TotalBiscuit PlanetSide 2 Primer Footage

[Gogita]

Planetside 2 - Just what is it all about, anyway? - YouTube

Cannot get enough of it....

[SniperSteve]

NICE

[NewSith]

Excuse me Hamma, but SECOND OMG!

[ichebu]

Just can't get enough of that footage.

[duomaxwl]

I really dislike the back end of that Scythe.
Good thing I'm not VS haha.

[MyMeatStick]

I really dislike the back end of that Scythe.
Good thing I'm not VS haha.

Its not that its bad or anything, but I would also prefer a simpler rounder backside to it.

Kind of a C shape with a cockpit and pointy edges.

[Stardouser]

At some point after 11:00 minutes he says:

"The main problem with the lattice system is that there wasn't really any fighting between bases unless vehicles kind of clashed, which was kinda rare, open field warfare didn't happen that much because there was no reason for it to happen. You would drive from one base to the other maybe there would be a little skirmish but most of the fighting would end up around bases which is not necessarily that interesting. Putting more facilities out in the open, towers and capture points that are not part of the main base structure is hopefully designed to remedy that as well as having this hex based front line whereby you capture territory as opposed to merely facilities."

There's also a lot more copying from BF3 than total biscuit admits. Scale and persistence BF3 does not have but a lot of the customizations are taken from BF3, the UI, the sprinting, etc. Right here I'm simply stating facts, not saying it's good or bad.

Possible error? At 13:58 he mouses over "TR-ASF-WM AIR TO AIR MISSLES" but the description says they lock onto ground vehicles?

[bullet]

It's good to see he's practicing on his flying abilities. :lol:

[Hmr85]

Looking great I can't wait to get in beta.

[Immigrant]

Looking good.

[Mechzz]

Possible error? At 13:58 he mouses over "TR-ASF-WM AIR TO AIR MISSLES" but the description says they lock onto ground vehicles?

It's just alpha footage. Note that his Scythe had the Vanguard icon on the screen. Now, he really wasn't in a flying tank! There are a lot of things that need to be worked on.

I am finding myself thinking the UI is annoying. There are 3 identical radar icons he can choose and he has to mouse over to see the description for what each one does. Either we learn them quickly or it will get old fast. I want to get back into the battle, not sit checking through reams of identical icons for the one I want.

Oh, and the footage was beautiful. I loved the cameo battle with the Reaver. Truly PS2 - that fight would not have been possible in PS1.

[Gogita]

What worries me most is the "Warning, OUT OF BOUNDS, Return to Battle" thing that popped up even though TB was still above Indar.

TB, what's up with that?

[TotalBiscuit]

There's also a lot more copying from BF3 than total biscuit admits. Scale and persistence BF3 does not have but a lot of the customizations are taken from BF3, the UI, the sprinting, etc. Right here I'm simply stating facts, not saying it's good or bad.


Sprinting copies BF3? Sprinting is absurdly common in FPS and existed WAY before BF3. The UI is alpha and is subject to change, since the UI is often one of the last things to be finalized (see other alphas for very basic or otherwise naff UIs). Weapon unlocks copy BF3? BF3 copied CoD4 in that respect, which copied Battlefield 2 and several other games that had exactly the same thing.

These concepts are now considered generic standards for the FPS genre. Most FPS games have them. You might as well say a car manufacturer copied another by putting tires on their vehicle.

[MyMeatStick]

Sprinting copies BF3? Sprinting is absurdly common in FPS and existed WAY before BF3. The UI is alpha and is subject to change, since the UI is often one of the last things to be finalized (see other alphas for very basic or otherwise naff UIs). Weapon unlocks copy BF3? BF3 copied CoD4 in that respect, which copied Battlefield 2 and several other games that had exactly the same thing.

These concepts are now considered generic standards for the FPS genre. Most FPS games have them. You might as well say a car manufacturer copied another by putting tires on their vehicle.

Kickin ass and taking names as per usual I see :groovy:

[Mechzz]

What worries me most is the "Warning, OUT OF BOUNDS, Return to Battle" thing that popped up even though TB was still above Indar.

TB, what's up with that?

Pretty sure he was over the sea each time. Bad news was he was "just" over the sea. So no low-level Gal flying round the coast to get the jump on some unlucky base?

[KTNApollo]

What worries me most is the "Warning, OUT OF BOUNDS, Return to Battle" thing that popped up even though TB was still above Indar.

TB, what's up with that?

I assume they don't want us flying off the continent. As long as these boundaries are only on the coasts to prevent us from flying off the continent I don't see a problem.

[Timealude]

is it me or does TB always end his videos with him crashing?

[ArmedZealot]

Sprinting copies BF3? Sprinting is absurdly common in FPS and existed WAY before BF3. The UI is alpha and is subject to change, since the UI is often one of the last things to be finalized (see other alphas for very basic or otherwise naff UIs). Weapon unlocks copy BF3? BF3 copied CoD4 in that respect, which copied Battlefield 2 and several other games that had exactly the same thing.

These concepts are now considered generic standards for the FPS genre. Most FPS games have them. You might as well say a car manufacturer copied another by putting tires on their vehicle.

You are going to have to post a video or something to differentiate the games in this respect. It seems PSU is on a witch hunt lately for anything that reminds them of BF3.

I'm not saying Stardouser is, he is usually pretty easy to get to see reason. But others.....

(In all honesty the squad indicator needs to be changed though. It is a pretty blatant copy from BF3, the sooner it happens before another video the better to appease this crowd).

[Shogun]

damn only watched a minute yet, but that continent looks so awesome! it really shows that every squareinch is handcrafted for gameplay!
there is sooo much vertical fun there! the battles will feel epic and unique. hope we will see moving frontlines a lot!

[RawketLawnchair]

At some point after 11:00 minutes he says:

"The main problem with the lattice system is that there wasn't really any fighting between bases unless vehicles kind of clashed, which was kinda rare, open field warfare didn't happen that much because there was no reason for it to happen. You would drive from one base to the other maybe there would be a little skirmish but most of the fighting would end up around bases which is not necessarily that interesting. Putting more facilities out in the open, towers and capture points that are not part of the main base structure is hopefully designed to remedy that as well as having this hex based front line whereby you capture territory as opposed to merely facilities."

Well, its in alpha and they don't have that many playtesters. So its obvious. You need more people for larger battles to happen, and it seemed that way because of that reason.


Edit-
Note to the developers who read this: Make your own HUD please, it looks too much like BF3.
I'm making one for my game and its easy peasy.

[Raymac]

So much joy in that video. The (what I assume) squad spawn / drop pod sequence looks pretty awesome. I can just imagine that view but dropping into the middle of a raging battle with rounds and explosions flying all over the place.

The entire lanscape looks a million times better than PS1, but I can't wait to see more of the interior of the bases.

[ringring]

At some point after 11:00 minutes he says:

"The main problem with the lattice system is that there wasn't really any fighting between bases unless vehicles kind of clashed, which was kinda rare, open field warfare didn't happen that much because there was no reason for it to happen. You would drive from one base to the other maybe there would be a little skirmish but most of the fighting would end up around bases which is not necessarily that interesting. Putting more facilities out in the open, towers and capture points that are not part of the main base structure is hopefully designed to remedy that as well as having this hex based front line whereby you capture territory as opposed to merely facilities."

There's also a lot more copying from BF3 than total biscuit admits. Scale and persistence BF3 does not have but a lot of the customizations are taken from BF3, the UI, the sprinting, etc. Right here I'm simply stating facts, not saying it's good or bad.

Possible error? At 13:58 he mouses over "TR-ASF-WM AIR TO AIR MISSLES" but the description says they lock onto ground vehicles?
He's kind of wrong about the no fighting outside bases.

I'm not saying it always happened but when pops were large it often did.

[ringring]

Pretty sure he was over the sea each time. Bad news was he was "just" over the sea. So no low-level Gal flying round the coast to get the jump on some unlucky base?
Maybe it just needs fine tuning....

[Mechzz]

He's kind of wrong about the no fighting outside bases.

I'm not saying it always happened but when pops were large it often did.

This is true, but there was no real focus to it, and unless it was a bridge battle it didn't last too long due to peeps spawning back at the closest base/tower. I can see the new towers/outposts providing bigger-scale outdoors battles, and it will be fun!

[ringring]

I assume they don't want us flying off the continent. As long as these boundaries are only on the coasts to prevent us from flying off the continent I don't see a problem.
I think what he's referring to is that PS1 had this but you had to fly quite a way out before it kicked in.

We would often use it when we wanted to make a surprise approach for a gal drop (for instance). Fly way out there and come in from an unexpected direction.

Who knows, maybe this is something that still needs to be looked at properly and tuned. This is alpha ofc.

It seemed that when he made a turn in the Scythe it yawed as opposed to doing a bank. Is it supposed to do that, it doesn't seem right .... ofc it's alpha so anything can happen ;)


BTW, I didn't say but everything looks fantastic.

[Fanglord]

I think that's the first game play video i've ever watched with out any action in it and still enjoyed.

[TotalBiscuit]

There is also a possibility that the out of bounds thing is there because it's in alpha and they haven't got anything out that far yet, but that'd be something I'd have to ask them about.

[Stardouser]

Sprinting copies BF3? Sprinting is absurdly common in FPS and existed WAY before BF3. The UI is alpha and is subject to change, since the UI is often one of the last things to be finalized (see other alphas for very basic or otherwise naff UIs). Weapon unlocks copy BF3? BF3 copied CoD4 in that respect, which copied Battlefield 2 and several other games that had exactly the same thing.

These concepts are now considered generic standards for the FPS genre. Most FPS games have them. You might as well say a car manufacturer copied another by putting tires on their vehicle.

If you look at the overall, though, yes, individually, some of these things are in many games, and some are in many others, but BF3 is the only other game that lumps them all together, although I don't play all the games in existence so maybe there is another game out there that combines all these hundreds of little points just like BF3 does into one package. So while you are correct, in a macro sense, they are making the same choices of which ways to do things that BF3 did.

However, by customizations, I really meant the vehicle customizations. BF3 doesn't let you choose between SOOO many aircraft weapons, obviously,but having to choose(for example) between jammer, flares, that kind of thing, those vehicle customizations are spooky similar.

But let me be clear, I am not saying that these particular similarities are bad, I'm just demonstrating that there is a definite inspiration from BF3, and the reason for that is to be prepared for later.

