Development Cycle Archive
Thread: IC 1-14: Combat Roles; Squad Leader
What defines theSquad Leaderrole in combat?
1. The ability to coordinate theactions of the people inthe SL's group during combat.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
1. Their Combat Role is support, as stated above. Their abilities should reflect this, and the currentabilities of this class do. However, they could have somegroup combat-buff skills based on their Marksman "Ranged Support" tree.
What offensive abilities?
1. Ranged Support weapons, like mortars and grenade launchers.
2. The 'Hot Drop'. The SL's ability to transport their group,en masse,to a Waypoint on the planet that they are currently on.
What defensive abilities?
1. Group versions of their Marksman "Ranged Support" defensive skills.
2. The ability to create Field Base camps. Let's face it, "Why do SL need the Survival tree in Scouting, if they do not get any advanced camps of their own?" The SL should be the class that can create the Field Base type camps that the Ranger class currently has. Last time I checked, a real Wilderness Guide doesn't go around with enough support equipment to set up a camp like the "High-tech Field Base". However the military does. The "Field Base Kit" and "High-tech Field Base kit" should be in the SL profession. The Ranger camps should be moresimilar to their "High-Quality Camp kit" gained at Novice Ranger.
What unique abilities?
1. Field Bases set by a SL remain for a fixed length of time and do not disband if the SL is attacked.
2. The ability to pull multiple Faction Pets. (see GCW below)
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
1. The ability to change the active target of every member of their group to the one their are currently targeting.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
1. Not sure about this one. As far as I can tell, they don't have any now as it is. Not many people go out of their way to group with a SL like they to with a Combat Medic or TKM.
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
1. The SL is dependant on their group's ability to keep them safe.So that the SL may continue to coordinate the actions of the group.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
1.Someone else'ssuggestion ofSL participation in the shutdown of a faction HQ would be nice.
2. The ability of a SL to pull Faction Pets (non-vehicle) as a Creature Handler does.
3.The ability to'train' Faction Pets (non-vehicle) to use their Special Attacks as aCH does for animals. For example, a SLtrains a Stormtrooper to use the'Suppression Fire' specialwhen told "Keep their heads down!"
4. The Orbital Strike and Emergency Pick-up Faction perks from Beta-3 would also be appropriate.
I figured it wouldnt hurt to copy and paste the entire Role Designation post in this thread for the devs to have easy access, so I tossed it in below. I have an earlier post in the thread that answers the dev questions.
I know I have done this in a few various threads, but I figured ive re-typed the same ideas enough times that perhaps I should just give it it's own thread and spew them all out in detail. Basic concept here is that role-designation gets its own tree (perhaps replacing the mobility tree or something else) or is combined with another tree, and at each skill box, you get 1-3 additional roles that you as a SL can designate. Its also possible (since there are so many professions) To simply give 1-2 roles per box in ALL boxes.
The only rules here are that to qualify for a role designation, you have to meet a profession requirement (have novice box for that profession) and you can only hold one designation at a time. (You cant be the field medic AND point man)
With that said, here are the list of designations ive thought up, and the classes they go with, profession first, then role designation title, then description:
Architect: Military Engineer: Unlocks the ability to createa few wartime buildings/tents such as the field hospital, mess hall, and bridges. These structures are primarily for construction on battlefields, and can last the entirity of a battle. Perhaps some of the structures (like bridges) can be used for PVP or PVE outside battlefields.
Armorsmith: Combat Engineer: Unlocks the ability to create small defensive structures such as trenches, sandbags, barricades or shield units that are immobile.
Carbineer: Cover-Fire Specialist: Is able to use the"cover-fire" ability, which, when you target your teammate currently under attack, removes the aggro from him, and forces the target to a prone posture (though the target can immediately stand back up) This attack does no damage to the target.
Chef: Mess Hall Specialist: Chefs are now able to distribute food with a /distribute command to all group members or /distribute <name> to a specific member. This allows them to hand out food without using a trade window (which is a pain in mid combat) If there is a mess hall specialist, any food distributed by them should be able to be consumed with a /eat command, instead of having to open inventory.
