'Hell Yeah' and other fun moments

[Art Blade]

very nice and well done -- "cool" :-X :)

Here's the mortar guy's house, he sits on the rooftop. It is at the tip of my rifle in the second pic.

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[PZ]

Great adventure  :-X  I don't think any two visits to an area are exactly the same.  My usual method is to take out the mortar merc by sneaking into the are and dispatching him with the dart, then I can go through the area at my leisure.  Because there is at least one more mission (side buddy mission) to the area, I won't spoil it, but here is something to look for if you want a bit of advanced notice on a possible escape route.

Spoiler

When you exit the kiln area (facing the village) and turn left, you can find a path to a hang glider that you can use to fly toward the safe house to the east.  There is also a hidden area where you will find a Predecessor tape if you have activated the codes.

[Jim di Griz]

So that's where the beggar is hiding - cheers Art. Not sure how, though it looks like I missed him when scoping the whole camp from above, just before blowing the target.

Thanks for reminding me PZ - I need to look into the Predecessor's tapes thing.

Talking of tapes, the last five Jackal tapes I've found have played the same snippet...

[PZ]

That's a well known bug in the 1.03 update  :D

[mandru]

Nice run through Jim di Griz.  I enjoyed your description of the encounter.  :-X

I was going to say that the Dogon Village is a favorite spot but they're all favorite spots.  :-[

If you can take out the mortar man quietly with a dart or silent weapon as PZ said there is a way to reach his perch atop that building for the simple fun of bringing your own special brand of terror to the Dogon mercs.  From Art's first picture you can see (in reverse order of approach) the building the mortar man sits atop, just peeking out (behind and to the left of there) the roof of an elevated free standing grain storage bin with a pointy top, the rock ledge beyond that and from this side in the screen shot a high wall above the rock ledge.

The West end of the wall (now un-reversing the approach) rounds down with an irregularity in it half way up its edge when facing directly into the edge that will allow you to hop up half way and then to the top of the wall.  Walk along the wall top until you've got clear access to drop down to the rock ledge and across to the grainery roof top.  Though the roof of the grain storage bin is visually rendered as pointy it doesn't behave that way under your feet while you are standing on it behaving more as if it were domed.  Finally from the roof of the grainery it is possible to run-jump to the rain gutter on the back side of the mortar man's position.

Once you open up from there things get busy taking almost no time for the entire town to know where your firing from.  The mercs from the town below will try to skirt around through the paths that will bring them up to get a clear angle of line of sight on you and there are two or three mercs above you and to the West who actually have a height advantage on you but they have to step out into the open to take advantage of it.   :)

Who ever said you only live once didn't quite grasp the concept of proper Save Point Management.   

[PZ]

Nice  :-X

[Jim di Griz]

Going to have fun trying that Mandru - thanks for the tip all, kudos as just reward  :-X

[mandru]

Thanks for the slap on the back Jim D-G.  8)

Of course you may want to keep in mind that applying that route as a first time test run, it's probably something better attempted after clearing away anyone who might be shooting at you.  ;)

[Jim di Griz]

That is definitely a good idea 

I decided to go and give the prison a look, got the mercs cleared but got stuck - couldn't find any way forward. The gate on the opposite side wasn't giving me an interaction option and nothing I tried would get me higher or lower. There were come odd chink-chink like someone tunneling from one of the cells but I got nowhere.

I did see the open grates in the ceiling of the two large rooms - but there seemed to be no way of getting up there to climb through. Then I remembered the ATV outside, so drove it through, up the steps and even after jumping up to stand on it, I found that it still didn't give me enough height...oh well.

By this point I had become determined though - so I went off in search of a jeep. Okay, I knew that the mob of mercs inside would rise from the dead in my absence...but as I said, I was determined. Cleared them out again and then proceeded to manoeuvre said jeep through the courtyard maze over to the right-side steps. I just couldn't get the angle, so turned around and tried the left-side steps which had a clearer path of approach.

