http://s677.photobuc...501800553075935
Edited by StaIker, 14 June 2013 - 02:14 AM.
0
Effective Command And Control
Started by StaIker, Jun 14 2013 02:08 AM
1 reply to this topic
#1
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- 299 posts
Member
Posted 14 June 2013 - 02:08 AM
Some combat information systems designed from Mechwarrior 4 FFP/NR experience. This is the command Mech screen.
http://s677.photobuc...501800553075935
http://s677.photobuc...501800553075935
#2
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- 299 posts
Member
Posted 20 June 2013 - 12:55 AM
This concept is designed for one purpose - to allow EVERYONE to be able to play in a team effectively. This has always been a closed door to most players, unless you had the talent and time to dedicate to a unit and to training, the necessary knowledge and skills to be a useful team member could not be acquired.
This cockpit provides a wealth of information to both commanders and players, information they have never had before but which they need to properly coordinate with each other. A Mechwarrior has to manage all the mental processing and communication tasks themselves rather than having the game do the processing work for them. This creates a very high entry barrier to effective team work as only the most capable and best trained would ever be able to keep up with the frenetic pace of combat.
For everyone else, hard core Mech combat is just not an option. Only the simple modes of play, those relying on individual awareness and person skills are available to them. This is a terrible waste of potential and leaves a very large slice of the community, easily the majority, out of the loop when it comes to developing teamwork skills. As established teams advance their understanding and tactics, solo players remained stationary, having no way to learn what had to be learned. The more time passes, the less their individual skills will matter.
This concept changes all that.
The data sharing it provides not only gives everyone the awareness that used to be possessed only by the elite players, it actually TRAINS players how to play while they use it. The systems displays information in a way that encourages people to think along the correct tactical lines - force cohesion, combat mass, fire concentrations and so on. The system talks to players in the language of combat tactics, a language they will all learn without realising it. After becoming familiar with the system, ANY group of players can be controlled with relative ease by an experienced command player.
Twelve random strangers could form a company in a server and play with sufficient coordination that they could challenge and even beat established units with some frequency.
However this system is not designed to force people to play in the same way. Think of it more as teaching someone the rules of a Chessboard. Once they know HOW to play chess, they are free to make any choices they like in terms of play style and tactics. Knowing how to play is not the same as knowing how to win. This system is the same, it establishes the fundamentals of combat and navigation in everyone's mind and provides them with the information they need to cooperate with their team, after that point it's up to them how to organise and operate on the field.
In the cockpit itself, there are some traditional data displays as well as a number of new ones. The traditional displays are of no concern here, they provide the basic information about your Mech and environment as they always have. Their exact appearance and function is largely irrelevant so long as they show what is needed. It is the new displays which turn this Mech from a lone wolf into part of an integrated company, ready for battle.
In broad terms the new features are divided into Navigation systems and Combat systems.
Navigation is handled by the Network/Map display (low, centre right) and also by the Forward looking camera display (top, centre). The network display provides an over view of everything the company network can tell the player. All contacts are there, waypoints, selected targets and so on. The Camera display shows the view in the direction of travel, NOT the direction the torso is facing (duh). It allows a player to keep their Mech on course and avoid obstacles while simultaneously engaging targets that are not on that bearing. Previously a player could either steer their Mech or fight, not both at the same time.
The Camera display also shows the current orders issued by the Command Mech. From left to right, distance and time to current waypoint (at current speed), bearing of current waypoint, radar mode of the company and travel speed of the company. Below that are two other text displays, the Company Orders. These are a set of fixed orders available to the command player which can be transmitted with the tap of a button. They cover all the most commonly issued orders, sufficient to allow basic control of manoeuvring and combat, without the need for typing or voice communications (although both are obviously an advantage).
In the centre of screen is the reticule. The information displayed here is carefully chosen to show only that which is actually needed there but including everything that actually IS needed. When the player has time to scan the full range of instruments they can obviously absorb much more information than at a time when they are in combat and can only spare an occasional glance at their instruments. The data displayed around the reticule includes (left to right, sort of) throttle position, torso bearing, reticule, torso position, target bearings, range under reticule, weapons groups and heat level. These are the critical pieces of information needed in combat when a player cannot take their eyes off the target. All of it can be seen with close peripheral vision, unlike information on the outer edge of a large screen which requires switching concentration points.
In the top left is the command screen. This is only available to command Mechs. One of the big problems of command is not knowing if your orders are appropriate given the state of your force. You don't launch an attack when half your Mechs are blinking red and you wouldn't try a complicated set of movements if the focus of your pilots is all over the place. This instrument gives the commander a way to determine at a glance, what state his force is in. Not just their damage level and status, but where they are moving, where they are looking, what speed they are travelling at and most importantly, what speed they CAN travel at. That is critical information when making decisions about what to do next. A coordinated company will be capable of responding quicker and better than one which is scattering itself all over the field chasing their own targets. As pilots, we all want to be given sensible orders that match our ability to carry them out. Nothing destroys teamwork faster than losing faith in your commander. If the orders are no good, people just won't follow them. This instrument set gives the commander the knowledge to do the right thing. Effective command is virtually impossible without it.
