[REQUESTED]Runway repair rate feature

In DCS the repair rates for runways has changed at least three times that I recall over the years, each time much shorter, bringing us to a current 1hr rate.

In DCS also, the game has become more stable (some of you wont believe that, but it is true) and the result is servers not rebooting as often, extending from 4hr safety margins, to 12 and sometimes now multiple days.

The two things are working against each other in some ways. Whilst 3-4hr runway repair for minor damage might have been wartime emmergency realistic, 1hr seems to now push the entire point of runway destruction, away from the realms of small group play and solely into multiplayer large group play. In fact, i'd stand up and say a 1hr repair rate is largely pointless to the individual, it's inside a very very short flight window. 1hr is around a short sortie time. So for an individual that bombed a runway, he is unlikely in most cases to even be able to benefit from stopping AI launching from that airbase.

I realise with the advent of programmable GPS glide bombs, that the degenerate playstyle of repeat bombing of airfields has been used, over the last year, since those weapons became available. That is a problem. But the solution of reducing the effect, has a counter effect on anyone in smaller groups. In fact, it can actually change the entire server playstyle that the admin took so many months to build and nurture.

So my wishlist is that we stop this hard limit and give it to the mission designer to figure out.

I'm all for doing things cheap without fuss. My suggestion would be to remove auto repair entirely, utilise the existing repair trucks to initiate a fixed repair of a very short time (lets say 5 mins) and keep everyone happy. For those wanting to keep repair to several hours, in the proposed solution would be to monitor the runway time of death, set a timer and spawn or move the repair vehicle into the airbase zone when they wanted, thus everyone would be happy.

In terms of code, the timer should just need a logic check to see if a valid repair vehicle is in the airbase zone, that the airbase coalition was the same as the repair vehicle, that the airbase was not coalition 3 (contested) and then, if true, continue its normal repair sequence that it currently does. That check has to occur on all dead airbases every X minutes whatever makes sense to the developers. No UI elements should be required. This way, no API needs exposed in multiplayer that can have the power of repair, it is done via in game assets.

Server admins wanting fast repairs get them, whilst a mini game of hunting repair vehicles becomes more important than ever before. Folks wanting long repairs, can artificially manufacture these with some timed triggers and movment or spawns.

As a side note, I'd like to see this for bridges as well, but it might be a step too far.

[in case this wasn't transparent, Airbase runways can generate a death event when a bomb lands on them. I don't know how the health is monitored, if at all, but once dead, AI will just stop taxiing. For humans, no such limitations are found, if your aircraft takes off on grass, its all good. Taxiway - fine. After the runway has died, it is on a timer and will autorepair. AI can then taxi again.]

How are things going with this request. It’s still fixed to 60min

Imagine a .gif of a thumbleweed rolling by...

@Bananabrai Also include the chirping crickets.

Mike Force Team

Short Wishlist instruction:

1. Make a wish thread

2. Wait for next update and check if it's here: https://forum.dcs.world/topic/170893-dcs-world-changelog-and-updates-of-open-beta/

3. If not - back to point 2 or check the game - they don't put everything on the changelog.

While I like the idea, I don't think it should have anything to do with repair trucks. They can be destroyed and DCS doesn't have any kind of native respawn. It can be a total pain to make sure a truck is around.

Ideally we should just have the repair time as a mission option, maybe with the ability to override the global repair time at individual airbases.

19 hours ago, Exorcet said:

While I like the idea, I don't think it should have anything to do with repair trucks. They can be destroyed and DCS doesn't have any kind of native respawn. It can be a total pain to make sure a truck is around.

Ideally we should just have the repair time as a mission option, maybe with the ability to override the global repair time at individual airbases.

So basically like with the settings of available stock of a/c, munitions and fuel.