Vehicle roles that no vehicle currently fills

[Rothnang]

Siege Vehicle that has to anchor to fire very powerful weapons

This is somewhat filled by the Prowler, but since the Prowler is empire specific this is really a role that is left vacant for two out of three empires. The prowler also has a turret, which takes away they whole aspect of having to point the vehicle in a specific direction to anchor and project firepower toward that side.
There should be a vehicle that can deploy some kind of really powerful tank hunting cannon, a multiple rocket launcher or something like that but has to deploy facing its target area to use them.

Panzerjäger Nashorn carrying a deadly high velocity Pak43 tank killing gun.
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0w78bcs2C1qk6uvyo1_500.jpg

Pak 43 88mm high velocity gun mounted on a very lightly armored Waffenträger (Weapon carrier)
http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/14/55/40/83/ardelt11.jpg


Long Range Aircraft designed for hovering close to the ground

There really is no aircraft right now that works the way that something like an Apache Helicopter would, which lurks between trees or behind hills, pops up, unleashes deadly attacks at long range and then disappears again. An aircraft that packs a long range forward facing gun or a rocket launcher similar to the MANA AV would be great. The thing wouldn't be very fast compared to the other aircraft, and not at all designed to engage in aerial battles, but operate from out of cover, close to the ground.

Apache Helicopter lurking behind some trees over a lake
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W5AncnijLd8/TbLaImtG4RI/AAAAAAAAB50/y7w6k3J7bIs/s1600/AH64A+Apache+Helicopter+by+cool+images+%25288%2529 .jpg


APC

The game really lacks vehicles that operate well alongside infantry currently. The Sunderer may be really useful, but it's much more useful being parked somewhere in relative safety than it is moving along with the troops. The APC would be something akin to a Bradley. A single driver would be able to operate the vehicle, similar to a lightning tank, so that the driver can enjoy the vehicle even when the infantry is dismounted. This vehicle should also not simply feature passenger seats, but have hatches for the passengers to fire out of.

Bradley Fighting Vehicle
http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/bradley-4.jpg

Bison Armored Personnel Carrier
http://www.military-today.com/apc/bison.jpg


Huey style Aircraft

A small transport aircraft with an open back that soldiers can sit in and shoot out of. This thing should go fast, and it's armament that the pilot uses should be a smoke launcher that creates a thick ring of smoke on the ground underneath the aircraft, which is used to obscure the landing zone when it sets down to unload or pick up troops in a combat zone.

Huey Helicopter In Vietnam
http://www.reocities.com/fgrivel/images/bfv/huey.jpg


Pioneering/Combat Engineer vehicle

Super heavy tank that is outfitted with tools for all sorts of tasks on the battlefield such as flipping over vehicles, repairing vehicles, clearing mines, and laying charges. This vehicle would have a bulldozer scoop in front that it can use to turn over vehicles. It would also have a crane assembly in a turret that can be used like a repair gun, or to lay explosive charges which can then be remote detonated like C4. It would be relatively slow, albeit extremely heavily armored, and nearly impenetrable in the front. It would also be completely immune to mines. Perhaps the back of the vehicle could be slanted in such a way that it also works as a ramp for other vehicles to jump off, or go over obstacles with.

A1 Abrams Grizzly Combat Engineering Vehicle
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3253/3038626043_a7c11f4ec5_z.jpg

Bergepanzer Büffel with extended crane arm
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Bergepanzer_Bueffel.jpg

[zulu]

I don't think that something like the Apache could really work in this game. People complain as it is about being killed by air units that require the attacker to be significantly closer to the action. Adding something of a "sniping" air unit that operates far away would be a deal-breaker, regardless of how it was balanced.

A smaller transport aircraft would be really cool, but it might also be accomplished by, say, an option for rumble seats or something on the sides of the ESF. But more vehicle types is always a good thing, if you ask me.

I don't know how well engineering vehicles would work given the relative rarity of mine fields (usually it's just two mines stacked on top of each other, or two mines thrown at a target) and other things they might be used for. One option, however, might be to greatly change how vehicles are destroyed and removed from the game -- perhaps you could have a sort of tank recovery vehicle that would reconstruct destroyed tanks. That would certainly require a lot of work to implement, however.