Lastly, I realise the technology displayed is not from MWO. This concept arose long before MWO was born, but the fundamentals of it apply to any Mech game, as the basic technology and capabilities of a Mech are unchanged. Also, I recommend clicking on the image link for a full size picture, it's a lot easier to read.
This cockpit provides a wealth of information to both commanders and players, information they have never had before but which they need to properly coordinate with each other. A Mechwarrior has to manage all the mental processing and communication tasks themselves rather than having the game do the processing work for them. This creates a very high entry barrier to effective team work as only the most capable and best trained would ever be able to keep up with the frenetic pace of combat.
For everyone else, hard core Mech combat is just not an option. Only the simple modes of play, those relying on individual awareness and person skills are available to them. This is a terrible waste of potential and leaves a very large slice of the community, easily the majority, out of the loop when it comes to developing teamwork skills. As established teams advance their understanding and tactics, solo players remained stationary, having no way to learn what had to be learned. The more time passes, the less their individual skills will matter.
This concept changes all that.
The data sharing it provides not only gives everyone the awareness that used to be possessed only by the elite players, it actually TRAINS players how to play while they use it. The systems displays information in a way that encourages people to think along the correct tactical lines - force cohesion, combat mass, fire concentrations and so on. The system talks to players in the language of combat tactics, a language they will all learn without realising it. After becoming familiar with the system, ANY group of players can be controlled with relative ease by an experienced command player.
Twelve random strangers could form a company in a server and play with sufficient coordination that they could challenge and even beat established units with some frequency.
However this system is not designed to force people to play in the same way. Think of it more as teaching someone the rules of a Chessboard. Once they know HOW to play chess, they are free to make any choices they like in terms of play style and tactics. Knowing how to play is not the same as knowing how to win. This system is the same, it establishes the fundamentals of combat and navigation in everyone's mind and provides them with the information they need to cooperate with their team, after that point it's up to them how to organise and operate on the field.
In the cockpit itself, there are some traditional data displays as well as a number of new ones. The traditional displays are of no concern here, they provide the basic information about your Mech and environment as they always have. Their exact appearance and function is largely irrelevant so long as they show what is needed. It is the new displays which turn this Mech from a lone wolf into part of an integrated company, ready for battle.
In broad terms the new features are divided into Navigation systems and Combat systems.
Navigation is handled by the Network/Map display (low, centre right) and also by the Forward looking camera display (top, centre). The network display provides an over view of everything the company network can tell the player. All contacts are there, waypoints, selected targets and so on. The Camera display shows the view in the direction of travel, NOT the direction the torso is facing (duh). It allows a player to keep their Mech on course and avoid obstacles while simultaneously engaging targets that are not on that bearing. Previously a player could either steer their Mech or fight, not both at the same time.
The Camera display also shows the current orders issued by the Command Mech. From left to right, distance and time to current waypoint (at current speed), bearing of current waypoint, radar mode of the company and travel speed of the company. Below that are two other text displays, the Company Orders. These are a set of fixed orders available to the command player which can be transmitted with the tap of a button. They cover all the most commonly issued orders, sufficient to allow basic control of manoeuvring and combat, without the need for typing or voice communications (although both are obviously an advantage).
In the centre of screen is the reticule. The information displayed here is carefully chosen to show only that which is actually needed there but including everything that actually IS needed. When the player has time to scan the full range of instruments they can obviously absorb much more information than at a time when they are in combat and can only spare an occasional glance at their instruments. The data displayed around the reticule includes (left to right, sort of) throttle position, torso bearing, reticule, torso position, target bearings, range under reticule, weapons groups and heat level. These are the critical pieces of information needed in combat when a player cannot take their eyes off the target. All of it can be seen with close peripheral vision, unlike information on the outer edge of a large screen which requires switching concentration points.
In the top left is the command screen. This is only available to command Mechs. One of the big problems of command is not knowing if your orders are appropriate given the state of your force. You don't launch an attack when half your Mechs are blinking red and you wouldn't try a complicated set of movements if the focus of your pilots is all over the place. This instrument gives the commander a way to determine at a glance, what state his force is in. Not just their damage level and status, but where they are moving, where they are looking, what speed they are travelling at and most importantly, what speed they CAN travel at. That is critical information when making decisions about what to do next. A coordinated company will be capable of responding quicker and better than one which is scattering itself all over the field chasing their own targets. As pilots, we all want to be given sensible orders that match our ability to carry them out. Nothing destroys teamwork faster than losing faith in your commander. If the orders are no good, people just won't follow them. This instrument set gives the commander the knowledge to do the right thing. Effective command is virtually impossible without it.
Lastly, I realise the technology displayed is not from MWO. This concept arose long before MWO was born, but the fundamentals of it apply to any Mech game, as the basic technology and capabilities of a Mech are unchanged. Also, I recommend clicking on the image link for a full size picture, it's a lot easier to read.
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