Creature Handler: Wrangler: Allows the CH to deploy an additional creature.
Dancer: USO Show: I know it needs a new name, heh, but basically they would gain the ability to heal BF in the field while camped.
Doctor: Field Surgeon: reduces HAM cost for revive, makes revive possible on a battlefield.
Droid Engineer: Field Mechanic: Is able to repair broken or destroyed droids more quickly. Can drag droids to a safe location to repair them.
Fencer:
Merchant: Quarter-Master: Can access bazarrs via remote and have supplies air-dropped for a large HAM cost.
Musician: Bugler: Plays music while moving, adds a small movement bonus to both those on foot or mounted.
Pikeman:
Pistoleer:
Ranger: Point Man: Allows the ranger to scout ahead of the group. The entire group (or at least the SL) can see the point man's radar data on his own radar screen or map.
Rifleman: Sniper: All the rifleman's rifles have their range increased by half again. (so about 90+ meters)
Tailor: Uniform Designer: Allows Tailors to create uniforms for the entire team. These uniforms have severely low durability (like 1). Or they automatically dissapear when the group is disbanded.
Teras Kasi: Infiltrator: Is able to attack and kill one NPC without drawing aggro from any of its companions.
Swordsman:
Weaponsmith: Heavy Weapons Crew: Has the ability to place various manned turrets or gun emplacements such as EWEBs and golan and atgar laser batteries.
Image Designer: Tatoo Artist: Allows the image designer to give everyone a tatoo, they can pick from a variety of designs and different colors for those designs. The tatoo can fade after the group disbands.
Bio-Engineer: Field Scientist: Allows for larger DNA sampling, can give the group a "briefing" on any specific creature they are about to fight. Provides everyone with a +10 to hit bonus against that specific creature type for 60 seconds.
Bounty Hunter:
Combat Medic: Field Medic: Constantly reorganizes the group list to place those most damaged at the top of the list, places a floating red cross over their head so people can immediately see who to run to.
Commando: Heavy Weapon Specialist: Gets a bonus to fire any of the heavy weapons, and weapons placed by the heavy weapons crew.
Smuggler: Procurement Specialist: Is able to loot better items off of NPCs. Gets a higher instance of drops for all rare drops such as quest components, holocrons, data disks, etc.
If anyone has any ideas forFencer, Pikeman, Pistoleer, Swordsman,Bounty Hunter or any of the starting professions, please feel free to list them, along with any constructive criticism, or replacement abilities/titles.
I understand that it might not make sense for EVERY profession to have some kind of unlockable ability when with a squad leader. And I understand that many of you think that the non-combat professions should certainly not have abilities unlocked, but I think that they are the ones that have the most fun abilities.
I look forward to seeing everyone elses ideas on this.
What unique abilities should Squad leaders possess?
* How bout giving them the ability to call forth Artillary fire once per day at a given location.
* Also allow them to call forst several faction pets or some of the new combat droids. Allow the droids to be about as usefull as the current faction stormtroopers but not strong enough to make creature handler obsolete.
What defines theSquad Leaderrole in combat?
The squad Leader should be an oveall blanket bonust to a crouup. Their role should be im providing attack and defensive bonuses as well as making certain types of coodinated specials easier. For example, a squad leader should have the ability to designate a target HAM pool to his/her group and make spcials affecting that poole either faster or lesss HAM costly. A squad leader should also be able to command a large group thus allowing them to have more than one active faction pet at a time.
What basic combat elements should they possess?
Coodinated specials. Mods that affect the entire group, and specials which give the entire group a highly lethal coordinated attack. When a squad leadr shows up and asks if someone wants to go hunting. People should be begging them to join their group.
What offensive abilities?
