I understand what you are saying, but your technique leaves a good deal to be desired in the form of showing units precisely where to go, such as in a pincer movement. Furthermore, when the mission is larger than one's squad, then this tool is absolutely vital because not everyone uses the same lingo.
To put it in an analogy; this is like asking for an automatic transmission in a new car that always had a manual one. Yes, the manual transmission is alright, but unless you love the sputtering, wheezing sound of a stall on a forty degree hill in the middle of winter the automatic is far superior.
Furthermore, mission planners are never mentioned on the main page, even though commanding a mission can be just as difficult as flying a plane. There are many mission organizers who are far greater than I am, and I've realized that they deserve some recognition, too.
There is but one "Mission Channel", and it quickly becomes clogged with 'Tallyho' and 'Check Six', leaving important things such as 'The town is down' lost in the chatter. My idea is to give the mission planner one 'Flight VOX' per flight, and to make the 'Mission VOX' a PA system that allows him to cut off any conversations and say important things such as "All units climb to ten-thousand feet" or "All new planes are to take off from a different base than I said at climb-out".
The map-marking tools would allow the Mission Planner to rearrange routes from spawn to fight, and create more intricate tactics than were possible with just voice commands. These tactics include pincer movements, flanks, ambushes, and drive-by shootings of troops in the town. Fights in the town would most greatly benefit from the watchful eye of the Mission Planner, and allowing him/her to see the battle in real time would undeniably expand urban warfare.
Urban warfare is one of the most undeveloped aspects of AH2, partly because its existence spells the defeat of a side and the high amounts of air support present in the game. However, if Commander Mode existed, a defense of the town would be possible, with tanks making full use of the firelanes and dug in positions already present in the game. Not only that, but the management of supply lines would also become much easier, as the Commander would also see exactly where he/she can run M-3's and Jeeps through to get badly needed supplies to the front. However, urban warfare wouldn't be the only one to benefit from this.
On the ground, maintaining unit cohesion over long distances is difficult, partly because one cannot tell whose group is whose. With Commander Mode, each flight would have its own color, and its intended formation would also be shown on the map. Furthermore, with the ability to form these small units, small unit tactics and the employment of these units on a large scale would allow for more effective counterattacks, as one could spot holes in the other side's defenses and give out the appropriate orders. More importantly, the ability to mark with the precision of one meter and the ability to use the map like a Google Earth for AH2 would make for quite interesting battles, since in that way the commander can see all his/her units in real time, click on them, and give them orders.
This may sound like an RTS expansion pack, and to be frank, it is. However, it would also make AH2 the greatest RTS known to man, as it would feature real human beings controlling each and every unit. This would attract badly needed subscribers to the game; Lusche has already pointed out that numbers are dwindling. However, this expansion would not change anything that made AH2 great- participation is completely optional and its only function is to create more of the fights we love so dearly.
-Penguin
