I'd like it but it needs extensive animations and extensive code support, calculating where a bipod is viable is no easy feat.
... why not use the engy turret function? tighten it up to a much smaller radius around yourself. As for animation/models... ya that would need some doing.
You mean you place yourself down as a turret? I'm not sure you understand, that's very different. The engy turret works by casting a ray from the player, hitting the ground and then trying to place the turret flat on the surface, if the turret collides with too much or is angled too much it won't place. With this you're looking to find a flat plane near the player, not necessarily where the player is looking, which can cause quite a bit of difficulty, it's possible, they did it in DoD, but I think a lot of DoD's MG stuff is smoke and mirrors.
Empty, AFAIK the bipod mounting code in every game is smoke and mirrors. Animation-wise, just have the first person model lmg shift from right hand to bottom center just like the rifle ADS animations. It would be worth it to code it and test it first to get a feel for how it should look in third person. Third person should be an after thought though. Mechanics-wise, just have it do as you said. check if there's a surface in front of the player and then if that surface is in the corresponding height threshold for the player's current state (crouching, standing or proning) then allow the player to deploy the lmp bipod. If the original mounting surface leaves that height threshold by either having been blown up, built taller or if the player changes state program it to undeploy the bipod. There may be gaps and holes here and there, but the LMG is an incomplete weapon as it is imo. It always has been.
I, for one, would be happy with just being able to use ironsights while prone. What about making the LMG slightly change its shape when using ironsights (for example metal parts sliding out to both the right and the left of the weapon) instead of the usual bi/tripod?
All I want is working ironsights, I just want them.... I just want to see what im shooting long range... plz gib it to mg... I'm not asking for accuracy buffs, damage, or anything. I just want to see what im hitting... Tape binoculars to it, if you have too. Give me the shitty counter strike source AUG zoom, just anything to make my targets not get obscured by my weapon model.
To be honest, it's probably best to just code in the functionality and worry about visuals later so we can at least see what impact it has on gameplay.
I've been wanting this since ages. And iron sights for all guns. But I honestly don't really feel compelled to make models for something that won't ever get in. For that, ACU and Alien's grasp is too stronk.
Yeah, empires will always feel more of an arcadey shooter to me, so having a melee option is better. Though I still like iron sights on the rifles just so I can see those tiny ass pixels a bit better, which is why I never minded the long iron sight animation.
I see absolutely no reason why we shouldn't have both. I never said it should replace melee. You only assumed that, because it's on the same button which is melee for some guns and iron sights for others.
now im wondering, what do you guys have MMB bound to? i have "use" there, but im used to have use on a different key in games that have both melee and ironsights, so no big issue for me if we get both and MMB defaults to melee. edit: really, under consideration? ill never get how you guys decide what its going in at some point and whats not. do you roll dice?