News: TotalBiscuit PlanetSide 2 Primer Footage

[Lonehunter]

Not a bad video for those who never played PS1, TB goes over it pretty much the whole video.

and then he appears to spawn hot drop style..... I had to change my pants

Originally Posted by roguy

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map...COD has it in the top left...Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG!

Stop stealing words out of my mind!

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by roguy

Hmm so let's see:

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map in the bottom left corner so PS2 can't do that...
COD has it in the top left... OMG CAN'T HAVE THAT, COD IS THE DEVIL!!11&
Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HANG ON GUYS I HAVE AN IDEAAAAAAAAA

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG!

The fact that PS2's minimap resembles BF3's minimap in size and shape is irrelevant, what matters is that BF3's minimap has poor zooming and other qualities, and THAT should not be copied.

Oh, and here's another thing I don't want to see PS2 copy. In BF3, maybe even in BF2, when you die and respawn, your minimap can reset to its maximum zoomed setting. Please SOE, the minimap zoom setting should remain the same through respawn.

[ArmedZealot]

Originally Posted by roguy

Hmm so let's see:

Battlefield 3 has a square mini map in the bottom left corner so PS2 can't do that...
COD has it in the top left... OMG CAN'T HAVE THAT, COD IS THE DEVIL!!11&
Battlefield 2 has a circular map in the top right corner, lol that would be such a BLATANT rip-off!!

HANG ON GUYS I HAVE AN IDEAAAAAAAAA

HOW ABOUT A TRAPEZOID YELLOW MINIMAP THAT ALSO ACTS AS A CROSSAIR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN!!! WITH A REVERSE HP COUNTER IN ROMAN NUMERALS OMG!

Chill big guy.





It's more so the squad indicator than anything. I get that I am probably talking to a wall here, and you have now idea how I feel about people comparing things to BF3. But in this case I'll play that card, and I am among the last to do so.

The interface is one of the first things players will see in the game, not only this but it will be the most seen thing in the game. If it isn't unique then it gives all the trolls that will come to this game who wanna throw the BF3 card more ammo.

[Stardouser]

I just hope we have a detailed squad window that we can bring up. Perhaps hitting tab could bring up some kind of combined window that shows Squad details, Stats in the current session, etc. I definitely don't want it to be like Battlefield 3 where you have to hit Escape and then hit Squad as if it were such an unused feature that you'd only ever access it as often as you would Video Options. That's a major turnoff to squad play in BF3. In other words, it takes as long to get to the detailed squad screen in BF3 as it does to change video options. That's not good.

[ringring]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

I don't so much care what they do for the points, I just don't like how BF3(and BC2 before it) pop up the points right in your face in the middle of the screen. I personally prefer a very nice killfeed on the top right of the screen, and the ability to hit, say, Tab, or Caps, etc, to bring up a Score In Current Session screen.

Also, I don't like how the killfeed is NAME-GRAPHIC-NAME, I would prefer that instead of a graphic, it should say Cycler, or Reaver, etc. This by the way, there's no reason why they shouldn't let people customize it. Some people will want the killfeed to just show the murder weapon's graphic and others will want the text name of the weapon. This is one thing where everyone could be satisfied without harm.

I haven't commented on the interface on the basis that I just expected it to be customisable. And why not....

[ArmedZealot]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

I just hope we have a detailed squad window that we can bring up. Perhaps hitting tab could bring up some kind of combined window that shows Squad details, Stats in the current session, etc. I definitely don't want it to be like Battlefield 3 where you have to hit Escape and then hit Squad as if it were such an unused feature that you'd only ever access it as often as you would Video Options. That's a major turnoff to squad play in BF3. In other words, it takes as long to get to the detailed squad screen in BF3 as it does to change video options. That's not good.

Just have it as part of the map screen.

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

Just have it as part of the map screen.

That too! Squad details would only need to take up a 2-3 inch wide by 5 inch tall section on the top left, Stats in Current Session a 2-3 inch wide by 3-4 inch tall on the bottom left, and the rest could be the large version of the map.
Note: Numbers are just made up.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by roguy

If they're emulating the battlefield system it may be because they want to reward teamplay actions such as revives, heals ,repairs and to take better account better play

I get the feeling you played a long time ago, because Planetside's current system already does this far better. You could earn a TON of XP repairing vehicles and healing players, because you would get a portion of whatever XP they earned in a certain time frame after helping them. And I mean a ton, landing a Lodestar just behind the front line could earn you far more XP per hour than being part of the offensive.

Now admittedly it has some problems too, certain actions won't give you any XP at all (like repairing base assets) so there you could certainly put in a flat XP reward. But that's a fix that should be reserved for the broken parts, lets leave the working parts alone. I don't see a balance problem in there either, you're just rewarding two different types of actions differently. One is applied to other players (by killing or healing them) and gives variable XP, the other is applied to static props (like repairing base turrets) and gives a flat reward.

And I don't think they need to award XP for absolutely everything. XP for spotting someone? What's the purpose of that? Have we really come so far that people won't bother spotting if they don't get 25 XP each time they do it? I certainly hope not.

If there were a good reason for using flat XP everywhere then maybe it wouldn't be such a big deal, but I really don't see one.

