Tuesday 7 July 2009

Blog 5: What kind of animals would do such a thing?

This is ell635 reporting...

Dear Diary,


I went down to Mike's Bar today to check on Michele. I'd recently found a Box for her in a Train at the Railyard. She seems to be interested in me. And I figured if I run a few more of her errands, maybe she could link me to the Jackal.

I went into Mike's Bar, and she was at her usual spot by the Bar, enjoying a drink. She asked me if I could help, of which I responded that I was interested.

She told me a couple of men were bringing in a Drug that they were calling Hazlenut. She asked me what kind of animals would do such a thing? I know what kind of animals...

She told me one was at a small house on the southern river, and the other was at the air strip. My objective was to take these men out.

I agreed to the mission, despite how rough the challenge seemed.

I exited the Bar, and decided to hop on board the Fishing Boat to get down to each objective via the River.

As I followed the river, I passed under a large bridge that was guarded by a post. Thankfully none of the soldiers seemed suspicious of my presence, and didn't start firing at me. As I grew closer to the target in the small house by the river, I pulled over and decided to enter the area stealthily.

As I crouched along the river bank, I found a nice scouting position. A tiny hill, bearing a large Tree, that provided cover from the road to my left, and a perfect view of the target location across the river. There were soldiers outside the house, covering the area, but I knew he was inside. I decided to swim away from the house along the river, so I could get onto the other side of the river, and approach from another direction.

This side of the river was perfect. There was plenty of brush providing cover, and I crouched through it under the moonlight, without being traced. A small rock provided cover, and I was able to peer over the rock and see the target house in sight.

I scoped in with my Monocular, I noticed a man standing just in the doorway of the House, smoking a cigarette. His clothing suggested he was more important than the others, so I decided to use my Scoped Crossbow to explode his body into pieces.

My first shot killed a Guard in front of him, but the explosion was too far away to have caused any effect to him. Everyone sprung to life, and the target began firing his side-arm towards my location. One bullet hit, before my second shot instantly destroyed him...

I retreated quickly along the river bank, until I'd reached my parked Fishing Boat. I turned it around (something I should have done before I attacked!), and I drove off safely.

Half way through driving, I reminded myself that I still had a target to take out! And I needed to be driving the opposite way!

I stopped the Boat, and decided to take the rest of this mission by foot.

I chose my route smartly, and began approaching the Airfield. I used the hilly landscape as almost a trench setting, and I used this to stay covered as I approached the area. I entered a small pond near the target, and swam across before remaining covered behind a shanty fence. Suddenly a bullet came firing just past my body. A sniper bullet.

I quickly ran round the shanty fence, and killed a Guard laying on the floor with my G3, before he could even draw his weapon. I then ran inside the building he was laying by, and stayed covered. I saw soldiers panicking, and searching for me, I unleashed a full clip of my G3 at an explosive barrel before it finally exploded, taking care of two or three guards. Suddenly, a series of bullets from two different soldiers took me out instantly, and I collapsed to the floor.

Guillen was my saviour! She marched in, well armed with her AK-47, and picked me up - fighting off soldiers meanwhile. She pulled me up, and switched to her Eagle, whilst she dragged me away. I passed out, and woke up for a split second to the sound of an ammo crate exploding.

Once she'd taken me to a safe location, I quickly bandaged up a wound on my arm, and stuck a syrette into my wrist. That was a close one!!! Guillen warned me of a Sniper too, the one that originally spotted me.

I quickly disposed of the remaining soldiers, and the already injured objective took one bullet to headshot him down to the grave. There were a few other stray soldiers who showed up, and I took them down with ease. I found a Health kit inside one of the Hangars, and a Diamond Briefcase in a Container - adding one diamond to my wallet.

Guillen took care of herself, staying in cover by a large rock where I originally patched myself up. I noticed a flanking enemy as I entered my Car, but I also heard Guillen take him down with ease.