Man, it took some wrangling, but I did it - got that beastie all the way up the stairs (eventually) and under the roof grating. I still couldn't get up through there, so I reasoned that maybe I need to have a certain mission first - especially as there were a lot of guys with red berets on, which implies a faction leader's personal guard.

I just wish I had a capture card so I could get a sreen shot of the jeep up there  :-D

[mandru]

No spoilers here but the path beyond the prison (Heart of Darkness) is for the end of the game though I admire your persistence at trying to get past that point.  :)

[Jim di Griz]

Or indeed there is that option - ah well, I'll just have to wait and see then  :-X

[Art Blade]

hit PRNT for screenshots.. ;) sorry-- was thinking PC. That.. could be another reason for you to get one  :-()

[Jim di Griz]

 >:((  Sorry, I've been a numpty!

Having spent the past hour or so working my way through from the prison to the camp where the leaders are, all flawlessly executed, didn't even need any styrettes - it was looking good - until I died...

It was then that I realised I'd not saved the game since the prison...idiot, idiot...idiot!

Ah well, can't face all that again just yet, so I'll start again tomorrow - I did love the fairly constant tension caused by such a confined route. I'm sure the experience will be different again as the guards will have moved around to different positions by the time I reach each group...but what a fool I am  ::)

:)

[fragger]

I think we've all been there at some point :D :-D

[Art Blade]

well, I'm pretty sure I haven't <gently pats quick save button> :-()

[nexor]

I have...... :D    :-D

[mandru]

 :( Me too.  Sometimes 3 to 4 hours lost at a whack.   :'(

[Jim di Griz]

Oh, I'm sure I'll do it again at some point  :)

I think it might possibly be a little bit of karma for my having laid waste to the heirarchy at Sepoko from afar earlier on. It wasn't my fault that two mercs jumped me in a jeep with grenade launcher at the bus station beforehand; I just went with the flow and parked up 200 metres outside the wall and let rip until I got the 'mission completed' message.

[mandru]

 >:D :-X

[nexor]

Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it    :-D  >:D

[Jim di Griz]

At last, I finally did it after almost 100 hours - completed a playthrough  :o

Okay, the amount of time is my fault; perhaps too much wandering around trying to find those elusive sparkly stones and generally dropping in on most places before actually getting the call to visit some sactioned mayhem upon their blessed little GP.

Although I had an inkling of where the story would lead ever since the cut-scene starting act II - I still enjoyed its unfolding and the level of writing involved  :-X

Naturally I started a new playthrough straight away and damn me if it didn't bring me to the same camp (Fresh Fish) so I'm guessing the start point is determined by the route you take out of the hotel...

A lot of fun and I can see me doing this another few times. And I also understand now the various comments about buddies ;) I think I had eight of them at the airport - so that was an interesting moment...luckily I had the MGL-140 to hand.

Thank you all for the tips and subtle help - appreciated  :-X

[mandru]

 :) :-X

[Art Blade]

 :-()

the four camps around Leboa are where you can start out, depending indeed on which direction you took before passing out  :-D

[Jim di Griz]

I wish someone would tell my copy of the game that  :) I started a third game because I fancied starting off somewhere else - I jumped out the window, got to the river unscathed and then passed out.

Guess where I woke up? No worries though, I quit game and will give it another go tomorrow  :-X

[mandru]

Congrats on your first time through.  :-X

Yes the direction you go when you leave the hotel (N.W., N.E., S.E. or S.W.) will determine which of the corresponding faction base camps end up in.

I know you had a bad malaria attack when got into town but if you go downstairs and out the front door of the hotel and retrace the route the cabby brought you into Pala from (that's to the S.W.) you will end up at my favorite start point the Arena (Cock Fights) which I find has the advantage of starting you out with the flame thrower in the special slot when you are given your weapons for the tutorial.  >:D