Capture The Base - PvP Class Based mission - Alpha/Beta releases

[whisper]

Hello,

Updated March 29th, 2010
Latest version of CTB has been released.
You can find the files here.

Several missions are released :
* CTB Utes CounterAttack : The base development mission based on Utes, low scale, presenting most of the features
* CTB Krasnostav : US attacking Krasnostav area from eastern coast. Medium sized, 12-32 players. Includes choppers, armor and AAA vehicle, you'll have to use the assets at your disposal. MHQ placement may be key to winning
* CTB Airport : Latest of CTB missions, large scale, few objectives. Ideally 18-32 players. Russians are attacking Airport from south position. This is a 2 stages CTB, where attackers first need to capture the town of Vybor from their forward base in Pustoshka, before proceeding northward to the Airfield. US main base is located in Grishino north of airfield. 2 bases are located around the Airfield which will permit infantry respawn, but Facility cannot be built there. Both sides have their Safe Area far in the back, at north airfield of Krasnostav for the US, and south airfield of Balota for Russians. Do not spawn there unless you want to pilot the aircrafts available. US also have access to A10 at central airfield. Map geared toward using most of the features of the missions : MHQ, Engineer built Facilities (and their counter, Spec Ops), ground and air assets, etc...
* CTB Sbrodj : Large scale CTB over excellent island Sbrodj, quickly set-up in the central area around the Castle. Heavy usage of air transport needed.
* CTB Quesh-Kibrul - Carbon Tax : Low scale, infantry based CTB in south-western part of Quesh-Kibrul, amongst Oil Refineries buildings.

Latest development changes :
* Engineers can deploy facilities for players to take vehicles from backspawn to the facility
* Spec Ops can use their timed Satchel charge to destroy Engineer built facilities
* Map markers indicators
* Class based task system. Upon respawning, a task corresponding to your class will be created and assigned to you. Additional class-tasks will be created, as well as the general tasks of attacking/defending zones

Next targets :
* Making bases capturable by anyone, to be discussed
* Communication center deployable by engineers
* more maps
* more documentation to ease everyone making their own CTB map

What is Capture The Base?

This is a project of mine maturing since now half a year

Capture The Base is a PvP mission, mixing stuff from various origin, derived mainly from 2 game modes :
* Advance And Secure, the Joint Op adaptation on ArmA
* Ennemy Territory concepts
In essence, it is an Attack/Defense mission, with zones capture done in a Capture & Hold fashion

I) The Game

One team of attackers must seize a serie of zones defended by a team of defenders.
The goal of the attackers is to capture the last of the defender's zone.
The attackers have a time limit to acheive their goal

Zones are linked together and attackers must take them in order before reaching the defender's final zone. There may be several different path of linked zones to reach the defender's last zone


II) The Game Play

CTB has some very specific designs that differ from other ArmA2 missions. These designs were not done with realism in mind, it is not the goal of this mission. CTB is more about gameplay.

A) Classes
Coming from Ennemy Territory is the concept of classes in CTB
The unit class you chose at spawn time will give you some abilities, and prevent you from doing everything. Your class will usually dictate your actions in game.
Each class is divided in several Roles with specific abilities within the class.

The classes are :
* Soldiers
* Medic
* Engineer
* Scout
* Spec Ops
* Crewman

B) The Vehicles
Vehicles in CTB are available in limited quantity.
Each side as a set of available vehicles, in the safe area owned by each side at the back of fight zone. Vehicle can be driven from there to the front. They will respawn there if destroyed or left empty long enough

To ease the deployement, Facilities can be used. Facility may exist (or be deployed by Engineers) in friendly zone areas. From the Facility, a player can call a vehicle from the safe zone directly to the Facility, if he is of the correct class to drive the vehicle. He will be placed in the driver seat directly.
Some vehicles from the safe zone cannot be called through Facilities, usually air vehicles. The player who wants to use these vehicles should spawn at the safe zone (called "BackSpawn")

For classes without vehicle access, the main bunker in friendly zones can be used to create a car for transportation. Car creation is limited in time to avoid too much creation.


III) Mission makers area

CTB is made to ease the making of mission from a template.
The step to make a new mission from the template should ultimately be :
* place the different zones (move existing ones, and copy/paste to create new ones) on the map, and change the init field to make them initialized properly (starting ownership, linked zones, associated marker)
* place the vehicles in the Safe Zone, and change the init field for correct initialization
* change some triggers, mainly end game detection
* add or remove players spots by creating or deleting playable units
* change parameters in the common\initCTB.sqf file to setup things like spawn timers, zone capture size, classes list, roles list, vehicle permissions settings, etc...

There is still work to do to acheive this goal

IV) News and infos

A player guide can be found at PvP scene Wiki here

A technical and mission making description, as well as all source code, is located on Dev-Heaven here.

Current version and dev files can be found here :
http://dev-heaven.net/wiki/whis-maas
check the Files and Repository

Current version is Beta06, ready for public playing


Whis'
Thanks a lot to Dev-Heaven crew & members for all their help, Kju, Sickboy, Squelch, Xeno, W0rldeater, Loki, and I forget some
Thanks to TAW clan - The Art of Warfare for all test sessions done, suggestions and bug report done so far, this has been invaluable help