Drop Pods

[Hamma]

Hasnt been a ton of talk about drop pods and their use. How much of an effect does everyone think they may have on battle? Personally I think they will help to break stalemates and could be the difference in battles...

What will you use them for?

[Kalam]

Drop a Task Force of Vanu MAXs behind the enemy Base while attacking the front side.

Unnoticed by the defenders they can jump over the walls.
ok may take a while, cause they can not drop directly behind the base :)

[Sturm]

If the enemy is heavily using anti air weapons and shooting down galaxies then I can see a squad or large amount of people using drop pods as their main mode of transportation to attempt to come into the outskirts of a hostile area without drawing too much attention

For a MAX unit that can't drive a vehicle; drop pods will be their only choice for quick transportation it seems as opposed to a galaxy drop though running the distance would still be a viable option I feel.

Haven't searched too extensively yet but how long do pods remain in the game?
And how long does the descent in the pod take?

[Zatrais]

MAX's can use pods? i tought only up to and including reinforced could... but annyways, drop pods will be great for fast support from the home continent and a easy way for personell to travel to remote outposts. should be fairly safe aswell. I expect to be using them often =)

[txMaddog]

Depends on how accurate they are.

I'd drop one on a hill near a enemy base, see what's there and start sending out /tells to Outfit CO's that I know. :)

Then hang around and watch the fun, maybe sneak in and hack the panel during the attack.

[CDaws]

I remembering reading somewhere that you can't use drop pods in the enemies sphere of influence. So you might not be able to drop real close to a facility so you might have to hoof it to where you want to go. I don't know about the max armors being about to use the drop pods I think that Zatrais is right about the reinforced armor being the highest armor that can use them.

[Hamma]

SOI info was here:
http://www.planetside-universe.com/articles.php?articleId=30

;)

[Warborn]

Bad thing about drop pods:

- MAX can't use them.

- Vehicles can't use them.

- You are a good ways away from a hostile base (if you're dropping to support an attack) and without a vehicle.

- From what I understand, you actually see the drop pod come down from the sky. So every enemy nearby will probably see your pod come down, and they'll be on you in short order if they do.

- You can't tell what will be down there when you drop in. You could be dropping into the middle of a bunch of enemy soldiers.


To sum it up, you're taking a big risk using drop pods indiscrinimately, and the payoff isn't that good either, as you can only come down as an infantryman. An AMS will be far better for supporting an attack.

[NapalmEnima]

MAX CAN use drop pods.

Pods may not come down inside ANY sphere of influence. I expect most people will choose to come down in a dense forest, given the oportunity... more cover.

SJ has mentioned something vauge about it being easy to set up drops with your squad-mates.

Between sprinting and drop pods, I expect MAXes will be able to appear by suprise relatively easily (so long as no one spots their pod on the way down).

I also think drop pod hunting to be a fairly popular sport. Tool around in reavers with a couple friends, and roast anything you see drop out of the sky. To make life easier, bring along a Mosquito for it's radar (it sees people as well as vehicles). Can't hide behind a rock from that. Can ya? Actually, the Skeeter's radar may require LOS.

[Airlift]

Drop Pod deployment will also be often used by snipers and stealths because they tend to work alone or in small groups anyway. I could also see dropping a recon squad in before you decide what to attack and waiting for the word on the soft spots in the continent.

Alternately, you can have about 50 Drop Pods come out right outside an enemy SOI. It'd be a sight to see, and unpleasant for the defenders.

[The Prudential]

I do agree that drop pods will be used heavily by long-range reconnaissance teams and infiltrators of all sorts. I am also sure that some will attempt to drop in and seize enemy bases. This will not likely be a very successful operation, unless multiple medics are taken. Point being that the enemy will have respawn points relatively closely, and the drop troopers may not even be able to respawn on the same continent. Of course you could drop close to a bind point, but that would defeat the whole purpose of having drop pods. As such a squad/platoon of drop pod troopers would be out in the middle of nowhere, cut off, and surrounded. They would be hard pressed to survive any well organized enemy action.

