MG/Mortar Teams

[Pleznt]

not just supplies, and vehicle support, i feel a lot of ww2 games forget to incorporate is artillery, mortar teams, a 2-3 man team needed to fill the role, and the same with the machine gunners, alot of ww2 games you select machine gunner class, just hip firing a mg42, or a browning? running around like rambo. no way! i say you need your buddy to carry a bi pod or tri pod and feed the ammo belt, just need to make sure there are plenty of decent positions for sniper, machine gun squads and mortar crews on the map so you can bottle neck the enemy.

constructive criticism? any thoughts?
(apologies if i missed any earlier threads on this)

 

[General Naga]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

You aren't wrong about WW2 games failing to incorporate MG/Mortar teams (and artillery to some extent). The problem is that having one player heavily dependent on another player makes them vulnerable to grieving or just simple miscommunication. In a regiment/clan it can be like a well oiled machine which is beautiful to watch let alone be involved in.

It's different for two people who have never met in-game before however, it can be very frustrating for not only them but everyone else who is relying on the support of whatever they're meant to be doing.

There are methods to help make coordination easier and grieving harder but they enviably involve some form of compromise.

We're straying off the topic of calling in supplies though so I'm breaking this off into a fresh thread

/Split thread

PS. Welcome to the community @Pleznt (don't think I've said that yet!)

 

[blurr22]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

I don't know that a mortar TEAM is a good idea because it does leave it open to griefing. On the other hand, a single man mortar I would incorporate a man manning the mortar as a single because they might be necessary to blow out a holed up squad and almost every company in WWII had a mortar detachment as part of it. I have a few ideas on how they would work but I will wait till i get on my computer to describe them as I don't like typing much on my iPad.

 

[LuckyOne]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

Don't know about mortar teams (or mg teams) but at least you could do like FH2 and put some ammo pickup kits around, so the extra player can bring ammo to mortars/mgs. Although IIRC Darkest Hour had a feature where a radio man was needed to call in artillery (officer would spot, then press use on the radioman and relay the coordinates) and also with helping with loading of the zooka. I'm sure the animations would be a pain to do though...

And since this is a more open engine than BF2's Refractor, maybe you can make each kit carry a few mags/cans of ammo for the MGs, encouraging squad level teamwork and cohesion. (I think Resistance and Liberation has a similar feature, where each rifleman carries a spare mag for the squad MG gunner).

 

[VonMudra]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

And since this is a more open engine than BF2's Refractor, maybe you can make each kit carry a few mags/cans of ammo for the MGs, encouraging squad level teamwork and cohesion. (I think Resistance and Liberation has a similar feature, where each rifleman carries a spare mag for the squad MG gunner).

This is closest to what will probably happen. Each soldier will carry the actual amount of MG ammo they carried in squad (3 bren gun mags, one box of MG ammo for german), and the MG gunner will carry enough to represent him having an assistant, but will need squad cohesion to be truly effective, as squad members will need to run over ammo to keep him going. In the end, what we'd like to see is a squad focus on the MG, especially for Germany since Germany squads were essentially just extended MG teams.

 

[Pleznt]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

totally right! communication is essential, and with the mass of gamers today its hard to find quality team work playing on public servers.
May i suggest a voice over/in-game tips system generally helps gives people the idea of how to play that certain class and role. which could also essentially make people want to play the role how its meant to be played.

Sorry I know its going off topic again

I think traction wars is attracting a decent community, I'm use to getting slandered over a simple suggestion on other gaming forums and communities, but everyone here is open to the ideas and has great input!

thanks guys appreciate it hey!

 

[Skr13]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

Yep, mortars can be essential to the battlefield, mainly to assist infantry to break through heavily defended enemy posiitons, IMO they are crucial.
Although,they should be limited by quantity of mortar ammo to keep the game enjoyable and prevent abuses.
Mortars must be placed on strategic positions, however making them impossible to transport.

About Mg's, I think they also should be present in the game, but with the possibility to carry them where we want.
One nice feature that would be great could be the option to mount the MG's on a sandbag for defensive posture, like happen in Day of Defeat, but with limited sight of view and limited ammount of ammo too, to keep things "cool" and balanced.
PS: overheating the MG's barrel after long time of continuous fire could also be something interesting to apply.

 

[Comrade Roe]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

I do hope mortars are something like in Forgotten Hope or improved from it. Mortars in Forgotten Hope were fun to use, easy to use, and involved at least some effort on all parts. Hopefully if mortars come to daylight in Traction Wars, then they won't be as weak as the M224 in Battlefield 3...

 

[General Naga]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

Mortars are great by their very nature. They can give indirect fire support where you need it whether it be to crack a well entrenched position or simply to apply pressure where direct-fire weapons can't reach.

 

[titsmcgee852]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

Traction Wars - WWII Realism Game - News Update #34: By Public Demand


Strange how you don't see this in very many games. Can't wait anyway, I love the mortar class in Rising Storm.

 

[Comrade Roe]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

Yeah, mortars are awesome for getting past chokepoints. Just sometimes they're a little too good, so like Skr said, we'd need limited ammo and similar limits for setting up, such as a relatively flat ground. That or we have set positions (which we probably would anyway as part of the defensive line) where they spawn and parts of the map will be out of range, making the mortars useless. Balancing is a real finicky thing, isn't it?

 

[Pleznt]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

I had a thought, say you selected MORTAR CREW, you spawn in as a mortar guy, (Forgive me, I'm not sure about the history)
so you spawn in with an AI CPU BOT at your side, so you run through the battlefield, either he or you carries the mortar, you equip a bolt action rifle, and you command the AI to assist in the setup and reload, vice verse with MACHINE GUNNER crew, you got an AI feeding your AMMO belt and help setup a bi pod. if the AI dies then it takes longer to reload and setup or if you die the AI then takes the well known fetal position and cries himself to death.


^ BOSS!

 

[Skr13]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

I had a thought, say you selected MORTAR CREW, you spawn in as a mortar guy, (Forgive me, I'm not sure about the history)
so you spawn in with an AI CPU BOT at your side, so you run through the battlefield, either he or you carries the mortar, you equip a bolt action rifle, and you command the AI to assist in the setup and reload, vice verse with MACHINE GUNNER crew, you got an AI feeding your AMMO belt and help setup a bi pod. if the AI dies then it takes longer to reload and setup or if you die the AI then takes the well known fetal position and cries himself to death.

View attachment 508
^ BOSS!

AI/bot support would be great, mainly for me, with a slow internet connection, playing offline is not the same thing of course but is better than nothing. In FH2 I usually play with bots, they also use mortars sometimes

I believe that bots implementation must be done, but after the game is fully playable for some time, I mean, not on early stages, but who knows, weeks or months later when devs won't be that busy with the main project itself.

 

[Roughbeak]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

I think we have thought about some "training range" or "training court" (like those you see in those animation previews), for those people who have not played the game before or they just got lagged out of the game because internet failure.

 

[Alberich]

Re: Calling in supplies & other assets

You are right- too many games make it too easy to use the heavier weapons. Like anyone could sweep an entire house with a long barreled MG...
A medium or heavy MG should only be firing at all if set down on the ground or on some other object. But it should work if operated by a single player. Maybe reloading could be quicker if having a supporter next to you?