67 replies to this topic

[Merky Merc]

Snailio, on 21 April 2013 - 01:39 PM, said:

OK Ok I get it guys. You find it appropriate that each individual planet have a River City. No matter which planet out of 2000, it will have a River City identical to the other 1999 planets. Please, lets not individualize a planet and make it feel like its own unique place.

Given that just about every country on earth has a city on a river, I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that each planet would also have one.

[Soy]

Roadbeer, on 21 April 2013 - 02:31 PM, said:

I honestly couldn't tell you the difference between Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Chicago, etc. they all pretty much look the same.

Lol, what?

[Roadbeer]

Soy, on 21 April 2013 - 02:55 PM, said:

Lol, what?

Honestly, at the street level, without looking at the skyline, you couldn't say the same?

[Soy]

...dude there is no way in hell Manhattan looks like downtown LA... or any of those areas to be honest... *real* downtown Chicago, you're looking at ****** lake michigan or whatever... Boston everything is old as ****, like opposite of LA... not to mention the architectural or cultural stylings of each city that give them flavor down at the street level...
...so yeah there are major differences in the way cities look... from a micro or macro perspective...

ps - yes, i've been to all those cities

Edited by Soy, 21 April 2013 - 03:00 PM.

[Roadbeer]

Soy, on 21 April 2013 - 02:59 PM, said:

...dude there is no way in hell Manhattan looks like downtown LA... or any of those areas to be honest... *real* downtown Chicago, you're looking at ****** lake michigan or whatever... Boston everything is old as ****, like opposite of LA... not to mention the architectural or cultural stylings of each city that give them flavor down at the street level...
...so yeah there are major differences in the way cities look... from a micro or macro perspective...

ps - yes, i've been to all those cities

Fair enough.

I was speaking generically though. one glass and concrete building looks pretty much like the next to me.

I've been to all of them too... but living in the country, I guess I don't appreciate the 'flavor', I just walk around saying "WTF are the trees?"

[Wintersdark]

Snailio, on 21 April 2013 - 01:07 PM, said:

From the Dev Q&A 36...





The Inner Sphere is a region of interstellar space surrounding Earth to a radius of roughly 450 - 550 light-years, generally demarcated by the outer borders of the Great Houses." Within this region of about 2 million stars, there are approximately 2000 inhabited planets.

If community warfare is to be fought over the Inner Sphere, how is it reasonable to only have 8 unique maps to represent 2000 planets? Seems pretty underwhelming

I'd sooner CW be released this year with 8 maps. It takes them roughly 1.5 months to make a map, so how about we just take what we can get and not be pissy about it.

[Byk]

A swamp/jungle map is what I'm most looking forward to. That said, I think a map designed specifically for each House would be awesome as well. Maybe have a map take part in each of the House's capital cities, or on the outskirts, or something.

[Fabe]

I would like to see new maps using the environments we have now . Lets have another ice/snow map to represent the area outside of frozen city or maybe a huge pit mine using the caustic valley environment or a dense downtown area for river city. Hell I would be happy if they just re-themed some of the maps we have now ,give caustic valley frozen city's snow theme and give frozen city caustic's theme.

[Carnivoris]

PGI's content production is a joke. I understand they're a small team. I understand that it takes a lot of man-hours to create a map. I don't care. Customers don't care. The plain and simple truth is that the average gamer's attention span is too small to stay interested in a game for very long with such limited content. MWO had me in its grasp for 5-6 months. I've since gotten bored with it. The rehashed versions of existing maps pissed me off enough. Now, a couple maps in a couple months (with no new map in April), just lets me know that they're not a big enough entity to carry the game. They simply can't produce content quickly enough.

[Joe Mallad]

Merky Merc, on 21 April 2013 - 02:38 PM, said:

Given that just about every country on earth has a city on a river, I don't think it's unreasonable to believe that each planet would also have one.

i do lol. What if that planet is a pure ice planet or a baren rock. River City maps should not come up on that planet.

Edited by Yoseful Mallad, 21 April 2013 - 06:07 PM.

[Eshayz Lad]

Carnivoris, on 21 April 2013 - 06:04 PM, said:

PGI's content production is a joke. I understand they're a small team. I understand that it takes a lot of man-hours to create a map. I don't care. Customers don't care. The plain and simple truth is that the average gamer's attention span is too small to stay interested in a game for very long with such limited content. MWO had me in its grasp for 5-6 months. I've since gotten bored with it. The rehashed versions of existing maps pissed me off enough. Now, a couple maps in a couple months (with no new map in April), just lets me know that they're not a big enough entity to carry the game. They simply can't produce content quickly enough.

Few overpaid underskilled staff? check.
PGI saying each map costs $250,000 (no typo) to produce? Check
Overpriced F2P game with minimum viable content milking fans of the franchise? Check
Repetitive stale 8 maps that have been played to death to be the only maps in CW? Check
Disillusioned fans crapping all over this game in reviews and metacritic on "launch"? Check

So much writing on the wall, lol.

[Merky Merc]

Yoseful Mallad, on 21 April 2013 - 06:07 PM, said:

i do lol. What if that planet is a pure ice planet or a baren rock. River City maps should not come up on that planet.

That's what frozen city is for, and terraforming on the rock. They could just make a River City Variant with a dry river or a frozen river.

[Joe Mallad]

Carnivoris, on 21 April 2013 - 06:04 PM, said:

PGI's content production is a joke. I understand they're a small team. I understand that it takes a lot of man-hours to create a map. I don't care. Customers don't care. The plain and simple truth is that the average gamer's attention span is too small to stay interested in a game for very long with such limited content. MWO had me in its grasp for 5-6 months. I've since gotten bored with it. The rehashed versions of existing maps pissed me off enough. Now, a couple maps in a couple months (with no new map in April), just lets me know that they're not a big enough entity to carry the game. They simply can't produce content quickly enough.

