This is a really well done mission. We have played it three times now and EVERY time is different because of the random generator and where it puts the general. It's a large area to search, but once you figure out what to look for, you can home in on him every time.
This mission imo is the best that has been made for Flashpoint without requiring addons. I play this nearly every night with a mate and it really does bring Arma to life. The AI is great on both sides and the mission has never been the same. Everytime we play we have to plan out what we are going to do.
Ive only gotten to play this in singleplayer, but boy this is the best mission for Arma 2 Ive had the pleasure to play. I can only imagine it being even more fun in COOP.
I run it with voice commands, the newest beta patch, @warfxparticles, @rhm4packandreplacement and @VopSound_2.1. Great fun and immersion!
Awesome mission! Just finished playing a two-player coop, and after finishing the mission that took almost three hours, all I can say is that it was the best Arma2 experience to date for me. I'm sure I'll be replaying this mission many times since the replayability is great because of the random nature of the mission.
Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to new missions from you Wiper!:thumb
Total comments : 4, displayed on page: 4
Cipher
by
Wiper
Description:
'Cipher' is a Arma2 mission fully based on scripts.
The mission development was centered around three central themes:
1.) Literally unlimited replayability providing unexpected encounters each time the mission is restarted.
2.) Let the player experience how awesome the AI and micro AI actually is that BIS has created for us and what I think is the most sophisticated AI for home computer games to date !
3.) Give the player the possibility to explore and enjoy the gorgeous beauty of the Chernaurus map while immersed in a living environment.
4.) Embedding all of the above into a plausible "story line" keeping a most enjoyable balance.
As a result, on one hand the mission concept is based on a relatively advanced AI 'engine' as a core system that I originally started to develop in the beginning of the good (golden) old OFP times and provides a full dynamic driven persistent AI.
On the other hand the "AI engine" (ADPI) provides sort of an interface so that it can be relatively easy adopted into a different mission concept.
So essentially 'Cipher' can be seen as a base module with a minimum content story wise, that just needs to be expanded to be a fully story driven mission. However this means, the story part still needs drastic scripting efforts not to speak of all stuff that needs to be implemented to have multiple and dynamic story lines working perfectly even in MP mode.
Features:
* 'Cipher' is playable in SP mode as well as in MP coop mode (just copy the mission into your respective Arma2 folder).
* Each time you start the mission over, you start at a unique location anywhere on Chernarus.
* Each time you start the mission over, the primary objective is located somewhere else.
* You need to search for the main objective and after successfully completing the required tasks, call for extraction and leave Chernarus.
* While on mission, you will encounter 'living' AI, easily implemented thanks to the new BIS modules, as well as scripted civilian population roving around the whole map, mostly by car.
* Dynamically acting hostile forces, using choppers and armored vehicles, initially randomly patrolling around the target area, and dynamically reacting to encounters - eventually flanking your position and supporting each other.
* random time start (at daylight), selectable daytime emphasis per option.
* full dynamic weather
* no Addons needed
* Since version 1.22 the mission is also playable in a second play mode 'SpecOP', since 1.28 there is a 'SpecOp light' mode too.
Installation:
Extract the pbo file to your ArmA2\Missions folder for SP.
Extract the pbo file to your ArmA2\MPMissions folder for MP.
Hints:
Finally some hints from 'under the hood' - feel free to read on, as due to the mission concept 'spoiling' is not really possible, you'll never know what you will face :-)
* As briefing suggests, approach carefully. Often the mission can be easily failed by simply rushing towards the hostile area.
* The closer you move to the hot spot the more likely you may encounter ambushes. Every single hut or deer stand may be a hideout!
* In the first phase planning is crucial, always use terrain and cover to YOUR advantage!
* Consider taking out Air targets at first hand, then APC or armored forces before moving in further.
* Hostile air patrols periodically take place about every 5-30 minutes (you never know when they start), covering the hostile area for about 5-20 minutes.
* Enemy armor is focused around the primary target, but patrol movement may carry them far out for 1-2 km away,
* Same goes for some hostile infantry patrols.
* Always remember the persistence of the AI: each enemy AI unit is there right from the beginning of the mission and none is spawned randomly. So relax - no cheating AI, each one you've killed is out of question, but if you encounter one you didn't expect at that position, you just have overlooked it ;)
* Have fun !
MP notes:
The mission is JIP (Join In Progress) ready and should run fine on a dedicated server but you need to know some specifics:
* 'Cipher' can be played by 1-10 human players as Blue in Coop against OPFOR AI.
* At least one player needs to take the role of one Team leader!
* If starting alone always choose the first slot/group leader to minimize JIP issues for connecting players.
* The standard mission starts as one single team but the group leader can split up the group into several teams where each team has its own leader using the HTS menu (use the Command menu for this). Note that the split teams cant rejoin after the original team leader (i.e. High Commander of the sub teams) is killed.
