TheCaptain

Once I tidy up development on Urban Siege in roughly 9-12 months, Privateer Studios (my development/publishing studio) will be releasing copies of Urban Siege roughly above cost. My decision (which does rely on US seeing the light of day.. confident on that though) was made based on the fact that I will be releasing limited versions for free online, but the boxed version will include extras like a printed manual, reference card, actual CD, and extra content that are impractical for online download (IE, music, movies, etc.) that provide benefits of purchasing the product, as well as having a few extra perks for those that purchase our product, and maybe a little game releated collectible trinket in box... Where's the harm in that? I'm not planning on purposely milking the community, just allowing them the choice of paying a bit more for some game-enhancing extras. Terrible and evil? Not exactly. My two cents.

I'm just now putting together an orgnaized quasi-website for PR purposes, as well as reconstructing the Privateer Studios website. I still wouldn't mind a little help or feedback. It should be easier to contact me once our forums are up and the website is fully constructed...

Here's the good ol' design doc, just for fun. It's long, though... =) This will be posted on the temporary site soon, when it is, I'll replace this document with a link.. The concept is rather simple. Urban Siege is a single player experience where the player acts as the 'Public Relations' executive (Hearby referred to as "the executive") for a large corporation circa 2081. Directing the action high in the clouds from his 'virtual office' in his plush executive airship, the executive manages all aspects of his corporation's operations on the island of Zion, including purchase of equipment, training of Agents, research and development, and full scale intercorporate urban warfare. In commanding the combat, the executive can either issue orders from his airship, while using a zoomed camera to view the action, or jacking directly into the brains of his agents, and controlling their every violent move. Death of an executive controlled agent results in a loss of connection, virtual 'transport' back to the plush confines of the executive's airship, and a noteworthy financial setback. His new assignment is to take over the urban areas of a war torn island off the coast of California, for they contain the only remnants of a revolutionary CHIP technology. The game takes place upon a single island, and is a continuous experience: The 'mission' so to speak never ends until the executive is fired, or he completes his goal. The game lasts a single night, from sundown to sunrise. (time compression is included) The CHIP's are a device surgically implanted into a buyer's skull, which favorably alters their perception of reality. Not exactly a drug, more of a dynamically mind altering experience. The hitch, is that the corporation who controls those chips and their uplinks, has just about complete control over those citizens. The island (tentatively named "Zion") contains about a dozen cities, and will be based upon the island in OFP: Resistance, due to it's partial urban nature. Each city is very dense, but small, only containing a few hundred civilians and a dozen vehicles. The cities are divided into sectors, each sector with a 'headquarters' in the center. Only one corporation can posess a headquarters, and each HQ gives them total control over the citizens in that sector. That translates directly into steady income. It's a lesson learned by infomercial creators and televangelists: Brainwash them, and they will give you money. The income per sector is directly proportional to how many people are in the sector, and these people do not respawn. As the violence in the game escalates, and people and property are destroyed, those war torn city sectors become less valuable. Outside of the industrial and built up cities lies a decaying urban jungle, with a destroyed, almost 'post apocalyptic' atmosphere. Refugees and wandering cyberpunk biker gangs patrol the wastes, out of reach of the dedicated and well armed urban police force. The island's denizens are controlled via arrays. When the executive is not active in a zone, the arrays shut off all AI for the concerned residents, preserving CPU functionality and reducing lag. The game is, in essence, a massive capture and hold game. Each headquarters is designated a specialty, and is not alterable in game. The major HQ type is an all encompassing building, that can serve many functions but not do all of them terribly well. It can be used for buying and selling equipment, research, agent upgrades and training, and vehicle storage to name a few, but for specialized facilities, the executive must seek out and capture them. The larger sectors with larger populations are more desirable, but if combat dwindles their populations, suddenly other sectors may seem more attractive. Capture of a sector is attained when an "executive" unit enters the HQ and converts it, much like Command and Conquer Engineers. However, the executive is still limited to having 11 units besides himself active at any time, though others can be placed in cryogenic storage. There are three types of units in Urban Siege: Vehicles, which can either be purchased or produced from specific factories and only take up one 'number' slot in the command interface and can be controlled directly by the executive, operatives, which are expendable flesh and bones troops of varying skill and loadout, who can be any size though only still take up one 'number' slot and *cannot* be directly controlled, and the Agents. Agents are trenchcoated enforcers who have a cybernetic uplink jacked into the rear of their skull and a partial lobotomy. This allows them to be directly controlled by