Campaign feedback

[baltic_dragon]

As for the radio comms - it is realistic and still more audible than lots of real life comms you can hear in many of the vids. The system I use makes it entirely up to you to use the subtitles or turn them off, though I agree that most of the times it wouldn't be advised.

 

There is only one way I can think of to get around the need to repeat the messages - but that would require at least 3 additional triggers for each message, which is just not worth it (it is an awful lot of time!). That is why in the readme I advise to use an active pause if need be.

 

Still, this is very valuable feedback, I might think about adding the main points (crucial for the mission) as a normal message accessible via F10 menu (so that if in loss, you could just revise the goals etc). Thanks for that.

 

As for the AI - as Gliptal says ( :) ) - Razbam went really far to try to make it more bearable, but beyond that it is up to ED. And I think considering how much time you spend as a wingman in this campaign (something for which AI is completely not prepared in DCS currently) I feel we got a pretty good result! And trust me, I spent hours upon hours just fine tuning the way AI flies...

 

For future projects I will probably limit the AI involvement, This may result with less ambitious projects, but will be more difficult to break by bugs or AI stupidity.

[spiddx]

Yay finally completed today after the campaign was out of action for a month because of DCS problems (all seems good now). As I said earlier this one is on par with the best paid DLC campaigns out there and above and beyond some of the others.

 

Thanks to Razbam for investing in a great SP experience, it makes your module even more valuable. And thx to baltic_dragon for the fun time I had. I'll be getting anything that comes from you in the future (already picked up Enemy Within a few days ago although I suck at the A-10 :)).

 

Loved it! :thumbup:

[Redglyph]

I've just completed the campaign, and it was a blast! It's really a higher standard than current campaigns provided with other aircraft, some of which being already good to start with. So thanks a lot to Baltic Dragon for creating this, and to Razbam for including it with this fantastic aircraft!

 

The immersion is very good, the interaction between the different groups is well managed and participates to this immersion. Even if that's sometimes difficult with the current AI there wasn't serious issues, nice.

 

The documentation in the briefings and kneeboard pages is also very well done, it's concise, easy to go through during the mission, the story gives an interesting background. There are some inconsistencies but very minor (for instance METAR vs briefing winds / atm. pressure, or some INS coordinates, radial intercept, nothing really problematic). Overall it's very comprehensive.

 

Another neat quality is the progression of the difficulty, it's quite even and that's one of those campaigns that makes you learn the aircraft a little further, bit by bit (if you don't already know it in details from the beginning of course). Or your limitations, I discovered that I'm really bad at defeating Fulcrums and at using INS bombing ;)

 

There might be some difficulties for someone who's using the training and the campaign to learn the Mirage, especially because the documentation is not complete and features have changed after some missions were created, but that's probably part of the learning experience so I don't see that as a real problem. I think a sane approach is to review features required by a mission, when it's not fresh anymore or if it's not entirely clear yet. That's what I did before a few missions and I haven't regretted it.

[AMEDooley]

Great campaign so far, I've only done mission 1&2. But I did notice something on mission one. It's very minor. Tower says to taxi golf Charlie bravo hold short at alpha, but the IP stays on golf the whole time. Out side of that it's been awesome. I would like to see all the ATC calls on the F10 menu. I thought that was a nice touch!

[Dave317]

Awesome work Mr Dragon! My only criticism is you haven't made any more campaigns for me to buy yet (already finished your A10 campaign). Looking forward to the next one.

[harm_]

Well, I've just finished it and I really enjoyed it.

 

It has a good storyline, a good gradual difficulty increase and a credible air environment.

It is not a difficult campaign, but it is very good to understand the combat potential of the Mirage and its weak points.

 

Excelent job baltic, looking forward to the eagle's and hog campaings. day one buyer.

 

:pilotfly:

[IonicRipper]

Just finished the campaign and I had a great time! Definitely one of the best campaigns I played in DCS. The story was very good, the characters were interesting and the voice acting was perfect. Other then a small bug on mission 9 where some flights wouldn't leave their parking spaces everything else happened without a hitch. Damn fine job Baltic Dragon!

[baltic_dragon]

Thanks for youe feedback, it means a lot! Comments like this are really important :)

 

And IonicRipper, if you liked the characters many of them will reappear in the Red Flag-type campaign for M-2000C I am slowly beginning to work on (will pick up speed once we finish the F-15C "The Georgian War", which should happen fairly soon).

[Grimes]

Just finished it tonight and I gotta say that I really enjoyed it. I generally don't play non-helicopter campaigns, but I decided to play this one due to the apparent format of it and a few different training missions suggesting that the campaign will also cover a given subject. The campaign was short and sweet so I gave it a shot.

 

Stuff I loved:

-Mixture of training campaign and actual campaign. I hadn't really dived into the M2000 until a week or 2 ago. So this campaign perfectly fitted the learning process.

-Use of radio transmission for AI audio instead of outSound. Though there were frustrating moments in coming to grips for how the radios in the M2000 work, which didn't help that I had easy radio on for the first few missions and later turned it off.

