Ideas for improving teamplay

[raph]

Hi,
I have some ideas how teamplay could be made easilier.

1.) "Special button"
Some of you surely know the game "Brothers in arms". I've been wondering why no online game implements this system of teamplay.
The trick is, you have one button. Depending where you are pointing at and how often you press it, an action is performed.
Lets say you press the botton twice. A sign above your head could appear and you could say "Follow me.", "Regroup with me.", "Cover me." or so on.
If you target an own building and press the botton, your teammates would see an big sign "Repair this building" (maybe just the constructors).
If you target the floor, a big transparent marker should appear and the teammates near you should hear "Procceed to there.".
If you target an enemy, your teammates should hear "Kill enemy" (or "Destroy building").
This feature should be easy to implement. What do you think?
This could be even more improved. If you target an enemy and one of your teammates is facing in another direction, he could hear "Enemy behind you.".

2.) "Fireteams" (as in some other online games [I think Enemy Territory has it])
People should be able to create and join fireteams. So they see each others icon in the right top corner of the screen showing their health, weapon
and position. If someone calls for help, his fireteam should somehow find him easily (I haven't much thought about this yet).
This feature could be combined with 1.)

3.) "Tactical map"
It would be helpfull having access to an outline of the map, where you can mark positions (appearing on the "real" map), mark paths, etc.
Buttons and special signs (eg. for "move base here") would be cool.
This could be very well combined with 1.) and 2.) but I think it isn't easy to implement (eg. should the outlines of the maps being drawn automaticly?).

4.) "Teamspeak"
The hardest part to code, since the engine doesn't have it implemented (unlike e.g. the Halflife enginge).
This also isn't very important since we can use any chat program, but it would make it a little big easilier.

I hope you understood my ideas
I'm waiting to hear your opinions.

greetings
raph

[Silverius]

1. Sounds cool. Not as easy as you'd think probably, but it would be a very major improvement.
2. A form of smaller subteams would be useful, at least for things like chatting (combine with better support for configurable quick chat menus for real usefulness).
3. Sounds tricky to implement with 3D maps.
4. Actually given a good library not the hardest thing, but the problem is, there aren't any good GPL compatible VoIP libraries last I checked.

[b0rsuk]

Tactical map is not needed: unlike in ET, there are no objectives to accomplish, you just find and kill stuff. Besides, that's what alien sense/helmet is for. If you prefer battlesuit, it's your problem.

It would be very helpful to have messages when a teammate destroys a building. It would encourage further attacks and preying on  weak.

Some sort of indicator for being under effect of tyrant healing aura.... perhaps not. People would block tyrants more.

As I said in another topic, local chat option would be nice. It would need a special color reserved for it.Examples of usage/binds:
(you wear light armor and your group wears battlesuits)
 "alien nearby"
  "base/multiple signals on my scanner"
 "Dragoon/Tyrant is near !"
"we need a reapeater here" (useless without local chat option; where exactly is 'here' ? If local chat was implemented, it would be much easier)

ANother idea from another topic: named locations on map (like in W:ET). Basically every area on map would be named, and when you type any message, it is glued to your message. Location names would need to be rather short, like "red pipes"(for pipes with red lights), "initial human base" "elevator room" "hanging platform" "pillar room" "outside" "stair room" etc.
It would require maps to be modified, and special marker entities would have to be placed.
ALTERNATIVE: there would be arrows pointing at directions last messages came from.  It would work similar to helmet/alien sense, but dots would need to be different. Ideally, each message body would be assigned a colored dot, and then a corresponding dot would be placed somewhere on the edge of the screen (like scanner). Unlike enemy dots,  "Message dots" would appear regardless of range.

[KorJax]

The problem with all of these is that gameplay is too fast (atelast for Aliens) for anyone really to follow them.  If the engine supported more "creative" way of concealment (such as toggle crouch, leaning against walls, and other fancy defensive stuff for humans), and if the player's could not move so fast, then it might be plausable.

But right now, I dont see how anyone will bother to follow some of this stuff, well, any ALIENS, as gameplay just is too fast.  Unless the markers are visable through the walls and easy to see, then mabey.

