Jimmy Whisenhunt Joins PlanetSide 2 Team

[Hamma]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/news-jimmy-whisenhunt-joins-planetside-2-team-2810.htm

[Mango]

Who?

[RNFB]

Does anyone even know who this guy is? He must play bad stuff like CoD, TF2, and BF cause I've never heard of him

[CheeZeX]

Google him, found basically nothing.

[Hamma]

Hadn't heard of him till about 20mins ago when the news article appeared.

http://www.whisenhunt.tv/

Probably the most topical thing we would be looking for.

[SKYeXile]

http://steamcommunity.com/id/yzNhnt/games?tab=recent

[Hamma]

Good find, his linked in is also out there. You guys can find that on your own ;)

But never heard of his existence until tonight.. not sure what to think still absorbing it.

[Krishtov]

I love PS2 and the dev team...but...

Seriously? You are going to bring in competitive CS players? Counter Strike plays NOTHING like Planetside 1 or 2. You at least could of brought in the top tier Battlefield players or something.

Or, you know, hire on some well known PS community members...

I rarely complain, this is a time I am doing so.

[Crazyduckling]

Its good to get an outside perspective of the game.

Not a huge CS fan, but its fine by me to have more people looking at the game.

[Mango]

How many hours has "Jimbo" played planetside 1 is what I want to know.

[Dairian]

Good find, his linked in is also out there. You guys can find that on your own ;)

But never heard of his existence until tonight.. not sure what to think still absorbing it.

^This.

[DirtyBird]

$$ may also have a lot to do with who is hired and who isnt.
Could have been the cheapest of the bunch.

And if more useless CS players means more targets then thats ok by me.
Bet the forum mods had no say in it tho. :P

[Bags]

Hoping he doesn't try to turn it into an e-sport, still can't see that working.

[Hamma]

Honestly this is a very strange hire to me.

I guess its another one of those things to try and get non PlanetSide players into the game.

[Virulence]

CS is the most played FPS in the history of ever. It's significant.

Given that game development is such an iterative process, you NEED a diverse team with experience in numerous facets of the genre.

I don't know that Planetside 2 will provide a good format for an e-sport given the nature of the game, but having competitive-quality gameplay - that is, having extremely high quality moment-to-moment gameplay, weapon feel and balance, and team play - will only make the game that much better.

This is only a good thing, I think.

[Graywolves]

How many hours has "Jimbo" played planetside 1 is what I want to know.

Yeah this is something I'm waiting for too.


If he actually carries any weight in the direction of the game I think we can all guess which game he'll try to lean it towards...

[Notser]

Honestly, PS2 isn't "e-sport" material and the very idea of a CS/COD player coming into a game like PS2 is laughable. Respect anyone who can "make a living" playing a game but he isn't qualified to provide anything other than casting knowledge for the game. Don't get me wrong, PS2 definitely has room for improvement on the casting/presentation/etc.

Sorry but FPS in general have always failed at e-sports, just not very interesting to watch people run around on a map just playing the min max game. I'd much rather see the game actually played and have soft counters like a true e-sport game.

[Hamma]

Updated OP, he has joined the team as a "Senior Game Designer"

[Oranos]

I understand a lot of the devs love esports, but please, don't do it to Planetside.

Trying to tune WoW PvP for esports is what killed the PvP scene, when you try to balance a game about massive scale battles for small and contained competitive gameplay, it breaks.

There's no reason PS2 can't be competitive, but when you start balancing the game for specific scenarios and not the main game is when things will go wrong.

[Notser]

Updated OP, he has joined the team as a "Senior Game Designer"

So it sounds like he's going to influence the way the game is played, I do not like this when you consider he's not invested in the IP.

[Saintlycow]

Get him an account. PS2 success is based on the community involvement. The more he understands us, the better use he is. Assimilate him

[Graywolves]

Updated OP, he has joined the team as a "Senior Game Designer"

If they wanted an FPS pro they should've hired me...

Just saying...

-edit- How's he supposed to give valuable feedback on a game he hasn't touched until today?

[Higby]

Guys he's not here to change PlanetSide 2 into CS, or make an eSport, he's here to help us make our weapons FEEL awesome, balanced and competitive. Having a competitive FPS player on the team is going to help us out a lot.

[Virulence]

And, as an aside, crying about "OMG HE'S GOING TO MAKE IT A COPY OF THIS OTHER THING AND IT OWN'T BE PLANETSIDE ANYMORE!1!"1

Game design is a team thing. He's going to be part of the team. He is not going to run the team, he is not going to force the team to turn the game into an arena shooter or a CS clone. What would someone like this bring to the team? Experience with a wide variety of FPS games and an understanding of what makes those games good will help Planetside 2's team deliver a fantastic shooter experience, and that's a good thing for everyone.

yeah basically what higby said while I was writing this

[Bags]

Guys he's not here to change PlanetSide 2 into CS, or make an eSport, he's here to help us make our weapons FEEL awesome, balanced and competitive. Having a competitive FPS player on the team is going to help us out a lot.

As long as he doesn't make them look/feel like they do in GO we should be fine. ;)

[Higby]

As long as he doesn't make them look/feel like they do in GO we should be fine. ;)

We actually discovered him from his video talking about why the weapons in GO feel bad, check it out.

[Roy Awesome]

This seems pretty smart actually. Developers really have alot to think about, and don't usually see a game as well as really really good players do. When you are nose deep in 'We gotta move this box 20 units to the right' and 'We should tweak this gun to have .1 more fire rate', you lose a little perspective

Someone like this will figure out the way to play the game, understand it as well as or better than us, and be able to provide an insight into the team that is incredibly awesome for player experience.

[Hamma]

Get him an account. PS2 success is based on the community involvement. The more he understands us, the better use he is. Assimilate him

This should be your priority Matt. :p

[RawketLawnchair]

Guys he's not here to change PlanetSide 2 into CS, or make an eSport, he's here to help us make our weapons FEEL awesome, balanced and competitive. Having a competitive FPS player on the team is going to help us out a lot.

Thanks for the clarification.


I'm honestly annoyed at the biased opinions given about professional Counter-Strike players.
Especially seeing as how I was in his shoes for almost 6 years.

Also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sf3B77sYqwM&feature=watch_response

[Roy Awesome]

We actually discovered him from his video talking about why the weapons in GO feel bad, check it out.

I found it

CS:GO vs CS 1.6 - Is the recoil really wrong? - YouTube

[Hamma]

Higby - this one?

Response to Responses from CS:GO Is the recoil really wrong - YouTube

[SKYeXile]

Guys he's not here to change PlanetSide 2 into CS, or make an eSport, he's here to help us make our weapons FEEL awesome, balanced and competitive. Having a competitive FPS player on the team is going to help us out a lot.

cool.

http://www.hltv.org/blog/5155-interview-with-jimmy-whisenhunt-whisenhunt
As you are one of the most knowledgeable esports experts in the U.S., do you have any specific "road map" for the development of an esports game or community?

I wouldn't say I'm by any means an expert, but I'm definitely flattered! As far as a road map goes, I'd say there's a path for success, and it's very simple. For any competition to succeed it MUST have a high skill ceiling, and since we're talking esports it MUST have some sort of way to engage spectators, similar to how the CS franchise has done with HLTV and commentators such as myself. There are a million factors that contribute to a successful esports community or game, I would probably spend the next 173 pages ranting about the perfect scenario... So I'll just leave it at those quick points.

Sounds good then.

[Espion]

I love PS2 and the dev team...but...

Seriously? You are going to bring in competitive CS players? Counter Strike plays NOTHING like Planetside 1 or 2. You at least could of brought in the top tier Battlefield players or something.

Or, you know, hire on some well known PS community members...

I rarely complain, this is a time I am doing so.

Higby wants this to be big in the spectator/esports scene. I can't see PS2 being very 'esports' at all, but it's possible that it could bring in a lot of spectators if the combat/specating is interesting enough, and that all still ties into the esports scene as far as broadcasting and sponsors go.

His purpose isn't going to be balancing the game, it's going to be presenting it as a viable spectator game. Having someone that is knowledgeable within the esports scene have a direct connection with the devs will do great things for the game, regardless of whether you've heard of them or not.

[Bags]

We actually discovered him from his video talking about why the weapons in GO feel bad, check it out.

Awesome! :D:D

[Notser]

We actually discovered him from his video talking about why the weapons in GO feel bad, check it out.

Well if he agrees that CSGO isn't adding dick to CS then I will give him a chance at least. I have always liked the feel of CS guns both from sound design and a recoil standpoint.

[Hamma]

I found it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYeM6W_actM

Looks like there's more than one. :D

[Graywolves]

Well now I'm actually hoping you hired him for more than just seeing if the weapons 'look/feel' right.

[ODonnell]

Grats on your hire.

[Bags]

Looks like there's more than one. :D

Wow, small world I've seen that vid before. :huh::eek::eek:

[RNFB]

Guys he's not here to change PlanetSide 2 into CS, or make an eSport, he's here to help us make our weapons FEEL awesome, balanced and competitive. Having a competitive FPS player on the team is going to help us out a lot.

I wouldn't consider somebody who has played literally thousands of hours of one of the worst FPS games of all time "competitive".

He doesn't even have any hours clocked in TFC, but over 100 in TF2, which just makes me super worried that he knows NOTHING about good FPS games.

I doubt he has even played Quake

[Bravix]

I wouldn't consider somebody who has played literally thousands of hours of one of the worst FPS games of all time "competitive".

He doesn't even have any hours clocked in TFC, but over 100 in TF2, which just makes me super worried that he knows NOTHING about good FPS games.

I doubt he has even played Quake

Ah yes, because if you haven't played Quake, you obviously know nothing about good FPS games :rolleyes:

[Hamma]

Lot of jealousy in this thread.


Over it you must get.

yes we are all pissed they didn't hire us.

Thank you for contributing to the thread.

[Notturno]

It's actually a pretty brilliant move on SOE's part, or the PlanetSide 2 team if it was their call. You are gaining such a multitude of benefits from bringing on an individual like this into the team. If you look only at the surface gain, notably the individual's eSports history, you are missing the bigger picture that is starting to form with these hiring decisions. So, here's what I'm starting to hypothesize based on these hirings...

Gain #1: eSports & Community Background

The surface gain with this hire is you get Whisenhunt's background in eSports. The initial groans of "PlanetSide 2 isn't an eSports title" is merited; PlanetSide 2 just isn't the sort of game that caters to an eSports type of game. The large scale battles make PlanetSide 2 what it is, and minimizing the scale into eSports sized teams may not be feasible. While it is a potential outcome, I don't see it as a likely scenario. However, when you take an individual like Whisenhunt and look at his resume... well, you see someone who has an intimate knowledge of FPS gaming and team synergy.

His background in FPS gaming means you gain an outside consultant who can analyze PlanetSide 2's gameplay from a competitive perspective. His analysis will likely be invaluable to building a game that can deliver a solid product that is friendly to the massive community that this game appeals to, as well as facilitate the creation of in depth mechanics necessary to create a high skill ceiling. Both of these are features you see in many successful titles in today's market; League of Legends, StarCraft 2, Counter-Strike... all of these games are accessible at a general level, but they also provide such complex features that the game's skill ceiling is infinitely expanding.

On top of this, you have someone who is knowledgeable when it comes to communities and team dynamics. Take a look at this quote from his about page (http://whisenhunt.tv/about/)...

Our second show that will premier soon is going to cover how to become an in-game leader, taking on a very challenging roll of the strategic mind behind a team of motivated (and sometimes overly ADD) group of gamers.

He's essentially working on a show that will help build strong, lasting communities. If these successful outfit communities are built within PlanetSide 2, you will have a healthy player base that is invested in your game. You essentially have someone facilitating the creation of lasting outfits, which in turn creates a stable player base for the team to monetize.

Gain #2: Casting Experience

If Whisenhunt has been doing casting and play-by-play for years, you have someone who is a very confident speaker. Being this sort of caster also requires intimate knowledge of a game, and the ability to break it down into simple terms for an audience. This is a talent not many individuals possess, and it's a very valuable skill for a company looking to appeal to a broad audience.

But wait a minute... didn't SOE just hire another caster? TotalBiscuit.

Think about the possibilities here. You have someone like TotalBiscuit who has an extremely wide appeal for a variety of reasons. He has a very likable personality, which is evidenced by his massive YouTube following and hugely popular streams. TotalBiscuit is also very easy to listen to; he asks the right questions that gamers want to know, he has a great casting voice, and is very in touch with the gaming community at large. Plus, we've seen he is flexible about who he works with. Remember at E3? He was able to cast with PurrfectStorm and Arclegger, and had great synergy with both of them.

Think about the casting duo SOE has just created. Boom, explosions, excitement, oh man I just got super excited.

You have TotalBiscuit as your "every man" of sorts. He's your play-by-play caster who is calling all of the big action and asking Whisenhunt about the more complex mechanics in action. You also have TB steering the conversation towards relevant topics, and creating an accessible experience for new viewers. You then have Whisenhunt acting as your color commentator; he's the one breaking the fights down after the fact and talking about what just happened at a deeper level of analysis, as well as pointing out the right and wrong plays. Whisenhunt is able to create an in-depth analysis for experienced players, while TotalBiscuit breaks it down into simple terms.

You just created an all-star casting team who can truly showcase the brilliance and beauty of a game like PlanetSide 2. Are you excited? You damn well should be, because that's going to be the most exciting web cast you will ever watch in your lifetime.

Gain #3: Exposure

So now you need to get PlanetSide 2's name out there. Whisenhunt is able to lend competitive credibility to a game like PlanetSide 2 with his extensive background in the competitive FPS scene. He is also able to help the game reach a mechanical level that is necessary to build longevity and high skill ceilings. This is giving your game an inherent appeal and level of exposure you would not gain without someone like Whisenhunt. PlanetSide 2 can now boast that they are trying to build a game that is able to appeal to a very large base of players, but it also has the tools there for sophisticated, competitive-level players to dig their hands into.

