Mod Flashpoint: "The Raid"

[Amechwarrior]

Download at either Nexus or GitHub.​

Description:

"Tiverton wants to eradicate the Black Market cabal in their system and direct assaults have failed.
They want to use your company's Black Market access as a Trojan horse.
Expect extreme opposition and back-to-back engagements, be prepared for anything."

"The Raid" has been designed to challenge endgame level companies. It's built against a nearly complete Argo, multiple Lances of custom 'Mechs and elite pilots able to run multiple engagements without repair. It can be completed with less, but should provide greater challenge than the Alliance Flashpoints or 5 Skull contracts.

Features:

• A fully featured Flashpoint with up to five, 5-skull+ missions
• Custom edited missions with a mix of bespoke and procedural Lances
• Optional objectives and failure branches, partial rewards if you can't make it to the end
• Custom OPFOR 'Mechs using unique skins
• Four simgame conversations featuring special dialogue for the right commander traits
• Custom Holoscreen imagery and cast
• Two events dealing with the impact of the raid on the Argo and the crew

Notes:

• This Flashpoint requires your company to have "Black Market Access" to populate.
• "The Raid" is set with a spawn weight of 10, the same weight as the other non-alliance/tutorial Flashpoints.
• Once this Flashpoint is associated with a save file, it must be present to load that save. This is like adding new modded 'Mechs or equipment in that it becomes required to load going forward.

Instructions:

• Install Flashpoint Stock Photos
• Copy "Flashpoint-The-Raid" folder in to Mods folder created for ModTek.

Optional Instriuctions:
Flashpoint: The Raid - VIP Override
ONLY FOR USE WITH "THE RAID" & "VEHICLE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT"

• See Optional Files on Nexus or Download from GitHub
• Copy "Flashpoint-The-Raid-VIP-Override" folder in to Mods folder created for ModTek.

Required Mods:
This mod needs ModTek and Flashpoint Stock Photos to work:

ModTek - This allows loading of mods in to HBS BATTLETECH.

Flashpoint Stock Photos - This provides some of the basic imagery used in this Flashpoint's conversations.

Recommended Mods:
cFixes - Commuinity bug fixes, corrects many HBS typos and osmissions. This Flashpoint can make extensive use of the corrected OPFOR pilot skills and weapon stats.

Better AI - My AI improvement mod, Better AI allows the OPFOR to reserve, protect their weak sides and use Lance roles to greater effect. This Flashpoint can be completed with or without Better AI.

NOTE - "The Raid" and "Better AI" has cFixes set as an Optional Dependency. They will automatically load after cFixes. Neither requires cFixes to work.

 

[Amechwarrior]

Spoiler: Expand for Pictures

 

[ronhatch]

Sweeeeet!

I will definitely have to give this a try sometime... will have to think about how I want to approach my first save-breaking mod.

 

[Eximar]

 

[unclecid]

Ya can't wait to do this.
Though I have a while to go before I'm ready as I just started a new career playthru.

this game has made me very wary of tag missions 4 skull and higher.
Have you customized the tag mission shown in the image to avoid mistakes of dev made high skull tag mission?

 

[Amechwarrior]

Ya can't wait to do this.
Though I have a while to go before I'm ready as I just started a new career playthru.

this game has made me very wary of tag missions 4 skull and higher.
Have you customized the tag mission shown in the image to avoid mistakes of dev made high skull tag mission?

I've done what I can. I applied the various suggestions I made in my TA effort-post in the suggestion thread. The Garrison are a lower difficulty Cav/scout Lance, the Support 1 Lance is WAY off to the sides at the start and Support 2 does drop in the middle (can't help that) but they come in...(you'll see...) and I ran this one many, many times with various speed/tonnage combos. My best results are actually with one or two 5/8 SRM bombers, a GHR back-stabber and a BLR that's stock but with jets (all of these test mechs had +++ decked out gear, ace pilots etc) and bringing a all 3/5 speed Lance sure maximized the salvage but they get eaten up by attrition.

I tried to make it to where if you are too slow, the reinforcements start to catch you and you end up out numbered, if you are fast, you are outgunned, but not outnumbered. Which for the Player vs. AI situation is just fine. I hope this all actually works in practice with everyone! For all I know I build a mission that works for me and everyone else will still hate it. I mean, I do kind of want you to hate this FP as a whole as it's supposed to be a challenge, but you should still profit and have fun in the end.

 

[unclecid]

i just wish i had a endgame to give it a go already.

it looks really fun
will be interesting to see what Kiva and company think of it

the last playthru i was doing i had to stop because a windows update messed things up to the point where game wouldnt save.

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

YES!!!

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

@Amechwarrior Thank you so much!

Played the 2 first missions already. Only RL issues are preventing me to play more now... The FP is perfect so far

 

[Amechwarrior]

@Amechwarrior Thank you so much!

Played the 2 first missions already. Only RL issues are preventing me to play more now... The FP is perfect so far

Try and make sure you get some time for the next few, there is another longer set of consecutive missions and it's best done all in one go. To be honest, there is a stock bug with salvage if you save in combat and come back:

Spoiler: The Bug

Missions 4 and 5: Don't take any mech salvage, trust me it's only good as scrap. Mission 3 is fine. This is the known "BLACKLISTED" salvage bug like trying to salvage Victoria's KGC in the final campaign mission.

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

I finished it!!!

Awesome FP.

Got my new Atlas II and had a challenge on par with the toughest HBS FPs.

Off my A-Team, i got 3 mechwarriors on the medbay and a mech being repaired. Had to use my spares to finish the FP. And i remembered how stability dmg can be dangerous...

@Amechwarrior Thanks again! Already eager to play more.

 

[Amechwarrior]

I finished it!!!

