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Vietnam And The Planned Changes For 2019!

Yoshiro

Senior Community Manager
Staff member
  • Oct 10, 2005
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    Happy New Year everyone!
    We want to start 2019 off on the right foot by communicating what we have planned for the next 2 updates. Please note that some of this information may be vague as details can change through playtesting and feedback. Our goal is to share with you the high level goals for these updates so we can start a public discussion regarding major changes to the game.

    What about "X"?
    You're probably wondering, where is the M113? Are we getting any new weapons? Etc.

    All of that is still being worked on, but the point of this discussion is to highlight what is changing, not what is new. We will be discussing all newly coming content in a future post.

    Anti-Vote Kicking Abuse
    We've heard your complaints about griefers abusing the vote kicking system, plus microphone spamming as Spectators. Changes are coming to address these issues and here are the highlights:
    • Players will not be allowed to change teams if a vote against them is in progress
    • Disallow Spectators from communicating via Voice Chat
    • Limit how often players can change teams
    • Additional logging for Admins to see who is starting vote kicks and who is being voted against

    I was boosted to level 99 but want to go back my original level
    Some players were boosted to level 99 by a modified community server around the time the Christmas event kicked off. We do not have the capability to revert or rollback accounts to a previous level. However, we want to implement an option that allows the player to reset themselves to any level they want if they are currently level 99.

    Map Balance
    The following maps will be reviewed and modified to allow for a better balance between attacker and defender wins/loss ratios.
    • VNTE-ASau
    • VNTE-Resort
    • VNTE-AnLaoValley
    • VNTE-QuangTri
    • VNTE-LongTan
    • VNSU-HueCity

    Major Revision to Territories Song Be
    The Territories version of Song Be does not get played very often so we are planning a major revision to make this map more interesting and fun to play. Stay tuned for more details.

    Overhauled Leaning System
    Currently in progress is a major overhaul of how Leaning works in RS2. Currently the Leaning system does not allow you to move and lean at the same time. There are other legacy issues with the current system such as a lack of animation support for rotation, stance changes, or weapon actions.

    [video]http://media.tripwirecdn.com/011419/lean_hue.webm[/video]

    The new system supports movement while leaning as well as stance changes and various weapon actions. This makes "slicing the pie", or the ability to aim while rounding a corner, easier while maintaining a leaned stance. You will also be able to switch to a grenade, weapon, reload, etc, without moving out of your leaned position.

    [video]http://media.tripwirecdn.com/011419/lean_cuchi.webm[/video]

    Weapon Balance
    According to the recent Community Survey, a majority of you agree that the Australian weapons really underperform. We agree too. Recoil and general weapon handling is being reviewed - these weapons will receive buffs:
    • L1A1
    • L2A1
    • Owen Gun
    • F1 SMG

    Additionally, there are other weapons that are due for a buff. I won't get into details about those changes yet, but we will have a round or two of CTB feedback regarding these changes when they are ready.
    • M1917 Revolver
    • MAT-49
    • Makarov
    • M1911
    • M3A1 Grease Gun
    • SKS
    • M1 and M2 Carbine
    • M18 Claymore
    • Type 56 / 56-1
    • M1918 BAR

    There are few weapons which will receive a nerf:
    • M1 Garand
    • M1A1 Thompson
    • 00 Buckshot

    Sniper Scopes
    Overall, sniper scopes have been moved closer to the camera, allowing for more zoomable screen real estate. Smaller optics like the scope found on the 1891/30 PU have their iron sight sensitivity increased, allowing them to be more agile for medium distance shooting.

    Additionally, the 1891/30 PU's reticle will be centered like it was in RO2. Its current reticle position is realistic but not user friendly at all.

    Loadout Changes
    Loadout changes are coming to every faction. The goal here is to better distribute primary weapons between different roles and allow for more weapon choices.

    The following images show primary weapon selection for each Army's Roles throughout the war, including Early, Mid and Late War weapon loadouts. Weapon names that are bold are new additions to the Role and a strike-thru weapon name means it has been removed from the Role.

    Early War (1965-1967)
    EARLYWAR.jpg



    Mid War (1968-1972)
    MIDWAR.jpg



    Late War (1973-1975)
    LATEWAR.jpg



    Feedback regarding Campaign weapon loadouts are welcomed. We are looking to finalize these changes for update 1.3.

    Campaign Ability and Initiative Changes
    Currently both teams have one "special ability" that can be used every 3 turns during the Campaign. This will be changed to be automatically applied Army specific bonuses. When a specific Army is used during the Campaign, its bonus will be applied to the results of the battle automatically. Some Armies will be more useful than other Armies, depending on the situation in the war.

