Night Stalking

as a special forces soldier I was sneaking into the town of Triniti. Running and diving from bush to bush. Just armed with a silenced MP5 I would take out patroling guards. The primary mission was to destroy the fuel station . The secondary objecting was to destory a convoy carrying fuel through the town from the North. Once I got to the buildings I crawled my way to the South end. Took out 2 patrol men down the road and poked my heard around the corner to take out the guys patroling on the East side of the buildings. I ran across the street and crawled under the gass truck parked at the gas station. I planted a satchel charge under it and moved northward behind the buildings on the East side. All the sudden I heard a tank rolling. A T72 rolled drove through town Northward with its lights on. My heart skipped a beat. I snuck through a yard close to the road. Looked around to make sure the tank was gone and that no one was left patroling. I planted my last 2 satchel charges on the length of the road and ran to the 2 floor hous on the corner. I climbed to the attick and watched for the convoy to pass through. My look out at the Northern base informed me that the convoy had left. I waited by the window. Waited, and waited. Then they were rolling in. Faster than I expected. But I had to make sure that the fuel truck was destroyed. My focuse was the satchel charge north most, so that as soon as I could see the gas truck drive past it I could detonate it, and take out any vehicles that were ahead of it since they would be over or next to the other charge. I saw it roll and it set it off! Unfortunately I was standing by the window. I ended up injuring myself from the blast. I was unable to walk. Fortunately my screams didn't give away my position to the Soviets. Bleeding from my injuries, unable to walk, I had to crawl through the dusty and grimy attick, down the ladder to the 2nd floor. Luckily no one hear my screams or saw me climb down the ladder that was next to an open window. I proceded to cautiously crawl down the stairs to the first floor. Hoping no one would spot me through the door way. There was alot of comotion going on. Troops were deployed out of the Ural Trucks or the BMPs. To my great disapoinment there were 2 BMPs driving around town looking for me. Mind you, this is a very small town! They were driving through the 2 streets, around the houses, through the yards, toppling the fences and the trees. I made sure to crawl after I saw a BMP pass me. I crawled as fast as I could Westward, to the nearest bush to get out of site. The hum of their engines and the thundering of their treds was ominous. My heart was racing. It was hundreds of meeters of open terrain I had to cross to get out of town. At least it was dark and I was low. Of course not by choice. I couldn't run even if I wanted to. I could only crawl from bush to bush. Drag my injured body through the dirt. Rest every time I got to a bush, so I could catch my breath and hope that my minimal movement would deter them from investigating where I was. I was sure glad I did because they were still looking for me. Driving in larger circles around the town. Finaly, when I feel safe I begin to crawl forward...I hear that frightening hum, and then treds roll and inch past my face. My heat must have stopped. I gasped for air. I was sure I was already dead! Fortunately I was wrong. I was so glad to be wrong. It got quiet. I started up my mad dash from bush to bush on my belly. This time I felt a sudden surge of confidence, or maybe it was just another form of fear, but I felt determined to get out of there faster. I made my crawls faster, and I had to, there were getting longer distances between bushes. I was still hundreds of meters away from the car waiting for me. But I felt I was far enough from the town to just do a continous crawl. I was so glad to reach that car. Some lousey East European sports car. I actually scared myself when I turned it on and the lights turned on. I thought that as soon as the lighst turned on it was going to blow up; that the BMP would appear out of no where and unload on me. Again, I was so happy to be wrong! I drove the best I could with my injuries, but at top speed its awefuly hard. But I did manage to get out. Another mission accomplished. Just barely.

Custome Missions, Entry 1

I have 1 single player mission so far, and 2 multiplayer missions.

The single player mission;
Flight Training
This is really a training ground for my flying skills. Its based off of the destination template. It takes place on Malden. Your insertion point is by the barracks in the airport on the main island. The final destination is placed at the North West most island that has a small airport. Its realy just a nearly barren island standing high out of the water with just an air strip, a hangar and some trees. At the Malden airport is a Mi-17 HIP, Mi-24 Hind, V-80 Kamov (prototype), and 2 Su-25 Frogfoots (Frogfeet?). You start out right next to a UAZ so you can drive to the aircraft. If you manage to loose your aircraft over land some how, in almost every town is some sort of empty vehicle. So if you bail out, you can run (or crawl if you messed up on the bail out) to a vehicle and drive it back to the airport and get into a different aircraft. There is also a bus I put in that circles the island's outer roads. South East of the airport are a group of desert islands. One the closest island, which happens to be long, I put dummy targets (wooden tanks). That island is used for target practice. I am considering replacing them with actual American tanks with their AI set to never open fire. I mostly spend my time practicing in the Su-25, its a real pain in the ass to master. I am really considering remaking this into a multiplayer map, so I can practice with a gunner (or as a gunner) or with a wingman. Its a pain in the ass because its not as simple as putting in another unite and making it open to human control, you have to reconstruct the entire thing in the multiplayer editor instead of the single mission editor!

