Player Features and Ideas Discussion

It would be very cool to have a function that would automatically and perfectly align ships in formation; either by wing, type, or DPS. This would be neat to see, especially in large fleets. And could also be very useful as far as sorting the fleet during form up.

PENIS FORMATION with avatars :D

And gigantic ass formation with small ships crapping out a revenent.

This is the best, Idea,

EVER

it would be a great first step towards removing the
" i can shoot through you " logic error...

Look at CCP's promo videos.
Now look at your FC's FRAPS videos.
Now look at CCP's promo videos again.

Your FC's FRAPS videos don't look like CCP's promo videos, but they could if we had a suitable and useful way to fly in a fleet formation.

Maybe we could also get a command so the FC can jump me through gates, lock targets and fire my guns for me too?

Then I can take part in the fleet while cooking dinner, asleep in bed, or at work.

I don't know about you, but I'm not asking for the FC to have a command system to form the fleet up with.

I'm asking for myself to have better options about how to fly in the same direction/at the same speed as the rest of the fleet, thereby making the concept of believable-looking fleets a possibility.

One of the things Soundwave said at last year's Fanfest round tables was that he felt in some ways that too much was being put in the hands of the FCs and not enough in the hands of the individual fleet members, and that there should be more scope for individual pilot skill or error to influence the course of a fight, rather than it being FC vs FC with the line members reduced to hitting ctrl-click and F1.

Agreed on the last part, this is why I have never been fond of the artificial bonus idea.

As to individual pilot control, who says that the "Join Fleet Formation" command would be the responsibility of the FC to use. I believe it should be the responsibility of the individual pilot to join or leave a formation when the FC gives the order to "Form Up".

I also believe that an individual pilot should be able to join his squadron formation, squadron leaders should be responsible for joining a Wing formation, and Wing commanders be responsible for bringing their wing into an overall fleet formation. From the Squadron level on up the leaders at each level decide what formation is appropriate for the ships in that squadron/wing/fleet... the individual pilots decide when or if they wish to join these fomations at all.

Lets say I'm flying an Interdictor in a fleet that has just jumped into a hostile system.

The FC calls for the fleet to form up, which I as the pilot choose to do. The Squadron and Wing commanders have their respective groups join the over all fleet formation.

We warp to a tactical, with the inderdictors leading just in case the spot is occuppied.

Our scouts break formation and go to their assigned positions (if they weren't already there before we entered system).

Soon the call comes down for my squadron leader to warp our squad to a particular scout who is in a good position for us to bubble the enemy fleet. Since we are (hopefully) still in formation with our squad, we revert to the formation that the squadron leader has chosen for our group of interdictors, which will bring us out of warp spread out enough to get maximum coverage with our bubbles. Any pilot out of formation when we warp is basically a wasted bubble.

We land, and thanks to our formation we efficiently cover a huge swath of the enemy fleet with our bubbles. Then it's only a question breaking formation and either scrambling to warp out to another tactical (and likely reform) or skirmishing.

Meanwhile the fleet has landed. Either seperate wings have warped to different scouts, or the entire fleet has warped in together... likely in a formation that keeps logistics in the optimal positions for coverage and EW ships (if present) to the rear of the group. This group would likly stay in formation for the most part, with near perfect logistical coverage as well as every member of the fleet being correctly aligned for fleet warp at all times.

Of course any pilot can break formation and warp out whenever they choose, rejoin the formation at will, or be split off by squadron or wing at a moments notice in whatever formation most benefits that composition of ships. If he HAS split off, say to pounce on a nearby target of opportunity (or loot opportunity as the case may be ) he won't get his leash yanked at what could be a very bad moment because his squadron leader regrouped the formation... because the PILOT is in charge of when he joins or leaves the formation (or follows his squadron/wing/fleet commanders orders and movement at all).

No more lost ships (if you are well disciplined) due to bad alignment when in a ball around your anchor... or hung up due to bumping another ship.

Better choices and more options available at all positions in the fleet, from the individual pilot on up.

Equally important, your game stops looking like a big ball of mess and actually starts to look like what it is... a massive group of highly advanced starships waging war on a epic scale, using tactics and manuvering to their advantage and looking good doing it.

Fan made video's would never be the same, and might actually begin to make sense to someone who doesn't already play EvE.

Ok, then how about this then... make it so that the FC can make a battle formation in his battle fleet map (which doesn't exist yet) and then project a 3d hologram of a formation, that only shows up to pilots that are fleeted, then a pilot can click on the slot in the formation holo-matrix being set-up by the FC and tell his ship to fall into that position automatically. That way he/she can fly out of formation whenever they need to, and FC fleet control won't feel stifling or controlling.

i approve