How to add a Bomber/artillary track into the game.

[MrVicchio]

I understand that this isn't a pressing issue, but after launch and all, I would like to see some sort of bomber and artillary unit added to the game. But, such a unit could be a tad over powered.. why not making a two man affair. One in the air, one on the ground.


Ground guy goes up to the Aircraft/Artillary track and grabs a laser sight from it, or better, just make it a peicce of equipment. You MUST be in a squad to use this, better an outfit but hey...

Now, the ground guy has to "paint" the target with the laser rifle. It does ZERO damage, and the guy is basically lacked in position until the bomb/shell hits. The guy in the aircraft/artillary track gets a little light, beep something to inform him that the target is painted, and ONLY then can he fire his weapon.

This could be a VERY good weapon IF used right. It would promote Team work, and add another element of tactical thought to the game.

thoughts?

[xuur]

they have something similar to that in tribes. everyone gets the targetting laser...yet so few folks use it as its based on targeting squad fire instead of artillery or bombers.

when used and used correctly, it was pretty darn effective. I would love to see something along those lines in PS for artillery barrages and other airstrikes.

I can also unfortunately see it as one of the worst (best?) ways of getting yourself griefed right out of a fight. I've seen an awful lot of folks in bf1942 try to use it and call artillery right in on themselves and their team. It should require a pretty high rating I would think in both command and combat ranks.

mi dos centavos

[Cyanide]

There is a similar idea in place in Tribes2. One person carries a targeting laser which displays a point on the other players hud where they should point their weapon in order to hit the painted target. Works very well for mortar type weapons and such. I think it would be a good idea for an artillery weapon. The balance issues can always be worked out when they decide on the blast radius and damage of said weapon. People have pre concieved notions of how powerfull a bomb should be and they imprint that onto a game for some reason. This is a fantasy world in planetside. There is nothing that says how powerful anything should be, and therefore nothing to dictate how it will affect game balance.

[LesserShade]

I wouldn't mind a two man bomber aircraft, empire specific or otherwise. Maybe they could be larger to the point that they are only available at drop ship facilites on each continent, or at the sanc.

[The President]

Yeah I concur Vic, I've had discussions with a few PS guys and they always worry about it getting out of hand. Thus why I believe it shoudl take skill and a rank for one to be capable of using the weapon. As you said that would add a new tactical genre to the game. Hell, since the early wars in real life there were artillery pieces, if done correctly it wouldnt be such a disadvantage,im not saying I want a nuke cannon but an artillery piece would be a great addition. Good post man.

-The President

[LesserShade]

I'm kinda interested/worried about that CR 4 orbital strike ability

[orogogus]

I've been wanting a laser-target designator for aircraft/artillery fire for a long time... the question is how to balance it properly and would it get out of hand (like phoenix missles currently are IMO).

[The President]

Yeah deffinetly, I doubt the Devs would put in a weapon with a massive area of damage but who knows. Someone said it was really hard to get to that rank so at least we'll have some time before the airraids begin. I hope its more of a precise weapon and less of a huge concussion burst.

-The President

[1024]

I htink this would be a good idea, except for the fact that the person gets locked in alce when they're painted, i htink that kinda is lesserkill(as opposed to overkill)

[GGMajic]

as lessershade said, you get an orbital bombardment ability at CR4. Thia uses the command upling tool to paint a target *i think* and call down a barrage.

They planned to have it on a long timer so you didn't get barrages every 10 seconds.

If it's too powerful, maybe it could be an ion weapon that works like a jammer grenade, only on a larger scale. This could knock out all turrets, MAXes and vehicles in the vicinity, but not kill anyone. Thus an advantage, but it could still be defended against.

[BUGGER]

If artilery on the ground, would it be stationary or able to move and plant its self? Well then how would they look like? for TR a big hull with a big cannon? for NC a smaller vanguard but with a bigger cannon? for vanu justa satalite?


And if ya gota bomber, just make it like a flying fortress high bomber, planetside style! Like a crew of 9 or sumtin: pilot, bomber/bubble gunner, nose gunner, rear gunner, bubble gunner, 2 top gunner (waterver its called), 2 side gunners. A flying fortress.

[MrVulcan]

I think that a bomber that moves very slow, and has no other weapons other than a bomb, and is 2 man (1 fly, 1 bomb) would work great. It would require complete air supremicy as it could be shot down with ease w/o being able to fight off the other air vechs, and be very vunerable to AA weapons due to its low speed, etc.
The TR could have a light dmg carpet bombing one, the NC a single heavy bomb, and the VS... like a no radar or faster one, like a light bomber or something.....
Thus just as the large vechs and inf suits(max) are empire specific, this would allow there to be empire specific air as well.

[The President]

In regards to the artillery piece I think it most deffinetly should be mobile, slow, but mobile none the less. I dont want naything absurdly powerful but strong none the less. Ideas on Empire-Based artillery pieces is open to discusion.
Secondly, the high altitude bomber, how would it be shot down, how powerful would its payload be, what ordinances would it drop?

-The President

[MrVulcan]

well, to add to my last post, it bombers would have to have a cone of fire that depended on how high up they were, and ax max alt they would have a huge cone, and at low alt, a very small cone. Also, its max alt could not be above the lvl of AA fire, or if it was, then at that point it would have to have a huge cone of fire, and still it could be shot down very easily from other air (mos and reaver)

[BUGGER]

With artilery is should be splash damage, it cant kill a player or vehicle with one hit but it could destroy a base turret with one hit. And ofcourse slow mobility.

Bomber should be powerful, as powerful as artilery, but as in the air, its up to the gunners to keep the bomber safe. OF course there will always be some kind of air force the enemy should have. But then also if the enmy should not pervale, the bombr doesn't have infant bombs, or 100 bombs (unless they ae really small). At the most 30, and ya mus reload at home if ya ever want to drop bombs again.....or you could let the bomber fall and go build a new one....