Welcome to

-----------------------------------------------------
   F L A S H P O I N T :   A R M A 2
-----------------------------------------------------

ARMA2 single player instant action dynamic missions

by thomsonb


-----------------------------------------------------
Requirements:
-----------------------------------------------------

ARMA2 + OPERATION ARROWHEAD   (Also known as ARMA2 Combined Operations)

Note: ChernarusA2 and UtesA2 versions only Require ARMA2


NO MODS are required for the default BIS Maps:

	Chernarus, Utes, Takistan, Zargabad, Shapur.


Other Maps can be downloaded from:

	Aliabad  -  http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?129096-Hazar-Kot-Valley-Release-Thread
	Hazar-Kot  -  http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?133996-Aliabad-Region-RELEASED!
	Podagorsk  -  http://www.fdfmod.org/downloads
	Lingor  -  http://www.icebreakr.info/lingor/
	Fallujah  -  http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=12315
	Sahrani  -  http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=7006


-----------------------------------------------------
Instalation Instructions:
-----------------------------------------------------

Copy the mission .pbo file(s) into your  \ArmA2\Missions  directory.

(this is where you installed the game, Not your user missions directory).



-----------------------------------------------------
Play instructions:
-----------------------------------------------------

Select Single Player, then Select Scenarios, then select the mission.


For newcomers to this mission I recommend clicking the "Everything Random" button.  This will start the mission with default settings.

If you want a different random location, time of day or different player, or anything,  just restart the mission and see what you get!  It's completely different and unique every time you play.


If you want to choose exactly how to set up the game, click the "Let me set it up" button, and choose the battle you want.



-----------------------------------------------------
Overview:
-----------------------------------------------------

I designed these missions to be an "Instant Action" mode for ArmA2, many other games have a mode like this, but it has always been missing from BIS games.
If you like the mission or have any questions or ideas, please send me a message on the BI forums (username thomsonb).
Many thanks to Zipper5 who allowed me to adapt his "Apply Field Dressing" script from his excellent campaign "Operation Cobalt".



-----------------------------------------------------
Mission Details:
-----------------------------------------------------

The mission is based on freindly and enemy infantry groups.
As the mission runs, new infantry groups are spawned if:

1) The group is killed.
2) The group is too far from the player.

This means that wherever you go, and however the battle progresses, the friendly and enemy group counts will always stay the same.


Support groups can spawn with an infantry group:

- Sniper teams  - Light vehicles  - Armoured vehicles  - Helicopters  - Aeroplanes

These supports are only spawned when a new infanrty group spawns.
These supports are spawned with a probability value for each type (e.g. Aeroplanes are normally less common than light vehicles).



-----------------------------------------------------
Game setup otions:
-----------------------------------------------------

When you load the mission the first thing you see is the Setup Screen, you have 3 options:



-----------------------------------------------------
1) "Everything Random"

This random mode is the quickest way to start the game.
The following settings are randomized:
- Time of day.
- Weather; cloud, fog, and forecast.
- Players character.
- The factions in the battle.
- The players start position.
- The players equipment (Binoculars, map and compass).
All other game settings, such as the spawn distances and group numbers, are set to carefully chosen defaults.

-----------------------------------------------------
2) "Let me set it up"

Choosing this mode will display 5 setup pages.

- "Choose Factions" Here you can toggle on and off each of the 5 factions, US Marines, CDF and NAPA on the BLUFOR side, Russia and Chadaki on the OPFOR side.
You must of course select at least one faction on each side, if you do not, the continue button will not be available.

- "Choose Player" Here you can scroll a list of player types, or alternatively select a random player.

- "Time and Weather" Here you can select the start time, and the weather conditions, or stick with random settings.

- "Groups" This page selects how many infantry groups are spawned on each side of the battle, and how close they are spawned to the player.
It depends on your PC power how many groups you can select without reducing the game framerate and payability.
Groups on both sides are affected by the same spawn range settings.
There are 2 spawn range values, Min and Max.
Defaults are 400m and 800m, meaning that all groups will spawn somehwere between 400m and 800m from the players current location.
If you want to be in a less intense battle, you can increase these 2 values.
The Max value must of course be grater than the Min value, or the continue button is not available.

- "Support" There are 5 types of support group that can spawn with each infantry group.
Sniper teams, Light vehicles, Armoured vehicles, Helicopters and Aeroplanes.
Changing the percentages on this page sets the probability that each of these support groups will spawn when a new infantry group spawns.
Use these setings if you want to have no tanks, or more vehicles, or no aircraft etc, or just more of everything of course!

-----------------------------------------------------
3) "Preset Modes"

Presets are like shortcuts to set up the mission in a specific way.

Select a preset from the list, then click "Go with preset".

If you have ideas for other Preset mode, please send me a messgage on the BIS forums.



