Squad Leader Archive
Thread: SL Idea: Satellite Reconnaissance
Long Range Reconaissance via Satellite
An SL Ability, usable at will. When used, first the SL will see the Ctrl-V style planetary map. You'll scroll around and use the zoom slider at the bottom to mark a position on the map, and then hit a big "Scan" button. You'll have to wait a bit, 30s-a minute (This could be implemented as a simple re-use timer, or as the Hyperspace type wait) for the satellite to realign and get into position. When it's there, you'll be taken to the House-Drop view (A wide-angle high altitude view) of the chosen area. Here you could pan around in a limited area, and targeting would still be allowed just for recon purposes. Once in this view, it would only persist for 45 seconds before returning to normal (Satellite's don't sit still ya know). Then you'ld have to request another Satellite Recon.
This would aid in planning operations, and it would bring some use to Cover. Trees and foilage could mask the true size of the opposing force, as would buildings, large ranger camps (with roofs) and bases. Things like Ranger Camo and Riflemen Cover could also make individual players invisible or at least difficult to see in this view (rendered very transparent, which given their size in this view would make them difficult to see). Things like Tech Camps & the larger Faction Bases could perhaps sound alarms indicating they've tracked a satellite coming into orbit over their position. This combined with the timers would allow defending forces to mask their numbers through use of tactics and strategy (conveniently 2 SL trees
).This could later be extended to orbital weapons or Munitions/Artillary stuff, but for now I think it would just be neat to have the Recon ability. Probably somewhere in the Strategy tree.
So, the Scenario:
A group of rebels forms in the wilderness, at a predesignated location. Their objective: a Imperial Outpost, thought to be unguarded. As they check their weapons, the Squad Leader performs one last Recon pass. When the satellites get into position, he looks at his View screen. There's the forward outpost, with two turrets standing. He does a quick count of the guards: 2 Stormtroops, a ranking officer. Right as he puts his viewscreen away he sees a speederbike pull into frame. He tries to see who's on it, but the satellite link drops.
He tells his squad to wait while we requests a 2nd recon. 2nd satellite pass comes up, and he studies it carefully. Speederbike is gone, nobody around but the NPC's. There's a fair bit of tree cover to the west of the base, and whatddya know.. There's the speederbike. Seems this base isn't as deserted as previously thought. Can't be much opposition tho. We'll just reroute and come through the trees, wiping out the opposition first. The SL Makes the call, and away they go.
What he doesn't realize is that the Imperial SL sitting inside the base has also been requesting reconnaisance on them. As he carefully watched the terminals, he heard the alarms and knew they were under surveillance. He sent out scouts to find the rebel's position. Once he had it, he simply kept a recon satellite on them as much as he could. He specifically placed the speederbike at the trees, a decoy. His entire team is huddled inside the base. When the rebels made their move for the trees, 3 soldiers drop turrets covering the tree line. The rest of the team flanks the rebels in the trees, and they're decimated a good 100m away from the base. He knew their numbers... He knew their weapons.. He knews when they would attack, and from what direction.. They never stood a chance.
Message Edited by Yeraze on 08-02-2005 09:56 AM
Message Edited by Yeraze on 08-02-2005 10:04 AM
Message Edited by Yeraze on 08-02-2005 10:27 AM
Now that would be interesting. I can't think of anything that would be unbalanced off hand either.
I might take this a step further to help our DE friends and possibly mimic the BH process a bit more...the coding is already in play as well.
A SL would call a droid down. Selecting the "view map" screen off of it and follow the process you describe...upon selecting the area, the driod goes back to space (like they do for BHs) and would return the results to our Ctrl-V map. This would be used to locate enemy fortifications.
A second droid..like seekers could be launched and controled...the view would leave our body and focus on the small seeker droid we could then send out and track around in a limited area. It could have targeting features or not...either way would be helpful....the droid could be linked to our player in that anything that would attack us could attack it as well. SO that we couldnt just fly pass the front door of an enemy base. We would give it a WP to go to, and it would fly straight there...we would simply move the view around. (very handy for scouting out area of a city for coordinating attacks while giving the enemey a chance to blow it up to stop us...handy to have a CH with a flying pet :wink
Just a couple thoughts to add to yours....I think the use of droids for recon would be great and would be one more consumable droid for DEs to make so they can have more repeat biz.
!
KJFett3 wrote:I like how the Imperials win. I thought for sure you would have it the other way around.One more idea for us to get in that Wiki thing.
Well, I figure if I keep reinforcing the myth of the losing rebels, you imps won't get so bad when we have one of our big 7-base weekend nights ;-)
Yay! Another imperial victory makes the thing even look better than on plain paper... *grin*
Anyways, yes. This is even better than the tactical overhead map suggestion. (Although i admit, i'm perhaps not enough of a tactician to use it to full efect. But it could also resolve the question, if a shuttleport is clear or camped by a dozen of enemies... )
So, a defininte /sign, /thumbsup and /iwantit!
Yeraze wrote:
KJFett3 wrote:
I like how the Imperials win. I thought for sure you would have it the other way around.
One more idea for us to get in that Wiki thing.
Well, I figure if I keep reinforcing the myth of the losing rebels, you imps won't get so bad when we have one of our big 7-base weekend nights ;-)
Fact! 
And then, when we have the recon part done, we go poaching in many threads from Commando and SL forums and get us the armoured artillery tank (Commando and SL only) to do some serious rampage at 30k distance... *grin*
Sylow wrote:
And then, when we have the recon part done, we go poaching in many threads from Commando and SL forums and get us the armoured artillery tank (Commando and SL only) to do some serious rampage at 30k distance... *grin*
All from the comfort of our Command Bunker.
All from the comfort of our Command Bunker.
*Ponder* so the Commandos go out and destroy and we lazily hang out in the bunker?
Alas, the bunkers fridge is full, the girls are on way... let the Commandos also have their fun... 
Sylow wrote:
All from the comfort of our Command Bunker.
*Ponder* so the Commandos go out and destroy and we lazily hang out in the bunker?
Alas, the bunkers fridge is full, the girls are on way... let the Commandos also have their fun...
Bunkers are where the bigs guns are.
Examples of small to large bunkers and what they might look like....Bunkers
Naturally, SLs would drop them, and Commandos would run the big guns.....Carbiners and Riflemen could run the MGs.
Message Edited by KJFett3 on 08-02-2005 12:24 PM
Sounds like an excellent idea. But it needs to be changed around a lot, by letting the Imp SL shoot himself in the foot trying to get out the door with the rest of his squad.
Seriously though, it is a good idea.