Guild Wars 2

The Commander icon is great for gathering a server together and whatever, but we really need a proper raid or warband style UI for more organized groups.

It would need to have a easily identified leader with the ability to kick members and none of this anyone one can join in kittens, it would need to be invite only.

It would have to show all the members in the band in a UI similar to the simple party layout, and show members on the minimap.

I don’t see why these wasn’t added in the first place, to be honest. It just doesn’t make sense to say “Yes, we want you to play tactically and have organized groups” and then go and make it nearly impossible to manage more than 5 people without buying a Commander icon (which still gives you no UI or any idea where the members of your squad are) and drawing every pug on your map to you.

We run a 20-25 man group most nights, with groups dedicated to scouting and artillery and what-have-you but it is so difficult sometimes to even just find each other to group up quickly.

Please, please ANet, add a real raid/warband UI. I’d even be happy with a 10 man party UI.

No one agrees that we need a real raid/warband UI? Wow.

This please so much this.

I posted it here (https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/suggestions/Raid-or-expanded-party-frames-for-commanders-in-WvW/first#post307146) but no one agreed =\

This is a medieval fantasy game, as such the user interface has been thrown back into the dark ages of gaming too.

SKYeXile.2716:

This is a medieval fantasy game, as such the user interface has been thrown back into the dark ages of gaming too.

Lol. Haven’t you heard? We have Commanders! And Squads! Where everyone can join in and have fun!

…kittens, Anet. Kittens.

So it seems arena net are pretty fast at fixing my posts, not so fast at fixing stuff that needs to be fixed.
fix it, fix it, fix it, fix it.

Yeah, when I looked at the party UI and Squad UI, I thought it was 1998 again. Then when I saw that Necromancers didn’t have a pet UI, I thought I died and went to hell.

I kinda like not having UI. It forces you to pay attention. I really like not having auto-follow. That is the single most annoying and laziest MMO pvp command ever invented.

Yeah, auto follow is stupid but so is not being able to co-ordinate properly as a WvW guild because you can’t see where you all are on the mini-map unless you run around as a zerg.

Obviously we’re managing at the moment, go HoD! but long-term it’s just not practical.

Player One.4932:

Yeah, when I looked at the party UI and Squad UI, I thought it was 1998 again.

That pretty much sums it up. Lack of flexible grouping systems in GW2 in this day of MMO’s is shocking.

ZaneStriker.2836:

No one agrees that we need a real raid/warband UI? Wow.

I’m sure most players agree in fact its something thats been asked for almost since the game launched, but to no avail, and TBH I doubt its on a short term radar at anet.

IMHO it was a clear oversight in the games design and should have been a bigger priority than even say the siege changes. The commander functionality is clearly totally insufficient for this purpose.

Plus it would be useful in PvE as well for large scale guild events.

morrolan.9608

I’m sure most players agree in fact its something thats been asked for almost since the game launched, but to no avail, and TBH I doubt its on a short term radar at anet.

IMHO it was a clear oversight in the games design and should have been a bigger priority than even say the siege changes. The commander functionality is clearly totally insufficient for this purpose.

Plus it would be useful in PvE as well for large scale guild events.

They already have the C&S system…. just allow commanders to hide the pin AND still retain the functions of a squad. Now you have a system that that can be used for any number of players for any use. I don’t understand how this doesn’t make sense to everyone.

This is so badly needed, yet we won´t see this happen. I´m saying this although I tend to play skirmishing stuff only. The moment we´re more than 5 people is always kinda embarassing.

With buff and heals randomly applying to 5 people around (around like in “under your skirt”) Im not sure a UI would help anyways.

They should at least make a commander party(squad) UI. Tried to join a squad 1 time and there is absolutely no reason to join… other than being able to see the squad chat(which is barely used) there is no other advantage… and you can see the commander icon without having joined the squad.

I’d prefer if there was some small UI showing names or something like that(even if there are a lot of names… maybe with scrollbar) – like a real normal party.

Also it should show all the green dots for all the people of your server in WvW on the whole map… not only people nearby. Would help much more to just look at the map without asking where people are(if there is no commander and you don’t know where to go).

Luthan.5236:

Also it should show all the green dots for all the people of your server in WvW on the whole map… not only people nearby. Would help much more to just look at the map without asking where people are(if there is no commander and you don’t know where to go).

I’d be happy with just guildmates behaving like that. While we are at it, guildmates should also have a different color on map (goldish, like tag names).

Luthan.5236:

They should at least make a commander party(squad) UI. Tried to join a squad 1 time and there is absolutely no reason to join… other than being able to see the squad chat [bold](which is barely used)[/bold] there is no other advantage… and you can see the commander icon without having joined the squad.

Luthan, you bring up a very valid point… why even bother joining a Commander squad…

Here’s what we get as a non-Commander…

A. We see Commander Squad Chat – WHICH NO ONE USES…. seriously, who uses it???
B. Commander can now scribble on map for squadmates, which is nice.
C. We can NO LONGER SEE OTHER COMMANDER PINS… really? WHY??? It just doesn’t make sense.

Totally with ya there bud.

Plus, a UI would help… in at the least it helps squad people “feel” like they are part of a squad… I mean, I know ANet has mentioned they didn’t want a Raid UI feature because it breaks immersion or something like that (can someone dig ANet’s statement up please?)… but then, why even have your group/party UI then? It doesn’t make sense…sorry.

Luthan.5236:

They should at least make a commander party(squad) UI. Tried to join a squad 1 time and there is absolutely no reason to join… other than being able to see the squad chat(which is barely used) there is no other advantage… and you can see the commander icon without having joined the squad.

