Author Topic: Sorti rates for fields (Read 374 times)

Pongo · « **on:** July 08, 2003, 01:26:58 PM »

As my last sugestion was so warmly recieved I though I would present another one that would cement my popularity with the AH player base.
For your consideration.
Sorti rates.
The actuall ability of a given facility to generate sortis is a real limit on the use of air power. Knowing nothing myself about the real restrictions I will propose some.
Small fields 20 seconds.
Medium fields 10 seconds.
Large Fields 5 seconds.
Carriers 10 seconds.
Ground vehicles can always spawn at 5 second intervals.

Such rates could be further limited by damage to the base. But base repair sortis and fire fighing sortis might be included in the game.

The rates might also be impacted by numbers in the arena like perk point multipliers are. The use of perk planes might slow the rate down. The use of ordinance might slow the rate down. IE it take longer to bomb up a jug then to launch a light interceptor.

I am sure that many are ready to lynch me at this point. So lets go for the Burining at the stake shall we?

Why do such a thing to the game? What problem sugests such a drastic game play change?
The first that comes to mind is that it is more realistic. It establishes the value of bigger bases and makes them higher priority targets for attack.
If sorti rate degraded with loss of individual hangers it would very much make those buildings of more value in the game as well.

The Carrier could be simularly degraded by 1k equivelent hits. Starting with a very fast sorti rate but degrading to a quite slow one right befor it sank. Healing itself back at the rate of the hangers themselves.

On a more selfish side. Belonging to a rather small squad I have been amazed at the power of a large squad like the MAW on thier squad nights, launching a 30 plane NOE jabo strike at a field and if it doenst succeed in very short order. Bailing the whole lot switching fields while the enemy is tied up with the straglers and launching another raid at a different field. This works extremely well in the MA and can keep the enemy on thier heels for a whole night no problem.

Such a tactic is a very good use of the game that we play. But as a member of a quite small squad it really points out the power of the largest battalions in battle.
This kind of mission would still be possible, but hitting launch on a 20 plane mission from a small field would tie that field and the pilots up for 400 seconds if there was no one else in the Que for that field. The sorti could of course be spread accross several fields or the inclusion of a large field would launch even a large raid very very quickly.

I think to counter this restriction a fighter town could be established on each map like our tank town. Such an area would allow constant spawn from uncapturable fields with 25% fuel and no ord at all. Isolated in some way geographically like Tank town is. I think the fields in that area should be uncaptruable and not count to the reset.

With this change I dont know if the current zone strat system would be required. The main resource in the game becomes fuel tanks(thats what the big resource is in the game right now anyway) and Hangers. Large fields are not important because of their zones they control..but because of thier war fighing potential.

Flame on. Soda first as he is allready warmed up on this one.

Soda · « **Reply #1 on:** July 08, 2003, 03:56:21 PM »

Hey, I just said that nobody would have the patience to wait in the queue to be "given permission" to launch. It would be interesting to have to actually have a mission form up though as planes launched in intervals.... plus it might help the frame rates of guys who spawn a 20+ B-17 sortie and drag half the players down under 20 frames/second for takeoff

-Soda
The Assassins.

ccvi · « **Reply #2 on:** July 08, 2003, 06:40:43 PM »

I like it.

Tarmac · « **Reply #3 on:** July 08, 2003, 07:01:05 PM »

I like it too.

I can't remember if it's Medal of Honor or some half-life mod or some other first person shoooter, it has a respawn clock... usually around 20-30 seconds.

I would have no problem hitting the spawn button and waiting a few seconds for my plane to spawn as the queue goes down, if it meant that there weren't 3 other planes spawning on top of me.

Pongo · « **Reply #4 on:** July 08, 2003, 08:05:53 PM »

Usually you would not wait at all. Only on a small field and only if its busy. How often do you go to a field and right at that second someone is taking off? But a small field with a hanger or two down would be pretty slow to spawn.
But a big mission at a small field would take some time. And the first guys would be sitting in thier cockpits for a while waiting for the order to role.

Boozer · « **Reply #5 on:** July 09, 2003, 05:27:13 AM »

I think you forgot about field defenders. You'll be restricting them from upping a viable defense and also setting them up for regularly timed vultching.

It would also take same number of defenders 400 seconds to try and up to kill the incoming MAW raid (a lot of folks' favorite pastime:). You might just be giving them MORE influence from their numbers.

sonofagun · « **Reply #6 on:** July 09, 2003, 08:20:15 AM »

Personally, if i had to wait more than about 30 seconds to spawn, i'd go looking for another field or arena.

A field that is being heavily attacked and defended would drive me crazy trying to up from with fifteen guys in front of me.

BTW, I spawn simultaneously with other aircraft many, many times. Maybe just luck?

ccvi · « **Reply #7 on:** July 09, 2003, 01:49:28 PM »

LOL, stand in the queue to get vulched

RightF00T · « **Reply #8 on:** July 09, 2003, 01:50:42 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Soda
plus it might help the frame rates of guys who spawn a 20+ B-17 sortie and drag half the players down under 20 frames/second for takeoff

-Soda
The Assassins.

Lost 5 kills that way...came in to landing at an already low 20 FPS and all of a sudden Missun ups and my Frame Rate drops to about 3 and I auger on landing.

Pongo · « **Reply #9 on:** July 09, 2003, 01:58:41 PM »

Yup both sides would of course be subject to the same issues. Like I said you might favour an underdog with a faster launch rate. You might also slow the rate for heavy fighters and not for interceptor load out..as I mentioned above. But it stands to reason that a big vulch would not be as common with a system like this.

Shiva · « **Reply #10 on:** July 10, 2003, 02:00:07 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Boozer
I think you forgot about field defenders. You'll be restricting them from upping a viable defense and also setting them up for regularly timed vultching.

Enforce the interval on a spawn-point basis for aircraft -- separate queues for each end of each runway, and for the 'hangar launch' option, then multiply the interval by the total fuel percentage loaded, and make separate queues for bombers, fighters with no external hardware, and fighters with loaded hardpoints -- so a small field could have a 25%-fuel defender taking off every five seconds from each end of the field, while 100%-fuel jabos with drop tanks and ordnance could only launch every 25 seconds.

It's more work for the host, but that won't affect lag much at all, since planes won't have to be updated until they actually launch.

Cooley · « **Reply #11 on:** July 11, 2003, 03:46:11 AM »

hazed- · « **Reply #12 on:** July 11, 2003, 07:07:05 AM »

just wait till laz reads this!, the guy is gonna blow a vein

Pongo · « **Reply #13 on:** July 13, 2003, 02:48:04 PM »

Why? he would get his fighter town..