[Merged] Planetside 2 & TrackIR

kaffis · 2012-03-21, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by Lokster

I can't believe the amount of negative feedback this issue is receiving. It would be simple to integrate, it would be useful to those who don't use the hardware in that they could still "freelook" with a hotkey, it would be awesome for those who spend the $130 on the hardware.

I fail to see a downside. Other than programming costs; which would clearly be minimal, if any, as most of the code is written already by the manufacturer. The only programming snag would be having to model more of the vehicle interiors (which they will already do when the implement vehicle entering/exiting animations -- allbeit after launch).

I support this idea and would probably buy the hardware if PS2 implemented it.

Look, it's not that it's not cool technology. It clearly is. I love anything and everything Virtual Reality, including the full-blown VR arcades that popped up for a while in the 90's. And it's a fantastic addition to a Simulation gamer's awesome $8,000, 5-monitor, full joystick and flightpedal rig, etc. And you'll notice that most of the games that support that cater to that type of gamer.

But you'll also notice that those games don't do very well at expanding beyond that target market. Because the guy with 1/5th the FOV, trying to fly with his mouse and keyboard, and without a surround sound setup tries it out, gets absolutely plastered by the hardcore guys with the advantages their awesome, expensive setup gives them, and tells his friends "yeah, don't bother. You need to drop thousands of dollars to be competitive."

I don't want PS2 to be that game, so I don't think building in compatibility for those features is a good idea. Joystick support and perhaps support for a UI-only second monitor is as far as I think the game should go, since dual monitor is common enough, and budget joysticks can be had for ~$20.

It's not that the features aren't cool, it's that I don't want PS2 to have a barrier to entry. That's the entire point of going Free to Play, is to make it so there's no excuse not to be able to play, and keep those world populations up.