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Wow! That takes some serious balls... Well, not sure what would be a good match for that in Arma 2-- it's like CHDKz with tuareg tagelmoust (headscarf). Thanks for posting-- seeing what the actual belligerents were wearing, it's a lot different than what I had pictured. Kommiekat and Shark-attack are both working on Mali scenarios now, Algeria is sort of on-hold for now, at least until we get a plan together for what and how, etc. Op. Roadblock is also coming along, so you guys will hopefully start to see some releases soon.

Cool thank you guys! Last night I started to wrap my head around the process some more, but it is all new to me...so my head felt like it was going to explode. Is there a quicker and easier way of testing skins than exporting, converting, PBO'ing and launching Arma 2? Definitely a detail-oriented guy here, so it will likely take a while for this to get done if this is the case. I may want to consider serving Kommiekat's request for African jihadists, which would be a much easier 1st project than this one. I've accessed and examined the Takistani OPFOR skins, though I think perhaps the IND Takistani Guerillas may be a better choice. I understand the basics of the .cpp file and how to modify that for my purposes, just not the process that goes with these p3d files-- how they are created, what their role is, etc.

Aye, we will definitely have to work out a better centralized base of communications, we are already seeing how the limits of PM'ing can slow things up. I've just updated the first post with a few specifically-approved releases, but there is much more in the works. For now, we will work on a series of three releases examining Op. Serval, the French mission in Mali ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Serval ). Also we are obviously planning to do something in Algeria, possibly Burma and/or Senkaku/Diaoyu islands. Stay tuned and please reach out if you are interested in helping out!

Very nice!

So NOHQ refers to a normal map then, which it looks like you can use a Photoshop plug-in to generate. https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Mondkalb%27s_Addon_Tutorial#Step_Five:_Creating_the_texture Are these maps embedded within the .paa/.tga? I did not see other textures in the un-PBO'ed folder, but I did not look into the other channels in Photoshop. I'm actually beginning to wonder if this will be worth the headache of switching back and forth, since Adobe CS is on my Mac installation and I run Arma using Bootcamp. Also found this tutorial, but it appears to be for Arma 1? Says the models have all been released, which I know is not true for Arma 2. http://tactical.nekromantix.com/wiki/doku.php?id=arma:texturing:reskin_tut

If I can figure out how to access the vanilla skins for my effort at Algerian SOF, this would easily be a possibility. I think this is a great idea, and not only because we're planning to use these for RWO!

Yeah, this should easily be possible as a reskin, I had a look in the un-PBO'ed SURPAT and looked through the config.cpp -- easy to follow from a high-level, but is there a nice, detailed page or tutorial on this? The BI Wiki page is only top-level info. More importantly, how does one get to the necessary .paa texture files (which seem to be able to be reverse-saved back to .tga using TexView) in Vanilla for the re-skin? As nice as the SURPAT soldiers are, it looks like I'd lose all details of the cloth folds and texture trying to convert that SURPAT camo pattern back to straight OD-- it'd be a much better idea to start with the CHDKz and MVD like Sakai is saying. So if someone could let me know how to access these texture files, along with any code that defines which texture files are needed (eg. uniform texture, equipment texture, etc.), that would help. Also, if I'm missing some essential reading, tutorial, documentation, etc. (I've read through part of mondkalb's tutorial, and while comprehensive is far beyond what this project requires) please let me know! My searches have not been turning up very useful links.

Sakai-- it was seeing your SURPAT units this morning that finally convinced me to give this a try-- is it OK with you if I play with that release for this project? EDIT: Thanks for the specified patterns as for the DPM question, I was wondering if perhaps those were pictures from the unit during an older period in its existence, like during or shortly after their being a Soviet entity. EDIT 2: Better yet, if you are interested in collaborating on this and doing some units in that pattern PM me!

I'm now considering making my first attempt at a unit addon/reskin be one for the Algerian SF...

