Leadership Cert Improvements

robocpf1 · 2012-12-29, 07:34 PM

I am trying to think of small things the devs can do to make Leadership tools more useful instead of suggesting they change the whole system. I am trying to, for now, make the changes as minimal and solid as possible, without saying "they could do this" or "they should be able to do that" - most of these proposals have concrete basis in the game already and only require a color change, permission change, size change, or small addition like a list or tag.

Here's what we have to work with:

0 Certs - Squad waypoints and Platoon waypoints.

Perceived Problem: Quantity. Each squad leader only gets one green waypoint that only the squad can see. The platoon leader, additionally, gets one orange waypoint that the entire platoon can see.

Suggested Improvement: Each squad leader gets one waypoint that is the color of their squad - green for alpha, brown for bravo, purple for charlie, gold for delta. These waypoints can be seen by all members of the platoon instead of just the squad, and the Platoon Leader gets the orange waypoint AND the ability to move any other waypoint he wishes. I really suggest making the Bravo (brown) and Delta (gold) squads more distinguishable in color, and making the waypoints much darker and less transparent.

30 Certs - Squad Beacon

Can't think of any problem with this, they've implemented it well in my opinion.

50 Certs each - Rally Point Smokes

Perceived Problem: You can see any rally point smoke made by anyone of your empire, or sometimes it bugs out and you can. The smokes are only temporary and are only visible on the full map or in-game, but not on the minimap. With the ease of using the waypoint, and the fact the waypoint is free and you can see it on the minimap, why use the smokes?

Suggested Improvement: One smoke (the color of the squad the person is in), 50 cert points. Any squad member can use if they have it certed. The smoke can now be used for target designations for bombers or to ID important areas. Smokes last for the same amount of time - they're only meant to be for "Enemy at this location!" with the expectation that someone will move there and destroy it or the squad leader will place a waypoint if necessary. This would cut down on "Enemy AMS...um...behind the rock...err...north!" ..."There are a lot of rocks north, we're on Indar".

100 Certs - Request Reinforcements

Perceived Problem: It's a small icon you can place on a territory to designate it as an offensive or defensive target for the rest of your empire. However, the implementation is that you look on your map and see "Oh, somebody I don't know wants me to go there and do something. I'm just going to stay here"

Suggested Improvement: In addition to the icon, a solid colored outline around the targeted hex - the transparent blue icon gets lost sometimes, people don't even see it. A big orange outline around the Allatum hex would make me look twice. Also, when I hover over it to see what the capture bar and influence meter is at, the status window expands to show the names of leaders that have marked it. So if twenty leaders decide they want to call Allatum as primary, I look on my map and see a big orange outline around it. I hover over it and see a pop-up with the names of anyone who has clicked the request reinforcements command on that territory.

100 Certs - Squad Objectives

Perceived Problem: This is a way to quickly point out to your squad which objective to attack at a territory. If you're talking on voice, which most outfits or organized public squads are, this is kind of obsolete, and again, you can use a waypoint for it, and if you're on defense and the enemy is attacking one, you see it start blinking anyway.

Suggested Improvement: Information is key in PS2. If this feature could be modified to give more information, it would be more useful. Instead of just a big arrow pointing to [A], how about a couple of symbols the leader can put on the HUD to convey different things? Put a bus symbol on [B] if you see an enemy AMS nearby, or a stick man on [C] there is enemy infantry. A big circle or X if it's all clear.

100 Certs - Command Chat

Perceived Problem: /leader chat (a global command channel) and /orders chat (a continental broadcast) are usable by anyone that spent the certs. There is no working for it or proving yourself, you just get it and use it. You do have to be leading a squad or platoon...of at least one other person. It doesn't mean anything, there are plenty of people that spam /orders with recruitment ads or stupid broadcasts - bad spam can certainly be reported and dealt with, but it's access to the channel that's the main problem.

Suggested Improvement: See below

Any number of certs isn't going to cut it. People will still be able to "buy their way in". There needs to be a system in place where players earn the command channel instead of spending experience points on it. PS1 accomplished this with CEP. PS2 needs something to do it with, too - and that is primarily why I made this thread. What can PS2 do to give players a way to earn the command channel ability? How can we avoid this mess where people can spend an hour or two playing, then can communicate with the entire empire. Eventually it becomes a global chat channel for everyone to use instead of a channel for those actually concerned with leadership.

Give your suggestions.

Again I mention - we want to make minimal changes where possible - work with what they have. No new systems, no sweeping alterations, and where possible no complete scrapping of an already-existing tool - just repurpose it.

bpostal · 2012-12-29, 08:11 PM

Excellent suggestions. I agree that both Bravo and Delta squads need more differentiation. The only thing I might add to this would be to allow the PL more waypoints (at least one or two more) to allow the PL the ability to mark secondary and tertiary targets.

