5 replies to this topic

[Khanublikhan]

A rough concept for including MASC & a 3rd person point of view:

MASC Escape Mode (Chicken Licken mode):

When MASC Escape Mode is activated a mech gains additional speed, at the risk of damage to the mech for additional chassis stress.

• The first person view switches to a 3rd person view.
  
• The 3rd person view suffers from heavy motion blur. Surroundings can be seen, but details are difficult to recognise.
  
• Night and Thermal vision modes are disabled. Zoom is disabled.
  
• HUD is disabled.
  
• All weapon systems go offline(!)

Escape mode is intended as a means for rapid transit away (or at great risk) into battle.

MASC Combat Mode (Mr Fox mode):

When MASC Combat Mode is activated a mech gains additional speed, at the risk of damage to the mech for additional chassis stress.

• The first person view is retained.
  
• The first person view suffers from light motion blur. Surrounding can be seen; details are more easily discernible than escape mode.
  
• Night,Thermal and zoom vision modes work normally.
  
• HUD is retained.
  
• Weapon systems remain online.

Combat Mode is intended when seeking to make contact with the enemy and retain fighting ability.

Important!: Masc Combat Mode and MASC Escape Mode would be an either / or choice set up via the options screen.

Important!: Activation Time! I suggest the activation / deactivation time for MASC in either mode be considerable (four seconds). This would require good timing / measure of risk.

Explanation:

• This is an attempt to design a cheat-proof 3rd person POV. This will allow players who like to see the externals of their mech do so, at the cost that they cannot immediately fight OR allows MASC to operate in a combat stance with first person view retained.

Disclaimer: Yes, I am aware this is not entirely battletech canon for MASC. *gasp*
Yes. The idea is serious. Yes, I am having fun at the same time.

[Phaesphoros]

I haz no motion blur.

Seriously: Quite some players have low system specs and cannot afford performance penalties of motion blur.

It's not that I'd hate your suggestion, but pls consider this. I also have no DOF on lowest specs, and I'd never enable it even on higher specs since it's silly not to see details in the distance (near-sighted mechs?). Same goes for motion blur.

[Khanublikhan]

So, motion blur would be an issue on low spec. Fair point.

The blur effect was intended to be an idea to show the speed of MASC and to disorient / obscure the field of view at the same time. Is there any other effect / rendering / design choice that comes to mind that could limit the view of the battlefield (act as a deterrent to cheating)?

Edited by Khanublikhan, 25 March 2013 - 07:25 AM.

[Werewolf486 ScorpS]

First No to 3rd person view.

Second as for MASC I use it to close on target or flank into position, not to evade. I will welcome MASC when it arrives.

[Pando]

Question,

Say for example a battlemech like the Jenner D has the ability to go 151 kph without MASC. At the same turn lets say a Catapult K2 with MASC has the ability to go 151 kph....would the Jenner D's natural speed cause visibility blur as bad as the K2 with MASC since the speeds are relative?

Edited by Pando, 25 March 2013 - 07:32 AM.

[Phaesphoros]

Khanublikhan, on 25 March 2013 - 07:24 AM, said:

So, motion blur would be an issue on low spec. Fair point.

The blur effect was intended to be an idea to show the speed of MASC and to disorient / obscure the field of view at the same time. Is there any other effect / rendering / design choice that comes to mind that could limit the view of the battlefield (act as a deterrent to cheating)?

You know that black-out / red-out effect of some FPS e.g. when you get hurt? It's like tunnel vision. Could work, but not very realistic. Also, visual effects are prone to hacks.