Make Arma Not War is not the first editing competition Bohemia Interactive ever organized. About a decade ago, when Operation Flashpoint was still alive and kicking, the modding community got their first chance to prove their skills in what was known as the Mission Editing Competition 2004 (MEC 2004). The rewards included t-shirts, signed copies of the game and the main prize – VBS1 with all addons, worth hundreds of dollars.
Winners were selected both by public vote and by professional jury, but authors were kept anonymous to prevent any bias. The ten best scenarios were published after the competition was over, but trying to find them now, a decade later, is almost impossible. I recently discovered them on my drive, so with official web gone and addon links dead, I decided to release them for everyone else to play.
The archive contains all missions including required addons:
- Swordfish III by King 6
- Everon Transport 2 by Chneemann
- Hawk In Nets by Munch Studios
- Pingushooting by xezon
- Morning Dew by Jezuro
- Defensive Strike by THobson
- Chinook Down by David Mc
- Too Young To Die by Toy
- Volcano by Artak
- CTF vs. AI Houdan by StarCraftJ Clan Create Team
The winner, Hawk In Nets by Munch Studios, was a truly outstanding title. Inspired by the Metal Gear Solid series, it turned a military simulation game into tactical espionage operation. Its impact went beyond the competition, inspiring countless other modders in their efforts – including me.
The author of Hawk In Nets went on to become a Bohemia Interactive designer shortly afterwards. Although he meanwhile left to finish his studies, another finalist, Ježuro, was also hired and still designs scenarios to this date.