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Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Wildlands |OT| Squad Goals

Finally finished my recap post..

Had a lot of fun this weekend.. got to play with a bunch of GAF members, and some friends who aren't allowed on GAF yet. I keep wondering if I should try a random squad, or one of those "recommended" players, but so far I'm too scared of a terrible experience ruining my love of the game, so I'll stick to players I know!

I'm like.. 50 or so hours into the game now, and have little bits and pieces of it completed, but really need to knock out a few solid provinces to feel accomplished! There is SO much to this game. When I was playing with Belker, I ended up spawning like 8km away from the group, but I refused to quick travel because traversing the world is so much fun (and one big reason I love this game). If I die and respawn by them, so be it.. but it's more fun to me to highjack a helicopter, and dodge SAM sites in order to come airlift the team! Even long flights from one side of the map to the other (16-20km?) is enjoyable, even just relaxing and watching the weather/atmosphere effects.

I'm just now getting into the North Eastern provinces.. SO MANY TREES. It's weird since I'm used to setting my helicopter down all over the place, and now I have to circle around looking for a patch to land. Stalking through the jungle is so cool as well.

First, as I said before.. I think I was indulging too much in La Medicina, this was a trip.

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That's a hell of a crevasse! I really appreciate the "Alright, breathe easy" at the end. Thanks for helping me pass from this world, buddy. I died shortly thereafter and was respawned nearby, none the worse from the trip!

Second.. I knew it was our GHOST chopper.. but hell, I found a god-damn GHOSTCHOPPER!

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GHOSTS are TAKIN' OUR JOOOOBS! It was really weird, it wouldn't let me land (or really gain altitude). I eventually just abandoned it and went on with the mission.. wonder if it's still floating around out there.. looking for souls to steal..

Finally, dodging SAM missiles with planes is old hat, a little loop-de-loop and they go flying right by. The small helicopter is pretty much the same.. but the dang "Not-Blackhawk" behaves like an AirBarge most of the time. I had a fun run down SAM alley..

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I felt like every direction I went was worse than the last!

Flying is way better in this game once you get a feel for the controls. It's still not great, but its perfectly serviceable.Lock-on missiles or something would be nice for the attack helicopters though.

Back on tonight if anyone is playing! The Task Force website is still trash.. it sometimes lets me on, sometimes doesn't.. they said they're going to have missions or something for Task Forces to complete soon.. so hopefully that turns out well. I'm guessing it'll be "hijack X convoys" or "kill X UNIDAD helicopters" but it'll give us something to work towards.

If anyone hasn't joined the Xbox Task Force.. the link is HERE.
 

FatalT

Banned
The way I've been playing it is to go to each skull area in order (start with the 1 skulls, move on to the 2 skulls, etc) and to find all the weapons, weapon attachments, and bonus medals, then do the missions. I'm on my first of the four 5 skull zones now and still enjoying it. I maxed out all the Rebel skills already so getting around is a breeze when you can just call in a helicopter out of nowhere every 45 seconds.

Also I've done all of this solo. I played co-op with randoms last night and ended up just messing around but wasn't using a microphone so I didn't get too much out of the experience. It was enjoyable though until I got disconnected after like two hours of playing around with Unidad patrols and convoy side-missions with them.

I turned on the XP tracker, and it is nice seeing the game is giving you more XP points for unseen kills and other stealthy things. I wish it would reward you more (somehow) for playing like a true Ghost.

Since I got to level 30.. there isn't much incentive for gaining XP, which is kind of a bummer. Wonder if the level cap will raise with the DLC? Not sure if it really matters though.

The cap is 30? Poop. I think I'm 26 but I've got more skill points than I know what to do with. What's holding me back are the resources needed for skills now but I haven't felt like grinding out any convoy missions to get them.

EDIT: Also the Medic drone is extremely useful in co-op. It basically explodes in a green mist and everyone around its radius is revived. You get it by getting at least 1 skill point in every skill of the Drone skill tree. The only "epic skill" I'm missing is the marksman one because I need 5,000 medical supplies for the ammo retention skill, arg. That's really only like one convoy mission in a 5 skull zone but still :p

MUDzmmF.jpg
 

Samikaze

Member
Went in to take down the main target in Oroco who's holed up in his mansion.

