Campaign and Bonus Mission Diary (Tips included)

[Art Blade]

Finished Mission six too. Relatively quick, yes, and I like the environment, too.

This mission was to perform a stealth attack on a fuel depot (incapacitate its generator so the enemy can't use it but keep the installation intact so once the war is over and after the USMC has left the island, Russia can still make use of it). We finally had silencers ("suppressed" guns) but that was not half as funny as FC2. You can hear those weapons quite well if you are relatively close to it but the sound won't wash over the entire valley, hehe.

I didn't find any surprise there, gvse. I always do all secondaries (one in this case), which was a little shack with a soldier in it -- the bloody silenced weapon uses "underpowered" ammo so I can't penetrate a helmet with it  ::) -- so I shot him in the neck from behind to kill him with one shot.  :-*

I then let my men halt and moved alone to a cell tower right opposite the main entrance, where two guards were hanging out - the moment I shot them in their faces, our support team started a distraction (I don't know what the heck they did) and the wound I suffered instantly healed because the distraction caused the game to save (on "normal" it heals you up) That was luck :)

I went in, took out a couple of spec ops that had been brought in by an enemy transport helo. I told my medic to heal the wounded and then gave my team the order "suppressive fire" around the generator which I wanted to blow up. For some reason, it blew up without me doing anything... apparently the suppressive fire impressed the generator quite a bit :)

We then got ordered out, on my way I grabbed some machine gun from a dead body so I had decent firepower. We had five "Mike's" (FC2 joke) to get to the extraction point. I was already running upright with my men until our hearts hammered so we had to stop for a moment, then ran on. We got to the extraction point where some idiots thought it funny to shoot at us - I trained their MG at them (heh heh heh) and took them out while our helo was already landing. Without hesitation I jumped in bleeding... mission accomplished.

These missions are always tight, you barely have time for a picnic or a smoke, let alone sight-seeing.

[Art Blade]

Mission seven

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This mission was diverse. Breach the enemy lines. That meant, take out spotter teams, clear encampments, kill patrols, attack the fuel depot (again, as in a previous mission). Early daylight mission. I killed 36 enemies but had to tell my team to dig in and wait until I returned... I had run out of ammo. Man, there are so many enemies, if you are on a killing spree, you can't take them all out on your own because there isn't enough ammo  :D I mean, I had 39% accuracy in this mission, so I didn't waste too much ammo, and I was using an assault rifle as if it was a sniper rifle... I took out a couple of peeps with it that were 300m away, single shots. Crazy.  :-*

In the end, the last mission goal "attack the fuel depot" had to be postponed because I couldn't attack! With what, my pistol? Geezus. I ran all the way back, like 2km, found an abandoned enemy jeep, drove the rest to the start point and found that bloody hidden ammo crate. Thank goodness I have the paperback strategy guide with those maps to look up ammo crates. There I found a sniper and an assault rifle, one mag each  :D Had to drive back, found an abandoned APC on my way, swapped vehicles and drove to my unit. A friendly helo hovering above them. Don't think anybody would give me some spare ammo! You can't even ask them! Well, there was another ammo crate in front of that depot, but I had to kill the guarding maniacs first to get to it. Cool, at least I didn't have to run in with a knife between my teeth waving a sabre wildly above my head... hehehe. I did manage, all primary and secondary goals met. Good mission, but take good care of your ammo!

[Art Blade]

Mission eight

I enjoyed that mission. Rescue POWs  ;D

Something funny (and cool regarding game physics) - on the way to the LZ we were about to pass a little farm house on a hill (there is a yellow mark for you, so it's on your way). As there was a mark, I thought alright, nothing to worry, and took my men and POWs to the house. I walked outside around it and turning the corner to get to the opposite side of the house (or, behind it) I saw two enemies standing. We looked at each other for a moment... and then AAAARGH all three of us fired at the same instant. Needless to say I didn't survive that shock  ;D ;D ;D.

Alright, reload, again. I went inside this time and as I had hoped for, I could see the back of the guys from inside, through a window, and I applied a bullet to the head of the one to the left. The guy to his side had disappeared at that moment. Well, there was a door to the right of the window, so I opened it... I think he grinned when he stood right in the door when I got his bullet through my head... ba$t@rd, lol  :-X

OK, once more. This time again headshot through the window, and hehehe, walked over to the same door and aimed at where I guess his head was.... Bang! -- Outside, I heard someone go "AAaaah,... " and something in Chinese, like complaining and anger and pain, all at the same time  ;D I opened the door and mercy-killed the guy, who was now on the ground. So you can shoot through wooden doors  ;D :-X

In the pic, taken at the very beginning of the mission, you see an enemy sniper I killed (his mate is dead too). Take his mega-sniper rifle and ammo, and from the ammo crate next to them in that stand... it will be quite useful for the end of the mission when you have to clear the LZ for your extraction.

