Does Squad need mandatory training missions and qualifications?

[Timmeh]

I see a lot of players on servers who just joined in for the first time, and don't know how to do basic things. They don't spend any time on the shooting range or watching tutorials to learn the basics and are lost in game.

A solution might be to implement a system of training missions similar to those in Americas Army 2.
There you had to complete a basic set of training missions to be able to play on servers, and advanced training missions to play as specialized roles.
They weren't hard to complete, but gave new players some basic experience to get started with the roles.

For example, the very basic training for Squad would only take minutes and teach you to weapon handling including fire modes, bipods and ranging, how to use bandages and medic bags, ammo bags and rearming/changing kits, and construction. Completing this would be the minimum requirement to join a server.

Specialist infantry training would provide quick courses for marksman, machinegunner, grenadier, AT and engineer/sapper classes. These classes would remain locked until the training mission is completed.

To play as a squad leader you'd have to complete the above courses, plus a course on using the tactical map and FOB constructible placement.

To play as crewman you'd have to complete a course on driving, turret stabilization and zoom, vehicle smoke launchers and repairs, vehicle identification and weak spots.

To play as a lead crewman you'd have to complete all of the above courses.

A similar course would be required for pilot qualification when helos are added.


In Americas Army it took between 1 and 3 hours to complete all the training, which was tedious when creating a new account if you already know everything, but it was a great way to keep inexperienced players from wasting assets, and it gave players a confidence in being able to play their role.
It also added a level of immersion in the sense that soldiers will always have some kind of training before being deployed.

On a practical level individual qualifications could be made optional on a per server basis, or a server population basis.


What do you guys think?
Would this be a good idea for SQUAD?

[Hoxtalicous]

Tutorials suck though...

[Mr. President]

100% agreed with op, AA2’s qualification system is also a highlight to that game.

[KDM 16AAB]

Nice idea, but I could see it failing in a way.

Nice in the way that the way I would do it is if you played on the server you would only have access to Squad Leader and standard Riflemen kit's when on a server. All other kits would be unlocked by doing the training per kit.

This way your not spending time training on kits you don't believe you will use. And once you do the training that kit becomes available to you when on a server.

The downside though is, this would all be locally tracked and stored. Unless you enabled Stats and/or persistant stat tracking at the server level (past rank/progression discussions cover this topic in more detail), and that the local stored data on what you've unlocked is mutable then someone out there will write a hack/saved game editor that simply unlocks everything for you by setting the correct flags. So this would be the fail.

Nice idea though. I had fond memories of playing AA2.

[crash]

I immediately thought of America's Army when I read the title.
I'm all for it.