Grouping Marines On Pub Servers
Juji
Join Date: 2002-11-18 Member: 9153Members
Join Date: 2002-11-18 Member: 9153Members
<div class="IPBDescription">read me, I am interesting</div> So, here I am trying to get some homework done (yes, I know, l0s3r!!, but such is my life right now) and instead of concentrating on my organic chemistry, I am thinking about ways to better organize marines on pubs.
So here's the idea, group distributions based on scoreboard placement.
Here is an example scoreboard for the marines:
n3wbi31
n3wbi32
r@mb0!!
ir1337
ipwnufu
m3hluNcHW@sT@stY Comm
numbnut
jerkoff
kiwi
CrosseyedmaniaC
At the beginning of each game the comm would give group distributions based on the scoreboard. For example, he could say "Group distributions are going to be 3/3/2/1"
So, excluding the comm, the groups would be:
alpha
n3wbi31 (1)
n3wbi32 (2)
r@mb0!! (3)
bravo
ir1337 (4)
ipwnufu (5)
numbnut (6)
charlie
jerkoff (7)
kiwi (8)
delta
CrosseyedmaniaC (9)
If one squad is full of newbies, you could give one of them a waypoint and have the other 2 follow. And if someone knows where to go, you can just have the other two follow him.
Not only would it help out with micromanaging where marines should be at, and keeping them in a group, but I think it would help with providing a sense of comradery. Also, if there are more experienced players in the group, they can help out the less experienced players that are backing them up (ie give tips on how to look out for skulks etc.).
If some people leave, and new people join, you can just assign the newplayers to the squads that the old players were in. Or if you want to rearrange groups once they have completed their tasks, you could just say, "ok delta, good job. you can join up with charlie and head out to [fill in important place for charlie squad to be at]"
Seems like a pretty easy way for everyone to quickly know what group they are in, as long as they know how it works.
Haven't tried it out though, so I'm not sure if it's feasible, but I don't see why it wouldn't be. It might take a while to explain it, but if enough people use it, it's just a matter of time before it catches on.
Then again, I could just be delirious from all this organic chemistry...
*changed some things to make the idea more clear*
So here's the idea, group distributions based on scoreboard placement.
Here is an example scoreboard for the marines:
n3wbi31
n3wbi32
r@mb0!!
ir1337
ipwnufu
m3hluNcHW@sT@stY Comm
numbnut
jerkoff
kiwi
CrosseyedmaniaC
At the beginning of each game the comm would give group distributions based on the scoreboard. For example, he could say "Group distributions are going to be 3/3/2/1"
So, excluding the comm, the groups would be:
alpha
n3wbi31 (1)
n3wbi32 (2)
r@mb0!! (3)
bravo
ir1337 (4)
ipwnufu (5)
numbnut (6)
charlie
jerkoff (7)
kiwi (8)
delta
CrosseyedmaniaC (9)
If one squad is full of newbies, you could give one of them a waypoint and have the other 2 follow. And if someone knows where to go, you can just have the other two follow him.
Not only would it help out with micromanaging where marines should be at, and keeping them in a group, but I think it would help with providing a sense of comradery. Also, if there are more experienced players in the group, they can help out the less experienced players that are backing them up (ie give tips on how to look out for skulks etc.).
If some people leave, and new people join, you can just assign the newplayers to the squads that the old players were in. Or if you want to rearrange groups once they have completed their tasks, you could just say, "ok delta, good job. you can join up with charlie and head out to [fill in important place for charlie squad to be at]"
Seems like a pretty easy way for everyone to quickly know what group they are in, as long as they know how it works.
Haven't tried it out though, so I'm not sure if it's feasible, but I don't see why it wouldn't be. It might take a while to explain it, but if enough people use it, it's just a matter of time before it catches on.
Then again, I could just be delirious from all this organic chemistry...
*changed some things to make the idea more clear*
Comments
But the group distributions wouldn't be an in game feature that the devs create. It would be a player implemented method of grouping marines on public servers.
Of course, players like that usually end up ignoring orders anyway, but that's beside the point. <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='biggrin.gif'><!--endemo-->
Here's how it worked in T1. You had a "Command Map", basically (for those not fimilar with Tribes 1) a Dynamic Map of the Terrain. Among other things, it had a List of all your Teammates, their current Health Level and what they were doing (You could see a chase camera of where they were) in a small window. Now, in T1 you can give instructions to teammates like Attack and Defend or <i>Board the APC</i> very much like how the Commander does in NS (minus the APC of course). Now there was a unique little feature though, regarding the issuing of orders that few Tribers know about for it seldom was every used or needed. That was the "Rank Brevet" button next to each teammates name. Simply put, clicking on a teammates Rank button placed your Name under their heirarchy (ie in their charge). What this ment was they submitted themselves to another teammate forming the begining of a "Squad". The function of this was to simplify issuing instructions and organize communication abit better. Whatever command was given to a player or whatever global event was communicated to that player, all players submitted "under their command" also recieved that same instruction automatically.
