[SP] Operation : Slamdance - Mogadishu Urban SpecOps Mission

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

Created By

REYMAS (aka Capital)

"WELCOME TO THE MUQ"

 

March 16th, 2019: DEVGRU unit, designated TALON, is deployed to Airbase Kingmaker in Mogadishu, tasked with the rescue of four captured US citizens within enemy territory.

 
INTRODUCTION
    

Operation Slamdance is my very first released mission for Arma 3.

I am very new to modding, scripting and mission making, so please go easy on me if I've made some egregious errors. That being said, I am open to all manner of feedback and critique. The mission is inspired by the release of MOG by Variable.A, Operation: Gothic Serpent, Black Hawk Down, Act of Valor and Lato's "Hunter-Six" mission. The main concept behind this mission is bringing a fictional near-future Somali conflict into the focus, through the eyes of a 16-man DEVGRU unit known as TALON-Blue (formerly VIKING-Blue). This will not be the only time I create a mission centering around TALON and will hopefully find ways of fleshing them out character-wise in the future.

This is a fairly heavily modded mission and relies on many excellent mods to work properly. Most of these mods are unit mods however and do not change gameplay so you may use your choice of gameplay mods as you see fit. I have toyed with the idea of doing a vanilla-as-possible version but it just doesn't feel right. If there is high demand for it I might give it a shot. The mission is designed to be semi-sandbox, with lots of randomization for objective locations and should engage the player in some highly intense medium to close range urban combat.

As I am very new to modding ArmA I was advised to focus on making a solid SP mission before venturing into the realm of CO-OP. That being said, anyone is allowed to change this mission for their own purposes and that of their clans' (see full licensing below).

Please feel free to provide any feedback or bug reports directly to centermassstudios@gmail.com - be sure to include which version of the mission you are referring to.
I hope you all enjoy playing this mission as much as I enjoyed making it!

 

DOWNLOAD (Mediafire)

DOWNLOAD (Armaholic)

 
INSTALLATION

Extract any of the included .pbo file(s) to your Steam/SteamApps/common/ArmA 3/Missions folder.
 
 
FEATURES

• Command a 16-man DEVGRU unit.
• Ability to dismiss and re-attach SEALs from your team as needed.
• Intense urban close and medium range combat.
• Custom AI - Highly aggressive but highly inaccurate.
• Artillery and mortar support.
• Take out enemy AA in order to earn CAS and air transport.
• Dynamic Helicopter crash missions (if one of your support choppers goes down inside the city, you may be tasked with securing it)
• Multiple motorized vehicles for player use.
• Zealot's Field Repair for vehicles.
• Multiple dynamic objectives with randomized objective placement.
• Randomized enemy placement.
• Enemy occupying buildings and on rooftops.
• Radio control for toggling your team's IR lasers (0-0-1), silencers(0-0-2) and NVGs(0-0-3).
• Ability to wait 6 hours so you can undergo the mission at different times of day (0-0-4).
• Civilians who may pull weapons on you.
• Dynamic AI Spawns that hunt you across the city.
• AI optimization script.
• Multiple versions optimized for various PC specs.

VERSIONS

Several versions of the mission are included for those with varying system specs:

• BARE = Lowest spec version with no frills whatsoever. Smoothest gameplay, least challenging. Approx. 200 enemy infantry, 10-15% present chance on enemy in buildings and on rooftops, low dynamic spawns, no dynamic civilians. No tire fires.
• MIN = Some extra base elements including friendly guard patrols. Approx. 300 enemy infantry, 20-25% present chance on enemy in buildings and on rooftops, low dynamic spawns, low dynamic civilians. Minimum tire fires.    
• LIGHT = More extra base elements including gate guards. Approx. 400 enemy infantry, 30-40% present chance on enemy in buildings and on rooftops, low dynamic spawns, low dynamic civilians. Light tire fires.
• MEDIUM = Full static base elements, low friendly patrols. Approx. 600 enemy infantry, 50-60% present chance on enemy in buildings and on rooftops, medium dynamic spawns, medium dynamic civilians. Medium tire fires. (Recommend for average PC setups)
• HEAVY = Full static base elements, full friendly patrols. Approx. 800 enemy infantry, 70-80% present chance on enemy in buildings and on rooftops, high dynamic spawns, high dynamic civilians. Heavy tire fires.
• MAX = Highest specs needed, all elements included. Approx. 1000 enemy infantry, 85-95% present chance on enemy in buildings and on rooftops, high dynamic spawns, high dynamic civilians. Maximum tire fires.

