Planetside 2: map layouts (spoiler)

[diLLa]

Although I like how the terrain is being used, I'm not a big fan of the lay-out of continents, as for now, it is kinda stale.

2 continents with a pretty similar layout, but just with different use of terrain.

The 2nd continent would be fun if it had some tunnels though, as the mountains could be used for that.

[Zulthus]

Not really excited about conts being squares, but we'll see how it goes.

[Saintlycow]

The second cont seems to have bigger warp gates...

[subchucK]

Need more long term thinking in here. We're looking at 2 maps; diversity will come with numbers, over time.

[TheBladeRoden]

Who first decided that coasts were not qualified to be gameplay space?

[Deckura]

Originally Posted by indirect

Looks more like a PORTION of a cont.

If that is true, then why are all the warpgates present?

[Xeller]

I too, will miss the lakes and rivers. Yes, it technically takes away "gameplay space" but it does add a tactical obstacle.

Some of my best memories were on Cyssor (it was a giant archipelago for those who didn't play PS1). That mountain, and the bridge battles... even if the Vanu had a clear advantage :P . It was still a lot of fun.

I hope this is something the devs will really think about.

[Methonius]

They really need to add some rivers and lakes to at least a couple of the conts to spice it up a bit. I had the fondest memories of battles on Cyssor between its rivers and lakes was the most fun I ever had.

[Lythca Frost]

Agreed to much of the above,

This game should not just be about 'playable' space, but tactically relevant 'unplayable' space as well.

Another island cluster map would be fantastic, limiting ground vehicle gameplay to the island they spawned on. And if the devs think that this gives the VS too much of an advantage, they could always have a plausible reason that the ocean is impassible for hover tanks (e.g. large waves).

[kaffis]

Originally Posted by Nobel

Thats probably the biggest downside to the "foothold" idea, is that each empire really needs to have relatively the same space in between each other, that is difficult on a rectangular continent, so it limits you a bit.

It does no such thing -- you can use terrain to alter the effective flow of battle to make the shorter distances effectively longer, or the longer distances effectively shorter.

[Azren]

Originally Posted by Synapse

I'd also like to add my voice to others saying I miss non-square shapes, I miss islands, and I miss rivers/lakes.

As a magrider pilot, it looks like the mag's ability to go on water won't count for anything in PS2, since there are no rivers or lakes to stop other tanks.

This.

We want our rivers back SOE!

Besides, the most fun in PS1 were the bridge battles, why remove them?

[Karmic Revenge]

I've got to lend a vote for (in the future, there's plenty of time to add in content, this is an MMO after all) some continents where there's some bridges, water, etc. These are not "unplayable" zones. Air combat can take place over water areas. They also offer at least one faction's tank the chance to move on them (with zero cover as a sacrifice) and really should be considered in expansion content.

(That said, I'm totally fine with there not really being rivers and bridges in the release. It's not like every map had them in PS1 anyway.)

[DesertFox]

I really don't like that both of those cont's are squares. There's something wrong if there's a square shaped continent in the first place, not to mention if there's more than one.. It just seem very unnatural and weird. But in the end it doesn't really matter that much.

[Froglicker]

Originally Posted by Synapse

I'd also like to add my voice to others saying I miss non-square shapes, I miss islands, and I miss rivers/lakes.

As a magrider pilot, it looks like the mag's ability to go on water won't count for anything in PS2, since there are no rivers or lakes to stop other tanks.

I'd have to agree. lack of rivers/lakes/coastlines/oasis's not only seem to make the Magrider's hover capabilities moot, but also limit the overall tactical possibilities of having terrain obstacles. Bridge battles were some of my most memorable moments in PS1. I loved sniping/countersniping enemies on or across the bridge, or bombarding heavily entrenched defenders with heavy support fire as my empire pushed forward.

Granted, bridges still exist and there will be epic battles, but so far these are all positioned over canyons, which offer different tactical capabilities than water. It's like adding a new ice cream flavor while permanently removing one or more others to do so.