-AI flight lead for most of the missions. I took every opportunity to do some formation flying. Plus I don't have to manage or think about an AI wingman.

 

Stuff I liked:

- The dialog

- Mission variety

- Short and sweet

- Bonus points for taxiing to a specific parking spot

- Contrails, contrails everywhere. Made it fairly easy to spot pretty much anything in the daylight hours.

- Mission briefings and kneeboards. I didn't actually need to set the IFF frequency, but I liked that it was there. Downtime waiting for INS alignment also contributed to me deciding to set it.

 

Stuff that I'm neutral toward:

- Mission length. Generally speaking the missions were of a pretty good length, but a few seemed somewhat short and almost anti-climactic. The one that was most noticeable was the escort awacs mission. The briefing made it look like it could be a long mission but right as you reach the awacs the triggers kick in and you start to do your thing. Once you deal with the threat its basically "good job, now hit up the tanker and RTB". I think I spent more time flying from the base to the awacs and back than I did on the rest of the mission.

- Loads of night/low light missions. Ended up binding one of the light switches to my stick because I got tired of looking for it in a dark pit. It was also a little frustrating for maintaining visual contact I was supposed to be near.

- Last mission was pretty much the only instance of "oh crap, I don't know how to do that". What I mean is that everything else in the campaign does a pretty good job of teaching you something and then following up on it by using it in a mission. Upon reading the briefing for that mission I decided to load up the related training mission for it and a youtube video just to make sure I was doing it right.

- A2A mission difficulty was odd. My only combat loss was to an L-39. All of the other aircraft I went up against it seemed to be a pretty one-sided affair. Much more threatening aircraft didn't even fire missiles at me.

 

Like I said, I really enjoyed it. It certainly gave me a good idea of how to fly and fight in the M2000. It also illustrated nicely to its limitations, specifically in A2G and total A2A weaponry. :)

[baltic_dragon]

Thanks Grimes, very valuable feedback for the next campaigns.

 

As for the last point (A2A difficulty) I have to say this is the part where I struggled most (and probably could have done better) - coming from pure A-10C background and having no knowledge whatsoever about A2A combat when I started working on the campaign :) now with this one out and F-15C one almost finished I can say that the next ones (M-2000C Nevada is first in line) will be more challenging.

[VapoR]

Checking in as ordered!

 

Finally finished the campaign and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I really feel like I know my way around the 2000 pretty well now, enough to call it home. I'm like you baltic dragon in that I'm new to a2a (mostly Su-25 but some A-10 as well) so the gradual increase in difficulty was very welcome. I feel like I can now venture into the scary world of mp to stretch my legs (wings?) even further.

 

I'm very impressed at what you were able to coax out of the mission editor and particularly the AI. Some of the stuff at the end of mission 13 especially!

 

S!

[sonic]

I just finished the campaign too.I really enjoyed it : very nice mission editing and great storytelling.

 

In mission 13 i think there is a missunderstanding regarding laser code. The one used by the pointer is the default used by the mirage. Don't do like i did the 1st time, setting laser code 1668 while the engine is off, because it is stated 1668 in the docs and briefing :)

 

Thanks for your fantastic work, the campaign adds a lot to the module!

 

Cheers

[Pheonix0869]

Also Checking in!

 

Wow! Fantastic Job! I too ran into some taxi issues in Mission 9, however after checking the forums, I loaded a arbitrary mission, quit, and then loaded the campaign and the problem was fixed. Besides this (very minor) bug, the missions worked flawlessly.

 

Sometimes things happened in quick procession and the coms were alive with pertinent information that I did not always catch in time. Which is ok, this is how things happen, and if anything it taught me to pay more attention and/or improvise based on educated guess work!

 

I found I typically read the briefing before the mission and then the frag order as the INS aligned. This allowed for very little downtime, that can negatively effect my limited attention span.

 

I very much enjoyed that the radios had to be used appropriately, as well as the Bingo and IFF being briefed! This adds a level of immersion that pulls one into the conflict. It also prepares novice players for servers that utilize Simple Radio Standalone. ... I mean the IFF not so much, but still very cool.

 

I really appreciated the briefings being in the knee-board. For us VR pilots it is an invaluable resource that can be very quickly accessed!

 

[spoiler Alert] I must unfortunately disclose that I have never completed a campaign before. I just honestly loose interest and most stories are... "eh". The narrative of this campaign is what kept me coming back, and I knocked out the whole thing in a week (last week of winter break, and all). I really applaud a character development of this quality in a flight sim! I find myself wondering... no. Hoping, that Col. Raunier is alive, and meets up with his two American tadpoles in Nevada! It should also be noted that I've tried very hard in the past to AAR with the M2K, to no avail. When Raunier was watching I got it on the second approach and have been consistently getting better ever since. I really felt like I was going to let this guy down. (That would be a cool fail state... "I thought I saw promise in you..." [Raunier])

 

Anyway, in closing I thought this was brilliantly constructed and full of the human aspect of military aviation! I'm glad to have read that you will be focusing on better A/A engagements moving forwards, but what makes these missions good is FEELING like a pilot by utilizing every system of the aircraft, and not so much the action! Looking forward to your other work!

