Gameplay: Field/mobile spawn points

[Talek Krell]

If Gals are going to be spawning troops then I think it's probably necessary for ground transports to have the ability as well so that both forms of transport are viable options, as well as to replace the functionality of the AMS. Assuming that both the Deliverer and Sunderer appear in PS2, I see the 3 transports each filling a unique niche. For example:



Galaxy
Role: Air mobile troop deployment

Pros:
Mobility
Ability to deploy troops behind enemy lines with little warning

Cons:
Highly visible
Unremarkable armor

The Galaxy is the only transport with the ability to spawn troops on the move, and can drop those troops into areas of a base that would otherwise be unreachable. An airborne Gal is easy to spot however and has only moderate armor and poor maneuverability, making it a juicy target in enemy airspace.

Ground Transports
To prevent the issue that Killerobe brought up, ground transports must deploy before they can spawn troops.

Sunderer
Role: Siege Engine

Pros:
Heavy armor
Heavy weaponry
Protective equipment

Cons:
Terrible agility and acceleration
Obvious target

Only slightly more subtle than a thermonuclear device, the Sunderer is a modern siege engine. It is slow to accelerate and difficult to maneuver, but once it's moving it can plow through most obstacles, including any MBTs unfortunate/desperate enough to be between the transport and it's destination. It has heavy armor on all sides, allowing it to absorb significant amounts of fire from multiple directions. It has a large number of mounting points and a variety of available weapons, including heavy cannons, HMGs, and heavy AA guns. Module options are mostly defensive or disruptive, such as an EMP generator to clear minefields and disable enemy vehicles and a shield generator that creates a shield dome around the vehicle when it has deployed allowing troops time to get their bearings under fire.

Deliverer
Role: Unconventional warfare

Pros:
Small and agile
Amphibious
EWAR equipment

Cons:
Lightly armored
Unable to spawn MAX units

Where the Sunderer uses brute force, the Deliverer uses finesse and flexibility. It's agility and speed allow it to outrun most enemies it can't fight, and it's amphibious nature and powerful engine allow it to traverse terrain that other vehicles might find difficult or impossible. It has only a couple of hardpoints and can use only light weaponry such as MGs and mortar launchers, intended only to ward off single opponents and support advancing troops. It's module options are it's most indespensible feature and include advanced sensor and sensor jamming equipment as well as a cloaking bubble inherited from the AMS design.

[FIREk]

Galaxy
Role: Air mobile troop deployment

Pros:
Mobility
Ability to deploy troops behind enemy lines with little warning

Cons:
Highly visible
Unremarkable armor

Cons: Cannot be repaired while operational (I think it's a biggie),
Cons: Easy pickings for ground-based AA,
Cons: At the end of the day, having to hot-drop after every death will become tedious and boring, fast. Hotdrops should be exciting, not mundane. This is probably the biggest problem that I see in the Galaxy spawning mechanic.

Sunderer
Role: Siege Engine

Pros:
Heavy armor
Heavy weaponry
Protective equipment

Cons:
Terrible agility and acceleration
Obvious target

Personally, I don't like the heavy weaponry part. The Sunderer is supposed to deliver troops, preferably under escort, not act as a lumbering killing machine.

If it were up to me, I would give it a regenerative shield. Not very powerful, but it would have to take a concentrated assault by a tank to take it down, not a few potshots spread out over time.
Either that, or the shield is more powerful, slow to regenerate (maybe regenerates faster when the vehicle is moving slowly, or is stationary?), and the vehicle's armor itself is actually not that remarkable. This would make sense once the Sunderer deploys.

Now, here's the good stuff. When the Sunderer deploys, it acts as a spawn point, but the shield is off and, instead of it, the vehicle becomes cloaked, just like an AMS. At this point the vehicle only has stealth and its armor to protect it, as the shield is disabled.
At this point it makes more sense to make the Sunderer more reliant on the shield for protection, with relatively limited armor, leaving it relatively vulnerable when deployed - much like the PS1 AMS.

Of course the EMP generator is a great idea, making it a great blockade runner.

The end result would look like this. There's an extended battle around a tower. The Sunderer, packed with infantry, moves in, protected to some extent by its shield, deploys its troops which then proceed to blow stuff up and get killed. The Sunderer then uses the commotion to find a good place to deploy. Once deployed and cloaked, it acts as a staging point and respawn point for all friendlies currently fighting around this tower.

Deliverer
Role: Unconventional warfare

Personally, I wouldn't throw the Deliverer onto the respawning bandwagon. It's an amphibious taxi, always has been, and hasn't been confirmed for PS2 yet. Plus, I think spawning is more in place with the larger vehicles - the Galaxy and AMS being good examples.


Overall, I'm all for giving choice and I hope that "there will be no AMS" doesn't mean that "there won't be an ground-based spawning".
There are situations when I would prefer to spawn inside a courtyard, or behind a hill, rather than in mid-air. There will also be situations when a hot-drop will be more convenient. It shouldn't be forced, though.