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Here is a vid of the mission. I chose it because it's short enough, gives you an overall idea of the mission, but does not reveal good tactics ;) Example, I took out the spotter (who got an assault rifle) with a single shot fired, and the sniper couldn't get his sniper rifle to w@&k quickly enough, let alone change weapons, so I took him out with another single shot. My men were just ordered to return fire, "if necessary"  ;D The second attempt (see, I got 29 bullets left) I used one, and my team a single burst.

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[Art Blade]

The lack of comments makes me wonder if you like me to go on with this topic...  ::)

[deadman1]

Oh don´t stop now mate, I´m soaking up your tips like a spunge in preparation for my OFP marathon this weekend ;D

[Art Blade]

Thank you :) I was really worried :)

[Art Blade]

A tip on mission eight, and a comment on the strategy guide.

The big sniper rifle can also be found in an ammo crate before you get to the extraction point. The crate is around the ruins on the hill behind which the extraction point is. If you want to get it off the sniper team at the beginning of the mission, kill them with guns, not explosives, so the ammo crate with extra ammo for the rifle survives. Like that, looting the dead rifleman and the ammo crate, you will get 10 mags for it, sufficient for the mission, and if you add the ammo from the last ammo box, well, great :)

I'll tell you how I used that mega-sniper and how to get your men and POWs safely to the extraction point: Save it for that last part of the mission. You'll be doing fine with your assault rifle until then. When you are close to the extraction point, which to me somehow looks like a school compound from above the hill, order your men to stay (halt) behind so no stray bullet can hit them. Also, order them to return fire, in case they get shot at, without them engaging anyone first = pretty silent.

Now walk up to the hilltop and to the left, until you can see the buildings entirely (or almost entirely). Ignore the radio messages about your extraction helo arriving, he won't land before the compound is safe, anyway, and he will wait until it is safe, anyway. That leaves you enough time to practice sniping from far. Use your binoculars to check the distance and for enemies walking around, their routes etc until you've got the picture. I got as close as about 400m (check with binoculars). Now you'll experience and experiment with ballistic shots. The scope has little dots on the crosshair, but there are no numbers indicating which distance they mark. I found that about 1 and a half dots down were about where the shots hit, so you need to aim off centre and "too high" for a centre shot with that scope. Shoot the guys on the roof, there will be replacements every now and then, shoot them too. If you see someone is shot but doesn't walk away, leave him. He'll either die by the wound inflicted (good) or attract a medic (good) which you can shoot (very good) hehe. After a while you'll get the hang of it, and start taking out other targets that crawl or walk around. Reinforcements? Ha, you've got enough ammo if you aim properly. When I was finished and thought it was really time to get out, I had (all of) my men assault that building. They took the POWs with them. Meanwhile I shot single stray enemies. My men attacked the very few remaining enemies, stormed the building and almost immediately radioed "Building's clear!" - I was running down the hill, the helo had landed meanwhile, and I opened the map and clicked the helo, using "enter vehicle" command and kept running. There was no enemy left, and I got to the helo when the last POW got in. Mission accomplished, no one wounded, all POWs alive :)

The strategy guide gives you advice about how to accomplish your missions, and also mentions alternative strategies. The one above is what I came up with myself, but it is partly the last alternative mentioned in the book, which suggests you take out enemies with the sniper from 400m distance while, that's the difference, you order your men in to assault or the likes, with or without help/use of those POWs. I read the corresponding chapter in the book after I had finished the mission. In between missions I only use it as reference for ammo crates if I start running low or out of ammo, and then read about the missions to see if what I did was also a recommendation. Like that, I have come up with different strategies or partly similar strategies. Not always better, but well, so far I have managed to get the job done with all secondary missions completed. I think the book is good for that, a cross reference or a good read or inspiration of how to do it some other way. Of course, it helps if you are completely lost :)

[Art Blade]

I've been thinking about how this topic has changed from first impressions to some sort of a diary or maybe something like a guide.

