Seasonal Cycles

NCLynx · 2012-04-23, 03:46 PM

A conversation spawned in IRC on the topic of seasonal changes in PS2.

I would love to see something like the continents going through a season change maybe once every 2 weeks (that timeframe is just an example).

Any additional thoughts? Changes? Just a quick idea, so elaborate more on this?

Stardouser · 2012-04-23, 03:48 PM

If we ever had naval ocean combat, water near poles could freeze(or even if we didn't have naval combat), snow on any continent in winter, etc.

Kwintus5 · 2012-04-23, 03:53 PM

It would be cool if things realy happen like:

Spring: Flowers spawning, the sun getting higher, trees growing leaves, bits of rain, mist.
Summer: Fully leaved trees, sun much higher, drying out of rivers, heavy rainfall with thunder from time to time.
Fall: Falling leaves blowing around, getting colder, visible breathing of soldiers, heavier rain with hailstorms and such.

And who knows what else! Could be very cool.
Winter: snow! snow stacking and such, soldiers leaving footprints for a while, snow that realy has volume so it blows inside buildings when doors open, etc.

Rocknoise · 2012-04-23, 03:55 PM

Sorry to correct u Stardouser ... Due to the continents are no continents anymore after Auraxis broke apart, those are seperate planets or fragments of it. So every "continent" could have its own cycles. Its not earth, so imagination is free.

My ideas would be a planet with acid rainseasons ... showers of light acid wich hurt u a little bit outside of vehicles and buildings.
Or what about radar jamming fog. Would push ppl into shortrange fights ... so could the weather be a factor of your weapons choice.

Any more ideas?

MooK · 2012-04-23, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by Stardouser

If we ever had naval ocean combat, water near poles could freeze(or even if we didn't have naval combat), snow on any continent in winter, etc.

Would need dedicated ice breakers. Woo!

Also, pretty sure each CONTINENT is supposed to have its own season. Sort of.

Ailos · 2012-04-23, 03:59 PM

I think this would be a cool addition - but we would need more continents for that, so probably something to add later on in the game. I just can't envision the three launch continents encompassing enough space on a planet to really have "seasons". But you could still have climate cycles, just not the full 4 seasons that we're used to.

For instance, Amerish could have periods of prolonged rain/fog that makes sneaking around in air easy,

OR Indar could have periods of prolonged sandstorms, so much so that only the most hardcore outfits would decide to assault a base that's inside a storm so bad you can't see. Imagine that conversation in high command "Let's go attack Kusak!" "Fuck that shit, it's all under sand." "Well, let's hope everyone's circumcised."

I feel like that'd probably be easier to implement, too.

Originally Posted by Rocknoise

Sorry to correct u Stardouser ... Due to the continents are no continents anymore after Auraxis broke apart, those are seperate planets or fragments of it. So every "continent" could have its own cycles. Its not earth, so imagination is free.

My ideas would be a planet with acid rainseasons ... showers of light acid wich hurt u a little bit outside of vehicles and buildings.
Or what about radar jamming fog. Would push ppl into shortrange fights ... so could the weather be a factor of your weapons choice.

Any more ideas?

That was after the bending in PS1. We're back to one Auraxis now.

EVILPIG · 2012-04-23, 04:02 PM

Originally Posted by Rocknoise

Sorry to correct u Stardouser ... Due to the continents are no continents anymore after Auraxis broke apart, those are seperate planets or fragments of it. So every "continent" could have its own cycles. Its not earth, so imagination is free.

My ideas would be a planet with acid rainseasons ... showers of light acid wich hurt u a little bit outside of vehicles and buildings.
Or what about radar jamming fog. Would push ppl into shortrange fights ... so could the weather be a factor of your weapons choice.

Any more ideas?

Planetside 2 is the original timeline before The Bending, so Auraxis is a single planet. Though what he is asking for is not possible due to the world not being seemless. Either way, I hope we never see naval units.

NCLynx · 2012-04-23, 04:10 PM

Naval units was just an example Stardouser used for how different weather/seasons would affect things. This is NOT a thread specifically about Naval units, do no turn it into one.

basti · 2012-04-23, 04:12 PM

Originally Posted by EVILPIG

Planetside 2 is the original storyline before The Bending, so Auraxis is a single planet. Though what he is asking for is not possible due to the world not being seemless. Either way, I hope we never see naval units.

And even that is no really correct.

Planetside 2 is a reimagination of both the original game and its gameplay, as well as the story.

