Super Vehicles

[Celestial1]

No this isn't about some magical super power imbued cars.

What if vehicles were given enough health to withstand an average near-fatal attack, but only for a few seconds worth of survival (after being hit causing the vehicle to burn) with which to get out?


For instance, a jet at full health hit by an AA missle would be knocked down to only enough health to begin burning, and if the pilot is at the right altitude, could hop out of his plane seconds before it explodes, and parachute down to earth in the nick of time, escaping a fiery death; Or he could be another casualty if not careful.

A British Land Rover could take a single light AT (though the blast CAN still kill the people inside) and any survivors would have seconds to get out before they were killed in the resulting explosion, and would have to take cover from enemy fire behind the burning wreck of a vehicle, and try to fight off the threat. If they play their cards right, they might make it out alive and be able to request an immediate extraction.


Of course, precautions can be taken, such as damaging the vehicle beforehand (gunning the enemy plane before or during the missle's flight, aiming directly into the open space of the landrover to land the most casualties) but if the victims are lucky, the AT rocket may not kill all or most of them, and they can still put up a fight. On average, the burning vehicle should have 5 seconds or so of life if it was undamaged before the hit, but accordingly less time depending on how much it was damaged beforehand.

If this were implemented, a well planned ambush could result in the enemy being killed immediately after the main event without a chance to really react, or a quickly planned one would still devastate the target, but a few men may have to be picked off afterwards. The explosion would likely weaken anyone still close enough to the vehicle, and if they don't get out quickly enough could be taken down a notch and nearly unable to battle because of a critical wound. The players with a quick enough reaction to hop out and move out of the explosion's range and quickly begin returning fire to the enemy.

It could encourage players to keep vehicles well maintained, and to always be on alert and ready to get out if they're in a hot area; it could end up becoming the source of some fierce battles, and possibly a reason for small convoys to be used.


Discuss your take on this idea!

[EOD_Security-2252]

With planes I say ok, but with vehicles (especially light vehicles) it's a no. If a land rover takes a direct hit from an RPG it's gone and everyone in it is too.

[Celestial1]

With planes I say ok, but with vehicles (especially light vehicles) it's a no. If a land rover takes a direct hit from an RPG it's gone and everyone in it is too.

The game engine allows for occupants exposed to the blast to take damage as well; there is a good chance none of the riders would live at all.

But if that vehicle (maybe not a land rover; landies are a bit exposed so I can see why not) is hit from a bad angle, such as the dead front or back of the vehicle, and not exposed directly to the occupants, there could be a split second for someone to stumble out before being blown out of his senses and, near death, shoot a few last rounds into the hills. Or if they're really lucky and the blast doesn't destroy them almost straight out they would have a few seconds to evacuate the blast and though probably injured continue the fight.

For some vehicles it should be different, due to design of the vehicle. Obviously landies could be blown to bits by a direct shot to the sides or the occupants; but maybe a shot to the ground near it would still be enough to blow that vehicle into a critical state, but still give a split second for the brits in the vehicle to hop out and make a mad dash. (Are RPGs really as accurate as they show? It seems like it could miss if not done properly, due to the spin. Would it be proper to add that as "deviation" in-game? Am I asking this question a month too late and it was already confirmed?)

I would think that this might encourage more convoy transportation to allow for vehicles to protect occupants that are evacuating the destroyed vehicle. That one lucky ******* could make it out alive and be patched up by a medic to move on.


Obviously, a small vehicle like a landie isn't going to take an RPG head-on and live much longer to tell about it. The ones who do make it out, however, might just get lucky enough to just be critically wounded and quickly be revived to keep the frantic ambush atmosphere going. I can see reality wise it could end up a bit actiony, but PR is a lot about action and keeping things entertaining, while realistic as gameplay affords.

Maybe I'm the nutcase, and this idea is horrible for land vehicles.



(By the by, isn't there an effect in even vBF2 where the plane/helicopter becomes very unstable during it's last moments? Is there a way to stop acceleration and make them drop forward while shaking violently to kind of replicate the fact that your engines just got blown clean off the back of you?)

[IAJTHOMAS]

I've wanted something like this for HAT v APC/IFV, so that inf actually use them as they were intended, as transportation. If you could take one HAT and burn for long enough for the inf to bail they'd be preferable to a light vehicle imo, which at the moment i'd say they aren't from the POV of the passenger. The light vehicle is faster, meaning benfits in transport time and being more difficult to hit with either LAT or HAT, ofsetting the increased vulnerability to LAT.

[Celestial1]

I've wanted something like this for HAT v APC/IFV, so that inf actually use them as they were intended, as transportation.

I'd figure that Light vehicles would be destroyed by direct C4 (damaged heavily if from roadside?), and a 3 second bomb if a L-AT hit.

The APCs would be a much more durable instance, though, as you are saying. H-AT and (direct) C4 would give the occupants, say, roughly 8 seconds to bail and evacuate before it goes up in flames. It would mean a larger possibility to live through the blast, and make APCs used for ARMORED transport, not for the flimsy troop carriers they seem to be.

Something like that would encourage using the armored transport when you don't want to be blown to bits in a hot area, and jeeps a bit more sparingly.

[snotmaster0]

I like this suggest! Obviously it would need to be tested to find the correct amount of time and work out the various variables, but it seems like it would be worth the effort.

