| Mission index (for /m param): | 057 |
| City name on PC: | Rome |
| Map and level files (PC): | map028.mad, c028l015.dat, |
| PC Campaign: | Eurocorp mail 08 |
| Citydrop code name: | Head Hunt |
| First objective: | Persuade agent |
Message Type: HARDWIRED
Priority: 1
Message begins:
Orders
Rome: Persuade rogue agent.
Salutations.
That was a very successful sweep your agents just conducted. However, the rogue agents' group leader
took an IML to Rome and attacked the outpost we recently established. We want this capable agent to join our ranks.
Update: We were lucky to discover Harbinger when we did. At least it means we have an intact AI
which continues to prove useful. Consider this: our so-called "Unguided" are being transformed, from
unruly mob to determined fighting force. At the helm - one Ko-Paull Vissick; polymath wunderkind and
exceptionally gifted intellectual. Vissick is supposed to be one of our top researchers but London AI
has picked up his trace right where it shouldn't be.
We've been tracking as much UTOPIA traffic as
we can. The Church of the New Epoch has hijacked a lot of it and most of the rest is just meaningless debris left by Harbinger. However, London AI noticed someone else hacking into
UTOPIA, now that such things are actually possible. It appeared to be Vissick. Ultimately, it
turned out to be a ghost. No way of telling where it was being sent from. But it must have been
Vissick. Hardly anyone else in the Syndicate could have done what he did. God only knows why he's
hooked up with this Unguided scum. I'll look into it.
Maritz
Persuade the rogue agent
The leader of the rogue agents from REF7 has escaped to Rome. He seems like a capable man, so we would like to persuade him to join our group. In the mean time, the leader of the Unguideds seems to be someone who used to be one of our researchers: Paul Vissick.
It took a while before I could finish this mission. To be honest, I was stuck for quite a while and had even uninstalled the game from frustration at one point.
The map consists of a road, which forms a large square. On the opposite side of the place where you are dropped, there's an entrance to an area where our target agent is located. The problem here is that you CANNOT get into this area with a vehicle, because there are simply no cars available. The only way to access the area is to put a high explosive in front of the gate. My initial problem was that I did not possess or had not researched that yet. Don't worry though if you are also in that situation: the first Unguided you encounter carries one with him: kill him and be sure to pick up the explosive (before it explodes, of course).
To persuade our target agent is not that easy. You will have to persuade TONS of citizens: you need about 30 persuasion-points. It's difficult to keep your persuaded followers alive, so you will first have to deal with the enemy before you start to persuade. There are 2 Unguided vehicles driving around. Destroy them first; otherwise they will shoot the whole bunch of persuaded citizens as the cars pass by in pure Al Capone style. Secondly, there's a group of Unguided located in the left upper corner of the map. Finally, there's one Unguided in the middle of the map, armed with a disrupter. Take him out too.
Now you can start to use the persuadertron. The only possible problem left are the police agents, but as long as you do not show your weapons they will not bother you. If you have enough persuading points (check the table of persuasion in this file) you can of course let them join your side too. Don't bother to enter the target area until you have at least 30 followers. Let them all meet at the initial dropping place. Now run full speed to the area entrance. The followers won't be able to follow you, so they should be pretty safe. They will not be in the combat zone while you are there. Drop the high explosive at the entrance. Get inside. If you want, you can first destroy the car parked at the left. Our target agent could use it later on to escape. If you have enough persuasion-points you can go right at him. He's hiding in a building and as you walk in to one door, he will try to escape through another door. Get close enough and persuade him.
That's all. As you can see the keys to this Mission are the high explosive and enough persuasion points. What remains is quite easy.
Message ends.
Surveillance simulation
Results standard deviation: Low
New weapons: none
New research: none
Possible loot: 500k cr, 1 Agent
Three armed cars circle the streets: one with Police and two Unguided bikes (sometimes only one survives an explosion at start). It's best to eliminate all of them at start - to make sure they won't decimate your perusaded crowd.
Then perusade some civilians and the police.
One of the Unguided in their hideout has a suitcase with 500,000 credits. That one will stay behind when the other will run to kill you, and later will try to escape from the building and mix into crowd. But he won't heave the level, he'll be waiting there for you.
Break the gate to the base with the target agent, but do not approach him, instead quietly sneak near the flying car in parking lot. You can't enter it - there's civilian driver. So take the car down. Then deal with the agent.
If you evacuate by the road on the right, you will come across two more Unguided. They will spawn when you pass the building. One has Psycho Gas, the other has a Disrupter - watch out or it will reach your persuaded crowd.
Additional hints
The bank was already blown, looks like the Unguided took the money.
Police only shoots you if they see your weapon.
There are some officers hidding inside Police Station, if you want to expand your persuaded crowd.
If after entering the Unguided compound, you escape just as soon as they exit the building, only 4 Unguided will follow you. It will be easier to deal with them that way.
The target agent has all mods v2, except brain which is v1. So he runs quite fast.
The info about the bank being already blown at start it actually not correct - it is blown automatically few seconds after mission start. And that's not even first explosion, as the compound which should have been destroyed by Satellite Rain in previous visit to this city gets blown first, by nuclear grenades. Looks like for mapmakers it was easier to script such an event than to create map of the city with parts of it already destroyed.
The two explosions which happen at start, han be heard in bottom left corner of the map. Looks like some kind of bug with location of sound soures.
Two of the civilians on this map are exceptionally fast when persuaded - they easily match your agents speed, even if wel modeded. Reason for that is unknown, but other civilians of the same kind have normal speeds.
This is Rome AI non-official message, please do not reply.
⨁ Start point
⨁ Agent
⨁ Car for Agent escape
⨁ Bank (rubble)
⨁ Unguided hideout
⨁ Unguided with High Explosive
⨁ Unguided ambush on evac
⨁ Police Station