Operation Flashpoint 2 : Dragon Rising
The island of Skira has been a disputed territory since the end of World War II. Officially, it falls under the sovereignty of the Russian Federation, but a U.S. and Japanese presence has been there following the discovery of extremely rich and viable oil fields.
On September 23rd at 0800 hours, under the guise of ensuring his people's prosperity, General Zheng ordered an airborne division of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) to execute a lightning invasion, claiming Skira Island for the People's Republic.
As you are aware, the Russian Federation has requested U.S. military support. In response, the USS Iwo Jima has been deployed. You and your fellow Marines should expect to engage scattered but heavily entrenched PLA positions. Our success on Skira could avert total war on the mainland.
Skira Island is located in the Pacific Ocean north of Japan. Its topography is varied, including valleys, mountains, coasts and towns. You will need to rely on both your urban and field warfare training.
Unlike your training, any structures you destroy will remain that way, so you will not be able to seek cover there later on. Also, this may be your first taste of a truly open battlefield. You are only pinned in by the sky and the sea, and with vehicles even these can be overcome. You will be operating on your own; as such, you will have the initiative when it comes to mission objectives: how you reach those objectives is up to you.
VITAL STATISTICS
• Skira Island: 86mi2 (220km2)
• Coordinates: 51°58′2″N-177°29′31″E
• Length: 22mi (35km)
• Width: 1.5-6mi (2.4-9.7km)
• Highest point: 4,006ft (1,221m)
Skira Island is 220km2 of diverse, sometimes inhospitable terrain. In order to traverse it quickly, you will need to command a host of different vehicle types. Whether travelling by land, sea or air, you should be mindful that distinct vehicles perform to varying degrees on different terrain.
Each vehicle allows for multiple crew positions, ensuring that your squad uses each weapon system to optimum effect. Whether you have had field or simulated vehicle experience, each control scheme and interior should be familiar and easily navigable.
It is critical that you familiarize yourself not only with USMC weaponry, but its ammunition and subsequent stopping power. Every bullet type is designed to be effective against different materials, whether it's a flak jacket or tank armor.
As you will recall from basic training, a projectile's ‘drop off' rate and environmental effects must be factored when attempting a long-distance shot. During a firefight, look out for tracer fire; this is a good indicator of the enemy's position. Remember, if an enemy bullet fails to make contact, it can still ricochet off a hard surface, causing injury or fatalities. This is worth bearing in mind when looking for cover.
While serving on Skira Island you and your fireteam may sustain injury from projectiles and/or explosives.
Remember, whether it's a simple scratch or as severe as a missing limb, all injuries will result in blood loss, impairing combat effectiveness. Secondary effects can include blurred vision, lapses in consciousness, impaired movement and, eventually, death. It is crucial that during or immediately after an attack, you check every Marine's clothing for blood loss. This will alert you to an injury's location and severity. Prompt application of a field dressing can save lives.
CO-OP MODES
CAMPAIGN
Never fight alone - enlist three fellow Marines and fight through every mission to liberate Skira Island together. Battle from the beginning or unite at any stage of the campaign for extra fire support.
SINGLE MISSION
Re-deploy as a veteran on any previously completed mission. Fill out your squad with up to three brothers-in-arms and relive every combat scenario..
PLAYER Vs PLAYER
ANNIHILATION
Engage in war games with your fellow Marines: Opposing USMC and PLA squads deploy at either end of the designated battlefield with access to both extensive weaponry and vehicles, as well as full command of AI recruits. The winner is declared when one team is annihilated.
INFILTRATION
Deploy as a covert Special Forces squad or defend against them. The Special Forces squad must breach the other team's defenses, infiltrate an enemy held location and destroy the objective. The opposing team must not let that happen.
The Mission Editor bundled with the PC version of the game, is the same tool used by the actual Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising development team to create the game's campaign missions, and allows users to create their own Operation Flashpoint missions anywhere on Skira Island, and use all the military hardware that is present in the main game. Here is a brief run-down of some of the Mission Editor's key features:
Rapid Mission Creation
Missions can be crafted in seconds without any prior scripting knowledge. Simply click and place units at the locations you want, press "Play" and start playing your new mission.
Professional Tool
More advanced users will be able to add features such as particles effects and audio emitters to provide finesse to their mission, and exercise fine control of mission content by using checkpoints, trigger zones and player guidance systems to craft their mission in fine detail.
Clear, Concise GUI
A clean user interface represents all of the game content from a top-down perspective, drawn to scale and rendered in more detail as you zoom in closer. Contour lines, building floor plans, roads, lakes, military units and emplacements are all clearly and cleanly represented.
Flexible and Versatile
The lua scripting interface allows complex yet flexible mission scripts to be written which can be used to fine-tune mission content. The provision for lua libraries allows the community to create and share commonly-used functionality and extend the base script.
Live Connection to the Game
Use the Live Link functionality to tweak the positions of objects in-game whilst moving them in the mission editor, allowing you to check firing arcs and line of sight in 3D, and in real time.
Support for Single and Multiplayer Content
Create single player, co-op and multiplayer missions, then share them and play them with your friends.
Sanity Checking
The OF:DR Mission Editor contains a series of checks which display warnings your mission is liable not to work for any reason, and will tell you if you're using too much in the way of resources or network bandwidth.
