Any Hope for Icons Flashing when Status changes

[c3k]

Gents,

Here's an old post: (copied from this thread: http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=74868 )

In a scenario, playing WEGO vs the AI, I started the next turn when I noticed that 2 of my units had taken casualties. They were in what I thought was a quiet sector. (Well done scenario designer and BF.C!) Unfortunately I have no friggin' clue what happened! I hadn't noticed them getting hit before I hit the (tiny) "DONE" button.

Arrrggghhhh! Was it an RPG? Maybe small arms? A mortar shell? Or did a tank roll over them? I have no friggin clue, despite 4 vehicles, and 9 dismounted survivors being RIGHT THERE.

"Sergeant! What the hell just happened here?"

"Sir, I'm not sure. We had assumed a tactical position here, oriented on the objective, when I noticed Jenkins there get a red circle and over that way Smitty turned a bit yellow."

Now, I'm all for ambushes, etc. But, as a player, I'd like to know when my units take hits. I'm not looking for the cause, but the timing of it. That way I can use the replay feature as needed.

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There's more at: http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=84655&highlight=what+just+happened

The gist of the idea is that the unit icon should reflect a change in the unit's status.

If a Good Order blue squad takes incoming fire and becomes suppressed (the suppression meter increases in value), the player should know about it. (The player takes the role of squad leader, platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander throughout the game. You move the squad - you are the squad leader.) So, the squad icon should change to bring the player's attention to it. Say the blue circle gains a flashing yellow ring.

If the squad takes a casualty, the blue circle (perhaps with a flashing yellow ring) then flashes yellow. The color of the flash would change to red or brown depending on how many or how severe the casualties are.

If a squad is getting fired upon enough to get it to open fire on the enemy, how about adding a bullet icon under or over the squad icon?

These ideas are meant to let the game flow more easily in multi-company engagements. If there's just a platoon in action it is pretty easy to keep track of everything. But, once you have multiple companies of mechanized troops with support elements, the book-keeping gets onerous.

The two threads linked above have more detailed explanations of these ideas.

Thoughts?

Regards,

Ken

[Battlefront.com]

This is one of many options we're mulling over for increased über situational awareness in CM: Normandy. That's all I can say at this point.

Steve

[Vinnart]

I am glad they are considering adding some more sitauational awarness player aids. Some possible ways that i think would be good to test is; Colored text reports for HQ's, Transparent glowing halo around icons, or Icon silluetes turn color. Thanks for lsitening battlefront. Really enjoying the game, and look forward to seeing it tweaked

[Battlefront.com]

Generally we try to steer clear of color only information. While there might be few who are truly "color blind", there are a lot who fall somewhere in the spectrum of having some difficulty with detecting differences between Red and Green. Detecting differences based on degree of transparency is also a problem area. So whenever possible we combine colors/transparency in addition to some sort of icon or specific placement. And text is something we try to avoid as much as possible because too much text isn't good.

Which is why we're mulling things over before we dive in

Steve

[gibsonm]

And a few who turn the icons off.

Those people will be pi**ed if some information is only available if you have to turn the buggers on.