Dynamic campaign on AWE?

[JaSmAn]

Guys,

 

Has there ever been any consideration given to running a dynamic campaign (right term?) on AWE?

 

I'm envisioning a map with a constantly moving Forward Line of Troops (FLOT) where, for example, Red makes a push into a town and Blue then moves to push them out. I remember Falcon 4 had something like this.

 

In Arma, this would give players an opportunity to engage on their chosen front without the need to spawn missions every time (a la Gauntlet). I'm not sure what the enemy spawn mechanics would be, but I am sure there are plenty of people on the server that can work it out!

 

Any thoughts?

 

 

[Miczils]

Patrol OPS?

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using a phone app that is really irritating because it constantly advertises itself.

 

 

[JaSmAn]

4 minutes ago, Miczils said:

Patrol OPS?

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using a phone app that is really irritating because it constantly advertises itself.

 

 

What I read about Patrol Ops is that it's just a random mission generator, with scaling based on players strength. Similar to Gauntlet just that the missions are less scripted. Or am I wrong about Patrol Ops?

[SkullCollector]

What you're describing is what ALiVE does. You might've played with it before such as in the MSO, in its classic mode there's usually a contested area beyond which, in either direction, a faction's territory begins. Any missions done would shift those territories. It's no issue at all to designate a base from which to spawn but to where the opposing faction cannot advance so that you always have a place to start, just like Gauntlet. You could also allow total domination after which the operation is done and over, so there's a winner and a loser and you have to reset the stage.

The commanding element gets a tablet (any item can be designated that thing, so the big cTab can become multifunctional) and can even generate missions on the fly. Look at intel, find a task, input some parameters and set out to do that task. Or just have a random task ALiVE spits out.

 

The issue with ALiVE is, as far as I can tell, that you need an admin who starts and saves the mission state when it ends, otherwise a server crash would reset all progress. If there's a function to call and a script to write to automate that process every hour, that might be worth looking into.

It's also a certain commitment to a map. You can definitely save progress, rotate maps like we already do, play another campaign or even just some Gauntlet, then come back to your previous game. But I'm not sure that would run well on AWE considering every reset needs a new PBO (?).

ALiVE-generated missions also aren't exactly... orderly or even well done. It's usually just a couple squads patrolling, but it does adjust to player count as well. Ideally you have a Zeus to polish and fix missions.

[Ryko]

It's something that I've thought about. However my gut feeling tells me that it wouldn't be as popular because it would quickly become a very similar experience for every engagement zone. At least with Gauntlet, there are a variety of different objectives that switch it up.

 

I'm open to ideas, though.

[Copey]

I have thought about it as well, and I've looked into doing it with Alive. With this option it would be something we'd run on EU6 as a weekend-long special operation, or something similar.

 

I'd really like to see something like this though.

 

Side note and a bit off topic, but still related; I'd really like to see an anti-insurgency style mission too. Offer something waaaaay different to what we have currently

[Noah_Hero]

I think that this not needed as long as we are running the MSOs. Also two MSO-ish things at the same time seem to be a bit much for the playerbase we have here when you look at the current player count for Al Rayak. If we had more players who want something more milsim-ish I would be totally on board with this but as it is now I can´t see this happening just because of a lack of players interessted in something like this.

[JaSmAn]

15 hours ago, Noah_Hero said:

I think that this not needed as long as we are running the MSOs. Also two MSO-ish things at the same time seem to be a bit much for the playerbase we have here when you look at the current player count for Al Rayak. If we had more players who want something more milsim-ish I would be totally on board with this but as it is now I can´t see this happening just because of a lack of players interessted in something like this.

There's a difference in what I have in mind - it would be a constantly running server, not once a week like MSO. The more I think about it, it could be a mix with Gauntlet. 

 

Gauntlet is a sort of "special forces" type operation, with specific missions, get in, get out.  My idea would be more like regular infantry battles, pushing the enemy back or defending against counterattacks, etc.  It's a moving front.

[JaSmAn]

15 hours ago, Copey said:

I have thought about it as well, and I've looked into doing it with Alive. With this option it would be something we'd run on EU6 as a weekend-long special operation, or something similar.

 

I'd really like to see something like this though.

 

Side note and a bit off topic, but still related; I'd really like to see an anti-insurgency style mission too. Offer something waaaaay different to what we have currently

@Copey I have no idea how to code, but I'd like to help any way I can....

[Noah_Hero]

Just now, JaSmAn said:

There's a difference in what I have in mind - it would be a constantly running server, not once a week like MSO. The more I think about it, it could be a mix with Gauntlet. 

Ok, but this could be a problem because Alive is always running when the server is up what means that the enemy is constantly taking territory (back) what means that if over night no one is playing you would at the next day be starting with no progress at all made by your side because OPFOR would´ve just captured everything back => this wouldn´t be working with Alive as far as I know. The only other option (that I know) for what you are describing would be to pre-skript everything but then it would be always the same more or less...like I&A without OPFOR gaining territory if it´s not pre-skripted.

