Author Topic: Destructible Bridges  (Read 2118 times)

Offline Dadtallica

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Destructible Bridges
« on: February 19, 2023, 10:27:45 PM »
What more needs to be said? 30 min downtimes and make them tough as bananas to kill. Like 10k or more.  :banana:

How about the tough call when trying to take base? Taking out the bridges makes it harder to get in but the enemy will be choked off if you take.


Forget what map but it has a long channel and the bases is across it. On the left is the ocean on the right is a huge lake that will take you 15 min or more to get around. In the middle are three bridges that reduce that to 3-4.

The only open question is can you destroy your own bridges? It’s a yes from me!
Back in 2022 after a loooooong break from 2010. Old name Ratpack, same for the BBS.

Squad I did the most tours with were the Excaliburs then The 172nd Rabid Dogs. Still trying to talk Illigaf, Coola, Oldman22, and Joecrow into coming back instead of being boring old farts!

Offline TequilaChaser

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2023, 10:40:09 PM »
+ 1

I was wondering when someone would pick up on my hint 🙃

Cheers 🍻

TC

(No request for a survey though,, 😢)
« Last Edit: February 19, 2023, 10:42:06 PM by TequilaChaser »
"When one considers just what they should say to a new pilot who is logging in Aces High, the mind becomes confused in the complex maze of info it is necessary for the new player to know. All of it is important; most of it vital; and all of it just too much for one brain to absorb in 1-2 lessons" TC

Offline Greebo

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #2 on: February 20, 2023, 02:45:56 AM »
If you allow players to bomb their own bridges I can see situations where score-obsessed players will up from a rear field, bomb nearby bridges, land and repeat ad nauseum. This devalues the efforts of those players who go into harm's way and reduces the number of combats in the arena, so I think behaviour like this should be discouraged. If they are made destructible I think the bridges would need to have a setting that gave a zero, or near zero, score benefit to anyone who bombed them. That way they'd only get attacked for tactical reasons.
« Last Edit: February 20, 2023, 02:48:09 AM by Greebo »

Offline GasTeddy

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #3 on: February 20, 2023, 03:21:34 AM »
If you allow players to bomb their own bridges I can see situations where score-obsessed players will up from a rear field, bomb nearby bridges, land and repeat ad nauseum. This devalues the efforts of those players who go into harm's way and reduces the number of combats in the arena, so I think behaviour like this should be discouraged. If they are made destructible I think the bridges would need to have a setting that gave a zero, or near zero, score benefit to anyone who bombed them. That way they'd only get attacked for tactical reasons.

Exactly.
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Offline TequilaChaser

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #4 on: February 20, 2023, 04:03:21 AM »
Valid Point,  Greebo!

-1 for that
"When one considers just what they should say to a new pilot who is logging in Aces High, the mind becomes confused in the complex maze of info it is necessary for the new player to know. All of it is important; most of it vital; and all of it just too much for one brain to absorb in 1-2 lessons" TC

Offline LNG15

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2023, 07:14:59 AM »
This is a really tough decision to consider. I would have Lancaster bombers at 20K dropping 4,000lb HC bombs, however I would only have those type bridges used maybe as a strat target for the troop training factories for example. For a non style destructible bridge, I would have one kept non destructive to keep GV combat going instead of having to get LVTs against tanks which could be unfair for the attackers. So for this I would go -1.

My +1
It would be a valid attack target with HBs for high altitude raids, but we would need a new map setup for it where if it is a train bridge it would lead to the upgraded city used in AvA Thursday Tank Night for it to work. It could make for a what if scenario for the bridge at Ramagen if the Germans were able to knock it out.
It would be a challenge trying to hit a small pencil thin structure at 25-30K to knock it out. I would suggest that a new strat would have to be set up to make it work, and it would be a railroad strat where if the bridges are damaged it can be repaired, but if the railroad strat is hit i.e. railyard it would take longer to repair unless if resupplied.

Just adding my .02
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Offline LNG15

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #6 on: February 20, 2023, 07:39:26 AM »
If you allow players to bomb their own bridges I can see situations where score-obsessed players will up from a rear field, bomb nearby bridges, land and repeat ad nauseum. This devalues the efforts of those players who go into harm's way and reduces the number of combats in the arena, so I think behaviour like this should be discouraged. If they are made destructible I think the bridges would need to have a setting that gave a zero, or near zero, score benefit to anyone who bombed them. That way they'd only get attacked for tactical reasons.
Greebo, you bring a very good point, but I do have counter for that, what if set it as a capture point where have 2 jeeps capture it, and if it cannot be recaptured in 30 minutes or less, it can be destroyed then as a good for thought idea.
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Offline oboe

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2023, 08:01:43 AM »
Greebo, you bring a very good point, but I do have counter for that, what if set it as a capture point where have 2 jeeps capture it, and if it cannot be recaptured in 30 minutes or less, it can be destroyed then as a good for thought idea.

I love the idea of capturable, destructible bridges.   Picture a guard checkpoint structure at each end of the bridge, both of which must be entered by a squad of 3 troops in order to capture the bridge:



2 Jeeps could accomplish that.   

Would also love to see RR tracks with running trains across bridges.

