Transports

[TARevenger]

with the new transport code any transport/s should be able to lift anything

in OTA transports can lift

aircraft, hovercraft, boats (sea hook required) and the ground units of course

transports in taspring can only lift ground units vehicles/kbots from what i've seen, and when it comes to unloading amphibious units into the water they can't.

so when it comes to lifting boats the multiple transports come into play

eg. if the max weight of a boat 1000 and a atlas can lift 250 then 4 atlas's will be required to lift it out of the water, as for the sea hook the max weight it can lift will be 1000

also I would like to see a feature where if a air transport is destoryed any unit it was carrying would not die along with the transport instend take falling damage from being dropped

e.g. 1) unit falls to ground taking damage from falling (dependant on gravity)
e.g. 2) unit lands in deep water the unit and will sink and eventually explode.
e.g. 3) unit lands in shallow water the falling damage will be less, the unit can move out of the water

that would also prevent the pickup commander and self destruct air transport strategy and if by some chance someone got close enough with a ship or hover transport to capture him the commander would then dgun himself out of the transport

[Gnomre]

The monthly post rotation continues... I think it's about time someone asks for the new GUI again now...

[SwiftSpear]

The whole point of the weight restriction thing is so transports CAN'T lift anything. Why even bother with the restriction if it didn't limit anything?

I would however like to see it possible for transports to lift objects and carry them from water body to water body. It would be great if I could transport around my cruisers and stuff in transport hovers.

[Zoombie]

I just finished playing the Earth 2160 demo, and darn dose that game look and play good. One thing i always wanted for TA, and looks like its comming in SupCom, is a large air transport. Its something about giant drop ships that just plain cool...

Now if the units could rapel down with quicklines that would be over the top, but cool...

I think that air transports should definitly bared from lifting Krogoths, or has that been fixed yet?

[[K.B.] Napalm Cobra]

They released a demo? URL!

[AF]

mwha, I started a thread on this in the dev forum, and ellaborated a lot more on it, then people started discussing somethign else.

Perhaps we could do with a thign next to our starting thread post that showed us a search for similair threads, it might encourage users to goto themthreads rather than start new ones.

[zwzsg]

transports in taspring can only lift ground units vehicles/kbots from what i've seen, and when it comes to unloading amphibious units into the water they can't.

Boats, Hovers, and Planes, are hard coded not to be loadable. Because in XTA an OTA transport are either Boats, Hovers and Planes, and the dev were apparently afraid of transport transporting transport. However, with my scripts that bypass the regular loading procedure, I transported loaded transport, and can tell you Spring would handle perfectly fine transport transporting transport transporting transport transporting transport, etc... As long as the transport relationship thread doesn't loop (Ie, if A transport B and B also transport A, that is bad!)

IMO, those hard coded limit should be removed. Russian dolls transport are great! And I can see many mods who could benefit from them.

Also, would be fine if the script interpreter, when told to attach-unit, checked if the unit that execute the attach command isn't already attached to the unit it is going to attach to, or to an an unit attached to an unit attached to an unit attached to an unit attached to the unit it is going to attach to.

I mean, there's nothing wrong with having a unit already inside a transport to be able to load units, and to a transport to load loaded unit. Just check that the "attach" relationship doesn't loop back.

Also, currently buildings are hard coded to be not loadable.

It think it's perfectly okay that buildings with no mass specified to get a very high mass, and for transport with no TransportMass specified to get a limited TransportMass, so no OTA/XTA transport can transport OTA/XTA buildings, but it is completly wrong to hard code buildings not to be loadable.

I want to be able to specifiy a little mass in a custom LLT tower and have lit liftable by regular Atlas.

I want to be able to specifiy a very high transportmass in a custom giant transport and have it able to transport buildings with the regular procedure.

