[SP-Campaign] Ice

[IndeedPete 1038]

- DEVELOPMENT DISCONTINUED -

 

 

Singleplayer Campaign Ice

 

Version: 0.50 ALPHA

 

Good evening,

 

I would like to use this thread to officially announce my recent project in the Armaverse's splendid singleplayer content. A few of you might have stumbled upon my other projects, namely M.E.R.C.S. or Contention Zone, or my various re-texturing efforts and scripting frameworks. This work here, simply called Ice, is my newest and probably biggest baby since I started its development in the beginning of this year. I have reached a state in which I can share some of the details with you and do a fair shair of shameless marketing. Veterans of M.E.R.C.S. will hopefully find Ice to be a worthy successor, both in terms of gameplay and story. Contrary to my approach in M.E.R.C.S., I will not run a public Alpha as the complexity of Ice outruns the complexity all of my other projects, and I am not able to provide easily upgradable releases where I can iteratively add more missions without having you lose your saved progress. Instead, my plan is to finish a rough version of the playable content and release it in Beta state, hopefully in the first quarter of 2016, for you to evaluate and to attract some of you talented voice actors out there.

 

Thanks for your attention. Let's jump right to the shameless marketing, shall we?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Overview

Ice introduces a new and snow-swept setting to the Armaverses’s Singleplayer content. Through the course of over thirty missions – featuring story-driven, combined arms action – the player will alternate between three characters, each representing one of the campaign’s major factions; EUROFORCE, CSAT, and Black Star Movement. From this shared perspective, the devastating conflict in the Barents Sea region will be experienced, through the unique lens of its combatants. From infantry encounters, stealth missions, and armoured engagements to strategic planning, base expansion, and casino capitalism, the gameplay boasts an imaginative, diverse and dynamic style where your decisions really matter. Moreover, veterans of Ice’s predecessor, M.E.R.C.S, will find friends and enemies, old and new, in the sprawling tundras and Alpine forests of Helvantis.

A BETA release, aiming to attract the attention of talented community voice actors, is targeted for the first quarter of 2016.

 

Story

More than a year has passed since the events of M.E.R.C.S and European Armed Forces are back in control of the Mediterranean islands, Altis and Stratis.

The British ultra-nationalistic paramilitary group, commonly referred to as the ‘British Knights’, is still at large and intelligence services around the world have lost track of the prototypic fusion power generator they acquired on Altis. As European Armed Forces seek to extend their influence over the Mediterranean and Middle East, an association agreement between the Russian Federation and Canton-Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty is signed, leading to joint military exercises close to European territories.

Already, the fragile peace between the Independent Republic of Helvantis and the Russian Federation is beginning to crumble and now threatens to fall apart completely after the discovery of a valuable chemical element in Helvantian soil, Astatine, in its stable isotope 222. Both Canton-Protocol forces and European reconnaissance teams are converging on the region, eager to confirm the findings and to establish a strategic foothold in Helvantis. But there are others too, who are willing to stake their claims in this geo-political gambit, operating in the upmost secrecy, between the faultlines of warring global powers...

 

Features

• Story-driven singleplayer campaign, revolving around three playable characters.
• Strong focus on character development, with a rich and dynamic narrative.
• Introducing a new and wintry landscape to Arma 3
• Fully voice-acted
• Strategic decisions that affect the path of your characters
• First and third-person cutscenes
• Infantry, light vehicle, and armoured gameplay
• Custom weather effects
• Custom conversation system
• Custom shop system, supporting a vast amount of third party content
• Three custom, re-textured factions
• Customised HUD enhancements (optional)
• More than thirty missions (including cutscenes) on four different islands (Altis, Stratis, Chernarus, and Helvantis)
• Multiple endings

 

Media

Gallery on Abload.de.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Requirements

• All official Arma 3 DLCs available on release of this campaign and the Mods listed below.

 

Required Mods

This work builds on both community Addons and my work. It therefore requires the installation of the following Mods.

