Weather in Planetside

[Lartnev]

I think the weather has just been thrown in for minor effects. I'm sure it will get a nice upgrade when the devs get time and schedule for it

[Marsman]

As someone mentioned, I believe the visiable distance is reduced during weather effects and it doesn't matter if you have the graphic enabled or not. I agree the visual effects are very cool but I do understand the problems with FPS. I also would like to see more frequent weather and even extend it to have physical effects (like high winds affecting flying, or sand storms causing weapons to jam occationally) This would certainly add another tactical aspect to the game planning around weather.
Back in early beta, there was a prounced day/night cycle - night wasn't very dark, dim would be more accurate, but it was pronounced enough to see the change easily. I very much liked the effect - it certainly gave much more sense of passing time and the despite that is wasn't very dark, it was a bit more challanging to fight during the night cycle. I would love to see them bring this back in addition to more weather with physical effects.

[Nalar]

I thought that even when you turn weather off it only turns off the rain effects. Since when did it start turning off the sandstorms?

I personally love weather effects. The funnest time I ever had was while sneaking around in the desert in a sandstorm while cloaked and knifing ppl. Its hard to hear the buzzing knife while in secondary and you can run away and they can hardly see you after 5m anyway. Good times.

[Cryptica]

I agree that weather should be a mandatory effect. I love turning everything on once-in-a-while just to see how cool everything looks. But when I actually plan on fighting I turn it all off and jack the visible distance to max. Yeah I love the effects but I don't wanna get my ass handed to me while I'm watching the pretty rainstorm.

Someone earlier mentioned jacking up the recommended specs. I think that's a good idea. That way people with low- to mid-performance machines won't feel like they wasted money on a game they thought their computers could handle. I don't know what the recommended specs are now, but I would suggest something like the following:

Intel P4 2.0 Ghz Processor
1024 MB RAM
128-bit Vid Card (Raedeon (sp?) or GForce)
Cable/DSL

That sound good to everyone?

[Queensidecastle]

Well, what they should have done is have weather and flora manditory and have built the game up to where this could be so on a medium PC. It seems like weather and flora were/are considered just graphical eye candy and not crucial for strategy or realism. We are starting to see games that want these things to be important to combat (Battlefield Vietnam, Far cry..etc) and are doing a good job at it

[Electrofreak]

I just wish there was more weather in GENERAL. As it is, I've only been in a few storms since I started playing the game in August.

[Rbstr]

I have never seen slowdown with Weather, even on my old RDram 1.3ghz Radeon 7000 machine


however i know that this is not the case with some people. For them they get a FORCED viewing distance change.

As in durring weather the effect cuase normal people with it on to see 300m, so the people with bad computers that have weather tuned off get a Viewing distance of only 300m acctualy giving them enhanced performance in weather(less stuff to render)

[dscytherulez]

I leave weather on and have no problem.

The day and night cycles were also talked about before and is also one thing I'd really love to see. I've wanted a full fledged night for months...

[Baneblade]

The flora is PS is total crap, I'd hate to have to turn it on...

[SilverLord]

Wheather in PS is definatly not very prominant so it wouldn't really matter now would it?

Why can't the devs just fix the FPS, it's terrible..

[Majik]

Originally Posted by Cryptica

I don't know what the recommended specs are now, but I would suggest something like the following:

Intel P4 2.0 Ghz Processor
1024 MB RAM
128-bit Vid Card (Raedeon (sp?) or GForce)
Cable/DSL

That sound good to everyone?

Those are exactly the specs of my computer, and I can't handle large battles with anything more than LOW video options.

[Onizuka-GTO]

I have trouble too with low FPS and lag with all those you mentioned aboved turn on.
it's all very pretty, and really do to have them on.
But unless they fix it, so that it's even playable during big battles i'm afraid i have to keep it off.

[scarpas]

Originally Posted by CorDharel

I could never turn it off! I just think PS is not PS without the weather, its so cool to see it!

I would rather say turn the option to turn the flora off!

But like it is: That would be bad for people with shitty computers...

/agreed

[PhoenixTypeX]

Seriously though is there ANY way the devs could sort out the FPS issues? re-optimising the engine? Lol please don't say yes "if they made PS2" as thats not really constructive I think people would be prepared for a large download if it was 500mb I would definately take it gladly if it sorted out the FPS issues.

[FireWolf22]

I have seen all these threads about the weather and the fps. I really don't see the FPS issues. I have two PC's running on PS at the same time on the same cable modemn. MY girl plays one and I the other. I have the better machine, she the older. Hers is a P3 1.3 gig with 768 meg of ram, g force 4 128 meg video. Use to have lag with that PC in the big battles with everything on. Then the devs worked out the FPS. Then came CC. Both our machines crashed bad, the FPS was horable. Now it's not that bad. She has almost all the video options on and the view distance at about 90% or maybe all the way up. My machine runs great with video options set to max. The only times I show any lag is(before the new pop locks) two empires lock a cont and are fighting over two bases, and the surgile HA users come out. They jump around some. Other than that no real problems, unless the server is crashing.

edit: for grammer