SWG: Orbital Bombardment and Defense of Player Cities

Proposal:

Allow players with starfighters to launch to space from hangars in player cities that are being struck by orbital bombardment.

Features:

• Starship Engineers can craft different kinds of bombs


• "bomber"-type ships can drop bombs on player cities


• different types of bombs do different types of damage:


• ion bombs -- reduce condition of city's shield generator


• concussion bombs -- reduce condition of structures in area of effect (once city shield is down)


• "neutron" bombs -- reduce player/creature pet HAM in area of effect (once city shield is down)


• Armorsmiths can craft city shield generators


• Weaponsmiths can craft city defense guns


• player cities can place city shield generators


• player cities can place city defense guns


• player cities can place a "hangar" structure


• player starfighters can launch to space from hangars as a group


• only designated members of the squadron (not just any passing ship owner) can use the city hangar


• squadron will spawn in space near the bombarding ship(s)

Benefits:

• JtL starfighter pilots get to attack something besides other ships


• player city-based starfighter pilots get to defend their city


• cities have ways to defend themselves (city shield, city guns, city starfighter squadron)


• provides appropriate role for bombers


• new objects for Starship Engineers, Armorsmiths, and Weaponsmiths to craft


• has clear value to the GCW


• showcases iconic Star Wars content (visuals/sounds/methods of Imperial attack on Hoth base)

Challenges:

• need to synchronize fire between servers:


• when a ship fires, it should affect the city a few seconds later


• when a city gun fires, it should affect ships in orbit a few seconds later


• create new art assets (bombs, city shield, city guns, hangar) and code to make them functional


• allow some bombardment damage but not instantanous obliteration of the target city (balance)


• allow player cities to survive a bombardment even if no member of the city owns the JtL expansion

Questions:

• What if a city doesn't have a hangar/guns/shield? Should there be a cap on orbital bombardment damage?


• How can cities defend themselves (or even survive) if no one in the city has bought the JtL expansion?


• Should Armor/Weaponsmiths be able to make city shields/guns if they don't own the JtL expansion?


• Should squadron ships be able to launch when the city isn't being attacked?

Assuming the challenges (including the ones I didn't think of) can be overcome, would this be a sufficiently valuable addition to gameplay to jusify the costs of development?