Planetside Idea Lab - Page 19

Hayoo · 2004-07-05, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Sentrosi

Absolutely love the REK idea. So many times I have people come up to the CC and begin a hack when I'm halfway through it.

Also, perhaps a small little bar should show up on all friendly's HUD stating that the base or tower you're getting to is being hacked by a friendly, show the persons name and a progress bar shown. You don't have to make it large at all, just enough for the person's name and progress.

What I figure I'll do is have a base indicator attached to the mini-map. When you enter the SOI, if it's being hacked by a friendly, it flashes gray and then appears blue/purple/red when finished.

As for a remote progress bar, that would be a little annoying for people just passing through the SOI, so I only have it appearing when you're in the presence of the hacker...or, if you're in the same squad, you will see the hacker symbol and progress in the squad bar (an example of this can be seen on the medic screenshots a few pages before this one).

EarlyDawn · 2004-07-05, 05:09 PM

Originally Posted by Hayoo

What I figure I'll do is have a base indicator attached to the mini-map. When you enter the SOI, if it's being hacked by a friendly, it flashes gray and then appears blue/purple/red when finished.

As for a remote progress bar, that would be a little annoying for people just passing through the SOI, so I only have it appearing when you're in the presence of the hacker...or, if you're in the same squad, you will see the hacker symbol and progress in the squad bar (an example of this can be seen on the medic screenshots a few pages before this one).

How about this... small display docked / near the mini-map... Hacker type (Basic, Formal, Advanced, displays info on whichever hacker is further along), time till hack completion (can be either a bar or timer) and base status as seen on map (tubes, gens). When the base is hacked (offensively), the hacker status changes to time left on hack.

[Edit: Oh, and while you're at it, you might want to look at hack status indicators on terminals, along with health bars. Kinda in the same vein of improvements.]

NinjaBob · 2004-07-05, 05:26 PM

i have a question about the urban areas would the mayor of the city be an actual player or a computer? And if he didn't surrender his town would u have to fight him for it?

Hayoo · 2004-07-05, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by NinjaBob

i have a question about the urban areas would the mayor of the city be an actual player or a computer? And if he didn't surrender his town would u have to fight him for it?

It will be an Administration Terminal located in one of the buildings.

Back in the day I toyed with having an NPC Mayor behind a desk and a Squad Leader had to run up to him/her and press "G" to negotiate the town's surrender. Since having NPCs was out, I changed it to a SL just running up to an Admin terminal and pressing "G" then waiting for a timer.

The current idea is just letting anyone with an REK hack the Admin Terminal, but if I got enough support I'd really really really like for Admin Terms to be hacked by a SL or his Sergeant (new feature), who would just run up and hit "G", whether they have an REK or not. But I doubt players would like it since they all want to be able to take over something alone. Oh well.

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

How about this... small display docked / near the mini-map... Hacker type (Basic, Formal, Advanced, displays info on whichever hacker is further along), time till hack completion (can be either a bar or timer) and base status as seen on map (tubes, gens). When the base is hacked (offensively), the hacker status changes to time left on hack.

Hmm. I'd like to keep some mystery/suspense in the hacking process. Remotely knowing the Hacker type and time-till-hack I'd like to reserve for the Squad HUD. Sorry.

There was this great concept someone thought up, even did a concept screen for it, but I can't find him!

Since you mention having this mini-map display show tubes, gen, and hack status, I started thinking maybe it was you. Here's the image. Maybe it will look familiar to you and you can tell me who did it.

I can go for something like that. But knowing the hacker type from anywhere in an SOI might be a bit much. I'd rather just have people guess their cert by how fast the progress bar is moving.

[Edit: Oh, and while you're at it, you might want to look at hack status indicators on terminals, along with health bars. Kinda in the same vein of improvements.]

Yeah, the terminal health bars have been on my to-do list for ages.

The hack status on terminals is a new one though. Do you mean that when a player runs up to a hacked terminal, he sees the "Press 'G' to access terminal" and also underneath it a little timer counting down for how long he can use it? I like that.

EarlyDawn · 2004-07-05, 09:49 PM

Not going to quote because of epicness and I don't wanna snip up sections.