the Executive. They operate like 'vehicles' in the OFP engine, where they have specific weapons, and a 'driver' unit. This driver is the agent's brain, and the brain can be easily swapped at designated facilities for another cybernetic body. This allows agents to retain experience and statistics while they can swap damaged bodies for fresh ones, and upgrade their loadouts accordingly in game. This also allows in game triggers to temporarily remove the agent's 'driver' and replace it with the executive's. However, it's debatable whether these 'vehicle' agents can themselves use vehicles... more testing is required... This limiting of the executive's tactical resources is extended to his computer opponents as well: Each of the opposing corporations will use no more than 11 groups of operatives, vehicles, or agents at any time across the globe. Keep in mind that each headquarters can hold only one operative group for defensive purposes, and is not directly controllable by the player once stationed, but can be transferred between HQ's or brought into active duty. The weapons in the game come in three main forms, those mounted on vehicles (which are upgradable), those on agent bodies (which are both upgradable and can be swapped for other bodies), and those carried by operatives (which operate much like normal OFP weapons). Hopes are to include three distinct weapons in each category of Pistol, Shotgun, SMG, Assault Rifle, Sniper, Machine Gun, Incendiary, Explosive, and Experimental, but time constraints exist as usual in project development. Expect to see a modified AR-15, P90, an over under shotgun/(taser/emp)slug launcher for police, an M41 pulse rifle for the military, akimbo handguns for operatives that aspire to be Chow Yun Fat, and miniguns for select agents. If anyone remembers "Satellite Rain" from Syndicate Wars, they'll be pleased to note that it makes an appearance, along with suitcase nukes... As proposed, there will be a number of vehicles and characters in the game, with a fair number of models having different textures applied to make them seem fresh. Both hover cars for the rich and ground cars for the poorer will be used, hovercars acting like OFP helicopters, flitting around the cityscapes at will. The cyberpunks are roving gangs of anarchists, tied together by a loose goal of freedom from governmental and corporate oppression, high acceptance and utilization of technology, retro 'punk' style, and acts of wonton terrorism.. Whoops, I mean liberation... The Corporate look and feel is basically surmised by describing functional, and vicious looking weapons and equipment manned by operatives in suits and combat gear, and cybernetic agents blistering heavy weaponry from beneath their billowing trenchcoats. The agents, being heavily modified, are able to take a lot more punishment than expendable operatives, at very high cost. Vehicles are extremely expensive and often useful for purposes of suppression, assault, and transport. Operatives range from low level 'rent-a-cops' to executive security details to heavily armed infiltration commandos. Just don't expect them to take much punishment. There will be four corporations in game. More were proposed, but if included, each one would lose personality to quantity of factions. Each one will have roughly the same base units, but will be able to utilize the specialized HQ's for creation of certain technologies. For example, a vehicle factory HQ may allow three types of vehicles to be built, rather than bought. Opponents would be forced to buy using their own means two of those vehicles at a higher price, but the current owner of said HQ would be able to create them at lower cost. If the owner of the HQ has a certain specialty, it will be able to utilize the facility to create assets that no other corporation can develop, even if they reclaim the headquarters. For example, if the corporation that excels in cybernetics took control of a specialized cybernetics HQ, it would be able to produce cybernetics upgrades that no other corporation could. The first corporation is one that excels in cybernetics and Agent related areas, allowing them to train/clone slightly better agents than the rest, and develop new cybernetic technologies. The second is a computer and internet related corporation who has access to vast research capabilities, making all of their research quicker and more efficient. The third is a vehicle corporation, who excels in vehicle creation and design. The fourth is a security firm, who has more powerful weapons than the rest, and much more advanced and streamlined operative teams. Names pending. The military is an interesting topic. I've always been a fan of the Colonial Marines from the Aliens universe. Basically, I really wanted to include their M41a Pulse Rifle in Urban Siege, and I eventually decided to have the entire US Military arm look and act much as the USCM did in Aliens. Expect the pulse rifle, smart gun, flamers, motion trackers, APC's and dropships to make an appearance, time permitting. The police are employed in the various cities as peacekeepers, and will attempt to arrest, and then fire upon anyone who commits violent acts in their vicinity. The executive will find the police to be essential for keeping order in his own sectors, and a nuisance in opposing ones. Police aggression is curbed through either bribes or the destruction of sector police stations. Police resources range from lone officers on hoverbikes, to two/four man squads in hovercars, to special gunships and armed SWAT vans. Missions are given at points during the game by both the executive's home corporation and allies/rivals, as well as the cyberpunks and government. The accepting and completion of these missions determines the executive's alliances and enemies during the game. Most missions will be