Sorry to rain on the parade so early, but...

[Binnatics]

Hard is not as hard as I thought. You get caught faster, more realistic, but for the rest it isn't that hard. No bigger amounts of enemies but they do harm you harder / faster.
It feels like something you get used to, just like the slightly ruffer mercs on the southern island. But it keeps the game challenging ;)

This time I will also refuse to unlock outposts, if not it were necessary for fast-travel-points. That will make the after-end-game more fun. Eurh, Art, you sure there's no such thing as an after game exploration with the ''other option'? That would also be disappointing :-\\

[Art Blade]

Not sure but hey.. it would be kind of extremely strange to return from the dead once more, particularly when there was no lighter that stopped a bullet.

[Art Blade]

Now I have a rant.. one mission has started to annoy me. Mission #33, the one after you talked to Hoyt in his mansion and tortured someone for him you'll get the mission, Paint Black.

At first it starts off nicely until you're inside the bunker and about to make your way up to the satellite dish. Just moments before you get to the checkpoint, you'll have to walk through a door and up the stairs to reach a ladder (the checkpoint) when you realise that from up the stairs, by the ladder, some guys already have kicked some red explosive barrels down the stairs at you and boom.. restart from last checkpoint. Really smart level design. Just like PZ once mentioned, insanity.. this part is made so you need to do it over and over again until you get it right, the way the devs wanted you to do it. I managed the second time around, though, but still, annoying.

Now the ladder part. This time I had lost most of my body armour getting to the ladder. The armour can be picked up at the last checkpoint, I got it right the first time but those barrels took out my original armour the second time around so I would have gone back to pick up the one at the last checkpoint as a replacement but hell, the new checkpoint made me go all the way back (the route wasn't blocked) to pick it up again and walk all the way back to the checkpoint again.

You can't scan the area properly because you come out of a bunker complex with openings and walls and ruins all over the place so when I looked at the objective and saw a sniper there I took him out but meanwhile I was attacked by something I didn't see.. in the end I died and, read up.. rinse and repeat. The next time I checked what it might have been and oh wonder, a sniper right around the corner who'll spot you from your backside the moment you stick your neck out. So I killed him first, then the other sniper and so on, had to plant explosives at the base of the satellite dish then the scripted part started: Defend the explosives against hordes of bad guys. When they get to the explosives to defuse them, a 20 seconds countdown starts during which you need to kill the guy trying to disarm your bomb, "or else." Which is: restart from last checkpoint. Read up, rinse and repeat.

This time I thought, hey, the devs peppered the place with ammo, mines, more precisely, so why not rig the area. I found out that some mines sink into the floor or walls and disappear so you can't retrieve them in case you want to relocate them. I reckon they won't set off, either. I also found out that a mine placed on the concrete floor at the base of the dish will nearly kill you if you are in the room below that concrete bunker ceiling. Not a scratch in the structure yet you start bleeding to death.. telekinesis, teleportation of damage? Great. On top, sometimes you cannot use the "Q" button/key to heal yourself as the game kind of requires you to fire a weapon first before you can heal yourself. A flamethrower doesn't seem to meet the requirements and I tried switching weapons and.. died. Restart from last checkpoint, read up.. rinse and repeat.

This time I had placed the mines in different locations but they got triggered in ways that they nearly took me out and meanwhile someone was defusing the.. restart from last checkpoint. Read up, rinse and repeat.

I decided to rig the area outside the dish and stay inside the perimeter to defend it. Boom, boom, yay, boom.. but they keep respawning so you can't really benefit from rigging the area. Meanwhile a helicopter, a battleship approaches. I think that's worse than the pedestrians and shoot it several times while I get surrounded by heavies who punch me to pulp. Restart from last checkpoint? yes.. read up.. rinse and repeat..