I drove West towards the South-West Bus Station, which was extremely close to my location. Half way through the fields, feeling safe about the mission completion, I suddenly took a bullet into the back from the Eagle-eyed Sniper, who was still after me. His shot took two of my health bars instantly, and I panicked. I started weaving like a drunken driver.

I drove over a small hill, which provided some cover from the sniper, as he couldn't see over the hill until I'd driven further into the distance. I checked my map curiously to see how much further I needed to travel to the Bus Station....



This Sniper was a pest. I drove in a weaving fashion to shake him off. I now realise how crucial it was to have avoided the Sniper during my mission for Josip.

The Sniper put another bullet into my sorry ass, and I was downed forever. Guillen's support back in the Air Strip wasn't enough to keep me alive, and I never did get to tell Michele that my mission was complete.

I think this test was great. I never tried the main Missions, but I can safely assume that Infamous difficulty was a major challenge, and you definately have to think long and hard about your approach to your mission.

The enemy is very dangerous, as my stories have explained. Their bullets are extremely damaging, and I am still mourning my unexpected death from a Sniper who was simply miles away!

I hadn't made true progress, but I would say that the difficulty and the Permanent Death stipulation has truly affected my performance, and definately brought a new side of the game out in the open.

I think playing through on Easy difficulty will be pretty boring now!

Thanks for reading! It's a shame I didn't exit the vehicle, take cover, and patch myself up!

Things happened too quickly, and so did my death. I'm sorry I hadn't lasted longer.

Quick Catch Up on the Account Switch



Hi, if you've been reading all of my blogs, you'll notice that in Blog 4 I mentioned that I had swapped accounts with my friend last week, and was too impatient to wait to get my account back before I started this Permanent Death operation on Infamous difficulty.

Well, I said there's probably no chance to take the save game from his account to mine, and I was right.

I've quickly ran through the tutorial on Easy difficulty, so I can catch up with myself. I went the same route out of Pala too, so that I was with Carbonell. Basically, it all went wrong when I scouted the Lumber. Instead of saving the awesome Josip, it's now Michele. But thankfully Guillen is still my other Friend!

So basically, remember everything I've written until now, but just replace good ol' Josip with Michele. Hey, Frank's a ladies man! Two new lady friends on his first day! ;)

Also, the Propane Tank mission I had to take care of at the Oil Rig changed. I had to find a box for Michele at the Railyard Xing which I handled clumsily, because I was trying to breeze through on Easy. I need to hit the convoy and then I'll be back on track. And on Infamous difficulty.

I will blog on my next adventure tomorrow.

Blog 4: That's the kinda attitude I like to see!

This is ell635 reporting



Dear Diary,

Pure irony really. I left Mike's Bar and took a nice trip to the Armory in the midst of night. A fresh new G3 was waiting there for me, and some Ammo to stock up on Grenades and Rockets too.

I thought I'd take a quick look inside the Store, and caught the Weapons Dealers eyes.

He offered me a job, told me there was a convoy of arms coming in from the North West.

I've just been to the North-West...!

I accepted, and the enthusiastic Dealer told me it was the kind of attitude he liked to see. I have a feeling the Arms Dealer inside the Gun Store could be a good link to the Jackal. After all, he does the same thing! I'll help him out by hitting a few of these convoys that are providing competition against his business, unlock some new weapons, and see if he has any insight on the Jackal!

I took the usual drive into Pala, and the usual Bus to the North-West of Leboa-Sako.
I arrived at dawn, a similar setting that I saw for my last mission. The Fuel Depot, where I completed my last objective, was the heart of the Convoy's path. I figured if I could tackle the Convoy when it was as far away from the Fuel Depot as possible, then I could complete this missions far more swiftly.

I took the Dune Buggy along the cliffside road to the West. I stopped close-by to a Guard Post that the Convoy would eventually pass through. I decided taking the Convoy here would be ideal. I could take the majority of the Guard Post with the explosion of my RPG-6, and make a simple escape.



I sneaked up by the Guard Post, which was full of enemy Soldiers. So I decided to lay low, and watching my Map for the Convoys positioning. It was only a short distance up the road.

