myZyx no Maki
Bragian Order
Amarr Empire
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Posted - 2012.07.17 20:42:00 -
[1] - Quote
In a setting with technologies as advanced as those of these factions at war, I see a lot left wanting for sniper rifle tech on the battlefield of Dust. Already we are growing accustom to players griping and loathing the fact that snipers can get onto the tall towers at the outskirts of the map in the E3 build, yet this is a cry for the opposite; this is a pat on the back to CCP and a desire to see that kind of gameplay embraced and added onto even further, much further.
There is some incredible stuff happening right now technologically, in the real world, between Eve and Dust. The future of these two games is almost certainly going to be world-changing, at least in the gaming industry. What I see happening is the evolution of battlefield layering: the various conflicts occurring at different tiers in the world's space. Liken it to the layers of a rainforest, if your brain desires an analogy. In Dust, we have the main game-centric conflict, the fight for control and advancement, occurring heavily on the forest floor, or the ground of a planet (at least a temperate one). This is where the footsoldiers are found and where the bodies fall. Well, from the second one begins playing Dust, one is lifted above this tier.
The maps and the districts are designed to have a layers between the ground-floor and the clouds, giving a space for dropships, the MCC, and other flying tech to frolic and play their part. This second level, this understory layer of sorts, is nothing new to online gaming. We have had flying vehicles for many years now in First Person Shooters, and in more recent years MMORPGs have begun to add flying mounts more commonly... it's nothing special. What is special in this case, however, is that our vision need not stop here, because there is reason to look up even higher.
I may be stating the obvious and embellishing that which has already been foreseen, but damn if I don't want to see more emergent gameplay than that which has already been displayed. Focusing back on the sniper, since this fitting has been my focus for the latest build, I love the tremendous range that we already have to snipe foes from afar, but I think it should be greater, because why not? This is a special role with a real purpose of spending much time in the sky, or the second layer. The whole idea of connecting the two games is to destroy the boundaries between land and sky, so let our futuristic technology do just that. Build taller towers. Give us ships that we can fly ridiculously high up, to the brink of our scope's range, and then let us set it to hover and snipe from there. If I invest enough time skilling up my sniping skills, let me have more fun. Let this come at a cost, though. Perhaps to go up so high and still be effective, add certain elements which would make it easier to locate me. Perhaps those higher-ranged rifles are laser technology only, so when they fire you see a streak of vivid green or blue, much like that from the orbital assault from an Eve player's ship, and let that streak remain for a few seconds, allowing anyone curious enough to merely have to follow the trail upwards and back to my scope. For the true pilot who is flying beyond, he or she could easily find and destroy my perch. When all is said and done, though, the best counter to a sniper is a sniper.
There is action happening at all levels of the battlefield, and over time the wall of the world will be lifted off entirely. Perhaps one day we will be able to get into a ship at ground level and soar completely beyond the planet's boundaries and into the universe coinciding with Eve. In the mean time, lets have gameplay that constantly remembers this prospect. |