In planetside, the TR was a millitaristic dictatorship that shot everybode who opposed them. They owned multiple worlds, and spread quite a bit over the Galaxy. They did that using wormholes that appeared randomly. They stabilized them and checked whats on the other side. Auraxis really was just another Planet for them.
The reason why they never went with full force to beat the crap out of NC and VS is for two reasons: 1. Nobody ever left auraxis. Getting there was a one way ticked, you were not allowed to get back (to avoid information like respawning, the existance of VS and NC, Alien live etc to spread across TR territory) and 2. they used Auraxis as a testing field, to test new vehicles for example (the original TR provied the blueprints for BFRs to all 3 factions).

Fact is, everything that happend during the Auraxian war, and before, never happend at all in Planetside 2. The Story is very very different.

Anyway, topic: Sounds interresting, but the effect on gameplay would be rather heavy. Not to mention all the nessesary work to implement this...

EVILPIG · 2012-04-23, 04:13 PM

Originally Posted by NCLynx

Naval units was just an example Stardouser used for how different weather/seasons would affect things. This is NOT a thread specifically about Naval units, do no turn it into one.

I didn't speak specifically to naval units, I just added my comment to them. But thank you, you seem to feel that my opinion of them would overtake this thread. Carry on about Seasonal Cycles.

EVILPIG · 2012-04-23, 04:15 PM

Originally Posted by basti

And even that is no really correct.

Planetside 2 is a reimagination of both the original game and its gameplay, as well as the story.

In planetside, the TR was a millitaristic dictatorship that shot everybode who opposed them. They owned multiple worlds, and spread quite a bit over the Galaxy. They did that using wormholes that appeared randomly. They stabilized them and checked whats on the other side. Auraxis really was just another Planet for them.
The reason why they never went with full force to beat the crap out of NC and VS is for two reasons: 1. Nobody ever left auraxis. Getting there was a one way ticked, you were not allowed to get back (to avoid information like respawning, the existance of VS and NC, Alien live etc to spread across TR territory) and 2. they used Auraxis as a testing field, to test new vehicles for example (the original TR provied the blueprints for BFRs to all 3 factions).

Fact is, everything that happend during the Auraxian war, and before, never happend at all in Planetside 2. The Story is very very different.

Anyway, topic: Sounds interresting, but the effect on gameplay would be rather heavy. Not to mention all the nessesary work to implement this...

Fixed my typo. Work can be distracting.

NCLynx · 2012-04-23, 04:27 PM

Originally Posted by EVILPIG

I didn't speak specifically to naval units, I just added my comment to them. But thank you, you seem to feel that my opinion of them would overtake this thread. Carry on about Seasonal Cycles.

Probably was a bit on the harsh side with my post, but yes there are several threads about Naval Warfare that it can be discussed in. Where it should be.

On Topic:

(Still using my example of the season changes once every 2 weeks)

Imagine driving your tank near the end of the fall season, it still handles well more or less perfect. As the season change to winter starts at the beginning of the its allotted 2 week slot, snow starts and by the end of the first week there's even a chance of full blown blizzards. Tanks that when being driven slide in the direction they were going if you break to abruptly, things like that. By the end of that second week you see less and less snow until finally you don't see anymore but instead see the beginning of a more spring time zone. Rinse, repeat (with all 4 seasons of course).

(Of course I wouldn't want it to be a 100% chance of blizzards at all times during the peak of winter because lack of visibility would piss people off to no end)

Lonehunter · 2012-04-23, 08:49 PM

I would love seasons, it would take quite a lot of work though. Plus you have to balance seasonal weather with different terrain types. Does the desert continent have any changes during winter? Does the Icy Esamir? Having every continent completely covered with snow is a good example of how it could go wrong, there still has to be variety.

Xaine · 2012-04-23, 09:08 PM

Sounds good.

I'd rather they work on slightly more... practical stuff first though?

I'm sure you all feel the same anyway, but we all love a bit of immersion.

NCLynx · 2012-04-23, 09:12 PM

Originally Posted by Lonehunter

I would love seasons, it would take quite a lot of work though. Plus you have to balance seasonal weather with different terrain types. Does the desert continent have any changes during winter? Does the Icy Esamir? Having every continent completely covered with snow is a good example of how it could go wrong, there still has to be variety.

Yea, it'd be somewhat different depening on the continent. I assume Esamir would always be mostly cold-esque but maybe during its winter time period it gets ultra snowy.

Another thing to think about is longer nights during winter times and longer days during the summer times.