David Shipley

Howdy, I was wondering: how do you make a config.cpp file? A modder, by the name of Eric Fisher, says he'll edit the game for me (so officers will wear helmets instead of caps) if I give him the latest version of the game's config file in .cpp format; he's been out of it for a while, so he can't do it for himself. I would love to have all officers in the game wear helmets instead of hats, since I'm kind of a realism-freak. So, how would I come about a new config.cpp file for Operation Flashpoint 1.92+? I don't really know anything about mods, so I'm at a loss, here. Maybe someone can send me their config.cpp file? I need it for the latest version of Operation Flashpoint; the latest official patch, not the beta ones. Could anyone be so kind as to help a poor guy out? :-) My E-mail: davidshipley@planetavp.com. Oh, and if someone was willing to send me a config file already edited with officers wearing helmets instead of caps, that would mean the world to me. :-) I'd be willing to pay them back with a favor of my own, maybe. I'm not sure if this'll entice anyone, but maybe I could post about your mod in an off-topic news post on my site, www.PlanetAvP.com? We receive upwards of tens of thousands of visitors a day (we're part of GameSpy), and while it is about Aliens vs. Predator, I'm sure there'll be some interested in Operation Flashpoint. Like I am. ;-) Thanks in advance, David Shipley

MSpencer, Thanks for the tips, but *making* a config.cpp file from nothing sounds like too much for little ol' me - sorry. I'm just your average gamer, here, really. :-\ See, here's the E-mail I got from Fisher: "You have to track down the unedited decoded v1.92+ config.cpp and we can make changes from there. It's been a while and I've been out of it." Is there anyone here who can help me find what he's looking for, please? This is very important to me. I promise, if this works out, I'll put the new config file up for download for anyone who, like me, like their officers realistic and with helmets on their noggins. ;-) Anyone?

Blink Dog: Wow! Really - just update the data3d.pbo file, myself? How would I go about doing that, anyway; what program do I need? I tried with Notepad, and nothing. Are you sure I don't need a config.cpp file? If I did, though, where would I find such a file? Messiah: No, this is done so officers in every mission look like regular soldiers (like they do in real-life), including the official campaign. This is not for a single mission to have an officer with a helmet on. I'm not a mission-maker. You see, there's lots of infantry missions out there where you play the role of an officer. Me, being the realism freak that I am, would like to have all the officers in all those missions wear helmets instead of caps. This can be done through an edited config.cpp file, according to Fisher. But Lord knows where I can find such a file. :-( Help!

Hey guys, About two years ago, PitViper (Dynamic Sound guy) edited my config.bin file so all officers in the game wear helmets instead of caps/berets. It was cool and much more realistic, in my view, though much harder to figure out who the commander now was -- which was the whole point, I guess. Sadly, I lost the edited config file, along with all contact with PitViper. *Sigh* So, I want to try to edit the config file myself. PitViper said it was a very simple procedure; something about changing the "headgear" for all officers. What do you need to edit the config.bin file? My version is actually one I downloaded from the Dynamic Sound pack. It shouldn't be too hard to change. Maybe an experienced modder could do the same for me as PitViper did? He/she could even put it up on OFP.Info, or something, so other people could download it. Certainly it's not just myself who thinks it's a bit odd how an officer wants a "Shoot Me Now" cap on during battle. Please, guys, this is important to me. I'd really appreciate it if one of you could give me tips on how to do this, or (praise be to the Lord) if someone could do this for me. :-) My E-mail: davidshipley@planetavp.com My config file for download (and edit by some talented modder?): http://www.planetavp.com/config.bin Thanks in advance! David Shipley www.PlanetAvP.com

Wiggum: Thanks! I'll look for him there. Landwarrior: If I manage to do it (or if someone did it for me), I'll host it on my site for other folks to download. Deadmeat: Sounds way out of my league. Since you do Ballistic Mods work, maybe you could try? (Love your group's Rangers mod, man, by the way.)