Offline Dadtallica

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2023, 08:43:02 AM »
Oooooh adding capture to destructible is a way cool idea. Can we please test this out I wanna see a smoldering bridge!

I think the particulars can easily be worked out. Plus I feel this would be a relatively simple change, requiring little development and would be a higher paradigm shift in gameplay strategy and methods. Something everyone asks for every day.

Make this happen!!
« Last Edit: February 20, 2023, 10:05:19 AM by Dadtallica »
Back in 2022 after a loooooong break from 2010. Old name Ratpack, same for the BBS.

Squad I did the most tours with were the Excaliburs then The 172nd Rabid Dogs. Still trying to talk Illigaf, Coola, Oldman22, and Joecrow into coming back instead of being boring old farts!

Offline CptTrips

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #9 on: February 20, 2023, 09:17:35 AM »


Two weeks.
Toxic, psychotic, self-aggrandizing drama queens simply aren't worth me spending my time on.

Offline TequilaChaser

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2023, 11:55:13 AM »

Two weeks.

Yeah 🤣 😂 🤣 roflmao hahaha
"When one considers just what they should say to a new pilot who is logging in Aces High, the mind becomes confused in the complex maze of info it is necessary for the new player to know. All of it is important; most of it vital; and all of it just too much for one brain to absorb in 1-2 lessons" TC

Offline GasTeddy

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2023, 05:22:34 AM »
I love the idea of capturable, destructible bridges.   Picture a guard checkpoint structure at each end of the bridge, both of which must be entered by a squad of 3 troops in order to capture the bridge:

(Image removed from quote.)

2 Jeeps could accomplish that.   

Would also love to see RR tracks with running trains across bridges.


Somehow... Are there virtual gas masks available for GVs..?


The Mad   CatMan!

Offline Dadtallica

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #12 on: February 21, 2023, 07:24:51 AM »
I can’t stop thinking about this and have to know what a destroyed bridge looks like!!! :bhead
Back in 2022 after a loooooong break from 2010. Old name Ratpack, same for the BBS.

Squad I did the most tours with were the Excaliburs then The 172nd Rabid Dogs. Still trying to talk Illigaf, Coola, Oldman22, and Joecrow into coming back instead of being boring old farts!

Offline Mano

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #13 on: February 21, 2023, 10:38:08 PM »
15 min on bridges, just like the vh and manned guns   
Stay with AH tradition.


+1


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Offline Greebo

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Re: Destructible Bridges
« Reply #14 on: February 22, 2023, 05:18:44 AM »
Having a bridge that is linked to a base somehow and that can change hands without the base itself changing hands isn't really possible the way the game is currently written. If the bridge has any sort of map room (and it would really have to be just one map room with 10 troops) it is effectively its own base and would appear on the clipboard map as such. This lets players know who owns it, it flashes when enemies are near and so on.

So I think for a capturable bridge to work without a major recode of AH it would need to be a new type of what HTC call a "square tile object", like a vehicle base or airfield etc. This could have a bridge crossing a quite narrow stretch of water that would widen out to each side of the bridge. The water would need to widen out as there is a limit as to how narrow a coastline river can be made in the game before both shores merge into one. The problem is this makes for quite a wide river, more like the Mississippi than the little supply route rivers AH bridges are designed for. So our bridge base shore lines would be designed to pick up the narrowest possible terrain coast line river and either funnel it down to a narrow enough gap for a reasonable length bridge, or perhaps two bridges with an island in the middle like this:-



This bridge base would have no vehicle hangar or any SPs radiating away from it. The idea is the terrain maker would place the bridge base close to two small V bases, one on each side of the river, and the players from each side would drive from these V bases to the bridge and fight. So capturing the bridge base would be pointless unless one of the V bases was taken first and capturing the bridge only gets you access to the other V base. Capturing that V base then gets you access to SPs going to other bases. Hills overlooking the base on each side which would let players fire over the island to the opposite bank (which might give the King Tiger or Jagdpanther more of a role in the game).

The island itself would have just a map room, some revetments, plus some player-controlled AA and AT guns for defence. Having no AI guns lets the bridge base be placed closer to the V bases, this is because its an MA rule that no two bases (or an SP) can be placed within range of enemy AI guns. The bridges could be destroyed by whoever does not own the field in order to prevent an enemy advancing across the river but it would take a lot of ordnance to do and a lot of supplies to restore.

I think the above could be done using existing game objects and without any need to recode the game. It would require the bridge base to be created but I think this could be done by players familiar with doing similar stuff for special event terrains rather than Hitech having to hire an artist or 3D modeller. In general though I have found HTC are very wary of anything "interesting" being done to an MA terrain. I learnt this the hard way when making CraterMA, I had to erase months of work a couple of times due to me being a little too creative with the way I used certain objects in the game. This is because an MA terrain must be absolutely stable 24/7 and never ever crash, far more so than an event terrain. So if any such bridge base were created it would have to be extensively tested before it went live.

« Last Edit: February 22, 2023, 05:35:23 AM by Greebo »