I’d prefer if there was some small UI showing names or something like that(even if there are a lot of names… maybe with scrollbar) – like a real normal party.

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Also it should show all the green dots for all the people of your server in WvW on the whole map… not only people nearby. Would help much more to just look at the map without asking where people are(if there is no commander and you don’t know where to go).

The Warband system used in Warhammer Online was awesome. Players and guilds could customize it for ANY possible social grouping setup. Guild grouping, Private alliance grouping or have it public so anyone can join. It was a great system.

We don’t even an entire new grouping system. Even simple changes to the C&S system could greatly enhance social grouping in GW2.

- Allow commanders to hide the pin AND still retain all the functions of a squad.
- Show current squad member dots with a unique color.
- Joining a commander turns his pin GOLD, all other commander pins will still be visible as BLUE.

Those three changes would be huge.

ZaneStriker.2836:

No one agrees that we need a real raid/warband UI? Wow.

I’ve been advocating this since BW1….

I just wish commanders can subdivide their own division/partition so a single commander can command multiple units instead of just the big blob of a zerg =/

Oh… I almost forgot about this thread…

Did not even know you could only see the icon of the commander whose squad you joined after joining a squad. We usually have only 1 commander tagged up at the lower tier server I’m playing.

That’s sounds bullkitten. I mean you don’t even know if you are in a squad… so if you join while only 1 commander is visible and later some other commanders tag up and you “forgot” you joined a squad you don’t know this.

Also there seems no way to leave the squad… other then maybe some chat commands? Cause there is no UI obviously you can’t click anywhere to leave so you’d have to google the commands if there are any.

As I said in some other thread already: This should be one of the top priorities to improve the commander. They are making them pay 100 gold for having the icon only(which can be useful for unorganized people).

Other stuff like chat can be completely disregarded cause nobody uses it.

let us merge 4 parties, see ppl on the map and put a /face button (maybe just for frendly units)

or just let it be done with addons/API, the way the events/wvwmap addons are now

Theres been hundreds of these threads, the only response is anet doesnt want people focusing on UI more than the games it self. The point being though, who hasnt seen each WvW map enough? We got it, you made a very beautiful game, now develop some things that we’d actually want. If I wanted to stare at the landscape i’d go out to a PVE map, myself and others are in WvW for a reason and thats simply not it, sorry.

It seems as though anet doesnt listen, plain and simple. They have a plan and they’re going to stick with it. Their plans may change from time to time, but overall player feedback seems to rarely seep into it. Theres been SO much constructive feedback that players have given on MANY levels to help better this game and it falls upon deaf ears..and thats really sad.

To sum it up though, i’m with ya. I just wish people at anet were too.

A recent post from Devon Carter ackowledged the lack in useful functionality of the C&S system with changes coming.

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/wuv/wuv/Commander-squad-not-working/page/2#post2240974

I certianly hope that they really listen to player feedback and make worth while changes. Foremost is the ability to form “private” squads or some other grouping system for guilds to do private events when we have more than 5 people.

We need to have the tools to group in the way that works best for guilds and players.

C. We can NO LONGER SEE OTHER COMMANDER PINS… really? WHY??? It just doesn’t make sense.

To be fair, I think that’s kinda the point. That way you’re not seeing every pin on the map and it’s easier for people that need to be with a certain commander to stick to that commander.

Now, I’m not saying it’s an awesome idea. Just that I understand what they were aiming for here, and it does make some sense.

I’m just gonna say I do not care one iota for having a raid UI. I like Anet’s decision to keep the UI clear and simple and I like their decision to not allow modifications. Nothing is more annoying than being forced to install 10 addons to keep up with other players and being forced to have your screen covered with messages and icons. It’s fine the way it is.

As far as functionality, who needs a group anyway? I have never once joined a group in WvW, ever. Because it doesn’t matter. It may have been useful to have these things in games like WAR because you had targeted healing and whatnot. That doesn’t exist in this game. There’s practically no need to join a group unless you’re roaming with a couple people and need to work very tightly together.

As far as organizing across the map and being able to see people, I still don’t see the need. So you can’t spot people on the other side of the map with a glance, that just means you have to talk. I’d much prefer having to communicate over just automated organization because the former creates a skill ceiling where the latter doesn’t. The need for good communication is probably a big reason why some worlds do really well and others flop and it also keeps the game somewhat social.

That was more than I wanted to say actually. You don’t have to agree, but there’s definitely another side to this argument.

ZaneStriker.2836:

No one agrees that we need a real raid/warband UI? Wow.

Too many randoms to make this type of thing work, and if you want organized groups just get everyone to hop on raidcall/teamspeak/skype or whatever and just do it that way.

Not sayin it wouldn’t be nice, but there are far more pressing matters they could be working on right now. :/

Parktou.4263:

ZaneStriker.2836:

No one agrees that we need a real raid/warband UI? Wow.

Too many randoms to make this type of thing work, and if you want organized groups just get everyone to hop on raidcall/teamspeak/skype or whatever and just do it that way.

Not sayin it wouldn’t be nice, but there are far more pressing matters they could be working on right now. :/

I have to disagree on that. Running seperate groups of five people, marking a “driver” with a bullseye and forcing people to use a 3rd party voice program as the only way in game to organize a private force is sad.

Everyone has a different idea of what is “Fun” or what guilds and players enjoy doing. If some people enjoy running in a zerg, or running with only 5 people…. no problem, the tools are there in the game.

If someone enjoys running close knit multipe groups with just your guild or alliance where stealth and speed are desired…. well too bad. I don’t see how being able to organize and group socially and effectively in GW2 cannot be a pressing matter.