me" script for player and FIA contact
  • Various small tweaks in many scripts

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I just spent some time playing the new version and I like it a lot!

One suggestion...I haven't looked at how you implemented the "select next advance" task but rather than have a timeout cause a mission/task failure (and restart from an earlier save), you may want to have one of the choices be the default instead. So, for example, if the player does not choose a specific option within a certain amount of time, then the FIA contact says "okay, I guess you don't need our help. Good luck!" or something like that.

I originally chose to have FIA support but when I followed the guy toward the AO, he eventually stopped about 400-500 meters southwest of Zaros and just stood there. I eventually just gave up and let him stay there while I moved my team in toward the city. Having FIA help would have been *very* helpful as there are a lot of enemy in & around Zaros. A UGV, more than 20 infantry, two Tigris AA tanks, a convoy, a transport helicopter presumably dropping off more troops...it's a lot of guys for just one 3-man team to take on alone.

Still, it's a lot of fun and you've obviously spent a good amount of time & effort making a very high-quality mission. Thanks again for sharing it with the community!

ps: Did you intentionally remove the vest from the player (teamleader) unit?

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Hi Zonker3210,

thanks for another feedback.

It's a good idea with that predefined selection. I will modify the logic of that.

I need to check the script for the "follow-me" logic because I did there a little change and maybe this is causing that unexpected stop of FIA mate.

Amount of enemies in and close to Zaros is something like average amount for playing mission as a hardcore stealth lone-wolf/3 mates group/3+FIA group.

I know that from the first view looks like there is a lot of troops, but it's possible go get them down a lot from a safety distance or crawl between them and houses just close to the Pandora's building.

And yes, I removed all "un-usefull" stuff from the playable units due to BLOODY stamina (grrrr ). Anyway, you are still able to steal any equipment from another dead AIs.

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Thanks, EMSI, will have a run at this over the weekend.

I guess we'll have to wait a little longer for a CSLA version :)

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Mission has been updated - download links in first post has been populated.

Changelog:

  • Tweaks in "follow me" script for FIA contact
  • Automated selection of advance (if player will not decide)
  • Tweaks in "helicopter" section

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Thanks mate. :)

Part 2 (of 3?) is currently WIP - initial release can be available in 2-3 weeks(?)

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