Zero Defcon Thirty

[sick bay]

Pilot an attack UH-90 Ibis on a daring night raid to capture and destroy key objectives, in support of an escalating ground, sea, and air invasion. (Singleplayer, 20-30min)

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3688156707

Notes:

• Respawn is disabled at the start and endgame. Mid-game respawn will prevent the Mission Failure from triggering in the event of death during the endgame (no-respawn soft-lock).

• Infantry Squad required to capture objectives, may require respawn/restart if damaged to non-functionality.

[pseudo girder]

Oookaaay. Time to check it!

[sick bay]

I hope it isn’t too difficult. It can be easy to get killed or crash from one wrong move.

I intend to make a few small changes to timing, but the enemy count and spawn rates are where they should be.

[pseudo girder]

Don't worry about difficult.
I always can ask Sikorsky playthrough this mission 🙂 He can beat any hard helicopter mission 🙂

[pseudo girder]

Find moment which require correction... When captured first objective. Spawning helicopters. Main moment for correction - give chance(time) players to clear both SAM sites until allies helicopters destroyed

[pseudo girder]

Also you need place transport objective not for 12Tonns truck. Ibis cannot carry so heavy carggo anyway. Maximum what it can try to carry 10 tonns... Even in this case its overload...
Or you misclick and wanna will be player tranporting M12 jacknife to repair convoy?

Deploy observers mean... Use infantry for capturing? 🙁 Need name it will be people understand better.
Deploy infantry observers

I deployed there ugv sam, but this wasnt what game wanna from me 🙁.
For time what i spend for deplyoing UGV sam, RTB and get infantry, AI captured feldspar.
After than was spawned hostile in airport...
After than it was recaptured by PALA...
After than it begin laggy for minute...

Evac units from Ia120 not avalibe because they are underground...

Good mission. Good concept

Good for first attempt!

[obsidian condor]

Imo some things in the beginning could be tweaked, like maybe tie a message about enemy SAM not to waypoint but rather wait seconds, so its more of a "briefing" in the beginning where player only vaguely know what to do

and um, I think you are kinda "overdo" it with 23mm, especially when "optimal" way from the river leads you into AAA trap where there is nothing you can do the first time its um... something

[obsidian condor]

23mm by themselfs are quite powerful, they AI is surprisingly capable of destroying enemy aircraft, thats why I was needed to reduce their amount in my mission
I wish you could set their AI skill, to make them worse

[sick bay]

I can move that heli to destroy sams, in my playthroughs they had arrived later, but it makes sense that they would show up way too fast for some.

Transport units is just a waypoint. But I see how the truck will confuse people unless it specifies infantry. Same for the observers.

Infantry Squad was listed as necessary in multiple descriptions, but that won’t prevent people from softlocking, especially after respawning.

I’ll need to determine how to prevent Feldspar from being captured early. Perhaps more reinforcements sooner than later.

[sick bay]

That is a glitch that I can’t determine why it happens on rare occasions. When a unit is destroyed (or perhaps picked up be friendly NPCs)? The reach waypoint sets to 0x, 0y, 0z. I thought I had fixed it on my last playthrough.

[sick bay]

I thought about that last minute. It does tell the player too late. As for the 23mm I can easily reduce their numbers because the player has to fly LOW to not be detected by them.

That’ll also get rid of the one that can engage the player at its max range.

@pseudo girder @obsidian condor I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to identify these problems earlier for you both, but thank you for taking the time to playtest a difficult mission.

[obsidian condor]

I just got a little bit tired of those few surprise jumps from 23mm, expecially when they would fire from maximum range
and that ibis is still quite fragile

[obsidian condor]

its oki, I would give it another shot when I would be done with mine

[sick bay]

Yes that can be fixed. The aren’t a problem if the player moves outside the edge of their range, but if they don’t know that, then its frustrating.

[sick bay]

It’ll be fixed. The beginning phase without respawns is difficult enough

[pseudo girder]

Yes. Truck confuse, place waypoint into jacknife.

Of course infantry squad seems needed, but how i understand it was needed for first mission, i wounder when i need it again.

To prevent feldspar capturing you can place in outcome modify airbase to prevent from capturing, there is a lot settings

[pseudo girder]

Quite possible it was bug... Becasue i saw similar twice

[pseudo girder]

Difficult.
Definitely not for beginners. I for experienced players.
BTW i like moment when game punish you if you fly to first objective too high. Cool!

