Level design vs gameplay

[Tenacity]

One or the other needs to be changed by the time GSF goes live for all players. At the moment, the way the space maps and objectives are designed does not mesh well with the controls and game pace.

 

On the level design side, we've got cramped spaces, lots of debris, asteroids, walls, and objective satellites with solar arrays, antennae, and tons of other tidbits sticking out of them. All of these items in the flight space have hitboxes and collision detection, and running into any of them will typically cause instant death.

 

On the gameplay side, we're moving at extremely high speeds most of the time, having to dodge most of the time, and working with a camera position that does not provide a proper sense of space around your ship. On top of all that, turning at low speeds and in close quarters to objects is clumsy and dangerous. We're also forced to be within bumping distance of a satellite in order to capture it, while simultaneously being required to move at high speed and undertake evasive actions to survive enemy gunfire and defend that satellite.

 

Further, all of the evasive manuver style engine abilities propel you either forward or backward (or straight down) at high speed for quite a long distance, with absolutely no control over your ship's course or speed during the duration of the manuver. Additionally, these manuvers are often used reactively to incoming missile threats, and in most cases you wont be able to determine where your ship will go upon activation of the manuver - there's no way to see behind you or below you in order to safely use power dive, koigaran turn, or retro thrusters.

 

What we end up with is probably (and yes, this is just a random number being tossed out there on account of my own experiences) 40-50% of deaths in GSF matches being chalked up to suicide collisions with the environment.

 

 

I'd say I've got above average skills when it comes to the GSF controls, as I tend to do fairly well regardless of the above issues, but at the same time more than half of my total lifetime deaths in GSF matches have been to collisions, not to enemy fire. There are many times - especially when initially speeding towards capture points at the beginning of a match - where the camera angle makes it seem like I'm well clear of an object (usually when trying to fly above the circular upper rails at point B in kuat, then diving down into the point) but I still end up colliding with it and dying because that camera angle distorts distances so heavily.

 

As far as I'm concerned, we have a flight model that lends itself well only to wide open maps, while we've got a conflicting level design that does not accomodate that flight model at all. I would like the two current levels redesigned, but in the likely case that nothing is changed with those levels I'd at least hope that additional game modes and the maps designed to go with them do not force players into such cramped quarters for high speed combat.

[SemperFido]

Check your mouse sensitivity or lag. Camera Angle has never once caused me to self destruct... oversensitive mouse controls and overcorrecting is the culprit. Its supposed to be hard, otherwise C3PO wouldn't have freaked out about Han flying INTO the asteroid field. I find the challenge of weaving between the obstacles one of the more fun aspects of the game, especially when the Gunship thinks he can hide from me in a tight space.

 

....I want a full on asteroid field map, complete with moving and colliding asteroids... that would be awesome... or a map set in the aftermath of a great fleet battle, 5-6 destroyed capital ships with orbiting debri and periodic explosions and venting gas ...

Edited December 15, 2013 by SemperFido
Clarity

[sentawan]

My favorite places to take nodes are C in Lost Shipyards and B in Kuat Mesas. I have no problem weaving a node and avoiding obstacles. That's how I learned to fly the ships. I can weave around stuff at full speed while periodically hitting boost. There really isn't any problem that a little practice would solve.

[Slivovidze]

OP might be right that the camera is indeed a bit clumsy and that some parts of the environments aren't really high-speed friendly, but... that's what'S the most fun on it! I am scout pilot only, and I love boosting through tight spaces, barrel rolling through them, and surviving. My pursuers usually either give up, or crash. Of course sometimes it is me who faceplants an asteroid or some girder, but it's a great feeling when you lose your pursuer in a tight area and come out alive, feeling like "wow, that was fun! Once again!"

 

Those who have problems with crashing a lot during tight maneuvers just need to do them a bit less and stick to the open more, but I'm sure that in time, all pilots will learn how to make those extreme fun flythroughs.

[Luckyluzi]

have no problems , simple play more and learn to avoid collisions

[Hitomo_x]

I like to fly through this half finished star.destroyer, incredible attention to detail by the Designers here

I just rcognized it but must be fun to lure enemys inside ^^

[AlrikFassbauer]

GSF is definitively playing in favour to those who have a fast-processing brain / mind. The overall speed is really insane. And the TTL, too.

[Tenacity]

Again, it isnt just the controls - like I mentioned I'm usually not too bad at weaving through obstacles in normal flight, other than the few times the camera seems to distort how close I am to something.

 

The bigger problem is evasive engine abilities. Every time you use one in this game you're tossing a coin on whether or not you crash into something. Pointless trying to use retro thrusters to evade a missile when it's just going to launch you backwards into an asteroid.

[Sangrar]

the obstacles and all the cramped spaces encourages some skill in flying, you have to fight while avoiding objects. Why do you think we are just in small fighters instead of sending the big ships to take care of business?

[wishihadaname]

Here is my advise if you need practice, load up the tutorial level, ignore all the popups and then go practice weaving around the mined out asteroids. This is the best practice for learning evasive maneuvers and delicate controls, and you can do this for up to 15 minutes before the timer on the tutorial runs out. You can then rinse and repeat as many times as you like.

 

Also, with practice you can predict where the engine abilities will put you, you have to be aware of the overall structure of the environment and get familiar with your engine of choise though. For example, I fly blackbolt using the Kologran turn engine, from experiance I have learned that if I hit the kologran after clearing the edge of the sattelite, it will put me on the top surface and going in the opposite direction. You move about -500m backwards and 750m up with a reversal of direction. With the barrel roll you go about 3000m directly forward. The retro thrusters give you about 750m backwards thrust.

Edited December 15, 2013 by wishihadaname

[Delta_V]

In addition to what others have said, don't use engine abilities around B in Kuat or C in Shipyards. While all the obstacles in those areas make engine abilities suicidal, they also make it so you don't need them. Instead, try to use the obstacles to break LOS and prevent missile locks.

[Mallorik]

I will agree that the camera angle isn't great and it has caused me to hit things I didn't think I was going to hit, usually from the top.

 

But I like the cramped places and stuff you have to contantly dodge, gives it a real star wars dog fight feel.