I will say, however, that I don't agree with the vehicle unlock process insofar as, yes, there should be unlocks, but once you unlock something for your vehicle, you should be able to have it at all times. ie, you unlock your ejector seat, then you air to air radar, and then air to ground radar, and you have them at all times. I just think that the weapon loadouts are where the limits should be, after all, how bad can it be if an aircraft has only air to ground weapons and no air to air weapons, but also has air to air radar? OK, it can see enemy aircraft on radar, but has nothing effective at killing them. There is resistance to having to choose between these customizations in Battlefield 3's community as well, but since aircraft in BF are not as sophisticated as in Planetside 2, this sentiment is usually expressed in this way : "We should always be able to have smoke and coax on our tanks without having to choose other stuff".

[ringring]

Oh yes the squad spawn drop pod removed any lingering doubts I had about that.

[Stardouser]

Oh yes the squad spawn drop pod removed any lingering doubts I had about that.

What point in the video was that? I missed it somehow.

[Hamma]

I received the out of bounds warning a few times when I was trying out the game. When I was up high I noticed some of the edges weren't quite done on the cont so I am not sure if the areas and boundaries are totally finished.

[Gogita]

What point in the video was that? I missed it somehow.

12:45

[Hamma]

Also can we please stop with the "insert generic shooter name here" comparisons? It's a shooter at it's core. It's bringing in modern concepts from FPS gaming over the past 9 years. That isn't going to change and it isn't going to kill the game.

[WaryWizard]

There are people asking how to play PS1 in the comments. Since I never played it before maybe you guys could tell them how to get it?

[TotalBiscuit]

There are people asking how to play PS1 in the comments. Since I never played it before maybe you guys could tell them how to get it?

When I come back from the west coast, the invasion will begin.

Hold onto your butts.

[Gogita]

There are people asking how to play PS1 in the comments. Since I never played it before maybe you guys could tell them how to get it?

How to get to play Planetside 1? Find a copy of the game somewhere or download the client, after which you will need to pay a monthly subscription to play it.

However, Planetside in its current shape is not a good representation of what is in its purest form is. Currently there are just too few people playing it and it might scare you away from Planetside 2 rather than attracting you.

[RawketLawnchair]

Also can we please stop with the "insert generic shooter name here" comparisons? It's a shooter at it's core. It's bringing in modern concepts from FPS gaming over the past 9 years. That isn't going to change and it isn't going to kill the game.

I know the game is in alpha, but there is nothing wrong with voicing concerns over visual changes that may or may not look like a copy of another shooter out there.

Sure, it might not have any real effect on the gameplay, but the HUD from BF3 wasn't something I was all that impressed with.

Maybe its just me.

[Stardouser]

I know the game is in alpha, but there is nothing wrong with voicing concerns over visual changes that may or may not look like a copy of another shooter out there.

Sure, it might not have any real effect on the gameplay, but the HUD from BF3 wasn't something I was all that impressed with.

Maybe its just me.

I want to be very clear about something. I am not trying to establish a link between PS2 and BF3 because I hate BF3's UI, or because I hate squad spawning, or ADS, or any of that. I LOVE those things. I am a longtime BF2 player, so of course I love those things and want them in PS2. And I don't care at ALL if it's a complete visual clone. Thea reason that I am trying to establish a link is because there are some very bad mechanics from BF3 such as disabling, and we need to be ready to fight those out of the game if they are coming.

[RawketLawnchair]

I want to be very clear about something. I am not trying to establish a link between PS2 and BF3 because I hate BF3's UI, or because I hate squad spawning, or ADS, or any of that. I LOVE those things. I don't care at ALL if it's a complete visual clone. Thea reason that I am trying to establish a link is because there are some very bad mechanics from BF3 such as disabling, and we need to be ready to fight those out of the game.

I do. But that is why its called an opinion.

And disabling needs to die in a firepit.

[Miir]

I really liked the drop pod animation. It looked like you could control it a little bit on the way down. I wonder what will happen if you line a drop pod up on a deployed (or in flight) galaxy. :)

Hey TB/Hamma what happens at the flight ceiling? Do you get an out of bounds, stall or hit invisible wall?

Thanks for posting.

[Roidster]

There is also a possibility that the out of bounds thing is there because it's in alpha and they haven't got anything out that far yet, but that'd be something I'd have to ask them about.

i would think the same,unfinished area's,so far all the alpha footage i have seen from Higby and you has been from that one area,be nice to see inside the warp gate bases

[Fanglord]

I will say, however, that I don't agree with the vehicle unlock process insofar as, yes, there should be unlocks, but once you unlock something for your vehicle, you should be able to have it at all times. ie, you unlock your ejector seat, then you air to air radar, and then air to ground radar, and you have them at all times. I just think that the weapon loadouts are where the limits should be, after all, how bad can it be if an aircraft has only air to ground weapons and no air to air weapons, but also has air to air radar? OK, it can see enemy aircraft on radar, but has nothing effective at killing them. There is resistance to having to choose between these customizations in Battlefield 3's community as well, but since aircraft in BF are not as sophisticated as in Planetside 2, this sentiment is usually expressed in this way : "We should always be able to have smoke and coax on our tanks without having to choose other stuff".

It for balancing purposes, and for specialization; would be silly every vehicle had anti-air and anti-ground defenses. While i agree that some combinations can be redundant, but if your half sensible its not hard to avoid.

[JHendy]

There are plenty of Battlefield GAMEPLAY features that I welcome warmly.

That said, I have noticed some blatant duplication of BF3 in PS2's UI presentation.
For instance, the little 'VEHICLE DESTRUCTION' popup that appears HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptGe-UplC34&feature=player_embedded#t=6m15s) - the same banner appears when you make a headshot or achieve a killstreak - is a one to one duplication of the BF3 'distorted, flickering downstriped text' UI theme, and it needs to be gotten rid of, hastily. (Example HERE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDDfPxF3EFE#t=1m51s) and HERE) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDDfPxF3EFE#t=0m9s)

Yeah, it's a nitpick, and everything is subject to change and as TB said, the current UI is very unlikely final, but what's it doing there in the first place?

[Stardouser]

Are drop pods guidable/flyable/whatever?

[Rbstr]

I do. But that is why its called an opinion.

And disabling needs to die in a firepit.

So does typing in orange. Seriously stop that shit.

[Rbstr]

Nah it won't kill it but will likely shorten it's lifespan. Commoditization of various aspects just increases the disposability. Also, persistence may well be more of a liability than an asset. Attracting, hell I don't know the number, what, 20 Million Cod/BF players by not deviating much from some of their fundamental aspects, then expecting them to understand they are playing a game which no one can win, may prove difficult to retain. Not even mentioning the pimp mobiles.

Having 9-year old shooter mechanics like many here lobby for certainly won't help longevity. They weren't even particularly good at release.

Nobody sane would by a 0 miles, never driven, 2003 Chevy Malibu for full price. People expect more now.

[Hamma]

I really liked the drop pod animation. It looked like you could control it a little bit on the way down. I wonder what will happen if you line a drop pod up on a deployed (or in flight) galaxy. :)

Hey TB/Hamma what happens at the flight ceiling? Do you get an out of bounds, stall or hit invisible wall?

At the moment you just kind of stop I'm not sure if that is the final intention or not.

The drop pod animation in this game is in fact pretty badass :D

[ringring]

Are drop pods guidable/flyable/whatever?

In PS1, no.

In PS2 don't know ofc. I hope they're not and I hope there are restrictions on which piece of ground you can drop pod into. For instance, so that you cannot do cheap tactics of a cloaker standing by a capture point and the squad, squad spawns on top of him.

[captainkapautz]

New PS2 Video released = 25% HOLY SHIT AWESOME + 75% HOLY SHIT BF RABBLERABBLERABBLE

[QuantumMechanic]

That Scythe is obviously super maneuverable compared to the other ES fighters. Whereas the Reaver and Mosquito seem to have more realistic flight mechanics this time around, the Scythe seems to easily stop on a dime, hover and shoot (like the PS1 "flying camera" flight mechanics).

I know that SOE has mentioned they are planning on toning it down - I'm curious to see what they do.

[ArmedZealot]

New PS2 Video released = 25% HOLY SHIT AWESOME + 75% HOLY SHIT BF RABBLERABBLERABBLE


Seriously. And people call me out for having problems with the PS community.

[Stardouser]

In PS1, no.

In PS2 don't know ofc. I hope they're not and I hope there are restrictions on which piece of ground you can drop pod into. For instance, so that you cannot do cheap tactics of a cloaker standing by a capture point and the squad, squad spawns on top of him.

I was thinking several things:
1. IF pods can be guided, it will let you drop onto just about anywhere you want, and that wouldn't be good.
2. It's going to create a constant meteor shower(hundreds of players per battle, you know?), especially obvious at night, and will get old after a while.
3. It gives your SL's position away and will eventually drive people into just using Galaxies for respawn. Maybe this is not a bad thing, or maybe it is, I'm just stating an observation here.

[Graywolves]

I'm hoping the boundaries are just because they haven't finished some of the outer areas yet. I would like to have a beach and an area to fly low and attempt to sneak up the side of the map.

[JHendy]

Having 9-year old shooter mechanics like many here lobby for certainly won't help longevity. They weren't even particularly good at release.

Nobody sane would by a 0 miles, never driven, 2003 Chevy Malibu for full price. People expect more now.

Which part of his comment implies that he wants PS2 to have 9 year-old gunplay mechanics? :rolleyes:

Keep rockin' the analogies, by the way. Love em.

[Aaron]

The game looks so awesome right now. Great job devs!

And don't worry guys. If there's anything horrible that must go, you'll have a voice in the shaping of the game in beta.

[CyclesMcHurtz]

i would think the same,unfinished area's,so far all the alpha footage i have seen from Higby and you has been from that one area,be nice to see inside the warp gate bases

You can watch him crash right into a warp gate shield ... 3:32 ... which is always hilarious. Far fewer crashes per minute in this video :)

[captainkapautz]

Ya know, if people could at least wait till beta with the RABBLERABBLE, I wouldn't even care.
But come on people, ALPHA!

I get the sentiment of "We have to voice concerns early to be heard!", but alpha is usually the point of a game were the devs just try to get the shit running in a decent fashion, and balance is pretty much nonexistant, because it doesn't matter at all at this early state.

Beta people, that's the time to RABBLERABBLE to your hearts content.

Alpha is the time when you thank the heavens that the devs are as awesome as they are by even giving us this humongous amount of info early.

[ArmedZealot]

Alpha is the time when you thank the heavens that the devs are as awesome as they are by even giving us this humongous amount of info early.

Whiteknight.

[Baron]

Yea,

The [Warning Leaving Combat Area] thing appears WAAAAY to soon. It's nice to have a little wiggle-room so you can skirt a major front-line battle and get behind the lines for some covert fun.

