[Grey Wolf]

I'm almost done with my campaign, but I have a bit of writer's block. I can't decide what to do next.

In the previous mission, the enemy's secret weapon has been uncovered.  However, I need an idea for the standard "Main Enemy Blows Stuff Up"-type mission, but with a twist of some sort, so it isn't like the missions in FS1 and FS2 which were of this type (Lucifer attacking the installation, Sathanas attacking the destroyer). Any ideas?

EDIT: I just realized I put this in the wrong forum....

[Eishtmo]

When in doubt, add more targets.  Throw a fleet at the thing.

[Knight Templar]

Yes. Or go Clash of the Titans style.

[BlazeME]

Yah, add in 20 fighter and bomber wings then 8 capital ships.

[Knight Templar]

EDIT: Nevermind..

[adwight]

Perhaps there be a large ambush on your fleet when it's least expected???  Say you're launching for a routine patrol 25 clicks out, and when you're about 15 out a large attack force comes in???

[Star Dragon]

How was it uncovered? Is this where the pilots get the briefing "Our enemy is attacking and We have to destroy weapon X or it's our doom!" or more like "Recon detected Weapon X in trasit to (location) , Alpha will lead a strike in subspace backed up by delta and gamma. hopefully we will destroy it before it reaches the jump node and enters system (Location0. If not our defenses will most likely fall and the system will be lost. This is unacceptable."

    Get one other person to bounce your ideas in detail off of, it helps... Public help is kinda hard cause we don't want to know the plot till it's finished!  Good luck with it!

[Nico]

Would also help to know what kind of weapon it is.
If it's some kind of huge beam, well... have it rain doom on your home ship, that's always a dramatical climax, loosing something you got used to. Or make it unexpectedly encounter a huge amounts of civilians, you'll have to try and save some, but most of them will perish -> hatred for that new weapon.
Dunno, really, with the little elements given, it's not easy finding an idea.

[Eishtmo]

Another idea is that you don't actually have the player do the mission.  Have them in another sector, keeping the big nasties little cousins from interferring.  Then have lots of chatter about what the big nasty is doing.

[Grey Wolf]

Eishtmo, that's a good idea. Thanks.

Thanks to everyone else, too.

[IceFire]

You may want to consider that the actual mission itself will be rather conventional but with an unconventional setup to make things interesting.

Consider ship placement.

[Singh]

perhaps have something like the good is side is winning and everyone is going

"Good work! Just a wee bit more and she'll go BOOM!"

and then end up going

"Oh ****! Where did those bombers come in from?? They are attacking the (insert good guys ship name here)"

Then it goes..

"We've lost the (insert good guy's main ship here)!!! RUN FOR IT PILOTS!!!!!!!!"