I come in via helo in the hills behind his place and set up a nice position to recon the area.
I spot around 20 hostiles guarding his building. A healthy mix of Santa Blanca and Unidad.

Sync up and have my guys peg the snipers on the roof while I plot out how to take down the weaker areas. Instead I decided to drop the stealth approach and drop motors on the large group of Unidad and SB.

Mortars hit right in the middle, killing 4-5 targets. Apparently the Unidad and SB blame each other for the attack, and they start killing each other.

Easiest mission ever.
Love this game lol.
 

Keihart

Member
No idea what is tactical planning, but i'm always at like 100 % :/
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My longest kill is surprising tho, i had no idea.
 
I can't believe I'm playing a game where me and my friend went total ninja mode to take our a small village area


I never had that much fun playing a level 3 mission before.

I suck at the helicopter, I push up so the nose will tilt down to pick up speed but the chopper turns sideways instead, go figure.

Two more people I know are picking it up, will be cool to have a full squad but I feel like the leveling is taking forever.
 

void666

Banned
One of the tailing missions glitched. But fuck it.
This game is fun as fuck.

We had to blow up this thing. Instead of walking through the whole base we took a boat to do some recon. It's pitch black night and it's raining heavily. We find the thing, friend jumps in the water, knife between his teeth. We stay in the boat to support. Take out a guy overlooking the place. Friend plants C4. Guy spots him. We don't have LoS. Friend dives, detonate C4 killing bad guy in the process. He is back in the boat. We disappear into the night.
Nothing bombastic. Very simple actually. But it felt so logical. So cool.
 
Ran into some more drone-meets-helicopter-blade jank.

I was reconning a base with a drone, and flew low to look through the windows of those checkpoint pillboxes you see at base entrances. I was about 60+ meters out when I pulled back a little bit and managed to tap my drone against the rotors of an empty, landed helicopter (so, nobody there, rotors not moving). The result? EXPLOSION, I lose my drone feed, and the entire base goes apeshit like a dropped a grenade in their mess hall.

If you've got a drone, watch out for rotors of all kinds!

We've also instituted a quick gear check on every spawn - either on first game load or when reloading after dying. Just to make sure our weapons are loaded, have suppressors on, and our rifles aren't set to fire any underslung grenade launchers or the like by default. Just in case. We learned this lesson the hard way so I'm sharing ;p

And one more thing to watch out for. We were taking out a base that led into a tunnel. I had a nice spot on a nearby roof that could see into the tunnel where there was a lone soldier waiting, just dying for me to shoot him. He was clearly in the open in the tunnel, as viewed from my sniper scope (160 meters or so out) and via binoculars, but when I droned closer, much closer, like about 50 meters rom him and just past the entrance to the tunnel proper, a bunch of shelving phased into existence completely blocking my shot. I think tunnels don't play too nicely with the LOD system at times, and you might think you've got a clear shot when you don't. Just add it to the jank-fix list.

Edit: Oh and one more thing. If you're piloting a helicopter and have to bail from damage and your helicopter gets toasted while you're outside of it, you might lose the ability to use the drone and binoculars. Its happened to me three times now all under those circumstances and I have to warp back to another player to reset it. FYI
 
Went and got this game at a Redbox this weekend and have been surprised at how much fun I've been having. After the betas/etc. I thought I was going to never touch it again. Lots of problems but man is the game fun.
 

Kadin

Member
Went and got this game at a Redbox this weekend and have been surprised at how much fun I've been having. After the betas/etc. I thought I was going to never touch it again. Lots of problems but man is the game fun.
Yeah I don't think anyone will ignore the fact that there are plenty of things to criticize but at the end of the day, a lot of fun can be had.

Just played with another buddy and took us probably 6 attempts to finish a story mission but at no point did we ever think about stopping or moving elsewhere. We only died cause we were stupid, not because we felt cheated in any way. Too much fun.
 

void666

Banned
Sometimes i wish things like drones and helicopters were not so readily available.
Last night we blew up a target using an explosive drone. Huge base, enemies everywhere. We just flew a drone through a door and boom. Mission completed. Felt so anticlimatic.
 
Sometimes i wish things like drones and helicopters were not so readily available.
Last night we blew up a target using an explosive drone. Huge base, enemies everywhere. We just flew a drone through a door and boom. Mission completed. Felt so anticlimatic.

