Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Aces High General Discussion => Topic started by: Ecliptik on May 14, 2004, 12:33:20 PM

Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Ecliptik on May 14, 2004, 12:33:20 PM
Have we evolved beyond the gamey plane-explodes-when-pilot-dies thing?  If your head gets blown off in combat, I'd like it a lot more if your screen snaps to black with a "Pilot Killed" message, after which external view is enabled to allow you to watch your plane go down.  Il-2 and FB do it this way.  I'm quite sure it wouldn't cause any excess strain on netcode or graphics.  It would be like the difference between having 20 people in a furball and 25 people in the same furball.  Not much.

It would also add another dimension to combat.  You could play headgames with your opponent.  If he rakes you with fire and sees your aircraft going down in a seemingly uncontrolled spin, he has to wonder if the pilot is dead or if he's just playing dead to get away.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Kweassa on May 14, 2004, 04:04:00 PM
I'd love seeing that implemented.
Title: Re: Pilot Death
Post by: SunKing on May 14, 2004, 04:57:08 PM
Quote
Originally posted by Ecliptik
 I'm quite sure it wouldn't cause any excess strain on netcode or graphics.  It would be like the difference between having 20 people in a furball and 25 people in the same furball.  Not much.

 


Hitech must love these comments.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: hinter on May 15, 2004, 12:41:51 PM
sounds great :aok
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: vorticon on May 15, 2004, 12:50:39 PM
sure the wow factor will be their for the first 10 times you see it but after that it becomes a meaningless animation slowing down the server and generally distracting people who should be fighting
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: GScholz on May 15, 2004, 02:49:35 PM
Quote
Originally posted by vorticon
sure the wow factor will be their for the first 10 times you see it but after that it becomes a meaningless animation slowing down the server and generally distracting people who should be fighting


Sure, but the same goes for a missing wing or tail. Perhaps we should just dispense with this whole "immersion" thing, and go back to flying red and green triangles.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Ecliptik on May 16, 2004, 01:28:52 AM
Explain to me how it would slow down the server.  To slow down the server you would need this effect to increase the number of aircraft in the air throughout the arena.  If this was implemented, there would in fact be zero additional aircraft up at any time, since players wouldn't be able to take off again until their plane is destroyed.

There are exceptional cases to consider.  A well trimmed plane in level flight will just continue on until the fuel is exhausted, so a reasonable time limit before respawn after pilot death would be fine, in case the aircraft takes too long to crash.  30 seconds or something, after which the plane dissappears/explodes and you go back to tower.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: DipStick on May 16, 2004, 02:28:08 AM
Quote
Originally posted by GScholz
Sure, but the same goes for a missing wing or tail. Perhaps we should just dispense with this whole "immersion" thing, and go back to flying red and green triangles.

Hehehe... :rofl
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: GODO on May 16, 2004, 05:18:23 AM
Pilot dead = no more inputs allowed, except view keys (you cant bailout), and no more blackout effect.

Bad luck if your pilot die while in autoclimb and no more damage is taken by your plane ...
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: TrueKill on May 16, 2004, 10:01:59 AM
make it like IL-2 where when ur pilot gets killed its like his body sloumps over in the stick and u got into a dive.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Ecliptik on May 16, 2004, 10:12:38 AM
GODO, read what I said in my last post.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: GODO on May 16, 2004, 10:21:41 AM
if you die, any kind of autotrim may be deactivated and then apply some soft "auto" setting to the inputs to ensure an early crash. For example, 25% throttle, and 50% left + 25% down joy input until the crash.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: ergRTC on May 16, 2004, 10:24:51 AM
A simple way to do this (i think), is to have the pilot and his plane 'dissappear' as far as the server is concerned, but have a client side script or whatever, show the plane going into a crash and burn dive routine.  The routine could be just a simple thing that says you see a plane crashing towards and into the earth on whatever trajectory the original was at, but each person may see something a little different as the accuracy of its location and all of that no longer matters.  You could probably even have it with collisions off at that point if it is easier.

The pilot would be bounced back to the tower just like normal.  They would not be a part of the crash routine.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Eagler on May 17, 2004, 06:55:32 AM
that would get old

what if you were at 10, 15, 20K and got killed? you have to wait until you hit the ground before you re-up? How many times until you come back asking that feature to be removed..

I must die alot more than some of you but I'd rather be rolling down the runway than watching my flaming corpse plummet to earth :)
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: ergRTC on May 17, 2004, 08:43:31 AM
no no no no no,

the pilot, as stated above, would just go straight back to the tower as soon as his plane was considered 'destroyed'.  That would be no different than now.  You could reup while your plane was still plummeting as it is not 'you' it is just some AI plane on the computer of other people.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Eagler on May 17, 2004, 09:31:38 AM
your idea would work, if selectable

those that wanted to watch the crash script could while those that want to hurry and roll for revenge could also
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: ergRTC on May 17, 2004, 09:53:01 AM
That is still not right.  The pilot that is shot down does not see anything (at least the way I was thinking).  This would be for the pilot shooting the guy down.  It would be neat to have it selectable though.  I am sure there would be a performance hit.  I guess you could choose to watch yourself crash and burn as well, but we currently have that dont we?  

Currently the plane does not explode untill the pilot is dead. This way only changes what the pilot doing the shooting sees.  Rather than the plane exploding when you get one 303 shell into the pilots head the pilot would go to the tower immediately (like we have it) and the plane (which would now be AI and only on your computer/and those near you watching) would see the plane lose control and or just drift into the earth.

There is no reason why this could not be selectable, and could have game play impact so having it as an arena setting may be good to have.  Instead of shooting till the plane blows up, you may not know the pilot has been killed and may keep you pumping lead into it....


hmmmm.
Title: Pilot Death
Post by: Black Sheep on May 17, 2004, 09:09:07 PM
holy crap -

been flyin this game for well over 4 years - and when you get a nice decent shot in that completely destroys your nme, it poots talcum powder and DISAPPEARS in a weasely puffy sprite....

or


they hit the ground with the same boring connect sprite - no crater, no fire or smoke. If they do bail out - the plane is gone... LOL

I mean, :rolleyes:

Give us a lil more immersion like GScholz said