randomized, often falling under the categories of 'blow up building/vehicle' to 'steal equipment/vehicle' to 'capture person' to 'assassinate person', with a few interesting wildcards to be thrown in. There will also be more specific, one time only, plot driven missions, though much of the executive's interactions with the story and information will come through messages and updates, not 'RPG-like' interactions on the ground. Missions provide an alternative means of funding. Buildings in Urban Siege are fully modeled, ranging from industrial warehouses to high-rise skyscrapers. However, due to the limitations of the engine, only the first floors and roofs of these buildings will be enterable and usable, with the roofs only useable as vehicle landing platforms and sniper posts. This decision was made to keep the action fast and furious at street level, help out the engine by not taking advantage of multiple floors, which are often a hinderance to OFP gameplay, and to keep down development time by not having to model too much of a building. The economic model in Urban Siege is limited, but functional. All assets (agents, operatives, vehicles, research, headquarters buildings) cost cash (or, 'liquid assets') to be bought or created. (Creation costs less, but requires a specialized HQ). All resources also require constant cash for upkeep and maintenance. Cash flow goes in and out at regular intervals, tentatively being five minutes. Thus, every five minutes, the player will gain his profit from sector control and lose expenses to upkeep. Mission bonuses and cash allocated for production/research/development/training are added or subtracted instantly. Thus, budget management is necessary. Time for a little dabbling in Plot. It's yet to be fleshed out, but here goes... In the mid 21st century, a large seismic event rocks Southern California, and it is dubbed The Big One, the huge earthquake the state has been waiting for for over half a century. Rumor has it that it is, yes, a shadowy government experiment. The results are so powerful, that Southern California actually separates from her northern sister. In between the two plates as they drift apart exist a number of islands, which are home to decayed urban rubbish, destroyed during the split, and thousands of refugees, seeking shelter from their deluded and oppressive lives. The government, who desperately wants to reclaim the islands, is faced with an interesting dilemma: Reclaim their U.S. soil through massive, violent military action, or pursue other options... Thus the government persuades a small technological firm, Microtech (name pending) to run an experiment in societal pacification. The corporation offer 'free' CHIPs to the American populace, and truck them over to built up, walled cities on one of the islands, Zion. These CHIPs give these people amazing lives, where their perception of reality is altered more than any drug could hope to provide... permanently. Microtech creates a vast network on the island, and control of Zion is restored to the US of A. Microtech relocates their corporate headquarters The government, pleased with the progress, contracts Microtech to work their magic on the rest of contested Southern California. However, just as the golden age seems to appear (and Microtech has the sole rights to CHIP technology, suggesting future world domination), disaster strikes. A low yield nuclear device is detonated at the Microtech corporate HQ on the island of Zion. It is not known who detonated the device, all sides point fingers at the others. Corporations suggest their competitors, the cyberpunks point at the government, and the government wails 'terrorism'. However, on the very eve that Microtech's control disappears, and their pacification networks are all in place, four corporations come sniffing to the island to claim control of the technology for themselves, for the faction with control of the CHIP technology for themselves, could easily innoculate the planet and have world domination. The four corporations immediately begin their quest to gather the dissolved Microtech network for their own. However, later that evening, the cyberpunks begin to raid the island's sectors and free the populace from the bounds of CHIP technology. When the terrorist situation gets out of hand, the government declares Martial Law and sends its hardcore United States Marine Corps to clean up the mess. When the night departs and early morning arrives, one faction very well may be the victor. The Executive, public relations director for his chosen corporation, has complete and utter control over his operations on Zion. He must have the economic savvy of a fortune 500 businessman, the battle tactics of a general, and the heartlessness of a convicted criminal. All right, that plot needs a bit of work, so any ideas are appreciated. It must be noted that the government and cyberpunks are not playable factions, and time compression is fully controllable while the executive is active in his airship. Everything from pause to 4x time is supported, but the game cannot be paused or slowed down while the executive is actively controlling an Agent or vehicle; all unit commands and administrative actions can be fully utilized while the game is paused. I'll probably think up more notes later... That's the design as is, but I can guarantee the specifics will be altered or trimmed down. Right now, everything up there is a wish list. However, the game will be completed with the core design elements fully intact. These are: 1) Two game modes, 'virtual office' in airship, and direct tactical combat 2) Game dynamics focused on control of sectors in island cities 3) Income based on population of non-respawning civilians in sectors 4) Persistent gameplay; the map doesn't end until the game does 5) The Agents wear trenchcoats

