OPFOR BIGDOM Ver M

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

The following map is in the works.. Please post if you have requests/thoughts.

Content:

• Fixed the side missions for rescue or arrests and added them back into the queue.

Balancing tweaks:

• 5 minute delay between deploying a mortar and redeploying it. This limits people from doing constant mortar attacks on AO's without some delay.
• Mortar's can now be deployed on any surface.
• When parajumping you cannot select a spot on map for insertion if its too close to the AO. You will need to use the parachute to glide in a bit or insert from outside the AO and use your feet.
• Vehicles will only re-arm ammunition every 5 minutes at service stations. Air assets every 15 minutes.
• Opfor Artillery range increased to 1000m and timer set to same as Bluefor.
• Removing ability for squad leaders to call in M119 drops for the time being.
• Rebalancing armor in some maps.
• Removing Statics (Kords, igla pods, AGS, etc), Artillery Observers, and Shilka's from the Opfor commander's queue. These will now be autonomous. They were not active when opfor commanded them.
• East is aware that they are going to be attacked in new AO's and are a bit more intended to defend them. Patrols now spawn in "Aware" mode instead of "Safe", and will use slightly more cover instead of walking in single file in the middle of a field.
• Reduced the default skill of statics like D30's, igla pods, etc down to 90% instead of 100% as was default in Domination (hence many gripes about being hit through trees and godlike AI).
• Force all EAST players to teleport into the new AO when the new AO is announced. This is backup to the existing code if/when the server lags.

Bugs fixed:

• Opfor Artillery Option would disappear after respawn and one use.
• Changed the artillery targetting radius circle from yellow to orange with a new color to make it a bit easier to see the 500m area an artillery officer can target within. This is for all 3 players that can use artillery.
• Adding target radius to show exactly where is the closest you can start your parajump.
• Fixed AO secondary mission titles being different than what is spawned. (says to look for comm tower but spawned a medic truck)

[peter~SPARTA~]

I play Opfor commander yesterday and today . Yesterday Durka ask me if i think presence of attack choppers is big disadvantage to Opfor. I was hesitating yesterday cuz i don't like to take out really fun ride from guys.

Today a log on late and found myself with no armor available in AO and plenty of foot soldiers.

Choppers where picking armor from beyond AI range. It took me couple minutes to deal with Ah64 and UH1.

SO i would say attack choppers armed with hellfires owns all armour inside AO.

I notice Opfor AA units are dumb and don't even bother attacking choppers flying over head. Fixed ASG-20's are metis pods are even more useless.

 

 

[MedicSN6]

Thanks for the change log and the updates that require it. I haven't really gotten to play with a mortar tube yet. I will give this a go next time I am in.

 

The Apache and Cobra are problems at best. I know this has been addressed already in multiple threads, but I think, while yes they are very cool and add a coolness factor to the mission, they are counter productive. Risk/benefit says when you have one or two guys in an attack helo doing the work of the other 20 ground players but 10 times faster, it pulls away the fun factor from the ground guys. It is not worth the trade.

 

My vote is to have attack Helos removed. Especially the AH-64.

 

EDIT: Also this should clear up comms a bit since you wont have to answer players when they ask if you need the cobra or apache every two minutes or when new people join the server and see it sitting on the tarmac. This gets annoying fast. I feel like demo-ing it just to get rid of it.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Medic~SPARTA~

[Tholozor]

I agree on the matter of the attack helicopters. They're just too OP for this mission. I think just the AV-8B is enough, considering only a select few even have fixed-wing qualification, and it is near-completely dependent on soldiers on the ground with designators.

 

Side note: Kal, did you add flares to the AV-8B? The other day I was flying and I had an automatic missile warning and flares deployed.

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

I didn't add any flares... but be natural to the vehicle.

 

Anyone *for* the helicoptors and have an idea on how to control them? For now, I have put in delays on the ammunition re-arming so that they must wait a short while in between sorties.

[Tholozor]

I'm thinking that there may need to be an additional category for the approved pilot list that encompasses rotary-wing attack aircraft. I believe that's been suggested before though.

[Rooster]

I didn't add any flares... but be natural to the vehicle.

 

Anyone *for* the helicoptors and have an idea on how to control them? For now, I have put in delays on the ammunition re-arming so that they must wait a short while in between sorties.

I'll be the minority here and say that when properly used, air assets can be a valued addition to the team. If the AO's are too easy then maybe there would be some value in beefing them up. Perhaps more anti air units would be in order?

 

To control helicopters I would try this:

create a pilot class, populate two or three slots with pilot roles.

reserve the pilot role (maybe for certain players)

lock all attack aircraft to pilots only. have it eject non-pilot classes

adjust the respawn time to 30 minutes, have rearm time the same

 

I'm not sure how to do any of this but if you check for the 101 clan server they have a setup similar to the above. I found it forces people to play engineer roles instead of engineer/pilot roles. In other words, pilots can't go around flying and repairing things like an engineer does now. The pilot weapon load out is an mp5, flight suit, and that's about it. So on the ground pilots are a little useless, but in the air they could be a great asset.

