Command Overhaul

[DviddLeff]

Platoon Leader

The Platoon Leader position is now changed to be filled by a player who does not belong to any squad in his platoon, leaving three Squad Leaders to concentrate on leading their squads. The Platoon Leader can request his Squad Leaders to perform missions for him, using the system detailed below.

Platoon Leaders get a share of the squads under his commands earned CEP for each mission and base hack.

Base Defence CEP

For successful base defence, Squad Leaders are rewarded with CEP for each five minutes they defend, the amount depending on how much fighting is done in the SOI.

Squad Missions

Squad Leaders can now accept missions for their squads from higher ups to fill a variety of roles, including:

Offensive
Hack Base/Tower Control Console
Destroy Base/Tower Spawn Room
Destroy Base Generator
Capture Base Back Door
Capture Base Lobby

Once these Offensive missions are completed, the Squad Leader is rewarded with a CEP bonus, and the squad with a BEP bonus (maximums of 500), depending on how much resistance is encountered. If the squad completes the mission then it is cancelled from the Squad Mission List after five minutes.

Defensive
Defend Base/Tower Control Console
Defend Base/Tower Spawn Room
Defend Base Generator
Defend Base Back Door
Defend Base Lobby

For every five minutes defending in the area, the Squad Leader is rewarded with a CEP bonus, and the squad with a BEP bonus (maximums of 500), depending on how much resistance is encountered. If the squad fails the mission, then it is removed from the Squad Mission List after five minutes, giving them a chance to secure the area.

Up to two missions can be accepted by any one squad at a time, and the Squad Leader can cancel mission orders whenever he sees fit. Squad Leaders can also request missions from higher ups.

Base Commanders

Commanders can take control of base fights, allowing that commander to send base wide commands to the friendly troops. They can also assign missions to squads concerning the base, and request reinforcements (and ANTs if defending), and earn CEP rewards for those squads completing them. They also earn CEP by capturing the base or successfully defending.

These commanders must be CR4 to take command of a base fight, and when defending, they must be at the Control Console of the base or at a new, secondary, emergency Command Console in the basement if the Control Console is lost.

When assaulting a base the commander must deploy a new Command Vehicle within the SOI of the base, and stay within it and the vehicle to work as the Base Commander. Details on the Command Vehicle later.

From the CC or Command Vehicle, the Base Commander can use their CUD as if they were outside, being able to use Reveal Friendlies, Enemies and Orbital Strikes. They can also use new commander features, which Ill talk about later.

Planet Commander

Planet Commanders are CR5s who will control an entire Planet from Base Control Consoles (or Command Vehicles until the first base is taken on the Planet), able to select bases as primary and secondary targets. It is only Planet Commanders who can send Planet All messages. Planet Commanders can also request for reinforcements to the Planet.

Planet Commanders can assign specific target bases to Platoon Leaders, and earn CEP rewards if these bases are then successfully taken or defended, depending on the situation.

Planet Commanders can only hold the position for 2 hours per day.

Galaxy Commander

Galaxy Commanders are CR5s who stay in Sanctuary and direct the flow of battle from there. They are the only players who can send general global messages. Galaxy Commanders can select primary and secondary target planets for the empire to assault.

Galaxy Commanders can assign specific target planets to Outfit Leaders, and earn CEP rewards if these planets are then successfully taken or defended, depending on the situation.

Players can only be Galaxy Commander once a day, and only for two hours at a time.

Command Vehicle

The Command Vehicle is a stripped out Deliverer with antennas and satellite dishes instead of weaponry and troop space. When stationary the vehicle deploys and the antenna and dishes emerge so that the Commander can hook up to the network and begin commanding the troops. From within the vehicle the Commander can assign missions to squads, use his CUD, request reinforcements and send general orders to the troops.

The Command Vehicle would cost one certification point, and the player must be CR4 or above.

New Commander Features

Shoulder Aerial for Squad and Platoon Leaders
Squad Leaders would have an aerial projecting from his shoulder, and a Platoon Leader gets an aerial on each shoulder, to differentiate them from the troops.

Camera Drone
CR4s would receive a Camera Drone, which fills a pistol slot. This drone would be controlled like an aircraft, and would show the player a view in a radar like window on his HUD. The player could use it to provide recon for his squad. The drone would have a limited life span, and could be shot down by accurate fire.

Ability to vote out Squad/Platoon Leaders and Base/Planet/Galaxy Commander
With Squad and Platoon Leaders, sometimes it is necessary to remove them from command (say they go AFK or LD, or simply don’t have a clue), and their troops/Squad Leaders would be able to vote them out of power, and replace him with another player in the Squad/Platoon.

With the Commanders, the troops in the base/planet/galaxy could vote out the current commander, who would then be replaced with the next person who applies for the position.