Also, the maps are huge and complex, and hide-and-seek situations with eggs and aliens if your human happens often.  So even if all these markers and such were on the map, would it really help anyone if they dont know how to get there?  Unless you added a BASIC minimap (minimal showing of hallways and such, mostly just a grid and such.  Also might have it so it shows the floor your on).

[[EVIL]Unknown]

hmmmmmm

1. can u say nexterholland annoyances.. sounds like a good idea dont get me wrong but that would be something else griefers would have to ruin and annoy gamers..

2. what about halo 2 multiplayer where u can see the arrow through walls and such with a diff color symbols...player 1 on human is yellow, 2 red etc..

3.yeah now were going overboard with adding more stuff onto hud... and yeah aliens /helmet already kinda do that and thats enough

4. yep teamspeak or another chat program is a must i think...the only best way to communicate other than message spam which can be difficult to read at times..i hate pressing ~ to bring down console and read a few messages i missed thinking it important

[Lava Croft]

We also need airstrikes, nukes, napalm, grenade launchers, tanks, hummvees, artillery, a gun which actually looks like a sniper rifle, more Gloom map remakes, translucent dretches, 300hp grangers and most of all, lucifer cannon as the new default weapon.

[SLAVE|Mietz]

We also need airstrikes, nukes, napalm, grenade launchers, tanks, hummvees, artillery, a gun which actually looks like a sniper rifle, more Gloom map remakes, translucent dretches, 300hp grangers and most of all, lucifer cannon as the new default weapon.

atomrofl :roll:

And please, the Alien-Chopper, that can deploy 4 tyrants quickly!

PS: give the humans a battleship with a yamato-cannon.

[Silverius]

#define GRENADE_DAMAGE              HDM(1000)
#define GRENADE_RANGE               1000.0f

[raph]

We also need airstrikes, nukes, napalm, grenade launchers, tanks, hummvees, artillery, a gun which actually looks like a sniper rifle, more Gloom map remakes, translucent dretches, 300hp grangers and most of all, lucifer cannon as the new default weapon.

I don't think we need them  :wink:

So what does the three previous posts have to do with this topic?  :-?  

[Silverius]

Super grenade + FF would certainly improve teamplay. Somebody blocks you, blast the team as a hint.

[Paradox]

At least flags that a builder could mark spots with, so instead of saying "Put X here, it could be put X at the flag

[SLAVE|Mietz]

Super grenade + FF would certainly improve teamplay. Somebody blocks you, blast the team as a hint.

I like the idea

[b0rsuk]

The problem with all of these is that gameplay is too fast (atelast for Aliens) for anyone really to follow them.  If the engine supported more "creative" way of concealment (such as toggle crouch, leaning against walls, and other fancy defensive stuff for humans), and if the player's could not move so fast, then it might be plausable.

But right now, I dont see how anyone will bother to follow some of this stuff, well, any ALIENS, as gameplay just is too fast.  Unless the markers are visable through the walls and easy to see, then mabey.

Quoted for posterity

[evilfish]

Dretch needs a grapple... >_> <_<

[KrazyKain]

most of these ideas are perhaps a little too much, your first suggestion, all you need for that is communication.
Fire teams.. nice idea but i dont feel trem is largescale enough to make that usefull.

[SLAVE|Mietz]

most of these ideas are perhaps a little too much, your first suggestion, all you need for that is communication.
Fire teams.. nice idea but i dont feel trem is largescale enough to make that usefull.

ehm, there are 24ppl-servers full allready, 12vs12 a fireteam would be nice there

[Pat AfterMoon]

ANother idea from another topic: named locations on map. Basically every area on map would be named,

Isn't this feature already implemented in Quake3 ? isn't it the "%p" in chat message that is replaced by the current location ? So there is only the need to add entity location in maps. From all propositions read on this thread, it is probably the easiest to implement and the most effective ingame.

I've just looked at the good old "Quake3 Team Arena", and the "team overlay" seem to be exactly what's needed :


Name, location, health, weapon, armor ... with data and icon actually used on the score table of tremulous it could be a must. These data are displayed optionaly (swith from the option screen).

Some additional information like distance and direction could also be useful. Example :
http://www.coopordie.com/scrnshot/20020810_scrnshot4.jpg
http://www.coopordie.com/scrnshot/20020810_scrnshot10.jpg

[Lava Croft]

The q3 location thingy is an entity you can add into your map while editing. Go read the q3rad manual about it.