Feedback - HQ Alerts

[GOPHUR]

Please use this thread for feedback on the HQ Alerts system. This feature is experimental in nature and is not currently intended to be available for campaign play.

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HQ Alerts:

We've enabled a system developed some time ago that allows for players to receive Action Alerts

from the HQ. These chat based alerts can notify a player of nearby action when spawned in to help

mission members coordinate intel to receive a better picture of the battlefield. These alerts can be

used to compliment the contact report and way-point system, to give a mission leader more tools to

organize his tasks.

This system is experimental and we plan to deploy it for an upcoming intermission to see how it plays large scale. We've been playing with it for many months internally and really like it.

[monsjoex]

I don't get what this feature is.

Is it active offline?

[GOPHUR]

Yes. Use clones.

[monsjoex]

Could you explain what i need to see?

i really don't understand what the feature is by your explanation.

[GOPHUR]

This is best tested online. There will be no explanation needed when you see it. I also prefer not to dissect the clock works before people have played with it.

in a nutshell, no comments on this feature are valid outside of exposure during a focus test.

[monsjoex]

But like .. i spawn in and i see like ei's reported SW or what?

online mode isn't till friday

[monsjoex]

Ah i see it now.. a message every 2 min or so "moderate/heavy enemy presense located to your north"

It could be good ingame in the campaign but in an other way.

[jw]

While testing on offline 1.32 beta today, I noticed that when clones spawned near me while I was moving around and stopping, I would get a intel message alerting me to enemy infantry presence and giving me the direction in the chat window. You are not seriously planning to leave that in the live game....are you? Please say it aint so

[branko]

I think they are ...

... but, as an added bonus, when you are guarding in a depot it will change the text to "Prepare to be shot by an invisible ei who is now approaching from your North"

*runs*

[RAFTER]

http://forums.battlegroundeurope.com/showthread.php?p=5313867&posted=1#post5313867

[makrel]

I don´t see why people get so worked up about this.

Enabling the mission leader to place spawn points as he moves places an enormous power in the attackers hands. Basicly defenders will not know where the enemy will suddenly appear in large numbers where as the attacker will always know where the defender is (defending the static spawns).

Indicating in some way where the attacker is coming from is good news I think - makes encounters more frequent in low pop situations as well.

[jw]

I'm sorry this is a complete game breaker for me, I prefer the smaller stealth battles and do not enjoy the campfest, giving or receiving. If this "feature" ever makes it on the live server in any form, I will no longer be interested in playing this game.

cheers

[GOPHUR]

I'm sorry this is a complete game breaker for me, I prefer the smaller stealth battles and do not enjoy the campfest, giving or receiving. If this "feature" ever makes it on the live server in any form, I will no longer be interested in playing this game.

cheers

Can you describe the feature and what part about it is a deal breaker for you? I mean more than in principle. Have you experienced this in game? Do you really understand it?

[jw]

Can you describe the feature and what part about it is a deal breaker for you? I mean more than in principle. Have you experienced this in game? Do you really understand it?

No I have not experienced it in game of course, I only learned about it on the offline testing. When I spawned inf and moved around a bit is when I noticed it, when the clones would begin spawning, I would get the on screen notice, " enemy presence" then in the chat window I would get the direction from me ne-se-nw- et. enemy inf near. If it works anything like that in game, how in the world are you supposed to run stealth opps? How are you supposed to ever be able to sneak up on anything if the enemy inf gets a warning you are coming? and which direction to look? If you can share info on this I would truly appreciate it because right now my head is swimming trying to grasp how this can be good for game play.

Edited October 1, 2010 by jw

[GOPHUR]

So it only goes off every several minutes, it searches for the largest groupings of players and picks one to alert you of. I don't think it will fire off on a lone inf unless he is the only one around.

We don't really cater to the stealth play since it generally creates exit points for other players who wish to have fun but we certainly don't pan to introduce anything to ruin the use of surprise in the game.

The intent here is to reduce that feeling of standing in the world, having no idea what to do or where to go.

You should play with it before you judge. Then if you don't like it you'll have an informed opinion which we value.

Also, as stated in the read me, this feature is intended for testing in an intermission event.

Personally I think it is pretty cool but it needs to be a bit more organic.

[GOPHUR]

Oh there's a feedback thread for this so...merge...

[gtanner]

As you've said Gophur we don't have the experience with this feature to argue against it but straight away it's not hitting me as a good direction to go.

Half the fun of the current contact system is the whole unknowing aspect, is Xunit still near Ycontact report.

