# FOB DEFENSE OVERHAUL
### Project Coordinator: Thwomper
#### Contributors: Nomoresolvalou, Nivrak, cuberound, Thwomper

## Design Motivation
The working idea behind this project is that FOB sieges are, for lack of a better word, inherently boring. They result in prolonged stalemates that are very frustrating to play against, and not very rewarding to play with.

While the classical last stand is something everybody can appreciate, the FOB siege itself has lost its merit and become stale, additionally, the Marine side is able to utilize a highly defensive strategy and win rounds (holding for things such as nuke, stims, capture denial, etc.), which is not conducive to interesting gameplay.

This, coupled with ever growing supply economy inflation, has led to a strong incentive for players to build increasingly large FOB structures, sometimes reaching 6+ layers in depth. It is both boring to build, and boring to destroy.

## Project Goals

* Reduce the occurance of Siege-like gameplay and defensive strategies.

* Marines need to be put back on the offensive in regular gameplay, and not be retreating to FOB at the first sign of casualties. There is less incentive now to be the aggressor, good or bad. Going on the defensive to recover the wounded or brace for an assault is still going to be possible, but not going to win the round.

* Allow for FOB itself to be easily and reliably defended, no longer requiring to be babysat by an entire squad.

* This should also lend itself to helping out Low-pop players. FOB shouldn't require a ridiculous amount of resources, and scale up depending on the amount of resources put into it. Balancing the supply economy will be much easier if we don't have to worry about ridiculous quantities of metal floating around. Furthermore, Bravo will now be freed up to pursue *different objectives*.

* Establish a precondition for FOB being able to be overrun, and give Marines an opportunity to challenge it.

* The final fight on the ground should be over an objective, and not a last stand. We have hijack for that, it's not fun to take one siege and tackle another right after. A tertiary objective for Xenos to contest prior to assaulting the LZ will allow for interesting skirmish gameplay, while being much more difficult to defend than the LZ itself.

* Allow for the LZ to become a true safe-zone while secure, lending itself to more interaction from ship-side crew.

* A safer LZ means more opportunities for shipside crew to visit and engage in roleplay. I'd like people in the LZ to not have to worry about lurkers or burrowers interrupting interactions.

## New Features
* High-Voltage Transformer

The key focus of this project, the transformer is a new map-objective similar to static comms that can spawn in a variety of locations away from the LZ. Marine control over this point allows for high-voltage power to be routed to the LZs, which is essential for powering the below specialized structures.

Losing control of the objective will occur when xeno hive weeds come in contact with the point after it is disabled by a large xenomorph, starting a timer to blackout at the LZ (~5m). If Marines fail to retake the transformer within this time period, the LZ will become susceptible to direct attack, and will be virtually defenseless, so it's either take the objective or die, no siege option.

* UE-92 Area Illuminator

This is the first and most simple of the powered structures. Deployable by powerloader, and granted for free aboard the Almayer before deployment, the UE-92 is essentially a large, static floodlight than can illuminate large areas surrounding the LZ.

* UH-46 Heavy Sentry Gun

The UH-46 is a large sentry gun that comes in two parts, a base and a turret that will be deployed and assembled via powerloader. What's unique about the UH-46, compared to traditional sentries, is that it has much larger range in full omni-directional view, while also firing 30mm shells at targets that breach the external layer of FOB defenses. Very useful as a static point defense for the LZ, and a deterrent from any would be attackers.

* UE-11 Generator Unit 

A special power module available in limited number, upon activation it provides a short-term supply of additional high-voltage power to the LZ. Useful upon initial setup if the transformer has not yet been taken, or in the last ditch effort to buy time to retake it. Provides an additional five minutes of LZ power if the transformer is offline, one-time use only.

* UE-09 Service Terminal 

The terminal is the device that integrates the others. Linking the other powered structures to the terminal for them to receive power, which only works in the specified LZ area, occurs automatically. This terminal also allows for the transformer status and blackout timer to be remotely monitored.

* UE-02 Deployable Fence 

A simple but rugged light-deployable barricade designed to transmit a near-lethal electrical current. They have traded their physical durability in for chemical durability, but compensate by being electrified, stunning any would-be attacker for a considerable length of time. Once unpowered, however, these fences may as well be wet cardboard. No damage, explosive, acid, or otherwise can be undertaken by the fences while powered.

* UH-99 Smart Rocket Launcher 

A short-range indirect-fire guided rocket launcher system that functions in conjunction with the smart defense grid systems. The UH-99 can be deployed atop the basic UH-02 Systems Platform like that of the heavy sentry, but does not require direct line-of-sight to engage targets. Instead, the UH-99 uses a series of ground-based Grid Sensors to acquire non-IFF signatures and, after a short lock-on period, launch any number of Anti-Materiel, Low-Explosive (AMLE) 72mm guided smart rockets that home directly onto the target, designed to do significant damage to a wide range of potential threats with minimal colatteral damage.

* UE-04 Grid Sensor 

The Grid Sensor units are small, durable field deployed sensor units that act as the eyes and ears of the weaponized components of the smart defense grid. Grid Sensors have a range of effective vision that is directly equivalent to the standard view range and can be placed to create overlapping zones of detection for enhanced area denial. They are designed to be easy to deploy, but difficult to remove and destroy.

## Structure Availability

Defensive Structures will spawn in a new storage room in the hangar bay in stowed form, which will then be loaded onto the dropship via Powerloader. The distribution of structures at roundstart will be as follows.

* UE-09 Service Terminal x1
* UE-02 Deployable Fence x3 (Sets of 10)
* UE-11 Generator Unit x1
* UH-02 Systems Platform x3
* UH-46 Heavy Sentry Gun Turret x2
* UH-99 Smart Rocket Launcher x1
* UE-92 Area Illuminator x2
* UE-04 Grid Sensor x6

It's quite a lot of stuff, which may require multiple trips to deliver. Logistics challenge to be handled by shipside crew from now on, not combat technicians.

## Peripheral Changes
* Standard Marine metal and plasteel barricades availability will be heavily reduced. The ability to salvage metal from the environment (barrels, frames, tables, etc.) will be reduced or removed outright, and metal will only be provided from requisitions at a cost.

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