Dev Blog #33: Player Identification

[General Naga]

Friend or Foe
One of the key issues we have discovered during our testing is that despite playing the game 'seriously' testers are continuing to struggle with identification of friend and foe. This has led to a high rate of friendly fire and some rather frustrating gameplay. A typical solution to this problem is either making player silhouettes more distinctive or by introducing helpers into the HUD to compensate for the fact that the world is scaled down onto a computer monitor, rather than 1:1 real world scale.

Our focus on historical accuracy and realism presents us with some challenges, and this is a key example of where we are having to explore different options to find the right balance between replicating real life situations and designing compelling gameplay.

In order to be historically correct we cannot significantly modify the silhouette and uniform of the players. On top of this, adding layers of HUD elements in the form of coloured silhouettes or markers would have a huge impact on the immersion of the game. It would also detract from the realism of spotting hidden enemies, and so we have been looking into alternative ways of reducing friendly fire incidents.

Another issue we uncovered during our testing was that when players picked up a weapon from the opposing team the number of friendly fire deaths increased dramatically. Players then couldn’t use someone’s weapon to identify their team, and in the heat of the moment the individuals holding the stolen weapon became confused as to which team they were on.

Our solution
We are currently testing a couple of solutions to help fix these issues. Firstly, we've disabled the ability for players to pick up the weapons of fallen enemies (which in reality rarely happened). Secondly, we've introduced small white icons over the heads of teammates. These only display when you're within 25 metres, and help simulate the situational awareness that soldiers have on the battlefield in real life.

We hope this design will encourage more team work and better tactics by making it easier to track the spacing, distance, and position of your nearby squad mates who have green icons. Teammate’s names are also hidden by default in order to minimise distractions, but become visible when looking directly at the player. We are still testing and refining the concept, and have a few changes already planned - for example the green dots are too bright at night - but in current testing the concept is proving to be successful.

Human senses can be difficult to convey in games, and we hope this will prove to be a useful addition without being too intrusive.

As the system further develops we would like to create class icons, so players will not only be able to quickly identify their teammates, but also what kit they’re using.

Community Survey
As you well know we have always enjoyed reading the community's feedback and suggestions for the game. This time however, we are looking for specific input regarding certain questions as we make a plan for how and when the game will be released.

​

We have prepared a short survey and would really appreciate our community members taking the time to answer. We will be reviewing the results at this year's DevCon so please spare a few minutes and give us your thoughts.

Thank you!

 

[Flare]

I'm liking these GIFs!

Looks great so far. Those indicators look fine, not confusing or obstructing at all. I do think that they should not appear behind walls though. I also think the weapons should be lower when running, they look a bit awkward up high like that. I'm mostly just talking about the Enfield, the MP40 looks fine.

I filled out the survey, don't think the name needs to change, it's fine as is. I put medics as my requested feature as healing is always the best part of these games! I put that I wouldn't rent a server, but that's not because I don't want to, it's because I don't have the money to do so. I hope that we can set up a few good community servers. Will there be any official servers hosted by the devs or will they all be community servers? Also will we have to rent them or could we host our own dedicated servers?

Looking good guys, I can't wait to play.

 

[Fegelein]

I don't think that making it impossible for players to pick up dropped weapons is a good idea. If one runs out of ammo, what happens then? Should he not be able to simply pick up a rifle from someone he shot?

 

[FlyingR]

I don't think that making it impossible for players to pick up dropped weapons is a good idea. If one runs out of ammo, what happens then? Should he not be able to simply pick up a rifle from someone he shot?

I agree with this ^

And although I don't like having an icon on someone's head because it destroys the immersion completely (in my opinion), I guess it could make sense and wouldn't have a problem with it. The thing is, that in situations like these, it would be expected to use VOIP and ask if there's a friendly instead of rushing straight past a bush, a wall, or a door. Which it is much safer to do!

This is where the squad leaders and the teammates have to use communication before the match and state what the objective is between each other or even the SL should talk to the guys and tell them to be quiet and stick together to avoid such occurrences. I repeat, it makes sense to have it and I wouldn't mind, but I think there are better ways to solve this (like efficient communication and team members) or if there's going to be a map that shows the whole team, then check the map before engaging.

Or have a cricket clicker (just like the 101st had) which is not historically accurate, but it wouldn't completely derail and would prefer it over the icon on top of the character.