[Rbstr]

Yeah man, I think if they don't release a reskinned carbon copy of Planetside then PS2 will fail miserably. Seriously? Is that what I said? Or is that what you want me to say to support what you said? What can I say? You made my point. You have achieved high points for originality with that car qoute. Can we get a few more of those please?

I was quoting you because of the topic. Did I explicitly refer to you at all? No. Calm the fuck down.

For of the hyperbole thrown around here, what about this sets you off so much?

[captainkapautz]

Whiteknight.

SHHHHH!

Don't ruin my chances at an early betainvite, heathen!

[Mechzz]

In PS1, no.

In PS2 don't know ofc. I hope they're not and I hope there are restrictions on which piece of ground you can drop pod into. For instance, so that you cannot do cheap tactics of a cloaker standing by a capture point and the squad, squad spawns on top of him.

Higby has said they will be steerable and capable of killing enemy on impact :D

[ringring]

I was thinking several things:
1. IF pods can be guided, it will let you drop onto just about anywhere you want, and that wouldn't be good.
2. It's going to create a constant meteor shower(hundreds of players per battle, you know?), especially obvious at night, and will get old after a while.
3. It gives your SL's position away and will eventually drive people into just using Galaxies for respawn. Maybe this is not a bad thing, or maybe it is, I'm just stating an observation here.

Yep.

Personally I hope the squad spawn is somewthing you would use when you first log on and need to link up quickly with where your squad is fighting and not used for particular tactical advantage.

[Stardouser]

Yep.

Personally I hope the squad spawn is somewthing you would use when you first log on and need to link up quickly with where your squad is fighting and not used for particular tactical advantage.

I think squad spawn should be just like Battlefield 2, you spawn standing right next to your leader(but your leader ONLY, none of this allspawn nonsense). A lot of people think this speeds the game up too much but I don't, as long as it's squad leader spawn only, finding and killing the squad leader disrupts the whole squad since he will have to respawn at the nearest Galaxy or whatever. And because of this fear, the squad leader is likely to stay back at a safe distance most of the time, keeping the pace tempered. IMO.

But that aside, the idea of drop podding every time seems so repetitive that it would make you sick. Protracted squad spawn fights result in dying a lot and squad respawning a lot.

[Bruttal]

ive always been vanu but that sythe is ugly as hell from the back, the mossy looks smoother then ours from the rear sadly thats what view we will be looking at it from all the time or first person to see the rear of the guy your following

[Gogita]

I think squad spawn should be just like Battlefield 2, you spawn standing right next to your leader(but your leader ONLY, none of this allspawn nonsense). A lot of people think this speeds the game up too much but I don't, as long as it's squad leader spawn only, finding and killing the squad leader disrupts the whole squad since he will have to respawn at the nearest Galaxy or whatever. And because of this fear, the squad leader is likely to stay back at a safe distance most of the time, keeping the pace tempered. IMO.

But that aside, the idea of drop podding every time seems so repetitive that it would make you sick. Protracted squad spawn fights result in dying a lot and squad respawning a lot.

No.....

Drop pod ftw

[dpranker]

I definitely like the droppod, its SUPPOSED to give away your position, and its on a cooldown.

They don't want it to be the main way you spawn

[Kurtz]

At some point after 11:00 minutes he says:

"The main problem with the lattice system is that there wasn't really any fighting between bases unless vehicles kind of clashed, which was kinda rare, open field warfare didn't happen that much because there was no reason for it to happen. You would drive from one base to the other maybe there would be a little skirmish but most of the fighting would end up around bases which is not necessarily that interesting. Putting more facilities out in the open, towers and capture points that are not part of the main base structure is hopefully designed to remedy that as well as having this hex based front line whereby you capture territory as opposed to merely facilities."



TB, I love you but you are wrong on this one. When the game was released you had ambushes set up all over the map. CE guys would put mines and turrets down all over main chokepoints, there'd be strikers in the hills. But of course this was 2003-2004. Doubt there was much of it afterwards. But the point is we want to encourage those big outdoor fights away from the bases and I think the PS2 dev team is trying to do that by putting outposts and towers around much like PS1.

Hamma, I think its ok to compare what we see in the footage to the things we do not like about BF3 and COD. Just because something is implemented in a modern shooter, does not mean it needs to be implemented in PS2. For one thing, Bombs. There needs to be bombs in the Liberator and I can already tell by the model design, that there will not be. This is disappointing because I feel EA made a big mistake nerfing the jets.

[Stardouser]

TB, I love you but you are wrong on this one. When the game was released you had ambushes set up all over the map. CE guys would put mines and turrets down all over main chokepoints, there'd be strikers in the hills. But of course this was 2003-2004. Doubt there was much of it afterwards. But the point is we want to encourage those big outdoor fights away from the bases and I think the PS2 dev team is trying to do that by putting outposts and towers around much like PS1.

Hamma, I think its ok to compare what we see in the footage to the things we do not like about BF3 and COD. Just because something is implemented in a modern shooter, does not mean it needs to be implemented in PS2. For one thing, Bombs. There needs to be bombs in the Liberator and I can already tell by the model design, that there will not be. This is disappointing because I feel EA made a big mistake nerfing the jets.

I agree with TB, but for different reasons. I believe the sheer smallness of the continents, nothing to do with the lattice system, causes an attacking force to reach their target base before they can be attacked out in the open. That's what they need to do something about.

[Kurtz]

again, I played this game in 2003 and was on the Emerald server when the world record for players in a FPS was set.

You couldn't go 10 feet anywhere on the map without enemy contact.

PS. Thanks for the vids TB, we get great insight with what you are showing us. Thanks for taking out the A2A launcher so we could see Flares and ground to air combat in play.

[Atheosim]

I really hope the "out of bounds" thing extends as far as they did in PS1. Or at least several hundred meters outside of the continent's shore.

[Furber]

Very glad he did a sort of "explaining the core of Planetside" video. So many people on his videos are commenting wanting to know more about how the game works

[Naz The Eternal]

drooling all over my desk damnit...Love the scythe, love the drop pods, love the look and feel of it from the videos... Give us more TB, good stuff!

[The Janitor]

When I come back from the west coast, the invasion will begin.

Hold onto your butts.

How did no one repost this a dozen times while screaming, crying, and trying to discern if he meant beta or not? You guys are going blind. Or possibly just too into the gameplay vid. Either way... :lol:

[2coolforu]

When I come back from the west coast, the invasion will begin.

Hold onto your butts.

IS IT BETA

TELL US

TELL US!

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/07-12-2010-021138PM1-229x300.jpg

[The Janitor]

IS IT BETA

TELL US

TELL US!

That's more like it! You had me worried there for a sec... :rofl:

[captainkapautz]

TB is talking about the people wanting to try PS1, and he probably wants to join 'em.

Edit: LOL Neocron, damn those were the days.

[KTNApollo]

TB said (somewhere, I don't remember) that he was thinking about re-subscribing to PS1 when he gets back...don't get too excited, it's not beta.

[The Janitor]

Oh, I was just commenting on how people weren't freaking out over it, as usually happens over comments like that. I enjoy it, makes for a good laugh. :D

[SgtMAD]

At some point after 11:00 minutes he says:

"The main problem with the lattice system is that there wasn't really any fighting between bases unless vehicles kind of clashed, which was kinda rare, open field warfare didn't happen that much because there was no reason for it to happen. You would drive from one base to the other maybe there would be a little skirmish but most of the fighting would end up around bases which is not necessarily that interesting. Putting more facilities out in the open, towers and capture points that are not part of the main base structure is hopefully designed to remedy that as well as having this hex based front line whereby you capture territory as opposed to merely facilities."

There's also a lot more copying from BF3 than total biscuit admits. Scale and persistence BF3 does not have but a lot of the customizations are taken from BF3, the UI, the sprinting, etc. Right here I'm simply stating facts, not saying it's good or bad.

Possible error? At 13:58 he mouses over "TR-ASF-WM AIR TO AIR MISSLES" but the description says they lock onto ground vehicles?

yea I heard TB say that crap and its not true,I have seen huge openfield armor/air/infantry fights between bases,these went on all the time.

there are quite a few things that he had wrong,Command rank 5 took three weeks to get if you played a couple hours a day,hell it was so easy that I have 4 cr5s myself.

Vehs used to drain NTU's out of the bases when spawned,in fact ppl spawning inside bases used to drain NTU's also,all that got nerfed almost right away because all you had to do was trap the enemies inside and rush in, kill a few and make them spawn and the base would drain after approx. 15 minutes,

anyone remember ant bombs ?LOL good fun,you could also refill the NTU silo from outside the wall,it was a nice bug

PS2 has resources,PS had NTU's,they just removed the "cost" of spawning vehs/chars,when ppl start bitching about not being able to pull whatever veh in the PS2 forums after release,that resource system might not survive.

[2coolforu]

Get ready for an increase in planetside 1 populations

http://i.imgur.com/HI7lJ.jpg

[Papagiorgio]

Not sure what's up with the "Out of Bounds, return to battle" message. Any place on the continent should be explorable.

[Toppopia]

Not sure what's up with the "Out of Bounds, return to battle" message. Any place on the continent should be explorable.

But what should happen once you reach the each of the continent? Should be allowed to keep going? No. That is a waste of game resources to load whole new terrain just for 1 person who felt like flying 50 miles away from the actual playing area. I only want 'return to battlefield' messages if it is at the each of the continent, but change the message to 'your power reserves don't allow travel this far out' or something along those lines.

[Zulthus]

but change the message to 'your power reserves don't allow travel this far out' or something along those lines.

That's basically how it was in PS1, and you just dropped into the ocean and died after you flew out too far. That's how it should be in PS2... you can actually give a reason for why you can't go out there. "RETURN TO COMBAT IN 10 SECONDS" is stupid, IMHO. Most likely it's just a placeholder though.

[Toppopia]

That's basically how it was in PS1, and you just dropped into the ocean and died after you flew out too far. That's how it should be in PS2... you can actually give a reason for why you can't go out there. "RETURN TO COMBAT IN 10 SECONDS" is stupid, IMHO. Most likely it's just a placeholder though.

I would assume its a placeholder, or else when we get to beta and see it still says something bad, we can remind them to change, shouldn't be too hard to change 1 sentence in that code, which is the message that the code displays. So should only be 5 minutes work, the hard part will be finding the location of the code in the millions of code in the system.

[SKYeXile]

I had a big grin on my facing during the scythe part...what am i talking about...i still have it.