Good question, tho not many of us are on Skype, I know both KK and myself are on Gchat, are you on there? I am thinking the Armee Tigerianne would be a closer rendition, though neither of them are really that close. Looks like their SF wears all OD with either a balaclava 3-hole ski mask, or a helmet that reminds me of some Spetsnaz FSB units if memory serves. http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=15072 Downloading and playing around with them now...

Here is another article with a good bit of detail-- judging from the description of the facility, it sounds a whole lot like Shapur. It also lays out exactly how the attack took course, how the militants initially targeted a couple of buses, were driven away by the buses' military escort, and diverted their attack to the gas facility separating the refinery from the living quarters, while meanwhile, Algerian soldiers poured out of their nearby base and surrounded the facility. http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/algeria-declares-operation-to-free-hostages-over-toll-remains-unclear/2013/01/17/268a34a6-610c-11e2-8f16-7b37a1341b04_story.html

I feel like this is a very touchy subject... on one hand, this would be a new offering that few people have attempted (the airport scene from MW2 comes to mind)-- but in most cases, if you are playing as a terrorist, it is as a fictional group and against either Russia or some fictional foe, it certainly isn't based on some real event. While I'm not sure how much I agree with it, one could perceive such a mission as being tasteless, perhaps even a bit offensive or dangerous, to somehow glorify the actions of the enemy against our own countrymen-- with such a realistic game it could even be potentially construed as a training tool. This is something I have often pondered but never been comfortable with, regardless of how interesting an experience it could be to put on the shoes of an insurgent, plant an IED and blow a NATO convoy to smithereens, it sends the wrong message. And I'm not trying to be some uber-patriotic zealot who thinks we should only ever depict conflict with players in the shoes of one side, but part of this project is about honoring the sacrifices of the good guys. So I guess what I'm saying is, I am not vehemently opposed to it, but I will not make and release something like that myself, nor would I be comfortable putting the RWO name on it, unless of course we include the response of BLUFOR. What I'm trying to determine is what units would suffice as approximations of Algerian special forces...I'm thinking Tigeria is the best candidate, but even that seems a stretch to me. http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?114566-Algerian-Special-Forces http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?127649-Algerian-special-forces-Pictures

Algerian Mi-17 just released by Brainbug! Zing! http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=18364 We need something to happen with this story, the situation is still so unclear on the ground.

Definitely, I actually think we should be looking at Shapur for the refinery mission, and Duala for the French ground assault. I'm not entirely sure who the belligerents are in the refinery-- looks like the Algerian army has been the only BLUFOR involved so far, but other options (US, French or UK SOF) are on the table. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323468604578247332257278740.html Also, we can use setFace to give some of the Militia units a darker, sub-Saharan complexion, which I think will add to the authenticity. I wonder if there's a way to write a function that would randomly do setFace on a certain group.

Really excited about Op. Road Block so far, all the same level of detail you guys should come to expect from me. I think this has the potential to be one of the best and richest single scenarios from me to-date, assuming things go smoothly once I start to tie everything together-- right now, I'm just working on building some of the essential set pieces-- a hastily-constructed (painstakingly-edited) American staging area w/ two helipads, vehicles like HMMWV's and RG-31's parked (may let you choose your vehicle setup, anything from a single RG-31 to a small convoy), cargo stacks, etc. Also a make-shift TOC maintained by Afghan border police, where you will report in to receive your primary objectives. I'm thinking I want to incorporate some area-related side-tasks that you receive when close to one area or another, like providing cover for another squad to clear a compound, or clearing a compound yourself. It's about making you really feel like a part of a MASSIVE (80km-stretch of border) undertaking. Maybe some screens soon!

Cool, I would definitely like to get the Battle of Fallujah represented here-- is there any single mission that could be re-worked for RWO? Someone neeeeeeds to get in on this Mali flashpoint -- as of now, news reports that French ground troops are about to engage in close combat with Militants! I'm pretty excited about my own first exercise with creating an RWO mission with Op. Road Block! Should be a rather quick effort, nothing too over-the-top, but plenty of action.

