Small idea

[Earl]

Was running a few missions after work to relax this afternoon which was pretty awesome, we kicked some serious butt. One thing, though, a lot of times my target would pop before I got there with my guns, because the rest were packing excals, and I'm pretty stingy with my missiles.
To maybe help this a bit (I'm not sure many others have this problem though, most would simply strike out on their own), I was thinking... All hostile targets are currently boxed in red. What if, to allow some extra coordination, we had a way to designate 'unclaimed' targets? For example, all ships currently targetted by an ally appear boxed as orange, while open targets will still remain boxed in red.

I've never seen this kind of thing in a game before, but with that small addition, more complex battles could take place without tons of typing- You could actually have a prolonged battle like the military escort mission with a lot more activity happening and not everyone will flock straight to the newest target or the closest, instead taking a more tactical approach.

Realistically, it makes sense to network this way- we already have a system that simulates communication between ship IDs to pick friend and foe, and as far as the simulated data goes, it could be as little as 'Ship at X,Y,Z is claimed.' It wouldn't be rocket science to do in real life, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

[Marvin]

Originally posted by Earl

It wouldn't be rocket science to do in real life, I guess is what I'm trying to say.

Actually, it might be harder than rocket science. Because you'd need to convince DoD that some expensive, complicated, electronic system is far faster and much more accurate than a quick, "Cowboy Two, take left target!" radio call.

[AnakiMana]

I like the idea - it might keep Insaniac from stealing my kills!

It would be cool to have a communication/radio key that opens a quick selection of presets like "affirmative", "negative", "i'm going in", "patrolling area", "need reinforcement!", and "this one's mine!". The last one could change the target-box to orange or something. Maybe "need reinforcement" could make the green-box flash or something?

[cheops]

Try using teamspeak and coordinating your attacks that way. There's nothing like speach communication to pep things up.

[Earl]

Originally posted by Marvin
Actually, it might be harder than rocket science.

lol!


Cheops, yes, that would be ideal.

[BraveHart]

After taking out the Vonari Capital ship I look to see where my wingmen are in battle with the smaller ships...if I see one of the wingmen being pursued by 3-4 smaller Vonari I will automatically target the rear ship and let off a volley of Excals, (Especially if the lead pilot is under fire...when he dies the mission dies)....and then engage with lasers and cannon fire. Once in awhile I may accidentally fire off a volley of Excals...but that is rare. I prefer to take out the smaller ships with guns only, but if I am pursued by several Vonari launching missiles at me then yeah I will launch missiles to thin down the pack....I have used team speak in the past and that works Great!! but if your not using TS then have a talk with your fellow wingmen before the mission. I get a Hoot out of the last remaining Vonari as 3-4 wingmen bear down on him and catch him in a Cross Fire!! LOL...just watching a Vonari trying to escape is priceless

[Earl]

I like taking on a squad, it's really not that much more dangerous than one red and feels way cooler

Yep, checking relative positions can do a lot... But that 3500-4000 when some pilots throw those excals really differs from the 500 you have to clear to get into guns only range. That's about as much difference as there'll ever be between two ships in a fight, especially if you are both going to be travelling toward the target, the 4000 range will nearly invariably clear first.
I still think they're too easy to use, not risky enough. I was thinking about that too, possibly a nerf to the tune of losing control of the missiles if a target is destroyed, detonating them immediately. You could only take one ship at a time that way, and maybe do area damage to players nearby.
I really should get back into TS now that I'm paying for my internet and it's a good speed again... Which server is the popular one? I bookmarked the list post when it came up a few days ago.

[MMaggio]

Many players have TeamSpeak, Earl, but few use it once the novelty wears off.
TS seems to work best with three or less at a time. If everyone tries to speak at once there is just a cacaphony of noise.
Some players have gone it alone, opened their own servers and tried to install enough channels to keep the chatter down.
Sorry to say, once again there was insufficient support and those servers closed
I am sure there are many players who would like to see a TS server, but atm, it seems impractical.
You are welcome to use it on Babylon 5 with anyone who wants to share a channel with you.
Best of luck...

[Bossk]

The BA TS sever is still up and running. Myself and Dengar use it, but is availible for any players if they wish. Details are listed in the thread you have bookemarked.

http://www.starwraith.com/forum/viewtop ... 1#pid61881

Bossk

[Edited on 9-20-2009 by Bossk]

[Marvin]

Originally posted by Bossk

The BA TS sever is still up and running.

Denny and I keep it listed and use it as backup, should our primary server go down. Btw, some players might abandon TS after a short while ... but, if it's because there's too much chatter, then your flight or squadron leader isn't doing his job properly.

[DennyMala]

TS or any real time comms system demand strict discipline and a little training on how to use it.

If you manage to put it together, you'll never want to fly without.

[PingBosun]

IC and I use the BA TS server (bless their cotton socks)

You can of course create your own channels within the TS server so if it gets very noisy, split out the channels.