Ammo Replenishment: Via Transfer Ammo/Cargo Function or MegaMek mid-session GM unit edit feature?

[KristanDagley]

Prerequisites and Pre-Issue Checklist

• I'm reporting the RFE to the correct repository:

• MegaMek

• MegaMekLab

• MekHQ

• Does this conform with our Content Policy linked above?

• I've searched the GitHub tracker and haven't found a similar feature request listed

RFE Details *

This is a new feature

Brief Description *

As a simple and clear example to start, as to the use and intent for this feature, the Long Tom Artillery vehicle, variant LT-MOB-25, technically is made of six separate components (vehicles), a vehicle mounting the artillery piece facing forward, which doubles as a 'tractor' for towing all the remaining components, two towed support carriages (middle trailers) for housing personnel and firing solution equipment, and three 10-ton ammunition storage trailers.

(Of note: I am not focusing on chains of towed trailers here or a request to tow multiple trailers. The emphasis is on the fact that there are simple vehicles that are dedicated to carrying ammunition for a parent vehicle (often trailers), or its (usually an individual vehicle) entire purpose is for transporting ammo for later replenishment, following behind combat units at a safe spacing).

The fact is, in this example, the LT-MOB-25 'tractor', with the main gun, only carries 4 tons of reloads for a total of 20 rounds. The dedicated three ammunition trailers each carry 5 tons of ammunition or 25 rounds, IF the tractor were technically towing (or just had access too) the three trailers it is supposed to have, then it would be able to use 75 more rounds of fire in one MegaMek session. At present this ammunition/cargo is inaccessible to the tractor (unless using the unofficial Long Tom+Carriage singular unit 'vehicle' option), even if it were towing a single trailer with 25 extra rounds, or had one such trailer nearby. This limits the LT-MOB-25 'tractors' usefulness in sessions with large turn numbers as it can only fire 20 shots in a session (on or off board).

As a secondary example, the J-27 or J-37 are both dedicated ammunition transports, the former a tractor with trailer, and the later a single individual vehicle. Both have "cargo space" that should be dedicated to carrying various "tons" worth of ammunition, as I am sure many in the BattleTech community are aware of the role such vehicles are supposed to play on the battlefield or otherwise in lore. Currently such vehicles can not be set to actually carry ammunition as cargo, to my knowledge, but perhaps "cargo" could be selected, a ton at a time, so a J-27 or J-37 could be made to carry actually ammunition in these "cargo" spaces, or simple marked as supposedly carrying this, this and this... as separate 1 ton slots. (Perhaps there can simply be a noted cargo text box or slots so a player can select or pre-note what a given unit is carrying as "cargo." (This would be used in tandem with other components to such a feature listed below.) Understandably these "ordnance transports" cited as examples, both carry no crane system or dedicated loading platform to help replenish ammo for a 'Mek, tank, VTOL, etc, given the lore, but simply transport their delicate cargo. There are "LoaderMeks" for this purpose. The fact remains such operations for "replenishment" are currently not possible if said transports were "on the field" during a MegaMek session.

I personally make rather large maps and run dedicated role playing sessions for a few different groups of players. There are many times when I wished an artillery unit could be "replenished" mid-session as two "battalion sized" forces or more engaged one another, or wished I could better simulate a behind the lines "bivouac" where damaged forces were truly repairing and reloading. For example, in one scenario I ran, damaged and ammo depleted player units were "supposedly" attacked mid-refit and the players would need to "cherry-pick" what forces would hold off the enemy while other units attempted to finish hasty repairs and reloads. The impact of the loss of several J-27's to a fast and manoeuvrable pairing of an enemy Javelin and Assassin that slipped through friendly lines would have been felt much more if those units could have actually had the ability to resupply their units that were "active" on a MegaMek battlefield, instead of as a stand in idea...

A perhaps simple solution to this situation might be the use of a "GM" override for mid-MegaMek sessions, rather than just MekHQ. Wherein it could be possible to "edit" a unit mid-MegaMek session and simply "up the ammunition level counters" on a given units ammunition bins, rather than actually transferring cargo from one unit to another. A GM could simply 'delete' said ammo off a trailer or ordnance transport "in game", and then go and 'add' ammunition to the primary unit that is supposed to benefit from a reload. Such an "edit" mode could also potentially allow for "repairs" such as replenishing armour levels, role playing wise if an MFB were nearby, or make for other role playing opportunities. But I digress, I know for a fact there are many times as a GM we have "reinforced from MUL a new unit and "ejected / abandoned" an old one that was already on the battlefield to "replace" a unit with an identical one, just with more filled ammo bins, or up-armoured (to simulate repairs). Sometimes we do this to "roll-back" mistakes that were made, however it brings more tracking of unit ID's into the picture with identical pilot names. Obviously changes made with such a feature by a players should be announced in the chat log for all to see (or at the vary least the use of such a GM feature having been used mid-session or "activated/deactivated") so that players cannot openly cheat on one another.

Otherwise for lore purposes such "ordnance transports" might need a dedicated "LoaderMek", exoskeleton, or similar "HaulerMek" nearby (adjacent hex) to perform replenishment of a nearby unit in need of munitions. Tracking a units "cargo", types of cargo, and availability of transferable (ammo) cargo in nearby hexes or the location of LoaderMek's sounds like more work then necessary when the simpler solution would be the suggested "GM" override and the ability to "see" ammo deplete from one unit and get added to another via clicking up and down a few counters.

The fact remains that ammo replenishment via cargo hauled transfer, GM editing, or otherwise would breathe some new life into some otherwise less used "support" units, or make artillery far more useful if they had access to the support haulers that would normally be following them around. Normally I would very much limit my use of smoke, illumination or some of the other specialty artillery ammo types given the much more limited ammo carrying capacity of several of the dedicated artillery vehicles out there in BattleTech cannon. Every "support" shot means one less "explosion" and less craters on foreheads.

Thoughts?

MegaMekLab Suite Version *

Various

Attach Files

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Final Checklist

• I've checked to make sure that this RFE has not already been filed
• I am requesting implementation of only one relevant set of features in this ticket for clarity and focus