39 replies to this topic

[Colonel Bogey]

Probably has been mentioned on the polls (searched and didn't find any topic).

So they dropped a ISN report on good old Fortress-class dropships.

Just in case.
http://mwomercs.com/...and-ol-dropship

Makes you wonder what role they will have in the game as it stands. Are they planning on having dropships as a possible limiting factor on unit composition? I am not sure if having dropships would be a liability to the enjoyment of the game or not. Would people new to the mech warrior universe find dropships annoying?
What do you think?

[Semyon Drakon]

I think they would make really good start points for attackers. Have the unit deployed around the dropship and have to advance to your objectives from there. Would be very in keeping with canon and also add a level of complexity for the attacker.

"The dropship is under fire!"

"ahh that's where the heavy lance went."

Semyon

[John Clavell]

I have a feeling they certainly can play a role. They seem like the logical choice to deploy support assets, they might also be used as a means to control how much of your force you can deploy at one time.

[Naduk]

absolutely yes

one of my favorite things about the older mechwarriors was being REQUIRED to return to your dropship or pickup site
there was no magical end of mission, you had to manually clear the hot zone

imagine/remember
you are the sole survivor of your lance, your objective is a smouldering heap on the horizon
you have a machine gun with 17 rounds, a small laser, a damaged leg and only slivers of armor remaining
and yet you must limp back to your waiting dropship
but you cannot be sure your safe, it was a nasty battle.... did you get them all ?
to make matters worse your dropship is only going to wait for another 10mins
your going to be in a whole new world of hurt if you get left behind

[MrMojoPin]

I was wondering if we get a Mule dropship merchant to bring in iced coldbeer for those long battles?

[Malooko]

I think that they should be implemented because it would add other mission types like MW4s search-and-destroy missions. Plus it would look cool.

[Randal Waide]

I was actually wondering about this last night. I was thinking it would be cool to have a dropship pilot character class. Or have some sort of henchman class that would be attached to your merc unit after you reach a certain level. Leopard sales would hit the roof for small units. I guess the auto drop system would work, but this game in an online form has loads of potential.
Jumpships are another thing entirely but still an opportunity to develop the game in the future.
Being able to sit in a cockpit again is enough to get me in the game tho.

[aDuck]

Problem is that MW:O is strictly 'Mechs, so I highly doubt there will be any dropship piloting.

I would like to see dropships implemented though, but in a Capture the Flag kind of way, but instead of capturing their flag, you destroy their dropship. Maybe have a "Rush" system similar to BF, but instead of MCOM stations, its their dropship(s). The defenders have the benifit of a dropship as a defender, but the attackers need only to destroy the dropship to win

[Strum Wealh]

As with the other thread on this topic:


Personally, I think the Commanders should be able to issue a limited set of orders to the DropShip via the Battle Grid to use it mainly as a transport and an information warfare tool, specifically:

• deploy Commander-directable scout drones (if/when implemented) from it to get a more detailed real-time bird's eye view of the map
  
• deploy Commander-directable NPC combat support vehicles (tanks, attack VTOLs, etc) if/when they are implemented
  
• load the lance/company (or some subset thereof) on-board and launch to move units to a distant location quickly
  
• scan for units (both friendly and potentially hostile) with better sensors than any BattleMech can carry
  
• act as a relay point for non-LOS communications between lance/company-mates
  
• deploy overpowering ECM in short bursts
  
• limited/slow replenishing of ammunition and armor (but not weapons/equipment/internals) repair

I don't think Commanders (or any player, for that matter) should be able to directly call on a DropShip's weapons (or be able to use the DropShip itself as a weapon, such as landing it on top of enemy mechs) - I see that as quickly turning into "fly the DropShip over the enemy or to the enemy spawn point and rain unmatchable death from above".
Perhaps DropShips' landing sites should be limited to each team's side of the map (say, 1/2 of the distance between the center of the map and the edge of the map on the team's side)?

Also, I do not think that DropShips should be used to provide any sort of respawn system.

And, finally, DropShips (which tend to be fairly well-armored (though not as much as one might think!) and well-armed) should defend themselves if actively attacked by players...

Your thoughts?

[BlueDog]

I'd like to see dropships in the game, depending on how they're implemented.

From the newspiece:

Quote

Well, let me tell you. Most mercs gotta find themselves a DropShip. Sure, there’s a few of you dumb enough to completely rely on your employer for DropShip support. But you might as well sign up as regular House troops at that point…

Just speculating, but this seems to suggest that merc corps might be able to buy their own dropships instead of relying on their employers for transport. The newspiece also mentions that the Fortress carries a combined arms compliment, which suggests more support options might be available for commanders.