This time I thought F this S and just stay inside the perimeter of the dish. I fend off hordes of enemies, the chopper approaches, I think I killed the pilot with my sniper.. Message: "Mission Failed, Sam is dead!" -- what the flipping heck, was he in the chopper?? And yes.. I am about to restart from the last checkpoint..  :D

[PZ]

Outrages!  I can't wait...  :D >:((

[Binnatics]

And of course, since you're in the mission, you won't be able to fast travel to safe house to reconfiger your loadout :D :D :-D

[durian]

I thought I was the only one who got frustrated at the parts you just described, Art. The firefights after you got into entrance was really tough as there were too many of them, waves after waves with 3 flamers and a heavy. I was either dead or got the message :"Mission failed: Sam died". I was both pi$$ off and confused:" WTF ? Wasn't I supposed to fighting enemies to prevent them from diffusing the C4 I'd planted at the dish?"

And after many times of dying and failing the mission, I realized that I had to rush to the chopper (which I hadn't noticed before as I'd been too busy to fend off waves of enemies) and got into it when it appeared during the firefight with enemies. So we failed the mission for different reasons: you shot the wrong target  ;D and I failed for failing to getting to the chopper when it came.

[Art Blade]

Hehe :) I just talked to Binnatics who remembered the mission and admitted he also had difficulties with it.

I failed both for missing the chopper the first time (I thought I had shot it down while it actually landed and waited for me and at the time I didn't realise it was waiting for me because, like you, I was too busy fighting and had the same thought, "fend off enemies." The second time I actually shot the pilot who, as we now know, was Sam himself.  :D

Before reading your reply I had checked YT for a vid with that Paint It Black mission and saw the guy run towards and hop into the chopper.. :D

Knowing that, it was easy. I waited at the dish for enemies and killed them as they spawned and once the chopper came I even heard Sam go (paraphrasing) "Get in, hurry up."

What a stupid mission.

If he's got the means to fly in with a chopper.. I'd have asked him to bring me and drop some c4 and shoot the stuff with an RPG from aboard the chopper. What a mess.. what a stupid commander he is. I'd never have sent a SpecOp into a bunker loaded to the brim with guys armed to their teeth just to get to a satellite dish that could easily be approached from the outside without having to march through a garrison like a one-man army >:((

[durian]

Agreed, it doesn't make sense.

It's not necessary and too risky to infiltrate to the camp. Just 1 or 2 shot of RPG from chopper would be enough to destroy the dish.

[Art Blade]

By the way, I'll choose the Citria end now that I did some research and found out that there will be a free roam after that last mission, too. I didn't want to lose 110+ hours by going the Citria way just to find out I made the wrong choice.

By the way, durian, have a +1 kudos. I really like your posts so far :)  :-X

[durian]

Thanks Art.  :)

I think you should get an achievement for shooting Sam as it's not easy to do that during the heat of a chaotic firefight  :-()

Insipired by your experience, I'd like to tell Sam:
"Did I ever tell you the definition of insanity ? The definition of insanity is infiltrating a compound instead of shooting the dish from a chopper"

[Art Blade]

Hehe, you sound too rational to be taken seriously by Sam :-D Actually, all the people we (Jason) have to deal with keep talking to us telling us what to do while we.. almost never talk. Except for a few words. They don't care about our thoughts and words, anyway.. that's why we use guns 

[PZ]

I remember the first mission where you see a chopper as part of it - I think it was the save the warrior mission.  I was in a hurry, so rather than sneak around, I ran through a pass straight to the chopper and climbed aboard - I'd killed almost none of the pirates in the completion of this segment.  Sounds like the one you guys are describing is quite similar.

I might like replaying at least some of these main story missions, simply to approach from a different angle.

[fragger]

I had the pretty much the same experiences as you guys had with that mission - not realising that the chopper was on my side, and not realising that I was supposed to get into it when it arrived. I don't think the game tells you about that, or if it does you're too busy fending off a horde of bad guys to notice the message. I remember thinking, "Come on Sam, Come on! Where the bloody hell are you?" while the chopper was just sitting there the whole time waiting for me to get in...

Yeah, kind of an illogical mission, that one.

[PZ]

That's exactly the problem with many of the main story missions - you go into it not knowing the destination - you have to stumble upon it by repetition, "insanity" style.  You see what appears to be an open world design, but in reality it is very simple.  In this instance, it is to get into the chopper, regardless of how you do it (I guess that is what they rationalize as "open world").  However, because a timer starts if you are noticed, all bets are off - fight your way through or take the side route to the chopper.

