60 replies to this topic

[The Black Knight]

Props to OP and Carrion Crows, both have great ideas

[Circles End]

Agreed. This thread has some good stuff in it.

[Crackerbox]

Thank you all for the positive feedback in this thread!

Now just to keep it alive/expand it without bunk ideas until the devs decide to take a peek

[Azulia]

*bump*

[Khobai]

While I like your ideas, I dont think theyre appropriate for the Command console. The Command console should you know help with commanding...

[Perjel]

Today I mentioned about using this thing in my Centurion. But for why? It would cost me 1M Cbills, 3 tons, 1 crit and probably extracting my mech from the heat of the battle and from gaining xp-s/Cbill-s. Somebody mentioned about 12 players and only 11 mechs, but instead let 12 mechs roll, but 13 players. The +1 is the commander without a mech, just spectating mode and commanding mode. How? Just a simple 'command controll' button below the launch icon, on the main screen. Or mode select: Command Controll. Why is it good for the commander without a mech? No mech XP's of course, because he or she isn't piloting anything, but increased C-bill (10% of total team C-bill earning, or 10% from everybody). I've further ideas of this part of the game, but let me see the reactions .

[Rebas Kradd]

Couple of potential downsides I see...

1. Making the Command Console relevant in this way will increase the bent towards jump-capable heavies and assaults. Lights and mediums won't want to equip the thing at its current weight; it would cut drastically into their weapons payload. We need to give the CC some usage that doesn't ramp up complaints over the matchmaker.

2. All the information in the world won't do any good if it's not communicated to the enemy. That's the primary problem, really - no way to communicate other than chat.

[ToxicMaskShot]

Deffinetly, if you could keep track of people then you could make the most important judgment call, stay and fight who ever is there, or run like hell, faster. Great for a little scout cicada or raven.

[GaveL Veritas]

These are some excellent ideas for making the 3-ton console worth its weight without making it overly good.
It makes sense to have it compile available information in a more usable fashion for a Lance/Company Commander to use.

Of course, the added interface would disappear if the module was destroyed
1-ton slave modules may also be able to show the same info provided the master was still intact. This would make the mech with the master C3 more valuable to the team.

[xMEPHISTOx]

I like the OP's idea in relation the Command Console, also would like to see it be essential/required in order to use arty/airstrikes. As they are now useless (correct me if im wrong on that) it seems they (pgi) are maybe having trouble figuring out what to do with them.

[Crackerbox]

xMEPHISTOx, on 26 January 2014 - 03:45 PM, said:

... As they are now useless (correct me if im wrong on that) it seems they (pgi) are maybe having trouble figuring out what to do with them.

Yup. They're useless and, as far as I can tell, are pretty much just ignored by everybody. There's been no chatter about the command console in a long time in any channels and making it have SOME sort of use, I feel, should be a mid-level priority after the new UI. I'm NOT calling on PGI to drop everything for this one piece of equipment, but I feel this is acceptable.

Much like how they're handling the new UI, I'd like to have this thing be able to do SOMETHING and then expanding on that at a later date than just have 1M C-bills just chilling in my equipment, uselessly.

Edited by Crackerbox, 30 January 2014 - 02:32 PM.

[Darth Futuza]

Thanatos676, on 13 November 2013 - 11:12 AM, said:

What a good idea! I too would be willing to give up 3 tons in a mech for this type of ability!

Normally I would too, except I'm a light so I can only afford to give up 1 ton.

[Adran]

I totally support this type of idea. Though, for teams that can actually coordinate well over teamspeak, this might make it TOO easy for them.

Perhaps to allow some Counter-play, if an ECM mech jams a Command Console long enough (say 10-30 seconds, or somewhere around there), it "resets" and has to reaquire the data, forcing a Command Mech to be careful, or the entire team will lose that advantage and have to get the information one mech at a time all over again. Mind you this is just an idea I'm throwing out, not something that necessarily HAS to be in the game, but it does add a way to deal with a Command Consule on the enemy team.

And perhaps they only work if you are in a Commander position (Lcom or Ccom)?

