Remove the observer role or make it more attractive.

The game is unplayable as a commander sometimes as there either is no one playing as an observer or people just roaming around the map instead of sticking to you! I don't want to find an observer each time I want to call in a strike, especially not because I need to decide from what position I see the battlefield the best. Observers should be following the commander like a pet, not fight like infantry somewhere else at the map.

This is quite frustrating and disappointing as I enjoy playing commander a lot and am quite good at it.

Please find a solution for the commander observer problem, such as giving extra points for being within the commander radius withing 4 meters or so. Or just remove the class and let the commander be a commander.

Thanks.

You may want to check out this thread where we are discussing the same issue.

@basilikumger said in Remove the observer role or make it more attractive.:

Please find a solution for the commander observer problem

Yea the doi port is kind of annoying.

@basilikumger I still would have to disagree with this. I currently think the current commander/observer format is fine and enjoy playing both I get that it sucks when you have a shitty commander/observer but if it’s as you say “unplayable” then don’t.. move along and play as another class.. I have on a few occasions now come into a server where no one is utilizing either role and I will select commander and just play with no observer and do my own thing (still fun to just blast my gun) and 95% of the time this happens someone will notice and switch to observer and it usually works out well I find. Obviously this is not always the case but hey can’t win em all. Anyways I’m just saying I personally hope they don’t change it too much because I like it and I’m sure I’m not the only one but I feel I need to voice my opinion as I’ve seen a few people now wanting total overhauls/removals of either roles and I don’t see it. Maybe and hopefully we can all come to some sort of compromise but I once again like the way it is it has a certain simplicity too it and I have actually won very many matches with the commander and observer being of very little help. Sometimes just good old fashion hard work and grunts gets the job done. Have also won matches and was a very effective commander with a shit (all over the place) observer it can be done. Anyways just wanted to throw that out there!

I really do think the current format is unplayable. Fire support is the way you're supposed to play the game, its not just some additional thing you get to do for fun sometimes. By making such an essential mechanic such a pain in the ass to execute is no fun at all.

The current system is just a copy of DOI's officer/radioman. This made sense in WWII when a radio was a refrigerator, but these days the two person fire support relationship is rather silly. Not only is it unrealistic, it's also a pretty cheap way of trying to force teamplay. It makes only two people work together in the best of situations and its not even the kind of working together that requires any actual communication.

I'm sick and tired of the mechanic actually. As commander, I hate calling on the observer, making them run over and kiss my ass for a second in the middle of firefights. As observer, I try my best, but sometimes I just can't get to the commander while he continues to spam for me in chat.

I don't really see the issue. If you and your friend are not playing a defined class (ie support, sniper, etc), it enables you and your friend to bring a capability to the battlefield.

This constantly calling the radioman over to you stuff is nonsense. Having somebody following you around like a pet as their gameplay role is nonsense. There's this crazy thing called voice comms. You can inform your friend of where you are moving, he can supportively move with you without having to be on a lead. He can filter through buildings or "lanes" and arrive at your location as required/arranged to call in support.

This role is not designed to be played by total randoms without communication.

I can reasonably understand the criticisms made comparing the WW2 radio hauler to the modern walkie talkie holder. However, having two players without specialised equipment in a central role on the battlefield who've got to play conservatively (as neither are of use if either gets shot), in exchange for having the fire support capability, is good for gameplay.

At least with friends. Which is surely how it was intended.

The radioman gimmick really doesn't make sense for a modern setting. But if you're going to buff fire support this much, can we please get an option to queue for no fire support? I just want to play infantry

@whitby said in Remove the observer role or make it more attractive.:

At least with friends.

The vast majority of the time I play the game with randoms. I doubt most people will be playing with friends when the game releases. Games which heavily cater to friend play without letting individual players just go at it normally without handicap don't usually do too well.

Yea there's voice comms and they're supposed to be utilized, but a core game mechanic shouldn't depend on whether you have a mic. I'm not saying the fire support system shouldn't involve the cooperation of at least two people, it just needs to be rethought so that it isn't so stupid.

@cyoce said in Remove the observer role or make it more attractive.:

The radioman gimmick really doesn't make sense for a modern setting.

I disagree as radios like this are still used: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/PRC-77_Portable_Transceiver
I have been a radioman in military exercises. As far as I know small walkie talkies don't have as good range.

@action83 from the Wikipedia site you posted... "Today the AN/PRC-77 has largely been replaced by SINCGARS radios."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SINCGARS

Ppl don't use those microwave-sized things anymore. In exercises they probably gave out some old equipment that's still functional because its just an exercise.

I'd understand if the insurgent forces used something like that maybe, but still.