RECOMMENDED SETTINGS

• Make sure enemy SUPER AI is OFF. If ON, it will override the specific AI settings and make every Somali militiaman an expert marksman which is not very believable.
• It's recommended to turn extended armor ON unless using ACE3.

KNOWN ISSUES

• Buildings in this map are very fragile, two or three 40mm or M67 frags is enough to decimate some of the smaller buildings. 50cal fire can also tear a building to pieces. Be aware.
• AI will occasionally get stuck in buildings while moving through the dense urban terrain. Use team switch to become that unit and move them out of that building if this happens. Istan202 - the large U-shaped building - is the biggest cause of this and each of them have been blocked off by barbed wire for this reason.
• Team switching to a subordinate AI unit will prevent you from getting into vehicles (until you switch back to the CO). A player must be playing the unit CO.

NOTES  

Be advised of the following:

• A Virtual Ammobox is provided for the sake of flexibility (e.g.: if you need ACE earplugs or other modded items of that type). It is suggested that you do not bring thermals to the AO, as it will vastly cheapen the intensity of the intended experience.
• This mission is not yet optimized for CO-OP but does have 16 built-in playable slots. Try it out at your own risk. I am seeking any groups who may want to help me get a co-op version up and running by testing it for me.
• This mission employs an AI Control script by GrumpyOldMan which hides all units outside of a certain radius from the player/s. The radius for this mission is 300 meters. This does two things, the first of which is optimize the mission so not all present AI are loaded at once and second focuses the mission on medium-short range urban engagements. You won't be heading up to an elevated position and sniping enemies from a klik out. This is intense, direct action urban combat.
• You can dismiss and re-attach any of the SEALs from your team at any time using the action menu. If you are playing co-op, it is recommended that you do not dismiss any players.
• Unit Control: Using 0-0-1 you can togggle your team's IR lasers. Using 0-0-2 you can togggle your team's silencers. Using 0-0-3 you can togggle your team's NVGs.
• Time Control: Using 0-0-4 you can skip six hours of time in case you'd prefer to begin the operation at mid-day, in the evening, or in the dead of night.
• Team switching is enabled so you may get an AI unit out of a building in the case they become stuck. It is not recommended that you team switch permanently to anyone who is not the unit commander.
• Vehicles will not respawn, use them wisely. Included is Zealot's field repair script should your vehicle go down in the field. You get one free repair per vehicle and after that you need a repair kit.
• Be sure to bring explosives to the AO, you will need them.
• Watch out for enemies on rooftops and in windows.
• Take things slow, and try to be methodical, rush in too fast and you will get bogged down and surrounded. Patience and precision are key.
• In singleplayer save as often as you can. This mission tends to be very unpredictable and things can go very wrong very quickly.
• Your AI teammates are at maximum AI ability.
• For the first 15 seconds you are forced into walk, after which you can run, this is working-as-intended for the sake of immersion/atmosphere.

REQUIRED MODS

• MOG by Variable.A/7Cav - ARMAHOLIC - STEAM
• (Seems to require AiA for some users - if getting AiA or CA_buildings errors, download AiA HERE - be sure to check for prerequsities)
• Massi's NATO & Russian Weapons - MEDIAFIRE - STEAM
• Massi's NATO & Russian Vehicles - MEDIAFIRE - STEAM
• Massi's SOCOM - MEDIAFIRE
• Massi's MARSOC - MEDIAFIRE
• Massi's African Conflict - MEDIAFIRE
• RHS Escalation - ARMAHOLIC - RED HAMMER STUDIOS
• Leight's OPFOR - ARMAHOLIC
• CAF Aggressors - ARMAHOLIC
• HAFM Humvees - ARMAHOLIC
• EWK Humvee Extension - ARMAHOLIC
• Sabre's Civilian Units - ARMAHOLIC - STEAM
• LP-GPNVG-18s - ARMAHOLIC
• CBA3 - ARMAHOLIC - STEAM