A friend of mine told me it's possible to edit the .config file in OFP so all officers wear helmets, instead of those stupid-lookin' caps -- which would be more realistic, anyway. Is that really true? If it is, I'd LOVE IT if someone could put up a downloadable .config file set that way. Wouldn't you? Officers wearing nylon caps, instead of kevlar helmets, gives me a feeling of peace time, if you ask me. For true realism, everybody gets kevlar to shield their head from shrapnel! Maybe someone could send me a reconfigured .config file? I run OFP: Resistance with the latest official patch (1.91). Please send it here: davidshipley@planetavp.com. Of course, something for everyone to download would be better. ;-)

coporal_punishment, Sounds great! Thank you so much. I'll be more than happy to change to INQ's (?) to have that officer's helmet. Yummy! Could you give me a link to where I can download the file? I don't suppose I could just send you my .config file, so you could quickly change officer/cap to officer/helmet? (davidshipley@planetavp.com) Anyway, thanks again. The next time you'll see me, you'll see an OFP soldier running after a tank -- knowing in safety his kevlar helmet will protect him from any 120mm tank shell.

And it probably doesn't help that I'm using the .config file provided by Satchel's sound mod? I think it's version 1.90 for Resistance.

Yeah, maybe that's it. Is there anyone here who can do that and put it up for download - or send it to me? The guy who made that realistic "Satchel Sound Pack" used to be able to do it. Certainly there's someone else who can?

Well, all I know is that it has been done before -- a friend of mine did it for me years ago, but now he's long gone. Even the General in the single-player game wore a helmet, then. :-P Anybody here know how to do the same? Going into battle with a cap sucks!

A friend of mine told me it's possible to edit the .config file in OFP so all officers wear helmets, instead of those stupid-lookin' caps -- which would be more realistic, anyway. Is that really true? If it is, I'd LOVE IT if someone could put up a downloadable .config file set that way. Wouldn't you? Officers wearing nylon caps, instead of kevlar helmets, gives me a feeling of peace time, if you ask me. For true realism, everybody gets kevlar to shield their head from shrapnel! Maybe someone could send me a reconfigured .config file? I run OFP: Resistance with the latest official patch (1.91). Please send it here: davidshipley@planetavp.com. Of course, something for everyone to download would be better. ;-)

I usually place the difficulty levels in OFP at maximum; yeah, I died a lot, at first, but it made me learn important things to keep alive longer now. "Hit the dirt! Grab some real estate!" To stay on the topic at hand -- I was wondering what difficulty level in OFP is the most 'realistic.' I know difficulty levels effect accuracy levels, but what else? Does anyone know what else it changes? When you realize that most soldiers are not crack Ranger units, and that they might miss and make mistakes more than the game shows, what difficulty setting do you think most realisticly potrays them - lowest, middle or highest?

Hey guys, I just got the Radeon 9500 PRO for a cheap price a few days ago. It works great. I'm absolutely amazed at the picture in 1200x960 and full FSAA. It's a whole new world. :-) Yeah, there were some flickering problems, but they seem to be minor, and only appear in some missions. I saw they released a new patch (http://mirror.ati.com/support/drivers/winxp/radeonnowdm-xp.html?cboOS=Windows+XP&cboProducts=RADEON+9500+PRO&eula=&choice=agree&cmdNext=Next), though, and went and downloaded it right away, along with their new "control panel." After installing it, I saw there were new graphic settings to try out, including some other supposed random fixes (yes, I know it won't fix the flickering problem). And while that sounded great, my computer instantly restarts the moment I launch the game. What gives? I'm back to my old driver now, and while it's fine, I want some of those new graphic settings. :-) Please help! P.S. I can't wait for the NEXT patch that'll supposedly fix that flickering problem...

You know, I've been playing OFP for a few years now. I still love the game... but lately, though, I've grown -- well -- tired of being the guy who has to kill everybody. I'm tired of being the guy who carries the LAW to destroy any tanks that come by. I'm tired of taking all the risk, and basically being Rambo. And also being the 'Rambo' who dies the most. Lately, I've shifted to letting my men do everything - I'm just a squad leader now. I tell them where to go, which direction to look at and when to shoot. I micromanage everything, all in an effort to make my team an effective fighting force. As I went forward, I learned about teams, covering fire and more. The result? My squad kills more bad guys than I ever did, and suffer less casualties due to good leadership. And the best part? I almost never die in missions now. I only fight when I have to. Most of the time, I just point out bad guys with my binaculars, and let my men deal with them. Well anyway, I guess I'm just trying to ask, "Has anybody else tried this?" Considering Operation Flashpoint is supposed to be realistic, I guess this is the most realistic way to play - as squad leader, that is.

