Mortars: Reloaded

[gclark03]

The large scale and limited effect of the current JDAM in Project Reality has created the need for a smaller-scale, higher-frequency area attack. The best way to satisfy this need is to introduce player-controlled artillery, but with a set of limitations that will prevent the system from distracting too many players from the front lines. Here are most of them:

1) Can only be deployed at Forward Outposts (FOs). Has a range far greater than any current map, but should be placed at FOs away from the front lines because of the minimum range of about 70m and the vulnerability of the position without proper infantry defenses.

2) Is an optional feature. If the CO/SL deems the mortar unnecessary, he can simply avoid placing it. This could be effective when trying to stealthily build a FO, as an undisciplined or bored team might be inclined to blindly fire the mortar without a designated target.

3) Anyone with an Officer or Special Operations kit (in other words, anyone with a radio) can call artillery strikes with the SOFLAM. By spotting a target with the "Artillery Support" button, the enemy appears on the map, and the mortar is given a target to bombard.
Without a target, the mortar is nearly useless, as the azimuth and elevation aiming tools are blank when no target is assigned. (Blind-firing can still produce results, albeit inconsistent ones; a major flaw.)

4) Is easy enough for the manual-reading PR player to use, but difficult enough to intimidate the first-time player. (Keeps the newbies in infantry squads, initially.)

5) With multiple mortars, one at each FO, enough fire support can be provided to destroy anything with less armor than an MBT and frighten tank crews, if not disable them.

6) Can be used to place offensive or defensive smokescreens from a long range. A good spotter can allow artillery gunners to render an enemy base useless by smoking it, then bombing it (or both simultaneously, by 2 gunners).

7) Far more effective than the JDAM at bombing out infantry, especially in places filled with non-destructible statics, as in as the video of the JDAM on Estate.
---

The addition of the player-controlled mortar could bridge the gap between the 500lb. bomb and the JDAM, especially on maps without jets, and add a new feature to PR that has been in consideration for years.

I know mortars been suggested many times, but I have never seen one that matches the details of my suggestion. If my precise version of it has been mentioned before, feel free to lock the thread at your leisure.

[00SoldierofFortune00]

Originally Posted by gclark03

The large scale and limited effect of the current JDAM in Project Reality has created the need for a smaller-scale, higher-frequency area attack. The best way to satisfy this need is to introduce player-controlled artillery, but with a set of limitations that will prevent the system from distracting too many players from the front lines. Here are most of them:

1) Can only be deployed at Forward Outposts (FOs). Has a range far greater than any current map, but should be placed at FOs away from the front lines because of the minimum range of about 70m and the vulnerability of the position without proper infantry defenses.

2) Is an optional feature. If the CO/SL deems the mortar unnecessary, he can simply avoid placing it. This could be effective when trying to stealthily build a FO, as an undisciplined or bored team might be inclined to blindly fire the mortar without a designated target.

3) Anyone with an Officer or Special Operations kit (in other words, anyone with a radio) can call artillery strikes with the SOFLAM. By spotting a target with the "Artillery Support" button, the enemy appears on the map, and the mortar is given a target to bombard.
Without a target, the mortar is nearly useless, as the azimuth and elevation aiming tools are blank when no target is assigned. (Blind-firing can still produce results, albeit inconsistent ones; a major flaw.)

4) Is easy enough for the manual-reading PR player to use, but difficult enough to intimidate the first-time player. (Keeps the newbies in infantry squads, initially.)

5) With multiple mortars, one at each FO, enough fire support can be provided to destroy anything with less armor than an MBT and frighten tank crews, if not disable them.

6) Can be used to place offensive or defensive smokescreens from a long range. A good spotter can allow artillery gunners to render an enemy base useless by smoking it, then bombing it (or both simultaneously, by 2 gunners).

7) Far more effective than the JDAM at bombing out infantry, especially in places filled with non-destructible statics, as in as the video of the JDAM on Estate.
---

The addition of the player-controlled mortar could bridge the gap between the 500lb. bomb and the JDAM, especially on maps without jets, and add a new feature to PR that has been in consideration for years.

I know mortars been suggested many times, but I have never seen one that matches the details of my suggestion. If my precise version of it has been mentioned before, feel free to lock the thread at your leisure.

It's not needed. The point of the JDAM is supposed to be a thing that either knocks down a destructable village for advancing infantry, tries to kill as many enemies as possible, and uses smoke to help the infantry move in. It's not meant to be a kill all weapon or something, though I am sure its power will be upped for 0.8.

With mortars, it would just be a bunch of people camping and waiting for the mortars to get some kills, taking them away from the front. Player controlled has never been a good thing.

