This would require some other rank type system or a voting system for this to work right. The idea is that you have a tactician who is either already part of this job class (if there will ever be job classes) or be voted by the current team mates online. The job of the tactician would be to set up squads and plan out way-points in space. The Tactician would be able to pull up a screen from inside his ship that would display the entire Vendetta Universe, you could zoom in or out. The first job would be to set up squads but clicking a name from a list and setting it to a color. Then a arrow would be displayed above that character's ship (Squads can only be set if players are in the same sector as the Tactician) with it's respective color. Then the tactician would start to set up way-points across the universe for squads to goto. Way-points would exist until the squad reaches it. Enemies would be able to kill the Tactician and would be able to spot him with ease. Enemies computer systems would notice a abnormal amount radio-waves in space and would marker the Tactician. If the tactician were to be destroyed, all way-points and squads would be erased unless the tactician could get back into space within 20 seconds.

considering the massive amounts of distances involved in space, wouldnt a tachyon relay system be more efficient?

Sorry to say it, but I don't like this idea. It's forcing dream-logic onto a game. There's no logical explanation anyone could give to the stuff you describe here. Example: why would the tactician be the only one with the navpoints programmed into his onboard computer? Why does he need to constantly broadcast these waypoints to his squad? This goes against all stealth principles btw. Why would a waypoint cease to exist because it has been reached? Maybe you need to go back for some reason (can't imagine why, but it doesn't hurt to keep the waypoints in memory and just tag them as visited). Why would waypoints and squad status be erased unless the tactician gets back into space within 20 seconds?

It all makes little to no sense; in fact it is contrary to common sense, so why do you even propose such a thing? It's like trying to apply chess logic to a game like Command & Conquer: although Tanya is great with the sniper rifle, and one shot equals one kill, she can only shoot two hundred meters ahead and then a hundred meters to her left or right (like the horse in chess).

I do agree that these kind of nonsensical constraints can be fun at times, but they're more the kind of stuff I expect in adventures and not in space combat sim/mmorpg hybrids.

Holy fisking shat Nighty, I didn't know anyone would react quite like this, I mean it's just a fisking suggestion, you don't have to freak out because I'm defying some rules of logic to make it balanced. I mean yah sure I'm sure the ships in the game would have some sort of cache and I was just BSing about the radio wave thing to make it make sense, you can change it to whatever you want, fisk, you can say it's using a minovsky particle for all I care. I thought it would be a good idea since Guild software is planning giant numbers for the game and I can't think of a much better way to allow organization. If you think you can do better, then make a fisking retort, not a flame.

I really liked the idea, sure Night did bring up some good points, though. Like not having the navpoints disappear and having them in everyone's computer. I would like to see a tactition position, though. Then it'd kinda be like a RTS game, but with real players, and all the nav points would be more like strong suggestions than commands, since each pilot has free will.

Actually when I was thinking of this, I was thinking about different types of ships working together in the grand scheme of things, and much like in most battles, if the WarLord or Commander was taken down, then the ranks begin to slowly fall apart. Without the Tactician then the way-points would be lost because you wouldn't be able to to confirm anything. I donno, perhaps only the last way-point given would be the last one that the squad would get, then no more because the tactician would not be there to give out the next one or something stupid like that, but then you can just say "Yah but I bet the have the technology to hold more then just one way-point" yah well you know what? I bet they have the technology to make bigger batteries and why the hell is there 100% drag in the game? Well I don't know!

So we want to turn Vendetta into an RTS now? I like the current system. If we could get squadron based chat going it would be perfect.

Panda, did you not read Ender's Game? Making sure you have competent sub-commanders is the key, so if the chief tactition where taking out, the mission could continue!

What if the duely elected Head Of State for the team had an option in the "Select ship" menu that is called "Command post" along with his staff?

"<Gold Leader> Allright. I've marked the route to the rally point in sector 10, everyone please gather there. We are going to sector 4 next and from there it's all hell for the blue"

I think that would rock.

Well, looks like someone went out and did it. Oh well.

http://www.s2games.com/savage/

It's not the exact same, but close enough and a pretty cool idea.

having the nav points poof is actualy smart. Goes with the "leave nothing behind" logic. If your fleet leaves navpoints laying around, someone could use some captured technology to read them and identify right where your squad came from, leading the enemies right to you.

or, you could make different versions of waypoints. but haven't waypoints been discussed already?
anyway. i like the system RP proposes. it would make for more order in battle (i hate furballs-- in the flying terminology :D).
but there the thing another guy in the place mentioned: taking passengers with you.
what if there actually are player-controlled capships later on? wouldn't an admiral... er, tactician want to stay in the most secure ship? so the leader could get on the ship, make the plan, and then join up with the group.
just an idea.

I still fail to see why just one person has to have access to the tactician console. Couldn't we just have everyone get the console, but the tactician's are a seperate color. It seems like this would work for more than just large scale military operations. It would be nice to give directions to small caravans and things.