[JaSmAn]

26 minutes ago, Noah_Hero said:

Ok, but this could be a problem because Alive is always running when the server is up what means that the enemy is constantly taking territory (back) what means that if over night no one is playing you would at the next day be starting with no progress at all made by your side because OPFOR would´ve just captured everything back => this wouldn´t be working with Alive as far as I know. The only other option (that I know) for what you are describing would be to pre-skript everything but then it would be always the same more or less...like I&A without OPFOR gaining territory if it´s not pre-skripted.

I don't know about programming, but maybe there's a way to limit the enemy advance when there's no one on the server? Maybe a script that says the enemy will defend and fall back when there's x amount of people on and only counter and advance when there's more people? 

[Lindi]

Have you guys tried the Antistasi mod? I think it is a little like the scenario described here?

[JaSmAn]

47 minutes ago, Lindi said:

Have you guys tried the Antistasi mod? I think it is a little like the scenario described here?

Had a quick look and this very clunky with complex points mechanisms and not a very intuitive mission format. The map is the right idea though, although I would make it more simple. 

[Karate Pyjamas]

I think the coming summer will be a very good one with a variety of missions and 'MSO' like gameplay. I'm hoping to finally start my 'MSO' and will probably be running plenty of Zeus missions on an ad hoc basis.

[JaSmAn]

5 hours ago, Lindi said:

Have you guys tried the Antistasi mod? I think it is a little like the scenario described here?

Had a quick look and this very clunky with complex points mechanisms and not a very intuitive mission format. The map is the right idea though, although I would make it more simple. 

[Lindi]

5 hours ago, JaSmAn said:

Had a quick look and this very clunky with complex points mechanisms and not a very intuitive mission format. The map is the right idea though, although I would make it more simple. 

 

As to programming and mechanics I have no idea how stuff works. I've played through Antistasi once and it seemed quite dynamic at least in the beginning where every kill basically is a chance to loot. Later on in the campaign it all becomes pretty taxing on the server, the one we rented was under quite some strain and enemy corpses and assets kept despawning quicker than we could reach them to loot them.

The server kept running with or with out people on it, territories taken and lost, but you could make and load persistent saves so as to keep going from where you left of.

[Noah_Hero]

But that doesn´t sounds like AWE/MSO gameplay.

12 hours ago, Lindi said:

The server kept running with or with out people on it, territories taken and lost, but you could make and load persistent saves so as to keep going from where you left of.

And this would require an Admin i guess what means that this also isn´t working like a hop in hop out at every time campaign.

[JaSmAn]

23 hours ago, Karate Pyjamas said:

I think the coming summer will be a very good one with a variety of missions and 'MSO' like gameplay. I'm hoping to finally start my 'MSO' and will probably be running plenty of Zeus missions on an ad hoc basis.

I think the MSO concept is good, but it's missing one thing that I think would be key to my proposal - an overview map - some way of understanding what is actually happening on a grander scale. The MSO I played (and it's only been one) was quite boring - basically get in a car, go to where you are told and shoot. No communication as to why we are doing things, etc.

I keep thinking back to Falcon 4 and the dynamic campaign there.

[JaSmAn]

1 hour ago, Noah_Hero said:

But that doesn´t sounds like AWE/MSO gameplay.

And this would require an Admin i guess what means that this also isn´t working like a hop in hop out at every time campaign.

Again, I don't know much about programming, but I'm sure there's a way you can sort this out. We know that there are no people on the server at certain times - predictably. Surely we could limit the enemy advancing significantly during those hours and limit them to defend missions?

 

[Karate Pyjamas]

5 hours ago, JaSmAn said:

I think the MSO concept is good, but it's missing one thing that I think would be key to my proposal - an overview map - some way of understanding what is actually happening on a grander scale. The MSO I played (and it's only been one) was quite boring - basically get in a car, go to where you are told and shoot. No communication as to why we are doing things, etc.

I keep thinking back to Falcon 4 and the dynamic campaign there.

 

Good suggestions, I'll take the map of the operation and update it every time we do something. That makes it far more understandable. It'll be a brief/debrief kind of thing on the forums though!

[Noah_Hero]

37 minutes ago, Karate Pyjamas said:

It'll be a brief/debrief kind of thing on the forums though!

6 hours ago, JaSmAn said:

some way of understanding what is actually happening on a grander scale

Briefs/Debriefs we also already also have at the MSO:

So people could actually already get all the needed information by reading through Kennys posts and if they don´t know Al Rayak then they could also hop into the editor and check everything out in 2D and 3D.

 

 

6 hours ago, JaSmAn said:

The MSO I played (and it's only been one) was quite boring - basically get in a car, go to where you are told and shoot.

I remember that specific session: It was the one with a lot of completely new guys. Yes that one wasn´t that great due to a lot of different things but it has been talked about them and they have been solved. Hope to see you back there in the future!

[JaSmAn]

I'm hoping we can do something. Judging by the turnout over the last two week I'd say our dear AWE has lost popularity!