Chinook pilots

[Kgersen]

When trying the combat missions, seeing the crew compartment empty made me feel like the transport flew itself. The pilots step out for a smoke? I didn't have that problem with the original x-com since the pilot spaces were just external graphics and so was just assumed the pilot was in there (I never presumed one of the combat troops flew the thing).

It Might be great to see a couple pilots sitting at their seats pre-occupying themselves with shut down routines or reading a book/drinking a coffee while the combat team do there thing Maybe if your hovering over them you can hear pilot chatter or them listening to combat chatter of the other units? Communicating with home base?

Maybe if an alien gets on board the Chinook both pilots can shoot (auto/npc) from the cockpit? Can't help thinking of James Cameron's Aliens scene when the drop ship takes off but has an uninvited visitor Anyway, great Chinook graphics just felt like it needed a little extra life in it.

Thoughts? I checked a bit to see if this has come up before but didn't see, please post a link if there has already been talk about this

Edited July 2, 2012 by Kgersen
Forgot to ask if there is already a post about this

[Max_Caine]

Your wish is my command. There's one!

[Kgersen]

Your wish is my command. There's one!

Thank you very much I'll just quote this comment by jars_u:

I would like to see the Chinook piloted by two "local military" NPC equivalents. As I understand it none of the vehicles/aircraft will gain any expereince so NPC pilots would conform to that. The local military NPC I have encounted so far seem random/out of place (more so I think then a local law enforcement NPC would, but have not seen those). Having two NPC pilots - armed only with handguns - and coded to stay in close proximity to protect the Chinook would be welcome on a hot LZ.

I would love to see that yes. Though both should stay in the loading area/ramp and not venture out.

Edited July 3, 2012 by Kgersen

[thothkins]

not taking a pot shot here, but what if the aliens kill your pilots while they are standing there? It would seem realistic that the aliens would target them if they were in the vicinity.

Would your squad then be stranded? Perhaps another craft would have to be sent out with a spare pilot or a local one is rounded up and drafted. Or they could take the bus home and haggle with the conductor over whether they have to pay a full fare for the dead Caesian.

[PRiME]

The Caesian can be considered luggage. Problem Solved.

[Gauddlike]

Pity they are bigger than the old sectiods, they were practically hand luggage.

[Kgersen]

not taking a pot shot here, but what if the aliens kill your pilots while they are standing there? It would seem realistic that the aliens would target them if they were in the vicinity.

Would your squad then be stranded? Perhaps another craft would have to be sent out with a spare pilot or a local one is rounded up and drafted. Or they could take the bus home and haggle with the conductor over whether they have to pay a full fare for the dead Caesian.

Probably a good idea one pilot stay, out of harms way, in the cockpit seated down in some animation loop (talking on radio, looking through clip board check list, drinking coffee, having a smoke, eating a ham sandwich etc) - but one should stay out as civilians (if they are close by) run to the chopper. Hell seat em both inside if its easier.

[Kgersen]

Are we not getting the good ole short sectoids? That was half the shock in the original - they looked reasonably harmless.

[Gorlom]

Are we not getting the good ole short sectoids? That was half the shock in the original - they looked reasonably harmless.

No, that would be copyright infringement... an that is not what this topic is about. I would suggest making a new topic as opposed to derailing an existing one.

[thothkins]

Probably a good idea one pilot stay, out of harms way, in the cockpit seated down in some animation loop (talking on radio, looking through clip board check list, drinking coffee, having a smoke, eating a ham sandwich etc) - but one should stay out as civilians (if they are close by) run to the chopper. Hell seat em both inside if its easier.

Eeeewwww that pilot's picking his nose I still think that smart aliens would go for the transport, particularly if there were Xenonauts (albeit NPC pilots inside). Actually, a smart alien would plant a bomb in the thing...

But the whole thing goes away if the troops are also the pilots.

Still picturing a "Me and my Caesian" pictorial guid through Europe's bus systems as the stranded Xenonauats make their way back to base...

[Gauddlike]

Actually a smart alien would probably mind control one or both of those pilots from a nice safe distance, I know I would.

Standing inside that transport would be the last place you would want to be Thotkins.

[Kgersen]

Actually a smart alien would probably mind control one or both of those pilots from a nice safe distance, I know I would.

Standing inside that transport would be the last place you would want to be Thotkins.

Maybe I like the idea that the chinook doubles as a mobile operations HQ -prehaps the pilots stay inside (animation loop) and can't be attacked in their reinforced cockpit. Its obviously less work if there are no pilots and we just assume that the combat troops are qualified chinook pilots as well, but realistically its obviously rubbish. The cost of training all those combat troops to come to fly a transport only to get melted by some alien blaster as they get off the ramp sounds rediculous.

I think that annoyed me about Star Trek NEXT GEN (and all the others) - the senior command crew would continually go down on dangerous planets and put their lives at risk in situations that might mean their deaths could well threatened their entire crews lives (back on the ship safe n snug). There is a ton of crew for heavens sakes, anyway off topic.

