Custom types of Channel Commanders

[xTweaker]

With the addition of "preset" variables and the ability to bind keys to them, you made TS a lot more useful in large organisations... however, there's still something that is missing so much: Custom Channel Commanders

Let me explain...

Currently the way it is now...

Let's say on one server you have the following setup:

Legend:
* = Channel Commander
* = Normal User[/size]

Battlegroup 1
  Platoon 1
    Squad 1
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader & Platoon Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 2
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 3
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

  Platoon 2
    Squad 1
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader & Platoon Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 2
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

Battlegroup 2
  Platoon 1
    Squad 1
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader & Platoon Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 2
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10


Overall Command
    War Room
      *Commander 1 (Overall Commander)
      *Commander 2
      *Commander 3

With that setup, in order to have a good communication between platoons, command and squads, you only have one option right now: The use of channel commander whispers

For example, if the platoon leader of a platoon wants to talk to all of his squad leaders, he pushes his "Whisper to all chan commanders in channel family" button and only the people with Chan Commander toggled (*) will hear him, and they can talk back to him the same way.

Until now that is fine... or so it seems. This is where it gets more messy and harder to keep disciplined:

If the Platoon leader of battlegroup 2 wants to speak to platoon leader of battlegroup 1, he only has the option of using "Whisper to all chan commanders" since he's not part of the same channel family. Since he can't hear if the other platoon is already using internal comms, he risks stepping over their comms everytime, and vice-versa. Same exact thing goes if Overall Command wants to speak to all platoon leaders only. Then all squad leaders (which also hears all of that) have to tell their guys who may already be talking to "hold comms" (even if it's not for them to hear) because he can't hear what his squad is saying while command is talking.

Some people may say you'll never possibly see that many people in such a well organised manner, but I have seen this many times.

In this kind of setup, who is squad leader/platoon leader or overall could rotate from hour to hour (people logging out for the night, going for food, etc...), so setting personal whispers can be quite a tedious task... which is not an option besides for gunner/driver or air taxi/squad leader setups. Setting predefined server side status (as in "always set Player X as a chan commander in Channel X wouldn't work either.

So, the point of this post is to suggest the following in replacement (or addition) of the Channel Commander "status":

Up to 5 Custom Channel Commander Types

It would work as follow:

- The server admin presets the names of the 5 Channel Commander Types (i.e.: Squad Leader, Platoon Leader, Overall Command, etc...)

- For each type a predefined button color (hard coded)

- The addition of the following bindable commands:

    - Toggle Name Of Chan Commander Type 1 On/Off
    - Toggle Name Of Chan Commander Type 2 On/Off
    - Toggle Name Of Chan Commander Type 3 On/Off
    - Toggle Name Of Chan Commander Type 4 On/Off
    - Toggle Name Of Chan Commander Type 5 On/Off
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 1 in channel family
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 2 in channel family
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 3 in channel family
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 4 in channel family
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 5 in channel family
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 1 in channel [List of available base channels]
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 2 in channel [List of available base channels]
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 3 in channel [List of available base channels]
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 4 in channel [List of available base channels]
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 5 in channel [List of available base channels]
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 1
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 2
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 3
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 4
    - Whisper to all Name Of Chan Commander Type 5

- The ability to toggle more than one type of channel commander for the same user. (i.e.: a squad leader could also be a platoon leader)

With that kind of setup, you could have something like this instead (which would be much more efficient):

Legend:
* = Overall Commander
* = Platoon Leader
* = Squad Leader
* = Normal User[/size]

Battlegroup 1
  Platoon 1
    Squad 1
     **Soldier 1 (Squad Leader & Platoon Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 2
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 3
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

  Platoon 2
    Squad 1
     **Soldier 1 (Squad Leader & Platoon Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 2
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

Battlegroup 2
  Platoon 1
    Squad 1
     **Soldier 1 (Squad Leader & Platoon Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10

    Squad 2
      *Soldier 1 (Squad Leader)
      *(...)
      *Soldier 10


Overall Command
    War Room
      *Commander 1 (Overall Commander)
      *Commander 2
      *Commander 3

[xTweaker]

(continues...)

Now, this is much better...

If for example, Overal Command wants to give orders to all of his battlegroup 1 platoons to move in to a specific base:

1. He presses his key bound to "Whisper to all Platoon Leaders in Battlegroup 1" and calls for a command break.
2. All Platoon Leaders (only ones to hear the orders) ask their squad to hold comms, and say "Go break"
3. Overall Commander gives his orders and the Platoon leaders confirm.
4. Platoon leaders then use their key bound to "Whisper to all Squad Leaders in Channel Family" and call for an 'All Squad Platoon Break"
5. Squad leaders ask their squad to hold comms, and Platoon leaders relate the orders without other platoons hearing it (so they can split work more easily without stepping on other's comms).

See what I mean?

Another example...
Let's say the 4th custom type is "Air Transport", and Soldier 1 and 2 of the first squad in platoon 1 of battlegroup 2 *breathes in* has their "Air Transport" status toggled, and Platoon 1 of Battlegroup 1 (Infantry) has to call for a airborne pickup.

1. Platoon Leader 1 of Battlegroup 1 uses his key bound to "Whisper to all Air Transport in Battlegroup 2" and calls for a Battlegroup Break.
2. The 2 air transport guys respond using their key bound to "Whisper to last whisperer" and copy the request and ask for pickup location.
3. platoon leader confirms location and transport guy sets his "Preset 0" to "last whisperer" in order to have a 2-way channel with the platoon leader that requested the pickup.

No other squads or platoons were disturbed in their comms, didn't need to do a full command break that all chan commanders would have hear, and it went straight to the point.


In addition to all that, I had this other idea, which I kept for the end...

A setting for each type of Custom Channel Commander would be to auto-mute all other comms uppon reception of whisper using the "whisper to all custom chan commander type x" command. In other words, when overall command gives an order, and your squad is talking to you on top of the platoon leader... you have to call for silence and "hold comms" to let the commander talk. What would be nice is as soon as the overall commander uses a key to speak to "all platoon leaders" or "all squad leaders" that the squad leaders or platoon leaders hear nothing but him until he's finished, or only hears the others that have at least the same chan commander type (i.e other squad leaders when they confirm orders to overall).

There, that's it... woot. Long freakin post lol! Sorry... I just had to write it or I wouldn't have been able to sleep tonight.

Let me know what you think and I'd really appreciate the input of a dev on this.

Thank you for reading, and cheers!