Is the Galaxy a viable spawn?

[Raka Maru]

Originally Posted by Craftyatom

I know this thread's a bit old, but I just wanted to inject this little anecdote.

When I join up with my specops squad on East 1, I'm usually the guy who pulls a Gal, because flying is my passion, and it's probably the easiest thing to do at 10fps. I proceed to fly out to wherever they are, and land just outside of the base they're hitting, on a nearby ledge or something.

I sit there with my glue gun, healing the Gal through even reaver barrages, as they spawn right where they need to be. Once we've capped the point (or in some cases, decided to double back), I get everyone that I can in the Gal, take off, and head to the next base's LZ.

I keep this Galaxy alive for 5 or 6 different bases before I get a miscue and fly it somewhere too hot, and even then I can sometimes keep it alive with my repairs.

If making a safe, mobile spawn point whenever and wherever I want (mostly due to the help of my trusty glue gun) isn't considered viable, I don't know what is.

I see this happening all the time. There is no shortage of busy engies to pick off with my sniper rifle. Did this for about 2-3 hours.

[Craftyatom]

Originally Posted by Raka Maru

I see this happening all the time. There is no shortage of busy engies to pick off with my sniper rifle. Did this for about 2-3 hours.

I have a spawn point right there, I'll walk around the other side this time :3

[Tamas]

Best spawn. So many option where to land it - won over some bases just because of galaxy spawn points.

[Mechzz]

The Galaxy provides some real excitement, I have to say. Crash landing onto a tower's pads with a full squad, then trying to keep it alive while your team storms the tower is a moment that is totally amazing and was just not available in PS1. Indar's terrain is very unfriendly to vehicles, so driving off-road is a real PITA. The Gal can fly over all that and drop off or touch down and set up shop.

So far so good.

But as many have pointed out, it's just too big and clumsy. There are many, many places I would love to try and sneak a spawn-equipped Sundy into, and I'm glad we're going to get the chance to try.

Props to SOE for letting us at least try. The future of this game lies in variety, and that seems to be what they are giving us. Bring it on!

[Raka Maru]

Originally Posted by Craftyatom

I have a spawn point right there, I'll walk around the other side this time :3

Usually the other side is getting bombarded, that's why I take the long way, all the way to the other side.

I don't really enjoy spawning into a barrage of explosions, especially with low FPS. I end up dead again fast.

[Whiteagle]

Ok, sorry if I haven't read through everything, but here are some things I've noticed about the Galaxy.

Being Spawn Capable
Now, I'm not one of those people who are against Gals being Mobile Spawn points, but this is a bit of a problem...
Namely, it is a Default ability, so every noob and their brother is coming in and spamming Galaxies all over the map.
This undermines the importance of static spawn points and makes the ground war seem unimportant by comparison!

The biggest suggestion I've seen for correcting this is to make a Gals "Spawn Tube" a piece of equipment that the pilot needs to Certify for.

My own version has Vehicles using a "Module" system, where Galaxies and Sunderers have "Package" modules that represent their cargo.
The Galaxy's default Package would be "Transport", that cluster of six seats in the back. (I've also seen a lot of suggestions that this should be the only sub-type of Gal that allows Hotdropping.)
Galaxy Pilots could then Certify for other Package Modules like they do for different Weapon Attachments.

These other Packages would be:
Spawn Generator (60 Certification Points); Trades those six seats for "Spawn Tube" that only functions while the Galaxy is deployed.

Lightning Rack (??? Certification Points); Load a Lightning into the back of your Galaxy who can continue to use his gun in a limited faction instead of six passive passengers!

Aerial Resupply (<60, perhaps 40 Certification Points?); Orignally the Gunship Package, I figure this would take too much way from the Liberator.
Instead, we will go with the more interesting of JaegerZero suggestions for this set of Equipment and trade the six seats for three Turrets that fuction like an Engineer's Repair Tool, repairing and rearming allied Aircraft while they are still in the air.

Bomb Bay (<60, perhaps 30 Certification Points?); Something I just came up with so that the Liberator and Galaxy can have different Ground Attack roles.
This Package fills the space those six passangers would take up with a whole lot of bombs!
It could probably could be given to that remaining seat behind the Pilot so he'd have something to do instead of spotting.

A Modular Equippent System like this makes both Ground and Air transports far more appealing and customizible.

Like different Wing Attachments; Turrets (Current Default), Flash Pylons (Hardpoints that allow a couple of guys on Flashs to ride under your wings and possibly fire like the Ligthning if they have guns mounted), or Bomb Racks (MOAR BOOMS!!!)!

Or a roof attachment that allows you to replace those two turrets with an AEWC (Airborne Early Warning and Control) Unit that will highlight enemies for allies!

(Sorry if I went a little crazy here, it's just annoying that eleven different threads pop up every minute on this over in the Beta Forums that bury your suggestions, back to the discussion at hand...)

Armor:
Now, this may just be a symptom of low server populations and everyone focusing more on attacking then defending territory, but the Gal has WAY too much front and behind-enemy line surviviblility right now.

I've seen it claimed that this invalidates Ground Combat, since why bother navigating around any obsticals if you can just fly over them.
Again, this might just be do to a lack of manpower to field anti-air...

Still, being able to just park a Spawn capable Gal on a contested Base's Air Pads does seem a bit cheap in my opinion.
You should not be able to set a near permanint Spawn Point right on top of the point you are fighting over!
If you are setting something like that down anywhere, it should be behind your own lines so that your side can keep up constaint pressure.

Perhaps a Vehicle with Spawn equipment should somehow have weaker armor then its Transport equivlilant?
That way, Spawn Gals would park a short distance away from the fight, and Transport Gals would ferry in the troops that spawn there for Hotdrops! (Packages effecting a Transports Base Armor value would also help expain why a Spawn Sundy could do the same things my Siegebreaker Sundy concept could do.)