I panicked, and accidentally threw an unintentional Frag Grenade, which didn't harm anyone, but grabbed everyones attention. I ran into a small shanty shelter to see if anyone was on my tail. I popped a Guard in the head who almost spotted me, and as I did so, I saw an Assault Truck passing by. It was escorting the Convoy.



I quickly whipped out my RPG, and took aim, the Convoy passed, and I fired a Rocket to blow it to smitherines.

Gunfire opened, one of the few remaining soldiers was on my tail. I ran out of the shanty shelter from the door I entered it, to discover a raging uncontrollable fire burning away at the grass, blocking my rear exit to the Guard Post.



I'd noticed my Diamond Indicator flashing uncontrollably when I'd used my map to see the Convoy's positioning, so I decided to stay and try and eliminate the remaining threats.

Their aiming was top notch. They took 2 bars of health with a short burst from their G3, and I was forced to use a syrette. I took a few of them out, including some flanking enemies from the first Assault Truck I previously saw.

I took out some of them, but took great damage from little fire, so I used my second syrette, and noticed the fire burning behind me had vanished, and only remained in a large junk pile. I also saw the flashing Diamond briefcase sitting on a rock. So I took the two diamonds inside, and made a break for my Dune Buggy up the hill.


I used the Buggy to quickly escort myself to the North-West Bus Station, which I used to get into Pala.

So that was my mission to hit a convoy. I won't go into much detail on those repetitive missions anymore, unless there are interesting battles to mention. I will, however, mention in brief the weapons I've managed to unlock or buy because of them.


The aim for this blog was to actually keep it short and sweet for once. It may not be short enough, but it's certainly shorter.


Frank Bilder, the investigator, is now also trying to get to the Jackal through a man who is in the same industry as him - selling Guns.


It's all about the connections. Frank is simply getting himself out there to try and search for the Jackal. He's also taking Guillen's word, and continuing to avoid the Factions for as long as possible.


I think I'll take him on a Cellular Tower mission next, to earn some cash.
My gameplay choice for this mission was alot different to the Friends Mission at the Fuel Depot. Admittedly, I did think alot more about where I would attempt to destroy the Convoy, to save myself the trouble.


However, I did choose a Guard Post, which are particularly threatening on Infamous difficulty. Especially the soldiers, their shots were instant, extremely damaging, and yet they hardly fired bullets. It was truly horrible to see what extreme damage they could do to me.


I guess that was a taster of close quarter combat. They can shoot through most surfaces, and they will probably take you down with ease if you don't watch where you go, or what you do.


Theoretically I haven't made any progress yet. But playing as Frank's character is fun. Positioning myself in his shoes, and imagining what HE'D do, is quite interesting. I'll do several Cellular Tower missions, earn some cash, and eventually Frank will HAVE to give in to the curiosity of working for the Factions.
Thanks for your time, I hope you enjoyed my fourth blog. Stay tuned for more.

There is a slight problem, I traded accounts with my friend for a brief time, and I was too impatient to wait to get my account back. So I started this on his account, and will probably lose the Save Game. So I might resight my action thus far on Easy, and continue from there, if I must start a new save.


Wish me luck!

Monday 6 July 2009

Blog 3: Anything for you, Buddy!

This is ell635 reporting...

Dear Diary,

After getting my Pills from the Church, I was feeling alot better. And I decided I would find an objective to complete.

I decided to take Guillen's word, and avoid both factions today. I'm going to try and steer clear of them for the next few days if possible.

I took a Car from the centre of Town down to Mike's Bar just to see if there was anything I could do for my good friend Josip, or maybe learn some more about Guillen.

As I entered, I noticed Reuben was no longer in his corner. I figured he was busy at the moment, and had no time to continue on his story.

I also noticed a new face among the Bar. A Man with a Turban was standing in the centre of the room with a clipboard, analysing a Picture on the Wall. He noticed my slow approach to him, and decided to quickly stop what he was doing.

He asked me if I could help him with something, but I declined.

The reason being is because Josip was standing in his usual spot by the Bar. I wanted to catch up with him.