I think the Sunderer serves as a very effective APC as it is (especially when carrying blockade armor and some upgraded weapons). But it would be nice to see it given some better options in the place of the AMS. The gatecrashing shield is buggy (and probably meets is intended goal worse than the Galaxy does by just dropping a squad into a base), while the smoke screen is very niche. That leaves the radar, which is very expensive for what it does (though valuable, the Flash is better in this).

A smaller APC (carrying maybe six or seven people) that was a bit faster would be interesting, maybe.

One thing I'd like to see would be a two-seat fighter -- perhaps geared more for high-speed interception and bombing than turning and dogfighting. Maybe it could carry a laser-guided bomb, which would fill something of an artillery role (while still giving people on the ground a role in using it and countering it).

[Rothnang]

I disagree on the sniping air unit being a deal breaker. It would actually be way more vulnerable to ground troops than what you currently get with aircraft, since a low flying aircraft is an easy target for tank guns and a whole variety of ordnance that can't be pointed up. If you're driving a tank, what would you rather deal with, a Liberator flying directly above you hitting you with a tank gun, or an aircraft flying somewhere over a hill hitting you with a tank gun? I'd take the second one where I can shoot back... :lol: I mean, long range doesn't mean out of range.

The main point of an APC would be making it single driver operational, and giving it seats you can fire from. Since the Sunderer takes 3 people to be a real force by itself it really isn't a vehicle that you can have a lot of fun with once the infantry insides dismounts. It's the same problem as with the Galaxy, people need to be in it for it to be able to fight, but you're taking people somewhere to get out.


The Pioneering vehicle does more than just clear minefields. One of its biggest functions would be the ability to deploy explosive charges with its crane, by just driving up to a location using its extremely thick front armor, plopping down a huge bomb, backing away and then blowing it up. Imagine rolling up to a heavily defended building, dropping a huge bomb in the door and then slowly driving off again. That would send people running for the hills for sure. That actually is something that these kinds of vehicles do since WW2, when the British first came up with the concept, building on the Churchill tank which proved an ineffective fighting vehicle since its turret ring was too small to mount large tank killing guns on it, but was an incredibly well armored and powerful chassis to carry around all sorts of unusual equipment, including demolition launchers, mine clearing flails, charge layers etc.

[Gatekeeper]

Well, technically the Flash now meets your APC requirements - the driver is also the gunner, and it has a passenger seat that you can fire from ;)

More seriously, if the new buggy/light transport they've talked about has passenger seats that can be fired from (which I think it has?) that's actually not a bad light APC option, depending how durable it is, and what gun it mounts.

As for the self-propelled gun/tank destroyer role, I'd favour the creation of an alternate turret-type for the Lightning that fires a heavier round (and potentially adds a 'deployed' mode) but is fixed-forward (or has a very limited arc). That'd allow the Lightning to operate as a light, fast ambush/siege vehicle that requires very tactical use.

[CasualCat]

Could probably do the Apache with the existing Liberator if some new weapons were added.

Right now none of the gunner weapons are forward facing. Add some forward facing weapons and it could do that.

Maybe camera guided AT missiles and/or an AV variation on the ESF pods that allows some level of forward aim similar to the aiming on a flash for example.


Give the Vektor pilot free look aim again (or even controlable as an alternate weapon for the gunner) along with new weapons and you just about have it.

I'd love to say add something like the Hellfire, but we really don't need more fire/forget lock-on weapons.

I bet they could come up with some creative stuff with some careful thought.

ETA: Separately I'd like to see the Liberator also get free fall bombs that some people have asked for as well.

[bpostal]

There's no airlift vehicles, such as a lodestar. That's what I'm looking for!
That and my damn Marauder.

[HiroshiChugi]

All of these are extremely amazing roles to be filled, and should be made into actual vehicles. But, come on, do you really tink that SOE is going to take time to make these right now instead of fixing the REAL problems? OH WAIT! That's waht they're already doing! :D xD So yes, I see this possibly happening in the future.

