OFP Mods

[Uziyahu_IDF]

When I hear you talk about the difficult of modding GR and I reminded of how much GR sucks whenever I play it, I feel moved to request that you look into Operation Flashpoint: Resistance modding.

The powerful and dynamic nature of the scripting language in OFP really allows so much, that your imagination is the main limiting factor.

The propaganda in favor of GR is so heavily dumped on Americans, while all of Europe knew OFP was the superior game.  This is more the case now that Resistance, with its added features, is out.  

OFP may not have the eye-candy that GR has, but this hasn't kept some OFP-modders from creating eye-candy for the game.

OFP is the only game where I have seen a functionally-correct H&K G-11 created (even Global Ops got it wrong AFTER I bitched at them to get it right while still in Alpha; they wrote me back and told me that they were going to get it right, basically ignoring my input) and a very-workable OICW (though it still doesn't airburst), created by the Lost Brothers team (IDF Mod for OFP).

OFP has the meat.

Basically, your IDF Mod spruces up a crappy game, making it better.  At present, at can only dream about what you'd be capable of in OFP.  One thing OFP BADLY needs is a Russian Weapons pack like Vympel's.  Vympel has said he may switch over to OFP in the future, but of course that is not a guarantee.

I say "crappy game" because the limited maps have me "slicing the pie" of whole fields instead of rooms, I too often die from the shots of tangos I didn't see (while in OFP I usually see them after they open up on me, giving me about a 33% chance of being able to return fire and survive).  I HATE how I am shot and go "urk" and don't recover until the second bullet has slammed into me, causing me to go "urk" again and not recover until the 3rd bullet has slammed into me.  What's the point of allowing recovering if it always takes place AFTER the tango has shot again?  The A.I. in GR is crap.  (It seems better in S.O.A.F., where at least they will madly sprint out from behind cover in an effort to rush you.)  It is a bunch of lone soldiers taking Sunday strolls.  No team-level A.I. going on, that I can see.  I down an enemy.  When I get to him, I shake my head at the total inability to pick up the weapon and use it.  (It was good enough for the tango to wield... and if I see a dead Russian with an AN-94 or a VSS Vintorez, I'm picking that biatch up and dumping my Colt-Variant!)  And maps!  In GR it's the same shi'ite every time.  In OFP, I never know what I might see when I connect to a multiplayer game.  More buildings, vehicles, and objects might be on different parts of the island.  If I'll downloaded a user-made island/terrain, I might see something I've never seen in OFP, before.  And it takes TIIIIIIME to get acquainted with a 12km x 12km map.

And multiplayer!  I connected to IDF_Lavi with a 190 ping (a dream in OFP) and was intermittently stuttering backwards and stuck sliding left, at times.  Very frustrating to been sliding into a tangos line of fire, being made to wildly shoot just to survive this flaky puppeteering act.

To make something pretty GR WAS the game, but now OFP:Resistance supports (at least on MY system) textures of 4096 x 4096!  That's insane!  I've never even seen a picture in that res!  That's the upward-scalability that the dev team of OFP have pledged themselves to.  

I feel pity for the guys at theplatoon.com who oooo and ahhhh when they see video of a helo roping in Raven Shield operators, while they ask, "Wow!  Will we be able to fly or ride in those?"  Blind-guides, Blind-guides!  Stumble through the fog and find the wonder that is OFP!  At least, that's what I might say to them, if I hadn't already said it to them in other words.

Anyway, your beautiful mod is the only thing that could make me re-install GR.  Revisiting GR must be like falling to earth, stripped of the wings that OFP gave me.

[Suicide_Commando]

Basically, your IDF Mod spruces up a crappy game, making it better. ?At present, at can only dream about what you'd be capable of in OFP. ?One thing OFP BADLY needs is a Russian Weapons pack like Vympel's. ?Vympel has said he may switch over to OFP in the future, but of course that is not a guarantee.

Actually I highly doubt Earl's going to do an OFP mod. He barely has enough time to work on the GR mod or so he's said to me.

As for OFP being better than GR I would have to that is definately not the case. I haven't tried Resistance yet but I do have OFP and the Red Hammer campaign. I played through both in SP and haven't tried them since. Just not my cup of tea I guess.

