Operation Flashpoint – Resistance

Operation Flashpoint - Resistance

Weapons Guide and Walkthrough  -
____________________________________

By: UnSub (evilasahobby@graffiti.net)
Version: 1.0
Date: 24 September 2002

Copyright Notice: I write this guide so that OpF:R players who need some
help
can get it. As such, I don't mind it being freely distributed in an
unaltered
form. What would bother me is charging a direct financial cost for the
acquistion of this guide and / or altering this document in any form without
prior permission. If you want to put it up at your site feel free. Just
don't
charge money to get at it or alter it. If you really want to alter it, ask
first.

Contents
--------
Introduction
Weapons Guide
 - Rifles
 - Handguns
 - Things that Go "Boom"
Walkthrough
 - General Notes
 - Invasion
 - Crossroad
 - Contact
 - No Turning Back
 - Ammo Low
 - Scrap
 - Field Exercise
 - First Strike
 - Hostages
 - Information
 - Occupation (1)
 - Occupation (2)
 - Counterattack
 - Contraband
 - Reckoning
 - Fireworks
 - The Pass
 - Hunting
 - Trap
 - Fire Fight
 - The Endings
Bugs
Thanks



INTRODUCTION
____________

Having really got into Operation Flashpoint (OpF) I rushed out and bought
Resistance as soon as was possible. Resistance serves as a large update on
the
original engine (now V 1.75) along with a prequel campaign. Although not
perfect, the Resistance campaign does add a lot to the OpF world and was
worth
buying. The campaign is 20 missions long, but due to branching paths you
will
only ever play 18 in one campaign.

I won't be going into huge depth on all the changes that Resistance brings,
or
on every strategy that can be used to finish a mission. The material below
is
purely my observations and opinions developed from playing the campaign.
This
guide is in no way definitive, nor written by the OpF expert. It includes an
overview of the weapons available and on the ways I found easiest to
complete
the OpF:R missions. I'll assume that you have prior exposure to OpF and so
know
what to do when I say "Drive the T80 to Df43" and other such stuff. I played
OpF:R in Cadet mode - I know, I sux0r, but I had to turn down my resolution
to
get a decent frame rate which made some ranged firefights very hard in
Veteran
(yeah, excuses, excuses...)

The official OpF board is located at
www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard301/ikonboard.cgi and is a rich
source
of information about the OpF universe. DO NOT go there thinking that it is
like
the gamefaqs boards and that you can just throw up any topic as you WILL get
modded so fast your head will spin. Use the search function to see if people
have already discussed what you want to know. The Avon Lady
(www.theavonlady.org) also has a lot of information about the OpF universe
so
have a look there too.

My email policy: If I've got something factually incorrect, or you know
something I've overlooked, email me and I'll include it in future updates of
this faq. Don't email me to fill time in an otherwise empty social calendar
or
to send me a virus / trojan. I may or may not get back to you if you send me
something. Thanks.



WEAPONS GUIDE
_____________

Rifles
======
Rifles form your primary weapon in OpF games. They vary from assault rifles
to
sniper rifles with others that lie in between these poles. The rifles
available
in OpF:R are listed below in no particular order. If you would like more
information on the real world capabilities / statistics of (some of) these
weapons, I recommend you have a look at the Real Weapon FAQ for Half-Life:
Counterstrike written by Wavehawk (located at
http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/game/26218.html). I'm only going to
provide a general overview of the weapons available.

You will have to scavenge the majority of these weapons off the corpses of
the
enemy. I had no problems with ammunition shortages across my OpF:R games,
but I
made sure to collect as many weapons as possible. Scavenge what you can to
avoid running into logistical shortages.

Most of the weapons below take one or two bullets to neutralise an enemy
(depending on where you hit them, of course - headshots are almost always
instant kills; legs can take a number of hits). This will be assumed for
these
weapons unless stated otherwise.

Kozlice
-------
A shotgun rather not a rifle, but since it takes the place of your primary
weapon, I'm putting it here. Shotguns work great at close distances. Since
you
will be fighting the majority of this game on wide open spaces at distances
of
150m+, the Kozlice is not really that useful at all. Haing to reload after
every shot makes it a death sentence if you try to take on a group of enemy
soldiers. You can get it in the second mission, but that will probably be
the
last time you will use it. Single fire mode only.

AK 47 CZ
--------
The starting weapon of any new recruit. AK47CZs are the cheap Czech version
of
the well-known AK47. They will kill the enemy well enough, but I found their
recoil to be much larger than that on other similar weapons. There may be
other
differences. Get at least an AK74 as soon as possible. Has 30 rounds per
magazine. Single fire, burst fire and full auto fire modes available.

AK 47
-----
Better than the CZ version, but superceded by the AK74. The recoil is a bit
higher than the AK74, but it performs its duties as a weapon very
adequately.
Has 30 rounds per magazine. Single fire, burst fire and full automatic fire
modes available.

AK 74
-----
Probably the most common rifle in OpF:R. Standard issue to Russian soldiers.
Seems to have less recoil than the AK 47 and there is almost no shortage of
ammunition available for it when scavenging. Also available with a Grenade
Launcher attachment. Has 30 rounds per magazine. Single fire, burst fire and
full automatic fire modes available.

AK 74 SU
--------
The carbine form of the AK74. It is smaller and lighter than the AK 74 and
is a
bit less available since it is typically used by tank crews and spetznatz as
their weapon of choice. Pretty interchangeable with the AK 74 when it comes
to
performance. Has 30 rounds per magazine. Single fire, burst fire and full
automatic fire modes available.

