Rescue Escort (Single Player & 2 Player Coop Versions)

[Vagabond]

Hey everyone,

I finished Rescue Escort, a Plymouth unit only scenario. In single player mode you control a tank division tasked with rescuing a fleeing allied evacuation convoy. In multiplayer mode, player one controls the rescue tank division and player two controls the fleeing evacuation convoy.

Download: https://github.com/Brett208/OP2MissionRescueEscort/releases

Multiplayer: To control the difficulty of the AI opponent, increase the number of starting vehicles. Setting to 0 should be trivial to beat and 12 should be impossibly difficult. Setting resources to LOW/MEDIUM/HIGH will also decrease/increase the number of starting units for each player. Rescue Escort is found under the LAND RUSH section for multiplayer.

Operating Systems: Rescue Escort has been tested to work using Windows 7, Windows 10, and WINE on Linux.

Rescue Escort is the third scenario in a Plymouth mini-campaign. Check out the first two scenarios as well:

• Evacuation Under Fire - Ply Campaign Scenario
• On the Run - Ply Campaign Scenario #2

Victory Condition: Extract at least 3 evac transports and 70% of convoy non-combat units. Leave no functioning convoy unit behind.


Storyline
Commander,

Our base is all but destroyed. During the heaviest fighting we sent 3 evacuation convoys to escape the siege. The northern convoy was quickly destroyed. Contact with the Eastern convoy was lost soon after leaving visual range. A squadron of Eden lynx was seen approaching them and we fear the worst. Our convoy is the last known surviving element. Eden's primary tank divisions are currently destroying our mines and factories.

We have about 60 colonists spread between 4 evacuation transports and enough supplies to start a new settlement. Superior Eden units are in close pursuit. Your orders are to reach our convoy and defend the evacuation transports at all cost. If we can punch through their outer lines, we should be able to outrun their heavy tank squadrons. Expect Eden patrols to approach from the North and South as we move West.

Once clear of Eden's outer lines, we will continue to the new colony site your forces are establishing. Besides me, 3 other members of the council are in this convoy. We are in effect the Plymouth ruling body as I doubt any others will survive the destruction of our home. Make haste, our lives are in your hands.

Good Luck Commander,
Failure is not an option


How to play: download and unzip the scenario files. Place all three files in the root directory of your Outpost 2 install. The tech tree is unchanged from the other scenarios that use it, so feel free to not overwrite it if you have already installed one of the previous scenarios in this mini-campaign.

You may not be able to download the attachment without logging onto the forum.

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Edit: Added that you find the multiplayer version under LAND RUSH section. Also annotated that it is confirmed WINE compatible.
Edit: 8JUN19: Moved download to Github

[Vagabond]

I'm looking for some beta testing while the scenario is still fresh in my mind. If anyone has time to try the single or multiplayer version, I would appreciate it.

Some Specifics:

• Test proper difficulty level Single Player
• Test proper difficulty level multiplayer
• Test for WINE compatibility
• Proofread storyline

It is my first multiplayer mission, so hopefully everything is done up correctly.

[Hooman]

Works under WINE.

I went in guns blazing. Mission failed. The enemy appears to have superior firepower. 

[Vagabond]

Hooman,

Thank you for the test. I'll annotate in the first post that it is confirmed WINE compatible.

What difficulty did you attempt it on?

-Brett

[Hooman]

I just played on normal. Slightly too many units to select all of them at once. I didn't really bother with any micromanaging, so they sort of trickled in to the advancing army of Thor's tigers. I guess it makes more sense to delay and outrun that army.

[Vagabond]

I've played through Rescue Escort multiplayer with my brother a few times. Were were unable to beat it at difficulty level 6 of 12 over 2 tries. After dropping the difficulty to 5, we were just barely able to win.

I'm happy how the scenario keeps a quick pace up with danger either in front of or on the heels of the convoy during the entire evacuation.

Neither of us are veteran players, but the difficulty scales up significantly each notch. I'm guessing that it is unbeatable by anyone on level 8 or higher?

Anyways, no bugs reported yet.

[lordpalandus]

If the highest difficulty is unbeatable, wouldn't that be considered a logic error, and thus a bug. If foreseeably lv 6 is barely beatable, then maybe it should only go up to difficulty 6 as the maximum. People generally like a challenge, but an impossible to beat setting will just encourage rage quitting. Challenges are meant to be overcome, and if it can't be overcome, then maybe it shouldn't exist as a level to beat.

[Hooman]

If the highest difficulty is unbeatable, wouldn't that be considered a logic error, and thus a bug. If foreseeably lv 6 is barely beatable, then maybe it should only go up to difficulty 6 as the maximum. People generally like a challenge, but an impossible to beat setting will just encourage rage quitting. Challenges are meant to be overcome, and if it can't be overcome, then maybe it shouldn't exist as a level to beat.

You make a good argument. Generally an average player should be able to beat something with enough focus and effort. I can understand if someone wanted to make a more challenging level for advanced players, and maybe it would be unbeatable for some time, though it should probably be calibrated so there is a reasonable expectation they can at least come close to winning.

[Vagabond]

lordpalandus and Hooman,

I agree. I'll plan to modify the difficulty and re-post the scenario in the near future. I will modify by reducing the number of enemy tanks, so it shouldn't affect the spirit of the scenario too much, just the difficulty of each attacking wave.

-Brett

[Vagabond]

I just updated Rescue Escort to improve the difficulty settings.

After testing the new settings, I was able to beat it on hard, although just barely. So I made it a tad more difficult.

The multiplayer version on hardest setting is more difficult than the colony game version (However it is scaled down significantly from where it was in the previous version). The multiplayer version being more difficult is to account for having a sensible ally instead of the computer AI controlling the fleeing convoy. I'm assuming your ally will make better choices than a mid 1990s AI will.

I also did some minor refactoring of the code base, which is pretty ugly overall. While there are no known bugs in the code, I wouldn't recommend anyone trying to learn from reviewing my scenario source code. I was so new to C++ when writing it.

In easy mode, the scenario is boringly easy if you know how to play reasonably well. In Normal mode, it should be enjoyable to play through at a leisurely pace.

The new version is posted in the first post of this topic. I plan to push both the colony game and multiplayer scenario into the next release of Outpost 2 soon.

Any feedback is appreciated.

-Brett