[Serpent]

Good to know TB found us on the forums :)

Looking forward to an hour long video :3

[Pyreal]

/drool

[Corax]

Lol @ smed rocket podding TB at ~12:16

Also do like the showcase of the drop pod at 12:48

[FireStormNova]

Planetside 2 - Just what is it all about, anyway? - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptGe-UplC34&feature=g-u-u)

Cannot get enough of it....

AT 12:45 Looks like they will have orbital drop pod option but with out the old Hart vehicle?
LOL I loved thoes Drops from Orbit right into combat! popcorn:

[Corax]

The droppod is actually very reminiscent of a fairly recent game (past 2-3 years I think) called Section 8.

In it you came into the battlefield in a drop pod. But the drop pod was a real world interactable thing. AA could actually shoot you out of the air and kill you before you even landed.

The cool thing was that you could in fact guide the drop pod. You could choose to land in a "green" zone which was a safe drop point devoid of any enemy AA. Or you could choose to try a more dangerous approach by drop podding directly onto an enemy base. This was a highly risky maneuver as their AA would usually auto target you and blow your ass out of the sky. But if you had enough friendlies dropping in you could make it past the AA flak cover and assault the base directly.

It was an incredibly fun mechanic that I personally really enjoyed.

[SixShooter]

The droppod is actually very reminiscent of a fairly recent game (past 2-3 years I think) called Section 8.

In it you came into the battlefield in a drop pod. But the drop pod was a real world interactable thing. AA could actually shoot you out of the air and kill you before you even landed.

The cool thing was that you could in fact guide the drop pod. You could choose to land in a "green" zone which was a safe drop point devoid of any enemy AA. Or you could choose to try a more dangerous approach by drop podding directly onto an enemy base. This was a highly risky maneuver as their AA would usually auto target you and blow your ass out of the sky. But if you had enough friendlies dropping in you could make it past the AA flak cover and assault the base directly.

It was an incredibly fun mechanic that I personally really enjoyed.

I you could damage drop pods/soldier with flak = Fucking AWESOME!!! That make people think twice about dropping in to an enemy base, best find a better tactical position.

[Chowley]

When I come back from the west coast, the invasion will begin.

Hold onto your butts.

ok im scared now :D

edit: Oooh my brain just kicked in. Intrigued.

[Xyntech]

Wow. Seeing that scythe footage, I can see why they are saying it's currently overpowered. I can't wait to fly even the nerfed version.

This shit is just going to be entirely too much fun.

[RavenUSC3]

I see a few other people noticed the out of bounds thing. As far as the continent not being finished....they have the out of bounds message programmed in there, so supposedly its supposed to be part of the game, granted the boundaries just may not be set yet. I really dislike it though. If they're going to have it they should make it so far off the coast that it isn't any area anyone would want to be in anyway, but right off the coast I don't care for. You can have air battles out there, mags can get out there, and who knows what else. Plus weren't they talking about naval combat at some point?

[Toppopia]

I see a few other people noticed the out of bounds thing. As far as the continent not being finished....they have the out of bounds message programmed in there, so supposedly its supposed to be part of the game, granted the boundaries just may not be set yet. I really dislike it though. If they're going to have it they should make it so far off the coast that it isn't any area anyone would want to be in anyway, but right off the coast I don't care for. You can have air battles out there, mags can get out there, and who knows what else. Plus weren't they talking about naval combat at some point?

I think naval combat is still ages away, so i don't mind if the shore is the cut off point, because why would we need to be out there? But after release when they start doing naval stuff, then they will need to move the boundary.

[Virulence]

Every time I see a mention of "Naval combat" in Planetside 2, I always think "Massive offshore resource harvesting platform." Multi-tiered thing, swarms of patrol boats, destroyers, and aircraft circling around it, boarding it from a sea-level foothold in naval transports and fighting your way up, securing footholds as you go...

Oh, that would be fun.

[FireStormNova]

The droppod is actually very reminiscent of a fairly recent game (past 2-3 years I think) called Section 8.

If you had enough friendlies dropping in you could make it past the AA flak cover and assault the base directly.

It was an incredibly fun mechanic that I personally really enjoyed.

:D Yea i can all ready see this being a tactic used in in PS2 and will probly be as fun and exciting like when Hot Drops started in PS1!
I wonder if you will have to put points into it to get the Drop Pod option?
:sniper:

[SoNaR]

The droppod is actually very reminiscent of a fairly recent game (past 2-3 years I think) called Section 8.


Reminds me more of Battlefield 2142, it had this feature too (was released in 2006), you would come down in a pod if you spawned on a squad leaders spawn beacon.

[Badjuju]

At some point after 11:00 minutes he says:

"The main problem with the lattice system is that there wasn't really any fighting between bases unless vehicles kind of clashed, which was kinda rare, open field warfare didn't happen that much because there was no reason for it to happen. You would drive from one base to the other maybe there would be a little skirmish but most of the fighting would end up around bases which is not necessarily that interesting. Putting more facilities out in the open, towers and capture points that are not part of the main base structure is hopefully designed to remedy that as well as having this hex based front line whereby you capture territory as opposed to merely facilities."

There's also a lot more copying from BF3 than total biscuit admits. Scale and persistence BF3 does not have but a lot of the customizations are taken from BF3, the UI, the sprinting, etc. Right here I'm simply stating facts, not saying it's good or bad.

Possible error? At 13:58 he mouses over "TR-ASF-WM AIR TO AIR MISSLES" but the description says they lock onto ground vehicles?

All of that however is common in any modern FPS, not just BF3, and isn't what going to differentiate one game from another. The game play is what is important, and the two aspects he mentions separates it far from any game. I agree with him that the only thing this game has in common with BF3 is basic mechanics, which you are going to put in any FPS today if you want to have a more realistic feel to it.

[SKYeXile]

I have the upmost support for SOE, but you really just cant help bar draw parallels between PS2 and BF3.

The way control points are located, instead of there been one, they're is now multiple, they look exactly like Mcom stations, you all get a nice little bonus 100XP when you click on one and flip it, a base in planetside sorta does look like its a conquest map from BF, which i feel is there goal to spreadout the population amongst multiple points, since they probably dont want 700 people cramming down a stairwell.

The way XP and objectives are displayed, each kill is a flat 100 now instead of using planetsides variable systemd based off time alive and other factors, it seems to follow bf's 100 for a kill, xx for an assist and then 50 for headshot ect, it then does this big glow splash at the top of your screen when you RANK UP, i know it did it in PS...but im saying the similarities here.



then there is the general look of the combat, the ADS and sights, there's alot of games that still dont use this, halo for example, its still extremely popular. Modernising it is a poor excuse for ADS. But, i guess its what the kids want these days, realism in video games...

then there's the whole classes, each class having a sidearm, primary and maybe a utility slot..along with the light assault class dropping ammo boxes, exactly like in battlefield. IMO that should be the enginners job, like in TF2...but then you would be copy valve...so SOE probably cant really win here.

anyway, there are other popular games out there they can take modern elements from besides battlefield and COD, dont ever go full COD.

[JPalmer]

then there is the general look of the combat, the ADS and sights, there's alot of games that still dont use this, halo for example, its still extremely popular. Modernising it is a poor excuse for ADS. But, i guess its what the kids want these days, realism in video games...



Are people still not over this?

[SKYeXile]

Are people still not over this?

CLEARLY not!

[Zulthus]

I have the upmost support for SOE, but you really just cant help bar draw parallels between PS2 and BF3.

The way control points are located, instead of there been one, they're is now multiple, they look exactly like Mcom stations, you all get a nice little bonus 100XP when you click on one and flip it, a base in planetside sorta does look like its a conquest map from BF, which i feel is there goal to spreadout the population amongst multiple points, since they probably dont want 700 people cramming down a stairwell.

The way XP and objectives are displayed, each kill is a flat 100 now instead of using planetsides variable systemd based off time alive and other factors, it seems to follow bf's 100 for a kill, xx for an assist and then 50 for headshot ect, it then does this big glow splash at the top of your screen when you RANK UP, i know it did it in PS...but im saying the similarities here.


I have to strongly agree on these two points... especially the XP. I hate how they're just doing the cliche shooter +100 for every kill. I loved the satisfaction of getting that +2000 xp when you killed someone who was dominating in PS1.

I dislike the idea of the BF3 kill system in this game:
Kill +100
Headshot +50 etc...

Especially in vehicles... you felt like you accomplished something and got satisfaction when killing enemy vehicles. You got a nice juicy chunk of xp... you could get upwards of 4000 xp from killing a single tank.

Now what it seems it's reduced to:

Vehicle Destruction +200 (maybe it's more in depth but that's all I saw)

[Aractain]

Planetside 2 shouldn't have good design because BF3 used it? Why are these things bad? Each concept should be implemented to enhance gameplay and I havn't seen anything that dosn't yet.

[Stardouser]

You have to admit, spreading out the control points just plain makes sense, prevents everyone from converging on the same point, and there's no need to have a maze of interior hallways to make it hard to reach.

[Mechzz]

You have to admit, spreading out the control points just plain makes sense, prevents everyone from converging on the same point, and there's no need to have a maze of interior hallways to make it hard to reach.

I'm kinda hoping that some bases will have complex interiors. Best bet so far seems to be the biodome?

[Gandhi]

The way XP and objectives are displayed, each kill is a flat 100 now instead of using planetsides variable systemd based off time alive and other factors, it seems to follow bf's 100 for a kill, xx for an assist and then 50 for headshot ect,

This. I can only hope it's a placeholder, because switching to a flat XP system would be a big mistake. It's already old and tired because it's in almost every FPS that hits the market, from a player's perspective I can't think of any good reason to use it over something like Planetside's system. Maybe there's a good reason from a design perspective, I don't know, but if the variable system is still possible then it's well worth the extra effort to include it.

[Xyntech]

This. I can only hope it's a placeholder, because switching to a flat XP system would be a big mistake. It's already old and tired because it's in almost every FPS that hits the market, from a player's perspective I can't think of any good reason to use it over something like Planetside's system. Maybe there's a good reason from a design perspective, I don't know, but if the variable system is still possible then it's well worth the extra effort to include it.

Yeah, I strongly hope it's a placeholder. I wouldn't even mind seeing it amped up over the first game, where killing players fresh out of spawning is next to worthless (aside from helping stack your kill stats), while killing people who have earned a lot of points (gotten a lot of kills, assists, healed a lot of people, etc) nets a shitload of experience. It would almost turn into a bounty system, where players would deliberately gun for those enemies who were doing the most for their empire.

Everyone would want a piece of that sniper racking up kills, or that pilot spamming your infantry, or that tank that's been surviving and harassing you for the past 20 minutes.