PK
--
The Russian machine gun. Generally regarded as horrible to aim with and not
particular effective in one-on-one encounters. However, you should almost
always have a machine gunner in your squad. Machine guns serve to cover a
particular zone with suppressing fire and you may get lucky and kill the odd
enemy soldier. The AI uses this weapon quite well. I didn't use it myself
but
gave it to two squad mates who became very effective with them. Can chew up
ammo very quickly but PK supplies are usually easy to find. If you have a
PK,
you can't get an RPG/AT/AA Launcher. Has 100 rounds per magazine. Full auto
fire mode only.

HK
--
A silenced HK MP5 sub-machine gun. Having a silencer means that you can
often
dispatch enemies without alerting the entire base to your location. It is a
very effective stealth weapon, having sacrificed little power for its
quietness. Use for missions where you don't want to attract much attention.
Has
30 rounds per magazine. Single fire and full auto fire modes.

Bizon
-----
The Russian silenced sub-machine gun. This weapon has lots of ammo with
little
power - I shot a soldier at 10m in the back of the head with it and he
turned
around to shoot me! However, it is available early on and will not give away
your position when firing, so it does have its uses. Just make sure you hit
them multiple times. Has 64 rounds per magazine. Single fire and full auto
fire
modes.

UZI
---
This is a silenced weapon available in OpF:R but I didn't find it in the
single
player game. You can find it in the ammo crates of the single player mission
UnderHill. Has 32 rounds per magazine. Single fire and full auto fire modes.

XM-177E2
--------
Not a bad rifle, but is noted to have a large muzzle flash and make a loud
noise when firing. As such, don't expect to snipe unseen with this rifle for
very long. Has 30 rounds per magazine. Single fire and full auto fire modes.

XM-177S
-------
The same rifle as the XM-177E2 but this version is equipped with a scope.
The
scope makes hitting targets much easier, so I would recommend that you use
this
over non-scoped rifles. Has 30 rounds per magazine. Single fire and full
auto
fire modes.

Steyr Aug
---------
A sentimental favourite for me. This rifle is equiped with a scope making
hitting targets much easier. I will almost always take this rifle for
assault
missions. Has 30 rounds per magazine. Single fire and full auto fire modes.

FN-FAL & HK G3A4
------   -------
A bug in OpF:R makes these rifles look the same, differing only a little bit
when you look through the sights. As it is, there capabilities are pretty
similar. Not outstanding but with no real deficits either. Has ** rounds per
magazine. Single fire and full auto fire modes.

SVD Dragunov
------------
The Russian sniper rifle. If you haven't had much experience with this
weapon
before, looking through the sights can be a little daunting. With a bit of
practice you will soon realise the value of this weapon. Its major
short-coming
is the small magazine, so you better make those shots count! Has 10 rounds
per
magazine. Single fire mode only.

M21
---
The US sniper rifle. Easier to just point and shoot than the Dragunov and
with
more bullets. It is a bit less powerful than the Dragunov, but when you hit
the
enemy in the head, it doesn't really matter. Has 20 rounds per magazine.
Single
fire mode only.


Handguns
========
A new feature of OpF, handguns serve as secondary weapons for when you
really
need a weapon but your primary isn't fit to fire. There has been some
questioning about exactly how useful handguns are, but it does add to your
options when equipping gear.

I give handguns to snipers over other troop types - sniper rifles are
generally
pretty lousy at close range and Dragunov-wielding snipers tend to run out of
ammo quickly. Most handguns have single fire mode only, but that doesn't
make
them any less deadly at close range. A current complaint about handguns is
that
they fire as far and as accurately as rifles over a long range. This may be
changed in future patches to OpF:R.

Soldiers armed with handguns walk rather than run. This can be useful if you
are sneaking up on a target.

I haven't really done any extensive testing on the effectiveness of handguns
since rifles are more effective in OpF:R. If someone wants to email me with
a
more detailed report of each models' effectiveness I'd be happy to include
it
in this guide.

Tokarev T33
-----------
You will come across T33s early in the OpF:R campaign. It tends to take a
couple of shots to drop a soldier, so if you've got someone lined up, just
keep
firing until they fall. Has 8 rounds per magazine.

Sa61 Scorpion
-------------
An excellent handgun. Use it in preference other handguns when you have it
available. Has 20 rounds per magazine. Also has a full auto fire mode.

Beretta 92F
-----------
A handgun supplied by the US later on in the game. Again, it seemed to take
a
couple of body shots to drop a soldier, so just keep firing. Has 10 rounds
per
magazine.

CZ 75
-----
Seems a bit more powerful than the T33 and has a larger magazine capacity.
Has
14 rounds per magazine.

Glock-17
--------
I didn't find this weapon in the single player game but it is available in
the
single player mission UnderHill. Has 17 rounds per magazine.


Things that go "Boom"
=====================
OpF has a number of weapons / items that fall into the category of explosive
ordinance. The general rule in using these pieces of equipment is to not be
anywhere near them when they go off! Be aware that what you see in the
sights
of your RPG/AT/AA Launcher isn't always what you'll hit - I've managed to
blow
myself up by having an RPG clip a tree.