He told me I'd never guess what. Once I asked, he told me a Fuel depot had just got some Propane Tanks to launch an attack on the border. He told me he needed somebody to take it out, and offered me the job.

I accepted.

He told me there are alot of Children around the border, and the soldiers may not care, but he does. This soft, parental side of Josip touched me. He showed vulnerability. Yet in this heartless, cruel War we're fighting in - that's the last thing he wants. But this heart of his motivates him, and that's why I took this mission for him.


I said my farewells, in which Josip responded "Way cool", and I headed out for my Mission. Josip marked my map to help guide me to the Fuel Depot. It is positioned North West in Leboa-Sako.

I found some diamonds on my journey into Pala. A battered, rusty old Car was left desolate in some grass after a nasty accident. I decided to check out the damage, and my diamond indicator raised my awareness to a handy briefcase holding one diamond inside. A cheeky addition to my wallet.

As I entered Pala, I got a phone call from an unknown caller. I answered suspiciously, and a manly, unclear voice was on the other end. He told me I wasn't the only man who came after the Jackal. He told me there was one before me. I asked him if he knew anything about this man, or if there was anything he knew about the Jackals location. Turns out, it was just a recording. I hung up so I could focus on the road.


I particularly noticed a Bus Station half a click East from the Fuel Depot, so I used the Bus Station in Pala for a safer route to the location.

After a long Bus ride, I arrived at the North-West station at sunset. I headed down the hill and ran alongside the railway tracks. No Trains were running at this time, so I was safe, and it provided a direct route into the Depot.

As I approached from the East, I climbed up a small hill of Rocks to survey the area...

Not good. I scoped the area out with my Monocular, and spotted a curious Sniper standing atop an Oil rig scouting the area. At a time like this I needed a Sniper Rifle myself, but unfortunately I was short on cash, and weapon availability. I'd have to try and sneak by and enter the target location if I wanted to survive.


I kept scouting the Sniper from my rocky hill, and eventually he turned his back to me, and walked to the other side of the Rig. Now was my chance, I quickly made my move, and hopped down the rocks onto level ground. I took instant cover behind a small rock, and watched the sniper. He was now scoping in on the area opposite myself...

I made a sprint to a Tree which was alot closer to the target area, whilst the Sniper looked the complete opposite way. As I reached the Tree, I knew the Sniper would be heading over to look at my side. I watched him, as he came over, and I remained covered behind the large tree, not even daring to peak.

After a while, I took a quick look to see if he was still watching, and it looked as if he was just about to walk away, when he suddenly became alert again. I instantly hid back behind my tree, and waited again.

I repeated this several times...

Patience prevailed! The Sniper lost whatever curiosity he had after he saw a glimpse of me behind the tree, and he went over to the opposite side. I finally approached the Depot and was in the target area. The Sniper was no longer a problem as I was below him.


I went around the Shanty fence that boxed the Depot, as my objective was on the West side of the Depot, and as I mentioned: I approached from the East. I found a pierced hole in the fence, and crouched inside. The objective was around the second of three Oil Rigs, and past a Flatbed detached Train carriage.

I saw the Propane Tank from distance, and lobbed a Frag. I made a run for it, to sadly discover the Frag failed. Turns out the Tank was further than I'd predicted!
I whipped out my trusty RPG-7, and took aim...

...The Rocket ensured instant destruction of the Propane Tank, and I instantly made a run for, back to the Bus station.


I was taking some bullets in my back, but as I kept running, their accuracy grew worse. Thankfully the Sniper chose his side-arm too, because he thought I would still be at close-range!

I ran over my rocky hill, using the large rocks for useful cover. As I reached the other side, and starting following the railway tracks, the gunfire calmed, although the search party would surely be on my tail, not to mention an Assault Truck!

I climbed the hill towards the cliffside road by the Bus station, and looked back. Not a soldier in sight.


Mission successful! I destroyed the Propane Tank, didn't fire a single bullet at the enemy soldiers, and didn't need to heal myself with one of my THREE syrettes! And all completed before the sun had set!


