02-01-2016, 10:29 AM
I would like to address something that I have seen a lot recently, mainly about composition of enemy forces. I will cite some of my own missions, not because I want to promote them, but to give examples of what I mean. So please bear with me
Recently we played a mission in which we had to move a convoy through enemy held territory, and every enemy we met was either machine gunner, or had an RPG. Same in another mission we played recently.
I've seen this multiple times: as soon as players have heavy vehicles, the enemy has an unnatural number of AT capabilities. Not only is that in no way realistic, it also creates the impression that the whole mission is laid out against the players.
I find this lazy. And unnecessary. With a normal level of AT, it is likely that the players vehicle still gets multiple AT fired at them. If in doubt, add an enemy vehicle of similar make, to counter the player vehicle.
If you check Finder's Keepers, you will notice that the enemy has very little AT capabilities, just a few AT gunners (all enemy groups are standard groups taken from the game). There is another Gorgon in the area, but that is the only armored thread. Still, the mission was hard.
The second topic I want to bring up is the amount of enemies. No sane commander would plan a mission that sends a squad against a battalion. At least not regular armies. In Flycatcher, FIA forces ARE pitted against an overwhelming enemy force. Basically, it's a suicide mission, but it is born out of desperation, not careful military consideration. In Kavala Lost, you are remnants of a scattered CSAT battalion and have to escape the oncoming enemy. And even there, you are not alone, there's allies fighting in the city as well. I made an Arma 2 mission called Beachhead that had you assault Berezino from the sea, where you played an assault squad and APC, but there was a whole platoon sized force attacking the town, including two A-10 and two AH-1Z, two more mechanized infantry squads, plus an initial artillery barrage on the beach defences.
That doesn't mean you can never have few players against large armies. Infiltration missions work like that. But there is a difference between sneaking in and doing something, and assaulting an enemy stronghold. The former can be done with a single squad, the latter requires at least equal numbers on the attackers side. At least!
I know that Arma is a game and there has to be some middle ground. But still, I personally prefer missions to be grounded in reality rather than Hollywood.
Recently we played a mission in which we had to move a convoy through enemy held territory, and every enemy we met was either machine gunner, or had an RPG. Same in another mission we played recently.
I've seen this multiple times: as soon as players have heavy vehicles, the enemy has an unnatural number of AT capabilities. Not only is that in no way realistic, it also creates the impression that the whole mission is laid out against the players.
I find this lazy. And unnecessary. With a normal level of AT, it is likely that the players vehicle still gets multiple AT fired at them. If in doubt, add an enemy vehicle of similar make, to counter the player vehicle.
If you check Finder's Keepers, you will notice that the enemy has very little AT capabilities, just a few AT gunners (all enemy groups are standard groups taken from the game). There is another Gorgon in the area, but that is the only armored thread. Still, the mission was hard.
The second topic I want to bring up is the amount of enemies. No sane commander would plan a mission that sends a squad against a battalion. At least not regular armies. In Flycatcher, FIA forces ARE pitted against an overwhelming enemy force. Basically, it's a suicide mission, but it is born out of desperation, not careful military consideration. In Kavala Lost, you are remnants of a scattered CSAT battalion and have to escape the oncoming enemy. And even there, you are not alone, there's allies fighting in the city as well. I made an Arma 2 mission called Beachhead that had you assault Berezino from the sea, where you played an assault squad and APC, but there was a whole platoon sized force attacking the town, including two A-10 and two AH-1Z, two more mechanized infantry squads, plus an initial artillery barrage on the beach defences.
That doesn't mean you can never have few players against large armies. Infiltration missions work like that. But there is a difference between sneaking in and doing something, and assaulting an enemy stronghold. The former can be done with a single squad, the latter requires at least equal numbers on the attackers side. At least!
I know that Arma is a game and there has to be some middle ground. But still, I personally prefer missions to be grounded in reality rather than Hollywood.