Please read this through carefully and don't just vote.
Why?
In the last few days I tried to play as Squad Leader sometimes and often people did not want to hear my commands and simply did what they wanted, which lead to 0% reinforcements and we lost. This happens on Stalingrad a lot, when the Germans want to recapture objectives, even if there are only some minutes left and our reinforcements are really low.
So I had an idea about how you could make the Squad Leader more of a Leader and not just a normal soldier with a pistol and binoculars.
The Idea:
The Squad Leader should be able to command his troop using the map. He can give the key units orders where to go and what to cover.
Like this there will be less situations where some objectives are totally unguarded while others are full of troops, sometimes positioned stupidly, or important units like the tank on hedgehog driving around everywhere but where they are needed.
How it could work:
When the Leader opens his map, he can use the mouse to give troops commands. I made a screenshot and added a possible interface for this idea in Photoshop:
[URL=http://img81.imageshack.us/my.php?image=leaderhedgehogph6.jpg]
[/URL]
As you can see, he can click on one of the buttons on the right, and then move the mouse to the position where he wants the unit. Then he presses the mouse and sets the direction in which the unit should look (where the arrow points at).
When he has set the direction, the arrow is fixed and this unit will get a text on the screen "NEW COMMANDS, CHECK MAP", in the size of the reinforcements-messages. When he looks on his map, he sees the arrow the Leader has positioned (not the others) and can move there.
If the unit complains about the position, because he has a bad field of view or there are no enemies, the Leader can put the arrow somewhere else (drag and drop) or put it in the trash (bottom right), which means the unit can go where he thinks he is in his opinion best positioned.
The commander can also mark some places as "no-go-areas", where no unit should waste their lives (like an objective that can't be captured back or one that is too heavily defended and would result in an unnecessary loss of lives). For example the Eastern Farmhouse in this situation.
On the other hand, he can mark areas where his other troops should concentrate and priority targets (!-mark).
This should prevent that units stride around somewhere while important objectives are captured.
The zones can be selected and moved and also they can be put in the bucket, if not needed anymore.
Where is this usefull?
On some maps it isn't. Like Basovka for Germans, because they can barely use tactics. However the Russians could use it to organize their defense.
It would be really usefull on maps like StalingradKessel. Here people too often are too offensive and throw away the important reinforcements or the MGs are positioned bad while they would be usefull somewhere else (for example overlooking the north railyard).
I think with this system, you could have a squad that sticks together better and is better organized and more effective. The Squad Leader would actually have something important to do.
Of course, you cannot force the players to do what he says, but I think that some or most of the players would do so, especially if they are informed about map-updates with big white letters.
It doesn't have to look exactly like this, I'm not too good at designing stuff
Honest Opinions please. And if you agree a bit, write what you would change/ do differently.
Why?
In the last few days I tried to play as Squad Leader sometimes and often people did not want to hear my commands and simply did what they wanted, which lead to 0% reinforcements and we lost. This happens on Stalingrad a lot, when the Germans want to recapture objectives, even if there are only some minutes left and our reinforcements are really low.
So I had an idea about how you could make the Squad Leader more of a Leader and not just a normal soldier with a pistol and binoculars.
The Idea:
The Squad Leader should be able to command his troop using the map. He can give the key units orders where to go and what to cover.
Like this there will be less situations where some objectives are totally unguarded while others are full of troops, sometimes positioned stupidly, or important units like the tank on hedgehog driving around everywhere but where they are needed.
How it could work:
When the Leader opens his map, he can use the mouse to give troops commands. I made a screenshot and added a possible interface for this idea in Photoshop:
[URL=http://img81.imageshack.us/my.php?image=leaderhedgehogph6.jpg]
[/URL]As you can see, he can click on one of the buttons on the right, and then move the mouse to the position where he wants the unit. Then he presses the mouse and sets the direction in which the unit should look (where the arrow points at).
When he has set the direction, the arrow is fixed and this unit will get a text on the screen "NEW COMMANDS, CHECK MAP", in the size of the reinforcements-messages. When he looks on his map, he sees the arrow the Leader has positioned (not the others) and can move there.
If the unit complains about the position, because he has a bad field of view or there are no enemies, the Leader can put the arrow somewhere else (drag and drop) or put it in the trash (bottom right), which means the unit can go where he thinks he is in his opinion best positioned.
The commander can also mark some places as "no-go-areas", where no unit should waste their lives (like an objective that can't be captured back or one that is too heavily defended and would result in an unnecessary loss of lives). For example the Eastern Farmhouse in this situation.
On the other hand, he can mark areas where his other troops should concentrate and priority targets (!-mark).
This should prevent that units stride around somewhere while important objectives are captured.
The zones can be selected and moved and also they can be put in the bucket, if not needed anymore.
Where is this usefull?
On some maps it isn't. Like Basovka for Germans, because they can barely use tactics. However the Russians could use it to organize their defense.
It would be really usefull on maps like StalingradKessel. Here people too often are too offensive and throw away the important reinforcements or the MGs are positioned bad while they would be usefull somewhere else (for example overlooking the north railyard).
I think with this system, you could have a squad that sticks together better and is better organized and more effective. The Squad Leader would actually have something important to do.
Of course, you cannot force the players to do what he says, but I think that some or most of the players would do so, especially if they are informed about map-updates with big white letters.
It doesn't have to look exactly like this, I'm not too good at designing stuff
Honest Opinions please. And if you agree a bit, write what you would change/ do differently.