However, that is not to say that drop pods could be useless for tactical engagements. I do believe that drop troops attempting to seize a base would be futile, however, there are other options. If drop troops are employed in a fashion similar to paratroopers they could be quite useful. Droptroopers could be deployed prior to a large assault to distract enemy forces and delay the movement of personnel and equipment. A roving band of droptroopers randomly preying upon enemy forces in a rear area would be worth a great deal more than droptroopers attempting to secure a fix position. A small band of droptroopers with a proper load out of equipment could provide a delay to an enemy disproprtionate to the actual threat posed by the droptroopers. This could give a strike force assaulting a nearby enemy base the extra time it needs to secure such a facility. Of course droptroopers could also launch feints against enemy bases. The chances of them actually securing the facility would be quite small, however, they may distract enemy forces from the true threat. Droptroopers would also be most effective on continents with dense terrain where they could easily evade armor and air elements.

[Airlift]

Drop assaults could probably be employed successfully as long as you have someone bringing up an AMS for the Podders to respawn into. That could actually make them extremely effective because when they get killed wherever they may be, they will reappear in a location of strategic value (unless the AMS driver is a jackazz). In any case, I agree with you (Prudential) that they will be generally more effective in a pre-assault capacity. However, I'm pretty sure you can do more by deploying those guys from Galaxies.

In fact, I think you'll see entire outfits (*cough*(stb)*cough*) that specialize in airbourne and air cavalry roles.

[Navaron]

I'm all for H.A.L.O. ops. I'm an altitude junkie. A question I never got answered would be critical to this game, and create a whole metric shit ton of options:

1) Can you exit the Drop pod while airborne?

2) When free falling (assuming you can jump from any airborne vehicle anytime), can you stear your charecters descent.

I'd love to be able to DP, right outside a SOI, exit the DP, and perform a HALO jump while stearing my body over the base so that now, I will land inside the base (all alone and badly hurt, but still inside). If you could coordinate 25 people to do this, you could drop the hurt on a lot of people quickly.

[Airlift]

That would be tres cool, but I don't think you can guide your descent. I also think you're going to take a decent chunk of damage when you hit thr ground, Dampeners or no.

[The Prudential]

Droptroopers would be more combat effective if there was an AMS nearby, however, the primary purpose of droptroopers would be to deploy into an area that was either controlled by the enemy or inaccesible via normal means. As such it would likely be necessary for the droptroopers to escort the AMS into such a hotzone for its own protection.

I am sure we will see air cavalry forces, but most likely in a support or defensive role. A Galaxy with a complement of infantry is the perfect reserve for an elastic defense. Purely airborne elements deployed via dropship will have the same problem as droptroopers as they will not have nearby access to a spawn point. The only difference would be that a Galaxy can continue to ferry respawning troopers to the combat zone while droppods cannot. Depending upon the location of the enemy base this could possibly be as effective as having an AMS nearby. Of course the critical point of the operation would be the Galaxy. If the Galaxy were destroyed the operation would fail. Even in a large operation with multiple Galaxies the loss of one could cripple an assault. You would definitly want to make sure you had a good supply of medics with you. If you had enough medics you could offset the disadvantage of being far from a spawn point. Such a strategy would also allow droptroopers to fight for a longer period. However, the medic's supplies (assuming they are finite) would eventually run out and then the droptroopers would be overrun.

[Navaron]

Paragraphs pls.

Even if it took off 50% damage, you'd still have the element of surprise, and in theory, you wouldn't be attacking a fully barracked base, so there'd be minimal defense. I wonder if you can shoot while free falling, could be handy with a TOW or thumper...

[Modulus]

ME personally i would use them for flanking like drop some guys behind the enemy while the others fight head on, good strategy i think. . .

[Airlift]

One point to consider is that multiple Galaxies will probably be a small engagement, whereas 30+ Galaxies is a large one. I think you lead off with your Air Cav / Drops and you follow up with your AMS support and main ground forces. We won't find out for sure until about a month or so into release.

[HotDogTommy]

Here's the way I see it. When you assault a base, especially if it's a surprise to the enemy, you're not going to be facing more than one squad, maybe two. These people would have to just be sitting around waiting for there to be more. You are also going to have some of the defenders wandering off looking for the AMS. You will have (hopefully) 3 squads attacking a scouted position.

