In Progress Let's Play 7.62HC again, Total Eclipse of the Blue Sun[SSLP]

[R@S]

**********************
Session 18: Saving Armenso
**********************
- The Convoy Ambush - Picking the Right Side - Why LMG's are Worth it - Kestrel Moves Around the Rocks -
- Corpses Blocking the Gap - Two Birds with One Burst - Overheating the SG552 - Back to the Blue Sun Base -
**********************

Spoiler

On they way back to the Blue Sun Base the team gets held up by a battle up ahead. They move up closer to check out what's going on and discover some traders under attack from road agents. They decide to intervene on behalf of the traders.

The Plan:
Kestrel will do a flanking run and attack the road agents from the south. Geroj will cover the eastern gap dealing with them as they try to get away from Kestrel. The Brock and Rob Yu will handle the road agents coming from the north, HK will stay back and cover them with his G3SG/1. BNC will be on baby-sitting duty, keeping and eye on Armenso and patch him up if needed.

Rob Yu prepares a 15 round burst to suppress the road agents, and while he is preparing Geroj picks a fight.

The Brock starts picking off targets, there's a lot to choose from.

HK, using the space between The Brock and Rob Yu, helps out and takes one down.

Rob Yu's fire have the intended effect, the road agents scatter or hits the dirt.

Geroj moves up and throws a grenade to slow the enemy down, Kestrel still hasn't reached his position.

The Brock gets another notch in his belt, and so does HK.

Geroj's grenade detonates in the middle of the road agents, killing one and wounding several.

Kestrel has reached his destination and will start moving around the rocks to pick off the enemy from behind. The northern gap is littered with corpses, so The Brock and HK will have to move up and find better angles.

Kestrel spots the first enemy right away and takes her down with a burst. He hears some movement and throws a grenade at it.

As the grenade detonates, another road agent is revealed, and gets a burst from Kestrel's SIG SG552.

The Brock and HK has reached their new positions and will continue taking out the enemy. Rob Yu will turn his HK23e towards the eastern gap and cover Geroj. Kestrel will continue moving around the rocks.

A road agent comes running through the gap, Geroj is ready for him.

The Brock spots two enemies crawling through the grass, Rob Yu's suppression fire scared the crap out of them and they are keeping their heads low.

Another road agent comes through the gap, Geroj pins him down with his SA vz.58.

A road agent turns up in Kestrel's sight and he reacts quickly with a burst.

This is one of those lovely moments that are good to get on the record. In 0.2 seconds The Brock manages to kill two birds with one burst. And the kicker, he gets to level up when the second one dies.

Kestrel sends a second burst at the road agent, killing her.

HK spots one using his scope as binoculars and takes him out.

It's time for the final push, The Brock will move north while HK is covering him. Kestrel will finish moving around the rocks and take out the final enemies. Geroj and Rob Yu are prepared for any banzai charges.

The first enemy coming through the gap gets taken down by a burst from Rob Yu's HK23e.

Kestrel tries to get the final enemy, sending burst after burst at her, but she has good cover from a pile of corpses. His SIG SG552 overheats and he need to start using semi-automatic fire to reduce the wear rate.

The road agent under the corpses throws a grenade in a last attempt to get away, forcing Geroj, HK and Rob Yu to pull back.

That's when Kestrel reaches her and does some stompin'.

BNC talks to Armenso and he agrees to come to their base.

After the H&K mission, this loot feels weak, but we got a lot of 7.62x33mm rounds and mags, which is never a bad thing.

The team continue to the Blue Sun Base and sells the loot at the local trader Poncio.

Kestrel then talks to Tang again, who has another mission for them. Poncio gives them the details and they move out.

Here's what we have gathered so far, and the latest load-outs. You are looking at about 25% of the total arsenal in BSM, there's lots and lots of more goodies to be discovered.

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

Lucky bastard, you looted 5 23Es from the H&K mission didn't you.

 

[R@S]

I dunno if lucky is the right word, I had to kill the guys carrying them I think one of them was the one wounding Kestrel, so I payed dearly for at least one of them.

Yes, I got 5 of them, but got very unlucky and Rob damaged one terminally when trying to repair it. I also got 3 G3SG/1's, 3 HK416's and a bunch of HK53's, HK33's and MP5's. And an HK UMP45, but we had one of those already. But as I said, we'll be set with 5.56 ammo for a long while, and it's not long before the enemies starts wearing some heavy armor and we need to use AP ammo. So far we only have 120 AP rounds for the 7.62x51mm weapons, but letting the team sniper have those is the best way to proceed.