The key issue here being Command Chat. The main issue being the lack of CEP, and of course it was possible to just grind your way up to CR5 without really leading a squad/platoon but at least the attempt was there to make being a leader required.

The only solution I can give for this would be to allow us as players the ability to /ignore people. Then /ignore add everyone who abuses command chat/global.
I can't see a real solution without an overhaul of the system and bringing back CEP. Even then you'll have idiots using/abusing it anyway. Hell, I don't think I've seen /orders used but maybe twice so far. Even if they were used there's no real way to 'vet' the orders to ensure they're legit and productive.

NewSith · 2012-12-29, 08:14 PM

Specifically for Smoke - it is designed to be visible for everyone including enemy empire. I really love this tool and the way it is implemented.

robocpf1 · 2012-12-30, 12:28 AM

Originally Posted by bpostal

Excellent suggestions. I agree that both Bravo and Delta squads need more differentiation. The only thing I might add to this would be to allow the PL more waypoints (at least one or two more) to allow the PL the ability to mark secondary and tertiary targets.

The key issue here being Command Chat. The main issue being the lack of CEP, and of course it was possible to just grind your way up to CR5 without really leading a squad/platoon but at least the attempt was there to make being a leader required.

The only solution I can give for this would be to allow us as players the ability to /ignore people. Then /ignore add everyone who abuses command chat/global.
I can't see a real solution without an overhaul of the system and bringing back CEP. Even then you'll have idiots using/abusing it anyway. Hell, I don't think I've seen /orders used but maybe twice so far. Even if they were used there's no real way to 'vet' the orders to ensure they're legit and productive.

The good thing about /orders is that it has a cap on how often you can use it. If someone makes a broadcast that other commanders disagree with, they can use their own /orders to countermand it. Hopefully the "right" target will have more support in /orders. Global in PS1 could be used much more often, so you'd end up with incredible amounts of spam.

bpostal · 2012-12-30, 12:52 AM

Originally Posted by robocpf1

The good thing about /orders is that it has a cap on how often you can use it. If someone makes a broadcast that other commanders disagree with, they can use their own /orders to countermand it. Hopefully the "right" target will have more support in /orders. Global in PS1 could be used much more often, so you'd end up with incredible amounts of spam.

Ah, I haven't put any certs into command chat as I consider it a waste atm so I didn't know that. Still seems kinda spammy and it detracts from the overall vision if the 'CR5' are bitching amongst themselves but every little bit helps.

ringring · 2012-12-30, 06:20 AM

Originally Posted by bpostal

Ah, I haven't put any certs into command chat as I consider it a waste atm so I didn't know that. Still seems kinda spammy and it detracts from the overall vision if the 'CR5' are bitching amongst themselves but every little bit helps.

It is a waste atm, no one uses it. And the time limited thing on /orders is a pain if you want to broadcast an objective and give a rationale as I occasionally do. As it is I've given up on it.

In PS2, at least on Miller, there is no empire coordination at all (except via oste's cr6 and not many outfits know about it) and there is no sense of empire community.

I put this down directly to the lack of the cr5 channel.

The cr5 channel in ps1 received a lot of criticism however it did allow global and continental priorities to be set, strategies to be formed, intelligence to be passed. When using the channel we could and did move the empire to where the force was needed.

It also provided a social layer outside everyone's outfit. It allowed outfits to know each other and to begin to cooperate. Not having it is a big miss.

It was very important to have access to the chat even though you weren't actively leading a squad at the time!

Of course there was a downside, insult, arguments and spats etc. But, what the heck, so what. In not having it we'#ve lost more than we've gained, by a long way.

I like what robo has suggested above, although I am less sure on the 'Request Reinforcement' or even the mooted Mission Systems type solutions. I prefer the type of things that cr5 chat promoted, ie people talking to each other and agreeing to do things together.

So, I'm not saying I know how to make it work but here are my suggestions for a solution:

Bring back CR5 command chat with a new continental chat (ie /comes) replacing /orders
Anti-spam would remain on the continental chat - maybe a shorter time than at present
Make the qualification certs+minimum BR rank+nominated outfit ranks (e.g. leaders+officers)
this would be text based *not* VOIP
the fade-out of the text box would be removed so that what had been typed could actually be read - what? Heretical!
OS would not return or would not be linked to command chat (in PS1 (people just wanted cr5 to get access to this)

ringring · 2012-12-30, 06:25 AM

A further point.

There are a couple of other threads in this forum describing issues/problems, namely Hamma's Large Outfits Thread and another one ther Malorn talks about 'blobs' going around rolling over outposts for the capture xp with essentiall no resistance, I'd see an effective cr5 channel as part of a solution to both of those issues.