Transporting buildings, even factories busy nanolathing, works very fine, (save for metal extractor), so there's no reason to hard code them to be unloadable.

eg. if the max weight of a boat 1000 and a atlas can lift 250 then 4 atlas's will be required to lift it out of the water, as for the sea hook the max weight it can lift will be 1000

I truely don't believe in the possibility of multiple transport joining to lift heavier stuff. Because 1) It would be insanely complex to implement. 2) For gameplay reason, IMO, you should be required to built some custom bigger transport in order to transport bigger stuff. Having the very first transport able to load anything when built in mass would just deafeat the whole point of advancing in the buildtree and having more than one kind of transport. And if the mod you play doesn't have giant transport, then you shouldn't be able to transport big units.

also I would like to see a feature where if a air transport is destoryed any unit it was carrying would not die along with the transport instend take falling damage from being dropped

In TA, by using the drop-unit script command inside the killed(..) script, it was possible to have transport unload at the last instant before dying. I haven't tried in Spring, but hopefully it's possible too. (Save that regular plane transport loading script doesn't use the ID, so you'll have to use regular boat / hover transport script on a plane, which is impossible in TA and which I don't know if it is possible in Spring, but I don't care cause I only use irregular loading script). In TA it would only work if the ground below the transport was fit for the dropped unit, but I know Spring doesn't have any problem dropping unit on occupied terrain or dropping land unit on sea, so in Spring the emergency drop your load when killed should work all the times. Last time I tried land unit dropped into sea where insta-pushed to nearest shore. Or was it penultimate last time I tried and last time I tried unit dropped into sea where stuck on the seafloor, unable to fire or move? Anyway, both made some sense and didn't break the engine, so are fine. Taking damage from fall and water could be interesting, but would requires too much work for the dev. So in short, I think you can already have transport that drop their loads when killed, you just have to script them appropriatly.

the commander would then dgun himself out of the transport

Units are deactivated when transported by all OTA and XTA transports. Otherwise, people would load a Hulk with 20 Merls to get a super missile ship, or would load Goliath into Valkyrie to get super fast, super mobile, super heavily armed, attack combo, etc... So it's normal that for gameplay shake units can't fire, build, or do anything while in OTA and XTA transport. However, if you wish, you can make you some custom transport with the isairbase=1; FBI tag so units can fire from inside them.

One thing i always wanted for TA, and looks like its comming in SupCom, is a large air transport. Its something about giant drop ships that just plain cool...

The third party TA scene has some units for you! While Zodius is finishing his giant SupCom inspired dropship, can I offer you some of my M.U.A.T., such as:

• Operation Polaris C130 (model by UnderWare):
  - animated picture
  - still picture
  - OTA version ufo
• TA:Cataclysm Zeppelin mk2 (model by TheRegisteredOne)
  - animated picture
  - web page
  - OTA version ufo
• Axis and Allies TA C47 (model by SpikedHelmet)
  - OTA version ufo
  - forum thread
• World Domination UH60 BlackHawk (model by Ground Zero or Maestro)
  - animated picture
  - OTA version ufo
  - forum thread
• SWTA LAAT (model by the SWTA team)
  - picture
  - SWTA only swx
  - forum thread

I think that air transports should definitly bared from lifting Krogoths, or has that been fixed yet?

That is entirely a balance choice, use or use not the cantbetransported=1; in the Krogoth. But personnaly I think it would be nice if the cantbetransported=1; slowly stopped being used and if people just used the mass in a sensible manner. For instance, making the krogoth just a bit heavier than the max that XTA transports can load, but still allowing third party mega huge supa transport to load them. (Actually, for balance's shake, I believe they should be not transportable by air but transportable by sea.)



So currently I can make transport that loads ships, hovers, anything even buildings, and I can script them to drop unit instant before exploding, however it would be nice if the SY removed the hard coded limits so we could use the regular loading procedure instead of my special transports hacks. Oh, and a check that attach relationships don't loop back must be coded, too.

But otherwise let us able to create epic-sized rolling fortresses that attach cranes to them, cranes which move around transport starships, transport starships which hold in their cargo some transport boats, transport boats having in their hulk many armored vehicles, each armored vehicle having inside some infantry units, infantry units being able to load and unload turrets structures.

[Zoombie]

I have some bad news about the Earth 2160 demo... The LC suck! I HATE THEM!

Darn... the LC was my favoret team, and there campained just had to be annoying as all hell. But some good news is teh ED is still awsom...mmmm russians in space..

URL.. what? Oh here it is

http://www.fileplanet.com/promotions/ea ... _home.aspx

but its on gamespot, so you might need to wait in line... grrrr

[AF]

hhmmm, transports that unlaod before they die transporting transporters fo the same type.

