Al Basrah Feedback

[.Intense]

Well, I thought I'd start doing these once a week to cut back on having to sit down and devote 30-40 minutes to writing a map review up.... Helps to pass the time between gaming sessions.

To start, I've been playing Al Basrah quite a bit lately and Ill be the stick in the mud right off the bat...

The ticket system is so FUBAR on this game mode... 300 vs 500 tickets? On top of that if a newer player kills a civilian with a firing weapon, then we lose 10 tickets automatically and they gain 10... (They = Insurgents)

The element of Jihad Jeep is VERY well played off in this map... however the spawn timer on the bikes gives the Insurgency non-stop ammunition against the Warrior.

The map is well done, However I think that the mix of statics and destructibles makes this map very bland when both sides dig in... The APC's automatically destroy the buildings surrounding the VCP and the commander assets don't fit properly (Bunker/Command Post). It also seems that it keeps more vehicles from leaving that it does for entering. The IED Semi can take out either the south entrance or the north entrance and anything within a 20m radius without problem... even people inside the bunker houses.

Assets are to visible from afar and the footprint is simply too small to be a forward operating outpost for the SAS. This is a key point on the map and if the Insurgency captures this early on, it most certainly spells defeat for the SAS. I honestly think a substitute would be moving the east and west areas further east and west, bringing up the Sand Box walls up to 4 levels to discourage RPG volleys on bunkers / commander assets. Placing a similar static that is in EJOD Desert outside the US Deployment zone before you reach the "shiny" bridge. Also making barriers that don't take damage is also needed.

The thing I enjoyed about the map tactically was the odd placement of ammo caches around the map, the function is there... the distance to travel to avoid quite possible 9-10 RPG rounds not including the Mosque spawning 2 RPG's and 1 AA. Also the reliance on the bridges in this map is crucial, taking out the bridges surrounding the south map main base eliminates the possibility of Jihad Kawasaki Krazyheads 100%. If the SAS isn't swift in disabling those bridges early on, most players won't take the time to repair them thus crippling the Insurgency. The key to this map is teamwork on the SAS side... If you do not communicate with your squad while SAS and move as interdependant teams using the commander VOIP to relay information to all the squads, the SAS will fall within 20 minutes... If infantry tactics could be tested at either extreme, this would be the map.

Verdict:

7/10

Additional Note:

Al Basrah is a great map to "warm up" on. It can be fast or it can be slow. You can do a stalemate or be a quick strike... it all depends on the motivation of the other team. Jihad Jeeps make this a map worth playing simply because of the element of surprise... nothing like seeing that White 4x4 "Toyota" blaze accross those medium dunes to see it slam into a loaded APC with a few SAS around it retrieving their kits after respawning...

This map is liberating game-play.

[TexLax]

Originally Posted by .Intense

Well, I thought I'd start doing these once a week to cut back on having to sit down and devote 30-40 minutes to writing a map review up.... Helps to pass the time between gaming sessions.

To start, I've been playing Al Basrah quite a bit lately and Ill be the stick in the mud right off the bat...

The ticket system is so FUBAR on this game mode... 300 vs 500 tickets? On top of that if a newer player kills a civilian with a firing weapon, then we lose 10 tickets automatically and they gain 10... (They = Insurgents)

The element of Jihad Jeep is VERY well played off in this map... however the spawn timer on the bikes gives the Insurgency non-stop ammunition against the Warrior.

The map is well done, However I think that the mix of statics and destructibles makes this map very bland when both sides dig in... The APC's automatically destroy the buildings surrounding the VCP and the commander assets don't fit properly (Bunker/Command Post). It also seems that it keeps more vehicles from leaving that it does for entering. The IED Semi can take out either the south entrance or the north entrance and anything within a 20m radius without problem... even people inside the bunker houses.

Assets are to visible from afar and the footprint is simply too small to be a forward operating outpost for the SAS. This is a key point on the map and if the Insurgency captures this early on, it most certainly spells defeat for the SAS. I honestly think a substitute would be moving the east and west areas further east and west, bringing up the Sand Box walls up to 4 levels to discourage RPG volleys on bunkers / commander assets. Placing a similar static that is in EJOD Desert outside the US Deployment zone before you reach the "shiny" bridge. Also making barriers that don't take damage is also needed.