A shit ton of stuff seems to be in a very placeholder status for the time being though. For example, TB had like 2500 resources in his Liberator video, but it only cost like 50 to spawn a Lib. If that isn't placeholder on one end or the other, then the entire thing is fucking clown shoes.

Still, it's worth keeping an eye on. If 100xp for every kill seems to be how they want to handle it once beta is under way, it would certainly be worth campaigning against.

There are things I think should be changed from PS1, things I don't give a shit about, and things I think should absolutely be kept. Battlefield (and modern shooters in general) have plenty of shit that falls into the first two categories for me, so I don't mind a lot of the similarities.

Certainly PS2 is no Battlefield clone, but it also certainly has a lot in common with it. If both extreme sides of the argument could just acknowledge this, I think the debate would be a lot more rational.

But it seems that BF3 is the new Halo, when it comes to games that it's taboo to compare Planetside to. What a fucking joke, then and now. A game can have a lot in common without being even remotely identical.

[Shade Millith]

I'm hoping that 'Out of Bounds' is a alpha thing to keep them in one area. 'Out of bounds' should be exactly like it was in PS1.

[Hamma]

You have to admit, spreading out the control points just plain makes sense, prevents everyone from converging on the same point, and there's no need to have a maze of interior hallways to make it hard to reach.
Agreed it will make for much more varied gameplay rather than "Oh the AMP station always has this" etc.

I'm hoping that 'Out of Bounds' is a alpha thing to keep them in one area. 'Out of bounds' should be exactly like it was in PS1.

I honestly don't think that mechanic was done yet.

[Kipper]

I am finding myself thinking the UI is annoying. There are 3 identical radar icons he can choose and he has to mouse over to see the description for what each one does

placeholder images!

[ringring]

I have to strongly agree on these two points... especially the XP. I hate how they're just doing the cliche shooter +100 for every kill. I loved the satisfaction of getting that +2000 xp when you killed someone who was dominating in PS1.

I dislike the idea of the BF3 kill system in this game:
Kill +100
Headshot +50 etc...

Especially in vehicles... you felt like you accomplished something and got satisfaction when killing enemy vehicles. You got a nice juicy chunk of xp... you could get upwards of 4000 xp from killing a single tank.

Now what it seems it's reduced to:

Vehicle Destruction +200 (maybe it's more in depth but that's all I saw)

But do you know for a fact this is how it will be. Yea, it was like that in the footage we have seen so far.........

Personally I liked it ps1 .... there was a little illicit glow of pleasure when you killed someone and you got 1000 xp and a small downturn of disappointment when it was only 40xp. :p

[Stardouser]

I don't so much care what they do for the points, I just don't like how BF3(and BC2 before it) pop up the points right in your face in the middle of the screen. I personally prefer a very nice killfeed on the top right of the screen, and the ability to hit, say, Tab, or Caps, etc, to bring up a Score In Current Session screen.

Also, I don't like how the killfeed is NAME-GRAPHIC-NAME, I would prefer that instead of a graphic, it should say Cycler, or Reaver, etc. This by the way, there's no reason why they shouldn't let people customize it. Some people will want the killfeed to just show the murder weapon's graphic and others will want the text name of the weapon. This is one thing where everyone could be satisfied without harm.

[roguy]

This. I can only hope it's a placeholder, because switching to a flat XP system would be a big mistake. It's already old and tired because it's in almost every FPS that hits the market, from a player's perspective I can't think of any good reason to use it over something like Planetside's system. Maybe there's a good reason from a design perspective, I don't know, but if the variable system is still possible then it's well worth the extra effort to include it.

If they're emulating the battlefield system it may be because they want to reward teamplay actions such as revives, heals ,repairs and to take better account better play (ie: killing random soldier = 100, killing that MBT that's holding your whole team back = 200+driver kills).

I can't but feel like I'm missing something, did BF3 run over everyone's dog or something? Their XP system is hands down the best on the market afaik (aside from rewarding long range sniper shots more than soloing a tank+capping an mcom -.-). And heck, at least BF3 didn't have contrived shitty aberations like being forced to stand in SOI's, wich everyone forgets to mention.

[ArmedZealot]

Yeah, I strongly hope it's a placeholder. I wouldn't even mind seeing it amped up over the first game, where killing players fresh out of spawning is next to worthless (aside from helping stack your kill stats), while killing people who have earned a lot of points (gotten a lot of kills, assists, healed a lot of people, etc) nets a shitload of experience. It would almost turn into a bounty system, where players would deliberately gun for those enemies who were doing the most for their empire.

Everyone would want a piece of that sniper racking up kills, or that pilot spamming your infantry, or that tank that's been surviving and harassing you for the past 20 minutes.

A shit ton of stuff seems to be in a very placeholder status for the time being though. For example, TB had like 2500 resources in his Liberator video, but it only cost like 50 to spawn a Lib. If that isn't placeholder on one end or the other, then the entire thing is fucking clown shoes.

Still, it's worth keeping an eye on. If 100xp for every kill seems to be how they want to handle it once beta is under way, it would certainly be worth campaigning against.

As far as the capture mechanics go, I don't really have a problem with the current implementation. I wish they would add in a 10 minute timer after all capture points are taken before the base fully flips though.

I like this idea for XP. It certainly makes the battlefield more dynamic and entertaining. I wonder if there would be a way to somehow track an enemies "bounty" and have it advertised to the opposing empires. Players with the most "bounty" at the end of the day get posted on a Planetside.com scoreboard as well.

As far as the U.I goes I agree. Again I hate to be that guy, but the U.I needs more work to differentiate itself from both BF3. It is very obvious.

If they're emulating the battlefield system it may be because they want to reward teamplay actions such as revives, heals ,repairs and to take better account better play (ie: killing random soldier = 100, killing that MBT that's holding your whole team back = 200+driver kills). Why can't we have PS's variable XP system along with something that would reward the support roles as well?

[Xyntech]

I wonder if there should be a thing where players who do better over a longer period give better experience to people who kill them versus people who usually do worse but are having a lucky run on their current spawn.

Also, you could do things like giving a higher reward for reviving players who earn more points and contribute more to their empire versus players who contribute less, although it shouldn't be as large a distinction I don't think, so that medics never pass over someone just because they wont get much experience from them.

Having a more dynamic rewards system for as many elements as possible would be awesome.

We already know that engineers who deploy mana turrets that get a lot of kills will get more xp than ones who deploy useless turrets, but that's an easy one to implement.

[ArmedZealot]

I wonder if there should be a thing where players who do better over a longer period give better experience to people who kill them versus people who usually do worse but are having a lucky run on their current spawn.

I don't think there should be a need to differentiate it. If a bad player gets lucky he should know what true attention is like :D.

Having a more dynamic rewards system for as many elements as possible would be awesome.

I agree.

[roguy]

As far as the U.I goes I agree. Again I hate to be that guy, but the U.I needs more work to differentiate itself from both BF3. It is very obvious.


Hmm so let's see:

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map in the bottom left corner so PS2 can't do that...
COD has it in the top left... OMG CAN'T HAVE THAT, COD IS THE DEVIL!!11&
Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HANG ON GUYS I HAVE AN IDEAAAAAAAAA

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG! :lol:


Why can't we have PS's variable XP system along with something that would reward the support roles as well?


Well, how do you get variable multipliers to work with say heal, repairs and spotting? You spot a good player > you get more spotting points? You heal a good player you get more healing points?

In the variable system you get more xp depending the skill+ usefulness of your kill (or at least a close approximation). Healing a good player might be more useful but it doesn't take more skill.
Alternatively if you just give a flat amount of xp for healing how do you balance it against the variable xp for getting kills?

[Xyntech]

I don't think there should be a need to differentiate it. If a bad player gets lucky he should know what true attention is like :D

Oh I mostly agree, I just think that maybe the really skilled players could give like an extra 20% experience or so, as long as they are killed x amount of time after spawning. Camping a spawn tube shouldn't reward any more experience for killing a pro (one time before they spawn in a smarter location) versus killing a noob.

It should mostly be rewarded based on how well your current life has gone though, I agree.

[Lonehunter]

Not a bad video for those who never played PS1, TB goes over it pretty much the whole video.

and then he appears to spawn hot drop style..... I had to change my pants

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map...COD has it in the top left...Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG! :lol:
Stop stealing words out of my mind!

[Stardouser]

Hmm so let's see:

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map in the bottom left corner so PS2 can't do that...
COD has it in the top left... OMG CAN'T HAVE THAT, COD IS THE DEVIL!!11&
Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HANG ON GUYS I HAVE AN IDEAAAAAAAAA

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG! :lol:


The fact that PS2's minimap resembles BF3's minimap in size and shape is irrelevant, what matters is that BF3's minimap has poor zooming and other qualities, and THAT should not be copied.

Oh, and here's another thing I don't want to see PS2 copy. In BF3, maybe even in BF2, when you die and respawn, your minimap can reset to its maximum zoomed setting. Please SOE, the minimap zoom setting should remain the same through respawn.

[ArmedZealot]

Hmm so let's see:

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map in the bottom left corner so PS2 can't do that...
COD has it in the top left... OMG CAN'T HAVE THAT, COD IS THE DEVIL!!11&
Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HANG ON GUYS I HAVE AN IDEAAAAAAAAA

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG! :lol:

Chill big guy.

http://i.imgur.com/Jf5bh.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/uBwLX.jpg

It's more so the squad indicator than anything. I get that I am probably talking to a wall here, and you have now idea how I feel about people comparing things to BF3. But in this case I'll play that card, and I am among the last to do so.

The interface is one of the first things players will see in the game, not only this but it will be the most seen thing in the game. If it isn't unique then it gives all the trolls that will come to this game who wanna throw the BF3 card more ammo.

[Stardouser]

I just hope we have a detailed squad window that we can bring up. Perhaps hitting tab could bring up some kind of combined window that shows Squad details, Stats in the current session, etc. I definitely don't want it to be like Battlefield 3 where you have to hit Escape and then hit Squad as if it were such an unused feature that you'd only ever access it as often as you would Video Options. That's a major turnoff to squad play in BF3. In other words, it takes as long to get to the detailed squad screen in BF3 as it does to change video options. That's not good.

[ringring]

I don't so much care what they do for the points, I just don't like how BF3(and BC2 before it) pop up the points right in your face in the middle of the screen. I personally prefer a very nice killfeed on the top right of the screen, and the ability to hit, say, Tab, or Caps, etc, to bring up a Score In Current Session screen.

Also, I don't like how the killfeed is NAME-GRAPHIC-NAME, I would prefer that instead of a graphic, it should say Cycler, or Reaver, etc. This by the way, there's no reason why they shouldn't let people customize it. Some people will want the killfeed to just show the murder weapon's graphic and others will want the text name of the weapon. This is one thing where everyone could be satisfied without harm.