 

[MedicSN6]

The issue is not about the use of pilots, it is about the use of attack helos that decimate the AOs and leave no challenge for the other 95% of the players. When you have one or two players stealing all of the fun, why would people stick around town after town? Since the AirDom server is alive, albeit with problems, this should not be an issue, and yet it persists.

Edited January 18, 2010 by Medic~SPARTA~

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Hey Kal, can you clarify the paradrop option? How far outside the AO can you pick a spot to jump? If you are on today, I'd like to test that out, as we were talking about it last night.

[Rooster]

The issue is not about the use of pilots, it is about the use of attack helos that decimate the AOs and leave no challenge for the other 95% of the players. When you have one or two players stealing all of the fun, why would people stick around town after town?

Agreed. If Kal had the ability to lock the attack aircraft to pilot roles, and in turn reserving those slots (lets say to only sparta members), I think it would allow for a realistic but fun environment. Similar to how we use the pilots list with fixed wing, I think locking the class would reserve attack aircraft for the most airworthy players. In the right hands people can be reserved and not strafe attack every AO while stealing all the fun. IMHO the attack aircraft should stay out of the AO until a player on the ground calls for help. At least, this is how I tend to pilot the aircraft.

 

 

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Agreed. If Kal had the ability to lock the attack aircraft to pilot roles, and in turn reserving those slots (lets say to only sparta members), I think it would allow for a realistic but fun environment. Similar to how we use the pilots list with fixed wing, I think locking the class would reserve attack aircraft for the most airworthy players. In the right hands people can be reserved and not strafe attack every AO while stealing all the fun. IMHO the attack aircraft should stay out of the AO until a player on the ground calls for help. At least, this is how I tend to pilot the aircraft.

 

 

From my experience, people still abuse this privelage when admins aren't on. A better way can be found, but I would love to agree with you that people can be reserved.

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

The Attack Helicoptors and transport Helicoptors are seperated already, MH6 I believe has promoted this code to the public server. This allows us to seperate the populace into trustworthy/non-trustworthy pilots. It does not fix the issue that those assets are darn powerful in the hands of a trustworthy pilot and has balance implications. I am going to try to balance that with limiting how often they can re-arm - we'll see how this works.

 

 

Durka - I'll jump on and see if you are around. The code stops you from picking a spot on map to start the helo jump from at least 1000m outside the AO radius. A good parajumper can still deploy parachut and glide across the AO, but that will mean they will be very visible to the AO. This stops people from literraly dive-bombing the radiotower and being right in the same spot they were when they last died in the middle of the AO.

[GooniversalSoldier~SPARTA~]

The Attack Helicoptors and transport Helicoptors are seperated already, MH6 I believe has promoted this code to the public server. This allows us to seperate the populace into trustworthy/non-trustworthy pilots. It does not fix the issue that those assets are darn powerful in the hands of a trustworthy pilot and has balance implications. I am going to try to balance that with limiting how often they can re-arm - we'll see how this works.

 

 

Durka - I'll jump on and see if you are around. The code stops you from picking a spot on map to start the helo jump from at least 1000m outside the AO radius. A good parajumper can still deploy parachut and glide across the AO, but that will mean they will be very visible to the AO. This stops people from literraly dive-bombing the radiotower and being right in the same spot they were when they last died in the middle of the AO.

 

 

Is there a way to restrict the engagement range for the Hellfires? Maybe shorten the engagement range so that it will force pilots to come in low and relatively close...exposing them to AA more if they fail to heed the 30ft ceiling. Even then, you will be close in to AA, so coordination with ground assets would be a must. This way you cant just sit high outside AO and pew pew.

 

 

 

EDIT: Gliding across the AO in a chute is an invitation to get lit up with a Tunguska!

Edited January 18, 2010 by GooniversalSoldier

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

Is there a way to restrict the engagement range for the Hellfires? Maybe shorten the engagement range so that it will force pilots to come in low and relatively close...exposing them to AA more if they fail to heed the 30ft ceiling. Even then, you will be close in to AA, so coordination with ground assets would be a must. This way you cant just sit high outside AO and pew pew.

 

Not really - this is part of the Arma game files to define each ammunition type and what they can do. Even limiting # of ammo given to a weapon/vehicle is hard because ammo comes in set magazine sizes like 8 shots or 30 shots.

[GooniversalSoldier~SPARTA~]

Not really - this is part of the Arma game files to define each ammunition type and what they can do. Even limiting # of ammo given to a weapon/vehicle is hard because ammo comes in set magazine sizes like 8 shots or 30 shots.