Essentially, this is giving PlanetSide 2 credibility as a game that isn't about zerg fights.

Excited Yet?

Yeah, this is a massively awesome addition to the team, and everyone should be super happy to hear about something like this. I think at this point you can assume there will be regular casting events where you have two expert commentators breaking down the major fights in the game, and showcasing the best players this game has to offer. You will have the ability to potentially be an internet star, with TotalBiscuit and Whisenhunt on a stream watched by thousands of people talking about how awesome your outfit is.

You also have someone's personal expertise with FPS games critiquing game mechanics. He's essentially going to help create a game that's going to not be about luck, or who has more players, or some other random element of the game screwing you over. He obviously has the background necessary to help create a game that, while it may not be an eSport, will have the mechanics familiar to competitive players.

Or, I could be completely full of crap and off base. I hope I'm not, as I think there's a lot of awesome things they could do with Whisenhunt. Either way, it's a cool hire.

EDIT: Well Higby replied while I was writing, curses. So apparently I was only partially right. Oh well!

[Hamma]

Still not a bad post!

[p0intman]

More catering to traditional FPS players.

STOP DUMBING THE GODDAMN GAME DOWN FOR FUCKS SAKE.

There, needed to get that out. But seriously, WHAT THE FUCK?

[ODonnell]

Just because his background is esports doesn't mean he only knows 1 game and 1 game mechanic. I know the circles he traveled in, I was in the same circles, and he has experience in what keeps games fun and competitive. A competitive game doesn't mean its an Esports game or geared that way. A that is competitive is a game that has lasting appeal. I'm hoping this may lead to a better/similar meta game system that was in PS1 with bases and the lattice work.

[whisenhunt]

I wouldn't consider somebody who has played literally thousands of hours of one of the worst FPS games of all time "competitive".

He doesn't even have any hours clocked in TFC, but over 100 in TF2, which just makes me super worried that he knows NOTHING about good FPS games.

I doubt he has even played Quake

Hi!

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day.

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Feel free to listen to my podcasts that include my feelings about FPS gamestyles and models =D

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.

[ODonnell]

More catering to traditional FPS players.

STOP DUMBING THE GODDAMN GAME DOWN FOR FUCKS SAKE.

There, needed to get that out. But seriously, WHAT THE FUCK?

Wow man. Do a little light reading and watch his videos. He actually talks against dumbing down games.

[Hamma]

Also I think I found another topic for the next AGN.

Welcome to the forums whisenhunt!

[whisenhunt]

More catering to traditional FPS players.

STOP DUMBING THE GODDAMN GAME DOWN FOR FUCKS SAKE.

There, needed to get that out. But seriously, WHAT THE FUCK?

I couldn't agree with your large capital letters any more, I may even make them a bit bigger... and red even!

[ODonnell]

Also I think I found another topic for the next AGN.

Welcome to the forums whisenhunt!

We need a new AGN STAT! I'm going to hope next week following the announcement that we are expecting. All knowing Hamma already knows the details i'm sure.:D

[Hamma]

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.

Do an AMA on here you will get more targeted feedback ;)

We need a new AGN STAT! I'm going to hope next week following the announcement that we are expecting. All knowing Hamma already knows the details i'm sure.:D


July 14th the next AGN.

[RNFB]

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Choosing CS over Quake/TFC is worse than not playing Quake/TFC at all. Now I'm even more concerned.

[Roy Awesome]

More catering to traditional FPS players.

STOP DUMBING THE GODDAMN GAME DOWN FOR FUCKS SAKE.

There, needed to get that out. But seriously, WHAT THE FUCK?

ahahahahahahahahaahahhahahahaha

This is a funny post.

[AThreatToYou]

Devs responding.
While a game is in development.
A new dev responding.

I am amazed.

Tell me, wisenhunt / maybe even higby, did you guys play Tribes at all? I played that game competitively for a few, and the team dynamics of generator-flag-base could have an impact here...

edit: I mean Tribes 1 and Tribes 2, not T:V or T:A

[whisenhunt]

Also I think I found another topic for the next AGN.

Welcome to the forums whisenhunt!

Thanks! Excited to see passion in the community, I hope in the next weeks to get more out concerning what I do and my feelings on game mechanics =)

We have a lot in common (myself and this community) it seems when it comes down to game play decisions and passion.

PS: The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

[Hamma]

Good to hear many of us are very concerned about that topic as well.

[Roy Awesome]

Hi!

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day.

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Feel free to listen to my podcasts that include my feelings about FPS gamestyles and models =D

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.


Lemme know when, I'll put up an announcement on the sub

[SKYeXile]

Thanks! Excited to see passion in the community, I hope in the next weeks to get more out concerning what I do and my feelings on game mechanics =)

We have a lot in common (myself and this community) it seems when it comes down to game play decisions and passion.

PS: The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

^ And I'm glad he's on board. :)

[Mango]

As long as the spirit of the original game isn't lost along the way then I will have no complaints.

[ODonnell]

Thanks! Excited to see passion in the community, I hope in the next weeks to get more out concerning what I do and my feelings on game mechanics =)

We have a lot in common (myself and this community) it seems when it comes down to game play decisions and passion.

PS: The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

Thats what happens when you have blockbuster titles. You are emulated because you were successful. We have seen that with more than just modern fps games. It is like that car commercial that talks about how great awards are, but then they talk about how they can also hold you back from progressing and setting new standards.

[whisenhunt]

Choosing CS over Quake/TFC is worse than not playing Quake/TFC at all. Now I'm even more concerned.

To each his own =)

Quake was quite possibly the most fun to watch and best esport of its time... I wish the scene held out longer =( - Like I said, I still play regularly.

As far as TFC is concerned, I loved it pre-steam and still love the memories but my choice to stick with 1.6 took a lot of time, not leaving much for my 'fun' games =(

[noxious]

whisenhunt sounds legit. He'll do good things for the game even though some of you are too myopic to realize it.

[Vancha]

Ah yes, the CS:GO guy. I knew I'd come across his name before.

yes we are all pissed they didn't hire us.

Thank you for contributing to the thread.

It's not jealously, but there's certainly a whole bunch of irrational moaning going on in this here thread. We have a tendency of spewing premature whine from a position of conjecture and ignorance.

Personally, I welcome our new "Weapons Feedback Adviser".

Edit: Holy crap this thread's moving fast. I started typing this just before P0intman made himself look silly. :p

Edit II: But seriously guys, must we make ourselves look like utter assholes to all outsiders? We're making MOBA communities look warm and welcoming right now...

[SKYeXile]

Hi,

Do you have time to elaborate on this? Very interested in what you have to say about that.

If you watch the videos linked it might elaborate, but "complexity" i think sums it up.

[Daffan]

I have to admit, it's nice that he is posting here - I feel bad that many people have came out of the woodwork to degrade him before 24 hours are up. But, it is with good concern they have - so it's not too difficult to understand where they are coming from. But I digress


Welcome and hope to see you doing cool stuff in the future.

[SixShooter]

Wow man, what a rough ass way to be "welcomed" into the community - People who know nothing about you talking shit and crying about how worried they are.

Seriously guys, the game is way too far along in development for one person to come in and suddenly change everything. It sounds to me like he's been brought on to help tweak it to perfection.

[Atheosim]

Yeah, I for one am really fucking happy that they hired a guy who knows his shit SPECIFICALLY to make the weapons feel awesome. Good move, SOE. Good move.

[Notser]

Hey Whisenhunt, just curious if you played PS1, what faction, what was your favorite weapons/vehicles?

[DirtyBird]

I wonder if bunny hopping is back on the agenda. ;)

[ODonnell]

I wonder if bunny hopping is back on the agenda. ;)

Bunny hopping was great. It was one thing to be able to do it, a whole other to actually use it and kill people. It was one of those fun exploits, and I never looked at it like traditional cheating because it was a game engine bug.

[Vancha]

Bunny hopping was great. It was one thing to be able to do it, a whole other to actually use it and kill people. It was one of those fun exploits, and I never looked at it like traditional cheating because it was a game engine bug.
The best kind of bug. Imagine GunZ without k-style...

Hmm, I think I just formulated a question for that AMA.

[Whiteknight]

Hey Whisenhunt, just curious if you played PS1, what faction, what was your favorite weapons/vehicles?

I wonder about the same thing as well. If he is being brought in to tweak things, I think that at least a bit of experience with the original would be a good thing. It's hard to know where you're going, if you don't know where you're coming from.

[Bags]

The best kind of bug. Imagine GunZ without k-style...

Hmm, I think I just formulated a question for that AMA.

Apparently they're making gunz 2 and stripping out most of the kystle. :confused:

[cryosin]

Grats on the job man! I played CS:S pretty competitively as well. I would love for that visceral feeling to translate to my all time joy, Planetside.

[Malorn]

Gratz to Jimmy, would be an honor to join the team. Im glad to see they are still hiring. Growth of the team means growth for the game!

[p0intman]

When all I've seen says that Higby and Tray are turning the game into BF2/3 or CoD with a planetside skin on it, and then this guy comes along.. I need no further justification for a kneejerk reaction.

[GuyFawkes]

Guys he's not here to change PlanetSide 2 into CS, or make an eSport, he's here to help us make our weapons FEEL awesome, balanced and competitive. Having a competitive FPS player on the team is going to help us out a lot.

I get it, its good for the game.

People just overreact , psu community is like the hicks from the film Deliverance, new faces like Burt Reynolds and his pals should be ready to face a lynching. How dare they 'intrude'.

[Roy Awesome]

When all I've seen says that Higby and Tray are turning the game into BF2/3 or CoD with a planetside skin on it, and then this guy comes along.. I need no further justification for a kneejerk reaction.

yeah man. We need a game with shit gunplay and a COF that lets you shoot in 70 degree angles from where you point your gun. It did so well in the first game.

[Malorn]

I damn near dropped out of college due to CS. It was fun, and a game made by experts of the genre is a good thing. Good news as I see it.

[p0intman]

yeah man. We need a game with shit gunplay and a COF that lets you shoot in 70 degree angles from where you point your gun. It did so well in the first game.

When his actions prove that he isn't going to immediately fuck everything up, I'll reconsider it, but for now... I have absolute conviction that he's going to fuck everything up.

[Saintlycow]

Thanks! Excited to see passion in the community, I hope in the next weeks to get more out concerning what I do and my feelings on game mechanics =)

We have a lot in common (myself and this community) it seems when it comes down to game play decisions and passion.

PS: The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

This Man is a god:lol:

[GreatMazinkaise]

Definitely nice to see someone added to the team that's not "lawl Battlefield is cool, let's do that..."

[Roy Awesome]

When his actions prove that he isn't going to immediately fuck everything up, I'll reconsider it, but for now... I have absolute conviction that he's going to fuck everything up.

Go ahead and watch the videos me and Hamma posted before you look more like an idiot

[Dairian]

They need all the help they can get and if he can help make the guns feel as real as possible then I am glad he is on board. He seems like a reasonable guy. And I doubt Higby will let him ruin his game... lol

So I am not afraid.

[Hamma]

Definitely nice to see someone added to the team that's not "lawl Battlefield is cool, let's do that..."

Don't forget "OMGROFLCOPTERS"

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj110/fazekasil/Animated%20Gifs/roflcopter.gif

[GuyFawkes]

Lot of jealousy in this thread.


Over it you must get.

wish I had a Yoda pic to add to this

/kudos

[Jinxsey]

Go ahead and watch the videos me and Hamma posted before you look more like an idiot

+1

I had no idea who this guy was or what his angle was untill I listened to a few of his videos. Y'see I care enough about PS2 to do research, and I didn't even have to go far.

Having watched thirty or so minutes I'm no informed enough to suggest that having someone articulate enough to express their opinion clearly, and inteligent enough to identify underlying issues affecting gameplay on a qualitative level in the way that this gent does, on the team, can only be a good thing.

Welcome aboard whisenhunt.

[GreatMazinkaise]

Don't forget "OMGROFLCOPTERS"

http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj110/fazekasil/Animated%20Gifs/roflcopter.gif

Weapons mounted on ROFLCOPTERS do not have ADS and are unaffected by CoF bloom... not a valid example.

[Chowley]

I couldn't agree with your large capital letters any more, I may even make them a bit bigger... and red even!

You enjoying the friendly welcome then? :p

Sorry this is off topic, I havent particularly been taking much notice of CS:GO was keeping my head in the sand and hoping for the best after source. But jesus i do not like the weapons.

[GuyFawkes]

Hi!

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day.

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Feel free to listen to my podcasts that include my feelings about FPS gamestyles and models =D

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.

Welcome to the family:love: Dont mind the 'in-laws' , they tend to get a bit cranky.

edit: as an added note, my first outfit in planetside1 was a CS clan who moved to ps . In 2003 t'internet was basic and you had everquest, ultima online , and counterstrike with a bit of quake / UT thrown in. People forget their history and origins of where the original playerbase came from . Or , they are from an era post-fast internet.

[Chowley]

Apparently they're making gunz 2 and stripping out most of the kystle. :confused:

Ooh I thought it was a Gunz remake :eek:

[Reefpirate]

This guy sounds like a good idea to make PS2 a unique and deep experience. People who are complaining about 'which leet FPS you did or didn't play so you can be cool' are, to quote another person in this thread, very 'myopic'.

The weapons and gunplay are going to be the bread and butter of this game, as much as we like to fret about the metagame (which is freaking impossible... how can you metagame a game you haven't played yet?? So many people will be wrong when the rubber hits the road). Therefore, any person who is interested in making the weapons more balanced and progressive is going to be a real bonus, and I look forward to seeing what happens!

