Can commanding be made more RTS-like?

MCHammer · 2003-05-07, 03:05 AM

I was wondering, what would it take to allow commanders to have more RTS-like options?

Sure, there are waypoints and battle plans. But if a squad leader could bring up a map with his soldiers on it, individually select a couple people and give them 1 waypoint, give a couple other some other waypoints, etc. In addition instructions about what to do when arriving at a given waypoint would be nice ("wait for further orders", "hack this terminal", "make this vehicle").

This could all be done with voice comm of course, but waypoints you can see make it a lot easier. And of course they should go away when the soldiers reach them.

What would have an even BIGGER effect on the game would be to allow the CR4 and CR5 commanders to see ALL squad leaders on the map and give THEM waypoints. (To make it easy like in an RTS the CR5ers would need a map with everyone on it so they could click a guy and click again for a waypoint for him).

Also, shouldnt the CR4 and CR5 commanders have an easy way to have the right vehicles they want reinforce them? They could have the ability to look at their map, click on a technology plant their race controls, and have the base pop out the right vehicles they want. So now people would respawn, and see vehicles just waiting for them, thus increasing their incentive to actually hop in that type of vehicle and ride it into battle.

The top level commanders should be able to select which bases have reinforcements coming in. They could do this by selecting certain respawn points and giving them different priorities, and the game would give people slightly shorter respawn times if they choose to respawn at those places.

Let me know what you think.

-MCH

simba · 2003-05-07, 05:21 AM

lol that sounds like a MMORTS.
The high ranked commanders is the ones who decides wot every1 should do.
But yeah I would like the game if commanders could do more stuff.

Matuse · 2003-05-07, 05:28 AM

I was wondering, what would it take to allow commanders to have more RTS-like options?

Removing the players from the game.

Delirare · 2003-05-07, 06:50 AM

i want more commander options

Hamma · 2003-05-07, 08:29 AM

Originally posted by Matuse
Removing the players from the game.

Zartax · 2003-05-07, 09:49 AM

This is a good idea. Also, if high commanders have a certain chat-channel (which they probably already have) they could discuss strategies and make the empire work as one unit, together. This would make the war flow more smooth, be more organized, and more importantly, give the players a goal to complete the missions given to them by the high ranked commanders. People always work better, have more fun if they have a concrete goal to work towards. The high commanders goal is total domination of the planet and the squads are the mission success.

In this chat-channel the commanders could devide areas of responibilty to eachother, like

"Sarge: MachoCommander, if you can assure us that you will hold the frontline on Ishundar, then me and UberCaptain will try to move our troops forward on Searhus and use the gateway to hit the enemy from behind.
MachoCommander: I can do that if Mr.ANT can keep our bases on Ishundar rich on NTU.
Mr.ANT: Thats no prob, I just set the waypoint and mission goals and the NTU should be on their way.
Sarge: Great! Let's lock that continet down!"

This way, the large scale strategies will emerge and we will have a full-scale war with realistic strategies and frontlineflows that are actually based on someone planning them than on the random Outfit desiding to take some bases.

But this can only be achived if you give the hugh commanders LOT of power in ways of communicating the empires need to the "troopers".

Seabass03 · 2003-05-07, 11:29 AM

It should be a mixture between Natural Selection and Savage.

MCHammer · 2003-05-07, 06:17 PM

I really dont think it would be that hard, remember the commanders are not actually controlling anyone, the game is just giving players incentives to follow a commanders orders.

Giving them shorter respawn times where a commander needs troops alone could help a LOT.

Also, I definitely think the game would benefit from additional control to the commanders over resource management, vehicle and weapons choices, and troop deployments.

Like I said though, this would require a real-time map that the commanders could use to select individual people or squads to give waypoints to.

Would this really be a difficult add on to the game?

I think it would be worth the effort regardless.