    Additionally, we want to introduce mechanics for the Initiative to exchange hands more often, rather than always going to the winner of the previous battle. This will give both teams more chances to decide the staging area of the next battle.

    Level Requirements for More Roles
    We are looking at introducing level requirements to roles that tend to require more skill such as Pilots and Marksman. New level requirements would not be very high but will allow us to funnel players through simpler infantry roles before moving on to roles that have a bigger impact on the team.

    Changes to Objectives
    Points will be awarded incrementally every few seconds while spending time in a Objective that's being captured. Players will still receive points for a completed capture on an enemy objective.

    Squad Leader and Squad bonuses will be allowed to stack, rewarding teams who put whole squads in the objective with faster capture / uncapture rates.

    Objectives already being captured lose the "progress" if the attackers on the objective are killed - they will now lose that progress much slower than before, if there is no-one on the objective. This allows attacking waves more time to take advantage of progress already made on an objective after a team wipe.

    Objectives that are occupied by more than 1 enemy will block an Objective's capture but will not block capture progress. An objective will be allowed to progress to 99% but will not fully complete if more than one enemy occupies the Objective's capture area. Two or more enemies in an objective can stall out an opposing force from completing capturing a point, allowing reinforcements to provide backup to the contested objective. Additionally, this means that attacking teams cannot just overpower an objective by having more players in the objective and avoiding engagements with the enemy altogether.

    We are going to try out reducing the distance North Vietnamese's Squad Tunnels can be placed from an objective to help Squad Leaders find useful spots for their tunnels close to an objective when attacking or defending.

    Radioman
    Radioman will have an option to spawn on the team's Commander in addition to the other spawns normally available to a squad member.

    Changes to AH-1 Cobra Gunner Ammunition
    Currently the Cobra's Gunner position has 50 grenades in its chin turret (M129 Grenade Launcher). This number of grenades allows the Cobra Gunner to shoot wildly into the jungle and destroy tunnels / squads of players without any concern for precision.

    The number of grenades given to the Cobra's Gunner position will be reduced to 30 from 50.

    We'll have more on future additions soon, so stay tuned!
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Comrade Kaizer
    I'm pleased to see you're nerfing buckshot, it was getting a bit rediculous being killed by it at over 100 metres.

    One thing about the loadouts is that I'd personally get rid of the RPD totally for PAVN early war and just give them access to the RP-46. The RPD only really started being introduced when they'd switched to AK47, they used the same round so it made sense logistically. Plus doing this gives a nice spread of different weapons being used.


    I see the XM177 has now been added to the Commander which is brilliant, is it possible to allow US Army and Marine Squad Leaders to also get it? I've seen alot of photos where the Squad Leader opted for this weapon. Plus in the film Platoon most of the Squad Leaders and COs are carrying it, I know this isn't exactly a good historical reference but Oliver Stone Directed it and Dale Dye was the Historical Advisor for the film and they were both Vietnam Veterans, so you can't exactly argue with that!
     
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    Zammo76;n2328666 said:
    One thing about the loadouts is that I'd personally get rid of the RPD totally for PAVN early war and just give them access to the RP-46. The RPD only really started being introduced when they'd switched to AK47, they used the same round so it made sense logistically. Plus doing this gives a nice spread of different weapons being used.

    the Soviets started phasing out the RPD for the RPK starting in 1961. So by 1965 when the game st there would likely have been a large surplus of them available to be sent to Vietnam. The were in use in 1965, how many, I don't know for sure, but I guess a good amount, same with AK. The RPD uses 7.62x39, same as the AK but also the SKS, so there is no logistical issue even if they didn't have AKs, which they did.

    Zammo76;n2328666 said:
    see the XM177 has now been added to the Commander which is brilliant, is it possible to allow US Army and Marine Squad Leaders to also get it? I've seen alot of photos where the Squad Leader opted for this weapon. Plus in the film Platoon most of the Squad Leaders and COs are carrying it, I know this isn't exactly a good historical reference but Oliver Stone Directed it and Dale Dye was the Historical Advisor for the film and they were both Vietnam Veterans, so you can't exactly argue with that!

    I'd like to see those pictures of Marines using any varriation of XM177, it was not a marine weapon. I'm sure it happened because the rule with Vietnam is never say never but it would be uncommon.

    Typically the only man in an army platoon (roughly equivalent to a 32 man team in game) that might have an XM177E1 or E2 would be the platoon leader, who is roughly equivalent to the commander in game. Some times other men like SLs, RTOs, medics, or even riflemen got them, but not too often. I might not object to SLs getting the XM177E2 in game if the squads were real size. An squad was 9 men (if at full strength, which they rarely were, but still) that's 150% the size of a squad in game. Usually a platoon would have 3 squads. But in game there are usually 5 or 6 squads and can be up to 10. The army pointman already gets the Xm177e1, and most maps have like 6 pointmen. So currently like 7 people can have the Xm177e1, and if SLs were given them there could be 13 with full squads or 18 with empty squads. So now you've gone from being a fairly uncommon weapon to potentially 2/3rds of the team. Now of course not everybody will pick it, but it should not be as common as an M16 or M14.
     