RECOMMENDED MODS

• ACE3 - ARMAHOLIC - STEAM
• JSRS3: Dragonfyre - ARMAHOLIC
• Blastcore Phoenix - ARMAHOLIC
• Blastcore Tracers - ARMAHOLIC
• ShackTac UI - ARMAHOLIC - STEAM

CREDITS

Mission created by REYMAS (aka Capital), made possible by the following contributions:

• Lato, for giving me the inspiration to try my hand at this in the first place, his patience and willingness to guide a total noob through the basics of ArmA scripting, as well as the groundwork he laid for the dynamic helicopter crash missions, and the AI radio options.
• GrumpyOldMan for his AI Control script which saved this mission from being an unplayable mess.
• Variable.A and 7th Cavalry for providing an amazing urban map with MOG.
• Massi for his incredible USMC, African and Special Forces units.
• The CAF Team for their CAF Aggressors unit pack.
• Leight for Leights Opfor Pack.
• Red Hammer Studios for RHS Escalation.
• SabreD for his Civilian Units pack.
• BangaBob for his Civilian Occupation System.
• RGR for his Dynamic AI Spawn system.
• Wolfenswan for his WS Assassins script.
• Zealot for his Field Repair script.
• Teeha and Warlord554 for their GPNVG-18 addon.
• Varanon for FHQ TaskTracker
• The amazingly helpful and courteous gurus at the BIS and Armaholic forums. You guys rock!
• Bohemia Interactive and the ArmA dev team for the countless hours of fun!

CHANGELOG
 
V1.0.1:

• Fixed syntax issue with CIA hostage not properly setCaptive. (All Versions)

V1.0:

• Added specific names for HVT, Hostages and CO AI. (All Versions)
• Added "MISSION" section in briefing. (All Versions)
• Added header images for Briefing categories. (All Versions)
• Added red flares fired by enemy platoon leaders when they detect your presence in sectors. (All Versions)
• Changed start time from 0630 to 0600. (All Versions)
• Fixed Doctor's INIT. (Med Version)

LICENSING

• This work is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International license. Full license in ReadMe.
• You are free to SHARE - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
• You are free to ADAPT - remix, transform and build upon the material.
• ATTRIBUTION: You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• NON-COMMERCIAL: You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
• SHARE-ALIKE: If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.
• NO ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS: You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
• EXEMPTION: You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
• PERMIT: Receiving written permission from the material author for a special circumstance may override one or more of the above restrictions.

BRIEFING
 

BACKGROUND

For almost two decades, Somalia has been on the road to recovery. Establishing a democratic federal government and creating true infrastructure in what was once an impoverished and war-torn nation, Somalia was on the verge of becoming a thriving, self-sufficient nation. Now it seems, all of that good work seems set to unravel.

Following the parliamentary coup in early 2018, Somalia quickly began backsliding into a nation of bloody civil unrest. The pirate clans, united under the notorious warlord Mansuur Farrah Tawfiiq, and allied with the Habr Gedr, have ravaged the Southern half of the country under the name SLM - the Somali Liberation Movement - for the better part of a year. The SLM initially posed as a peaceful protest group against the Somali Federal Government established in 2012, but it quickly turned into a bloody and powerful regime that has all but trampled the new Somalia in its wake.

Thanks to arms shipments from the Middle East and alleged ties with ISIS, the Islamic-led SLM had been able to hold most of their territory through the end of 2018. With the bodycount piling up and famine once against ravaging the Somali people, the world could no longer turn a blind eye.

In December of 2018, a brigade of United Nations Peacekeepers arrived in Northern Somalia, and began training what was left of the Somali National Army. During this time, several US liasons were sent to accompany the UN forces and provide consultation and training as needed. Additionally, humanitarian aid was sent in along with the UN World Health Organization to combat the spread of malaria as a result of the uprooted infrastructure in the country.

After several bloody ambushes of UN convoys by SLM fighters, the SLM managed to claim the capitol of Mogadishu for its own.

