Author Topic: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario  (Read 5932 times)

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Offline Hobbie

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RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
After the first strike by the NTF fleet on their headquarters in Polaris, the GTVA is consolidating their forces in order to make their withdrawal from the suddenly war-torn system as smooth as possible. However, hundreds of critical personnel have been wounded during the fighting and they need medical support urgently.

The GTCv Redemption, a Deimos-class Corvette refitted as a field hospital, has been routed to the system to pick up the wounded and get them out. The GTT Korolev, an Argo-class Transport, is moving the patients to them. Three shuttles are moving additional wounded non-essential personnel for evacuation. And finally, the newly-minted NTCv Warspite has been spotted in the area and its Captain is known for his deadly sneakiness.

Welcome aboard, Alpha Wing. Do you have what it takes to get the Redemption and the Korolev out of there in one piece?


For those of you who think this is a little familiar, replace the following:
-- Polaris with Brigia
-- NTF with Imperial
-- GTVA with Rebellion
-- GTCv Redemption with FRG Redemption
-- GTT Korolev with CRV Korolev
-- NTCv Warspite with FRG Warspite
-- Deimos-class Corvette with Nebulon-B Frigate
-- Argo-class Transport with Corellian Corvette
-- Alpha Wing with Red Squadron

:D

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to Hobbie's first ever Freespace 2 mission. It's a short seven-to-eight minute mission for a bit of nail-biting fun. Nothing else is required besides FS2_Open so you can drop the mission into your data file and play with whatever mod you like (I recommend Blue Planet 'cause it's purdy).

This is a mostly accurate port of Tour of Duty 1 Mission 4 from the original X-Wing flight simulator. The original mission had many names, such as the Skirmish Near Brigia, the Redemption Scenario, or most tellingly, the Requiem Scenario, which should give you a hint as to how tough it was. It was known for both its joystick-snapping difficulty and its inclusion into the X-Wing: Rogue Squadron novel as the training scenario featured in the very first chapter.

For my first mission, I learned a huge amount about the FRED program. Notably, except for one niggling little issue which I soon Axem'd into oblivion (thanks, guys in the FRED forum!) I found that there was nothing I wanted to do that was simply not allowed. This was a far cry from anything else I've modded before! It was a very productive and most excellent weekend not running into any coding walls or anything (besides my own dumbness with and/or operators) and I think I've put together a solid, stable mission with enough excitement and surprises to keep anyone entertained.

Feedback of ANY kind is entirely welcome.

I've tested this mission extremely thoroughly, but there's the chance that a few bugs have slipped through the cracks. These are the things that I've found that I haven't been able to fix before release. This list will be updated as things change.
-- No voice or message click just yet. Haven't gotten around to it.
-- The Korolev's first transmission is coming from Command. Likewise is another message from the Redemption (can't tell you what it is, spoilers). I'd like to know why this is the case.
-- The Korolev's docking is... wonky. This was the main reason I didn't use the GTM Hippocrates for the Redemption, because it was even worse. Either way it doesn't interfere with the mission.
-- It's too easy if you know what you're doing. NEW!

To those of you who have played the original mission in X-Wing, you'll notice after flying for a few minutes that there's been a couple of changes. With the improvements in both storytelling and dynamic mission freedom in the Freespace engine, I've expanded upon the original scenario to make it more exciting yet less frustrating. But don't think it's any less difficult. The mission may provide recommendations and hints but it will not hold your hand, and if you do something that gets you in a lot of hot water (which you can, very very easily), well, you were warned! That being said, the same sort of tactics that got you through the original will serve you well here. At the very least, I hope it winds up being as least as fun as it was the first time around.

To those of you who aren't familiar with the Requiem Scenario, give it a shot and find out what all the veteran X-Wing jockeys are shaking about. :P

Final note: You are fighting an enemy that is watching you and your wing. Remember this above all else!

Spoiler:
Final final note: Being a true blue fair dinkum New South Welshman, I was utterly plastered the entire weekend and Monday I made this mission in. Have fun!


[attachment deleted by ninja]
« Last Edit: July 30, 2013, 07:09:39 pm by Hobbie »
In the arena of logic, I fight unarmed.

 

Offline swashmebuckle

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
I've played through once and it seems like a solid mission to me. Good job fleshing out what was a pretty bare-bones experience in X-wing. Will send a PM soon :)

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
What is the intended difficulty level for this mission ? Because, thinking it was going to be too hard, I just did it in Medium and it was nearly self-winning.
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Offline Lepanto

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
Good, for a first mission; I didn't spot any technical glitches.

I concur that the mission was really easy on Medium; the Redemption stayed at 100% the whole time, and I was using a sub-optimal loadout.
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Offline swashmebuckle

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
The Deimos is quite good at stopping large numbers of bombers. A more fragile FS ship that could take the place of the Redemption might be the Hippocrates. Don't know why I didn't think of it before, as it is a medical ship and looks just like the Nebulon-B from the original scenario.