I took the Bus ride back into Pala, by the time I arrived night had fallen. I took a peaceful and relieving night-ride down to Mike's Bar to debrief with Josip.

Josip welcomed me back, and asked if I'd taken out the Tank. I confirmed...

He responded "OK, so much for their stupid plan!", and then told me he knew he could count on me. I felt proud to do him a good favour.


I noticed the Man with the Turban was still in Mike's Bar, and decided to make a casual approach to learn more about him. He told me it had been a while, and walked away...


Frank


Well that was my Buddy Mission for Josip! Frank, as a character, has supposedly taken a liking to Josip, and wants to cherish their friendship through the flowing juices of destroying Propane Tanks and caring for children.

In my first blog he wrote in his Diary that he is a good investigator. Frank Bilder simply thinks by making good friends with Josip (and others for that matter!), he'll be able to establish a small army, and even a link to the Jackal if he befriends the right people.

I was extremely scared of this mission! It was my first TRUE test. Infamous proves to play a very big mind game on me, and the Permanent Death stipulation reinforces that.

What I found particularly interesting was how vital it was for me to avoid the Sniper. I knew that this Sniper would be trouble! He would have probably killed me with one bullet - had he spotted me and taken a shot.

And even worse: if he had spotted me, all the ground infantry would have come racing out to my position to find me. And at close quarters against enemies circling around me, I would have instantly lost.

What was even more impressive for me was the cover system. My route to the base provided an impressive series of rocks or Trees that took me closer to the Fuel Depot, whilst I remained hidden from the Sniper.

The main faction missions will probably be twice as hard, and I'm going to cherish life whilst I have it. My days may be limited! Admittedly, I do have Guillen waiting to help me once I'm in a sticky situation. But once she saves me, I can't help but to imagine her dropping down dead from gunfire before I can patch myself up. It's not a friendly environment.

Sadly, I've made another long blog, but this one felt far more enjoyable to write than the tutorial. The details were also far more relevant this time around.


Thanks for reading, please Comment and stay tuned for my next blog.

Saturday 4 July 2009

Blog 2: Touch Down in Africa (Tutorial)

This is ell635 reporting...


Dear Diary,


I touched down in Africa dismorning. The flight took a long time, so I got some good rest on the journey.

One thing is very noticeable in this place. It's boiling hot. And it smells of all sorts.

My Cab driver was already waiting for me at the cheap airport. I didn't catch his name. We climbed into his small dirty little cab. I settled in the back for what he told me would be a long journey.

This man seemed to know where he was driving. It all seemed the same to me. Mountains, Forests, Savannah. The dirty roads were formed out of vehicles and people driving over random areas for decades. They weren't built purposely. That makes it harder for me. Not every road is on my Map.

We reached a Checkpoint by a Bridge, my driver turned off his radio. A mans voice was belting through our speaker. He seemed to be preaching in African. Perhaps propaganda, who knows. He muttered to me that the men don't like the radio. He shrugged it off by mentioning the choice of music, but I have a feeling it was more about what the man was saying.

The soldiers weren't friendly. Very intimidating actually. They were well armed, and very curious. A troublesome combination. Thank heavens my men hired the best Cab driver in town. He managed to sweet talk his way through the Guards, and they let us through.

Another worrying sight was several Assault Trucks passing by. They were full of soldiers. They looked ready to kill, but my driver insisted they mind their own business. I guess I'll find out soon enough whether that's true or not!

As we were arriving at our destination, I started feeling extremely ill. I started sweating profusely, and shaking uncontrollably. I felt like I was dying. My Cab driver started panicking, and I passed out.

That was the last thing I remember before waking up in a Bed in my Hotel. I saw a man in my room, I figured he was a staff member. I watched him for a while, and realised he was going through my bags. I wanted to stop him from stealing from me, but I was too weak to move.

He started reading my log book showing my mission. Suddenly I realised HE was the Jackal. So close to me. It seemed like he'd come out of the shadows at the perfect time! Had I been healthy and well-equipped, I would've finished him off there and then.

