CUEmu - Thread Posts

LunaticFringer

Mon Jan 26, 2004 4:45 am

Well... hopefully I can answer this one for the Devs... the idea here is that your using that *enhanced* chat box to coordinate/plan attacks in a group a bit more cleanly than just using the group chat menu. Granted... if done properly... one can actually coordinate out the role of a Squad Leader without the skill... but I think that was the idea... *this is the guy in charge.... this is who we're depending on to tell us what to do... right hopefully*.

Sincerely,

The Lunatic Fringer

*a lack of organization seems to be the downfall to many groups that just turn into a free for all blaster fest in my experiences...*

Especially for a Squad leader... it's important to actually plan out strategy before you go out on missions... then use those skills to further that strategy. It's a great profession if you ask me.

May The Goddess Smile Upon You!

Zarathustra

Mon Jan 26, 2004 8:55 am

#54

Currently as it is, Smugglers have the biggest roles in the GCW above any other class. This needs to be totally revamped. Squad Leaders should be geared more towards the factions, in fact they should be pushed the most towards and get the biggest benefits/bonuses in the GCW more than any other class in the game. As a part of this, special GCW missions should be given to squad leaders, some of the toughest in the game.

That is where all of the power should come from, special Squad Leader only faction perks that can be bought, maybe even weaponry purchased through faction points that only Squad Leaders can used. Maybe even allowing coverts to declare overt from a Master Squad Leader to fight.

I think that's the vision that most people have of the Squad Leader, someone that should fight for the rebelion or the empire. It should be the most centered profession in the game towards the factions.