I haven't commented on the interface on the basis that I just expected it to be customisable. And why not....

[ArmedZealot]

I just hope we have a detailed squad window that we can bring up. Perhaps hitting tab could bring up some kind of combined window that shows Squad details, Stats in the current session, etc. I definitely don't want it to be like Battlefield 3 where you have to hit Escape and then hit Squad as if it were such an unused feature that you'd only ever access it as often as you would Video Options. That's a major turnoff to squad play in BF3. In other words, it takes as long to get to the detailed squad screen in BF3 as it does to change video options. That's not good.

Just have it as part of the map screen.

[Stardouser]

Just have it as part of the map screen.

That too! Squad details would only need to take up a 2-3 inch wide by 5 inch tall section on the top left, Stats in Current Session a 2-3 inch wide by 3-4 inch tall on the bottom left, and the rest could be the large version of the map.
Note: Numbers are just made up.

[Gandhi]

If they're emulating the battlefield system it may be because they want to reward teamplay actions such as revives, heals ,repairs and to take better account better play

I get the feeling you played a long time ago, because Planetside's current system already does this far better. You could earn a TON of XP repairing vehicles and healing players, because you would get a portion of whatever XP they earned in a certain time frame after helping them. And I mean a ton, landing a Lodestar just behind the front line could earn you far more XP per hour than being part of the offensive.

Now admittedly it has some problems too, certain actions won't give you any XP at all (like repairing base assets) so there you could certainly put in a flat XP reward. But that's a fix that should be reserved for the broken parts, lets leave the working parts alone. I don't see a balance problem in there either, you're just rewarding two different types of actions differently. One is applied to other players (by killing or healing them) and gives variable XP, the other is applied to static props (like repairing base turrets) and gives a flat reward.

And I don't think they need to award XP for absolutely everything. XP for spotting someone? What's the purpose of that? Have we really come so far that people won't bother spotting if they don't get 25 XP each time they do it? I certainly hope not.

If there were a good reason for using flat XP everywhere then maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal, but I really don't see one.

[roguy]

It's more so the squad indicator than anything. I get that I am probably talking to a wall here, and you have now idea how I feel about people comparing things to BF3. But in this case I'll play that card, and I am among the last to do so.

The interface is one of the first things players will see in the game, not only this but it will be the most seen thing in the game. If it isn't unique then it gives all the trolls that will come to this game who wanna throw the BF3 card more ammo.

So you think that one of PS2s core design principals should be to try and be as different to BF3 as possible, regardless of wether it's good design or not?

The top rated comment on the OP video is a response to:

"Wow. I'm not sure how many more bad game companies can continue to completely rip off Halo and have the entiring gaming world love them for it. Dropships........Halo. Futuristic Armour........Halo. Futuristic Facilities........Halo. Tanks........Halo. Rocket Launchers........Halo. Cragside maps........Halo. Stealth Abilities........Halo. Multiplayer........Halo. Most clear and obvious rip off of Halo I've seen so far. How can you people be so fucking blind? " :doh:

A good mini map tells me where I am, where my allies and squadmates are, and the location of my enemies, that's its core purpose. Knowing who is in my squad and what classes they are is also really useful, it just makes sense to have the minimap AND the squad list in the same area of the screen.

So what changes do you propose? Separating the mini map and squad list is stupid. Arguing for a change of location to appease the whingy pedantics is also stupid.

[ArmedZealot]

So you think that one of PS2s core design principals should be to try and be as different to BF3 as possible, regardless of wether it's good design or not?

No. But I do think this would be a good time to at least innovate on BF3 design with respect to the UI. I have not mentioned anything else but the UI.

So what changes do you propose? Separating the mini map and squad list is stupid. Arguing for a change of location to appease the whingy pedantics is also stupid.

Why is separating the minimap and the squad list stupid? The minimap does not distinguish what squadmember is where like the old PS minimap. Squad members are not numbered and from what I can tell are only indicated by what armor they are wearing and what health status they have.

http://i.imgur.com/tZclI.png

Having them seperated or together makes no difference in the current scheme.

The base capture point indicator can be truncated anyways and the squad indicator can be moved to it's current position. The capture points are indicated already with the 3d indicators and the main map. I do not have to see what the status of capture points every second during play.

If we are going to keep the squad indicator near the minimap then squad members should be numbered at least.

If youre only points in an argument is that things are stupid, then you are pointless to have a discussion with. Give your opinion with supporting reasons.

[roguy]

I get the feeling you played a long time ago, because Planetside's current system already does this far better. You could earn a TON of XP repairing vehicles and healing players, because you would get a portion of whatever XP they earned in a certain time frame after helping them. And I mean a ton, landing a Lodestar just behind the front line could earn you far more XP per hour than being part of the offensive.


That's in PS1 now? Oh ok, you got me then, I'll have to rethink my position. :)


And I don't think they need to award XP for absolutely everything. XP for spotting someone? What's the purpose of that? Have we really come so far that people won't bother spotting if they don't get 25 XP each time they do it? I certainly hope not.


I've come to the point where I believe it's the case. Call me a pessimist but from my experience players always pick the path of least resistance, even in FPS where there is no XP, the unwashed masses seem to all gravitate to sniper to show off their K/D rather than go for team objectives. And where there IS and XP system I'm one to get thoroughly pissed off when i sniper get's more xp for killing 2 guys while i die 10 times taking a a team objective.

On the subject of Total Biscuit, he's made a few good examples in Tribes:Ascend where generator camping is almost useless but let's you rack up more XP than anyone doing the REAL work and showing the REAL skill.

[Gandhi]

I've come to the point where I believe it's the case. Call me a pessimist but from my experience players always pick the path of least resistance, even in FPS where there is no XP, the unwashed masses seem to all gravitate to sniper to show off their K/D rather than go for team objectives. And where there IS and XP system I'm one to get thoroughly pissed off when i sniper get's more xp for killing 2 guys while i die 10 times taking a a team objective.
I've noticed this too, I think it's time to wean them off this addiction before it gets out of hand :)

Besides those players tend to be the first to jump ship when the next flavor of the month FPS hits the shelves. And the core gameplay behind Planetside 2 is so unique that I think it can afford to be pretty bold in these areas, people will adapt because it offers something that can't be found anywhere else. Who knows, maybe they'll even come around and realize the teamplay aspect is more fun in the end. Most of them have never played a shooter where things like outfits are a core part of the game, they just play matches full of random people and maybe a couple RL friends, so it's not surprising that you end up with a lot of Rambos and tacticool snipers.

Oh well, we'll see. A man can hope at least.

[roguy]

Why is separating the minimap and the squad list stupid? The minimap does not distinguish what squadmember is where like the old PS minimap. Squad members are not numbered and from what I can tell are only indicated by what armor they are wearing and what health status they have.

Having them seperated or together makes no difference in the current scheme.


Having numbered squadmembers would be a good idea, yes. But even without the numbers it still doesn't make sense to seperate the minimap and squalist and the list of objectives. You don't like the word stupid? How about unintuitive?

The minimap is there to assess the tactical situation by geography, surroundings, friendly, squad and enemy positions (if even they are just different coloured "blips").
The squad list informs you of the tactical situation of your squad, by loadout, individuals and health(?).
The objective list informs you of the tactical situation in regards to the status of capture points, and wich side seems to be winning.

It just makes sense to put related information in the same place. Still don't get it?

It's like the dashboard in your car, would fixing the RPM counter next to your rear view mirror make sense? No, because it's unrelated information. It's almost only relevant in conjunction with other indicators like speed, engine heat and fuel level, so they all go in the same spot.


If youre only points in an argument is that things are stupid, then you are pointless to have a discussion with. Give your opinion with supporting reasons.

I'll lay off "stupid" as long as your criticisms arn't just "it's similar to BF3 and therefore BAD" without any other reasons. Deal?

[ArmedZealot]

Having numbered squadmembers would be a good idea, yes. But even without the numbers it still doesn't make sense to seperate the minimap and squalist and the list of objectives. You don't like the word stupid? How about unintuitive?

The minimap is there to assess the tactical situation by geography, surroundings, friendly, squad and enemy positions (if even they are just different coloured "blips").
The squad list informs you of the tactical situation of your squad, by loadout, individuals and health(?).
The objective list informs you of the tactical situation in regards to the status of capture points, and wich side seems to be winning.

It just makes sense to put related information in the same place. Still don't get it?

Just because you can glean the tactical situation from an indicator does not mean it is needed on the screen at all times. Especially when you have powerful 3d indicators providing much more intuitive information. And if you have time to asses your tactial situation, you have time to look around or pull up the map.

The minimap? Why is it all blue? You cant distinguish typography at all. Surroundings? look around. Friendly, squad, enemy positions? 3d indicators + map menu. The only thing needed is a compass.

Squad list? It's about as helpful as a roster. Move it to the map menu or number it.

The objective list? Move it to the map screen. Want to know the status of a capture point? Look in the general direction of the capture point, or pull up the map.

The only advantage that the minimap gives is that you can look at it while on the move. Simply turn the main map into an overlay that you can bring up with tab and allow the player to move and shoot while it's up.

I'll lay off "stupid" as long as your criticisms arn't just "it's similar to BF3 and therefore BAD" without any other reasons. Deal?

And there is a difference between "similar to BF3" and being a direct copy. One is a legitimate complaint. The screenshots posted above show blatant copying and no effort to improve. BF3's interface is not perfect. I'm not just saying that for some hyperbole done to troll.

[roguy]

Just because you can glean the tactical situation from an indicator does not mean it is needed on the screen at all times.

Ok so what you're getting at is that the UI takes up too much screen space? For someone who criticises me for supposedly not having any reasoning I'd have thought that that would be the first thing you'd mention instead of "it's like BF3 = BAD".


Especially when you have powerful 3d indicators providing much more intuitive information. And if you have time to asses your tactial situation, you have time to look around or pull up the map.


How about no? If an enemy is somewhere in front of you, 3D indicators fail to properly show whether they are in front of a building (eg at night), inside a building or behind a building. Wich is why it's best used in ADDITION to the minimap.

And here's another car metaphor: If you have time to glean your GPS navigation, do you have time to open a map out over the stearing wheel and read that instead? Yes or no?


Squad list? It's about as helpful as a roster. Move it to the map menu or number it.