Welcome!

[Reefpirate]

Ooh I thought it was a Gunz remake :eek:

Gunz was freaking awesome... But plz no kstyle in my PS2, k? thx

[Bags]

Gunz was freaking awesome... But plz no kstyle in my PS2, k? thx

Don't be silly, the katana isn't in PS2, just 1! :D

[Chowley]

I have to say this could be a good thing. Sprang into my mind after watching the video where mentioned the skill ceiling in CS 1.6. That is probably why i compare every fps i play in some way to CS, along with the very raw feeling of the guns.

Soooo rambling almost done. If it makes weapons feel better, or gives more depth to infantry combat. Yay!

[Bags]

Really glad to see this guy is on, since I thought the gun audio was severely lacking in PS2 at E3 (yeah, alpha, blah blah~).

[GuyFawkes]

When his actions prove that he isn't going to immediately fuck everything up, I'll reconsider it, but for now... I have absolute conviction that he's going to fuck everything up.

from someone who almost confesses to be on an eternal quest to find a generator that fires back , its a bit ironic to be criticizing someone who plays competitively in a pvp environment dont you think.

[whisenhunt]

I'm keeping up with the posts here =)

Thanks for the warm welcomes =D

[Reefpirate]

Really glad to see this guy is on, since I thought the gun audio was severely lacking in PS2 at E3 (yeah, alpha, blah blah~).

Yes... Because we all know the most important thing about the PS2 guns is their audio.

[Bags]

Yes... Because we all know the most important thing about the PS2 guns is their audio.

:rolleyes:

[The Kush]

I couldn't agree with your large capital letters any more, I may even make them a bit bigger... and red even!

Hello! Welcome to the community.

This definitely makes me feel a lot better, anyone who agrees with that statement is okay in my books! Looking forward to your contributions!

[Reefpirate]

I'm keeping up with the posts here =)

Thanks for the warm welcomes =D

Cool dude.

Since it's kind of quiet right now... What do you think about non-sniper roles for the infiltrator? ie. melee-infiltrator or shotgun-infiltrator... What sort of non-sniper options do you think the infiltrator should have?

(I'm mostly worried about non-sniper roles because I like the infiltrator class but sniping usually doesn't really appeal to me that much)

EDIT: Ok not as quiet as I thought... But questions anyways!!

[Reefpirate]

Don't try to be sarcastic if you don't have the chops, bro.

Audio is hugely important to how a gun feels in video games. Your brain processes everything, and if something isn't in synch or sounds too annoying or out of place, it's going to have an effect.

I like the good beefy sounds of good gun audio as much as the next guy... But real guns actually sound kind of wimpy in comparison, so there goes the realism argument.

As for the sound affecting the gameplay, I guess it might for some people... But considering the number of hours I put in to Global Agenda it really doesn't affect anything at all for me. GA has the worst, wimpiest sounding guns in all of modern gaming history... And yet I was gripped by the mechanics of the game.

(I suppose if the guns sounded like farts or little cat meows or something I would be put off... But so long as they sound like they are shooting something and the sound effects go off on time I'm happy... I'm more worried about the mechanics and balancing)

[Bags]

After playing a game like BF3 bad gun sounds stand out, unfrtounately.

[Celsian]

I'm keeping up with the posts here =)

Thanks for the warm welcomes =D

I usually just creep these forums, there are already enough people giving input and mine is relatively unimportant, but as someone who also has the CS:GO beta I wanted to give my input. I watched your videos on GO from Feb '12 and April '12 and I couldn't agree more. Things were trash and have really improved, I think it has a LOT to do with community input that seemed largely guided by you. As such I think you will be a great improvement to the team and iron out a lot of the issues I had with the first Planetside. (which had terrible guns, lets not try to argue otherwise)

I played Quake from beta in... '98? to this day as well (Add me if you want ;) Same Name.) and think it's the purest FPS there ever was, more so than any of the others mentioned which I all played pre and post steam as well. (Steam ID 0:0:2233 to give you an idea)

THAT BEING SAID and probably my most important addition: This is a futuristic shooter, technology is far more advanced than an AK, M4 or a Q3 Rocket Launcher. Do yourself a favor and read the descriptions of each Faction each day before you start advising and take the time to read AND comprehend what it is to be an NC, a TR or a VS. TR is a military driven faction, their weapons will be more refined and need to behave as such. NC (my PS1 faction) is a separatist faction that relies heavily on whatever equipment happens to be lying around, and VS use Alien Technology, these traits should be portrayed through there weapons.

AND FINALLY, please make sure they are all balanced. Now if that isn't the toughest request yet, I don't know what is ;) Good luck to you and welcome to our community.

[Gwartham]

Can you guys please come up with a consensus, Higby is either a God, or he is satan out to ruin your outdated FPS playing farts lives.

My guess is he had some say in bringing a new member to the team, as far as I am concerned, he has steered the ship pretty damn good sofar, no reason to start doubting him now.

Hate to burst your bubbles here, but pside as concept was a awesome game, but from a fps standpoint, it was really poor. Actually it was piss poor.

I for one am glad to see another voice with another perspective added to the group.

And please dont forget mega tf! :)

[Reefpirate]

After playing a game like BF3 bad gun sounds stand out, unfrtounately.

Speaking of sarcasm... I'm having a hard time figuring you out, mister. I'm going to take this as a subtle swipe at BF3 players.

[Bags]

Speaking of sarcasm... I'm having a hard time figuring you out, mister. I'm going to take this as a subtle swipe at BF3 players.

:confused::confused::confused:

[Red Beard]

I'm keeping up with the posts here =)

Thanks for the warm welcomes =D


Glad to hear you're not a 'game-play socialist'! :lol:

Thank you!

[Reefpirate]

:confused::confused::confused:

Damn you!

:huh::huh::huh:

Your previous comment was all like "real guns sounds didn't happen until BF3"... which then goes on to say that since the "awesome BF3 gun sounds all other gun sounds are wimpy".

That sounds sarcastic and witty to me! :rofl:

[noxious]

Speaking of sarcasm... I'm having a hard time figuring you out, mister. I'm going to take this as a subtle swipe at BF3 players.

BF3 has superb audio. Some of the best to ever grace a video game. I'm pretty sure there was no hidden message in his statement.

[Reefpirate]

BF3 has superb audio. Some of the best to ever grace a video game. I'm pretty sure there was no hidden message in his statement.

Ok, ok... I don't mean to knock the BF3 audio. I've only experienced it through YouTube (last Battlefield I played was Vietnam).

But I'm not so sure the audio can be changed that much at this point for PS2, and in terms of what the most important piece of the weapons system is I would rate audio relatively low. That's my point.

[Bags]

Damn you!

:huh::huh::huh:

Your previous comment was all like "real guns sounds didn't happen until BF3"... which then goes on to say that since the "awesome BF3 gun sounds all other gun sounds are wimpy".

That sounds sarcastic and witty to me! :rofl:

No, other games have good gun sounds I'm sure, but they really stood out and sound great in BF3, so BF3 kind of set the shooter standard for gun sound quality.

[Chowley]

I like the good beefy sounds of good gun audio as much as the next guy... But real guns actually sound kind of wimpy in comparison, so there goes the realism argument.

As for the sound affecting the gameplay, I guess it might for some people... But considering the number of hours I put in to Global Agenda it really doesn't affect anything at all for me. GA has the worst, wimpiest sounding guns in all of modern gaming history... And yet I was gripped by the mechanics of the game.

(I suppose if the guns sounded like farts or little cat meows or something I would be put off... But so long as they sound like they are shooting something and the sound effects go off on time I'm happy... I'm more worried about the mechanics and balancing)

I have fired a couple of guns once in my life, wimpy? Sorry are you the epitome of testosterone? The sound is terrifying, even pistols.
Also having heard gunshots being fired in a city. Again i feel the same.
They might not have the bass in games, but you are exaggerating hugely.

Although to those of us who are not used to it, maybe the sounds hold a lot more resonance.
And quite frankly bugger reality.

[GuyFawkes]

Ok, ok... I don't mean to knock the BF3 audio. I've only experienced it through YouTube (last Battlefield I played was Vietnam).

But I'm not so sure the audio can be changed that much at this point for PS2, and in terms of what the most important piece of the weapons system is I would rate audio relatively low. That's my point.

Judgement is still out on ps2 , but in ps1 audio for me was soo important. I always used headphones for that reason. And why music was first thing to get rid of in game.
The number of times Ive run up a tower steps because I heard the noise of an infiltrator equipping a rek to hack the control consol , or been sniping and switch out of zoom because i thought i just heard a infil pulling out a knife. I was never an infil junkie, but their presence within the ps1 universe added a whole level of thought and sixth sense to the game.

[AThreatToYou]

PlanetSide needs DISTINCT gun sounds, not REALISTIC. I should be able to easily distinguish all weapons from one another when they are being fired. It was like this in PS1 and it was extremely important to combat awareness. Everything from the Cycler, to the Gauss Rifle, to the AMP and Punisher had very unique firing sounds that made it very easy to figure out what someone was using without looking at them.

[Reefpirate]

I have fired a couple of guns once in my life, wimpy? Sorry are you the epitome of testosterone? The sound is terrifying, even pistols.
Also having heard gunshots being fired in a city. Again i feel the same.
They might not have the bass in games, but you are exaggerating.

Although to those of us who are not used to it, maybe the sounds hold a lot more resonance.

It's mostly the bass I'm referring to... In most games I play the guns sound like cannons more than pistols or rifles. Any gun I've every heard fired sounds like a firecracker, not a cannon. In reality they sound terrifying for sure, but it's more to do with the implications of the sound than the sound itself in my opinion.

[GreatMazinkaise]

Can you guys please come up with a consensus, Higby is either a God, or he is satan out to ruin your outdated FPS playing farts lives.

My guess is he had some say in bringing a new member to the team, as far as I am concerned, he has steered the ship pretty damn good sofar, no reason to start doubting him now.

Hate to burst your bubbles here, but pside as concept was a awesome game, but from a fps standpoint, it was really poor. Actually it was piss poor.

I for one am glad to see another voice with another perspective added to the group.

And please dont forget mega tf! :)

Higby is the Demiurge, the evil creator god that inflicts pain and suffering upon all of creation while also giving it life. Far more complicated than God vs. Satan.

Planetside is, to this date, the greatest multiplayer game ever created, flaws and all.

Deal with it.

[Bags]

PlanetSide needs DISTINCT gun sounds, not REALISTIC. I should be able to easily distinguish all weapons from one another when they are being fired. It was like this in PS1 and it was extremely important to combat awareness. Everything from the Cycler, to the Gauss Rifle, to the AMP and Punisher had very unique firing sounds that made it very easy to figure out what someone was using without looking at them.

Not asking for realistic sounds, asking for good sounds. Obviously no one expects the pulsar to sound like an m16.

[Vancha]

PlanetSide needs DISTINCT gun sounds, not REALISTIC. I should be able to easily distinguish all weapons from one another when they are being fired. It was like this in PS1 and it was extremely important to combat awareness. Everything from the Cycler, to the Gauss Rifle, to the AMP and Punisher had very unique firing sounds that made it very easy to figure out what someone was using without looking at them.
Absolutely. We need to be careful not to conflate good sound quality and good-sounding weapons (which translates to them feeling better), with "realistic".

[Zekeen]

It's always a hoot watching the community grab torches and throw stones at any new entity that enters the world of their game.

I personally think any diversity of the team has got to enhance it. Haven't watched any of his videos, but I can tell the fellow has a head on his shoulders. It's going to be interesting to see what sort of improvements he will suggest for the vehicles, seeing as e-sport style games are almost completely infantry based.

[Zar]

Its good to get an outside perspective of the game.

Not a huge CS fan, but its fine by me to have more people looking at the game.

all for outside perspective right up to the point where they try and turn ps2 into another *modern shooter*. then i really don't care what they have to say they have like 15 games in that horrid class of game's. planetside can and hopefully will be a new breed... well old but revamped and better model that will show its true color's in coming year's. i want game's to become planetside clone's i want to get away from the horrid cod lawl fest that i have seen the last few year's and sorry /end rant

[Bags]

How will a CS caster make PS2 more like a modern shooter...?

[bigcracker]

Hi!

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day.

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Feel free to listen to my podcasts that include my feelings about FPS gamestyles and models =D

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.


Congrats on being able to work on planetside 2 whisenhunt, and if some of them podcasts are about Ps2 i will watch :D also the biggest question..... Which faction do you support?

[Pella]

Best thing that has happens to PS2. Someone with a awesome track record of FPSs. Hopefully now he will be driving the E-sports side of it for PS2.

[Doctorcool]

What everyone fails to remember is none of us run a gaming company or work as a hiring manager. Do i agree with it? Yes and no but what right do we have to say no.

Also just a recommendation to you whisenhunt, Download and play Planetside before you do any work on ps2 (This is if you haven't already or are a vet, i honestly don't know.)

[Satexios]

Shame he played Counter Strike, everyone knows that Tactical Ops was the game to play before Atari raped it. :p

Welcome to the community and wish you the best of luck during these beta times at SoE.

[MrSmegz]

Any FPS guys looking at this game and giving them feedback is a good thing. I wouldn't be surprised if SOE had a few more competetive FPS'ers look at the game as well, have a good round-table before the public's gets its hands on it. To SOE this is a HUGE thing to get right and worth spending a few thousand dollars on to get guys like these in on, even though I don't care to much for the FPS experience. They can all feel the "wrong recoil" from my Liberator's cannon as far as I'm concerned. Yes I am a self proclaimed vehicle whore.

I would also like to see SOE hire some white-hat BF3 hackers to hack this game in beta for every possible exploit they can find or think of. Another few thousand dollars well spent IMO.

