Something that's always bothered me is when the military units of games set in the far future (like Planetfall) can't do things that our present-day military units can do in real life. To rectify this, I present Artillery and Air Support: A Not-So-Modest Proposal. Before I go into the details, let me first point out that I really like how basic infantry units like the Vanguard Trooper work in combat: shooting an assault rifle or throwing a grenade works pretty much how you'd expect it to from real life, from cover mattering to grazes happening. I want long-range units to make just as much intuitive sense. So without further ado:
Artillery
Artillery units should be built in cities and moved around the strategic map just like regular units. (Obviously, each race would have its own unique flavor of units.) Unlike regular units, they would have an Operational Support Range, measured in hexes on the strategic map. Obviously, an artillery unit would be able to bombard enemy armies within that range, damaging them. But there's more! Whenever a friendly army (including an ally's army) enters combat within that Operational Support Range, the artillery unit would be available to assist. The units in tactical combat would have to perform actions (the details of which could vary by both race and unit) to call in an artillery strike on an enemy position. For example, a laser unit might have to use the single action "paint a target" to allow the army's commander to use the "Call for Artillery Strike" free action.
When the artillery strike comes, it would be very similar to an operation in that it would deal massive damage to a multihex area. Modding the artillery unit could provide extra effects. It would also be possible for the artillery to miss, destroying terrain, structures, or even friendly units.
To make sure these powerful abilities aren't overused, each artillery unit should have an Ammo Counter: a unit-specific number of times it can bombard per strategic turn. Each use of artillery, either in tactical combat or on the strategic map, would reduce the Ammo Counter. If an artillery unit's Ammo Counter is depleted softening up enemy armies on the strategic map, it won't be available to help in tactical combat until the next turn, and vice versa. Artillery should also have fewer base movement points than regular units.
What's the downside, you ask? Artillery is vulnerable to capture via ground assault. If an artillery unit ever finds itself in tactical combat, it has serious disadvantages. Artillery is built for long-range bombardment, which means that from the center of the tactical combat map, it would only be able to strike the farthest three hexes in the direction it is facing (an ability like the Engineer's Targeting Calibration might reduce this penalty, but only slightly). It must also use an action to ground itself before it can fire. If all of its escort units are killed, enemies can take possession of your artillery and use it against you (or they can destroy it altogether).
Naval units like the Vanguard Battleship should also have an artillery bombardment ability (though perhaps less powerful than land-based artillery units), making coastal bombardment a reality at last!
Aircraft
The game's current aircraft basically feel like ground units that can float. At best, they're like watered-down versions of a modern attack helicopter, but even then they don't adequately portray just how big of a difference air power makes on a battlefield.
I suggest, as an addition to the current air units, something more analogous to modern fighter-bombers. Though built in cities, these units would not be moved around the map like regular units. Instead, they would be based on a city, sector base, or forward base tile, from which they could perform a variety of missions (the Civilization franchise has used this mechanic in the past). Since this is the future, all these units would employ VTOL (Vertical Take Off & Landing) systems, so runways need not be built. The normal army limit of 6 units per hex would apply separately to aircraft (e.g., 6 aircraft and 6 regular units MAX on the same forward base).
Aircraft would also have an Operational Support Range, but theirs would be measured in Sectors rather than hexes. So with an Operational Support Range of 3, an aircraft unit would be able to hit any target within 3 Sectors of its current base. Much like artillery, aircraft could both bomb enemies from the strategic map and be called in to assist friendly units in tactical combat. Unlike artillery, (which has to be fairly close to the battle to intervene), air support would be delayed 1 tactical combat turn for each sector the aircraft has to traverse to get to the fight (yes, it would be zero if the combat is happening in the sector where the aircraft is based--home field advantage). Aircraft would also be able to perform unique actions like reconnoitering a sector within range or intercepting enemy air units on missions.
Also like artillery, aircraft would have a Fuel Counter (representing both actual fuel as well as ordinance) limiting how many actions they could take per strategic turn. Technology and mods could increase this number (for example, an "External Fuel Pods" mod that increases the unit's Operational Support Range by 1 but also makes it more likely to suffer critical hits).
In tactical combat, an aircraft strike would do high-accuracy, massive damage to multiple hexes and possibly multiple targets. As in real life, this kind of air power could literally turn defeat into victory--AS AIR POWER SHOULD!!!
Downsides: As in real life, each aircraft unit should be VERY expensive to both build and maintain. They would also be vulnerable to units with anti-air mods, who could potentially shoot down an aircraft in tactical combat before it completes its strike. Finally, in the event of a ground assault on their base, the aircraft would either have to power up and flee (assuming they have any fuel points left) or be captured or destroyed. They would not be able to fight back while on defense.
As for the naval side of things, I have two words: AIRCRAFT CARRIERS. A floating forward base that can carry up to 6 air units. 'Nuff said.
City Defense
How to defend your cities against these awesome weapons? By using then on defense, of course! In addition to stationing aircraft and artillery in cities as defenders, once the respective technologies are researched, cities would be able to build Artillery Emplacements and Anti-air Defenses in addition to the basic defense turrets. These new defense structures would appear at the very back edge of the map (both to let the artillery be useful and to protect them from being overrun), and they would act like the current defense structures in tactical combat. (Yes, this implies that cities would be able to bombard besieging armies with their artillery--probably not doing enough damage to break the siege, but every point counts, right??)
