I had time to play a mission on ArmA today.
Some description of the skirmish is in order. I was given command of a sizeable unit—over a dozen infantrymen were subservient to my orders. We descended on the beaches by parachute, under cover of nightfall. Our goal was to rid two nearby towns of occupying forces, but such a task was not easy: a sizeable number of armoured vehicles were stationed in each settlement, with many a footsoldier to accompany them.
Fortunately, my lads were not without firepower of their own. Not far from the our point of insertion lay a small friendly base, containing an eight-wheeled armoured combat vehicle, two rocket-armed utility vehicles and a lorry-load of explosives. Immediately I set to work assigning my men into teams. Most men were assigned to blue, who would assault the towns on foot. The red team would contain precision shooters and anti-tank specialists, whereas yellow, white and green would engage using the armoured vehicles.
Alas, these vehicles ventured out too quickly, for well-aimed enemy rockets soon reduced two of them to smouldering wreckages. Piloting the sturdier eight-wheeled device, I was able to reduce the armoured presence in the first town in a straightforward manner, though I too was soon forced to escape into a building by foot after encountering cannon fire. Fighting with minimal assistance, I moved from building to building, taking cover wherever it was afforded of me. Circumstance forced me to use the enemy's own ammunition against it, though successful engagements ensured me of a filled magazine whenever it was needed.
Upon neutralising the threat, I rejoined the blue and red teams, who had suffered heavy casualties when moving through the eastern suburbs. On to the next town.
Mountains separated us from our next waypoint, and I deemed it appropriate to use vehicular means to cover the distance. Returning to the base, I found that no lorry had sufficient space to carry the men still remaining. Fortunately, a bus was located nearby. After "relieving" it of its civilian occupants, I beckoned all men into it. Not all would fit, but a fair number could still cram themselves in, guns and all.
And so, a busload of special operatives trundled along the mountain path. Since we were all equipped with nocturnal vision goggles, I kept the lights off to give us the benefit of stealth.
A small copse of trees greeted us at the entrance to the next town. Alas, my strategy fell apart soon after. The foe approached us from the buildings en masse, leaving us to dodge their fire surrounded by foliage. Many men fell, leaving me practically alone with only the burned-out shell of our trusty bus as cover. Picking out opponents one by one, I finally ventured into the town, this time with nothing but a stolen shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon to fend off the armoured menace.
With skilful movement and a level head, I alternated between engaging men and machinery, all encounters occurring at close range. Once explosive ammunition was depleted, I resorted to craftily placing remote-controlled explosives under stationary vehicles and retreating to a safe distance. Once all was said and done, my remaining orders were to round up straddling survivors from the blue team and radio for a helicopter. It arrived, and I was awarded with a single star out of five in the post-mission briefing.
In fairness, the mission did take a fair while, and only a fraction of my forces survived the ordeal. Still, at least we had the bus on our side.