Everyone has mixed feelings on 'science fiction' modifications to Operation Flashpoint. However, I for one, am all for any modification that's bold and strives to think outside the box. I've got one in pre-production. It's got a lengthy and rather quirky design, and it'll take a lot of work, but both of those hurdles are nothing new to me. I wouldn't mind help in the map making, web site administrating, scripting, modeling, texturing, and sound areas, because though I can do all of those tasks, it's a bit draining for one person to focus on everything at once, and quality does suffer. However, I have a wonderful concept artist on hand, and I should be showing some of his work on the under construction website shortly... So, what is cyberpunk? Cyberpunk is both a style and a rather dismal interpretation of the future. The corporations are huge, the governments are weak, and technology and finances are divided between the ultra-poor refugees, the lucid middle class suburbanite, and the ultra-powerful elite. Computers are extremely advanced, with a virtual relity evolution of the internet called 'cyberspace', cybernetics and body modifications are in common practice, and violence is prevalent, though unseen by the billions of unseeing citizens, blinded by mind altering 'CHiPs' that make the world seem a much nicer and fluffier place than it actually is. For a sense of style, think of the movies "The Matrix" and "Blade Runner", books "Snow Crash" and "Neuromancer", and games "Syndicate" and "Deus Ex". I've always liked the 'cyberpunk' style/setting. Some say it began and died in the 80's with literary greats such as Gibson and Stephenson. However, I was exposed to it later in life, thanks to an addictive little game called "Syndicate". Peter Molyneux did some fantastic work in his time, and I'd have to say that his best was "Syndicate", a wonderful 2d top-down tactical action game set in a futuristic world where corporations ruled all. I know, I know, I'm simplifying the design and not giving it the space it deserves. Basically, the game employed two main components: 1) A 'virtual office', where the player, a high level executive in a globalized corporation, purchased equipment, performed research and development, decided which portion of the world to conquer next, and tinkered with his quartet of heavily modified cybernetic enforcers. Next, there was the atctical mode, where he'd unleash his four cybernetic agents upon little living breathing futuristic cities, where they'd strive for a goal... and blow the living crap out of EVERYTHING in their way. It was fun. And addictive. The only thing that slightly bugged me about Syndicate, is that I was having all this fun commanding the action from up above, slaughtering everythign in my way and laying waste to an urban landscape, but what I *really* wanted was to get down and dirty on the ground with my agents. For a while I'd searched for an engine and outlet to make my own mod based in a cyberpunk universe, having already tired myself out of the Aliens vs. Predator franchise after spending over two years developing a Starcraft>AvP mod. After lots of searching and tinkering with many games, I finally happened on OFP. Needless to say, it took me a while, but I've come up with a tight (as in 'contained' and 'refined') design for a wonderful total conversion set in the flashpoint engine. I have the design doc in various stages of completion on my hard drive, but my connection is mussed and will only let me upload about 8k before it dies... Myself, I'm a mod developer, I have my own studio, Privateer Studios, which has been around for about 3 years, I know how to manage, develop and complete a project. (The golden rule being, if you want to get something done, f--king do it yourself!). I'm very familiar with the flashpoint engine, having been playing with it since summer 2001. I have experience with image editing, web site construction and maintainance, 3d animation, 3d modeling, 3d texturing, 2d sprite compilation and animation, public relations, human resources, technical writing, all manner of scripting, game design, sound editing, music editing and compliation, and ripping game engines into their tiny little working parts, and then duct taping them back together. I have, however, rather limited coding and programming experience. I'm kicking Urban Siege into full development gear on Friday, June 14th, once I get my new home office squared away and my beautiful new development rig/server up and running. I plan to have a working prototype by the summer's end, and enough of the product to be completed to tote at next year's E3. I know this is a rather winded topic, but any feedback or aid would be appreciated, and there are always open slots in the Privateer Studios staff for talented individuals. A limited web site for Urban Siege is in the works, and will be uploaded when my f--king FTP program shows me some love...

