Hey, i'm looking for ideas for special functions for a longsword mapped to extra buttons (q, shift, ctrl space etc). Not sure if multiple seats can use the same button, but mapped to a different function.

but i'd like some of you to throw out some ideas, or say if you think some of the given ones are possible.

I've heard ideas like Shields, invisibility/cloak drive, slip space field, search lights, target jammers and hologram projectors

I thought countermeasures would be cool too, check other post

BTW, LS is going to be de-uberified and balanced, so you need a gunner to shoot and you need to keep flying to stay up (like jet). New Forerunner weapons too. (sentinal beams probably)

EDIT:
Anyone? any ideas? Is this lame? cool? unworkable? easy?

Any opinion at all would be great
Edited by Xaos on Sep 7, 2010 at 08:11 PM

You should make the longsword a lot bigger for a start, so that it's actually big enough to be flown. I mean, at the moment, it's got a tiny engine picking up a very heavy ship. That's extremely unrealistic, even if plasma weapons have been invented in the time that Halo is based. Also, the ship would need somewhere for people to sleep if it's a space ship.

Concerning special functions though, I think that you should have a lock altitude button, and an invisbility drive(Which has already been suggested I know)

The only ideas that wouldn't seem to work are a slipspace drive and a hologram projector.

i was thinking of having the empty space in the rear of the ship to be a room, containing cryopods (makes more sense, because if the longsword didn't return to its host ship immediately, it would mean using a cryopod instead of a bed)

so you want bigger? i don't want to make it too big, so i'll make a rough guess at 3 floors instead of 2? i think i'd have to make the gunner seat an Auxiliary/copilot control seat. usually in the longsword, if your pilot gets sniped, the gunner in the gunner seat is a sitting duck for more sniper fire. the pelican of Extinction has a good copilot seat, where if the pilot dies, the copilot takes over from his seat.

Slip space drive could serve 2 purposes the way i see it, 1st being a short range super speed boost (only lasts a short time, massive acceleration, but large deceleration) the other idea is to not travel within the slipspace field, but use it as a shield (Like the core of Onyx in Halo: Ghosts of Onyx novel) it would make it unable to fire out, possibly unable to move, but invulnerable. If it can't move, it may be too useless to bother with.

If i'm making it bigger, i might as well utilize the auto-spawn attached vehicles script, so i can have it spawn with 2-6 drop pods, or a small escape pod (preferably drop pods, but please voice your opinion)

Perhaps instead of my previous counter-measures idea, could i make some sort of blinding light effect, that allows for a safer retreat? everyone in a certain range could be blinded, possibly including the crew of the Longsword

Thanks for the replies guys!

thanks for the idea =) firing medpacks might be a little tricky, but i think i forgot to mention the Longsword crew healing function. i was thinking for one of the side seats in the cockpit (which i will make proper seats for) one of the functions would deploy medpacks and overshields to the locations of all the seats in the longsword. to explain it in Lore, i'd say it's some form of restorative nanites, that heal the wounds of the player and form a protective layer around them.

I suppose for the jet, i could make it match speeds with the longsword, because the longsword isn't going to be slow any more. i'll give a boost function to the guard jet, to allow it to catch up if behind
i'd like the jet to have 2 seats, because i already wanted to make a 2 seater, so i can just modify it to be the Experimental Longsword Support jet. original idea was to have powerful mini-autocannons and a deployable C4 patch to take out big targets at close range (basically to destroy the flyable frigates)

thanks for the idea.

what about instead of a jet, i use a sparrohawk instead? it looks more like a 2 seater already

Hmm... I guess... but isn't a sparrowhawk more of a vehicle for infiltrating planets? With clues from other maps you've made, I'm guessing this is a space map? Well, a sparrowhawk counts a lot on air resistance to stay up. The pelican has the pads for utilizing air resistance too, but the pelican also has a massive thruster, so I don't even know why it has air utilizer pads on the back. -.-
Whereas the jet uses it's powerful engine to stay up, and instead of using the wind, it battles against the wind.

