Squad Leader Archive
Thread: /retreat
) and enables me to patch up before we get there... All threads I've read dealing with this topic suggest to avoid it at all costs in combat but do you use it ever this way? Do you use it at all?CU
Mille
I plan on it, once I get the skill.
If I'm leading a squad with a lot of melee, pistoleers, or commandos,I just call /retreat, and they get a free burst runup the nose of the enemy. I'll have a medic ready to heal me, of course. 
I use retreat in one situation:
A group of us are running to a destination and a couple guys get aggroed by a bunch of reds, either because they cant mask scent, or because they are idiots. I have a decent mask scent so I'm less likely to draw any aggro (although occassionally I am the idiot. I blame the GGW commercials that always seem to distract me at the worst moments). We dont want to stop and fight because A) we'll waste time, B) we dont want to die. As long as I'm not aggroed, I hit retreat so the group can get away without everyonehaving to wastetheir burst run (some may have already used it anyway). I'm not in danger so my pools have time to regen as we continue running.
I definitately avoid using it if anything is currently attacking me, because it drops you so low you'll die immediately after. Dying is not helpful to your group. Its annoying for them. Since there is no penalty for death in this game except run-to-destination-time, so it doesnt matter too much if they die or you die,they stillhave to sit and wait whileyou run your -edit- back anyway.
On a side note, Imight be usefulfor a SL/Smuggler to retreat and feign death when even he/she is aggroed. Although you'd probably not live long enough to get the feign death in. Anyway, SL/Smuggler? Seems like a very strange combination anyway.
That had occured to me as well, combining retreat with feign death. I am a SL/Smuggler/Commando/Pistoleer (jack of all trades). It's not as effective a PvP combination as some but I don't do PvP. PvE it's great. I've got two of the four skills needed to kill a base (or three out of five if I ever get into PvP base taking). Pistol is my primary weapon so I've picked up a couple pistoleer skill trees. Smuggler is for slicing - no locked door, terminalor container is going to frustrate me and dirty fighting (of course). And just Heavy Weapons II from Commando so I'm somewhat of a threat to AT-ST's, so much more fun going through 'em than around 'em - it also gives me the launcher pistol cert and I use the flamethrower to reduce bases or lairs (saves on wear and tear to my master crafted pistol sets). SL I use for defensive bonuses (Leadership IV and Tactics II), Rally, Forum Up, and Boost Morale.
/retreat isn't something I was very excited about as, as noted above, it looks pretty limited in utility. But with Feign Death it could come in a bit more handy. But not handy enough to take three points out of another more commonly useful ability.
Since /retreat works only 6 seconds, doesn't work on you and doesn't work for someone who is /following someone else, even if they are both boosted by retreat it is pretty much worthless for its cost. No one runs away...it doesn't last long enough for travel...it was a prof that needed fixing before the end of beta but they only had so much time and that went to BH (not a slam, just a fact.) They have since fixed commando but have given no signs of fixing SL.
I've found that using /retreat while fully buffed (allsecondary action and mindstats) you can call it repeatedly (small delay between calls) at minimal cost to your HAMs. While this has some value for covering distances, it still doesn't give you the boost, so chains being as strong as their weakest length....
I have seen /retreat planet wide though. You could potentially sit calmly in your favorite cantina healing and repeatedly spur your troops into battle.
quick question though, anyone know if/what the command to set the retreat message is though? Tired Of yelling "I'll hold em off!"
Right now (at least pre-CU, haven't logged in post-CU yet), /retreat gives a short burst-run to the entire group, and basically incaps the SL.
Since we're going EQ2-in-space anyway (man those icons are nasty), why not make it simply teleport the entire group (or at least the members within X meters) to the nearest cloning center/starport/something stationary. Would be alot more useful than what we have now. Slap a 5-30minute reuse timer on it, and viola.
Message Edited by Yeraze on 05-02-2005 08:46 AM
Wow, that's definately EQ-Cheeze...
If the animation included the POB ship of the SL's faction landing and taking off right away, instead of the characters just disappearing/teleporting, I might vote for it. 
Retreat right now in CU gives a 1 minute burst run timer. i don't mind that, what you have in mind is a cool ability though but I think it should be separate.
Perhaps called Shuttle Recall, gives a 30 second timer till a shuttle lands then boom, back at nearest star port.
Iused it just the other night to save a group member who aggroed like 4 quenkers. It worked well, but it takes too much action and mind.
If they halved the ability cost it would be good.
Sephia wrote:
Iused it just the other night to save a group member who aggroed like 4 quenkers. It worked well, but it takes too much action and mind.
If they halved the ability cost it would be good.
TIP for PVE and SL Commands. I usually keep my Spat on "Stay" and in close proximity to me. If the groupges in trouble I hit Retreat and mount up.Since my action/mind take a hit I can easily Gallop away safely on my Spat. This has saved my butt on more than oneoccasion.
Geaux Darkcloud