One could thus have a transporter that can transport infinite nubmers of untis, that was fast enough to enter a heavily defended base, as soon as it was destroyed, a huge army appeared and landed in the middle of your base.

It could be done, and ti would be a very big annoyance for many people who suffered from it.

[zwzsg]

But the cost for such a transport would be so huge that by the time it's built and filled, the enemy has already nuked you 300 times.

[TARevenger]

Otherwise, people would load a Hulk with 20 Merls to get a super missile ship

I personally wouldn't do that as the hulk is a sitting duck then boom there goes 20 merls wasted, i would just send a fleet of wombats to do the same job with less worry bout losing them in one go.

and I was meaning the commander would be the only unit that could fire from inside a transport

I transported loaded transport

wouldn't that technicially make the transport heavier using my situation eg if the hulk weighed 1000 plus 5 bulldogs @ 150 = 1750 mass so 4 altas's wouldn't lift it.

also with my original post the max number of air transports that can be used together for a transport operation would be limited by the devs

as for lifting hovers, ships there could just be a line stating canliftship=1 so the sea hook can be used to airlift ships in/out of hotzones quickly

[SwiftSpear]

I'd love it if transports could optionally drop all thier units on death. Specifically air transports are a nightmare if opposing player pick up your comm and then drive them into your own AA defence. Damage taken by the transport transferring over, as well as fall damage, should be quite enough to make that kind of a system workable.

[CaptainMaim]

I know that it sounds like no one wants to code the multiple transports transporting things... I've got no problems with that. My only issue with it actually being done is... Cable physics... I mean, imagine a unit suspended by 4 cables, (I assume that's what's going through TARevenger's mind, unless my interpretation of a sea hook or whatever is wrong. [Why's it called a sea hook anyway?]) Okay my point is, shoot down one transport, and the cargo's no longer being supported evenly, does the engine A) ignore that and let the 3 transports carry it evenly? B) Or does the object and transports list to the side with the weight inbalance? (I'm assuming that it's not too heavy for them, because maybe you attached a surplus number of units. However it the mass is too great I guess all cables would brake and then problem's solved.)

Course shoot off say both front transports and you've just turned your cargo facing down. Or is the engine just supposed to ignore the physics of that situation and make the whole thing look rediculous? I can only see a way out if a repulser type animation effect was used to indicate a tractor beam. I'm only saying that because it could then be visually assumed that the object is being supported from all points from either above or below or both.

However, outside of looking just plain cool.. I don't think that there's any reason why, as someone said, you can't just hoist everything with a massive swarm of these transports? Though in reality that's probably exactly what we'd have to do. Since it's generally too impractical to design a new something to lift something else if it can be done more quickly by other means.

Probably have to write a whole new loading/unloading code.. I've asked for less and got nothing so I wouldn't count on this happening unless you want to do it yourself TARevenger. Nice thought though.

[Pxtl]

That kind of stuff is hard. And nasty. Although cool - there's an old Pysgnosis game called "Lander" (named after the classic) that has goregeous 3D physics for that sort of thing. When hauling cargo, you have to be careful how you stop as the cargo will fling out ahead and pull you along. It's on Underdogs.

At any rate, for simplicity's sake I'd have the other three transports drop the cargo automatically if one is destroyed.

[Maelstrom]

Or go flying into the ground, damaging the unit being carried. That would also look cool. This would be a very interesting feature, and funny to see, but I dont really think its gonna happen unless someone wants to do it themselfs.

[TARevenger]

I know that it sounds like no one wants to code the multiple transports transporting things... I've got no problems with that. My only issue with it actually being done is... Cable physics... I mean, imagine a unit suspended by 4 cables, (I assume that's what's going through TARevenger's mind, unless my interpretation of a sea hook or whatever is wrong. [Why's it called a sea hook anyway?]) Okay my point is, shoot down one transport, and the cargo's no longer being supported evenly, does the engine A) ignore that and let the 3 transports carry it evenly? B) Or does the object and transports list to the side with the weight inbalance? (I'm assuming that it's not too heavy for them, because maybe you attached a surplus number of units. However it the mass is too great I guess all cables would brake and then problem's solved.)

