Make spawns centralized underground?

[Mox]

I absolutly agree. The positions of the spawns as well as the the defensebility of the bases in general are the major game design issues of ps2. The spawn must be located in the inner core of each base. In that case spawn camping is no issue anymore since you have lost the whole base if you get camped and you shouldnt be spawing in a lost base.

Nevertheless at least the major bases need further defences. There are way too many entrances. The amp stations and also the bio domes feels like swiss cheese. Only tech plants dont have too many entrances. But i still think that also the tech plants need an overhaul.

[Whiteagle]

Originally Posted by Mox

Nevertheless at least the major bases need further defences. There are way too many entrances. The amp stations and also the bio domes feels like swiss cheese. Only tech plants dont have too many entrances. But i still think that also the tech plants need an overhaul.

Well I think the Bio Labs are about right, we just need to move the teleporters lower down into the hollowed-out legs or dome-base to serve as a staging area for the troops fighting their way from the ground up.
The exits for this network of stairs and tunnels would then be where the teleporters currently are.

[Figment]

What would you lot say about tightening the courtyard a bit? Making it smaller, perhaps open up some lanes for vehicles, but also adding catwalks to the walls or between buildings?

[Hmr85]

Originally Posted by Figment

What would you lot say about tightening the courtyard a bit? Making it smaller, perhaps open up some lanes for vehicles, but also adding catwalks to the walls or between buildings?

I would be perfectly fine with it. The current layout of the facility's are just way to big to be able to cover every section of it. I would love to see the CY's cleaned up and cleared out with the walls being brought in drastically with cat walks connecting to them. I feel Like D would stand a better chance then.

[Whiteagle]

Originally Posted by Figment

What would you lot say about tightening the courtyard a bit? Making it smaller, perhaps open up some lanes for vehicles, but also adding catwalks to the walls or between buildings?

Which Facility are we talking here, Amp stations?

Because yeah, I could definitely live with smaller Amp Station Courtyards with Catwalks...

...Tech Labs I'd just like the Catwalks to avoid being run over by friendlies.

[Methonius]

Originally Posted by Hmr85

I would be perfectly fine with it. The current layout of the facility's are just way to big to be able to cover every section of it. I would love to see the CY's cleaned up and cleared out with the walls being brought in drastically with cat walks connecting to them. I feel Like D would stand a better chance then.

Anything the devs can do to make defense more tempting for people is a plus in my book. Either by changing spawns to new locations or making xp go up for how long/how many kills you get between the time of the resecure. Honestly, they should implement both imo.

[Figment]

Originally Posted by Malorn

Was stated at SOE live that we do not currently have the ability to cut holes into terrain. We don't need to in order to have underground facilities, but we would need to create entirely new assets for that (which is neither cheap nor fast).

We fake tunnels in places like Split Peak Pass.

A heads up from Malorn.

[Wahooo]

I worry they don't want this anyway. All the little additions that are keeping us from deploying a defensive AMS in a protected and good location make me think they simply WANT there to be no defense.

I"m not 100% sold on truly underground spawns, well I am, but PS1 style stairwells? Would not work well. I would like to see area such as from the vehicle spawn through the SCU to that little back doorway. Protected, under the base, not the vertical up/down spamfest that a stairwell would be.

[Soothsayer]

Originally Posted by EVILoHOMER

Well then Everquest Next is ducked....

They'll figure it out eventually. PS2 is a tech test for the EQ:N engine.

[PeanutMF]

Originally Posted by Figment

A heads up from Malorn.

I had a feeling that the game utilised height maps for the terrain, given the presence of meshes for showing overhangs and no actual tunnels that don't have some sort of mesh for the ground above it instead of terrain.

It would be cool if they could designate certain meshes (models, assets like structures) to displace the terrain, as Malorn says in the quote, which could reduce the work required for making underground areas, but the tunnel itself would still have to be entirely modelled instead of simply using the height map terrain generation I would assume they normally use.

[Beerbeer]

I wish Malorn would put more vehicle barriers in the existing bases, preventing vehicles from driving near the spawn location, critical objectives and pathways between the spawn locations and these objectives. Maybe create overhead awnings over the spawn doors and widen the doors to twice their size.

Vehicles have no business getting anywhere near spawn locations or have a direct LOS to the doors.

I think these would be the easiest solution before they completely revamp the bases (which should be done IMO).

[Nick]

/signed, the level design in PlanetSide 2 is atrocious. We need some underground areas to fight in, respawn, and hide from the Vehicle fest the game has turned into.

