For starters our supposedly "tactical" satellite overview maps don't even have numbered grids or even basic NSWE-indicators, which of course mess up all efforts at team coordination (in a team oriented FPS no less). Having to talk to your team in terms of "The enemy is over there by that huge mushroom-like thingie" is only confusing and a bit silly. A lot of us want to give out quick and curt broadcasts like "Hostiles moving south through grid Charlie-7" and everyone will know exactly where that is relative to their own position.

Real world militaries have GPS systems, with grids and of course, a compass. Yet the supposed "sci-fi setting" of New Eden lack these things. A bit strange as i'm sure you'd agree.

The turret thing is balance related, though I would also prefer their designation changed to be perhaps a less excessive measurement of power.
The scanner thing is I think represented by our passive scanning capabilities?

The map thing shoulanotherbeen there years ago.

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Can't be that hard to put in. I think people have been asking for a tac-net grid for a while though and we still don't have one. Can't imagine why.

I guess this question of mine has more to do with flavor, but it also touches on game mechanics.

Being both a bit of a scien"e AND science-fiction AND military buff, I have to say that warfare depicted in Dust doesn't feel very "science fiction".

Oh sure, combat clones, laser rifles, plasma blasters, personal shields etc. all cool, but if you have a military advisor or consultant involved in development I can pretty much guarantee you that he or she would feel a bit disappointed with performance or certain weapons and the lack of certain pieces of gear.

For starters our supposedly "tactical" satellite overview maps don't even have numbered grids or even basic NSWE-indicators, which of course mess up all efforts at team coordination (in a team oriented FPS no less). Having to talk to your team in terms of "The enemy is over there by that huge mushroom-like thingie" is only confusing and a bit silly. A lot of us want to give out quick and curt broadcasts like "Hostiles moving south through grid Charlie-7" and everyone will know exactly where that is relative to their own position.

Real world militaries have GPS systems, with grids and of course, a compass. Yet the supposed "sci-fi setting" of New Eden lack these things. A bit strange as i'm sure you'd agree.

Also we have a lack of thermal imaging (night vision, IR etc.). Having to use a radar scanner to find cloaked scouts and our "naked" eyes, seem a bit primitive. My advice: take inspiration from the Predator movies, because those alien trophy hunters haveadvanced imaging systems that real world militaries drool over).

Then there's the unimpressive performance of artillery. The supposed main battle tank weapons are severely outperformed by modern day counterparts. Both railguns and blasters have pathetic range and are easily stopped completely by the most flimsy of obstacles (no, a thin catwalk railing shouldn't stop a supposedly 80 GJ railgun round). We have big missile launcher pods, with a pathetic blast radius and the missiles aren't even guided, but dumb-fire (huge inconsistency seeing as how Caldari ships in Eve spam guided missiles all the time in space above us Dust mercs heads).

I could go on of course, but I think any reader will get the gist of what I mean when I say that Dust doesen't "feel" very sci-fi.

Sci-fi usually means noticeable technological improvements over current tech after all.

Now I don't just want to nag, demand and complain. If you lack a military advisor in your team I'd happily do some research and share my knowledge with you. Pro Bono and without credit if you'd like. I just want to see the game develop into something that can really brag about being a sci-fi shooter and make all players feel it.

Keep up the otherwise good work.

I guess this question of mine has more to do with flavor, but it also touches on game mechanics.

Being both a bit of a scien"e AND science-fiction AND military buff, I have to say that warfare depicted in Dust doesn't feel very "science fiction".

Oh sure, combat clones, laser rifles, plasma blasters, personal shields etc. all cool, but if you have a military advisor or consultant involved in development I can pretty much guarantee you that he or she would feel a bit disappointed with performance or certain weapons and the lack of certain pieces of gear.

