Tomcat13

Thank you, that's exactly what I meant. You can absolutely fire a mortar from a forest so long as you find a clearing in it. And yes when I mean man-portable I mean that a small squad of soldiers should be able to take it apart and transport it. It would be nice if this could be done without needing to script it or rely on mods. I would like to see this implemented into the plain vanilla version of the game. That's what my entire suggestion really is and the purpose of this thread.

Of course ;) That's exactly my point though. If I buy the game I shouldn't be limited to playing around with a gimick in the mission editor that isn't fully implemented in the game or have to rely on modifications by third parties in order to use a weapon. It is being advertised as being a weapon available in the game, so it should be available in-game in both single and multiplayer rather than just something to mess around with in the mission editor.If it's just going to be something to play around with in the mission editor or something for the modding community to do something with, then that is fine. But they shouldn't be advertising it as something that is a part of the game in the way that they are, it seems misleading. But perhaps this will change with a patch? :confused:

I have been thinking that perhaps mortars could be broken down into two or three pieces, and each piece could take up a secondary weapon slot. Also the mortar ammunition could be carried but would take up the same amount of space in the same sort of way that grenades do. This way it would be difficult for one man to transport a mortar as transportation would be difficult and ammo would be scarce, and therefore teamwork would be necessary to move and set one up on foot unless a vehicle like a truck or humvee was available in which case the mortar could be dismantled and stored in the vehicle like any other weapon. So it would be a potent and mobile weapon, but would require considerable logistics and planning out where to set it up and figuring out how to get it there. Statements like "maybe it can be done in a mod" really make me nervous. I don't want to have to download a mod to do this. I would like to see mortars made available in the vanilla version of the game in a way that is accessible without needing to fool around with the mission editor. It is being advertised as a weapon that will be available in-game, so I would like to see it available in multiplayer games as often as possible with as little hassle as possible.

I do believe the mortars should require a lot of practice and skill to us effectively. I don't think the aiming system should be dumbed down in any way. I'm simply arguing that as of right now it seems unfair that mortars and artillery are being advertised as a part of the game's weapon loadout when in reality they seem to be more like unfinished toys you can dig up in the mission editor and fool around with by yourself. Perhaps this will change with a patch, and I certainly hope that is the case. The whole point of mortars is that they are supposed to be man-portable artillery. So why should they be static objects? It just doesn't make sense. :confused:

I'm a big fan of indirect fire. I love the idea of supporting my team-mates in a multiplayer game by hiding in a nearby forest with a mortar and providing them with support fire from afar when they request it. But with the way artillery is set up right now, it seems like that will be a somewhat uncommon thing. Mortars are static objects and can only be placed with the mission editor? Is that correct? If so it's a real shame and I would like to see mortars that are available in ammo crates/supply crates and also make it so that they can be carried by an infantryman. Perhaps it could take up a certain amount of slots that would make lugging around a mortar possible but costly in terms of inventory space? It just seems that being able to run around the map with a mortar providing indirect fire support to my squad of team-mates would be a lot of fun and open up tons of possibilities in terms of tactics. Also by making mortars mobile, small groups of infantry could pull off shoot and scoot/hit and run tactics against stationary targets. Imagine being able to play as an insurgent and going on missions where your objective is to mortar a military base and then pack it up and move when enemy helicopters come looking for you. I can't be the only one who sees the possibilities. So to re-cap: Make mortars available in a way that you don't have to physically add them via the map editor. Make them available in the way that anti-tank weapons are available. Perhaps implement a simple fire mission menu that team-mates in a multiplayer game can use to call for indirect fire? Make it so that mortars can be packed up and moved from location to location as they can be in reality. I'm in the U.S. and I don't have the game yet, so i'm going off of what i've seen of the mortar system in youtube videos. If anybody who has the game could correct any mistakes i've made please feel free too.