<font size="">New Feature (Exploit enhancement ?): Helicopter drops anywhere</font>
Altough Skyrider says he'll never fly you into hostile sectors, he always did. I found this 'feature' to be a nice addition, but barely useable in sectors with more than a handful of enemies... He always your mercs in one pack into the middle of the sector, which is a suicidal approach.
While we can now choose to drop our guys on the edge of a sector, I wasn't fully happy with that, so i added a new option:
ALLOW_SKYRIDER_HOT_LZ = 3
will now allow you, when entering combat in a sector with mercs who have just exited the helicopter, to place them anywhere on the map. As they all come from the same helicopter, they can only be placed as a group.
When you then enter the sector, they will enter combat at the chosen location by roping from the helicopter, just like they do on Day 1 in Omerta.
They can also land on (accessible) roofs. Landing on cliffs would also be possible, but as you can then not leave the sector again, I forbid that.
Yup, this is very useful and can be used to ambush the AI. No fear. I'm thinking wether it'd be reasonable to allow the AI to damage the helicopter in these conditions, since it flies so low... we'll see about that. :rifle:
While doing this, I fixed entry points in non-standard-sized maps (read: Bigmaps) for multiplayer. In case you ever did that and wondered where the heck your mercs started.
This does NOT break savegame compatibility and has been added to the trunk in r6576 and GameDir r1861.
But I would recommend to add a high chance that the heli gets damaged during such an insertion. The enemy won't just stand by and watch.
Coincidentally, when the helicopter flies into the sector, the AI soldiers are already placed... we know the path the helicopter will take... so we would know who could fire at it.... :pitchfork:
skyrider has an heli, but he's a pilot maybe he can fly some airplanes too...
Interesting... I'll have to ask scorpion about it. Though I don't see how the player (:naughty:) would ever have access to a plane big enough to drop a sizable force.
Messages:340
Registered:December 2008 Location: en route to San Hermanos
then at least the queen forces... should have this option, and maybe the militia can shoot some of them while in the air, imagine drassen counter attack... but if the size of the plane is the question... look at the heli and then look at the airplanes in the game, now back to the heli , now back to the planes .. you get the picture. you can drop a team of 6, and how many AIM members are skydivers or were in the SAS?
Messages:278
Registered:August 2004 Location: So. Cal. or texas
Wasn't their a twin engine puddle jumper in the drassen airport? rigged right that should be good for 4-8 jumpers, you could probably bend it to 10 if the last 2 sat in the aisle and everyone was pregeared.
of course it would likely be kinda jumbled so entry would be scattered rather than tight grouped on landing and you'd have 0 AP the first turn while you dropped the chute.
Messages:340
Registered:December 2008 Location: en route to San Hermanos
then we should rename the airport sectors ... we should name them needless aviation museums or flyin' ducks airstrips...
in the WWII they managed to take off with an b24 liberator from an aircraft carrier.
Messages:1965
Registered:March 2009 Location: Middle of Germany
Great Feature as usual, flug! :super:
I'd heavily support silver's request for additional balancing (if feasible):
1. Add a high chance of quite some damage to the heli and injuries to passengers; maybe even have "Blackskyhawkrider down!" by elites with RPGs, LAW and such.
2. Put enemy to red alert and make them know where player is, as they should notice the heli.
And give them the first turn if player drops in close to at least one of them as in your demo vid.
I agree, the enemies should be put on high alert right at the start. Also characters without SAS training or similar start with 0 AP or are very prone to get interrupted.
Also could you make it work together with Radio Operator features? I would like to be able to send a pathfinder group and then radio in for air assault. The limitation would be that helo should be over the contested sector, maybe there should be a possibility to synchronize the arrival.
As an additional balancing Skyrider would demand extra money for air assault and there should be high (configurable) chance that helo gets damaged. We dont need soldiers to actually shoot at helo, just a chance will be enough.
[Updated on: Mon, 11 November 2013 18:10] by Moderator
The enemy is already drawn to the dropoff location. I won't set them to red alert, yello seems more reasonable (they cannot be sure that it's an attack, and this allows jamming the initial call for reinforcements that accompanies every switch to read alert if one drops a radio operator that is already jamming frequencies when dropping).
Dropping characters already use up a good portion of APs in the animation. Mercs with the -tag in their background get bonus AP, which should simply outdo that.
This feature can be used on synchronized attacks - only those in the helicopter can be placed anywhere, the rest according to the usual rules. This is almost impossible to achieve nowadays, however, as leaving the helicopter automatically triggers combat, like it should.
Entering the sector by dropping anywhere is not possible. It has never been possible to select insertion points in ongoing battles. I don't know how hard that would be to achieve, but I expect 'a lot'.
The radio operator will not be able to somehow call mercenary reinforcements like he can call militia reinforcements. Because I say so. :armsfolded:
I plan to allow 'firing' at the helicopter while it descends, but I'm dubious... anyone losing the helicopter and his A-Team inside will reload anyway, making this an empty threat.
[Updated on: Mon, 11 November 2013 21:15] by Moderator
Messages:1965
Registered:March 2009 Location: Middle of Germany
Flugente
I plan to allow 'firing' at the helicopter while it descends, but I'm dubious... anyone losing the helicopter and his A-Team inside will reload anyway, making this an empty threat.
