Tank crew: loader... what if he dies?

[MagicSnake]

That:

There will be extra animation for gunner I'm sure and this will slow you and give you less time to aim. Plus this explain Ramm sick logic of shooting loader just to make gunner on opposing tank suffer

That:

I think TWI also considers it realistic that if the loader gets killed, somebody else in the tank can load. It'll take longer, but I dont' see why it's physically impossible for the gunner to squeeze in and reload the breach, and go back to his seat.


That's like saying if an MGer infantry gets killed, that MG can no longer be used. Of course somebody else can and will grab it if given a chance, and use it.

And that:

And if you want to do annything about it someone would have to sit at the loaders place and play that "loading mini game".

1. Going to "that supply-place-thingy" and instantly getting a fresh loader isn't realistic
2. Tankers are trained in all aspects of their tank, if someone is hurt someone else can fill in. It wasn't uncommon for loaders to die in WW2, and the tankers didn't abandon their tank or go to a resupply thingy, they took the extra time to reload the shells or had the hull MGer load.
3. Mini games are not fun, not even sure how you would implement shell loading that would make it any fun or realistic in any way.

Points 1. and 2. I agree with very much.
Point 3.: "mini-game" could be made quite simple: say, holding "R" (reload key) for a few seconds could make the player move to the loader seat. Then, something like a well-timed press of the "R" key (at some appropriate time) would optimize reload time, so a perfect timing gives a reload time equal to that of the AI loader (+ the time it takes to move to his seat, of course), whereas a bad timing gives a penalty. Not pressing the "R" key falls somewhere between the two. It's simplistic, it's shamelessly borrowed from Gears of Wars, but it adds that little "hey, I'm doing something! And I my good timing makes me reload better" element to engage the player somewhat in the otherwise very passive (for the player: no input) animation of going from the gunner seat to the loader seat and reload.

Feel very free to disagree

Of course another, simpler solution would be to order a remaining AI crew member to reload the cannon when it's empty (so as the gunner, say when you simply press "R" (without holding it), an AI moves from his position to load the cannon, then moves back to his original seat).

Just some thoughts.

 

[SSMorphine]

if by any chance the loader becomes playable I believe a simple 2 key combination plus a third to choose ammunition is sufficient.

x key to pick the shell and insert it in the cannon
y key to pull the lever or whatever they did to lock the cannon "door" thingy

z key to choose between ammunition


but you make a point, a good loader could significantly decrease reloading time thus making the process more efficient, that delay on the reload could spell the difference between making the other one die for his country or becoming a hulk of worthless steel.

 

[Chadwiick]

Ok, from what I have heard, the logical thing is that if everyone is dead, the last man/woman/child/alien standing (you) would end up after you shoot, you click a button so you can do the animation of moving your body to reload, now if only the loader dies, then you should be able to say "Hull MG, or Driver load NOAW!".

 

[Fuhrer Cool]

I'd have liked to play the loader

 

[zauii]

It would be quite annoying to have to drive all the way to a supply station just because the loader is dead.(If thats the scenario that occurs)

 

[Nylle]

I absolutley agree with you guys! Instantly resupplying a gunner/loader is not realistic. And yes indeed, the commander or gunenr should be able to load the gun. Why I say commander is because tank commanders are trained in all aspects of a tank, and gunner just because you gys said it and it might not be so bad.
I would be werry dissapointed if the loader can only be AI and if he dies you would just recive a loding speed penalty.
Once again, how can you not agrre with SheepDip, that sheep is jus so f*ing cute! =)

 

[Frostedfire]

I just thought of something important...

where do you have to shoot the tank to hit the loader?

 

[jalex3]

I just thought of something important...

where do you have to shoot the tank to hit the loader?

look at the pictures, id think a nice shell on his side would do it. perhaps kill them all if you hit the tanks shells.

 

[CopperHead]

If the loader dies, you still have the hull mg. You could also always go and start running sucka's down with your treads!

 

[Fedorov]

I'll repeat what I said in the other thread:

Ok, so now that we know that other AI will substitute the loader until you run out of AIs

I'm thinking that this will discourage filling a tank with human players, because the loader dying would force them to resupply, giving an advantage to solo tankers who don't need to.

I have an idea to fix this, without compromising the ideal TWI had.

Make it playable, but ONLY after the AI loader dies, so any player can move there and do the job in case of an emergency.

 

[Placebo Cyanide]

I agree with Fedorov. Making the tank loader the lynch pin of the tank gives the advantage to solo tankers. In a fully-human crewed tank, a tank loader being killed would force them to resupply before they could even think about confronting other tanks.

 

[Blue Orchestra]

But, it's also important to remember that the humans in the tank could be better than the AI, giving the humans an advantage.

 

[Sichartshofen]

A human loader could enable the tank to reload faster. Giving your tank a higher rate of fire then a tank with an AI loader.

 

[Colt .45 killer]

A human loader could enable the tank to reload faster. Giving your tank a higher rate of fire then a tank with an AI loader.

ding.

That and what fed said, which I said on the IRC but dident get a responce too. Many things in the game (manual bolting or automatic) give the player the ability to do it just a wee bit faster or better then the automatic easier counterpart. No reason why it shouldent apply here.

 

[LemoN]

Make it playable, but ONLY after the AI loader dies, so any player can move there and do the job in case of an emergency.

Or just enable the gun to be loaded from the gunner's position. There are ready racks on both sides of the turret and the magazines also are on both sides.

 

[dsi1]

It's really simple, if the AI loader dies either whoever presses R to load shell goes and loads it. Or, if there are other AI, one of them picks up the slack, then gets back to position.

 

[Forssen]

A human loader could enable the tank to reload faster. Giving your tank a higher rate of fire then a tank with an AI loader.

I don't think there should be any encouragement to have an human loader except when really needed.

 

[213]

yep, if you want to play a tank, get used to the pitfalls. the difficulties of tanking is one thing that hasn't been sacrificed for the console kiddies. keep it that way. thanks

 

[WinTurkey]

If the tank loader is unplayable, what happens if he gets killed?

If the tank loader is unplayable, what happens if he gets killed?

You can't play as the loader crewman, if he gets killed I imagine one of the AI teammates will fill his position (assuming the AI crew are able to change positions in the tank like a player), but what happens if the other 3 crewmen are players? Does someone have to choose to basically respawn while the character they were playing is given over to AI so he can take the loader position?

 

[Frostedfire]

somewhere in one of the previous threads on the loader question this came up (anyone that's doing a use-search post give us a page number instead of leaving us to dredge 3 pages at a time forwards/backwards through the thread) and I believe it's stiff-****-you-load-by-hand. which is quite reasonable, considering the alternative would be, as you said, to have a crewman essentially commit suicide, then follow that up with a real-life suicide waiting for the tank to die and respawn on one of the fantastically-large tanking maps