55 replies to this topic

[MeiSooHaityu]

Since when does an alien world need to play by Earth's rules?

I guess it is more relate-able to a player if it does, but still, nothing says it has to.

[Barantor]

MeiSooHaityu, on 26 April 2016 - 06:12 AM, said:

Since when does an alien world need to play by Earth's rules?

I guess it is more relate-able to a player if it does, but still, nothing says it has to.

While this is true, making strange geography in order to make lanes through maps seems very forced in places in MWO.

[MeiSooHaityu]

Barantor, on 26 April 2016 - 08:32 AM, said:

While this is true, making strange geography in order to make lanes through maps seems very forced in places in MWO.

That's something almost every multiplayer game does. I think some map designers are better than others at hiding that fact.

[AWOL 01]

adamts01, on 26 April 2016 - 04:51 AM, said:

My above post relates. Polar is the closed thing we have to a true battlefield and what you describe as open rolling hills. There are two big problems though. PGI said they'd deliver a strategic, mech simulation "thinking man's shooter" and we got e-sports TDM. Whatever. More open levels like that would 1) greatly piss off half the community and 2) require a much more balanced game than "whack-a-mech" where poking out from cover to alpha is the only way to survive more than a few seconds.

I agree that Polar is the most open map in the game right now, but it still seems a little unnatural to me. Don't get me wrong, I love the map, it's just that the 10m+ changes in elevation are still pretty steep.



Here's what I had in mind. I think people forget that a flatter map doesn't have to be featureless or without cover. A mech would be about as tall as the barns, and could easily take cover behind the various buildings and in the forests.



A 10m meter mech is roughly 33ft tall, so trees should be scaled accordingly.

[Amsro]

Johnny Z, on 26 April 2016 - 05:47 AM, said:

The answer is gravity.

This is never the answer.

[vandalhooch]

Johnny Z, on 25 April 2016 - 11:01 PM, said:

I am going to answer this almost entirely incorrect bunch of random statements with a single answer.

The data they use to color their pictures of the stars is about the same data a 5 yo uses when coloring a coloring book.

That was a witty reply but I will try be a little more serious. The word "discovery" explains a lot since it is uncovering answers that are already there. Credit where credit is due to any discovery but theory is just that, a bunch of talk and talk is cheap.

Not how science works. Thanks for trying, though.

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Although it can be interesting stuff it should never be taken to seriously.

Stupidest statement you've made so far.

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To another reply, "science" by definition is what can be proven. Calling theory science is falling into the realm of religion.

"Proven" is an aspect of mathematics and law, not science.

Theory in science means explanation that is well supported by experimental data and that can successfully predict future observations.

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Not entirely unrelated, but everyone knew the earth was round for a very long time because the answer was in front of their face every day when the shadow of the earth was seen on the moon.

No. This really is entirely unrelated.

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Best to not take anything that isn't 100% for sure to seriously. All common knowledge really.

Time for more homework. Your attempts to bluff your way through this class have failed, again.

[Khobai]

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Then compare this to MWO where we have 100m+ tall crystal towers and trees as large as the Empire State Building.

things are different sizes on other planets? I dont really see that being an issue.

the biggest problem with MWO is the gamemodes not the maps. Every gamemode is just skirmish or a variation of skirmish.

it gets so boring when every gamemode is just kill all enemy mechs. and thats all you ever do.

why cant they have gamemodes where killing enemy mechs doesnt win you the game?

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Here's what I had in mind.

So your idea of an epic new map for MWO is farmville. why dont we have a hello kitty island adventure map too?

Edited by Khobai, 26 April 2016 - 08:57 PM.

[Johnny Z]

vandalhooch, on 26 April 2016 - 08:42 PM, said:

Not how science works. Thanks for trying, though.



Stupidest statement you've made so far.



"Proven" is an aspect of mathematics and law, not science.

Theory in science means explanation that is well supported by experimental data and that can successfully predict future observations.



No. This really is entirely unrelated.



Time for more homework. Your attempts to bluff your way through this class have failed, again.

You make me laugh. HAHA

See now that would have been the smart thing for you to say.

[Johnny Z]

Khobai, on 26 April 2016 - 08:54 PM, said:

things are different sizes on other planets? I dont really see that being an issue.

the biggest problem with MWO is the gamemodes not the maps. Every gamemode is just skirmish or a variation of skirmish.

it gets so boring when every gamemode is just kill all enemy mechs. and thats all you ever do.

why cant they have gamemodes where killing enemy mechs doesnt win you the game?



So your idea of an epic new map for MWO is farmville. why dont we have a hello kitty island adventure map too?

Well that's what the other games are offering. Farmville maps with a little high road here and there and some generic in engine buildings. Meanwhile this game is creating a lot of its own assets as well as designing them from the ground up.

So ya no thanks to MechWarrior Online 2 Farmville, but thanks anyway.

I do look forward to a desert dunes map in this game some time though.

[AWOL 01]

Khobai, on 26 April 2016 - 08:54 PM, said:

things are different sizes on other planets? I dont really see that being an issue.
...
So your idea of an epic new map for MWO is farmville. why dont we have a hello kitty island adventure map too?

It is a problem when it goes against the laws of physics. See: simulation and immersion.

Also, have you never played MechCommander? There is literally a mission where you defend two farms from enemies and another where you rescue pilots who are being held at a farm.

[Johnny Z]

AWOL 01, on 27 April 2016 - 04:27 AM, said:

It is a problem when it goes against the laws of physics. See: simulation and immersion.

Also, have you never played MechCommander? There is literally a mission where you defend two farms from enemies and another where you rescue pilots who are being held at a farm.

Ok its a good idea to have some kind of farmland map. Compared to the maps already in game I don't think that would be a problem, their map makers are up to the challenge.

There are a few maps everyone wants, none more than a metro map. Now that would be tough and few games offer that in a quality way, if any.

[Death Proof]

Yeah, not much can be done about the wacky scale in MWO. Pretty much everything is way out of realistic scale.

It often feels more like your mech is the size of a standard human running around with a few toy cars laying around more so than a 10 meter high walking tank.

But...whatever. It is what it is.

[Jables McBarty]

Lots of irrelevant intellectual masturbation on this thread, but AWOL is still on it:

AWOL 01, on 26 April 2016 - 03:59 AM, said:

Okay guys, let's keep it on topic. I realize that there could be massive structures and plants in alien worlds, and there are many on earth, but are they the only places battles take place? Also, all of the maps currently have gravity very similar to earth, so physics would still say that those crystals and trees would have a hard time staying up under their own weight.

Don't get me wrong - the maps look great and it's awesome being in alien planets - but do we really need everything to be massive? On forest colony I would much rather have tons of the smaller trees, making it difficult to see and impeding weapons fire.

Also, Wisconsin has some awesome forests if I do say so myself. However, when making this topic I was thinking more of the farmlands with rolling hills, and how cool it would be to have battles in areas like that.

I agree wholeheartedly.

The question is not "Can empire-state-building-sized trees grow on other planets?" the question is "how can we design maps that give a consistent sense of scale?"

Little guys running around and other battletech vehicles would help enormously in terms of scale, but the maps themselves can do a lot with less development effort. Forest Colony and Canyon Network are THE examples because the scale of alien terrain relative to mechs is the same as the scale of average (not exceptional) earthbound terrain to humans.

Crimson Strait pisses me off for this reason--who builds a 40+ foot overpass in the middle of nowhere? I've seen 40+ foot overpasses, but usually they are built on top of criss-crossing 16ft and 32ft overpasses at the intersections of major interstates, not in the middle of a...exurban peninsula?

I think River City does a good job, and Polar Highlands does a good job because most of their buildings are one-story trailers. Terra and Caustic (which I actually like as maps) have too few buildings for scale (unless you are fighting near the refineries), and mountains just feel like mountains.




And I just gotta get this off my chest--how is there enough room in a Commando's cockpit for a full-grown human? I just don't see it.

[AdrenaHawk]

Well, it's not like trees larger than mechs have never been seen in Mechwarrior before.

Edited by AdrenaHawk, 27 April 2016 - 02:52 PM.

[Moldur]

Yeah, these alien, sci-fi, not Earth-like surroundings really just ruin the atmosphere of MWO.


What.

[AWOL 01]

Atmosphere is different from immersion. Once again, I am not saying we shouldn't have alien landscapes, I'm saying we should design these alien landscapes so that they give a sense of scale to us as pilots of 10m tall walking machines.