[Randal Waide]

I agree with the eye in the sky scenario. They would be an invaluable source of intel.
I do think owning them would would work though, especially if their cost was insane. and their availability was sparse.
But I guess I'm getting way into the potential of the game and not what will launch this year. I'm a dreamer. I dream big.
No dropship owner will put his dropship in danger on purpose. Well, fiction aside anyway, lol.

[aDuck]

I think that you're recommendations are making the dropship a little too important. I see them as more of objectives in specific game mods, and even there, all they do is hang around and shoot anything that gets too close

And they arent exactly manoeuvrable (as far as I can tell, anyway), so having it hang around in the sky providing aerial support (aggressive or otherwise) makes it just a big turret that enemies can waste.

[Naduk]

dropships are ALL important to any mechwarrior
with out them your as good as dead

unless you have another way to get from one planet to another we dont know about?

[Xenois Shalashaska]

The idea of having dropships is the same as having a base of operation. I would love controlling where the strategic point of my engagement with other faction on the battlefield & if i get heavily damaged in a mech i could always escape to a safe advantage point with the drop ships cover fire. Awsome maybe we could outfit our dropships with weapons or even different types of dropships, maybe we get orbital gun platforms to force other openents to land in certain places. Hell there could be up to 4 drop ships deploying on a battlefield at any time.

[100mile]

I agree with the concept of using drop ships as original spawning points and possibly to bring in reinforcements ( if allowed)...I don't think they should be used as offensive weapons...They aren't used that way in the books storyline except in extreme circumstances as they are too hard to come by...defensive capabilities would be great and true to the books/game...Furthermore i think the placement of dropships/spawning points on a battlefield should be controllable by the commander or second in command of a group only...Makes it more likely that a good tactician will win over a brute force shoot'em up type player...which is generally the truth in reality...Also makes commander's and designated second in commands more valuable to both friendlies and enemies...i.e. you take out the command mechs you have an easier time defeating the enemy...You have to protect your command mechs to make victory more likely...

[CPTAmerica]

Dropships should definitely be incorporated into this game.

The dropship is THE lifeline for any attacking force. There is no assault, raid, or any other offensive action without them. They can be placed in orbit to be used as make shift surveilence/communications satelites. They can be used as a repair facility, medical center, and/or command center. They ARE the source for support when it comes to the aggressors on planet.

That being said. They typically do not engage directly in ground based warfare. When inside of a planet's atmosphere, most are extremely vulnerable due to poor manuerverability and the like. They tend to ground themselves only in safe (or believed to be safe) areas. Except in rare occassions, once a dropship has grounded to deploy its forces, it stays there as it consumes tons of fuel to lift off again. They basicly become the attackers' base camp.

[Brakkyn]

If DropShips are somehow included, great...if not, no skin off.

I can imagine two teams, each camping their own DropShip, hoping to lure the other into a "trap". Makes for a long, boring match.

[BlueDog]

Personally, I'd love to see a game where commanders could use their DropShip to deploy support assetts like artillery, aerospace, salvage, etc. Would make the game more complex and engaging than just 'Mechs shooting each other, IMO. Would also make electronic warfare more important.

But, if your DropShip can attack the enemy team, then the enemy team should be able to attack your DropShip. And, what happens to you if the enemy team destroys your DropShip?

[Mr Smiles]

I think they would be wise to use DropShips for both deployment zones and extraction zones.

BattleTech is so popular and enjoyable because, unlike most tabletop war games which try to simplify their rules to make room for scale, BattleTech is all about having a thousand moving parts which interact in unpredictable and often delightful ways.

Having as many moving parts in MechWarrior Online, then, would probably produce the same amount of delight.

What I mean is, suppose you had an attack/defense map: three lances are assigned to defend a facility, three lances are assigned to attack it. If the attacking lances just spawned out of nowhere, and despawned once the mission was complete, the map would always run very consistently: the attackers would spawn, walk towards the enemy base, throw EVERYTHING at victory, without a care about extraction. The defending team, likewise, would be best served just hunkering down, and waiting for the inevitable attack. It would just be a deathmatch.

But, if the attacking lances spawned out of a DropShip, there would be so many possibilities, it would be more like a football game with each team picking a "play" and the results of the match would be determined by how the plays interact and which team adapted to changing situations the best. The defenders might choose to spawn near the DropShip, ambushing the uncoordinated deploying 'Mechs at the risk of falling under the DropShip's sweeping weapons. Or, the defenders might wait all in their base, but the attackers don't know that so they have to play it very carefully and stealthily on the approach. The defenders might be waiting powered down on the route to the attack zone, in an ambush. Attackers who sent their fastest lance to sweep around the base and attack from behind would win, because there would be no defenders.