On March 9th, 2019, a detachment of US Marines from 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, were tasked with siezing and holding Mogadishu's airport, thereby establishing Airbase Kingmaker, from which Operation: Slamdance would be conducted. The goal of this operation was the ultimate liberation of Mogadishu from SLM forces and the capture or elimination of General Tawfiiq, heretofor designated as 'HVT Moses.'

Due in part to the US military's history in Somalian conflicts, only a single Battalion was permitted to be deployed and every effort was made to avoid the mistakes of the past.

 

SITUATION
 
ENEMY FORCES:
Approximately 1000 irregular infantry militiamen garrisoned within the city limits. Company sized element of regular SLM armed forces - splinter units from the Somali National Army loyal to General Tawfiiq. Motorized technicals - pickups, range rovers and surplus UAZs bearing M2 .50 cal, AGS 40mm, DshK 12.7mm and SPG-9 73mm Rocket Launchers. Stratic DshKs on tripods, Podnos 60mm mortars and ZU-23 Anti-aircraft cannons.
 
FRIENDLY FORCES:
Battalion sized element USMC MAGTF: 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment. DEVGRU Assault squadron Talon-Blue.
 
03.09.19: USMC MAGTF comprised of 1st Battalion, 5th Marines lands at and secures the Mogadishu Airport, designated Airbase Kingmaker.
 
03.13.19: A helicopter carrying a US Navy pilot, a WHO doctor, a CIA liason and a US journalist, is forced to land in a clearing North of the city after taking small arms fire from a nearby compound. The four US citizens are subsequently captured alive by SLM forces and are being held in downtown Mogadishu. It is believed that they are to be ransomed to ISIS contacts in exchange for more weaponry.
 
03.16.19: A 16-man US Navy DEVGRU unit, designated 'TALON' is deployed to Airbase Kingmaker at 0500 with the primary objective of rescuing these four hostages from SLM forces, and secondary objectives to knock out SLM support units and weapon caches prior to the main USMC assault force cordons and sweeps the city.

 

MISSION:
 
"Snap in, gentlemen.
 
"The situation is this: as you're already aware, four US citizens have been captured by the Somali Liberation Movement forces and are being held somewhere in the city. We believe the SLM are using them as deterrent for our artillery and CAS elements so they're likely spread out. We may get lucky, however, and they may not have been separated just yet. Comm chatter indicates they're also looking to ransom a few of them to their ISIS contacts in exchange for more arms shipments. I'm sure I don't need to tell you, that would be the very last outcome desirable from our end.
 
"You'll be looking to rescue four hostages in total: Dr. Ralph Patrick, WHO, Liason Kevin Jurgenson, CIA, Jimmy Nolan, USAF Pilot and Noah Westbrook, CNN reporter. MAGTF 02 has determined the most likely buildings in which they'd be held, and they've been marked on your map.
 
"As for enemy troop strength, expect heavy, but largely untrained resistance. The SLM and their allied militias are held up in Mogadishu's city center. They have the place locked down tight. RPG and machinegun teams on rooftops, elevated DshKs, Technicals, the whole nine. We also have reason to believe they have at least one armored unit somewhere in the city, so keep your heads on a swivel. We expect they've set up a number of roadblocks as well.
 
"Now, as for your secondary objectives, we can't authorize any air support until those ZU-23s are denied operability. Same goes for the mortar teams, Kingmaker wants those taken out before 1/5 makes its move, so be sure to pack a helping of C4 when you gear up. The weapon caches are of minor importance and are to be treated as a target of opportunity.
 
"Also, be advised, while most of the civilian population have fled the city, we have reports that a few remain and some may be hostile to US forces, so be on your guard around any civvies you may come across. If a civvie picks up a weapon, ROE states you put 'em down without hesitation.
 
"Navy brass has also stated that they'd like to keep collateral damage to a minimum, but I'm here to tell you right now: Fuck. That. Shit. If you get into some rough trade out there, spare no expense whatsoever on staying alive.
 
"Last thing, nothing's been confirmed as of yet, but there is a strong belief that HVT Moses is presently in the AO somewhere. I'm not askin' for any rambo bullshit, but if you get eyes on that scumbag, you have a greenlight to ruin his day, copy?
 
