Sporks First posting!

[MrVicchio]

Author Topic: My Predictions about terrain
Ukobackfire
Station Member
Registered: Feb 2003 posted 02-03-2003 11:44 AM user search report post
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Ukobackfire�s Planetside Predictions about terrain.
Terrain:
As you can see in the following screenshots, terrain is basically rolling hills (really steep hills would make driving tank complete ********) with clusters of trees. Now combatwise this means that the vast majority of battles will be fought at extremely long ranges (except if you are in a small scout car� then your speed will keep them from getting hits) with tanks. ALSO this will mean that infantry are going to be used to support the tanks in field battles (not the other way around) and attack forts where tanks cant go

As you can see in the second screenshot, there are large open areas and each tree is about 20-30 meters apart.. meaning that there are Large areas of no large terrain features at all, so infantry are going to be sitting ducks without tanks, BASICALLY: WWIIONLINE.. especially since infantry will not be able to kill strong tanks.

Now in the third screenshot, we see a special type of terrain we will see, the picture itself is called pt_denseforest, theoretically because it shows a �dense forest� terrain type� this will be awesome for low vehicles and infantry because it will be able to hide.

Another thing. In deserts where there are not dense forests and tall grasses, it will be far more a tank battle� and in the more lush forest green areas of the world there will be more ability for infantry to do damage.

In the fourth screenshot we see the desert tree cover� very crappy for infantry� it might work if you are trying to escape where tanks don�t go.. but I cant see anything that is good cover.

http://planetside.station.sony.com/screenshots/vanguard2.jpg
http://planetside.station.sony.com/screenshots/NC_stealth.jpg
http://www.ebgames.com/gmspImages/22/226252/eb/pt_denseforest.jpg
http://www.ebgames.com/gmspImages/22/226252/eb/pt_desert.jpg

ABOUT TALL GRASS:

As you can see in the screenshot below.. the detailed grass is completely useless� it is used for beauty not functionality. See how the grass disappears about 40 meters away from the harasser? That�s because the game doesn�t draw it for technical reason.. now obviously it DOES draw the enemy tanks and infantry, so basically every terrain feature you see but TREES and HILLS cannot be used as cover because it isn�t drawn at the long disdtances and therefore is only graphical fluff. Now weather dense forest will have that tall grass we talked about before, I don�t know.

http://www.ebgames.com/gmspImages/22/226252/eb/pt_Harasser.jpg

This next picture shows the same idea� the base itself is drawn and therefore so will tanks and infantry.. but not that lush grassy cover we saw before

http://www.ebgames.com/gmspImages/22/226252/eb/pt_Vista.jpg

ABOUT the use of infantry:

Infantry will basically be wasted in the regular open terrain. What they will be useful is in places where the terrain restricts the use of vechilces like in the pic below.
http://www.ebgames.com/gmspImages/22/226252/eb/pt_intrees.jpg

ABOUT COVER FROM AIR:

As you can see in this picture� in atleast the desert reason� cover from air by trees� sucks.

http://www.ebgames.com/gmspImages/22/226252/eb/pt_mosquito.jpg

CONCLUSION:

Basically there will need to be massive access to vehicles because there is not enough cover and the world is too big for infantry to run to the battle. This was the reason that I LEFT WWIIONLINE� because it took 10 minutes to drive to battle and 45 minutes to RUN as infantry� and due to spawning limits the vast majority of the time you had to run.

SO I ASK the planetside DEVS� 1. Give me beta! [email protected] is my email if you want to send one my way� and 2. GIVE US TONS OF VEHICLES.


Here they are!.. really this is how it was.. be nice its his first day on the job :P

SporkfirePS
Station Admin
Registered: Jan 2003 posted 02-03-2003 12:06 PM user search report post
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We have to keep in mind that the screenshots we have released and the vehicle information on the web site are only a sample of what will be released. There is a pretty wide array of vehicles, and each continent has different characteristics. Based on the terrain, some battles will clearly be better fought with a squad on basilisks than with a vanguard, and vice versa. This will also apply to the types of troops you will need when you are forming your squad.
Victor Wachter
Community Relations Representative, PlanetSide
Sony Online Entertainment

http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/planetside/Forum2/HTML/002231.html

[Airlift]

terrain is basically rolling hills [snip] with clusters of trees. Now combatwise this means that the vast majority of battles will be fought at extremely long ranges [snip] with tanks.
NOTE: Parenthetical asides removed from above quote.

Trees and Rolling hills reduce the combat range, not the other way around. Furthermore, I doubt that even comes close to being basically what we'll see in game. Not only have there been screenshots with cliffs and steep valleys, there have been anecdotal stories about the devs falling off of them during playtests.

I bet the terrain shape (all textures aside) will be at least as varied as what we saw in Tribes 2.

especially since infantry will not be able to kill strong tanks.

Where did he get this idea? If they take all the AV weapons out of the game, and then take away the AV Max, well now maybe infantry can't take out a strong tank.

ABOUT the use of infantry:
Infantry will basically be wasted in the regular open terrain.

I don't agree with this statement at all. While infantry will be less useful in open terrain than behind cover (amazing insight), it is foolishness to think that they are wasted, especially when they can wire a couple phoenixes over a 'rolling' hill into an unsuspecting tank.

He totally overlooks size of the target, the fact that vehicles show up on all radars and infantry only show up on mosquito flyovers, and that infantry can theoretically climb terrain that vehicles cannot.

ABOUT COVER FROM AIR:
As you can see in this picture� in atleast the desert reason� cover from air by trees� sucks.

Well, of course there's not much cover from air strike in the desert. That's part of the reason why it is a desert.

CONCLUSION:
Basically there will need to be massive access to vehicles because there is not enough cover and the world is too big for infantry to run to the battle. This was the reason that I LEFT WWIIONLINE� because it took 10 minutes to drive to battle and 45 minutes to RUN as infantry� and due to spawning limits the vast majority of the time you had to run.

Or, you could take a Drop Pod, or you could catch a ride with a Galaxy pilot or APC driver. Or you could bind to a nearby tower/AMS. Or you could choose to respawn at the nearest friendly spawn tube, or you could go to a different place than you just died at, or.... etc etc

[Lexington_Steele]

Not to mention that Infantry won't show up on radar and vehicles will.