* When playing the SpecOPs version no team splits can be performed and only one human player is group leader. Each connecting player will be assigned to the team leader and always starts with a bike at the insertion point. Also initially no AI players are allowed but you need to let the AI enabled (in the lobby options) as the AI exists as a poll for JIP'ing players and for semi-respawns.
* Because the team occasionally can be split after mission initialization, JIP works limited, yet: when JIP'ing you maybe need to reconnect and choose one of the units of the originally 'group' leader in TaskForce mode or one of the free slots of the pool AI in SpecOp mode.
* Performance: In MP mode the mission's visual distance and the grass rendering can be chosen vie the lobby parameters.
* Respawn/revive: Currently the mission doesn't support respawns or reviving. The AI is tweaked to be challenging but not overly hard to fight. This should provide for a well balanced learning curve in mastering the game as well as the mission itself. Both aspects dont match up with reviving elements very well I think. However if not all slots are taken by human players theres still the possibility to switch over to a free slot using the team switch.
Known issues:
Well most of us Arma2 (and earlier versions of the game) users know that we need to live with some quirks the engine still has, mostly concerning AI behaviour.
* Right after the mission has started your MTVR truck (or ammo crate in SpecOp mode) maybe isnt accessible right away. This is a game engine peculiarity of fresh spawned vehicles and not a bug. If this happens give it about 20 seconds at max. After that time it can be accessed as usual.
* When you find the Suitcase placed on elevated building positions (barns upper levels, deer stands,..) it may happen that it seems to vanish when you open it. Actually the opened suitcase might now be found at ground level. Also that action menus sometimes take some time to be active.
* Although since patch 1.03 most of the civil module glitches seem to be fixed, expect strange civilian behaviour in some regards, often cars placed at strange places or strange wording by some civilian guys.
* (Civilian) AI drivers seem to love to crash into other cars standing right in front of them on the road. Occasionally they often roll over other AI or player units, so always consider evasive behaviour with them.
* Air AI has trouble navigating around rough terrain eventually crashing sometimes, particularly when attacking.
* Performance: right at mission start up expect some lags and frame rate drops for some seconds on slower computer hardware, usually vanishing within 20-60 sec. After that time span the mission performance should be the same as for the official missions, most probably even better due to highly optimized scripts performance wise.
* JIP (Join In Progress): Sometimes the daytime is not synchronized for a JIPing player. This particularly seems to happen with a fresh hosted game and it seems to be very hard to reproduce. To sync the time, abort to the lobby and reconnect a second time. In Task Force mode you need to chose the slot of group member of the High Commander (the originally group leader) if teams are split. In SpecOp mode you need to select a new slot that was not played in the current mission.
For the mission itself and its tasks refer to the briefing when started.
Change log:
v1.41b
- fixed: JIP broken in SpecOp mode
- tweaked: extraction chopper spawns closer to the players team/ leader
v1.41
- added: options for auto revealing the suitcase
- improved: revealing algorithm
- improved: intro implementation
- fixed: black screen sometimes not terminated on clients
v1.40
- added intro
- improved small briefing changes and fixes
v1.39
- hot fixed: respawning in SpecOp MP mode didn't spawn player vehicles.
v1.38
- added: bike options for SpecOp mode
- added: separated options for open and closed trucks.
- improved: code fetch indications.
- improved: removed default assignment of “team red”.
- fixed: briefing texts not correctly updated after suitcase auto reveal.
- fixed: second supply dump sometimes placed too close to roads.
- fixed: JIP caused player side units being invulnerable.
v1.37
- added: SP options for team size.
- added: options for player vehicles.
- added: supply depot randomly somewhere near the approach path.
- improved: options dialog.
- fixed: wrong daylight emphasis notations in the briefing hints.
- fixed: insertion markers misplaced for JIP’ing players.
v1.36
- fixed: primary target marker vanished when a player JIP’ed.
- fixed: using team switch could screw insertion process somehow.
- fixed: possible frozen chopper after reload of a insertion procedure.
- improved: primary target more likely to be found in urban areas.
v1.35
- improved: further polishing of the suitcase placement
- added: option for high and low solar altitudes
- added: more guns to briefing gear and cargo spaces
- fixed: some minor issues.
v1.34
- fixed: wrong unit distribution for the player side terminated the insertion script if AI units got disabled in the MP lobby (special thanks for silent_op.pxs for finding that out).
v1.33b
- added the MedPack option for the lobby
v1.33a
- hot fix: removed “debug teleport” that slipped through.
v1.33
- fixed: bug in AI flanking evaluation.
- fixed: added further blacklist areas (mostly lakes and ponds)
- improved: armoured AI movements.
