Posted 09 August 2018 - 06:21 AM

Cato Zilks, on 09 August 2018 - 04:26 AM, said:

So creating a whole new dropship is a lot of work. ***HOWEVER*** this does solve several problems. One dropship, not three. Everybody shares one DZ, so no weak/isolated DZ. Dont need to wait on the good DZ because the dropship to a good DZ can only take 4.



Really having it do multiple flybys (on every 30 seconds like the leopards do now) should not be a major issue. The previous challenge that Russ laid out was coordinating all three and the backlog that selecting dropships can create. The Union could just copy the flight path and drop 12 mechs off like a leopard currently drops 4.

Perhaps I need to clarify and break it into what the players see and the mechanics.What the spawning pilot sees:* Standard QP 'Mech startup animation.* Walks forward into battle from in front of a Union class dropship.Game engine mechanics:* Union dropship is simply a skinned building. This could be the same mechanic/building as the defenders spawn point but with the Union "skin" laid over it and then both defenders and attackers 'Mechs are deployed in the same fashion as the S7 elevator.* Removes necessity for game engine to render and track 6 dropships every 30 seconds, along with upto 24 'Mechs AND the startup animation. I assume this should free up game engine resources and help it to run smoother, while possibly allowing for other additions (turrets on the Union?)As an alternative the current Leopards could be placed as grounded assets in the same fashion in the current spawn point locations, with the 'Mechs starting in front of or inside them.