The Ultimate Thread Dedicated To Making The New Power Carrying Vehicles EPIC!

No need for rumble seats if we can simply stand (or crouch) on top of it, maybe behind some top-mounted railings, and use deployables (AI and AV turrets, ammo packs, ...) on top of it as well. Fix your vehicle physics, SOE!

Reasons:

1. They just released the harasser.
2. This isn't world of tanks.
3. Get out your prowler.
4. Nice change up from your usual C4 whine threads.
5. We don't need more vehicle spam.
6. This isn't world of tanks.
7. Come at me with the ad hominem arguments.
8. That is all.

This was exactly along the lines of what I was thinking Aesir. If the thing is going to be a high value target and from the description it will likely be few in number, because he said it's like a game of capture the flag not the blob where you just try to destroy as many of these things as possible, then it could stand having some AA/AI weapons to guard itself from infantry/air threats. Whether this is in the form of rumble seats, AI Mana Turrets on the top, or Kobalts/Walkers I think it would make a lot of sense for this vehicle and bring some additional teamplay fun that the original ANT didn't have. I don't see this being abused as a farming vehicle if it is hard to steer, slow, and has uber slow acceleration because I could easily see it getting C4/AT mine spammed if it sits still for too long. Not to mention that unlike a MBT it wouldn't have AV capabilities so if it goes around unsupported all it takes is a AP MBT to harass it and put it's life in the balance.

From the description this doesn't seem to be a spammable vehicle, so if it isn't one then lets give it some AI/AA seats to add to the fun of helping to defend it, and make it into an armored beast.

I loved ANT runs.

Took some real GTA driving to get them into contested bases.

Is it sad I was more excited at the prospect of bringing ant-races and ant-demo durbys back then anything else?

It's role is not to deliver resources ... it's role is to give us an outside of bases, moving and interesting attack against defense objective ... by the description we have so far making it anything like just a truck or just a PS1 ANT that everybody can use ... will be the worst thing to do if it should become that important outside base objective.

Let's talk about what will most likely happen if you get to many of those simple resource trucks ... well everybody will spam the cap out of it, better bring 20 instead of 1. And some lone wolf will be pissed because he can't get his resource exp and C4 yours ... it happened in PS1 to and was a small flaw of the old ANT system ... we should learn from that mistake instead of repeating it ...

So ... we need something that can fend off something but is weak against something else ... and since Tanks are without a role other than hunting Vehicles ... making it bad against them is actually a good reason to encourage Armor play again! Also, I'm not talking "put 4 mainguns on it ..."

It should have 2 Kobalt, 2 Walkers and maybe something along the lines of a Bulldog ... And it should move SLOW ...

Oh and it should be something that actually is somehow limited in numbers ...

If its goal is to not deliver resources, then you just want another Armored personnel carrier with 5 guns on it. They may not be main guns, but damn that's too many.

its supposed to be a vehicle that will carry the Crystals from the mines to the base that needs power.

It should have:
1. Sunderer armor
2. Sunderer Speed or slightly slower
3. Two seats, the driver and the top rotating gun turret. (only one gun)

Certs It should have:
1. Payload Increase ( ability to carry more crystals/ resources without having any speed decrease)
2. Armor increases
3. Stealth (radar only)
4. Scout Radar (all allies around vehicle can will have enemies spot on the minimap)
5. All of the Chassis certs

It revolves around teamwork to get the resources to the base, not a slow moving, 5 gunned, fully armored, half squad carrying transport.

And you can defend a Sunderer against being focus fired from a Tank at long range? I kill blockade Sundys with a single AP/Halberd Vanguard in under 9 seconds ... no matter the range, use 2 of those Tanks you can pretty much half that time ...

It's job is to bring resources, yes but the goal of the entire mechanic is actually add a reason to secure the supply lines between a base or a way to siege a base dry.

So in other words it needs to be something to break through a blockade or get past intercepting forces. A Sundy by all means is way to soft for that kind of role unless you use lot's of them and hope one gets past ...

Which again, eliminates the reason to actually guard them ... you just spawn 20 of them and run to a base. Or you limit the numbers, which should be done to counter this from happening. But since it's just a mere "Sunderer" it will be blown to bits in no time and getting that stuff through is almost impossible.

The Goliath from BF2142 filled the same role in a special gametype mode were you win by getting the Vehicle through the defending enemy ... and there only was ONE and you lost if it got destroyed, everybody knew it's location and it actually was a mobile spawning point on top if it's strong main weapon. All of this would be OP however ... so just take the basic concept of the Vehicle, 4 weak guns to fend off Infantry and a weak weapon against Vehicles that still is good against Infantry.

Rumble seat based defence +1
Unique vehicle model +1
Not a combat powerhouse +1
Futuristic space truck filled with volatile cargo +1
Extended explosion damage when it goes boom +1

If it is going to have its position broadcasted and it's going to be an important capture the flag type objective that means it's probably not going to even have the possbility of being spammable. If it's going to be rare and slow that means it needs to be

1. Stronger than a sunderer in terms of armor.
2. Slower than a sunderer but with more momentum at full speed.
3. 4 weapon seats, likely 2 AA/ 2 AI. This will make it into a fun vehicle and one able to defend itself against things which are not tanks.

