Aniallator
Member
I want to apologize in advance for the length of the post... these are just things I was thinking about over the week. I'll be losing Internet access soon and I won't have any again for some weeks, so I just wanted to get this all out now.
1. Weapon randomization. How will different weapons be issued to players? For example, the Germans will have access to two bolt-action rifles, the Karabiner and the Lebel. When will players be issued Karabiners, and when will they be issued Lebels? I don't know what you guys have planned, but I'd like to suggest weapon randomization on spawn (I believe I suggested this ages ago). Basically, there's a percentage chance of spawning with X, Y, or Z weapons. For example, as a German LMG gunner, there's a 60% chance of spawning with an MG 34 as your primary, and a 40% chance of an MG 42. Then there's a 20%, 30%, and 50% chance of spawning with a Luger, Ruby, or P 38 respectively as your secondary. The randomization system would apply to all applicable roles, and if there's information available, you could base the percentages on historical data. Personally, I'd really, really like to see a randomization system; it would also allow the British assault and NCO roles to both have access to the Sten and Thompson, though their percentages would differ.
2. Communication and the radioman role. I know there's a lot of hype about the prospect of a radioman role to facilitate non-positional VoIP, but I'd like to suggest that radiomen not be implemented for communication. Of course, there would be two forms of VoIP, positional and non-positional. Everyone would be able to use positional, while only SLs would be able to use non-positional, among themselves. The backpack radio that radiomen carry would perform the same way as a static radio, used by SLs to request support assets. Like other roles limited on a team-wide as well as section-wide basis (medic, sniper, et cetera), the number of radioman roles available per team would be very limited; for Overlord (16 versus 16), I see there being one or at most two radioman roles per team, though this would increase as the player count increases. Historically, backpack radios were issued on a company and at most platoon level, not on a section level. Furthermore, some theaters just can't be implemented if distance communication is dependent on a radioman role. The closest thing the French had to a portable radio doesn't really fit the word "portable". So think about this in terms of a future battle of France chapter
3. The ammunition indicator on the HUD should only show how many belts/clips/grenades/magazines/rounds are remaining for the weapon you have equipped; for example, if you have your Thompson equipped, the indicator should show only how many Thompson magazines you have, and not also how many Mills bombs you have (not sure if that's already the case, just saying). Changing weapons as well as reloading should toggle the indicator (for a few seconds before it disappears again). IMO the ammunition indicator on the HUD should be used for indicating all forms of ammunition in TW, including vehicle ammunition and different ammunition types.
4. Changing ammunition types needs to be implemented realistically; for example, if you have a smoke round loaded in your SBML 2-inch mortar, pressing the key to change your ammunition type to an HE round shouldn't have any effect until you reload; after you've fired the smoke round and press R, you'd reload an HE round. You'd of course be able to tell what ammunition type you have selected by the icon in the ammunition indicator of the HUD. And just a quick request... please implement mortars so they're not loaded when you spawn!
5. A feature I think would be really cool is a pointing feature, where holding whatever key makes you raise your left arm and point in the direction you're facing. This would be hugely useful when indicating something to someone who isn't near you, or indicating something when silence is a necessity. Or, for example, if you're an SL, you could point to where you want the section LMG gunner to set up or what building the section should clear, et cetera. The number of situations where a simple pointing feature could be used are endless.
Whether hand signals are implemented or not, at least have this to go along with pointing: when holding whatever key, you hold your arms up (or one arm if you have a heavy weapon) and wave your arms above your head. For example, if you as an SL set up the section Bren outside town to cover the section as it advances, and you've arranged for the Bren gunner to regroup with the section when you deliver a signal, this would be a great way to signal in this instance and any instances involving communicating something over a distance.
6. Reloading effects. Assuming reloading is implemented so that magazines, whether they retain rounds or not, are discarded, is there any chance of animations for the applicable weapons showing that? For example, after pulling out the used magazine on your MP 40, you visually drop it or toss it away? Whether this is implemented or not, can there be a kind of clatter sound added to reflect the magazine being dropped? I'm basing these suggestions on the animations and sounds seen in the weapon demos, so I don't know what the current reloading animations and sounds are like. Personally I'd love if we were able to save the discarded magazine, if it retains rounds, by holding R.
