Multiplayer server suggestion to help develop teamwork

[Slyder73 10]

I love the PvP aspect of Arma2 and have very little patience or time for Coop or other such missions where humans fight against computer programs.

I think this game has enormous potential for PvP development, communication, clans and the intense type of combat that I'd come to expect after being initiated a while back into this game by reading a day's worth of dyslexi's (sp) guide.

The problem I have and the suggestion I have is for servers running PvP missions. If you are going to have squads available, and you want coordination to happen, then turn on the option for teamates to be able to see each other, for squadmates to get the diamond shaped icon to have awareness of where each other may be on the map. The rest is up to them. I've been on some good servers, the two or three PvP ones that there are but none of them have the squad icons turned on. I'm not assuming that just because they are turned on the squad leader will be someone capable of leading a squad...but at least if the option is there the teamwork potential makes it more likely. I've seen this and experienced this in the past with different games and have had some wonderful teamwork and communication occur when players know who they are small grouped with. (Hell, even Grossman's research supports the strength of small, close proximity, communicating groups of soldiers over non-communicative, anonymous sets for a reason....if you know what I'm saying then you know it's a good suggestion LOL. The same principle transfers over to online gaming.)

Yes, I understand there are a hardcore element of players on here who don't like the icons as it detracts from something....but in a this game there is not only a huge learning curve and a very large community of very new players looking for teamwork but also a perception that having any digital compromise for missing real world senses is a bad thing. Really, being in a close squad with 3 or 5 guys like some of you have, you have an intrinsic awareness of where they are, an awareness that cannot possibly be approximated in a game without substituting that sense with an icon.

I'm hoping to find a large PvP server that has the squad icons on so some real squad based teamwork can occur; with multiple squads moving and communcating and having some idea of who they are working with. If there is one thing lacking in this game, it is the ability to be aware of who is in your team and squad, short of using the i key to see who the top players are.

Edited July 21, 2009 by Slyder73