[roguy]

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

It's more so the squad indicator than anything. I get that I am probably talking to a wall here, and you have now idea how I feel about people comparing things to BF3. But in this case I'll play that card, and I am among the last to do so.

The interface is one of the first things players will see in the game, not only this but it will be the most seen thing in the game. If it isn't unique then it gives all the trolls that will come to this game who wanna throw the BF3 card more ammo.

So you think that one of PS2s core design principals should be to try and be as different to BF3 as possible, regardless of wether it's good design or not?

The top rated comment on the OP video is a response to:

"Wow. I'm not sure how many more bad game companies can continue to completely rip off Halo and have the entiring gaming world love them for it. Dropships........Halo. Futuristic Armour........Halo. Futuristic Facilities........Halo. Tanks........Halo. Rocket Launchers........Halo. Cragside maps........Halo. Stealth Abilities........Halo. Multiplayer........Halo. Most clear and obvious rip off of Halo I've seen so far. How can you people be so fucking blind? "

A good mini map tells me where I am, where my allies and squadmates are, and the location of my enemies, that's its core purpose. Knowing who is in my squad and what classes they are is also really useful, it just makes sense to have the minimap AND the squad list in the same area of the screen.

So what changes do you propose? Separating the mini map and squad list is stupid. Arguing for a change of location to appease the whingy pedantics is also stupid.

[ArmedZealot]

Originally Posted by roguy

So you think that one of PS2s core design principals should be to try and be as different to BF3 as possible, regardless of wether it's good design or not?

No. But I do think this would be a good time to at least innovate on BF3 design with respect to the UI. I have not mentioned anything else but the UI.

Originally Posted by roguy

So what changes do you propose? Separating the mini map and squad list is stupid. Arguing for a change of location to appease the whingy pedantics is also stupid.

Why is separating the minimap and the squad list stupid? The minimap does not distinguish what squadmember is where like the old PS minimap. Squad members are not numbered and from what I can tell are only indicated by what armor they are wearing and what health status they have.



Having them seperated or together makes no difference in the current scheme.

The base capture point indicator can be truncated anyways and the squad indicator can be moved to it's current position. The capture points are indicated already with the 3d indicators and the main map. I do not have to see what the status of capture points every second during play.

If we are going to keep the squad indicator near the minimap then squad members should be numbered at least.

If youre only points in an argument is that things are stupid, then you are pointless to have a discussion with. Give your opinion with supporting reasons.

[roguy]

Originally Posted by Gandhi

I get the feeling you played a long time ago, because Planetside's current system already does this far better. You could earn a TON of XP repairing vehicles and healing players, because you would get a portion of whatever XP they earned in a certain time frame after helping them. And I mean a ton, landing a Lodestar just behind the front line could earn you far more XP per hour than being part of the offensive.

That's in PS1 now? Oh ok, you got me then, I'll have to rethink my position.

Originally Posted by Gandhi

And I don't think they need to award XP for absolutely everything. XP for spotting someone? What's the purpose of that? Have we really come so far that people won't bother spotting if they don't get 25 XP each time they do it? I certainly hope not.

I've come to the point where I believe it's the case. Call me a pessimist but from my experience players always pick the path of least resistance, even in FPS where there is no XP, the unwashed masses seem to all gravitate to sniper to show off their K/D rather than go for team objectives. And where there IS and XP system I'm one to get thoroughly pissed off when i sniper get's more xp for killing 2 guys while i die 10 times taking a a team objective.

On the subject of Total Biscuit, he's made a few good examples in Tribes:Ascend where generator camping is almost useless but let's you rack up more XP than anyone doing the REAL work and showing the REAL skill.

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by roguy

I've come to the point where I believe it's the case. Call me a pessimist but from my experience players always pick the path of least resistance, even in FPS where there is no XP, the unwashed masses seem to all gravitate to sniper to show off their K/D rather than go for team objectives. And where there IS and XP system I'm one to get thoroughly pissed off when i sniper get's more xp for killing 2 guys while i die 10 times taking a a team objective.

I've noticed this too, I think it's time to wean them off this addiction before it gets out of hand

Besides those players tend to be the first to jump ship when the next flavor of the month FPS hits the shelves. And the core gameplay behind Planetside 2 is so unique that I think it can afford to be pretty bold in these areas, people will adapt because it offers something that can't be found anywhere else. Who knows, maybe they'll even come around and realize the teamplay aspect is more fun in the end. Most of them have never played a shooter where things like outfits are a core part of the game, they just play matches full of random people and maybe a couple RL friends, so it's not surprising that you end up with a lot of Rambos and tacticool snipers.

Oh well, we'll see. A man can hope at least.

[roguy]

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

Why is separating the minimap and the squad list stupid? The minimap does not distinguish what squadmember is where like the old PS minimap. Squad members are not numbered and from what I can tell are only indicated by what armor they are wearing and what health status they have.

Having them seperated or together makes no difference in the current scheme.

Having numbered squadmembers would be a good idea, yes. But even without the numbers it still doesn't make sense to seperate the minimap and squalist and the list of objectives. You don't like the word stupid? How about unintuitive?