This is basically the idea Juji is suggesting and why I think it would benifit the game. The reason I mention Tribes 1 is for how its actually implemented into the game.
In NS, each Marine would have a Modified Scoreboard listing all their fellow Marines, their Weapon (ie Role) and Health Level. Beside each Marine name is the "Rank Brevet" button allowing the Marines to form sqauds of their own volition. The commander has this list availible to himself and could use it to "Quick Pick" Marines of intrest and issue orders. The Commander himself could organise squads, but thats getting a bit much to handle in the frantic chaos of gameplay. Especially as the map begins and the Commander is busy trying to stave off the Skulk Rush or Frantically move his base to a knew location. So hence, the Marines can organize themselves. Those Marines that do take that initative will tend to be the more "useful" or more "commandable" ones anyways as they are in essence telling the Commander they're commandable.
So it would be known that when the comm said "group distributions are ....", the marines (or at least some of them) would know what group they are in. If other players didn't know WTH the comm was talking about, other players could fill them in and the grouping system would become better known. Or so goes the theory.
If the word got out and marines knew what it meant I think it would work.
Unfortunately there are always retards on the team who will run off and do their own thing no matter what.
A modification for this is for the commander to name people specifically (using your selection method of course), and say "you three go to eclipse"
From doing tactical stuff on the ground I know that calling people by name gives about a 500% increase in compliance. If you just say "come with me" responsibility is divided and nobody does anything (it's a social psychology thing). If you specifically call out a name, that person knows you are talking to him, not some other group. "come with me, juji and obi-wan" works much better.
So if you were to do this, you could say "juji, obi-wan, and rolling rock, go to eclipse...." and do similar things for others, adding in "you three are a permanant group - stay together and go where I ask you to"
This might get around the problem of people not understanding. YOu can group them with that method, but it would be faster to call them out by name and say "go with so and so, stay together" and use that as the basis for your groups. Those that comply get nice toys, like HA, HMGs, and such. Those that don't get LMGs.
<!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo-->
Great addition, and it probably would work much better than spending 5 minutes explaining how the grouping works while you are playing a game.
P.S. That dancing Black Mage gif is sweet. I can't get enough of it.
I think i might go get that mic..
Most firefights are over in a couple of secs. To listen to someone talking can mean your death. But you can allways go back and read old text messages.
Btw 3D-sound is great. It have saved me a number of times. To be able to turn and be ready for enemy coming around the bend is a great advantage and that is why I don't listen on other things.
But regardless, I think grouping marines in the beginning would help out comms better organize groups of marines, whether you have a mic or not.
Communication is an essential building Block in teamwork whether it be typing or microphone. I suppose that since NS is very RTS oriented as is, it wouldn't be unfathomable to imagine the typical RTS function of command grouping Players together and saving them into memory slots for recall alter.
Remember, as a Marine your window onto the world is only 90 degrees (120 for some of you devious types <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/wink.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='wink.gif'><!--endemo--> ) and communications helps paint the <i>Big Picture</i>, the tools to do it are merely paintbrushes. Better Brushes, Better Painting.
- Nobbies suggesting people who aren't very good at game, will get bored following commands if the commands are deffence based.
- No where near 100% reliable in the sense that they will split up and refuse to take orders.
I like the idea but it would be super hard to enforce on noobs <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' valign='absmiddle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Yes, that is <b>not</b> me. I get that once in a while.
Great game though, too bad T2 was too much for my computer to handle back then (I didn't like some of the changes that they made in T2 either).
About newbies, they aren't all so bad. Just the ones that, well, act like newbies (don't follow orders, run off and die, multiple times). They won't follow your orders anyway, so you just gotta expect that. Hopefully the marines won't have too many of those types, otherwise it will be that much harder.
However, it also doesn't work in Windows Sound Recorder, yet works fine in Teamspeak..
I just ignore newbies who seem oblvious and tend to focus on the ones who show promise. Award the ones who are "trying", with various amounts of success, with health and armour or your personal support and leave the ones who show little sign of "having a clue" to being Goo-Fodder.