Course shoot off say both front transports and you've just turned your cargo facing down. Or is the engine just supposed to ignore the physics of that situation and make the whole thing look rediculous? I can only see a way out if a repulser type animation effect was used to indicate a tractor beam. I'm only saying that because it could then be visually assumed that the object is being supported from all points from either above or below or both.

However, outside of looking just plain cool.. I don't think that there's any reason why, as someone said, you can't just hoist everything with a massive swarm of these transports? Though in reality that's probably exactly what we'd have to do. Since it's generally too impractical to design a new something to lift something else if it can be done more quickly by other means.

Probably have to write a whole new loading/unloading code.. I've asked for less and got nothing so I wouldn't count on this happening unless you want to do it yourself TARevenger. Nice thought though.

the sea hook was a ship lifting transport Chopper designed by tAAGR.
built by the seaplane platform it can withstand quite a few hits as I flew a colossus carrier over a enemy base once in the original TA.

while testing in taspring I found that it had an extra ability although it can't lift ships in spring it can pick upto 3 units at once.
unload 9 flashes with 3 sea hooks.

you may find it here http://www.tafansite.com/index.php?page ... libGUgPSAw

and if one or two transports were shotdown during a 4 transports operation the other ones would just abort and drop the unit

[AF]

ahem, I suggested the whole cable thing previously in the original thread, I wodner just how many mroe fo what I wrote is going to be regurgitated.....

Anyways untis should drop all their units as it is now instead of going boom, then fall and get damaged when they land.

[TARevenger]

ahem, I suggested the whole cable thing previously in the original thread, I wodner just how many mroe fo what I wrote is going to be regurgitated.....

Anyways untis should drop all their units as it is now instead of going boom, then fall and get damaged when they land.

I never mentioned cable in the post but your system would have been the same so i'm sorry

the main idea was that all the mobile units weren't enabled to be transported (hovers, aircraft, ships) even if they enabled them for the OTA mod and not for the XTA mod i'd be happy , and that amphibous units couldn't be unloaded in the water.
and by the way that 3rd party unit "deployable bridge" doesn't work in taspring

Sorry again

[zwzsg]

and by the way that 3rd party unit "deployable bridge" doesn't work in taspring

By the time it was made, Spring hadn't been released. So I couldn't already know how to make it Spring compatible.

Just open the FBI, and add the line: transportcapacity=60000; and then it works. Here's the ufo with the change: FlatBridgeV8spring.ufo

Well, it's still pretty tricky to use, and having the ends of the bridge hidden by the ground makes it hard to know where to send unit to have them grabbed. If there's demand for it, I could rescript it so it's longer and so it positions both ends just over the ground surface.

[SwiftSpear]

also I would like to see a feature where if a air transport is destoryed any unit it was carrying would not die along with the transport instend take falling damage from being dropped

In TA, by using the drop-unit script command inside the killed(..) script, it was possible to have transport unload at the last instant before dying. I haven't tried in Spring, but hopefully it's possible too. (Save that regular plane transport loading script doesn't use the ID, so you'll have to use regular boat / hover transport script on a plane, which is impossible in TA and which I don't know if it is possible in Spring, but I don't care cause I only use irregular loading script). In TA it would only work if the ground below the transport was fit for the dropped unit, but I know Spring doesn't have any problem dropping unit on occupied terrain or dropping land unit on sea, so in Spring the emergency drop your load when killed should work all the times. Last time I tried land unit dropped into sea where insta-pushed to nearest shore. Or was it penultimate last time I tried and last time I tried unit dropped into sea where stuck on the seafloor, unable to fire or move? Anyway, both made some sense and didn't break the engine, so are fine. Taking damage from fall and water could be interesting, but would requires too much work for the dev. So in short, I think you can already have transport that drop their loads when killed, you just have to script them appropriatly.

Woah, too much work for the devolpers? Spring already has momentum based fall damaged for explotion thrown units and a tag that allows water to do damage to any unit that goes into it... Making fall damage and damage to land units stuck in water should basicly be just as simple as allowing scripters to throw units into explotion trajectories, and allowing scripters to call water damage commands for indiviual units, and not just restricting it to a mapping tag. It might be possible with full lua script implimentation already.

[edit] you could potentially make acid resistant sea units for acid maps if these changes were applied as well.