This is perhaps one of the better looking briefing screens
for a real time tactical I have seen. The prominent feature of the A-10 flight
is somewhat misleading as it is mere window dressing during the actual mission
(I couldn’t tell if the pilots engaged anything or not).
This is the target of the campaign, warlord Akil Farrah.
The intro cinematic for this mission is actually quite
impressive.
The mysterious General Cleveland is about to brief the hero
of the campaign, Major O'Connell.
One of the more classic WTF poses I have seen in a briefing.
“You want me to do what again?” Note the 82nd Airborne patch on his
right arm.
In perhaps one of the worst tactical insertions in the
history of video gaming, the five member team is fast roped onto the wrong dock
with the hero unit going down first, followed by the medic (the second most
critical unit in the scenario, next to the hero unit whose death means instant
failure).
There are three immediate skill tree selections available
for the hero unit: Perception, Marksmanship and Tactics Leader. I select
Perception for Major O'Connell.
There is fog of war, however it is not as broad as one would
expect and moving the camera around the map easily detects enemies that either side
AI cannot yet see.
There is some cover when moving up the first dock, such as
the burned out car on the left. However there is very little of it, and in
trying to maintain a leap frog arcing fire cone with two teams, the hero unit
is exposed on the right side of the tarmac (which is why I beginning enforcing
move and go prone progression).
The medic unit is brought forward to heal the
wounded (this will be a rinse and repeat action throughout the mission).
The fire team’s advance up the first dock as the shadow of
one of the Warthogs appears on the ground ahead. This is all those aircraft
contribute to the mission, sadly.
Reaching the turn of the first dock we spot an abandoned
anti-aircraft gun. I reorganize the teams as follows: the two soldiers with
grenades are Team Three and are ordered to mount the weapon, while Team Two
(AT-4) provide over watch. The hero and the medic are now the sole members of
Team One (the most critical members in the battle space).
This advance triggers an incoming bogey which is your
typical pickup truck with mounted machinegun. This threat is put down
immediately and the damaged soldiers are healed by the medic unit.
After this event is over, I reorg again, placing the hero
unit with the two Rangers with grenades.
The tactical advance I continue to enforce is one team
forward that falls prone. The covering team that is upright then moves around
the first team and goes prone. Once they are in position the first team rises
and advances. These are short and methodical steps to keep maximum firepower
focused on the axis of advance across the docks. The medic is held in proximity
in case needed in an emergency.
The advance triggers another set of incoming technicals, or
tangos (whatever you prefer to refer to them as). The mutual fire support rips
them to shreds in short order.
A cannon has been spotted ahead (outside this image) and I
take the opportunity to heal the injured and split up into three distinct fire
teams again, with the hero and medic units grouped together.
The AT fire team advances and takes out the cannon, however
at the cost of one Ranger unit.
With the battlefield casualty to account for, I regroup by
placing the remaining AT Ranger unit with the two other Rangers with grenades,
making them Team Two (now the primary assault force component).
More leap frog movements forward as the day/night and
weather cycle progresses and I receive a CNBC news broadcast that my mission is
taking forever to complete.
I press the advance forward as the conditions change back to
daylight and sunshine.
This cargo ship is the primary objective: the team must
board the vessel and investigate the hold.
As the team advances to board, more enemies are encountered
and are put down.
The hero unit gains an additional bonus selection, of which
I select Marksmanship.
The team boards the cargo ship and begins a tactical
formation to advance up the starboard side to the hold entrance.
The advance to the bow of the ship reveals tangos down in
the hold as one of the Rangers opens up to engage them. The remainder of the
team is brought forward to move around this unit and prepare to enter the
stairwell leading to the lower level hold.
Using the hold bay door as cover, I heal up the group to
prepare for the final assault.
The team rushes down into the hold and kills the remaining
enemies.
The predetermined outcome for a successful mission: the team
clears the cargo ship but discovers that the weapons have been removed.
Although there is much work to do to recover those weapons,
this mission is a success.
One objective completed with the loss of one Ranger. The
enemy didn’t fare well at all, losing 23 troops and three vehicles. I am given
the opportunity to promote one of two soldiers, and I chose the medic unit.
Other Thoughts
This game requires a legacy physics driver available here:
I purchased this game for $2.49 USD on 11/26/2012 during a
Steam sale. The current price is $9.99.
The game is available here:
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