Skybladev2
RUST 415
RUST415
9
   |
Posted - 2013.07.25 19:39:00 -
[1] - Quote
Future thoughts. Part 1: How Eve and Dust economies can merge
DISCLAIMER: This text is just my imagination partly based on official information. No one can prove that things go in way described here.
Now there are 3 types of vehicles in Dust: Light attack vehicles (jeeps), Heavy attack vehicles (tanks) and Medium aerial vehicles (Dropships). Although first two types of vehicles found their places on a battlefield, the latter does not deliver much threat. It is hardly controlled, aiming is awful, has low and cost almost like tank. But despite these things it suits his role of medium aircraft relatively well.
Light aircraft
Light aircrafts were introduced at Eve Fanfest 2009, but still not presented in the game. LetGÇÖs think how it could be.
Controls. Video clearly shows that fighterGÇÖs main operational mode is like airplane GÇô moving toward his nose. L1 will make it fly faster and L2 slower. So when it reaches zero velocity, his engines turn down to make altitude constant. This just like dropships hovering, but banking will not affect figherGÇÖs position in this mode. This makes landing a bit tricky, but fighters are not designed for landing at all.
When you take off, automatics lifts you a bit to avoid earth scratch when start moving (as you can see on a video)
Left stick will operate bank and roll, right pitch and yaw, just like dropships.
Weapons. Light aircraft should have small turrets. It will have fixed turret point, meaning it shoots right where nose points. Adding high craft velocity it will be hard to make more than 1-2 missile shots at full speed, but slowing down can be dangerous, because even most tanked fighter should barely survive swarm volley. So they tactics should be always GÇ£hit and runGÇ¥.
Battle role. Fighters will be an efficient aircraft to disturb enemy, especially slow ones, like tanks and dropships. Now this role belongs to logistics jeeps.
It also can do pinpoint attacks to infantry if there is enough free air. So taking out snipers from roofs will be easier, because forge gunners will hardly protect them.
Some words about forge guns. This weapon was designed as anti-vehicle weapon, but infantry weapon that makes more damage than tankGÇÖs large turrets? Oh no, this is designerGÇÖs fail.
Ok, now we have light and medium aircrafts, time to tell about heavy ones.
Heavy aircraft
Appearance. Basically you can think about heavy aircraft as of giant quadrocopter with jet engines instead of propellers. Wait, we already have similar model in game! ItGÇÖs a drones that deliver vehicles to us! I always ask myself: how medium aircraft can bring another medium aircraft so easily? And now medium aircraft can bring heavy land vehicle so easily?
This is wrong GÇô heavy aircrafts should deliver all types of land vehicles, light and medium aircrafts and arrive themselves when players call for heavy aircrafts.
Controls. Much like non-assault dropships GÇô very slow banking to allow skidding in the air. There is no way to make a loop on heavy aircraft. Camera (and weapons) can see only at lower hemisphere with limited angles GÇô from 0 degrees at vertical to about -20 degrees below horizon. This will prevent from sniping at low altitude.
Side view: http://i.imgur.com/CKVP0AB.png?1
Weapons. Heavy aircraft will have quite large crew GÇô 1 pilot and 4 gunners. No passengers GÇô use dropships for delivering clones. Pilot will operate large turret mounted right below the center of the aircraft. 4 gunners will cover corners of the ship with small turrets. Turret hardpoints will be located between each of four engines. Each turret will cover almost a quarter of a space around the ship, but leave 5-10 degrees of uncontrolled arcs, containing engines.
Top view: http://i.imgur.com/8NoJYyc.png
Heavy aircraft will be vulnerable from above, and not only because of absence of turrets. There will be reactor coolant shaft in the center, which is the most vulnerable point of a craft. Reactor itself located on the bottom of a shaft, so it is impossible to hit it directly. But infantry can drop onto craft roof and throw a grenade there, which cause massive damage. How a human will appear there? He can jump off the near building while heavy aircraft passing by or be dropped by dropship.
Defence. So, heavy aircraft will be too vulnerable to dropships (and fighters, because they very fast and hard to aim), hence it will have and additional defence system GÇô anti-air swarm. It is fully automated system that launches swarm rockets when small or medium enemy aircraft reaches certain proximity. Maximum detect distance and rate of fire can be increased with skills, and rocket count per shoot depends on heavy aircraftGÇÖs meta level.
Ground units can also make massive damage to heavy aircraft, so it has to be thicker, than HAV. Why?
- It cannot run from threat, like dropship of fighter
- It cannot hide from threat between obstacles like tank, because it clearly visible from every point of a map
So it has to tank all incoming damage. Maybe we will see logistics dropships with remote reps,
hovering over heavy aircraft, who knowsGǪ
Battle role. Heavy aircraft is merely a tank in a sky GÇô slow, powerful and armored vehicle. It is easy target and cannot defend himself effectively, so it strongly requires support units. It cannot overpower a tank, but can deliver firepower to almost any point of the map. |
Skybladev2
RUST 415
RUST415
9
|
Posted - 2013.07.25 19:39:00 -
[2] - Quote
Assembling aircrafts together
When all types of aircrafts will be deployed, air combat will look like this:
- Fighters fight with individual infantry and dropships. They can damage heavy aircrafts as well, but must stay away of their anti-swarms.
- Dropships deliver infantry over long or high distances and perform fire support over small areas. It can attack heavy aircrafts from above or drop infantry to its roof.
- Heavy aircrafts working much like tanks in the sky, clearing large areas or ground vehicles/installations.
Future thoughts. Part 1: How Eve and Dust economies can merge |
Skybladev2
RUST 415
RUST415
20
|
Posted - 2013.07.28 17:38:00 -
[3] - Quote
Mobius Wyvern wrote:
Personally, I think we need a solid distinction between two types of Light Aircraft.
Fighters and Gunships.
If use such kind of distinction, I think Fighters need to be light aircrafts, Gunships - medium (as it very close to existing Assault dropships) and Dropships became heavy aircrafts (with more EHP, of course).
This will save existing HUD icons.
Canari Elphus wrote:Good read, thanks OP.
- Bombs - These would be dumbfire weapons with AOE damage.
Yes, I want them too if there will be no other interesting changes, but I think bombs can be 2-in-1.
When you drop it, it falls like a solid piece. Detonation is condensed at minimal volume. This is good option for maximizing damage to turrets and tanks.
If you feel, that you a missing a target, you can press drop button again and bomb will became cassette bomb in the air, thus covering wider area, but lowering damage per m2. |