I hope it doesn't put anyone off, thinking I might reveal too much, but I never told the entire mission. There will always be something in the missions you are about to play that is obvious and on that I commented, something you would probably have noticed without reading this topic, and of course you'll read some tactics or strategies I used that are very specific for a part of the mission. Missions are quite big, you walk a lot and a lot can happen. I don't mention small stuff, details, like there are spotters in a certain place or the likes. If you read about all the missions here, there will be enough for you to discover and, well, to survive, until you get to what I describe in my posts. Playing through for the first time, I write about missions because they are first impressions, something I find worth mentioning, and I do hope you enjoy the read.

For those of you who have not yet been able to play, you might get an impression of what it might be like once you finally get to play it for yourself. For those who are playing or even ahead of me, you might recognise and compare situations or strategies.

I write this here because for some reason the forum is very quiet for some time now, which is unusual, and it is strange to post away with a feeling no one reads it. Apart from deadman, apparently :)

I ask you people out there, who are reading this, to please slip in a comment or three to make this topic a little more vivid :) It is a little strange for me to add one post after the other without any insertions from you :)

[gvse]

hey Art, I read your reports.
Finished the mission you have described above without the sniper rifle. I did it on hardcore and at that final stage (heli extraction) I was praying that I didn't die cause otherwise it would have been back to square one. That difficulty makes you extra careful.
I have managed to get a couple of good MP games recently, and that's a lot of fun and highly addictive. Again, few servers run the game on hardcore but those that do give you almost a new experience as you don't even know whether you have hit the target or not.
Oh, and perhaps the lack of comments is due to people not having the game yet, but yeah, the lack of feedback can be disconcerting.

[Art Blade]

cheers, gvse :)

Heh heh, I can imagine it must be a totally different MP experience on HardCore, adding to that new way of command and weapon handling. I reckon it's interesting :)


I found out that the missions you finished during SP Campaign mode are unlocked for individual replay (mission mode). There you can change the difficulty level and replay them. I'll do that after completing the campaign.

[Art Blade]

Mission nine, I

This is a huge and intense mission. Taking a break at the moment, got some time for posting you up :)

Reason for my break: "Death Valley" - I died here. Good place for a screenshot, while being dead  ;D

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Alright. I have two tips for you guys that I think will be useful for you at the beginning of that mission.

1) Keep your assault rifle, don't exchange it with the one in the ammo crate, but take the sniper rifle. Why? The weapons in the ammo crate both use the same ammo... Happened to me. I thought wow, those are both cool. I fired the usual amount of rounds with the assault rifle, noticed there were 4 mags left, changed to the sniper I hadn't used so far... starting with 4 mags. "WHAT THE...?!?!?!"  :-[ :P Restart mission? Yes.  ;D

2) Your will encounter two APCs or something armoured that will shoot at you on sight and threaten your tank convoy. I read in the strategy guide book just now that you have NINE artillery strikes at your disposal but also that you cannot use them later on in the mission. So use them :)

[Art Blade]

Mission nine, II

I'm glad it's over (50 minutes "total," not counting like 10 reloads and I think 3 mission restarts). 38 kills total. 24% accuracy with 359 shots, most of which single shots fired, mostly sniper rifle, resulting in 28 kills (I replaced my assault rifle with an enemy sniper, so I had two hehe). Officially died 2 times, but it was more like 10 times (I sometimes reload without being killed first). 4 anti armour rounds fired and 4 hits with them, I used a "Queen Bee" enemy rocket launcher for the secondary objective. 8 artillery calls, 9 kills.

And yes... First time I threw handgrenades, 2 throws, two kills. Finally managed to use the numbers of my keyboard for direct weapon access, so this time it was cool. I was about to round a corner, saw enemies behind there - too dangerous to walk on, so I retreated but lobbed a pinapple over... bang... got one. So I had to chuck another gren over, bang, another kill  ;D

Tough mission, because after the kid's stuff you had to clear out a citadell or something like that, on top of a small mountain, and all the time, all the bloody time they kept us busy with mortar fire. MORTARS! (FC2 players will remember, hehe)

You'll enjoy that mission, lol  ;D

[Art Blade]

Mission ten

This mission is a night mission again but a little different from the previous ones if you want to complete the secondary objective: recon mission, follow an enemy General's movements and report his positon. Else, you have to destroy a radio station -- stuff we do every day. Don't we? :) Only this time there is no DJ we can threaten with a machete to his neck to read fake news (FC2 hint) but the firepower is worth the trip: Air Strike.