[Kyros]

I played counterstrike some years ago. I HATED how the weapons felt. They felt clunky and non-fluid and just really uncomfortable to handle. I really hope the planetside weapons don't fall in step. I would prefer someone with a background in battlefield 3 or arma. This is all personal opinion though and I could simply be overreacting.

[GuyFawkes]

Best thing that has happens to PS2. Someone with a awesome track record of FPSs. Hopefully now he will be driving the E-sports side of it for PS2.

+1

for all the chicken littles out there :

The game developers want PS2 to be a great game.

They've put so much into the focus for first time players ; the mission system , they've added classes to reduce confusion , a simplified resource system.

They are advertising the game , really great interaction with the community. Something that never barely happened first time around.

They've built from the ground up new engine in forgelight ,specifically to have the means to adjust /balance/ track almost everything in the game in real time. Allowing fans to access info to create all the background stuff for websites.

Its FTP! One of the biggest drawbacks in 2003 was persuading people to pay a sub to play a fps. That barrier is gone! Forever. It's a dying formula , no more buying the next big thing for £40, adding a sub to find out within 2 months that its just a generic clone of another generic clone.

You can see they are doing everything to make the game accessible to as many people as possible. They have a never ending cert and specialization angle to character development to hopefully keep people interested.

But, as you can see if you watch Jimmy's videos posted here. For a game to be popular and still feel worth playing years after release, you have to set the benchmark really,really high skillwise. And thats where the sheer genius of adding him to the dev team comes in.

Whether you are into e-sports or whatever is not the debate. It's the point of having to push your character and yourself to its extremes to be competitive. Thats why the likes of Starcraft2 the devs change the classes slightly to make people change tactics and counter other new ones. Doing A/B/C one day may work, but your enemy will adapt and counter so you need to react accordingly. Planetside is an eternal war and people will try new stuff.

If you constantly lower the bar to facilitate the masses, people don't improve, the game stagnates and there's no incentive to remain. It happened in ps1. So many good players were gone within its first year or 2. Many who tried everything, created styles and methods within the game. Poor decisions were made and drove them away. The skeletons of what made the game great still linger on life support today. Facilitate for the masses only and you end up with the reverse. You need both.

[Canaris]

I couldn't agree with your large capital letters any more, I may even make them a bit bigger... and red even!

Does that last part mean you favour a certain Republic over some rebels and a bunch of crasy technophiles? Cos if it does....... AWESOME! :D
Welcome to the war Mr Whisenhunt ;)

[Madfish]

CS is the most played FPS in the history of ever. It's significant.

Given that game development is such an iterative process, you NEED a diverse team with experience in numerous facets of the genre.

I don't know that Planetside 2 will provide a good format for an e-sport given the nature of the game, but having competitive-quality gameplay - that is, having extremely high quality moment-to-moment gameplay, weapon feel and balance, and team play - will only make the game that much better.

This is only a good thing, I think.

I agree. Hiring everyone from the PS1 community would make a small niche community. PS2 is for the big time. In addition, don't forget CS is a massive team game, with great tactics and gun play. I know I still play it at lan parties myself.

[Hermes]

Welcome on board sir. :)

It's good to see the team expanding. This is always a positive sign, and I'm sure is going to help with the influx of data coming in from beta.


I'm not going to comment on some of the reactions here to this news, other than to say that it made me laugh in bits. :D

[That one noob]

Yes... Because we all know the most important thing about the PS2 guns is their audio.

In all honesty, I would like the Magshot to sound like what its called and what it looks like, ie a big fucking sidearm.

[Sabot]

The Vanu approve of this decision.... Welcome, and good luck at SOE :) Don't mess it up, mate ;)

Regarding sounds... I tihnk they're very imortant. They don't necessarily have to sound realistic, but definitely powerful imo. 5.56 caliber carbines IRL does sound "wimpy", when compared to rifles of roughly the same size, but with a bigger caliber. An AK for instance will make you deaf... and a 7.62 caliber machinegun definitely makes a sound you want to hide from.

But none of this actually matters in a game, unless it's absolute realism you're going for. 'Cause like he said... it's all about how the weapons feel, and sound is a big part of that.

[Ragefighter]

I'm keeping up with the posts here =)

Thanks for the warm welcomes =D

welcome!

What faction are you going with?
:trrocks:

Come to TR we have the best rations!

[JimmyOmaha]

I'm keeping up with the posts here =)

Thanks for the warm welcomes =D

Welcome to the community! Don't mind the hesitant members they just love this game so much. Just tweet a cool pic or two and they'll be praising your name! :p

[super pretendo]

Fun, depth and strategy > balance

that is all

[SwiftRanger]

CS and PS are very different experiences. I just hope that Jimmy and SOE know they've got a lot more weaponry to balance, a lot of it should be varied and viable (CS never had many viable weapons, loads of stuff was never used), otherwise the business and skill model breaks down.

The comment from Matt Higby did comfort me though: making PS2 into an e-sport isn't the reason for this hire. Making it a better skill-focused game is good though.

Jimmy's video about CS 1.6 vs CS:Go conveyed the recoil problem well though. It's a small detail to most people but if you play a game for hours on end then it's a big deal.:)

[basti]

I only have one question: Did the dude ever play Planetside?

[mbarrett]

Here we go again , lets post another shit load of articles when we said beta was going to be in a few weeks , we're not interested , just get the bloody beta out like you said you would and stop beating around the bush and wasting our time

[Bazilx]

Wow, no thread when I go to bed, 10 pages when I wake up. People really want beta.

Welcome to the community Fps-Doug, from what I've read about you and from what I've heard you say, I feel you'll make a great contribution to the game and am happy you joined.

If you have any questions regarding the different factions and their overall aesthetic appeal, I direct you to my signature picture in which I have included visual proxies to help you grasp their differences.

[Partack]

Definitely nice to see someone added to the team that's not "lawl Battlefield is cool, let's do that..."

I couldn't agree more. At first I was worried, but if he says down with dumbing this game down, he may be just what PS2 needs..

All that being said, we have yet to find out if he's ever played planetside 1 and for how long.. PS1 doesn't play like your average FPS game.. in PS1, no matter what role you choose there is always another role that can counter you easily..

In normal FPS's, it's mainly just pew pew pew.. if 2000 people all pew pew pew at once without having to genuinely think about what their role is and who can counter them and who can't, then PS2 might very well turn into a mindless clusterf*ck of death with no real strategy or coordination.. :(

I'm hopeful and optimistic at this point. We'll see what happens at beta.


I direct you to my signature picture in which I have included visual proxies to help you grasp their differences.

God i love that signature. XDD (Even if you are terran trash..)

[I SandRock]

Great a CS Kiddie deciding the design of PS2. ;_;

EDIT: Ok im starting to like him after reading his posts here...

EDIT2: Oh wait no he didn't even mention playing UT. Screw you quake / TFC lovers. UT:GOTY instagib for life! ;)

[Figment]

*ponders how the community would have reacted if every new member to the dev team would have gone through the uhm... "scrutiny" of some people here*


"ZOMG YOU WORKED ON FREE REALMS AND NOT ON SHOOTARZ!? GTFO!111!! D: "

(which we actually saw...)

Seriously, anyone concerned, remember that the first devs PS had never played PS1 either. Besides, I know plenty of people who put 3.000+ hours in PS1 and still footzerg in a straight line. >__> To fully understand PS1 you need a couple years of observant play (not just play) and even then you'll not know every single detail of the game. For designing PS2 that's not needed either, it's not a copy. The most important thing is that lessons on bad things and good things are passed through and that's what we're trying to do here (even if we disagree on good and bad).


What's important is having a keen eye and being able to link observation to ratio. Providing good perception of things like gameplay flow, deeper emotional feel of player-product interaction, passion for game design and I recognise that in the videos posted. So in that sense, welcome aboard! :)

Afaic, a good choice.


(Now if only he can help make others realise we need AMS spawnpoints. :x )

[GuyFawkes]

Great a CS Kiddie deciding the design of PS2. ;_;

EDIT: Ok im starting to like him after reading his posts here...

EDIT2: Oh wait no he didn't even mention playing UT. Screw you quake / TFC lovers. UT:GOTY instagib for life! ;)

In his 2nd vid he mentions UT and UT2004. Plus hes been playing cs 1.6 for 13 yrs so unless he started at age 5 I think this puts him way beyond kiddie status;)

[GrayWave]

Welcome to the community, Mr. Whisenhunt.

Here we go again , lets post another shit load of articles when we said beta was going to be in a few weeks , we're not interested , just get the bloody beta out like you said you would and stop beating around the bush and wasting our time

They're the developers. I'd say their time is much more important than ours, as far as beta goes.

[ODonnell]

I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

[Kran De Loy]

Edit: wait, wrong thread.

Herp.

[I SandRock]

In his 2nd vid he mentions UT and UT2004. Plus hes been playing cs 1.6 for 13 yrs so unless he started at age 5 I think this puts him way beyond kiddie status;)

Ok he's awesome then. Can you link me the video?
Welcome Hunt! :thumbsup:

[Stew]

Does anyone even know who this guy is? He must play bad stuff like CoD, TF2, and BF cause I've never heard of him

He is a conter strike player and comentator mostly !

So i always have mix feeling about (( pro gamers )) because in order to have (( constent )) experience to not have to relearn new game mechanics! So when they are involve in the developpement process they mostly stop games to moove foward and make them stagnant !

Hope we will not be like that ! i dont like to play the same copy and paste game over and over and over i like to relearn stuff etc.. and seen new thing ad !

ESEA LAN - Interview w/ CS caster: Jimmy Whisenhunt - YouTube

thats him

[GuyFawkes]

I only have one question: Did the dude ever play Planetside?

Maybe not , but there are several ps2 devs that did/do. Matt Higby included so theres there's little disturbance in the force;)

Here we go again , lets post another shit load of articles when we said beta was going to be in a few weeks , we're not interested , just get the bloody beta out like you said you would and stop beating around the bush and wasting our time

A well informed ,balanced,patient and mature outlook. I'm sure you would be a great asset to any beta team

[Stew]

The concern i have is TF2 or Conterstrike have nothing to do with a large scales games like planetside 2 shooters arent just shooters to understand how the game could feel in ps2 you must have experience in Planetside 1 , Battlefields or even quake wars ET , or MAG games like these are in the same veins than planetside 2 Gameplay wise and gameplay mechanics and class wise ...

So iam kinda worried about all this ill give the guy a chance because i dont really know him but from his pedegree is maybe a MLG addict and players but the backgroud games he work/play On seams to have nothing to do with the kind of game that planetside 2 will be !


http://youtu.be/AlnqfXVfL9k?t=15m59««« ive lisen to this and i start to have respect for the guy !

[GuyFawkes]

The concern i have is TF2 or Conterstrike have nothing to do with a large scales games like planetside 2 shooters arent just shooters to understand how the game could feel in ps2 you must have experience in Planetside 1 , Battlefields or even quake wars ET , or MAG games like these are in the same veins than planetside 2 Gameplay wise and gameplay mechanics and class wise ...

So iam kinda worried about all this ill give the guy a chance because i dont really know him but from his pedegree is maybe a MLG addict and players but the backgroud games he work/play On seams to have nothing to do with the kind of game that planetside 2 will be !

He isn't going to be the overall controller over everything in the game. That's Matt Hibgy's job.

To quote T-Ray. Someone said to him ''that looks good for an MMO'' . He said ''we're a FPS game first and foremost , within an MMO world'' Adding Jimmy gives them another viewpoint to make the game the best FPS they can within the breadth of experience they already have at soe. Thats all.

[demonicale]

Welcome Jimmy, and glad your on the team!

I think your make a great asset that can only be SOE's gain, and the community aswell!.

[Kran De Loy]

A well informed ,balanced,patient and mature outlook. I'm sure you would be a great asset to any beta team

Not saying I agree with the way he said it, but even foreplay and teasing can only go so far before someone blows their-

... well you get the idea.

[wattle]

1.6 is a great game with a very smart competitive community, which is similar to how Outfits work together to take bases and such. I think this is an amazing hire.

I remember listening to this guy explain the differences between CS 1.6 and CS:GO, and it was amazing listening to what he could point out. This guy can pay attention to even the tiniest details, and knows what makes games fun and balanced. Him of all people can make all these weapons and in-game movement mechanics fine tuned perfectly, even if he hasn't played a lot of Planetside 1 it's not hard to know what makes it fun.

[EVILoHOMER]

Oh not that cunt...

Planetside 2 will be ruined, it was good while it lasted.

[wattle]

Oh not that cunt...

What history are you basing your judgements on? You just sound biased that it's not someone who was apart of the first game.

[zomg]

If you are concerned about this guy, just go watch the vids about the recoil stuff, particularily the response vid.

I mean he knows what he's talking about.

Response to Responses from CS:GO Is the recoil really wrong - YouTube

It's not about making the game feel like CS. It's about making the game reward skillful play.

One of the reasons I love Day of Defeat (the old one, not Source) is because it has so many factors to it which rewards learning them and using them. The guns are accurate and deadly, but only when used correctly, since the game has heavy physical recoil and movement penalties (you must move the mouse a lot to compensate especially with automatics). The sounds can be used to find enemies. The walls are even more easy to shoot through than in CS, and that makes usage of sound very important. Grenades can be primed, but that is done by picking them up from the ground etc.

All these things add together into a game which is easy to start, but takes a long time to master completely. And once you master one aspect of the game, you are immediately much better at it - It rewards learning to play the game well. It doesn't reward luck and randomness as much.

Do you guys really think that the devs are going to change the game's sci-fi feel because some guy they hired says so? No, I don't think so.

If he can provide feedback like the video I linked above, then great! I think they made the right choice hiring him if he can do that.

