News: SOE announces Alpha Squad

**T-Ray** · 2012-09-11, 02:49 AM

Originally Posted by Jonny

As you and Matt are reading this thread, I'd like to spew a little on this game in general in the hope that you read this. I am and will be doing my fair share of bug reporting and complaining when I see mechanics that don't work well or what I think are hastily made changes/additions to the game. (such as my comments in my previous post)

Firstly I'd like to thank you as developers for your amazing energy and from what I’ve seen, the best developer interaction with their community. You obviously know how important this is and you seem to be taking the right approach to making steady changes and improvements based on the feedback you are getting from players. Keep it up!

I still have my concerns about how this game turns out but I want to also voice my praises from my limited (and bad fps – im getting a new PC) experiences so far.

Praise!

Awesome scale and epic feeling to the battles. It’s amazing seeing a gal fly overhead with its engines shimmering, or she sun rising and flooding the sky in pink. For the most part, gorgeous world and lighting.
Good feeling to the guns, turrets and most of all vehicles in the game. It felt great the first time I got in a reaver and crashed it into the ground tail first. Love the learning curve with flying which I can tell is something that can be practised to perfection.
Gorgeous vehicle design all round.
Good explosions/particle effects (especially at night with tracers)
It’s awesome to work as a team in this game.
Sound. (Music is growing on me) Just really great sound design in this game, from galaxy engines to distant echoing booms of explosions. Very impressed!

Concerns!

A few aspects of character design (unlikely to change I know)
Character movement animations are decent but I think could be better/smoother.
The big picture goals to the game – will there be a win conditions like continent locks? Will there be freedom to fly between continents? These are aspects of the first games which seemed good but are not yet in Planeside 2. (Didn't play PS1 so not an authority on this at all. I understand PS2 is a different game but its most similar to PS1 so surely it can learn from it)

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A few aspects of character design (unlikely to change I know)???

like what?

Originally Posted by Diehard

I would like to comment on the character animation as well, right now for me they look a bit awkward, esp. the run cycle. Other than that, awesome jobs devs!

been having this convo with the lead animator

Originally Posted by Tatwi

As a person who has three young children, I'm sorry to have offended you by saying that the suit "camo" looks like something they've done, but that's what came to my mind and that's what I shared. Perhaps I should keep my "sense of humour" to myself. I am, however, not at all sorry that I don't like the "camo" and that I find it ugly and that I told you so; These things happen.

Incidentally, I think the tank "camos" look fine, largely because they aren't a bunch of tiny splotches of colour, but swaths of colour that compliment the shape of the tanks.

I would have preferred a design along the lines of the far right in this picture, which is a progression of the design on the far left. Instead we have the "camo" offered in the Alpha Squad, which to me just seems flamboyant for the sake being so and more like a pair of PJs than a military uniform. Add to that how I don't appreciate the visual effect of "camo pattern" and you end up at my disappointment that it's the only suit that comes with the AS. I think that's a fair and reasonable assessment and expression of my feelings on the matter.

Douching it up with pride, Gangnam style,

- Tatwi

So you know, there is only one camo pattern? the one on the tank is the same one on the character. So the character looks like a 3rd grader did it but the take looks pro? i'm not really sure how that is possible.

As to the progression in Planetside2 the characters dont rank up that way mainly because we wanted the players to have a choice in what he or she looked like at every step of the way.

Originally Posted by DjEclipse

No need to diss the new cams in order to ask for the old.

If this conversation could begin again...

Tatwi: Tray can we have throwback cams?
Tray: Love you guys, I'll put that on the to-do list.

Simples. It is not what you say, it is how you say it.

we are planning on putting in the old models as is, so if you want your old ps1 char, you can look just like that in ps2

Originally Posted by Soothsayer

Hey Higby or TRay, I'm not sure who to go to with this, but when I try to buy the alpha squad from that link it gives me an error.

I'm pretty close to being maxed out on SC, (the SC from the pack would put me over the 50k limit) so I'm wondering if that's what it is. I've submitted a ticket though.

its because of the limit. hit this guy up on twitter he can help you..@thegreatmutato

Originally Posted by RoninOni

Real Talk.

I understand how lots of people may not like X or Y about a game in development and they want to make the devs hear and understand their feelings.....

but how attacking their work with derogatory statements ever going to help you sell your ideas?

I see this a LOT, on the multitude of beta forums I'm on or been on. Even worse are the direct personal attacks.

Respect and Courtesy make the world go round. If you ain't with that, you're gonna find yourself left behind everytime.

and its just that simple

werd ... forum is saying i have to be at least 4 characters so I am typing more than i need to

He could have simply said

"Hey TRay, I know a lot of people love this camo but I just never see myself using it, not my style. Any chance for..."

And there would have been nothing wrong with that.

Instead he said that their professional hard work looked like "child's scribbling", was ugly, and a few other unnecessary opinionated criticisms. That's derogatory... ESPECIALLY to an artist.

It's fine not to like something, you don't need to invent insults to convey that though... just say "hey, I don't really like it"

and of course the forum is tripping it wont let me post