That is why a jet has the name of a machine, and the sparrowhawk has the name of an air-relying bird.

Also, I like your idea for a Longsword crew healing function. It's probably a lot easier to script than my other idea too.

I might read your flyable frigate thread properly now actually. I didn't pay much attention before, because longswords are much more suited to my taste. xD

the sparrowhawk probably isn't even meant for space flight, from what i remember it requires air to stay aloft.
and the longsword's crew healing function? I ain't sure about this, but i don't think it will work if you are gonna spawn health packs and drop 'em on the crew seats, because you can't pick health packs up if you are in a seat right?

Exactly what I just said. -.-
Edited by Garagorn888 on Sep 26, 2010 at 06:44 AM

i was thinking of just adding the special effect of the POA thrusters, or something similar, instead of air to the sparrowhawk. that way it looks like it makes sense, flying with jet fuel instead of fan blades. not to mention Jets aren't properly space pressurised, so a cruiser that doesn't land on planets wouldn't use jets. thats also ignoring the fact that Jets, while having powerful engines, have no manuoeuvring thrusters and rely on elevator flaps to direct airflow, and adjust yap, pitch and roll. not baggin you out, just saying it doesnt work logically anyway (but i may eventually add in the thrusters for fun's sake)

Thats a shame on the healing packs, maybe there is a script that can apply it to the whole ship's crew? without deploying anything, just engage a script that causes all members to receive the effects of healing and overshields?

and the names of the vehicles don't really relate all that much to the specifics of their purpose, otherwise a pelican wouldn't be able to fly in space, because a pelican is a bird that needs air to fly in.

I'd like for each vehicle to have a specific strength vs another type, and a weakness, such as low armor for higher speed ships, but less manoeuvreability for heavier ships. More types of ships allow an extra purpose

For Instance, the Kestrel (in its current form, sucks) will be quick, moderately armoured, capable of fast combat troop deployment, or assistance. it will be a mixture of speed and support, with it's guns requiring a gunner to use (so people don't take advantage of the armour) Now a Pelican, has far more armour, far more troop carrying capacity, and Much much bigger and better guns. However, it is way slower, and much more awkward to fly.

with vehicles having advantages / functions in certain situations, when you are killed by someone, you can get in the vehicle required to kill them right back (dont tell me that's too complicated, everyone does it if they can. you adjust to the new circumstances as best you can)
Edited by Xaos on Sep 26, 2010 at 07:15 AM

Speaking of the kestrel... will you be making it actually enterable on your new map? In it's current form, you have to walk around outside of it to get into passenger seats. Well, in rp gamma you do anyway...

definitely. i'll just need to do the collision on the landing legs to make it stand upright. at the moment, it serves no actual purpose as a viable vehicle option. it is slower than the pelican, can carry less, has less armour, less firepower and requires a gunner to shoot. i aim to fix all that, and make it all fair for the other underpowered/overpowered vehicles.

I kind of like the gunner requirement, as it makes the game more realistic, but I guess it is better to have gameflow rather than realism.

i like the idea of making the pelican gunner only, because it is far more powerful than the longsword in the right hands, and should be more of a support vehicle. The Kestrel, i might make the guns driver controlled, but i'd prefer a gunner in that too. shoots better anyway if you have a gunner.

Think i'd end up keeping the peli as is, because i love the co-pilot function. is there some way i could make the co-pilot have a better targeting angle for the weapons? I'd love to make the Rocket Pods more rotating for the gunner, so it is a better ship with a gunner, but usable without. Doubt this could be done, but if there is a way, someone please post.