[I SandRock]

My main concern is that Planetside 2 will focus too much on the small-scale individual player vs individual player 'meta-game' and lose sight of what made Planetside Planetside. Look at the FPS combat in PS1 and compare to any other FPS game of 2003, it is nothing like it. The shooting etc it's all pretty basic stuff. Did we all love Planetside because of the 'feel of the weapons'? I'm afraid this will turn too much into an e-sport shooter game. Where it's about the standard FPS combat. Getting K/Ds rather than focusing on the overall objectives.
You're talking about the complexity of games such as Quake. But I honestly wouldn't want combat to be anything like Quake, where 'skill' is knowing all the powers up and different weapon locations etc. (not saying that's all there is too it of course). I honestly don't want combat encounters to be the decisive feature in PS2. In PS i was never out to try and get the best K/D score, going around looking for kills. I was trying to make my way to an objective, to cover an LLU, to hack a base, blow the gen, blow the spawns, defend our own base etc. And I killed whatever stood between me and my objective. But in a lot of situations you'd actually try to avoid combat (like when you're in an enemy base). Not "oh hey an enemy I'll run back and chase him around the entire map just to get +1 kill"

If the focus becomes on this complex shooter game then I think it will loose sight of the great tactical experience of PS. And people will just be running around trying to kill shit rather than focus on winning a base.

[SKYeXile]

Yea, alot of these comments are pretty uncalled for, im normally the first to troll somebody out, but a professional FPS player and commentator comes in as a systems designer and you people want to oust him already?

So what if he's never played played Planetside? most of the people here have, it does not make you qualified to be a game designer, If anything it disqualifies you.

[zomg]

My main concern is that Planetside 2 will focus too much on the small-scale individual player vs individual player 'meta-game' and lose sight of what made Planetside Planetside. Look at the FPS combat in PS1 and compare to any other FPS game of 2003, it is nothing like it. The shooting etc it's all pretty basic stuff. Did we all love Planetside because of the 'feel of the weapons'? I'm afraid this will turn too much into an e-sport shooter game. Where it's about the standard FPS combat. Getting K/Ds rather than focusing on the overall objectives.
You're talking about the complexity of games such as Quake. But I honestly wouldn't want combat to be anything like Quake, where 'skill' is knowing all the powers up and different weapon locations etc. (not saying that's all there is too it of course). I honestly don't want combat encounters to be the decisive feature in PS2. In PS i was never out to try and get the best K/D score, going around looking for kills. I was trying to make my way to an objective, to cover an LLU, to hack a base, blow the gen, blow the spawns, defend our own base etc. And I killed whatever stood between me and my objective. But in a lot of situations you'd actually try to avoid combat (like when you're in an enemy base). Not "oh hey an enemy I'll run back and chase him around the entire map just to get +1 kill"

If the focus becomes on this complex shooter game then I think it will loose sight of the great tactical experience of PS. And people will just be running around trying to kill shit rather than focus on winning a base.

If you compare Quake 1 to how shooters are nowadays, you could say it wasn't really that complex.

I think focusing on the individual player's experience is important. Players who come from other shooters expect it to have depth in the gunplay, and lacking that they will probably go back to whatever else they were playing.

Frankly, I don't think I would be very excited about this game if the gunplay didn't feel nice from the videos. What you as a player do in the game is essentially running around and killing people, with the added sugar of having objectives to work towards.

If the movement is floaty and shooting is random, it's not fun - I don't like if the game randomly decides the other guy's shots hit me when I was shooting more accurately.

You talked about not wanting the combat mechanics to be a decisive factor in gameplay... What else would the factor be? I mean it is an FPS, albeit at a massive scale. You are going to have to shoot people to accomplish the objective, so why not make shooting people more fun? :)

I really don't think improving the FPS mechanic is going to take away from the objective based gameplay. Infact I think it will improve it, because you as a player have better control, and with better control, you can shoot that bugger who would otherwise stop you from covering your hacker ;)

[SztEltviz]

PlanetSide needs DISTINCT gun sounds, not REALISTIC. I should be able to easily distinguish all weapons from one another when they are being fired. It was like this in PS1 and it was extremely important to combat awareness. Everything from the Cycler, to the Gauss Rifle, to the AMP and Punisher had very unique firing sounds that made it very easy to figure out what someone was using without looking at them.

This is important.




...
If the focus becomes on this complex shooter game then I think it will loose sight of the great tactical experience of PS. And people will just be running around trying to kill shit rather than focus on winning a base.

I remember a conversation on the PS1 official forums, where someone was bashing AzK for being a "killwhore" and not capturing CC's. Then an another NC said something like: "Yeah maybe he doesn't go for the CC, but I feel pretty safe to hack a CC, when he is outside killing everything in a hundred meters circle. :)"
So killing thing is pretty important.

[MaestroTV]

As a competitive player at heart, (with a background in many different FPSes, CS 1.6, Tribes, PS1, Quake, etc) believe me when I tell you that the PS2 team needs someone like Whisenhunt on their team. This dude spent a good portion of his life playing FPSes, and with that he's obviously gained quite a bit of knowledge as to what makes a good FPS.

It's an incredibly sound decision, and it further reinforces the great job the PS2 devs are doing to reach out to the community and communicate effectively with us (remember, not many devs do this!). They're hiring on a competitive player who is familiar with good game development and can provide accurate, meaningful input from a player's perspective.

To those worried about his background in CS somehow drastically changing the entire development of PS2, a product literally weeks away from beta, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the goal of his hiring. From what I understand, his position is to help fine-tune the weapons in PS2.

I honestly couldn't have asked for anyone better for this position, as he's already given a lot of meaningful input into the development of CS:GO (that has actually made it into the current build of the game) through VODs alone.

And to Whisenhunt, sorry about the rabid fans trying to get your goat. They kinda go into witchhunt mode when they smell new blood. Welcome to the community, and I'm glad you got on board!

[SniperSteve]

Welcome.

[Stew]

ive lisent to some of his video and he seams to Be Ok for me i respect the guys he seams to not be for stagnant gameplay and people and seams to like to see much more variety in the tactics and way to play in pro gamers league so if the guys is really like a saw him in these few video ! he have my seal of aproovement for sure

Its a good thing they hire him as long as creativity is on the developpement process and not restrictive (( pro gaming lazyness)) mentality but i think the guys is cool (Y)

[AzK]

I love PS2 and the dev team...but...

Seriously? You are going to bring in competitive CS players? Counter Strike plays NOTHING like Planetside 1 or 2. You at least could of brought in the top tier Battlefield players or something.

Or, you know, hire on some well known PS community members...

I rarely complain, this is a time I am doing so.

That.

[SergeantNubins]

Throw in my 2 cents.. i think this is a good thing. I watched the video about cs 1.6 vs cs:go and he is bang on. CS is, on balance, i think the best shooter i ever played, going back to quake 2. The reason for that is that the gameplay just worked very very well and the guns felt right. The audio and the recoil and feedback was fantastic and so if he can bring experience to ps2 that integrates that into its shooter mechanics then im all for it. The last thing i want from ps2 is to have the same clunky shooter mechanics from ps1.

As for the esports stuff.. well they tried outfit wars on ps1 and actually i think that would be a lot of fun to watch, tons of strategy, tactics, skill and loads of different ways to achieve the outcome, regular 20 v 20 outfit battles on special maps away from the main battles could well be a big thing for the game. Im not sure the players will make much money from it due to the numbers needed, but would help teh game and most players would probably be happy just for the bragging rights.

With regards to some comments a few posts back about audio.. wow... audio is one of the most important pats of designing weapons. COmpare games like Battlefield 3, Battlefield Bad Company 2 or Rainbow Six Vegas against and CoD, PS1 and pretty much any other fps and there is a huge difference in how the guns feel, because of audio. Guns should be loud, they should feel powerful.. i was particularly put off with recent versions of COD where some of the guns sound like wet farts. If in PS2 they can have assault rifles sounding like.. assault rifles, heavy sniper rifles sounding like a thunderclap and shotgun being a bassy thump followed by a heavy slap as the pellets hit.. these sorts of things, then that would be awesome.

Anyway, welcome to the team and i hoe you can make a difference here :)

[Ale]

Welcome, Jimmy. Don't let the clowns get you rustled.


Dear SOE: Hire Hayoo...

[Miir]

Welcome to the team sir.

Hiring someone to come in and give feedback on the feel of the weapons is a great idea but I have to ask. Why "weeks" before beta is to begin? Why not earlier in development? Does this mean they are not happy with the current state of the game? Did they get feedback from E3 and decide to change it?

Every article I read from people that have played the game said the game was tight and felt like a modern FPS game. So this just seems like bad timing to me and is nothing personal to Whisenhunt. His videos are great and he seems like he will be a great addition to the dev team.

[Higby]

Good question Miir. We have pretty solid feeling base mechanics right now, and all the tools necessary to create great feeling gunplay. We also have several of types of weapons with dozens of variants each to differentiate, tune and balance, throw on top of that the customizations that affect weapon feeling and you're talking about a tremendous amount of work, so 1) we needed the additional manpower, and 2) we wanted to have someone with a lot of experience with gunplay in a variety of games to help us get them feeling better faster.

[AzK]

It's a good thing anyway, the guy says and agrees with, the same exact things i've been saying for the past decade, especially about the "random" factor which is a plague in games like cod or bf, if he keeps that sort of crap away from ps i'm happy with that, i don't care if he liked/played cs which i couldn't stand. He played ut and quake competitively as well, which i also did so i can see where he's coming from, the cs part is just a matter of taste or circumstances.

I still think you should, maybe not hire, but at least get some of the best players ps1 had to offer playing ps2 right away though, to give additional feedback nobody else can. A select group of those players would light up right away for the dev team op stuff / exploits / mechanics, nobody else would even think of.

[demonicale]

It's a good thing anyway, the guy says and agrees with, the same exact things i've been saying for the past decade, especially about the "random" factor which is a plague in games like cod of bf, if he keeps that sort of shit away from ps it's fine by me, i don't care if he liked/played cs which i couldn't stand. He played ut and quake competitively as well, which i also did so i can see where he's coming from, the cs part is just a matter of taste or circumstances.

I still think you should, maybe not hire, but at least get some of the best players ps1 had to offer playing ps2 right away to give additional feedback nobody else can. A select group of those players would light up right away for the dev team op stuff / exploits / mechanics, nobody else would think of.

That's called "Beta" :D

[AzK]

That's called "Beta" :D

No it's not, cause in beta you get LOADS of feedback and you actually need to sift through it because like 80% of it is going to be whines or complaints/questions from people who aren't really thinking things through.

Choosing a select number of people you KNOW you can rely on when you're reading their feedback is different and makes your job easier.

Maybe the dev team could just flag said people internally so their feedback is highlighted or something, it doesn't really have to be anything official. But it would certainly make their job easier/more efficient.

[zomg]

That's called "Beta" :D

Pretty much what I was going to post.

If you're a PS1 vet and unhappy about the decision to not get someone from the PS1 community, your chance to prove yourself comes with beta.

This thread just shows the sort of envy you'd expect in a workplace where they bring an outside contractor or a new hire instead of promoting you :rolleyes:


Maybe the dev team could just flag said people internally so their feedback is highlighted or something, it doesn't really have to be anything official. But it would certainly make their job easier/more efficient.

This is a good idea and I'm sure they do this.

Instead of complaining on forums like this you could try doing what Whisenhunt is doing... Actually creating something which is easy to follow to understand what his criticism is based on, and thus you easily get much more visibility. If you post in a thread on forums with 13 pages, even with good criticism, it will easily get lost in the mass. Especially if the criticism is on the level you see here (OMG THIS IS NOT RIGHT WTF GUISE)

Hiring someone to give feedback is not only based on his experience. It's also based on his ability to communicate the why's and how's in a meaningful way.

[Aaron]

He sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I can relate to what he's saying. He understands skill play.

[Notser]

Good question Miir. We have pretty solid feeling base mechanics right now, and all the tools necessary to create great feeling gunplay. We also have several of types of weapons with dozens of variants each to differentiate, tune and balance, throw on top of that the customizations that affect weapon feeling and you're talking about a tremendous amount of work, so 1) we needed the additional manpower, and 2) we wanted to have someone with a lot of experience with gunplay in a variety of games to help us get them feeling better faster.

Why are you up at 6 in the morning on a saturday!? :)

[AzK]

Higby arrived and replied on the 13th page so i have faith!

[Sledgecrushr]

Good question Miir. We have pretty solid feeling base mechanics right now, and all the tools necessary to create great feeling gunplay. We also have several of types of weapons with dozens of variants each to differentiate, tune and balance, throw on top of that the customizations that affect weapon feeling and you're talking about a tremendous amount of work, so 1) we needed the additional manpower, and 2) we wanted to have someone with a lot of experience with gunplay in a variety of games to help us get them feeling better faster.

Adding Whisenhunt to the team could only be described by me as visionary. The fact that he doesnt have any PS1 experience means he will have a clean perspective. Whisenhunts is an absolute expert in the fps genre and as a fan I couldnt be happier with this addition to the team. Give us great guns and precise movement Whisenhunt. You now have the opportunity to help steer a game that could bring in billions of dollars a year for the next decade. Good luck brother.

[Miir]

Good question Miir. We have pretty solid feeling base mechanics right now, and all the tools necessary to create great feeling gunplay. We also have several of types of weapons with dozens of variants each to differentiate, tune and balance, throw on top of that the customizations that affect weapon feeling and you're talking about a tremendous amount of work, so 1) we needed the additional manpower, and 2) we wanted to have someone with a lot of experience with gunplay in a variety of games to help us get them feeling better faster.

Thanks for clarifying. Will this affect the start of beta? or will anything he finds just be tweaks and balances that will be tested during beta?

Why are you up at 6 in the morning on a saturday!? :)

I was wondering that too... I think he sleeps with his phone or something. :P

[mbarrett]

Thanks for clarifying. Will this affect the start of beta? or will anything he finds just be tweaks and balances that will be tested during beta?



