News: Massively Interviews Tramell "T-Ray" Isaac

[Raymac]

Originally Posted by kaffis

First off, I think you're underestimating the raw power of modern GPUs. What we're seeing in screenshots clearly won't be representative of the play experience on the lower end of the system reqs, but it's well within the capabilities (with a good engine) of something like a GeForce 580, I'd estimate.

However, the reason I cut out this part of your post is, be careful you don't go overboard with a brand-spankin' new, bleeding edge video card and pair it with an aging CPU. Recent game engines work the CPU a lot harder than ones, say, 10 years ago did.

Thanks for the advice, and you're right. I don't want to go too overboard with a new GPU, because my CPU isn't great, but it's not bad either. (AMD Phenom II x4 955) I've been gradually leapfrog updating my CPU and GPU, so I'll probably lean towards getting a GPU that is on the upper end of what my CPU can handle. I just really hope my CPU isn't junk by the time PS2 gets released.

The reason I'm kind of concerned, and Higby has said it a number of times himself, is that making an MMOFPS has got to be hard or else we would see more of them. When you add in the hundreds or thousands of players all on the same map, it's got to be taxing on any rig, right? I really want to be pleasantly surprised, but it's almost feeling like it's too good to be true. One rule I live by is, if it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Just trying to keep my ever growing expectations in check.

[Xyntech]

Fortunately most of the highest detail textures and shaders on character models and weapons won't be needed beyond 5 to 10 meters.

I think the most important thing will be an engine that can scale to the appropriate levels of graphics cards and some exceptional net code. If they can manage those two things, I think the number of players will be relatively easy.

Look at some zombie games such as Left 4 Dead. It isn't the hundreds of character models that we will be seeing in Planetside, but it's a good example of how a well designed engine can accommodate a large number of moving entities without affecting performance much. The devs just have to start at 300 players on screen and work back from there, instead of 30.

I doubt you will ever have more than 30 people right next to you, especially not in any plausible combat situations, so hopefully distant view models will help a lot.

Net code is going to be the real killer here, but I have high hopes for it since that's really going to be an essential.

[NapalmEnima]

Update from Higby via twitter:

mhigby Matthew Higby
@mstorer3772 We haven't locked that down 100% yet, it's a bit too fast internally. I have a feeling it'll be a couple hours long eventually.

2 hours? Maybe. That sounds good to me.

EDIT:

Yet another answer, this time from SOE_Hack (producer of PS2):

@SOE_Hack Josh
@mstorer3772 @planetside2 something we've been playing with, but we'll really need to balance the day/night cycle during beta.

You'd think they didn't talk to each other or something.

[Talek Krell]

They're probably all a bunch of twitter haters, and don't monitor each other's feeds.

[Hamma]

much h8 for Twitter indeed.

I think a couple/few hours will be more than acceptable. Not to long that you feel like you are always playing at the same time and not to short that it zips by stupidly.

[Xyntech]

Anything shorter than 2 hours will be too short. I feel like anything longer than 5 hours would be too long.

My vote is still for 4 hour days

But considering they say it will be balanced in beta, I have no doubt that it will be a very good length by launch time.

[Captain B]

What would be cool is if Auraxis had two moons, or maybe one of the future planets did. Britannia, anyone?

[Sirisian]

I just got the best idea ever. Binary star system. During dual sun the trees burst into flames and the grass burns into sand. Then as one sets the nanites repair the grass and the world transforms. Then when both suns begin to set it starts to rain then to snow as night comes and the moon comes up. </pipe dream> (Doesn't have to have realistic sun motions).

[Captain B]

I'm liking the new screenshots of the NC armor with the blue and such. I'm guessing that's our HA armor, with all the appropriate plates on the legs and such.

...but one constant thing I've noticed that I have to ask,

[Vancha]

Originally Posted by Raymac

Thanks for the advice, and you're right. I don't want to go too overboard with a new GPU, because my CPU isn't great, but it's not bad either. (AMD Phenom II x4 955) I've been gradually leapfrog updating my CPU and GPU, so I'll probably lean towards getting a GPU that is on the upper end of what my CPU can handle. I just really hope my CPU isn't junk by the time PS2 gets released.

Keep in mind you can upgrade to an AM3+ motherboard which should run the next 2-3 generations of AMD CPUs, while still being compatible with your 955, so you could split the costs over time instead of getting a new mobo and CPU at once.

[BorisBlade]

4 hours is about as short as it should be, you are lookin at like 1.75 hours of day and 1.75 night with prob .5 of sunrise/sunset (maybe a bit longer on thet set/rise). anything shorter and your daytime is just gone way too fast.

5 hours is prob best, you get more decent time lengths plus its odd numbered so the time of day in RL versus in game changes constantly so if you play at the same time each day then you get to experience all the times of day as the auraxian time shifts thru. You would keep an odd numbered cycle as a rule thru any additional planets they add in the future as well, for the same reasons although the actual length could vary from very short to vastly longer.

I do hope tho that in future additions of different planets that they take advantage with some unique flavors to day/night cycles with different cycle times and maybe even different ways of lighting it. Two suns with varying times of rise/set, or maybe its a dim star with dusk level of lighting in the day, or maybe nights have many moons with some large and bright and some dim and small to light up the sky for various amounts of time as they pass by giving you say 20-30 mins of good light before it rotates out. Or a million other ideas, some much more exotic. Things that really arent complicated, but add more variety and flavor. Having them be smaller planets or moons with only one zone could mean even more variety per new area as well. Its a long way off for those but could be cool none the less.

[Raymac]

Originally Posted by Vancha

Keep in mind you can upgrade to an AM3+ motherboard which should run the next 2-3 generations of AMD CPUs, while still being compatible with your 955, so you could split the costs over time instead of getting a new mobo and CPU at once.

Kick ass, dude. It's like you read my mind. I was just wondering if that was something I could/should do. The mobo I have right now is pretty ancient. Since I'm already saving up for a new GPU, it sounds like it would make alot of sense to save a little more for a new mobo too. Will I have to update my RAM too? Right now I've got ddr2. (Also, I was dumb and at work and forgot I actually have a Phenom II 965 instead of 955)

[NapalmEnima]

Originally Posted by Xyntech

Anything shorter than 2 hours will be too short. I feel like anything longer than 5 hours would be too long.

My vote is still for 4 hour days

But considering they say it will be balanced in beta, I have no doubt that it will be a very good length by launch time.

Did we actually just agree on something?



But wait! That's not exactly like PS1's game play. Gotcha!


EDIT:

Might I suggest the PC building folks start a new thread? I'd be happy to hear a good/cheap build strategy, but it seems odd to have it here... where many interested parties might miss it.

[Xyntech]

Originally Posted by NapalmEnima

But wait! That's not exactly like PS1's game play. Gotcha!