Another way to balance it could be limiting it to a slot like ECM on only certain mechs (thus increasing their value).

EDIT: Another thing to note is obviously a Commander mech would be targeted due to having the Command Consule, assuming the enemy can figure it out, and it SHOULD be possible as this kind of advantage is significant enough it should be shown.

Edited by Adran, 31 January 2014 - 12:59 AM.

[Crackerbox]

Adran I like the idea of limiting to a slot in certain mechs. Many mechs are obviously built for command purposes or have a history as command vehicles. The most obvious of these would be the Atlas, the Orion, and arguably, the Raven 3L. Limiting it like this would be a drawback to running these types of machines BECAUSE you would have people hunting for you.

Additionally, making it so that it only activates when you take the position of CCos and LCos would also making it a limiting factor so that the most active Command Consoles you can have on a team would be 3 (until someone dies of course)

[Kyrs]

Give me an auto-target assist key (target lock) and ill be up for it.

[Adran]

Crackerbox, on 01 February 2014 - 09:28 AM, said:

Adran I like the idea of limiting to a slot in certain mechs. Many mechs are obviously built for command purposes or have a history as command vehicles. The most obvious of these would be the Atlas, the Orion, and arguably, the Raven 3L. Limiting it like this would be a drawback to running these types of machines BECAUSE you would have people hunting for you.

Additionally, making it so that it only activates when you take the position of CCos and LCos would also making it a limiting factor so that the most active Command Consoles you can have on a team would be 3 (until someone dies of course)

Glad you liked my ideas for it. Though, for LComs, perhaps it's not as powerful as for the CCom? If 3 players all had a full list, that might be a bit too much. Perhaps an LCom only gets data for mechs their Lance is currently targeting, or that are within a certain range of their lance-mates? I dunno.

[Jaybee]

Command console need love

[Crackerbox]

I feel that this is completely relevant to the ideas proposed in this thread:

[9erRed]

Greetings all,

The options stated by the OP do not have to be delegated to the Command Console, these could be simply an updated C3 interface for the BAP. In lore it has the ability to record the battle for playback, add in this onetime "purchasable" upgrade and you get the "tracking and identifying" feature.

I really don't need the % damage feature as it would require quite a bit of scan time on that Mech and possibly from very close. (with some Mech manufactures building in shielded areas for security)[keeping with Lore and story building] For friendly Mech's that have IFF working we would see our company's status for damage but that could be a "call up" feature and not something shown all the time.

The Command Console is the only functional resource that Company Commanders have that allows access to strategic level elements, no other component or add on feature should give the Commander those abilities.


I posted this on a different question but it has relevance here, on just how powerful this Console should be.

Repost:

I'm not sure if you fully understand the functional use of the Command Console, and how it is unable to be fully applied in MWO.

- It actually requires a second player to man that Mech position. [not doable in MWO yet.]
- It's function is to co-ordinate the company's movement and gathered intelligence.
- It has access to strategic resources that no other Mech or Pilot has.

• Some earlier referred to as "Orbital Satellite Sweep"(show all mechs),
  
• Strategic strikes (not defined but larger than current arty/air),
  
• Additional Sensor Info (from all Mechs and "Deployable Sensors),
  
• and with the advent of turrets possible control and targeting of these elements.
  
• Command operated from the dynamic map view ONLY
  
• As stated, ability to direct targets as "Priority"(possible voice designator as "Priority Target Designated")
  
• Has ability to remember and show identified enemy chassis by the call letter.

- Command map view not same as standard Pilots view, CmdMap should show Mech fire arcs, ECM overlays, wpn's range circles, Sensor detection circles, and possibly using a 3D type of map showing elevation. (very difficult)

- Not a position delegated to an inexperienced pilot or commander, complex station to operate.
- Very difficult to bring into MWO as it would need additional "keys" for specific commands, controls, as well as nearly Developer level access tools.
- Most have a zoom capable map and not the low poly one from the current Mech HUD.
- Very high "Priority Target" for the Enemy, once identified, usually attacked or disabled.
- May have the ability to "hand off" or assign specific type strikes to forward recon Mech's?
- Still requires the actual Mech pilot to move and fight this Mech, and keep it's Commander safe.
- This console can only be mounted on very few Mech, about 3 chassis we currently now have.