If you don't like it, then you have your work cut out for you. ALL FPS, MMORPGs and even singleplayer RPGs with a team-up system show your squad/party in the UI, including the first Planetside. And yet this is the first time i've heard a complaint about it. There are some exceptions like Arma or Skyrim of course, but I can name plenty that came out long before <insert game that's cool to hate> came out.


The objective list? Move it to the map screen. Want to know the status of a capture point? Look in the general direction of the capture point, or pull up the map.


Adding additional unnecessary clicks when the previous idea worked fine? Well gee, I'm sure that'll improve the experience :rolleyes: (AFAIK Red Orchestra 2 does it your way and even the community agrees that it's a PITA).


The only advantage that the minimap gives is that you can look at it while on the move. Simply turn the main map into an overlay that you can bring up with tab and allow the player to move and shoot while it's up.


But THEN .................................................. ....... You'd be ripping off Diablo III, wouldn't you? :lol:


And there is a difference between "similar to BF3" and being a direct copy. One is a legitimate complaint. The screenshots posted above show blatant copying and no effort to improve. BF3's interface is not perfect. I'm not just saying that for some hyperbole done to troll.

Well it does seem that way. Do you see anyone else complaining that default bindings with WASD and an ammo count in the bottom right and therefore a Halflife rip off? Having vehicles in an FPS like Starsiege Tribes or Codename eagle? Or the ability to look up and down like Quake? Being in the future like HALO?

Anyway, homefront has exactly the UI too, but what do i care?
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/images/games/Homefront-Multiplayer-Video-Interview.jpg


It works (aside from the zoom, and the stupid washed out colors) and many gamers are comfortable with the setup, so why change it?

[ArmedZealot]

Ok so what you're getting at is that the UI takes up too much screen space? For someone who criticises me for supposedly not having any reasoning I'd have thought that that would be the first thing you'd mention instead of "it's like BF3 = BAD".

It works (aside from the zoom, and the stupid washed out colors) and many gamers are comfortable with the setup, so why change it?

It's not that I want things to take up less screen space just for the sake of them taking up less screen space.

It's generally accepted that the purpose of the U.I is to provide as much information in as elegant a way as possible. The less I have to do to get what I need the better off the UI is. Not only that but the most urgent information (player health, ammo etc.) has to be the easiest to get to while things not so urgent (capture points,base status) don't need to be shown all the time.

In an FPS the most urgent things will always be what you need to know when someone is shooting at you. These are the things that no clicks should be done to see. While things like the squad indicator, while relevant to know but doesn't have any impact on shooting someone or getting shot, can afford to be moved off screen.

Just because something works doesn't mean it shouldn't be improved upon. Players will always say something is good enough until something better shows up and they find out how bad they had it.

[Zulthus]

Roguy, PS1's squad display system was infinitely more usable and informative than where it is and what it tells you now. If you played the game, you'd know what I'm talking about.

Current (PS2)

Pros:
-Shows roster of squadmates? (You can barely see the names)
-Loadouts

Cons:
-Everything else

Planetside 1:

Pros:
-Showed health/armor of squadmates
-Gave you a color and number to call them by in chat or on TS for easy comms
-Showed each squad member's location
-Easy to read the names and numbers
-Optimal design for setting up a platoon
-Probably many more I'm leaving out

Cons:
-Can't see loadouts




I think we have a winner here...

[roguy]

Just because something works doesn't mean it shouldn't be improved upon. Players will always say something is good enough until something better shows up and they find out how bad they had it.

Sure ok, I'm interested to know how you'd do it.

Although I'd argue the opposite is also quite common, for example:

Bad company 2: No health indicator, pissed off pretty much everyone.
http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/376705.page
Brink: INFORMATION OVERLOAD. http://imageshack.us/f/218/0498eac35df38e2d56a9d89.jpg/
Red Orchestra 2: Why does the squad selection screen sometimes disappear? Why can't I join my friend's squad as machinegunner even if there are spots open? Where the hell is he anyway, why arn't people on my friends list highlighted?

[ringring]

Roguy, PS1's squad display system was infinitely more usable and informative than where it is and what it tells you now. If you played the game, you'd know what I'm talking about.

Current (PS2)

Pros:
-Shows roster of squadmates? (You can barely see the names)
-Loadouts

Cons:
-Everything else

Planetside 1:

Pros:
-Showed health/armor of squadmates
-Gave you a color and number to call them by in chat or on TS for easy comms
-Showed each squad member's location
-Easy to read the names and numbers
-Optimal design for setting up a platoon
-Probably many more I'm leaving out

Cons:
-Can't see loadouts




I think we have a winner here...
If you are squadleader you can see certs (abilities) of your squad members.

[roguy]

Roguy, PS1's squad display system was infinitely more usable and informative than where it is and what it tells you now. If you played the game, you'd know what I'm talking about.

Current (PS2)

Pros:
-Shows roster of squadmates? (You can barely see the names)
-Loadouts

Cons:
-Everything else

Planetside 1:

Pros:
-Showed health/armor of squadmates
-Gave you a color and number to call them by in chat or on TS for easy comms
-Showed each squad member's location
-Easy to read the names and numbers
-Optimal design for setting up a platoon
-Probably many more I'm leaving out

Cons:
-Can't see loadouts




I think we have a winner here...

Oh it's been awhile since i last played but i still remember it and tbh i find that it's a mixed bag.

A good UI is the comfy middle between being INFORMATIVE and CONCISE. For example, Eve online's UI i very informative although my opinion is that showing the tracking speed of all objects around you to the 5th decimal to be stupid, distracting and confusing.

Anyway back to Planetside 1's UI.

http://www.planetside-universe.com/media/album/2x7d548n9q/planetside6.jpg

1) It's ugly (due to age sure, but it's still hideous by today's standards).
2) What's up with the bottom bar? This isn't Doom, this takes up space for no reason.
3) A hotbar? In an FPS? When has it been necessary to know what secondary abilities, weapons and grenades you're carrying all the time? Can't you just... remember?
4) Why does it say "galaxy" above a Galaxy? Don't you think we all know that already?
5) In the middle of a firefight, i don't need or want a button to access my friendslist or even a button to access the map. If you've ever played a game before "M" usually brings the map up. This is just weird misplaced MMORPG heritage in my MMOFPS.

And all that isn't even the half of it. The absolute worst part of PS1 was the kill list that scrolled so fast it made it beyond unreadable. I remember never going engineer with spitfires and mines because i never knew if i got kills with them or not. Knowing that having a shiny +100 at the top of my screen doesn't seem anywhere near as bad.

Although yes, squad health+armor and location is real handy.

[ArmedZealot]

The problem with PS1's squad indicator is that it had more information but took up way more screen space.

Want to know what I would do with the UI? Kill the objectives, squad, and minimap indicators.

3D indicators

Friendlies - Friendlies in squad have their names up at all times along with their health status (Green, Yellow, Orange) within a certain range. Classes have their own pertinent information visible as well with appropriate certifications. If you are a squad leader you can extend this range.

Enemies - Standard 3D spotting

Capture points - Same as seen now but with pie chart like dials along the circumference to show who is contesting the points.

The New Map

Minimap/Cont map toggle - with a mouse wheel up/ mouse wheel down players can toggle between the strategic continent map, and a 3d representation of the minimap much like the war room table from PS1. The new minimap shows height as well as squad positions with names and statuses along with spotted enemy positions. It will be orientated with the direction the player is facing.

Squad indicator - the new squad indicator will be placed on the right side of the screen as a vertical table. This table indicates detailed information ranging from health, loadout, and voice control.

Objectives - The new objective menu is coupled with the mission menu to provide detailed empire activity within the area and goals to accomplish.



This is how I would change the U.I. I believe it to more represent the utilitarian aspect of Planetside's design while reducing the clutter on the screen for most play time. I would like to do the same to the chat, but I think removing that from the main screen wouldn't improve much and players would miss it.

EDIT: And I totally agree that PS1's interface was ugly as sin.

[Zulthus]

I agree PS1's UI is pretty bad. Useful for the most part, but not very attractive and there are some things that are not needed.

I disagree about you saying there shouldn't be the name/health over a vehicle, though. That was a useful tool for engineers running around repairing vehicles, or just knowing the health of a friendly vehicle in general. It doesn't get in the way and there isn't a reason to not put it in.

The squad list needs to be much, much more informative, even a carbon copy of PS1's squad list would be better than the current.

Zealot; it did indeed take up screen space, but it was never really in the way. You'll have to choose between small, shitty, and uninformative VS rather large, taking up more space and chock full of much needed information. I highly doubt there is a middle ground, but surprise me. The vertical one you described kind of sounds like it would be more in the way than the horizontal one. Say you want to get a 30 person platoon going, how would you condense it into three easily readable columns that are smaller than the PS1 style?

[ArmedZealot]

Zealot; it did indeed take up screen space, but it was never really in the way. You'll have to choose between small, shitty, and uninformative VS rather large, taking up more space and chock full of much needed information. I highly doubt there is a middle ground, but surprise me. The vertical one you described kind of sounds like it would be more in the way than the horizontal one. Say you want to get a 30 person platoon going, how would you condense it into three easily readable columns that are smaller than the PS1 style?

Well since there are no platoons I don't really have to worry about that. And yeah while it may be more cumbersome it is only shown when you look at the map screen. It's not taking up your view every second of play.

[Zulthus]

Well since there are no platoons I don't really have to worry about that. And yeah while it may be more cumbersome it is only shown when you look at the map screen. It's not taking up your view every second of play.

Really? Source?

[ArmedZealot]

Really? Source?
lookin round now.

[ArmedZealot]

Apparently I was talking out of my ass. Cant find anything to support myself. Nothing new here.

Anyways the new map menu would look like this. (excuse my bad paint skills)

http://i.imgur.com/ICRYH.png

Where each red bar is a tab for each platoon, and LA next to 95% is the class.

[Zulthus]

Ah, I see. Well I personally would find it easier to have my squad list on my screen without having to toggle back and forth between the map. I'm not really a screen space nazi. I guess that's where a second monitor would come in handy.

[Stardouser]

Ah, I see. Well I personally would find it easier to have my squad list on my screen without having to toggle back and forth between the map. I'm not really a screen space nazi. I guess that's where a second monitor would come in handy.

Your brief squad list should be on the main screen where it is now, but I would like the map screen to provide additional details about your squad, as well as a handy access to the squad invite tools/etc. Just like in BF2, as follows. Hitting the squad detail screen could show you a list of squads in the same hex you are in, listed by leader(collapsed to show leader only, and you can click to see who is with him). And other functions, such as the boot button for the squad leader to boot people who are not listening, mute button to mute people, etc.

