Dear developers, dear community.
Many of us have been with WoR since spring 2017 and have been involved in all development steps since the beginning. We are only a relatively small community, especially the alpha testers, but we try to contribute as much as possible to the game and development. It is a pity, however, that many of the 7000-8000 players with Alpha access are no longer really reached by the game and even some groups of players (companies) have either withdrawn or switched to stand-by.
The reason for this is the (naturally justified) slow development of the game and the emerging fatigue of the skirmish mode. In this case we don't want to talk the developers into it and we have full understanding for the hard work they do update after update. The latter, however, should not leave the Devs cold, because with the Skirmish the indispensable foundation stone for the whole development is laid. Of course our players feel the same way and that's why we want to do our part to solve the problem.
The aim of this initiative is to provide the Devs with powerful concepts from the community with which the skirmish mode can not only be stabilized, but also upgraded for the benefit of all current and future players. Another step would be to inspire the people who have already lost interest in the game.
This would be possible due to the following concept: The skirmishes are now very repetitive and familiar. The defending team has a superior position (usually represented by a fence or wall) on most maps, resulting in a bloody, demoralizing race of the attacking team. The very restricted character of the current skirmish maps prevents the tactical development and exploitation of all tactical possibilities.
A very large part of the community would like to have slightly larger maps or other possibilities to give the skirmish rounds more tactical depth. I.e. dynamic capture points.
This is not possible on the Hagerstown Turnpike or Sunken Road maps. Either because there is little space on the maps, the defender can shoot into the attacker's spawn (Hagerstown) or because the defender only needs to occupy two positions to control the map. Thus, there can be no tactical depth, at least no more than "all together attack at point X", which is not worthy of this wonderful game.
(At the moment the US troops are always visible and without cover, which is very frustrating for them)
However, size is not a solution. Hookers Push or Millers Cornfield are big maps, but their full potential is not used. In the case of Hookers Push, the attack will be the same as gathering at the spawn and marching through the middle over 2/3 of the field. The whole fight takes place somehow only in the last third of the map, which is a pity.
(Variant 1: A central capping point at the other end of the field)
(Variation 2: a side capping point at the other end of the field to bring the focus of the fights into different areas of the map during the battle.)
Here our proposal would be to add more capture zones to the large maps to give the rounds more dynamics and flexibility.
For example, another cap point could be in front of the field, which must be taken first. Only when this point is captured, it is possible to conquer the next one.
It would be possible to give the defenders a small time frame in which it is possible to recap the point, if this does not happen, then the area cannot be entered by the defenders and the focus shifts back in their direction and the first point is lost for the remainder of the game. Maybe the point will act as a new spawn point for the attackers.
Another advantage of multiple capture zones is that players can see progress in combat and can directly see their actions making a difference in the battles because of the dynamic feature of the multiple cap zones. The morale display and its function is great, but too abstract to enhance immersion. If the "front line" keeps moving forward or backward during the battle, the players get a feeling of success or even tactical achievement.
Overall, it would bring fresh slate into the skirmishes, which has already become routine and rather boring for many players. Most are waiting for the big battle mode to release (the entire map would be to huge at this stage). To shorten the time until then, to keep the testers active and to bring back inactive testers, this would be a simple but effective possibility in the eyes of many of the community.
War of Rights is known for its great attention to detail and its exemplary implementation of historical accuracy. Which has motivated many to want to get involved but the general vibe from the community these days has shown drastically that the player activity has decrease because of the repetitive side of the current skirmish mode. A small change that could make a big difference is just having a more dynamic skirmish game by just adding progressive cap points. Another idea may be that if CG developers don’t want to change the current historically accurate maps then consider adding in other alternative history maps in which the concept of progressive cap points can be used or even utilization of different areas on the maps can be used.
I thank the many people who helped me to formulate and work out this proposal, so I do not claim to be the author, it is rather a proposal of many from the community to the developers for their great game and its community.
a special thanks goes to Ross for his correction of my english text.