My notes on Grenades - they aren't worth it. Trying to get close enough to
an
enemy to throw one is very hard and I haven't had the practise necessary to
be
able to throw accurately. Can they be useful? Yes. Just don't count on an
enemy
getting close enough to use them in a mission. However, if you think an
enemy
is hidden somewhere but can't quite see him, throw a grenade or two to sort
him
out.

When noting how many you can carry, I'm assuming that 4 of your inventory
spots
have been reserved for rifle magazines. If this isn't the case, you would be
able to carry more.

Flares
------
Okay, so they don't really go boom, but you need a Grenade Launcher to use
them. They can be used to illuminate an area or to signal friendlies. You
will
only come across them in one mission of OpF:R.

Flares take up 1 inventory slot.

Smoke Grenades
--------------
They release a large smoke cloud around the area they land in. However,
since
the AI ignores smoke and players can alter their setting to see through
smoke,
this grenade is useless.

You can carry up to 8. Smoke Grenades take up 1 inventory slot.

Hand Grenades
-------------
Pull the pin and throw where your crosshairs are pointing. Since you have to
get pretty close to use them (ie >45m) Hand Grenades are only useful if you
manage to sneak up on a grouped enemy or to eliminate an enemy hiding in
nearby
bushes.

You can carry up to 8. Hand Grenades take up 1 inventory slot.

Grenades
-------
You need the Grenade Launcher attachment to be able to fire this Grenade,
but
it be fired further than Hand Grenades can be thrown. I also think the
explosion radius is bigger.

You can carry up to 3. Grenades take 2 inventory slots.

RPG Launcher / Rocket Propelled Grenades
----------------------------------------
Since you need a Launcher to fire an RPG, I'm including these items
together.
The RPG forms the bulk of your anti-armour weaponry. One RPG can take out an
APC or a Helicopter, two RPGs can take out most tanks and three RPGs are
almost
never necessary on one target. It does take a bit of time to learn how to
aim
the RPG Launcher effectively, but once you have that down things get much
easier. You have to reload between each RPG fired, which will often be your
death as the tank you just hit returns fire. Try to use RPGs from the
protection of cover - this way the enemy know that an RPG soldier is around,
they just don't know where. You can carry only one RPG Launcher and it takes
the secondary weapon inventory position.

You can carry up to three RPGs. Each RPG takes up 2 inventory slots.

LAWs
----
In OpF:R I received a couple of LAWs, but no Launcher. This didn't matter as
the number of RPGs and Launchers I collected was more than enough to satisfy
my
needs. See the RPG entry above, replace "RPG" with "LAW" and you've got all
you
need to know.

AT Launcher (Carl Gustav / AT4)
-------------------------------
Anti-tank launchers fire big anti-tank ordinance (makes sense, doesn't it?).
These AT weapons can take out most tanks in 1 hit (with the exception of the
heavier tanks - the T80 and the Abrams). You only can carry one rocket at a
time, so missing with that one shot is inadvisable. Soldiers can carry only
one
AT Launcher and it takes the secondary weapon inventory position.

You can carry only 1 AT missile. Each AT missile takes up 8 inventory slots.

AA Launcher (Strela / AA)
-------------------------
Anti-aircraft missiles are best used to take out aircraft, but watch your AA
guys fire them at any piece of armour they come across. Try to stop this
happening. Anyway, AA missiles are guided. You can right-click on a target
when
equipped with an AA Launcher and see a white diamond come up around your
target
indicating when to fire. Although I have seen Hinds brought down with a
single
AA missile, I advise you to have two (or more) AA soldiers if you want to be
certain of taking out an aircraft. Soldiers can carry only one AA Launcher
and
it takes the secondary weapon inventory position.

You can carry only 1 AA missile. Each AA missile takes up 8 inventory slots.

Mines
-----
You won't get access to many mines in OpF:R, but they do come in handy when
you
have them. Planting them on a road in front of armour is a great way to get
rid
of that armour. I've found mines to be about as powerful as RPGs in terms of
blowing up tanks. That said, a fast-moving tank can hit a mine and flip
over,
meaning that one mine can potentially take out an Abrahms. Try to stagger
your
mine placement - unless you know you are facing only one tank, putting your
mines in a straight line will mean that only one tank will hit them while
the
other tanks will go around its smoking chassis. Make sure you are out of the
blast radius of any mines you plant. I'd recommend being at least 40m away
or
more if you can get away with it. As an interesting (well, maybe) note on
mines, they blow up in the proximity of armour (maybe about 8m), not on
contact. If you are trying to sabotage tanks by laying mines in front of
them,
make sure you leave a decent gap.

You can carry up to 3 mines. Each mine takes up 2 inventory slots.

Satchel Charges
---------------
Probably the most powerful explosive in the game. Satchel charges are great
for
blowing up any stationary target or for laying traps. You must be at least
50m
from the satchel charge when you set it off or risk being killed / injured
in
the explosion. If you are laying satchel charges to take out a convoy, place
them in a straight line with a reasonable gap in between each charge. You
want
to destroy as much of the convoy in one go as possible, so use the large
blast
radius to its full effect. Always try to place satchel charges in direct
line
of sight (LOS) to where you are going to position yourself. There is nothing
worse than trying to guess when a moving vehicle (such as a T80) is over
charge
to detonate it. Having LOS (even if you have to use your weapon scope) makes
effective use of satchel charges much easier. Always plant the charge(s) as
close as possible to stationary targets.

You can carry up to 3 satchel charges. Each charge takes up 2 inventory
slots.

