DUST Search - [official] all links to DUST/Legion/FF info and reactions

CCP Android wrote:

Regis Blackbird wrote:

New question regarding map design:
Do you see any limitations in your engine when it comes to huge environments, which is almost required for the sandbox experience in Legion? Are you still committed in "maps" (however huge they may be), or are you thinking of a more seamless environment (kind of like Skyrim)? In addition, are you also using the "socket" idea further in Legion? Although very good concept, the maps in Dust 514 could be a little familiar after a while.

I would go as far and say that we are not limited by anything Big smile

there are off course constraints that we need to work with (time being one of the biggest ones) but its the same constraints that everyone has to deal with, regardless of which engine/tool they use.

As for the environments, the vision hasn't changed. we still have tens off thousands of planets in EVE that you will get to fight on, one way or another Smile

We don't have the technology yet to create a unique environment for each one of them (nobody has). but with every iteration we get closer.

Its a balance between art, design and tech. We could randomly generate maps and say that we have unique environments everywhere but they would probably look bad and not be very fun. (It would be fun for me to create them though) The other end of the spectrum is to hyper design every corner for optimal gameplay and polish every bit of rock and blade of grass, but then you'll endup with a game that only has 1 map. So its all about balance.

The socket system that you mentioned is a good example of this. This system, along with a few others we have is designed from the ground up be amazingly flexible and allow for huge amounts of variation in our environment. Its used in Dust 514 in a relatively simple form because that how it gives us the most out of the tech,art and design. It is something that we will continue to build on top of so that ultimately we'll end-up with unique environments on every planet

It is but to keep the nerves at strain, to dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, and baffled, get up and begin again.


Author	Thread Statistics \| Show CCP posts - 5 post(s)
S Park Finner DUST University Ivy League 363	Posted - 2014.05.08 17:06:00 - [1] - Quote CCP Android wrote: Regis Blackbird wrote: New question regarding map design: Do you see any limitations in your engine when it comes to huge environments, which is almost required for the sandbox experience in Legion? Are you still committed in "maps" (however huge they may be), or are you thinking of a more seamless environment (kind of like Skyrim)? In addition, are you also using the "socket" idea further in Legion? Although very good concept, the maps in Dust 514 could be a little familiar after a while. I would go as far and say that we are not limited by anything there are off course constraints that we need to work with (time being one of the biggest ones) but its the same constraints that everyone has to deal with, regardless of which engine/tool they use. As for the environments, the vision hasn't changed. we still have tens off thousands of planets in EVE that you will get to fight on, one way or another We don't have the technology yet to create a unique environment for each one of them (nobody has). but with every iteration we get closer. Its a balance between art, design and tech. We could randomly generate maps and say that we have unique environments everywhere but they would probably look bad and not be very fun. (It would be fun for me to create them though) The other end of the spectrum is to hyper design every corner for optimal gameplay and polish every bit of rock and blade of grass, but then you'll endup with a game that only has 1 map. So its all about balance. The socket system that you mentioned is a good example of this. This system, along with a few others we have is designed from the ground up be amazingly flexible and allow for huge amounts of variation in our environment. Its used in Dust 514 in a relatively simple form because that how it gives us the most out of the tech,art and design. It is something that we will continue to build on top of so that ultimately we'll end-up with unique environments on every planet In the distant past, some players thought EVE players would build the maps... The vision was that Planetary Interaction (PI) players in EVE would have the option of laying out the shape of the on-planet facilities they put down. That was never supported by CCP that I know of but the work done since on sockets and pre-built socket components combined with the new platform might allow the idea to be revisited. The way it would work would be that a PI player would lay down his facilities and have the option of doing detailed facility design using the components the Legion team put together or just allowing the the Legion defaults to define the maps. Pluses: Players would relieve some of the burden of populating all the worlds No two planets (and at least potentially no two maps) would be the same The EVE players and Legion players have a point of interaction - - Legion players fight over components EVE player care about - - EVE players can have a hand in protecting components they really want to preserve - - The nature of PI components moving as the planet is mined changes the tactical pattern on the planet over time There is potential for Legion players to hold and mine territory on their own Minuses: There has to be a mechanism in EVE that allows for facility layout All the components / terrain / mechanics has to be created / coordinated with the EVE side Integration with the rest of the game (Planetary Conquest especially) has to be taken into account It is but to keep the nerves at strain, to dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, and baffled, get up and begin again.
S Park Finner DUST University Ivy League 365	Posted - 2014.05.08 21:22:00 - [2] - Quote Ender Storm wrote: pseudosnipre wrote: S Park Finner wrote: CCP Android wrote: Regis Blackbird wrote: New question regarding map design: Do you see any limitations in your engine when it comes to huge environments, which is almost required for the sandbox experience in Legion? ... I would go as far and say that we are not limited by anything ... In the distant past, some players thought EVE players would build the maps... The vision was that Planetary Interaction (PI) players in EVE would have the option of laying out the shape of the on-planet facilities they put down. That was never supported by CCP that I know of but the work done since on sockets and pre-built socket components combined with the new platform might allow the idea to be revisited. ... I'd rather see form follow function... Designate sockets as power generators, dormitories, ground-to-space resource movers, research labs, mining infrastructure, shield generators, vehicle production facilities, space ports, storage hangars, armouries, drone bays, etc and allow district owners to build, configure, and fill structures to achieve the bonus/function they want to achieve... Totally agree. That's what's really being missed in dust, player content. When I said one of the possible difficulties with this approach was the game-design complexity associated with managing EVE, Planetary Interaction and Planetary Conquest I was speaking to the kind of expansion of scope pseudosnipre is talking about. If I take his meaning then he's talking about Planetary Conquest more than Planetary Interaction. Adding more player involvement in the layout of on-planet facilities makes sense for that just as it does for Planetary Interaction. To achieve that, however, replacing the rather empty, DUST 514 only, clone generation mechanic with EVE's Planetary Interaction mining and manufacturing mechanic would add both more integration between the two games and a more solid meaning to fighting over territory in the first place: the time-honoured competition for resources. Once that is in place pseudosnipre's additional facilities (I'd suggest things like planetary shields, surface to space weapons, defensive drone manufacture, ...) can enrich both the Planetary Interaction game play and open the door for Legion only facilities if Legion corporation ownership of planets is a direction CCP wants to go. One thing to remember though: this is not the place to try to engineer an idea. CCP will have to do that. We can focus on the scope of what we would like to see and kick around the high-level ideas focusing on the benefits we see to game play, immersion and things that foster the game's player retention. For me that means pushing more of the spreadsheet / design elements to EVE and the shoot-them-in-the-face elements to Legion. Only in end-game Legion play would the balance shift to Legion players being involved in things like facility lay-out. I could see, however, Legion players voting on the designs of EVE players so that part of accepting a contract would be how previous mercenaries judged the map and if it was fun / balanced / what-ever. It is but to keep the nerves at strain, to dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, and baffled, get up and begin again.