So I made a couple outposts... - Page 3

Beerbeer · 2012-11-19, 08:27 PM

Nice. Can't tell for sure from the perspective of the pictures, but it looks like vehicle spawn room door spamming has been minimized (or outright eliminated), which is great IMO.

Grognard · 2012-11-19, 08:32 PM

Originally Posted by Mechzz

On a related note, will you get a chance to design a "Clegg's Landing" area with lots of derelict planes like you suggested in post ages ago? I thought that was a cool idea at the time.

LOL, he SO needs to do this... This is our communities history! It is his solemn duty to make it happen

Fear The Amish · 2012-11-19, 08:34 PM

Pretty sure i was fighting at Jaegers on last day of beta... was a REALLY fun base to fight at best part was one of the doors to the spawn room is accessed by a bridge between it and another building then goes from there into a stair way. so i was basically crouched on that stair way and just occasionally standing up which would only show top of my head and could shoot over and was just rolling the NC like ninepins. very defensible but not a meatgrinder like tech plants have become. big thumbs up malorn.

Ritual · 2012-11-20, 12:10 AM

Cobalt Communications.

The second screenshot has a good angle of the tower antenna on the right that I want to point out. That spot is the best vantage point for a defender, and the most effective spot for Anti Air, it might even possibly have lines of sight to the road. Outposts are supposed to be in the defenders favor right? It looks like the only way to get up there as a defender is on the hillface facing the second screenshot that Malorn posted (at least in the heat of battle). In the third screenshot that Malorn posted it looks to be where the attackers would be coming from. That side also looks to be the weak spot in the defenses basically because of the rocky cover and short distance from the road to the hilltop. If I was an attacker I would head straight for that tower. Its a relatively short distance to the top of the hill and I then get a vantage point over the rest of the outpost. I think you should buff that tower area more in the defenders favor, to make attack's from other directions as viable.

I uploaded some screenshots to show my idea.

In this first screenshot it shows where the defenders will go to get to that vantage point. The blue,red line is the path. I added some thick red lines in areas that need more cover for defenders on that path because the hillside is totally exposed. That area is important for the defense of the outpost in general, since you can defend attacks from both sides from it.

In this next screenshot it shows where I believe the attackers will be coming from based on the road being closest in that direction. It's also the side with the path of least resistance in order to get "within the base". The red lines show what I feel is the best attack route because if you take that hill, you will soon own the base. The Thick red lines are where there needs to be protected firing positions for the defenders. Vehicle barriers would make excellent cover. It might also stop a vehicle from driving up those footpaths raining down fire at the buildings from the hilltop.

I would raise the foundation of the tower so that it doesn't sit level with the hill. To give it a little more height. I don't consider railings cover because they don't stop bullets effectively. I recommend the vehicle barriers.

Continued in next post...

Ritual · 2012-11-20, 03:03 AM

The terrain of Cobalt Communications.

I think this is a huge flaw the team has been making in designing these outposts and bases. Every outpost and base seems to be way too porous. So many entrances, all over. Needs to stop. Focus the battles where it should be in order to be fun.

The brown line represents where you should stretch the big high spire cliffs so that it essentially blocks access into the outpost from that area. Outposts are castle's remember?

The blue box is where you should move the vehicle ammo dispenser.

This would get rid of the shortest routes into the base and make people actually fight over the hill I talked about in my last suggestion. It leaves a few ground level routes in as well, but not so many that it becomes stupid.

The world and base designers are the one's who mold fights, not the players. How you design these bases are how the battle will unfold in very predictable ways. I'm still not happy with the designs of these outposts. The team needs to understand this is more a strategy game then it is a mindless FPS. Prolonged battles are good. Defendable positions are good. Focusing attackers here or there is good. You have always explained your philosophy. I will respect that. You just have a LOT of work to do to impress me.

I will rate this outpost a very generous 7 out of 10. There are only a handful I would rate above that so consider yourself off to a real good start.

**Malorn** · 2012-11-20, 08:51 PM

Cobalt can't be taken by the direction you indicate. If for some reason non-LA can get up there let me know and I'll fix it. LA should be the only ones not getting in via the two choke points and that's by design. Advantage of being LA.

Ritual · 2012-11-20, 11:09 PM

Originally Posted by Malorn

Cobalt can't be taken by the direction you indicate. If for some reason non-LA can get up there let me know and I'll fix it. LA should be the only ones not getting in via the two choke points and that's by design. Advantage of being LA.

Cool. I havent tried them yet having way too much fun right now

Don't mind my feedback it might be totally dumb, it might not be.

I'm just an old PS1 vet still getting used to the new scope of PS2. Will probably take many many months to even see how battles unfold in these outposts if not a year, so my feedback is premature.

I just always liked outposts that really look badass and secure. Like battlements. Catwalks, walls, turrets, chokepoints, secure spawns, etc.

Babyfark McGeez · 2012-11-21, 02:42 AM

Sooo, what about them tunnels? ^_^

(If the forgelight engine isn't capable of "cutting" into the terrain just reply with a knowingly smiling smiley

).

Goldeh · 2012-11-21, 06:02 AM

Jaeger's Fist - Feedback

When NC had to defend it. we held out for a bit, we had the front entrance locked down.

BUT!

The surrounding hills were our downfall..they ended up encircling us, and camped the spawn.

1. The surrounding hills(?) provided cover for the advancing faction.

2. the area outside of Jaeger's Fist is generally flat allowing tanks to quickly manuever.

3. The hills were too steep on the defenders side, so defenders can't retaliate.

Tatwi · 2012-11-23, 09:14 PM

Hey Malorn, I was thinking all beta that a base should go here,

on Indar. I thought that SOE would eventually get around to putting one here, as it's such an obvious dead spot, but that has not happened yet. I noticed in the launch version that there is a new choke point valley and a large, flat hill in this area. This makes putting a base here an even better idea!

My personal thoughts about features this outpost could have,

- Steep spillway into the crater, protected by a shield at the top.
- Tank spawn with reloading tower.
- Plateau style base, with two road approaches and one foot approach (East into the crater, SW heading up from the new choke point valley).
- Lots of AA turrets - it's in an important spot to harass aircraft in that region, so sticking a lot of AA turrets at would make it an important base to own or lock down.

Electrofreak · 2012-11-23, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by Babyfark McGeez

Sooo, what about them tunnels? ^_^

(If the forgelight engine isn't capable of "cutting" into the terrain just reply with a knowingly smiling smiley

).

I've seen a few arches and short tunnels in game so I doubt there's any engine limitation there.

Babyfark McGeez · 2012-11-24, 09:36 AM

Yes, but the arches and tunnels i saw were all suspicously looking like "meshes", objects that are being put onto the terrain.
Real "cutting" into the terrain is something i have not seen yet.

Babyfark McGeez · 2012-11-26, 05:02 AM

Sooo, what about tunnels, mhh?
Or water?

Really don't want to come off as annoying here, i'm just curious. Have yet to see "real" tunnels and "real" water.

Edit: Also a limitation in the form of not being able to cut holes into the terrain means basements below the surface would be quite tricky to make (and possibly a reason why we are not seeing any).

Sturmhardt · 2012-11-26, 09:36 AM

There is real water near the shadespire farms on amerish,it's just not very deep and could use some tweaking of the flow effect, but it's there

Figment · 2012-11-26, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by Sturmhardt

There is real water near the shadespire farms on amerish,it's just not very deep and could use some tweaking of the flow effect, but it's there

I presume he means intraversable water.