Sabot vs HEAT rounds
--------------------
Since some people have trouble with this: Sabot rounds are used by armoured
vehicles to penetrate armour. HEAT rounds are high explosive rounds best
used
against troops or lightly armoured vehicles. Use HEAT rounds to clear a
region
of soldiers. Use Sabot rounds to clear a region of tanks. HEAT rounds do
damage
armoured targets but take longer for that damage to come into effect. Sabot
rounds will kill soldiers but have a smaller explosion zone than HEAT
rounds.



WALKTHROUGH
___________

General Notes
=============
The OpF:R campaign has 20 missions with two branching paths along the way.
You
will end up in the same place at the end regardless of what missions you do.

Scavenging will form a big part of your gameplay in the early missions. At
the
very least you want to give your guys an AK74 and some form of optical
equipment (ie night vision goggles or binoculars). Always try to keep the
weapons you already have by having your men put their weapons into a truck /
tank that you control before running off to get new rifles. To do this
select a
soldier using the F* key (where * is a number), hit 6 (the action menu for
that
soldier) and choose "Put X in Y" where X is a weapon and Y is a location.
Watch
what you ask your guy to do - sometimes you will find him taking stuff you'd
already put on a truck / tank, which defeats the purpose of scavenging. I
found
it much easier to do all the scavenging myself and just have my squad guard
me.

You have to care about your men in OpF:R. Having everyone wiped out makes
things much harder for you in future missions as you lose potential
assistance
versus the Russian army. You may have to revert a mission or two that you
pass
but leave your side decimated. Make no mistake - new recruits to your side
are
only slightly smarter than the bullets they shoot. Over time they will
improve
in intelligence and effectiveness, so be patient.

It makes things much easier if you keep the two medics alive across the
course
of your campaign (you start with one as soon as you join the Resistance and
the
second joins in Scrap). Being able heal yourself and your men isn't
something
that you should take for granted. I gave both medics sniper / scoped rifles
as
soon as I was able in order to keep them out of the enemy's range.

If you choose to replay an OpF:R mission you WILL NOT HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR
WEAPONS POOL, only the weapons you had selected at the point in time. To
gain
access to your weapons pool you will have to revert to the mission in
question.

Tank Driving Method
-------------------
The easiest way to operate a tank is to order a squad member to be the
gunner,
then to get in as commander. Swap to the driver's seat. This way you get the
ability to pick targets, choose the ammunition type and to drive the tank
directly. I also drive using squad mode as it is easier to see what is going
on. In all of the tank missions listed below, this was the method I used.


Directions: N - North, S - South, W - West, E - East (etc), NV - night
vision


Missions
========

Invasion
--------
You can catch the bus or run across the road to ride your motorbike. The bus
comes from the W at about 7:35am and waits for about a minute before driving
off. Accelerate time to reduce your waiting period. Your motorbike is behind
the wall just across from the bus stop you start at, so run across the road
to
get it. The motorbike needs some fuel available at Eb60. Either way, you get
some bad news. The bus is probably marginally quicker, but you see more of
the
island on your bike, so the choice is yours. If you do ride your bike just
follow the main road until after you cross the bridge - you need to make a
turn-off to get to your work at Ie75.

Once you get to the building you'll get a cutscene. Once this cutscene is
finished, run back downstairs and hop on your bike / hop in a car and take
the
N road out of town.


Crossroad
---------
You can either turn the guy in to get this mission completed very quickly or
get a weapon and fight off the soldiers. If you turn the rebel in your next
mission will be Contact. If you fight your next mission will be No Turning
Back.

To turn the rebel in, just select the option in your actions menu.

To fight, run into the shed where the rebel is hiding and get his AK47CZ.
Use
this to mow down the Russians (it's better than your Kozlice). Once they are
dead, get an AK74, the T33 and the binoculars. Load up the truck with a
couple
of AK74s to take to the Resistance. Watch the skies S of your position -
four
spetnatz will be parachuted in. One of them has a Bizon that you can take
off
him if you manage to kill off this squad. If you wait for a while, a UAZ
with
two soldiers will come up the road the Ural came up. If you wait even
longer, a
tank comes from the S. In the end, it's just easier to head towards the
Resistance base around Db26 before the spetznatz reach your position.

CHOICE: What does your choice cost you? Giving up the rebel completes
Crossroad
very quickly and the next mission is also pretty easy too. By taking this
path
you lose the chance to start building up your weapons pool by scavenging off
dead Russians. Your call.


Contact
-------
So, you turned him in? Take the red car and drive between the contacts at
Ef31
and Ec25. You'll find out that the Resistance base is at Fg22. Drive their
and
go up to the tents to meet Geronimo.

Here your action menu gives you the choice of giving up the Resistance or
telling the truth to Geronimo. If you give up the Resistance, the Russians
move
in - go hide in the forest until the mission is over. Guba will then give
you a
reward. If you want a bit more value for the money you've outlaid on OpF:R,
tell Geronimo the truth.


No Turning Back
---------------
Victor finds out that he sucks at giving encouragement. Anyway, take out the
squad coming from the S. After a cutscene you get given a squad to control.
Tell some of them to get RPG Launchers and move to the S sandbagged area
near
the weapons crates. You can put a guy on the M2 Machine Gun if you like.
Take
out the BMP, T72 and soldiers coming from the S. Start telling your guys to
scavenge better equipment off the Russians. Don't worry about loading up the
truck. Watch out for another Russian squad coming your way. Before the next
set
of tanks arrive head to your evac point and have all your squad get in the
truck.