[sick bay]

I really thought I had fixed it. It is clearly an additional waypoint because the other three are intended, and all have unique names to prevent the game assigning them incorrectly.

[pseudo girder]

Okay i will try again soon 🙂

[sick bay]

I’ll let you know when its fixed

[pseudo girder]

Okay. I will wait 🫡

[sick bay]

Lastly, one time I assigned the Transport Units objective to JUST the 12T truck, and it was somehow destroyed, placing the point at 0, 0, 0

Now its assigned to two vehicles to prevent that

[sick bay]

@pseudo girder @obsidian condor V1.1 updated.

In 20-30 minutes I should be free to stream a playtest.

[pseudo girder]

Now i see coastal battery from beginning!
But i sure have sense not show player hostiles in airport.
And you need place some info about recon part of TBM/AA beach sites into begining. AKA you can eliminate them at first if you can.
And you know what?
It played not so hard, allies helicopters still alive. And now they really can help you in eliminating PALA counteratack where you need support invading ground forces

[sick bay]

I'll be on the Primeva channel

[pseudo girder]

Anyway my like is your!

🇫

Now its... Maybe even very good for beginner!

Fix some moments and this is very good what i will recomend to another players

[sick bay]

I see the problem. One landing craft spawn wasn’t set correctly

[pseudo girder]

This is not bug. Feature. It give info about...
Look there is hostile targets on beach. You need use it a positive side

[sick bay]

V1.2: Updated dialogue, and fixed spawn errors.

[cosmic bear]

Really high production values in this mission, will be looking forward to more from you

[sick bay]

How was your experience? I worry that there may be points of frustration from difficult landings to unseen threats that can kill the player instantly. It’s meant to be challenging, but not demoralizing.

[sick bay]

@pseudo girder I made a secret outcome at the beginning depending on your choices. I am not sure if the workshop subscription is updating properly, so I would recommend resubscribing just to be sure.

[sick bay]

Improved a few small areas, including replacing one of the starting AAAs with a Manpad. known issues that might have been fixed:

• Endgame mission failure trigger disabled: (if the player was ever shot down in the starting airframe at any point during the mission, the game will trigger it regardless).

• Tarantula landing overlap: (Tarantulas had a tendency to converge on the same landing point, both dropping off craft into the water, and crashing into one another).

• Evac Units failure to spawn: (unknown cause, may require further testing/reevaluation).

[delicate topaz]

Can you make something for the chicane or make it possible to have a co op

[sick bay]

I could make a Co-op version and open access for the Chicane, but given that some objectives can only be completed by capturing airbases, at least one player will be required to pilot the UH-90.

[delicate topaz]

That would be sick

[sick bay]

I’ll publish a modified version, let me know how it goes

[sick bay]

Co-op test version is available. SAH-46 Chicane and ZH-49 Tarantula included for fun (2-3 player).

Friendly units will be reduced in further revisions to balance both sides.

[sick bay]

@delicate topaz Co-op updated to account for multiplayer balance.

[delicate topaz]

amazing will hop on and try soon

[sick bay]

Updated Singleplayer and Co-op with time-sensitive variable to first objective, more dialogue, and greater enemy spawns on Co-op.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3695556432

[sick bay]

@pseudo girder If you're ever down for a Co-op test, let me know.

[sick bay]

Minor adjustments. Starting spawn added to Co-op version.

Singleplayer: Standard difficulty.

Co-op: Moderate difficulty. 2-3 Players recommended.

KAR + BOTE: Hard difficulty. 4-5 Players recommended.

[sick bay]

Minor updates to Singleplayer and Co-op versions. Co-op includes the new LFD as an optimal multi-vehicle starting location, and airbase in the event of customization and early-game respawns.

[sick bay]

The infiltration corridor has also been made safer to fly through with Manpads occupying the closest rooftops instead of 23mm AAA. However, AAA is present deeper within the city. Fly at your own peril.

[pseudo girder]

You can place AT emplacements will be players trying eliminate them to safe ground units. But need test is it will works good. If yes, have sense place eliminating them as secondary objective

[sick bay]

I just had that idea when brainstorming. A rooftop AT emplacement or two would be a threat to friendly convoys during the Repel Counterattack phase.

There is a 23mm AAA emplacement remaining in a park during that phase, but I might remove it due to it being a serious threat, even at its maximum range