It would be so glorious to hit Tab to bring up your map screen and along the side, see a list of 20 guys, each one of whom represents a friendly squad leader who is in the same hex as you and/or attached to the same mission as you. Squads who are attached to your mission but who are physically in another hex could be greyed out to reflect it.


BF2: Squad Screen: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Bf2_squad_screen.jpg

[Zulthus]

Your brief squad list should be on the main screen where it is now, but I would like the map screen to provide additional details about your squad, as well as a handy access to the squad invite tools/etc. Just like in BF2, as follows. Hitting the squad detail screen could show you a list of squads in the same hex you are in, listed by leader(collapsed to show leader only, and you can click to see who is with him). And other functions, such as the boot button for the squad leader to boot people who are not listening, mute button to mute people, etc.

It would be so glorious to hit Tab to bring up your map screen and along the side, see a list of 20 guys, each one of whom represents a friendly squad leader who is in the same hex as you and/or attached to the same mission as you. Squads who are attached to your mission but who are physically in another hex could be greyed out to reflect it.


BF2: Squad Screen: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/7f/Bf2_squad_screen.jpg

But the BF2/BF3 squad menus/screens are so much less useful than the one is PS1 is all I'm saying. The current roster beside the map is basically useless. You see who's in your squad and that's it. The PS1 squad manager window was very well built and easy to use, with many, many more features than the BF2 window. I think it should be a toggle for the people that want to save screen space. Choice between the map squad listing and having it PS1-style on the top of your screen.

Compare that BF2 screenshot to these:

http://www.planetside-idealab.com/images/squad_window_members.jpg

http://www.planetside-idealab.com/images/squad_window_details.jpg

Much more useful.

[Stardouser]

But the BF2/BF3 squad menus/screens are so much less useful than the one is PS1 is all I'm saying. The current roster beside the map is basically useless. You see who's in your squad and that's it. The PS1 squad manager window was very well built and easy to use, with many, many more features than the BF2 window. I think it should be a toggle for the people that want to save screen space. Choice between the map squad listing and having it PS1-style on the top of your screen.

Compare that BF2 screenshot to these:

Much more useful.

So in other words you are saying that what I just described should be done to BF2's menu already exists in PS1. DAmn, that was instant gratification.

But from what little experience I have with PS1's menus, I will still say that I'd like to see that particular function, along with the map(if both will fit) on a handy button like tab.

I would also like to see the main map screen have BF2's click-order system. ie, you can bring up the map, right click a spot, and it will let you choose Attack/Defend/Move/etc. Except you should be able to click one spot and hit Move, click another and hit Move Waypoint etc, and it will create a chain of waypoints to follow to a destination. And these orders are not missions, by the way, they are simply micro-orders that you will use to help you complete a mission.

[ArmedZealot]

But the BF2/BF3 squad menus/screens are so much less useful than the one is PS1 is all I'm saying. The current roster beside the map is basically useless. You see who's in your squad and that's it. The PS1 squad manager window was very well built and easy to use, with many, many more features than the BF2 window. I think it should be a toggle for the people that want to save screen space. Choice between the map squad listing and having it PS1-style on the top of your screen.

Compare that BF2 screenshot to these:


While containing much more information those menu's were hidden away. I never opened those screens more than 5 times my entire time playing PS.

There needs to be a place for detailed squad information while keeping that information out of the way but still accessible quickly. I think the map screen is it.

[Stardouser]

While containing much more information those menu's were hidden away. I never opened those screens more than 5 times my entire time playing PS.

There needs to be a place for detailed squad information while keeping that information out of the way but still accessible quickly. I think the map screen is it.

Ah yes. That's what I was trying to say above. I played PS1 just enough to know that it's quite inconvenient to get into those menus.

[Zulthus]

Inconvenient? The hell are you talking about? It was one press of 'P' and you were there, the exact same thing as opening the map but a different button, and is dedicated to squad functions and managing.

Come on man, don't tell me you actually got to different windows by clicking the menu button :lol:

[ArmedZealot]

Inconvenient? The hell are you talking about? It was one press of 'P' and you were there, the exact same thing as opening the map but a different button, and is dedicated to squad functions and managing.

Come on man, don't tell me you actually got to different windows by clicking the menu button :lol:

:cry:

but why not hit tab and get a map+party info?

[Stardouser]

Inconvenient? The hell are you talking about? It was one press of 'P' and you were there, the exact same thing as opening the map but a different button, and is dedicated to squad functions and managing.

Come on man, don't tell me you actually got to different windows by clicking the menu button :lol:

Hey...if Higbee wants to take that much inspiration from Battlefield, at least also bring over the use of Tab to get into the most important detail info screens :)

Your right hand will be on the mouse and your left hand is right by the Tab key, makes extreme sense!

[Zulthus]

:cry:

but why not hit tab and get a map+party info?

But why have all of the squad managing tools on the map? Is there any room for it? Didn't seem like it anyway.

[ArmedZealot]

But why have all of the squad managing tools on the map? Is there any room for it? Didn't seem like it anyway.

It's not squad managing its strategic information. Not only can you see what they are doing and how much health they have but where they are on the map.

[Stardouser]

It's not squad managing its strategic informations. Not only can you see what they are doing and how much health they have but where they are on the map.

This. BTW, when you click to select one of the other squads in your same hex, you should be able to see their waypoint orders shown on your map.

[Zulthus]

It's not squad managing its strategic information. Not only can you see what they are doing and how much health they have but where they are on the map.

Yeah. I was saying earlier have a toggle whether you want it on the map or on your screen. I'm talking about a separate squad management window, not information about the squad.

[Bags]

But the BF2/BF3 squad menus/screens are so much less useful than the one is PS1 is all I'm saying. The current roster beside the map is basically useless. You see who's in your squad and that's it. The PS1 squad manager window was very well built and easy to use, with many, many more features than the BF2 window. I think it should be a toggle for the people that want to save screen space. Choice between the map squad listing and having it PS1-style on the top of your screen.

Compare that BF2 screenshot to these:

http://www.planetside-idealab.com/images/squad_window_members.jpg

http://www.planetside-idealab.com/images/squad_window_details.jpg

Much more useful.

I'm pretty sure those weren't in game and were infact mockups done by dvidleff.

[Zulthus]

I'm pretty sure those weren't in game and were infact mockups done by dvidleff.

Even if they are there isn't really a difference. Cut out the certification window on the first pic and they're the same to PS1. Although, that would be a very useful addition if that is showing what certs the squad members have.

[ArmedZealot]

I'm pretty sure those weren't in game and were infact mockups done by dvidleff.

Would explain why I don't remember them at all.

[lawnmower]

Having 9-year old shooter mechanics like many here lobby for certainly won't help longevity. They weren't even particularly good at release.

Nobody sane would by a 0 miles, never driven, 2003 Chevy Malibu for full price. People expect more now.
q1 has 16 years old shooting mechanics and they are unfathomably superior to current day mechanics

please stop speaking as if current game mechanics are in a good state or as if they just tend to improve automatically throughout the years.
people expect less and less it would seem. such cod coming out with a new game every year and basically copying it terrible self

Their XP system is hands down the best on the market afaik
source?

[captainkapautz]

q1 has 16 years old shooting mechanics and they are unfathomably superior to current day mechanics

What kind of arguement are "shooter mechanics" anyway?

I mean the mechanic has been "Point gun at enemy, pull trigger till dead, repeat till satisfied or dead" since, well, forever.

In every game.

Ever.

[roguy]

source?

Why would a I need a source?
Find me a game that more accurately, exhaustively and fairly rewards players for skill and teamplay actions currently out there with XP, then we'll have something to talk about.


q1 has 16 years old shooting mechanics and they are unfathomably superior to current day mechanics

I'd just call them "primitve".

1) What do you call shooting mechanics?
and
2) Opinion aside, why are they superior? And why would you say COD has LESS of ANYTHING compare to the Quake franchise?

Cod couldn't possibly interest me any less but things like load out customisation is more and allows me to tweak my role/gameplay. Ironsighting (at least done well) gives players more options to play to their strengths: You have the choice of being a sitting duck with great accuracy or an evasive target with bad accuracy.

[IMMentat]

skipped to the end of this thread.
I'm with the other folks, i hope the out of bounds area is not tight to the coastline.
Galaxies running the ocean to get a good angle on base backdoors and quiet spots were too useful to be restricted (depends on flight time across a continent and number of beachside cap points).

The UI I not mind, icons will change as they finalise the apearance of weapons and systems, the squad window #seems# to have an alive/dead/on another cont warning so thats one less worry and rocketspam seems to have been toned down for anti-troop duties (was always annoying that the PS1 reaver used AV rockets to saturate troopers to death in one voley and use the twin machine guns for anti tank and anti air).

[Coreldan]

q1 has 16 years old shooting mechanics and they are unfathomably superior to current day mechanics

Now thats an opinion which I would personally never agree to.

[IMMentat]

Read more of the thread.
The current boundaries could well be a testing thing and if one of the folks who talk with Higby and friends could confirm that but it would set all our minds at ease (mine at least :p).

The drop-pods looking great. Good height of spawn (hopefully above the flight ceiling), good drop velocity and it even looked like there was a bit of control towards the end of the fall. Get the landing sorted and it may well give section 8 a run for its money (Only game other than planetside 1 that got dropping into battle done right.)

[roguy]

(Only game other than planetside 1 that got dropping into battle done right.)

BF2142 did it right too i'd say.

[IMMentat]

BF2142 did it right too i'd say.

I thought BF2142 only had the APC's to pod onto stuff with (another thing i hope PS2 mimics), that and physically jumping off the titans and opening a chute.

Its was usual battlefield in terms of terrestrial spawning, open field with lots of cover for a sniper to set up camp and take out the people popping into existance.

I could be wrong though, its been a LONG time since I last played that game.

[bjorntju1]

I thought BF2142 only had the APC's to pod onto stuff with (another thing i hope PS2 mimics), that and physically jumping off the titans and opening a chute.

Its was usual battlefield in terms of terrestrial spawning, open field with lots of cover for a sniper to set up camp and take out the people popping into existance.

I could be wrong though, its been a LONG time since I last played that game.

That transport aircraft also had drop pods afaik. And you could also use the drop pods on the titan itself to launch yourself from. Loved that gamemode btw. My favorite BF game in the series.

[Athanasios]

That transport aircraft also had drop pods afaik. And you could also use the drop pods on the titan itself to launch yourself from. Loved that gamemode btw. My favorite BF game in the series.
also, when the SL laid down the squad beacon, the spawning would occur by dropping with pods for sky (just like in TB's 2nd PS2 video) :)

Battlefield 2142 - Camp Gibraltar Gameplay - YouTube
(after 1:10)