Fixed or dynamic flight ceiling in PS2?

TerminatorUK · 2012-07-13, 12:41 PM

So whilst playing PS1 last night, it struct me in certain locations (e.g. top / edge of the crater in the middle of Searhus) that mountains are so high that the static flight ceiling doesn't permit you to fly over them.

In PS2, will the flight ceiling have a dynamic height (based on the land below) in order to be able to fly over any mountain or has it simply been designed that all objects/terrain in the world is lower than the flight ceiling?

Klockan · 2012-07-13, 12:44 PM

It is fixed but much higher than PS1, Last I saw it was 1 km high so it shouldn't be noticeable relative to the ground.

EisenKreutzer · 2012-07-13, 01:15 PM

One kilometer high? That is fucking awesome! Source on this?

maradine · 2012-07-13, 01:24 PM

One of the TB videos. They flew it to the ceiling.

I'd prefer more than that, so that there's a bit of separation on the air-superiority fight before people get down into the weeds, but 1km is better than before.

Edit: found it. Around 33:20.

Mechlord · 2012-07-13, 01:27 PM

Originally Posted by EisenKreutzer

Source on this?

Flight ceiling demonstrated.

kaffis · 2012-07-13, 01:38 PM

1 km is plenty high enough to give dogfights some space without creating "safe zones" beyond the reach of ground AA fire.

Remember, ground AA can't have a *too* long a range, or else they can cover too broad an area close to the ground. Combine that fact with the notion that you don't want the flight ceiling to be risk-free from ground threats, and you create a practical limit on how generous a flight ceiling you can create.

Consider this: when it comes to hunting low altitude air support, anything with range to hit the flight ceiling and a position that affords it a clear horizon (say, on top of a tower) can currently cover a 3+ sq. km low-altitude kill zone. That's nearly a sixteenth of the 64 km total continent size. Bump the flight ceiling up to 1.5 km, for instance, and the AA range accordingly, and now it's a 6.75 sq km low altitude kill zone -- now it's over 10% of the map!

LegioX · 2012-07-13, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by kaffis

1 km is plenty high enough to give dogfights some space without creating "safe zones" beyond the reach of ground AA fire.

Remember, ground AA can't have a *too* long a range, or else they can cover too broad an area close to the ground. Combine that fact with the notion that you don't want the flight ceiling to be risk-free from ground threats, and you create a practical limit on how generous a flight ceiling you can create.

Consider this: when it comes to hunting low altitude air support, anything with range to hit the flight ceiling and a position that affords it a clear horizon (say, on top of a tower) can currently cover a 3+ sq. km low-altitude kill zone. That's nearly a sixteenth of the 64 km total continent size. Bump the flight ceiling up to 1.5 km, for instance, and the AA range accordingly, and now it's a 6.75 sq km low altitude kill zone -- now it's over 10% of the map!

Explain to me why "the higher you go up" the possibilty of you getting hit by AA should decrease. I say make the flight ceiling 2km. That way the air war can have some sense of purpose, without having to worry about aa all the time.

EisenKreutzer · 2012-07-13, 02:27 PM

Originally Posted by LegioX

Explain to me why "the higher you go up" the possibilty of you getting hit by AA should decrease. I say make the flight ceiling 2km. That way the air war can have some sense of purpose, without having to worry about aa all the time.

At some point you'll end up crashing head on into the draw distance though. Might knockout some lower end systems.

Charred · 2012-07-13, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by EisenKreutzer

At some point you'll end up crashing head on into the draw distance though. Might knockout some lower end systems.

Crashing into the draw distance? Draw distance is how far you can see from your current position, not some border that lower-end systems can't go through.

EisenKreutzer · 2012-07-13, 03:28 PM

Originally Posted by Charred

Crashing into the draw distance? Draw distance is how far you can see from your current position, not some border that lower-end systems can't go through.

Dude, it was a figure of speech. ^^

Mirax · 2012-07-13, 04:03 PM

Will they fix the altimeter? It's basically useless. Whether you start on top a mountain or in a valley, it starts at your height from some arbitrary point (sea level?). Its not measuring distance to the ground. So it is useful for knowing how close you are to the flight ceiling (which I would argue needs another 500m or so to be up above some of the higher points of the map)

Maybe 2 numbers - 'height from top' and 'altitude' which reads your height from ground. I do not care about this stupid 'height from sea' level crap. I should be able to fly at 5 m from ground not in the dirt at 200m altitude according to my gauges. What good is an altimeter if it doesn't tell you how close you are to crashing? Let alone figuring out how to drop the new bombs and stuff effectively.

maradine · 2012-07-13, 04:23 PM

Radar altimeter would be more than sufficient.

Baneblade · 2012-07-13, 04:30 PM

The flight ceiling can't be too high, else there would need to be radar in the game.

Forsaken One · 2012-07-13, 04:59 PM

Well as long as they can't fly so high they can't be hit or locked onto by AA and the AA missiles/beams/flak/whatever it fires moves fast enough to decently reach them up there I'm fine with it.

One of the most bullshit patchs in BF2142 raised the flight ceiling. Not only did it take away any and all cool "low flying skill" (many people as well as me could zoom through buildings and under bridges to avoid and break lock ons or missiles following us so they hit walls and stuff.) and it took great flying ability and skill.

Then they raised the flight ceiling so now its pretty much. "oh I got a lock on or missile flowing me? " Guy flies straight up till hes out of range even through hes right over the AA then use's the TV missile from all the way up there to kill the AA guy in pure safety. Its fucking retarded.

Knightwyvern · 2012-07-13, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by Baneblade

The flight ceiling can't be too high, else there would need to be radar in the game.

What's the minimap? Currently there is a "defense" utility item for at least the reaver, mosi and scythe that stops your aircraft from automatically appearing on enemy minimaps, instead requiring direct spotting. I believe it's called the "radar jammer" or some such. This implies that all of those aircraft will be visible on all minimaps unless they have that item equipped. It's in the same "defense" category as flares, which I assume will be used very often; I believe that most enemy aircraft will show up on the "radar" minimap.