• EUROFORCE by IndeedPete
• CSAT Snow Tigers by IndeedPete
• Black Star Movement by IndeedPete (Already part of this release.)
• All in Arma Terrain Pack OR Cup Terrains (Base + Chernarus)
• Helvantis by Animander

 

Supported but Optional Mods

• Community Base Addons (Must be used with EUROFORCE CBA Extended Eventhandler Support Addon, CSAT Snow Tiger CBA Extended Eventhandler Support Addon, and Black Star Movement CBA Extended Eventhandler Support Addon. All part of their original releases.)
• Toadie's Weapon Packs (Can be run together with Black Star Movement HLC Replacement Config Addon in order to exchange weapons for the INDEP faction throughout the campaign.)
• Weapon Packs, Item Packs, and Uniform Packs are supported by the shop system. No guarantees given for not explicitly listed content. Unlisted third party content might affect the balancing.

 

Development Roadmap - Scopes & Features

Beta - Voice Actor's Preview (INCOMING)

• Release Q1/2016
• Campaign Completed
• Test Options Still Active
• Text-To-Speech Samples as Place-holders

 

Gold

• Voice Acting Replacing TTS Place-holders

 

Contact

You can reach me on the BI-Forums. Or feel free to locate me on social media:

• Steam
• Twitter

Share your thoughts!

[EO 11225]

Hi IndeedPete.....best of luck with what sounds like an awesome project.....Helvantis is a really great terrain but has more than a few issues, undeniably a flawed masterpiece.

[IndeedPete 1038]

Thank you!

 

I have to agree though. There are quite few misplaced objects and trees underwater. Of course, I've discovered most of the flaws after months in development. I've also considered Thirsk and Lost Island. I wanted to settle for an Arma 3 exclusive terrain, not one that has been played to death already. Hence Thirsk was off the table. Lost Island lost because Helvantis is continental and offered better locations for what I had in mind. Even if it lacks some snow in my opinion, it does have some awesome places to make up for it, like the trenches at the military base or the destroyed city. Plus I like the dirty, deteriorated German setting. It offered whole new perspectives for me to bring in some German bollocks. And it looks just beautiful on a foggy morning, when the spare sunlight breaks through the tree tops. 0700 is my favourite mission time there. :)

[EO 11225]

It's good to know you've done the ground work and found the areas that are flawed....can't wait to see what you come up with.

 

Release trailer is f*****g epic! 

[IndeedPete 1038]

Thanks again!

 

I'm afraid I can't sugar coat all of them, but I did my best to avoid the worst ones. There's still this annoying AiA bug that some buildings won't stop bullets, you can shoot right through them and the AI ignore them as well. I hope CUP Terrains manages to fix that one, otherwise it will be a bit tougher.^^

 

It's my first trailer ever! I'm so proud of myself that I got the hang of video capturing and editing. Well, at least I can call myself amateur now. :D Kydoimos and Surfer proof-watched it and said I'm good to go. Glad they weren't too far off. More material will follow over the coming weeks. I've got tons of screenshots, background information, and more actual footage.

[spotter001 82]

Something tells me this is gonna be  a worthy successor to MERCS indeed!

[IndeedPete 1038]

That remains for you to judge. Unfortunately, it is a bit less dynamic. The missions strech over seven hubs in total instead of two in M.E.R.C.S., rendering the campaign to be slightly more linear. However, this shouldn't be too much of a downer as the systems introduced in M.E.R.C.S. have been developed further to allow a better combined arms gameplay.

[spotter001 82]

Sure, i have no doubt you introduced some new goodies :)

The only thing i would ever "complain" about your great work is the use of vanilla weapons. Never liked vanilla imaginary weapons, thankfully there are some great wep packs out there.