I'm going to start keeping a running tab of specific potential scenarios in the first post, which are open for anyone to take-on really, just a place to keep all ideas in one place. There are many solid examples out there, I simply use either the news, or Wikipedia as a starting point, then check into any relevant cited sources in the Wiki article, and of course anything turned up by Google. Before you know it, you'll have enough information to outline a mission. This list of Combat Operations in Afghanistan has a lot of potential inspirations for missions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_combat_operations_in_Afghanistan_in_2011 EDIT / UPDATE: Found Op Surak Basta III (translates to "Road Block" in Dari), which fits the bill of the mod combo I wanted to try exactly. This should work as a great exercise in finding an op and rendering it in the editor. [RWO] Op. Road Block Required Addons: US Army OCP Units SGW's ANA/ANP EXA RG-31 MRAPs Aliabad Region As a member of TF Currahee of the 101st AB Div., you are to rendezvous with the ANA 2nd Kandak, 2nd Bn, 203rd Corps, and ANP Border Patrol, Zone 2, where they have located a series of suspected illegal border crossings. You will infiltrate and assault three of these locations, and then provide cover for teams of American and Afghan engineers as they perform demolitions. You can assault the crossings in any order you want. Once the crossings are each clear, you will be tasked with clearing out a known Taliban rally point on the Afghan-side of the border to complete the mission. Under no circumstances my you cross the border into Pakistan, it will result in immediate mission failure.

I'm not sure-- I'm wondering if I keep the filename of the .pbo the same the player's progress will be saved. I may want to change the version number tho to something that indicates the Camp is at a stable point, v0.6 beta doesn't really express this right now. I think for this next update tho, I can try to keep it at v0.6 and see if it has any effect or not. I guess I shouldn't have named the .pbo file with the version in the first place.

Really great to hear that dude! I hope you enjoy the rest of it as you continue to play through. Almost ready to implement the next round of fixes and updates, I'll keep everyone posted. I'm trying to decide if I want to wait to release an update with one bonus mission, or if I should just release the updated Camp sooner and let the bonus mission wait.

I am thinking rather than repurposing entire campaigns which have already been out there in the community for a while, we should consider extracting specific missions that are especially appropriate, give them a comprehensive tune-up, and release them as something relatively new. Each release needs to have a link or two to real news stories or books to back them up-- doesn't need to be 100% fact-based, but it should include some of the real-world facts that inspired the mission. Perhaps we could paraphrase the articles in the briefing as its own section and/or as part of the release post/page. As for KK's comment about being primarily an SP editor, I have also been exclusive to SP so far, but I'm hoping and thinking that there will be a knowledge exchange between editors working on this project regarding making SP and MP compatible versions-- an example of the kinds of ways we can help one another.

The plan is to utilize already-released addons made by the community. As nice as it would be to have the actual theatres represented as islands, many locales will have to be approximated using existing islands. This is one area where the RWO gaming experience will depart from the real news story. So for now, no plans on having exclusive addon content outside of the missions themselves. Awesome, this is a perfect example of an already-released Op, that, if you wanted to, could be updated as a RWO release. We can work out what needs to be altered to achieve this if you want. I need to go ahead and give the Camp a play-thru myself, but having played many of your missions, I figure not much will need to be done outside of adding some RWO branding and perhaps revisiting Briefings. EDIT: Depending, I may end up placing some kind of time limit as to how recent the Op was to be included-- say, for example, only within the last 5 years or 10 years.

