Ether Dragon

I'm turning into a realism afficiando, I guess. Â Do pistols belong in OFP? Â Definitely. Â Why? Â Because OFP has crewmen for various vehicles. Â In RL, U.S. armor crews don't carry AR's, they each have a shoulder-holstered pistol. Â Each vehicle typically carries one M16 for emergency purposes if the vehicle has to be abandoned, or when setting up a guard position. If I may be permitted to address the knife issue, every soldier carries a bayonet, which is really just a knife with a clamp on the end of the handle for rifle mounting. Â Do they get used in combat? Â Only as a last resort. Â However, OFP makes extensive use of commando actions, with stealth and infiltration, so a knife is much more useful. Â Remember the hostage rescue? Â How nice would it've been to silently slip a knife into that guard next to the wall and hide the body?

If the vehicle weapon's accuracy was modeled correctly, there'd be no need for barrel changing. Â Gunners could use small bursts against targets rather than hosing the area down and praying "oh my god!!! Â Would you just let one f***in' bullet please hit that RPG soldier???" In real life, the gunner more often trains to engage groups of infantry at once with a spray pattern rather than an individual target. Â Seldom does a gunner in OFP get to do that, however. Â Two reasons: Â 1.) The tank commander can't target enemy soldiers that are more than 25m away and at a dead sprint across open field, and 2.) even if they could, the accuracy of the coaxial machinegun can't hit anything outside of 20m. Thus, by the time a gunner engages the enemy infantry, they're already spread out around the tank rather than at a distance where they'll easily fit into a narrow spray pattern.

I've been trying to tweak Resistance for the last few days to get the best graphics while maintaining a decent framerate, and failing miserably. Is there an explanation of all the different video options available somewhere? I'd like to know what each option does so I can decide what I can sacrifice to get the best performance with my machine. Haven't been able to find anything on the subject with the search engine.

Oh yeah, no tank has radar. Under the best of conditions during combat, the tank's only way to spot an enemy is through the very limited view of periscopes or via the gunner's scope.

Somebody lock this thread, I've seen it before. Joking aside, I agree 100%. Especially given the total lack of accuracy they've given the tank's coaxial machinegun - another big reality error. As to the guy that suggest your basic grunt would "realistically" be unproficient with an enemy's gun, I doubt it would be a big issue. One AR is much like another, even if they're visually different. They still have all the same basic components, magazine, trigger, iron sights, etc. Sure, if a grunt had to break a weapon down for maintenance there'd be some head scratching, but there won't be a big difference in accuracy from one AR to the next. Having said that, I'll add an exception to protect myself. =) I'm mainly considering the era weapons used in OFP - the M16, and AK's. The U.S. Army doesn't use scoped weapons like the G36 or Steyr, so any military that uses those to exclusion might have trouble adjusting to an iron sight.

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (Kermit @ Oct. 06 2002,22:21)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Also, you cannot stop very quickly when going down a hill, so you are helpless until you reach the bottom of the hill. Â But it works.<span id='postcolor'> Try turning the vehicle perpendicular to the slope, or even spin completely around and turbo uphill to slow you down faster. It seems to me that they improved the power of vehicles on the uphill, but the brakes are still woefully inadequate. I found that turning perpendicular is probably the best route. You'll still slide, as well as moving forward in the new direction, but you will stop on the slope rather than at the bottom of it. =) From personal experience, I can tell you that M1 tanks have great brakes for stopping. They have powerful brakes that will bring it to a stop extremely fast (so fast that drivers have to practice soft braking techniques to avoid throwing or otherwise harming the other occupants.) The M1's driving controls are a cross between a motorcycle's and a car's. The driver uses a handlbar similar to a motorcycle for steering and acceleration. Braking uses a foot pedal. Shifting is a small knob set between the handlebars that you simply slide between gears similar to what you see in a car with automatic transmission. APC's and M60's are less capable, and I assume that the Soviet vehicles are in much the same catagory. They all require the driver to pull back on the two control handles - and the driver needs to be pretty strong to enact a fast stop; especially on a down slope. None of the tracked vehicles should suffer from sliding, however, and once stopped the driver shouldn't need a lot of effort to counter rolling down slope. Most of the vehicles I drove in the service had a brake lock, in fact. The only time sliding can be an issue is if a tracked vehicle is on thick mud or perhaps an icey road. Anyway, it's been my long hope that they'll eventually fix the vehicle models to more closely mirror their actual counterpart's. As it stands, they're woefully underpowered both in acceleration and braking. At least I'm no longer seem to be rolling downhill while trying to go full power uphill.