Also I'm not too fond of the flags' display on top of the map, I think that these kind of features in the HUD are a bit counterproductive. This should pop up when you open the map and also should not show the quantity of flags that your team and the opponent team has. This would encourage the players to look at the map and see the situation of the squad and team in the whole game and map, especially SLs.

A part from that, the character models and lighting are fantastic, it's outstanding and looks very realistic! The game is taking great shape, for real, I really really like it a lot.

 

[agus92]

I wholeheartedly agree on the "no picking enemy kits". It's unrealistic and only leads to chaotic gameplay. If you consistently run out of ammo, then you're not managing your ammo well enough.

And I'm totally behind Flying's words regarding player icons. I don't think a hud approach is the best, but your implementation looks like a good compromise. I would tweak it though: definitely no hud when objects are on the way, and it would be even better if the icon only showed when the player looks/aims at the other player. I also think that the icons are too bright in general, not only at night.

Finally, I think displaying the flags hud wise is not a good decision. I foresee two negative effects: first, it will eliminate the need of the players to check the map, resulting in them having less overall situational awareness; secondly, it will make the paths of the players more linear, all players will tend to approach the flag in a more radial manner, detracting from gameplay.


That out of the way, all those gifs look utterly amazing.

 

[Aniallator]

Woah guys, slow down... too many sweet GIFs in the last update, my body wasn't ready for more yet xD

I personally am not a fan of any player identification other than a nametag when looking directly at a player, but that said I think that if you deem some form of player identification necessary, you have settled on an excellent compromise. For the record, in PR and Squad (where I'm normally found), player identifcation is easily resolved by nametags like I mentioned, and simple communication and a look at the map every now and then.

I do think that they should not appear behind walls though. I also think the weapons should be lower when running, they look a bit awkward up high like that. I'm mostly just talking about the Enfield, the MP40 looks fine.

I agree with both of these. For the former, if possible, I'd love to see that the indicator is only visible when the person it's indicating is visible, so for example if that person is behind a wall and thus not visible to the player, the indicator should not appear. As for the latter, yeah, at least the Lee-Enfield seems like it's being held too high (reminiscent of Verdun's running animations, which I was never a fan of), though I think the MP40 is alright. Plus, the guy holding the Lee-Enfield looks like his thumb is having an allergic reaction to a bee sting

I don't think that making it impossible for players to pick up dropped weapons is a good idea. If one runs out of ammo, what happens then? Should he not be able to simply pick up a rifle from someone he shot?

No he should not, he should fall back to a resupply like he would IRL Running out of ammunition aside, I think the very concept of being able to pick up any weapons - friend's or enemy's - is a terrible idea, because it negates the entire purpose of the limited kit system.

Lets say you're a Wehrmacht rifleman. Your squad's machine gunner is killed, and you pick up his MG34. Now, you might argue that this is realistic given the practice of taking a machine gunner's weapon if he is shot, and indeed I would agree, if players couldn't respawn. But they can, and the machine gunner can probably reunite with the squad in thirty seconds to a minute, thus doubling the number of machine gunners... god forbid another squad member finds a dead machine gunner's weapon, thus bringing the number of machine gunners in a single squad to three.

And players will do this of course, especially given the right circumstances, for example if battle is raging through a town/village then players will doubtless pick up SMGs, eventually resulting in a rather ridiculous ratio of SMGs to rifles. Then lets not even begin to discuss how immersion breaking and asymmetrically cringeworthy it would be to see a British soldier with an MG34, or a German soldier with a Thompson. And then, of course, you have the negative effect of players mistaking teammates for enemies, and the negated need for resupplying because players can simply pick up new weapons everywhere.

Sorry for the long explanation xD

Finally, I think displaying the flags hud wise is not a good decision. I foresee two negative effects: first, it will eliminate the need of the players to check the map, resulting in them having less overall situational awareness; secondly, it will make the paths of the players more linear, all players will tend to approach the flag in a more radial manner, detracting from gameplay.

Absolutely agree, couldn't have put it better myself! The HUD is already fantastically unintrusive, and if you cut out a few elements like this that I think are better left to the map... it would almost start to feel too real xD

I just wanted to take a moment to say... wow. Absolutely blown away by the quality seen in these GIFs, devs. Seriously. The lighting and terrain detail puts games like Squad to shame. Weapons look equally beautiful, and I can't wait to hear what eargasms [MENTION=376]calgoblin[/MENTION] has prepared for us in giving these weapons voices! Also - kind of a weird feature to adore given how gorgeous everything looks - but I have to say I really love the head bob when running. It's just the right amount, and makes it seem such a simple thing as running a lot more immerisve. My hat off to you, TW team!

