War Stories: Operation Aurora

The following post is an after-action summary of the first single player mission of the story campaign in Battlefield Bad Company 2 that takes place on October 6, 1944. Somewhere in the Sea of Japan a small group of US commandos are sent to extract a Japanese scientist from an island who has war-decisive information in his possession. The fate of the mission was kept from the public and all records destroyed, relegating it to the scrap heap of battlefield myths.

Operation Flashpoint Cold War Crisis

The following after-action report covers a spur of the moment mission created in Bohemia Interactive’s game Operation Flashpoint Cold War Crisis that was played in Windows XP earlier this evening. I hadn't done anything in this oldie but goodie for quite some time, so I decided to brush away the cobwebs and take it for a spin. Using the mission editor in this game is seriously like riding a bicycle, I was able to create the most rudimentary mission and play it through the editor with just a few clicks.

ArmA II The Wrong Tool For The Job

I haven’t done much of anything in ArmA II for quite some time, so I dusted off the cobwebs and started a very simple infiltration mission in the editor using the last official mod produced for the game, the Army of the Czech Republic (Operation Arrowhead is required). The setting is Bukovina, a cropped version of the northwest airfield from the original Chenarus map with some updates such as a CQB/Training course east of the airstrip, and some new vegetation to make the area greener.

Rainbow Six Lockdown Game Killing Bug

This evening while trying to complete mission number eight “Distillery”, I came across what for me is a game killing bug in that until I can resolve this issue I am unable to advance in the single player campaign. The problem I am having is that in a certain section of the map my screen repeatedly goes black (although I can still see the HUD, have sound and can move about and do things). The problem however is that the main screen is pitch black and I am basically useless.

Rainbow Six Lockdown Catacombs

Mission: Intelligence believes that a terror group called the United Fatherland Brigade that is responsible for carrying out numerous attacks throughout Europe has a hidden base within the Paris catacombs. The team orders are to locate the base and to eliminate any terrorists that are encountered. There is no reference in the briefing material provided to indicate any other condition which may impact the completion of the mission, but that is not the reality on the ground.

Backstory: The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Rainbow Six Lockdown University

Intelligence has discovered that the terrorists that attacked the parliament building in Edinburgh Scotland are a part of the Revolutionary Brotherhood. Before Team Rainbow arrived on site some of the terrorists attempted to escape and took two hostages with them before the building could be secured. Local authorities have cornered the terrorists across town at Scotland University. The team orders are to locate the remaining hostages and escort them to safety.

The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Rainbow Six Lockdown Parliament

Amsterdam, Netherlands June 10th: After almost an entire month out of action Team Rainbow is pressed back into service when elements of the New Freedom Army detonate a bomb on a charter bus during the World Bank Conference. The terrorist then stormed a police station, raiding the armory and taking several hostages. Rainbow must secure the police armory, rescue the hostages and escort them to the extraction zone.

The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Rainbow Six Lockdown Amsterdam

Amsterdam, Netherlands June 10th: After almost an entire month out of action Team Rainbow is pressed back into service when elements of the New Freedom Army detonate a bomb on a charter bus during the World Bank Conference. The terrorist then stormed a police station, raiding the armory and taking several hostages. Rainbow must secure the police armory, rescue the hostages and escort them to the extraction zone.

The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Rainbow Six Lockdown Desert Village

Djaskra, Algeria May 13th: During the apartment raid in the previous mission, the team marksman Dieter Weber was captured by forces loyal to the weapons smuggler Faisal Amidan. NATO is refusing to authorize a rescue mission, so the onsite coordinator John Clark is stepping aside and yielding operational control of the mission to rescue Weber to Ayana Yacoby.

The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Rainbow Six Lockdown Algeria

Malzir, Algeria May 12th: Terrorists have stolen a lethal virus with a 100% mortality rate that is for sale to the highest bidder. Team Rainbow must raid the apartment of an international weapons smuggler and download sensitive information from his laptop.

The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Rainbow Six Lockdown South Africa

Pretoria, South Africa May 2nd: The South African President Yared Mbelu and an aide were taken hostage and are being held inside the vault of a local bank by elements of a terrorist organization. The hostages must be rescued and escorted to an extraction zone.

