Vietnam Tour of Duty alpha demo

[kutya 0]

This is the successor of the Ia Drang Tour of Duty campaign. The major changes are that now the campaign uses Vietnam: The Experience v0.2 and the second change is that it now uses Dynamic AI Creator, so there will be (mostly) unpredictable patrols in the combat area. There are no enemies farther away, because of unnecessary lag. The demo island is The Bra, and there is only one phase of the campaign. Be aware that there are some bugs , so read the included readme before playing. This is just a preview of what will be included in the full version. Just copy the pbo into the missions folder, or better, to the VTE missions folder.

The dl link:

http://rapidshare.de/files/25007549/VTDAlphaDemo.zip.html

Have fun!

PS You'll need a proper install of VTE 0.2!

[rainbow 0]

I tested your mission yesterday and I have to say, that it is quite good but I finded some bugs. Success in project

[kutya 0]

Thanks , but I'd like to hear about these bugs (otherwise I can't eliminate them ).

The two major ones I noticed and they still aren't fixed:

 - insertion/extraction heli (rarely) doesn't go to destination

 - the error messages in top of the screen, which are connected to VTE+DAC+DMA template. Sorry for this, but I'm not able to fix this unless someone helps. I've already asked in the forum, but no answers. In my experience you'll have no problems if they appear (just annoyance)

Progress update:

 - working on 2 new mission types, more info later.

 - civilians now really appear, and also VC support will rise if they die

 - rebalanced support costs

 - you gain value level also in regular missions

 - artillery is less accurate

 - radio available all the time, so you can see your status anytime (also when you don't isert by heli, but instead walk all the way to the objective)

There are no major problems (except those error messages), but will need much time implementig many phases of the campaign, on a couple islands.

[rainbow 0]

(In NorthvsSouth conflict) I built ammobox and I had announcement something about ammo error with M1911. Maybe check it.

[kutya 0]

OK. Now I remember I saw it once, but forgot about it.

Thanks man.

[ebud 18]

I started trying this out last night with the VTE 3.0 work-in-progress. I like this alot. I'll pm you some comments after I get more time to play with it some more.

I was going to convert a Dynamic mission a while back. Thank god someone else did this

Keep it up, it really is appreciated!

[kutya 0]

Thanks for your support, man. Bug reports & suggestions are eagerly welcome. Especially from the SEB team!

[ebud 18]

actually now there are no "s" or "b" working on updating the seb stuff anymore, just VTE

[-Snafu- 77]

Couple bugs I noticed,

When you do a free mission the guy you go to calls the Vietcong, terrorists.

When you get inserted by helicopter sometimes it lands in the jungle.

Otherwise it's very playable and fun! Good job.

[kutya 0]

The text will be corrected. I didn't really understand when is the insertion in the jungle. In the missions where you're inserted automatically, I set up the insertion points outside of the jungle, but maybe didn't notice some. I suppose you already know, but just to mention that in other missions you have to choose where you'll land. Also in the free missions.

If I recall correctly, the only auto-insertion missions are the 'downed pilots' and the 'Seek and Destroy'. I'll check them again, altough the Bra will be remade with the new possibilities of the newer version.

Thanks for the info!

[colligpip 0]

I like this conversion to nam

but i dont seem to be able to load in saved games it ctd

anybody elese have this.

[kutya 0]

I didn't test saving, but you shouldn't use the regular save option. Go to the ammo guy, and there you have the option to save.

Which way of saving did you use?

[kutya 0]

Saving through the command at the rearming soldier in my experience works fine.

I'm having trouble combining the Dynamic Mission Alliance's template with Dynamic AI Creator. Some strange errors occur, which are beyond my scripting abilities, so if someone tried to do this, I really could use a hand.

I need info about what are the conflicting parts? If I change only one variable, completely different errors occur, and because no decent debugging can be done, I don't know where to look. Respawning is not even nearly functional (in my version). My two major suspects are that the DMA template uses some global variable that is also in use with DAC. The second one, is maybe some inner limitations of OpF which I don't know of.

So the future of VTD is in question. I've added a couple of improvements to the campaign since the last release:

changelog:

-------------------

v0.01

- included 2 new mission types:

- assassination: same as the "get infrormation from the officer" mission, except you have to kill him (need no info, he-he)

- demolition: at the area of the objective are some trucks/mortars that need to be destroyed. Make sure you have some LAWs or satchel charges, because airstrikes, and artillery can be inaccurate. Important: in the "destroy mortars" mission, you don't have to destroy the vehicle around.

- dead civilians and dead squadmates not always give the same support increase

- stretched the mission time span to 0500 to 1900

- added satchel charges to ammo crate at the base

- the mission marker won't exactly show the position of the mission objective. The objective is somewhere in the circle. If the army would exactly know where the target is, they would already shelled it with artillery. This is true only for missions with active targets (eg. your commander knows exactly where he wants you to patrol, but he doesn't know in milimeter where those VC are hiding)

- changed support costs:

- smoke 1

- special forces 1

- ground support 2

- airstrike 1

- air support 2

- artillery strike 3

- missile strike 2 but (read the next one):

- now regular missions also increase value, for you not to need to play free missions if you don't want. It seems logical to me that if you succesfully end a mission, your value should increase by 1. For special missions you get +2. It's not much, but with this you can freely call one lesser support in a mission.

- if civilians are killed, support for the VC will rise (no matter who kills them). Consider this as politics. So now you can't just arty that village where you saw a VC patrol. Also you have to look better, does that plack pajama has a weapon or not, but of course in the jungle, no time for asking...