I was wondering that too... I think he sleeps with his phone or something. :P

of course it will effect the beta , to be honest none of the developers should have said the beta was going to be in a few weeks when it is clearly not ready for beta yet

[ZeroOneZero]

Congrats SOE! And welcome aboard Whisenhunt, it's good to know that we'll have an expert that will be dealing with PS2 weapon mechanics. I prefer CS weapons recoil,sounds, and feel than any other fps game out there. Once again, congrats and welcome to the loving PS2 community :P.

[IMMentat]

never heard of him, watched a copuple of his vlogs, live to tape but keeps to the point and stays focussed, i like.

[Higby]

Thanks for clarifying. Will this affect the start of beta? or will anything he finds just be tweaks and balances that will be tested during beta?


It won't delay the start of beta. He's still got to move out here and get settled in, so he's not even full time on the team for a couple weeks at least. You'll see him (along with the rest of our weapons team) tuning and refining the gunplay throughout beta and beyond.

[demonicale]

It won't delay the start of beta. He's still got to move out here and get settled in, so he's not even full time on the team for a couple weeks at least. You'll see him (along with the rest of our weapons team) tuning and refining the gunplay throughout beta and beyond.

And we all can't wait to help too :)

[Miir]

It won't delay the start of beta. He's still got to move out here and get settled in, so he's not even full time on the team for a couple weeks at least. You'll see him (along with the rest of our weapons team) tuning and refining the gunplay throughout beta and beyond.

Concerns dispelled. I'll go back to starring at my inbox waiting for that email. :)

[RedKnights]

Thanks! Excited to see passion in the community, I hope in the next weeks to get more out concerning what I do and my feelings on game mechanics =)

We have a lot in common (myself and this community) it seems when it comes down to game play decisions and passion.

PS: The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

Hmmmm...

I like him, I'll take two.

But seriously it's someone like this that need to be on the team, there need to be a lot of elements to the game to make it more interesting, the EXACT thing he said about SC2.

Weren't we all whining that PS2 was being dumbed down? This guy knows what is up.

[Tatwi]

Who? Sorry, I've always thought "professional gaming" was ridiculous so I don't know who Jimmy (or anyone else into those things for that matter) is. But it's always nice to have new, dedicated people around, so congratulations Jimmy.

Have fun storming the castle!

[JHendy]

The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

I have a good feeling about Jimmy being on-board, having just watched a few of his videos.

Games designed entirely around the premise of maximising accessibility-by lowering entry thresholds and even in some cases imposing artificial limiters on players to stop those dedicated from significantly outplaying the majority- have been the bane of my life for the past five-odd years now.

Just make sure you keep your ethos strong and at heart as you move forward professionally, Jimmy.

I'd be yelling "SOE, hire this man!!!!" If they hadn't already done so. Good stuff.

[BillyBob]

:)If you are concerned about this guy, just go watch the vids about the recoil stuff, particularily the response vid.

I mean he knows what he's talking about.

It's not about making the game feel like CS. It's about making the game reward skillful play.

Oh, really? After watching that video here's basically the impression I got from it:

1. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to CS.

2. He knows about rewarding skillful play in CS.

3. He's extremely CS-biased.

4. He's under the impression that CS skill is the very definition of FPS skill.

Ironically, to some of us CS is considered to be one of the most dumbed-down FPS games out there. :p

Ergo, skill is relative.

In other words: Just because you can't handle not being able to move with surgical precision (as you obviously can't IRL, let alone with equipment and weapon) or not be able to cope with some random elements (which also occur IRL), does not mean there aren't people who have the proper SKILLS required to do so.

See what I did there? :D

Skill. Is. Relative.

On a serious and CS-related note however; firing from the hip as in CS should NOT under ANY circumstances be as viable as ADS (Aiming Down Sights) on anything but the very closest ranges (5-10 meters tops)...or PS2 would as far as I'm concerned effectively have become CS in space.

I don't know about you, but that's definitely NOT of any interest to me.

That said, welcome to Jimmy and good luck on your new job! :)

/BB

[Captain1nsaneo]

This will be interesting to see how it pans out. The sheer scale of PS makes turning it for fun and competitive play difficult (as in its never been done before and there is nothing to compare to or take lessons from). Looking forward to seeing what solutions you help bring about.

[Karma]

Welcome to the community dude.

I’ve just spent the past couple hours checking out your videos on YouTube and am really impressed. You give nice & simple examples to backup your opinions for game improvements which all seem to just make sense.

Hope to see more of the same for PS2. :thumbsup:

[Vancha]

Skill. Is. Relative.
I really hope you aren't a medical/architectural/culinary professional.

[Stardouser]

http://www.hltv.org/blog/5155-interv...unt-whisenhunt
As you are one of the most knowledgeable esports experts in the U.S., do you have any specific "road map" for the development of an esports game or community?

I wouldn't say I'm by any means an expert, but I'm definitely flattered! As far as a road map goes, I'd say there's a path for success, and it's very simple. For any competition to succeed it MUST have a high skill ceiling, and since we're talking esports it MUST have some sort of way to engage spectators, similar to how the CS franchise has done with HLTV and commentators such as myself. There are a million factors that contribute to a successful esports community or game, I would probably spend the next 173 pages ranting about the perfect scenario... So I'll just leave it at those quick points.


Whisenhunt, since you talk about high skill ceiling, positional killcam is out, but are you also going to make sure that PS2 doesn't have other skill gap compensators like 3D spotting?

After playing a game like BF3 bad gun sounds stand out, unfrtounately.

BF3 gun sounds are great.

Provided, of course, that you just want to be cinematically immersed as if you were watching a movie, and aren't trying to judge direction of a sniper by their shot noise. You could do that in BF2. Nowadays games seem to just drown the sound out with immersion sounds and replace shot direction judgement with jumbo jet contrail sized tracers and audio spotting.

[Notser]

BF3 gun sounds are great.

Provided, of course, that you just want to be cinematically immersed as if you were watching a movie, and aren't trying to judge direction of a sniper by their shot noise. You could do that in BF2. Nowadays games seem to just drown the sound out with immersion sounds and replace shot direction judgement with jumbo jet contrail sized tracers and audio spotting.

Bags just missed a comma there to signify he really likes BF3's sound design for guns. BF3 has a amazing sound team, every developer should strive to be half of what DICE's sound team is when it comes to their games.

[Stardouser]

Bags just missed a comma there to signify he really likes BF3's sound design for guns. BF3 has a amazing sound team, every developer should strive to be half of what DICE's sound team is when it comes to their games.

As I say they definitely made great sounding sounds. The question is, are the little things like ability to judge shot direction by sound, is that something that anyone, even the absolute best sound team ever, would have had to trade off for the immersive sound, or did they simply miss that one? In other words, does having a living, breathing sound environment simply drown that kind of thing out and make the tracers and audio spotting necessary regardless of the skill of the team?

[bigcracker]

I know everyone is in titled to there own opinion but wow some of you people are sad and need to step away from the computer. Put the pitch forks down and show some patience,Higby as always is trying to make you guys happy and Whisenhunt even now is posting on PSU to try to make you guys happy and i still see a lot of flame post. Calling him Counter strike biased is ridiculous, most of everyone here is biased to PS1 and can't accept change and even when they tried to have a new motto for ps2 we had 10 page whine thread about how ps1 motto is better, this community is more like CS 1.6 fanboys then it wants to admit.

[Pyreal]

I just watched the first video and he seems like a pretty cool fellow.

I think that the feel of a game is very important but usually unidentifiable.
What do I mean?

You ever play a sequel or another game in a genre and it just doesn't 'feel' right? It's just 'not as good' but you can't specify what it is but there is 'something off'. Those elements are the 'backbrain elements' as I think of them because they are not your focal point during a game. They are peripheral, they are simple, and they have a large impact on your overall gaming experience.

It's a good move to have someone on their team who is aware of these peripheral game elements and can specify them.

[outsider]

Oh man what a wasted opportunity on the new guy.

Instead of hating on him and getting his back up, you should have been welcoming and warm; and while he’s ingratiating himself in the praises of so many new friends we coulda gotten the bloody Beta dates off of him!!

/sigh no wonder I got so many kills in the original.

PS: btw this works in most first dates. If she likes the post Dali Expressionist Landscape ( and you want sex ) then you find post Dali Expressionism interesting. If you start hatting in on Dali for 4 hours don’t expect so much as a HJ after.

For instance:
“Hi Jimmy, glad you’re onboard, I found some of your comments about CS:GO interesting. So… what are your ideas for Planetside 2 and when do you think we’ll be trying them out ?” would have been the smarter strategy, because at least there would have been some strategy to it.

[Noivad]

Welcome to the Planetside Community and to a real MMO FPS Game.

[zomg]

1. He knows what he's talking about when it comes to CS.

2. He knows about rewarding skillful play in CS.

3. He's extremely CS-biased.

4. He's under the impression that CS skill is the very definition of FPS skill.

That is an interesting point of view.

1 and 2, perhaps true.

I'm not going to comment on 3 and 4, because I don't think we can really say whether or not he thinks that based on what we know :)


Ironically, to some of us CS is considered to be one of the most dumbed-down FPS games out there. :p


I'm not sure if "dumbed down" is a good expession :D I would say that CS is perhaps "reduced" in the fashion that it does not have all sorts of extra that distracts from its core gameplay, that is shooting people.

However we feel about CS, I think we can agree that it rewards a player for a) having good aim b) good movement c) "soundwhoring" and stealth d) knowledge of each weapon and item and their usage

I think that no matter what kind of shooter you are playing, these 4 cases are a part of what makes the shooter fun and rewarding. There may be other aspects involved as well, and not all may apply (mainly case c), but if you can make these feel "nice" in a shooter it makes the game better.


In other words: Just because you can't handle not being able to move with surgical precision (as you obviously can't IRL, let alone with equipment and weapon) or not be able to cope with some random elements (which also occur IRL), does not mean there aren't people who have the proper SKILLS required to do so.

See what I did there? :D

Skill. Is. Relative.


If randomness is involved to the point where having very accurate aiming (as an example) becomes irrelevant, can it be called "skill" anymore?

Sure, you could have a "tactic" of bringing 2:1 ratio of people into each fight to win them. Sure, that would be a skill in the sense of planning it so you have the edge.

However, reducing the mechanics of gunplay of an individual soldier to depend more on luck than skill would mean that the effort of an individual player is much reduced, and I believe it will also lead to frustration much more easily if (again for example) someone who has just started playing will have a 50-50 chance every time due to luck against someone with hundreds of hours.

If individual players become mere cannon fodder, is it fun for them to play?

Obviously I'm exaggerating here to help make a point, but you can see how improving an individual player's ability to affect the situation will also improve their enjoyment of the game.

[FuzzyandBlue]

I for one am really excited that they brought a competitive player into the dev team. Early on I saw a lot of whining about the games he chooses to play. Many people were worried that he would try to influence the game towards CS. This to me shows a real lack of understanding of the competitive mindset.

I follow two competitive scenes right now, League of Legends and Starcraft 2. For the longest time I could not figure out what separated the pros from noobs like me (in LoL more that SC2). After watching hours of streams and videos I realized that these players spend hours understanding every facet of the game on a fundamental level.

Whisenhunt isn't going to approach this game like CS, He is going to spend hours upon hours learning about PS2. He will focus on movement, aiming, recoil, TTk and many other things. Once he has a good frame of reference he will start saying "this is good, this is bad, this needs tweaking."

Honestly they could have brought a competitive player from SC2 and he would have done the same thing.

Congratulations Whisenhunt. I hope your input can make this game even better.

[Pyreal]

Whisenhunt, since you talk about high skill ceiling, positional killcam is out, but are you also going to make sure that PS2 doesn't have other skill gap compensators like 3D spotting?



He's on the weapon design team. 3D spotting isn't a projectile.

[Poser]

Smart move. If they can get the shooting right, and the F2P stuff isn't game breaking, there is no stopping this game!

[TerranTitan]

I think Miss Krohn is doing a great job on weapon design, and doesn't need this weirdo's help.

[T MAN]

Yea, i thought the gun mechanics were spot on from what i've seen, its came a long way from the first trailer weve seen.

He'd have to have expeirence with battlefield 2142, BF3, to really justify anything in PS2 cause thats the next to the closest thing to PS2.

I say hire Tigersmith lol

heres Jimmy whisenhunt battlelog for BF3 LOL

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/user/whisenhunt_ad/#!/bf3/user/whisenhunt_ad/

no wonder higby beat him in the playtest they did, heres higby's battlelog

http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/#!/bf3/user/mhigby/

[Gonefshn]

Maybe I will be crucified for saying this but Planetside was always in ways a "casual" FPS.

Before you freak what I mean is the actual gunplay and shooting itself. The game was IMMENSE and far from casual in the meta game. You had a lot of options to run away, find cover, heal up and rejoin the fight. It was never a game where you could make one simple mistake and die. Yes, skill was there but it had a huge cushion of risk/reward making the gunplay much more casual and random. Hell, even the COF system made bullets fly in random directions so how unprecise can you get.

What made Planetside 1 competitive and not casual was not the gunplay it was the meta game. I played because I felt like I was part of a war machine, not because of solid shooter mechanics and twitchy I own you gamplay.
I am beyond stoked to see Planetside 2 tighten up the gunplay and make it a little more skill based and precise but I hope they don't lose sight of the main vision of PS1.

I hope this new guy understands that the main competition of this game is about the Meta game and the strategy of warfare, not necessarily the one on one moment to moment exchange of bullets.

Don't make this a game where pro FPS players can lone wolf and be "Just so good" at the gunplay that they can fly solo and defeat people who put in the time to organize and use tactics. THE META GAME MAKES PLANETSIDE COMPETITIVE. Remember that.