1. Weapon randomization. How will different weapons be issued to players? For example, the Germans will have access to two bolt-action rifles, the Karabiner and the Lebel. When will players be issued Karabiners, and when will they be issued Lebels? I don't know what you guys have planned, but I'd like to suggest weapon randomization on spawn (I believe I suggested this ages ago). Basically, there's a percentage chance of spawning with X, Y, or Z weapons. For example, as a German LMG gunner, there's a 60% chance of spawning with an MG 34 as your primary, and a 40% chance of an MG 42. Then there's a 20%, 30%, and 50% chance of spawning with a Luger, Ruby, or P 38 respectively as your secondary. The randomization system would apply to all applicable roles, and if there's information available, you could base the percentages on historical data. Personally, I'd really, really like to see a randomization system; it would also allow the British assault and NCO roles to both have access to the Sten and Thompson, though their percentages would differ.
2. Communication and the radioman role. I know there's a lot of hype about the prospect of a radioman role to facilitate non-positional VoIP, but I'd like to suggest that radiomen not be implemented for communication. Of course, there would be two forms of VoIP, positional and non-positional. Everyone would be able to use positional, while only SLs would be able to use non-positional, among themselves. The backpack radio that radiomen carry would perform the same way as a static radio, used by SLs to request support assets. Like other roles limited on a team-wide as well as section-wide basis (medic, sniper, et cetera), the number of radioman roles available per team would be very limited; for Overlord (16 versus 16), I see there being one or at most two radioman roles per team, though this would increase as the player count increases. Historically, backpack radios were issued on a company and at most platoon level, not on a section level. Furthermore, some theaters just can't be implemented if distance communication is dependent on a radioman role. The closest thing the French had to a portable radio doesn't really fit the word "portable". So think about this in terms of a future battle of France chapter
3. The ammunition indicator on the HUD should only show how many belts/clips/grenades/magazines/rounds are remaining for the weapon you have equipped; for example, if you have your Thompson equipped, the indicator should show only how many Thompson magazines you have, and not also how many Mills bombs you have (not sure if that's already the case, just saying). Changing weapons as well as reloading should toggle the indicator (for a few seconds before it disappears again). IMO the ammunition indicator on the HUD should be used for indicating all forms of ammunition in TW, including vehicle ammunition and different ammunition types.
4. Changing ammunition types needs to be implemented realistically; for example, if you have a smoke round loaded in your SBML 2-inch mortar, pressing the key to change your ammunition type to an HE round shouldn't have any effect until you reload; after you've fired the smoke round and press R, you'd reload an HE round. You'd of course be able to tell what ammunition type you have selected by the icon in the ammunition indicator of the HUD. And just a quick request... please implement mortars so they're not loaded when you spawn!
5. A feature I think would be really cool is a pointing feature, where holding whatever key makes you raise your left arm and point in the direction you're facing. This would be hugely useful when indicating something to someone who isn't near you, or indicating something when silence is a necessity. Or, for example, if you're an SL, you could point to where you want the section LMG gunner to set up or what building the section should clear, et cetera. The number of situations where a simple pointing feature could be used are endless.
Whether hand signals are implemented or not, at least have this to go along with pointing: when holding whatever key, you hold your arms up (or one arm if you have a heavy weapon) and wave your arms above your head. For example, if you as an SL set up the section Bren outside town to cover the section as it advances, and you've arranged for the Bren gunner to regroup with the section when you deliver a signal, this would be a great way to signal in this instance and any instances involving communicating something over a distance.
6. Reloading effects. Assuming reloading is implemented so that magazines, whether they retain rounds or not, are discarded, is there any chance of animations for the applicable weapons showing that? For example, after pulling out the used magazine on your MP 40, you visually drop it or toss it away? Whether this is implemented or not, can there be a kind of clatter sound added to reflect the magazine being dropped? I'm basing these suggestions on the animations and sounds seen in the weapon demos, so I don't know what the current reloading animations and sounds are like. Personally I'd love if we were able to save the discarded magazine, if it retains rounds, by holding R.