Here's a long post. In summary, I made an avp total conversion for starcraft, I wanted to make one for OpFlash, but because I hate worrying about fox, I'm working on one set in a cyberpunk universe that does use elements from AvP (I'm a fan, what can I say?) including bioengineered aliens, hunting predators, and an entire working USCM military. I have my abandoned x-comish design laid out for my proposed AvP OFP mod, so if anyone would like to work with me on it and claim it, I'll support them. Here's the post in full: I'm the guy that created the Aliens vs. Predator mod for Starcraft. After I finished that up (and have about 4 or 5 gig of AvP related content sitting on my HD), I longed to create my sequel for Operation Flashpoint. I looked into it, and compiled a nifty design, very similar to the likes of X-Com. However, I'm sick of creating a mod under wraps, not giving out my email address, having a hush hush website, and having a tiny fan base for fear of being foxed... In any case, I moved on to my next project, which is inspired by the likes of Neuromancer, Syndicate and Blade Runner. basically, one of the OFP islands goes 2081, with hovercars, skyscrapers, and the player runs his corporation's operations on the island, buying things, commanding guys, watching the action from an executive airship, and trying to take over the island. Basically, people are the resource, and they only live in certain controlled city sectors. The more sectors you have, the more citizens you force to cough up money, but folks don't respawn, so if they die in the urban carnage, that sector is now worth less.... All right, enough babbling. What I was basically going to say is that the military arm of the Gov't is none other than the United States Marine Corps, an extremely thinly disguised USCM from aliens. Pulse rifles, smartguns, APC's, dropships, enforcing corporate rule in congested urban areas. Also, corporations can engineer bioweapons (IE, aliens) to release in urban areas as a form of terrorism... The design seems haphazard because I'm recounting off the top of my head, if you read the rather short organized doc it would all make sense and not sound like a Huge Massive Project That Fails Because It's Too Ambitious. (I've personally witnessed a lot of those...) I have a huge amount of AvP related content on my HD, and I'm making it OFP friendly at the moment, though I don't have oxygen. I'm going to focus on making a few USCM units before I work on the rest of the cyberpunk atmosphere, so *I will be releasing a USCM pack in the near future*, with maybe an alien or two for fun. However, I must state that I won't be making an AvP mod, but I will support someone who wishes to with content, technical expertise, and the backing of the Privateer Studios publishing arm... Read on for the design I had planned for AvP: Retribution All right, anyone here remember X-Com? X-com kicked ass. I'm not copying x-com, but you will see some familiar elements of base building, some economic management, and tactical f--king combat. Booyah. Okay, aliens setting, you know the drill. Random colony planet has an alien infestation. That sucks. Okay, USCM is sent in there to clean things up. The governments and corporations assemble a little funding for you, and you and your squad land on the planet and set up a base camp. There are a number of colony outposts on the island, as well as Alien Hives, and it's a very very very good thing to kill the hives, contain the aliens, and make sure the colonies stay intact. When a colony gets taken over, it's gone for good. When the game starts out, you don't know much about the situation. You've got a command vehicle and two four person squads. In this game, you don't command individual people, rather you command the leader of a squad who has members following him. This allows you more manpower. You can build little outpost buildings at your base, which allow you to host more vehicles, equipment, weaponry, and troops, as well as get the all important Better Things. Your income is based on two things: the number of living colonists on the island, who are non-replaceable, and a modifier number of how well the guys back home think you're doing. This number gets multiplied on the number of living colonists to give you income, which arrives every so often. If you're doing well, the number gets above one, and not so well, below one. This modifier number goes up with the more alien hives you track down and eliminate and pred seeder ships you destroy, and goes down the more colonies that get lost and civvies that die. As an example, at one point in the game, there are 1403 (simulated) colonists on the island. I say simulated, because most of them are not actual units walking around. You get $100 every 5 minutes for that number, so you have $1403x5 coming into your coffers every few minutes. You recently blew the crap out of a huge hive, downed 3 predator seeder ships, and saved three colonies from attack, so your modifier number is 2.5. So, your cash coming in is now $1403x5x2.5 every few minutes. However, your upkeep cost every few minutes is 5000, so your total net cash is $1403x5x2.5 - $5000. That's just an example of how the system would work, obviously all the numbers and timing would be tweaked to fit gameplay. The AvP twist is that the predators are the ones seeding the planet with aliens. Their ships buzz around the island, they seed hives, let loose groups of aliens, have hunting parties, and basically make your day suck. You have to keep your equipment current, build up your facilities in tried and true fashion (remember that every soldier, vehicle, and facility has an upkeep cost), and kick ass. You want to destroy hives, set up patrols, shoot down ships, and eventually destroy the alien threat on this island. By the way, this game is persistent. You start the map, and it ends when you win (or lose). You aren't assigned missions, you just get updated when events happen. More recon/information buildings, the better. And yes, virginia, not only is there a santa claus, but you'd get helmet cams, motion trackers, and the ability to run in there and kick ass with the troops. Okay, there's the long winded design. It would be fun to both create and play, but I'm tired of looking over my shoulder to fox. I've had a lot of sister projects of my starcraft mod that have been foxxed, and I'm only lucky mine never bit the bullet. Being in constant fear of losing your work is never fun, but on the other hand, I really want to play this mod! It would basically use all the artwork, and sounds as my StarCraft mod, though most of those would need updating, as they were made for the purpose of being rendered into sprites, not displayed in 3d environs. Anyone interested?

