My suggestion is that a new ‘Intel Squad’ would be added to the game, this squad would see all Intel Officers be automatically placed into it at round start. The squad can not be joined by other Marines outside of them being placed into it via overwatch.
I would also suggest all IO’s be considered a ‘FTL’ for tracking purposes, so each IO can track the other.
My reasoning is that IO’s, being marines that operate on the surface, majorly benefit from being tracked via CIC or the ASO (or even other IO’s if we get the PR that gives all officers the ability to use overwatch is merged).
As it stands, it is impossible for a IO to be overwatched unless they request they be put into a squad, or put into Echo Squad. This demands they go to CIC and make a ranking officer put them into a squad.
We don’t make regular Marines have to go to CIC to be put into a squad, ergo I think IO’s deserve to be put into their own squad.
Since this creates a new squad it preserves Echo squad for CIC to use as they see fit.
(I’ve tried to make this change, creating a new squad is fairly easy but getting IO’s to spawn into a specific squad is hard).
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If I see another IO power gamer ask me to get put into a normal squad or to grt echo I’m going to lose my mind. Like I mean for real. I am going to grab them and slam their head into the table over and over again and then do a chuck norris level roundhouse kick. I’m so tired of these little power gamers ‘oooooh co please I need to be tracked by CIC’ no you need to stop being a little BITCH!!! And learn to click the red dog, ok??? I mean sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesh if you expect ME to go ‘erm delta robusto #29 stop fragging the queen, erm the IO is dead 300m SW of you’ you’re wrong.
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. . . is the solution here then to just like, make them a squad role? Like, we’ve got a number of them all with different accesses so giving IOs office access wouldn’t be tough, they’re already expected to go groundside so that’s not an issue, and most seasoned SOs know better than to give roles like Commtech, Corpsman, and Specs the SL role so the IO shouldn’t be in danger there (even if they were, then they do tend to run out of intel at a point and already have a leadership stat).
Four IOs, and with how often squads are dispersed across a map it wouldn’t be hard to see the benefit in someone getting intel close to the hive, Bravo clearing the immediate LZ area and giving fobbits who want to see the world something to do, and exploring more of the middle of the map with Charlie and Alpha.
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Its one option, but I think it’d be better for all parties involved if the highest ranking marines on the planet are kept out of regular squads to prevent issues regarding who to follow or who takes command. Intel are meant to be a separate force operating on their own so I believe keeping them separate is better.
Im more concerned that a Squaddie IO would detract from cohesion. The IO would always ask their own squadmates for escort, which means the SLs themselves have less people following them to fulfill the actual orders and objectives.
Not that IO escorts are bad, obviously, but if every IO asks for it independently in each Squad chat? I don’t know.
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Fair enough. I’d hope the IO players and command would naturally have better sense than to make issues of it (A school Principal “outranks” a senior teacher, but you’d hope nobody would put them in charge of leading a class), but otherwise I don’t see too huge of an issue with it.
We already have IOs joining into squads to minimal issue, an intel-only squad would take marines from the core squads, and specs/engineers/medics already exist as inside-squad roles that usually garner a two-marine or so escort because of the importance of their jobs. Even if IOs garnered some sizeable portion of the squad: it would at worst bring a new objective into gameplay (intel hunt) and at best benefit the entire battalion after grabbing the intel, sending the IO topside, and returning command to someone else groundside (like I previously said: seasoned SOs already know better than to aSL some Specs, Medics, Commtechs, or PVTs).
Well… you’d hope so, yeah.
But, let’s be real. Lol. 
Honestly I believe making IO there own squad OR make echo squad a IO exclusive squad the amount of time I am a IO and the XO does not give us echo and echo is not being used is ridiculous. What is the hold point of having a OW on the intel room for the ASO if echo is not activated for intel. I believe the making Echo a permanent part of the squads exclusively for intel.
This is pretty great
Find it amusing I spent 2 hours to get nothing, but Gamerdk spends 5 minutes and gets it done