I think the game is at its best when you put self imposed limits on yourself.

I don't think that is necessarily good GAME DESIGN, but I do think it's nice that they allowed you the freedom to use (or not use) the various tools in your arsenal.

I like the idea of one person being "the" drone operator, and he alone gets control of using the drone for the mission. Combined with no mini-map (and no markers if you're nasty), it would be up to the drone operator to relay enemy locations/patrols in real time to the rest of the squad. Not using explosive/EMP/medical etc drones would also be at your discretion. I think using a tiny explosive drone feels right up the Ghosts alley though.. and while it does feel a little anticlimactic, flying that in there to fuck up the goddamn Quinoa plant felt justified to me!

It would be nice if you could turn on/off/modify more settings under difficulty, but until then you just have to self moderate. I really want to get to the point where I can play with the HUD turned off, or at least be SEVERELY minimized. I've been turning things off one at a time to see how I can adjust. I got rid of the contextual prompts that pop up when you enter a vehicle, since I pretty much memorized those.. the flipside is it ALSO removes the prompts when you walk up to an ammo container or supply container (OR a bad guy you have to subdue!). Not a huge issue as it's usually just one button.. but it threw me for a loop for a little bit. Once I was trying to subdue a Sicaro but a dead guy had dropped his rifle right in front of the Sicaro, so without seeing the prompts I was picking up the rifle instead of beating his ass into submission.. needless to say he killed me and ran away.

The game is really beautiful when you strip away all the little HUD details too, which is a nice bonus.
 
Playing with a group who are willing to mix up tactics makes a big difference. We don't use EMP and Explosive drones much, but last night we tried to take out a convoy purely with drones. It was really fun. Of course it went horribly wrong the first time, but we managed to explode a helicopter and two convoy vehicles and then fourth drone EMP'd the supply truck. We ran up, quickly shot the drivers, tagged and done with full value.

Another convoy ambush we tried with mines and an EMP went to shit, my three friends gave up and started going for a skill point down the road. I hoofed it to a road to grab some shitty car, chased down the convoy that was like 750m away when I got in the car. Finally caught up to it after a long chase, rammed that shit off the road, tagged and done.

The combination of trying to execute a specific plan or type of tactics and improvising when things go wrong is when this game shines. If you are playing solo and are the type of person who can't resist breaking games when they are so easily broken, like sync shot, this game must feel like a pile of shit. Both ends of the spectrum for reviews are legit. I think 2.5 is ridiculously low, that is a game in an unplayable state imo, not just a flawed and buggy game like this. But yeah, it is what you make of it. If they can just patch a few things, maybe tweak some controls and add new mission types, it can keep this game going for another few months.
 
I would turn off the minimap if it could be replaced by a simple compass. Not naming names, but callouts from Belker involving "right" and "left" require me to know where he is in relation to the reference point while compass/degree callouts don't.
 

void666

Banned
If this game had mod support the community would fix it. I would double dip if the pc version had mods.
But unfortunately, it's ubisoft.
 

Belker

Member
I would turn off the minimap if it could be replaced by a simple compass. Not naming names, but callouts from Belker involving "right" and "left" require me to know where he is in relation to the reference point while compass/degree callouts don't.

I think when I give callouts to people about enemies, I'm imagining the last direction I saw player moving in and use that as orientation.

I think it's better to have an ambiguous warning, so there's an expectation of danger, than none. But the problem is that Crude's having to work harder to understand what I'm saying (and it's frustrating for me to hear his frustration) all for the sake of something simple like a compass.

And it's not like they need to add one to the screen. They could simply keep the one on the outside of the minimap - but without the map.

EDIT

I've tried playing with the minimap on and marking off, but problem is the drone and binoculars still mark enemies automatically. You get the 'click' sound effect and everything. The only difference is that instead of getting a sign above their head and on the map, you get a dot on the map. That means I can see nearby enemies' positions with 100% accuracy in everything but height, whereas with the map off and marking on, I can see it in everything but depth.

Any physicists want to make a Heisenberg joke?
 
I would turn off the minimap if it could be replaced by a simple compass. Not naming names, but callouts from Belker involving "right" and "left" require me to know where he is in relation to the reference point while compass/degree callouts don't.

Compass on screen outside binocs and drone would be nice. That said, forcing use to gain bearings has a kind of merit.
 