[SGOniell]

Yes to artillery, bradley style apc, and light air transport. No to engineering, and No to long range aircraft. Engineering vehicle really has no usefulness atm. Also, despite what you say, the fact that you're so far away means your less vulnerable to infantry. There'd be more distance between you and them in that than if you were attacking with an ESF or Liberator.

[Falcon_br]

Bradley for me it is a sunderer with 2 m40 and armor upgrade. Maybe a perfomace engine and a shield defuser, there is plent of videos on YouTube with guys storming bases with this build and killing lots of enemies.

[Sifer2]

Many of these roles are already filled well enough. Apache by rocket pod ESF's. And we have plenty of troops transports as it is not to mention the new 4 passenger Jeep coming soon.

Artillery is the only one that could be added but seeing as Infantry ***** endlessly about being killed by vehicles you would have a lot of people who would not want it in. There was something like it in PS1 though.

[ThatGoatGuy]

They aren't gonna implement helis into this game because it aint fucking battlefield.

[Biohazard]

I would like to see a lightly armored aircraft with a ground looking radar. Maybe it could award something like an advanced spot assist.

Oh and artillery. Not necessarily the big guns, but max carried mortars that required lockdown.

[SGOniell]

Oh and artillery. Not necessarily the big guns, but max carried mortars that required lockdown.

This right here, Mortars would be fantastic!

[Rothnang]

They aren't gonna implement helis into this game because it aint fucking battlefield.

Not saying they should, it's about vehicle roles, not about methods of achieving lift.

[typhaon]

I thought ESFs were helicopters? That's what a friend of mine always refers to them as...

I wish SOE had done a much better job of defining roles in the air, instead of every air vehicle can be good at everything and fly like a fighter jet that defies physics.

[Whiteagle]

Siege Vehicle that has to anchor to fire very powerful weapons

This is somewhat filled by the Prowler, but since the Prowler is empire specific this is really a role that is left vacant for two out of three empires. The prowler also has a turret, which takes away they whole aspect of having to point the vehicle in a specific direction to anchor and project firepower toward that side.
There should be a vehicle that can deploy some kind of really powerful tank hunting cannon, a multiple rocket launcher or something like that but has to deploy facing its target area to use them.
Yeeeeaah, no.
As a TR Player, I can tell you that the "Bombardment weapons platform" role is already WELL filled by MBTs and Liberators.

What it sounds like your wanting are Self Propelled Artillery Pieces, which I really wouldn't mind indirect fire weapons, but you'd have to figure out how to hit targets without line-of-sight.
Plus the Devs have kind of been shying away from that very thing.

As for a multiple Rocket Launcher, I always wanted to give the Lightning a "Cobra" Rocket Turret.

Long Range Aircraft designed for hovering close to the ground

There really is no aircraft right now that works the way that something like an Apache Helicopter would, which lurks between trees or behind hills, pops up, unleashes deadly attacks at long range and then disappears again. An aircraft that packs a long range forward facing gun or a rocket launcher similar to the MANA AV would be great. The thing wouldn't be very fast compared to the other aircraft, and not at all designed to engage in aerial battles, but operate from out of cover, close to the ground.
...You do realise you can already do this with a Hover Frame ESF, right?

APC

The game really lacks vehicles that operate well alongside infantry currently. The Sunderer may be really useful, but it's much more useful being parked somewhere in relative safety than it is moving along with the troops. The APC would be something akin to a Bradley. A single driver would be able to operate the vehicle, similar to a lightning tank, so that the driver can enjoy the vehicle even when the infantry is dismounted. This vehicle should also not simply feature passenger seats, but have hatches for the passengers to fire out of.
Ok, the Sunderer is the ACP people...
The problem is that everyone runs an AMS because the Shield Diffuser is limited in use and the others are rather lackluster defensive options.
Thus there isn't much Bang for the old Bus.

I don't know how practical it would be to have eight or nine passengers weapons free and it would probably require a large amount of hassle to even enable, plus Flashes and the upcoming Buggies will probably be much fairer options with their lower passenger counts and opened-air design.

You might be on to something with a Driver Controlled Weapon however...
Perhaps some kind of nose mounted Grenade Launcher or Chain gun that would allow an Assault Sunderer some real breaching power.