The two multiplayer missions are as follows;
Red Tide
Its built on the Team Deathmatch template. The Americans start out a the vehicle pool North West of the Malden airport. They are a mechanized infantry unit, which unfortunately is in a M113A2 Gavin. I wish there were some way they would still be a mechanized infantry unit, but in a M2A2 Bradley. At that base are support trucks, weapons crates, a Jeep with a machine gun. They can always go to the airport and use the Blackhawk (w/rocket pods), or try their luck with the A10 Thunderbolt II. The base has minimal defenses.

The Soviets start out on the North Western most island with the air strip. You are part of a Spetsnaz team. On your base you have access to weapons crates and 1 Hind, 1 Hip, 1 Frogfoot. The conflict is designated to take place in the Northern most settlement. That hamlet is already fortified by a Soviet heavy infantry group (AI). There is a empty BMP2 and a ambulance in the northern tree line. Down that road is an enemy M60A3 Patton (AI). Because this mission is based on a Team Deathmatch, which ever side with living players wins. But there is a back story to this mission.

The story behind this is that the Soviets are encroaching on the Malden island. Their foot hold on the NW island is just the begining. To the Soviets its imperative to establish a beachead. The Soviets taking that NW hamlet on the main island is completly unacceptible to the Americans. With little details about the amount of Soviets in that hamlet, a mechanical infantry unit is deployed to take it back. A Patton stands by to assist. The Spetsnaz team is scrambled from the island to help hold the island.

The Americans don't have to just rush the settlment, they can get the chopper, or the jet, or even the boat and head to the NW island and try to take it. But the Soviets are well aware of the US Airbase, so their little island is crawling with anti air. So the jet or boat are the best ways in. But you have to keep in mind, it not about capturing the base, or destroying equipment, its only won if the other humans are all killed. If the West wins Red Tide, next we play Tidebreakers.

Tidebreakers
was a night time mission based on the cooperative reach destination template. I was going to re-do it on a different template, so I deleted it. When I re-do it, it will still work like this;
Having pushed the Red Tide back into the sea, a special forces group will go out to sea and finish the job. You start in the motor pool NW of the airport, you board the 5 tone truck and the AI drives you through the hamlet you took over, and to the beach, where 2 PBR Mk. IIs await you. Before the team boards, they pick a load out from the crates on the beach. You are to invade the NW Soviet island. It has beefed up its AA in an inticipation of a full air assault from the US air base on Malden. That is why you are going in on boat. Once you get to shore, you should destroy as much of the AA as possible to call in air support, or for stragglers to fly in on a Blackhawk. The island will be crawling with troops, you should destory as many of their equipment as possible. Bring lots of rockets, it is an air base, things will be taking off and circling the island. I will probably be remaking this on a team death match templat, so the goal will really be to kill all the human enemies, but there will be lots of hostiles and equipment at their disposal.

As far as the story goes, once this island is taken by US forces, the Soviets counter the only way the know how, with a overwhelming force.

Red Bulls
You start out as pilots at the US Air Base on malden. You have to scramble to your aircraft because the alarms are going off. Soviets have landed on the beaches to the South and North, mechanized forces are moving in. There are 3 Cobras and a Blackhawk waiting in front of you. Farther down the runway are 2 A10s. A mechanized infantry group is called in from the motor pool. But the Soviets are moving in quickly. Infantry could have landed too. You must get into the air ASAP and start taking out the enemy. The problem is, this is built on the co-op destination template, so you can just take off and fly to the base on the South island and win. So I am probably going to switch this into a team death match template, maybe the East will be a mechanized infantry or special team. Yeah, that sounds good.

I wish they hadn't dumbed down the editor for the port. I am hoping that in the downloadable content, they will also have a new editor! More like the old one. OK, I'm going to go try to get some action.

Night Stalkers

Last Night:
As part of a special team we were inserted into hostile territory late at night. It was a 4 man team including Timber Mist PS, Jimbofat, my self and Brucknersinnocent. Our first objective was to clear a town of hostiles. At approximately 1AM we moved into town. I remember it clearly because the clock rang once. We managed to eliminate all hostiles and inflicted only some collateral damage by killing 1 civilian. After scavaging for weapons, I got my hands on an RPG with 3 rockets, while Jimbo picked up the 2 satchel charges that I dropped. Then we got into a working UAZ and headed to the next way point. The team dismounted the vehicle and I got in as the driver. I would drive slowly with my lights off as the team creeped toward the base camp where we had to eliminate a VIP. Some woman, probably a Soviet collaberator. The plan was to snipe her and the team would jump into the UAZ and we would haul ass out of there. It didn't go that smoothly. The sniper had to take repeated shots, by the time she was killed, the team was taking fire. Our 4th man didn't make it out. Jimbo and Timber got into the UAZ and we drove to the airfield. We ditched the UAZ at the enterance to the field and crept our way closer to the aircraft. Our goal was to eliminate the aircraft present: 3 Mi24, 3 Su25. Timber and Jimbo were able to set up satchels by the Hinds as I targeted a BMP with my RPG. On the count of 3 we let hell break loose. They took out 2 choppers and I took out the BMP. It was left up to me to take out the last chopper and the 3 jets. I used 1 rocket for the chopper, 1 for a jet and I placed the last satchel between the last 2 jets. After we cleared the field I ran back to the UAZ and came back for the guys, Timber didn't make it out alive. It was down to me and Jimbo to get out of there. We raced through the island in our UAZ, Jimbo was acting as navigator; using the map and reading the road signs. We made it to our destination alive, but 2 men short. It was a long mission. The real challenge came from operating in such dark conditions with out any night vision. Many times I lost track of my own team mates when they were literaly right in front of me.