The elite multinational counter-terrorism unit codenamed Rainbow Six is called into service against a worldwide terrorist threat from an organization known as the Global Liberation Front, a group that is comprised of various leftist, anarchists, and third-world organizations opposed to western civilization. Rainbow Six is tasked with tracking down GLF cells in various countries and either capturing or killing that cells leader.

Free Game Weekend - Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis

The original Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (repackaged as ARMA: Cold War Assault) is being offered for free on Steam until Monday. This is not just a free play weekend for ArmA III, but they are actually giving away perhaps the greatest military combined arms game ever created in the Cold War Assault title. Sure it is pushing 13 years since originally released back in June 2001, but great games age well and this title has been verified to run in Windows 7 (I have downloaded the free game and have confirmed this).

ARMA: Cold War Assault

Ghost Recon (Original) Eager Smoke

Tbilisi, Georgia April 24, 2008 02:15: Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, the “Ghosts” are deployed to the South Ossetian Autonomous Region to assist the government of Georgia in dealing with rebel forces operating on their border with Russia. In this mission the Navy has been flying sorties against rebel positions from its carrier battle group in the Black Sea.

Last evening the rebels managed to shoot down one of the F/A-18 Hornet strike aircraft and capture both the pilot and weapons officer who managed to bail out. The mission briefing goes into some detail as to where they are being held, a farmhouse that is near the crash site. The primary mission is to rescue both the pilot and the weapons officer and escort them to the extraction zone.

ArmA II Operation Bulldog

Zelenogorsk, Chernarus: An insurgent stronghold at Zelenogorsk has been under observation for several weeks and intelligence has determined that it is a central processing site for the illicit drug trade that has crippled the region. This is a work-in-progress alpha mission at the moment that lacks an intro or outro cinematic, but does contain a fully working briefing and objectives/tasks.

The player is the Team Lead for a US Marine Corps Force Recon Team which is attached to the Chernarus Defense Force and is tasked to participate in the raid on the village containing the insurgent forces and their drug lab. Two assault groups and a reserve component will be in the area of operations to secure the four identified combat sectors. Once all sectors have been cleared, all groups will proceed to the extraction zone north of the village.

Ghost Recon (Original) Iron Dragon

Tbilisi, Georgia April 16, 2008 05:45: Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, the “Ghosts” are deployed to the South Ossetian Autonomous Region to assist the government of Georgia in dealing with rebel forces operating on their border with Russia. Washington feels that the hostile engagement by the Ossetia forces is a proxy war being conducted from Moscow, if for no other reason than an excuse to step in as “peacekeepers” and annex the whole area.

In an effort to cut the head off of the beast and their puppet rebel force, the Ghosts are tasked to raid a base of operations in the Caucasus Mountains and capture a rebel leader by the name of Bakur Papashvili who has been spearheading attacks against army convoys across the Terek River. The primary objective of this mission is to capture Papashvili (although that is listed as a “X” objective: failing to capture the rebel leader will result in mission failure).

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Vietnam

I am not very good at first-person shooters. Truth be told I am actually pretty lousy at them at my age given the fact that slowing reflexes and a 2 GB RAM Windows XP gaming rigs makes me the bitch of any snot nosed nine year old kid running the latest gear. I do have a newer gaming machine that is up to the task but strangely the only shooters I have on it I play against the AI (I wonder why).

Back in the day (sometime around 2002-2007) I was in a variety of clans, squads, groups (insert your preferred designation here) that played shooters religiously and used Ventrilo communications. The heaviest incarnation of this was during the Raven Shield phase where we were in gaming leagues and performed weekly matches against other groups in the hopes of climbing some virtual ladder.

M01 Iron Dragon

Tbilisi, Georgia – Rebels operating in the South Ossetian Autonomous region are threatening the stability of the Georgian government. Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (5th SFG) stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the “Ghosts” are called in to bring stability to the volatile situation through the implementation of direct action assault.

The mission at hand is to infiltrate an area held by the rebel forces to achieve four specific objectives: 1) Neutralize Tent Camp Troops, 2) Secure the Caves, 3) Return to Insertion Zone and 4) Capture Papashvili (a rebel commander in the area currently holed up in the caves in a makeshift command post. The mission begins on Wednesday April 16, 2008 at 05:45 in sunny conditions.