FOB Overhaul

[decibel_spl 76]

Rehashing an old thread,

I believe the FOB should get an overhaul to be more alive and useful. Currently, there's a lot of pilots that set it up, get transport points for it and then nothing else happens with it. 

I propose the following changes be made so that it's a place that you want to spawn and go to the AO feasibly with:

• Add in some AIs roaming around and stationary to get a sense that it's actually occupied
• Place a CIWS (Praetorian) somewhere to act as a safe haven for choppers to fall back to and start from
• Adjust vehicle spawns:
  • Add in some LAVs - Hunters, armed prowlers, maybe a Nyx
  • Remove the useless quadbikes 
  • Add some medical vehicles and support vehicles (say ambo, medical HEMMT or repair technical)
• Adjust FOB to have more tickets when supplied with a crate or HEMMT Medical
• Add in a vehicle inventory edit area like at base - anyone who fills up an ambo or vehicle with gear hates it when they have to go back to base or respawn. Instead, could drive to the FOB and rearm that way
• Add transport points for landing at the FOB - this would promote pilots to land there more often and allow the infantry to use it as a staging area

Edited February 14, 2019 by decibel_spl

[Guardian 45]

I'm on the fence on this one... Changes could be made to improve it, but there may be behind the scenes reasons as to why not.

I agree with some of the points, but not others.

What I don't agree with:

1. Unlimited Spawns (Once you take a HEMTT Medical there, they very rarely run out after that - so all it takes is a Pilot/Land Logistics System to keep it effectively unlimited atm)

2. Having a helo spawn on the pad (I think that it's unnecessary given the main base's location and flight time - this is from the grunt perspective tho)

I do however agree that:

1. A teleport to FOB option would be beneficial from base. Means that it would be used for, and could then cut pilots flight time if that was an issue.

2. A more diverse range of vehicles might not be the worst thing. So long as they still required resupply by HEMTT Box/Huron Crate to use.

Indifferent: 

1. AI around base, I don't really have an opinion - if it reduces any kind of performance then probably not. But meh

2. Praetorian, Meh. I'm not affected by this change enough to have an opinion

[decibel_spl 76]

I edited the proposed changes due to some feedback from players:

• No helos spawn there, use it as a temporary zone rather than a second base of operations. It doesn't take long to fly there from base, can instead use it as an LZ if there's more vehicles there that are useful
• Add some medical vehicles there such as an ambo. Also some other support vehicles such as a repair technical, vans or other useful things would be great
• Not have necessarily infinite respawn tickets but instead have the truck and crate give more tickets so you don't run out as easily when more people spawn there.
• Vehicle inventory edit area - allow the vehicles to have their loadout edited to make people's lives easier so they don't have to start from base, or drive back to base
• No spawn at FOB option and transport points - as pointed out, this ends up spreading out the players too much and robs the transport pilots of their jobs. Instead, have the FOB used as an LZ more

I just think the FOB is a very useful tool that just doesn't get used enough. If you create some incentive to use it, it would make everyone's lives better

Edited February 14, 2019 by decibel_spl

[Snohman 52]

going on @decibel_spl's comment thet the FOB doesn't get used enough, most of the time it feels like it's only a resupply mission and doesnt effect the main mission gameplay that much. I've mentioned it a couple of times, but i'd love to see more that just the standard "outpost" style FOB.

so my though are that we get a number of different ones that can rotate through, each with it's own pro and con:

•  Ironside spawn - cut the drive from 10 days down to 10 minutes. put a number of tanks here (more than normal) so we could have a proper blitzkrig once everyso often. much like we have the infantry only "kavala" mission, i'd love to see a fast pace tank battle every once in a while.
•  FARP (Forward air refuelling point) - fully stock this one to get guns for your hummingbird. or a blackfoot. the attack helo's that get won with the side missions get swatted pretty quick, and i'd love to be able to see them / play them in action more.(just look at the MQ12, it usually get shot down before it even get's anywhere near the AO). you could lock them to unguided weapons only if you were that concerned with balance.
•  IDAP Tent city. roll out the IDAP food and water bottles. @pkisbest and @Crag_r need to atone for their war crimes at some stage. maybe you could resupply this to help the civvies once in a while.
• Convoy staging point. trucks around, bring some fuel and ammo and you might eb able to run a side mission to bring a convoy back to the airfield.
•  Artillary firebase. move the Scorcher or MLRS close to the AO for quicker and more accurate fire missions.
•  AN/MPQ-105 Radar base. get the radar running and it'll data-link targets for tanks and CAS
• "USS Liberty" Destroyer Ship. resupply a ship. fire support from the deck gun. boat spawn. amphibious attacks on an AO could be fun.

 

the other option is that the FOB could be placed as the main "LZ" for an AO. somethign for the pilots to aimn for. often it's quite away from the AO, so we dont even bother with it. if it were placed right on the edge of the AO area, or was given a substantial points boost for drops, then i think it would be used heaps more frequently. you could even have the enemy "push back" and try capture the FOB as a secondary type of defend mission.

 

also having a look and seeing there are about 4 or 5 threads about changing up the FOB, i think most of them are asking for a medical revive location at them

Edited March 9, 2019 by Snohman

[pkisbest 198]

Hey I don’t kill that many civi’s. Most are accidental.

[=S.N.A.F.U.= 92]

The changes to the FOB needed are quite simple. Some servers I play on have some of these things in them & it seems to work quite well;

No need to have tanks spawn here. It's a FOB in a small scale engagement. Instead, have the BOBCAT spawn here to be able to support forward moving heavy vehicles.

Once the Medical crate/HEMTT has set up the spawn tickets, they count up on a timer till the hit a designated max points. Once the players spawn there the counter starts back up.

No set AA should be here as it would mean that the enemy wont be able to fly most of the time. An intercepting jet is enough. 

The same can be said of forward arty. It's just not needed & usually OP as all hell. What is often forgotten is that this game is at it's finest when focussed on small scale infantry & light combined arms.

On the other public server I play on the fob has the following vehicles:

1x Bobcat

1x Medical HEMTT (Doubles as a troop transport)

1x Vehicle ammo HEMTT

3x Quad bike

4x Hunter/Prowler/Quillin on random respawn, though favoring the Hunter.

The main reason we dont have AI running around the FOB is a simple matter of server frames. It struggles enough with the AI out in the field.

Now, all that being said, one major difference on that server is that they have FATIGUE on. This means that there are a lot of people who return to the FOB for rearm following a mission, (along with the added call for choppper suport airlifting in supplies).  Players can't set up for 4 AO's of ammo in a Bergen & sprint for a month with no consequence. Often choppers will airlift/evac troops to the FOB, the squads would regroup after an AO & head out in vehicles. This can also be a great use of the Vehicle Blackfish, as it can fly several vehicles up to the FOB In preparation for the end of the AO.