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New feature: Spotter[message #329093] Thu, 19 December 2013 23:24 Go to previous message
Flugente

 
Messages:3507
Registered:April 2009
Location: Germany
Use mercs as spotters for your snipers

Snipers often operate in a team with a dedicated spotter, who helps them making out targets, setting up an optimal firing position, not get ambushed, and making for a tense bromance under fire.

There was no real reason to do so in JA2 so far - and I intend to change that.

Every merc now has access to a new skill - Spotter - in the Skill Menu under Various called with $. When activated, the merc will then become a spotter. A spotter basically increases accuracy for snipers firing on a location he observes, but does not get that bonus himself.
  • http://i39.tinypic.com/2zq4ghx.jpg Becoming a spotter takes a few turns. Only after SPOTTER_PREPARATIONTURNS - 1 turns he will be ready to as a spotter. Observing takes time, you know? This state - spotting, but not yet granting a bonus - is indicated by a red eye symbol on his portrait.
  • http://i44.tinypic.com/hwyfqh.jpg Once enough turns have passed, he becomes a spotter, indicated by the normal eye on the merc portrait.
  • In order to become a spotter, you need to equip special items in your hands. These items need to have the new -tag. The higher the value, the more effective.
  • A friendly sniper gets a bonus to cth (both OCTH and NCTH) if his target is a tile or person that the spotter can see. The maximum bonus is SPOTTER_MAX_CTHBOOST. If multiple spotters are present, the biggest bonus counts.
  • However, it only applies if sniper and spotter are not more than SPOTTER_RANGE tiles away from each other. It is also required that the target be at least 2 * SPOTTER_RANGE tiles away from the spotter. This is supposed to be for long-range sniping, after all.
  • 'Sniper' is any merc using a sniper rifle in this context. Sniper trait is not required.
  • Spotting effectivity depends on:
    • Effectivity of spotting items in hands. Object status affects value. Attachments are also taken into account (yes, even scope modes on guns).
    • Experience level
    • Marksmanship
    • Leadership
    • Fatigue
    • Wether spotter is wounded
    • The new 'spotter' background property
    • sociable or loner character, for both spotter and sniper
    • The relationship between mercs is very important (basic opinion, buddies, sexism, racism etc.). Raider spotting for Raven gives a ~100% bonus... Buzz is useless spotting for Lynx :blackcat:
    • time spent spotting can increase bonus significantly
  • There is, however, a huge drawback to this: a spotter stops spotting as soon as he spends any APs. A spotter has to exactly analyse the situation, taking into account wind, temperature, the bullet's trajectory etc... performing an action would distract from that.
As a merc is effectively out of combat as long as he is a spotter, you have to carefully weigh wether the increased cth on your sniper is worth taking another combat merc out of combat. Effective spotters are those with high experience an marksmanship - which will be mercs you'd otherwise use in combat.

The default spotter items are binoculars. It is reasonable to first look through them before ordering the spotting - you will want to see as far away as possible, as spotting does not work in your immediate surrounding.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2i0rx45.jpg
Shadow is ordered to become a spotter. Everyone inside the green circle around him (this includes Scope) will benefit from his spotting if firing on a location/person that Shadow sees outside (and including) the orange circle.

http://i44.tinypic.com/a3gg7d.jpg
Scope's cth without Shadow spotting is 42%...

http://i41.tinypic.com/spzm7c.jpg
... her cth with him spotting is 51%

This feature does not break savegame compatibility. However, a GameDir >= r1896 is required, as new face icons were added.

This has been added to the trunk in r6694 and GameDir r1896.

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