- improved: slightly decreased AI “communication” distances.
- improved: insertion chopper withdrawal.
v1.32
- fixed: insertion chopper sometimes didn’t land
- fixed: on dedicated servers enemy Hind didn’t continue movement sometimes.
- fixed: BMP3 additional gunners disembarked under contact.
- fixed: added further buildings to the buildings blacklist
- fixed: added further areas to the positions blacklist
- fixed: removed “open suitcase” to avoid odd sat phone placements
- improved: task assignments step by step.
- changed: briefing texts adopted to new tasks / flow.
v1.31
- added: insertion by helo and rendezvous for all mission modes.
- added: ammo crate at rendezvous point in Task Force mode.
- added: reintroduced & improved default weapon and gear load out.
- added: automated revealing function for the suitcase location depending on difficulty and player superiority.
- improved: code fetching and radio activation takes some seconds now emphasizing the intended challenge of that task under certain conditions.
- tweaked: briefing texts and briefing updates edited also to reflect latest additions.
- fixed: black screen on clients after reload of MP missions
v1.30
- added: difficulty options in SP and MP mode.
- added: actual mission options in the briefing hints
- tweaked: AI communication radius, patrol times and accuracies
- minor fixes
v1.29
- hot fixed: vehicle driving AI not getting back in vehicles after disembarking
- hot fixed: disabled AI (in MP lobby) caused permanent script errors
- fixed: weapon cargo in truck and ammo crates not accessible for JIP’ing players
- fixed: pier type object missing in the blacklist for the primary target
v1.28
- fixed: insertion point in inland water under rare circumstances
- fixed: daytime inconsistencies in the briefing
- fixed: script errors after loading a save game.
- tweaked: SP dialog options now before the briefing starts
- tweaked: better distribution of civilian road vehicles around the mission primary area.
- added: SP & MP options for specific day & night time emphasis
- added: SpecOp ‘light’ mode with lesser enemy patrols and armor
- improved: various AI aspects mainly focused on placement and movement
v1.27a
- hot-fixed: due to a small oversight the dedicated SpecOp pbo wasn’t actually switched to ‘SpecOp’ mode
- tweaked: several minor briefing corrections.
v1.27
- fixed: some civilians and opfor units placed on roads without cars
- fixed: odd suitcase placements possible in rural areas
- fixed: some typos in the briefing
- fixed: under *very* rare conditions only the enemy general was placed in the primary target area.
- tweaked: enemy Hind should not crash in forests and hills too easy anymore, also by preventing its kamikaze attacks.
- tweaked: slightly increased probability of aiming shake and reduced accuracy of the hostile AI
v1.26b
- fixed: general and sentries moved away from their intentional holding positions after mission start.
- fixed: Suitcase always placed next to the center of the target area.
v1.26a
- hotfixed: permanent script error message due to a undefined variable.
v1.26
- fixed: scripted AI movements and behavior of saved games broken.
- added: ample stuffed supply crate at Insertion Point in SpecOp mode.
- changed: Russian road patrols occasionally use civilian vehicles
- changed: civilian cars now randomly distributed.
- changed: total rewrite of the extraction logic for more freedom and control of the rescue chopper for the player now.
- improved: enemy armored vehicles spawn using a point distribution system making them more random and varying.
- tweaked: rain value varying while raining, reduced probability.
- added: hint texts in the briefing diary section in cadet mode.
- added: parameter “view distance” in MP lobby
- added: parameter “grass setting” in MP lobby (needs Arma2 v1.03.58899 or higher)
v1.25
* fixed: TeamSwitch didn’t teleport to insertion point on MP clients under certain conditions.
* fixed: hostile vehicle AI gunner also ejected at initial enemy contact
* improved: rain transitions and rate sync in MP.
* added: 3 med packs for the player in SpecOp mode.
* added: additional heavy gear in the units load section of the briefing.
* tweaked: slightly lowered probability of presence for the hostile T72.
* tweaked/fixed: reverted back to previous indirect BuildingPos placement methods for AI troops as due to a probable game glitch direct placements often seems to kill troops.
v1.24a
* HotFixed: 'GodMode' not deactivated in MP mode.
v1.24
* fixed: map locations and markers not set in SP briefing room
* fixed: dead group leader not removed from the group in SpecOP MP mode.
* tweaked: slightly higher possibility to spawn primary target in urban areas.
* tweaked: disabled auto team split in MP mode (use HCS for splitting)
* tweaked: removed odd locations for SuitCase spawns (bridges, ruin walls)
* tweaked: AI placement now also on elevated buildings highly possible (beacon towers, industrial facilities )
* multiple minor AI tweaks.
v1.23
* fixed: added a briefing.html for a proper briefing show up before the mission starts in SP mode.