Try not to lose any soldiers on this mission. Also, make sure a couple of
troops have a full contingent of RPGs and a Launcher when they get to the
evac
truck.


Ammo Low
--------
You want to have at least 2 RPG Launchers with your with 3 RPGs each. There
is
plenty of time to run to the ambush point marked on the map but you can
drive
if you want to. Set your guys up on one side of the valley (if you set them
on
opposite sides facing each other, there is a chance they will hit each other
in
the crossfire). Position them behind cover and even at the top of the
valley -
spread them out across the area in which you plan to launch the ambush. Save
once you are happy with your set-up.

Tell them to hold fire and wait for the convoy (T72, two Urals, BMP) to come
rolling by. Get your RPG guys to target the BMP and T72 first. One of the
Urals
has troops on board. Also watch for the Ural Ammo trying to escape. Your aim
is
to take out the convoy but to leave the Ural Ammo in working order. Once you
have taken out the convoy you will reach a Retry Update point. Check that
the
Ural Ammo still drives. Take the Dragunov and two satchel charges from the
Ural
Ammo. Plant the charges on the road well in front of the smoking ruins of
the
other vehicles. Move a safe distance away and use the Dragunov scope to
watch
the road around the charges. Tell your guys to hold fire again.

When the tanks (BMP, T72) roll over / close to the satchel charges to
neutralise them. Tell your squad to open fire to take out any surviving
tanks /
soldiers. Once this is done, scavenge like crazy, trying to get all the
AK74s
(normal and SUs), night vision goggles, binoculars, etc. Get your squad to
grab
what they can. Put some into the Ural Ammo for transportation to the
Resistance
base. You've got a couple of minutes before a Russian squad of soldiers
comes
down from the sides of the valley to attack you. Only three people can fit
into
the Ural Ammo, so those who can't fit in will have to run back to base.


Scrap
-----
Premission: Try to have all your guys get AK74s or better. You don't need
any
RPG Launchers for this mission. You want to take the Dragunov for yourself.

I found plan B to be easier to do, even though I followed plan A's tactics.
Why? This way I kept control of my squad but kept them out of the way.

First, tell your guys to hold fire and send them down to the area marked on
the
map for reinforcements. Run towards the enemy base using the forest as cover
until you can see the NV crew member standing in front of the BMP. Scout the
base and see where your tanks are. Watch the two-man patrol in the camp and
shoot the crew man when they are out of sight. There is another two-man
patrol
that wanders the hill between the castle and the town, but you don't have to
worry about them just yet. Get to the forest around Ge24 and call your squad
back to you.

What you are trying to do is run from this forest and get into the tanks
before
the alarm gets everyone moving. I found using the house between the tanks
and
the forest to be the best place to locate myself. I'd watch the in-base
patrol
and when they had their backs to the tanks I would order my guys to get into
them from their forest postion. If you feel adventurous, use your Dragunov
to
take out an RPG soldiers - these are the only guys you have to worry about
when
it comes to the tanks.

Once you have the tanks, call in the reinforcements (new recruits) while
sending your armour up the hill. Watch out for the spetznatz being
parachuted
in. Have your reinforcements hop into tanks when they arrive. After you get
a
radio transmission, listen out for the Russian tanks to arrive (BMP and
T72).
It can take a while for them to get to you (and they may get stuck on the
way).
Neutralise them then tell your guys to "scan horizon" to watch for spetznatz
/
soldiers they have missed. Move your tanks around a bit to take out all the
Russians.

Once the "...take them out" objective has been achieved, scavenge. After you
are happy you have got everything (one of the spetznatz has a Bizon and you
can
do with their satchel charges) retreat to your mountain base. Take the ammo
truck with you. When you get back to base, pack your guys in close together
to
hit the end mission trigger (ie they can't be spread out too much).

As an addendum - you need at least two AI guys to drive a tank effectively.
First time I did this mission I didn't have enough men to have both a driver
and a gunner to get the tanks home. Thinking a driver would suffice, I
watched
in horror as my soldiers became the Three Stooges and refused to drive back
to
base. I had to drive soldiers that had already delivered their tanks back to
the "stuck" tanks and have them assist in getting back to base. It was a bit
frustrating and took a very long time...


Field Exercise
--------------
Get everyone into the tanks. Switch to HEAT and hold fire (for scouting
purposes). Travel to about Db20 and scout the base - the RPG soldiers, crew
and
UAZ are your priorities. Order your guys to open fire at selected targets.
With
the HEAT rounds it shouldn't take long to meet the objective. Scavenge and
take
the BMP 2 if you want.

Move towards Modrava and get into line formation. Hold fire when scouting
the
base and switch to Sabot rounds. The T72 should be a prime target, as should
any RPG soldiers and crew (who will attempt to get to the empty tanks). I'd
save before attempting to take the town to make life easier. Order the
grenade
attack and commence attack at the same time. Send your tanks to different
parts
of the town to wipe out any hidden soldiers. Watch out for two T72s coming
down
the SE road. Once you've taken them out, mop up any survivors but be careful
not to shoot your own troops.


First Strike
------------
Premission: The only weapon you will need is a handgun, so take the best you
have.

