Open world main story missions

[PZ]

It might be nice to have a list of the main story missions that are open world in nature, and those that are linear, but can be accomplished in an open world way if you approach the mission from an aspect that the developers had not anticipated.  The mission below is such an example - linear if played as intended, it can become open world if approached from another aspect.

Black Gold - destroy the four fuel depots

The first time through the game I did this mission run-and-gun style as if playing CoD.  It was not satisfying because you simply react to the circumstance rather than plan your attack.  However, on a subsequent play through I was able to complete the entire mission in an open world way, that is all except the last mad dash to safety (no way around this part).  I have to say that this is now one of my favorite missions in the game despite a couple of linear issues because 95% of it is open world option.

Here's my experience

When I first attempted this method I failed a couple of times because Sam died even though he could not have (he was safely stashed away).  This is how I managed to have loads of fun playing this mission, and will likely do so again

   
• I started in a clockwise manner beginning with the first yellow marker
• Rather than moving into the yellow dot marker, I drove Sam off-road into the hills above the first fuel depot and parked the rig in a safe place
• Then using the camera I tagged all targets, and then eliminated them outpost style - for anyone that likes to do outposts, this mission is for you
• Once all baddies were dead, I went down into the fenced part where you need to plant the C4 and dropped a couple of mines
• Next, back out to the main road to enter the yellow dot which initiated the next step in the sequence.
• Because all the bad guys were already dead, I could leisurely walk into the fenced area to trigger the spawn of the next wave.
• Laughing, I ran out of the area and heard a BOOM behind me - the bad guys had triggered the mine.
• There were about 4-5 bad guys that spawned outside, so I ran to the top of the tower and dispatched them one by one.
• Now I returned to the rig where Sam was waiting and drove a bit closer to the second area, still off road, and still high above the area - again I tucked him away safely
• Using the same outpost technique, I started on the second area, and did similar to the first

What I really like about this mission is the complexity of what you need to account for.  Imagine simultaneously attacking four outposts that are in close proximity and you have a good idea how you can plan your attack.  I suspect you can do any of the four areas in any sequence (after the first one).
The important thing to remember is that you return to Sam and move the vehicle to a new location that is not too far from your attack zone.  I'm not positive what it is but it is likely that if you detonate one area, Sam has dialog that he needs to complete, else the game thinks he is dead.  One thing I can say is that if I enter the vehicle and move it, Sam doesn't die, and I have as much time as I need.