Fixed Wing vs VTOL

Is it possible to require adequate takeoff and landing space for fixed wing craft instead of the rather dull "everything is a helicopter with jet engines" VTOL thing?

I think it would add some to the logistical considerations of aircraft.

Why bother landing at all?

Fixed wing all the way.

I'm not sure if fuel has been confirmed or not, but if it is, how do you propose that refueling stations would work? Are they just large, unwieldly landing strips?

I like igncom's idea "landing is for the weak" idea. Though repairing a large number of aircraft could prove to be a pain.

And in all honesty, being a VTOL is the best way to go. You don't require large landing spaces. A planet with lots of islands would make it difficult, if not impossible to use aircraft. But that might be the desired effect.

Fly in really small circles?

Coming from a lore perspective a VTOL would provide more movement over a traditional plane. That and thinks probably being powered by space fusion magic if the aircraft has rotors or something it could fly forever.

Gameplay wise I don't want to worry about refueling my fighters while trying not to get smacked by a space rock.

I just want an animation or something for whenever it switches from horizontal to vertical flight. Maybe the wings fold in and the engine rotates to face downwards, or something.

This actually sparks an idea for a special unit, if anyone knows about the flying aircraft carrier from Doctor Who or the Avengers, perhaps something like that?

But when it comes to ground based landing, if you think about it jump jets or VTOL's are really the best way to go when it comes to aircraft landing, and i wouldn't expect any less from advanced battle purposed Von nueman machines, maybe something could be done with folding wings or adjusting rotors, like this:

If a unit can't fly, then it doesn't need to worry about landing for repairs. It just crashes.

VTOLs are handy from a user control view point. Airplanes that hold still and don't run off into stupid land are very handy to have.

I wouldn't mind a nice mix of traditional fixed wing aircraft requiring a landing strip and vtol stuff.
By mixing them up and distributing roles over different types of flying/handling would create more player options than just having VTOL all the way and having them behave more or less like land units just a bit higher and faster.

How about a vertical runway?

Just have the hanger catch planets attempting to re-enter.

You mean like a tower-like parking structure? Could be a good solution. But i don't want dumped down aircraft like in SupCom 2, that can hover in the air indefinitely with their thrusters engaged... that looked as horrible as aircraft in StarCraft and co.

Fuction vs good looks.

I fell like SupCom 2 went for function in that regard, helping keep your planes in one location when they have no orders.

May I present to you guys, the Triax Goliath

What function? In SupCom vanilla and FA they simply landed if you didn't tell them to patrol. But 99% of the time you want your aircraft to patrol anyway. So there is no need for hovering planes, better make them automatically go into flying patrol circles. But even better make them land. there might even be a gameplay reason for that. You could give landed aircraft ground unit radar signatures rather than plane signatures (not sure if this is how it's in SupCom...) I for one find to have seen little that caused as much eye cancer in games as them hovering fighter planes with burning thrusters in SupCom 2...

If we were to have fixed wing, the landing strips would have to be VERY long. Theoretically since the bots aren't humans, they can withstand more Gs, and the materials would be tougher, but even half the distance of a normal fighter jet runway is half a mile or longer... So even if you cut that in two, a 1,200 feet runway is still freaking huge.

That's my argument for VTOL.

To argue with realism is silly, frankly.

....in a piece of fiction?

...in a game environment where close to nothing is realistic.

Ahh gotcha.

That's one hell of a big hangar.

I think TA and SupCom handled landing planes very well, and I'd prefer to see that system again.
If you do not want your planes to land, simply give them a patrol order.