The defenders could leave a lance to ambush to DropShip, but that lance wouldn't attack until the attackers had moved on to the defender base, basically leaving the DropShip defenseless (as a DropShip can be) and easy to wreck, ruining all extraction attempts. Unless of course, the attackers left a lance behind to defend against that possibility, at the cost of weakening their assault...

My point is, you have two possible design choices for PGI: in the first one, there are no fixed extraction or drop zones, no fortress-like DropShip defending an area for the attackers, and the game turns into a bloodbath (er, scrapbath). Or, you can have a fixed and destructible extraction and drop zone, and the game turns into a massive chess match.

Hell, some of my favorite moments in the BattleTech fiction come from when the commander of a company takes his 3 four-man lances and splits it into 4 three-man lances, thus he's able to take the enemy COMPLETELY by surprise by effectively allowing him to be in four places at one when the enemy was expecting him to only be in three.

Those kind of tactics are going to be common with a system of DropShips and deploying 'Mechs and allowing the defending team to pick their deploy zone AFTER the attackers have picked theirs. Each game has the potential of turning into a magnificent story of tactics and plays and luck. You're simply not going to get that with the 'Mechs just spawning in one place and disappearing when they finish their objective.

Adding a few more moving parts to the game? I advise it of PGI, it will just make the game better.

[Alkero]

Mr. Smiles, on 01 February 2012 - 07:31 AM, said:

I think they would be wise to use DropShips for both deployment zones and extraction zones.

BattleTech is so popular and enjoyable because, unlike most tabletop war games which try to simplify their rules to make room for scale, BattleTech is all about having a thousand moving parts which interact in unpredictable and often delightful ways.

Having as many moving parts in MechWarrior Online, then, would probably produce the same amount of delight.

What I mean is, suppose you had an attack/defense map: three lances are assigned to defend a facility, three lances are assigned to attack it. If the attacking lances just spawned out of nowhere, and despawned once the mission was complete, the map would always run very consistently: the attackers would spawn, walk towards the enemy base, throw EVERYTHING at victory, without a care about extraction. The defending team, likewise, would be best served just hunkering down, and waiting for the inevitable attack. It would just be a deathmatch.

But, if the attacking lances spawned out of a DropShip, there would be so many possibilities, it would be more like a football game with each team picking a "play" and the results of the match would be determined by how the plays interact and which team adapted to changing situations the best. The defenders might choose to spawn near the DropShip, ambushing the uncoordinated deploying 'Mechs at the risk of falling under the DropShip's sweeping weapons. Or, the defenders might wait all in their base, but the attackers don't know that so they have to play it very carefully and stealthily on the approach. The defenders might be waiting powered down on the route to the attack zone, in an ambush. Attackers who sent their fastest lance to sweep around the base and attack from behind would win, because there would be no defenders.

The defenders could leave a lance to ambush to DropShip, but that lance wouldn't attack until the attackers had moved on to the defender base, basically leaving the DropShip defenseless (as a DropShip can be) and easy to wreck, ruining all extraction attempts. Unless of course, the attackers left a lance behind to defend against that possibility, at the cost of weakening their assault...

My point is, you have two possible design choices for PGI: in the first one, there are no fixed extraction or drop zones, no fortress-like DropShip defending an area for the attackers, and the game turns into a bloodbath (er, scrapbath). Or, you can have a fixed and destructible extraction and drop zone, and the game turns into a massive chess match.

Hell, some of my favorite moments in the BattleTech fiction come from when the commander of a company takes his 3 four-man lances and splits it into 4 three-man lances, thus he's able to take the enemy COMPLETELY by surprise by effectively allowing him to be in four places at one when the enemy was expecting him to only be in three.

Those kind of tactics are going to be common with a system of DropShips and deploying 'Mechs and allowing the defending team to pick their deploy zone AFTER the attackers have picked theirs. Each game has the potential of turning into a magnificent story of tactics and plays and luck. You're simply not going to get that with the 'Mechs just spawning in one place and disappearing when they finish their objective.

Adding a few more moving parts to the game? I advise it of PGI, it will just make the game better.

love this idea, and like, for each match, the two teams facing off have like 3 minutes to discuss dropzones with their lances and formulate a plan of attack...let's think about it, you wouldn't launch an attack on a planet without information let alone a plan of attack, if the devs are reading this, I hope they agree with me! for example:
let's say my Merc Corp (Wolf Spiders) is makin a drop for an assault on an industrial world. We would learn as much as we could BEFORE we hit planetside in order to increase our chances of preparedness as well as success. So if we're going for realism in MWO, wy would they not include that in the games? I think it could adda whole new dimension to the game, increasing the NEED for one commander who can plan attacks andhave his orders followed..thoughts?