To the point: My MAIN question is if I can use alpha channels in a soldier model, so I can create the PREDATOR cloak effect from the movies. Or, if anyone has any other ideas of how to create a cloaking effect....? Background info, more questions, etc: I'm working on a nice lengthy campaign/mission for OFP based loosely off of the original Predator movie. Basically, the characters will be new, the setting will be slightly different, but the major plot points will all still take place. However, my goal is to make the mission more of a 'living movie' than a scriptfest a la Half-Life. My absolute favorite aspect of OFP is that it makes it's OWN stories during missions, rather than relying on mission scripting to achieve the same effect. I'll be using Jungle everon to start, but as soon as we get Jungle Malden, I'll switch to that most likely. However, I can say upfront, this mission will take a lot of dynamic work, and I'm still a scripting and addon newbie, so I've got some questions... I have various scripting questions that I asked in anotehr forum, like how to attach a downed chopper in a tree, or create fog that covers the player's feet, but I do have some questions about how to make the Predator himself. Simce we can't import models, my Predator 3d models are gatehring dust on my hard drive, and I'm planning on using a civilian with a hazy texture to recreate the cloak from the movies (since we can't import models yet; which I have, waiting to be put in), and he'll have a laser designator (three dots instead of a red square), blue-plasma shoulder cannon, and a hand to hand attack. However, most of those would have to be scripted... and he'd have to be controlled by the mission so he just scares the crap out of the players and toys with them, and didn't just go and kill them outright all the time. The mission will be playable by up to 6 human players in coop, without respawns. So when a player dies, the story keeps moving without them... and it'll give a new meaning to 'teamwork' (the pred will try to pick off stragglers). Can a weapon be made that fires a lens flare, in effect, so I can create the blue-plasma laser? Can a weapon be made with a range of 1m that the unit closes in range, and attacks with? Can other weapons be given the laser designator targeting dot, but still retain their attack? Can a civilian unit be given extra hitpoints so he can take damage from small arms and still survive? Also, can green blood be created? I know some of those seem farfetched, but it's all that really needs to fall into place for a semi-recreation of Predator. The main enemies will be drug cartel troops, by the way, and it'll be a gritty semi-realistic action addon, and it's not some completely farfetched sci-fi thing. Anyone have any story ideas that I might want to consider? I have worked on 'Aliens vs. Predator' mods for other games, so I have a wealth of editing experience and piles of content sitting on my hard drive. This includes movies, music, sound, textures, models, movie scripts, short stories, etc.

