31 replies to this topic

[terminator]

I did a small search and didn't see much on it so NEW POST....

OK Now this all depends on how the game works in battles/conquest mode/how many people on a map etc...

So from I understand from the Devs, there will be objective based conquest/maps..

I'll split this up in 2 parts. Scenario Commander and House commander
Scenario Commander
Now this would work assuming the game is like Battlefield 2 where its a grand battle that multiple lances work in. This person is basically the commander from BF2. This role can be tied to the game roles and make use of the skills for being a commander. This person can coordinate with the players and get feedback from scout mechs. They can also be in a scout mech relaying info more efficiently to all the lances to coordinate attacks and using commander skills or tools to share that information. They may even be able to access to information warfare type skills or items which regular Mechwarriors do not get access to. How this person is chosen can be done before the match starts where everyone votes for someone to get that role, or no one can play that role.

How powerful this role is depends on implementation.

STRATEGY COMMANDER/HOUSE COMMANDER
It definitely seems like the game will play a bit like MPBT3025 with the map conquest. So how about a house commander. This can be like the house leader who rallies tactics and leads the charge to take planets in the grand scheme of things. This role can be a revolving role per week. So lets say if I have the most "points" "kills" whatever it's based on, for that week, I become the house commander and can do things like ping maps that everyone should focus on, maybe even have the ability to make a mission which lances can accept to get bonus c-bills and exp.
For example the House commander has pinged planet X as capture priority and if capped, everyone gets Bonus money and exp. The house commander can also ping planet Y to try to flank the enemy and cut them off from planet X, and if some lances go to planet Y and keep assaulting it to take it, then they get bonuses. Basically this person for a week can Lead his House. The players are not obligated to follow him/her but will get bonuses if they do. This play into the grand strategy of the game.

It seems to be a game like Mechwarrior would definitely benefit from having these type of roles. It can allow the already established leaders to take on a closer role to the grand war, and allow lower rung heroes to shoot for something bigger. These roles can easily be enhanced in different ways that I am not thinking of.

DISCUSS and thoughts.

[Xhaleon]

Play style of 90% of Scenario Commanders:

T - Target Enemy
F9 - Select Everyone
1 - Attack My Target

[Nik Van Rhijn]

You forgot 2 - defend my mech

[Melissia]

No, don't want some randomly chosen unintelligent ****** with no grasp in tactics to bark orders at me in his annoyingly high pitched squealy voice.

Edited by Melissia, 19 November 2011 - 05:23 AM.

[diana]

Well, a commander should lead from inside his mech, but instead of trying to make everyone do what he wants, commander mech should have a few useful tools.

[Nik Van Rhijn]

From what the Dev's hav said so far they want to encourage teamplay which is why they want you to join a House/Merc Company so that you go in as a pre-arranged group rather than as a lonewolf in a pick up lance generated by the matchmaking software. - and i don't have a high pitched squeely voice - except perhaps when being Alpha'd .

[Rogal Dorn]

It's a cool idea that can be messed up very easily. If a bunch of random players get together then there is no way to know who will do what, whether the commanders orders will be followed or not, or if the chosen commander even knows what he's doing. I can see it portrayed as unfair to those who want to command as well but don't get "voted" or get a chance otherwise. I like the idea of a commander unit but I don't see a fair way to implement it that will make everybody happy - which is the point especially on a F2P setup.

[Melissia]

And non-PUG lances will likely already have either a commander or simply work together well enough that they don't need one anyway...

[Threat Doc]

Perhaps your top option should have been House / Merc Commander.

I don't think there will be PUGs in this game, except maybe for playing in a House itself. If I can get AU up and running, I will invariably be in charge because, for the last 14 years, I've been in charge, and I'm pretty good at it, so I've been told. MWO will finally make it easier for me to deal with all the 'paperwork' of being a merc commander, and I'm all for it.

As for the whole 'Scenario Commander' bit, that's going to be my Lance Leaders, Company Commanders, Battalion Commanders (if the game gets that big), and me at the top. I would love to be in command of at least a full Regiment, with the proper chain of command in place, and be able to drop all of them, one day, but I suppose that dream will need to wait a bit longer, and rightly so, because I need to get familiar with MWOs controls and then work my way up, again, to that level of memory and control.

[Fiachdubh]

Might be a usefull tool to the commander when a clan is dropping together.
How is the information to be collected?
Will it be up to the scout pilot to pass on info or would it automaticly show up on the screen of the commander or a person in a mech with command and control capability or everybody on their team?
Will c&c mechs be available or will the commanders mech automaticly have this capability?
In the novels there were some specific c&c mechs but generally a commander was just in a regular mech.

Also will comms be integrated in the game or will we be reinstalling good old Teamspeak 2? (or whatever the young people use these days)

[GrayPanther]

Commanders should also be limited to mechs that are C&C mechs. Or is that to much of a stretch?

