User blog comment:Luperza/PlanetSide 2 Roadmap: March Preview/@comment-68.99.248.52-20130312054808

Constructive feedback from a squad leader/platoon leader;

I'm not really concerned about being able to easily move members in and out of squads with a more friendly UI.

1) I need to ability to view where my squads are on the global map(not minimap). Currently there is a bug causing my platoon-mates to show up white. I can't tell Bravo squad from Charlie squad.

2) I'd really like to see a system where squad members can volunteer to lead the squad(and potentially be rewarded for doing so!) It gives the SL/PL the ability to leave the platoon in tact if they need to leave/dc/whatever. Something as simple as a box with, "Command" so you're leader knows your available and the game gives you an indicator(an icon on the platoon screen for example).

3) Currently leading a squad is like pulling teeth. Your squad-mates have no incentive to follow orders(requiring active roster maintenance) other than, "My group is going here and that's what the leader said". Squads should be rewarded for following orders(even a marginal XP bost in the 3-8% range would be material). Leaders should also be rewarded for accomplishing operational objectives(think performance based compensation). Capturing a base could provide +20% bonus XP to the commanders for successfully flipping territory designated as a waypoint(you can even add filters of, 60% of the squad must be present in the hex/surrounding hexes to qualify for bonus).

4) One squad leader cert that I think could be a game changer would be a global map UAV-esque type radar function that shows what friendly platoons/squads are in a paticular section of the map. You can cert this up to have cooldowns so squad leaders have to be strategic about where they try to gather recon(maybe a cooldown longer than spawn beacon).

5) I remember seeing talk of at one point removing enemy presence indicators from the global map. Please do not remove this critical piece of information. Leaders need this data to make decisions on where to maximize fun for their squad while also accomplishing planetary objectives. You'd hate to be the platoon leader sending 4 full squads to Rashnu only to find it's empty. It also helps to establish a flow of battle from a strategic standpoint. Knowing where enemy forces are moving on the map provides a lot of tactical advantages to someone who is able to study the maps well(I recommend a SL/PL spend at least 30% of their time looking at the map, depending on battle conditions). Seeing that the enemy hexes change from enemies detected to enemy squads gives me a delayed feed to actual troop movements on the ground.

I really enjoy Planetside and am hopeful about the exposure some of these posts are getting. There are certainly a couple of meta-game(ugh) issues to work on with Planetside, but the core game is a lot of fun. I really enjoy running around with my outfit and accomplishing obectives. There are so many different ways to play the game and so many of them are super fun.