[Papscal]

The guy will need a serious hazing. and i cant think of much worse than making him play Vanu.

[TheRandomAmiba]

Hi!

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day.

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Feel free to listen to my podcasts that include my feelings about FPS gamestyles and models =D

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.

wow.... with your admin powers can i have rainbow righting? please :D :bouncy:

[zomg]

Maybe I will be crucified for saying this but Planetside was always in ways a "casual" FPS.

Before you freak what I mean is the actual gunplay and shooting itself. The game was IMMENSE and far from casual in the meta game. You had a lot of options to run away, find cover, heal up and rejoin the fight. It was never a game where you could make one simple mistake and die. Yes, skill was there but it had a huge cushion of risk/reward making the gunplay much more casual and random. Hell, even the COF system made bullets fly in random directions so how unprecise can you get.

What made Planetside 1 competitive and not casual was not the gunplay it was the meta game. I played because I felt like I was part of a war machine, not because of solid shooter mechanics and twitchy I own you gamplay.
I am beyond stoked to see Planetside 2 tighten up the gunplay and make it a little more skill based and precise but I hope they don't lose sight of the main vision of PS1.

I hope this new guy understands that the main competition of this game is about the Meta game and the strategy of warfare, not necessarily the one on one moment to moment exchange of bullets.

Don't make this a game where pro FPS players can lone wolf and be "Just so good" at the gunplay that they can fly solo and defeat people who put in the time to organize and use tactics. THE META GAME MAKES PLANETSIDE COMPETITIVE. Remember that.

I think you hit it quite nicely there. I think that that albeit having inaccurate guns or such, there is still skill in the manner that you still have a lot of options and a player with more time put in knows what to do in each situation and thus has better chances of winning.

It may not be attractive to "pure" FPS players as much, but nevertheless.

I agree that even if the gunplay is improved it will be good to keep cooperative play nicely balanced. Although a pro in a light assault will be able to beat a beginner in a MAX by utilizing the speed and jetpacks of the light, the fact that each class is still specialized and does not look to be very good in all situations means that no single player can be overpowering to a team.

[Biohazard]

Welcome to the community; and no, this is not the first we've seen him.

Remember this?
http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=39676

I am happy to see that the dev team is looking to many the sources to improve planetside2. On the subject of sound; distinctive, realistic, and satisfying don't have to be exclusive. Battlefield 3's sound's are wonderful, probably the best thing that they did. Just look at some of the sound comparison videos on youtube, like this one.
Battlefield 3 gun sounds vs Modern Warfare 3 - YouTube

[Shogun]

welcome to the community, whisenhunt! and congratulations on becoming part of the best dev team out there!


Thanks! Excited to see passion in the community, I hope in the next weeks to get more out concerning what I do and my feelings on game mechanics =)

We have a lot in common (myself and this community) it seems when it comes down to game play decisions and passion.

PS: The reason I started my podcasts and shows is to promote change against the watered down systems we have in most modern day FPS.

this sounds awesome!
as you have noticed, we are very passionate about the game and its potential. and it is great the devs have hired someone who truely understands the problems of modern fps games!
planetside 2 can be so much more than the average fps title! and it has to be more! because it will take years or decades until someone else might take another approach, and we had enough of uninspired copycat casual shooters.

[Zar]

Best thing that has happens to PS2. Someone with a awesome track record of FPSs. Hopefully now he will be driving the E-sports side of it for PS2. >.< there will be no E sport's in ps2 sorry to burst your bubble xD far to open for that silly type of cookie cutter game play =3

[Stardouser]

>.< there will be no E sport's in ps2 sorry to burst your bubble xD far to open for that silly type of cookie cutter game play =3

I wouldn't be surprised if they allow 8 vs 8 arena play. WW2 Online has done something similar, I believe they allow 64 player round-based play.

I can already imagine people claiming that this will take players away from the main combats, too.

The biggest question is, if they ever had these 8 v 8 rounds, would they be on SOE servers or would players rent and administer them like other games?

[zomg]

>.< there will be no E sport's in ps2 sorry to burst your bubble xD far to open for that silly type of cookie cutter game play =3

Spoken like someone who knows what he's talking about :rolleyes:

[Masterr]

Welcome to the community; and no, this is not the first we've seen him.

Remember this?
http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=39676

I am happy to see that the dev team is looking to many the sources to improve planetside2. On the subject of sound; distinctive, realistic, and satisfying don't have to be exclusive. Battlefield 3's sound's are wonderful, probably the best thing that they did. Just look at some of the sound comparison videos on youtube, like this one.
Battlefield 3 gun sounds vs Modern Warfare 3 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYXqXm_LLHg)

Them BF3 sounds are awesome. MW3 is SO muffled.

[Marsgrim]

Hi!

I did play Quake III competitively but ended up sticking with CS over the years, I still play quake live to this day.

I played TFC before steam was released also, TF2 is just goofy fun with friends of mine that play it quite a bit.

Feel free to listen to my podcasts that include my feelings about FPS gamestyles and models =D

I might have to do a PlanetSide AMA on reddit to go through a lot of these questions and stuff.

Good to see, who'd you play TFC with? I always thought it was a much better HLTV game than CS - I can't for the life of me understand why CAL went with CS when TFC had a much bigger following but much more tactical and team orientated play.

[MCYRook]

most of everyone here is biased to PS1 and can't accept change and even when they tried to have a new motto for ps2 we had 10 page whine thread about how ps1 motto is better, this community is more like CS 1.6 fanboys then it wants to admit.
It's funny because it's true. ;)

[WNxArachnophili]

I think this is cool. What other industry or world would a guy get scouted and hired to a major design studio based on virtual street cred. Not to downplay your credentials or qualifications but who else can say "Hey ma! I'm moving! I just got a sweet job because of my video games."

This community is so fun. Even the haters are sooooo entertaining. For everyone who loves the original and is fretting over what 'they' are going to do to your game I have one very comforting quote.

We know what game we are making.

His team has a shared vision. Like a master artist they see the shape of the sculpture in the rock and chip away at anything that doesn't belong. They will listen to ideas from every quarter but they will not add anything that does not belong to the game they are making. I can hear this every time anyone of them speaks.

So take comfort that this team saw something in this new guy that this game needs.

- phil

[zomg]

I think this is cool. What other industry or world would a guy get scouted and hired to a major design studio based on virtual street cred. Not to downplay your credentials or qualifications but who else can say "Hey ma! I'm moving! I just got a sweet job because of my video games."


Programmers get that too. Although I'm not employed by anything "major" right now, I have been at Nokia and was approached by a Facebook recruiter purely based on my online presence :)

[Blackwolf]

Welcome!

Just thought I'd stupidly enlarge a positive message for a change.

After seeing the videos, I think the guy is pretty sharp. Not fond of CS players but that's more because the majority that I've met were kinda... Anyway he is probably the best choice for the job they want done.

Criticizing him for his choice of game is just lame. Everyone has their own agenda as well as their own taste in games. He also doesn't strike me as bias towards games, something the rest of the PSU community is very heavy on.

[BillyBob]

I really hope you aren't a medical/architectural/culinary professional.

Hehe, nope. :p

However, any one of those fields require different skillsets than the other two...just as you can't really claim it to generally require more or less skills.

/BB

[Eyeklops]

If I PayPal Whise some money will he make the Vanu HA have the biggest BOOM? Also, I'll send him even more money if he adds a turret to the Magrider.

[Gwartham]

Planetside is, to this date, the greatest multiplayer game ever created, flaws and all.

Deal with it.

I mean I get the fanboism. I loved ps1, but in no way in my mind was ps1 the greatest multiplayer game ever created. Its active playerbase isnt even a blip on the gaming radar, been that way for years.

I have played every MMO, every online fps since I got the bug way back when quake came out. In all those years a lot of good games have come and gone. They have thier good points, and they all had thier bad points, planetside included.

The point is there is enough of a experience pool out there now. Theres still a few die hard ps1 fans out there, but this game isnt being created to cater to them. Do you think this game, even with its graphics and scale, would hold any longterm value if we went back to buggy guns and cof bloom style gameplay?

Nah other games have shown that theres better options out there. Its pretty obvious that the devs have played their share of FPS, and they are using that influence in PS2.

Wisenhunt brings with him a critical eye and observation that this game will need, and put that together with the rest of the devs as a group, its to make the game stronger, not weaker.

I know the devs obviously have respect for PS1, and the loyalty of its fanbase, but the scope and vision of this new game goes far and well beyond the original game.

And to be honest the response that Wisenhunt got from this community? Honestly it was pretty shameful. Who here wouldnt of pounced at the opportunity to join the dev team in what is shaping up to be the greatest FPS ever?
Hell who here wouldnt want someone like Hamma on the team just for his observations and dedication to the game beyond the simple gameplay?

PS1 fanboi...meh...not so much.
PS2 fanboi...color me guilty as sin.

I have much love for the old game, much like I have much love for my old Chevelle. Much love for what it represented.

But in all honestly I would trade it for a Veyron any day :cool:

Jimmy was brought in to help ensure my new Veyron is firing on all cylinders.

So to Jimmy do us old OGL CS players proud:thumbsup:

[Hamma]

After talking to him a bit in IRC, and here on the forums as well as watching his various videos and seeing his commitment to community already I think this is a good move for SOE and can only improve our gaming experience.

PlanetSide players are very passionate about our game and very defensive about changes made to it. But remember that this is 2012 not 2003, our beloved game wasn't really that good when it came to gun play back in the day. Having played PlanetSide 2 already myself I know that the gun play is already awesome and the mechanics feel great.

Jimmy can only help to improve that with his experience in competitive play. I for one hope they don't make the skill ceiling to high in an already in depth game but I have confidence the Developers know the right direction for PlanetSide 2 and what type of product they want.

Good luck to Mr. Whisenhunt and I apologize for the shenanigans in this thread - this community is extremely passionate and sometimes that shows through in negativity but you are a gamer just like the rest of us you understand that communities can sometimes be that way. :D

He wants what we all want, to end the era of watered down FPS and bring it to the next level. That's what we argue and debate every single day on this very forum is it not? ;)

[Sabot]

Father Hamma has spoken. Now crawl back to your caves all of you! :D

[Shogun]

He wants what we all want, to end the era of watered down FPS and bring it to the next level. That's what we argue and debate every single day on this very forum is it not? ;)

Exactly!

[Baron]

Please...

no jumping headshots with no scoped sniper rifles from 300 yards. The CoF in PS1 was a great mechanic.

[Fek]

You at least could of brought in the top tier Battlefield players or something.

Top tier Battlefield players don't exist, it's an imbalanced pub hero game. This guy comes from a competitive gaming background and therefore understands the importance of balanced. Though they obviously aren't going to let him design the whole game, hopefully he will move the gunplay further from spray and pray fests like BF3 and MW3 and closer to that of competitive games like CS and Pro Mod to ensure a better gaming experience for players of all skill levels.

I for one hope they don't make the skill ceiling to high in an already in depth game

Agreed, but considering the game is semi-realistic in terms of infantry movement speed, it's impossible for it to get to a point where it is actually difficult to hit people (as it is in games like UT or Quake). It's very easy to shoot people in CS for example, just if you are new the other guy will be able to do it faster, which is much less important in a game like PS2 where you are constantly blindsiding people.

[BillyBob]

That is an interesting point of view.

1 and 2, perhaps true.

I'm not going to comment on 3 and 4, because I don't think we can really say whether or not he thinks that based on what we know :)

Maybe I should stress again that these were merely my own very personal impressions I got from watching that video.

I might be completely wrong, especially given the fact that the video was about a very specific subject and may only apply within that context.

However, he did make some more general remarks that I question, but again, I might have misinterpreted him completely.


I'm not sure if "dumbed down" is a good expession :D I would say that CS is perhaps "reduced" in the fashion that it does not have all sorts of extra that distracts from its core gameplay, that is shooting people.

Ok, but to me that's often what reduced means or at least equates to; that it's dumbed-down.

Perhaps especially so when it, exactly as you point out, is about shooting people. Shooting people implies that it has some form of realistic foundation...there are people involved and you are shooting them with weapons. All these factors encompass known variables, such as anatomy, weapon mechanics and overall physics.

Personally, I don't see how removing and/or heavily simplifying those variables could be anything but dumbing things down? :p


However we feel about CS, I think we can agree that it rewards a player for a) having good aim b) good movement c) "soundwhoring" and stealth d) knowledge of each weapon and item and their usage

I think that no matter what kind of shooter you are playing, these 4 cases are a part of what makes the shooter fun and rewarding. There may be other aspects involved as well, and not all may apply (mainly case c), but if you can make these feel "nice" in a shooter it makes the game better.
[/QUOTE]

Yeah, but it's still relative. In CS for example, "good movement" is being able to run around like a ferret on crack with little to no regards whatsoever to equipment or weapons...let alone any natural physical limitations of your body.

To say that ArmA for example, which is more realistic, requires less skill because it's slow and sluggish in comparison is just silly...as the skill lies in successfully moving and shooting your opponents in spite of those realistic limitations. Skills are still required to an equal extent, their focus simply lies on different elements.


If randomness is involved to the point where having very accurate aiming (as an example) becomes irrelevant, can it be called "skill" anymore?

Sure, you could have a "tactic" of bringing 2:1 ratio of people into each fight to win them. Sure, that would be a skill in the sense of planning it so you have the edge.

However, reducing the mechanics of gunplay of an individual soldier to depend more on luck than skill would mean that the effort of an individual player is much reduced, and I believe it will also lead to frustration much more easily if (again for example) someone who has just started playing will have a 50-50 chance every time due to luck against someone with hundreds of hours.

If individual players become mere cannon fodder, is it fun for them to play?