I issued the command and have just seen the stuff rain down on the station, from a far hilltop it looks like this:

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The hard part (not too hard) is to move around unnoticed, unless you want to mop up dozens of hard-boiled pissed-off chinese units and a couple of flying gunships. After the strike you have to run across half the island to get to your extraction point at the beach.

Kind of fun, that mission :)

[Art Blade]

I have renamed this topic. For some reason it has turned into a diary of my first playthrough :)

Mission eleven, I (the final mission)

As expected, this mission is massive. Strange, when I read about this game and watched pre-release vids, I was under the impression I would get a free game world to roam, use different vehicles and vast amounts of different weapons. Now, in the last mission I got the only opportunity to fly a helo which is crap, because you only use it as a transport for a very short flight - steering it was a nightmare, so I had the AI do the job at first. Tell you what, I did not take the helo, I decided to reload and walk (was only like 2km worth of walking, so what the heck).

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There were very few different weapons I actually used. There were a number of weapons, but mostly inferior to what you have equipped at the mission starts. Exceptions are sniper rifles. In this mission you can get the "mega-sniper" again, it is in an ammo crate inside of a house in that village you are going to take off in a helo.

Sniping is the greatest fun for me in the entire game. Trying to take out enemies from around 400m is cool, and my best shot was what you see in the pic (using a binocular here) - the gunner is gone. One single shot, on top a headshot, yessss :)

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I'm still in the mission, going to post more...

lol, 525m distance, the second dot below the centre (use that to aim), to the right of it there is the head I took off with a single shot just now  ;D

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[Art Blade]

Oh dear :D One of my men managed to get badly wounded right here (must have tried to squeeze through that wall) First I patched him up, then I called the medic (see pic). This is the first time my team's AI really did something silly. ;)

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[Art Blade]

Alright, done.

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Total campaign time (without the time lost due to reloading) about 9 hours. Now I can replay those campaign missions as single missions, and vary difficulty level. Also, there are a couple of bonus missions available.

I think this is going to be fun, play the first mission again... :)

[Art Blade]

Just one thing I always wanted to add, here it is:

"Looting bodies" -- yes, it is possible. Unless you wait too long (I reckon 5 minutes). And given you do find the body. In practical terms it means, remember where exactly your desired human ammo crate went down, hurry over there and pray you find it. If you shoot someone half a mile away, the body is most likely gone by the time you get there. Worse, I have seen this happen: I actually found the body, hit "e" to "activate" the body but no, it had to vanish exactly that very moment. Or, I shot a guy behind sandbags, so it was easy to find his location. It wasn't far, so the body was still there. Now try to actually recognise it! A couple of times I have only found it because a hand symbol showed up, meaning I could activate something, and despite the fact I nearly tripped over the body, I almost didn't see it. Those camo suits in high grass are a nightmare. I think during the entire game I only found five bodies in the grass, three of which were a group I took out, so they were close to each other (still took me some time to see them). It is pretty simple of course if they drop dead on a paved road. No problem, given you get there in time.

/rant mode off

hehe

[Art Blade]

Here is an example - just so you "get the picture" - can you see the dead body?

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solution (read backwards)

ti no gnileenk yllacitcarp si eh ,tfel eht ot yug eht fo tnorf nI

[fragger]

I ask you people out there, who are reading this, to please slip in a comment or three to make this topic a little more vivid :) It is a little strange for me to add one post after the other without any insertions from you :)

I for one appreciate what you're doing, Art, and I've been reading all your posts on this topic. A most comprehensive report, I might add :) The only reason I haven't posted any replies is that I don't know if there's really anything I can add, and I thought replies like "nice screenshot" after each of your picture posts might get repetitive after a while ;D They are nice screenshots, by the way!

This sounds like a very tough game to master. I don't know if it's for me, I was never crazy about team-based, order-giving games of this sort. I've tried playing Arma2 and I find it a bit too much of a handful, what with all the keyboard commands and so on. OFP2 sounds like a significant improvement in this regard, however.

Plus, I've never liked the idea of checkpoint saves. I know it makes a game more challenging, but I get the sh#ts when I strike a tough spot where I die repeatedly and have to keep doing the same things over and over to get back to where I bought it, especially when the checkpoints are a long ways apart. I also don't like "race against time" things, I like to have time to plan things out, take in the scenery, or just muck around. I know you don't get that luxury in real combat - well, I can imagine, never having been in real combat - and I can see that the devs of OFP2 are trying to make it realistic, but that's just me.

