Hi! So I have an idea for making communication easier and better for next game. A lot of players don't want to use headsets and open up their microphone and they're left out of communication channels. Communication is key to successfully knowing actions of others and letting others know what you're planning to do.Battlefield V did introduce ping markers. So how about going further in that area in comms.Red ping marker: Enemy over there/Suspected location of enemy.Yellow ping marker: Next point of interest/Moving forward this position/Attack this position.Blue ping marker: Scan the surroundings in this area.Green ping marker: Gather up in this position.Purple ping marker: Defend this position.Maybe there could be some 3D symbol symbolising the action like shield for defend marker, raised fist for attack marker, group of people symbol for gather up marker etc.. What are your thoughts?

@Teal_Pipo_Fredo leading a squad of randoms is like herding cats. Occasionally you'll get some cohesion and you get a squad that meshes like you've been playing together for years, but that's rare. If I'm squad leader, and they're just doing their own thing, I'll put the objective near them, in the hopes they at least get squad points for kills in the objective.You have some good ideas, but I'm afraid the typical gamer will just suffer information overload if you start throwing too much at them.The more concise the order, the better.Attack hereDefend here.Un-alive those guys there.Spotting should be done by the player, no "auto-spot"BF4 is far from perfect, and the only way to counter being spotted is to keep moving and try to take advantage of cover.Spotting encourages team play, and nerfing the spot function will only result in an increase of lone wolf snipers, bravely watching their team loose from the edge of the map.

While I do agree that improving communication is a good idea, I really didn't like the BFV ping system. It felt out of place and distracting to me. Of course it's very subjective. There are doubtless people who do like it. It might also be simpler to just expand the comm-rows, as we have less options now than in past titles. Either that or give console a chat-box.

yeah that stuff will never work. It works in a BR setting when at most you have 3 teammates. but when you have 31 teammates then it's a no go. And BF6 sounds like it will give us 63 teammates or at least 47.The potential for everyone spamming markers is off the charts. You could limit this stuff to just the squad, but like ZombiePlow succinctly put it, "leading a squad of randoms is like herding cats." And BF6, with what sounds like at 96 players on a server, just telling your few squad mates where stuff is, ...I don't think it's enough. The old 3d spotting system was effective at communicating where enemies were. It just needed some restraints like only having ~5 spots to use at a time that slowly regenerate like shells in a BF1 tank regenerate ...so you couldn't blindly spam spot stuff.Maybe a system the OP suggested could also have such limits. And then it could be effective. I would like the ability to highlight a building if I saw an enemy in there. But maybe the old spotting system could also get smarter so if you spot an enemy and he ducks behind a rock or steps back from a window or enters a building then the rock or window or building is left with an enemy marker on it for a few seconds.The oldest BF games had a robust F-key spotting/command system. Must have been 30 commands at least. It was basically an audio spot/command system . Maybe it also placed icons down on the minimap when you hit F2-F3 to spot a tank or whatever it was. You couldn't aim the spots though. You just announced, 'enemy tank sighted' and again I think a tank icon was placed on the minimap in the general area as well. Anyway the flaws in that were that it was complicated. And wasn't directional. And it could be spammed.

@Teal_Pipo_Fredo wrote:Hi! So I have an idea for making communication easier and better for next game. A lot of players don't want to use headsets and open up their microphone and they're left out of communication channels. Communication is key to successfully knowing actions of others and letting others know what you're planning to do.Battlefield V did introduce ping markers. So how about going further in that area in comms.Red ping marker: Enemy over there/Suspected location of enemy.Yellow ping marker: Next point of interest/Moving forward this position/Attack this position.Blue ping marker: Scan the surroundings in this area.Green ping marker: Gather up in this position.Purple ping marker: Defend this position.Maybe there could be some 3D symbol symbolising the action like shield for defend marker, raised fist for attack marker, group of people symbol for gather up marker etc.. What are your thoughts? Your intentions are all good and so are all the suggestions here.But fact is that 99% of all players will not (be able to) follow/utilize this in practical gameplay. Its just too complex for most. And many don't bother either.When most players cannot even fathom to drop ammo when you jump up and down in front of them and the ammo icon flashing on top of your head, or similar when low on health. Then don't expect any better by adding 14 different color taggings to the system on top for more advanced communication features. Its simply too complex for most.So suggestion is to please keep it simple and to the bare minimum.Simple but used is better than advanced but not used.Simple is good !

@Teal_Pipo_Fredo The only reason I know that will happen is my son and his CoD overlords joined me in a couple matches and were overwhelmed at all the stuff going on at a contested objective, I haven't heard 13 year olds talk like that since the Modern Warfare lobbies of old. I had to break it down to "go to the flashing letter on top of the flag pole and stay there until it's time to move to another objective." It's like training goldfish

