Mortar Bikes piloted by humans

[aougli]

I'd be interested to hear what, if anything should be done about humans piloting Mortar Bikes.

In stock 1.2 and FE  they weren't used by human pilots if the Rec was still available.  I was looking forward to them being available again.  

In the 1.3 stock version (the vet Rec patch/mod doesn't alter them) they are almost impossible to hit with anything, including Blast and Shadower.  I asked several people to shoot me and after a few minutes I had over 80% health, having done myself more damage from the hard ground than from enemy fire.  And this wasn't anything to do with hovering, I was just whizzing around over hills and getting some height and moving erratically.

I'd still rather have an upgraded scout, and if your Rec has gone, I guess almost anything goes.

So any thoughts?  Acceptable to pilot the MB without restriction?

[SilverB1rd]

I would suggest allowing a fast top speed but lowering the strafing accell and speed this would fit the mortar bike as a fast attack ranged unit, and not a dogfighting unit.

[aougli]

Would it make sense for Shadowers and FAF to lock on really fast to MBs?  Dunno what Scions would do though.

[technoid]

I would start with Pandi's initial vision of the Jackal (JA 7M7-K) first and then go from there (and also gameplay experience from patches 1.0-1.2)...

Speed = Fast
Turning rate = High
Armor = None
HP = Mortar

Note that turn rate is different from strafing.

Per Pandi's "history" of this hoverbike, it used to be a recon unit.  Then it got outfitted with mortar for combat when the Scions arrived.  It's meant to be a long range hitter against slow units and/or stationary structures.

I believe the bike was also tweaked (ODF) to deplete or reduce static hovering.

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

it still warps 2 much...
in any mod.. the bz2 engine cant seem to handle it..

i've been told in ZST mod it doesnt warp as much as stock 1.2 but i find it still warping more then usualy and unhitable with weapons like blast, arc and laser which are constant weapons.. u have to spray around with chain / mini and ull might get few hits...

1st fix the warping of everything else (tanks, AI units and most importent - souts)
all my games so far were realy warpy, exept the server
i could hit the server great and he told me no1 warps for him but i couldnt hit any1 else....

the server is not the best but i heard from alot that 1.3 warps badlier then 1.2 even on stable servers

[appel]

If you're driving a mortar bike you tend to use it to drive up hills, get a lot of speed and altitude. That's always the case, no matter what you say, the mortar bike is still going to be used like that. Mortar from higher ground than the target.

I believe the mortar bike shouldn't be *allowed* as human piloted in MP games, I tested one of them where the enemy has like 4 assault tanks, 4 turrets and 6 rocket tanks and I just flew around them killing them without taking ANY damage.

I also flew through aougli's base in one game, just flying around in it, and nothing could hit me.

Human piloted mortar bikes in 1.3 = unhittable

[SilverB1rd]

I would suggest allowing a fast top speed but lowering the strafing accell and speed this would fit the mortar bike as a fast attack ranged unit, and not a dogfighting unit.

the other effect of this would to be reduce the warp cuased by side thrusting alot.

[Dirty Rooster]

I was trying to hit Aougli's Mbike with my blast sabre,
occasionally its health would dip to red, but then
resynch or half a second later it would be green, not hit.
I tried aiming ahead,
tried aiming behind,
aimed AT it of course,
dammit I never got a good hit on it in 10 minutes of
occasional combat.

Why the heck is 1.3 like this?? It was NOT warp, the
thing wasn't warping AT ALL. He was simply hitting hills,
looping over at about 200m, flying around without
much strafing it appeared.

I can hit Sabres and warriors in 1.3 with blast and laser
no problem at all.

Something is wierd.
By the way, I think Aougli was server in that game.

APC pilots died fine for me.

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

its sad but mtr bike was always forbideen.. well i realy dont know about FE but i dont think ever seeing some1 drives a mtr bike and not getting shouted (only saw some1 driving bike in 1.2)
never saw some1 drive em in FE and ZST
i assumed cause ppl didnt change them but then i was told they were

[Giguana]

I seem to have alot of success at hiting mortar bikes when I host a DM or when I play DM. I havn't got the chance to engage one in a strat.

[PhoeniX-FlamE]

with blast / laser and other constant weapons?
i gotta see that

[aougli]

Yes, I think I was server.  I don't think not taking  *any* damage from enemy fire after requesting that everyone on the other team shoot at me and staying in the centre area can be entirely explained by resynchs.  *Every* time anyone tried to shoot me the game resynched?  Doubt it, might have happened once or twice, but I don't think that is the full explanation.  I only remember being hit once, and that was by a blast or laser, and my health went green-yellow-green.

btw, DR is often in FE strat games I host without much of a problem, though neither of us pilot Mortar Bikes in those games.

[Zero Angel]

Mortar bikes have always been illegal, even FE bikes; and enforcing that rule has never, ever, been an issue.

Their unhitability, speed, and  hovering; not to mention cost; ensures that if you use a bike, then so do I, then hoot hits the fan and the game is ruined.

[Jwk the Hemp Monkey]

um...i was under the impression that the bikes had radically altered speed properties in FE, and so did not become 'unhitable' as before...just hard.

1,2...sure...unacceptable.

but in FE i never seemed to mind fighting them, i do not remember being seriously annoyed with them, they died under my fireball and slicers fine

Perhaps taking the FE vechile charastics and sticking them in 1.3 might be something to test.

[Jwk the Hemp Monkey]

infact...

http://www.bz2cp.com/manual/rules.htm

god not having an edit function is getting annoying.

anyway, it says in 'rules for bzii' quite clearly...

......veterans at this time. Follow these guidelines and you will likely have the most rewarding gaming experience with the least amount of friction amongst different players. Please notice that "No driving Mortarbikes by humans" is another rule that is used with version 1.2 games. That rule hasn’t been included here since the handling characteristics of Mortarbikes that made them unhittable has been corrected for Forgotten Enemies.



Universal Rules for Ba.....