- modified artillery strike to be less accurate

- the radio dialog is now available all the time, mainly to be able to call status

- fixed: if you don't insert by heli (simply walk or drive yourself to the mission objective), support won't be available. Also some missions didn't start

---------------------------------------

Altough the radio command still isn't working. I'm thinking about using just DAC and building my own dynamic campaign on top of it. But it will take a LONG time. Suggestions?

[ebud 18]

Please take a look at the new DMA COIN2 template. I really really like this mission of yours, been playing it a lot this weekend to test some more VTE editing. Even with the occasional errors that pop up at the top I really like this.

I think if you move to the new DMA template that uses DAC as it's core, it may fix the errors.

[kutya 0]

I forgot to post here that I'm continuing work on VTD, just that I'm directly using only DAC, and making partly my own dynamic campaign using reworked parts of the (older) DMA template. This way, (I hope) I will exactly know what's happening, so I'll be able to fix problems. The features will hopely be the same, just rewritten. Some may be added, which I think were already mentioned in the previous post.

 I also tried CoIn 2, and I like it, but I wanted a more streamlined gameplay. My intention is to make a "you're an ordinary grunt" type campaign. Of course you have support, but then call your guy a "less ordinary grunt"   . I like gameplay where you got a mission and you need to finish it, but to have a sense that something is really going on in the battlefield. CoIn2 concentrates more on strategy (it's much deeper), mine more on tactics. I really use DAC only to add to the atmosphere (unpredictable patrols), and to add spawn camps.

I've also thought about incorporating General Barron's Handsignals Command System, but I'm afraid more bugs will rise, so it's put on hold. Altough in the future I'll try to implement it, because IMO it would add much to the atmosphere.

[colligpip 0]

thanks saving worked I was using the old way not ingame

Really enjoying this mission.

any chance doing a uk troops afghan one that is similar

I have played the U.S. afghan one just fancy a uk based one perhpas ill try and work out how you change the configs.

[ebud 18]

Don't listen to him... keep doing the nam version, there is already Bleed for Oil for UK troops :P  JK

Good to hear you will eventually look at the handsignals to be incorporated into your mission. I have yet to try the new one. I did like the old version though.

So it's safe to say that the mission as it is now is final? And a new one will be using a totally different method for gameplay and have a totally new pbo?

If so then I'll keep the version as it is now and make my own changes to it for personal taste and not worry about it getting updated.

[kutya 0]

@colligpip: as Ebud said there is already this kind of mission whith UK afghan. But you could try to convert DMA's template to UK units on CATintro or a similar island. It's not that hard at all (if you change only units & islands). Adding new features is much harder.

@ebud: well, it's not final, just it will take some time to make it stable. Didn't understand that about a new pbo (I'm always making a new pbo! ). I'm incorporating the DMA template part by part, and modifying it. That version was an alpha and this should be a beta, what means, for the player the mission will look almost the same, just (trying to! ) make it more robust.

The gameplay will be mostly the same, just reworking scripts and making the whole even more flexible. Trying to achieve that a conversion could really be made in one file, where ALL the units are listed (actually a second one, for weapons & ammo). In short: that was a demo, this will be a real release of the same mission . But, of course you can do with it whatever you want, altough I'd like shape it like I wanted, so people should build on that.

About handsignals: I tried the new version and liked it much, altough didn't try the 1.0 version so don't know to compare. I have a problem with fwatch: put it in the OpF dir, put the handsignals .cfg file in the fwatch\mdb dir. The game starts vie fwatch, but nothing happens, as if I started the game regularly. My exe is FLASHPONTRESISTANCE.EXE

[kutya 0]

And forgot to add, that I'm waiting VTE 0.3, to see what changes will be made. Probably the new version will use VTE 0.3. I hope ebud & snake man, that the unit names and magazines won't be changed!

[ebud 18]

I was just wondering if there will be an updated version to DL that has the same name. I was going to edit the latest version to suit my tastes.

Or are you going in a whole new direction, totally changing gameplay, and be making a new mission pbo named differently.  

Make sense?

Snakeman is making sure that it is backward compatible. So no need to worry.

[kutya 0]

Makes sense. No, not going to change the name (remains VTD), the concept remains. I changed the name just because the VTD version is meant to be on a couple of Vietnam islands, while the old version was just on SEB Ia Drang. I will upload it when I make it playable enough to be fun. Content will be added afterwards (more islands, maybe cutscenes etc.). The porting will take a couple of days, and at the end of the week I'll go on holiday for about ten days (women and stuff, you know). That's why I think the full release will have to wait a bit. But if in the meanwhile, you're interested PM me and I'll send you the latest version (the last one before this major overhaul). Altough, I'm not sure in what state it is, so no promises on bugs, etc. (I know for sure that the respawn points don't work)

The v0.1 will include probably the full features list, but will contain only one island. In about 2-3 weeks. I think this is the version you (ebud) need.

The full v1.0 will feature more islands, and maybe some extras (cutscenes, scripted stroryline missions between phases etc.). I don't know when I'll have time to release this due to RL.

Appreciate the backwards compatibility

I know this was chaotic and repetitive, but I can't steady my brain. Sorry.

[kutya 0]

I worked day and night for more than a week and finally made the rebuild of the mission system. It's alike the old one, but very different if you want to edit it. It's much more flexible. You can convert it to another island/era by editing just a couple of files. Also the previously mentioned features are included. Removed 'Seek and Destroy' mission and the 'free war'. You set all the units in one place, similarly like in Silola's DAC, which gave me the idea. Thanks Silola!  Probably will be a release in a couple of days (not weeks as I tought) for VTE 0.2. It's playable now, but has a hell lot of bugs.

[Placebo 29]

I think all Alpha/beta versions can go in one thread, then start a new thread for the final version, we'll stick to your beta thread for now