Glad you dig the Campaign, and thanks for this feedback-- I guess I've never really known or witnessed the limits of the engine's capabilities, so M13 is kind of an exercise in how much I can have going on. That said, you make a very good point about what is necessary and what "fat" can be cut from this mission which would help to ease the CPU fatigue. While I would maintain that even though the player doesn't even come near Ishfaaq, nor should they have any reason to, the triggers should remain for continuity's sake. Aside from that, however, it looks like much of Charles Co and TF Mohawk's Comanche Co are not needed. So, I've taken down a note to cut things down a little where they are not essential. I will also have to keep this in mind for Bonus Mission 1, where I am already packing a rather inordinate amount of men into an already small area. As for your comment about Mali-- I have been thinking the exact same thing! I've been talking to Kommiekat about working on a collaborative Campaign, with the Senkaku/Diaoyu island conflict as a subject...but I'm beginning to think the wider perspective on global military operations in the real world would be a really cool use of the editor. Perhaps "The Virtuous Circle" can become an editor's collective, and we could focus on a series of missions based on current events-- Real World Ops (RWO), see it on the news, play it on your computer.

Much obliged, really good to know LoK is being enjoyed by a member of 'the virtuous circle' PS. really dig the new CWR update! I was messing with the new UK addon briefly and had some ideas bubbling for a SP scenario.. I'll have to update DAF and check it out-- seems like they've been releasing a lot of updates...not to complain about improving the mod, but it's making it tough to work on a mission when updating either causes the mission to not load due to deleted addons, or gives me a spam-rate smattering of error messages. If it keeps up in this new update, I'll report it, but more than likely, I am going to start over since I want to remove ONS and INKO as a requirement for that specific mission. It looks like INKO is now a part of the new DAF update anyway, though once again, I have no use for the mod nor a need for it (fortunately, it's not required as a separate addon). I did some more research yesterday on the Canadian perspective of Op. Medusa with this great article by in Legion Magazine by Adam Day, and put together the mission outline and mission title for Bonus Mission 1: "Rugby" -- As a member of TF Grizzly, made up of the remnants of the now-decimated Charles Company (led by Maj. Matt Sprague) combined with ISTAR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, Reconnaissance) elements from Maj. Andy Lussier, you are charged with breaking the stalemate now that Sperwan Ghar is in the hands of TF 31. You will have to neutralize five key defensive positions held by the Talibs before getting the all-clear to move on Objective Rugby, aka the white schoolhouse. You will have stationary LAV gun support, as well as artillery.

There really is a veritable galaxy of user-made missions but I think the critical question that would determine how useful such a list would be is how you would break the missions down-- an unfiltered list of missions does no good, but an exhaustively detailed list would likely not be much different than simply browsing around on Armaholic. And then of course, there's the subjective issue of personal taste-- some will like certain missions better than others. I am in favor of a curated list of some of the best missions, but with so many differences across missions, there needs to be some kind of consistent measure of what is included and why. I think we need more detailed reviews of missions, I would use a good descriptive, consistently-formatted review as a guide for what missions to try and what not to try. You would just have to be prepared to be a dick at times, because lets face it: with editors of all different skill levels, there are bound to be discrepancies. This sort of hints at the fact that there really is no checklist for editors of what needs to be in-place for a mission to be truly considered "complete" (aka briefing, map markers, tasks, task hints, hints, loadscreens, debriefs, overviews, and so on).

Got to play through some more of the latest version, and I confirm that almost all the dialogue lines from the Canadian portion of Mission 6 are not working-- I thought I had all this fixed in the last update, I was really pissed to see that this was not the case. I should have been more dilligent and tested to confirm the lines were in, instead of assuming they would be after dropping the files in. I have added this to the list of updates to be made in the next round, along with most of the points you guys all brought up (hopefully didn't miss anything). Progress on the Dutch Apache bonus mission was neutralized due to updates of the DAF mod, which I was using for the Dutch pilots and aircraft. So now we are back to square one on that practically...good thing I didn't get too deep into development on it. So, while another update should be on the way pretty soon, it will most likely just be more bug fixes and no new content for now.