Gameplay: Galaxy Gravity Tether / Tractor Beam

[RageMasterUK]

Similar to Zekeen's suggestion in one of his threads I'd just like to expand on the idea, and make it its own topic, as I think it would add one hell of a twist on vehicle logistics, and would also make for a rediculous yet fantastic weapon against the enemy factions!!! Not essential for release but could be added at a later date. I like most of your suggestions by the way Zekeen

GRAVITY TETHER / TRACTOR BEAM TURRET for GALAXY

Galaxy cert tree would include a gravity tether turret (near the end of the cert tree) which gives one of the gunners (rear gunner?) a short to medium range gravity tether / tractor beam weapon. More certs could consititute a more powerful tractor beam. The beam itself would do no damage.

When the weapon is fired from the galaxy it slowly draws the targetted vehicle and the galaxy together untill the vehicle is dangling a short distance below the turret. If the vehicle is very far away the tether would have little to no effect, as the galaxy nears its target (say 50m) the effect increases (like magnets attracted to each other). Lighter vehicles would be easier to pull. Once the vehicle is drawn close to the Galaxy it becomes "Locked" in place on the underside, and can thus be used as a viable vehicle transport. Once a vehicle is "Locked" to the Gal, it would disable the weapons of the transported vehicle (to prevent Gal's transporting functional AA vehicles as an extra weapon). Heavier vehicles would take longer to draw in and impede the Galaxy's handling considerably both during the pulling and after during the lock.

A tank driver who wants an air chuckie would park up near the rear of the Gal, jump into the Gal tractor beam weapon seat, target his tank after the Gal has taken off and his tank would be locked to the underside of the Galaxy untill he releases the tether, or leaves the gunner seat. When he wants to drop he releases the tether and bails to land near his vehicle.

This feature would replace the need for a specific vehicle transport (Lodestar) allowing use of the existing game assets to provide the same functionality. This is the biggest benefit I can see to this idea if you guys are planning vehicle air carrying.

I imagine this weapon could be used on any empires vehicles for the hilarity of fly-by snatching, followed by dumping enemy vehicles from high altitude, or even using the captured quarry as an improvised wrecking ball or bomb. Snatching enemy vehicles up would be very difficult considering the bullet magnets Gals are inevitably going to be, and would require good co-ordination between pilot and crew, enough for it to not be a mainstream combat tactic, but more of an "OMG DID YOU JUST SEE THAT" moment whenever someone does. I dont really want this to be a viable strategy for combat, I just want everyone to know its possible If it is possible, we will see it happen!!!!!

The Galaxy and its transported vehicle could be damage independently. Also, the tractor beam lock could be broken by damaging when the turret recieves hits, allowing for awesome fighter-pilots to be able to scupper transportation plans or rescue their own snatched vehicles. I am imagining a Magrider snatched up by a TR Gal, the Mag driver could bail and if quick enough, shoot and damage the tractor beam turret on the Gal to break the tether lock and retrieve his vehicle. Friendly vehicles would have to authorise the tether, to prevent griefing from same faction.

Galaxy pilots were known for their craziness in PS1. I just think this is would be a thoroughly entertaining feature Galaxy crews could get real creative and skillful with, and would provide scope for some seriously epic moments as a Gal crew.

Comments?

-RageMasterUK
CR5 BR 28 Werner TR
Playing PS since beta, back when the lightning cannons were forward fire only!!!

[Toppopia]

If anyone has played the first Mercenaries game, then you know how much fun this is, get a helicopter, see a civilian car, quickly latch on to it then fling it as far as possible, i can imagine the tournaments that start from this. "Tank Flinging will now comence!!" But could also see some griefing but would be funny to see mostly, imagine sneaking up on an enemy tank then grabbing it and flinging it away. Awesome offensive weapon.

[Vhauj]

I can see the potential for griefing also, so maybe for friendlies have a tether request popup on the side of the hud somewhere asking the driver if he would want to accept a lift. This of course wouldn't apply to a unmanned or enemy vehicle so tethering wouldn't be a problem there. That way you limit the griefing to only people picking up tanks that don't have pilots yet.

