Commanders need ways to be more self sufficient.

DrCube

Hi guys, I've been lurking around and have been thinking about this problem a lot. It seems in smaller games having a commander can actually hinder the teams performance.it takes a person out of the battlefield, that could otherwise be taking out structures or securing locations. I think a lot of RTS/FPS games now a days have this issue of making it impossible to win a game with just a commander. A game where its 2v1 will always end with the person alone losing. An easy way to fix this problem would be to add early game combat units controlled by the commander to each side. Nothing fancy just one unit per side that can be upgrade into the late game with better tracking or faster movement in the case of the Kharaa. It would also add a lot more action into the smaller games. Right now the commander doesn't have much to do when there isn't a lot of people on the team.

I'm not sure what the Kharaa unit would look like yet but as for the Marines they would have an unmanned humanoid drone. Something like this:
<img src="http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/5941/unmanneddrons.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />

The units would spawn just regular plays from eggs and infantry portals, only they would cost the commanders res to produce.

Rover

This is a multiplayer game and just like NS1, very small games are going to be ass.

.ADHd

I agree with being more self sufficient. I'd love to see more units that are AI controlled. Now that the game has been slowed down so much it gives the commanders more time to actually plan out and use all the features of the game.

twiliteblue

I think the commanders already have enough AI units to manage (MACs, ARCs, Whips, Drifters, Sentries).

One improvement I'd like to see is, improved solo base defense for Marine Commander. The Commander should be able to fend off small forces within the safety of the Station.

The "combat AI unit" suggested by DrCube would be too powerfully mobile IMO. If the unit is only useful for base defenses, then it would be perfect.

Align

I guess that could work if such defences are completely unusable without a commander logged in. Might have to nerf sentries a lot to compensate. Or, have sentries fill that role?

Scrajm

Please people, stop this madness

1dominator1

Why do we even need those pesky disobedient players getting in the way of the comm's fun? Away with them I say. Forsooth! Seriously though we have a team of players for a reason, it is more an FPS than an RTS. Commander should be busy actively supporting his players not microing ###### around his base. Besides the Comm will get many more features in the days to come (especially the kharaa comm). Besides in a 2v1 the one SHOULD always loose unless the two are total ass.

ellnic

In my opinion, this wouldn't work and i wouldn't like too se this in