~Zarathustra~

~~Founder of Zaracorp Weapons~~

~Etheara Greame~

4/4/4/4

~~~Dark Jedi~~~

LunaticFringer

Mon Jan 26, 2004 8:59 am

#55

I'm in total agreement here, of all the professions Squad Leader is the one that in it's very name is specifically geared toward the faction war. I'm still inclined to say... a Players rank within a faction should have something to do with bonuses given to a Squad Leader in combat too... that just sound realistic if you ask me.

Sincerely,

The Lunatic Fringer

May The Goddess Smile Upon You!

DiLune

Mon Jan 26, 2004 11:50 pm

#56

LittleMaan wrote:

A lot of really cool stuff.

Cool Maan. Very cool. I like it a lot.

Osire

Tue Jan 27, 2004 1:34 am

#57

The raids as they are now are very much pointless! Example..

Hanging out in city x, when someone runs in yelling faction y is going to raid! Faction x members go overt and await an impending attack.. the attack comes both x and y factions suffer casulties but both not only can clone in the same location but can rejoin the battle?? POINTLESS.

I am not saying I have all the answers I dont, but I do believe there needs to be a better system for more organized raids.

What may work (I dont know anything about the profession) is if you allow Squad leaders the ability to create a RAID group?The Squad leader will also have the option of selecting a raid target (player city or otherwise as long as opposite faction). Once the Squad leader defines a target a onscreen message appears to anyone in the selected raid target city asking if they will defend the city (combat is not a required) as long as one opposing faction member accepts the challenge the Raid will have 5 or 10 mins to begin. If no raiding member has attacked an opposing city defender within the set time then the raid ends and the Squad leader cannot start another raid for 1 or 2 hours also the city which was attacked also cannot be attacked again for 1 or 2 hours.

Anyone taking part in the raid will only have one life when you die you cannot rejoin the ongoing raid! Players arriving into a city which is being raided will have a one time onscreen yes/no asking if they would like to join their faction in the raid.

Rewards could be as simple as badges for the winners. I am sure there are bugs and flaws in my thinking but I just wanted to throw this out there for you all to think about. It might make the game more fun and also would make Squad leader more valuable in the game ... now we just need to work on ranger!

my 2 cents.. insert flames here v v v v v v v

Osire

ForsakenFrenchFries

Tue Jan 27, 2004 2:22 am

#58

(OOC post)

What defines theSquad Leaderrole in combat?

A Squad Leader's role in any combat operation is that of planning the operation, asessing the resources avaliable to complete the operation, and allocating those resources accordingly to ensure the most effecient and effective means of completing the operation possible.

In game terms, this means that a Squad Leader character should be the effective organizing force behind a group of other characters, allowing, both passively and actively every member of the squad to function more efficiently than would be possible without a Squad Leader.

What basic combat elements should they possess?

Squad leaders should not be the frontline soldiers or snipers in a conflict. A Squad Leader's primary purpose is to effectively lead the troops in battle. Master Squad Leaders should excel at not only delivering orders and coordinating combat operations, but being able to stay around long enough to regroup and salvage a botched operation if something unexpected happens. Squad Leaders should posess more "staying power" than other professions. This does not mean that a Squad Leader should function as a tank, but it does mean that a Squad Leader should be more adept at staying alive under heavy fire.

What offensive abilities?

A Squad Leader's own offensive abilities should not be granted via the Squad Leader class. Considering the skill point investment required for squad leader, there are already a number of viable options for advanced, but not elite combat skills. The least investment required is logically in the marksman tree, or it's associated elite professions. As the Squad leader already posesses novice marksman, this would be a logical step to obtaining specialization in a type of weapon, or an array of weapons. Some squad leaders may find it more suitable to their style of leadership to in stead opt for medical skills, or crafting skills to support their squad.

What defensive abilities?

As I stated earlier, a Squad Leader should become increasingly more adept at staying active in combat. This fits well with the Squad Leader's role as a commander and supporter of other members of the Squad. While a Squad Leader will not be responsible for dealing the majority of damage in combat, she will inevitably take a portion of the damage from the enemy.

This will not cause an imbalance, as a lone squad leader without the ability to deliver as much damage as a pure combat profession will still be easily cut down by a superior force. I propose a set of status effect resistance modifiers for the Squad Leader profession, spread out across all trees in the profession. This approach gives the Squad Leader increased staying power on the battlefield She will less frequently have to interrupt her coordinating efforts to alleviate status effects, or pull medical members of the squad away from their duties to the more prominent fighting units.

What unique abilities?

A Squad Leader's unique abilities should be focused around inreasing the effectiveness of all units under her command.

Let's take a look at the current Squad leader set of abilities:

Defensive Modifiers:

These modifiers are typically useful only to low level characters who have not yet advanced far enough in their professions to gain such modifiers for themselves, or attain appropriate amounts of damage mitigation. Also, the defensive modifiers are of less use to those in medical professions. I propose that squad leader modifiers be based on a percentage formula, eventually granting a 35% gain in defensive capability based on the character's current defensive modifiers. This seems a more accurate way to calculate such modifiers, as melee professions with the highest defensive modifiers will function more efficiently as tanks, Ranged professions will function more efficiently as ranged combatants, and medical personnell will not be given an illogical boost in combat prowess.