Command Rank Five Degredation
You may have noticed that with my system there is a lot more CEP entering the game, and to persuade CR5s to contunue commanding, they will suffer Command Rank Degredation. Therefore, to keep them from losing Command Rank 5, they must continue commanding their empire.

If they dont keep commanding, they will fall back to CR4, and lose the large OS and access to CR5 /c chat.

[Hayoo]

ah, ok, cool. I'll have to read this today.

[DviddLeff]

Sorry man, its a bit long, but it all fits in together nicely, so Ive got to explain it all.

I should be adding more to it tonight as well...

[DviddLeff]

Any feedback, or shall i just post it on the official forums as is?

[Hayoo]

I haven't been able to post feedback yet, but it looks good enough to go up on the OF.

[DviddLeff]

kk, Ill post it and wait for the /nosign trolls.

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by DviddLeff

kk, Ill post it and wait for the /nosign trolls.

lol. Your main point of discussion might be "who gets to be commander and how?" and also "what if someone gives a blow gen mission on a base that everyone wants up". Because most people want to choose a leader they trust/know/are-freinds-with beforehand rather than have to boot them off later. And when BEP or CEP is involved, a lot of people get selfish. Other than that, I don't see how they can nosign it, unless it's really just a vote for "not this stuff now, gimme grunt goodies first."

Oh, and CR5s might protest degredation because they feel they deserve to keep it forever (afterall they worked harder than anyone to get it). ;)

[DviddLeff]

But once you get to CR5. people suddenly turn into arseholes it seems.

And the quickest way to get CR5 is just to follow the zerg.

[Hayoo]

Originally Posted by DviddLeff

But once you get to CR5. people suddenly turn into arseholes it seems.

And the quickest way to get CR5 is just to follow the zerg.

Exactly. My reference to "worked so hard to get it" is tongue-in-cheek, a reference to their Manifest Destiny attitude when they reach CR5. Which is why the question of how you get to be a base, planetary, galaxy commander is so important, considering you get CEP rewards for being in those positions. Assholes will flock to that position to keep their CR5 status.

In my view a leadership position should have preventative measures in place, rather than reactive measures, because just by clicking a button to put himself in that position an asshole assumes he has a mandate from the players and is harder to remove (especially since players are lazy and won't vote him off unless he does something obviously inept).

That's pretty much why I prefer "the led choose their leaders" approach that's used in the Squad and Outfit systems, where a soldier presses a commander's join button, which tells that commander "this person wants to be led by me."

[DviddLeff]

What my idea is that you'd get Platoon leaders commanding base assualts (3 coordinated squads should be able to take a base, unless theres really serious resistance)... although following on from there we need to get bigger troop organisations, linking Platoons together, with leaders for them leading the Planetary strategy... hmm, perhaps Id better add some of these details into my main post.

Squads and outfits work well, but there should be a method of disposing of your leaders if they arent doing the job properly.

Ideally Id like a system where outfit leaders and officers can coordinate in alliances, rather than a bunch of random [No Outfit] CR5s leading the game when they have no clue how to organise more than 10 players.

CR5 suddenly gives players the ability to command the entire player base, while the most people they are used to commanding is a single squad. Im trying to make a system where the number of troops they command goes up as they progress up the command ranks, rahter than the sudden ten to hundreds jump we currently have.

[DviddLeff]

[[bwc]firefly]

Rank maintenance. I like it. Earn your keep, and keep your earnings. It also gives CR5s a reason and a goal to keep leading, as opposed to being a mouthpiece (hey can someone fill up x-base?)

I also like the idea of a command vehicle. It shouldn't be identifiable as a variant except by visual - we identify command vehicles in the military by their arrays of antennae, should be the same way "now". Because we still use 9mm ammo for a friggin' chaingun. The command vehicle should have a greater array of tools than just being an armored CR4/5. Take a page from the Commander's Screen in Battlefield Two.

[DviddLeff]

Yeah the commander would be able to drop supplies (stationary respawn/ream terms) within an SOI, give out orders, all through a top down RTS style view.

[[bwc]firefly]

Eventually, if we ever see Galaxy or Lodestar variants, you might be able to get a Galaxy overhead to drop supplies. Once, I had a Galaxy empty most of its ammo, and we loaded it with ACE deployables and ammo for troops. We used it during a roadside ambush that we set up, when large pops allowed that idea to be feasible.

Your command vehicle could also be used as a means of communicating with squad and platoon leaders who aren't necessarily squadded with you - a step above the /sl channel. It might incorporate the drawing board that is rarely used from CR3+ screens. It might allow that commander to place a waypoint that you could see without having to be part of his squad.

Too bad there wasn't a way to jam communications, or collect on enemy chat nets. That would be interesting.