As an aside, at the chopper is a heavy, and all you need do is lead him around one side of the chopper while you make your way to the other side and jump aboard - evidently once you are in the chopper it does not matter if there are 20 pirates firing at you - the chopper is the destination and once you have arrived, you are invincible.

[fragger]

By the way, durian, have a +1 kudos. I really like your posts so far :)  :-X

Ditto - here's one from me too, durian. You've fitted in so well here, posted cool stuff and made such good contributions, I can't believe you haven't been kudo'd yet :-D

[PZ]

Indeed; I'm embarrassed that I'd not given you the thumbs up before now!

[Art Blade]

OK, did the Citra ending. FINALLY, open world, here I come, no more story missions!  :)

I got the open world, I see my bare hands and underarms, edit: tattoos are still there /edit, no merc uniform. Hoyt's mercs attack me as soon as they see me. Going to be quite a challenge there on the southern island now since I only liberated one outpost  ??? :-D

A note on fragger's second spoiler:

Spoiler

The terminal building is the last building to the right if you look at the pic, it is not exactly facing that plane. there are I think three or four buildings and I had to check all of them to find the "correct" terminal. The entrance is on the ground level, no stairs or ladder needed and, however, would indeed be facing the plane if it were right in front of the terminal. So if you enter the area, spot the plane, think of the pic, and walk to the last building. You'll hear the little brother call out, "I'm in here!" as soon as you're close enough. The next pic is from inside the terminal, check the mini map :)

Another rant: What is wrong in these pics? Solution/rant: see "spoiler" below
[smg id=5008 type=link align=center width=500 caption="2012 12 15 00056"]
[smg id=5009 type=link align=center width=500 caption="2012 12 15 00057"]

Spoiler

No weapon in my hand(s). Why? Because I am on fire. See the "hold Q to put out the fire" message? Why am I not putting it out? Because I can't. I had 8 health bars when I caught alight and I was neither able to whip out a weapon, not even using the weapon wheel rather than tapping a weapon key, nor was I able to get the FUCKING game to put out the flames. In the end, I died burning and had to reload.  >:(( :D That "Q-thingy" kept happening every once in a while throughout the game and I know Binnatics has experienced it, too.

As to the endgame, after the last mission: Actually it doesn't change a thing whether or not you finish the game regarding playability. Keep in mind though that before you go into the last mission sequence (Poker Night, point of no return) that you're wearing a disguise that allows you to move freely among Hoyt's mercs except for restricted areas. After the endgame you'll be "the enemy" and be attacked right away by Hoyt's people.

[Art Blade]

One good news and an important tip:

Before you get to the last mission, you're still on #34/39, make a manual save (to make sure, hit ESC, menu > save).

I just checked, it is still there after finishing the game. I reloaded it and am now wearing my Hoyt uniform again. I will leave the endgame alone for some time now, I like to be able to drive and walk around the southern island without having to fight every merc there is  :) Plus, I can now choose the other option for the endgame :)

[Art Blade]

Trying the "after endgame" autosave now, see what happens in the northern islands..

[Art Blade]

Ah sod it, I think I'll continue with the after-endgame. There are still Amanaki warriors on the northern islands (someone else said there weren't) and I just got into a fight with pirates on the beach, so they'll be there, too. Let's keep the South for some real challenge  >:D :-X Amanaki Town is still there, with friendlies as usual..

What is most important to me: No more reminders along the line of "Do the mission you're currently doing" every two minutes  :-D

[fragger]

There are still Amanaki warriors on the northern islands (someone else said there weren't) and I just got into a fight with pirates on the beach, so they'll be there, too.

That was me :-() Did you leave any outposts unliberated on the north island? I didn't, and all I saw were civvies there after the story was over. Admittedly, I didn't check out the whole island...

[Art Blade]

 :)

The entire North is liberated yet still there are both pirates and Amanaki warriors. I was lucky to see both when I first hit the northern shore of the northern map after story complete status and to make sure everything else was OK, I checked Amanaki Town, too.

