unkempt sable
Title, really. The game allows you to purchase and reserve multiple copies of the same vehicle, and that made me think it'd be kind of cool if you could use your own in-game funds to spawn in AI units that help you out in battle. Instead of "fly" you could click "launch as wingman," which would spawn them in as an AI unit with the selected weapons that then group ups and flies with the spawner.
Ideally, there'd be a few new AI bits to help them fit their role and not just be throwing money into the bin. Nothings super complex but more additions nonetheless - "hold fire" and "weapons free" toggle that stops them for throwing themselves into the jaws of any nearby enemies, as well as "RTB" and "Specific target" commands, to allow them to return and be re-used. Imagine being able to take a second revoker as a wingman so you can help hold down an area of the map. Or spawning a pair of Compasses to escort you as you fly towards the enemy base in a Darkreach. Or just spawn lots of crickets and try to run the enemy out of ammunition! (There'd probably need to be some kind of limit on per-player wingman numbers to stop things getting too silly, but obviously unit and weapon cost would be a large part of the decisions.)
It'd also allow for other cool features, such as:
- AWACS gameplay: Take a Medusa up with a few misc cheap aircraft, and order them around using your radome and jammers to support them. Or, launch an AI medusa to pass radar data to you as you stalk enemies.
- Bomber wings: If you somehow get the money, you could start making actual strike groups of darkreaches and volley firing weapons at the same time. Since they're your AI wingmen, you could also lead them around to plan attacks in detail.
- All sorts of tomfoolery with the Tarantula when that comes: Load several up with tanks and zoom towards an enemy base to storm it with a ground attack, or rapidly build up air defences by using your AI friends to fly in groups.
Would be good in MP or SP, too.
acoustic cloud