Yeah, I suppose using callouts based on landmarks or other things on the field could be more helpful than compass directions OR "right/left" kind of directions.

"I see a couple of tangos, over there, by that stack of tires!"

And really, North/Etc callouts only work if you know where the person is, as the tango could be south east of you, but north west of them.

The map on extreme difficulty is just a map, it doesn't show locations I guess. That could be useful, as it sometimes is hard to drive around and not know where you're going. However, I find that quickly pulling up the map works in a pinch and is relatively 'realistic', though everyone has GPS these days.. maybe the backroads of Bolivia haven't been mapped by Waze yet :-D

Getting everyone on the same page is key though.. if 3/4 are using no minimap and the 4th has it on (with yellow warning blooms), it gets kind of cheap since they have magic detection vision.

Using no markers is... tough. It requires split second visual identification of the different factions (and civilians) and while it IS realistic, the Enemy AI does not seem to have the same difficulty.
 

Belker

Member
Yeah, I suppose using callouts based on landmarks or other things on the field could be more helpful than compass directions OR "right/left" kind of directions.

"I see a couple of tangos, over there, by that stack of tires!"

I'd like to do this, but the objects in the world are so similar and appear so often that it there's still confusion. I've done it before when buildings are a certain height - since there will often be fewer three-storey buildings than bungalows and when there's some noticeable marker like graffitti.

Maybe a solution is for people to agree who they're spotting for and those people either to move in the same direction through a base looking out for each other, or to have a clear spotter/solider relationship and the spotter to define a fixed point beforehand using a landmark, knowing the other player's oritentation at the time of deciding.
 

Kadin

Member
Using no markers is... tough. It requires split second visual identification of the different factions (and civilians) and while it IS realistic, the Enemy AI does not seem to have the same difficulty.
This is what's hard for me. I'm all for increasing the difficulty and not having everything visible to me but when the AI of the enemies still seem to have instant knowledge of your location even when 200m+ away, it's hard to willingly put myself in that position.
 
I'd like to do this, but the objects in the world are so similar and appear so often that it there's still confusion. I've done it before when buildings are a certain height - since there will often be fewer three-storey buildings than bungalows and when there's some noticeable marker like graffitti.

Maybe a solution is for people to agree who they're spotting for and those people either to move in the same direction through a base looking out for each other, or to have a clear spotter/solider relationship and the spotter to define a fixed point beforehand using a landmark, knowing the other player's oritentation at the time of deciding.

Yeah, that could work. How would they do it in real life? I suppose in real life not every SB guy would look the same, so you could have some variation in that. "I got the guy in the jeans" "I got the guy with the giant nose" etc. I suppose this is why marking exists in the game as it does, since there isn't a 1:1 realism factor going on.

Also, you have to factor in not playing with the same 4 people every time, so people are going to be using different terminology/etc which can be confusing.
 
I think having a dedicated spotter/droner, paired with a sniper, and then have a pair of assault guys works nicely. We often have a sniper in overwatch, and often pair up to pincer etc.

SRS BZNSS

(so fun!)
 

Belker

Member
I think having a dedicated spotter/droner, paired with a sniper, and then have a pair of assault guys works nicely. We often have a sniper in overwatch, and often pair up to pincer etc.

SRS BZNSS

(so fun!)

For a few games it felt like I was falling into that spotter role, when I wanted to go in on foot. It wasn't too bothersome so I'd didnt say anything, but I think that being able to rotate roles beforehand will keep the game engaging for everyone.

It sort of needs someone to take the lead and put that framework in place, even if taking the lead means provoking discussion and getting people to volunteer for roles.
 
And it's not like they need to add one to the screen. They could simply keep the one on the outside of the minimap - but without the map.

Yeah, that's all I'd want— or the minimap to lose the enemy dots— current technology allows for handheld GPS navigation and team member location. The marking of enemies without constant observation is science fiction.

I'd be happy to try playing with the HUD off, like this YT series. It is very slow paced, though.

And really, North/Etc callouts only work if you know where the person is, as the tango could be south east of you, but north west of them.

You would typically give the callout in relation to a landmark, not your own position. "heavy south of barn".

The map on extreme difficulty is just a map, it doesn't show locations I guess.

It shows everything but the coloured blobs indicated unmarked enemies.
 
