SOE removing the tactical aspect of camouflage, good or bad?

[Rolfski]

With the recently added camo's that are in empire colours only and the adjustment to vehicle textures, as can be seen below, it is clear that SOE wants to get rid of the tactical aspect of camouflage in this game. What do you think, is this good or bad?



I can think of three reasons why they're doing it:

1. Performance issues
   You can't really argue with this but there's a price to pay. With all these identical looking empire camo's, there's really little reason to buy them any more. Who cares about these different textures if they look more or less the same on your uniform anyway?
   
2. Identification Friend or Foe
   Making faction colours less visible is not that much of an issue imo in a game where you can spot enemies and friendlies. If you need safe, consistent an stealthy IFF, then spot friendlies, not enemies.
   They also have plans for empire specific walk animations, which should make IFF even more easy.
   
3. Solving the "camo is p2w" issue
   If this is the reason behind the camo nerf, than SOE is completely solving it the wrong way, pissing off their own customers who paid hard cash for them.
   What they should have done is making one good camo per continent (plus a night camo) grindable.

All in all, I'm not favouring the direction they are going with camouflage, as it takes away a tactical aspect of the game that was hardly an issue to begin with. The map design in this game is way too static and blunt for camouflage to ever become an OP issue and blending in with the environment/enemy (giraffe camo) is naturally balanced by the increased risk of taking friendly fire damage.

EDIT: The real reason seems to be, surprise surprise, upcoming vehicle hacking. While nice, this still feels like a trade-off to me and I would prefer a win-win solution.

[maradine]

I was a big fan of full-model camo. Swapping into the right colors for the terrain at the beginning of an Op was kinda one of the little guilty pleasures of the game. I'll wait to see what shakes out, but I'm not pleased thus far.

[Selerox]

Originally Posted by maradine

I was a big fan of full-model camo. Swapping into the right colors for the terrain at the beginning of an Op was kinda one of the little guilty pleasures of the game. I'll wait to see what shakes out, but I'm not pleased thus far.

This.

I like the visuals that the game has in terms of camo. I like the fact that you can fully kit yourself out for the situation. Taking that a way feels a lot like SOE taking away something arbitrarily, especially as camo has worked fine for a year or more.

[Falcon_br]

Originally Posted by maradine

I was a big fan of full-model camo. Swapping into the right colors for the terrain at the beginning of an Op was kinda one of the little guilty pleasures of the game. I'll wait to see what shakes out, but I'm not pleased thus far.

My words too!

I lost the count of how many of my outfit members didn't fired at a tank and the reason was: I thought it was a rock! Normally with the giraffe camo.
It also got me, twice that I can remember.
Love when they rotate Indar warp gates, because the only time it can use the white sand camo is when we have the north warp gate of Indar. Everyone agree I look awesome on that camo.
The principal motive that made me get the Bahamut mask it was to increase camouflage coverage. I use it with all long range weapons.
I still use the white with black dots against the NC on close quarters, still make some of them confuse about friend or foe.
Camouflage has almost no effect against the VS and I TK a lot of TR using the black scales camouflage, also noticed that they are the lowest priority targets during engagements with the VS.
Also on my outfit we have a rule (actually we got several), open fire on luminifier vehicles first.
The second is, don't engage the PREY galaxy, it is a Trap! But it is not related to the topic.

[KarrdeBRBU]

I'd argue it's all just cosmetics. Anyone who's been in the game for more than 5 minutes essentially doesn't bite on cammo. It's just recoloring to fit the tastes of the user.

[VampireCrono]

gotta be honest, i thought this was going to be the coverage when i played back in beta. as of now it's a little p2w and as far as we have been told, it takes up resources that could be deleted to spare some frames. if this means i get more frames in a bigger fight then i am all for it. cosmetics are cosmetics: they should not have any sort of p2w aspect and should just be to make you look better

[typhaon]

If we're just talking about vehicles, I agree with the OP.

If anything, I'd just make slight visual modifications to each faction's NS vehicles.


If we're talking about infantry camo. Then I'm definitely in favor of changes - despite some of the early efforts being rather crude.