So you use your airborn for repelling reinforcements. Have a galaxy or two rove around outside the SOI and look for a tank column or any group of vehicles coming towards the battle. The main purpose of airborn has always been penetration. So if you can't actually penetrate the SOI, you still put them behind the lines in a defensive capacity.

[The Prudential]

Navaron: I'm not sure if you can fire while falling, but it would be cool. Anyway, I wasn't referring to droptroopers as being ineffective due to the defense of bases. In probably most circumstances the droptroopers would quite easily seize the base form the defenders who would probably be unorganized and surprised. That's not really the primary problem. The main issue from that point is the droptroopers being forced to defend that base for 15 minutes against a coordinated enemy counter attack.

The droptroopers could probably hold off a few assaults depending upon the capabilities of the force assaulting them, but eventually the enemy would wear them down through attrition if nothing else. Droptroopers definitly have a value, and the would likely be able to seize some bases against weak enemy counterattacks. However, I feel that their offensive strength could be better used in support operations rather than as the main combat arm. In real life examples paratroopers generally act in a fashion to support the regular troops. In operations where they are the primary striking element (German invasion of Crete & Operation: Marketgarden) they generally take heavy casualties.

Airlift: You're right, aircav or droptroopers would be best used to confuse the enemy and pave the wave as a first strike force. Then a large ground force could quickly work in conjunction with them to secure the area. Of course the situation is infinitly more complex than that, unfortunately. :)

[Zatrais]

Drop pods will also be usefull for times when your outfit is assaulting a base and you logged on abit late and missed the transports... just do a drop from your sanctuary and to your outfit =)

[BLuE_ZeRO]

I was thinking... on the subject of jumping from aircraft... wouldn't it be cool if you could leap from one to another while in mid air? Just attack some mosquito in mid air while you're in a max. :D

[Sturm]

If anyone could survive a fall w/ or without dampeners from such a high height itd be a vanu max using their limited jumpjet ability

[Airlift]

How much playing have you done so far, Pkay?

[Lexington_Steele]

Damn it, why can't I have a girlfriend that works on Planetside.

[Jester]

actually using drop troopers you could have a small outfit or maybe even just one guy bring the ams around one side of the base, and drop onto the other, making a big show of what direction your attacking from. when you die you respawn at the ams and attack from a differnt direction, giving you mobility and suprise

droop troopers would also be very handy from a comman point of view for having fast-reaction squads. your main force attacks from the north but a scout spots reinforcments arriving from the east. drop some troopers in front of them and give youself enough time to secure the building

[rockarfett]

I think I'd use drop pods much like paratroopers. Send them in behind the enemy to capture important objectives and to sabotage. I don't know what the geography will look like in PS but if there are choke points in the enviroment that is where I would put them in order to delay any reinforcements or counter attacks. Specially if not all types of equipment spawn at all bases. The troops should consist of lots of combat engineers and a few medics. Certainly lots of anti-vehicle weapons since you probably won't find many people walking in the middle of nowhere. Maybe also a sniper or two.
Another scenario is to send in infiltration units to capture important enemy base features in neghbouring bases. Like air craft spawn sites and such.

[quiet]

Can a MAX use a drop pod???

I figure Warborn and Napalm both know what they are talking about so there ust be contradictory info out there. ;)

[Hamma]

Not sure on the max quiet.

[Marsman]

I think someone recently posted and said a MAX could use a drop pod- I think they quoted an official thread too. will see if I can find it.

[quiet]

:love:

In the PSI dev chat SmokeJumper says,"Drop Pods are single-person insertion devices from orbit onto a Battle Continent, and can only hold up to a MAX."

here is link, 3/4 down the page
http://www.planetside-universe.com/articles.php?articleId=6&page=2

[Corewin]

Drop pods seem rather limited if you ask me. I my self would lean more toward a covert Galaxy drop closer to the enemy base with a total squad.

[Tobias]

Toby's use for a drop pod:



Try real hard to land on a Galaxy with your pod, killing yourself and all inside in a huge fireball. Of course this will be very hard, and may only happen once or twice in the whole of the games egsistance, but it would be cool.

[Navaron]

You play Poker Pkay?

[Hamma]

I think we all did.

[quiet]

:stupid: