Playtesting - SP Airborne Airfield Seizure

[CameronMcDonald 146]

With all due respect, the things you term "unnecessary fluff" usually distinguish a good mission from a mediocre one, make it possible to tell when someone has put time and effort into a scenario rather than 50 seconds sticking units on the map in the editor and a few blue trigger flags to make the thing work. Anyone can make a mission in that style, only a true expert can make one that has all that "fluff" and still maintains the action.

Of course the US's NODs give them an advantage, but if your idea of the SLA troops "fighting for their lives" involves sitting prone in the dark, waiting to be shot from 20 metres away, so be it.

[zwobot 19]

I think the problem is that realistic military operations are often not very entertaining. Arma offers an oppertuinity to make a realistic mission or an exciting one. The best missions combine the two.

Dito.

With all due respect, the things you term "unnecessary fluff" usually distinguish a good mission from a mediocre one, make it possible to tell when someone has put time and effort into a scenario rather than 50 seconds sticking units on the map in the editor and a few blue trigger flags to make the thing work

Disagree.

[hellfish6 7]

With all due respect, the things you term "unnecessary fluff" usually distinguish a good mission from a mediocre one, make it possible to tell when someone has put time and effort into a scenario rather than 50 seconds sticking units on the map in the editor and a few blue trigger flags to make the thing work. Anyone can make a mission in that style, only a true expert can make one that has all that "fluff" and still maintains the action.

Of course the US's NODs give them an advantage, but if your idea of the SLA troops "fighting for their lives" involves sitting prone in the dark, waiting to be shot from 20 metres away, so be it.

The key difference is that when a mission maker knows his subject, adding simple units, waypoints and triggers IS enough.

In my experience with the vast, vast, vast majority of missions I've played in Arma and OFP a mission maker uses this fluff to cover up an inheirently poor or unrealistic plot in his mission or to add substance to a mission that is totally lacking in plausibility, originality and often playability.

Apex Predator gets all the important things right. Thats what matters.

[CameronMcDonald 146]

OK, so the additions of this "fluff" wouldn't make the mission better? Just my 5c.

[hellfish6 7]

OK, so the additions of this "fluff" wouldn't make the mission better? Just my 5c.

Not substantially, no. I don't add fluff to my missions. Hell, I don't even add endings to my missions (other than notifications) because the guys I play with like to poke around the battlefield afterwards.

[Clavicula_nox4817 0]

Quote[/b] ]Likely not. I toyed with the idea of intro and outro's, but frankly I don't like them and wind up skipping them with the spacebar on the first playthrough. The only thing I might include is pre-jump, JMPI, and load-up, but --again-- people would skip them if they were cut scene's and it would be horribly boring to play through "Mock Door", "PLF's", and "JMPI" as the player.

As a fellow paratrooper on Bragg, I wouldn't mind going thorugh the pre-jump exercises at all. Hell why not put in BAR? It would make me feel at home if someone asked me if I was happy right before a jump.

I liked the mission completely, and it felt absolutely right to me. Forget all that other bullshit.

[zwobot 19]

To come back to this "fluff" called mission intros, endings and cutscenes:

I think a small, no movies like intro can add to the atmospere of a mission but are optional if there is a good briefing. Look at the Ofp Demo for example, the car ride to your squad wehere the officer explains the mission to you - that is a sort of intro that makes sense to me. Another example is Snypir's mission "Operation Axe Point".

[CameronMcDonald 146]

Of course I understand where you guys are coming from, I'm just attempting to pass on some comments. Nepumunk's last point is quite valid, the Ambush "intro-cum-beginning of mission" idea is good, but albeit hard to implement in this mission where you are dropped via C17.

Missions should be both realistic and entertaining, I was merely suggesting that the addition of "fluff" could enhance both of these two facets where this mission is concerned - you've got the bare bones right, the mission is playable, now how about adding a bit of flair without detracting from the realism? I don't see how adding custom radio and voices could hurt.

I'd love for you lads to test a mission I've almost completed, so chances are I'll drop you a line when it's done. Sorry to hijack your thread, AP, keep up the work.

[apex_predator 0]

No problems on my end Cam, I really do appreciate the input. I understand your point and I think it's valid, I'm just not sure that I am the guy to implement it since I am hyper-focused on realism. That said, if I can come up with a way to include some sort of immersive and realistic enhancements (the idea of some quick playable cut scenes of various airborne pre-jump training intrigues me) that feel right to me I may try to do it.

[=jps=sgtrock 4]

Old thread that I found when I was looking for something else. I just wanted to add my .02c US that this is /exactly/ the kind of mission that I love to play. It sounds somewhat similar to the seizure of the airport near the end of the original OpFlash campaign. That's a huge compliment, because I always thought was one of the best missions in the single best vendor supplied SP campaign that I've ever played. Good on ya for doing it!

With that said, I'd love to see someone add some additional effects to this mission that are similar to what Cameron was talking about. He's right in one respect. That kind of attention to detail is what takes a mission or campaign from very, very good to great.

Still waiting to buy the game in the U.S. so I can play all this wonderful user driven content!

[JanMasterson 0]

hello Apex_Predator,

thanks for your great mission, it's really the kind of mission that i love.

any news about the extended version?

PS: wich other mission and addon would you rate "realistic" actually?

cheers,

Jan

[beacon 0]

Hehe, how do I use this?

(ArmA Noob)

Tried placing in addons folder, but nothing..

[Yeb 0]

You must put it in Missions folder.

[nettrucker 142]

Hello apex_predator

Great mission you've made. I like the atmosphere when playing this mission. It gets me hooked. I can undertsand the point of view of Cameron though. Since I'm a musician I like to have some ear candy when playing missions. I guess during an assault there are lot's of communication going on. Shouted orders . . . screams of wounded and so on, which in my humble opinion would add a great deal of realism and also great deal of amosphere to an already well made mission. I would like to do an experiment with you and trying to add some radio and other sounds to this mission. Send me a personal message if you should be interested in trying.

Regrads

nettrucker

[apex_predator 0]

Thanks for the feedback gents. The expanded mission should be done by the end of June.