This also means that cities with these structures would need to be softened up by artillery and/or aircraft before they could be easily taken. Artillery bombardment on a city would destroy random buildings, but an unimpeded air assault would allow players to choose a target within the city to destroy (if all goes well). Because if we have smart bombs in 2021, we really deserve to have them in the future, too!
If you liked this proposal, please let the devs know!
Artillery
Artillery units should be built in cities and moved around the strategic map just like regular units. (Obviously, each race would have its own unique flavor of units.) Unlike regular units, they would have an Operational Support Range, measured in hexes on the strategic map. Obviously, an artillery unit would be able to bombard enemy armies within that range, damaging them. But there's more! Whenever a friendly army (including an ally's army) enters combat within that Operational Support Range, the artillery unit would be available to assist. The units in tactical combat would have to perform actions (the details of which could vary by both race and unit) to call in an artillery strike on an enemy position. For example, a laser unit might have to use the single action "paint a target" to allow the army's commander to use the "Call for Artillery Strike" free action.
When the artillery strike comes, it would be very similar to an operation in that it would deal massive damage to a multihex area. Modding the artillery unit could provide extra effects. It would also be possible for the artillery to miss, destroying terrain, structures, or even friendly units.
To make sure these powerful abilities aren't overused, each artillery unit should have an Ammo Counter: a unit-specific number of times it can bombard per strategic turn. Each use of artillery, either in tactical combat or on the strategic map, would reduce the Ammo Counter. If an artillery unit's Ammo Counter is depleted softening up enemy armies on the strategic map, it won't be available to help in tactical combat until the next turn, and vice versa. Artillery should also have fewer base movement points than regular units.
What's the downside, you ask? Artillery is vulnerable to capture via ground assault. If an artillery unit ever finds itself in tactical combat, it has serious disadvantages. Artillery is built for long-range bombardment, which means that from the center of the tactical combat map, it would only be able to strike the farthest three hexes in the direction it is facing (an ability like the Engineer's Targeting Calibration might reduce this penalty, but only slightly). It must also use an action to ground itself before it can fire. If all of its escort units are killed, enemies can take possession of your artillery and use it against you (or they can destroy it altogether).
Naval units like the Vanguard Battleship should also have an artillery bombardment ability (though perhaps less powerful than land-based artillery units), making coastal bombardment a reality at last!
Aircraft
The game's current aircraft basically feel like ground units that can float. At best, they're like watered-down versions of a modern attack helicopter, but even then they don't adequately portray just how big of a difference air power makes on a battlefield.
I suggest, as an addition to the current air units, something more analogous to modern fighter-bombers. Though built in cities, these units would not be moved around the map like regular units. Instead, they would be based on a city, sector base, or forward base tile, from which they could perform a variety of missions (the Civilization franchise has used this mechanic in the past). Since this is the future, all these units would employ VTOL (Vertical Take Off & Landing) systems, so runways need not be built. The normal army limit of 6 units per hex would apply separately to aircraft (e.g., 6 aircraft and 6 regular units MAX on the same forward base).
Aircraft would also have an Operational Support Range, but theirs would be measured in Sectors rather than hexes. So with an Operational Support Range of 3, an aircraft unit would be able to hit any target within 3 Sectors of its current base. Much like artillery, aircraft could both bomb enemies from the strategic map and be called in to assist friendly units in tactical combat. Unlike artillery, (which has to be fairly close to the battle to intervene), air support would be delayed 1 tactical combat turn for each sector the aircraft has to traverse to get to the fight (yes, it would be zero if the combat is happening in the sector where the aircraft is based--home field advantage). Aircraft would also be able to perform unique actions like reconnoitering a sector within range or intercepting enemy air units on missions.
Also like artillery, aircraft would have a Fuel Counter (representing both actual fuel as well as ordinance) limiting how many actions they could take per strategic turn. Technology and mods could increase this number (for example, an "External Fuel Pods" mod that increases the unit's Operational Support Range by 1 but also makes it more likely to suffer critical hits).
In tactical combat, an aircraft strike would do high-accuracy, massive damage to multiple hexes and possibly multiple targets. As in real life, this kind of air power could literally turn defeat into victory--AS AIR POWER SHOULD!!!
Downsides: As in real life, each aircraft unit should be VERY expensive to both build and maintain. They would also be vulnerable to units with anti-air mods, who could potentially shoot down an aircraft in tactical combat before it completes its strike. Finally, in the event of a ground assault on their base, the aircraft would either have to power up and flee (assuming they have any fuel points left) or be captured or destroyed. They would not be able to fight back while on defense.
As for the naval side of things, I have two words: AIRCRAFT CARRIERS. A floating forward base that can carry up to 6 air units. 'Nuff said.
City Defense
How to defend your cities against these awesome weapons? By using then on defense, of course! In addition to stationing aircraft and artillery in cities as defenders, once the respective technologies are researched, cities would be able to build Artillery Emplacements and Anti-air Defenses in addition to the basic defense turrets. These new defense structures would appear at the very back edge of the map (both to let the artillery be useful and to protect them from being overrun), and they would act like the current defense structures in tactical combat. (Yes, this implies that cities would be able to bombard besieging armies with their artillery--probably not doing enough damage to break the siege, but every point counts, right??)
This also means that cities with these structures would need to be softened up by artillery and/or aircraft before they could be easily taken. Artillery bombardment on a city would destroy random buildings, but an unimpeded air assault would allow players to choose a target within the city to destroy (if all goes well). Because if we have smart bombs in 2021, we really deserve to have them in the future, too!
If you liked this proposal, please let the devs know!
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