Cpmpletely passive abilites. A sqad leader should not be very letha in and of himself, but he should tripple the lethality of his/her group. They should also be able to focus the offense of their group though attack enhancing specials. For example:
Heavy weapons barrage: this should incease LLC, Flamethrower, and other heavy wepons speed and accuracy by about 30 as well as reduce HAM costs of heavy weapons.
Cripple extremities: This should enhace all spcials speed and accuracy that target the action pool and legs. This should also increase accuracy and speedwith carbines and polearms by about 30.
Shootem in the head: This order shoud enhace all spcials speed and accruacy that target the mind pool and head (this includes eyeshot). This should also increase accuracy and speedwithrifles andtwo handed melee weaponsby about 30.
Aim for their chest: This should enhace all spcials speed and accuracy that target thehealth pool and body. This should also increase accuracy and speedwithpistols andone handed melee weaponsweaponsby about 30.
What defensive abilities?
A squad leader should increase ranged and melee defense for himself and the entire group. His defenses should als be slightly higher than the average combat profession.
What unique abilities?
The ability to have multiple active faction pets ansd specials that give major bonuses to his/her entire group.
Should add what advantage or asset in group combat?
Squad leaders should be the meat and potatoes of a group. They should provide MAJOR bonuses to the entire group and as a master should tripple its lethality.
How could/should they interact with other professions?
They should work best with Commandos, Swordsman, Fencers, Lancers, TKAs, BHs, Smugglers,Pistoleers, Carbineers, and Rifleman by making their specials faster, more accurate, and more efficient. However, they should be dependant on these other combat professions for their lethality
What interaction / dependencies should exist with other combatants?
They should be dependant on others to be lthal in combat, however, the others in their group should be faster, more efficient, more accurate, and overall more lethal than without the squad leader.
What should be their unique role in the Galactic Civil War?
Squad leaders should be the only profession to control multiple faction pets at the same time. They should also be more necessary in base take downs than bio engineers.
I think it comes down too, do we want your Squad Leader Porfession to become faction base or not. only then could you say what he/she should do. I my self feal that the SL is useless in non faction base groups, but could sway the descion in favor in a faction group.
If the Sl went for faction base, then he/she would be more like a faction recruter, were other faction members could convers with you and purches faction items from you, and you could in turn get faction in return like merchents do with vendors. i.e.the SL would have to be overt, and have a faction rank of what ever....and the other player could buy faction items from you as if you were a faction recruter. you would not hold the item in you inventory, but as if they were. You could usethe recturter skillonly in battle feilds or faction camps(new idea that SL can only use) or always. This camp could be like a very small base like some on the missions, were overt faction members could come and rest and be with friends. this camp would have to be purches, placed, and maniatined by the SL that placed it, and may only cost 1/2 a lot. Also a SL could be use in the story lines like cries of alderan or any other storys comming up. a player would need to seek out the SL and do a faction mission, but a mission would be diffrent from each player and SL. In the SGW or in a faction group A Master SL could call for things that a Novice Could not. Also rank would have a huge part in the faction perks that could be bought and recived. In the SGW two oposing SL could set up a battle feild for a faction war...if the two faction want to do so, a battel feild could be created(smaller then one already made). which could include cloning center med center and other faction items. Like said before the SL would be the Faction recruter for that battle feild or there side. Once the battle was over or every one left, like acamp it would disband after time and the SL that made it would get some XP or faction points for the battle.
Well DarkKillian.. What about smuggler? They are the only profession tied into the GCW at all (You can request items from ranger camps if you are declared, but thats different.) yet they have many other skills.
We are not asking to be "the" GCW profession, but one that deals with it.
A couple of ideas were bandied about, namely these:
/boostMorale should heal damage not wounds, practical upshot, by redistributing group damage the squad leader effectively grants free mind pool heals to all members (since the health and action pools are usually much larger) - this is like equilibrium on a group level, making the group MUCH tougher to kill.
Alternatively, a skill like rally or boostmorale should boost the secondary stats, enabling players to regenerate damage faster and to use less energy to accomplish tasks, simulating a state of motivation amongst the group members.
How do either of those sound ?