The minimap is there to assess the tactical situation by geography, surroundings, friendly, squad and enemy positions (if even they are just different coloured "blips").
The squad list informs you of the tactical situation of your squad, by loadout, individuals and health(?).
The objective list informs you of the tactical situation in regards to the status of capture points, and wich side seems to be winning.

It just makes sense to put related information in the same place. Still don't get it?

It's like the dashboard in your car, would fixing the RPM counter next to your rear view mirror make sense? No, because it's unrelated information. It's almost only relevant in conjunction with other indicators like speed, engine heat and fuel level, so they all go in the same spot.

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

If youre only points in an argument is that things are stupid, then you are pointless to have a discussion with. Give your opinion with supporting reasons.

I'll lay off "stupid" as long as your criticisms arn't just "it's similar to BF3 and therefore BAD" without any other reasons. Deal?

[ArmedZealot]

Originally Posted by roguy

Having numbered squadmembers would be a good idea, yes. But even without the numbers it still doesn't make sense to seperate the minimap and squalist and the list of objectives. You don't like the word stupid? How about unintuitive?

The minimap is there to assess the tactical situation by geography, surroundings, friendly, squad and enemy positions (if even they are just different coloured "blips").
The squad list informs you of the tactical situation of your squad, by loadout, individuals and health(?).
The objective list informs you of the tactical situation in regards to the status of capture points, and wich side seems to be winning.

It just makes sense to put related information in the same place. Still don't get it?

Just because you can glean the tactical situation from an indicator does not mean it is needed on the screen at all times. Especially when you have powerful 3d indicators providing much more intuitive information. And if you have time to asses your tactial situation, you have time to look around or pull up the map.

The minimap? Why is it all blue? You cant distinguish typography at all. Surroundings? look around. Friendly, squad, enemy positions? 3d indicators + map menu. The only thing needed is a compass.

Squad list? It's about as helpful as a roster. Move it to the map menu or number it.

The objective list? Move it to the map screen. Want to know the status of a capture point? Look in the general direction of the capture point, or pull up the map.

The only advantage that the minimap gives is that you can look at it while on the move. Simply turn the main map into an overlay that you can bring up with tab and allow the player to move and shoot while it's up.

Originally Posted by roguy

I'll lay off "stupid" as long as your criticisms arn't just "it's similar to BF3 and therefore BAD" without any other reasons. Deal?

And there is a difference between "similar to BF3" and being a direct copy. One is a legitimate complaint. The screenshots posted above show blatant copying and no effort to improve. BF3's interface is not perfect. I'm not just saying that for some hyperbole done to troll.

[roguy]

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

Just because you can glean the tactical situation from an indicator does not mean it is needed on the screen at all times.

Ok so what you're getting at is that the UI takes up too much screen space? For someone who criticises me for supposedly not having any reasoning I'd have thought that that would be the first thing you'd mention instead of "it's like BF3 = BAD".

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

Especially when you have powerful 3d indicators providing much more intuitive information. And if you have time to asses your tactial situation, you have time to look around or pull up the map.

How about no? If an enemy is somewhere in front of you, 3D indicators fail to properly show whether they are in front of a building (eg at night), inside a building or behind a building. Wich is why it's best used in ADDITION to the minimap.

And here's another car metaphor: If you have time to glean your GPS navigation, do you have time to open a map out over the stearing wheel and read that instead? Yes or no?

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

Squad list? It's about as helpful as a roster. Move it to the map menu or number it.

If you don't like it, then you have your work cut out for you. ALL FPS, MMORPGs and even singleplayer RPGs with a team-up system show your squad/party in the UI, including the first Planetside. And yet this is the first time i've heard a complaint about it. There are some exceptions like Arma or Skyrim of course, but I can name plenty that came out long before <insert game that's cool to hate> came out.

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

The objective list? Move it to the map screen. Want to know the status of a capture point? Look in the general direction of the capture point, or pull up the map.

Adding additional unnecessary clicks when the previous idea worked fine? Well gee, I'm sure that'll improve the experience (AFAIK Red Orchestra 2 does it your way and even the community agrees that it's a PITA).

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

The only advantage that the minimap gives is that you can look at it while on the move. Simply turn the main map into an overlay that you can bring up with tab and allow the player to move and shoot while it's up.

But THEN .................................................. ....... You'd be ripping off Diablo III, wouldn't you?

Originally Posted by ArmedZealot

And there is a difference between "similar to BF3" and being a direct copy. One is a legitimate complaint. The screenshots posted above show blatant copying and no effort to improve. BF3's interface is not perfect. I'm not just saying that for some hyperbole done to troll.

Well it does seem that way. Do you see anyone else complaining that default bindings with WASD and an ammo count in the bottom right and therefore a Halflife rip off? Having vehicles in an FPS like Starsiege Tribes or Codename eagle? Or the ability to look up and down like Quake? Being in the future like HALO?

Anyway, homefront has exactly the UI too, but what do i care?
http://www.hollywoodjesus.com/images...-Interview.jpg


It works (aside from the zoom, and the stupid washed out colors) and many gamers are comfortable with the setup, so why change it?