DUST Search - Drone/Fighter/Fighter-Bomber Strikes

Klivve Cussler wrote:

I assume that when you set up a "fleet" or whatever with an Eve Pilot, you'll be able to "Warp to Battle", taking you to a point over the planet that has line of site on the battlefield. These wouldn't need to be generated dynamically, since the battlefield coordinates are static, the planet location is static, and the planets don't rotate, so no problems there. Then, as long as you are on grid to that point, within a certain range of the planet, you'll be able to initiate a strike at coordinates passed to you.

I still don't see why drones couldn't operate in atmo. They have shields and armour, so re-entry isn't a problem. They have a huge acceleration, so they certainly have the thrust to get back into space, and if they have that much thrust, they can maintain altitude. Is it aerodynamics? There isn't much in Dust that is aerodynamically shaped now, and the shape of the shields probably determines aerodynamics more than the drone.

Now, from a gameplay perspective, particularly from a balance perspective, I don't know if it would work, but I can't think of a good reason why the drones couldn't fly in atmo. Heck, I can't think of a reason why a cruiser couldn't fly in atmo! They'd be about the same size as an MCC...


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Ronin Odachi 38th Joint Tactical Command 127	Posted - 2012.08.20 18:30:00 - [1] - Quote Wouldn't make sense for drones; coming in from orbit would be way outside of their operating range. As for fighter(bomber)s, Dust will have its own fast-movers, so it seems to me that it could just create a problem with too many aircraft.
Ronin Odachi 38th Joint Tactical Command 127	Posted - 2012.08.20 20:52:00 - [2] - Quote Klivve Cussler wrote: Physics have a place in any sim game, but I'm not talking about real-world physics, just cinematic physics. The physics engine of any game makes things feel and act "real", but rarely do they reflect any sort of real-life physics model. So, I don't see why Dropships can fly from a physics perspective, but I don't care. They fly and they're cool. Ditto for the Eve ships. By the same logic, drones should be able to operate in atmosphere, because it would be cool. Heck, half of them have wings and look aerodynamic for no good reason. They'd look awesome in Dust. Actually, (this just occured to me), it makes sense for the fast-movers in Dust to actually BE the fighters and fighter-bombers from Eve...not controlled by the carriers, but deployed and owned by Dust pilots, but still the same item. If you don't see how dropships can fly, look no further than the Harrier or the F35. DS's have VTOL thrusters. The idea of having optimal and falloff ranges in EVE is a bit silly, but necessary from a gameplay perspective. Realistically, rounds (or lasers, for that matter) would keep going in a straight line until they hit something, so shooting a planet from orbit with a destroyer actually makes a great deal of sense. Controlling drones from that far, however, is another matter. Also, like someone said, they aren't exactly built for atmospheric flight.
Ronin Odachi 38th Joint Tactical Command 127	Posted - 2012.08.20 21:24:00 - [3] - Quote Klivve Cussler wrote: We aren't talking about realism. We're talking about gameplay. However, since the US air force can control a drone at 4000km range, I don't think 150km is a problem, especially since you have line of site. The point is: Would it look cool? Hell yes. Would it add meaningful gameplay? yes, since a strafe damage template is different from a bombardment and would give Dusties more flexibility in requesting support. Would it require more risk for Pod Pilots? Yes, some, depending on the class of drone/fighter. Is that good? Yes. Would it look "realistic" That is, does it fit within the IP to have drones floating around the battlefield? Yes Is it already part of the vision to have airstrikes in addition to orbital bombardments?: Yes What I was saying is that gameplay matches realism, so being able to hit a planet from orbit makes sense. However, you still haven't addressed that these drones, built for space, would not function in atmosphere. If they did implement drones, they would have to be of an entirely different type. Based on the size of the drones in the image you linked, I would say that those are personal drones, deployed by Dusters. Far too small to be able to enter and exit atmo, unless I'm missing your point with that. If you're saying they wouldn't look out of place, I don't think that was ever contested. I'm not entirely convinced it would pose more risk for capsuleers, unless the drones were orbital support-specific. Even then, I expect that, barring CCP implements a mechanic to prevent this, alliances will create bookmarks at different points in orbit, and jump their bombarders around. Unless you have to be at the warp in for the planet, skyfire batteries will likely pose a larger threat than other ships, given a good pilot. You do, however, raise a good point with the future vision trailer, as he was talking to the capsuleer about an airstrike, not another merc. Perhaps they are planning to add it already, I don't know; but I think that the orbital bombardment is plenty of EVE influence already. Though since the dispersion pattern and damage would be different, it might not be so bad... Depends on how they would do it, IMO.
Ronin Odachi 38th Joint Tactical Command 127	Posted - 2012.08.20 22:03:00 - [4] - Quote Klivve Cussler wrote: I assume that when you set up a "fleet" or whatever with an Eve Pilot, you'll be able to "Warp to Battle", taking you to a point over the planet that has line of site on the battlefield. These wouldn't need to be generated dynamically, since the battlefield coordinates are static, the planet location is static, and the planets don't rotate, so no problems there. Then, as long as you are on grid to that point, within a certain range of the planet, you'll be able to initiate a strike at coordinates passed to you. I still don't see why drones couldn't operate in atmo. They have shields and armour, so re-entry isn't a problem. They have a huge acceleration, so they certainly have the thrust to get back into space, and if they have that much thrust, they can maintain altitude. Is it aerodynamics? There isn't much in Dust that is aerodynamically shaped now, and the shape of the shields probably determines aerodynamics more than the drone. Now, from a gameplay perspective, particularly from a balance perspective, I don't know if it would work, but I can't think of a good reason why the drones couldn't fly in atmo. Heck, I can't think of a reason why a cruiser couldn't fly in atmo! They'd be about the same size as an MCC... Well, non-aerodynamic craft are able to fly in atmo due to Vertical Take-Off and Landing systems. Drones built for use in space wouldn't be equipped with VTOL systems, so they wouldn't function in atmo. Without them, they would have to be moving anywhere from 11.8 to 13 kilometers per second to stay airborne. I don't think that you can make wings out of shields; they don't work that way. The craft itself is what would be taken into account. Otherwise, vehicles would have to lower their shields to allow mercs to get in, which we don't see happening.