I did a search for requirement posts in all forums from the beginning of the year before creating one of my own. I didn't find any of them that answered my question. Yes, there are other threads out there that ask questions about system requirements, but I didn't find one that pertains to my specific question. Pre-release minimum requirement questions don't cut it.

I could hardly believe it. I installed OFP Resistance and went to the options panel. I noticed straight away that the detail levels were set pretty low. The first thing I did was bump it up to highest detail. Forgive me, I don't recall which option I switched at the moment. I think it was textures, but it was the one that offered "low, normal, high," etc., not a slider bar. That alone was enough to cause a huge drop in my framerate. Heck, even the mouse was hard to control. I backed it down to normal settings and increased draw distance. I further tweaked it by allowing poorer framerates (15-30, I think.) Anyway, what surprised me about it was the fact that my system overwhelmingly blows away even the recommended requirements for the expansion. AMD Athlon XP 1900+ nForce 420D MB Gainward GeForce 4 4200 TI w 128MB RAM (overclocked) 1GB DDR RAM 20+ GB free HD space (recenty defragged) Windows XP Home Ed. Latest nVidia Detenator drivers (can't keep up with version no's.)

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (SpaceAlex @ May 13 2002,16:57)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"><span id='postcolor'> I'm rather proud of my patience in a sniper role, but when it comes to using the H&K, I just can't do it. You basically have to sit and study every unit's route and then tie them all together in order to figure out the perfect timing and kill order. You have to spend a bunch of time waiting to discover the long patrol routes of some units. In your scouting, you have to identify any hidden units that can only be seen from certain directions. You also have to know your own capabilites down to a science - how fast you can run, walk, or crawl. How much to lead targets at a particular range and speed, etc. Any mistake, and the alarms will go off and the troops will come running. I just don't have the patience to learn the game down to that kind of level. It's bad enough that I've learned the AI's likely actions enough to exploit them as much as I have. I've always detested games that require you to replay a mission over and over and learn every nuance and sequence of events just to win. Like most of OFP's missions, there's a lot of stuff going on around you. This one is particularly challenging in it's frustration level by suggesting you sneak into the house and steal the plans without being discovered. The first time I crept up to the house, got spotted, and had about twenty new troops BLINK into existance, I decided it was time to take control of the mission rather than let it dictate what I do. =) No, my plan isn't the only way to do the mission, but I think it's the least frustrating, most enjoyable, and most likely to succeed that I've yet seen. I realize that people have mentioned how they snuck up without firing a shot, but I don't recall having seen anyone post detailed steps on how they went about getting there. You know, how they waited for the guard by the rock to turn his back, the guy by the tent to scratch his but, and then ran to bush such-and-such. Until someone wants to do that, and I'm not throwing down the glove or anything, I feel that my plan offers the best potential.

It was my experience that once I was in a chopper, no one would fire on me unless they had some kind of anti-tank weapon. Another reason to pay special attention to AT soldiers in the area. Once you lift off, the only enemy that will fire at you will be Shilkas and tanks. BMP's and even other choppers will just suffer your presence until you put them out of their misery. That's why I chose to use the HINDs instead of either the tank or Shilka - fewer possible enemies to return fire. Being that it's dark out, it's harder to spot AT soldiers coming in from patrol to shoot you until it's too late. Also, if you're driving a ground vehicle, you have to transfer from driver to gunner in order to fire any weapons. All that time spent messing around with finding the guy shooting you, and dealing with the dissorientation of position changes can only help the AT soldier to reload that RPG...how many hits can you take?

I consider that too "up close and personal." Snipering from the hill and using the HIND keeps you as safe as you can possibly be, which is much of my point: minimize risk by controlling your exposure to enemy fire.