OK, no more griping! It looks like a terrific game for those who are into this genre, and I'm glad you're having fun with it, Art. I'm enjoying reading your posts all the same, it's very entertaining reading! :)

[Art Blade]

cheers, fragger :)

This forum usually is quite busy, and someone usually replies between posts. I mostly try to avoid posting two times in a row, so the development of this topic made me wonder why there was no response at all for some time.

Actually, I like comments like "nice screenshot" because I do care about it as if it was a good photography. As professional photographers take vast amounts of shots of a single motive only to pick one for release, or arrange a photo with every detail so it looks perfect, so do I. For example, in FC2 I have taken about 8,000 shots, and only like 200 made it into the forum. Unfortunately OFP:DR doesn't come with a built-in screenshot system, I need to use an external program (irfanView) to capture a picture and save it manually (automation, like every 5 seconds a shot of whatever is going on, would be just silly in this case). So, if you like a screenshot, it is very welcome if you say so :)

About the game, or "war simulations," I am not an aficionado. It has only to do with how people at OWG comunicate and all the details and affection made me check out ArmA2. Since OFP2 (=OFP:DR) is very related and a rival to it, I simply had to test it for comparison reasons. Those are the first war simulations I ever played :) Previous to that I did play shooters, but never so much into simulation as these, more like quake and quake2, doom, wolfenstein, hitman and the likes. Well, there is Call of Duty, the series, but I would place them into the games category, whereas ArmA2 and OFP2 clearly belong into the simulations category.

Having played those, I do admit I have developed a different attitude towards that genre, I enjoyed it. Although I am uncertain if I am going to follow that path :)

[fragger]

I guess I won't know unless I try it. Arma2 sort of put me off a bit, and I know I shouldn't judge a game I haven't played based on the experiences of playing one that I wasn't keen on. OFP:DR sounds like a distinct improvement based on what you've written about it, I have to say. I may give it a go, but I'll have to wait until I can afford to splurge again. Entertainment items like books, DVDs, and video games, are costly in this country, more's the pity.

[Art Blade]

Chapter Two, Missions

Having played through the campaign (on normal) I decided to give single Missions a try. After playing around a little with campaign's single missions on hardcore, I thought what the heck, I know these missions. I want something new. Then I remembered the pre-order bonus I have and inserted the code. That revealed my single unlocked mission but also five empty slots... you can get the codes here at OWG.

Bonus Mission 1 (Night Raid)

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First, I quarreled with myself whether or not to play on hardcore, straight away. When I hesitantly (cowardly) decided to put it on normal, I got to see the mission briefing. There was only a single objective, secure a pump station without destroying it (uh-oh, hehe) and fight down any PLA resistance. Then I thought heck with that, get the job done on hardcore! Let's do this! So I bravely switched to hardcore.

I like NightOps gear, they come with thermal scopes. "Piss easy," one might think, as long as the enemy doesn't sport the same gear.

On a sidenote, the last campaign mission held a lucky moment for me. I shot down a patrol with a night ops sniper... so the enemy has that gear! Until I took it away from him, that is, which made my mission a lot easier. I was lucky I could get hold of it.

Well, the Night raid. First mildly shocking realisation was oh no, two flying gunships on patrol, headed north, while we were headed west. I don't want to bully them right from the beginning, so let's keep a low profile. The sounds in the game are almost as important as visuals, and I am glad I have a 5.1 surround system. I can hear something making noises in my back :) So I kept silence to be able to hear gunships approach.

My team and I noticed quite a number of patroling enemies, and the pump station was also loaded with soldiers. I had ordered my men to walk in a tight Wedge formation and RoE was return fire only. We carefully made our way to the west side of the compound and waited for the right moment: Patrols not coming at us but walking away from us. When we were like 100m from the compound we got spotted, so I immediately ordered "fire at will" and a wide "combat spread," starting to return fire and attack every moving white thing in the grey soup of our thermal sights. After about five minutes later it went silent, so I tried to get my medic patch up two team mates who were slightly injured - I miraculously have remained without a scratch. For some reason no medic complied (I reckon I didn't have a medic with me lol) but that didn't matter any more: Radio message, congratulations on a job well done... only took me 10 minutes, didn't die once, killed (only) 3 enemies.

Fun job :)

Edit, tried it again because it was fun, 6:45 minutes, 6 kills, and I do have a medic ;)

[Art Blade]

Bonus Mission 2 (coastal stronghold)

You do already know the mission area... it was a secondary objective during the first campaign mission: The lighthouse, at the northern end of that little island. Now, once again, we are allowed to handle an impossible situation with superior planning, tactics and equipment, and to demonstrate a sparkling operation, executed flawlessly.

