67 replies to this topic

[Black Sunder]

Now for something totally different: Map lighting discussion!

I would hope that PGI would allow us to fight at night. We have all these awesome sensors to tell where things are so it would make sense. We could see epic lighting when a PPC discharges or when missiles fire.

At night on most worlds the temperature would also be lower allowing for more weapon usage. And who doesn't like some night time operations? Makes you feel covert.

[Andrew Harvey]

It would be nice for that to be an option, especially when you've got 'Mechs like the Warhammer that are equipped with search lights. The idea of being able to shine that thing in the face of an enemy 'Mech using night vision is compelling.

[Hayden]

Black Sunder, on 19 December 2011 - 03:10 PM, said:

Now for something totally different: Map lighting discussion!

I would hope that PGI would allow us to fight at night. We have all these awesome sensors to tell where things are so it would make sense. We could see epic lighting when a PPC discharges or when missiles fire.

At night on most worlds the temperature would also be lower allowing for more weapon usage. And who doesn't like some night time operations? Makes you feel covert.

It would also be nice to use that massive searchlight on the Guillotine or Warhammer...



EDIT:

Andrew Harvey, on 19 December 2011 - 03:14 PM, said:

It would be nice for that to be an option, especially when you've got 'Mechs like the Warhammer that are equipped with search lights. The idea of being able to shine that thing in the face of an enemy 'Mech using night vision is compelling.

Beat me to it by seconds

Edited by Hayden, 19 December 2011 - 03:15 PM.

[CaveMan]

Andrew Harvey, on 19 December 2011 - 03:14 PM, said:

It would be nice for that to be an option, especially when you've got 'Mechs like the Warhammer that are equipped with search lights. The idea of being able to shine that thing in the face of an enemy 'Mech using night vision is compelling.

Ohhhh yes.

Nights should be pitch black too.

[Barantor]

The black wasp... hmm... I quite like the sound of that.

I forget, is night-vision equipment available or was it ever lost?

[ThunderSquid]

TRO 3026 mentions a rifle scope used for night fighting, but doesn't elaborate much. My guess would be that it works similar to an equivalent modern device. Either way, the technology is definitely there.

More generally, I don't know how much of a difference night would make. Mechs have a lot of means of detection that aren't based on normal human visibility. I still want to see it, though.

[Valdor Constantine]

im kinda interested in the way weapons play out in the night scape such as the way lasers light up and the tracers from shells look im giddy with anticipation to fire an AC cannon and watch the Flash from my arms trail a hail of shells into an enemy. and yeah electronics....gotta have those....

[Vile Joker]

Wilhelm Krauss, on 19 December 2011 - 04:26 PM, said:

More generally, I don't know how much of a difference night would make. Mechs have a lot of means of detection that aren't based on normal human visibility. I still want to see it, though.

Sensors can put a targeting reticle over most targets even in the dark of night, so it's not too hard to night fight, really.

And one thing to think about with spotlights. They work both ways. While you're blinding one enemy, you're putting a huge neon sign over you're head saying "Shoot Here!".

[VYCanis]

those floodlights would be handy if it was possible to have your sensors so damaged that you lost acess to alternate vision modes. but yeah, otherwise you do make a target of yourself.

[Kenyon Burguess]

+1 vote on night fighting! I'm also hoping for all manner of weather effects. rain, snow, fog, and anything else they can cram into a fight to make things interesting

[Strum Wealh]

Geist Null, on 19 December 2011 - 05:30 PM, said:

+1 vote on night fighting! I'm also hoping for all manner of weather effects. rain, snow, fog, and anything else they can cram into a fight to make things interesting

Ditto!

Though, on a technical note: is there a way to do night effects and such that can't be cheated by turning up one's gamma setting?

[CaveMan]

Turn down the actual draw distance at night (except when night vision is engaged) and in foul weather. You could probably also create an HDR shader that would turn everything below a certain luminosity to a uniform shade of black, although that might not look very good.

WRT spotlights working both ways, that's true, but that's why a smart pilot won't just turn the spotlight on and leave it. Flash an enemy briefly to silhouette him. His night vision equipment will be overloaded for a moment (and the player's actual night vision may be ruined if the screen goes shock white for a moment ), meanwhile your whole lance has his position and can pour fire into him.

Target ID boxes on the HUD can be made so that visual targeting remains an important factor, too. If the target box doesn't change size based on the target's proximity/relative size, you'll still be using your best guess as to where to shoot.

[Black Sunder]

Glad to see some support for this idea.

[John Frye]

Geist Null, on 19 December 2011 - 05:30 PM, said:

+1 vote on night fighting! I'm also hoping for all manner of weather effects. rain, snow, fog, and anything else they can cram into a fight to make things interesting

Add one more agreement. It would be interesting if you could set primary / secondary sensors and maybe force more cooperation. I know the books have mentioned lowlight, thermal, radar, ladar, MAD, and seismic. The old MUxxs allowed you to select your primary sensors with differing effective ranges depending on sensor type and condition, (MAD for example could be used to see behind hills but was VERY short ranged, however I digress) which actually made for quite interesting game play.

Edit: For the search light, maybe have it so it helps your lance mates (i.e. they can see the target at longer range), but as observed above, causes you to also be a beacon in the dark.

Edited by John Frye, 19 December 2011 - 06:16 PM.

[Larry Headrick]

Love the idea of fighting at night. picture a city, neon lights glaring garish light paterns flowing across a mech walking down a street. SWEET!!

[Tannhauser Gate]

Night, smoke, haze, fog, interference from seismic activity, from electromagnetic conditions, IR to UV blinding, then heavy weather such as light snow to blizzard conditions, light rain to torrential, volcanic ash falling....all of it. Im tired of playing servers that are always clear, midday, perfect conditions. Time to put this cryengine3 crap to work and make exotic worlds and hostile, challenging environments.

Edited by LakeDaemon, 26 March 2012 - 12:43 PM.

[Ozric]

night fighting, bad weather, atmospheric disturbances, i love all these things. i'm hoping to see as many as possible when the game goes live.

[Draelren]

Now I'm getting excited. Dev's, you got a lot of work to do in less than a year! GO!

[Steel Wolf]

I'd be surprised if they don't put night fighting in. But how would you guys like to see them incorporate it? As a choice pre-battle that the combatants can vote on? Or maybe base it off of real world time?

[John Frye]

Steel Wolf, on 19 December 2011 - 06:38 PM, said:

I'd be surprised if they don't put night fighting in. But how would you guys like to see them incorporate it? As a choice pre-battle that the combatants can vote on? Or maybe base it off of real world time?

It would depend heavily on the match system. For instance, if the matches are heavily scheduled, you could end up with matches which always land at the same time of the diurnal cycle, especially since online clans seem to cluster heavily around specific timezones. IMHO, the most interesting way to combat that would be to have the planetary diurnal cycles independent of one another and then just make it realtime (i.e. Planet 1 has a cycle of 21 1/2 hours, while planet 2 has a cycle of 26 1/3 hours).

Edited by John Frye, 19 December 2011 - 07:01 PM.