* fixed: rescue chopper didn’t launch in SpecOp mode.
* fixed: AI waypoints sometimes out of bounds (introduced in v1.22).
* fixed: Insertion point in rare situations on inland water surfaces.
* fixed: AI waypoints for armored vehicles within forests
* fixed: disembarked AI vehicles in combat weren’t unassigned.
* optimized: both mission modes supported now by one pbo.
* optimized: introduced pbo verisioning for the sake of dedicated server admins.
* tweaked: weapon gear loadout now accessible in MP briefing, no more auto-distribution to human players.
* tweaked: Insertion point spawns tendentially closer to the primary target now.
* tweaked: rescue chopper doesn’t cut running engines while on wait
* tweaked: all but first task assigments distributed according to previous task completions.
* tweaked: slightly higher probability of presence for enemy AI group members
* tweaked: coherence/swarming varying of attacking enemy AI
* tweaked: slightly higher accuracy and lesser handshake for enemy AI.
* tweaked: various text info, mostly for MP mode.
* tweaked: daytime randomization now linear
* tweaked: increased the visual distance by 500m in MP to 3500m.
v1.22
* fixed: HCS was not active, supports SP and MP now.
* tweaked: some BuildingPos added to a blacklist to avoid odd suitcase placements (like scaffolds, walls,..).
* tweaked: civilian AI driving on roads now more present.
* Added: a second play mode “SpecOP” included as an extra pbo.
v1.21
* fixed: radio channel alpha was accessible before code retrieval
* fixed: stalling enemy AI in most instances
* added: 2 enemy AI squads mostly patrolling outside the target area
* tweaked: enemy AI have a tighter patrol radius
* tweaked: enemy AI responds quicker in general
* tweaked: enemy AI does not flank excessively, going for a more direct approach
v1.20
* fixed: suitcase interaction was broken
* added: HCS made by Mr_Centipede (SP mode only)
* added: images
* tweaked: briefing texts
v1.19
- fixed: mission end sequence not started due to a ‘non refreshed’ variable for west units (west losses added for extraction cargo)
- fixed: accidently deleted mapcenter marker, causing civilian cars mass near the SW end of the map, eventually stalling them as they didn’t find a valid waypoint.
- tweaked: reduced primary target area indicators. Larger areas often cause the primary objective to be placed on deer stands somewhere out in the forests.
v1.18
- fixed the enemy air AI did not launch at all
- fixed the enemy HQ was partly inactive
v1.17a
- small rewritings for the extraction radio messages plus map updates for proper LZ planning
- updated the readme accordingly
Credits & Thanks:
All credits go to
* Bohemia Interactive, : http://www.bistudio.com, and its whole staff, as well as to all people supporting BIS, mods, fanboys, ranters and others, in other words, further credits to
* the whole community , http://forums.bistudio.com , mainly to the
* OFPEC team, http://www.ofpec.com/ for all of their hard work and help in supporting the community.
Further credits to
* Mr_Centipede for HCS (Hybride Commanding System) and
* Kremator for hints in, and implementation of, HCS.
Special credits to
* John Buford for the briefing Overview, his countless hours of testing online, edits of my English texts and his invaluable game play advices !
* Nightrat for testing too and for his never ending patience in my combat play styles ;)
Last but not least specific credits to all who have contributed by spending their precious time and energy in testing, suggesting and feeding back. Without the enthusiasm of these people this mission never would have become what it is:
* Hoz , Greg, keet, alpha-kilo, galzohar, DogTags, Alex72, Manzilla, MaXyM, Kremator, silent_op and www.phoenixsoldiers.com plus all who I may have forgot to list here and all of you I unfortunately don’t even know :-)
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This is a really well done mission. We have played it three times now and EVERY time is different because of the random generator and where it puts the general. It's a large area to search, but once you figure out what to look for, you can home in on him every time.
This mission imo is the best that has been made for Flashpoint without requiring addons. I play this nearly every night with a mate and it really does bring Arma to life. The AI is great on both sides and the mission has never been the same. Everytime we play we have to plan out what we are going to do.
10/10 from me and Akuras.
Ive only gotten to play this in singleplayer, but boy this is the best mission for Arma 2 Ive had the pleasure to play. I can only imagine it being even more fun in COOP.
I run it with voice commands, the newest beta patch, @warfxparticles, @rhm4packandreplacement and @VopSound_2.1. Great fun and immersion!
Awesome mission! Just finished playing a two-player coop, and after finishing the mission that took almost three hours, all I can say is that it was the best Arma2 experience to date for me. I'm sure I'll be replaying this mission many times since the replayability is great because of the random nature of the mission.
Keep up the great work and I'm looking forward to new missions from you Wiper!:thumb
Total comments : 4, displayed on page: 4