Ground to Air Missile Launchers / Mortar Adjustments

Started by EarthyTurtle, July 28, 2014, 05:25:42 PM

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EarthyTurtle

Ground-to-Air Missile Launchers
I saw some ideas the suggested uses for Missiles and I couldn't find one in reference to a ground-to-air missile launcher. Well, not in the same regards as to what I am suggesting anyway, I thought I'd throw the idea out there. Correct me if someone has already posted an idea like this.

What if you were able to build ground-to-air missile launchers, that helped mitigate the threat of raiders dropping into your base?

The idea is simple enough;
-A turret that requires maybe 300 metal to build and can only have 1 missile loaded into it at a time (hauler skill is used to load the turret).
-This missile would then sit in it's launcher until the event triggers to drop raiders into your base.
-The missile would launch (maybe some nice smoky effect), and destroy 1 drop pod before it touches the ground.
-The destroyed drop pod instead of dropping a raider now just drops slag a bit of slag.
-The could even be a 20% chance of a miss. Meaning the launcher will fire and use a missile but the pod is able to dodge it.
*they do not need to be manned as an automated defence*

The launcher can only destroy 1 drop pod before it hits the ground, if you want to destroy multiple pods you'll need multiple launchers. Each launcher requires a single missile to fire and clear skies. It isn't too overpowered either in regards that these launchers are expensive. 4 launchers = 1200 metal and in some cases that's not even a 3rd of a raiders forces. It would require an enormous investment in terms of metal to build an array of launchers large enough to mitigate the threat of an air drop entirely.

Changes to the raider drop event:
None probably,
however you could have a message saying 'Something has been spotted in the skies, it could be drop pods'. This could lead to multiple oucomes:
it could indeed mean raiders are dropping into your base.
It could mean resources are dropping from your ship.
It could be a survivor's lifepod.
or simply it could be a flock of birds passing overhead.
This could also mean that if your given prior warning of potential drop pods that Missile Launchers need to be manned in-order to fire.

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Mortar Adjustments.
On the flip side I also began thinking that Mortar cannons are in the game, but shells are still unused. So instead of an extensive reload period limit it to 30 seconds fire-prep (I think that's half of what it is now right?) and require that the mortar be reloaded using shells each time it fires.
-Same the the Launcher, a mortar can hold a single shell and once it fires it needs to be reloaded.
-Those who man the mortars could automatically retrieve a shell from wherever they are being stored, or a player might be required to order them to do it.
-The amount of time needed to reload will depend entirely on how close the shells are to the mortars + the 30 seconds it requires to prep the mortar to fire.

Mortars (to make them a bit more viable) should be a tad more accurate, perhaps by a couple or a few blocks. This would make them worth stocking in case of an attack.

Changes to the Besieging event:
-Besiegers would now need to get a drop pod of shells as well as metal and food.
-Now shells are a finite resource, eventually besiegers will be unable to continue firing. So maybe once raiders unleash their payload of shells they can then begin attacking your base themselves. So getting into a defensive fight would be a much harder ordeal for the player. Or maybe after a period of time they will stop firing and attack.
-Now mortars are more accurate they may do far more damage to your settlement if not delt with. Plus a raider attack it's important to deal with sieges quickly.

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What do you all think of that? I personally like the idea of everything having to be done by colonists, the reloading/manning etc. Just feels more hands on, like everything else in the game really :P.