Download FO's Lament (5,106 KB)
For those not in the know (like yours truly was up to a few days ago), the "FO" in this mission's name stands for "Forward Observer". It's the role that you play in this mission and it's a nasty job!
This is master mission maker Ian Bremner's sequel to his Seize Le Moule mission. So play that first and this one afterwards. Assuming you've succeeded to seize Le Moule back then, you'll understand that the Russians are now cornered on Everon Island's western edge, in Lamentin. That corner, however, is big enough to house AA defenses, light and heavy armor, choppers and well entrenched troops. You will be donning a green balaclava, NVGs, binocs and preferably a silenced gun (the default HK will do but check your gear selection for alternatives), as you tiptoe solo between the enemy's feet, radioing in targets for the upcoming aerial bombardment.
Your main objective is to identify the four most important Russian targets in Lamentin. Ian has employed a very simply yet effective script to accomplish this. Use your binocs, place the potential target in the crosshairs and right click. The ACTION menu should pop up, allowing you to call in the target. Once a target is called in, its location is marked on the briefing map. If you have regrets about the last target you ID'd, there's an action command to cancel the last call.
When you're satisfied that the four targets you've selected are the ones that need to be destroyed, use your radio to call in the A-10s. Just make sure you're a safe distance away from the Soviet base before you do so.
I had one hard time getting through this mission. It's pitch dark outside and you know what it's like looking at the world through green and fuzzy NVGs for long periods of time. It's darned annoying, that's what it is! But you have no choice. There are Russian patrols everywhere. Some small. Some bigger. What's important is not to be spotted because, if you are, you're practically a goner. If you're going to kill a Russian guard, make sure you kill all the comrades around him as well. That might prevent them from sounding the alarm. You really do not want to have a BMP or a T-72 make minced meat out of you. That takes all the fun out of war.
I'm not going to tell you any more except for what's obvious. You need to be super stealthy in this mission. Use the terrain and foliage to conceal yourself. Watch your six. It's a long mission, so use the SAVEGAME cheat every once in a while. I won't tell! If the aerial strike is successful, There's still work to do. You will not have time to take advantage of that weekend pass you were looking forward to.
I invested a lot of time playing this mission. So much so, that the mission's clock time had reached early dawn by the time I called in the forth target. At least I could remove those NVGs and see using the daylight. I enjoyed the fireworks display and the heavy enemy AA fire showering the sky with green tracers, as the A-10s came in for the kill. For a moment I thought there was a glitch in the mission, as the A-10s finished their assault and nothing happened. I turned on OFP's 4x time acceleration. It took a while but there was finally some loud explosion in the Russian camp, which triggered the remainder of the mission.
You'll most probably need OFP version 1.91 for this mission, according to the author. At least, that's what he has. You'll also need STT's Scoped Weapons addon (398KB). Good luck - you'll need that, too!