Hmm... maybe the chopper could just be sitting in a small clearing for now... The fog looks like a bust, but I think most of the predator scripts are possible, they'll just take some work... ANyone have any story ideas they'd like to share?

AWESOME island, now I can actually make my 'Predator' addon. However, are you going to edit Malden? I think the underbrush there is denser and the lands are less barren; would make for a different style jungle...

I'm working on a nice lengthy campaign/mission for OFP based loosely off of the original Predator movie. Basically, the characters will be new, the setting will be slightly different, but the major plot points will all still take place. However, my goal is to make the mission more of a 'living movie' than a scriptfest a la Half-Life. My absolute favorite aspect of OFP is that it makes it's OWN stories during missions, rather than relying on mission scripting to achieve the same effect. I'll be using Jungle everon to start, but as soon as we get Jungle Malden, I'll switch to that most likely. However, I can say upfront, this mission will take a lot of dynamic work, and I'm still a scripting newbie, so I've got some questions and a wish list for the campaign... For the predator unit, I'm going to make hazy alpha channels over a civilian or similar unit to create the cloaking effect, since we can't import models yet. Here's my wish list... Semi-transparent fog for the jungle that'll be at feet-knee level. Could this be done by using alpha channels, creating the smoke, and making a fog dispenser? Scripts that'll make the predator follow the players, move or delete/respawn him at locations near the wandering player, and play 'frightening' noises at random, AND make him try to engage troops that have strayed, and one at a time rather than slaughtering the players right away. Getting a destroyed/damaged, preplaced helo to be suspended in tall trees without bouncing for the player to discover. Cutscenes galore, bound to Actual Soundtrack Music There's more, but iof anyone could help me with some of those up there, it'd be appreciated.

One thing... why is there no sound? The only thing missing are the flames buuuurning... Also, I'm thinking of making an 'Aliens' mod, and one weapon the colonial marines NEED to have are flamethrowers. Would you mind if I borrowed your addon, giving you credit of course? Also, how tough would it be to make incediary grenades? Basically, a smaller version of the napalm weapon... (Edited by TheCaptain at 12:20 am on Dec. 31, 2001)

I think you guys deserve a LOT more credit than this! That's an AWESOME MOD! It just plain beats the pants off that earlier version, (Which I loved) And the setting units on fire without kiling them, brilliant! I nailed a hind, set it on fire, it takes off and crashes mid flight into a cluster of vehicles... couldn't have asked for more. Now just whip up a flame tank.... Is there some way that could be added to the Kiowa Warrior? It'd give a new meaning to the term 'gun run' if a chopper had a flamer and a minigun.... (Edited by TheCaptain at 1:33 am on Dec. 30, 2001)

The way to go abotu that would be to make a small or blank OBJ file, look at the ehader, find a common hex in the p3d, and strip it. However, if the p3d is compressed, it could take alot mroe doing... I better get my rusty hands back into Hex Workshop...

