Turning formations

[Falconer 0]

I'm sure many here have been annoyed at their AI team members not looking in the right direction after movement. For example, your team is in line formation, facing north. Suddenly you discover a group of enemies in the woods to the east, and you would like your team's formation to turn east and face the enemy. Now, the only way to get this done is to move east for about 50 meters. Only then will the AI team members have adjusted the formation's facing. This is very impractical and typically gets you killed. It would be so much of a relief if there was a command that would allow you to set the facing of the formation to your current facing. Ie. if you're looking south and you issue the command, the formation turns to face south as well.

Setting the facing of the individual soldiers is clearly not the answer. In the above example, telling your AI team members to `watch direction' - `east' would have them looking east, but the line formation would still be facing north. Fracticites is the result.

[Gaswell 1]

Agree. It would be nice to be able to set a formation's direction without having to move, especially when going into line formation (which I often do on contact).

[ReZiN8R 0]

just hold down Alt and click the direction where u want them to face. simple

[Gaswell 1]

Well, no. As Falconer said,

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Setting the facing of the individual soldiers is clearly not the answer. In the above example, telling your AI team members to `watch direction' - `east' would have them looking east, but the line formation would still be facing north.<span id='postcolor'>

[ReZiN8R 0]

i missed the last part of ur post for some reason. so thats not the answer. oh well looks like ur stuffed

[Sitting Duck 0]

Well why don't you just change the line formation to echelon left or right. That way they will fall into place and then use the command ReZiN8R to make them face exactly where the enemy is.

[Gaswell 1]

Moving from line or wedge into echelon L/R is not something you want to do while shots are being fired, especially if you've got a couple of trigger-happy machine gunners in your squad. I've seen a 9-man squad reduced to 4 while doing just that, and until the friendly fire fix comes along in the next patch (hopefully) that's gonna be a constant headache.

Also, changing from line (or wedge) into echelon L/R means a lot of unneccessary moving about, but that's maybe less of a problem.

I do use echelon L/R a lot, just as you describe, and except for the friendly fire I'm pretty OK with it. It's just a tiny bit more impractical than it could be.

[Mister Frag 0]

Friendly fire fix? Please, no, this isn't Counterstrike!

[PV 0]

umm... if you are facing one direction, and want them to swing the formation, why don't you turn and face that direction, and then hit ~1,1 (i.e "return to formation". Won't the soldiers then begin to move to their proper new positions in relation to yours? I seem to remember doing that a couple times.

[judas 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Quote: from Mister Frag on 5:59 pm on Dec. 18, 2001

Friendly fire fix? Please, no, this isn't Counterstrike!<span id='postcolor'>The promised fix is about AI being less likely to fire when their buddies are in the line of fire, nothing else.

[judas 0]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Quote: from PV on 6:05 pm on Dec. 18, 2001

umm... if you are facing one direction, and want them to swing the formation, why don't you turn and face that direction, and then hit ~1,1 (i.e "return to formation".  Won't the soldiers then begin to move to their proper new positions in relation to yours?  I seem to remember doing that a couple times.

<span id='postcolor'>Sorry, but you remember wrong. You really do have to move.

(Edited by judas at 6:23 pm on Dec. 18, 2001)

[Falconer 0]

Although it is not the solution to the problem with formations, thanks for that tip ReZiN8R! Using the menus to change the direction your AI fellows look is a pain, your method will make it much easier.

[Gaswell 1]

I've been experimenting a bit with how to turn a formation. It seems like the formation has got a center point that is placed a few meters right behind the squad leader. Imagine a line drawn from this point to the squad leader, and then you've got the formation's axis and direction.

I've been able to repeatedly turn a line formation exactly 90 degrees by moving left/right about 3-5 meters, then back the same distance (in effect rotating the imaginary line between the formation's center point and the squad leader 90 degrees). In comparison, if I only go left/right I have to go quite a distance to get the formation to rotate approximately 90 degrees.

The formation's center point will of course need to be updated at some time, but I don't know when this'll happen. Maybe if you move, then stop for a few seconds. Or maybe I'm way off target with this whole discussion.

[troop 0]

In addition to this turning formation issue/solution,

make sure (impracticable, if you need very short response, I know..read on) that upon time of turning, you issue your men to be in either 'aware' or 'safe' combat mode, _and_ you _must_ order them to 'disengage' and then

'back into formation' (3-6; then 1-1)

This will cause (without YOU having to move; only turn in place!) that your men WILL stop, what they are currently doing (i.e. scanning said easthern enemies and starting to fight them back immediately, if you are in 'Danger' combat mode;..thus killing your own people) and begin to move into their new position and getting ready there. (By that time, all of you are usually dead;..but 'formation turning' works..hehe)

This will work very well, but as said, it's a lot of running/crawling...but at least, your buddies wont

shoot (into your own line) until you order them to 'engage' again (3-4) You may even have to issue

3-2(to make them STOP shooting while moving);..but that depends on skill of your AI buddies...

If they ARE in any agressive 'engage' mode, they will not move, or move ONLY, when you move yourself, like we read above already.

(Edited by troop at 6:06 pm on Dec. 19, 2001)

(Edited by troop at 6:09 pm on Dec. 19, 2001)