Some proposals to enhance infantry control experience

[Michael Emrys]

i currently play a game with 2 inf coys (echeloned) and 3-4 armored coys. got the setup in an hour or so. maybe i am just a bit quick

I just started a game with two companies of infantry and two platoons of armor. I managed to get everything in place in about an hour this time, maybe a little more. I began to assign movement orders, but knocked off after about half an hour because I was getting tired. I estimate that doing the rest of the units will require another hour.

what is also pretty ok in scenarios is, when you begin with a smaller force and the force then builds up in stages with reinforcements.

I would really love it if in QBs you could designate forces that will come on as reinforcements. That would spread the work out over time. It would also increase the fidelity of modeling such things as attacking off the march, etc.

Michael

[Jock Tamson]

The mounting idea does sound like a good one. In Arma 2, for example (which can be played at a tactical level from birds eye view) each building has an index of building positions built into it, which can be occupied by AI.

[Broadsword56]

That's the point.... you could the same commands for an urban warfare 'mounting' system as are currently used for vehicles.

Instead of 'mounting' a vehicle, infantry could be 'mounted' into fighting positions aligned against walls and buildings.

This would be optional, like mounting vehicles.

The unit could be left in the action spots available in the street, as is the situation now, or attached, 'stacked', against the wall of an available building using the same [mount]/[dismount] system currently used for vehicles.

It would create a huge amount of new flexibility for units in urban terrain and uses an existing game mechanic, [mounting]/[dismounting], to achieve the improvement.

The AFV [open]/[closed] equivalent in an urban warfare option would be having the unit set-up an observation, firing position at the corner of the building in the direction the units facing, or remaining fully concealed behind the wall.

This is a brilliant idea. I sure hope the BFC folks can consider something like this and that the CM engine might be capable of handling this type of "stacking" along interior or exterior building walls some day. After all, we already see troops in CM2 assume a somewhat similar behavior when they're on a road -- they avoid the middle of the street and stack along one side or split and advance along both sides, in column formations. The tac Ai also already has something in it that makes troops sense fences and walls. So maybe the coders can build on that existing capability somehow, as a work-around to improve urban combat within the existing action square framework of the game engine.

[stikkypixie]

This is a brilliant idea. I sure hope the BFC folks can consider something like this and that the CM engine might be capable of handling this type of "stacking" along interior or exterior building walls some day. After all, we already see troops in CM2 assume a somewhat similar behavior when they're on a road -- they avoid the middle of the street and stack along one side or split and advance along both sides, in column formations. The tac Ai also already has something in it that makes troops sense fences and walls. So maybe the coders can build on that existing capability somehow, as a work-around to improve urban combat within the existing action square framework of the game engine.

Sorry for coming late, but what do you guys mean by stacking against a wall? Can't you do this already using the face order (probably already answered but I can't find it).

By the way, isn't the whole idea of the action-spots? An action for every spot? Thanks for the answers.

[-Coulum-]

the mounting idea is a good one. And, although I don't pretend to know the ins and outs of the engine, from a technical standpoint it may not be all that impossible. They could basically have "invisible" first floor balconies to all buildings, and invisible windows at the corners of buildings. That way if you mount your soldiers they would form up like they would on a blacony, only at the first floor and some of them will go to the invisible windows to peek out and fire. of course new animation would be required for the leaning action. here is a picture of what i mean if you don't follow

http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/4880/invisiblebalconyandwind.jpg

See how the team on the balcony (which is slightly transparent) seems to be stacked up against the wall? you'll also notice the slightly transparent window at the corner. If a soldier were use a lean animation to look/fire out this window and it were to be fully transparent, he would appear to be leaning around the corner.

Basically what I am trying to say is that better stacking up and leaning around corners of buildings might be possible wihout making huge changes to the game and simply designing buildings in a decieving way.

[A Canadian Cat]

Sorry for coming late, but what do you guys mean by stacking against a wall? Can't you do this already using the face order (probably already answered but I can't find it).

By the way, isn't the whole idea of the action-spots? An action for every spot? Thanks for the answers.

Yes, your men will align up along the wall right now using the face command. What these guys want is a way to order your guys to either:

1. Hug the wall and stay out of sight
   
2. Hug the wall and look / shoot around the corner
   

I will refrain from commenting on how the UI should express such a thing but will say that this would be an excellent Tac AI enhancement.

[MG TOW]

Well isn't line of sight literal to each soldier's facing in the game? So all you would need is

1. A soldier to recognize the edge of a building, and

2. a new animation for peeping around corners

The rest would take care of itself. Use the hide command to not do this if you don't want to give away your position ofcourse.

[stikkypixie]

Yes, your men will align up along the wall right now using the face command. What these guys want is a way to order your guys to either:

1. Hug the wall and stay out of sight
   
2. Hug the wall and look / shoot around the corner
   

I will refrain from commenting on how the UI should express such a thing but will say that this would be an excellent Tac AI enhancement.

Ah yes, I missed the round the corner part . How about allowing infantry units to have face orders and cover arc orders at the same time. The face order would determine how the orient themselves, and the cover arc where they should look?

[WynnterGreen]

Re: Urban Combat

There seems to be a little interest forming around this idea, in light of which I'll expend a little more energy on the concept, do a few mock-ups in photoshop and probably give it a thread of it's own.

Who knows, it might at least become a little food for thought for BF.

[Sublime]

I think it could work. Since the soldiers are 'trained' to stack up against say walls on a tile anyways, one could believe at the least pressing a mount/dismount button could enlarge line of sight or give a bonus for cover, etc?

I think its a really good idea too..