He was full of confidence. He told me I had malaria, and that I'd failed my mission. He told me NOBODY could kill him. He placed his Machete in the wall beside me. I flinched. I thought he was going to put it between my eyes.

He was cheeky. He left his pistol on the table next to me. I could have easily popped him in the back of the head whilst he walked away with his back turned. But I was too weak! And he knew it...

I passed out again after that...

Several hours later I woke up to excessive gunfire. A fight had broken out in Town. I was stuck in the middle of it. I found the strength to climb out of bed and grab my things. Suddenly a large explosion in the doorway to my room sent me to the ground, but the shock put the strength in me. The adrenaline had started pumping. I grabbed the pistol the Jackal left on my desk, tugged the Machete out the wall, and made my move.

I climbed out of my room and run across the hallway. I pick up a dropped Assault Rifle on the floor. It looked like a G3-KA4. It probably came from a soldier who died from the explosion outside my room. In the next room was a window, I climbed out of it and landed on a small metal platform. I dropped down to my right, and read my map. I noticed that if I took a left after walking through this alleyway, I'd be on an immediate path out of town. I made a run for it, and took a few bullets in the back before reaching a large Bridge.

I staggered half way across the Bridge before I collapsed. The last thing I heard was a Car pulling up beside my body.

I woke up in a room, some Guy was in the doorway. He had captured me and brought me away from the gunfire into a safe location. He had saved my life. He told me I was pretty beat up after some bullets went into me back in town. So I quickly grabbed a knife and some pliars and pulled a bullet out of my knee.

He told me his name was Carbonell. Before I could thank him for saving me, he told me I owed him, so I have to work for him. Little did he know I needed to work for somebody, so I was happy to use him as a springboard to get me into the Underground in Leboa-Sako.

He told me he works for a man called Gakumba. He's the boss of the United Front. I was expecting a big mission, but instead he asked me to fix his Car outside. He called me, and told me I needed to take out some soldiers at a House up the road.

I headed out, and arrived near the location. I was told the soldiers were on Guard, so I stopped my vehicle up the road from the area. I found a worn-out shack nearby, it provided ammo and some syrettes when I needed them most. I crouched in the tall grass and brush, and slowly approached the building. There were two guards outside, I took the first guy down with an instant headshot. The other guy was surprised, and had a small chance of survival after I missed my first few shots, but I dropped him dead.

My first action went very well. I got a call from Carbonell instantly afterwards. It seems like he has someone scouting me, because he got instant word that I'd taken the house. I didnt want the scout to affect my performance however. I'm a lone wolf, if I get into trouble, I have no back-up. I can't rely on him to save me.
Carbonell said he'd already got another job for me, but he told me to crash at this house before I tried anything.

After I napped for an hour, I got another call from Carbonell. He told me he needed me to scout some Lumber place. I got there and scouted the area with my monocular. The place was crawling with guards, and a machine gun turret. Carbonell startled me when he gave me a call. I worried that the Guards had heard my phone ringing, but they didn't flinch. I answered, and he gave me some intel that they've got a man held hostage in there. I finished scouting, and started flanking around the side to try and sneak inside.

I flanked all the guards, and after going around through the forest, I started heading inwards. The roads kept going on, but there were no guards ahead. I crept into a wood cutting shelter...

The target building was in sight - straight ahead of me. I approached the building. Suddenly some guard screamed "Hey!". I kept calm, but as I peered around a wall, an African started firing his side arm. The others immediately saw where he was shooting, and opened fire on my position. I ran around the back of the target building, and went inside a garage. I took out a soldier who was hiding inside there, and then started attacking the others outside. I had taken some bullets from some of the guys outside, and especially from the guy inside the Garage, who shot me point blank with an Assault Rifle. I stayed in cover constantly, and cowardly waited for the soldiers to come out in the open so I could fire upon them.