"Look, I know what you're all thinking. Motherfucking Black Hawk Down, am I right? But this ain't the movies, and we ain't Rangers. Get in fast, do the job and get back in one piece. Pentagon's already got a whole bundle of sticks up its ass about this OP. We can ill-afford some international crisis bullshit repeating itself, do I make things crystal?
 
"Quick note on operational semantics. Navy comsec does not want personnel referring to the city as MOG or THE MOG. Too many bad memories I guess. You call it anything, it's MUQ. You ask me, though, call it Sally Shit-Eating Struthers for all I care, just don't get bogged down in it.
 
"Right then, if there are no questions, you know what to do. Welcome to the MUQ, gents!'
 
 - Major Charles Ingram,           
  USN DEVGRU Command

 

TASKING
 
01 - PRIMARY - Rescue Hostages
 
There are four US citizens who have been taken hostage by SLM forces. Building locations where they are possibly being held are marked on your map. They are likely heavily guarded so proceed with caution. We cannot afford to allow the SLM to ransom these hostages. Make sure they are returned safely to Kingmaker and brought to the command tent for debrief.
 
02A - SECONDARY - Destroy Anti-Aircraft Emplacements
 
The SLM have managed to get their hands on three ZU-23 Anti-Air cannons. All friendly air units are grounded until you can take them out. We've marked their approximate positions on your map but they're moved around regularly so be on the lookout. In order to get CAS and air transport running again, all three must be eliminated.
 
02B - SECONDARY - Destroy Mortar Positions
 
At least three Podnos mortar crews have been sighted in the city center. They are threatening to dial in on Airbase Kingmaker. Their approximate positions are marked on your map. Take them out before they can zero any friendly targets.
 
03 - TERTIARY - Destroy Weapon Caches
 
There are five enemy weapon caches hidden around the city. We don't have solid intel on any specific locations, but if the opportunity should arise and you find one of these caches, by all means render it useless to the enemy. They're likely guarded by a handful of militia so watch yourselves.

 

SUPPORT
 
Several support elements are on station for you to utilize as you see fit. Be advised however, all air units are presently grounded until enemy AA emplacements are knocked out:

• HALBEARD: M109E Mobile Artillery x2
• SNAKEBITE: 81mm Mortars x3
• HUMPBACK: CH-47d Chinook Heavy Air Transport x1
• MUSTANG: UH-1Y Huey Medium Air Transport x2
• WHIPLASH: MH-6 Little Bird Light Air Transport x3
• HAVOC: UH-1Y Venom Medium Air Assault x2
• MAYHEM: AH-6 Little Bird Light Air Assault x2

 
EDIT 1: A few corrections and additions.
 
EDIT 2: Added Briefing Content.

EDIT 3: Troubleshooting mod install added. Edited September 28, 2015 by reymasofashborne@gmail.com

[spotter001 82]

great mods, i'd gladly try this mission. will get back with impressions.

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

great mods, i'd gladly try this mission. will get back with impressions.

 

Can't wait to hear what you think!

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

Hotfixed to 1.0.1

[spotter001 82]

First off, props for using those great mods again. I never liked vanilla units and equipment.

The briefing is excellent, provides every detail. I only managed to play through it at Medium version, though my Arma graphics settings are VH-Ultra.. Max version was simply too much for my PC lol.

It's an atmospheric mission with some fierce urban firefight and i generally liked it. If this was your first mission then i can say it's great. Keep in mind though that massive urban missions are real real taxing in Arma. I don't know how many people will be able to enjoy this mission at Max version while keeping VH/Ultra graphics settings. 

[bechtinator 11]

hello

can't play the mission :huh:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bj7tiye29b8wdwj/error.PNG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4hr9ydfcm12c173/error2.PNG?dl=0

So, where is the problem :blink:

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

First off, props for using those great mods again. I never liked vanilla units and equipment.

The briefing is excellent, provides every detail. I only managed to play through it at Medium version, though my Arma graphics settings are VH-Ultra.. Max version was simply too much for my PC lol.