Flight sims never had that ground-pounding action I look for. OpFlash is the first 'real' game to incorporate a virtual battlefield... one that works on all fronts. Flight sims are just pushing buttons and launching missiles, but OFP is about *combat* And don't YOU think that they altered the A-10, and a lot of otehr units in OFP for purposes of game balancing? Adjusting the speed and ceiling of an F-15 would be no different. And I think you misunderstand... *I'M* programming the F-15 into OFP, SDK or no SDK.

Well, like I said, if you scaled the speed back from Mach 2.5 to a more reasonable speed, you'd have a capable all-weather two seat fighter/bomber. Also, dogfights are supposed to be confusing, and it would be nice if OFP had a Hind-buster. Cluster bombs would probably be the best choice for the 12 small sized AG bombs, for taking out convoys and clusters of troops.. which is what the F-15 commonly does. Not to mention the sidewinders, mavericks, and the 20 mike-mike vulcan, and you've got a d*amn good aircraft... just as long as it didn't fly over the map in 10 seconds. Perhaps if there was an action that would punch the aircraft into low/medium/high throttle and afterburner, then having 'w' for the throttle would make a lot more sense, because you could govern your speed without micromanaging. If speed is really the only issue with an F-15, then it can be dealt with easily. It's not as if OFP is supposed to be incredibly-ultra realistic to the nth degree...

Arguments for putting an F-15E into OpFlash: 1) It's a dual seat fighter: A gunner and a pilot can balance workload. It's a b*tch to try to fly a high-speed fighter AND track targets. Ideal for multiplayer. 2) It's incredibly versatile: It can carry an air-ground load, A-A only, and can carry any AG ordinance the military can design. A possible loadout is 4 Sidewinders, (AMRAAMS would be pointless), 6 Mavericks, 12 CBU-20's or Mk-82's, and 1 Mk84 or 2000lb LGB, not to mention 450 cannon reounds. It would be a perfect addition the the OpFlash inventory. 3) The F-15E is well suited to poor-weather, low-visibility, low-altitude fighting. Unlike some of the aircraft people want in OFP, such as F-22's and MiG-29's and such hogwash, the F-15E was designed from the inside out to take out ground targets dwon in the mud, which is where teh affectionate nickname came from. Eagles soar up high in the clouds, but this hen waddles in the mud and does their dirty work. Of course the original F-15 slogan was "not a pound for air to ground", but the E was revamped from the ground up for such fun. 4) F-15E's are well suited for taking out 'soft' air targets, like tank columns, AA defenses, SCUDs, helicopters, artillery, etc. It would fit nicely into the OFP battle universe, with a little balancing. Now, arguments against: 1) It's a fighter! High altitude + high speed do not mix in the OFP engine! True, the F-15 can go mach 2.5 at high altitude... but who says it'd have to be programmed to go that fast and that high? If it were given slightly better params than the SU-25, it'd be no big deal. Say 800kph + 800km ceiling. 2) It would unbalance the game! You'd need SAMs/AA defenses and choppers would be very vulnerable! Sure, the F-15 is powerful, but OFP is also a semi-realistic simulator. Those Su-25's need some chasing down! Plus, it would be a great counterpart to the A-10 and it's tank busting style. For example, WIld-Weasel missions could be flown to clear the way for the A-10s 3) Fighter/Bombers are supposed to engage targets at very long distances! AND it would fly over the island in .0002 seconds! It would STILL unbalance the game and be worthless! If you cut down the distance for engaging/radar and it's weapon systems power, you'd have a balanced fighter, just as long as you added a few AA missiles to the Su-25. All in all, I feel that a well-balanced F-15E would be a grand user-made addition to Operation Flashpoint (once the SDK comes out) and it's battlefield simulation, though possibly not perfectly suited for widespread 'official' use. (Edited by TheCaptain at 7:33 pm on Dec. 3, 2001)