Actual Balanced Marine Comm Nerf Discussion

[Snypehunter007]

Just posting this here, I've noticed some of you getting off track with the conversation topic, so keep it relevant.

[solidfury7]

I've grown to like this new update, but I still do think that we need a dedicated radio-operator role, more so than ever.

Give this person the ability to hear all communications, even with a radio-blackout and I think we'll have a very interesting mechanic.

[WinterClould]

I'm still depressed that my early morning RP is dead. I've got friends in every squad I want to talk to and finding them to talk to them in person is not easy enough or always efficient to gearing up on time.

I could get behind like, a button the CO presses to disable general comms for the normie marines once briefing starts. Or I had the idea for a SL and lower radio that's only on shipside. Something that's only available when it has no tactical value but it just available for people to chat together.

Other then that as far as groundside stuff goes, I think the marines still ain't got there shit 100% together as far as adapting to this goes.
Squads still get whipped out without any support which is a bummer but happens.
Squads tend to play it a lot safer and retreat to their FOBs quicker which is a big ol fuckin bummer because that's not how marines win and leads to the same stale cycle as always of marines engaging the enemy, marines dying/(rarely)getting captured, marines retreat to the FOB too early with too many people, barricades fall before the marines actual start dying, 100 marines evac when they could have just fought and died fighting the benos but instead now they'll complain on the forums and Reddit that the Almayer defence to nerfed and marines can never win with a lame SD defence anymore.
But, I'm still seeing marines win sometimes, (it's always because of trash queens making massive misplays, never because of good marine plays) so clearly the marines are doing something right!

Basically, games still fun, marines still shit, marines plz get gud, xenos keep being bad please for the love of God stay trash so we can win sometimes. Just kidding I don't actually give a shit about winning.

[spookydonut]

We've got some improvements coming we just want to see how game play changes without general comms before adding something to change it again

[NethIafins]

-snip-

Try talking to them before briefing by just coming to them in person

[WinterClould]

Try talking to them before briefing by just coming to them in person

...finding them to talk to them in person is not easy enough or always efficient to gearing up on time.

Sometimes you wake up late and can't find anyone in time.
Sometimes they're in the RO line while your in your prep room or the other way round.
Sometimes they're around but you have no clue they're actually in the round without remembering to read the entire crew manifest every few minutes to see if they just woke up.
Sometimes they're playing SO or Doctor and you don't see them till briefing or after breifing.

There's a lot of things in the way of finding people to talk to them that a common radio solves. Rounds where the map is ice colony also butcher's your chances to find the people you want to chat with since they're all wearing coifs and whatnot.

[trustscience44]

I really am excited how a lot of marines have adjusted to this pretty quickly. Previously I had a mixed opinion over these changes. Squad play, imo, is better than it ever has been. Squads are sticking together, you see more yelling at loners, more cohesion and pestering to not be a loner and do teamwork instead.

Also, having marines get used to using normal communication instead of relying on the radio coms has improved close-quarters communications imo. It is much better to see small role playing conversations by a close-group of marines working on some specific task or conversation. Before it was multiple convo's by dozens of marines across the open coms causing everyone to want to 'meme' stuff into it.

Last, you don't see marines screaming over coms who are standing next to each other, not realizing it ever, as they have a long conversation over everyone else. Really enjoying it!

[Urytion]

I've adapted to the mechanics of the comm changes and squad cohesiveness and all that, but I still really miss the roleplay element pre-deployment. If we could do something about that, this update would actually be golden.

[Clayton_Kelly]

I love it. Great for making squad stick together, and it really adds to the tension of being alone.

[Kesserline]

As said before. The time has proven that this change improved squad cohesion for "good" squads.

If a SL manages to bring his charisma to keep his squad together, he'll be more likely to succeed and keeping squad cohesion on a long-term basis.

Shitty SLs kill their squad's cohesion more quickly though if noone is able to make the comms living a little.

[davidofmk771]

It's an unfortunate aspect of this update for sure. In real life, military radio operators are serious people who are expected to stay alert and focused when they are preforming their duties, which is why this sort of thing doesn't pan out completely in a video game environment. Most people simply don't want to deal with the stress of trying to type and read a scrolling text log that tends to bug the hell out and drop back to the bottom at random times.

I like this update, and I understand a lot of the reasoning behind it, but we need something more general for the squaddies than command comms when they're planetside. Relying on SO's and SL's to relay all inter-squad intel just makes playing those leadership roles more stressful to play and leaves large gaps in communication when inexperienced and downright careless players get those rolls.

[Simo94]

Seems like everyone has learned to love the comm update, just like Mike Tyson said.

[Winter]

I don't know about LOVING it, but I'm getting used to it. I just try to greet marines in the RO line or prebriefing when I chuck cigar case out there for them.

[TheMaskedMan2]

It’s pretty good but there are a few little problems.

Mainly being that Marines can no longer hear A.R.E.S. announcements because they are announced over general comms.

Squad cohesion is better but it would be nice if there was a way at all for Squads to ask other squads for help without an SL.

Personally I like the idea of the SL vendor getting 2 station bounced radios to hand out to the squad to act as radio men.

[Mann handle]

It’s pretty good but there are a few little problems.

Mainly being that Marines can no longer hear A.R.E.S. announcements because they are announced over general comms.

Squad cohesion is better but it would be nice if there was a way at all for Squads to ask other squads for help without an SL.

Personally I like the idea of the SL vendor getting 2 station bounced radios to hand out to the squad to act as radio men.

Not to mention that pilots cannot announce departure times anymore nor can a marine lugging a wounded guy call on the Alamo to hold for a minute so he can evac them, it somewhat hurts team work there. Also shipside RP is rather dull if not dead now depending on what job you have, cargo is the worst hit but also engineering is hit badly as well seeing as their job is over within minutes, while that does allow them to run around and RP freely, most of the time it's just to cause mischief because most departments are so focused around their role to entertain them.

I would say that good squad leaders are now enjoying better squad cohesion simply because they are now forced to be near each other, flipside is that squads are now far less flexible and late deployers can find themselves alone very quickly because they have to get to the front lines while possibly getting caught out because of the vent network / map control. They can't ask for help or infomation from their squad if it's on the front and the SO will most likely not ask others if it's safe to move up because they tend to be focusing on any pushes.
In fact I may have to get back into a cargo tech habit of making station bounced radios before deployment and hand them out to squad leaders so they can use them as they see fit.

Overall I don't really like the lack of comm chatter ship side and I find that the lack of some key information being passed around ground side makes some rounds a chore to play. I mean departure times would be nice to know and asking if a road to somewhere as a PFC who deployed late shouldn't really rely on an SO who is either on the ball or extremely bored to check for you, if anyone is even at that point in question anyway.