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

It's always nice to know that 23E boxes come with second tier 5.56 ammo IIRC, which has no problem taking down anything besides heavy armor. If you can't pierce them to death, you can always smash them into shock or submission while waiting for HK or Rob to deliver the killshot. Only STANAG mags come with 5.56 ball, which doesn't do much (if any) damage against the titanium helmet, so I've stopped aiming at the head altogether. Now when I'm using 5.56 ball, I intentionally aim for legs to disable them and in most case they just bleed to death.

MP7 will have no problem killing anything for a while and it seems like the only thing left is to upgrade The Brock to a solid 5.56 platform that works just as fast as the MP5, unless you're artificially making it harder for yourself of course . Also, Kestrel may want to have buckshot alternating with flechette rounds for his USAS drum. Both penetration and shock damage ahoy! I also assume you loaded slugs into the straight mag for Kestrel to use should his SIG run dry.

 

[IceShade]

Nice going again, R@S.

As for the SIG-552, I didn't know it overheated within a magazine, which is rather silly. In this case Kestrel is much better off with a HK33 or a HK53. I think the AKS-74U's accuracy is too poor at this stage to consider.

 

[R@S]

Cookie Eater, I am trying to make it more difficult for myself, how did you know? I usually play with only 2 or 3 mercs, and trying to stop the rushing enemy with only a few guns is very hard and some different tactics are needed. But using those tactics would be very boring as an LP, so I try to use tactics and merc roles to make it more entertaining. The Brock, if he had a rifle with some range, would be pretty much used as a trooper, as you might have noticed in the H&K mission. I want to use the scout tactic as much as possible since then more options will be available and I'll get a better picture of what the enemy is up to. Just look at The Brock's Shooting skill, it's gone from 40 to 73 in these few missions, he's already the team's best shot, and if given a rifle with range he'll be unstoppable.:D

Having 6 mercs is making the game very easy, too easy actually. I need to be challenged so I'm forced to think up new tactics, and I'll have more fun doing this.

IceShade, I'll give Kestrel the HK53 for the next session to try it out. The HK33 has good range but is much slower, I think the flanker needs a quick weapon, range is not as important. But then again, maybe switching out the USAS-12 for the HK33, giving him both the HK33's range and the HK53's speed would be something you'd consider? Or maybe just go back to the Crossfire Mk-1, it's a very good all round rifle, having everything a skirmisher/flanker needs, and it would decrease the weight carried as well.

I'll try to get the next session ready today, am about to start playing it but not sure if I'll have the time to write it down.

 

[R@S]

**********************
Session 19: HK's wet dream
**********************
- Setting Up an Explosive Welcome - The Contingency Plan - Secondary Explosions - BNC and the RPG-2 -
- Geroj Likes Keisters - The Brock Makes an Entrance - Another Mop-Up - A Reward Worth It -
**********************

Spoiler

The team have about 2 minutes to get ready, the enemies will all come from one direction. Time to set up the ambush.

Rob Yu and Geroj have the highest Sapper skill, so they'll plant the explosives. They throw a few TNT blocks and grenades around, then set up some remote detonated C4 charges in the middle. Rob Yu will use channel 1 and Geroj channel 2.

The Plan
The Brock will scout for the team, finding a good spot in the grass shadowed by some nearby trees. BNC will have a clear line of sight towards the entry point where she can use her RPG-2 if necessary. Kestrel will be just around the corner, ready to run forward and provide cover. Geroj, Rob Yu and HK will hang back and provide cover in case BNC and Kestrel gets overrun and needs to retreat.

The Contingency Plan
If things go pear-shaped and The Brock gets discovered, he will pull back to the rocks, then make his stand there. Kestrel and BNC will advance and take out any pursuers. Geroj and Rob Yu will advance and provide cover fire for Kestrel and BNC.

BNC shoulders her RPG-2 and gets ready.

The rest of the team raises their weapons, they still have about a minute until the enemy arrives.

FIRST WAVE
The time has come, the enemy is here. Rob presses the 1 on his remote detonator and the C4 charge explodes, killing at least one enemy.

Then all the secondary explosives go off in a series of detonations, killing all but one of the enemies.