Also, I propose a similar percentage based boost to medical abilities, allowing the medical staff in the field to function more efficintly at their jobs. These include an Injury Treatment modifier placed in the Strategy tree, and an Injury Treatment Speed modifier placed in Mobility. This would allow Medics, Combat Medics, and Doctors to function faster, and with greater effect at treating the damagetaken by thecombat personnel in the squad.

Rally:

At this point the failure rate for the Rally skill is unacceptable and Illogical. When it works, rally is one of the Squad Leader's most used skills. A beneficial status effect for combatants, which boosts the squad's defensive and to-hit modifiers. If the failure rate could be lowered significantly, this skill would see much greater use among Squad Leaders.

Cosmetically, Rally should gain a voice bind similar to the rest of the current Squad Leader specials.

Form Up:

The practical use of Form Up is limited to a specific set of circumstances. Form Up's original design seems to be a verbal smack in the face to the squad. Increasing it's mental clarity by removing "mental" status effects. Logically, intimidated should fall into the same group of "mental" status effects. With the new HAM regeneration system, the acceleratedmind regeneration gained from specials should be restored immediately upon performing Form Up.

Boost Morale:

Boost Morale is possibly the least popular Squad Leader special. It has the effect of not only aggravating players who were previously in perfect health, but making the medical components of a squad frustrated, now that there are more targets to deal with. Boost Morale's only practical application is the equalization of a combat medic's mind wounds as a result of mind heal across the squad. Boost Morale could more resemble it's namesake as a temporary status effect. While active, Boost Morale would alleviate the wounds of the squad. The character would still gain wounds while Boost Morale was active, and all wounds would return after Boost Morale had ended it's effect. Boost Morale could not stack with other Squad Leader granted status effects, such as Rally.

Retreat:

Retreat is the most underused special in the Sqad Leader's arsenal of specials. This is mainly due to the fact that players in SWG will more often than not simply fight to the death than run away. Its most common use is the swift movement of troops on foot toward the mission objective. In this instance, I suggest that Retreat be renamed Charge. Charge functions as a temporary status effectthat boosts therunning and attack speed of the squad for a short amount of time. Charge does not stack with other Squad Leader granted Status effects such as Rally.

Group Terrain Negotiation Modifiers:

Though the utility of these modifiers has been hampered a bit by the introduction of vehicles and mounts, they still serve their intended purpose, increasing the foot speed of the squad.

VolleyFire:

Volleyfire rarely works. When it does, it has a negligable effect upon the target, forcing all squad members to break from their current target and spend a single shot with no special properties. Volley fire would better be used to paint a target, using a separate blinking red target reticle visible to all members of the squad. This skill would be more organizational, akin to SysGroup, and would hence require no HAM cost to execute, and be granted at novice.

SysGroup:

Sysgroup is a useful tool, but might be more useful if displayed in larger letters away from the standard scroll of system messages.

Other:

The Mobility tree is mysteriously lacking any special abilities. Retreat/Charge seems more suited to this tree than its current place in the onion.

Squad Leader skills are based upon a verbal yell. There is no logical reason that these skills should not work while the squad leader is kneeling or prone.

Novice Squad Leader requires completion of scout's Survival discipline, which is a crafting tree. Squad Leaders should be given some sort of special purpose temporary combat structure, such as fortifications. There are numerous proposals floating around on the boards for this, but the basic idea is that a fortification is a Squad Leader craftable temporary combat structure that increases the combat related modifiers of it's occupants, and possibly contains some sort of stationary weaponry operable by the Squad Leader. Fortifications would not be placable in combat. Fortifications would be targetable by enemy units. Fortifications would facilitate a more tactical feel for combat, and give Commandos something else to aim their rocket launchers at.

Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?

The Squad Leader should allow every member of the group to function individually, and as a whole, more efficiently than they could without a Squad Leader.

How could/should they interact with other professions?

Squad Leaders should allow combat professions to hit more effectively, and take less damage. Squad Leaders should allow medical professions to heal faster, and for a greater amount. Squad Leaders should perform a set of status-based skills, allowing characters that follow orders properly to engage the enemy with a greater deal of precision and staying power.

What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?

A Squad Leader's abilities are useless without a squad to use them on. Hence, a Squad Leader depends on other combatants. A Squad Leader without a squad to lead is a useless individual.

What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?

A Squad Leader's role in the GCW should hinge around the coordination of large and small scale assaults. A Squad Leader is just that, a Squad leader. Not a planetary operations coordinator, orrecruiter. It may be advantageous to allow Master Squad Leaders to place landing marker kits, obtainable by requisition from a factional recruiter. This allows a large group of players to quickly drop to a predesignated landing zone near a factional base or other point of conflict. This would require each member of the group to board the dropship at a faction aligned shuttleport(or possibly special purpose player or NPC owned factional base. In order to board the dropship, each member of the group must be declared and overt. Once the group has boarded the dropship, allow between 30 seconds and 1 minute (for clients to load) for the dropship to land on the markers. Once the dropship has landed, the landing zone marker is destroyed. The Squad Leader may only deploy one landing zone marker at a time. This would allow the Squad Leader to conduct a fast, tactical insertion into the area of combat, avoiding environmental hazards, and players on "lookout duty" but prevent players using the system as a sort of "budget shuttle"

