Commanders!
In a recent article, we’ve unveiled the future appearance of the Loitering Recon Ammunition (LRA) concept as the future of Armored Warfare spotting and in this one, we’re going to talk about the reasons behind the decision.
Armored Warfare as a game was born in the early 2010s and was released to the public in 2015. The world was, as we are sure you’d agree, a much different place back then. Some say a better place; some disagree – but different, definitely. So it was with the militaries of the world. The conflict in Ukraine did what the Great War had done a century earlier – propelled military technologies miles ahead. The proliferation of small, cheap drones changed the battlefield in ways previously unimaginable and we are still seeing their development practically in real time.
The battlefield has changed – and so should Armored Warfare. As we prepared new game modes and vehicles that are coming this year, out attention once again turned towards the concept of drones. On modern battlefields, FPV drones are currently the most prevalent means of tactical level reconnaissance and to not have the concept included in Armored Warfare seemed to us like a waste.
At the same time, the previously prepared version of the drone feature turned out to be somewhat disappointing with its hands-off gameplay being more akin to an environmental hazard than a proper gameplay mechanic. That’s why we went back to the drawing board with it.
Our goals were the following:
- Modernize spotting gameplay
- Experience that is more hands-on
The result can be seen in the example video below.
Loitering Recon Ammunition (LRA) uses elements of FPV missile gameplay. It is an ammunition type that you load into your guided missile launcher (in AMPV’s case, the Javelin part of the launcher). Once the missile is fired, you control it from first person view perspective.
However, that’s where similarities end. The LRA does not have an explosive warhead – instead, it carries surveillance equipment (so hitting a target will deal almost no damage). It spots targets in an area ahead of it. Spotting targets this way is treated the same way as if you spotted them by seeing them directly – you get the rewards. Once the connection to the missile is lost, the targets immediately stop being spotted (unless someone else sees them as well of course) so it is not possible to monitor the battlefield this way 24/7 – the missiles do have limited range.
Since targets are spotted within your camera angle, you cannot just fly high up in the sky and spot targets below you as the operating cone isn’t very large – you actually have to aim the missile at the area where you want to spot. This brings with it a number of elements you need to consider, such as:
- Flying through smoke will (just like with regular missiles) make you lose control over the LRA and it’ll crash
- Hard-kill APS does work against these missiles, so getting too close to high Tier targets is likely not such a good idea
- The LRA can be difficult to control as it is somewhat faster and not as agile as FPV missiles (the prototype above is more agile than it should be)
- The Jammer ability (from the previous iteration of the drone feature) will be added to counter LRA
Aside from navigating the LRA itself, you’ll need to consider the tactical situation of your vehicle because it cannot be controlled while you’re out there spotting targets half a map away.
And that’s almost it, commanders. There is one more thing. The fastest way of getting access to the LRA is by getting the AMPV 30 Armored Fighting Vehicle from the Force Recon Battle Path.
However, the LRA will become available on other vehicles as well. These vehicles include those we consider scouts:
- BMD-2
- VBL
- Wiesel TOW
- BMD-4
- Fox
- Sabre
- BMD-2M
- VBL INGWE
- Wiesel HOT
- VBR
- Stalker
- CRAB
- Sphinx
- EBRC Jaguar
- K-153C
- Shadow
- Typhoon-VDV
On these vehicles, the LRA module needs to be unlocked. There are two ways of unlocking them:
- Deal enough damage with the respective vehicle (tuned by Tier and the damage the vehicle deals, so Typhoon-VDV will require you to deal considerably more damage than the Shadow, for example)
- Unlock AMPV 30 (which unlocks the LRA on all of these vehicles)
And… that’s it, commanders. In the next article dedicated to the Force Recon Battle Path, we’ll tell you more about the event itself and the changes we have prepared for it. Until then:
See you on the battlefield!