Huey style Aircraft

A small transport aircraft with an open back that soldiers can sit in and shoot out of. This thing should go fast, and it's armament that the pilot uses should be a smoke launcher that creates a thick ring of smoke on the ground underneath the aircraft, which is used to obscure the landing zone when it sets down to unload or pick up troops in a combat zone.
A smaller Air transport is something this game could really use, especially if it came with a "Phantom" module that allowed Infiltrators to cloak it.

Pioneering/Combat Engineer vehicle

Super heavy tank that is outfitted with tools for all sorts of tasks on the battlefield such as flipping over vehicles, repairing vehicles, clearing mines, and laying charges. This vehicle would have a bulldozer scoop in front that it can use to turn over vehicles. It would also have a crane assembly in a turret that can be used like a repair gun, or to lay explosive charges which can then be remote detonated like C4. It would be relatively slow, albeit extremely heavily armored, and nearly impenetrable in the front. It would also be completely immune to mines. Perhaps the back of the vehicle could be slanted in such a way that it also works as a ramp for other vehicles to jump off, or go over obstacles with.
Some kind of Combat Engineering vehicle would be nice... but I don't know what it would do outside of flipping tanks and repairing things.

I mean, what is the large explosive suppose to do?
The vehicle would be too slow to use it offensively, and such a charge would ether be too limited or too obvious to use defensively...

It'd be nice if it could be used as a mine-layer as well as a field clearer, but that would require actually being able to lay minefields...

The wedge used to flip over vehicles doubling as a Flash Ramp would be cool, but otherwise there isn't anywhere to use a "bridging" vehicle.
Maybe a Man-apult turret to fling troops with?

Yeah though, there really isn't much land combat wise for vehicles that doesn't already have a niche filled...

...Now if they ever get intercontinental oceans set up...

[Mietz]

Gonna get this out of the way before talking about the proposed concepts separately.
All these vehicles can be achieved by changing the customization options. This is important to understand, we don't necessarily need "more stuff", we just need certs that significantly alter existing vehicles.

Generally, this should be what the Vehicle Frames are for, right now they however are not distinct enough to count as separate vehicles. I don't know if anyone even uses anything else beside Combat Chassis for ground vehicles and I know that since the AA buff the Hover Chassis is also relatively useless.



Siege Vehicle that has to anchor to fire very powerful weapons

I'm not convinced that we need more tank-killing things as the battlefield seems to be largely saturated with AV weaponry:

AV Mines
AV Grenades
AV MAX
AV MANA
C4
Rocket Launchers
Lightnings
MBTs
Liberators
ESF + RP
dual Bulldog Sunderers

Just about anything can kill a vehicle. I'm largely satisfied with it we don't need faster TTK on tanks.


Long Range Aircraft designed for hovering close to the ground


Long Range Aircraft? No, we already have Liberators.
Hovering close to the ground? Yes please.

I've been suggesting since BETA to specialize the ESF airframes more.

The hover chassis should introduce a severe reduction in top speed and max flight ceiling but increased stability and x-agility, maybe even payload for A2G missile weapons and rotary (make more A2G weapons available in the shop that are airframe exclusive, like guided missiles, etc.)

Dogfighting airframe should have a high top speed and flight ceiling but no hover capability whatsoever. It should be a plane, you go forward at high speeds and if you slow down enough you fall down.


APC

I think the Sunderer again should have been split like it was in that other game. The sundie is just too valuable as an AMS to function as a pure APC. Also Bulldogs are ridiculously efficient at almost any distance so i dont know why the kobalt is even there.

This can again be fixed with chassis.

Huey style Aircraft

I remember a fast flying/hovering troop transport in that other game we cant talk about.
It would be useful but could lead to nobody ever using a flash ever again since thats the go-to vehicle for fast transport from region to region if you dont want to redeploy.

However as with all vehicles that provide rumble-seats (this goes for APCs as well) we need a way to not have 4 guys in it with lock-on launchers that just spam missiles at everything.