Nah, not my graphic or idea, but that's along the lines of what I was thinking. Cool graphic.

As far as hack timer, what I was meaning was some kind of icon that indicates from a distance that the terminal has been hacked. Many a time I've been pwnt while moving from cover across a room to find it wasn't hacked. However, that works too, defenitely.

Do tell about the sargent feature =D

Hayoo · 2004-07-06, 01:46 AM

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

Not going to quote because of epicness and I don't wanna snip up sections.

Nah, not my graphic or idea, but that's along the lines of what I was thinking. Cool graphic.

As far as hack timer, what I was meaning was some kind of icon that indicates from a distance that the terminal has been hacked. Many a time I've been pwnt while moving from cover across a room to find it wasn't hacked. However, that works too, defenitely.

Do tell about the sargent feature =D

The search continues then.

Oh, a hack icon for the teriminal. I see. That would work, although a timer would give even more info. I'll fiddle around with it.

The sergeant thing is just that thing that everyone has been asking for: the ability for a Squad Leader to designate someone for the #2 spot, a lieutenant, like a successor in case he has to log or goes LD or something. I also figure he'd have the authority to change WP and do invites (but not kicks) in case the SL was busy or something. Maybe he could even get a tiny portion of CEP. Who knows. I haven't devoted enough thought to it yet.

FatalLight · 2004-07-06, 07:23 AM

O yea another inviter would be helpful, good idea.

Most of these ideas i wish wer commin from a dev...

EarlyDawn · 2004-07-06, 03:23 PM

Indeed, the ability to have an XO would be cool. Give them a kickback on maybe.. a quarter of the CEPs the SL gets? It's very difficult to build up CEP as a CR 0 character because nobody wants to squad with someone who can't lay waypoints.

This would be a good way to "nurse" a non-commander up to a level where people would follow, as well as teaching new commanders-to-be the ropes in a kind of "intern" circumstance.

To actually make commanders to WANT to take on an XO, don't actually take anything away from the SL's CEPs. To counteract the overall surplus of CEP this would put in the world, they need to implement command decay, so commanders who don't actively command start losing ranks. I believe this is in the works, officially.

Thanks for looking at the distance icon. I defenitely think a hybrid indicator / timer would be the best fusion of the two concepts.

Sentrosi · 2004-07-06, 06:24 PM

Wouldn't it be a good idea though to put it in the same area as the TTH countdown timer in your Hybrid HUD though? It could remain inactive until you get into the SOI. It wouldn't really get in anyones way, and then it could switch over to the countdown timer.

I can't think of a reason to state if someone were to find it annoying that there's an indicator saying that the base is being hacked by friendlies. So many times we are constantly asking, "Is the base/tower being hacked yet?" This pulls valuable troops out of their defensive positions to make their way to the CC.

EarlyDawn · 2004-07-06, 07:20 PM

I tend to agree with Sentrosi. Although I can see the "drama factor" involved with no hack timer on that HUD, I would much rather prefer accurate, useful information filtered to my character then drama.

I concur... Replace that hack timer with a small bar that tells you when the base is under hack. Next to it, place a Red N for no hacking, Green H for hacking, and a blue AH or H+ for Advanced Hacker currently hacking the CC.

Hayoo · 2004-07-06, 11:36 PM

Originally Posted by Sentrosi

Wouldn't it be a good idea though to put it in the same area as the TTH countdown timer in your Hybrid HUD though? It could remain inactive until you get into the SOI. It wouldn't really get in anyones way, and then it could switch over to the countdown timer.

If by Hybrid HUD you mean that mini-map image up there, I can't use that until I talk to it's creator, since it's not mine at all. Their mini-map concept would make sense having a hacking progress bar but the concepts I had previously designed did not, and looked annoying. Until I talk to the guy I have to stay with the squad HUD progress bar I already have.

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

I tend to agree with Sentrosi. Although I can see the "drama factor" involved with no hack timer on that HUD, I would much rather prefer accurate, useful information filtered to my character then drama.

I like drama.

I don't mind a remote hacking indicator so long as it seamlessly fits in with the HUD (the mini-map would be ideal, but like I said, I can't even touch it until I talk to its creator).

