Give UEF and Aeon t3 scouts sonar

[ComradeStryker]

Just realized, this does make a difference when scouting for underwater targets, such as Coms and whatnot.
It's easier to spot them as they or whatever is underwater, remains shown for a longer period of time because of the sonar.

Example:

---

~ Stryker

[Jip]

Fun fact:

--****************************************************************************
--**
--**  File     :  /cdimage/units/UEA0302/UEA0302_script.lua
--**  Author(s):  Jessica St. Croix, David Tomandl
--**
--**  Summary  :  UEF Spy Plane Script
--**
--**  Copyright © 2005 Gas Powered Games, Inc.  All rights reserved.
--****************************************************************************

local TAirUnit = import("/lua/terranunits.lua").TAirUnit
-- The torpedo is a temporary implementation of the ability to launch sonar buoys.
-- Currently, a torpedo is dropped into the water that transforms into the buoy.
-- Once we get proper "alt abilities", we can switch the buoy creation to use that system.
local TANTorpedoAngler = import("/lua/terranweapons.lua").TANTorpedoAngler

---@class UEA0302 : TAirUnit
UEA0302 = Class(TAirUnit) {
-- Disabling for now, while Design decides whether they want this functionality
--    Weapons = {
--        BuoyLauncher = Class(TANTorpedoAngler) {
--            FiringMuzzleBones = {'Projectile',},
--        },
--    },

}

TypeClass = UEA0302

They were experimenting with the UEF spy planes to be able to drop sonar buoys

[ComradeStryker]

That's pretty cool!
Any idea of what it actually looked like in-game?
Would it be possible to bring back?

---

~ Stryker

[Jip]

Apparently this is the buoy:

• https://github.com/FAForever/fa/blob/deploy/fafdevelop/units/UEB5208/UEB5208_unit.bp

It instantly crashes the game to desktop when I try to spawn it

[ComradeStryker]

Why don't these scouts have sonar, to begin with?
Is it due to it being like a faction ability of sorts?
Or balance?

---

~ Stryker

[Jip]

I suspect it is because it has always been like this, nothing too special.

[Zeldafanboy]

We need to find Jessica St. Croix and David Tomandl immediately

[TheVVheelboy]

Honestly, just give it slightly bigger omni radar as compensation for lack of sonar.

[ComradeStryker]

How much larger?
Because I don't think that a slighter larger Omni radius would help solve the lack of sonar situation.
It would have to be a considerably larger radius. 15 - 20% or larger, I imagine.

---

~ Stryker

[Sprouto]

The issue is actually quite simple - intel ranges are spherical - and you need to account for the altitude of the air unit - and the depth of the naval units. This has always been the case, which is why the attempt was made to implement something like sonar buoys - unfortunately, it littered the game with many more entities, which choked performance, so it was never revisited.

To properly utilize sonar, on the air scouts - the sonar range would need to take the above mentioned values into account - and it would look very wrong, as far as the range rings are concerned. The best implementation I have seen, comes from BrewLAN, which creates an invisible appendage attached to the air unit, but simply hanging well below - and a sonar entity is attached to that.

[Zeldafanboy]

Hanging appendage ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[ComradeStryker]

It would be really cool to see if these buoys could make a return, but it seems unlikely, as @Jip mentioned.

In hindsight, however...
I don't think it'll actually be as useful as having the sonar on the unit itself, as the plane can move much faster and therefore be able to cover a larger area quickly.

That is, unless the Spy plane is dropping a buoy that covers the size of a 10 x 10 km area or even just multiple buoys.

---

Nevertheless, if this ability is ever brought back to life somehow - obviously with some tweaking and all - I'm sure it'll make a great addition to FAF.

---

~ Stryker

[Jip]

If we want it as a community then it is possible. But it requires to determine how it should function.

[ComradeStryker]

It should function as intended -
I imagine it is just like placing down a temporary T1 Sonar, no?

---

~ Stryker

[Mach]

for temporary part, it could use fuel passively and destroy itself once it runs out, like mercies

[ComradeStryker]

@jip said in Give UEF and Aeon t3 scouts sonar:

If we want it as a community then it is possible.

Where can I throw in my vote?!
Count mine in!

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@mach said in Give UEF and Aeon t3 scouts sonar:

for temporary part, it could use fuel passively and destroy itself once it runs out, like mercies

Sounds like a really neat idea.
Though, I imagine they should be destroyable by units, too - unless it's a completely passive thing like T1 Walls?
(Where enemies can't auto-attack but can manually target, perhaps?)

---

~ Stryker

[TankenAbard]

Cybran has radar stealth, give UEF T3 scouts jamming, give the Seraphim scouts a temporary vision bubble where they crash, give Aeon scout a larger Omni radius.

[Chenbro101]

At the very least I think giving sonar to these spy planes would be reasonable.