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    Take them off the pointmen then, doesn't really make much sense that they have them anyhow. And amybe only allow it to Army.

    I'm all for having bigger squads too.

    As for the RPD I have reference book 'Weapons of the Vietnam War by Anthony Robinson' which has the following passage:

    "Until the Sino-Soviet split in 1960 shipments had come directly from Russia by rail, across China, but thereafter shipment was by sea to Haiphong, and Soviet freighters now began bringing in munitions in massive quantities. The field armies benefitted first; out went the old M1944 carbines and the Simonov rifles, and the Kalashnikov AK47 became the universal infantry weapon.

    The old Degtyarev machine gun, which dated from 1926, used a rimmed 7.62mm cartridge which dated from the 1890s. The Simonov carbine and AK47 rifles, on the other hand, were chambered for a rimless 7.62mm cartridge with a thinner and shorter case which was developed at the end of WW2. The NVA had put up with the logistic problem of having to carry two kinds of ammunition for the basic infantry squad for long enough, and they now asked for, and received, a machine gun which fired the same cartridge as the rifles. This was the RPD."


    The NVA were also using the RP-46 which was basically a belt fed version of the DP, so it's not much of a stretch to give them this early war and also keeps things fresh rather than having the RPD in the campaign right from the start.

    One more point your talking about the RPK saying that it was being replaced in Soviet service in 1961, however the Soviets only supplied surplus old stock to the NVA so this wouldn't have included the RPK. I've never seen any photos of the RPK in Vietnam and I've even asked Vets if they ever saw it there and they said no. Also I have two separate reference books saying that the RPK wasn't sighted in military service until the May day Parade in Moscow in 1966.
     
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    Not sure if I agree with changing the objective capture to be prevented by 1+ defender. While the goal is to prevent players from avoiding contact in order to capture the objective, I think it's more of a strategy instead of a hinderance. Preventing the capture with defenders on the cap allows defenders to essentially do the same thing--avoid contact by hiding. Capping while defenders are in the cap forces defenders to be more aggressive and encourages contact since attackers would theoretically be unable to hide as easily as defenders. If this is implemented, having a server setting that could use old capture logic would be appreciated, since small matches and realism scrims use objective capture as a strategy (force defenders to make a move, objectives being recaptured by defenders in the cap).

    I think an alternative would be that any defenders left in the cap after capture must be cleared out of the cap before the next objective and attackers' spawns become active. This would allow a defending team to set up in new positions until the previous caps are cleared out. Or perhaps just increasing time to capture per number of defenders in the cap/ratio of attackers to defenders.
     
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    I disagree specifically with the buffs/nerfs:
    -Guns that need buffs: M1A1 Thompson, L1A1, Owens, F1 SMG, M1/M2 Carbine
    -Guns that need nerf: M1918 BAR, Buckshot and RPD

    Based on the amount I have played, Buckshot can be fairly OP and the M1918 BAR handles like an M1 Carbine but with more power than an M14. It has far too much maneuveribility and excellent handling while not maintaining any increase is sway/accuracy. This gun is supposed to be closed to 25lbs, and it should handle like other LMGs.

    Also, concerning loadouts:
    -ARVN should always have the M1 Garand available. It is the only faction that currently gets use of it, in addition to historical accuracy.
    -M1 Garand should be offered to early war USMC and should also be offered from early to late war NLF as a specialist weapon, possibly for Scout or Radioman
    -M1918 should be made available to early war USMC/Army as well as PAVN/NLF
    -Remove RPD from early war PAVN
    -M1 Thompson should also be offered to early war PAVN and offered from early to late war for NLF.


    Concerning level requirements; please try to add a feature that promotes the highest rank in a squad to squad leader, or allow voting/kick. Too often I get put in a squad and the leader is level 16 and it won't automatically promote me as a level 88.
     
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    Zammo,
    i believe the rp 46 is planned to be added to the game, a good addition.

    You misunderstand me. While the RPK was used in small numbers in Vietnam, and Vietnam MAY have even made some RPKs of their own, that was not my point.

    What I said was, the Soviets started phasing out the RPD for the RPK starting in 1961. So then the RPD became the "surplus old stock" sent to the PAVN.

    As for the may day parade, the Soviets knew that Western intelligence watched it and would often wait several years before parading new weapons systems.
     
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