Alright, time to propose a new addition to LCS that has been bugging me for a while. With the National LCS Beta up, this seems more possible than it used to be. This is also a rather lengthy suggestion, so here's a preemptive TL;DR: BOATS. WE NEED MOAR BOATS.
Now, first off, some practical information. Cities that this suggestion would apply to would be geographically coastal or adjacent to a major body of water in the United States. Certain cities would also be able to handle large boats while other cities cannot. I'd list examples, but suggesting you look at a decently detailed map serves that purpose without having to list every major city.
For starters, areas accessible by boat instead or alongside of foot or land vehicle would be for the most part randomized, with the exception of major landmarks of certain cities. Case in point, a Statue of Liberty location would only be accessible by boat. Boats would come in several sizes and types, similar to cars but not entirely. A suggestive list could work as follows for small boats:
Kayak - Easier to find and steal than candy from a Conservative baby. Seats one and pretty slow, unless the user is incredibly athletic.
Rowboat - Seats a whole squad, similar speed and steal system as a Kayak but usually slower.
Sailboat - Below Average difficulty to steal, fits a whole squad, average-ish speed.
Speedboat - Basically the same as the Sportscar, but a boat.
Police Patrol Boat - A police vehicle for waterways. These will chase you during escape attempts.
Instead of driving skill, you'd have a seperate but similar Sailing attribute that affects the effectiveness of these vehicles. Newly created Pirate(Sea-based Gang Member), Sailor, Navy Sailor, Naval Captain, or Sea Captains would all have high sailing attribute, and it can be learned in the University and improved with experience.
Now, for the more interesting concept. Not only should small boats be jackable, but medium sized to massive vessels as well. The system for jacking these would be similar to an infiltration or CSS safehouse raid. These vessels would be in a new section of the city known as the Seaport, which would exist purely for coastal cities. To jack these ships, you'll need incredible Sailing skill or a Sea/Naval captain. The boats that would be usable would be the following:
Freighter - Has some sailors, laborers,small amounts of security,and one captain at the helm. Loot is mostly industrial items from shipping crates that can be used.
Cruise Ship - Massive, with several floors and rooms. First floor and deck are wide, open space, while the rest of the ship has a structure similar to an apartment complex. Filled with Tourists and Security. Valuable loot similar to what's in the Downtown Apartments can be found. Either expensive tickets or a forcible entry through the security area are required to board this ship.
Air Carrier - Very rarely can you find these in a given city, though the USS Intrepid is a guaranteed example of these for starting in NYC. With the exception of the Intrepid, which has a Cruise Ship type population, air carriers are FULL of naval personnel, and jacking these will require tons of stealth or weapons skill. These ships come preinstalled with anti-aircraft guns. These also have accelerated heat accumulation, as do all other naval vessels.
Battleship - Like an Air Carrier, but armed with powerful guns that can be used to combat other large vessels.
Nuclear Submarine - Like the other naval vessels, but has torpedos for combat with other vessels, and can be submerged to generate less heat. Submersion reduces the chance of encountering other vessels at sea.
Now, the final feature: Large vessels, once captured, act as mobile safehouses. They have almost all the upgradability of safehouses, and can host a pirate radio station as a parallel to the Liberal Guardian. They can move from coastal city to coastal city, or even out to the Pacific/Atlantic Ocean based on which coast they were jacked from. On the ocean, most actions are unavailable, but they can make randomized encounters with other ships you can board or attack, along with sieges from naval vessels. These would come every few days unless submerged as a submarine.
So, do we want to sail the seas, or stick with converting landlubbers to the Liberal Cause?
EDIT: Moving into the ocean can also deplete the safehouse boat's food based on the amount of Liberals stationed there, and upgrades/resupplies are only available on land.
ADDITIONAL SUGGESTIONS LIST
Propman's Combat SuggestionMaintaining the Vessel
Author
Topic: LCS at Sea: Twice the Piracy, only 10% of the Scurvy (Read 4401 times)