73 replies to this topic

[LordBraxton]

Why did the developer of a slow paced first person shooter decide that their competitive mode is based on funneling people through narrow doorways?

[Aiden Skye]

The whole idea of battletech makes very little sense in the real world. Just roll with it. Imagine to outcry if bases were tactically and practically designed. They'd be impenetrable fortresses. I don't see that being very good gameplay as defenders will have an unprecedented advantage.

That said It would be nice to actually blow the doors away by unloading on them.

Edited by W A R K H A N, 08 November 2016 - 04:57 PM.

[LordNothing]

it helps if you dont think about it. id have preferred doors you could just shoot through. the turrets should be tougher and have more firepower and the gen should be to shut those down.

Edited by LordNothing, 08 November 2016 - 04:59 PM.

[MechWarrior5152251]

Would it have killed them to simply have destructible gates?

[Felicitatem Parco]

MechWarrior5152251, on 08 November 2016 - 05:20 PM, said:

Would it have killed them to simply have destructible gates?

I think the real question is: what engineering group got funded to make them like that?? Huge gates that auto-open for attackers?

[Johnny Z]

Counter weights. 5000 year old technology.

MechWarrior5152251, on 08 November 2016 - 05:20 PM, said:

Would it have killed them to simply have destructible gates?

A destructible locking mechanism would help the sim a bit.

[Tarl Cabot]

WrathOfDeadguy, on 08 November 2016 - 11:25 AM, said:

The doors open when the generators go down because it is easier to program, rig, and animate a sliding door simply opening than it is to convincingly portray it getting blown to bits by a full company of 'Mechs. That's the reason, plain and simple.

This, unfortunately. Minimal viable product. The same reason an assaulting force can actually peer over the defensive gate/wall on most maps but the defending force can not.

IMHO, Grim Protico and Vitric Forge is about where they got it about right. The Boreal Vault completely wrong followed by Sulforous Rift, Hellbore Springs and Emerald Tiaga that falls between those two sets.

Dang, that is all the maps we have for FP.....

The gates should have to be destroyed by the attacking unit with defenders having a limited opportunity to fire over the wall. At the same time the defenders would have the ability to OPEN the gates to exit but they would also run the risk of the gate being closed behind them, or if they are wiped out, leaving it open for the attackers to enter without destroying the gate. Once inside then destroying the generators so that they can not be closed, or closed by brunt force but not locked.

Then setup what needs to be accomplished inside. The Gun should be located on only specific planets, other planets would have aerospace craft/dropships, so heavily fortified military headquarters, supply and repair depots, staging areas, etc.

And it should consist of both FP maps and normal maps with no drop deck, and no wedges but smaller percentages of the planet being controlled.

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 08 November 2016 - 07:23 PM.

[Vellron2005]

Prosperity Park, on 08 November 2016 - 09:50 AM, said:

I am just wondering... how do you open a 2000 ton blast door if the generator that powers the door is destroyed?

Spoiler

I am somewhat serious here, as the game's future depends on Faction Play and the current faction play game mode is based entirely upon the idea that blowing up the generator that powers a door's mechanisms will cause the door to spontaneously open... despite having no power.

Has Hollywood tough you nothing? Don't you know that shooting at a door knob or a door panel will unlock the door, unless you wish to lock it, in witch case it turns it into a blast-door?

Seriously though, the only thing I can think of is a fail-safe that automatically opens the door upon power loss, but this is super unpractical for a blast door.

It is logical for emergency exits, elevators and such, but not for a base-protecting blast door.

So I call "Hollywood shenanigans" on this one..

[MeiSooHaityu]

The generator holds the doors closed when their natural state is to be open as a fail safe (not being trapped inside if something goes wrong and the site goes critical.

Once the generator is destroyed, the clamps release and the doors slide open (possibly being returned by heavy duty springs).

[razenWing]

All of you guys are running assumptions that space door is default at the "open" position.

But as I have repeatedly said, that's not a thing. For the simple reason that, do you think it's easier to hold a 2000 tons door close for duration? Or to open it once?

Maybe space electricity doesn't cost that much money, but common sense would tell you that wasting that much energy for absolute non-sense is a bad design.

[The6thMessenger]

Magic! How else?

You have magically effective bipedal mechs.

Of course there could have been some sort of protocol to open the gates with a backup generator for precaution. But why would they do that is beyond me.

Edited by The6thMessenger, 09 November 2016 - 03:19 AM.

[MeiSooHaityu]

razenWing, on 09 November 2016 - 03:12 AM, said:

All of you guys are running assumptions that space door is default at the "open" position.

But as I have repeatedly said, that's not a thing. For the simple reason that, do you think it's easier to hold a 2000 tons door close for duration? Or to open it once?

Maybe space electricity doesn't cost that much money, but common sense would tell you that wasting that much energy for absolute non-sense is a bad design.

It's Science Fiction, how do you know it isn't a thing. People righting pure fiction can make anything a thing.

Saying the door is default open and the generators keep it closed might not make the absolute most sense, but it is plausible enough to explain it within some level of reason.

Besides, if the generators only supplied power to open the doors, then the enemy could destroy the generators, trap the defending forces inside (especially non-JJ capable mechs), and bomb them into pulp (fish in a barrel). Maybe it would be better to have the doors default open, so that a defending force could have an escape route if the base was overrun and not be doomed. Mechs are valuable afterall (even in 3050+).

Now you are saying, why have doors to keep people out that don't keep people out? I say, why not do your job and defend the generators? lol

At the end of the day though, it just has to be plausible enough to be somewhat believable. In reality it works that way for gameplay reasons and not much else. However, if there really needs to be a somewhat plausible excuse, saying it defaults open so as not to create a kill box for rare and valuable mechs sounds like a somewhat plausible enough excuse to me.

Edited by MeiSooHaityu, 09 November 2016 - 05:22 AM.

[Quxudica]

Prosperity Park, on 08 November 2016 - 10:15 AM, said:

So, the doors are designed specifically to allow invading forces to enter the base via destroying the generators. It's funny, because I would design my base doors to stay SHUT if there is an invading army at the gates.

Maybe someobe should point this out to our balance overlords who are responsible for making the features of the game mesh together.... I am surprised that nobody at PGI had thought about this notion... that doors are better at keeping armies out if they stay shut.


*mutters to self*


I hope they have an announcement at MechCon about this forehead -slappingly dumb design thatbhas not yet been addressed for faaaar too long.

Considering that, for years, the only "base" in assault mode was a seemingly randomly placed square box with nothing in it.. I wouldn't hold your breath.

[Tarl Cabot]

Vellron2005, on 09 November 2016 - 01:53 AM, said:

Has Hollywood tough you nothing? Don't you know that shooting at a door knob or a door panel will unlock the door, unless you wish to lock it, in witch case it turns it into a blast-door?

Seriously though, the only thing I can think of is a fail-safe that automatically opens the door upon power loss, but this is super unpractical for a blast door.

It is logical for emergency exits, elevators and such, but not for a base-protecting blast door.

So I call "Hollywood shenanigans" on this one..

Yeapers, that was likely PGI thought process at the time in a non-destructible environment.

We have gates, how to open the gates...? Lets make a generator, aka door knob or the door panel circuitry, that destroying it allows the gates open up. Hey, (never been nor needed to think like a soldier/engineer), so they will not have to push the door open after the generator is down, it will just swing open? Bloody hell, that would work!!!

Edited by Tarl Cabot, 09 November 2016 - 08:29 AM.