I have just checked if one location I had in mind still had pirates spawning there (we had the story mission there that made us check the "prison" where they held Jason's girlfriend hostage, in that cave/subterranean maze). I found it and there are still truckloads of pirates  >:D

You find it to the South of Dr. Earnhardt's mansion, north of the radio tower is a bay/lagoon. You can get there by using the fast travel location called Orphan Point to the East of the radio tower where you can jump on a jetski and go in as you see fit.  :-() :-X

[PZ]

I got the open world, I see my bare hands and underarms, edit: tattoos are still there /edit, no merc uniform. Hoyt's mercs attack me as soon as they see me. Going to be quite a challenge there on the southern island now since I only liberated one outpost  ??? :-D

Spoiler

No weapon in my hand(s). Why? Because I am on fire. See the "hold Q to put out the fire" message? Why am I not putting it out? Because I can't. I had 8 health bars when I caught alight and I was neither able to whip out a weapon, not even using the weapon wheel rather than tapping a weapon key, nor was I able to get the FUCKING game to put out the flames. In the end, I died burning and had to reload.  >:(( :D That "Q-thingy" kept happening every once in a while throughout the game and I know Binnatics has experienced it, too.

As to the endgame, after the last mission: Actually it doesn't change a thing whether or not you finish the game regarding playability. Keep in mind though that before you go into the last mission sequence (Poker Night, point of no return) that you're wearing a disguise that allows you to move freely among Hoyt's mercs except for restricted areas. After the endgame you'll be "the enemy" and be attacked right away by Hoyt's people.

Sounds like it is a disadvantage to do the end mission.  I wonder if there is a merc uniform that can be found somewhere - but I suppose that would ascribe too much intelligence to the developers.

Spoiler

I've had the problem you had on the console as well - holding the triangle button had no effect on putting out the fire or in raising health.   It was almost as if the game was stuck.  I realized that I needed to let the button go, then hold it again for it to w@&k properly.  The same goes for the wing suit - does not deploy as quickly as it should on the console under certain circumstances.  I guess that is simply what we must endure due to programming errors.

[durian]

Thanks fragger and PZ for the kudos.

One good news and an important tip:

Before you get to the last mission, you're still on #34/39, make a manual save (to make sure, hit ESC, menu > save).

I just checked, it is still there after finishing the game. I reloaded it and am now wearing my Hoyt uniform again. I will leave the endgame alone for some time now, I like to be able to drive and walk around the southern island without having to fight every merc there is  :) Plus, I can now choose the other option for the endgame :)

Before I did the Pain in Black mission (#33) I manual saved so that I have 2 save games: auto save to continue after end game and manual save to replay the last story missions.

In the last 3 days, I'd continued after end game but like you said, it's annoying that you get attacked by Hoyt's privateers so today I loaded the manual save to free roam withou being harassed by the privateers.

[fragger]

Second time around and I've done a few of the main missions. They aren't so bad this time, although I still don't care much for them or for some of the lengthy cut scenes that you have to sit through at times. I actually breezed through the mission where you and Liza have to escape the burning hotel and do the drive to safety, but it would have been nice if I could have skipped through that lengthy diatribe from Vaas that he delivered at the start of it, as cool a performance as that was.

Some main missions have to be done in order to unlock some of the skills and stuff that I like, so I have to persevere with them. I like that one at Pirate's Cove actually, I think that's one of the exceptions.

Those Lara Croft-type missions will come up soon for that lowlife Buck, not looking forward to them very much. At least Buck is voiced by a real Australian and not by someone doing an atrocious parody of an Aussie accent, so that's one less thing to grate on me :-()

I'm only leaving four outposts liberated at strategic locations around the north island to facilitate fast travel, and that's it. There will also be a couple of other FT points at Badtown and Citra's Temple that will appear during the course of the game, so in conjunction with the outposts I've done I should have an efficient little FT network in place when I get to that stage of the game.

Everything I'm doing this time around is essentially geared towards establishing a good starting position for the post-game free roam :-X