Pioneering/Combat Engineer vehicle

I'm not sure what this vehicle would bring to the table except mine-clearing/laying and thats hardly something that is of consequence with the current mine concept.

Mobile cover should be provided with an APC and an armored repair-station already exists, its a sunderer with the repair aura.

I think these ideas can get in, in one way or another, they just need to be more distinct with the certs.

[Stardouser]

A lot of the problem with the air units (and ground but that's another story) is since the maps are so small with such small spaces between bases, there's no wide open transit areas where aircraft can be suckered into dogfights, ambushed along the way by AA tank columns, etc. You can pull aircraft at your warpgate and be at your designated rape site within 45 seconds.

The reverse is also true. Aircraft can't blast tank convoys out in the open between bases because the areas between bases aren't big enough that convoys are exposed very long, they often have to endure MAXes and AA turret fire in order to get close to anyone worth attacking.

So, when we get 20km X 20km continents with the same number of bases (thus more transit time through open unprotected areas), and I hope someday we do, we will be able to increase the number of air units.

For now, I would like a small fast transport for 6 guys to fill the role between Sunderer and Galaxy.

[Baneblade]

http://images.wikia.com/uncyclopedia/images/5/53/Humvee.jpg

[Saintlycow]

Need a huey

[Falcon_br]

When don't need a Huey, we need a:
http://blog.al.com/techcetera/2009/08/halowarthog1.jpg

We need open seats 4 people hope, because we don't want 2 players without anything to do in the new vehicle.
So, the driver with a m40, the gunner with an halberd, and 2 players with lock com rocket launchers = too much fun!

[Ruzy]

I'd like to see an aircraft with more stealth capabilities. Every time I pilot anything within a 3 mile radius of anywhere worth going, I'm being bombarded by three skyguards and a handful of burster MAXes.

[Falcon_br]

Before GU 01, my outfit had 2 members with the esf with maximum stealth certification.
They could fly, fire their payload, get some kills and fly away. It was really stealth with + 3 seconds of lockon from the certifications, no the only +1 that it is now, the standard lockon time was also reduced.
Now with all the anti vehicle updates, and everyone got anti air maxes, lockon missile, if you can get 3 kills with a esf in a row, you are a luck guy.

[Timealude]

When don't need a Huey, we need a:
http://blog.al.com/techcetera/2009/08/halowarthog1.jpg

We need open seats 4 people hope, because we don't want 2 players without anything to do in the new vehicle.
So, the driver with a m40, the gunner with an halberd, and 2 players with lock com rocket launchers = too much fun!

thats coming, they are called buggies. as for the APC we already got a sneak peak at the new deliver which pretty much is a small APC

[ThatGoatGuy]

...Now if they ever get intercontinental oceans set up...

This will never happen. Each continent is ran off of its own server. Intercontinental travel without the "warp" system we have now would be terrible. Think about it now, when say Indar is full. Pre-GU04 (hasn't really been too much action due to the GU and the FPS issues people have been experiencing) the full Indar's lag was excruciating. You couldn't see beyond 10 meters, and remember all those twitchy icons on your minimap? Now, imagine that, on a larger end server, which still probably couldn't support the current amounts that are available (600 on 600 on 600 I believe), on an extremely LARGE map and people fighting all over the place.

[Blynd]

If like to see the chopper from avatar with side mounted guns but could carry say 6 people so not as big as a gal and low armou like an esf

[Twido]

I've had these ideas knocking around in my head for a while.

First off some kind of mole transportation vehicle which should look like that mole thing from Tunderbirds

http://theplastichippo.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/thunderbirds.jpg

The idea being that you trundle around on the trailer, get lined up then plot a distance of travel. The mole goes underground the set distance (with a degree of error), pops up killing any armour directly above it and the squad jumps out. I know this isn't practicle because base defences are easy enough to bypass already without such an elaborate method, but it does win points for style!

Second, a flame thrower tank!

We know that they are working on a flame thrower for max suits, and these things have been used historically plus they can look awsome.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Churchill_Crocodile_01.jpg
There have been many historical designes, but my favorite one in terms of aesthetics have trailers. The unique role they play is that of short range anti infantry tank. To be honest I'm not sure this would work in PS2 since any tank that gets close to infantry will die too quickly.

