Tcomms APC to actual Radio Tower

[nerocavalier]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary): Replaces the comms tower's APC with an actual comms tower that marines have to repair like the generators.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole): It'd change the process of keeping comms from constant monitoring to something like setting up power in LV, done once and then people come back to check and make repairs occasionally. Currently, marines have to run back every time the APC get slashed to fix the wires and get it running again. Seeing that it'll requires actions like the geothermal generators, it'll take longer to be repaired allowing for aliens to run in and ambush the marines.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc): It'll be like the generators that requires steps to set it up instead of merely fixing the wire. This can make it feel a bit more hands on than mending some wires or replacing an APC.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it):

[TopHatPenguin]

+1 as it means that players rushing to slash the APC after marines fix it will no longer be able to and as such T-comms won't be such a crippling tactic employed by team alien.

[McRipfist]

+1 I thought it already was a tower. Are we just fixing an APC as of right now?

[TopHatPenguin]

+1 I thought it already was a tower. Are we just fixing an APC as of right now?

There's a tower, but you don't need to interact with the tower, it's only the apc you need to fix to get it going.

[Jroinc1]

-1
I like having an ACTUAL engineering mechanic that has to be defended.

The generators on LV got set once at the start of the round, and then ignored, because even if all of them broke, the SMES's woulda filled, and they never run out. Ever.

Unless you're proposing that the comms tower occasionally breaks (high winds?) and must be repaired for the tradeoff of ayys no longer being able to mess with it?

[Jroinc1]

+1 I thought it already was a tower. Are we just fixing an APC as of right now?

Far as I can tell, the tower's a magic reskin of a tcomms relay, at least it serves the same function.

[nerocavalier]

-1
Unless you're proposing that the comms tower occasionally breaks (high winds?) and must be repaired for the tradeoff of ayys no longer being able to mess with it?

This pretty much, though I'm not sure what the time should be for it.

If anything, I want both parties to know when it's about to go down. This way, aliens have their moments of marines not being able to coordinate and can strike freely while marines know they're about to get screwed over.

[Renomaki]

I myself don't like how easy it is for aliens to cripple marine communication with just a few slashes.

Aliens already can slash all our headlights with ease, and are allowed to smash up every APC they come across, sometimes to the point that they are insanely difficult to repair. it isn't always a simple matter of mending wires.. Sometimes they get so damaged that you have to jump through hoops to repair them. I should know, I came across plenty of utterly SMASHED APCS.

Even if the SMES units are full, it don't mean shit if aliens can just easily wreck power and light sources without much issue, meaning the SMES units power NOTHING after awhile. I don't want comms to be another thing that aliens can break in a matter of seconds while marines struggle to repair it and keep from becoming disorganized within mere seconds of comms going down.

1+ so SLs and COs don't have to rip their hair out trying to communicate with their marines and keep everyone together and organised.

[Jroinc1]

sometimes to the point that they are insanely difficult to repair. it isn't always a simple matter of mending wires.. Sometimes they get so damaged that you have to jump through hoops to repair them. I should know, I came across plenty of utterly SMASHED APCS.

Smashed APC's spawn randomly on roundstart. There is ONE way for an alien to smash an APC, and it's uncommon and abusive.

[Rob606]

If we get radio backpacks, -1, as that would allow for more interesting gameplay mechanics anyway, and helos resolve the comms issue.

If we don't, +1. It's currently too easy for marines to be crippled on the ice colony map. Without comms it's a guaranteed loss. Xenos are already abusing meta knowledge to mess with the APCs anyway. Making it more like the generators on LV means that it would need regular babysitting anyway. Unlike the SMES getting filled up and self sufficient, the tower would immediately cut out when it is damaged to a certain point.