More flying building expiramentation Options

[Team Black]

We know that we can't use actual aircraft, since they don't follow deploy logic- but there are a few ways to make aircraft out of vehicles:

1st idea: adjust the hover locomotor. Reading through Jah's heli research, I thought I'd give my own shot at it (I wasn't expecting to succeed where he had failed - rather, just to know for myself what does and doesn't work)

By adjusting the HoverHeight for the hover loco, you can make a convincing looking aircraft, with the ability to deploy. There are many minuses (which are described in Jah's thread), but they can all be overcome with some tweaking. However, there is a key issue that remains: cliff passability.
By making the terrain

CODE

; cliffs
[Rock]
Foot=0%
Track=0%
Wheel=0%
Float=0%
Hover=100%
Amphibious=0%
Buildable=no

it does not enable the unit to descend or ascend cliffs, only to move on them in the same level.
 livin_on_the_edge.PNG ( 96.67K ) Number of downloads: 4

This also causes some compliance issues with hover units- it's difficult to get them to go places, especially if a cliff is involved in the process.

VERDICT: using the hover logic is phayl.

2nd idea: make the vehicle fly. this is done by giving it an aircraft's locomotor, SpeedType=winged, and MovementZone=fly.
This method allows for aircraft to support every logic that vehicles support: deploying, passengers, hva animation, shp, turrets, etc.
The cons:
It is invincible during flight - unless it runs into a firestorm wall (not even hunter-seekers can get em)
It can't reveal shroud while in flight - but this might not be a big problem, if we make them MoveToShroud=no.
it can be picked up by carryalls - but I wouldn't really see that as a gameplay-threatening issue
 invincible_balloon.PNG ( 40.93K ) Number of downloads: 3

The invincibility thing might be balanced if we make em go really really slow, but even then, ehhhhhhh
If we were to make mobile buildings though, this would be the best way to do it (unless the exe hackers feel like getting planes able to deploy/undeploy. . .)

MY VERDICT: flying buildings in TS would be great, but it isn't going to happen. Even if it did work, it would already throw the game's balance to heck.

So what now? I'd hate to say it, but I'm leaning towards ditching the mobile buildings altogether, but I'm going to need some feedback before I decide anything...

[Lightstorm]

yeah i say we just use regular build tree and have the ships fly down and deploy as the construction animation.

[Lin Kuei Ominae]

sorry that i find everytime something against your ideas lightstorm, but this, even if it would be cool, isn't really possible in TS.
Because you have only a max of 25 frames for a buildup. And for a smooth looking landing animation there are much more needed.

But why we don't stick with the initial idea? All Scrin buildings are Flying Units that deploy.
Those Ships can all be build as units from the conyard using a dummy building.
To avoid using the deploy anim for the buildup, we use invisible dummy buildings that selfdestruct after buildup and give via Freeunit= the scrin ship. The Dummybuilding can then have the construction buildup anim for the ship.

Scrin Mothership (a smaller one than the main armada flagship) -> Conyard (with upgrades for energy, radar, silo (if possible) and other stuff)
Scrin Warship -> Warfactory
Scrin Troopship -> Barracks
Scrin Carrier -> Air Command (each Carrier deploys into a Scrin helipad)
Scrin Techship -> Tech Centre
Scrin Collector -> Refinery

Scrin Base defense via deployable other ground and air units.

This post has been edited by Lin Kuei Ominae: Jul 14 2007, 09:22 AM