[Bringerof_D]

i say definetly not with the planes, if your plane was hit with a SAM your plane wouldnt be in one peice, the plane would be spinning around and loose parts flying everywhere, if you bailed you'd most likely die, and when the plane is doin flips while plummeting the ejection seat is pretty much worthless.

ejection seats are only for if you're plane is unable to maintain airbourne but you're still in the sky, not blown to bits. and if you take a look at the dead plane models in PR they shouldnt even glide to the ground like they do, those things should flop to the dirt like a pile of trash

[Celestial1]

i say definetly not with the planes, if your plane was hit with a SAM your plane wouldnt be in one peice, the plane would be spinning around and loose parts flying everywhere, if you bailed you'd most likely die, and when the plane is doin flips while plummeting the ejection seat is pretty much worthless.

ejection seats are only for if you're plane is unable to maintain airbourne but you're still in the sky, not blown to bits. and if you take a look at the dead plane models in PR they shouldnt even glide to the ground like they do, those things should flop to the dirt like a pile of trash

There is no "unable to maintain flight" in PR or BF2, it's mostly just pewpew you're dead. Resulting in the COMPLETE uselessness of ejecting from jets.

Often times the SAM comes up too unexpectedly for players and if the plane was "disabled" after the missle (we can't rip off wings with the BF2 engine, it just won't happen) made contact the plane would immediately erupt afterward. Right now, unpiloted vehicles drop like a feather after the pilot leaves or the vehicle is destroyed. Who knows if that can even be fixed.

Due to the ungodly speed of turning in jets and the seemingly super-tracking SAM missles, I think it would just be an interesting thing to add. No, it's not going to live past 5 seconds. It just got it's ENGINE ripped out. The fuel, the ammo, all that is going to go off in a second. The plane shouldn't be able to move after taking that damage, assuming it can be done and would simply rocket forward and down promptly before erupting.

While reality is in some cases delightful inspiration for gaming, at the same time, how much more interested do you think a player would be if that ONE lucky time he makes it out, he gets to parachute down safely, watches his plane explode, and maybe gets lucky enough to pick up a new kit and fight his way to the fray. It shouldn't be a regular occurance. But that once in a while could just make you feel invincible.

The good thing is that it can be tweaked pretty much indefinitely to find the perfect middleground, and can be seen whether it's something useful to add or a completely horrid element of the game.

Granted, in reality you're completely right. That plane would be spinning, erupting, and the pilot would be lucky to make it out with any limbs left, and there would be no chance. But for gaming sake, is it worth it or not to just give that possibility?

[Bringerof_D]

no no what i mean is ejection seats are for if you get hit by say bullets, ejection seats are for parts malfunctions (loss of hydraulics, electronic malfunctions ect.) not missile strikes. in missile strikes you're either dead or allready out of the cockpit when the thing struck. when pilots know they're gonna be hit they eject before the hit

There is no "unable to maintain flight" in PR or BF2, it's mostly just pewpew you're dead. Resulting in the COMPLETE uselessness of ejecting from jets.

Often times the SAM comes up too unexpectedly for players and if the plane was "disabled" after the missle (we can't rip off wings with the BF2 engine, it just won't happen) made contact the plane would immediately erupt afterward. Right now, unpiloted vehicles drop like a feather after the pilot leaves or the vehicle is destroyed. Who knows if that can even be fixed.

Due to the ungodly speed of turning in jets and the seemingly super-tracking SAM missles, I think it would just be an interesting thing to add. No, it's not going to live past 5 seconds. It just got it's ENGINE ripped out. The fuel, the ammo, all that is going to go off in a second. The plane shouldn't be able to move after taking that damage, assuming it can be done and would simply rocket forward and down promptly before erupting.

While reality is in some cases delightful inspiration for gaming, at the same time, how much more interested do you think a player would be if that ONE lucky time he makes it out, he gets to parachute down safely, watches his plane explode, and maybe gets lucky enough to pick up a new kit and fight his way to the fray. It shouldn't be a regular occurance. But that once in a while could just make you feel invincible.

The good thing is that it can be tweaked pretty much indefinitely to find the perfect middleground, and can be seen whether it's something useful to add or a completely horrid element of the game.

Granted, in reality you're completely right. That plane would be spinning, erupting, and the pilot would be lucky to make it out with any limbs left, and there would be no chance. But for gaming sake, is it worth it or not to just give that possibility?

[M_Striker]

at some random instances, ive been hit by a missle and reduced to "burning" stage... I was able to hop out and live.

[Bringerof_D]

at some random instances, ive been hit by a missle and reduced to "burning" stage... I was able to hop out and live.

yeah but thats in game

and of course IRL there are always those missiles that go off before or next to the target therefor only slightly damaging the target

[ostupidman]

HAT on an APC is catastrophic. Go look up the youtube video of the SRAW hitting a M113 APC. It doesn't just knock the vehicle out, it blast the whole roof out and opens it up like a grenade in a washing machine. I'm sure some of you will get that reference. I'm all for the LAT to make the APC burn, but the HAT is just to powerful for it to be realistic. Gotta remember it's a lightly armored vehicle.....LIGHTLY. .50 cal can penetrate into many APC's, thing about when the anti-TANK rocket hits it.

[Tirak]

I only support this on the Jets, because it's just so much fun to play SAR squad

[Celestial1]

If any con/mod/dev sees this and knows the answer:

Will rockets and the like have a deviation change for v0.8 as well? Will we see the occasional miss from an RPG?