This is a tank mission. Order any guys who aren't in tanks to get in an
empty
one. Get four mines from the ammo crates nearby. Hop in the tank of your
choice. Send your squad to the hill around Bj33 - a lot of tanks will be
coming
your way and you don't want any of your armour exposed to combined enemy
fire.
Drive your tank to the straight stretch of road and plant your mines. Drive
back to your squad and try to get everyone a clear line of fire (ie so they
are
not behind a friendly tank) yet still protected from the road by the hill.
Save
your mission if you want to avoid having to redo things from the start if
something goes wrong.

At about 7:36 you will get a sighting message, with the tanks coming down
the
road a couple of minutes later. Hopefully some will be wiped out by the
mines -
the survivors then seem to make a bee-line for you. Take them out as they
come
over the hill. The next wave come down the road, so don't leave your
protected
position just yet. Once they are past a certain point your tanks will be
able
to hit the enemy with combined fire, meaning it won't take long to eliminate
them. Once you are happy that the tanks (and soldiers - watch for any
survivors) have been neutralised, head back to where you started from - in
the
town there may be a couple of T72s that need eliminating. With this done,
the
mission is over.


Hostages
--------
Premission: Use a Bizon if you have one. Equip your medics with Drugunovs if
you have them.

Get everyone to hold fire. Position your team around Hb56 to cover you.
Sneak
around to enter the base at Gj56 then move towards the hole in the church
wall
around Gj57 - there is a soldier at the back of the base. Move quietly so as
not to alert him. When you are comfortable, tell your guys to open fire on
the
two man squad at the front of the base. Kill the soldier(s) that are
guarding
the hostages. Once the hostages are free you will get retry update and the
rest
of your squad will arrive.

If you fail to rescue the hostages, you are simply instructed to get to the
evac point at Hg54. You can try assaulting the other base, but you do not
receive any reinforcements on top of the men you started the mission with.

Order these arrivals to meet you on top of the hill around Hc52. With
everyone
together, head towards Hi45 but watch out for an enemy squad on the way. Now
you can head towards the base. The BMP is the biggest problem, so try to
take
it out before assaulting the infantry positions. I found telling my men to
engage at will (3, 5) made things pretty easy. Take out soldiers until the
objectives are met. Grab the Dragunov from the ammo crates (have someone
with
an AK 74 get it). Get the Ural Ammo and Ural to transport your men back to
Hg54. If enemy reinforcements came up from the bridge to the first village,
you
may find that 2 BMPs and a T72 are approaching the second base. Either avoid
them in the Urals or take them out.

*MISSION BUG*: According to one of the OpF:R's designers:

"Unfortunatelly there is a bug in this mission - your "backup" forces (the
soldier that join you after you release hostages) will not fire at all
unless
you change their weapons. (I am surprised not many people discovered this
bug).

Fortunatelly there is a workaround, a little cumbersome, but working:

- Force each backup soldier (numbers 4 and higher) to pick some magazine or
weapon (if you have no additional weapons, tell each one to drop one
magazine
and pick it up again.)"

(from
http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard301/ikonboard.cgi?s=3d8fafb81
40affff;act=ST;f=1;t=20087)


Information
-----------
Run towards the house using the bushes for cover. Dodge the patrol by
waiting
until they pause at the far corner - move to the bushes closest to the hole.
When they turn the corner get through the hole in the back fence. It's
harder
than it sounds. Once inside the compound sneak to the left so you are out of
sight of the guards as they patrol the front section. A short cutscene
should
occur giving you the information you need. Save to make it easier on
yourself.

Sneak back out to the bushes (dodging the patrol again) and get to the evac
position unnoticed to complete the mission.

Of course, if you want to screw it up, just shoot someone from near your
starting position.

CHOICE: If you pass this mission successfully, you don't have to face a T72
and
T80 in your next mission (Occupation (2)). If you fail, you go to Occupation
(1).


Occupation (1)
--------------
Premission: Take a scoped weapon and an RPG Launcher. Make sure your a
couple
of your men are carrying RPG Launchers.

Head towards the first objective. Once you are just outside of the town on
the
way to the base at the top of the hill, look E along the road for a two man
patrol. Take them out, which may alert the base. No matter. Take out the
soldiers guarding the building and the accompanying BMP. Once it looks like
you've killed all the external base forces, carefully approach the
building's
courtyard - often an officer and a soldier can be found lying prone in this
area. The first objective is met when all the soldiers are killed.

Scavenge - pick up the Dragunov and ammo from the fallen Russians. At Dc37
the
Ural is carrying a Scorpion handgun, which is good to have. Move to the next
position (you can take the Ural if you want, but may run into a patrol on
the
way). Order your men to hold fire and scout the base yourself. You will see
a
group of soldiers standing in a clearing at the S end of the base, a small
patrol (including a sniper) patrolling in the N section of the base and a
group
of soldiers stand near the tents at the E side of the base. A T80 and a T72
is
towards the NE section of the base. Save your game here to make life easier.

Set up your men in a stealthy / go prone fashion. I found it easiest to take
the base from the W side - there are trees and bushes to provide you with
some
cover. When you are happy, call in Bravo. When they start firing, order your
men to open fire. The enemy tanks will usually head across the N side of the
base towards the W side - if you are there then take them out. Take out all
the
soldiers in the base, reloading the game if you lose too many men. Also try
to
keep your friendly tanks from getting destroyed. I found issuing the "Engage
at
will" orders very useful in taking the base. Remember to shift your guys
from
their prone position when you want them to move into the cleared base.