But I don't think I can agree with letting everyone in an SOI instantly know whether the hacker is adv or not, not unless they volunteered that information, perhaps through something like that role-designation thing I have for medics, engineers, etc. At least then you can say the person is broadcasting a transponder or something, but seeing their cert without being next to them, from the other side of the hill...just doesn't seem right.

Oh, I updated the New Interfaces and Chat section with the visual aids I was talking about before. EarlyDawn, I added in your icon suggestion, hope it looks ok.

- Players will now see a hacking progress bar above the friendly that is hacking an object.

- REKs will know display hacker ability by a color-coded beam: Yellow for non-certed players, Orange for Hacking, and Red for Advanced Hacking certed players.

- Players will now see their empire's logo over "hacked" terminals or objects seen from across the room, and then a timer when they're close enough to access the enemy object. (requested by EarlyDawn)

- Players will now see health bars above friendly terminals when they become damaged.

EarlyDawn · 2004-07-06, 11:40 PM

Awesome work on the terminal stuff. My only suggestion would be to leave red as the uncerted hacking color for REKs, since most of us have that color associated with hacking. The others would be more obvious that they're advanced because to most veterans, they'd be "exotic" beam colors.

I understand the deal with displaying the hacker type. Defenitely make it electable by the hacker. What's role designation? (I know, I know, I just keep dragging the information out of you =( I'm simply hungry for knowledge =P )

[Edit: Additional thought... put in a red break in the terminal health bars to show the threshold of when they stop working? And I also realized the natural ascending theme of the REK beams, so I see it your way.]

Hayoo · 2004-07-07, 12:02 AM

Originally Posted by EarlyDawn

I understand the deal with displaying the hacker type. Defenitely make it electable by the hacker. What's role designation? (I know, I know, I just keep dragging the information out of you =( I'm simply hungry for knowledge =P )

I'm still fiddling with the design, but in the Character Info screen, players will be able to select a role or class designation from a general list: Medic, Engineer, Pilot, Armor, Recon, Infantry, etc.

A few of these, like Medic, will be tied to certain certs in order to be selectable (normally they'd be grayed out). For instance, you must have the Medic or Adv Medic (as well as the Medical applicator on your body) in order to choose the role of Medic. This insures people don't "grief" others by classing themselves as one thing but being something else.

In our current scenario, if a player has an REK equipped and has a hacking cert, he or she can choose Hacker as a role. This would then make sense for their ability to be broadcast when hacking a CC, much like an Adv Medic's ability is broadcast as flashing crosses when they have their med-tool out.

[Edit: Additional thought... put in a red break in the terminal health bars to show the threshold of when they stop working?

Not a bad idea, but red in this game denotes enemy, so it would probably have to be yellow, for caution, I think. I dunno. Our vehicle's health remains as a green line even when disabled, some people might be confused. Of course I could simply add this to the improvements page, saying all vehicles when damaged below 50%? change from green to yellow...but then you have the problem of squad colors, which use goldish yellow. AAAAARRRRGGGG!

And I also realized the natural ascending theme of the REK beams, so I see it your way.]

Yeah, I know what you mean by having non-cert as red, but I figured with the new Yellow, Orange, and Red Alerts on bases, that players would quickly adapt.

7ruth · 2004-07-07, 11:46 AM

Yea I'm Still following, but have been at a loss for comments until now.

What if the more hackers you have on a terminal the faster it is hacked? I mean it's awesome when everyone in your raider is an engineer, your back in action 10 seconds later!

I can see how just letting any old joe contribute would be to much. So to balance it out lets say at max you can have 3 people hacking, but they only contribute when they have Adv. Hacking. Lets say, two Adv. hackers hack at 125% Adv. Hack speed, and three at 150%.

Another draw back could be that if there are more than three hackers, then efficency degrades(by 10 %). Really though, how many sets of hands can you have on a keyboard and still form coherent sentences...

So Adv. Hackers become more skillful in 'small' groups =)

EarlyDawn · 2004-07-09, 10:27 PM

Any updates on the horizion? I can't play so this is about the extent of what entertainment I'm going to be able to get, Planetside-wise.