The Book of Many Ideas

[punkbuzter#6186]

Yes Chazz, I made a forum post
I'll just categorize stuff in here with its own headline to sort things out. And, I'm not looking for discussions or conversations... This is for Grummz and the devs to read and process mainly, if anyone else wants to make some comments that's fine but know that I probably won't care to reply, this is my draft and my thoughts.


Crosshair Behavior
So, after playing some games and coming back to Em8er every once in a while, I feel there's something off with how the aiming system works. It feels, slippery and uncontrollable.
I've come to the conclusion that a static crosshair with recoil in the camera feels much better and user-controllable than the current way of having the recoil in both camera and crosshair. My muscle memory protests playing Em8er and that's not a good thing, I like to be in charge of my aim.
If there's one thing I've learned about action games, it's that if combat is bad, people just won't play it regardless of how good the rest is. Combat is king, and I don't think moving both camera and crosshair when gunning is king.

Ammo Count and Ammo Counter
With a lot of things going on on the screen it can very easily grow into a clutter/mess. I'd suggest making the ammo counter for most weapons displayed on the actual weapon instead of having it showing up as a screen floating ontop of the weapon as the current ammo counter does. Dead Space does this extremely well, even the health bar is placed on the characters back.

Accuracy vs Distance
Been playing Planetside 2 for a while too, mostly in fact, and I can feel they've put some serious effort into categorizing the guns for various ranges. If I use an Assault Rifle, I find myself naturally positioning myself at a realistic distance for hitting my targets. But I can't say the same about Em8er...
If I'm to use current Assault Rifle in Em8er I feel like I'd naturally be in shotgun range for hits to land on targets, and the damage penalty over distance takes place way too early. This in addition to the wild crosshair behavior makes the combat in Em8er feel bad. What Planetside 2 does for example is using a damage curve, "TRAC-5" which is a TR Carbine deals maximum damage up to 20 meters, then gradually goes down and stabilizes at 30-40% of that maximum damage at 60 meters until the end of that bullets lifespan, which is 100 meters. I know there's a similar system in Em8er already, but for whatever reason it feels like the punishment of distance happens too early and too drastic. I expect an Assault Rifle to feel like an Assault Rifle at proper Assault Rifle range.

Buy 2 Play vs Free 2 Play
Controversial topic, I know... If nobody had anything to say prior to this one there will be people triggered here. But again, this is for the devs most importantly, couldn't care less what others think, I'm here to talk about what I think.

Now, imagine Em8er not gaining traction because the Buy2Play model just isn't flying. Sure, there has been plenty of games made by some big companies which has been successful with this type of marketing strategy but most of them are made by big studios, an even lesser number of games that's been successful longterm, lesser still that has been longterm successful as an MMO, and we can shrink that list even further for longterm successful indie MMOs. And by successful, I mean to the point where the game feels alive with thousands of players and the company is thriving with updates and content for the game. I think I can count those games on one hand alone. Is Em8er going to be one of those games? I wish it would be but if I have to be realistic, I don't think so.
In one hand, Em8er is developed by an indie studio which means investment could be unstable. On the other hand, what reference does Em8er have? A dead game (Firefall)... Which has been a reasoning factor when ppl say "no thanks" when I've suggested they'd check out Em8er because Grummz has a dead game in his history. Why'd people spend money on a new game when the last one made by the same person failed?
Personally, I wouldn't be upset about the game going Free2Play at this stage to remove the "paywall of entry" allowing more people to join in, more players equals more fun right?! But, I'd be very upset if the game went this road after release because that'd be the day I say "told you so".
Please consider going Free2Play before it's too late.

Hotkeys and Camera Angle
I'm thinking All Points Bulletin, where you just press V to switch between right/left shoulder camera. Implementing the option to make switching customized in the settings is good, now let's make it perfect with a single-button switch where the character also switches hands on the weapon as the camera gets changed, exactly as it did in APB.
What would also be nice is a hotkey to switch between main and secondary weapons, as I can imagine we'll get a handgun as a reserve weapon in the future. In addition, like in Planetside 2, switching to secondary weapon is always faster than reloading your main main weapon.

