Is this just a coincidence?

[Vimp]

Anyone played Metal Fatigue? Anyone noticed some simelarities
between it and Planetside?

Lets take a look shall we?

Planetside:

• 3 Empires on an alien world.
• Color schemes are:
  1. Red & Black
  2. Blue & Yellow
  3. Purple with some Green
• The Purple Faction is the rebel, high-tech ones with the energy
  weapons.
• The Purple Faction has a Hover Tank where as the other two
  use more conventional means.
• The Red & Black Faction is the brutish type.
• All 3 are researching and making use of alien technology with
  the purple faction doing so the most.
• All 3 Factions have a Mechanised Armor Unit with the weapons
  for it differing for each Faction.

Metal Fatigue:

• 3 Empires on an alien world.
• Color schemes are:
  1. Red(- Black)
  2. Blue & Yellow(+ White)
  3. Purple with some Green
• The Purple Faction is the rebel, high-tech ones with the energy
  weapons.
• The Purple Faction has a Hover Tank where as the other two
  use more conventional means.
• The Red(- Black) Faction is the brutish type (+ Prefering blunt
  objects for weapons).
• All 3 are researching and making use of alien technology with
  the purple faction doing so the most.
• All 3 Factions have a Mechanised Armor Unit with the weapons
  for it differing for each Faction.

Comments?

[Vrim]

I think the color choices makes sense as there arent many dark colors that dont match the terrain (green, brown)

Also, red is symbolic for power, and purple for technology, i cant really explain it, but it seems to fit, and past game developers seem to have either created or been influenced by the same thought.

Yes, i have played MF, it was a decent game, the combot part was pretty cool, but the early bots were useless after a minute and the tanks and planes werent covered very well. The 3 layers however was amazing, and i wish that would be implemented in other games.

[mr_luc]

Heh, yeah I noticed some similarities there.

But while they may well have drawn inspiration from it -- I think there's a simpler solution.

3 sides are often used for balance. (Starcraft, DAoC etc). I think it is for that reason that both games have 3 teams.

Red/black and blue/yellow are extremely popular color schemes that can appeal to a range of people. I think this is why both games use it.

Purple armor, equipment etc is extremely cliched for futuristic aliens (look at HALO's aliens). Teal is as well -- look at Halo's OTHER aliens, which were blue and had teal weapons. Obviously you couldn't have another faction with blue in it, and you can't have anything that might be mistaken for red. You don't want a color that will be associated with earth tones or natural colors (greens/browns), because that's not the feel you're going for. That doesn't leave much of the color wheel, and since purple is already associated mentally with alien armor . . .

Hover vehicles -- if you have an alienesque race with tanklike vehicles, they need to hover. It's a must. Also, when you have a futuristic MMORPG that gives you both land and air vehicles of all types, the game has GOT to have hover vehicles.

The Red & Black Faction is the brutish type -- Nazis. Commies. Mental associations.

All 3 are researching and making use of alien technology with
the purple faction doing so the most -- purple faction is most alien because you aren't sure how well FULL aliens will go over in an MMOFPS, also play balance could be inconsistent, stick with humans and make them like aliens -- and boom, they have to be the most alienesque, or they wouldn't be the purple faction with the carapace-like armor.

Energy weapons -- aliens use energy weapons. Likely they also use other types, but the other 2 factions in your MMOFPS already use projectile weapons (because as a designer you feel that's a safe bet for FPS players, the energy weapons are kind of risky if people aren't used to them, and as often commented, energy weapons don't have as much variety -- you really couldn't spread them around much without the alien race using its uniqueness weapons-wise).

Although I do agree about the similarities. I think it's more a sign of how scifi in games is getting kind of stale, design-wise -- or at least, certain things are starting to get assumed, much like the things that are already assumed about medievil worlds. This sucks for a single-player game because you don't want same old same old, but it's great for an MMOG.

[Vimp]

You make good points Mr_luc.

I should add, also to my first post another simelarity.

Both games have Mechanised armor suits. (Planetside = MAX, Metal Fatigue = Combots)

[Alias]

Vimp, as in Vimp meat, as in Giants: Citizen Kabuto? God I love that games multiplayer. :P

[Zenny]

If anything, I find the story line of how the war came to be too similar to a game called: Shattered Galaxy.
Its how a group of people ended up on an alien planet (differently on how, but nonetheless), but they just couldn't get along, so they divided up into seperate factions and are dueling it out for control of the planet.

But...just to say, the biggest differences in theses two are; PS is a MMOFPS kinda game, Shattered Galaxy(SG) is a MMORTSRPG like.

[OmnipotentKiwi]

Mechanized suits are everywhere, a strategic minature game called Warhammer 40k had Mechanized Terminator armor, same concept.

I also agree with pretty much everything Mr. Luc said. They are all just very common things in Sci-Fi games, same as the story line.

How many Sci-Fi movies and shows can you think of that involves people being stranded on an alien planet and end up on each others throats?

[Revulsion]

Seems like planetside is pulling a lot of ideas from all sorts of places.

[Matuse]

Terran and Human MAX armors look STRIKINGLY like Terminator armor. The only real difference is the wierd obsession that the modelers at Game's Workshop have with putting people's heads below the shoulderline.

There is much space marine in Planetside, the MAX suits are just the most obvious.

Hmm, come to think of it, if their helmets were a bit more pointy, the Vanu would look a lot like Eldar. Teal&Purple is certainly an Eldar color scheme.

Terran women in reinforced armor, wielding suppressors = Sisters of Battle? Hmmmm

[DarkDragon00]

Terran Elite Airborne Regiment

Dont Think Just Shoot Those MoFos!!!

Oh! And Join [TEAR]

-Dark- CO [TEAR]

[TEAR] Info

[Airlift]

Books, games, movies... they've all been ripping each other off since the beginning of media. There are a sh'ton of similarities between almost any two games of any single genre, from puzzle games to RPGs to FPS. The idea is less relevant than the execution of it.

[OmnipotentKiwi]

Originally posted by Matuse
Terran and Human MAX armors look STRIKINGLY like Terminator armor. The only real difference is the wierd obsession that the modelers at Game's Workshop have with putting people's heads below the shoulderline.

I always thought the Vanu looked a lot like Dark Eldar