Tsunari
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Posted - 2003.12.29 22:27:00 -
[1]
EVE sure has come a long way since release. Coming back to the game after 4 or 5 months surely I am pleasantly surprised to see all the changes and polishes of a great game. However, I feel that there are a couple things in the game engine that need to be payed serious attention to not only to better the feel of the game, but offer more gameplay options overall improving the EVE Online experience.
The one thing that I feel is incomplete is the weapon game engine physics. Currently, one can shoot through asteroids, turret-fire looks as if it hits the ship even when it "misses" along with some other improvements that are worth looking into. Missles on the other hand are pretty much on par. They collide with objects as they should and when they hit their target, it rocks the target like giving it the illusion of real physics. I believe turrets should use the same model of hit and collision physics that missles do.
Collision Detection: Lets take setting in an asteroid field. You engage a ship that is lurking among the floating rocks and you open fire with your lasers, hybrids or projectiles. Your ship or missles can't pass through the asteroids, but your turrets magically can. This seems very wrong as turret fire surpasses all game physics and allows little strategy in a setting like an asteroid field. If asteroids or other objects blocked turret fire like it does with missles, it would not only complete the physics in the game, but allow more gameplay strategy. For example, it would allow smaller and more nimble ships to use the asteroid fields to their advantage. Say a small frigate can hide and use geurilla warfare tactivs vs a larger ship poking in and out of asteroids while using them as cover.
Hit or Miss Turret-Fire Animations: Right now, turrets use the same animation when firing even if it is a hit or miss. Lets say you are flying around in a small ship and you see incoming turret fire dazzling your eyes. However, you are moving fast and most shots are missing. This is not only annoying but it also forces you to read the small text box instead of "feeling" the combat in the game. A change to make turret fire animation miss is logically not that hard nor hard on the client or server. Simply use a miss animation if its a miss and use the hit annimation if its a hit.
Hit or Miss Turret-Fire Sounds: Talk about another huge improvement that would give a new level of combat experience would be sound of the ship taking the hits. If a 720mm projectile slug hits your ship, its surely gonna make a large thud if not a big clang! Having different types and degrees of sounds would be an awesome improvement to the game imersion of combat. For example,
- Misses should sound like a "whizz" or a "whurl" depending on how close the hit is.
- Glances or light hits should sound like a "ping"
- Direct hits or a perfect strike should sound very damaging like a "thud" included with the sound of metal being twisted
Another idea to go along with the sounds is to add camera shake and ship displacement (how a missle rocks your ship) degreed to the intensity of the hit.
Conclusion: So take a moment and imagine playing EVE with the above improvements. Imagine the thrill combat will be when you "feel" the incoming fire instead of just reading a block of text of how much damage your ship takes. Furthermore, imagine the possibilities of engaging using objects around you as cover if you are in a small nimble ship with the advantages of correct hit detection.
Is it a huge game make/break deal to have these changes.. *ahem* corrections made in the game of EVE? Probably not, but devs have quoted they are always looking for ways to improve the game and I believe that this is one of the most overlooked yet important game features that needs to be addressed. Taking all of these or just one of these suggestions would go a LONG way in improving the game's combat experience.
Please support this thread and devs, please take this matter seriously.
Thanks! ~Tsunari |