Targets: Bad habit or necessary gameplay?

Use my idea of integrating squad leader targets with commander targets instead of having them cancel each other out.

 

The only reason why people want to keep wallhacks is because they suck without them.

/thread

 

The idea was that the listening posts would be half of the solution, the other half is that the red diamonds would be replaced by something a bit more in-depth, like distance sensitive highlighting or something.

 

Just remove mass targeting

 

what if mas targetting was static? it would show where things were at the time of targetting, but they wouldn't move with the target? A player would clear one of these 'last seen' markers by obtaining LoS with the marker.

 

Then it would probably just be very confusing.

Targets shouldn't be wallhacks, they should serve some purposes however.

1. People need to know the general state of play. So I'd say they should display all things in realtime within the radius of the sensor posts / radars / whatever on the minimap, if it's the wrong colour, the enemy are there, this would help if accompanied by some sort of indicator to show when enemies are really causing trouble, like a minimap ping in an RTS game.

2. People need to be able to locate enemies, now I did make a particle effect which makes a bright and large muzzle flash when enemies shoot you at a distance, so that is one way of doing it, however I think some things like scout enhanced senses should actually highlight people, a bright green or red outline around their character and a faint green or red highlight within it to indicate them would be appropriate, green for friendly, red for enemy, this would also occur on any enemy inside the radius of a sensor post. However, the highlight is only visible when you are close to the object, so units at a distance won't show the highlight, but within the length of a rax or so, the highlight will be visible if the enemy are within the radius of a radar/sensor post. Sensor posts therefore 'detect' enemies and enemies which are 'detected' show on the minimap and get visibly highlighted when you are close to them. The highlights shouldn't be wallhacks though, they should just make enemies and allies easier to spot if they are in the open.

3. People need to know the extent of the sensor coverage, so a shaded area of the map to indicate your coverage, and possibly a hud marker to note when you are in sensor range of either a friendly or enemy sensor (different markers for each). So people know when they are spotted and when they can rely on the system.

4. Sensors don't reveal scouts in the 3d view, but they do mark them on the map intermittently, the marker should flicker in and out, this both allows for greater warning of scouts but simultaneously prevents them from being precisely located by the system, enhanced senses mark them constantly and highlight them in 3d.

Overall, the system doesn't allow for the wallhacks people currently have, you can't just aim at the red diamonds and shoot, but sensor coverage does make it easier to spot enemies in close quarters, and will show you the overall state of the battle. It is less confusing that a mess of red diamonds because a highlighted player will be precisely visible, you know they're in range and you can shoot them, it also look much more pleasing to the eye, rather than red diamonds you get a high tech looking highlighting system, it also makes enhanced senses more helpful and therefore brings scouts into a more useful combat role in enemy territory.

Concept photoshop:

 

As long the game severs are running with sv_pure 0 it dosn't matter if targets act like a wallhack. It is almost like equalization.

 

Did you seriously argue 'people cheat so we should give everyone cheats automatically'?

 

I said it does not matter because with sv_pure 0.
It takes 3 minutes with a text editor to make a material wallhack.
Basically I want to see sv_pure 2 support for Empires 2.25
Zombie!Panic did that and it was one of the best decisions ever by a HL2 engine Mod team.