That does not exclude crapping in our pants or puking blood across enemies.

I went in three times (on hardcore), two times I didn't see the end of it. The third time none of my mates saw the end of it, neither did the enemy. I think my men did kill like three or four guys before they did a backflip into the casket, leaving me behind for the mopping-up.

The lighthouse is located on top of a cliff, hidden behind a steep hill, not accessible without being noticed. Attacking from the hilltop always leaves some enemies you don't see because they push their backs against the rock wall below you, blind angle. Also, they keep using the buildings for cover, and they are good at that. Only one road leads in, the other area is either open, steep or inaccessible (sea and rocks). The entrance has a few rows of concrete barriers behind which enemy riflemen can seek cover and shoot from there. The entrance also has an MK-19 (or similar) stationary grenade launcher.

I decided to have my men go in and defend the entrance while I went to the side and on the flat top of a hill, trying to flank the enemy from there. It did go quite well until both sides started to grind themselves in 1v1 cqc situations. My men had assault rifles, I had an M-21 sniper rifle (first time I got that one). I took out like 9 men with the sniper, in between I could hear men groan and whimper, then silence. The place covered with bodies all across the road. A silly situation now for me, a sniper for cqc is useless, so I looted two bodies and got an assault rifle off one of my dead mates, when I heard a transport truck approach. I ran over to the MK-19 just in time to blow it up only a few feet away from me, vehicle occupants sent flying away. Still no mission accomplished, so I went back into the compound, clearing building after building. When I looked around a corner, outside some barrack, I noticed someone hiding behind some electric installation which had some space beneath it I could see through. I saw a pair of feet, for frag's sake, so on turning around the corner, I squeezed off a burst from my assault rifle to take that last man standing out. He didn't have a chance, how's that for a surprise. ba$t@rd.

Well, I killed 14 men in total, took me like 20 minutes in that third try. I'll have to try that again, I want my men survive it. This is the first mission ever I finished on my own, until now my men always survived. Tough but cool mission.

[PZ]

You've done a great job in this mission description thread Art - I've been too busy doing life things to be online much, but as I am catching up (and playing a little OFP2), your stories are helping me get through the game in the way that I appreciate (I like knowing what is coming up).  :-X

[Art Blade]

Thanks for your comment, PZ, and enjoy catching up  :)

Actually there is something I haven't told you guys, regarding

Campaign: Mission Eleven,

Winning Strategy and Tips (no artillery used)

Walk instead of using the heli. Walk to the right and then ahead (like parallel to the road) over the hills, towards the closest stationary mounted weapon, some guard post near a road crossing. Take him out from the hilltop with your mega-sniper rifle you snatched in the village you just freed (looking on the village map, it's inside an ammo crate in the 2nd house from the left, in a row facing the helos that have landed there)

Look out for an armoured vehicle hidden between some trees, don't let him spot you. Take out the second guard post too, from the same hilltop. I think there is one more, well, kill him too.

Walk around the naval base behind the hills, towards the right. Careful, there is a guard post somewhere in the hills and some enemy nightops. Take them out and hurry over to grab the night-ops rifle, it has infra-red vision (white heat signature targets... great!) Remember, bodies and their weapons disappear after something around less than 5 minutes!

Then check your map, there is a checkpoint (at least on normal difficulty) somewhere near a road bend, walking away from the naval base, save your game there once you have the nightops gear. This will be very very helpful to complete the mission.

Then enter the naval base from the right. At least you can station your crew there, let them defend that part of the area, they will keep soaking lead and attract enemy forces. Friendly forces will enter from the left. The enemies will respawn until you get to the middle of the base, to the peers. So hurry there (staying alive, ha-ha-ha-ha, staying aliiiiiive.... <sings>) and get the mission done.

To do it a little cheeky, leave your men to the right, and run back, over the hills, and go to the centre of the naval base, still on the hills. Careful, there are two riflemen in the woods to the left of the base, in the hills. Kill them. Then, you can walk down, onto the roof of a building and descend into the base using stairs. Be careful, it's quite dangerous.

To keep the general alive, make sure your men don't kill him! He may stay in his hideout but he may also join the fight. He always joined the fight when I tried various tactics. All you need to do is keep him alive until the last enemy soldier is down. So, hurry to the peers, keeping enemies from respawning, your team works as a lead magnet (hell, let them die, it's to win the mission and finish the campaign, not to keep them alive)

Enjoy :)