Well, it could be no one is gonna read this but I spent the time to write it all out so here goes...
Far from just being a wish list of additional features, below I have listed out several core gameplay changes (as well as quality of life improvements) which I think would dramatically improve existing gameplay in WoR while maintaining (and enhancing) the original vision. Some of these may have already been suggested in some form, but I wanted to compile my own list of the most critical items. I tried to order them in order of (perceived) importance.
1. Displayed Team tickets Along with Morale Level: The game needs to de-mystify the ticket system and make it clear to players (including officers) what the actual ticket count is besides the morale level. While displaying tickets is somewhat “gamey” the number is critical as it represents actual manpower available which officers would have known in real life. If you see your number dropping rapidly outside of a line battle, you know you have stragglers ramboing. This has an effect on the orders officers might give to preserve lives/tickets. Maybe that glorious charge really isn’t worth it.
2. Crouching in Formation should not count as “Skirmishing”: Currently, skirmish mode counts for a -3 ticket loss. Skirmishing is defined by crouching or being a certain distance away from other players when fighting. In my opinion, crouching should not count for a -3 ticket loss because it was legitimate tactic used by commanders in the war. Penalizing players for crouching is pointless and frustrating and has caused some units to simply discourage crouching in any situation which is unfortunate. This means a “good” team should never crouch because every soldier that dies counts as a loss of three men, which makes no sense. Crouching still causes slower reloads which I believe is a fair deterrent to encourage standing in lines in most cases.
3. Officers Can order Loose Skirmish line: Secondly, officers should be able to order a skirmish line if desired, allowing players to be more spread out. If players adhere to this formation as ordered, deaths should count as “in formation” (1 ticket). Loose skirmish lines were used to cover flanks and certain angles where an entire line formation would be impractical or a waste of manpower. Line battles would not become obsolete. Line formations still have inherent advantages: massed volleys against a smaller number of targets, unit cohesion and mobility, and creates the infantry mass needed for successful melee defense and offense. If a commander orders a solid battle line and a player is close by but still not in the line, that should be considered skirmishing (-3 tickets)
4. Death displays actual ticket loss, not % of morale loss reduction: Again, this would help to clarify the ticket loss for players so they understand the impact of their deaths to the team. The current text (morale loss reduced by 0/40/80 %) is confusing and meaningless to newer players. This will also help to reduce ramboing as players will see that their three kills don’t make up for a loss of 5 tickets. Additional text would be useful to direct players to understand why their death counted the way it did.
5. Battlefield Map: This is a big one. Showing player’s location and relative location of friendly formations would be extremely useful (perhaps some limited information on enemy formations which are engaged or spotted). Admittedly, this is a not a totally realistic feature for a "simulator", but it would improve gameplay dramatically and give players and commanders an understanding of the lines of battle and where reinforcement units need to be directed to plug gaps. A map would make up for the lack of battlefield communications (runners) which actual commanders would have had access to. Ideally, commanders could even draw arrows or place markers on the map to help coordinate movements of troops.
6. Better HUD Elements: As an overall quality of life improvement, a HUD updated is needed to show friendly units, officers, and particularly to differentiate between different regiments. Currently, the HUD shows minimal information to help the player determine where they need to be, particularly for newer players. Players often hit the HUD button after respawning and run without coordination towards the nearest icon or the capture point, getting mixed up with other regiments and generally creating a confusing battlefield. While the fog of war definitely plays a part in WoR, I think the current mechanic is just frustrating.
7. Group spawning at the reinforcement point: I believe it would help the flow of the game if respawns at the map entry reinforcement point come in groups. How this would work is that respawns would have to wait until a sufficient group could spawn in at the same time, or if a sufficient number of players were already present at the reinforcement point. This would help prevent individual players from running haphazardly across the battlefield to rejoin friendly regiments (many of these players get lost and die out of formation harming the ticket count). There could be a maximum wait time (such as 30-40 seconds) so that players do not need to wait for ages to respawn. Additionally, it could allow NCOs / officers to more easily keep order and direct the movement of respawning groups of players. Reinforcement units would march to the frontline as a group instead of streaming in one at a time unrealistically.
8. Team Army Organization Menu by player, Showing Regiment, Company, and Roles : I think that a menu is critical to replace the regiment selection screen (and available by hotkey in-game) so that the army organization is absolutely clear to players – particularly casual players and officers (and generals if they ever implement it). I want a menu showing regiments, with available slots and roles clearly shown, and player names next to them. No more days of regiments going into battle without officers, or flagbearers, or NCOs. It should be clear up front before anyone goes into battle if any critical roles are not filled. For a quick reference, I’m talking about something akin to Squad, Post Scriptum, or similar games where the team organization is clear and distinct, and the roles of each player can be easily referenced on a hotkey menu. This will also future-proof the game in the event that Regiments are further split into multiple companies (which I think would be a good idea).
9. Melee block key: I have seen that this is already in the roadmap, but I think it deserves mention –melee right now is overpowered and pretty lacking in back-and-forth. The ability to [attempt] to block an attack would really improve the experience. Melee hitboxes also need to be reduced somewhat as you had strike an opponent from a bit too far away IMO.
10. NCO’s can give some limited directions and commands (besides verbal): This would assist in carrying out orders, particularly when the officer is absent or not doing anything. The ability to point would be great, and NCOs should also have binoculars. If the nearby officer dies, the NCO should be able to instruct formations using the key commands.
11. Moving while crouched: This would be a useful quality of life improvement that would coincide with #2. This would again improve realism and reduce the frustration of having to stand up to move to a position a few feet away to crouch in cover.
12. Flag bearer can engage in melee combat: This would be useful so the flag isn’t so vulnerable in melee combat. Even better, give the flag bearer a sword or pistol so they aren’t so useless. Many flag bearers were NCOs, not just random grunts.