Obviously I'm exaggerating here to help make a point, but you can see how improving an individual player's ability to affect the situation will also improve their enjoyment of the game.

Many use sidearms IRL in their daily jobs. Your average semi-automatic handgun for example has a limit to its inherent accuracy due to the spread of the weapon itself, and that spread will increase dramatically as distances become greater. Add to that the fact that it's impossible for a person to hold it absolutely 100% still without artificial support.

There's a very obvious random element to it. So why do these people even bother practicing? What's the point if it's random and there's no skill involved? Obviously, the answer is that there IS skill involved and the skill lies in doing your very best within the randomness you have to work with.

Btw, when I mentioned random elements, I was also referring to things like your weapon jamming etc...which also requires skill to recover from quickly. It also makes a point of always being close to cover, which also requires skill.

I'm obviously not in favor of too much randomization, but allowing weapons to be 100% accurate in themselves should IMO only be possible if we're talking about lasers or something to that effect.

And even with laser, unless we're talking about a stationary vehicle or lying prone with a bipod or firm support for your weapon, even then 100% accuracy should not be possible to achieve for longer periods of time due to your body swaying.

If PS2 is to successfully convey the feeling and impression of being engaged in large scale combat, it can't be too far removed from reality when it comes to these things. Certainly not to the spaced out Fantasy level of CS, which has pretty much nothing (or at the very best extremely little) in common with a true combat situation.

Sorry for the long post, just wanted to answer this and I'll do my best not to clutter up this thread any further.

Again, welcome to Jimmy and congratulations on his position at SOE! :)

/BB

[Gwartham]

Please...

no jumping headshots with no scoped sniper rifles from 300 yards. The CoF in PS1 was a great mechanic.

And thats exactly why they are bringing it back!









Oh wait......

[Pyreal]

Ok, so Jimmy is tackling player weapons... who's smoothing out turrets?

[Solidblock]

Can I just say that I've been following this topic since I've woke up UK time and I'm so pleased to actually see the devs involved in this community. Before this, I honestly just thought it was a facade that devs put on in order to give them a mandate for something or to increase sales.

Thanks SOE

[zomg]

All these factors encompass known variables, such as anatomy, weapon mechanics and overall physics.

Personally, I don't see how removing and/or heavily simplifying those variables could be anything but dumbing things down? :p

Hah, in that case we could probably call all games dumbed down... ;)

To say that ArmA for example, which is more realistic, requires less skill because it's slow and sluggish in comparison is just silly...as the skill lies in successfully moving and shooting your opponents in spite of those realistic limitations. Skills are still required to an equal extent, their focus simply lies on different elements.


You are exactly right there. In ArmA things still require skill and you are rewarded for learning the way ArmA works.

Sidearms are generally not used past the ranges where they are effectively accurate :) But yeah, other weapons would have their own limitations as well.

As for the remainder of your post, quite agreed with that. I see we do agree in most respects with this; With my posts I mostly just wanted to point out that he seems very much capable of finding how these important aspects show in the game and working with the general idea on how to make them feel better.

[Partack]

Screw you quake / TFC lovers. UT:GOTY instagib for life! ;)

*high five*

[Toonlad]

well done Mr 'H' and your team. I for one is absolutety chuffed to bits, that you guys are pouring in what ever resource you can, to make the game play and feel better. Hiring a competition player to give there advice/input is always going to give the team more to think about. :eek:

Onwards and upwards Devs, you have my vote in the bag :love:

[OnexBigxHebrew]

I'm still having trouble discovering what relation e-sports have with planetside. I am an AVID longtime player of Gears and Halo, played wth several MLG teams, etc, and I fail to see the relation between 'e-sports' (still hate that name) and PS2, and I don't see how the two are at all alike, aside from being FPSs. I'm getting way more of a BF3-esque 'imersive' war shooter feel than a Counterstrike twitchfest vibe from this game. Not knocking counterstike (outdated as it may be), but I feel like this kind of puts a damper on bringing Planetside into the future.

I just don't feel like injecting theory from an old system with a tiny community is the best way to capture an audience and make PlanetSide 2 great.

Then again, I'm a player who welcomes PS2 modernization. I can definately see why those experiencing culture shock after seeing ADS game footage would be overjoyed about this guy, and I respect those opinions, but here's 2 problems I see with this:

A) This guy is irrelevant to even the CURRENT e-sports scene. He's holding on to a game that few care about when other games are breaking live-stream records. He seems sharp, but not exactly a model of relevancy.

B) E-sports ARE irrelevent to planetside. This game has WAAAAAY too many gimmicks and variables to even be remotely considered sport-like, as an arena shooter would. Don't get me wrong - that's a good thing in my eyes, as I certainly feel like warfare and fun are what I want out of planetside, not some ill-convieved notion that this game is at all like a competitive arena game. It's going to be about strategy, Zerg, and firefights. Shit wizzing by your head, aircraft flying by, stuff blowing up everywhere, that stuff :D.

I like the idea of the devs considering balance, I just don't see what he has to offer. Either way, good luck to PS2 and Whisenhunt. Its still a good thing that the devs, especially in the F2P market, care about balance.

[Stew]

After talking to him a bit in IRC, and here on the forums as well as watching his various videos and seeing his commitment to community already I think this is a good move for SOE and can only improve our gaming experience.

PlanetSide players are very passionate about our game and very defensive about changes made to it. But remember that this is 2012 not 2003, our beloved game wasn't really that good when it came to gun play back in the day. Having played PlanetSide 2 already myself I know that the gun play is already awesome and the mechanics feel great.

Jimmy can only help to improve that with his experience in competitive play. I for one hope they don't make the skill ceiling to high in an already in depth game but I have confidence the Developers know the right direction for PlanetSide 2 and what type of product they want.

Good luck to Mr. Whisenhunt and I apologize for the shenanigans in this thread - this community is extremely passionate and sometimes that shows through in negativity but you are a gamer just like the rest of us you understand that communities can sometimes be that way. :D

He wants what we all want, to end the era of watered down FPS and bring it to the next level. That's what we argue and debate every single day on this very forum is it not? ;)

I agree with this Hamma ...

The guy look to like creative gamers and imaginative and interesting ones i hope he will keep the same mind set about planetside 2 ...

And yes ps1 was far to be amasing in gunsplay etc.. So most of the changes are welcomes But anyway they just keep the same planetside in term of scales options available and even much more down the road ..

[T MAN]

I'm still having trouble discovering what relation e-sports have with planetside. I am an AVID longtime player of Gears and Halo, played wth several MLG teams, etc, and I fail to see the relation between 'e-sports' (still hate that name) and PS2, and I don't see how the two are at all alike, aside from being FPSs. I'm getting way more of a BF3-esque 'imersive' war shooter feel than a Counterstrike twitchfest vibe from this game. Not knocking counterstike (outdated as it may be), but I feel like this kind of puts a damper on bringing Planetside into the future.

I just don't feel like injecting theory from an old system with a tiny community is the best way to capture an audience and make PlanetSide 2 great.

Then again, I'm a player who welcomes PS2 modernization. I can definately see why those experiencing culture shock after seeing ADS game footage would be overjoyed about this guy, and I respect those opinions, but here's 2 problems I see with this:

A) This guy is irrelevant to even the CURRENT e-sports scene. He's holding on to a game that few care about when other games are breaking live-stream records. He seems sharp, but not exactly a model of relevancy.

B) E-sports ARE irrelevent to planetside. This game has WAAAAAY too many gimmicks and variables to even be remotely considered sport-like, as an arena shooter would. Don't get me wrong - that's a good thing in my eyes, as I certainly feel like warfare and fun are what I want out of planetside, not some ill-convieved notion that this game is at all like a competitive arena game. It's going to be about strategy, Zerg, and firefights. Shit wizzing by your head, aircraft flying by, stuff blowing up everywhere, that stuff :D.

I like the idea of the devs considering balance, I just don't see what he has to offer. Either way, good luck to PS2 and Whisenhunt. Its still a good thing that the devs, especially in the F2P market, care about balance.

^This, could'nt have said it better myself. :thumbsup:

[Xyntech]

A competitive CS player, cool. Sounds like if there are any problems with stuff like ADS being required at stupid ranges, he'll make sure it gets sorted out.

It's not like they put this guy in charge of the game, so this sounds like nothing but a positive to me. He can help tighten up some of the competitive balance aspects while the rest of the team makes sure it's still accessible to the masses at an entry level.

[zomg]

I'm still having trouble discovering what relation e-sports have with planetside. I am an AVID longtime player of Gears and Halo, played wth several MLG teams, etc, and I fail to see the relation between 'e-sports' (still hate that name) and PS2, and I don't see how the two are at all alike, aside from being FPSs. I'm getting way more of a BF3-esque 'imersive' war shooter feel than a Counterstrike twitchfest vibe from this game. Not knocking counterstike (outdated as it may be), but I feel like this kind of puts a damper on bringing Planetside into the future.

I just don't feel like injecting theory from an old system with a tiny community is the best way to capture an audience and make PlanetSide 2 great.

Then again, I'm a player who welcomes PS2 modernization. I can definately see why those experiencing culture shock after seeing ADS game footage would be overjoyed about this guy, and I respect those opinions, but here's 2 problems I see with this:

A) This guy is irrelevant to even the CURRENT e-sports scene. He's holding on to a game that few care about when other games are breaking live-stream records. He seems sharp, but not exactly a model of relevancy.

B) E-sports ARE irrelevent to planetside. This game has WAAAAAY too many gimmicks and variables to even be remotely considered sport-like, as an arena shooter would. Don't get me wrong - that's a good thing in my eyes, as I certainly feel like warfare and fun are what I want out of planetside, not some ill-convieved notion that this game is at all like a competitive arena game. It's going to be about strategy, Zerg, and firefights. Shit wizzing by your head, aircraft flying by, stuff blowing up everywhere, that stuff :D.

I like the idea of the devs considering balance, I just don't see what he has to offer. Either way, good luck to PS2 and Whisenhunt. Its still a good thing that the devs, especially in the F2P market, care about balance.

What does e-sports have to do with anything?

Do you really think they hired this guy because he is/was good in CS?

:rolleyes:

[ODonnell]

People are acting dense and are judging him on his background in esports and not what he was hired to do. He was hired because he was qualified. Competitive games do not equal e-sports.

[OnexBigxHebrew]

What does e-sports have to do with anything?

Do you really think they hired this guy because he is/was good in CS?

:rolleyes:

Did you read through the rest of the posts before replying to me?

It's mostly been "Counterstrike this, competitive that, twitch this, ADS that". My point is just that this guys persepective is a very dated one.

Also, my post was merely to point out that this guy doesn't seem qualified for anything other than counterstrike-related endeavors.

[zomg]

Did you read through the rest of the posts before replying to me?

It's mostly been "Counterstrike this, competitive that, twitch this, ADS that". My point is just that this guys persepective is a very dated one.

Also, my post was merely to point out that this guy doesn't seem qualified for anything other than counterstrike-related endeavors.

Nice that you noticed. Everyone who is complaining has been talking about CS and e-sports.

My question was, what does his hiring have to do with either of those?

At no point did they say "Ok we hired him to make PS2 the most awesome e-sports"

Nor did they say "Ok we hired him because he can pwn us in CS"

I mean do you seriously think that they would hire him only because he is or was a good CS player? Not meaning to offend you or anything, but how dumb would someone have to be to hire a person purely because he's good in CS? :rolleyes:

[Fek]

People are acting dense and are judging him on his background in esports and not what he was hired to do. He was hired because he was qualified. Competitive games do not equal e-sports.

This. He has a long history of playing and commenting on fps games. He is here to help the developers create a balanced game with engaging gunplay that has a skill ceiling noticeably higher than the floor. Watch his analysis of CSGO vs CS1.6. Who wouldn't want tight character movement and gun feedback e-sport or not?

[Mordelicius]

SOE focusing on tightening gameplay>>> SOE focusing on fancy trailers.

[OnexBigxHebrew]

Nice that you noticed. Everyone who is complaining has been talking about CS and e-sports.

My question was, what does his hiring have to do with either of those?

At no point did they say "Ok we hired him to make PS2 the most awesome e-sports"

Nor did they say "Ok we hired him because he can pwn us in CS"

I mean do you seriously think that they would hire him only because he is or was a good CS player? Not meaning to offend you or anything, but how dumb would someone have to be to hire a person purely because he's good in CS? :rolleyes:

My point was that I can't think of another reason TO hire him. What the hell else is this guy about, lol?

I'm just saying that this guy literally lives and breathes a scene and FPS ideology that doesn't mesh well at all with whats been shown of PS2, and I think kind of sends a mixed message as to PS2 gameplay goals.

Kind of feels like a PR move to appease all of the old-school kids and make them not be so whiny and doomsayer about this game's look and feel, and give them peace of mind.

I'm obv not saying they're trying to make PS2 into an e-sport, because that sounds stupid, and it never could/would happen. My point is, with that said, I can't see a use for this guy.

This game is just NOT that serious, imo. lol. It's a F2P MMO. Fun, nothing more.

And for the record, Pro Quake/CS = Pro covered wagon racing. :P

[FINALCUT]

Welcome to the forum Jimmy. I do have a question for you, what faction will you be playing. ? I understand that you need to play all three to test out the feel of the guns and such,but is there one you prefer over the others ?

Have you checked out the back story for the factions ? What faction draws you in the most ? Just remember NC is the best faction and you should come to our side. Also,your boss plays NC so that should influence your decision.:lol: Do you have a favorite weapon so far ? Just want to get to know you a little better.

Don't let the crazies in this forum scare you,some people are all like ZOMG THEY ARE GONNA RUIN MY PLANETSIDE. This is the most pationate community I have ever seen,bordering on rabid and phsycopathic IMO. Seriously,these people scare the hell out of me. Tread lightly my friend,tread lightly.