When the base is cleared, order a gunner into the BMP 2. Hop in as commander
and switch to driver. Move some of your squad towards covered postions
within
the town. A group of enemy soldiers will attack from the NE - use HEAT
rounds
to wipe them out while your guys provide assistance (put a couple into the
M2
Machine Gun positions if you like). With the infantry gone, you will have
completed the mission.

* I've heard stories of armour backing up this second assault on the base,
but
have never seen it myself, so be careful. Also a pathfinding bug may stop
this
mission from finishing - you may need to head NE to eliminate soldiers /
armour
that has become stuck.


Occupation (2)
--------------
This is just like Occupation (1) above, but you don't have to worry about
the
tanks at the second base. This makes things a lot easier.


Counterattack
-------------
Premission: Drop your RPG Launcher and all but 1 magazine - this is a tank
mission. Make sure you have 3 or more guys equiped with AT weaponry. Notice
that you will have received some new recruits (I think you get them if the
friendly tanks have survived the previous mission). These were the last new
recruits I received in the game.

Direct your men into the 4 S M2 Machine Gun positions and move the rest
towards
cover. Take out the squads of soldiers coming down the S road and over the
SE /
SSE hill (use your binoculars to find them at the start of the mission).
With
the squads wiped out, position RPG / AT soldiers in covered positions where
they can hit targets moving down the S road. I advise moving away from the
base
with these soldiers - you want to cover the bottleneck on the S road formed
by
the hills. Once you have ordered these guys into position, order people to
use
stealth. Order a gunner into the BMP and go and pick up the mines from the
white ammo crates under some of the camo netting. Drive the BMP S and plant
the
mines to cover the bottleneck formed by the sloping ground. I managed to lay
9
mines with plenty of time to spare. Drive the BMP up on of the slopes and
try
to move it out of sight from the road. You can hide behind the trees around
Ec48 if you are really unsure. Save to make your life easier.

The tanks start coming down the road around 11:31. The first set will be a
BMP
and a T80. If you are confident that the mines will take them order your RPG
guys to hold fire. With this first wave of tanks destroyed, remember to tell
them to open fire again. The second wave is made up of a BMP, a T72 and a
T80.
Use a combination of mines, RPGs and sabot rounds to take them out. Try not
to
drive your BMP onto one of your own mines (it will make you feel really
stupid)! With all the tanks gone, switch to HEAT rounds and take out the
remaining soldiers - the BMPs will have discharged soldiers. You may have to
work back along the S road to find them all. While doing this, try to get
your
guys as reloaded as possible - full ammo and RPGs where possible.

With this objective completed, hop out of the BMP and retreat all your men
to
Dg39. A V-80 and a Mi17 will crash your party, with the Mi17 dropping
paratroopers to deal with you if you hang around. Be careful of the choppers
as
they can open fire on you.


Contraband
----------
Hop into the Ural and drive SW to the meeting place near the pier. Launch a
flare like you would fire a grenade. Wait for the boat to arrive and once
the
cutscene is finished, hop back into the truck and head NE. Watch out for a
BMP
and an Mi17 on the way back - I found if I just kept moving, this mission
was
pretty easy. Try to keep the Ural's lights off until you have gotten over
the
hill on your way back to base; this makes you a harder target to hit.


Reckoning
---------
Premission: Take some AAs, some RPGs and equip your squad with the new guns
provided by the previous mission. Grab a sniper rifle for yourself. Try and
give every man NV goggles.

Order your AA guys to hold fire, then order everyone into the Ural. Head W
over
hilly terrain (Bi70 to Be65) and disembark around Be65. Mark the Ural
position
on the map. A BMP and a BMP 2 patrol the area between the hills and the
airport, so take them out with RPGs. Head towards the airport by running
between the beach and the tarmac. Take out the infantry patrolling the
tarmac
and any other patrols you see. You can kill every soldier in the base, but
remember - your objective is to destroy the three Hinds on the tarmac and
the
V-80 located in the second hanger. Your AA guys will be able to destroy the
exposed Hinds from a good distance (ie 500m), but you may have to get up
close
to be able to take out the V-80. Try to stick to the darkness when taking
the
base. Retry position is updated when the objective is met.

Watch out for a Russian squad near the tarmac as you head S back towards
your
Ural. A BMP and T72 can also come into the area so try to avoid them. Get
into
the Ural and drive along the coast (using the terrain as cover) until you
reach
the designated safe village.


Fireworks
---------
Premission: Set your men up for a ranged assault. Get rid of the AA weapons.
Take 3 satchel charges for yourself.

Head SE towards your suggested position, but be aware that a BMP and two
infantry squads are located in the Village S of your starting position. You
can
take them out from around Fb65 and then use their Ural to get to your
designated position. Your retry position will be updated once you reach the
suggested position on the hill.

Tell your guys to hold fire and scout the target zone. When you are happy
with
your set-up, order the artillery to start firing, order the snipers to open
fire and order your squad to open fire. When the shelling stops, order your
tanks to come in. Watch out for the BMP that crosses through the water next
to
the bridge. Finally, watch out for the squad of Russians crossing the bridge
from the other side. With the area swept clear, send your guys to the tented
area and plant three satchel charges over one of the bridge's pylons (use
third
person or squad view to better see the target pylon). You only have to blow
up
one section of the bridge to meet the objective. Pick up a couple of mines
from
the crates near the tents and head N to Fi58 to finish the mission.


The Pass
--------
Premission: Take three satchel charges. Maybe a sniper rifle.