Game Introduction and Obstacle Courses
Revisiting an older video from TheLazyPeon playing Firefall, it's not a pleasant nor memorable opening... You just spawn in a random obstacle course and is expected to just do as being told. Don't repeat this kind of tutorial !
I can finally share the perfect game opening for reference, Crysis 1. It goes from cinematic straight into gameplay with a hidden tutorial that DOES NOT feel like an obstacle course. It feels, seamless and natural, as a part of the story.

Thumping
Idk about anyone else, but I prefer the stationary thumping as was in Firefall. Additionally, I just figured, why don't we change the idea of aliens being triggered through thumping on the planet which makes the aliens open a rift where they spawn through, to something else... How about, we intentionally place a piece of tech down that opens a rift transforming an area around the device into the actual alien planet, a temporary dimensional transformation from which the aliens gets triggered by. The destination for transformation could be based on material rarity, more rare equals more difficult rifts.
Let's say, you call a THMPR down, it lands, it unfolds and when ready makes a discharge that transform an area around the thumper that changes dimensional space to the alien planet... As if you were the alien, you'd suddenly see a circle in the middle of nowhere changes terrain where humans walks through with big machines and heavy equipment making loud thumping noises. Now let's say you want to thump a high-value resource, we need to apply high risk factors... Perhaps the THMPR needs to create a bubble shield preventing anything from either entering or leaving the sphere, maybe because there's a vacuum, a gate to outer space because the transformational destination is on an alien moon... Kind of like how they transform ground in Kena: Bridge of Spirits.
Essentially, instead of them coming to us, we go to them for thumping.

 

[Pandagnome]

I don't think moving both camera and crosshair when gunning is king.

I think that camera is limited at the moment if there is a way to change the camera position by a selection of camera presets or customize to what the player wants.

This way we can have camera view that is suited for someone who wants to combat doing melee to shoot etc etc

This is a good video

With a lot of things going on on the screen it can very easily grow into a clutter/mess. I'd suggest making the ammo counter for most weapons displayed on the actual weapon instead of having it showing up as a screen floating ontop of the weapon as the current ammo counter does. Dead Space does this extremely well, even the health bar is placed on the characters back.

I agree nice to see more things of the Em8er world, than too much clutter, unless clutter can be summoned from a switch of a button to check and toggle off to vanish when you do not need it.

for whatever reason it feels like the punishment of distance happens too early and too drastic. I expect an Assault Rifle to feel like an Assault Rifle at proper Assault Rifle range.

There can be more improvements for the weapon that is true, and wonder how much of a part the mods play in changing the way the item/ weapon feel as well?

Please consider going Free2Play before it's too late.

Pay to buy would support the Dev and push forward to continuing future progress on the game that's just my view though.

I'm thinking All Points Bulletin, where you just press V to switch between right/left shoulder camera. Implementing the option to make switching customized in the settings is good, now let's make it perfect with a single-button switch where the character also switches hands on the weapon as the camera gets changed, exactly as it did in APB.
What would also be nice is a hotkey to switch between main and secondary weapons, as I can imagine we'll get a handgun as a reserve weapon in the future. In addition, like in Planetside 2, switching to secondary weapon is always faster than reloading your main main weapon.

That would be good to see.

It goes from cinematic straight into gameplay with a hidden tutorial that DOES NOT feel like an obstacle course. It feels, seamless and natural, as a part of the story.

I agree intros should make us go wow and crysis did make me go wow because of the nice suit and sound effects etc

Obstacles for tutorials or some kind of skill check list in the holodeck that you could revisit when are are unsure or need reminding.

Essentially, instead of them coming to us, we go to them for thumping.