[GeoGnome]

I don't think it's that big of a deal. It's for vehicles, and vehicle Camo has always been aesthetic IMO.

I'm sorry, but you just can't camouflage a tank effectively. Also one of your examples in the Galaxy. The only thing that would be a good camo for a galaxy, would be if it were a sky blue camo, which it isn't.

[Eggy]

Isnt this just so they can add another cammo slot?
I saw some pics not so long ago with galaxys that had tonnes of cosmetics on them so its not too far out there to see them wanting to sell primary and secondary cammos.
Or even that the areas in the new screens are where future cosmetics will be placed.

Its not too long ago that there was both an in game and out of game push for more cammo sales and even instructions on how and why cammos worked.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Eggy

Isnt this just so they can add another cammo slot?

This wouldn't surprise me actually although I hope it is to save fps.

The advantages of camo on a vehicle are hard to measure. The Empire specific vehicles are always 100% easy to recognise but I guess on a NS pattern vehicle I might hesitate a second or two to spot the target before firing. I doubt this will change things much.

[Ghoest9]

The way they have nerfed infantry camo is terrible. It used to be that camo actually helped in you hide were smart about using it.

vehicles - it doesnt matter - the vehicle camo never hid anything anyway.

[Rivenshield]

I hope I don't rustle too many jimmies by saying so, but.... it got to the point long ago where I couldn't even tell which side a combatant was on, hesitated, and died. Maybe I'm just slow and dumb, but this sounds to me like it's long overdue. In a three-way nonstop war, you need to be able to ID things visually -- the more so when the little blue Dorito doesn't always show up.

Having said that, it's really going to piss off everybody who paid cash for camo. More ham-fisted mismanagement. I'll put up with dying more often due to my own uncertainties if the alternative is another slice in a death-by-a-thousand-cuts to PS2's player base.

[MaxDamage]

Edited. Doesn't seem to affect infantry.

[GeoGnome]

Originally Posted by MaxDamage

Not cool with it.
I wouldn't have bought half the camos I did for infantry.

They need to make their friggin minds up and stop pissing around with peoples money.
Legitimately angry.

Does ANYONE struggle to tell the difference between a Magrider, Prowler and Vanguard?!

Originally Posted by Maidere

Good. It's p2w right now.

Well here is the problem. They increased camo coverage and people complained, so they decreased camo coverage, and people complained again. So then they added ES colors with the camo, and people complained.

This isn't something that just happened out of nowhere, I mean we have seen this happen multiple times. No matter what they do with Camo coverage, people complain. Either it's Pw2 or it's stealing people's money. You can find plenty of frustrated messages and interviews on this subject if you look it up.

Seriously, people just need to chill on both sides and buy cosmetic camos. I bought 3 camos I thought better blended my infil into the background... and then one day I bought black flames and never looked back... because Black Flames and a headscarf makes my guy look like an Immortal from the 300, and that IMO is the best camo money can buy.

[HereticusXZ]

The entire point of camo is to conceal yourself and confuse your opponent long enough to get a edge in the fight, not announce HEY I'M HERE, SHOOT ME! If Camo is not concealing your character then what's the point of even having Camo at all?

I'm here to enjoy a War game, not NASCAR where we all flash our gay pride faction team-colors. "Hey look that's the M&M Harasser! That one has Yoda!" That's -exactly- the direction the games going if we abandon the tactical purpose of Camo.

Why even bother having continuity and respect for the war we're playing? If we're seriously considering doing away with the tactical asset that Camo is suppose to be then lets take away the restrictions and add funny hats into the game or other stupid BS that take away from what the war on Auraxis is suppose to be.

I love Stealth, Long Range, and Tanks. Complete and utter Bullshit if you think Camo doesn't work with Tanks, that stuff is all that's effectively concealing my tank from a casual glance of Aircraft when I'm completely vulnerable, so much so I encourage proper camos in my Outfits Armor Division. Camo caters to players who's play style is Stealth, In my experience that means Sniping or sneaking through and around a enemy zerg undetected, Taking away the Tactical purpose of Camo hurts this play style heavily


TL/DR Whats the purpose of continuity or even Stealth in this game if you give up on the tactical assets of Camouflage.