Order all your guys into the armour - three into the T72 and the rest into
the
BMP. Tell them to stop. Head NE and hide in the ambush area until the UAZ
goes
past. At about 12:16 you will get the first convoy message with the convoy
passing at about 12:24. Plant three satchel charges running down the middle
of
the road with a reasonable distance placed between them. Run back up into a
hiding position (far away enough so the satchel blast won't kill you) that
will
allow you to see the last charge that the convoy will drive over. Let the
armour roll by unscathed but when the BMP (followed by the Urals) is over
the
final charge, detonate it. If placed correctly, three satchel charges can
destroy the BMP and the Ural convoy. If the Urals aren't all destroyed, call
your T72 in to finish the job. Do this quickly - a BMP and T72 aren't too
far
behind the convoy. With the objective met, run back to the BMP and get in
and
order your armour to the evac point. You shouldn't be attacked on your way
to
this location but you will get some useful information.


Hunting
-------
Premission: Take a sniper rifle.

Order all your guys into the armour. Run to the sniper position designated
on
the map (Ib73) and if you've brought another sniper have them hold fire.
Radio
the tanks in, wait about thirty seconds, then send your tanks over the the
hill
opposite you above the fortified position. When you see the AT soldiers in
the
fortified position start to twitch, open fire (getting your accompanying
sniper
to do so to if you have one). When all the soldiers in this first location
are
dead, reinforcements will be brought in by Ural. Once you commence the
attack
on the first location some tanks will move up from the town - if your tanks
are
behind the hill it will protect them from ranged fire and your forces will
quickly demolish the enemy tanks as they come over the hill. Call in the
special forces whenever you want to.

With the tanks gone, switch your guys to HEAT rounds and maybe hop in some
armour for protection. Start to place your tanks around the town to mop up
any
remaining infantry. It can take a while to finish this mission - there
always
seems to be one or two soldiers who hide themselves. If you do enter the
town
be careful of RPG soldiers. Neutralise all the enemy to finish the mission.


Trap
----
Premission: Take some mines and arm your squad with RPGs.

A BMP and a T72 come from the E at about 6:15. Plant some mines along the
road
and position your RPG soldiers to take them out. If you get seen the T72
tends
to head S and hide so chase it down and neutralise it. With this armour
destroyed your ersatz patrol will move and trigger a retry update when it
gets
into position.

Go to Ea63 and hop in your tanks and head NNE to Db54 via Dh54. There are
two
infantry squads around Db54 - take them both out. When you are in position
order your ersatz patrol to move in. Give them about 45 - 60 seconds (or
move
into a position where you can see them and once they enter the town) call
Tiger
group in. Head down towards the town and take out all the armour / infantry
you
see. I advise not driving through the middle of the town - there are a lot
of
AT soldiers who can do you damage. Try to stay on the S side of the village
because...

A T72, T80 and BMP will move in from the N after a little while. Neutralise
them to finish the mission. Hopefully you will have enough tanks to make
this a
very short and unfair fight.


Fire Fight
----------
Premission: Take a silenced weapon and an RPG Launcher with RPGs.

Four spetznatz come in from the W at the start of the mission - I found
heading
right and positioning myself between the corner of the house and the tree
just
next to it to be the best location to finish them from. Leave the car and
run
NW towards to airfield (you will get a retry update at some point after you
leave the location around the house). Run to the hill and travel over it
(about
Bj63-Bf61) as you can avoid tanks and infantry by doing so. You will get
another retry update as you approach the airfield. At about Bd59 save your
game
(assuming you haven't been spotted and are under fire - if this is the case
you
are probably better in loading up your retry and trying to be undetected
next
time).

What you are aiming to do is to blow up the bombers with RPGs. With three
RPGs
and three bombers you had better be pretty accurate! You need to aim for the
bodies of the planes to hit them - aim too low and the RPG will pass through
their landing gear and explode behind them. As such, aim a little higher
than
normal to account for the raised target. The Russians aren't going to let
you
do this in peace, so once planes start exploding expect some attention.
Quickly
blow up the bombers and go prone. With the bombers destroyed you will have
to
wait a couple of seconds before the mission finishes.


The Endings
-----------
There are two reported endings - I've only received the first. I don't know
how
to get the second ending, only that it means you fail to destroy the
bombers.
Brief spoilers below.

1) With the planes destroyed, Nogova is saved. Things end unhappily for
Victor.
The US comes and saves the day. Guba flies off, never to be seen again.
James
Gastovski retires after his experiences.

2) The bombers aren't destroyed, Nogova gets bombed into oblivion.


BUGS
____
The two most noticeable ones I found were:
 - Handguns fire tracers.
 - Reports exist of missions loading only to find that you have "lost" your
weapons stockpile. If this happens, you should revert to the last point
directly in front of that mission, be it a cutscene or the mission you have
completed.

For a larger list of bugs have a search at
http://www.flashpoint1985.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard301/ikonboard.cgi. A patch is
expected in the near future that may clean up some of these problems.


THANKS
______
Thanks to my girlfriend for her encouragement ("Are you writing another
nerdsheet?") and to those who have helped me with this guide: Expert Gamer,
Iroqouis Pliskin and others from the Gamefaqs OpF:R boards; The Avon Lady
(www.theavonlady.org) for providing information on her site; the people on
the
official OpF boards where I did some searching / posting for information -
thanks to all.

Thanks to BIS, Codemasters, OziSoft and EB for getting this piece of
software
to my hard drive.

THE END!
____________________________
Version 1.0 completed: 24 September 2002