Next, I think we should have a heavy battle tank.

The faction specific main battle tanks just arn't scary anymore and they shouldn't be because they can be easily pulled and require only one player. I would propose faction specific heavy battle tanks that have a driver (with some kind of forward facing gun option such as those found on the flash), a main gunner and second gunner. There could be an upgrade option for a fourth player with some kind of command cetre tools but that idea needs more thought. Now for this to work, the resource system needs to be more meaningful because this isn't the sort of thing you want spammed!

A few years ago I was lucky enough to visit the tank meuseum in Dorset, it is a good place for inspiration and it is really suprising some of the wacky tanks that were actually built over the last 100 years. Definately worth a visit if you are in the area!

Finally, I would like to see a squad sized drop pod. If you are familier with 40K you will know what I mean. Obviously we would have to tread carefully to avoid IP conflicts, but drop pods have always looked cool even if they arn't always the most effective option.

Keep the ideas comming! (even if they are crazy)

[Mietz]

Ok, after thinking about it, I found one use for an engineering vehicle: a vertical lift.

If you could have a cert for sunderers that had them deploy an energy lift you could use that to breach towers/walls vertically without employing LAs all the time.

Another idea could be deployed jumppads that would link up to other sunderers.

HOWEVER, not before base defensibility is majorly improved, including sealing off 90% of all holes a facility has. This includes complete walls around amps, sealed towers, etc.

In general id rather either have a point system to customize vehicles instead of the current slots, or split the vehicles and make them specific use in the first place (AMS/sunderer).

Id like to have a specialized support APC with both a supply and repair aura but no guns for example, or a shield-breaker with smoke screen.

Right now the exclusivity makes no sense. Some of the utilities are really useful, others will never get used because on their own they are too situational (phasing gen, smoke screen, proximity radar) and are slot exclusive with each other.

[Rothnang]

The Sunderer is boring to look at, boring to drive, and overpowered. Most of its functions should be done by dedicated vehicles in the first place. It's just an all around horrible design choice to make a delivery van the definitive do it all vehicle of a game of futuristic combat.

[Rbstr]

I would like an air vehicle more in the mold of a battlefield chopper, with a forward mounted gunner-controlled gun where the pilot has something more of like fixed rockets or just nothing. Basically giving the tank buster some movement and making it controlled by a gunner.
Something that's less of an air-tank and more maneuverable, less hover-oriented and more about striking in a low-fly-by.

The lib was pushed into this sort of role and this could be accomplished via liberator, but preferable something more like an ESF variant.

The small transport aircraft is another one I'd like.

[Rbstr]

I would like an air vehicle more in the mold of a battlefield chopper, with a forward mounted gunner-controlled gun where the pilot has something more of like fixed rockets or just nothing. Basically giving the tank buster some movement and making it controlled by a gunner.
Something that's less of an air-tank and more maneuverable, less hover-oriented and more about striking in a low-fly-by.

The lib was pushed into this sort of role and this could be accomplished via liberator, but preferable something more like an ESF variant.

The small transport aircraft is another one I'd like.

[Rothnang]

I would love it if there was a Liberator variant that traded the bellygun for a forward mounted primary weapon.

[Whiteagle]

This will never happen. Each continent is ran off of its own server. Intercontinental travel without the "warp" system we have now would be terrible. Think about it now, when say Indar is full. Pre-GU04 (hasn't really been too much action due to the GU and the FPS issues people have been experiencing) the full Indar's lag was excruciating. You couldn't see beyond 10 meters, and remember all those twitchy icons on your minimap? Now, imagine that, on a larger end server, which still probably couldn't support the current amounts that are available (600 on 600 on 600 I believe), on an extremely LARGE map and people fighting all over the place.
Yes but I didn't come here from Battlefield or even the original Planetside...

...I am a Second Life Military Vet.

Simulators, or squares of land 256 meter square, were lucky to get a single server processor apiece, more often "Continental Sim" shared one between four.
What you think of as lag was sometime the best fighting conditions you could GET some places.