I eventually cleared the area, and it became silent, I darted to the target building and went inside. I unlocked a door to reveal a reasonably old man with short grey hair and a mustache. His accent was strong. He told me I had a bad case of Malaria. He told me we can escape now, but we should split up so we didnt get shot. He told me to meet him at Mike's Bar. He said he'd buy me a drink, and tell me where I can find someone with Medicine to help calm my Malaria down.

I left the target building, and Carbonell called me again. He said he was impressed with my work, and promised to pay me if I rendevous at the Fresh Fish village.

I arrived and went inside his headquarters. He told me that my currency didn't meen squat in Africa. He said he wouldn't wipe his a*s with it. He explained that payments come in the form of diamonds here. He explained that I needed to head back to Mikes Bar to find someone with medication. He also promised to introduce me to Gakumba of the UFLL (United Fronts of Liberation and Labour) in the near future.

He told me one of his guards took a bullet in town, and left his briefcase of diamonds somewhere around here. He told me to use my indicator to find the briefcase. I found them, and then headed down to Mikes Bar to go and buy a new weapon with my well-earnt money at the Weapon store. I passed through Pala on the way, which was back under cease fire, luckily for me.

I bought a G3-KA4 and a Homeland Pump-Action Shotgun. The armory was already in good stock of my chosen weapons, so I collected my G3 and disposed of my rusty old one.

Whilst I was there, I headed into Mike's Bar to see if the Hostage I saved managed to survive when we escaped. I also needed to keep my eye out for someone who could provide some medicine for my Malaria, as Carbonell said. I remember the Hostage mentioning hooking me up with someone who could give me meds, so I hoped I'd catch him in there.

The second I entered, somebody yelled. It was the Hostage. He called me over to the Bar. He told me his name was Josip, and he told me some guy sitting in the corner could give me medicine. Before I left him, he told me if I ever got in trouble or needed his help with anything he would be there to help.

The man in the corner wore glasses, he was writing on paper. He saw me standing over him by the table, and immediately edged a Tape recording towards me. He assumed I wanted it. I told him I wasn't here for the tape, I needed medicine, and I was told he could supply it for me. He told me I wanted the Priest at the Church in Pala, he told me to pass the Tape along to the Priest in the Church.

The smart man told me his name was Reuben. He didnt look like a soldier. He didnt sound like a soldier! He seemed like a generally humble man. He told me he wasnt wanted in the Country. That the soldiers wanted to export him out of there, because they didnt like the story he's writing. He told me his story is about the War here in Africa. It's about the soldiers in this country. But mostly, it's about the Jackal.

He told me he'd covered sixteen Wars here in Africa. And every time the Jackal has been there supplying the arms. It seemed like this guy was my man. My short-cut to the Jackal. We're both after the same man, but I'm trying to kill him, and he's trying to write about him. I knew I needed to speak to him some more in good time to learn more about the Jackal. He said he'd interviewed many people and got some interesting material, but soldiers confiscated the tapes. He tells me if I find any of his Tapes, that I should return them to him at the Bar. He says he can't pay, but he offers his friendship.

Before I left, a woman leant up on the wall caught my attention. I noticed she may have been listening to me and Reuben. She told me her name was Guillen. She told me to stay away from both factions, because they're animals. I said my farewells, and set out for the Church in Pala.

As I entered the Church, the Priest recognised I was sick immediately. His name was Father Maliya. I told him Reuben had sent me, before I went into another fever from my Malaria. He had recently spoken to Reuben, and he said he was expecting something from Reuben. I handed over the Tape, and he gave me some medicine in return. I took the medicine, and it took effect immediately, calming my symptoms. He told me he knows people everywhere who supply medicine. He told me they want to leave the country, but they're too scared to. He said they could use someone like me. As I left, he suggested I return when I require more medicine.


Frank

Good lord that was long. I apologise for the extremely long blog, and it's not over just yet! That was the tutorial completed.

So far I havent been put to the ultimate test. But when I was freeing Josip from the Lumber, I was extremely worried about how hard the challenge would be - considering I'm on Infamous difficulty.

My performance showed my fear extremely well. I tried to avoid enemy encounter altogether, and once I had, I looked for the safest location, and tried to hide behind a pile of boxes so I could eliminate the soldiers safely one by one.