Lastly like Aesir said making it this way will likely give tanks a whole new purpose on the battlefield since right now unless you're really good in a Tank you are likely going to be more helpful being infantry.

That's just it though. We don't know if it will be broadcast to all empires or just one. We don't know if there will be only one vehicle or not. We don't know if multiple vehicle can be pulled. My point is that if its main purpose is to be a resource carrier, then let it remain that. You will never find If its going to be slow, thats great, but don't make it a type of vehicle that is just stupidly overpowered. The only vehicle we have even remotely similar is the Gal. I looked up the goliath..and it states: "The A3-Goliath IFV is an advanced infantry fighting vehicle and armored personnel carrier". The vehicle that SOE wants to implement is a RESOURCE TRANSPORT. Not all vehicles are meant to be fun and to have 4-5 gun seats just because you want it. It is meant to incorporate teamwork within squads and outfits. You want to make sure it gets to its destination in one piece? Fine, grab tanks and other vehicles to protect it. Part of the strat is finding a way to break a siege.

Only weapons it should have should be, Basilisk's, ranger's and walkers.

Should have 2.5 - 3x the health of an sunderer

Speed about the same as he Vanguard

+1 to that.

In addition, make most additional defensive and movement options available for it - mine cleaner in front of it, bulldozer to be able to just push everyone and everything side (and add significant frontal armour), composite armour, better traction and so on - cost it in terms of speed as well. Make them options, not upgrades.

Transporting troops or transporting resources ... it's not that much of a difference, it was an Armored Transporter anyway, it also was a mobile spawning point. If you take all that stuff out and shove in the storage containers for resources it will just do that.

But yeah, maybe 5 guns is a bit over the top, 2-3 will probably be better. Which still will not solve the issue that AV nests are way to good against Vehicles and Tanks currently are rather unwanted in that position because of this. It would have been nice to actually have a reason to use Tanks in either attacking/defending some important beefy target were you would like to get AP weapons against it.

If its just a Sundy were you throw your AMS utility item out to get the resource thing I will be highly disappointed by SOE ... or a "new" Vehicle that looks and feels like a Sundy minus troop transport.

Also they said it should be something we want to get through as a defender or want to intercept as a attacker. Any Vehicle that can be pulled like all the stuff we currently have ... will flat out not work.

You can just spam 20 of them and drive past all attackers, 1 will make it through, meaning you will start to no longer care about this entire mechanic and just grab the base in the old fashion way, making draining a totally undesired feature for the attacker and just a tedious task for the defender. So we might as well not want a resource revamp at all.

The goal should be to give Vehicle orientated Player something to do outside/around the base that actually feels important ...And also create side objectives that are squad/platoon based. So normal Vehicle acquisition should be out of the question for those Vehicles.

So now the main question is, how are we actually getting those Vehicles? Will we even drive them? They just tossed out a bone and look for reactions to get ideas, atleast thats how it looks to me ...

Making it beefy is a must. I'm thinking it has to be player driven, because as he stated, it will be to replenish power to a base being attacked. If there are 4 bases being attacked, which will the A.I. deliver the resources to? The base that is getting attacked the most? That would be stupid..lol. Also, I hope they make it so you have to be either a certain battle rank or you have to cert into it to use it. We don't need stupid people driving them. I can see two guns max. one front one rear like the sundie, but no more than that. Can you imagine trying to fight one of those things if it had a saron or enforcer or vulcans? there will be too much whining from every faction. its all just a toss up as to what will happen. However, I hope they make faction specific ones.

Can someone please explain to me wth the ANT is?

All you'd need to do for a vehicle like this is make it Gal tough and outfits will be the ones to push its defense. It's importance for supplies and resources should be enough to make it worth protecting.

ANT is not going to work with the current state of squad deploy/c4 fairies

A cargo transport.

I'm not thrilled about the idea of making a stand alone vehicle for the ANT. I like the idea of another vehicle, but We need something unique for it to do, and most all rolls are currently filled by vehicles.

As has been said by Malorn, What possible roll will this fill, other than just being a Space Truck. I played Euro truck simulator... you know what, it's not that fun.

If you start armoring the thing too much, then it becomes the Sunderer. If you start arming it, it becomes the sunderer. The vehicle needs to be unique and have a roll outside of being a trasport for cargo, and being a transport for people just doesn't work... again, if that is the case, it is a sunderer.

I like the idea of it's only defense being rumble seats.

I like the idea of when it's full, if it explodes, it's a mini-nuke, clearing an area around it.

But what rolls could it fill beyond being an energy transport? I have nothing. And it has to be a roll that isn't already filled by the Sunderer.

this the ANT as to be defenseless and escorted , if not their is no goal implementing such thing ...