I wrote up a lengthy suggestion two weeks back, and after posting I received a message saying it went into the moderation queue, however I heard nothing back so I thought I would post it here, and if the mods think it is valid then they can move it at their discretion (or lock / delete, but at least tell my why!).
Well here it is :
1. Introduction
Hi all, I'll introduce myself as someone who has been playing PR since 0.5, under an array of different usernames which have been lost in the past, however I'm hard into 1.0 under Nybble and I plan to keep it that way. This suggestion might get a bit long, so I've numbered the sections and if you wish to skip straight to the suggestion itself, jump to section 4.
2. Preamble
With the release of 1.0, I have noticed that the dynamics of the chopper transport system have become outdated and flawed, and I have devised some changes that would increase the realism, teamwork, logistical value, and most of all the level of fun, while still keeping the PR gameplay at its core. I have multiple elements to my suggestions, so instead of taking the whole thing as one, break it down and discuss what's good and what's not, and we'll see what we can come out with!
3. Motivation
Some would say that the current system is fine, and take the 'why fix what isn't broken' mentality. I do feel that the current system [passenger counts, crate drops etc] is good, however there is room for improvement which would benefit all PR players. The main drive for change comes from the increment to 8 player squads, which is the same number of players which can be inside even the largest of choppers, pilot included.
This leads to situations in which one or two squad members is left behind, as the chopper cannot accommodate the full player count of the squad. Sounds like a small issue when its put into text, however from a game-play perspective it can really ruin the cohesion of a normally functional squad. For example being the one left behind really sucks, as you can hear all the action going on in squad comms, which can really be a downer. And as a SL, finding out that your medic was left behind when you need him is a determent to the whole squad, as well as the team if you had an important objective. It also sounds simple to ask the chopper to take a second trip to bring in those left behind, however PR is a volatile and dynamic environment, and we all know that there is a wide selection of things that could prevent this from occurring as planned.
4. Suggested Changes
The first suggested change focuses on the realism element, and could work in conjunction with latter changes for an even better effect. I suggest that with a standard transport choppers (UH-1 Huey, UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook etc), that the co-pilot and door-gunner seats should also require the pilot kit to operate. The benefits from having a fully crewed chopper would include:
- Realism, RL Door-gunners are crewmen and not squad members
- Protection, Dedicated doorgunners can provide cover for disembarked passengers
- Awareness, More eyes in more directions looking out for contacts or missile trails
[My video which I will link below shows that the new doorguns with proper sighting mechanisms can hit targets with ease while on the move, which could make fully manned choppers quite a threat to infantry]
The downside of course being that each chopper could only transport half a squad, however this is addressed in my next suggestion, which I will present now.
My second suggestion stems from the limited playercount a chopper can carry, which is both unrealistic and a detriment to gameplay. Obviously we can't go beyond 8 players in a vehicle, as that option is hard-coded. Therefore I suggest that we emulate a means to make the game appear that a chopper is carrying more than possible, which I have devised two viable ways of doing so.
a. Make Medium / Large choppers spawnable, but only under certain conditions.
If choppers could be spawned on, then once the first half of the squad departs, the rest could spawn in and follow, which would appear that the vehicle was carrying a fully complemented squad. Furthermore large vehicles like the Chinook could 'carry' multiple squads at once for large scale insertions. Conditions for spawning could be:
- Vehicle must be stationary for spawning
- Squad leader and 3 members must be present
- Copilot must be present (Not sure on this maybe someone could come up with a good role for copilots?)
b. Allow Medium / Large choppers to drop a new type of rally point.
The new rally point would differ from existing ones, in the sense that it would be very short term, but could be placed close to enemy position for 'hot' insertions. Conditions for the rally could be:
- Parent helicopter must be present, once it departs the rally de-spawns
- Squad leader and 3 members must be present. If possible the rally could be tied to the SL who is close to the chopper
- Larger choppers such as the Chinook could drop a 'larger' rally which any squad could spawn on, and would last a little longer allowing multi-squad drops.
5. Closing notes
I'll stop now before this gets out of hand. I may have missed some points but I'll add more once there's been some positive discussion.
As mentioned there's some 1.0 doorgun footage in my video at 3:35 -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5GvXcr4cQw
It's not much to go on however you can see the accuracy:speed ratio is quite good for the doorguns.
Thanks for reading I anticipate your feedback on the idea!