ruggermike

Jakerod: thanks for the correction, the mi28 is the havoc isn't it...doh. cti modders: I think the real window of opportunity for the other cti modders is in setting and era, providing maps and equipment specific to certain settings, such as: WWI (biplanes and barbed wire, yippee) WWII (Western Front/Eastern Front/Pacific/CBI) Korea (Sabre vrs. Mig15/early use of choppers, etc.) Vietnam (speaks for itself) Apocalypse (2 competing groups of survivors in a world where all the towns are held by souped-up zombie AI with no weapons but powerful hand-to-hand strikes and they run faster than the humans and hunt in packs, giving off eerie screams and groans/aka I am Legend?) I understand the complexity and difficulty of what I suggested above, and I have no talent or skill in any area that could contribute (except playtesting), but I think that's the path for other modders to take to really stand out and craft something unique. Particularly bothersome bugs/issues include: 1: The AI fail to rearm any of the fixed-emplacement weapons, I've had to manually rearm the TOW's/Mk.19's/etc. 2: AI squad leaders seem to get the infantry they buy hung up in base and never take them with them, resulting in crowds of dudes standing around doing nothing. (happens to 1-2 squads every game in my experience) Suggestion: Let the commander build a building called "supply dump" for the supply trucks to run to and originate from, so that the trucks don't get hungup in the middle of the base so often, running people over, or never getting out at all. Script it so that it ceases to function if the MHQ is packed up and relocated, so you need to build a new one at the MHQ's new location, maintaining the continuity of supplies being delivered to the main base.

This is the mode I've been waiting for since I bought ARMA, fantastic job, and with this base to work from it really does have the potential to define the ARMA experience...it's the realization of all that the OFP/ARMA system promises with it's non-linear gameplay and 360-degree operational environment. Thank you BIS and all the cti modders! And though I wouldn't expect Mike Melvin to remember MadMike and his group from Columbia, MO that helped playtest MFCTI years ago, even having the distinct honor of playing against the man himself; I will make some suggestions that are derived from both that past experience and that of this new version. So without further ado.... 1: squad respawn-Keep the human players in the field as long as possible by allowing the option of respawning into the next soldier in the squad. This also encourages the use and purchase of AI troops, which for some reason is a blind spot for many online mp players, so much so that they instantly react negatively to the mission because of the necessary use of AI. 2:aircraft-I’ve never felt that OFP/ARMA’s strength was the accurate representation of fixed-wing aircraft and their use on the modern battlefield. The speeds are too high, the operational area too small, and the view distances too short to even get close to the target of “realisticâ€. My suggestion would be to eliminate them from Warfare and change the airport capture benefit to something else. (i.e.: 10% money and-or supply logistics bonus/enables HALO insertions/enables paradrop ammo boxes, reinforcements, etc. Suggestions?) 3:choppers-Give me back my mi-28 hind! What a big, ugly, fearsome beast that machine is…the perfect multi-role counterpart to the UH-60 and variants. Get rid of the mi-17 in any model but the unarmed transport. (On a more radical point, you could eliminate the ka-50 as well, and negate all the debates about the AA ability, reducing all air-to-air combat to pilot skill) 4:artillery-I have to say this is the slickest implementation of indirect fire I’ve seen yet in mp ARMA, I love it, but in my heart I know it needs to change.(Am I talking about a woman or a computer game? Scary!)In a game last night, I had 2 squad leaders deploy a total of 17(!)tubes, and we plastered the crap out of the enemy base for the better part of an hour. Now, while that was a beautiful sight and a lot of fun from our perspective, it was getting silly. I would propose that arty construction and firing be limited to the commander(build it empty and allow anyone’s AI to man it), the out-of-ammo (but not really) bug be fixed asap, and the cost be increased to $2500 per tube. (The increased cost replaces the need to track individual shot costs) Another thought: I’m not sure how this is realistic, but maybe have the number of tubes be limited by how many depots are held at the time of construction, so the more ground you hold the more supply is available for the big guns. And the game does need to inform you that you’ve been killed by arty, or it starts the “who’s hacking!†debate; and someone should  get credit as well. 5:tanks-Bring back the t-80, baby! I can’t tell yet whether the ARMA version of the m1a1 is as powerful when compared to the t72 as in OFP, but if it’s even close the t72 should be more than $200 cheaper than the m1a1.(current prices are: m1a1 $3000 & t72 $2800) I would suggest $3500 for the m1a1, and $2500 for the t72. My feeling is there should be more t72’s in the field than m1a1’s, encouraging multiple-tank squads of t72’s duking it out with single m1a1’s. The t-80 was a great balancer to the m1a1 in our old games, and a squad often had one t-80 escorted by two t-72’s, allowing flanking maneuvers on solitary m1a1’s. 6:apc’s-Where, oh where, have the bmp-1 and the Bradley gone? I don’t hate the stryker, but it’s three single-role variants don’t get used nearly as much as the multi-role Bradley always did. And the bmp-1, with its surprisingly useful 37mm HE cannon, made up for the weaknesses of the open-topped armed uaz compared to the enclosed armed hummers. (just for the record, I hate uaz’s in all forms, I’d rather see the RAC technicals in OPFOR colors) 7:top tier unit cost inflation-Have the cobra/ka-50 cost slightly more (maybe $200/maybe more?) for each subsequent chopper purchased after the first. (maybe apply this to the m1a1 and t72 as well?) Don’t know if it would be better applied to the team as a whole, or to the individual, if the individual tracking is even feasible. That would help curtail some of the continuous chopper purchasing that happens in the late game, and make them individually more valuable to repair and keep in service. OK, I’ll stop, that’s too much already…..