This thread is search button approved!

So we're getting more talk lately about vehicles- how to do them and even if we should. While ground vehicles are pretty much out there's still debate about aircraft. Some valid points have been brought up about problems with aeroplanes on the terrain- I think it was Zakski that said they'd probably have to be VTOL, and in a way this makes sense with the randomly generated nature of the maps.

So we've had suggestions for both choppers and zeppelins. Anyone's welcome to make a thread about the chopper side, but this one is about Zeppelins. Personally I think they'd be more fun than helicopters because:

*They're different from all the other games- something that AoS seems to pride itself on.
*They don't have rockets or chaf or anything else that would complicate the game.
*They wouldn't even need a helipad- they could appear ANYWHERE- even over water.
*Their bombs (if they have em) work by gravity only, so a position directly above a target would have to be gained.
*like choppers they could be used to carry a small raiding party behind enemy lines.
* they are very quiet. Much of the existing game on and under the ground is reliant on detecting enemies through careful listening, and blimps would not disrupt that.
*They'd look damn cool.

I've got a few ideas on how they could be brought in without upsetting the balance of gameplay AoS already enjoys, but first I want to hear what people think about them. Would you want them up there? How would you implement them? Would you arm them or not? What counters would you have in place? etc etc.

the bombs should be affected by momentum.

I'd give them their own gametype.

Two massive ships circling around the edge of the map serving as spawn points. The objective would be to destroy the other teams' ship. You could hop off an set up an ambush or stay on to defend or repair. Every couple of minutes they could pass each other at the center to allow for boarding.

You could give them hitpoints and let players slowly repair it by feeding blocks into it or some shit. Rifles would do light damage and the pick/shovel would do heavy damage since you'd have to be in the enemy spawn to use it.

Or you could throw a grenade at the weak point for MASSIVE DAMAGE!

I actually forgot grenades existed. They should totes destroy more blocks.

@Lokiamis:
I'd agree. I don't want to be mushed by bombs in normal gamemodes.

Other than that, I think they would really unbalance gameplay..

They should give us remote charges so we could set them in the engine room and try and escape the blimp (or sky dive out as enemies that noticed the charges jump out and it would result in a free fall battle with Jon Woo double akimbo pistol battle in the air, the survivor gets to activate his parachute) When you land you are walking forward and behind you a massive explosion occurs. With this song playing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MTrJZux5mM as you put on your tinted shades and walk off.

Oh yeah you could also free fall onto your blimp.

OH OH OH HERES AN IDEA, YOU MAKE THE BLIMP REALLY FRICKIN HUGE, AND MAKE A HANGAR ON THE BACK OF IT, INSIDE THAT HANGAR, IS A COUPLE OF HELICOPTERS!

or smaller blimps

This is kinda what i had in mind: http://bayifier.com/view/?id=510043537

or this: http://bayifier.com/view/?id=510052678

YES AND THOSE SMALLER BLIMPS HAD HELICOPTERS IN THEM, OR EVEN SMALLER BLIMPS

No the smaller one just release balloons

No, UAV's UNMANNED BLIMPS

"No the smaller one just release balloons "

So we've got a zeppelin with a hangar, that releases blimps that have hangars that release party balloons. My god why didn't we think of it before!

In all seriousness though, I totally forgot to bring up the question of whether they should be mobile spawn points or not. Glad you brought it up, Lokiamis

Balloons release hamsters.

That release fleas.

And fleas release viruses that hurt other teams hamsters.

And those hamsters go mad and destroy their teams small blimps.

And those small blimps then fall on big blimps.

Causing them to fall on biggest blimp.

Which will fall.

GAME OVER

You forgot the part about sky diving though......

Zeppelins would be epic.

Bumped, because I'm sick of seeing valid discussions on gameplay mechanics get redone all over again on new threads just because OPs are too lazy to use the search button.

they should spawn on a place thats 5x3 (or something) that has to be.....grey(runway sort of thin). You have to allow them to spawn, and it'd take like 500 bullets to destroy it, or with the pick (how would you get on them?)
Speed should also be affected by the health %.
Would they have mounted guns? i think if each bullet did 5-10 damage or something they could be used to kill ground forces, but cant destroy blocks (or needs a lot to do so)

basically this?
http://fc08.deviantart.com/fs43/i/2009/069/6/c/steampunk_carrier_zeppelin_2_by_clearwater_art.jpg

check out buccaneers the UT2004 mod. they still have servers running, and people playing.

Balloon wars and more :)

I love the idea!

Everyone has a parachute :D

if we have vehicles then were going to need some heavy artillery to take them down.
It would be unfair if they were indestructible, we need AA missiles.

asher418, Maybe change your OP to link to this one and advise people to ignore your new thread and use his one instead?

I can already imagine the sun be covered by a giant object and then... BOOM!