-Merideth Ramirez
-Master Squad Leader
-Headmaster Pariah Tactical Operations Training Academy
Ahazi.

Kevie

Tue Jan 27, 2004 6:19 am

#59

squad leaders should be just that

leaders

plain and simple..... make it so everyone will try and defend them from agroing mobs so they can lead us to victory

if the squad leader is incapped make it a very bad thing for the whole group, but make it VERY usefull while the squad leader is running the show.... he or she should stay in the background so to speak and run things from a distance while all his troops attack with much more coordination

Oaceen Tunaisea (Ow-seen Two-nay-see), Kettemoor
There is no command, mood, chat type: smuggle
"#*% damnit, no. Caboose; I'm not cold, I don't want a hotdog, and if you
put mustard in my #&$^ing sheets again I'm gonna kill you." - Tucker
-

DarthNecron

Tue Jan 27, 2004 10:17 am

#60

What defines theSquad Leaderrole in combat?

A leader of Groups & Armies. Lead by example or direct the Battle from the rear

What basic combat elements should they possess?

What offensive abilities?

A average offensive ability in line with most other Combat Prof's

What defensive abilities?

Defense should be a Squad Leader Specialty. Theres nothing worse than a DEAD commander

What unique abilities?

Inspire people/troops to be all they can be

Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?

SL's should give a group a MEGA asset to a wide range of skills. Like they do now

How could/should they interact with other professions?

Well they are Squad Leaders, so leading groups as they do now is about as good as it gets maybe?

What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?

They might not be powerful as the Commando/Rifleman/TKA,ect Offensiveness, but when Grouped they become a savage Unit.

What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?

The ability to command more PC's or NPC's than any other character's & Inspireration in Battle!

Necron K'un,
Pax Imperius,
"Peace Through Fear"

irott

Tue Jan 27, 2004 1:50 pm

#61

Gatgatsugatling wrote:
Squad leader should be the Creature Handler of faction pets.

No we shouldn't.

[irott and the full effect]
Master Squad Leader

"We're all in it together" - Archibald 'Harry' Tuttle

Rachtor

Tue Jan 27, 2004 4:43 pm

#62

What defines theSquad Leaderrole in combat?

-The ability to control the groups actions as a whole.

What basic combat elements should they possess?

They need no personal combat skills whatsoever

What offensive abilities?

They should be able to start an attack using volley fire. Not just change the direction of fire. I should be able to pick a target and order my gourp to fire so they all fire. I also should be able to point out targets to people so they can see what I'm looking at on their screen.

What defensive abilities?

Ranged and Melee buffs for the group. I haven't leveld up in those areas so I can't comment on how well they are currently working.

What unique abilities?

They should be able to flag targets so everyone knows what the squad leader is looking at.

They should know what everyone else in their group is doing. Also have abilities that happen automatically to spread information to the teamlike if someone in my group got injured / diseased all the Medical people on my team should see an icon above that persons head representing that,not have to look at the gui.If nobody in the team is currently engaged in combat and someone comes under attack everyone in the group should be notified.

These abilities all represent some sort of RADIO in the group. It's the effect of you having a squad of people all with walkie talkies. Someone gets hurt, he radios in to the SL, the SL radios the medic where the guy is. That's the best way I can describe it. Yes people can type it but it should be automatic.

Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?

How could/should they interact with other professions?

They should provide information to everyone in the squad specific to their role (as written above).

What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?

I think I already said this..

What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?

Not Answering

Cmdrstupid

Tue Jan 27, 2004 7:15 pm

#63

I just want to put some of the best ideas I've heardhere and in the Squad Leader forum in one short post.

-> The ability to lead multiple faction NPCs.

-> Really big passive bonuses to vital skills (damage bonus anyone?

-> Some sort of 'Fortification' that would be similar to a camp, only offer combat bonuses.

-> Granting overt status to the squad (probably only if the SL themselves is overt).

-> A special ability only usable with help from an SL (artillery barrage from commandos, perhaps).

-> Mission waypoint sharing (the SL can see all active mission waypoints belonging to group members)

-> A more powerful /formup at higher levels that can cure more effects.

-> Cooperative specials: kinda like /volleyfire , only with a special move. (i.e. group legshot, bodyshot, etc.)

-> The ability to designate a person in your group to receive a bonus (like Team Fortress: different classes).

-> Calling in supportfor PvP, like a backup squad of NPCs to help assault a faction base.

Almost-Master Squad Leader,

Walther Atkinson,

Bria

Sheuset

Wed Jan 28, 2004 8:41 pm

#64

Excellent summary, I agree completely with those choices.

GamerProX

Thu Jan 29, 2004 12:25 am

#65

I always liked the idea of SL becoming the GCW type of NPC User. More Stromtroopers for a Master SL to command than non-SL. Im not saying make them a just a solo class, but it would be nice not having to look for a group 24/7 just to be useful. Permadeath on stromtroopers sure as heck wont make this class a Creature Handler class I can tell you that.

Headed to World of Warcraft

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Thread: IC 1-14: Combat Roles; Squad Leader