Could be restricted to damage to the heli; not losing it entirely but forcing heli's immediate retreat[1] back to base and having some repairs. And some health and breath damage to the squad on arrival, some suppression shock and loss of morale or some such.
Or maybe make pilot cancel the approach due to "hot landing zone", preventing the attack at all and forcing pilot to retreat (to neighbouring sector? To base?) including "battle lost" in history file and its implications on morale and such?
[1] still drop the squad at intended location on map, but not circling above this sector till end of fight, but flying back to base just like if having run out of fuel.
[Updated on: Mon, 11 November 2013 22:48] by Moderator
Messages:278
Registered:August 2004 Location: So. Cal. or texas
I like the retreat one sector option, and a small Morale loss seems appropriate, i'd also suggest for consideration a financial penalty for repairs.
a nice externalized value with a default 5k or so to patch and refit the heli would help limit the use a little early game.
probably set damage value at 25% you take the morale penalty, at 50 the repair and at 75 the missed LZ, make them cumulative, and that should give a pretty good balance option to the modders.
How about limiting the number of squad members that Skyrider can drop on a hot Landing Zone?
Could be interesting to form small man chopper squads.
Reasoning: Skyrider knows he won't have time to drop as many people before he has to abort mission, so he only agrees to drop a safe number (perhaps depending on enemy force present).
(i suggest not making the enemies go full alert on landing if we do this)
Great idea, i think max drop of 6 will be resonable (after all you dont see any big plane at drassen right?).
If you want biger sqad drops, well buy bigger plane from BR website .
And i think here should be some limits for aidrop - say max 15/20kg of gear (whatever is more close to reality - any paradroper here?) and all other eqipment will be droped in dropboxes (max 50kg+inventory size and 2/3 dropboxes per fly) - and just be sure you do airdrop on full land sectors so your paratopers doesnt instantly become divers and your dropboxes submarines .
Messages:340
Registered:December 2008 Location: en route to San Hermanos
I agree that we should have some equipment drops later in game, so we don't need to go back to drassen every now and then, and this should be done only in tactical view in sectors where mercs are present, so we can also have some beautiful visual efects - such as parashutes...
@Czert: Dropping people into the sea works jsut fine^^
Maalstroom
I agree that we should have some equipment drops later in game, so we don't need to go back to drassen every now and then, and this should be done only in tactical view in sectors where mercs are present, so we can also have some beautiful visual efects - such as parashutes...
Birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it!
In Spain, the best upper sets do it
Lithuanians and Latts do it
The Dutch in old Amsterdam do it
Not to mention the Fins
Folks in Siam do it
...
Some Argentines, without means do it
...
Cold Cape Cod clams, 'gainst their wish, do it
Even lazy jellyfish do it
...
So why not do it?
Brilliant mod.
im a complete idiot with computers.
could somebody please tell me in simple child like terms, where to type this line of code so i can get some helo drop goodness please!
many thanks Hinka
Messages:1965
Registered:March 2009 Location: Middle of Germany
Download and install the complete package (SCI) from depri's skydrive (in my sig.)
make sure, the actual package you get is from or newer than 10/11/13 (otherwise this feature won't be in).
After installing, open the file "Ja2_Options.INI" in a text editor (e.g. notepad). Search for "ALLOW_SKYRIDER_HOT_LZ" change the line to "ALLOW_SKYRIDER_HOT_LZ = 3".
Save and exit.
run the game, start new campaign.
Have fun.
Nice!
But I would recommend to add a high chance that the heli gets damaged during such an insertion. The enemy won't just stand by and watch.
Yes, very funny! Damage should be proportioned to the rank of enemies present in that sector (eg. troops, elites, ecc.) Also, the possibility that helicopter explodes, also after having depoyed some mercs, so some of them die...and of course also skyrider: no more helicopter, no more skyrider :axe:
[Updated on: Thu, 14 November 2013 15:38] by Moderator
Nice!
But I would recommend to add a high chance that the heli gets damaged during such an insertion. The enemy won't just stand by and watch.
Yes, very funny! Damage should be proportioned to the rank of enemies present in that sector (eg. troops, elites, ecc.) Also, the possibility that helicopter explodes, also after having depoyed some mercs, so some of them die...and of course also skyrider: no more helicopter, no more skyrider :axe:
You should really start reading the threads, before you post in them. Don't you think, anyone losing Skyrider, the Chopper and most of their A-Team won't instantly reload after that?
You should really start reading the threads, before you post in them. Don't you think, anyone losing Skyrider, the Chopper and most of their A-Team won't instantly reload after that?
Sorry, right, but for the hardcore gamer, challenge is attractive? I mean some masochistic player would try? OK nevermind
Czert
Great idea, i think max drop of 6 will be resonable [...]
And i think here should be some limits for aidrop - say max 15/20kg of gear (whatever is more close to reality - any paradroper here?) and all other eqipment will be droped in dropboxes (max 50kg+inventory size and 2/3 dropboxes per fly) - and just be sure you do airdrop on full land sectors so your paratopers doesnt instantly become divers and your dropboxes submarines .
Agree on that
[Updated on: Thu, 14 November 2013 15:44] by Moderator
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