Failed Ambush

2 nights ago:
Jaylyn and I take off in our Apache, we head out to intercept a Soviet convoy. I was the gunner (that round). Our wingmen (AI) are in a Cobra. While making our runs over the town that the convoy is supposed to head through we take critical damage. Jaylyn was unable to manuver, all he was able to do was climb in elivation! That proved to be a good move because when we bailed out, we were able to parachute down safely. What shot us down was a MI24. Unfortunately the Cobra was unable to take out the Hind, and fortunately for us, the hind lost interest in us. Our mission should have been over, but it wasn't. We were both alive and the convoy had not been completly destroyed. As we were parachuting down to earth, slowing drifting farther and farther apart, I began to worry that I would drift into the sea and drown (again). I managed to land right in the town actually. Jaylyn had landed up on the hill next to town. He found a UAZ that was working and he came and got me. Before we left town I tried scavaging for useful weapons. I found a RPG, but no rockets. While we were scavaging our Cobra made an appearance again, blowing up a BMP just around the corner from us! We decided to return back to base camp. Jaylyn drove the UAZ while I provided directions by watching the map. On the way back to base we checked out Buffalo Base, and found nothing there. We did discover a jeep on the road, so we switched cars to be on the safe side. Once we arived at base camp we were still unable to find anything useful. Eventually Jaylyn found out how to make the Cobra land, but only the pilot would exit, so Jaylyn let me go off in the Cobra. He stayed at base camp, acting as my navigator by watching his map and tiving me heads up on any targets. I thought I was going to find that MI24 and try to shoot it down, it turned out that a tank was limping around outside the town. Although, eliminating that tank proved trickier than expected, even though it was stationary. This was a very amature run for us, but we did succede. I would recruite him in my team again.

Finally Released

After being delayed over 2 years, this game is finally released as a port for the Xbox. I had a feeling that this would have been the last Xbox game released. I'm glad I was wrong about that. The game was released Tuesday November 8, 2005, which was its technical shipping date, I was able to purchase it the following day. I am very happy with my purchase. The terrain graphics do look dated (orignal game was released in 2001), but the character graphics have improved. And the sheer amount of details that can be seen and interacted with is so monumental the dated appearance of trees and grass can be over looked. What is far more important is the immersion level of the game. And it really goes all out in that department. When you are in the vehicles you have a detailed veiw of the cockpits/cabines. Besides all the great military equipment that is recreated in the game (tanks, trucks, APCs, scout vehicles, helicopters, jets, boats) there are also civilian vehicles (buses, cars, motorcycles, bicycles, tractors). You don't lose one of the best features either, the mission editor, so you can make your own missions on any of the 4 giant islands that you can freely explore. Unfortuantly the didn't improve the jet controls, its still a pain in the ass to fly them.

So far the online play has been a little laggy at times. Before I got my hands on this version of the game I had actually been disapointed to hear that it would only support up to 16 players. But so far the best online missions I have done involved only a handful of other players. When there were alot of players involved, they were mostly acting like jack asses. They wouldn't work as a time. It just wasn't worth it. I have met a couple of players that do take these missions seriously, like Timber_mist (think his name was little more complicated though). He really seems to have a hang of making missions, maybe I can get him to make a couple of missions based on my ideas. The mission editor for this version is not as user friendly as the PC version.

By the way, I do have the PC version. It wouldn't run well on my desk top at the time. An I am pleased to see that there were alot of people on xbox live who also have this game on PC. Even though this game has sold millions of copies, it still seems to be on the obscure side in the American market. Which focuses more on mediocre military sims like Ghost Recon and SOCOM, I found those games to be very disapointing. There were alot of players who were new to it and they were very impressed, which makes me happy. Recognition for a great job is always pleasing. As per the official site, http://www.codemasters.com/games/?gameid=1825 , the game has already gone gold, and it hasn't been a full week yet. This is good considering it was so difficult to find any publication about this game since it was delayed so long and that it can still make sales.

I would like this blog to have a visual overhall, reflect the game, maybe look similar to the way the official microsites looked like.