[Zekeen]

Unfortionately, tether beams are very awkward and would not work well in a multiplayer game. The X game series has tether beams on spacecraft, and even that was awkward.

Being able to tether something instantly is too mobile.

Being able to tether an enemy is as bad as a one shot kill.

Greifing is very likely, as previous poster has stated.

The distance between craft and tether is difficult to work with.

All in all, it's a good attempt, and good work trying to flesh it out, but it just wouldn't work in a multiplayer setting, especially in Planetside. There's a reason you only see them in a few single player games.

Good try, but it seems a more tedious vehicle docking would work better for PS, a fast tether just gives too many problems to the game.

[RageMasterUK]

Zekeen the flaws you pointed out are valid but could quite easily be worked around.

In my envisioning of the tractor beam...

It would not tether instantly unless you flew the Gal 10m above your vehicle target, and you would have to have superhuman piloting skill and co-ordination with your tractor beam gunner to acomplish this quicky. If as an MBT driver you didnt see this massive Gal hover into position above your head, you deserve to get plucked off the ground IMHO. Bearing in mind players will be risking the resources to buy the Gal (prob the biggest outlay of resources in the game for one vehicle I'd imagine), therefore if they want to try craziness they know what is at stake if they fail.

The Gal would have to hover 10m from the deck in view of god knows how many MBTs to do a "quick tether". From further ranges it would take a long time to draw the vehicle to the lock position, a little bit like reeling in a hooked fish. Targets 50m out would get a tether warning or somehting, and have the opportunity to react accordingly, drive away, or turn the turrets on the enemy Gal.

I dont think anything is as bad as a one shot one kill Zek. Least of all a tractor beam that doesnt do damage. Like in the original post it would not be an effective combat strategy. Many Gals would die than succeed while attempting this tekkerz. Its utility would mainly be for transporting friendly vehicles, with the enemy tether as a mere novelty. The tether would not work on infantry or max units.

I mentioned about anti-grief measures in the original post.

I never played X but I played Mercenarys and also Just Cause 2 which had tethering, but it doesnt have to be anything like what has come before. Its a new game with new engine. This idea has gotta be less work for the devs than redesigning and remoddeling the LodeStar for PS2. Not sure how many PS1 vets want to see the flying box return

-RageMasterUK
CR5 BR 28 Werner TR
Playing PS since beta, back when the lightning cannons were forward fire only!!!

[Zekeen]

Mercenaries and Just Cause 2 are some most fun games with the very worst stories in existence. They have tethering stuff to make it absolutely insane. But it just doesn't fit in a MMO setting (in multiplayer it'd be chaotic to make the fun, but it's all just odd).

Tethering lines come in two forms, straight and stringy. Straight obviously wouldn't work, but stringy would not look very well with something swinging on back and forth.

I understand your idea is to make it easy, but really, it just won't LOOK that good, apart from gameplay specifics.

What I think it should be redesigned into, is a sort of short, magnetic tether grip, instead of a tether beam. What this means, is imagine a deployable part of a Galaxy that flips below it and forms a sort of straight "tether net". A bunch of small grip like devices that fire the tether into the one on the other side. It'd have a shape similar to a stretched out square of cloth but made of magnetic tether beams. Then it's basically gotta be the Galaxy just 'landing" on top of a vehicle and it's attached.

Really, the biggest issues with a tether beam is it won't look that good and the gunner would be bored as hell. That's why the Liberator is no longer a "bomber", they thought the bombing was too boring (despite being one of the highest kill ratio positions of any vehicle).

But keep you idea for a while, it could have a use someday. I think that we are going to get space battles someday, maybe within a year after release. A tether/tractor beam would work there, hands down.

[Talek Krell]

I would much prefer to wait a while for a fully developed Lodestar replacement than settle for an awkward stopgap.