It's an atmospheric mission with some fierce urban firefight and i generally liked it. If this was your first mission then i can say it's great. Keep in mind though that massive urban missions are real real taxing in Arma. I don't know how many people will be able to enjoy this mission at Max version while keeping VH/Ultra graphics settings. 

 

Yes indeed, it says first "released" mission, but aside from messing around in the editor to preview modded units before, or manipulating others' missions to my own liking, this is the only time I've made any mission from the ground up.

 

It seems a pretty common noob thing to overload a mission with AI, and I fell right into that trap! But, like I always say: There's No Kill Like Overkill!

 

I did do my best to optimize it for sure, thanks mostly to GrumpyOldMan's AIControl script. Medium is probably recommended for most average PC setups on singleplayer (I will note that in the description), I can get 40fps on MAX at Very High but that's not good enough for most people, which is understandable.

 

Thank you SO much for the feedback. Very cool of you to take the time!

 

I am so glad you noticed the atmospheric elements, very cool!

 

Some questions, if you don't mind:

 

Did you get to mission completion?

 

Did everything seem to work okay, did you try skipping time, equipping silencers/NVGs/IR lasers, dismissing and reattaching units?

 

Did you use any support elements, if so did they work properly for you?

 

Did you find the AI aggressive but inaccurate?

 

Did you die and reload a lot or were you fairly safe the whole time?

 

Was your team AI doing its job or would they bug out from time to time?

 

Any AI team mates get stuck in houses?

 

Any other details you can provide would be a great help as I am SO new to this. If you'd rather not take the time though, no worries!

 

hello

can't play the mission :huh:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bj7tiye29b8wdwj/error.PNG?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4hr9ydfcm12c173/error2.PNG?dl=0

So, where is the problem :blink:

 

 

Interesting! So CA_Buildings is part of AiA or A3MP but I do not have either of them active in my mods, I just have them installed and I can play the mission fine. Maybe it doesn't matter? I will add that to the mod list just in case.

 

MOG does not require either of those addons (as it comes with them pre-packed) so it says but perhaps you need at least those files to get it working.

 

That's so strange that it's not working for you but works for me. Ugh more mods to add, SORRY GUYS! I am the nooblord!

 

You're awesome for trying it out btw! I hope you can get it working!

[spotter001 82]

I'll try to answer the best i can:

Did you get to mission completion?

 

Did everything seem to work okay, did you try skipping time, equipping silencers/NVGs/IR lasers, dismissing and reattaching units?

 

Did you use any support elements, if so did they work properly for you?

 

Did you find the AI aggressive but inaccurate?

 

Did you die and reload a lot or were you fairly safe the whole time?

 

Was your team AI doing its job or would they bug out from time to time?

 

Any AI team mates get stuck in houses?

 

Any other details you can provide would be a great help as I am SO new to this. If you'd rather not take the time though, no worries!

I get through the end, there was no game breaking bugs.

Didn't use time skipping. But i ordered them to equip suppressors and lasers and it worked great. Btw, it's really good you thought of that, really nice feature.

I used attack and transport choppers, they worked fine as far as Arma engine can handle it.

I use ASR_AI mod and i can tell you those guys knew how to shoot ;)  They even nailed me few times from mid-range though  i was rushing to complete the mission i guess. So yeah, i died few times. I didn't notice friendly AI getting stuck though they wandered like idiots in tight streets, however, it's just the Arma thing. I always preferred open ground exactly cause AI starts loosing it in the tight urban space.

Btw, i moved all 16 troopers at the same time in armored vehicles. Kinda multi-pronged attack :D  And we extensively used vehicle MGs to clear the streets.

 

You have 40fps at MAX and VH graphics settings? Wow, what's your PC specs?

I have i5-3570 @ 4.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 @ 1600 CL9, GTX960 @ 1505/8000MHz and i couldn't get 20fps in the city at MAX version. 

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

I'll try to answer the best i can:

I get through the end, there was no game breaking bugs.

Didn't use time skipping. But i ordered them to equip suppressors and lasers and it worked great. Btw, it's really good you thought of that, really nice feature.

I used attack and transport choppers, they worked fine as far as Arma engine can handle it.

