# Mortar Crew (Mortar QoL/Rework)
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Goals
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- Provide a consistent, dynamic teamwork opportunity for running the mortar.
- Incentevise operating the mortar closer to the front so it can act as an objective point for marines to defend and xenos to attack.
- Increase mortar use so it's not sitting unused in FOB every other round.
- More varieties of mortar shells.

Reason for doing this
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Currently the mortar kit is under utilized and marines are rarely taking up the role of running it. You are more likely to see an RFN with the mortar operator role not operating the mortar than seeing one who does. The mortar can be fun to operate but has kinda fallen to the wayside with players. It has the potential of being a strategic point for players on both sides to contest which can be add a bit more variety to gameplay.

Mortar crew
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- Create a two-three person team of mortar operators that players can sign up for.
-- Overseen by ASO. Could potentially be merged into the duty of one of the auxiliary squads from the new [A.S.S. system](https://github.com/cmss13-devs/cmss13/pull/10623).
-- They have their own prep room on the Almayer where the mortar kit will be moved to.
-- Same skills as a fireteam leader (maybe more engineering) and the same ranks (Lance Corporal to Seargent).
-- JTAC, supply, engineer, and squad comms. I wouldn't mind cutting this down if need be but JTAC and supply are essential.
-- Special helmets (same as M10 statwise, just used to diffrentiate)
-- They can pick two new special radio packs
* Belt radio pack, general utility belt with a phone pretty much.
* Radio pack sling, same storage as a drop pouch and fits on your uniform.

^ These are meant to add a bit more flexibility with loadouts

Mortar Changes
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- Scale the impact time it takes for shells to land with the range the mortar is firing from. For reference currently it always takes 4.5 seconds for a mortar shell to land regardless of distance. Although accuracy will deviate with range.
-- 15-25 tiles | 3.5 seconds
-- 25-35 tiles | 4.0 seconds
-- 35-45 tiles | 4.5 seconds
-- 45-55 tiles | 5.0 seconds
-- 55-65 tiles | 5.5 seconds (yes I added +1 to the mortar range, it looks better this way)

This is so mortar operators are rewarded for setting up closer to the front. Might have to change the minimum range.

-- **Lock mortar operation to the mortar crew.**
This is so protecting the mortar crew is more important to the round. Meaning wherever they set up will be a strategic point for marines to defend and xenos to attack. If the mortar crew wipes, there will be no more mortar support that round.

New shells and shell changes
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- **Signal flare shell**
Embeds on impact creating a CAS signal. Burns for 2-3 minutes. Xenos can melt it of course. Might create some new tactics with JTAC as it's a way to convert coordinates to CAS signals.
- **Starshell**
AGM-S star shells on steroids. More fragments over a wider area from the impact point.
- **Burrower shell**
HE shell that can hit underground but is blocked by resin roofs (pylons & hive core protection). Doubled impact time and creates a visible warning of where it will land if underground (dust particles falling from the ceiling). Xenos can plant a closed density resin structure at the impact point to halve the explosion radius.
- **Camera shell changes**
-- Lasts for a total of 10 minutes. Could also serve as a viable way to watch flanks.
-- Makes the camera a physical object on the ground so xenos know what the camera is viewing. The camera is also meltable but explosion proof.
-- Camera looses x-ray sight and is restricted to line of sight so xenos can counter it by blocking it with resin.

- **Increase the capacity of the mortar shell backpack from 12 to 16 and the limit throw range to 2 tiles or so**

- **Mortar crew starts with 26 shells roundstart**
-- 4 HE shells
-- 4 Incendiary shells
-- 6 Fragmentation shells
-- 4 Starshells
-- 4 Camera shells
-- 2 Burrower shells
-- 2 CAS signal flare shells

Mortar Crew Gameplay Loop
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1. Prep
-- The three mortar operators figure out whose carrying shells, operating the mortar (updating offsets and coordinates), defending the crew, and spotting if needed.
-- Construction rigs with a stack of sandbags will be in their prep along with some shovels and barbed wire. This is so they can easily create a small defensive position to run the mortar from that can be moved quickly as the front moves. But the sandbags won't keep off bigger harassers and threats.
2. Deployment
-- Mortar crew follows the front as they roll out onto the map.
-- When the front slows down the mortar crew sets up a defensive position in the backline with their sandbags.
-- Fireteam leaders radio in coordinates over telephone or over JTAC and coordinate with the mortar crew to provide artillery support. If nobody is spotting for the mortar, one of the mortar operators may go to the front to spot.
-- Some marines may want to stay around the mortar crew to protect them.
-- The mortar will have to change position as the front moves to stay in range or fallback to a more lightly contested area. The mortar crew will dig up their sandbags and redeploy them at the new position.
-- The crew will need to coordinate supply drops with requsitions to have a steady stream of shells