Would that also open to not just the threats can also find new allies rescuing someone from the other dimension perhaps it is oilspill cousin gasfill?

 

[punkbuzter#6186]

I think that camera is limited at the moment if there is a way to change the camera position by a selection of camera presets or customize to what the player wants.

This way we can have camera view that is suited for someone who wants to combat doing melee to shoot etc etc

This is a good video

I agree nice to see more things of the Em8er world, than too much clutter, unless clutter can be summoned from a switch of a button to check and toggle off to vanish when you do not need it.



There can be more improvements for the weapon that is true, and wonder how much of a part the mods play in changing the way the item/ weapon feel as well?



Pay to buy would support the Dev and push forward to continuing future progress on the game that's just my view though.



That would be good to see.



I agree intros should make us go wow and crysis did make me go wow because of the nice suit and sound effects etc

Obstacles for tutorials or some kind of skill check list in the holodeck that you could revisit when are are unsure or need reminding.



Would that also open to not just the threats can also find new allies rescuing someone from the other dimension perhaps it is oilspill cousin gasfill?

1. Was talking about the recoil, which in Em8er's case currently moves both camera and crosshair making muscle memory difficult, which feels punishing. There have been games that does this in the past but non of which I actually liked. I like how CS, Planetside 2, Battlefield 3 etc, how they handle recoil which is a static crosshair that expands the more you fire, making self-controlled recoil adjustments a lot easier, which is usually just dragging the mouse down while firing.

2. For sure, the chat box for example is one of those things that can fade away, and I've asked to implement ALT button to unlock the mouse pointer to interact with the UI like menus and chat box etc, pretty much all MMO's I've played has this feature and I don't see why Em8er couldn't.
But, this is not just about the UI, it's also about health pool, ammo count, ability cooldowns and/or ability consumption etc... All of which can be to some extent built into a lot of things instead of wasting screen real estate.

3. Of course, but as in everything in life, the foundation needs to be properly built or the rest will at some point crumble. It's better to set the standards early than late, because current weapons will probably be viewed as the baseline of all other weapons for easier management of balance.

4. I think "pay to buy" was a typo, but, just because Em8er would turn Free2Play doesn't mean all their income would suddenly stop, pretty much all MMO's coming out these days has a "donation pack" regardless if it's P2P or F2P of sorts that gets them both early access and various stuff.
Besides, why would the "spiritual successor" be a paid game when the original was not... Firefall had the hype partially because it was free, all the content creators at the time was talking about it and that's a good thing, free marketing.
What's also free marketing is the "neighborhood effect", where people talk about a game that you don't need to pay for generates a lot of interest, for both pre-launch and post-launch... And more players equals more cosmetic sales which is the bread and butter for all online games, even paid ones.

5. Nice.

6. That's not what I'm asking for... I'm asking for them to give reason for putting a wall to climb there, or a tree to crouch under. Not just putting it there like it's a japanese "Hole In The Wall" show you need to complete. That kind of stuff gets old quick! The obstacle course shown by TheLazyPeon in his first-impression video was horribly bad. I'm asking them to make it seamless where you don't notice it's a tutorial unless someone like JoshStrifeHayes points out that it's actually a hidden tutorial like he did in Warframe. Seriously, everyone needs to watch that video.

6. You could get rescue missions, sure. I'm just saying it feels weird having the aliens coming to our planet because we're thumping in our own backyard... Doesn't make sense.
Have the players open rifts to other worlds via quantum tunnels or something. Or like Minecraft, if you move 10 blocks in the Nether, you've moved 80 blocks in the overworld. Same principle could be used here, where moving further out from our main settlement on planet Em8er, the more you move towards more difficult zones on the enemy planet where your rift would spawn.