[Safe-Keeper]

Are we not getting the good ole short sectoids? That was half the shock in the original - they looked reasonably harmless.

No, that would be copyright infringement...

I don't believe anyone has a copyright on greys. The term "sectoid" is probably protected, but just having greys in the game? No problem, and I miss them myself, they're so iconic :3 .

Pilots in airman gear sitting in their seats in the Chinook will probably be modded in soon enough .

[thothkins]

Actually a smart alien would probably mind control one or both of those pilots from a nice safe distance, I know I would.

Standing inside that transport would be the last place you would want to be Thotkins.

What?! and sully their minds with puny human thoughts?!

Honestly Gauddlike, it's like you're insinuating that I spend a lot of time in the transport. All down to Wolfy that was... >whistles innocently...

[Gorlom]

I don't believe anyone has a copyright on greys. The term "sectoid" is probably protected, but just having greys in the game? No problem, and I miss them myself, they're so iconic :3 .

We already have greys, they are called Caesans aren't they?

[thothkins]

We already have greys, they are called Caesans aren't they?

Indeed, and some early UFO reports feature creatures in all in one jump suits, before the Grey thing really took hold, so they have a bit of UFOlogy respectability too.

[raziel1981]

call me old fashion but I think that they just should seal off the pilots section with external graphics. It does seem somewhat off, that you can see that space's interior empty. Thinking that the Xenonaut troops are the pilots seems just as strange to me as seeing the pilots eating/drinking/watching porn/whatever

[Kgersen]

call me old fashion but I think that they just should seal off the pilots section with external graphics. It does seem somewhat off, that you can see that space's interior empty. Thinking that the Xenonaut troops are the pilots seems just as strange to me as seeing the pilots eating/drinking/watching porn/whatever

Which would be a shame because its great to see the inside cockpit. If the pilots remain in the cockpit, maybe one looks out the keeps going pack n forth looking out the portholes looking for approaching aliens (which should affect fog of war) and the other sits at the pilot seat doing something important (radio chatter).

Would be interesting if information (available via base upgrades) could be relayed from base, to chinook, to assault team of tactical importance to the mission like some sort of FLIR satellite mapping images updated to the last min of combat if you can't find that one last alien ... though you couldn't use this system initially since it would spoil the game obviously

Suspending the disbelief that all the combat troops are trained as chinook pilots as well - a nice animation of two combat troops leaving the cockpit to get into the passenger area and closing the door behind them might work.. but seeing that over and over a few times might get annoying, especially if it stops you from commencing combat as soon as the load screen is ready.

I'm going to think on it, maybe someone has an idea? otherwise it would probably stay as is.

[Gorlom]

I prefer to think that the pilots are testing out a new cloaking technology installed in the cockpit that, requires them to be absolutely still for it to work. (and it's not mobile so it can't be taken along by soldiers).

So they are sitting in their chairs, you just can't see them.

[Gauddlike]

A quick redesign on the Chinook so that two of the spawn points were in the cockpit and the door to the crew compartment is open would be enough.

You could designate your own pilots then and always place them in the cockpit or keep them near the craft if it bothered you that there were no pilots shown.

[jars_u]

not taking a pot shot here, but what if the aliens kill your pilots while they are standing there? It would seem realistic that the aliens would target them if they were in the vicinity.

I think it reasonable that npc pilots would be targeted and maybe killed, but at that point I think gameplay over realism should take over (assume xenonaut backup pilot, other npc pilot, etc. flys everyone home after area is secure).

[jars_u]

A quick redesign on the Chinook so that two of the spawn points were in the cockpit...You could designate your own pilots.

I think this might be the best solution yet.

[thothkins]

assume xenonaut backup pilot

if we can therefore assume that some Xenonauts are trained pilots, then why not just assume that they pilot the transport down and nip back into the the deployment area with the others?

so that two of the spawn points were in the cockpit.

But then in round 1 you have to move them differently to the others. It's possibly the result of having only alpha maps to play with, but I find that the pilots are some squares behind the others. It's not a huge thing, but why bother doing all this work if they are just going to be going with the others anyway?

If I had to have a pilot then I'd prefer one that's sitting in the cockpit ready to take off if the squad is lost.

[jars_u]

if we can therefore assume that some Xenonauts are trained pilots, then why not just assume that they pilot the transport down and nip back into the the deployment area with the others?

In part for me - if I can have two more Xenonauts on the groud then that is a plus.

If I had to have a pilot then I'd prefer one that's sitting in the cockpit ready to take off if the squad is lost.

For the sake of appearance/realism - I would also be happy to see two NPC pilots sitting in the chairs waiting to take off.

[Kgersen]

In part for me - if I can have two more Xenonauts on the groud then that is a plus.

For the sake of appearance/realism - I would also be happy to see two NPC pilots sitting in the chairs waiting to take off.

Either way, NPCS in chinook or 2 more playable pilot class troops starting in cockpit, sounds good. Would definitely beat an empty cockpit. This feature would just add an additional bit of life to the game that we will see many times over and appreciate over a currently empty/disconnected cockpit.