Carnivoris, on 21 April 2013 - 06:04 PM, said:

PGI's content production is a joke. I understand they're a small team. I understand that it takes a lot of man-hours to create a map. I don't care. Customers don't care. The plain and simple truth is that the average gamer's attention span is too small to stay interested in a game for very long with such limited content. MWO had me in its grasp for 5-6 months. I've since gotten bored with it. The rehashed versions of existing maps pissed me off enough. Now, a couple maps in a couple months (with no new map in April), just lets me know that they're not a big enough entity to carry the game. They simply can't produce content quickly enough.

i love that PGI is trying to get this game off the ground but i have to agree. I dont feel they have the man power nore enough qualified people to deal with a game of this magnatude. There are 3117 total planets in the battletech/MW universe. Even if we are to fight over 10% of those as its been stated we will be able to, 8 maps is not going to be enough to cover 300+ planets as a realistic map set for all those different environments.

Merky Merc, on 21 April 2013 - 06:12 PM, said:

That's what frozen city is for, and terraforming on the rock. They could just make a River City Variant with a dry river or a frozen river.

youre right, they could but that will only be good enough fo so long lol. People are going to scream for UNIQUE maps for most of these planets. Not rehashed maps.

Edited by Yoseful Mallad, 21 April 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[armyof1]

I'm still waiting for River City afternoon tea time.

But seriously, I hope they're going to have at least 10 unique maps for launch and put focus on keeping a higher pace of release. Let's face it, the 250K a map is either bull or horrible waste of resources that needs to be fixed ASAP.

Edited by armyof1, 21 April 2013 - 06:17 PM.

[Roadbeer]

armyof1, on 21 April 2013 - 06:16 PM, said:

Let's face it, the 250K a map is either bull or horrible waste of resources that needs to be fixed ASAP.

Actually, it doesn't seem that far off when you're building the resources for the map for the first time. But, like they've said, with each unique style, you have to build the resources for the first time, but after that, you have the assets that are reusable and you can churn them out cheaper and faster.

It's like buying custom things in bulk rather than individually Say you wanted a challenge coin made, you're going to have to pay the setup/art fee the first time, but you only have to do that one time, and after that, each time you reorder it's at a cheaper rate.

Once they have the artwork done, say they want to make a desert city map, all they have to do is model the terrain, put the caustic skin on and drop the buildings from river city on it. Sure, it's a little more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

[armyof1]

Roadbeer, on 21 April 2013 - 06:23 PM, said:

Actually, it doesn't seem that far off when you're building the resources for the map for the first time. But, like they've said, with each unique style, you have to build the resources for the first time, but after that, you have the assets that are reusable and you can churn them out cheaper and faster.

It's like buying custom things in bulk rather than individually Say you wanted a challenge coin made, you're going to have to pay the setup/art fee the first time, but you only have to do that one time, and after that, each time you reorder it's at a cheaper rate.

Once they have the artwork done, say they want to make a desert city map, all they have to do is model the terrain, put the caustic skin on and drop the buildings from river city on it. Sure, it's a little more complicated than that, but you get the idea.

I get that it can get expensive as you do a lot of specific details for the first time and lots of them on each map. But look at Alpine with all those barren hills and then try to convince me that took a lot of resource creation for 250K. I'd have to be sane and say no.

[GalaxyBluestar]

Roadbeer, on 21 April 2013 - 01:15 PM, said:

Oh noes... only 16+ maps.

Seems pretty good, I've been in 'AAA' titles that had fewer 'zones' at launch

yes it is oh noes... regardless of what tittles you've played mechwarrior/battletech is supposed to take place in more than 2 citys with different enviroment conditions, fog or dark and is supposed to cover more than just some rivers a mountain area mechs can hardly traverse and 2 hot places. as i said months back community warfare is going to be a map of the IS with colours that change when teams win and lose, perhaps a leader board and a lobby if we're lucky.

let's face it the devs are a small group way in over their heads for such a dreamy ambitious project as glitches from half a year ago still persist and we have half a dozen mechs and 2 new map layouts to show for it. game is in true funk right now.

Edited by GalaxyBluestar, 21 April 2013 - 06:36 PM.

[Roadbeer]

armyof1, on 21 April 2013 - 06:32 PM, said:

I get that it can get expensive as you do a lot of specific details for the first time and lots of them on each map. But look at Alpine with all those barren hills and then try to convince me that took a lot of resource creation for 250K. I'd have to be sane and say no.

Yeah, I'm with you on that one.. not even a tree to be found. Let's say we split the difference that Alpine was cheaper and TD was more expensive

I do, however, LOVE that map.

Edited by Roadbeer, 21 April 2013 - 06:54 PM.

[Stoicblitzer]

there definitely aren't enough maps to represent more than a couple planets imo. maybe they could use a computer algorithm to generate slight alterations to existing maps every drop to make them feel different every time you play on them. Maybe random spawn points. Maybe they will slice larger maps into smaller maps. Idk but I find it hard to believe that they lack the foresight to not see this coming. How can they represent potentially thousands of planets with a handful of unique maps? Where is the immersion for persistent players?

[KovarD]

Snailio, on 21 April 2013 - 01:07 PM, said:

If community warfare is to be fought over the Inner Sphere, how is it reasonable to only have 8 unique maps to represent 2000 planets? Seems pretty underwhelming

How PGI can design, test and balance 2000 maps (teras of dowloadable data) under 2 years with 5 people working (map artists) on it?