How to make the Command Console viable [Discussion+Brainstorming+Feedback]

You are right, the Efficiency/Skills Bonus sounds more like a Dual Cockpit (significantly increases combat performance). And we are talking about Command Console.

I like this from Sarna:

So it's all about Initiative Bonus, this could mean the sum of Information Warfare (e.g. Bonus Info for the CC equipped Mech), Communication (e.g. deliver Team Shared Info), and additional Control Functions (e.g. to use Special Equipment like UAV etc.)

 

There is an interesting idea, but based on how that sort of thing worked in other games where there was a similar item, there are a few problems here that make me think it wouldn't work well in MWO:

1) While utilizing that sort of view, it means you have 1/12 of your mechs completely standing still: not firing, and potentially falling behind from the team. While it gives some interesting scouting possibilities, a slow mech is probably dead if they give in to the temptation to use it.
2) If you make this view TOO strong (ie, give it other powers that makes up for the lack of movement/firing), then it makes the Command Console a required piece of tech for anything that can fit it.
3) If #2 occurs, any team that DOESN'T have a CC will find themselves completely at the mercy of the team that does. And since no Clan mech has the same capability unless its also added to the TCs, it puts them at an instant disadvantage.

The reason I say #2/3 are the biggest problems are based on two games...Battlefield 2142, and the Savage series, both of which used a Commander mode. However, if your Commander sucked, it generally meant you were guaranteed to lose just about every game, since having a good commander was almost more important than having decent players (in Savage, it was more important...a bad commander meant it was physically impossible to win). The trick is you need to make the CC more useful, but you can't make it so useful that every match suffers without its presence. Of course, if you only give it the "God's Eye", you then make it more dangerous to use in most cases, especially when the info it would give you is generally easy to gleam from the ground as well.