In Ghost's "State of PVP" thread he described how hit and run tactics are superior to formation flying because it is difficult to maintain a formation. We need better tools to empower pilots of average skill to use formation tactics.

Formation Radar: A separate display that shows the location of your leader and other group members. It also illuminates group members like the targeting rectical.

Formation Autopilot: when the pilot makes no control input, his ship auto-strafes to fly in formation with the group leader.

-1 to autopilot

But better information in the HUD would be good though I'm not sure exactly what it should look like. Something rudimentary but useful could probably be made as a plugin.

Also: http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/23493

- A lot

VO got rid of the autopilot cheat plugins and it is better for it.

yea the formation autopilot would be easy to abuse, mostly by running a dozen or so people on one escort mission at once.

-1 to auto*

But would be good to add an option for location of group members as white dots around HUD reticle, its size as distance.

A good, simple and efficient formation indicator.

"would be good to add an option for location of group members as white dots around HUD reticle, its size as distance."

Unnecessary and redundant, we already have this for the radar. You want distance? Target them or use targetless.

The Formation Autopilot would be of no use running escorts. It does not engage the turbo, it only operates strafe controls.

Alloh is right about the need for intuitive distance information. In a group combat experience, the furball is often too fluid to target your own group members - gotta keep the enemy in your sights! Targetless provides distance, but bearing is on some other part of the display.

+1 to missioncreek's updated version of the autopilot. He's right, also you wouldn't automatically jump to follow someone. The only possible "exploit" is to have an afk fighter following you to prevent it from dieing (in, say, b8), which isn't really an exploit as much as an added feature to prevent afk killing.

nah you can easily fly a CV along with an escort using only strafes. The turbo hasn't been disabled so that's not much of an issue for remote control either.

Either way, anything that flys the ship for you like that, just dosn't belong in the gmae.

I don't think LNH understands the meaning of *NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH DIFFERENT SECTORS*

Crusader, once a bot can do the tracking part of autopilot, the turbo and 'jump' features can be done using plugins. Even fire.

What could not be done in lua@client, can be done externally, like IRC relay.

Maybe we should add an RP background, maybe like the Cylons from BSG, the hive can invade remotely the onboard computers, so the ship controls are never integrated with computers. Many CPU/cores near cause hive effect...

Why is it every time the Devs get rid of something that hurts the game we get a bunch of people whining to bring it back?

People are dumb.

-1 to autopilot.

I hope people realize how incredibly bad an idea has to be for Tarenty, Alloh and myself to be in agreement.

/me goes off to mark this day on his calender.

While I also disagree with the autopilot idea, I think missioncreek is on the right track about providing tools to assist large groups of players trying to maintain a formation. Even something like an audio que would help. Having the option to enable a warning beep like the current prox warning (except a different sound so you can differentiate between the two) play when you go beyond a certain distance from your group leader, or otherwise designated ship.

Aye, group tools are nice, but autopilot...

+1 to Ghost

I like what his aim is in helping people work together, and crusader, your an idiot, please, think a little before you comment, warping is easy enough to do remotly

-1 for autopilot

+ a bunch to the underlying concept of improving group combat formations. I don't have a clue what the answer would look like, but from my nation war experience, I found it very easy to lose track of my buddies or maintain any kind of alignment as once movement started, I lost all reference to their position related to mine. I'd love to see an enhancement in this area.

-1 to auto* and to more beeping sounds also. Enough beeping, I prefer listen my music.

it is quite simple to have simple simbols showing relative position. For my taste, they should be optional, related to group, and not in radar, but around the target reticle.

White dots show direction of group members ahead, white triangles behind. Size indicate relative distance. Group leader have another dot over his icon.

In PDA/Comms/Group, Leader have a "Form on me" checkbox. When checked, group members see the marks.

To improve system, on later implementation, leader have some 'formations' (shapes as V,\,-,|,+) to designate positions, and the wingmen hud have another mark for leader's relative position.

With above system, to keep formation, just keep the leader mark as a circle in defined position (as 2h or 10h for left/right wingmen), or in the wingleader mark.
To return to formation, align leader icon with mark and thrust.
Your fellow wingmen's relative position will be easy to spot at first glance, either for big and small screens.

OT, but we also need a better way to designate group leader within player groups, only in leader's PDA, a button [Give Leadership to] and /group giveleader "name".