[IndeedPete 1038]

Oh, well, I gave most of them a fresh paint job at least. Plus the new iteration of the shop system now auto-indexes all mod content you're running. So if the modders did their jobs right, you can use all their gear, at least in the middle part of the campaign. Even whitelisted a few selected vehicles to buy from RHS, CUP, and Massi a few days ago. Plus there's an optional replacement config for the independent faction using Toadie's MP5s, AKs and M4s, and hopefully G36s in the future as well. If you run that one, they will have all that stuff by default. If you don't, they just use repainted vanilla TRG21s and Mk20s.

[spotter001 82]

Plus the new iteration of the shop system now auto-indexes all mod content you're running.

This sounds great!

[Marduk1813 62]

 I hope CUP Terrains manages to fix that one, ...

 

Oh yeah, the hopes for CUP Terrains are defintly high.

 

Great that you added modded weapon support. Actual weapons add much to the overall atmosphere. I enjoyed playing CZ with the vanilla weapons, but Toadies AK12 worked much better. Are you considering adding more replacement-configs of other modders aswell? Of course if you got the time for this. I'm aware that there are much more important things to do first.

 

Keep up with your moving pictures. And another Bravo-photostory would be appreciated aswell. :)

[IndeedPete 1038]

Well, as I said, the shop system auto-processes all mods you're running, so you can use that gear, and randomly created mercenaries might use it as well. However, the main factions EUROFORCE, CSAT Snow Tigers, and Black Star Movement use re-painted vanilla weapons. Arma 3's config system only allows fixed equipment, I'd have to script everything else and I want it to be coherent in the main factions. Also, not many modders offer proper snow gear, making it harder to find good replacements. Though, as said, I've made an optional replacement config for the Black Star Movement faction. If you run that config, their guerillas will use old AK47s, their police forces M4s (maybe replaced by G36s when they're out) and MP5s, and their paramilitary troops service AK12s plus M249s for the heavy gunners, all from Toadie. Also, the first hub's default layout will be adapted, means there are AKs instead of TARs on the table. Default vehicles are all re-painted vanilla gear, but you can buy mod cars, light armour, and air support form the shop in later stages.

 

Got a few character sheets for this one. And more footage. I haven't got time to do another photostry for CZ, we'll see in the future. :)

[froggyluv 2130]

Your mission title pic alone makes me want it on my hard-drive. Seriously well done

[IndeedPete 1038]

Ah, so hours of me amateur-like fucking around in poor people's photoshop finally paid off. Thanks! :)

[IndeedPete 1038]

Speaking of photoshop fuckery, as I said, I have a bit of background material on my hard drive. Let's welcome the first faction, the Black Star Movement. Founded as anti-communism movement, it significantly contributed to Helvantis' independence from the Soviets in 1991. What started as peaceful protest, soon evolved into a nationalistic guerilla movement with the ultimate goal of an independent and sovereign nation state in Helvantis. For almost thirty years, mutiple generations of dedicated BSM fighters ran an underground campaign against their occupants, resulting in over 30.000 dead Russian soldiers. After the breakdown of the Soviet Union, the last generation of guerillas established loose defence forces and police-like authorities. Officially, the Republic of Helvantis does not have a proper army. But every invader, from the German Empire, over the Third Reich's Wehrmacht, to the Red Army had to learn the hard way that occupying this country comes with a price. The resistant and stubborn people of Helvantis might not have the best training or equipment. Also their numbers cannot compete with any real army. But their will, dedication, and knowledge of the terrain make them a far more dangerous enemy than they seem to be on first sight.

 

[inlesco 233]

Great work, man! So much detail always put into your misisions, makes my hair straighten up! Good luck in the process of adultering this huge project :D

[IndeedPete 1038]

Thank you! Detail and a (slightly) improved presentation is certainly a goal of this project.