I can imagine the Cellular Tower missions and the Main Faction Missions are going to be the greatest challenge of all. And if I manage to survive throughout this crazy story until I go to the South territory in Bowa-Seko, then the natural increase in difficulty will probably finish me off.

I recently completed the Story Mode again on Easy difficulty, and after struggling through some of the Heart of Darkness, I cannot imagine surviving that havoc, even if I reach that far!


Stay tuned. I'm looking at a blog per day, at most. I'll shorten the diary entries in future. But this was a particularly long episode anyway, due to the lengthy tutorial. I'll focus on single missions in future.

You'll continue to hear about the action through the Diary of Frank Bilder. I think this form of writing is easy, and it helps describe the action and storyline better too. Throwing in some of Franks thoughts or opinions is also really useful.

Thank you for reading,


ell635

Friday 3 July 2009

Blog 1: Permanent Death Intro

This is ell635 reporting.

This is my Diary. You are my audience.

The Names Frank Bilders. I'm 36 years young. I grew up on the rough streets of Northern Ireland. I watched men die in front of my eyes from a young age. War is my home.

I'm no stranger to Guns. I fired my first one when I was only five. Some people don't even fire a Gun in their life!!

I trained to become a Mercenary as I hit my teens. Long ago, I was trained by the toughest Irishmen on the Planet. I walked out of training as one of the best god damn Mercenaries in the world after hitting my early twenties.

I spent alot of time settling the Civil War in Northern Ireland. I left home turf just after I started hitting my thirties.

These tough Irish b*****ds who trained me know people all across the Globe. They've got men underground everywhere. It's because of these links that I managed to start getting jobs elsewhere.

I got sent to Morocco to carry out several assassination missions, it was my first true test on foreign soil. After several years over there, I headed back to Northern Ireland.

Before I got a chance to settle back down, I found out I was already on another mission. To Africa...

It's a large town called Leboa-Sako. I'm not too fond of this location. I hear the Malaria disease out there is pretty serious. A cancer. It kills everything it infects. But it's not the Malaria I should be watching out for...

...There's a civil war in Africa too. Aye... I'm familiar with this type of atmosphere.

My objective is simple. There's a man. A very mysterious man. So mysterious he has no true name. They call him the Jackal. The only briefing I got was that he is an Arms Dealer in the heart of Leboa-Sako. He's underground, and he's supplying the goods so that the civil war continues to rage on. He's holding the country in the palm of his hand. He's calling the shots. They need the best of the best to hunt him down and kill him. That someone is me.

It's one man. The hardest part is avoiding the civil war. I'll work my way through everyone until I've learnt enough about the Jackal and his location. It's an investigation. That's my speciality.

My flight is scheduled tomorrow. It's early. I'll write once I touch down.

Frank






This is ell635. I'm a gamer on the Xbox 360. I'm a big fan of Far Cry 2. I recently read up on a great Writers blog, who surfaced an idea about using Permanent Death in Far Cry 2's story mode. He wanted to see how his gameplay would be effected if he was counting on one precious life.

The idea was music to my ears. I decided to jump on the Band wagon ASAP. So here I am. But why should you be reading up on my experiences? I'm not even a professional writer!

I want to be a writer, and using this Diary context helps me flex my writing skills. And the Permanent Death operation allows me to enjoy gaming on a whole new level, whilst practising my writing too.

And the reason why you should be reading my Permanent Death blog is because I'm taking things to the highest level. And yes, I'm talking about difficulty. I'm not going to take things lightly on Normal difficulty. I want to put this operation to the real test.

The difficulty is Infamous. The stakes are high. The hope... is whatever I make it. I need to play my cards right, or else I'm going to be lying on my backside failing my operation for good.

I'll keep a regular updated blog for every mission and conflict worth mentioning. It will be brought in a first-person narrative, through the heart of Frank Bilders Diary log. Life, as this experiment will prove, is extremely precious. I think the highest difficulty will exaggerate that term greatly...