Maybe make the guns rotate completely for both pilot, and gunner. BUT limit the camera angles of the pilot, so that they can't see where they're shooting if they decide to go all round 360 rotation.

well, what i was thinking, is if you cant have individual weapon rotation limits, you'd just make it really hard for the pilot to see the enemy (like in the longsword, the ship is bulky and makes shooting difficult) whereas make the camera for the pilot to be further out, so you can see better, or zoomed in, to give a kind of turret-feel to shooting (i like that idea better)

The turret view would mean if you were bombing, all you would see is the ground beneath you, there wouldn't be a ship in the way, so would be much more preferable to the pilot gunner.

Very nice plans. What is the map you're making this for, may I ask?

my space battle map =) or any map i deign to put it in there area bunch of different threads i've started explaining it all, if you want to know. or you can ask =P

I like the idea of making the Experimental Longsword fall, so you have to keep flying to stay up (means a gunner is very useful, if i decide to make the gunner seat optional) it will also be a lot faster, since the current longsword has the stats of the pelican, which is wrong. It is supposed to be a fast bomber craft, not a super slow tank. The increased speeds will mean a decreased ability to camp, and probably mean you have to orbit an enemy and let your gunner open up on them.

Also, since it falls with gravity, i can make it drop out of a bay like my frigate will, but on a timer, so you can do it for yourself (and your gunner) Just hit the button, 30 secs later or something, the forcefield beneath you deactivates and you fall out of the ship and fly clear

Also, if a weapon turret on a vehicle hasn't actually moved to where you are aiming, is there any way to disable it from firing unless it has a clear shot? I intend to have several Sentinel Beam turrets on the ELS, but i'd prefer only the ones that could hit the enemy fire. or should i keep it like the normal longsword where they can fire in any angle?

I love the idea of pressing a button to drop out of the big ship after 30 seconds.

Not sure about stopping it from firing unless it has a clear shot. I'm not a mapping expert myself.

I prefer the normal longsword where you can fire in any angle, because it's good for roleplaying. But on a fighting basis, it would be a good idea to have beams that can only hit enemy fire, yeah.

doubt the turret thing would work, but maybe if i put the beam turrets on both top and bottom (technically dorsal and ventral) it wouldnt look so much like beams are flying out of nowhere through the ship itself. Only problem is, i need a turret that looks forerunner-ish, or at least some edited human weapons (worse comes to worst, i'll use a miniature sentinel as the turret head or something)

first, the longsword uses a fusion reactor (2 actually), just like every other human space ship, and that puts out large amounts of energy, plus, its made of titanium a, and its only meant for single missions, not long term, like what the master chief did in the end of halo1. and before anyone says anything, i DID read first strike.

anyways, the cloaking is completely possible, as it was done on the tachikoma, slipspace, impossible. for a minute, i thought you were copying me, then i checked the date of it

i was thinking for slip space make a field around the ship that makes weapons fire dissappear, like when you throw a grenade off the edge of a map, it just disappears. Not sure how you'd go making the ship spawn a field attached to it, maybe you could just apply the effect to the armour, but there'd need to be a decrease in speed or something, to make it more fair. maybe blind the gunner =D

and yeah, Longswords are more mission based ships, although they are often outfitted with cryopods, which i was thinking of using. i'll stick with a regular size to start with, so i dont spend a gajillion years trying to make a new one =P

oh, and the whole point of longswords in atmosphere, is the high speeds they are supposed to have would assist in keeping airborne. You mostly see them in space, and Chief had to push the engines to critical limit to escape Halo (i don't suppose they were fully intended to escape atmo often, otherwise there would be extra thrusters just for the boost into space)

EDIT: Wow, those Tachikoma's are great! I'd prefer being able to toggle it on/off, but have the drawback begin immediately, so decreased speed or, if possible, no weapons fire (for subtlety you dont just spam sentinel beams, and would stop noobs revealing your position with random gunfire)

So you'd be able to sneak past people, but if attacked, you'd have to drop cloak and fight, revealing yourself to your enemy =D balance! yay!
Edited by Xaos on Oct 7, 2010 at 06:22 AM