37 replies to this topic

[FoXabre]

For the most part, I think we should drop in blind. I think it would take too much away from the "information warfare" and the value of scout mechs if we knew what we were up against.

[Hayashi]

Real blind drop would be best. We gotta give people some reason to pilot Jenners.

And show the Steiners how fail Atlases are at scouting!

[/dodgeshatearrows]

[MaddMaxx]

Real blind drop with no Map Intel either. Gather that Intel on the ground. More exciting (for a month or so anyways).

[Jonas]

I went with partial, but any and all would work just fine for me. But didn't they say we would know if it was a lance on lance or company on company already. I wouldn't mind heavy raids that where blind. where the object was to draw fire so ground pounders ( npc's ) can get this thing or that.

[DocBach]

FoXabre, on 25 April 2012 - 05:53 AM, said:

For the most part, I think we should drop in blind. I think it would take too much away from the "information warfare" and the value of scout mechs if we knew what we were up against.

Exactly. Why have scout 'Mechs if we know whats going to be out there already?

[eZZip]

"Real blind drop," because I agree that scouts would be much more useful. Better to know that the enemy is fully composed of assault mechs from your scout so that you can kite/flank them while they get shot at for a while before being able to return fire effectively.

Haakon Valravn, on 24 April 2012 - 10:47 PM, said:

Often, it should be wrong: You're told to expect a scout Lance and some light infantry and vehicle support, for instance, but run headlong into the teeth of an enemy offensive.

This wouldn't be as fun as you think. If it's wrong frequently, nobody will trust it anyway and it'll just be a nuisance. It would at least have some vague, but accurate information if you were to do that.

MaddMaxx, on 25 April 2012 - 07:08 AM, said:

Real blind drop with no Map Intel either. Gather that Intel on the ground. More exciting (for a month or so anyways).

It's annoying, not exciting to not know where you're going because you couldn't even get a geographic map (and I'm sure that Battletech has sufficient amounts of geographers and you can afford a map if you can afford a mech).

[Vollstrecker]

I don't think it should contain DISINFORMATION, I think any error in intel should be human error, I'm more of the mind of how vague of information we'd get.

To clarify, I'd imagine on REAL BLIND DROP to contain a rough estimate on enemy forces (deploying via Leopard or Union dropship to indicate lance/company) but this should really be known by the time you're entering matchmaking. I'm mostly concerned about how much information regarding the enemy force makeup (and therefore your own) is known.

To be fair, I also think a defender in garrison on a faction-held world (such as FedCom defending an attack on Kentares for example) might also have a little more information available regarding their force, as they've been stationary, technically. I suppose this could qualify as an "other" selection.

[Solis Obscuri]

I'd like some balancing by drop weight/BV for the matches, but no other information about what you're facing. That's what will make the Information Warfare part of the game fun and interesting!

[Bullwerk]

I think drops should often be Real Blind Drops but certain circumstances related to the Meta-game might be able to provide you with more information. Examples might include:

Defending a planet or facility you own - You might have better intel due to out lying sensors or reports from the population.
Major assaults - House intelligence agencies might be able to provide more information depending upon the success of prior operations or such things.

These are just what have popped into my mind in the few seconds I took to think about it. I'm sure there are plenty of others.

[Redbear6]

It would depend on what the mission is, two companies, meeting in the field out of the blue. no intel for either side. For a unit to be doing a drop on a defended world, the attackers would probably have put humint into the area a while ago, and would have a pretty good idea of what is on the ground, while the defenders would probably have little info beyond whatever the sensors that they put out might catch (seismics getting point count and tonnage, if the commander was good, there might even be an idea of who they are through recon drones or cameras). I think a lot will depend on who has the inertia going into the battle, and if the commander has any sense in putting out intel resources. Could be a part of the skill tree there. Or something to throw money at. Gotta remember "Intel is Ammo".

[Togg Bott]

Rejarial Galatan, on 24 April 2012 - 09:18 PM, said:

Ok Volturnus, stop making sense! XD

but, i agree, your contract provider or house intel office may and often DOES know what your leaping into

that intell may also be compleatly bogus and lead to massive confusion

[Gun Bear]

You should know where you are being dropped, the location of any objectives (if there are any at all), and that there is an enemy. Maybe how strong it is. That's more than a lot of soldiers get in reality.

[MaddMaxx]

eZZip, on 25 April 2012 - 01:33 PM, said:

It's annoying, not exciting to not know where you're going because you couldn't even get a geographic map (and I'm sure that Battletech has sufficient amounts of geographers and you can afford a map if you can afford a mech).

Knowing also takes away the element on surprise. Do not forget, maps will be soon known so the whole "don't known where to go" wears off real quick. At least give us a couple fights before we know where to rush to the High Ground and WIN by default....

Edited by MaddMaxx, 25 April 2012 - 03:37 PM.

[RickDiasPK]

My major concern would be to cut down on 'counterpicking at the lobby' behavior. Another game I recently quit playing has an open lobby, you know your opponent's exact team configuration...

...And this leads to a counterpicking chain. Oh, so-and-so has that machine so you will pick this one instead. Then they counter-pick your counter-pick, so on and so forth. This is an extreme case, but it happens a little more often than I liked and it slowed down play. The less information the player can use to start counterpicking with, the better. Get them in the game and fighting as soon as possible.

[HighlandWolf]

If this was a mission based game and not just a solaris style jock fest i'd say we pay for different levels of intel, just like you would normally whether its paying a scout to go get intel, or paying a local for intel etc. But since its just match after match after match, i'd say go in completely blind..if if the enemy out weighs you, then you better have suprior tactics

[BlueMeeney]

I lke the idea of blind drops. Gives scouts something more to do. That moment as a scout as you crest the hill and see just what your up against. Then scramble to make your strategy for attack or defense. It increases the excitement level.

[Morashtak]

Blind drop? *checks for full clip in weapon* Be right back. *goes out to hunt down the idjit "intel" officer* Now that we have that cleared up...

As large as planets are along with their sizable populations (or just a large number of hidey holes) it would be expected for any House that has their eye on it to plant spies and moles. Spy-vs-Spy then ensues and escalates from there.

So for offensive ops, no CO worth his brass is going to go in totally blind. He will have some idea of what is going on and assign the appropriate sized force to handle the situation. But, of course, a lot can change between jump and planetary drop. But not often. Especially if the opposing House has a large spy network deep in the other House's government and civilian sectors.

For defensive ops one can and should expect the Opfor to be at least your strength or better. So here we can expect some "blindness". But a drop does take a few days so unless someone has found a way to stuff a company of Mechs into a Leopard the defenders will at the least be able to know the approximate number of attackers.

So, partial but not chassis for the defender until the two sides get visuals.

Edited by Morashtak, 25 April 2012 - 04:26 PM.

[Victor Morson]

As long as teams are matched to a similar limit in terms of weight, tech, etc. then Real Blind Drop is fine. However if teams need to do any manual adjusting, obviously it won't work; really it's down to how they balance matches.