For starters our supposedly "tactical" satellite overview maps don't even have numbered grids or even basic NSWE-indicators, which of course mess up all efforts at team coordination (in a team oriented FPS no less). Having to talk to your team in terms of "The enemy is over there by that huge mushroom-like thingie" is only confusing and a bit silly. A lot of us want to give out quick and curt broadcasts like "Hostiles moving south through grid Charlie-7" and everyone will know exactly where that is relative to their own position.

Real world militaries have GPS systems, with grids and of course, a compass. Yet the supposed "sci-fi setting" of New Eden lack these things. A bit strange as i'm sure you'd agree.

Also we have a lack of thermal imaging (night vision, IR etc.). Having to use a radar scanner to find cloaked scouts and our "naked" eyes, seem a bit primitive. My advice: take inspiration from the Predator movies, because those alien trophy hunters haveadvanced imaging systems that real world militaries drool over).

Then there's the unimpressive performance of artillery. The supposed main battle tank weapons are severely outperformed by modern day counterparts. Both railguns and blasters have pathetic range and are easily stopped completely by the most flimsy of obstacles (no, a thin catwalk railing shouldn't stop a supposedly 80 GJ railgun round). We have big missile launcher pods, with a pathetic blast radius and the missiles aren't even guided, but dumb-fire (huge inconsistency seeing as how Caldari ships in Eve spam guided missiles all the time in space above us Dust mercs heads).

I could go on of course, but I think any reader will get the gist of what I mean when I say that Dust doesen't "feel" very sci-fi.

Sci-fi usually means noticeable technological improvements over current tech after all.

Now I don't just want to nag, demand and complain. If you lack a military advisor in your team I'd happily do some research and share my knowledge with you. Pro Bono and without credit if you'd like. I just want to see the game develop into something that can really brag about being a sci-fi shooter and make all players feel it.

Keep up the otherwise good work.

Take the railgun turret range for example. ADS pilots complained that they got popped before they could even lift off because rail tanks shot them out from across the map, and other tanks and inrantry complained that they hid in the redline.

Like real life they should have given the Rail a massive dispersion on each shot so your chance of hitting infantry at medium range or DSs at long range goes to near zero but you can still hit other tanks no problem at any range, you just can't use it like a Thales. Then they could have left its range alone.

You mention NSWE indicators and a compass...

You do have a compass, and North is always up on the map.
This ******* baffles me, because I always get weird ass directions from people and when I ask them to tell me in cardinal directions I just get uhhhhhhhhhhhhs.

I think a grid system on the map would be great though.

A lot of the other complaints are restricted by the lackluster performance of the PS3 though, between rendering issues and other shortcomings of a system that's 7 1/2 years old.

In terms of vision, it needs to be mentioned that DUST mercs are literally never - N-E-V-E-R - using their "naked eyes" to see. We have no vision slits in our helmets.

There are cameras and other forward-facing sensors which record things in a wide spectrum, not just normal visible light, and that data is then translated into something our brains will process.

Basically, night vision, etc. are incorporated into what we see already.

the majority of players wouldnt even know or bother to learn about stuff like that, people in MAG would never even bother to figure out what platoon they were in or what squad they were in, half the time you hear people calling out directions they are bad at it anyway let alone involving more numbers and grid, its a great idea though something i'd personally enjoy, but i think it would lose most people

Sounds like your issues stem from dust being a game that attempts to achieve balanced gameplay.

you made a good point about directional awareness and relaying reliable information to your team. everything else was just silly.

Thermal imagery and night vision? We don't even have a night map anymore. And thermal would completely negate the purpose and use of the cloak. Making something completely useless isn't a hard counter, just bad game design.

Making guns have the ability to shoot across the entire map and pop anything, just because in theory they can achieve much longer distance is just ********. In EVE, everything is automated because its an entirely different genre of game that uses entirely different sets of rules. This is an FPS game and it needs to be balanced like one.

My advice is for you to start reading Sci - Fi war novels. You aren't gonna get flavor over function in a video game.

guided lock-on missiles (aside from swarms) need to be a thing.

thermal imaging is a great suggestion. as long as it has to activated and costs mercs module slot.