A Logistics System

[rocky trail]

a revision from my old "the logistics pass" post - which was way overcomplicated.

Two primary resources: Matierel, and Personnel.

Materiel is produced at any factory. A tarantula pilot with an empty cargo bay can land at any factory, and recieve a cargo load of materiel. Delivering to bases gives cash reward.

Personnel is produced at a new building; Barracks. Barracks are located at training bases within friendly territory. Tarantula pilots must select a "Seats" option in cargo bay, and are loaded with Personnel when landed at a barracks.

Vehicles spawned at vehicle depots have a preset cost in both materiel and personnel to spawn, and draw from the reserves of the closest airbase. Aircraft spawned at bases also consume a materiel cost, and a personnel cost equal to the count of crew onboard.

AI convoys, smaller than the offensive convoys but with HLTs transporting both personnel and materiel spawn at friendly factories and Barracks and drive to airbases to ensure a continuous drip of supply is constantly being delivered without player input

(STRETCH IDEA, POSSIBLE WITH THIS FRAMEWORK BUT NOT REQUIRED):

Players can spawn in tarantula with "HLT-Command", which when deployed, acts as an "airbase", and can store both types of supply. Through either delivery of construction vehicles or a menu attached to command vehicle, unreinforced spawnpoints for ONLY Cricket and Chicane can be built, requiring substantial delivery of Materiel.

this system would add more weight to the destruction of factories, more targets to attack for interdiction missions, a framework for building repair, a framework for a future FARP construction system, and adds a revenue source for Tarantula players that directly benefits their team.

[final cairn]

This could be tied into SAR. If Pilots are a valuable resource, players would be incentivized to go rescue them- especially if they only have a limited window to be rescued, like 15 min or so.

And enemy players would have an incentive to disrupt that…

[subtle bough]

Also, I'd like to suggest the system keep factories that make a specific unit. These factories would still make Material like normal. But they would also produce a "free unit" on a timer that costs no resources when deployed.
This is so that not every factory is functionally identical

[rocky trail]

they still would make that specific unit, they'd just also interact with the logistics system in a generic way. the airframe and vehicle hull production system would stay the same and the reserve system would too

[fierce marsh]

What about a salvage system as well?
Special vehicles collect wrecks and transport scrap to regular vehicle depots. Trucks take scrap from those depots back to factories in order to boost production.
Mostly so tarantulas don't necessarily have to fly back with an empty bay

[rocky trail]

that could be neat

[dark marsh]

How about a Squad style system where all supplies have an off map origin point

(Also, should I separate this into another post so both ideas can be discussed independently?)

[fierce marsh]

I think that should only kick in once local production is crippled
so losing teams still get access to supplies, it just takes much longer
maybe in the form of cargo ships with a big landing pad on the deck for tarantulas

[rocky trail]

I'd like this, maybe some kind of "Strategic reserve bunker" building located deep in the backlines or smthn that provides a trickle of resources from one hardened location, but I think the idea of all the existing factories having a role in the logistics system is important in keeping their relevance and decrease the distance a player has to travel to resupply bases in optimal conditions

[gleaming monolith]

I think if NO ever goes closer to an RTS, I think they should do it like this. Barracks would also add for some more targets, like maybe smaller military bases splattered near/in between some of the airbases. The AI convoy system would also be nice. I'd love to run into a group of HLT flatbeds for once instead of finding 3 anvils suddenly popping up after I round a mountain