I use ASR_AI mod and i can tell you those guys knew how to shoot ;)  They even nailed me few times from mid-range though  i was rushing to complete the mission i guess. So yeah, i died few times. I didn't notice friendly AI getting stuck though they wandered like idiots in tight streets, however, it's just the Arma thing. I always preferred open ground exactly cause AI starts loosing it in the tight urban space.

Btw, i moved all 16 troopers at the same time in armored vehicles. Kinda multi-pronged attack :D  And we extensively used vehicle MGs to clear the streets.

 

You have 40fps at MAX and VH graphics settings? Wow, what's your PC specs?

I have i5-3570 @ 4.6Ghz, 8GB DDR3 @ 1600 CL9, GTX960 @ 1505/8000MHz and i couldn't get 20fps in the city at MAX version. 

 

Ah good to know, awesome! I think the AI mod likely overrides any trigger-based settings so yeah that makes sense.

 

Thanks again for the feedback, great stuff!

 

And yeah I have 16gigs of DDR2400 which is probably where the advantage is, and my processor is i7 and has 12 cores hyper-threaded. My graphics card is AMD though and has 4gigs vram so idk. Also you can set custom options in the launcher so ArmA will use more ram/cpu threads, etc.(you probably know that though). Makes things a lot smoother for me usually.

[reforger 30]

Your mission souns really interesting, but are fiveteen mods as dependency really necessary? As example RHS even has HUMVEEs, so why is it necessary to download two other mods with HUMVEEs?

 

It is your mission and your decision, but I am sure that many players do not download this mission because of this big list with stuff we have to download before. Maybe a light version at least of the medium version would be helpful.

 

Mods you could remove: HAFM Humvees, EWK Humvee Extension, LP-GPNVG-18s, CAF Aggressors (Massis pack has enough OPFOR)

[tawah 13]

It is exactly my position at this time : this mission seems really well built but I will not downlaod all those mods as I am already using a quite complete set of mods (CBA, RHS, AIA TP, ASR AI...) There must be some redundancies between RHS, Massi's 4 mods, Leight and CAF ?

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

Your mission souns really interesting, but are fiveteen mods as dependency really necessary? As example RHS even has HUMVEEs, so why is it necessary to download two other mods with HUMVEEs?

 

It is your mission and your decision, but I am sure that many players do not download this mission because of this big list with stuff we have to download before. Maybe a light version at least of the medium version would be helpful.

 

Mods you could remove: HAFM Humvees, EWK Humvee Extension, LP-GPNVG-18s, CAF Aggressors (Massis pack has enough OPFOR)

 

It is exactly my position at this time : this mission seems really well built but I will not downlaod all those mods as I am already using a quite complete set of mods (CBA, RHS, AIA TP, ASR AI...) There must be some redundancies between RHS, Massi's 4 mods, Leight and CAF ?

Totally fair critique, guys. 100% understood. To be fair, Lato said the same thing and he helped me make the damn thing! HA! It doesn't help that I run like 80+ mods anyway unless I'm playing some public MP.

Would you guys believe that there were MORE mods required prior to release? I paired it down to this, haha!

Overkill seems to be the hallmark of a lot of new mission designers, and I'm no exception, but I do always say "there's no kill like overkill."

But in all seriousness, yes, this is the kind of demand I was talking about that might prompt me to do a VAP (Vanilla As Possible) version.

However, in the mean time let me detail precisely what each mod is used for:

• MOG by Variable.A/7Cav - This is the map of course, ha!
• Massi's NATO & Russian Weapons - Prereq for any other Massi mods.
• Massi's NATO & Russian Vehicles - Prereq for any other Massi mods.
• Massi's SOCOM - Player characters are DEVGRU from this pack.
• Massi's MARSOC - Kingmaker airbase elements are USMC from this pack. Originally was using RHS USMC but they do not look right at all comparatively (they don't look like deployed Marines).
• Massi's African Conflict - SLM honor guard and UN combat liason are from this pack.
• RHS Escalation - RG-33 vehicles (carries 9 total infantry, important option when commanding a 16-man unit), C-130 and M109E are from this pack.
• Leight's OPFOR - provides great African civilians and vehicles that make sense in 2019 (as opposed to the 2035 technicals which look weird to me and don't fit into a more modern setting)
• CAF Aggressors - African Pirates come from here, some civvies but does not have the vehicles that Leight's does.
• HAFM Humvees - EWK Prereq.
• EWK Humvee Extension - Up-armored Humvees with lots of variety and functionality, as well as MEVs. as opposed to RHS which provides 3 unarmored desert Humvees. Too many enemy RPGs and HMGs to go in like that.
• Sabre's Civilian Units - Several of the hostages come from this pack.
• LP-GPNVG-18s - This is what DEVGRU teams often use in the field, as opposed to standard ArmA 3 NVGs.
• CBA3 - Pretty much a prereq for everything.