Spotter and sniper? Why not run a four man assault team, like the marines?

Also, I love base jumping. So unpredictable whether that shoot is going to open sometimes.
 
For a few games it felt like I was falling into that spotter role, when I wanted to go in on foot. It wasn't too bothersome so I'd didnt say anything, but I think that being able to rotate roles beforehand will keep the game engaging for everyone.

It sort of needs someone to take the lead and put that framework in place, even if taking the lead means provoking discussion and getting people to volunteer for roles.

Yeah, you have to have a good group who are willing to listen and plan, and everyone has to be on board with that kind of game play. I usually am.. but there are times when I want to just RAMBO it out and be a little video-game ridiculous.

I think as long as everyone is on the same page it should be fine. Some people prefer certain roles over others as well, I love flying the helo's from point A to point B, but typically dislike long range sniping, so I'm happy to be a GHOST Uber pilot.

Yeah, that's all I'd want— or the minimap to lose the enemy dots— current technology allows for handheld GPS navigation and team member location. The marking of enemies without constant observation is science fiction.

I'd be happy to try playing with the HUD off, like this YT series. It is very slow paced, though.

You would typically give the callout in relation to a landmark, not your own position. "heavy south of barn".

It shows everything but the coloured blobs indicated unmarked enemies.

Good to know. Stupid mini-map! Go away!

No HUD seems fun.. but yeah, slow and probably really easy to squad wipe.
 
Side note:

Someone uploaded the "Narcocorridos" from the game, so I threw together a playlist HERE. My limited Spanish means I only understand about 1/3 of what they're saying, but they're still pretty catchy.. especially after driving all over the world for so long.

Also, Belker.. I wouldn't know, because there is no video proof.. but shooting the children with the HTI does nothing, apparently (and allegedly because there is no video proof that I did it) they're invincible.
 

Keihart

Member
I want a sequel or expansion of this Ghost Recon with snowboards, wingsuits, skis, bicicles and ropes from helicopters to make the infiltrations even more fun.


Now, being more wishful if the game had some kind of survival aspect to it would make the whole experience even more memorable but also more tedious so i don't think they would ever add it to the game even in a sequel. Making camping and eating a part of the game mechanics would make a super memorable experience in my view, fast travel would come at the expence of some resource having as alternative making your way to the objective by foot or vehicle and having to eat and camp between destinations. This map just makes me want so many things in the game ...:V

while we are at it, let's add breach charges and rapeling in buildings.
 

calder

Member
Nooooooo I "upgraded" the vehicle drop off and now instead of the godly armored Unidad truck I get a totally meh helicopter. These convoys just got annoyingly hard again 🙄
 

Samikaze

Member
Side note:

Someone uploaded the "Narcocorridos" from the game, so I threw together a playlist HERE. My limited Spanish means I only understand about 1/3 of what they're saying, but they're still pretty catchy.. especially after driving all over the world for so long.
.

Sweeet! Time to annoy my GF. She hates the Narcocorridos genre.
 

_RT_

Member
Nooooooo I "upgraded" the vehicle drop off and now instead of the godly armored Unidad truck I get a totally meh helicopter. These convoys just got annoyingly hard again 🙄

Yup. Sad!

JK. Made the same mistake.

I also approved​ a few ps4 requests.
 

Woo-Fu

Banned
Maxed rebel spotting skill will save you a lot of time if you like spotting every enemy before moving in. Max size covers most of the small to mid-size bases entirely.
 
Did some non-suppressed gameplay tonight. Forgot how loud and crisp some of these weapons are. Really satisfying to just let loose and roll with the punches when it gets messy
 

Hyun Sai

Member
"In addition to that, following the community feedback we received, we have implemented the option to turn off the radios in the game by default, as well as the option to choose the type of vehicle you want to spawn when using the “Drop Vehicle” rebel skill. Now you should have even more tactical options to plan and execute your missions."


Daniel-Bryan-Yes-Cheer.gif
 
Some good changes in the first major patch. Please add yaw control to airplanes and helicopters and we will be well on our way to making this game a decent leap better. So excited to be able to mute the radios. They absolutely destroy the atmosphere and ambience. It is so much more impactful when your last shot of a fire fight echoes through the empty village instead of. "FUCKING BALLOONS MAN, FUCKING BALLOONS!" Thank god.
 
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