Most comms, even very good comms, don't build repair facilities unless someone bugs them too. I don't understand why though, repair facs are possibly the most cost effective building in the game, other then refineries. -You can repair, so those silly people who make tanks without being an engi don't waste them. And people who are engis can repair faster, wasting less time. -You can rearm, which shouldn't ever be a problem but somehow is because people don't always drop ammo boxes for tanks. -You can upgrade, so people that can keep tanks alive can upgrade and continue to be useful -More base is always better then less base. If the enemy kills it then they didn't kill an important building or expensive tank. -Two people can repair at a time on it, unless they push each other off or are stupid about it. Three people can fit sometimes, although I don't know if it will repair that many people at once... Seriously, just toss one of these things in a discrete location close to the front lines with a turret or two to scare away the ninjas.
Reason why we some of us don't build them: Someone has to build it after we placed 'em . It distracts(wrong spelled?) us from doing other stuff to few people actually buys tanks We're lazy.
I always build repair stations. I think they are one of the most under-placed buildings in the game (next to armories).
Since... err... well, I don't remember actually. But you can do it by going onto a repair pad and pressing the vehicle menu hotkey (default is V). Then you select your chassis and refit you tank.
Version 1.08 Beta Build 139/RC 18 Changes: * Added: vehicles can now be customized at a repair station:
I mostly don't build them because they are so big and hard to place somewhere in a safe place yet enough near the front line so tanks don't have to drive long distances and they would actually use them.
and i want that flash and thunder from heaven strikes every stupid tank driver that thinks he is more important than everyone else and camps the whole battle at the repair station, blocking it all the time.
Engineers can do most of the stuff themselves, plus they don't block off tighter chokepoints so the tanks can still move. (most of the time anyway )
Repair stations don't have much use for me. Bug an engineer to repair and rearm you, or just go back to the forward base and do it yourself/bug one there. Upgrades aren't that useful, because I research the armor I'm going to use right off the bat, so the only real use is to upgrade a med to a 2 slot cannon, which is going to be one or two tanks at most usually.
Problems occur when you're comm doesn't do that, or early game when nothing is researched. I find it useful aswell if new ml's/cannons are researched. Best uses I can think of are, when be get rail heavies you use the repair pad to change to absorbant to save the team from absolute rapage. Also if you are in an nf tank and you have a clear shot at their base, you may want to change all your weapons to missiles for a short time and kill all their buildings then change back to anti-tank weapons.
Yeah, a late game absorbant refit is a potential use, but then you run up against the problem of it taking your heavy off the field for about 90 seconds while the armour recharges. If they made the refit work a bit better, I'd use it more often, but at the moment I'm more inclined to make do with what I have.
Well the only changes I can think of that would be useful is if you don't change your armor not to have it reset to 0 and maybe give the building a bit more health so they last a little longer.
I do my repairs in the field too. Alot of people insist on being rifleman or grenadier when they drive tanks, and its better to give them a place to repair then have them sitting in the corner spamming the need repairs command. Toward the end it doesn't matter so much, because you will have whatever armor and engine you are using. They can be usefull for upgrading missiles and switching to coolant engine, but they are much more useful earlier in the game when things are being researched and a couple tanks with new armor can make a big difference.
I think repair pads should boost the repair rate massively if your tank isn't being shot at or shooting itself, that would make them more useful, say five seconds or so to repair a heavy with fulll plating.
Play a game with Dizzy, he places more armories than he does refs. They are good for small outposts to get quick ammo and armor and give you some good protection
On Money, a repair pad's great jsut outside the bridge barricades, because an engineer outside of a tank tends to explode a lot.