I spent a lot of time on this mission, saw a lot of outcomes, and I think I've found the best darn approach to the mission yet. I spent some time leafing through other posts about the mission via the search feature, but I didn't find this approach in any of it. In fact, most of the others count on dumb luck in at least part of their planning (zig-zagging to avoid enemy fire or some such element.) Mine is pretty darn solid by comparison. So, here we go. 1.) Start out by changing your default gear. My load-out consisted of the M-21 sniper rifle, a LAW with two rockets, and two extra M-21 magazines (total of six.) You could keep two satchels and forego the LAW, but I suggest the extra clips in case you're not the best shot with the rifle. =) 2.) You start by the road with the gate to the compound in view. A truck drives past. Take a few steps to your right (south) and get into a firing position. In about thirty seconds, a T-72 is going to roll up. Shoot the tank commander (he's on the tank's right side.) He always took two shots, even though the first was a head shot. The gunner doesn't bother to duck, so shoot him next. Then shoot any guards you can. Once you sniper the tank crew, I think you've won the game (well, almost.) 3.) Cross the road and head towards some woods to the south. Keep an eye on that gate and the road around it. You should get the chance to sniper an officer with NV and another guy. I think it's worth waiting for their arrival before continuing, otherwise they'll start searching the fenceline. 4.) When you exit the woods, kill the two tower guards on this side of the road. Head south to the beach and circle around the fence. 5.) Heading back north, stay a little ways from the fence, perhaps 50-75 meters. Keep an eye out, as two more guards, one an AT soldier, will be heading along the fenceline. I met them while about halfway up the hill, fell in behind them, and shot them both. If you chose satchel charges instead of a LAW, you now have access to an RPG. I suggest you switch - you can come back for the satchels later. 6.) Head back to the gate, now that you're inside the perimeter. I was worried about a BMP that sounded like it had taken up position somewhere nearby, but I couldn't find it. Instead, I found that the tank driver had popped his head out of the hatch. Shoot him, grab the tank, and run it SE towards the hill top. *Make sure to occupy each tank position at least once. This clears out all of the dead crewmen. Until you do, you won't be able to switch tank positions without first exiting the tank! 7a.) Next, find some bushes on the hill overlooking the enemy base. You probably won't be able to see the entire base, but that's not important just yet. The entire SE side will be visible, to include the two Hinds and the Shilka. Sniper the Shilka and Hind crews before any other targets - at least one of each. That will keep them from using their vehicles (against you.) 7b.) After that, sniper to your heart's content. The only thing I did was avoid shooting when the BMP that patrols between the house and base was near the base, and looking towards the hill. Don't forget the two guards in the north towers of the base. 7c.) Sniper anyone you see around the base, too. I saved them for last, however. Of particular interest are AT soldiers, you have a tank at your disposal, remember. 8.) Seven was in three parts because there's something you have to keep in mind. There's a BMP somewhere on the hill behind you. Like I said, I never found him, but more often than not your sniping will eventually draw it's attention. When you hear it coming, make sure you're in those bushes. I almost got run over a couple times, and if you fear the same, feel free to move aside as it approaches. It's nearly blind in the dark. Once it's past you, use your LAW or RPG to shoot it in the rear. 9.) Now you've done it! Blowing up the BMP sends everyone to high alert. The Hind will take off...um, wait no crew. The Shilka is going to charge after you...wait, no crew either. Ah, well there IS another T-72, and he's pretty darn mad, but it takes him a couple minutes to get from his current location (NE of the house) to the hill. Head for your own tank and wait for his arrival. *Note, that patrolling BMP will keep to it's normal route. 10.) None of the armor has any night vision. When that tank does show up, depending on where your own tank is placed, it won't see you. Instead, it'll park somewhere near where you had fired the LAW from. I actually had to move my tank into view of it in order to fire. It never saw me coming until it's turret was ablaze. 11.) Move a little bit more if you have to and shoot the BMP on patrol. 12.) If you haven't already done so, finish killing the soldiers near the base. I used the sniper rifle, but feel free to use the tank if you want. 13.) Believe it or not, you're now in control of a T-72, a Shilka, TWO Hind helicopters, a truck, and a jeep. Don't you feel special? I drove the tank down to the base and hopped into a Hind. 14.) There's a Shilka on the NE corner of the island somewhere near the water's edge. As soon as you get a target on it (it'll probably light you up a little first,) hit TAB to get a lock, and shoot it with an AT-6 or two. I'm a safety nut, I landed back at the base and grabbed the healthy Hind before continuing. 15.) I used the Hind to wipe out the remaining troops in the region. I used the spot light and my NV as needed to pick out all the troops. If you're not comfortable flying the Hind (and it can be tricky with the steep slopes surrounding the area,) you got a Shilka and T-72 to play with, too. I feared AT soldiers more than hills, however. 16.) When you feel safe enough, land by the house, grab the documents, get back in your vehicle of choice, and bug out. Perhaps the most hair raising portion of this mission plan is the BMP coming for you on the hill while you're snipering. I think it's important to note that about 50% of the time it never made an appearance. If that's the case, the second tank won't show up either. In that case, it might behoove you to sneak down into the base after killing all the guards rather than driving the tank. That way you can get a Hind in the air without worrying about shot by either vehicle during the chopper's wind up. The alarms will likely kick in once you mount the chopper. Once you're airborn, your only threats (besides the ground) will be the Shilka and the T-72. I didn't have any problem killing both with AT-6's.

