[RWO] Forum Thread & Mission Release Requirement Checklist

[HeadUp]

Overview:

In order to help maintain a consistent level of quality with all RWO releases, please be aware of the following conventions and best-practices to be employed by editors within the RWO project. Outlined below are some rules of thumb regarding forum threads outside of the main RWO forum thread, pre-release checklist, submissions and post-submissions/updates.

RWO FORUM THREADS:

Real World Ops forum threads are optional-- you can either maintain the project discussion for your mission in the primary RWO thread here, or create your own. If you create your own, please adhere to the following convention:

[SP/COOP/CAMP] Mission-Name-Here (RWO) or (Real World Ops)

The first part adheres with the overall convention and should be used at all times anyway, put whatever gametype(s) are appropriate. The Mission Name is self-explanatory. Add "(RWO)" or "(Real World Ops)" to the end after the mission title.

RWO PRE-RELEASE CHECKLIST:

Before you make any links public or submit to Armaholic, please take some time to run through the following checklist (may be updated as time goes by, so best practice is to run through it each time you get ready to release a new project):

• Is the mission complete from start to finish? This is the most obvious, can the player complete the mission (are the End trigger(s) working?)
• Does the mission employ an adequate briefing? Check the resources post here in the group, or refer to other RWO releases. US and UK based missions should employ a "lightened" (at your discretion) 5-paragraph format for briefing, other countries should be modeled as closely or realistically as you can find. As a fallback, refer to stock BI missions and ensure that your briefing has at least the same level of information. Also, try to read through the whole briefing at least once to look for typos and make sure your marker links work. NOTE: In addition to the briefing, you should include a section called "Editors Notes & Source List" where you can add any advice, notes or other info you want the player to know, as well as AT LEAST ONE - title, author, or publication and a short exerpt (be sure to cite your source if you do this) or summary of the source that in some way is related to the mission. The mission itself does NOT need to be a rigid re-enactment nor this section a huge copypaste, but giving players a place to start their own research if interested is a key part of this project.
• Does the mission have a proper debriefing? This is defined in briefing.html (not a very intuitive name but that's the file the engine looks for) - the text is up to you, but try to summarize what the player just accomplished.
• Does the mission have a loadscreen? RWO missions should all utilize a similar style of loadscreen-- the convention set forth requires only two elements at a minimum: (1) a screenshot, taken at High quality Video Settings or above, from your mission showcasing the units, vehicles, weapons or gameplay, and (2) the Real World Ops logo (found here or attached to this post). Please refrain from using photos, maps, or other images from outside of the game, especially if not directly related to the mission or the op that inspired it. NOTE: you may need to use Photoshop (I recommend a "Color Overlay" layer effect for the RWO logo). If you need help with your loadscreen, feel free to contact me with these two elements above and I will put one together as soon as I have time.
• Does the mission have an overview description and image? Overview images are displayed in the Campaign and Scenario windows as preview images. All RWO releases need to have an Overview.html file with an Overview image and description. It is advised that you include addon requirements in the overview text, so a player can see if they have all the required addons active before they try to play). Overview images are preferably smaller cropped screenshots (please try to avoid re-using the loadscreen, or if you do need to use it, try to avoid sizing all the way down), but you may employ photos, insignia, or other imagery here.
• Does the mission follow the proper naming convention? All RWO releases should have [RWO] at the beginning of the mission name (defined in the Editor), which not only helps bring [RWO] releases to the top of the lists in-game, but also helps group it with the rest of our RWO releases. Please be sure to add "[RWO]" before the Mission name. After the mission name, optionally, you can include the version name, the number of players if it's COOP or TVT, or the mod(s) if it's something like an ACE version.
• Is there enough information for the player - aka clear dialogue, task hints, and regular hints? While voice acting is not required, but what is required for all RWO releases is dialogue, along with taskhints and, where applicable, regular hints (specifically where potentially unclear actions or functionality must be used by the player). Dialogue should preferably utilize either the cfgRadio and directSay/sideRadio technique, or the Knowledge Base technique. Text chat-based dialogue is permitted where the editor is not experienced enough, but all editors are expected to learn how to use either of the preferred techniques for future updates to their releases.
• [OPTIONAL] Is there voice acting, and if so, is it properly timed and mastered? Voice acting adds a HUGE boost to the playability and immseriveness of your mission-- even if the voice acting isn't particularly good. The main thing voice acting does is free the player's attention from the chat area at the bottom-left of the screen. While the more professional-sounding both the acting and the recording quality are, the better...but do not let these things discourage you. As long as the recordings are intelligible, they should be good to go (and encouraged) for your release. Just make sure you test them out in-game first to make sure the volume isn't too soft or loud.
• [OPTIONAL] Are there Intro and Outro Sequences and are any titles properly formatted? Intros and outros are entirely up to the author and whether the project would be conducive to them. They are not a requirement for RWO releases, but of course they generally provide a big boost to the experience, especially for use in Campaigns  (as opposed to SP scenarios). NOTE: if you want to have an intro title involving the name of this group or project, please adhere strictly to one of the following: "A Real World Operations Release"  and/or "Inspired by real events" If you want to use the RWO logo (here or attached) as a cutRsc, feel free, but try to ensure the logos appear crisp and clear.
• Have you checked through Description.ext? Do you want to make weapons selectable? Do you want the units to have identities? Do you want music or sound effects? A quick audit of this file is advised.

RWO RELEASE/SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Releasing an RWO mission is one of the best parts of the process. You get to see how others respond to your hard work, and hopefully bask in the glory of a fun gaming experience. Please be sure to do the following when you release to Armaholic.

• Use the RWO logo (here or attached) as the Header Image in your submission to Armaholic. If you follow the Submission Guidelines for Armaholic, the logo would be linked in the RED ([center]INSERT HERE THE PICS AND/OR THUMBNAILS [h1]TILE OF THE PAGE[/h1] by AUTHOR'S NAME[/center]) at the top of the submission. Please be sure to use the RWO logo so people can recognize your mission is associated with the project when browsing on the Armaholic news page. If the Mods on Armaholic get mixed up, please kindly send them a PM politely asking them to use the RWO logo.
• Try to include screenshots with your submission, they are added in the Media section, and are generally limited to four screenshots for Scenarios and Campaigns.
• Be sure to notify myself or another member of the team, and I'll try to update the first post of the RWO main thread ASAP.

RWO POST-RELEASE GUIDELINES:

Once the mission has been released, chances are you will get feedback from the community. Try not to force this, and be patient, take a break for at least a day or two unless there are red flag issues that need immediate fixing. It is recommended that you make a list of some sort of updates based on your own playthroughs and feedback you receive from the community. Updates are recommended, though there is no strict schedule for when and how often you need to update missions. Adding new game types, new content, or creating new versions that support specialized mods like ACE are all highly encouraged.