-----------------------------------------------------
Hint:
-----------------------------------------------------
To skip the intro movie, click the "How would you like to set it up" text on the initial setup screen before clicking another button ;)



-----------------------------------------------------
Changelog:
-----------------------------------------------------



v1.23

- Added: ACR Czech faction (Chernarus, Utes, Podagorsk, Lingor, Sahrani).

- Added: New ACR Weapons added to Czech faction.

- Tweaked: All factions infantry groups checked and tweaked for balance and realism, e.g. Special Forces are a bit rarer now. 

- Changed: Vehicle "ammo cargo" system, better setup for each faction.

- Added: British Army AA soldier with Stinger (woodland) (also added to player list).

- Added: British Army Medic to player list (woodland).

- Added: "Infantry Only" Preset mode.

- Changed: Car Town markers index starts at 1 (easier to port to new map).

- Changed:  Layout of factions.sqf files more readable (easier to edit / make new factions).


v1.22
- Changed: Preset Modes system now allows any number of Preset modes. (much easier to add new Preset Modes now)
New Preset Modes:
- Low intensity and high intensity presets, change the intensity of the battle (low can also help users with slower CPU).
- Presets with set time of day and weather, foggy morning and stormy evening.
- Low and high support group presets, for users who like less or more vehicles, aircraft etc (again, low can also help users with slower CPU).
- Changed: Factions system now allows any number of factions per side. (much easier to add more factions now).
- Changed: Factions setup Dialog, now has a Random option.
- Added: Ambient Civilians (still beta version)
- Added: The ambient civilians are available in the respawn system (if you want to play as a civilian).
- Fixed: Performance improved, less CPU used by scripts.
- Added: Debug info can be turned on in Setup.  Displays markers on map for player and all units, and shows unit count stats as the mission runs.
- Changed: All map specific settings are stored in a single file named after the map, auto detected by init.sqf. (much easier to port new versions now)
- Changed: Many Functions are combined in functionsInit.sqf reducing the mission filesize slightly.
- Added: Units now sometimes have smoke grenades (if they have space left after being equipped).
- Added: Gcam option now available in Commands list (only ArmA2 Combined Operations versions).
- Changed: Aircraft AI improved again. Higher speeds, and less circling the area than before (still some BIS AI limitations).
- Added: "Old Tractor" in parked cars module. I never new it existed before, thank you SixConfigBrowser!
- Changed: Vehicles now stick to roads a bit more when possible.
- Changed: Parked cars spawned more or less depending on size of town.
- Changed: Infantry groups no longer stop and guard at their start position. 
- Fixed: Script error in waypoint system when near water (mainly noticed in Utes).
(The following only apply to the desert themed maps, Takistan Zargabad etc).
- Added: Army of the Czech republic DLC units added to Czech faction.  New Vehicles and Aircraft (weapons may come later)
- Changed: Taliban Weapons Caches now shown on map with red X.
- Fixed: RPK light machinegun was missing from Takistani and Taliban forces.
- Added: Choose to play as a civilian man or woman, or a press reporter.
- Fixed: Too many snipers in US SFOD-D Silenced teams.

v1.21
- Added:  GCam spectator camera by Gigan.  Available in action menu after you are killed and come back as rabbit.  Press the L key to show the GCam controls, and press Spacebar to exit GCam.
- Performance Fixes, many tweaks to improve framerates:
* Lots of scripts are now precompiled and use the spawn feature.
* Reduced slightly the number of dead bodies before removal.
* Tweaked the default settings for slightly fewer groups.
- Changed: Infantry Group Behavior:
*50% of groups stay at their spawn position and Guard or Patrol.
*50% of groups Move to a near town, then Guard or Patrol.
- Changed: "Apply Field Dressing" action, text in the centre of screen removed (it was annoying when in combat).
- Fixed: At mission start units will not spawn closer than 200M.
v1.20.1
Fiexed: Bug in weather script, manually chosen weather was being ignored.
v1.20 
- Changed: New Infantry Group Behavior.  Infantry Groups now move towards nearby towns (only towns in range of player).  They randomly have GUARD, HOLD, or PATROL behavior when at destination.  When moving they prefer valleys and low terrain, when possible. 
- Added: Taliban Weapons Caches.  Randomly spawned, mainly in walled compounds.  Contain Taliban weapons, ammo, IEDs and sometimes equipment like binoculars, maps, compasses etc. 
- Changed: When adding units to your group, the units now stop and wait at their current position instead of strange behaviors    (thanks to Orcinus for reporting bug). 
- Changed: US Army faction, reduced the probability of Spawning Delta Force teams vs. regular US Army teams (they were too common before. Thanks to Sektor for reporting bug). 
- Fixed: Dynamic Weather.  The Clouds were not changing correctly (fog was overriding clouds).  Now the forecast will be accurate, and the change happens over 1 hour. 
- Fixed: Spawn positions script error.  When player is traveling fast, the infantry groups now properly spawn ahead of the player. 


please report any bugs, however minor, thanks!

B

-----------------------------------------------------