[Babyfark McGeez]

Originally Posted by Figment

A heads up from Malorn.

I knew it! Seriously, that's really a huge flaw. That and the lack of liquids (water, lava, you name it).

[Rivenshield]

Originally Posted by Hmr85

The current layout of the facility's are just way to big to be able to cover every section of it. I would love to see the CY's cleaned up and cleared out with the walls being brought in drastically with cat walks connecting to them. I feel Like D would stand a better chance then.

Quoted for truth. Part of defensible is *small.* Or at least not so XBAWKS HUEG that even a couple hundred people couldn't man it. If 2/3rds the bases in this game were half the size, I'd be happy.

A few mega-complexes are fine. But they're the rule, and they're not much fun to attack *or* defend. The most fun I've had in-game is when two armored forces meet, some attrition takes place.... and ex-drivers start showing up as infantry.

Also, let's please do something about the silly invulnerable spawn-harvest boxes set OUTSIDE. Jesus! How about connecting them via hallway to a neighboring building with a gen in it that controls the spawn shield, so we can have actual last stands....

[Whiteagle]

Originally Posted by Rivenshield

Quoted for truth. Part of defensible is *small.* Or at least not so XBAWKS HUEG that even a couple hundred people couldn't man it. If 2/3rds the bases in this game were half the size, I'd be happy.

Well I don't think a large number of bases are too big, more that some require too large of a man and Vehicle-power requirement to be defensible.

For instance, the Amp Station walls are actually MORE effective around those few Bio Labs despite probably being larger in my opinion, because the less clutter courtyards make it so you don't have to line the tops with Infantry just to screen for Light Assaults.

Meanwhile Amp Stations themselves are probably the best example of how backwards most bases have been designed; Attackers get PLENTY of cover to move up on critical objectives while Defenders have to rush OUT INTO THE OPEN to try and stop them.

I mean, I'm up for giving attackers a good chance of winning, but when one guy can easily give six guard the run around something is WRONG!

Originally Posted by Rivenshield

A few mega-complexes are fine. But they're the rule, and they're not much fun to attack *or* defend. The most fun I've had in-game is when two armored forces meet, some attrition takes place.... and ex-drivers start showing up as infantry.

Eh, this is more of a matter of opinion, as I'd personally find the successful capture or defense of a major complex AWESOME...

...Problem is Bio Labs are the only Major Facility with any sort of defensibility, and they're often overtaken through sheer numbers.

Originally Posted by Rivenshield

Also, let's please do something about the silly invulnerable spawn-harvest boxes set OUTSIDE. Jesus! How about connecting them via hallway to a neighboring building with a gen in it that controls the spawn shield, so we can have actual last stands....

Originally Posted by Myself

...I feel we should probably focus on more immediate means of strengthening bases...

...Namely, replacing those deathtrap sardine cans that are small spawn buildings!

Let's face it, they are probably the worst offenders when it comes to camping, offering no real protection against enemy forces while simultaneously being more of a hindrance to defense then an asset.

A couple of days ago, an idea thread on "fortifications" got me thinking about Platoon Leaders having access to deployable Spawn Buildings...

Now the viability of such a concept is debatable, but it did lead me to a small spawn building design that would be a VAST improvement over the current boxes.

It would be a mushroom-shaped structure, a squat tower from which the base can be defended from.

The trunk of the building itself has no entrances, just a set of two spawn tubes, equipment terminals, and a shielded elevator for going to and from the second floor.
The second floor itself would be an octangular arrangement of bastions and machicolations, roofed in such a way that only the outermost lips of the bastions would be open to overhead bombardment.
This would allow the spawn building itself to be used as a defensive hard-point as well as providing defenders four potential sheltered exits down through the machicolations...

...The only downside is that Light Assaults will be the only ones able to get back INTO the spawn after dropping, but this could be partially alleviated by external equipment terminals...

Thoughts?

Alamo Mushrooms for the WIN!!!

Personally I no longer mind the removely of SCU's from Outpost anymore since they've added indicators to show enemy activity on the map, but you are right about the "spawn-harvest boxes" bit...

Most of the improved base layouts on Amerish are absolutely destroyed by this, as Air Superiorty can be easily gained and there isn't any overhead cover protecting the spawn-shacks...

...Really, who those Red-Cross Prefabs would be a GOOD IDEA to use for Military Deployment Bunkers in an FPS with Aircraft?