Comms idea | EA Forums

13 Replies

ninjapenquinuk
Seasoned Ace
4 years ago
We definitely need better ways for infantry to mark targets for aircraft, though i guess how important that is depends on how they handle spotting.
A_al_K_pacino_A
Seasoned Veteran
4 years ago
@ninjapenquinuk That should be nice and easy with the setting the game seems to have. Laser pointers or actual physical items that can be placed on tanks or buildings to guide missiles.
ZombieP1ow
4 years ago
@Teal_Pipo_Fredo leading a squad of randoms is like herding cats. Occasionally you'll get some cohesion and you get a squad that meshes like you've been playing together for years, but that's rare. If I'm squad leader, and they're just doing their own thing, I'll put the objective near them, in the hopes they at least get squad points for kills in the objective.
You have some good ideas, but I'm afraid the typical gamer will just suffer information overload if you start throwing too much at them.
The more concise the order, the better.
Attack here
Defend here.
Un-alive those guys there.
Spotting should be done by the player, no "auto-spot"
BF4 is far from perfect, and the only way to counter being spotted is to keep moving and try to take advantage of cover.
Spotting encourages team play, and nerfing the spot function will only result in an increase of lone wolf snipers, bravely watching their team loose from the edge of the map.
ElliotLH
Hero+
4 years ago
While I do agree that improving communication is a good idea, I really didn't like the BFV ping system. It felt out of place and distracting to me. Of course it's very subjective. There are doubtless people who do like it.

It might also be simpler to just expand the comm-rows, as we have less options now than in past titles. Either that or give console a chat-box.
Teal_Pipo_Fredo
4 years ago
@ZombieP1ow
Didn't considered that information overload before but you're right. 🤔
Personally, I would like to take or give precise information from or as a squad leader. Of course, it could be an option to toggle these pings off if one feels overwhelmed. Also colours, opacity and size could be customised.
ZombieP1ow
4 years ago
@Teal_Pipo_Fredo The only reason I know that will happen is my son and his CoD overlords joined me in a couple matches and were overwhelmed at all the stuff going on at a contested objective, I haven't heard 13 year olds talk like that since the Modern Warfare lobbies of old. I had to break it down to "go to the flashing letter on top of the flag pole and stay there until it's time to move to another objective." It's like training goldfish
Teal_Pipo_Fredo
4 years ago
@ZombieP1ow
I know I live in a bubble and I am sometimes caught up dreaming or in autopilot mode while playing. I feel disconnected from other players because I don't use microphone for personal reasons. Still would like to have an option when wanting to play as a team to communicate with others.
I am sorry for not understanding humans of this time and era and what they see in gaming or life in general 😳
ZombieP1ow
4 years ago
@Teal_Pipo_Fredo I rarely play with a mic, the comms rose takes some practice, but after a few hundred hours, it becomes muscle memory to use effectively.
In a global arena, language communication suffers, giving gamers a way to communicate via in game commands circumvents that.
trip1ex
4 years ago
yeah that stuff will never work. It works in a BR setting when at most you have 3 teammates.
but when you have 31 teammates then it's a no go. And BF6 sounds like it will give us 63 teammates or at least 47.
The potential for everyone spamming markers is off the charts.
You could limit this stuff to just the squad, but like ZombiePlow succinctly put it, "leading a squad of randoms is like herding cats." And BF6, with what sounds like at 96 players on a server, just telling your few squad mates where stuff is, ...I don't think it's enough.
The old 3d spotting system was effective at communicating where enemies were.
It just needed some restraints like only having ~5 spots to use at a time that slowly regenerate like shells in a BF1 tank regenerate ...so you couldn't blindly spam spot stuff.
Maybe a system the OP suggested could also have such limits. And then it could be effective.
I would like the ability to highlight a building if I saw an enemy in there. But maybe the old spotting system could also get smarter so if you spot an enemy and he ducks behind a rock or steps back from a window or enters a building then the rock or window or building is left with an enemy marker on it for a few seconds.
The oldest BF games had a robust F-key spotting/command system. Must have been 30 commands at least. It was basically an audio spot/command system . Maybe it also placed icons down on the minimap when you hit F2-F3 to spot a tank or whatever it was. You couldn't aim the spots though. You just announced, 'enemy tank sighted' and again I think a tank icon was placed on the minimap in the general area as well. Anyway the flaws in that were that it was complicated. And wasn't directional. And it could be spammed.
CyberDyme
4 years ago
@Teal_Pipo_Fredo wrote:
Hi! So I have an idea for making communication easier and better for next game. A lot of players don't want to use headsets and open up their microphone and they're left out of communication channels. Communication is key to successfully knowing actions of others and letting others know what you're planning to do.
Battlefield V did introduce ping markers. So how about going further in that area in comms.
Red ping marker: Enemy over there/Suspected location of enemy.
Yellow ping marker: Next point of interest/Moving forward this position/Attack this position.
Blue ping marker: Scan the surroundings in this area.
Green ping marker: Gather up in this position.
Purple ping marker: Defend this position.
Maybe there could be some 3D symbol symbolising the action like shield for defend marker, raised fist for attack marker, group of people symbol for gather up marker etc.. What are your thoughts?
Your intentions are all good and so are all the suggestions here.
But fact is that 99% of all players will not (be able to) follow/utilize this in practical gameplay. Its just too complex for most. And many don't bother either.
When most players cannot even fathom to drop ammo when you jump up and down in front of them and the ammo icon flashing on top of your head, or similar when low on health. Then don't expect any better by adding 14 different color taggings to the system on top for more advanced communication features. Its simply too complex for most.
So suggestion is to please keep it simple and to the bare minimum.
Simple but used is better than advanced but not used.
Simple is good !