BNC holds her fire, why waste a grenade on just one target. Kestrel moves up, a few bursts from his HK53 takes care of the sole survivor.

SECOND WAVE
When more enemies arrive, Kestrel pulls back behind cover.

Geroj presses the 2 on his remote detonator and the C4 charge explodes. This time there's no secondary explosions, they all blew up the first time.

BNC fires her RPG-2 into the middle of the enemy group, the light from the explosion reveals even more enemies.

She hurries behind cover before they have time to react.

The enemy lays down massive fire on her previous position, not aware that she's moved on already. BNC uses this time to switch to her China Lake GL.

She runs up and sends 3 forty-mike-mike grenades in an arch at the enemy, then moves back again.

The first grenade lands on the head of one poor sucker, exploding 2 meters above the ground making more damage than it would have done otherwise.

As the third grenade explodes, Kestrel spots a pursuer and send a burst his way. He's not familiar with his HK53 yet, and it takes several bursts before he start scoring some good hits.

The Brock is itching to join the fight, but decides against it, there's still too many enemies left for him to handle alone. Even if he only sees 4 of them, he knows there are more around.

Kestrel finally brings down his target, and sees another one coming his way. He fires a burst and it empties the first of the two mags that are taped together, he'll have to reload quickly.

That's when Geroj steps in, his position allows him to send a burst at the advancing enemy, probably saving Kestrel's keister.

The Brock can't wait any longer, opens up with his MP5 and kills one.

And another.

And a third.

Then a fourth and a fifth.

It's time to mop up, Kestrel will run up quickly and deal with the remainder of the enemies from up close. The Brock will slowly creep up and support him with his silenced MP5.

As soon as The Brock starts to move forward, he spots an enemy and takes him down quickly with a burst.

As Kestrel runs towards the entry point, he sees several of the corpses still standing, it seems rigor mortis has set in at the moment of death.

The Brock, moving forward slowly, takes down another enemy with a burst.

Kestrel has almost reached his destination when he spots an enemy.

He fires a hip-shot burst, then discovers another enemy having an AKS-74U trained on him.

Kestrel and The Brock fires at the same time, both hitting the target.

Kestrel then turns back to the other enemy and finishes the job.

The final enemy was unconscious and well hidden under a pile of dead bodies. A burst from Kestrel's HK53 finishes the battle.

We got some Vepr-308 hunting rifles, a bunch of Bizons, Saigas and a lot of Flechette cartridges.

The team travel back to the Blue Sun Base to report their success.

First they sell the loot, making roughly 5000 eldos. HK then talks to Tang about getting the reward, and it's not money this time.

The reward is a high-end sniper rifle, and we'll get to choose one of six.

Which of these should we take as a reward?

1: SV-98 (7.62x54mmR) 3 spare mags 30 rounds
2: L96A1 (7.62x51mm) 3 spare mags 30 rounds
3: DSR-1 (7.62x51mm) 3 spare mags 15 rounds
4: L96A1 Mod (.338 Lapua) 3 spare mags 70 rounds
5: Gepard GM6 Lynx (.50 BMG) 3 spare mags 15 rounds
6: Barret M82A3 (.50 BMG) 3 spare mags 70 rounds

Don't forget to take ammo into account when voting! We don't have any 7.62x54mmR, .338 Lapua or .50 BMG rounds yet, but we have a lot of 7.62x51mm ammo. We will be able to loot some 7.62x54mmR soon, but we'll never find any .338 Lapua or .50 BMG ammo in the wild. We'll get a few spare mags, and in some cases a couple boxes of ammo as well.

All the rifles have their pros and cons, like the SV-98 coming with a silencer, the DSR-1 and Gerpard GM6 only having 5 round mags and the .338 and .50 BMG being one-shot-one-kill weapons.

R@S Note: I have changed the script and in BSM 2.0 all the rifles will come with 2 boxes of spare ammo each.

 

[IceShade]

DSR-1 with 3 mags should last an encounter before needing to refill the magazines. That or the L96A1, as they both use 7.62x51 which is plenty. 7.62x54R should be another option, but I don't come across that one too often.

3 or 4.



As for Kestrel, the Crossfire is probably the best. STANAGs, Eotech, and a masterkey so the USAS-12 isn't necessary. Saves on weight.

 

[waladil]

I'd say the L96A1. It uses the ever-plentiful 7.62x51, is tied for most-accurate, and does sufficient damage that even if a hit isn't necessarily a kill, it puts them on the ground well enough. Almost never will someone take that round and live more than 10 extra seconds.