[Conman51=US=]

Originally Posted by 00SoldierofFortune00

With mortars, it would just be a bunch of people camping and waiting for the mortars to get some kills, taking them away from the front. Player controlled has never been a good thing.

i knida agree w/ you there...but in a way the soldier is still on the front line as a weapon but not as a person, plus he would be more of like a FO defensive person

but what i was also thinking is that SL's get maps w/ grid coordinates like N-- degrees and W-- degrees...this way aSL can spot it so it shows up on the map...the mortar guy reads the coodrdinates and zeros it in

[[T]Terranova7]

Originally Posted by Conman51=US=

i knida agree w/ you there...but in a way the soldier is still on the front line as a weapon but not as a person, plus he would be more of like a FO defensive person

but what i was also thinking is that SL's get maps w/ grid coordinates like N-- degrees and W-- degrees...this way aSL can spot it so it shows up on the map...the mortar guy reads the coodrdinates and zeros it in

To be more direct in gameplay terms, it simply means less players out attacking and defending flags and more players trying to the support the limited amount of people actually doing that. It's like having 20 catapults and 5 siege towers and 7 infantryman... you've easily breached the castle wall and positioned your siege towers, but you got no manpower to take the damn city.

[gclark03]

If there's nothing left to bomb, why not abandon the mortars and join the fight?

However this sounds on paper, it needs to be implemented and tested before any decisive judgments are made. I agree with you, Terranova, but players are not just statistics - if they see the need for infantry and deserve to play PR at all, they will get off the mortars and fight. If they prefer to camp, that's their prerogative, but they are clearly uninterested in teamwork anyway - the equipment does not create the problem, even if it doesn't help in solving the problem.

[ostupidman]

Lol at glclark "if they deserve to play PR at all,....." Handing out PR licenses now are we? Haha.

Must be 12 years of age.
Have violent tendancies.
Not want to camp.
Like explosions.

Apply at http://www.gclark03.com/i-pwn-all/PR...s/fastropesnow

[DeltaFart]

If this is ever EVER implemented make it operated with the key board so that the mortar isn't a strecthy thing and it actually takes a bit to position the azimuth and elevation.

[00SoldierofFortune00]

Originally Posted by gclark03

If there's nothing left to bomb, why not abandon the mortars and join the fight?

Because if they are in a squad, they are not supposed to be in the back or near a firebase, they are supposed to be with the SL and the squad and moving forward or defending a position the CO tells them to. If he magically decides there is nothing left to mortar and he is a lone wolf, then he will get killed on the front lines because he is a lone wolf.

knida agree w/ you there...but in a way the soldier is still on the front line as a weapon but not as a person, plus he would be more of like a FO defensive person

If someone decides to flank or come up on the firebase from the rear, that mortarman is just as good as dead. He is a sitting duck, so how can he defend properly?

[ZaZZo]

Imo, it needs to be a mortarstrike by offmap 81mm mortars (they got something like 5000 meter range right?) that you request from the commander.

That way you can count on that the strike will actually arrive, if you got a sensible commander ofcourse. It doesn't take people away from the fight, and is probably more realistic than having the mortars deployed on a PR Firebase that's built 500 meters away from the fight.

[Ghost1800]

Originally Posted by [T]Terranova7

To be more direct in gameplay terms, it simply means less players out attacking and defending flags and more players trying to the support the limited amount of people actually doing that. It's like having 20 catapults and 5 siege towers and 7 infantryman... you've easily breached the castle wall and positioned your siege towers, but you got no manpower to take the damn city.

We already have similar problems on many vehicle and asymmetrical maps.

Example: Jabal. Everyone on US side wants to fly the Hueys or drive the APCs. You often find people loitering around on the carrier while the people actually on shore are being swarmed by a numerically superior force who usually have a very good mix of anti-infantry and AT weapons on hand. The US side needs infantry to provide a presence in inaccessible areas of the map, but for some reason I see maybe 10-12 guys on foot out of 30 actually doing this.

Maps promoting air assets seem to have the most severe problems in this regard, and it is very hard to get anything done in Kashan when the bunkers need to be capped and almost everyone is sitting in armor camping the bunkers, flying helicopters trying to find anyone to transport, or flying (or more common, waiting for) jets. In general, it's very frustrating because in most cases you could easily sacrifice the use of any one of those assets to provide more people to move in and accomplish the actual objective, but there is almost squat reasoning you can provide to persuade most people to get out of their M1A2/UH-60/A10/F16.

Adding in another role like this will, from what I've seen, either detract from the already depleted amount of people playing as infantry or it will go largely unused/misused like designating targets for CAS.

/rant