XS Prototype: Condor

[HellFox]

fly like that seem fun as hell, but the weapon effect set me back

[Xyx]

All feedback is good... but could you be slightly more specific?

[Wacky Ninja]

Id have hoped that you could fire the missiles without locking on, like you could in the ut 2004 version, but keep it being able to lock on.

[Xyx]

The lock requirement helps balance the thing out... but I'll admit that it doesn't make any sense from a practical standpoint. I cannot think of a reason why the vehicle could not distribute its target lock information to several missiles at once, or why multiple missiles could not track the same target simultaneously.

If you could fire all missiles at once (or at least as many missiles as the thing has missile tubes to load), then the reload time would have to increase dramatically to prevent the thing from pwning too hard. The latest UT2004 version of the Condor had to reload for a whole 8 or so seconds after firing a 48 missile burst, though that was staggered in three steps of 16 missiles. 8 seconds can feel like an eternity in this game, but it is hard to resist the temptation of a 48 missile shot... so I would often be kicking myself for not taking the time to aim more carefully.

The old Condor missile burst was a byproduct of the implied potential of the Condor's enormous missile racks. The new Condor does not necessarily have to be equipped with similar racks. They could have less tubes, allowing you to fire less missiles at once. Perhaps even only one at a time.

The missiles were also a byproduct of my attempts to make the thing a viable air-to-air fighter. Previous attempts would invariably result in a weapon that was way more effective against ground forces. Homing missiles that lock on to aircraft with increased effectiveness are a very easy solution to that... though not the most original (since the Raptor already did it).

[Doc Shock]

... though not the most original (since the Raptor already did it).

Well, you said it yourself:

Vastly different "feel" is good enough for me even if functionality is vaguely similar.

And those multi-rockets do feel different indeed, it's just cool to lock on to multiple targets and then watch this huge swarm of missiles spread out and home in on different enemies.
The fact that a single rocket is quite weak balances it out almost perfectly and I had quite a blast testing the latest prototype. I'm all for keeping this primary fire mode.

As for alt-fire: I like your suggestion that the energy bomb needs to be charged by holding down the button, on most maps its just impossible to pick up enough speed to drop one. Auto-releasing it when not fired soon enough sounds like a good balancing feature, but that needs testing. Eagerly awaiting the next prototype.

By the way, any chance for a return of the UT2004 Condor's fireblade passenger weapon? Or is it not possible with this engine?

[Xyx]

the energy bomb needs to be charged by holding down the button

I'm not sure about the missiles, but the bombing I'm definitely going to try to use somewhere. And indeed, hold-to-charge would lead to the same desired usage, except it'd be user friendly on smaller maps (meaning pretty much all stock maps except Torlan).

Eagerly awaiting the next prototype.

I've been working on the prototype this week, making bouncy bombs that explode each time they bounce (as per the old Shock Chucker). I'll add this hold-to-charge stuff. Thanks for reminding me.

any chance for a return of the UT2004 Condor's fireblade passenger weapon?

It was problematic, leading to a rather poor effort/result ratio. With the next MSUC deadline around the corner (relatively speaking), this would not be a very wise choice.

[Xyx]

Update. See first post for details.

Highlights:

• Bombs bounce. They explode every time they land.
• The "fly to gather energy" mechanic is gone.
• Hold down Altfire to charge up a bomb. Release to... well, release.

[Xyx]

Now with FileFront mirror.

[Tailsnake]

I just finished trying out all of these and this seems to be the only one that causes my game to crash (which is odd considering that the older versions didn't)

[FoXtRoT]

It crashes the game when a bomb is charged.

[Xyx]

Indeed, it crashes when a bomb explodes. My bad. I altered a package that the Condor depends on for some of the later prototypes. I should have tried the Condor after that. I'll fix it in the next version.