And Uzi maybe you can answer this for me. If someone makes an add-on can you use it in SP or do missions have to be specifically scripted to use said add-on?

[WardenMac]

Well I cant argue the points you made Uzi. I agree with most of your complaints with GR. I only played the demo for OFP, I was impressed. Im sure the game is tops if being a part of a large military unit storming large areas is your thing (I dont mean to imply anything negative when I state "stroming large areas") If GR had the character control and feel of UO, and some cqb maps were available, I wouldnt complain at all.
However my heart is still with UO and I have a feeling it always will. I am really anticipating Raven Shield, however its beginning to look an awful like all the others out there.

[kazan]

Yep i thank that raven Shiled starting to look just like all the rest which sucks hop thet don't take all the RS feel out of it.OPF is'nt to bad like how u can drive tanks an fly choppers an takeing dead guys guns.

[WardenMac]

I agree kazan, it really makes the game better in some aspects. However, how many tac teams fly their own choppers, or drive their own tanks. Dont get me wrong, I would love a Blackhawk or a tank for UO. The theme of the games are so much different. I really liked the zoom view in OFP and the recoil effect. I was impressed.

[Uziyahu_IDF]

And Uzi maybe you can answer this for me. If someone makes an add-on can you use it in SP or do missions have to be specifically scripted to use said add-on?

Yes, you're correct about that.  Addons aren't that "plug in".  However, it only makes sense to make a mission with a storyline and briefing that are appropriate to the addons you want to use.  Doesn't really do to have a mission briefing saying you're Delta when you've just plugged in a Spetznaz mod.

[Uziyahu_IDF]

I agree kazan, it really makes the game better in some aspects. However, how many tac teams fly their own choppers, or drive their own tanks. Dont get me wrong, I would love a Blackhawk or a tank for UO. The theme of the games are so much different. I really liked the zoom view in OFP and the recoil effect. I was impressed.

This certainly is a valid complaint, and I was considering that when I watched "The Beast" and the Afghanis captured a Russian helo and one said to the other, "You're a clever guy... can you figure out how to fly a helicopter?"  (Recipe for disaster!)

However, in OFP, operation of the vehicles does take skill, especially in landing a helo or flying nap-of-the-earth with the same.  Collisions with trees happen very easily.  

So... I reason that if the player is skilled enough to fly the helo or drive/operate the tank, then their character (at least in multiplayer) happens to be an enlisted person who has experience in the respective vehicle.  Maybe he was reclassified?  Maybe he flies helos as a civilian pilot for recreation?

And taking an Apache up in the air with a ZSU-Shilka on the ground is not a very happy proposition.  It definitely takes NOE flight and it helps to have another player as a radar-watching gunner, 'cause flying and gunning adds an extra second in which the Shilka shoots your ass down.

As for small team missions with operators, this has been done, plenty.  What's nice is that you get the insertion and extraction phases and the action that comes with those, AND you have so many ways to accomplish the mission, though this doesn't mean it is by any means easy.  

[WardenMac]

I hear what your saying Uzi. Again, I cant argue any aspect of the game. I know for a fact flying choppers, driving vehicles, etc.. is alot of fun and it adds a great deal to the game.
Im just pleased that you and others would request we venture out into other games, gives me a feeling of satisfaction.

[Cobra6]

This certainly is a valid complaint, and I was considering that when I watched "The Beast" and the Afghanis captured a Russian helo and one said to the other, "You're a clever guy... can you figure out how to fly a helicopter?" ?(

Great movie!

[Suicide_Commando]

I've never heard of that movie.    What's it about?

[Cobra6]

Its about a crew of a Soviet T-72 tank that gets lost. The movie takes place during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
The movie was not that popular, but all the weapons and vehicles are accurately depicted.


Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

I remember seeing a poster for this film in a movie theater lobby many years ago. Once or twice I wondered, "why did this film never come out?"
Finally, back around 1991, I caught it halfway through on cable. I was shocked at how good it was. Fine attention to military detail, awesome cinematography, lovely Mark Isham score. I was hooked, and have seen this film several times.
The Plot: it's 1981, and the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan is well underway. Right after the crack of dawn, a Soviet tank column comes roaring into an Afghan village, killing many inhabitants, razing mosques, and rooting out the freedom fighters (Mujahadeen).
A couple of the Mujas (A Soviet Epithet)pop out of nowhere with Molotov cocktails. They incinerate one tank crew, and inflict some damage on another tank. It's the one captained by Daskal (An amazingly thin George Dzundza), with additional crew - the driver, Koverchenko (Jason Patric, intense as usual), Golikov (Stephen Baldwin, hapless as usual), Kaminski(Don Harvey, sleazy as usual), and their Afghan Comrade (Erick Avari, solid as usual).
The tank has some interesting, plot-driving damage: the main mast was hit and the radio can only receive, not transmit. In addition, the map was burned in places, making exact navigation difficult. An interesting shot shows the rest of the column taking the correct fork in a mountain pass, while our protagonists fatefully choose the wrong one.
As the crew try to make their way through the desert, tension among the crew is effeciently depicted: Avari struggles to prove his loyalty to Daskal, the grizzled veteran commander. Koverchenko sticks up for the Afghan, incurring the wrath and distrust of both Daskal and Kaminski.
Eventually, the tensions boil over, and the rest of the crew force Koverchenko out of the tank, leaving him to the mercy of pursuing Mujahadeen.
Although the Soviet invasion has been brutal, the Afghan traditions of mercy and hospitality have somehow survived. Through his broken use of the Afghan language, he convinces them to spare his life. In return, he helps the "Mujas" hunt down his former tank crew mates.
What makes The Beast work? The acting, first and foremost. Dzundza stands out - not a single word or action makes you think he is other than a seasoned, but embittered warrior trying to make his mark fighting a hopeless war. Jason Patric has an onscreen intensity that's perfect, and an intelligence that shines through. Erick Avari is highly sympathetic as the Afghan advisor, the not very welcome native whose motivations are always in doubt. It would have helped the film to show more of his reactions to the senseless slaughter the Soviets inflicted upon Afghanistan, but it's clear from his limited dialogue that he is already looking beyond the war and hoping he can join the ranks of those bringing Afghanistan into the 20th century.
Although the Beast is a linear war story, there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Shadows of World War II, parallels to Vietnam, religious allegory, and the notion of following orders vs. your conscience, and accepting the consequences either way.
What also make the Beast work are the locations, cinematography and sound. Although not a large country, Israel apparently had enough dusty plains, craggy sandstone formations and deep chasms to make a convincing stand-in for Afghanistan. The photography by Doug Milsome is sharp and detailed. The sound is great, with some nice spatial effects. What really helps set the mood best is Mark Isham's incredible score. It's a seamless combination of New Age and Middle Eastern riffs, alternately dreamlike and percussive. The opening and closing themes feature the wailing of exotic instruments, an eerie and soothing sound that transports you away.

[Suicide_Commando]

That movie sounds pretty damn good. I'm gonna have to go rent that. Thanks a lot Cobra.  

[Cobra6]

If you are a true war movie nut like me its one you will want to own on DVD.

[Suicide_Commando]

Wow, so it's that good huh? Now I really need to see this movie.  

[Uziyahu_IDF]

Yeah, it would make an excellent OFP mission... only problem is that a damaged T72 will crack open with 1 RPG in OFP, and the RPG is pretty darn accurate in OFP.

Kegetys just made a real RPG7, and I think it might be less accurate.  I'll have to try it.

It really is a superb war movie.  Very timely, too.  

Cobra6, may I quote your excellent review elsewhere?

[Mr_Grenade]

Man , i don't know how many times i flipped through The Beast when they were showin it on Encore . If they decide to show it again i'll catch it .

[Cobra6]

Its not my review...I Did a search on Google and found it here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_60771176068

[kazan]

Sounds like a good movie have to go find it the video store .

[WardenMac]

I flipped through it several times as well. It was on sat not too long ago. I remember reading the info on it but then choose to watch The Seige of Firebase Gloria. One of my favs  

[Suicide_Commando]

Mac isn't R Lee Ermey in that one?