 

Offline AdmiralRalwood

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
The Deimos is quite good at stopping large numbers of bombers. A more fragile FS ship that could take the place of the Redemption might be the Hippocrates. Don't know why I didn't think of it before, as it is a medical ship and looks just like the Nebulon-B from the original scenario.
The Korolev's docking is... wonky. This was the main reason I didn't use the GTM Hippocrates for the Redemption, because it was even worse. Either way it doesn't interfere with the mission.
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Offline swashmebuckle

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
Oops, me words good read

 

Offline Hobbie

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
What is the intended difficulty level for this mission ? Because, thinking it was going to be too hard, I just did it in Medium and it was nearly self-winning.

I concur that the mission was really easy on Medium; the Redemption stayed at 100% the whole time, and I was using a sub-optimal loadout.

Yeah, that would be because of the Redemption being a little too good. I'm thinking I might lower Alpha's AI a little (it was set to a high level because the Lokis would rip them apart but the loadout of the Lokis has since been changed) and take the flak and cluster missiles off the Redemption to make it tougher. Either way, making the mission more difficult is on my to-do list.

If you make sure the Redemption is covered by fighters whenever the Warspite is around, it won't take any hull damage. If you send all your fighters to cover the Korolev while you protect the transports, well... give it a shot and see what happens.

One bomb hitting the Korolev, however, will drop it below 25% and its death before undocking is a failure condition. Note to self, move group three closer to the main engagement so they're actually doing something.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2013, 07:10:30 pm by Hobbie »
In the arena of logic, I fight unarmed.

 

Offline Hobbie

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
Okay. So, after going through the mission with a fine-tooth comb, playing it over and over and over, I've discovered the main flaw.

If the screw-up condition is not triggered, the mission is too easy.

The screw-up condition requires defying common sense and moving Alpha Wing (or Epsilon if you've lost some pilots) too far away from the Redemption, while the Warspite is in the area of engagement. As soon as the Warspite sees that it's got a clear shot at the Redemption, it will jump out, then appear behind the Redemption and annihilate it in two-to-three beam volleys.

Basically, the Warspite isn't beaming everything to death because it wants the Redemption, and if the other targets are dead the Redemption will jump out. If it does the hot-drop and there's fighters there, it knows they'll go straight for the forward beams and can't guarantee a single beam volley will destroy the Redemption. So it's dropping bombers to try and get the fighters split away from the Redemption, where it can pound it to death with impunity.

The reason it's defies common sense is because there's no good reason to move Alpha/Epsilon Wing away from the Redemption. Even though I designed the mission to make you feel like the Warspite is forcing you to screw-up, it's too easy to take on all the bombers yourself and even one scrambled Alpha fighter can win the mission on its own. There's no pressure. The Warspite isn't doing a good enough job.

So I'm taking suggestions. Ways to make it tougher? Ways to be somewhat less forgiving? I've already got a couple of ideas.
-- Make the Korolev and shuttles take longer to arrive at the Redemption.
-- Have the Warspite arrive closer to the targets.
-- Have the Warspite launch two waves of bombers and fighters.
-- Replace the Zeus's with something faster, like Artemis's.
-- Have jump-capable bombers jump in throughout the mission, not just Black Wing at the end.
In the arena of logic, I fight unarmed.

 

Offline MatthTheGeek

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
You could start by using improved AI. Those Lokis can very quickly become extremely difficult to keep in your sights with improved AI.
People are stupid, therefore anything popular is at best suspicious.

Mod management tools     -     Wiki stuff!     -     Help us help you

666maslo666: Releasing a finished product is not a good thing! It is a modern fad.

SpardaSon21: it seems like you exist in a permanent state of half-joking misanthropy

Axem: when you put it like that, i sound like an insane person

bigchunk1: it's not retarded it's american!
bigchunk1: ...

batwota: steele's maneuvering for the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: you mispelled grâce
Awaesaar: grace
batwota: oh right :P
Darius: ah!
Darius: yes, i like that
MatthTheGeek: the way you just spelled it it means fat
Awaesaar: +accent I forgot how to keyboard
MatthTheGeek: or grease
Darius: the killing fat!
Axem: jabba does the coup de gras
MatthTheGeek: XD
Axem: bring me solo and a cookie

 

Offline MetalDestroyer

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
I didn't play your mission yet, but is it possible to port the asset to Star Wars since your mission is a reproduction of X Wing ? with this one ?
However, I think you'll get some trouble with docking sequence.





  

Offline MetalDestroyer

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Re: RELEASE - The Redemption Scenario
Ok, I ported the mission into Wookieejedi's Star Wars Original Trilogy mods. I don't know if I use the right ship so I only have to guest what to replace.
You can grab all the stuff here.