Guild Wars 2

Before I tell you all my idea let us first see what commanding is currently, and see what problems that there are so we can focus on those specific problems to start off.

As of right now “commanding” in gw2 is very simple. A simplistic idea of simplistic commanding to be precise. The only tools given to a commander is
1) a big blue hat!!!
2) a chat command that allows the commander to see how much supply is on people in a very small aoe near the commander. (Useless because of how small it is)
3) a chat command that allows the commander to see how much supply people have that are in the commanders squad.(again useless because very few actually take the time to join the squad. Thus making the chat command pointless)

Ok from that allow me to draw the things that are broken and need to be fixed.

1) lack of communication :
because of the absolute lack of commanding tools available. the commander has to state in the chat EXACLY what he wants the people under his or her command what to do. This of corse does not work some of the time due to people not reading the chat. In addition if they actually do read the chat but the command is overly complex the zerg will not be able to achieve the desired goal because they do not have the communication or coordination to complete the command(such as field combos) for this reason effective communication is very limited.

2) zerg mentality is the only way:
due to the lack of tools available to the commander the people who are being commanded have absolutely no reason to not be near the commander. Also because there is no reason to split up the forces or even a restriction on the number of players that can be in the group it forces the group in to a zerg mentality. Were numbers are the only and best way to get things done. For this reason there are usually not more than 1 commander on the map were the pugs move to. like flies attracted to a flashlight. The most effective pug commanders are those with the biggest armies. Not the most tactically elite.

There are many more issues I am sure. More than I can count actually such as having 2 or more commanders may confuse the player of as to were a specific commander is.(can be solved with unique commander symbols(customizable like guild emblems?)
Anyway let’s tackle what should be done about commanders.

Let me tackle number 2 first. Put simply there should be a limitation on the number of people that can be in a squad. Then there should be a legitimate reason for players to want, and need to be in the squad. There are many ways to tackle these 2 problems however this is my simplistic suggestion

Ok first the reason for why players would want to be in a squad. That reason should be the same reason they are in wvw besides killing players. That reason is coin experience and most recently wvw rank points.

My suggestion is to make it so that everyone in a commanders squad will receive the same amount of coin, experience, and wvw rank when the squad captures something of value regardless if they are on the other side of the map.
For this reason people will not care if they are capturing a camp or a tower under the commanders direction when their fellow squad mates are taking so etching of bigger value. Because of this lack of needing to be were the zerg or commander is it will greatly reduce the Concentrated zerging if the commander wants to take multiple objectives at the same time.btw this goes hand in hand with the 2nd part of my suggestion

Ok the squad member limitation should be at max 25 players not including the commander. put simply " EXACLY enough players to make 5 groups of 5 not including the commander"

For the next part of my suggestion covering communication please bear with me.

In almost all real time strategy games when you are commanding more than 5 units(usually hundreds of units) you cannot click each individual unit and then give them a command. Its illogical considering the number of units. However you also cannot have it be very simplistic were you order ALL of the units under your command. Because then there would be only 1 strategy left :Zerging.

So the fix to this is of course a very simple one. It is used in every single aspect of true strategy. “Hierarchy”

By this i of course mean that for a example everyone in the squad is filtered in to a party of 5, and each party the commander has commands to issue to those groups.

These commands should be very simplistic just as they are in any real time stratagy game. Put simply what I would like the commands to look like. the commander
Cannot be in a party, and instead of were the party is usually located on his HUD there is instead the 1-5 party’s thats are under his or her control. By each party the commander can see the status of that party. Such as average health,supply and such. Clicking on a group would bring up a list of commands. The commander should be able to use these commands when using the minimal or the large map. also The commanders commands should be very noticeable to the groups via HUD waypoints/text messages) Every individual should be visible to the commander on the map. Each group being a different color so the commander can get a good idea were everyone under his or her control is.
Also enemy players should appear on the map when in close proximity to a individual. (I know this already happens. But it needs to be refined.) Also Appearing on the map of anyone in the group. Or squad. Thus giving the players, and commander a good idea of enemy locations. The enemies should still stay visible for a small duration when sighted unless they stealth.

So for a example if I am commanding.And I have green group,blue group, and pink group (oH YAAA). If I were to click on a camp. Then select “pink group take this objective”. Then everyone in the pink group would see the words "your commander has commanded you to take (camps name). Then there will be a little icon on everyone in pink groups map were the camp is located. In addition to this the commander will see on his or her HUD by pink groups name “taking (camps name)”

There can be a number of commands that could be implemented. Such as move to target location. Move to target and defend. The commander could see possible siege blueprints that the group has and request them to build something at a target location(can also be like a request in which they can decline.)

In addition to this there could be group leaders. Leaders that lead the groups with a very limited but detailed commands. The qualification to be the group leader may be directly related to wvw rank.or may be purchasable. They could have Commands that may be dependent on who is in their group and what they have equipped. By that I mean of course skills that are very hard to coordinate. So for example if there is a Warrior in my party. If they have the elite banner equipped I can request them to put down the banner to revive a Allie. What they will see on their HUD is some text and a small waypoint of were the banner should be placed.
Also a command to move the group to a specific location, target a group of enemies. Or perhaps they can request a specific field combo. So if there is a member in the party with that particular field or finisher. They will see the desired combo location with a HUD representation and will be able to follow through with the command with ease.

This will increase communication not in words but in actions. The commander will have the tools to be able to have the people under his or her command do things that he or she wants them to do. If not at a slightly limited degree.
And would have the information of each group so as to make intelligent decisions based on his or her resources and enemy location information.

There are many ways to fix the commander. My ideas I admit are very unrefined raw ideas. I am righting this very roughly so I apologize for any grammar or reading issues.

feel free to leave your own suggestions.

Comments?

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