Fireteams as default setup

[Helmut_AUT 0]

Hi all

I'm noticing with A2, as in A1 - but now made more important by 13 man Marine Squads - I'm using the colored fire teams a lot. In fact I use them much more than commanding single soldiers around. Vehicle crews are also a colored team with my setup, and I really only very rarely command a single soldier to do something specific.

I never quite understood why BIS didn't take this idea to it's logical conclusion - have the Squad Leader command Fireteams as a whole as default (three icons or four with an attached vehicle instead of single soldier icons) unless he explicitly wishes to command a specific soldier.

Take it one step further for multiplayer: The Fire Team Leaders should be automatically in command of their three AI bots, when played by a human. Right now, multiplayer within the same squad is pretty pointless since only the SL can command each individual soldier, whereas a Fire Team Leader (although present as unit and by rank) can not do anything more than every other soldier in the squad. It would much closer fit to reality if players would fill up Squad Leader and Fire Team Leader slots so they automatically get command over their appropriate section, it would also change the workload for the Squad leader to something more realistic and manageable.

This would be a bit like the "High Command Module" but without the need for placing logics, and down low on the squad level.

Make it even better: If an "Officer" unit is placed on the map and linked with two squads ("grouped", not synched, just like a normal unit) that Officer would now be in "High Command" of two squads, each squad again with three fireteams.

There is so much potential for a hierarchic rank-based team/platoon structure in the engine. But what does BIS do instead? Remove the quick-select color team feature from A1 (used to be in the SPACE menu) which forces people again to put much more work into commanding individual soldiers. Which makes sense for Spec Ops (Team Razor) but not for squads.

[galzohar 31]

There is a reason you don't get any kind of high command by default - the AI is simply not designed to handle it. AI does not know how to give high command commands at all, which would make it impossible for an AI squad leader to command his team. Also when you will want to be more specific you will not be able to, because even if you would have direct command option to your fireteams' members, the AI fireteam leader would override your commands instantly. Right now (and probably in the future) the high command is a very problematic feature and only works on very specific scenarios.

Right now the only real way to use high command is to give waypoints to squads, which means anything above platoon level (that is, anything where you have a high commander of a high commander commander) will simply not work. It will still work if they're humans, of course, but in that case who would need the high command module anyway? Also squads aren't too bright when it comes to following waypoints in actual combat.

I wish they would fix high command to be more useful and usable, and teach the AI to actually use it, but to be honest I just don't see it happening. There's simply too much missing in the game for it to be possible to do it easily.

[Helmut_AUT 0]

I agree it's an AI issue (AI would need another "thinking level" besides squad leader and single soldier) but something they should look into.

It would be a nice start if the interface by default allowed you to select fireteams easier, like it was in A1 - and maybe if the Fireteams came pre-colored at mission launch.

[kremator 1065]

I'm working on making some of Mr Centipede's HC scripts MP. Looking for a way to change fireteams on the fly (via a UI).