Yes, and it still restarted. I even tried deleting the entire config file, to no avail. Every other game works with the new drivers, though...

Walker: All right, you convinced me. ;-) I'll go download it today, and try it out after work. Deadmeat: Hey, no hard feelings, man. I'm just here to talk about my experiences, and not argue about them. I'm sure you do good work as a modder. Keep up the good work!

Deadmeat, I don't know why, but I never experienced what happened to you. In fact, I'm absolutely sure that the AI will stay still if I tell them to stop, and go exactly where I tell them to. (Hint: don't give too many orders at once like a madman.) Are you sure you downloaded the latest patches? Might fix some AI pathfinding issues there. I still feel Operation Flashpoint is too much like Half-Life if you don't learn to use your men - at least from the infantry POV. I'm in for a change. :-)

Deadmeat: Hey, didn't mean to start an argument, man! I'm sure you're a better player than me one-on-one, and that there is merit in Rambo-style play. Squad-level play is just something you should try. ;-) Snoopy: One thing I've learned is to NEVER tell one of your soldiers to "ENGAGE" a unit - it just doesn't work with OFP. Unless you're trying it against a vehicle, don't ever tell one of your men to "ENGAGE" anything. For that matter, always leave off "ENGAGE AT WILL" so your men don't wander around and get killed. If you want your soldiers to kill the enemy, simply use your binaculars and right-click on 'em. Your soldiers will then automatically shoot at them, no problem. SpaceAlex: Yeah, AI in tanks aren't that bad. They happen to be very good with their machineguns and, if you target the RPG guys for them, much more effective on the battlefield. A Human buddy commanding that tank is so much better, though. Walker: We seem to both like the same things! Sadly, though, my 1.3 GHz processor is no good for vast armies fighting each other on the open battlefield. I'll have to stick to squad-level tactics, and be the best damn sergeant I can be.

Beyond the level of officer? Isn't that the limit in OFP? While using the AI to its full effectiveness is important, good old-fashioned one-man-army does have its merits. :-) In fact, it's the only thing you can do in city-fighting, where AI soldiers get killed too easily; they don't check corners, they don't use grenades, etc., etc. You have to do everything, and your men are only there to cover you if any unexpected soldiers come by. Anywhere the AI has to move a lot, it doesn't do very well. I've found, though, that having one soldier 'Stay in Formation' is good to have in city-fighting. He will follow your movements precisely, provide extra firepower (especially if he's a LAW man), and is good to have while crossing dangerous streets (e.g. extra target). If it's a big city with large streets, though, you might be able to take a long a four-man fireteam with you. But that's the maximum. The main problem is vehicles, though. AI is very bad at it. I wish, for example, a tank would switch to HEAT when there's lots of infantry, and just shell areas he thinks they're at -- that's why I do! But there's simply no command that says, "Shoot right over there." And don't get me started about helicopters. But, yes, AI is very effective as an infantry force fighting in open or even forest terrain. Ever since I've "taken command," I've stopped dying in missions almost completely, and increased the kill-ratio to increadible levels, in favor of my squad. And it's just much more fun watching the AI kicking the crap out of an enemy squad, all by itself. :-) It brought new life to OFP. Well anyway, yes, snipers are a definite priority in the target list. I believe they're at the very top. I don't know about grenadiers... I don't remember them carrying any binaculars. They're second-tier on the list, ahead of riflemen, if you ask me. (Don't want that random grenade taking out half my squad! Is that true? If you take out the AI officer, they'll be disorganized for a while? Wow, I never knew that... I guess now I should turn-off that mod that places helmets on all the officers! *Grin*

Ruskiesrule, You know what? I experienced that, too. It's like they spent more time trying to protect me if I'm with them, or something... On other OFP missions, though, they just all die if I don't go Rambo and kill at least a quarter of the enemy. Weird!

