Mystery Combat Man IV: The Bay of Pigs (Cuba, 1982)
Mystery Combat Man IV: The End of Time is the gripping final installment in the legendary Mystery Combat Man series of Source Engine mods. The story follows the Mystery Combat Squad, led by the Mystery Combat Man on their time-traveling and globetrotting quest to save the timeline of Earth from meddling by nefarious forces.
The Second Cuban Missile Crisis has begun, and the world is poised to face nuclear annihilation. A coalition force of Terminator Odells, Mossmen and Presidente Breen's militia have occupied the town of Playa Larga and set up an ICBM complex. Mystery Combat Man is sent in to stop the countdown to armageddon, supported only by a rag-tag group of local rebels.
As the finale of MCM4's first act, this mission required some extra love and attention to leave a positive impact. The level geometry was more detailed than usual and more props were placed around to give the location a firmer sense of place. While it didn't feature the largest battles there were clearly defined high stakes echoing the threat of a real-world disaster and the villains of the piece were given a greater physical presence with the addition of two fortifications nestled within the town's streets.
To tie the story so far together, several props and technology designs were carried over from previous missions, such as the chemical weapons and cannons from the Warship Borealis and the barricades from the Cenepa canyon. This is the first view of the villains' own turf that had only been alluded to before, and would serve as the groundwork for later facilities and strongholds encountered in Acts 2 and 3.
The starting dock. The player begins on a pathetic rowboat in order to avoid the anti-air guns.
Docks, side view.
Docks, opposite view.
Interior of a storage building used as a fortification.
Docks exit, leading into the town.
Cafe exterior, with sniper platform above. Verticality was key to keeping the combat ecounters engaging.
Back alley area where a group of rebels are held up.
Main street rear view.
Outpost interior.
Outpost interior, opposite view. It looks out to the docks and provides a space for enemy vehicles.
A side street leading into the main compound.
Due to the usually high count of NPCs in the MCM series, interiors had to be left quite sparse to allow easy freedom of movement.
Behind a destructible barricade. Many defenses and props were made breakable to add to the chaos.
Compound arena A. The player's rebel allies are key to helping them survive an attack from all sides.
A small cafe in a small courtyard. The building to the left is enterable through the windows.
Another interior.
Compound arena B. As the compound as a whole is non-linear, the player can choose several points of attack here.
A holding area where more rebels are being held in captivity. Free them and receive important support for storming the control centre.
Entrance to the missile control centre.
The missile control room, watching over the missiles.
Control room, opposite view. The jumping ability shared by many NPCs make this fight especially chaotic.
The missile silos.