So as you can see the intent behind a lot of these mods is more about immersion, atmosphere, variety and authenticity, than some direct functionality. Could we lose half these mods and still have a functional mission? Absolutely. Would the experience still feel the same? I'd say not. Regardless though, a VAP version may be on the horizon, thanks to your and others' feedback. Stay tuned! ;)

[reforger 30]

 

Totally fair critique, guys. 100% understood. To be fair, Lato said the same thing and he helped me make the damn thing! HA! It doesn't help that I run like 80+ mods anyway unless I'm playing some public MP.

Would you guys believe that there were MORE mods required prior to release? I paired it down to this, haha!

Overkill seems to be the hallmark of a lot of new mission designers, and I'm no exception, but I do always say "there's no kill like overkill."

But in all seriousness, yes, this is the kind of demand I was talking about that might prompt me to do a VAP (Vanilla As Possible) version.

However, in the mean time let me detail precisely what each mod is used for:

• MOG by Variable.A/7Cav - This is the map of course, ha!
• Massi's NATO & Russian Weapons - Prereq for any other Massi mods.
• Massi's NATO & Russian Vehicles - Prereq for any other Massi mods.
• Massi's SOCOM - Player characters are DEVGRU from this pack.
• Massi's MARSOC - Kingmaker airbase elements are USMC from this pack. Originally was using RHS USMC but they do not look right at all comparatively (they don't look like deployed Marines).
• Massi's African Conflict - SLM honor guard and UN combat liason are from this pack.
• RHS Escalation - RG-33 vehicles (carries 9 total infantry, important option when commanding a 16-man unit), C-130 and M109E are from this pack.
• Leight's OPFOR - provides great African civilians and vehicles that make sense in 2019 (as opposed to the 2035 technicals which look weird to me and don't fit into a more modern setting)
• CAF Aggressors - African Pirates come from here, some civvies but does not have the vehicles that Leight's does.
• HAFM Humvees - EWK Prereq.
• EWK Humvee Extension - Up-armored Humvees with lots of variety and functionality, as well as MEVs. as opposed to RHS which provides 3 unarmored desert Humvees. Too many enemy RPGs and HMGs to go in like that.
• Sabre's Civilian Units - Several of the hostages come from this pack.
• LP-GPNVG-18s - This is what DEVGRU teams often use in the field, as opposed to standard ArmA 3 NVGs.
• CBA3 - Pretty much a prereq for everything.

So as you can see the intent behind a lot of these mods is more about immersion, atmosphere, variety and authenticity, than some direct functionality. Could we lose half these mods and still have a functional mission? Absolutely. Would the experience still feel the same? I'd say not. Regardless though, a VAP version may be on the horizon, thanks to your and others' feedback. Stay tuned! ;)

 

Thank you that you responded to our critique and explained your choose. I do not agree in all points, but I am able to understand it. Maybe I will try the mission despite of that tomorrow and make my own image of the atmosphere.

[reymasofashborne@gmail.com 7]

Thank you that you responded to our critique and explained your choose. I do not agree in all points, but I am able to understand it. Maybe I will try the mission despite of that tomorrow and make my own image of the atmosphere.

Of course man, I am starting to see more and more this side of things. Can't be too picky or else so few people get to play. I think when time allows, (this coming week hopefully) a VAP version will be worth making for sure! Shouldn't be THAT much work, tbh.

[tawah 13]

Thanks for this decision. I am sure this will bring you more players to test this mission.