Submersion - enemy icons, communications and killspam.

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by Skitrel

It's a Q key 3D spotting system, same as Battlefield has. Allows players to spot targets and essentially communicate enemy locations to people they can't communicate over voip with. They're not over them permanently, just when spotted.

Works well in Battlefield and ought to work well in Planetside. I support it.

It definitely doesn't work well in Battlefield. It's an extreme casualization because it tells you where to place the aiming sight. It also distracts people from playing objectives. If someone sees a 3D spot, even if the guy is so far away that he is no threat, most people will stop what they are doing and go after it.

2D spotting is the appropriate system, because it still tells you where the enemy is, but you have to actually find them with your eyes, you don't just place your aiming sight on the 3D marker.

[Aurmanite]

I am not a fan of the 3D spotting. Putting them on the radar is more than enough information.

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by Aurmanite

I am not a fan of the 3D spotting. Putting them on the radar is more than enough information.

This.

By the way, they aren't exactly casualizations but...are tanks or anything else planned to have thermal vision or anything like that?

[Skitrel]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

It definitely doesn't work well in Battlefield. It's an extreme casualization because it tells you where to place the aiming sight. It also distracts people from playing objectives. If someone sees a 3D spot, even if the guy is so far away that he is no threat, most people will stop what they are doing and go after it.

2D spotting is the appropriate system, because it still tells you where the enemy is, but you have to actually find them with your eyes, you don't just place your aiming sight on the 3D marker.

There's a simple solution to that problem, have a maximum visual range on spot markers. When a target is over X visual range the marker doesn't show. Using a zoom scope to decrease that "visual range", increasing target size, would then give a marker.

150m seems like a fair round number for it. Giving the player tactical knowledge of spotted enemies within his threat vicinity, not distracting from enemies too far away. One could in fact have specialisations for snipers to increase this range.

The system isn't bad, it just needs tweaking, it hasn't been in enough games for it to evolve to it's full potential yet.

[Aurmanite]

They have talked about night vision. Not totally sure about thermal.

[MrBloodworth]

3d spotting removes the usefulness of any and all radar detection systems.

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by Skitrel

There's a simple solution to that problem, have a maximum visual range on spot markers. When a target is over X visual range the marker doesn't show. Using a zoom scope to decrease that "visual range", increasing target size, would then give a marker.

150m seems like a fair round number for it. Giving the player tactical knowledge of spotted enemies within his threat vicinity, not distracting from enemies too far away. One could in fact have specialisations for snipers to increase this range.

The system isn't bad, it just needs tweaking, it hasn't been in enough games for it to evolve to it's full potential yet.

That could be a nice compromise. In a Battlefield map, 150m is a huge chunk of land. In Planetside, not so much.

Is PS2 planning to add "destruction" like Battlefield? If not, at least you won't be able to blast 3D spots through solid cover(in BC2 we called that "3D wallhack spotting" since you could fire through most cover).