If this is made, it shouldn't be a tank killer, tanks and aircraft should be the counter to it. It should have a very large range, and the shells should be very visible when they are flying toward their target so that it does not become a spamming outpost trying to get a lucky hit on some unsuspecting tank. It's primary role should be to attack buildings from far away where it can barely see the enemy base, providing for the need for scouts. The current arty-scout team is just an arty hiding behind something like the middle cliff in canyon or sitting at middle in crossroads and spamming over the hill at any scout marked targets or just running up to the front line and spamming any thing that it can see. This arty would need to be slow, but have a sense of power (think the sound that a nuke cannon made in C&C generals).
It should still be effective against the first tanks that roll on the battlefield, those that don't have many or any researched armor or armaments.
Perhaps this could replace artillery tanks all together? The field gun could be mounted on the flatbed of a truck. From there it can rotate 360 degrees, aim up and down, but it can't aim straight ahead. Only one player could be in the vehicle at a time. To use the artillery the player would switch to seat 2 (seat one would be locked like when in Comm), and then have to wait a few seconds for stabilizers to deploy. Then they would have a first person view down the side of the cannon, but not obscuring the area in front of them. The cannon could also have indicators along the side to assist in measuring angle, e.g. like with the mortar.
I disagree almost entirely. It should not be like a howitzer (as you seem to imply). Especially since this will be lower-tech. I think this should be used to take out smaller targets than the artillary tank in there now. It will be used against tanks and as a general infantry support unit. What I'm thinking is something closer to the AT guns in Company of Heroes. We should leave the base-crushing to the already exisiting artillary tanks (which still need to be tweaked). What i'm thinking is that this artillary will not be able to shoot as far as the mobile artillary, it will have much less splash damage, and it will have less protection for the user from infantry fire. Light Artillary --> Anti-tank, good against light outposts Mobile Artillary --> Anti-building, not great against tanks but good against infantry
yeah, this arty should be for tanks 100%. it should have a very low projectile angle, and a limited ability to fire up, perhaps +-30%. so it fires very fast projectile, very low arc. it would be a great thing to take out tanks, especially if it's backed up with infantry / walls. the counter to it would definately be infantry, because it fires to slowly (RoF). the infantry can take out the men manning it. IMO it should have a lot of health (barracks health?), meaning that just shooting at the front of it would not be effective. the men manning it can just be taken out.
I agree. And it would be an interesting implimentation to make it an "open" weapon, where you could walk up and use it without getting into the gun, as sandbag suggested. It would add quite a bit of atmosphere to be crouching behind the cover of the gun, fire it, peek out the side to check the shell and other enemies, and then duck back as a hail of bullets seeks you. As a semi-front line gun it would force enemy tanks to keep on the move, adding more considerations to tank battles than just sitting and beating each other down. And, as cheap, low arc artillery, it would fulfill a role that would not be eclipsed by mobile howitzers.
I mostly agree wiht Falcon, infact I modeled that cannon after me and Krenzo were playing Company of Heroes. He loved the AT gun and I loved the Half track with the 4 50. cals on the back *insert huge grin for the unsuspecting people* It would be a anti tank weapon, availible at the start, relativly cheap, high velocity and low arc. My one change would be to have the choice of loading AP rounds or HE rounds. Once a round is in the gun it must be fired to load another so no just hitting the number 2 key to mow down some infantry. The AP rounds should have almost no splash damage but intense high damage. HE rounds have medium splahs but only enough damage to kill inf and jeeps. This would be better than ML turrets due to thier higher damage and higher accurecy (no more dodging missles fired from far away) but you have to man it and move it around (make it be able to be pushed very slowly or towed quickly, ofcourse able to be air lifted). I love the idea.
In my view they'd simply serve a different role. Whereas ML turrets are automated defense systems, these would be short range artillery.
I know what he meant, I'm just saying to balance it make it so only jeeps can tow it. Wouldnt be fair for a heavy tank to be towing a howitzer.
Why not? A heavy tank would clearly be less manuverable with the field gun (different from howitzer) attached, in addition to the huge blindspot created by not really being able to fire directly backwards. But also, read Megel's post a little more carefully.
I see where you're comming from, but disagree. as this is going to have almost NO mobility, it needs to be able to take a few rounds. its weakness is that you can quickly take down the men behind it. and by quickly, i mean in less than a pair of seconds if you're a good rifleman. does anyone like this idea: I know i do, though it may be too complicated for some. you know how in half life, when you pick up certain objects like the long gas bottles, they align themselves to face the right direction? these shells could do just that to fit into the barrel.
I mean its unfair as in you have a powerful tank attacking a base, and then his buddy hops out and starts shelling you with the field gun. Then the tank can just drive off with the field gun. For balance, the field gun should only be towable by jeeps, or perhaps it comes with a small, one man vehicle for towing. Also, if a tank tows it, it could use the tank as a shield.
