Now down to the subject of the thread. There were times during the TvT night where I was reminded why I dislike the relatively new "tactical ping" available for server#1. I know we've somewhat discussed it before, I think it was brought up in the community meeting, but I would like to open discussion on it again. I will start with breaking it down into how I view it with pros and cons.
Pros:
It somewhat simulates the real-life ability to point to a position/target.
- This is similar to ACE3's point feature though the way it is implemented in ACE3 is far superior.
It is too accurate.
- Whereas ACE3's version gives you a relatively large circle as a marker, tactical ping gives you an accurate point marker on the terrain or object. In real-life, seeing your friend point to something in the distance, even if he is right next to you, is not exactly an accurate science.
- Firstly, there is the issue of spam. It can be annoying and hurts immersion.
- Secondly, it oversimplifies the reliance of good inter-squad communication to communicate the location of threats and positions of importance. It is much more interesting gameplay-wise for squads to strife to effectively communicate what they see rather than simply tap a button.
- Thirdly, unlike ACE3's implementation where you have to be within 10m of a person who is doing the pointing to be able to see the marker, with tactical ping you could be on the other side of the island, be in a completely different squad, and yet still be able to see the marker.
EDIT: Please read Dmitry's post at the bottom of the page.