As you see this is not your normal Pilot position and not something that is easy to include in the current rendition of MWO we have now. It would require a completely new HUD for this position with access to elements not seen before. All of these "features" I listed are viewable in the Developers level of control but not sure if it's codebase would be shared to single players without some additional security.

The greatest control component we are missing now is shared voice communications, that alone would/could change the battlefield we use now. Issuing a "Priority" target is easy when on Comms and does not require additional assets, showing where that Priority target is to all players is another matter.

Just some ideas and info,
9erRed

[Adran]

9erRed, on 03 February 2014 - 12:33 AM, said:

Greetings all,

The options stated by the OP do not have to be delegated to the Command Console, these could be simply an updated C3 interface for the BAP. In lore it has the ability to record the battle for playback, add in this onetime "purchasable" upgrade and you get the "tracking and identifying" feature.

I really don't need the % damage feature as it would require quite a bit of scan time on that Mech and possibly from very close. (with some Mech manufactures building in shielded areas for security)[keeping with Lore and story building] For friendly Mech's that have IFF working we would see our company's status for damage but that could be a "call up" feature and not something shown all the time.

The Command Console is the only functional resource that Company Commanders have that allows access to strategic level elements, no other component or add on feature should give the Commander those abilities.


I posted this on a different question but it has relevance here, on just how powerful this Console should be.

Repost:

I'm not sure if you fully understand the functional use of the Command Console, and how it is unable to be fully applied in MWO.

- It actually requires a second player to man that Mech position. [not doable in MWO yet.]
- It's function is to co-ordinate the company's movement and gathered intelligence.
- It has access to strategic resources that no other Mech or Pilot has.

• Some earlier referred to as "Orbital Satellite Sweep"(show all mechs),
  
• Strategic strikes (not defined but larger than current arty/air),
  
• Additional Sensor Info (from all Mechs and "Deployable Sensors),
  
• and with the advent of turrets possible control and targeting of these elements.
  
• Command operated from the dynamic map view ONLY
  
• As stated, ability to direct targets as "Priority"(possible voice designator as "Priority Target Designated")
  
• Has ability to remember and show identified enemy chassis by the call letter.

- Command map view not same as standard Pilots view, CmdMap should show Mech fire arcs, ECM overlays, wpn's range circles, Sensor detection circles, and possibly using a 3D type of map showing elevation. (very difficult)


- Not a position delegated to an inexperienced pilot or commander, complex station to operate.
- Very difficult to bring into MWO as it would need additional "keys" for specific commands, controls, as well as nearly Developer level access tools.
- Most have a zoom capable map and not the low poly one from the current Mech HUD.
- Very high "Priority Target" for the Enemy, once identified, usually attacked or disabled.
- May have the ability to "hand off" or assign specific type strikes to forward recon Mech's?
- Still requires the actual Mech pilot to move and fight this Mech, and keep it's Commander safe.
- This console can only be mounted on very few Mech, about 3 chassis we currently now have.

As you see this is not your normal Pilot position and not something that is easy to include in the current rendition of MWO we have now. It would require a completely new HUD for this position with access to elements not seen before. All of these "features" I listed are viewable in the Developers level of control but not sure if it's codebase would be shared to single players without some additional security.

The greatest control component we are missing now is shared voice communications, that alone would/could change the battlefield we use now. Issuing a "Priority" target is easy when on Comms and does not require additional assets, showing where that Priority target is to all players is another matter.

Just some ideas and info,
9erRed

While this is a nice dream idea, it is well beyond the scope of what could ever be considered balanced in this game. What is being suggested in this thread HERE is barely balanced. Certain elements of what you suggest could be included, but we have to find a balance between what is accurate, what is effective, and what is just going too far. Providing the tools so the players can coordinate their teams better is the real key, we don't need to give them the ability to track fire arcs and ECM bubbles and other stuff.