 

[LuckyOne]

Great gifs, I'm really loving how everything looks.

I'm a bit torn on the "no picking up enemy kits" decision. It feels like an artificial limitation, yet teamkills are also really annoying. I do feel a player should be able to pick up an enemy weapon if he runs out of ammo, because the alternative is silly (are you gonna charge with your bayonet towards that guy shooting at you from a 100 yards, lol ? ). On the other hand if your teammates can borrow you some ammo that would really promote sticking to your section mates.

I also don't like the hovering flags or indicators that are always there. I feel they somewhat destroy the experience and remind us that we're playing a game. I don't actually mind having the option, but it shouldn't always be enabled. A "situational awereness" button / toggle would be a better compromise IMHO (sort of what RO2 has, or if anyone remembers this feature from Brothers in Arms games - minus the time freeze of course).

That way skilled players who have learned to id their foes by their uniforms have a slight edge over the newcomers who will have to rely on the button a lot at first, but they will eventually get the hang of it.

 

[Esu21]

I like the icon approach, but the flags just seem out of place. I would suggest making them toggleable via key or menu, something similar to what they do in RO2 and FH2, so that exlerienced pkayers can avoid them and increase the immersion.

Moreover, like [MENTION=4097]Flare[/MENTION] said the hands in the Enfield look a bit odd, but the MP40 looks amazing!! Keep up the good work

 

[Aniallator]

I do feel a player should be able to pick up an enemy weapon if he runs out of ammo, because the alternative is silly (are you gonna charge with your bayonet towards that guy shooting at you from a 100 yards, lol ? ).

Haha I kind of hope I have to resort to a bayonet charge someday

 

[Flare]

[MENTION=2108]Aniallator[/MENTION] great post, man!

I agree with it all. Players shouldn't have to pick up kits, they should be able to give ammo to teammates.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Aniallator]

Looking at the MP40 animation one thing comes to mind, and that is that the Germans should run with their weapon in one hand. I understand not implementing unqiue German running animations yet given constraints in the animation department, but hopefully they can be later.

 

[FlyingR]

Like LuckyOne said, if you run out of ammo, you pick the enemy kit or you charge the enemy with a knife/fall back to resupply while in the heat of the battle?

Maybe have a system like RO2 where you can pick up the weapons but not the entire kit/uniforms. If you guys decide against it, maybe make it like PR, where you can use the kit for like 10-20 seconds so you can drop ammo, use patches or use grenades. These kind of things don't bother me too much if it's on or not.

The most important thing is the immersion. For example, with the icons, it would possibly lower the feeling of fear or tension that whether or not the enemy is right next to you or he is in the other side of the wall. Whereas with the icons you would know and you would keep moving.

Remember, the most simplistic and minimalist the HUD is, the more realistic and immersive it will be.

Another thing that could be cool is to have a watch, as in you press a number like 5 or it opens with the map and then you coordinate and synchronize with your teammates and other squads who will attack/defend what, where, when, and what time you commence the attack and fall back. Not only will this give more coordination to the team but if you do manage to do everything on time, it will give a great sense of achievement and satisfaction. Hell, this could even be a different style of gameplay, where you have a timed mission, and if you fail you lose or something like that.

 

[Flare]

Well, this is turning out the be a controversial update!

@FlyingR For example, with the icons, it would possibly lower the feeling of fear or tension that whether or not the enemy is right next to you or he is in the other side of the wall. Whereas with the icons you would know and you would keep moving.

How would the icons let you know if an enemy is beside you? They only appear on friendlies, and if you were doubtful you could just ask on your team's VoiP...

I think that the icons are fine, as long as they only appear when the enemy is not obstructed by a wall, a bush, a smoke grenade, or any other obstruction, and they are in the middle area of your screen. Maybe have the icons only show up when you press the HUD button to see the compass, minimap, etc.

I do think that one thing that needs to go is the tickets bar and the flags on the HUD. I think you should only be able to see your own team's tickets, and only when you open the scoreboard or map. Same with the flags, only on the map. I do think that the flag status of a flag you are currently on would be fine, however, like it is in squad.

