Well, even if it's fully automated there could still be NPC convoys like you said, or even virtual "supply routes" that link bases together in a particular order and must be maintained to ensure the supplies flow. A base should still have reserves so that it can hold out for a while after being cut off, so that defenders have a chance to re-secure their rear without the front immediately collapsing. If all our spawn points are player-built as I and some others have suggested, part of placing the FOB structure could be selecting another FOB in a limited range to "link" it to. An unbroken trail of such links must travel all the way back to the main base, or the disconnected FOBs will not receive supplies. This would allow the players to designate their own supply lines, and patient logistics-minded players could even build up robust, redundant networks during off-hours to ensure a continuous flow of reinforcements to the front. However, even so I would like manual resupply to still be an option, whether it's a desperate effort to rescue a base whose supplies have been cut (Berlin Airlift, go!) or supporting a clandestine outpost far behind enemy lines, being able to manually resupply a base that is not linked opens up vast tactical flexibility.
Don't really like that abstract system for a few reasons It's not definitive. If I know that I'm getting 100 boltgun rounds, but the average consumption of my squad is 200, that's going to change the way my squad plays. The outpost itself generating ammo just kind of screws with this (except if its an ammo factory) The second thing is that it seem kind of arbitrary. You need 5/10 trucks to get through or else the base is deemed unsupplied, while you only got 4 trucks in, thats still ammo from those four trucks, even if it is below what you needed. It seems like an arbitrary failure state, instead of just being in a worse off position. I want automation to the extent of the NPC's transporting it to the frontline stockpiles, but after that Players may need to cart the ammo for an assault. The thing is the NPC transportation, from the very home to the frontline MUST BE DISRUPTABLE. Also bases should have a reserve, possibly put a cap on all non-front line base reserves, and have all excess ammo transport to the most forward bases.
I'm pretty sure the supply lines don't refer to having players actually driving the supply vehicles themselves. It's most likely handled by having to take control over a certain number of supply-related objectives. And you might be able to see some NPC suppliers running around, which if intercepted help towards the goal of damaging enemy supplies, but by itself would not deny said supplies.
About the ammo stuff, what about these ideas I wrote down here? http://forum.eternalcrusade.com/threads/support-class-gameplay.2921/ I'd like it if instead of the guys who kill the most those guys who help the war effort the most should be praised too. Running out of ammo and then having a buddy airdrop a box of bullets right into your lap must feel like the Emperor himself pointed his Finger O' Luck right at you.
perhaps we can upgrade the outpost and strongholds? giving them things like bigger ammo dumps, or like a deep strike beacon that lets a small amount of ammo that cant be disrupted deep strikes into the strong hold by drop pod (or other faction specific means). Just some way to help you last longer if you supplies our cut. maybe have then purched like upgrades in guild wars 2 rvrvr?
That's cool, I didn't think about upgrading locations, but would they be temporary or last until the upgrade is destroyed? (downgrading it to its original state) or until it's conquered by another faction.
You gents have some cool ideas. We have to make certain assumptions to follow some of these ideas to their conclusion, which sucks because some of them a very cool and prob wont make it. As per above, if we can assume that we have three continents, and each continent is further made up of territories, each of which is made up with multiple strategic points that need to be controlled to own that territory, this gives us a working model of the battlefield to plan around. Now lets let each player spawn with a full loadout for their weapons, to do less then that is not fun for the average player. This "full load" of ammo with be enough for one player to use for a limited time in certain degrees of combat. Meaning that they will run out, if they survive for long enough. This creates the frontline need for a resupply. Now how do we resupply on the front line? That has been answered by a few people: Air Drops, Transports, Supply Class, (NPC) Convoys The trick is, out of the population base, how many people really want to play as a clerk in a shooter game? Not many, that rules out player Air Drops and player Supply Convoys in this context. Transports are going to be a given in this game, and will be fairly common. I like the idea of these having a limited resupply ability. But to what extent? Should they have unlimited ammo? Can anyone resupply off of it?? My personal opinion is that it should carry limited (but still a substancial amount) of ammo but can only be used by the Squad that the transport belongs to. This creates the need for Squads to want to protect their transports as they can fall back to resupply and perhaps respawn on them, also this makes them a major target for defenders, in that if they can sally out and destroy some they can limit respawn and resupply for the attacking force. Now what if the front line comes to you as a defender? We dont know the scale of the territories yet, but lets use a "small" one for an example. You have a single "camp". It has three strategic points. Let build on the idea of upgrading locations for this, but first each of the strategic points can act as a resupply point for the defending army. To assign this a random number, lets say the base has 100 ammo in total. Each point has access to 25 ammo (creates a reserve of 25) and the base can "spawn" more ammo over (a long) time. We now have a basic mechanic to build on. Myself and my clan/battle force/faction decide we want to upgrade our "camp" spending global resources, a cool down is initiated and the construstion begins. After X peroid of time we now have a medium "camp", with 5 strategic points that can hold 35 ammo each, with a total base pool of 225 ammo (we still have a reserve). As a side note we also now have a small garrison of NPC defenders and fortifcations. Now in a furious fight, with each "ammo" counting as one full resupply, you will start to run out. The "camp" should be able to slowly create more ammo over time, but not enough to really help in a medium-large battle after it has already ran out. This is where a convoy or air drops could come into effect. Leadership sees that the medium "camp" to the north is under attack and needing resupply. They create a mission for immediate aid in the form of drop pods with their attached squads to immediately reinforce and resupply (via the drop pods as vehicles). Long term aid is also sent in the form of a player/NPC driven convoy. Leaderships creates this as a Supply Convoy Escort mission, where your job is the travel and defend the convoy in route to the camp. Each vehicle has an extra 50 ammo in it, and this being a medium camp only 5 supply vehicles are sent, adding up to a full (give or take) resupply should they arrive, or 50 ammo each per surviving vehicles. Summary....Other then a wall of text this should give us a few points: Transports with limited spawn/resupply Air drops in the form of Drop Pods in the Transport resupply method Creates imporantance in Transports for attack and defence Creates missions that can be created by leadership and acted on by players Method for "building" in the game in the form of bought/destructable/upgradeable areas Base ammo pools with a distrabution method As a further thought, the above would be a good example of a fixed area. It would be cool if the creation of temporary/destructable "outposts" or FOB's (Forward Observation Bases) could be created as well. These act as small respawn and supply dumps and can act as the supply lines between large areas Thoughts?