That said, you probably have no experience with the horrors that are inter-simulator crossings, where vehicles and troops seem to just keep going in whatever direction they were heading when they crossed the boarder only to rubber-banding back into place.

Of course, since they have halved the number of servers, it means they have more computational resources to devote to smaller map regions like the VR areas...

...Or coastal boundary maps.

With all the continents being, well, square, we could then have things like "Indar" and then four "Indar Coast" maps which would serve as buffers between the populated continental area and the much more spartan ocean maps.
You will still have issues transferring from the boarder of one map to another, but the smaller Coastal maps will have relatively beefier processing ability due to their smaller overall area, which should hopefully help midigate transfer issues and handle the primary fuction of these Coast; chaotic fights to establish or repel continental beachheads.

[Ohaunlaim]

roles no vehicle currently fill....

1. As has been brought up. Artillery or mortar weapons. non-line of sight weapon systems. These could easily be added as certs to current vehicles.

2. Healing or triage systems. Again easily added as certs. This will likely never happen because it would probably hinder medics too much.

3. Jamming system. Still easily added as certs. Enemy missile lock-on times could be increased while in the affective area, could shorten spot-durations, could negate enemy radar systems, etc. I don't see this as overly useful, friends I talked to see it as too powerful. So... ??

4. Air transport for vehicles. Likely needs a new model and stuff. In the current game, I don't see this as particularly useful excluding a few areas. And it may cause extreme imbalances in some areas due to terrain/base designs.

5. Big shield bubble. Could be a cert or a new vehicle, depending on just how big you want that bubble. Can provide a non-aggressive, temporary respite from air/ground weapon spam. If it allowed light arms fire both ways, vehicles/infantry passage both ways, and had a capacitor that could be bled off with time and weapons fire, then it might be useful without being OP.

6. Holograph emitter. could be a cert or a new vehicle again depending on size. Provides non-aggressive cover from high-ground spam. Emits a squashed 'umbrella' above the vehicle. Seen from below its a holographic grid that hinders sight. Seen from above its an exact 2d graphical replica of terrain as seen from satellite. All ordnance can pass through unhindered. Basically a cloak bubble, that doesn't actually cloak anything. It is useless on high ground and only iffy-useful at ground-level.

7. Command van. Would need a new model and stuff. Not in this? No orbital strike for you. (Assuming there isn't already a better way to limit the things before release). The Van could also have other useful certs, like the shield bubble, triage system, jamming system, holograph emitter, or other stuff that not about direct action against the enemy. I would give this thing a driver seat and 5 passenger seats (ie half a squad).

[Punker]

It would be awesome to see a small 5-man cloak-able aircraft for sneaky situations, ofc should have no weapons and you should be able to hot drop out of it.

It would be a phantastic addition to ps2 :P

[Rolfski]

Self propelled artillery: Will be in the game, it's already in the game files. It's a special gun for the MBT's

Attack helicopter: ESF's were designed to fulfill an Appache-like as well as a F16-like role. I would have preferred if they would have separated these roles as it is the source of all kinds of balancing problems.

Transport helicopter: Galaxy fulfills that role and you can upgrade its speed. They are planning for giving it Chinook-like role to carry vehicles.

Armoured Personnel Carrier: Sundy is designed as a M113-like APC with an optional AMS module. What you are referring to with the Bradley is an Infantry Fighting Vehicle which imo is not really a priority.

Engineering vehicle: Sundy fulfills that role already.

[Rothnang]

The Sunderer doesn't fill any of those roles. Just because it can carry people doesn't mean it's a vehicle that can reasonably be crewed by a single person or provide the people it carries with the ability to actually act while inside. It also doesn't fill the role of engineering vehicle just because you can fit it with a repair aura.

With logic like that we'll never see another vehicle ever because you can always just make up another module for the Sunderer. The Sunderer is easily the most boring, lamest, non-scifi thing on the battlefield currently, and it's idiotic to treat it like a black hole that has swallowed all support vehicle roles already.


Also the ESF is NOT good at hovering close to the ground. That is a surefire way to get your ESF killed in two seconds, and you really don't sacrifice a huge amount of your air to air capability either by going hover/rockets. What i'm talking about is a vehicle that is not very fast in the air, but is sturdy enough to actually fight in hover mode.

