35 replies to this topic

[Roland]

This map looks quite good... it's urban, but not super tight. So it's got good cover, but you can still maneuver around.

[Harmatia]

Looks good, but I want a real city map. Lots of builds with varying size, and no real open spaces. Something really tight and dense. Not some urban looking colony set up in the middle of nowhere. It would also be nice if there were taller buildings, like 70-100 floors skyscrapers.

[Thunder Lips Express]

is there an official release for this map? is it tomorrow perhaps? *crosses fingers*!!!
maybe the red in the water is a very high iron content that will cause our radar to go buggy when your too close....no i don't think thats the case but could be a neat tertiary challenge

[Johnny Z]

Ecliptor, on 30 September 2013 - 11:53 AM, said:

is there an official release for this map? is it tomorrow perhaps? *crosses fingers*!!!
maybe the red in the water is a very high iron content that will cause our radar to go buggy when your too close....no i don't think thats the case but could be a neat tertiary challenge

Doubtfull, I think when the map was called island city it had nice water and was beautifull, then someone hit it with an ugly stick and this is the result. But i dont know for sure, really not happy about being made sick by the water color though.

Edited by Johnny Z, 30 September 2013 - 12:57 PM.

[CaveMan]

If the water is that bright of a red, the sky should be red too. Plus the place looks entirely too sparse for such a built-up city. What does it house, like 500 people? This map doesn't make any sense.

Actually, a blood-red sky would be awesome. All the lighting would be deep red and it would give the environment a completely alien feel unlike any of the other maps.

[Lokust Davion]

honestly... it looks... rather... meh..

[Rascula]

I like it, looks big enough, there's a variety of terrain, and still has space to move among the buildings.
As to the water being red... well its an alien world and we aint in Kansas any more Toto!

[Johnny Z]

Rascula, on 01 October 2013 - 04:57 AM, said:

I like it, looks big enough, there's a variety of terrain, and still has space to move among the buildings.
As to the water being red... well its an alien world and we aint in Kansas any more Toto!

So this is the arguement for making the new map repulsive?

[Bhael Fire]

Looks like they polished up the lighting a bit so the red water isn't as jarring visually.

However, even though red water is naturally occurring phenomenon in nature, it's hard to sell it in a video game without exaggerating certain features that let the player know that it's an intentional effect and not just a buggy shader.

I think adding some reddish sand and debris along the shore (where the chromatic bacteria would cling to the rocks and sand) would help sell it visually.

[Rascula]

Johnny Z, on 01 October 2013 - 05:34 AM, said:

So this is the arguement for making the new map repulsive?

As I said, I like it.. Im fully aware it may not be to everyone else's tastes,..
It kinda reminds me of the Red River near my home except with less floating fish, dumped cars and used condoms...

[Bhael Fire]

Rascula, on 01 October 2013 - 11:50 AM, said:

It kinda reminds me of the Red River near my home except with less floating fish, dumped cars and used condoms...

Exactly my point, if it's to look intentionally red...then it needs some set dressing to sell it. Some dead fish and reddish debris along the shore would make the red water look like it's intentional and not just like somebody hit the wrong setting on the color settings for the water shader.

[Training Instructor]

"Under blood red sky we shall arise."
- Sepultura

[Dexion]

Ah... guys. It could be red because of local conditions, like algae (Think Red Tide), or mineral deposits... Local wildlife may very well be adapted to those conditions and not effected by them. Alien planet and all. This would also explain why the sky i still blue.

People have been complaining that all the worlds we fight on look exactly like earth, but yet Red Water makes peoples brains explode.

[Training Instructor]

Bhael Fire, on 30 September 2013 - 10:28 AM, said:

No, there's an entire supplement for urban combat in BattleTech called CityTech. More than half the games I played on TT were set in large urban environments. Large city locales are a staple of BT.

As for the logic behind attacking a large city, the goal most certainly would be to demolish their infrastructure to weaken the enemy, as well has capturing resources and technology. That's almost invariably the rationale behind attacking large cities in BT.

Also, this map features the core port facilities, which means there are enough other cities or resource gathering settlements to warrant a large water-based port infrastructure. We're fighting in the most important part of the city, which should be full of dense warehouses, ore/chemical processing plants, etc. It's way too expensive to lift raw materials from one planet to another.
Those skyscrapers on the plateau above the mountains you can see? They're mostly full of easily replaced white-collar drone jobs like lawyers, accountants, bankers, pr agencies, game development studios, etc. That's why no one is fighting up there, because the powers that be don't care if those people die. Kill a bunch of engineers though, or harm a planet's ability to provide processed advanced materials to mech factories on other planets, and you have something worth defending.

[Bhael Fire]

Dexion, on 01 October 2013 - 12:08 PM, said:

Ah... guys. It could be red because of local conditions, like algae (Think Red Tide)=

It is. The background info on the map says it's a type chromatiaceae bacteria. My main issue with it, is that it doesn't read that way because it's in a game. Unusual (even if naturally occurring) phenomenon is difficult to convey in virtual environments.

Therefore, you must provide obvious visual clues that tell the player that it's intentional and not just a mistake.

I suggest a slight reddish residue along the shore on the rocks and sand, as well as some reddish debris to help sell the idea more.

[Johnny Z]

I am done with this subject, but if the water really was that color on that planet, what color would the sky be then? All the lighting on that map is wrong for the water color.