The thing I enjoyed about the map tactically was the odd placement of ammo caches around the map, the function is there... the distance to travel to avoid quite possible 9-10 RPG rounds not including the Mosque spawning 2 RPG's and 1 AA. Also the reliance on the bridges in this map is crucial, taking out the bridges surrounding the south map main base eliminates the possibility of Jihad Kawasaki Krazyheads 100%. If the SAS isn't swift in disabling those bridges early on, most players won't take the time to repair them thus crippling the Insurgency. The key to this map is teamwork on the SAS side... If you do not communicate with your squad while SAS and move as interdependant teams using the commander VOIP to relay information to all the squads, the SAS will fall within 20 minutes... If infantry tactics could be tested at either extreme, this would be the map.

Verdict:

7/10

Additional Note:

Al Basrah is a great map to "warm up" on. It can be fast or it can be slow. You can do a stalemate or be a quick strike... it all depends on the motivation of the other team. Jihad Jeeps make this a map worth playing simply because of the element of surprise... nothing like seeing that White 4x4 "Toyota" blaze accross those medium dunes to see it slam into a loaded APC with a few SAS around it retrieving their kits after respawning...

This map is liberating game-play.

first, there is no SAS in this mod (and most likely never will be)

second, this map isn't to freindly to people who don't read the guides, if they read them. the ticket ratio wouldn't be a problem


(SAS, lol)

[.Intense]

Originally Posted by TexLax

first, there is no SAS in this mod (and most likely never will be)

second, this map isn't to freindly to people who don't read the guides, if they read them. the ticket ratio wouldn't be a problem


(SAS, lol)

Hmmm, Do you use ventrilo? Vocal wise is it easier to say Britain or SAS? When you think of the UK, what army do you think of? The SAS... it's the icon of the British Military...

[MAINERROR]

Its a pretty cool map for clients but its a nightmare for serveradmins cause its not very stable hope the patch will fix it.

[El_Vikingo]

The IED Semi can take out either the south entrance or the north entrance and anything within a 20m radius without problem... even people inside the bunker houses.

I agree, the IED loaded car should have a kill radius of 5m...

I honestly think a substitute would be moving the east and west areas further east and west, bringing up the Sand Box walls up to 4 levels to discourage RPG volleys on bunkers / commander assets.

I agree with this too, I have never heard of checkpoints being fired upon...

[TexLax]

Originally Posted by .Intense

Hmmm, Do you use ventrilo? Vocal wise is it easier to say Britain or SAS? When you think of the UK, what army do you think of? The SAS... it's the icon of the British Military...

SAS is special forces, call the team for what they are.

[[R-DEV]Katarn]

I don't see why you guys care what be calls the British Forces, maybe you should concentrate on his review of the map.

To the thread creator:

You're playing this map as if it's AAS or Conquest. It's an insurgency map which means it's the objective of the British Forces to destroy the 10 or so ammo dumps littered around the map. They can either go house-to-house in search of these ammo dumps or go the violent route.
From the User Guide:

Revealing the first marker takes 30 intel points, and each subsequent taking 3 more points than the last (with second taking 33, third taking 36, etc.).

Intel points can be obtained and lost by the following means:

* Killing insurgents: +1 point
* Searching insurgent kits (picking up an insurgent's kit - holding onto it is not required): +2 points
* Arresting civilians: +7 points
* Killing insurgent embedded SF operator (Insurgent officer): +7 points
* Killing a civilian: -3 points

These markers show you the general area in which the ammo dump is located. Then you destroy it.

[ReaperMAC]

Originally Posted by [R-DEV]Katarn

* Searching insurgent kits (picking up an insurgent's kit - holding onto it is not required): +2 points

Must have missed that while reading the guide.

[Sabre_tooth_tigger]

I stumbled across this vid showing basra off quite nicely, its new to me so..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOb5bPiuGco

[SGT.JOKER]

Originally Posted by Sabre_tooth_tigger

I stumbled across this vid showing basra off quite nicely, its new to me so..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOb5bPiuGco

that makes me wanna get the SP version of PR.....to bad im not sure how to get it working once i get it....