Tanks Quality of life features

[JaffaCake]

In the view of the new tank expansion I feel these several features would make tank gameplay a lot more approachable and allow for larger maps to be considered for tanks:

 

1) Auto-level for tanks - when enabled will keep the tank automatically centred on the current road, following all turns and slight direction changes.

 

Motivation: Currently it is impossible to leave the tank "going" for a few minutes while you are checking out facebook or making yourself some food - a common activity when flying aircraft on longer missions. Being able to set the tank in "auto-level" and have the freedom to do something else meanwhile (keeping half an eye on the surroundings) will reduce the frustration of constant attentive driving that the tanks require right now

 

Realism: Well, you do have a driver who's only job is to do exactly this...

 

2) Course plotting. An extension of (1) and generally a needed feature in IL2 (i.e. for planes). I do not believe this would be implemented and many would find it over the top - but still would like to be able to do the following :

 

- Plot course on the Orders map

- Have tank auto-level follow the course while doing road-keeping if any roads are close

- Most primitive obstacle avoidance for forests or cities.

 

Motivation - further enables the player to set the tank on course for the 10 minutes it takes to drive just to be randomly killed by a passing by aircraft or an enemy tank sitting in bushes.

 

 

 

 

[Gambit21]

Motivation: Currently it is impossible to leave the tank "going" for a few minutes while you are checking out facebook...

 

 

Dude...

 

 

no words...I just don't have the words....

[curiousGamblerr]

Dude...

 

 

no words...I just don't have the words....

 

The best part is, it's actually very possible to leave the tank driving forward, with this one trick doctors hate, which I would have shared, except he let slip he'll be using that time to check Facebook, so now I'm keeping it a secret...

 

 

 

JK... Just hold DRIVE, press O to open the map while still holding DRIVE, release drive with map open, close map... and voila! Cruise control in a T-34!

[Gambit21]

...worse still, where during the mission will he find time to Snap-Chat?

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

Lol.

 

However, I do expect that there will be some sort of AI that can handle most functions.

 

After doing a few tank missions, it is clear that the scale is unprecedented. More than a day of nonstop driving can be required to cross one of the existing maps. This means that even small operations that cover a tiny fraction of the map will be very slow.

 

I think the developers will need to be creative with spawns and AI assists to make something that is both playable and somewhat realistic.

[JaffaCake]

The best part is, it's actually very possible to leave the tank driving forward, with this one trick doctors hate, which I would have shared, except he let slip he'll be using that time to check Facebook, so now I'm keeping it a secret...

 

 

 

JK... Just hold DRIVE, press O to open the map while still holding DRIVE, release drive with map open, close map... and voila! Cruise control in a T-34!

 

 

Or you can map it on the JS axis (i.e. throttle) and just use that... Yeah known things.

 

Unfortunately if you leave it going for longer than 1 minute the tank usually ends up hugging a tree or a building. Road-keeping AI is a must. Just like majority of the servers allow you to auto-level fighters (so that people can have loo breaks, reply to emails and so on).

[THERION]

Oh boy!

 

You just remind me of that genius guy, who thought driving his mobile home with tempomat activated,

he could actually leave his driving seat just to go back in the kitchenette having some bacon and eggs done.

 

And of course - after landing in the roadside ditch, he dared to sue the producer of the mobile home just

complete his stupidity!

 

Better stay with facebook and your thousand of "friends" - maybe they can help you.

Edited February 7, 2018 by EAF_T_Therion

[JaffaCake]

Oh boy!

 

You just remind me of that genius guy, who thought driving his mobile home with tempomat activated,

he could actually leave his driving seat just to go back in the kitchenette having some bacon and eggs done.

 

And of course - after landing in the roadside ditch, he dared to sue the producer of the mobile home just

complete his stupidity!

 

Better stay with facebook and your thousand of "friends" - maybe they can help you.

 

 

I am not sure if you are being sarcastic, but if you are not - I was making an honest feature suggestion that I would use 100% of the time I would be playing tanks. It would also be the deciding factor for me to purchase the upcoming tank expansion.

 

We already have auto-level in aircraft. I regularly use that feature to do things outside of the game. And why not if it takes 10-20 minutes to get to places in some missions?

 

Why can't we have the same for tanks, which take even longer to get to places?

[Chief_Mouser]

No way am I leaving a tank or aircraft mid-road or flight to do something else. Apart from finding the flying side of things interesting - I used to do three-hour PBY recce missions in SEOW without getting up and wandering off - I have also know too many folks who just 'popped out for something' only to find their aircraft a mass of flaming wreckage when they came back.

[Gambit21]

I am not sure if you are being sarcastic, but if you are not - I was making an honest feature suggestion that I would use 100% of the time I would be playing tanks. It would also be the deciding factor for me to purchase the upcoming tank expansion.

 

We already have auto-level in aircraft. I regularly use that feature to do things outside of the game. And why not if it takes 10-20 minutes to get to places in some missions?

 

Why can't we have the same for tanks, which take even longer to get to places?

 

 

It's not the logic itself....you lost us with Facebook.

[curiousGamblerr]

I have a Facebook, I just hate it. Sorry for derailing your post Jaffa. Just having fun.

[JaffaCake]

@Gambit21 and @19//curiousGamblerr

 

My post wasn't directed at you Facebook pun was actually intentional. But some other people seemed to take it seriously, which led me to make sure that they understand which part of the post really matters.

[Gambit21]

I think having pathing/AI driver enabled is a good feature.

You might want to be in the commander's position etc.

[NETSCAPE]

Steel Armor Blaze of War has this feature covered. (non WW2 game, so I don't think I'm stepping on toes here)

 

Basically if you drive or give a move forward command and you are mostly on a road, the commander will say "by road" or whatever in Russian and the driver will stick to the road until you switch to the driver position. Since IL-2 already maps out roads (ie in the mission editor you can tell vehicles to stay on a road) I'd imagine implementing a feature to keep your tank on the road while you play as commander should be pretty do-able. 

 

But then again I don't develop games. I am but a mod peasant. 

[LLv34_Temuri]

Since IL-2 already maps out roads (ie in the mission editor you can tell vehicles to stay on a road) I'd imagine implementing a feature to keep your tank on the road while you play as commander should be pretty do-able. 

What would happen when there's a crossroads? Flip a coin for direction?

[JaffaCake]

What would happen when there's a crossroads? Flip a coin for direction?

 

 

Head towards the road that requires the least turning?

 

Or if #2 gets implemented just follow the course (snapping it to the road)

[NETSCAPE]

What would happen when there's a crossroads? Flip a coin for direction?

 

I just switch to driver for a few seconds to clearly turn on to the road on want. Specifically in that game, before and during the real-time tactical battle play takes part you could place movement orders along roads and make turns by placing multiple waypoints with a move on road column order ect ect.