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Mission 20 -Design & Production Notes
Freedom's Heroes: Rangers Lead the Way

There is a lot of fighting going on today in Afghanistan, but since the war in Iraq so dominates the news, you rarely hear much about it. Our last Afghan mission was Operation Anaconda, and we felt it was time to head back and address actions in that arena. You tend to have the same combat elements, such as the Marines, the Airborne units, and the 10th Mountain Division operating in both Afghanistan and Iraq.

The combat is different though. We are garrisoning Iraq now, and there is no real expansive hostile territory or "behind enemy lines" area to speak of. On the contrary, Afghanistan is rife with enemy territories. Coalition forces are increasing the range and depth of their patrols clear to the Pakistani borders, a campaign which requires canvassing truly hostile areas.

This patrol mission takes place almost exclusively in rural terrain - a departure from the most recent urban combat scenarios we’ve recreated. The whereabouts and composition of enemy forces is largely unknown, unlike the most current engagements taking place in Iraq. However, primary enemy weapons in Afghanistan are similar to those in Iraq: AK47s, RPGs, mortars, and sniper rifles. Mines are also a threat here.

A lot of technical work goes into making the dark, spooky effect of this mission. First, making a night mission involves darkening the tiles (textures) of the terrain. Also, you have to bring down the ambient light and use special shadow-generating settings to make things look a little creepy. We also pulled the fog plane in close to make more of a dense, claustrophobic feel. Glow effects on the vehicle lights accentuate the darkness.

Limited visibility will "bring people closer" in multiplayer. Players in Mission Mode and RedonBlue will tend to be in closer range to one another than normal. This heats up firefights and will necessitate a change in tactics in order to succeed.

Finally, the most important aspect of this mission is the spirit in which it was created. We e chose to pay tribute to the US Army Rangers still engaged in Afghanistan by creating a typical Ranger mission showing what the 75th Regiment is doing on a daily basis. By emphasizing the importance of the work they do, we hope illustrate their true heroism and dedication.