As I type this and am thinking about flags, it makes me wonder about possibilities of non-flag objectives, like a radio station that needs to be blown up, or guns destroyed, or a path cleared from one side of the map to another... Maybe a front-lines type game mode like in Steel Divison? This calls for a whole new post...

 

[FlyingR]

Well, this is turning out the be a controversial update!



How would the icons let you know if an enemy is beside you? They only appear on friendlies, and if you were doubtful you could just ask on your team's VoiP...

Sorry, meant friendlies. Also, apparently you can hear the enemy talk and they can hear you, but that could've been changed by now.

 

[Flare]

I thought that they decided against the other team hearing your comms because of the language barrier between the Brits and Germans? [MENTION=2433]FlyingR[/MENTION]

This may need a Dev response.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Swaffy]

It seems there is mixed feedback for picking up weapons. What if it is only limited to same-team weapons? So Brit can only pick up Brit weapons, German to German, etc.

Also digging the eye candy! That Lee Enfield could use some work though, including his left thumb.

 

[Aniallator]

I fail to understand why anyone would risk the effectiveness of the entire limited kit system just so that, in the off chance they run out of ammunition, are still alive, and are not in the immediate face of death, they can pick up a weapon rather than simply taking the time to fall back to a resupply. Come on...

Another thing that could be cool is to have a watch, as in you press a number like 5 or it opens with the map and then you coordinate and synchronize with your teammates and other squads who will attack/defend what, where, when, and what time you commence the attack and fall back.

I'm not sure it's worth taking the time to implement, but if the devs ever got around to it, I agree that it'd be cool if a small watch opened with your map (perhaps only for SLs) allowing you to coordinated timed attacks, something not really possible in existing shooters given the lack of this feature.

I do think that one thing that needs to go is the tickets bar and the flags on the HUD. I think you should only be able to see your own team's tickets, and only when you open the scoreboard or map. Same with the flags, only on the map. I do think that the flag status of a flag you are currently on would be fine, however, like it is in squad.

Yeah, when it comes to the HUD, less is more. I think ticket count should be displayed with the map, and yeah, enemy tickets shouldn't be visible at all. Besides showing the flag cap status of the flag you're in, I don't see any reason to display flags amywhere outside the map; after all, it would only decrease the player's need to use the map.

Again, I'd be happier without indicators, but if we are to have them then I'd have them set so they also only appear within a certain FOV - say, half of whatever FOV you have set. So, if your FOV is 90, indicators would only appear within 45.

As I type this and am thinking about flags, it makes me wonder about possibilities of non-flag objectives, like a radio station that needs to be blown up, or guns destroyed, or a path cleared from one side of the map to another... Maybe a front-lines type game mode like in Steel Divison? This calls for a whole new post...

I can imagine a future game mode where the British have to destroy the guns in Merville Battery

 

[Guillaume]

Just to add to the discussion: the current plan is that you will be able to refill your ammo on the rally points.

 

[Mars]

And currently, whilst you can't pick up weapons, you can pick up ammo from dead players if you use the same bullet type.

We're all taking your feedback and will discuss this internally, nothing is ever set in stone. I can quite easily see how we can compromise to make these features work.

 

[LuckyOne]

Just to add to the discussion: the current plan is that you will be able to refill your ammo on the rally points.

I guess that could work, as an extra incentive if the SL orders to fall back and re-group. What about the MG gunner ammo though? IIRC there was some talk about the section mates providing ammo to the MG gunner, so he can keep up suppressing the enemy (sort of what Resistance and Liberation did with everyone carrying some MG ammo, or what RO2 does with the resupply feature) ? I can see interesting emerging (meta)gameplay of SL tasking a player to run to the RP and keep bringing ammo for a nicely positioned MG, and the enemy team recognizing this and organizing it's own ad-hoc cut-the-supply-line mission so they can advance forward.

And currently, whilst you can't pick up weapons, you can pick up ammo from dead players if you use the same bullet type.

We're all taking your feedback and will discuss this internally, nothing is ever set in stone. I can quite easily see how we can compromise to make these features work.

I love how you guys actually listen to the community feedback. In my opinion the worst mistake a dev can make is not taking into consideration the wishes of the people who actually enable his brilliant creation to live and be enjoyed by other humans. A masterpiece appreciated only by its creator(s) is no masterpiece at all!