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

Either L96A1 or DSR-1. Both are terrifically efficient guns.

 

[D_F_N]

The L96A1 is a clear winner so i ll vote for the one that you have the less ammo for! Yeap, i like making your life difficult. Also


"I have changed the script and in BSM 2.0 all the rifles will come with 2 boxes of spare ammo each."

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

DSR-1 is not terribly heavy, so HK can actually just carry both, only using it as primary when the map allows long range shots. If not, then stick to the G3SG. Anyone remember if MSG1 or PSG90 works in the same speed tier as G3SG or if it's more towards a sniper (lower ROF)?

 

[R@S]

D_F_N, I'm glad you're on my team And about the updated script, since the Barret already came with 2 spare boxes, why shouldn't the Gepard GM6 do as well? I felt it was uneven and wanted some consistency in the reward, not to try to make it easier.

Cookie Eater, the G3SG has a Prepare Time of 0.49 and ROF 0.80, the MSG1 PT 0.53 and ROF 1.45, the PSG-1 pt 0.58 and ROF 1.50, so the G3SG is by far the quicker rifle. And the G3SG's range is good enough since the maps are seldom big enough to need better.

It looks like the L96A1 is the winner, even if I myself would've picked the SV-98. A silenced sniper rifle would have made HK's life much easier, not being suppressed as much when the enemy wouldn't be able to spot where his shots came from.

We'll leave it up to Waladil to choose if HK should keep using the G3SG/1 or switch to the L96A1.

 

[Hur Zwa]

Choice is clear!!! It has to be the DSR-1! As HK likes german manufacturers he would choose the DSR-1. It also has some serious advantages: It fires faster than any other rife, it's quick to ready, ammo is plenty and you can attach a silencer if needed. Although playing without silencer damage is a bit like cheating :D

Is there a reason you don't use the OICW? This weapon is awesome although in the game it is a bit too heavy compared to the real world model

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

An L1A1 with scope and bipod. Best none sniper semi auto rifle ever.

 

[waladil]

Go with both the G3SG/1 and the L96A1. Use the G3SG/1 as primary, for shorter-range sniping and assault-rifling, then the L96A1 as long-range sniping. He _should_ be strong enough to haul both.

 

[D_F_N]

I m glad i m too R@S!

" A team has a tendency to know what the other team members are doing and thinking and coordinates therby and therewith" Ron Hubbard

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

Well, we can always go against our instincts to survive and make life harder for R@S. PISTOLS FOR EVERYONE!

 

[R@S]

Waladil, carrying both rifles will bring HK's weight to 99%, it might have a few penalties. But it's your call.

Cookie Eater, There's some pistol action in this session, they still are useful when you outnumber the enemy.


**********************
Session 20: No way Jose, the doublecross
**********************
- HK gets Wookied - The Doublecross - Quick-Draw Competition - Move Up, Fan Out -
- Knee Injuries are the Worst - Good Interest Rates - Wet-Work Around the Country -
**********************

Spoiler

HK talks to Tang again, this time he need help picking something up at Jose's garage.

A Wookie suit is found, and HK claims it for his own, it'll help him stay unnoticed.

The Plan
The Brock, Kestrel and Geroj will take care of the enemies close by. HK and Rob Yu will take the overwatch position to cover the rear. BNC has moved down the access road and is ready for anyone getting any ideas.

The Brock talks to Jose, who gives him a camera with some incriminating evidence. That's when the doublecross happens, luckily the team was prepared.

Kestrel hits his target.

HK scores a headshot and takes his target out.

Geroj lets his Boomstick discharge, hitting the enemy in the back.

In the quick draw competition between The Brock and Jose, the MP5 is quicker than the Magpul Mazada.

Geroj, Kestrel and The Brock will run down to BNC, then they will move forward and spread out among the houses. HK and Rob Yu will provide cover from their overwatch position.

Rob Yu spots an enemy and sends a burst down the line.

The enemy returns fire and hits Rob Yu. HK hits the enemy, causing him to drop his IMBEL MD-3.

As the enemy switches to his sidearm, a Beretta 951, HK's second shot takes him out.

The team is in position, The Brock will move up the left flank, Kestrel the right. BNC and Geroj will stay behind some sandbags and cover them.

