Howdy Founders Reapers,
Let's talk "talk". AKA Communication. AKA Roger Roger.
Em8er's servers can currently handle 100 players with some beautiful basic AI. Assuming we're going to hold that 100 player population all the way through release, we're looking at trying to organize 100 players against a foe that's (assuming the game will be tailored to being difficult) collective, strategic, and unrelenting. To fight an enemy of that caliber, we too will have to be strategic to end up occupying the map and changing its climate.
For those who have played a WoW Battleground before (back when they were good), we understand that out-communicating your opposition is the first step to steam-rolling them. In Warsong Gulch, there was a real threat of getting distracted in the center of the map, attacking enemies and damaging that HP, but ultimately failing your objective of capturing the flag. Players understanding a basic mission: defending, harassing, or attacking, already put you at a solid advantage over the enemy. In Em8er, the AI will be forever-strategizing to our disadvantage and we must outcommunicate an AI for max gains.
In ARMA 3, there are many ways for players to get a handle on their objectives, some being VOIP radios and maps with objectives and assorted strategies to fulfill them. Failing to know the objectives or strategy could lead you to being alone and unable to be an asset to your team. Thankfully, you need not always know your objective because your squad leader got that handled, son. He's all over that map, he's communicating with command, he's telling you where to go and what to do to maximize your groups combat effectiveness. It's a team game, we gotta act like a team.
So how can Em8er bring in these team-based strategies into the game without being overbearing, complicated, or take away from the fun?
My ideas are as follows:
Let's talk "talk". AKA Communication. AKA Roger Roger.
Em8er's servers can currently handle 100 players with some beautiful basic AI. Assuming we're going to hold that 100 player population all the way through release, we're looking at trying to organize 100 players against a foe that's (assuming the game will be tailored to being difficult) collective, strategic, and unrelenting. To fight an enemy of that caliber, we too will have to be strategic to end up occupying the map and changing its climate.
For those who have played a WoW Battleground before (back when they were good), we understand that out-communicating your opposition is the first step to steam-rolling them. In Warsong Gulch, there was a real threat of getting distracted in the center of the map, attacking enemies and damaging that HP, but ultimately failing your objective of capturing the flag. Players understanding a basic mission: defending, harassing, or attacking, already put you at a solid advantage over the enemy. In Em8er, the AI will be forever-strategizing to our disadvantage and we must outcommunicate an AI for max gains.
In ARMA 3, there are many ways for players to get a handle on their objectives, some being VOIP radios and maps with objectives and assorted strategies to fulfill them. Failing to know the objectives or strategy could lead you to being alone and unable to be an asset to your team. Thankfully, you need not always know your objective because your squad leader got that handled, son. He's all over that map, he's communicating with command, he's telling you where to go and what to do to maximize your groups combat effectiveness. It's a team game, we gotta act like a team.
So how can Em8er bring in these team-based strategies into the game without being overbearing, complicated, or take away from the fun?
My ideas are as follows:
- Fog of War
- You start with a blank map in each territory that everyone can see. (The ice and snow or storms or whatever doesn't give us good satellite data.)
- Each player contributes to whisking away the "fog of war" by progressing through the map with an Omniframe.
- Fog of War "refogs" if outside Omniframe scan range (terrain stays).
- Can add equipment to your Omniframe to reveal larger swaths of the "fog" or reveal special enemy types.
- What this does
- Quickly shows new players that this is a team game and everyone is contributing to it in even small ways.
- Makes the unknown more unknown, spooky.
- Creates an immediate, strategy-based objective beyond simply fighting the enemy.
- Squads
- "It's dangerous to go into the Fog of War without help! Get in a Squad!"
- Compromised of a group of X people with a Squad Leader.
- Players can be added to a Squad on join if a Squad is marked "open" (vs Invite Only or whatever).
- Squad Leaders direct their Squad to move to locations, attack, or complete other objectives.
- Squads have communications abilities, like VoIP or Text Chat and have different colored names.
- Squad Leaders can request to add their Squad to a Platoon, or create a new Platoon.
- What this does
- Immediately gives newly-logged in players an objective and a group to work with.
- Gives players a choice to be on their own or part of a fighting force if they wish.
- Platoon
- A group of Squads (up to the full server) with a Platoon Leader.
- Squads can leave a Platoon at anytime.
- Platoon members can easily identify each other via the map and different colored names.
- Squads can text chat with other Squads in the Platoon.
- The Platoon Leader
- Primarily focuses on the map.
- Gives orders to their Squads which the Squad Leader can accept or reject with assorted reasons.
- Can communicate with other Platoon Leaders via text or VoIP
- Can see current orders from other Platoon Leaders (so you know what their Squads are doing)
- Can give Squads to other Platoon Leaders for strategy
- Ex: they wanted an Attack Platoon, a Patrol Platoon and a Defense Platoon they could do that.
- Leaves? Squad Leaders elect a new Platoon Leader.
- What this does
- Lets players choose their leader instead of being forced a leader, or into a role they don't want.
- Brings large-scale strategy into the game.
- Promotes good leadership.
- A group of Squads (up to the full server) with a Platoon Leader.
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