 

 

Su-34's! See how much those chopper hand around!

 

But in all seriousness...i feel like having the choppers is not all that necessary. Maybe if we cant properly restrict their use just not have them at all. Of course some will argue against this, but oh well.

Edited January 18, 2010 by GooniversalSoldier

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Just tested the Paradrop option with Kal, and I have to say that it may need a tweak here and there (distance), but it is making me very happy so far.

[SkeleTele~SPARTA~]

I don't think attack choppers take away from anything. They add an element especially at the start of the ao . I think if there is a way, the guided missiles on the choppers should only work if someone on the ground is lazing. Who knows if that's even possible. I like the choppers, besides people get in them and there blown out of the sky within 5 to 7 mins anyway....

Edited January 18, 2010 by SkeleTele~SPARTA~

[GooniversalSoldier~SPARTA~]

I don't think attack choppers take away from anything. They add an element especially at the start of the ao . I think if there is a way, the guided missiles on the choppers should only work if someone on the ground is lazing. Who knows if that's even possible. I like the choppers, besides people get in them and there blown out of the sky within 5 to 7 mins anyway....

 

 

True about getting shot down.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

I don't think attack choppers take away from anything. They add an element especially at the start of the ao . I think if there is a way, the guided missiles on the choppers should only work if someone on the ground is lazing. Who knows if that's even possible. I like the choppers, besides people get in them and there blown out of the sky within 5 to 7 mins anyway....

 

Everybody likes the choppers, a few are even good at flying them. The problem is having half the AO blown to bits in 30 sec from one chopper. It's like our machine-sniper Rambo took some flying lessons and decides to "help" the other players out. I'm like you, I'd love to see the choppers in the game, if there was a way to guarantee mature use of them, and that's starting to fade even with the fly list. We're working on it, though.

 

Maybe giving just unguided rockets instead of hellfires will work?

[Zeno~SPARTA~]

When the server is full even a big AO doesnt need more than one sortie of an attack chopper, but when its not full a couple of sorties can be helpful.

 

Usually I dont want any air support, but when there are 40 amoured units i dont mind if ten are taken out by attack choppers. I could be talking out of my ass, but to get a 100% hit ratio the chopper needs a good lock, If it does it typically can be shot down. if it shoots at unknowns it wont get shot down but it wont have a 100% hit ratio either..

 

If people abuse thier privileges they will lose them.

[MH6~SPARTA~]

Everybody likes the choppers, a few are even good at flying them. The problem is having half the AO blown to bits in 30 sec from one chopper. It's like our machine-sniper Rambo took some flying lessons and decides to "help" the other players out. I'm like you, I'd love to see the choppers in the game, if there was a way to guarantee mature use of them, and that's starting to fade even with the fly list. We're working on it, though.

 

Maybe giving just unguided rockets instead of hellfires will work?

 

What about severely reducing the fuel amounts of all attack helicopters? It's ridiculous how long you can stay up in a chopper, whereas in real life most Apaches and such use up most of their fuel getting to/from the AO and can only provide support for a short time before having to RTB. Reducing the entire payload by 50% would probably help as well. Increasing the amount of AA in towns is another option, as most of the people jockeying to fly don't seem to know a damn thing about AA avoidance. It might also be beneficial to keep AAA and AA emplacements out of the hands of the OPFOR cmdr, because they seem to lose almost all of their effectiveness once they've been ordered around. Not sure what the deal is, though I may just be imagining it.

 

It also doesn't help that everything in this game is simplified way too much (give me a damn TADS I can aim with a helmet-mounted system or a mouse please. Not this Spam Tab, Fire-And-Forget bullshit). I.E. if flying in this game was a bit more like DCS: Black Shark (having to manually find targets, for one), it would be oh so much better. Ah well. A guy can dream.

 

 

[peter~SPARTA~]

Limiting fuel will not work, you don't need more then 5 min to get in to target dump your load and come back. Its small map

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

Limiting fuel will not work, you don't need more then 5 min to get in to target dump your load and come back. Its small map

 

It also would have to be controlled in a half dozen places (service depot, engineer ability).. its a possibility, but I'd rather find something else. I just wish I could control the ammunition size and add/remove individual rockets, etc, instead of full magazines or none.

[KalXen~SPARTA~]

Just tested the Paradrop option with Kal, and I have to say that it may need a tweak here and there (distance), but it is making me very happy so far.

 

I think I'll keep it at 800m for now, but if its an issue we can decrease it. Might add a visible marker to it so you know how far out before you can parajump.

[Durka-Durka~SPARTA~]

Increasing AA for OPFOR will not affect much, either, as EMT showed me the other night when he flew his cobra through the middle of the AO and the only thing that even looked in his direction was me. Same with the Harrier. I think both of them were playing that night in the sam AO.