This new thread is based on an unlocked post that is less than a month old. Please refer to: https://www.realitymod.com/forum/f18-pr ... -idea.html
There are a lot of very, very good points in the thread.
Arty and Mortars could represent a big complexity in PR.
But I believe it still could be achieved with outstanding dynamics to the overall game play without sacrificing the overall integrity of PR.
Please allow me to explain. It will feel off-topic at first but bear with me...
There is an overall "elitist" attitude that is inherited by we ALL who play PR.
Nothing wrong with it, but we ALL see ourselves as a little above the average vanilla player. It's as if we in PR are flying in first class enjoying fine cuisine and champagne...while the vanillas are just accepting the peanuts and can of diet coke that is placed in front of them.
Most of us are here playing PR because we didnt like what was "placed in front of us". We dont like our games "dumbed down" and easy for Joe Average to jump right in and become 1337.
Bottome line, we like PR becuase it takes skill. It takes learned skill. It takes intelligence and it takes experience, both real-life and gaming experience.
That and the fact that the devs, cons, etc. of this game have busted their asses to make sure we have a representation of reality. (For free I might add...their job truly is done for the love of the game! Please contribute if you can)
And because of all of this we would rather not include something at all in this game....than to have something that is half-*** done.
Nothing wrong with that either. We feel this mod is the best, and we expect just that.(and to the devs, cons, etc...We are most humbly appreciative)
Having said all that, I still can’t help but think in our expectations that there is a tendency to "over-complicate" things. It doesn’t have to be that way. Believe it or not, and you may agree or disagree…but some details can be left out of the game without sacrificing over-all game play, losing the integrity of PR or having to “dumb down” the game.
It is possible with arty, and it is possible with mortars.
For Arty imagine this scenario… at the beginning of a round a SL gets an officer kit, he then gathers his squad consisting of 5 members, 2 of which is are engineers(6 total with SL)and they make their way over to a 5-ton truck that is modeled the same as the current version with the exception that this one is towing a LW155 (XM777).
The squad piles into the truck, the SL sets a move-point and the truck moves out of the base and into the desert to a remote, yet strategic location of the map. This could possibly even be set by the commander as a move order.
Fast-forward to the truck, its squad and LW155 in tow arriving at the move point. Everyone disembarks the truck and remains within a radius (much like what is necessary to set an RP) The squad leader then sets a build-order for the LW155 within the radius of the truck’s rear, and the 5 squad-members. The towed LW155 then becomes a representation of an unhooked LW155 sitting on top of a build area that could be represented by the current graphic of an unconstructed fire-base. From here, the shovels come out and the engineers take their wrenchs out and the LW155 is constructed. Once constructed the LW155 is positioned in the middle of a circle of sandbags with various shell crates lying about as well as a representation of a radio. The arty position would have “seats” much like that of any vehicle, that would be mounted by hitting “e” at those positions. The LW155 could not be fired unless all squad members are "seated". Three members could man the gun one of which is the SL and the other three take up various other “seats” to provide security for the emplacement using weapons from their issued kits. I also want to add that the position also serves as an RP for this squad. The SL would be in-charge of all of the action.
A call for fire would go as such: A squad leader clear across the map needs an arty-barrage on an enemy position. He then marks the position using his binos and bringing up a com-rose (much like the current system”
and selects “call for arty” a message is sent to the commander who then must accept or deny the request based on his view of the map and battle situation. If he denies, nothing happens ( SL gets the vanilla “artillery is denied”.) If he accepts, the situation escalates. The SL calling for the barrage gets the message “Stand by for artillery barrage”. The SL of the LW155 then gets a message that says “Stand by for fire-order”. The SL then selects a “smoke round”. He then looks at his map and selects the location the commander has spotted. Although, it isn’t a precise location, it is represented by a large area circle on the SL’s map. He selects to fire somewhere within that circle by left clicking the map. When he does a small 5X5 grid now appears and remains over the commander’s circle on the map. At the moment he clicks the map and lays the grid down, the LW155 fires the “smoke round.” Minutes pass on the other side of the map, then the SL begins to hear a shot falling and it impacts the ground with billowing smoke near where he had called for fire. He then relays to the commander that he needs the fire to be “adjusted up 1, right 3”. The commander then passes this info to the arty SL, who by looking at the grid on his map that he laid with the “smoke shot” , will now click the “up1,right3 position on his grid, laying a new grid and firing one HE round. The SL on the otherside of the map hears the round raining down and sees the impact. This time it is close enough to his target for a barrage! He tells the commander to “fire for effect”! The commander then relays the command to the arty SL who now clicks the grid again on the same spot, this time causing the gun to be fired 5-8 times in succession for the next minute!
On the other side of the map, minutes later, hell rains down on the position, devastating enemy soldiers, vehicles, and other structures!
After firing the barrage, the arty squad decides they need to move to another position. He issues perhaps an “un-build order”. The crew then packs the LW155 and after a time, it is represented again in-game by the 5-ton towing the LW155. The squad then embarks the truck and leaves for another location to start the process over again.
Theoretically, the commander would be the primary path for an arty strike but could be left out of the process as well if communications were just that good between all of the SLs in a particular round, or if there was no commander present. A SL could simply call for arty in a particular map square and go thru the adjustment process, smoke first and then adjust fire.
I want to add that all members must be “seated” in the LW155 position in order to fire. This will represent in-game the team-work needed to fire the artillery piece. The position would be vulnerable to all the other hazards available in game. It can be destroyed and players can be shot while in a position. Since all squad mates are needed to fire, taking out one of them from the position would take the gun out of the game until he respawned at the LW155 position. (since it serves as an RP)
This is just an idea to hopefully show in a positive way the possibility of this being done. I think it could be possible with the right attitudes. It would be in keeping with PR goals. It would definitely add another dynamic of team-work, and would only enhance overall game-play. Just as there aren’t aircraft or certain vehicles on certain maps, artillery shouldn’t be present on all maps. Obviously it would take the larger maps for this to be possible.
But…following this model would also make mortars possible on smaller maps. You wouldn’t need the vehicle or as many squad mates, maybe just 3 or 4, and maybe the SL could issue a build-order for a mortar emplacement to be built with “seats” as well that must be filled in order to fire. This way the squad could have its own forward observer team to site for the mortar. The forward observer team could only designate or map a fire mission on a target if they are within a certain radius of each other.
These are just ideas. I know some of which may have been suggested before. But I believe it could work and add to PR in a very positive manner.
Please refer if interested to this website for the LW155 specs: M777 Lightweight 155mm howitzer (LW155)