Deadmeat, Are you sure you're using your binaculars to spot the enemy? You have to right-click at every enemy you see to allow your machinegunners to shoot at them from long-range. Works beautifully - they're much better shots than I could ever be with a machinegun. For short-range engagements, use normal view, but keep on right-clicking on any enemy you see. It's a simple fact: if you don't spot the enemy for your men, they won't fire until fired upon, and will eventually die. You basically have to act as a spotter for your men, and direct fire to the enemy. This is what happens when you don't spot for your guys: - Enemy fires first - One man down/wounded - We return fire and kill the enemy - Enemy fires again - One man down/wounded - We return fire and kill the enemy And it goes on and on like that until one squad is eventually wiped-out. This 50-50 ratio (or lower! is too much for the type of missions we have to do in OFP. But, by spotting for your soldiers, continuous and sustained fire can be delivered to the enemy; not allowing them to return fire. Tip: Always take out machinegunners FIRST from long-range. The rest of the rifle-equpped squad will run like chickens from not being able to return fire at such a distance. 2nd tip: Always have two or more machinegunners per-squad. When one gets killed, select a rifleman to take over as machinegunner. 3rd tip: Only fire when you have to, or you will become a target. If you have to fire, quickly findsome nearby cover to hide behind. (You only have two seconds before there's return-fire! 4th tip: Tell your squad to STOP when attacking or defending. Movement means death in OFP. Let the enemy run around if they want to, waiting to be picked off by trigger-happy riflemen. Let them be the HUMAN WAVE. You should only move under controlled methods in hot areas. You know what I mean -- only with one fireteam staying behind to quickly silence any fire directed at you. 5th tip: Always be in the fireteam that's moving forward. It's more dangerous, but you have to be there to spot the enemy for them, and the the fireteam staying behind. 6th tip: Wen one of your men is being shot at, and you don't know where the enemy is, immediately shoot in the general direction of the enemy to divert his attention. And then hide. 7th tip: When ambushed, all gloves are off. Tell your men to stop to lower their signature, look for some cover, and then fire as much as you can. Your primary objective is simply to lower the number of casualties of your squad. This is traditional OFP gameplay. DON'T BE AMBUSHED. All in all, yeah -- Humans will always be a thousand times better than AI. :-) AI is notoriously bad at everything except infantry, which I guess BIS spent most its time on. But, when you don't play much multi-player, learning to properly control AI is everything. Even with tanks and helicopters.

I know exacty what you mean, Walker. Teams are exactly what's needed for an advance under threat of fire; one has to cover the other. I usually organize my squad into two fireteams, with each fireteam having an M-16, M-203, machinegun and LAW or medic. That means each fireteam can handle itself. But that's for close-range engagements or ambushes. If I see enemy over a hill at long-range, and I want to engage them, I leave two of my machinegunners (or snipers) behind to cover me, and charge with the rest of my men. If I see enemy, the machinegunners will instantly engage them. And they will become the target instead of me and, because they're far away, there's usually no return fire. (Make sure to ALWAYS target the long-range enemy machinegunners FIRST.) I have to admit, though, you just can't do city or even town-fighting with AI. They can't handle it. You have to be the guy in front who checks corners, throws grenades and fires from inside of rooms -- AI can't do that. The most they can do is cover you while you're doing those things. And they saved me quite a few times!

When there's fighting in OFP, and a squad starts taking casualties, I notice that there is almost no wounded. Instead, they're all dead. Having a medic is almost useless, unless it's for yourself. Isn't that unrealistic? In war, there's usually much more wounded than dead - even in cases of bullet wounds. But then, I thought of something: maybe (some) of those soldiers aren't dead? Like in Rogue Spear, they're just "Incapacitated" and finished for the duration of the battle, yet still alive? It would sure explain why two rounds to the leg will 'kill' someone.

So, leave on Veteran, but turn off Super AI to achieve more realism?

Veteran/Beginner and Super AI.