7 replies to this topic

[PPMcBiggs]

First of all full disclosure: I hate Desert. With all my heart.

Desert needs some work in that there is way too much one-way terrain on this map. I cannot tell you how many times I get shot when I am behind cover, but I cannot return fire.

Typically I run a Jager whose hardpoints are as high as they can be, so it is not like I am complaining from my CTF whose hardpoints might as well be on its toes.

What is the deal with this?

This is complicated by so much terrain geometry not matching what is visually represented on my monitor. I swear, the top of every hill, spire, bump, and pebble on that map have been turned to glass by lasers or absolutely pulverized by gauss.

Oh wait, not the top. Somewhere below the top. Well, the top as far as I can tell.

Desert needs some work. Please take it out of rotation until it works perfectly.

[Ph30nix]

that is because of the invisible walls, they have gotten rid of most of them, but there are still a few also where your cockpit area is your mech still extends a bit above that and can be hit. So if you can see over something guess what you got a good chunk of your head sticking out above from there.

my only true grip with the map is the heat levels nothing like firing 3-5 shots then over heating lol.

as for the cover that is one of the things that makes this map so great, there is no perfect cover spot on that map, every location can be flanked to prevent teams from just rushing the best spot then guarding it while other team has to go thru a death corridor to try and flush them out.

i do love all the slanted spires on the map, they make amazing fire zones for snipers so even non JJ snipers can be effective more so actually.

[WarpGhost]

I've only seen 1 spot where people can shoot one way through terrain, quite a well-known sniping spot. There are some invisible walls/edges as Phoenix said, which are probably causing the trouble. You're shooting them without realising, but because of cockpit location you're making your mech is more exposed than you realise. I always make sure to check my rangefinder more than normal when peeking round Tourmaline because of those edges, it is a problem. Nothing like enough to take it out of rotation though.

Beyond the invisible edging issue, I think Tourmaline as the best constructed map by some way. In many ways it and Alpine should swap heat mapping, as Tourmaline is complex enough without the added heat, whereas Alpine is too simple.

[PPMcBiggs]

Ph30nix, on 06 May 2013 - 03:57 AM, said:

there are still a few also where your cockpit area is your mech still extends a bit above that and can be hit. So if you can see over something guess what you got a good chunk of your head sticking out above from there.

WarpGhost, on 06 May 2013 - 04:07 AM, said:

because of cockpit location you're making your mech is more exposed than you realise

How can this be? The cockpit on a Jager is below the hardpoints for a gauss, at least thats the way the model appears. So if I can see over the hill/spire I should be able to shoot over the spire. But I can't. I can however take 50 damage from a 5ppc alpha no problem.

Maybe the problem isn't entirely with Desert, maybe the Jager also has a problem.

[Ph30nix]

i was more refering to the taking damage, they are only hitting the very top parts of your mech,

as for you not being able to shoot over things when it looks like you can, that more has to do with coding and just game play mechanics. Oher people might have a better way to explain it but just because because of the model and artwork it LOOKS like your weapons/hardpoints are above your cockpit it might not always be the case as far as the games targeting and such is concerned.....

OR it could be an issue where your too close to something so your guns are actually clipping into them some and thats blocking your shots. Then there is still also the remaining invisible walls.

[Atheus]

PPMcBiggs, on 06 May 2013 - 07:05 AM, said:

How can this be? The cockpit on a Jager is below the hardpoints for a gauss, at least thats the way the model appears. So if I can see over the hill/spire I should be able to shoot over the spire. But I can't. I can however take 50 damage from a 5ppc alpha no problem.

Maybe the problem isn't entirely with Desert, maybe the Jager also has a problem.

The reason you can't shoot over it is your reticle is aimed at an invisible wall, of course, so your arms are aiming extremely down and converging in to hit that invisible wall, rather than shooting over it. That doesn't mean the invisible wall is covering the upper part of your mech, though. Your arms probably clear it, and your wing can be hit.

The result is the same, though. The "invisible walls" or collision maps really need to be tightened up more. There's just no good excuse for a projectile combat game having such loose collision maps.

[oldradagast]

IMHO, Tourmaline is an excellent map, and I've had some of more most interesting games there. I've also seen every time of build succeed, including even some LRM builds recently, which was surprising.

My only grumble is that the map has some "sticky" spots, where it may be a bit too easy to be snagged on a piece of debris or slanted crystal, but those are minor grumbles.

Long story short, when designing future large maps, use Tourmaline as a guide, not Alpine Peaks.

[PPMcBiggs]

Ph30nix, on 06 May 2013 - 07:31 AM, said:

i was more refering to the taking damage, they are only hitting the very top parts of your mech,

as for you not being able to shoot over things when it looks like you can, that more has to do with coding and just game play mechanics. Oher people might have a better way to explain it but just because because of the model and artwork it LOOKS like your weapons/hardpoints are above your cockpit it might not always be the case as far as the games targeting and such is concerned.....

OR it could be an issue where your too close to something so your guns are actually clipping into them some and thats blocking your shots. Then there is still also the remaining invisible walls.

I hear what you are saying, and this reply is not to argue but, hopefully, to make it more clear to PGI what I observe.

In my Jager, the model leads me to believe that my gauss rifles are just about the highest parts of my mech. Sure there is a tiny bit of structure higher than the barrels, but not much. This should mean that since my cockpit is lower than my weapons I should be able to shoot over an obstacle without being able to see over it. However, this is not the case, see note below. This sounds like a mech issue at first, but then consider that I am taking damage while not being able to shoot over something with my attacker in glorious techni-color plain as day on my monitor. This makes me think there is a map/terrain modeling/clipping issue.

Add to this the most frustrating part to me is how I can be damaged from someone hiding behind something and I cannot hit them. The one-way terrain issue. This is definitely a map issue. This is why I hate desert.

Whatever the case logic only leads to one place: there is at least one thing wrong.

*Note: The "feel" I get in game from the Jager is that my weapons are 'level' with my cockpit. This is not what the model indicates.