Terrain Improvements

[DviddLeff]

Below you can see a piece I wrote a few years ago, before they made the battle islands (I have since added them). This would perfectly fit PS2 if the game was based on Auraxis. The whole point of these changes is to make the bases more unique and interesting, and make outdoors more interesting also.

Map Improvements
General Terrain Improvements

Roads: Roads would be split into two types, the bumpy dirt tracks we have currently, and major roads, with bridge like surfaces and railings. The new major roads would give vehicles a speed and acceleration boost, to make them worth using, countering the risk of enemy mines on the surface, or ambushes.

Checkpoints: The above major roads would have checkpoints on them near bases or in natural passes in the terrain and bridgeheads, that are basically towers that span the entire road with a large gate to stop enemy vehicles from moving through (the vehicles would have to backtrack to a turnoff point of the road to exit, or take the checkpoint). The checkpoints would have Phalanx turrets on them, as well as bunkers facing in each direction.

Bridges: Bridges would be added that only allow troop access, stopping vehicles from using them. The standard bridges we have currently would have troop catwalks alongside the main road, to give vehicles easier, grief free passage. Bridges would also be destroyable, going through a damaged state before being totally destroyed, where vehicles that pass along it are shaken by the bumpy ground, and troops have to avoid the cracks in the surface. Bridges could be repaired by sending an engineer into a new control bunker on either side of the bridge, then fixing it using their vehicle repair tool.

Tunnels: Instead of going around mountains, some roads would be able to tunnel through them, making for some very atmospheric fights deep inside the tunnels, as enemy forces meet each other in the middle. These tunnels would have roads for two vehicles to pass side by side, as well as catwalks to the side of and sometimes above the road itself. These tunnels could in some cases be very long, giving the possibility of the equivalent of towers being dug into the rock and earth, so that troops could equip and respawn as they travel through. They could also link up bases underground. There could also be smaller tunnels, infantry sized.

Improved Bunkers: When situated near a base or tower, make bunkers only accessible from inside the courtyard of the base, or bottom room of the tower, via tunnels (access from new doors in the walls). This stops them from being a death trap as enemies run up behind you, and also gives you a good place to try and hold when you are besieged. Also put AMS style equipment terminals (no MAXs) in all bunkers so base/tower defenders don’t have to trek back into the depths of the base/tower to rearm when they run low on ammo. Bunkers vision slits should also be made thinner, and the roof of the bunkers extend further out, so that it becomes harder for tanks to shell out every occupant with a single round, as the shells arc would make it difficult to pass through, instead detonating on the surface. Bunkers which are far away from a base or tower would benefit from the new designs, but would be accessed as they currently are via doors in the back.

Light Bases: These are bases without the large defensive walls surrounding them, just the main “keep” of present bases. However these bases would have defensive Phalanx turrets on them, however in much fewer numbers. These bases would either be swapped for existing ones at the far flung corners of the continents, many base links from the capital facility, or added as new links in the lattice. They would have either an aircraft or ground vehicle spawn point in them, never both, and would be staging posts for attacks by small forces, or the first bases to fall on a continent as it comes under attack, much like towers.

Towers: Towers would have more variety, depending on the continent (details below), including versions that repaired ground vehicles. New ground towers would have vehicle repair silos on them.

Human Buildings and Ancient Artefacts: Around the landscape of the world, signs of the past peace and occupation would still be visible. First created would be the Ancient Artefacts, remnants of the Ancient Vanu who lived on/built Auxaris. These would be strange objects, some much like the rock formations we see on Solsar, others more obvious things, like vast skeletons such as that found on Old Oshur, bits of excavated Ancient technology and buildings or giant holes, of unknown purpose, descending into the core of the planet. Also, human buildings would be around the landscape, all showing the damage of the civil war that broke out on the planet. Research centres, homes, factories, etc would be scattered around, some in large towns, others like the research stations near the Ancient artefacts or warpgates.

Individual Continental Base and Tower Designs: Id like to see some bases and towers replaced with continent specific versions, all of them fitting in with the landscape, looking as if they have been designed to be in that specific location, not just copy and pasted onto the map. Id like to see bases dug into mountains, underground or suspended over lakes, as well as the normal ones.

Amerish
The bases and towers on Amerish would be more or less the standard bases we have now, except a few of them would be dug into the rolling hills of the continent, as well as replacing the island base in the East with a base suspended over the sea, connected to the mainland via bridges. This base would have previously been an underwater research facility, and have various underwater passageways, allowing the troops underwater views as they work to defend the CC and respawn there.
Capital: The Amerish capital would be a very much larger version of the standard base; this would be the basic and raw capital design, from which all others are based.

Cyssor
A new base could be placed at the peak of Mt Cyssor, with only aircraft able to reach it (the flight ceiling could be raised). Also some separate bases could be dug into the sides of Mt Cyssor, making it into one vast base, perhaps connected via tunnels and mechanical lifts inside the actual mountain. Other bases on this continent could be based on hover technology, floating above the landscape, akin to some of the bases in Tribes.
Capital: The capital Gunuku would be changed to be encompassing the entire island, with vast tunnel networks and trenches cut into its sides and bedrock. Between this and the Mt Cyssor defence network the centre of Cyssor would be an impressive stronghold that could take most aof a day to fight through.
Towers: Towers on this continent would be a mix of existing base design, and hovering towers.

Foreseral
These bases would be unlike anything we have seen before, as this island was previously the base of the Ancient Vanu’s operations on Auxaris. The bases and towers of this island would be similar to the alpha screenshots we saw, depicting purple, organic structures. These base Artefacts would also have small human research outposts (light bases) near them, but no extensive human facilities on the continent at all. The troops would be able to spawn vehicles and equipment, as well as respawn in these bases only via human tech, that has been built into the Ancient Vanu’s buildings. The weather on this continent would be prone to causing mists and fogs, making the whole continent seem eerie and other worldly.
Capital: The capital of this continent would be the Ancient Vanu’s main “Temple” a huge construct reaching far into the sky and far underground, spreading over a wide distance on the surface. The sub capitals of this capital would be part of the actual Temple itself, gateways through which the Ancient Vanu passed to reach the Temple.
Towers: Towers on this continent would be small Ancient Vanu buildings, with human tech integrated in them.