32 replies to this topic

[Felicitatem Parco]

I think it might be useful to have a Command Console for this reason:

Say your team can only field X number of Mechs. If you have a "Unit Commander" who's spending time with communications, looking at maps, and doing a bunch of stuff... would you rather that Commander be in a 1-cockpit Mech who's distracted and busy, or a 2-pilot, fully-Combat-Operational Assault Mech with the pilot free to focus on shooting and moving while the other Officer is performing the Command functions?

[Outlaw]

I am in agreement with Prosperity Park, I think it has great tactical value especially when limited numbers are brought into play.

[Dihm]

Assuming is is based on number of mechs and not number of players. Could be a false assumption.

[Wulfbane]

like i said before. the command mech is to be two maned because that reason. and as said the armor on a command mech and weapons are more then most mechs. just keep to what i said early and this will be alright

[Kristov Kerensky]

Wulfbane, on 14 December 2011 - 08:49 PM, said:

like i said before. the command mech is to be two maned because that reason. and as said the armor on a command mech and weapons are more then most mechs. just keep to what i said early and this will be alright

You might want to look at a TRO again cause that Atlas, it doesn't add any armor for the AS7-D-DC, it removes ammo from the LRM..that's it. Those command consoles take up space(in the head) and weight, so adding them to a Heavy or Assault(only things they'll fit in) requires removing something ELSE from the Mech first. And I'm pretty sure that the Atlas already has max armor, so it's a little difficult to add more

There are a few people who've shown an interest in a Commander position where they aren't actively in combat but instead are looking at the big picture, giving orders, going over real time intel, etc, so this may be a way to handle it. But..who knows, I don't really see them putting 2 people inside a single Mech, it's just a huge 'bad thing' waiting to explode all over the place.

[Felicitatem Parco]

This would allow 2 friends who play online together to share a combat unit. That way one of them can focus spending money on maintenance and one of them can save money for parts, or, if one of you has a Mech in the shop then you can hop into your buddy's Command Mech and earn some cash while yours is out of commission. I know the parts and Mechs will be separate assets and not jointly-owned, but if there's a system to exchange parts and c-bills between players then two people with individual accounts could [conceivably] team up as a 2-person Command-and-Combat Crew.

Edited by Prosperity Park, 15 December 2011 - 04:12 PM.

[CeeKay Boques]

My kids would absolutely love this. It would be awesome for them.

Although, remembering them fight over direction when one had the mouse and the other the joystick...


Maybe not.

[Gorith]

as command veiw I can see it fully redundant piloting controls... smells like griefing waiting to happen

[VYCanis]

i like the idea a whole lot. gives command centric players the benefit of being able to be in the thick of a fight and still effectively command without the distractions of fighting.

[Dlardrageth]

Might want to take a step back and consider the scale of coding required for this to work full-scale. You are talking about a whole load of new coding required to enable joint control of a Mech by 2 people. And that's not even factoring in issues with synchronization of people trying that sitting on different connections (quality-wise) and possibly on different continents. And how many Mechs would that actually affect? A small minority at best. I somewhat doubt it would be worth the effort.

A simpler and thus more viable solution is in fact to give the "command Mechs" with 2 pilots or a command console an extra option for a third person/tactical overhead view. That would still leave a benefit without having to do massive extra work for a few Mech models. I mean, it is not like you have no chance at "cooperative play" when 2 people sit in different Mechs. It doesn't necessitate sitting on each other's lap, so to say.

[Mchawkeye]

Dlardrageth, on 16 December 2011 - 12:22 AM, said:

Might want to take a step back and consider the scale of coding required for this to work full-scale. You are talking about a whole load of new coding required to enable joint control of a Mech by 2 people. And that's not even factoring in issues with synchronization of people trying that sitting on different connections (quality-wise) and possibly on different continents. And how many Mechs would that actually affect? A small minority at best. I somewhat doubt it would be worth the effort.

A simpler and thus more viable solution is in fact to give the "command Mechs" with 2 pilots or a command console an extra option for a third person/tactical overhead view. That would still leave a benefit without having to do massive extra work for a few Mech models. I mean, it is not like you have no chance at "cooperative play" when 2 people sit in different Mechs. It doesn't necessitate sitting on each other's lap, so to say.

I kinda thought it would just be a sort of map with a HUD thingy and controls to co-ordinate your team. it's simply assumed that it's in this mech or that, with out having any odd third person points of view. I mean, maybe we just can the idea of a command mech and just give someone a command role, allowing them to assimilate all relevant information and giving them the appropriate controls to issue that information to the squad as needed.

[Tesunie]

Honestly, I would love to have a mech with this function. I'm normally one trying to give advise and figure out plans for a group. (I normally get ignored though.) If I could have a group willing to listen, and my brother was to pilot the mech, I'd gladly jump in, not be a combatant (or a second pilot if the main cockpit went up in flames), and just look at the map, try to figure out what the enemy is up to, and help direct scouts and defense lines.

Heck, I've already had a couple matches where, if I could have concentrated on the bigger map and not have to ask sonstantly if someone is doing this and how the flank over there is holding, I felt the team would have been better off. (Espesually when you have a sinking feeling an ECM light group is running around the outer edge towards your base for a cap...)

It would have been nice to have, say, looked at the larger map (B key) and be able to see when people "disapear" off the map. Then send reinforcements to help the person I know is in an ECM field. Direct and inform people when someone is in the tunnel (I see them on the map), and leave the scouts hands free to pilot/run for their lives as I type out information gathered and try to help direct the overall force. I'd love it. I'm a compible mechwarrior, but I wouldn't mind taking a support role such as this if need be.

And it shouldn't be too difficult coding wise I would think. Have it like spectator mode, just I'm anchored to one mech. For a launch screen, the person who owns the Command Mech would be the main pilot, and someone who groups up with that person could maybe have a selection in the group menu to join them, leaving their own mech behind. Then, I jump in as a spectator inside the command mech. I can see like normal, swivel my own view seperate from the pilot (so I can help him check his sides when needed), and could bring up the larger map with more advanced intel that most other mechs might not have. (Like, when someone has an enemy spotted (not under ECM), they would appear and maybe even model nubers/mech type could be on my mini-map. That way, I can see that scout is being pushed by an Atlas in the tunnel, and tell people we have an Atlas there easily.

I think it could have a lot of potiential, if they could get the coding for it done, and done right. I'd have a blast myself, and I trust my brother's (the pilot I'd choose) skills in the game.

Also, if the command mech dies, the extra spectator (command personel) would loose the extra information and become a normal spectator. (The mech with the command console is gone, so no more benifits.)

(One final side thought, Command Console could also give the "spectator" commander the option to possible spectate other mechs in his force, so I can see from the scouts eyes and report what he sees for him, or jump over to the other flank's mechs and see what condition they are in. But I don't know if this would be as good as being locked into one mech like normal with more intel on the big map.)

[Sevaradan]

Prosperity Park, on 12 December 2011 - 02:43 PM, said:

Am I right in saying that the Command Console equipment present in the Atlas AS7-D-DC, as listed in the Mechwarrior Online Wiki, will allow 2 players to jointly command a Atlas?

I know it's not like a Dual Cockpit where 1 person pilots and 1 person guns... but a Mech with a Command Console is a 2-pilot Mech by design and function!

Devs, is this an intended feature of the game?

*shudders with anticipation*

once again PP says something crazy that someone down the road will misinterpret as PGI's opinion because hes a mod...