The flare gun would be an improvement of the "move here" command which is less useful than it should be.
Also maybe we should add a distance meter on every (M) map so people could tell how long one square is.
Also more tips when the map loads would be awesome like:
"The artillery radius of destruction is roughly 40 meters",
"In the options menu manual bolting can be toggled, having it on improves the firing rate on bolt-action rifles."
"Knowing all the unique commands can be helpful, the toggle weapon mode command allows you to switch firing modes on some weapons and switches the type of shell your tank will load."
"If you ever get stuck as a tank commander, opening the console and typing 'suicide' will destroy your tank and let you respawn with a new one."
"You can repair your vehicle by getting close enough to a resupply crate."
More tips that help new players figure certain things out are always helpful.
What would also improve the players experience is a small history briefing in the loading screen for historical maps. Example for Heroes of Stalingrad would be (but we will apply this to heroes of the west of course)
"The battle for Pavlov's house was a major battle during the siege of Stalingrad. From 27 September to 25 November 1942 the Wehrmacht launched a massive offensive to capture the apartment building. Sargent Yakov Pavlov whom commanded a platoon, fortified the building under orders of Joseph Stalin to stand firm against the rapidly advancing German forces. The Wehrmacht sustained an extreme amount of casualties in the battle losing a huge amount of men and tanks in the process. Sargent Pavlov made sure that the civilians who lived in the apartments survived by providing shelter for them in the basement. The battle was a grand victory for the Soviets and lasted longer than the invasion of France. For his deeds Sargent Pavlov was awarded the honorary title of 'Hero of the Soviet Union'. A wall of the house can still be found at the location on which it stood. On the wall it reads "In this building fused together heroic feats of warfare and labor. We will defend / rebuild you , dear Stalingrad!""
This is all I could come up with for that battle, something like this would definitely spice up the atmosphere for the player. It would also make loading screens way less boring for people without a SSD. It would also motivate them to hold or attack the map because of the epicness of real history. As Tripwire intended it would make you feel more like you are on the battle field. Maps with no historical context can showcase the history of technologies, generals who have fought in the south, the invention of Fanta x) and more.
All of this would take time to create but it's the small things that were made with care which are missing in AAA titles today, which make them feel so monotone and boring.
Don't know how hard it is to make one though.
