Mi-8 Spring Tension Campaign

I haven't written anything like this in a long time, so it really pleases me to do this now. All I can say is "WOW", that was amazing.

And for anyone that dismisses choppers for what they can't do compared to the jets, I hope you take a second look.

I bought the license for the Mi-8 about 4 or 5 years ago and learned enough to fly but other than a few lucky gun runs I really wasn't even OK. I had tried the Spring Tension campaign but I always felt like the older more limited map was kind of boring down low. And when 2.5 first came out I had tried a few missions and left it to go for future updates. I've recently been going through the older campaigns and just trying to understand the systems better and they've helped.

So when I started the campaign, it was a little slow and mundane at first. But then all of the sudden I got smacked in the face by a realistic (enough) genuine old school WAR STORY! I was completely hooked and ran several missions a day at times to get through it. But this is anything but boring. (Make sure you read the stories and notes!)

It's not just that the missions are complex and difficult to do but it's the story line that goes along with everything. And the voice overs are some of the best I've heard, studio quality and the scripting is so damn realistic, I really felt sucked into the missions. There are tons of surprises along the way as well.

I don't want to give anything away but I strongly suggest that you put some time into training on the weapon systems or you might find yourself walking back to the FARP. And don't forget we have real, er digital real trees now for all of you that go back to the earlier times.

There are some very minor (not game breakers in any way) down sides to some of the missions so you have to be patient and learn good control. The AI choppers tend to do a lot of speed changes flying NOA and it's a workout. I found flying sideways as they slowed and then rotating forward again as they sped up and staying more level then trying to follow their profile. The hills make it super difficult to keep near AI so keep working at it.

The other super minor issue for me was there were a lot of missions with hot starts. I prefer to start my own bird. On mission 19 there's no loadout listed so when you go into the Mission Planner make sure you take SAB-100's. I also think there's a trigger reversed in that mission and you don't get the additional direction instructions but just listen to chief when he says you're over the area and do your job!

The thing I like most is the story line. I'm a huge movie fan and like everything from Bogart & Bacall movies to Sci Fi, so when I see a story that brings me into it, I really appreciate the hard work and time that they put into this campaign. It was a big undertaking and just looking at some of the triggering makes me feel like a novice. It reminds me of some of the early computer games and the great stories they had in their campaigns or a really good book. And the ones in this campaign show how powerful the mission editor is and how you can make a complex and believable mission with just the built in stuff.

I highly encourage anyone looking into making a campaign to do this first as an example. I also hope we see more of this level quality campaign from Eagle Dynamics or anyone for that matter in the years ahead. And I want to thank former Belsimtek and the gang at ED for keeping this one alive and working to improve it! You all deserve a big hand for producing something this good.

WATCH OUT FOR THE TREES!!

somehow the AI is a lot worse in 2.5 than 1.5

with all the stopping in NOE flight.

and the fact they cannot do a coordinated turn and maintain altitude and speed.

makes following for 40 minutes really tiring.

and yes I would do what you did, turn instead of slow down when they are being silly.

in 1.5 the only time they went silly in NOE was popping up over powerlines. but you could see those coming.

it is exactly the same in the UN campaign for the huey.

I did enjoy the spring tension campaign though for the mi-8

also if you buy the border campaign, its set in the same area and almost feels like a 2nd tour.

(even though its not)

so if you want more of the same get that as well.