Let’s assume that we want to reduce the incidence of GV spawn camping. One way to do this is to implement a 2-stage spawn process, to eliminate the unrealistic "no prior SA" surprise factor. This, in turn, would greatly reduce the advantage currently held by spawn campers.
Stage 1: The player chooses a GV and a spawn point from the clipboard. The spawn action generates a “GV proxy” (aka GVP) at the spawn point. The GVP *is* a GV from the spawning player’s perspective including magnified viewing capabilities, but is invisible, can’t shoot, can’t move, and can’t be destroyed. Its purpose is to allow the player to look around, in order to determine whether that location appears to be safe to spawn from. If desired by HTC, the GVP can have a finite, short lifetime (1 minute?), in order to avoid a “Romulan cloaking device” game play effect. (On the other hand, allowing longer periods of static invisibility might further inhibit spawn camping…).
Stage 2: Based on information derived from Stage 1, the player then decides whether to spawn the chosen GV. She implements this decision by pressing one of 2 keys, one of which spawns the actual GV in the *exact same location* as the GVP occupied, while the other key cancels the spawn. In this latter case, the player can try to spawn again from the clipboard, in hopes that one of the alternate random spawn locations is better.
This idea requires no map changes.
MH
EDIT: If it is desired by HTC to give the Stage 1 GVP greater SA, the GVP could in addition be allowed to use F3/F8 viewing.
EDIT: BTW, one can already do the equivalent of this “Wish” when spawning a GV from a Vehicle Base, either by viewing from the Tower, or by viewing from a Storch in the hanger.