Hoping we can see more of this tonight in the testing, I wouldn't mind building more from the contact system then maybe doing something like this because then in some way it could be inaccurate.

[gigerman]

With a little tweaking, it sounds like it would be a good analogue for "ground control," as a replacement for AWS.

[jw]

So it only goes off every several minutes, it searches for the largest groupings of players and picks one to alert you of. I don't think it will fire off on a lone inf unless he is the only one around.

We don't really cater to the stealth play since it generally creates exit points for other players who wish to have fun but we certainly don't pan to introduce anything to ruin the use of surprise in the game.

The intent here is to reduce that feeling of standing in the world, having no idea what to do or where to go.

You should play with it before you judge. Then if you don't like it you'll have an informed opinion which we value.

Also, as stated in the read me, this feature is intended for testing in an intermission event.

Personally I think it is pretty cool but it needs to be a bit more organic.

I have played with it quite a bit offline with clones, but here's all I needed to hear- " There are no plans to turn it on in the current form capaign play. -Rafter]"

[GOPHUR]

As you've said Gophur we don't have the experience with this feature to argue against it but straight away it's not hitting me as a good direction to go.

Half the fun of the current contact system is the whole unknowing aspect, is Xunit still near Ycontact report.

Hoping we can see more of this tonight in the testing, I wouldn't mind building more from the contact system then maybe doing something like this because then in some way it could be inaccurate.

True. This is part of our exploration into better intel systems and that is led in part by knowing that "finding the fight" can be hard on noobs and we need more noobs right damn now!

So this system is a start to the issues "I don't have good intel from my mission members" and "what types of intel can the system provide".

We have a whole set of features that we are experimenting based on the idea "I'm a noobie and here's why your game sucks!" I mean, we all know what's great about the game but we also want to explore where we can make it better. That's everything from how groups handle objectives to showing me where the action is to seeing where my ML wants me to go.

[GOPHUR]

With a little tweaking' date=' it sounds like it would be a good analogue for "ground control," as a replacement for AWS.[/quote']

Indeed. this is very similar to AWS but it is a bit more localized. Imagine if you had a whole bunch iof people playing the intel role. This is the type of thing you might get from them., adjusted for game realities.

[jw]

We don't play this game because its easy, we play it because its hard. My first two weeks as a "noob" was filled with so much tramma that I was running around trying to find somewhere to hide so I could stick my head up and try to find out what was going on, not talking to anybody because I was trying so hard to stay alive I didn't notice the chat, so much so I was turned in to the gm because everyone thought I was a spy. I was completely hooked at this point. Dumbing the game down may help a few noobs I don't know, but its not what hooked me, it is Because it is so difficult to learn that makes it so addicting.

[jw]

So it only goes off every several minutes, it searches for the largest groupings of players and picks one to alert you of. I don't think it will fire off on a lone inf unless he is the only one around.

We don't really cater to the stealth play since it generally creates exit points for other players who wish to have fun

but we certainly don't pan to introduce anything to ruin the use of surprise in the game.

The intent here is to reduce that feeling of standing in the world, having no idea what to do or where to go.

You should play with it before you judge. Then if you don't like it you'll have an informed opinion which we value.

Also, as stated in the read me, this feature is intended for testing in an intermission event.

Personally I think it is pretty cool but it needs to be a bit more organic.

"We don't really cater to the stealth play since it generally creates exit points for other players who wish to have fun"

I don't even know what this means.

[gtanner]

"We don't really cater to the stealth play since it generally creates exit points for other players who wish to have fun"

I don't even know what this means.

I might be mistaken but i think it refers to players leaving because of the feeling of being in a huge world with not alot going on (from their perspective).

And I agree this can make impatient players leave but i dont see this as an answer either.

In my opinion of course I'd think it better and sticking more within the realms of war to have a new page at lobby that basically summarizes where the heavy action is based of EWS.

*Login

*Bam (a quick blast from your spice weasle) and you have a list of the action

*Click join mission

Edited October 2, 2010 by gtanner

[mrfancyp]

Dear CRS,

I think you could get the same effect with a much friendlier reaction from your current community:

instead of a text message that tells you the direction of enemy infantry in the middle of nowhere work on your sound engine. Infantry that moves through bushes or in forests should create noises, especially when they run. You could add startled animals or even animals that suddenly become silent when they notice a human sneaking around near them. Add a bot in the form of a German shepherd that circles a FB and starts growling when it smells onion soup. Maybe add the old radio table sound to FRUs.

In short, disguise your attempts of making the game easier for newbies as realism and you'll probably get money from both new players and those that currently play your game.