If this is the mission I think it is, it's the one where you're alone in the woods and the rest of your squad has been killed? I had trouble with this one as well, and it was a friend of mine who figured out a plan in about two tries that solved it for me. When you start the mission, head to your left (east) through the woods. You'll come out along it's SE border, at the base of a hill. On top of the hill is a BMP. Stay low for a couple of minutes, and you'll see a patrol head NE up the hill. I think they're going to load up in the BMP, but I never stayed around long enough to find out. As soon as they're past you and well up the hill, head eastish to some bushes. Follow the bushes and such as best you can across the road - still heading east. Once across the road, head SE across a nice big open field. Eventually you'll come to some woods. Somewhere in all of this, your extraction point is going to move. By heading south and west, you'll cross the first set of woods, and skip through a slightly less wooded gap into another forest (crossing a dirt road in the process.) Continuing through this forest will take you to the new extraction point and an interesting little plot twist. Don't freak out, it'll be okay. By the way, take notice of your surroundings during your trip. You'll get to see it again in a spec ops mission.

I'm on the mission now. I've spent plenty of time drooling over my objective without anything untowards happening. The five minute countdown starts if you're spotted by the enemy at any point. On my first couple of attempts, either I was spotted by spetz natz while clambering over the hill, or my unit was spotted back where I left them by a nosy BMP. Now I leave them in stealth mode before ambling off on my own. I haven't got that far yet, but I assume that if you take the full hour, you'll get the five minute warning as well.

I wouldn't mind the view of not going home until the mission is complete, but when your AI teammates refuse to help you complete the mission, it gets a little annoying. In a "for instance," I was playing the mission where you help the guerillas rescue some hostages after a second team destroys a tank. The second team somehow failed to kill the tank, and the rest of my team sat in the woods, refusing to budge. I rescued the hostages, killed the reinforcements that came in a truck, RPG'ed a BMP, and then ran out and RPG'ed the tank. All the while my squad leader was yapping at me to "get back in formation." Buddy, ain't nuthin' gettin' done with you sittin' on yer keester. The fact that your AI squad will only react to certain events really requires that you be given the option of calling it quits when you feel like you've had enough. Second example: a couple missions earlier my team was sent to rescue the LT that had been ambushed. My team got ambushed. The reinforcements they sent us got wiped out as well. I finally killed all the enemy I could find and moved to the specified location. A 5-ton truck drove up, said something scripted, and then high-tailed it out of there, leaving me to do the Mogadishu Mile. Problem is, when I finally humped it into camp, the mission still didn't end. Seems I needed an leader to call it quits. I even took the 5-ton back to the ambush site and ran around honking my horn with my lights on to draw enemy fire. Replay. Dang it. I really could've used a radio command about then.