 

Speaking of presentation, let's take a look at the second major faction: the 7th fleet of the European Armed Forces. Originally involved in the redeployment on Altis, the MEU-sized combined force gets to re-locate to North Cape, Norway. In an interview with the AAN news platform, British Admiral and commander of the 7th fleet, Stephen Hackett, made clear that, "diverting the 7th fleet to the Barents Sea region is part of a long planned training excercise and cannot be seen as military reaction to the association agreement which was recently signed between the Canton-Protocol Strategic Alliance Treaty and the Russian Federation". A yet unknown source in the European Ministry of Defence in Brussels told the Intercept that a group of around 50 special forces operators of the infamous Wolfpack Special Operations Group travel along with the fleet. A training maneuvre close to Russian territory involving highly specialised ground troops? I think not!

 

[Marduk1813 62]

Operation California Peace? Haha, nice. :)

[IndeedPete 1038]

Ah yeah, CSAT had this brilliant idea to set off nukes on the US westcoast over the conflict in the Pacific. California was hit hard and the crumbling ex-US states divided into separate local units and regional governments. The Europeans withdrew their support over the NATO breakdown and their own instabilities but sent peacekeepers a few years later to help dealing with the rivaling rebel groups around California. But I hear the Republic of Texas took advantage and became one of the major powers in that region. I'm pretty certain they'd develop an interest in the Barents Sea region and its Astatine deposits as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they'd send troops at some point. I'm just saying... ;)

 

Just realising that I misspelled affiliation(s) in the faction sheets. I shouldn't be writing this stuff on the train...

[Alex150201 894]

Oh indeedpete you got 2999 posts :D make them 3000!

[IndeedPete 1038]

Okay... ;)

[Alex150201 894]

Okay... ;)

Oh god! 3001!!! Congrats :D

[IndeedPete 1038]

*3002 ;)

 

Let's wrap up the work of the last few days and take a look at the third major faction: the CSAT Snow Tigers. As part of CSAT's conventional forces, the highly specialised Snow Tigers helped colonising parts of the Antarctic and managed to repel Indian forces in Kashmir in 2034. According to their commander, Chinese Colonel Cheng Zhi, the CSAT Snow Tigers take part in joint military excercises with the Russian Federation in the Barents Sea region. He emphasised that this deployment cannot be seen as provocation towards the European Union but rather serves the goal of mutual friendship and the exchange of valuable experiences.

 

[IndeedPete 1038]

Let's take a look at the (playable) characters. The first appearance makes Veikko Halla from the Republic of Helvantis. Veikko grew up in a poor family and when the Russians attacked in 2016, he joined the Black Star Movement. His charisma and intelligence made him quickly climb the ranks of the resistance. By the time of the Barents Sea conflict, he was among the top brass of the Black Star. Despite his abilities, he disregards unnecessary violence and often tries to pursue diplomatic solutions instead. Though his way of life has taken its toll. Both his wife and his only son lost their lives in a Russian airstrike in 2034. After their deaths, Veikko left the public stage and moved to a remote location. He stepped down from his command in the BSM and after the Barents Sea Conflict ended in 2035, he joined the UN Ranger programme. With his mandate as UN Ranger, Veikko watches over the fragile peace with the Russian Federation and supports the local police if needed.

 

[IndeedPete 1038]

Alright, time to introduce the second player character, German-born EUROFORCE engineer Erik Stieglitz! Originally from northern Germany, Erik chose to study Mechanical Engineering at the renowned Aachen University. The stagnating economy in the European Union due to economic pressure from growing industries in China and South America had a negative impact on the local labour market, forcing Erik into service with the 'force to escape unemployment and poverty. Thanks to his qualifications, he managed to land a position at the EOD, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal. His first peaceful deployment was in Estonia during Operation Baltic Shield, when he helped maintaining missile defence systems. Erik's first combat deployment began in 2036 as part of Operation Prospering Syria. He led a small team of EODs around the city of Aleppo, Syria, mostly clearing IEDs planted by CSAT-funded insurgents. At the beginning of Ice, Erik is scheduled for a furlough to visit his wife and two daughters back home, his youngest is about to turn six. Erik's route home leads him to through the re-established Air Base on Stratis, in the Mediterranean, where a high ranking officer of the Wolfpack Special Operations Group is expecting him...