[Strayed]

Depends I suppose on how things are implemented, its hard to play commander and use a map when you got an autocannon slug whizzing past your cockpit every 5 seconds. Love a 3D map or a whiteboard and some pens in lobby although can imagine it will be full of ponies at the end of the briefing.

Don't know.... need a way to nominate a commander or rate him/her. Can imagine mechcommanders being perfect counter for claners if we find some people who are well, good at mechcommanding

Edited by Strayed, 19 November 2011 - 04:43 PM.

[feor]

I put a suggestion towards this in the suggestions forum. After some revision it came down to "let us, if we get promoted high enough, install a command console in our mechs so that we can have an NPC take over actual mech control while we switch to a mechcommander style map view to command the battle.

Probably a bad idea for pickup matches, but I could see someone being promoted within a merc unit/clan/guild/whatever parlance this game picks to where they can become the commander, then the command console is an upgrade available to them at that point.

[GrayPanther]

Feor ... I think in the random battles it would be who ever is the highest lvl player with a command console in there mech?

[Threat Doc]

GrayPanther, on 19 November 2011 - 04:30 PM, said:

Commanders should also be limited to mechs that are C&C mechs. Or is that to much of a stretch?

I really like the idea of being able to mod a 'Mech I actually like to have a command setup, but I think a Commander either needs to have a real-pilot drive their 'Mech while they're in the battle and working the command console, as well -they use to do it with EH-60s in the Army-, and that way the commander can remain mobile and, basically, out front, while still being able to command units MechCommander style, only giving strong suggestions to live-pilots instead of orders.

"What do you want us to use, man? Harsh language?"

Even if a commander is able to install a command console in their 'Mech, it was said earlier it's awfully hard to set waypoints and objectives while you have an AC/5 stream or rounds flying past their head. So, either the main plan is laid out prior to the drop and transmitted to each Lance Leader's console, and then minor changes can be done while a commander is in combat, or the commander will have to hang back with a guard or two and handle the combat planning and changes that way. However, I've run into several folks who, obviously, have never had to deal with real-world combat, before, and fail to realize the role of a commander, and thus demand to have the commander up-front, or they won't go into combat.

Lance Leaders and Company Commanders should be up-front, while a Battalion Commander or Regiment Commander needs to be in the planning. It's not very hard for a BattleMech Company Commander to get a general plan and remain up-front to make minor changes, unless indeed the Command role requires it.

[Fiachdubh]

Kay Wolf, on 19 November 2011 - 05:09 PM, said:

I think a Commander either needs to have a real-pilot drive their 'Mech while they're in the battle and working the command console

I recall the Eridani Lighthorse commander was in the C&C seat of a two seat command mech in the Twilight of the Clans series so there is precedence. Having one player pilot while another acts as commander (and possably have the option of handling weapons or being the EWO when not preoccupied with command) might be an interesting and fun option.

Edited by Fiachdubh, 20 November 2011 - 03:27 PM.

[wolf74]

The Commander gets and HQ Truck or is piggyback on a mech that can have a commander sit in it & the Weight for the command Gear has been put in.

Commander can control the Rear firing weapon in the mech.

Total Control of the HQ truck.

IF the HQ Truck or the mech with the commander is taken down. Lost of Command input to the team player happens. AKA no more Commander spotting someone on the other side of a hill for Non-LOS missle attacks from your Archer or missile heavy mech. No more Group Nav point to sandwich the enemy forces with. No more Long Tom calls for your Tag Laser.

[Strayed]

wolf74, on 20 November 2011 - 03:50 PM, said:

The Commander gets and HQ Truck or is piggyback on a mech that can have a commander sit in it & the Weight for the command Gear has been put in.

Commander can control the Rear firing weapon in the mech.

Total Control of the HQ truck.

IF the HQ Truck or the mech with the commander is taken down. Lost of Command input to the team player happens. AKA no more Commander spotting someone on the other side of a hill for Non-LOS missle attacks from your Archer or missile heavy mech. No more Group Nav point to sandwich the enemy forces with. No more Long Tom calls for your Tag Laser.

Mean like this?

[Armored Yokai]

maybe the mechcommander scenario to be a commander?

[Threat Doc]

I don't necessarily agree with the MechCommander software being used, though perhaps for pre-planning that would be alright. From my point-of-view, as a commander, I would want to see the battlefield and the most current intelligence between one real hour and one full day in advance of the fight, perhaps more for really complex terrain DZs. I'd like the map, emplacements, estimated force strengths and, if possible, element names. Let my recon folks bring me the SALUTE (Size, Activity, Location, Unit/Uniform, Time, and Equipment) or METT-TC (Mission, Enemy, Terrain and Weather, Troops and Support Available, Time Available, and Civil Considerations) report, I prefer the former because I'm more familiar with it from my Army days. All of this information could help with planning, and would allow the Intel Officer, the XO, and I to get it together prior to game time, lay down the way points and objectives for each Lance, and then we'd be, mostly, ready to drop.

Of course, if Murphy's ghost is not our friend, the best laid plans never survive first contact with the enemy.