[baltic_dragon]

Thank you gentlemen for the kind words!

 

I am coming from pen & paper RPG background and story has always been no 1 priority for me (together with all that comes with it, like consistent characters), so rest assured that I will continue to focus on that (and good, fun action as well).

 

I am working on scripts for Nevada DLC for M-2000C and soon will be making a separate post about it. Thanks once again!

[coldViPer]

Completed the campaign and must say I really enjoyed it, thanks baltic dragon! I'm a poor writer so I agree all said here lol

[baltic_dragon]

That's already a lot said for a Finn :thumbup: thanks a lot!

[Giantearlessgnome]

Having now completed the campaign i can say it was excellent.

 

I usually pound the ground or fly helos - as a result i found the campaign to be be the perfect introduction to air to air combat/radars etc. It wasnt too easy (and therefore boring) and wasnt too hard that i felt i could never complete it and then just give up.

 

I get why some feel it may be too easy but for me it was perfect.

 

The story was convincing and i fully believed the events would unfold as it did.

 

The voice acting was top notch (although my compatriat on the exchange programme with me annoyed me a little bit at times).

 

Lastly (and this for me is crucial with DCS) your support, campaign updates and bug squashing was excellent. You were quick to respond and keen to solve the issue/perfect your campaign. Well done.

 

I will be purchasing your Nevada M2000c and A10c campaigns when they are available!!!

 

 

 

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

[kashmir]

Just completed the campaign this afternoon. Also being very new to A-A, I thought this was a good pace, but a tad on the easy side. I know you said you were working with others to improve the balance with that for the future.

 

I REALLY like this format of OJT-like structure. It helps me retain information when I actually have to use it in practice. I wish there was a campaign like this for other modules to really get me in the weeds of the A/C. Will the A-10C campaign be similar?

 

I enjoyed the the thorough briefing material, especially the plates on the kneeboard.

 

I agree with others that some of the missions seemed to end too quickly once the action started. On the other hand, the 8+ minute start-up time and limited payload plays into that as well, I'm sure.

 

I simply cannot wait until the M2K (didn't know about that one until the above post) & A10C Nevada Campaigns are available. I will be buying day one for sure!

[reyco1987]

I'm happy to basically just echo what everyone has said so far:

 

Really enjoyed the campaign as a whole. I am also new to the whole BVR thing so this was great for me to gain a little experience and confidence.

 

The story was very well thought out, and progressing through the training into actual combat was a great touch. The build up definitely got me excited/anxious.

 

 

The drastic change of the plan, mid mission, during my first CAP was definitely a highlight for me. Had to revert back to my A-10C mindset!:thumbup:

 

 

Another, less spoiler-y highlight for me, was how well you constructed the operations as a whole. I loved how I was just basically one cog in a more complex machine. I enjoyed the hell out of that.

 

Really the only weird moments I had was on mission 09 with the AI not taxiing, (which wasn't a big deal, and I saw that it was reported and resolved) and on the second to last mission I kind of got stuck in a voice over trigger limbo:

 

 

Long story short, I was confused about whether to try and save the French (sorry can't remember name) pilot. The voice overs were contradicting themselves. No biggie for me, though.

 

 

My hat's off to you, sir. Great work and I look forward to those next campaigns you teased there at the end... :thumbup:

 

Until then, I need to go back and finish The Enemy Within! :pilotfly:

[fredouf69]

i just finish the campaign, it's just excellent and captivating.

the radio communication are very realist.

thanks for your excellent job.

just 2 missions 7 and 8 issues, i have change the leader cold start by hot start because the leader d'ont start the mission from the Airport.

i'm looking forward to see the next campaign Dragon

thank you.

[iborg]

First DCS campaign I finish : I wish it were longer, which means I enjoyed it a lot !

I like how it features the Mirage's capabilities all around, the well crafted atmosphere and the gradual difficulty.

Red Flag will be an insta-buy for me !

[baltic_dragon]

Thank you very much guys! Seriously getting ready for the Red Flag, doing a lot of background reading, watching videos, getting list of voice actors and mission ideas... :)

[BarTzi]

Are the IFF codes in the mission briefings relevant? (I mean, It doesn't seem to matter which code I use)

[Gliptal]

Are the IFF codes in the mission briefings relevant? (I mean, It doesn't seem to matter which code I use)

No, they're there simply as flair.

[gemballa974]

I just finished the campaign.

 

I'm not a very good pilot and I don't enjoy multiplayer, I prefer campaigns for the die-retry aspect. This campaign is very good to begin with the M2000C.

 

 

I liked when during missions the goals were changed in order to engage a threat. That was a good way to do the transition between training and real action.

 

 

The 2 last missions was very good.

 

I regret that there was not another mission with GBU12.

 

 

I just bought the Nevada map for the next Red-flag campaign, can't wait to play it :thumbup:.