[Carbon Copied]

I may be going down the wrong track here but I'll try get my thoughts on note: I think comparing what is wanted in PS2 is tougher to do with modern day vehicles because they are mostly actually able to fill a variety of roles with "swap in/out" appendixes themselves... maybe looking at something older as comparison would give that specialized vehicle job similarity? I'd like to see more vehicle specialization and by that I don't mean you have to cert/rank to get vehicle x but more so you have to bring the right tools to the party and less jack of all trades with turrets you can just switch out pretty much on the fly at the vehicle screen.

I'd like to see something along the lines of - and while I use example vehicles it's just a generic visual reference to function and role provided not how I want it to look game wide etc. the factions need their identities:

MBT (Panzer IV equivalent): highly effective against tanks and hard targets - relying on the top gunner to deal with infantry/overhead threats (via whatever secondary gun is used). Direct main gun hits still obliterate infantry however shells no longer have HE style splash effect - this brings risk to lone wolfing out in a 2 man vehicle; ok you can still drive and gun but if you haven't got that second person watching out for the LA or mosquito overhead..
I don't think that heavy or super tanks have a place as then they could become the BFR redux and leave little point to the empire MBT.

Armored light gun (Stug III equivalent): introduced to pick up the slack on the now vacant HE slot; highly effective against infantry with HE splash shells and effective to light hard targets up to flashes/troop movement vehicles with the trade off being it only has a front facing cannon. Easily outgunned by MBTs but with MBT support and cover very effective setup.

Self propelled guns (Wespe equivalent): lightly armored, maneuverable, pack a punch with IDF style barrages. Implemented in TBC manner.

Troop movement (Sd.Kfz. 251 equivalent): moves troops fast in bulk and into place but is not the AMS, the flash (and upcoming buggies) also facilitate recon and movement role on the side with the rumble seats.

Sunderer: reduced to 3 seat vehicle (driver/x2 gunners) provides AMS with increased no-repeat deploy radius. Re-modeled exterior to be more "AMS specific" - AMS becomes a vehicle in it's own right?

7. Command van. Would need a new model and stuff. Not in this? No orbital strike for you. (Assuming there isn't already a better way to limit the things before release). The Van could also have other useful certs, like the shield bubble, triage system, jamming system, holograph emitter, or other stuff that not about direct action against the enemy. I would give this thing a driver seat and 5 passenger seats (ie half a squad).

Similar thoughts to the above from Ohaunlaim - "Command van" provides a single static deployed ammo, repair or <insert consumable here> outpost.

By no means definitive but I'd like to see less turret swapping and more vehicles there for a role. Apologies for the long post.

[Babyfark McGeez]

The sundy currently is a bit of a swiss army knife, you could easily make three or four different vehicles out of it. Unfortunately i doubt that's going to happen. ^^

The only role missing i can come up with right now is artillery...but when i look at some tank drivers on miller even that seems covered lol.

[Corvo]

The Huey style aircraft would be cool, but please stop tying vehicle module functionality to infantry class abilities. If a cloaking module is ever introduced for any other vehicles than the flash it should not depend on infil's ability to cloak.

[Ohaunlaim]

Stepping away from weapons might be the way to go.

On the ground we have a very fast 1-2 man light transport(flash), a fast 1 man medium weapon platform (lightning), a slow 1-2 man heavy weapon platform (MBT), and a slow 1-13 man heavy support frame (sunderer).

We are also expecting a fast 1-3(?) man medium transport (buggies).

What else can we stitch together?

- A fast 1-6 man support frame (I imagined this as a command vehicle, but it could be anything)?

- A very slow 1-3 man very heavy weapon platform (Heavy battle tank)?

- An immobile 1-12 man super heavy deployable (call forth the battle tower!)?

- I don't really know what else. The cert system allows for too many things to have too many overlapping offensive roles. Its really the chassis that makes the vehicles unique, and there are only so many viable variations before they all start to blend into each other.

I'm not saying the above are all great ideas or that I want them. I am saying the devs have created a system that leaves them little room for truly unique vehicles.