There's a lot of truth in this post, but there are also some things I disagree with.Halftracks are already pretty useful, I think. But they need the right kind of maps to MAKE people want to use them properly. Obviously, they're all vulnerable to the whole "drive off on your own" thing, but that can't be solved. They're still very useful for PROPER usage of the halftrack.
Look, here's the deal. Whether the HT is vulnerable to nades or not, you shouldn't be bringing them to within nading distance. That's not how they're supposed to be used. If that were done, then any jackass could just stand behind the HT and wait for idiot Germans to exit and then mow them down. The HT is supposed to be used to bring troops NEAR the objective, not right on top of it.
What's more, the MG provides covering/suppressive fire while the troops disembark, and acts as a mobile MG nest. If you use the halftracks this way, they're actually incredibly useful. Remember, the main goal is simply to cover the wide open areas in a way that brings troops in close and shielded from small arms fire. That's it. Once they're within sprinting distance, everyone bails out (except driver and gunner) and charges the position. The half track is just designed to get you close enough to do that, not right into the trench itself. If you're taking it that close, you deserve to be naded.
You're underestimating just how far grenades can be thrown. As far as I'm concerned, if a halftrack closes within around 20m of my position, it's fair game for a grenade toss. They certainly don't need to be right next to you.Look, here's the deal. Whether the HT is vulnerable to nades or not, you shouldn't be bringing them to within nading distance. That's not how they're supposed to be used. If that were done, then any jackass could just stand behind the HT and wait for idiot Germans to exit and then mow them down. The HT is supposed to be used to bring troops NEAR the objective, not right on top of it.
I don't think they're really that useful in that role in most situations. As I mentioned before, the 'shield' on the German halftrack gives woefully little protection to the gunner, even against rifle fire from the front, all it really does seem to accomplish is obscure the gunner's FoV sufficiently to make it harder for him to see (and target) enemies before they draw a bead on him.What's more, the MG provides covering/suppressive fire while the troops disembark, and acts as a mobile MG nest. If you use the halftracks this way, they're actually incredibly useful.
Um...well, we could go the BF1942 route and make halftracks able to supply ammo...
*Ducks and Covers*
How about the option for mappers to have MG42's mounted on the half track instead of the 34.
Well what kind of equipment did the troops leave in there? I thought that when they got out they would have taken most of it with them
Um...well, we could go the BF1942 route and make halftracks able to supply ammo...
*Ducks and Covers*
QFT.Problems with the half track
1. Grenades kill you even when they land next to you, Fix it so they have to actually be above you or in the back.
2. The shield gets in the way. Fix = Scrolling up on mouse so you can look over the shield, should be able to scroll down to duck and hide under the main armour
3. The gunner is too exposed you can just hose the HT with a MG and you always get a kill, Fix = Make the gunner ducked down a little more behind the shield in 3rd person. This will help vulnerability of the gunner too.
4. Teleporting out of vehicles, Fix = Animation (need one for them diving over the side, like in my sig, unfortunatly this equals an *** load of work!)
(A problem i find, but would change it a lot)
5. Belt is too small on the MG, Fix = Add a belt for the 34. (would be nice to have this for the ground gun too as an option)
Possible additions
-Allow for a MG'er to use his MG on the rearward mount. (tricky)
-Allow riflemen to fire from the half-track (pretty exploitable, imagine a HT going along raining satchels )
Maybe add a Half Track driver role? .