Alternative LZ

[Kilm]

Summary (a quick, 2-3 sentence summary): Have two more LZ's on the map for the main dropship in order to mix up gameplay and stop the main Dome becoming the FOB every round.

Benefits (How this will benefit the server and game as a whole): Make things more interesting and challenging and not so routine.

Details (Description of how you think this would work, the benefits, etc): Stick in two more LZ's, adjust the map to give them purpose, then every new round, admin set an option that decides which LZ the dropship uses. Kees the Aliens guessing, and keeps things fresh for the troops.

Implementation (Optional, if you have an idea how to implement it): I don't know - game modes which have the LZ specified?

[FreddeX91]

I am all for this. I doubt it will be implemented, since it sounds like it would be a lot of work to make it happen, but it would be quite a game changer.

[Steelpoint]

Actual different LZ's would not be hard to impelment code wise, I've done the same thing with space ships on /tg/.

The problem is balancing it correctly, our current map is built around the Marines taking the major dome as their FoB, and screwing around with that and having all the Marines deploy in the middle of no where would screw things up.

Any alternative LZ' also present the problem of Alien's (Queen) using them to sneak past the Humans to the Sulaco, or worse for the Aliens to take the ship from one LZ and land it directly in the other, attacking the Humans from behind their fortifications.

[Kilm]

Any alternative LZ' also present the problem of Alien's (Queen) using them to sneak past the Humans to the Sulaco, or worse for the Aliens to take the ship from one LZ and land it directly in the other, attacking the Humans from behind their fortifications.

This wouldn't be an issue - my idea is that there would still only be the drop pod / shuttle and the other LZ's would just be empty / unused - lorewise, landing beacons not working. Dunno.

The LZ's wouldn't be interchangeable. I'd look to have it as a game-mode, with it hardcoded in which LZ the shuttle uses, and that's the one it uses for the duration.

Also, it might make balance a bit of an issue, but you know what, it'd be such a refreshing change, I'd be all up for getting dropped into a harder LZ.

[FreddeX91]

Also an LZ that is in the middle of nowhere could lead to some tense moments. Just imagine getting dropped in the middle of the jungle in the middle of the night and having to make your way to the colony. You have no idea what is out there and just an vague idea of the direction you are supposed to be going.

Now I don't know about you but THAT is something I would love to see!

[UnknownMurder]

We have two LZ...

-The Drop Ship
-The Drop Pod.

[Infernus]

We have two LZ...

-The Drop Ship
-The Drop Pod.

"Have two more LZ's on the map for the main dropship"

[UnknownMurder]

I was implying... That the Drop Ship... Performs a hard landing on the Drop Pod.

[Infernus]

Well, you can't have the shuttle land on area that is half the size of it. It needs a new special area for it.

[UnKuT]

There could be another LZ on the left bottom corner of the planet map, since that part in particular is entirely empty and lifeless, and only serves the purpose of hiding survivors there since not even the aliens bother to go to there. Sorry survivors

Inb4ispawnassurvivor

[Thrain]

It would be remarkably silly to send a military ship equipped only with ships that are incapable of landing anywhere that wasn't a pre-built landing field.. I'm all for having a few extra places for things to land.

+1

[Kilm]

Love the fact this is picking up in the positive vein. If done correctly, it'll only add to the gameplay and keep people on their toes as unless the CO brief's them on where they're going to actually touch down, they wont know until they land where they are. Or even better, it could simply be a game mechanic whereby it's explained away that the LZ beacons are fluctuating on and off due to power instabilities and you wont know which LZ you're going to land at until you touch down as the automatic pilot picks up a stable beacon signal. (This would still have been pre-determined by the game-mode selected, but that's it explained in-game).

This is well worth a look and a trial.

Imagine getting in the drop ship, it touches down, the ramp opens, you run out and... oh fuck... you're in the middle of no-where. ENGI'S!! GET A GODDAMN PERIMETER UP!! RING OF STEEL PEOPLE!! WATCH YOUR ARCS!!

[K0NFL1QT]

There's a problem. Aliens respawn, effectively, anywhere on the map that they nest an infected. Marines ALWAYS enter the map at one of two points. And if the Aliens have been pushed back into the caves, Marines STILL spawn waaaay back at the pod or dropship zones which makes finishing hard. Nothing wrong with a losing side turtling, but it's a little unfair when one side has to run the whole distance of the map to then spend half an hour getting lost in the caves.

What would be good is if there was an inactive beacon at Fort Tableworth that, when activated, provides a new drop point for the pod in a much more forward position.

[Lostmixup]

I'm okay with one or more LZ's. It'll give more options to the marines, especially late game.

[HalfdeadKiller]

The LZ's don't necessarily have to be near the caves. Just let them land somewhere else or something.

[Lostmixup]

I feel like if this could be implemented, it could help future map designs.

[bustered1]

RANDOMIZE IT TOO.

*evil laugh intensifies*

[TopHatPenguin]

RANDOMIZE IT TOO.

*evil laugh intensifies*

To be honest if we have a random Lz for every time we landed it would be nice to keep the game fresh.

[Mac]

From a coding perspective multiple LZs is not *too* difficult to do, but the issue is that you can't randomize them as they're based on the defined areas in the code . It might be possible to randomize which LZ is selected in a given round, however.

[apophis775]

This is SILLY levels of easy after we recently re-did the landing systems.

Maybe not for "current" maps, but definitly for future maps.

[Sarah_U.]

Sorry to post after it was accepted, but what about making the LZs actually selectable? In the shuttle / hangar / pod console you would have a drop-down menu that would enumerate the possible landing zones and you'd pick the target. Just clicking launch would send it to the site currently selected (LZ1).

SMALL ADDITION, if you select another LZ, you can transport the troops across areas.

[Surrealistik]

Instead of randomizing and fixing the landing spot at the start of the round, have it be selectable each time the launch console is used (it'd be randomized when the console is used for the Queen though because she's not _that_ smart).