I have been thinking about multi-unit transports a bit. And as far as I can tell there are two basic schools on how do make unit transporters - what I call the "Walk-on" and the "pull-up" transporter (not sure if those are the industry names for those concepts). Specifically where the walk-on has advantages over the pull-up variant. It could belong to modding (as an alterantive idea to do multi-unit transports now). It could be a sugestion for the engine. It could also be for balance as this system might be easier to implement to give us stock multi-unit transpoters earlier. Walk-on: This is the one used in C&C since naval was implemneted. The transport unit has to stay still, making this a non-combat action. One by one the units that want to be transported walk "into" the transporters model, then vanish and become "inventory". Even PA has a variant of this one, the "walk through transporter": A linked teleporter. Because the units will jsut drive off on the other side - at this teleporter or the other. And since it is a building, it is stationary anyway. SupCom had a variant of this too: The "fly into" carriers. While they also had factory, repairing and refuel abilities (since transport allone is not that usefull for air units), it was still a transport in this sense (inlcuding the need to stay still during fly-into). Pull-up: That was used in supremme commander and is currently in use by the astreus. It was also use to a lesser development form in Earth 2150 Lost Souls. This variant only works really well with air-transports. The transporter tell's it's target to "stand still for a second"/"go to pickup spot", flies roughly over it and pulls it up into it's inventory. Currently the astreus is unable to give a "stand still" order to it's target. Also this variant is notoriously difficulty to coordinate with multiple multi-unit-transports. It really only works with something like the ferry command. Now I wonder if it is possible with the current engine and modding limitations to make macro-capable multi-unit transport based on the walk-on concept? It would go like this: You order your transporter to go into "recieve passengers mode" where they land and become walk-on transporters. The mode would end when it is full or the list units that want to be transported has been worked off (nothing new wanted to get on for a while). Every unit that wants to be transported would be told to "seek avalible transporters in the area". They would then ask each unit "do you have a spot free?". If the answer is yes, it would queue up to drive in and get close (the transport decides when what unit get's "on"). If the answer is no, it would try another unit. This order would run continously (like patrol) just in case all the transporters are already on the way or have full queues. Both orders would be area-command capable, wich really make them a lot less micro-managerish. Add in a "repeat queued order" system and it should be easy enough to make ferrying multi unit transports without having to deal will all the coordination issues of pull-up transporters.
Not within modding limitations, no. Modding is curently at about the level of Warcraft 3, without triggers.
I think the 3rd category will be the one we are most likely to see in the future: "magical teleport of all units into the transport and out of them without any fancy animations"