As the team starts moving, an enemy appears and gets dealt with by HK.

Another enemy gets hit by HK's cover fire, the G3SG/1 delivers a deadly shot.

Geroj spots an enemy throwing a grenade at BNC, he isn't worried, she's behind good cover.

Another shot from HK's G3SG/1 goes through the roof and hits the grenade thrower in the shoulder, he wont be throwing any more grenades.

Kestrel spots and enemy through the window and takes him out.

The Brock takes out the grenade thrower with a close up hip-shot.

The grenade detonates, the sandbags shielding BNC from the blast and any shrapnel.

As the Brock continues his sweep, and enemy pops out a door and hits him in the left knee. The Brock drops his MP5 and passes out from the pain.

Another shot hits The Brock in the right arm, things are not looking very good for him.

That's when Kestrel comes around the corner and saves The Brock, taking out the enemy with a hip-shot from his Crossfire Mk-1.

The Brock regains consciousness and starts applying some bandages to stop the bleeding. The wounded knee prevents him from standing up, he needs better medical equipment to fix that.

The final enemy is hiding in one of the houses, Kestrel takes care of it by blasting a few bursts through the wall.

HK helps The Brock heal his right arm and knee using the surgical kit they found in Olvega.

The team got some good loot this time, both from crates and enemy drops.

Back at the Blue Sun Base Geroj squares things with Tang. They now have a lot of money and decide to put it into the savings account to gather some interest. They'll need a lot of money soon, and this is the best way to do it.

The next mission Tang gives them is wet work, they need to take out a guy in Fuerte Calderon.

They travel there and finds their target guarded by a couple of bodyguards.

They coordinate their attack and they all fire at the same time.

BNC, who'd had the best seat in the house, finishes off the survivor with a hip-shot burst from her MP7A1.

The Brock finds a Bofors AK5, which he claims. It comes with and ACOG-11 scope, which is weird since the AK5 has a HK type mount.

R@S Note: The inventory file has been fixed for BSM 2.0.


Back at the Blue Sun Base the team gets the reward and the next target, a guy in Olvega this time.

The target is hiding in one of the alleys, the team needs to do this up close. They switch to their sidearms and get ready.

It doesn't take more than a couple of seconds to do the deed.

This time the loot throws up and TAR-21 assault rifle.

Back to Tang for another reward and target, this time in El-Vertigo.

Once again, the team line up close and gets to work.

When the first three targets are down, they fan out. Geroj, always unlucky, gets hit as he moves around some debris.

Kestrel and The Brock takes care of the bodyguard while Geroj patches up.

They got an HK XM-8 AR, very rare in this country.

They then start traveling back to the Blue Sun Base, when suddenly...

I have already played the next session, it'll be better and more tactical than this one. Might post it later tonight, if we reach the next page and I've had the time to write it down.

 

[Hur Zwa]

*bump*

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

When the heck did you get the Wookie suit. Oh at the base, right. Keep forgetting things these days.

Edit : Also I got something funky going on with the TAR 21. Apparently the flag to set reflex sight/laser combo that came with the gun is not set to non-detachable, so the TAR 21 has a funky doubling of the top sight part.

 

[D_F_N]

The last 3 engagements were just Rambo stuff. They didnt have a chance.

So, how about PISTOLS REVOLVERS FOR EVERYONE! ???

 

[R@S]

I was thinking about having a vote once we get to the Radio Hill battle. Either go in during daylight and charge the hill, or do a night mission Spec Ops style, bringing in Kelly for her stealth skill. Then have The Brock, Kestrel and Kelly be the main team sneaking up the hill, HK, Geroj and Rob Yu provide cover in case things go wrong. But a pistol/revolver charge sounds fun too:D

Cookie Eater, the TAR-21 top issue is one of those engine limitations thingies forcing the sight and laser use the same model. There's nothing to do about it unless you don't want the laser showing.

And I found the Wookie suit in one of the crates at the garage, you can get one earlier if you do some vanilla quests.

 

[waladil]

Ah, the Ghillie suit. There's only like two in the game till you start getting them in the Bobling's shops, IIRC.

BTW, 99% energy outgoing on HK should be fine (unless there's downsides I don't know about). Energy's not usually a problem, and he's not exactly supposed to be sprinting across battlefields while dodging bullets.

 

[Cookie Eating Huskarl]

@Ras, That makes sense, since the laser model for XM8 is a small laser prod by itself.