Awesome FP.

Got my new Atlas II and had a challenge on par with the toughest HBS FPs.

Off my A-Team, i got 3 mechwarriors on the medbay and a mech being repaired. Had to use my spares to finish the FP. And i remembered how stability dmg can be dangerous...

@Amechwarrior Thanks again! Already eager to play more.

Thanks for playing! What was your most/least favorite mission? Was the Flashpoint Descision a hard one to make? If not, what would it take to make it worth wile to flip your choice?

Also, I'd love to see how everyone comes out of this FP with mechbay screens of how well you made out!

I could always make this one harder by swapping the vehicles for more 'Mechs, but don't really want to drastically change this now that it's out. Might only do that if it's consistently too easy.

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

Most favorite mission: The Raid III, as i liked both the plot development that happened on mission and being able to watch my reinforcements vs theirs almost as a separate battle (my guys won. Hatchet to King Crab head!).
Least favorite mission: The Raid V, as without the boost you gave to the buildings hitpoints those reinforcements appearing glued to the base backyard would cause mission failure before anyone could react.
Flashpoint descision wasn´t hard to make, as i´m playing as a profit over morals kind of commander. To flip my choice i´d take a Gauss Rifle +++ or something as powerful and unobtainable.

I try to get a mechbay screen later. I should be working right now...

 

[Amechwarrior]

Most favorite mission: The Raid III, as i liked both the plot development that happened on mission and being able to watch my reinforcements vs theirs almost as a separate battle (my guys won. Hatchet to King Crab head!).
Least favorite mission: The Raid V, as without the boost you gave to the buildings hitpoints those reinforcements appearing glued to the base backyard would cause mission failure before anyone could react.
Flashpoint descision wasn´t hard to make, as i´m playing as a profit over morals kind of commander. To flip my choice i´d take a Gauss Rifle +++ or something as powerful and unobtainable.

I try to get a mechbay screen later. I should be working right now...

LOL, Raid Vb - those building levels are stock. I picked the one map that spawned tough as nails buildings at difficulty 10. I also made sure a lot of the OPFOR had Stab+ weapons over DMG+ and shorter ranged kits to make it less likely to building-wipe you from beyond LoS before you could react. By chance, did you notice the special skins on some of the OPFOR in that mission?

 

[Amechwarrior]

Most favorite mission: The Raid III, as i liked both the plot development that happened on mission and being able to watch my reinforcements vs theirs almost as a separate battle (my guys won. Hatchet to King Crab head!).
Least favorite mission: The Raid V, as without the boost you gave to the buildings hitpoints those reinforcements appearing glued to the base backyard would cause mission failure before anyone could react.
Flashpoint descision wasn´t hard to make, as i´m playing as a profit over morals kind of commander. To flip my choice i´d take a Gauss Rifle +++ or something as powerful and unobtainable.

I try to get a mechbay screen later. I should be working right now...

So might have found a big bug. Was your first two missions on the lunar biome or tundra?

Edit: False alarm, it is Lunar. Has someone tell me it starts in a tundra but turned out they didn't actually start the FP yet. It works fine for them when they actually play the FP.

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

So we have hardy buildings in the game. Cool. I hope they get more use!
I thought you had to "cheat" for the player to make that mission doable, as those unstoppable strikes are a known issue with defend base missions (but you often only lose a bonus if one target building get destroyed) .
I noticed a reddish skin in some Raid Vb mechs. Looks good

p.s.: Raid I and II were in lunar biome.

 

[Amechwarrior]

So we have hardy buildings in the game. Cool. I hope they get more use!
I thought you had to "cheat" for the player to make that mission doable, as those unstoppable strikes are a known issue with defend base missions (but you often only lose a bonus if one target building get destroyed) .
I noticed a reddish skin in some Raid Vb mechs. Looks good

p.s.: Raid I and II were in lunar biome.

I don't have a problem with most base defense missions, there are some in the mid-skull range that have really bad map/spawn combos, but just adding turrets like I did is more thzt enough. I also added all possible turrets, over the base 4 just to see how it would play. Turns out it's not that bad and it's something different having so many units going. I kept it and both reinforcement Lances to bring up what it's like when more units are in play. You really start to feel "the waiting game" with Raid III and Vb vs. the A track finale that is just 5 really good enemies.

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

This is how i ended. That Highlander right torso had only 5 hp left and was full of lostech. I was really lucky to get away only with a damaged but repairable LRM20+++.

 

[Amechwarrior]

This is how i ended. That Highlander right torso had only 5 hp left and was full of lostech. I was really lucky to get away only with a damaged but repairable LRM20+++.

Nice, you made it out with far less damage than what I would be shooting for. Good job! Did you repair at all between missions 2 and 3? Also, how was that part? Did you wait it out or just launch right away in case other bad things happened?

Sorry if I'm drilling you for questions, you are the first one to complete the thing and I'm eager to know how it plays.

Also, I hope this helped solidify your choice to purchase the FP expansion/season pass. I remember mentioning something about player made FPs and it turns out I am the one delivering on that. I'm sure I'll do one for UW and exp. 3 when those come around.

 

[BARBOSA (Aries)]

I use 4 max armored assault mechs and 4 10/10/10/10 mechwarriors with bulwark as A-team. That and my liberal use of cover and vigilance might be the reason for the light dmg my company had. And i had luck too, as said previously

Wasn´t needed repairs between mission 2 and 3, but i waited a week to get a wounded pilot back on his feet. The event made me worry, but i decide to wait regardless.

I´m glad to answer. Is the least i can do after enjoying your hard work. Ask at will!

And yes. I´m so glad i bought FP/Season pass. Your FP (and the promise of more) is a big part of that happiness!