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ArmA
'Evolution 1.5a' (Coop 30), Well its the mission getting the most activity and attention on the ArmA servers, and the one they are all raving about for armed assault. So I
thought I'd give it a 'whirl' to find out what all the fuss is about.
Well first let me briefly explain what this is. Its a Multiplayer mission, with up to 30 players in co-op mode, and more for force on force. It is generally setup for 24 hours, and runs continuously for that time. So the Blue force, has got to progress through the island, completing the strategic objectives and 'taking control of the island,a town at a time. All real players start at mission base, join forces with other real players, and push on to a town or village and destroy the target, and remove any opposition. So
there I was in the home base, with lots of weapons, a runway, vehicles, tanks,
and helicopters. I reckoned it was a bit of a push on foot to PARAISO (see
map), and jumped onto an AH6 small attach chopper. But I was turned out, with a
message that I had not got the rank to drive this vehicle ! Well i got the
picture. As your rank improves, you get more power, and even become commander of
new recruits. So I headed on foot to Paraiso, and could hear the supersonic cracks
of gunfire as i approached. Then silence. I could also see various vehicles,
machine gun equipped 'HMMWV's buzzing round and heading out of town. The town had
been conquered! I was too late to help. But because of how long I was alive, my
rank improved, and I could at least get into and drive some non armored
vehicles.
I picked up a pretty battered car and headed south towards the next town, Somato. A couple of friendly vehicles passed by on the road also heading towards the next town. As I got closer to the town heard a large explosion, and screen said that the next objective had been achieved. I could see the town in the distance, and a large bellow of smoke. Then from my 6 O’clock, sound of chopper at low level. It whirred past me and banked steeply over the town making a right turn and coming back to my area. It was a KA50! Not a friendly. I ditched the car and moved on foot for cover. Couple of Armored HMMWV's had stopped now, and our soldiers were also scurrying for cover. The 'Black shark' strafed a ripple of bullets along the street, killing some of the troops, and destroying a Stryker AVC (armoured combat vehicle) on the road. There was some hand to hand combat, and after following an officer round (cause i guessed he knew what he was doing), we killed a couple of opposition troops. I poked my head round a corner, only to be greeted with the 'click, thump' of a rifle bullet.When i woke up, 10seconds later, re-spawned, with fresh clothes, and ammunition I was back a the base, north of Paraiso.
I was ready to head south again,
with a new lease of life. I was about to jump into a HMMWV, when i heard
the engines of a chopper starting up. It was located behind the building, and by the time I got there, it was already in the air, but the pilot spotted me, and put the brakes on and
landed a few feet away. It was a ride I could not refuse. So i was a
passenger on the tiny AH6 which i had been playing around with recently. He
seemed to take an easterly route towards Corazol. I could rest and enjoy the
sceenery for a bit. He put the AH6 down pretty neatly close to the beach on the
north west side of the town, and we disembarked. I followed giving cover.
Between us we took out and couple of armored jeeps, and some infantry who were
guarding passage across the Bridge. Then I followed his trail, which lead back to
the AH6 on the beach. I jumped in as passenger, and another soldier, who was
just steps behind us, jumped on the outside plank. We were off again, West.
Couple of seconds into the flight, and I heard gunfire ringing, I was suddenly
flung from the AH6, landing squarely on the ground 100 feet below, dead. I could
see the AH6 on a wild trajectory also towards the deck. Awake again back at
base, this time i made a dash back to the chopper starting up, and the two
solders I had been with where already on the helipad. I jumped in again and we flew off towards Corazol..................
The picture below is a snapshot of the area (download a very detailed map HERE) and shows the immense size of the whole thing. The picture below also shows rain belts, which move across the landscape dynamically, during game play. I jumped into one server with no one present, and it was 3am. I could see recognizable star constellations, Cassiopeia, the plough, and Cygnus. A campfire lighting the surrounding buildings gave fantastic atmosphere. When i put on the NV goggles, the image was saturated, bright, until my pupils adjusted. Same when i took it off, i could see nothing for a few seconds, until my pupils dilated again. Overall a pretty impressive first step into the Evolution mod for ArmA. And a glimpse of what’s to come, when BI release their mission editing tools, and wgl team release the ACE mod.
Roll
on September....... And keep putting the money in the jar.
Fish. |