I'm going to try and play a little bit on the test server on most nights if I can (though I'll be away for a week from next Friday so I'll miss out then). I liked Ash's format of a Journal - http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/feedback-journal-ash.114590/ So I thought I would try and keep one too. It likely won't be split up into days though, just posted when I can or have some new feedback on something. I'm going to try and break it down into sections. Things to note: I have generally been playing alone outside of squads, but following the larger fights around if possible. I have joined open squads on a couple of occasions so far. Initial Feedback Map Screen UI My general impressions of this have been positive. Likes: - Capture timers: It is nice to be able to look at the map and see how much time is left until a base is taken or how long you have to get there to defend it. Even excepting the capture mechanics changes, you could apply this to the current mechanics and it would give people a much more definite sense of how long captures will take. - Icons for when gens/SCU is down: currently on the live server the hex will simply flash and you'll have to go and check it out for yourself. Having this available on the map is helpful both for defenders looking to repair and for attackers looking to see what still needs to be disabled. I'm not sure about the cycling icons on the base itself (I feel like there may be a better way to implement that), but it looks like those icons are also available in the region box on the right (so you are able to see them at a glance). I did also notice that there doesn't appear to be a key any where explaining what those icons mean, so at the moment you have to work them out for yourself (they are pretty self explanatory to experienced players but I still had to try and work them out) - Ally Activity: This is probably the nicest addition, both in the box to the right and available as a map filter. It makes checking if a fight is balanced or totally one sided much faster. Along with the capture timers it helps a lot when making a decision on where to go and fight. Unsure: - Territories no longer flash ("blinking map regions"): It may well be because this is an indicator I rely on quite a lot while currently playing, so when it was taken away it feels a bit strange. At the moment I'm unsure whether it is better to have it or not. I'll get back to you if I decide either way. Audio New Jump Jet Sounds Light Assault is one of my most underused classes on the live servers, but I was running around as one tonight just because of the new jump jet sounds. They sound considerably meatier and more satisfying to me. It may make enemy light assault classes easier to detect too. Personally I think that is a good thing (but I would say that when I don't often play LA wouldn't I). I do feel at the moment LAs can be a little too quiet and giving them more of an audio cue will give people more of a reason to look around when they are near. However, as it is now may need toning down if it turns out to be too loud. Gameplay The New Battle Flow System I'm going to give this one a bit more play time before I give more detailed feedback on it. So far I don't feel there has been enough population on the server while I have played to provide a good enough insight into how it will work on live servers. So I will leave it to just a few short observations for now: - Major facility outposts seem much more valuable now. Before the main advantage they provided was a spawn point and a way into the facility in the case of Biolab teleporters. Towers also brought turrets and better vehicle spawning capabilities. With the new system you have to hold at least one to take a facility and taking one takes a whole lot longer. There seems to have been more protracted fights at these locations already due to this. - The reduced connections and 'lanes' do seem to have made things more predictable, simply due to the reduced number of attack/defence options. Whether this is positive or not I haven't decided and will require a largely full continent to get a better idea of. Improved Flash Traction Definitely like this one. It makes the flash feel more attached to the surface you are driving on and also makes it more predictable on hills. I could now use my breaks to slide down and navigate a steep incline for example. It will still spin out or get a bit crazy if you aren't careful but overall it does feel a bit more like an ATV now to me. I did notice that the vehicle model seems to float a bit above the surface of the ground though (I'll have to check this on live to see if it is the same there and I'm just not paying as much attention). I'll try to keep adding more posts here. There is definitely a lot more to give feedback on.
Ok, a little bit more stuff. I haven't participated in any battles that I would call large yet, so it is still hard to judge the overall flow. UI Capture/Generator timers I have noticed that the capture timers can occasionally get into a bugged state where they will display 00:00 while the capture bar itself continues to progress. It has also been mentioned by others, but the timers that appear above generators when compromised doesn't relate to when it will actually be destroyed (didn't see any timers just now, but haven't downloaded any updates since I did so I assume it is still broken?). Map Again, this has been mentioned by others, but some facility positions appear at different positions on the map screen to where they are in game. Nanite Overflow Depot is now pretty much directly west of Saurva but the map there is empty. The capture point is where it does appear on the map though (in the middle of nowhere in game). Facilities The majority of the changes I have seen to facilities appear to be positive. I'm liking the extra walls, bridges and fortifications. I think I agree with another comment I saw about tower outposts with one capture point inside the tower. I would definitely consider moving those capture points as they can seem a little too defensible with the increased capture time needed. For major facilities I have noticed I am unable to access spawn room tunnels I have attempted to use in amp stations or tech plants. Invisible barriers get in the way. Continuing to work on stability (still getting seemingly random CTDs here) and doing some passes on the map for inconsistencies with the game world and invisible barriers/holes should help with getting people to stick around and test the real changes (battle flow).
I went around checking Indar control points today as people have noticed some aren't right. I posted my findings in a full list in a new thread here - http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/...ate-of-indar-capture-points-full-list.116969/ Ok, so on to other feedback. UI New Infantry/Vehicle Weapon Selection Screen Pretty much entirely positive feedback here. I really like how you can now view the weapon stats for each weapon (I assume they are correct, but can't be sure about that). Being able to compare your current equipped weapon to all others is also very handy and should help people choose which weapon to grab for a certain play style. It is also very nice being able to preview the weapon both as it's individual model and equipped to a class/vehicle. There are a couple of things I'd like to see in this system however: - I noticed there currently isn't any data displayed under Fire Modes, just a string which hasn't been hooked up yet? - Maybe a visual indicator of some kind to make it more clear you can mouse over weapon stats for a tooltip explaining what they mean. - Stats that update when attachments for guns are added/taken away (current weapon). How does it affect the stats when I equip a suppressor for example? Being able to preview these changes would also be nice, but even just seeing what I am already using changes a gun in terms of stats would be great. Same goes for vehicle weapon upgrades. Camo and Item Previews Again, fantastic to see this in game at last. You can now get a really good idea of exactly what a weapon, camo or any other cosmetic item will look like before you decide to buy it. The only thing I have come across that wasn't really viewable so far is vehicle under lighting and that is pretty obvious without a proper preview. The main thing I want to see on the previews is the following: - Always default the preview to the class/vehicle I currently have selected. It seems to be pretty random which you will get at the moment. Not a huge pain but it would feel considerably more polished if it did. - Maybe highlight a weapon's position for weapons on the larger vehicles (galaxy/lib) in the preview. Just a faint glow or something.
