Discuss: Urban Combat Damage Model Overhaul

[Renegade]

Ever since UC.PassThrough was implemented, long before there is even any wide-spread usage of it, there have been cries to make it more complex, to add more flags, change this, do that.

Let me make one thing very clear right here at the top: I will not change the system as it is before Ares 0.1, and I will not change it until I get some feedback from those who actually ultimately use the system in their mods.
There is simply not enough feedback to accurately gauge what changes are actually wanted by a broad userbase, and it would be lunatic to rewrite an entire system this close to a public release based on a few singular opinions with diverse ideas of what to change, despite the fact that it works perfectly fine for what it was invented for.
Even if it all worked out, everybody loved the change, and the broad modding public adopted it like a drug, it'd delay the public release by weeks, if not months - which is probably not in anyone's interest.

That all being said, here's how it is:

• Currently, PassThrough allows projectiles to, instead of hitting the building, hit the occupants inside, and, depending on UC.FatalRate, either kill one of them instantly, or damage one of them (if the trooper/weapon combination allows that).
  
• There is also a scheduled addition to the UC.DaMo, Garrison Clearing Projectiles.
  

The following changes have been proposed over the course of development so far:

• Make the PassThrough-related flags weapon-specific.
  
• Allow weapons to damage both the occupants and the building, in the same impact.
  
• Take effects like CellSpread into account.
  

What I can offer is the following:

• UC.PassThrough on buildings would calculate the chance of PassThrough as before, taking SubjectToTrenches into account.
  
• We would have a flag UC.DamageDistributionRatio=##%¹ on weapons which would determine the percentage of damage the primary damage venue receives, e.g. if you had UC.DamageDistributionRatio=70%, and the PassThrough case applied, then 70% of the damage would go to one of the occupants, while the remaining 30% went to the building. If PassThrough did not apply, 70% of the damage would go to the building, while the occupants would get 30% of it. Set to 100% (the default), this would result in the distribution as it is now - either damage the building, or an occupant.
  Edit: Since, logically, 0% would actually mean "damage the exact opposite in full", which is kind of silly, I could make 0% a special case that never damages occupants, and always sends the full damage to the building.
  
• UC.DamageMultiplier and UC.FatalRate would remain, so even if only a fraction of the damage makes it through, the bullet could still land a lucky hit, or the shelter's make could still reduce the damage to the occupant further.
  
• If there is a CellSpread greater than 1, apply Damage/(CellSpread * OccupyHeight * SmallSideOfFoundation) damage to the highest possible number of occupants below (CellSpread * OccupyHeight * SmallSideOfFoundation). iow: Distribute the damage over a simplification of the area it covers, and see how many occupants could fit in it.
  
• Assaulter and its new brother UC.ClearBuilding would kill all occupants regardless of damage distribution.
  

Now, we cannot apply all special weapons effects. Stuff like radiation, chaos gas etc. simply won't work - no matter how it looks ingame, the occupants don't actually occupy any space on the map, so there's no straight way to apply cell-based effects - and I can hardly make two non-enties fight each other.

There's another thing to consider: This takes time and effort. Even with just my suggestion, I'd be overhauling the complete system. Additional suggestions would increase the complexity, time and effort needed.
Point being: You have to decide when you want this, and what I'm supposed to delay in favor of it:
In 0.2, bigger candidates would be the recreated Radar Jammer effect or the Extended Slave System.
In 0.3, we have Active Protection Systems/Shields or the Morale / Bravery / Panic System.
0.4 is reserved for SuperWeapon issues and bugfixes.
0.5 is free to take it.

So, it's your decision when you want it - but if you don't want to wait, one of the features above will be bumped to 0.5. UC.ClearBuilding is currently scheduled for 0.3, but it would become part of the package.

Discuss away, request additions, just remember nothing is final or promised, especially not before 0.1 is out and we hear actual usage-reports.

Update: Added poll for clearer decision.

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¹ All flag names for discussion purposes only. Nothing is set in stone.