Another idea for easier/fast implementation: in counter strike you can choose a preferred color icon, that is a bare minimum mechanics for player icons I think. getting a random color each time is annoying if you pay attention and confusing if you don't.
We've discussed this at times internally and there are a few concerns that would need to be worked through,
1) Readability - Especially for console players, most banners at the size shown in the mock would be unintelligible. Unless they're much larger, it will still mostly just be colors. This would also impact the compass, since it also needs to show a large enough icon.
2) Mentioned here - Uniform banner icon and background color choices by players. This is becoming less and less of an issue the more icons we introduce, but still collisions happen. I probably wouldn't solve this with more colors under the user's control, if we bothered to differentiate them, we'd probably do something like add a star for each duplicate around the outside or something?
3) Does this buy us anything besides giving the banners more play and will it in practice? When I put my marker down on a city, most of the time it's just immediately overlapped with everyone else's on my team also agreeing and placing there's as well.
4) Shorthand communication, I've played a lot of games with fill and not all the time, but a lot of the time, people won't try to pronounce your name. They'll instead use your assigned color as your callsign. Maybe they'll use your banner symbol instead now?
5) If they show up on the map, then they need to become visible (at all times?) in the Squad view, which currently doesn't have room for a large banner icon. I already see complaints about too much UI with as minimal as we keep it, so I do worry about adding more there.
(2) I don't worry too much about, it's a problem that will fade over time, but (1) is super important to me. If we're going to have icons, people need to be able to easily read them, but that can't mean making the pins on the map gigantic so need to find a nice middle-ground or come up with a good way to have the banner and then maybe a line drawn off the map connecting to a larger banner on the side. (3) I just sorta wonder about and consider if a better alternative exists.
P.S. Banners do have use, we show them on the death screen when you're watching your killer or your killer's killer's killer, you can see their banner beside their name :)
![image showing [IDEA] Instead of a random color for you marker, use your banner icon/color. This gives the banner actual use.](2b632d6f-bce5-5337-8b28-caba6adfa023.jpg)
IronTrevor706 on February 27th, 2018 at 19:50 UTC »
Then banners would actually be seen/used!
Basalted on February 27th, 2018 at 20:05 UTC »
YES, great idea!
Another idea for easier/fast implementation: in counter strike you can choose a preferred color icon, that is a bare minimum mechanics for player icons I think. getting a random color each time is annoying if you pay attention and confusing if you don't.
NickDarnell on February 28th, 2018 at 01:14 UTC »
We've discussed this at times internally and there are a few concerns that would need to be worked through,
1) Readability - Especially for console players, most banners at the size shown in the mock would be unintelligible. Unless they're much larger, it will still mostly just be colors. This would also impact the compass, since it also needs to show a large enough icon.
2) Mentioned here - Uniform banner icon and background color choices by players. This is becoming less and less of an issue the more icons we introduce, but still collisions happen. I probably wouldn't solve this with more colors under the user's control, if we bothered to differentiate them, we'd probably do something like add a star for each duplicate around the outside or something?
3) Does this buy us anything besides giving the banners more play and will it in practice? When I put my marker down on a city, most of the time it's just immediately overlapped with everyone else's on my team also agreeing and placing there's as well.
4) Shorthand communication, I've played a lot of games with fill and not all the time, but a lot of the time, people won't try to pronounce your name. They'll instead use your assigned color as your callsign. Maybe they'll use your banner symbol instead now?
5) If they show up on the map, then they need to become visible (at all times?) in the Squad view, which currently doesn't have room for a large banner icon. I already see complaints about too much UI with as minimal as we keep it, so I do worry about adding more there.
(2) I don't worry too much about, it's a problem that will fade over time, but (1) is super important to me. If we're going to have icons, people need to be able to easily read them, but that can't mean making the pins on the map gigantic so need to find a nice middle-ground or come up with a good way to have the banner and then maybe a line drawn off the map connecting to a larger banner on the side. (3) I just sorta wonder about and consider if a better alternative exists.
P.S. Banners do have use, we show them on the death screen when you're watching your killer or your killer's killer's killer, you can see their banner beside their name :)