 

[Pandagnome]

Was talking about the recoil, which in Em8er's case currently moves both camera and crosshair making muscle memory difficult,

Perhaps a choice of crosshairs types , and with camera shake could have the option to turn off or on in the settings.

this is not just about the UI, it's also about health pool, ammo count, ability cooldowns and/or ability consumption etc... All of which can be to some extent built into a lot of things instead of wasting screen real estate.

That would be good and could extend to add on's perhaps.

just because Em8er would turn Free2Play doesn't mean all their income would suddenly stop, pretty much all MMO's coming out these days has a "donation pack" regardless if it's P2P or F2P of sorts that gets them both early access and various stuff.

That would depend how much they will make from Donation, Cosmetic and sponsor etc.
Like to know what the Dev's think about this?

It's better to set the standards early than late, because current weapons will probably be viewed as the baseline of all other weapons for easier management of balance.

Especially to see that in Kickstarter

Not just putting it there like it's a japanese "Hole In The Wall" show you need to complete.

That's a good show !

it feels weird having the aliens coming to our planet because we're thumping in our own backyard

What if some are dormant underground and the thumping disrupts the ground to bring some out scattering to see what the heck is going on? With more intensity / duration of the thumping this disruption could overlap into the alternate plane.

 

[ChAzZ_NuT]

Crosshair Behavior
So, after playing some games and coming back to Em8er every once in a while, I feel there's something off with how the aiming system works. It feels, slippery and uncontrollable.
I've come to the conclusion that a static crosshair with recoil in the camera feels much better and user-controllable than the current way of having the recoil in both camera and crosshair. My muscle memory protests playing Em8er and that's not a good thing, I like to be in charge of my aim.
If there's one thing I've learned about action games, it's that if combat is bad, people just won't play it regardless of how good the rest is. Combat is king, and I don't think moving both camera and crosshair when gunning is king.

Hello Master Zingo, it seems we meet again.

I understand that you are not interested in having discussions or conversations on your thread, but I'd just like everybody else to understand that I am very open to discussing or conversing over Zingo's ideas and everybody else's. And feel free to pick my ideas apart if you wish!



Crosshair Behaviour
I'm not sure if it's fair to give a critique on the current "Crosshair Behaviour" yet, and that's not because I don't understand how Crosshairs/Cameras work. But because;
We don't know if the current guns are even going to be in the Vertical Slice, and IF the current Crosshair configuration will even be applied to the current guns, in the way that it has been.

We also know very little about what customization will be available for whatever guns will be in the game because they're not in the game yet.

There could very well be weapon attachments and perks that change the controllability of the weapons.

I would agree that the current rendition of the crosshair for the rifle and plasma cannon does feel somewhat out of control, more suited for something like an SMG.

BUT I don't see that as an argument to allow players to adjust the controllability of weapons in the settings. At least wait until they've fleshed the system out a bit more, because I imagine it will all change a lot.

Make the players improve their own crosshairs/camera shake, with scopes, grips, stocks, compensators, and whatever other attachments can be crafted.

 

[Ronyn]

I'm going to chime in here because I want something to be super clear.
We want MORE FEEDBACK, not less!
Let's break it down.

Crosshair Behaviour
I'm not sure if it's fair to give a critique on the current "Crosshair Behaviour" yet, and that's not because I don't understand how Crosshairs/Cameras work. But because;
We don't know if the current guns are even going to be in the Vertical Slice, and IF the current Crosshair configuration will even be applied to the current guns, in the way that it has been.

We also know very little about what customization will be available for whatever guns will be in the game because they're not in the game yet.

There could very well be weapon attachments and perks that change the controllability of the weapons.

BUT I don't see that as an argument to allow players to adjust the controllability of weapons in the settings. At least wait until they've fleshed the system out a bit more, because I imagine it will all change a lot.

Is it fair to critique the weapons at this time?
Yes. we need to know how people feel about the direction they are going in so we know whether to go one way or the other going forward.

Will the current guns be in the vertical slice?
Yes, after a fashion. Will they be the only guns? maybe, maybe not. What is being built now is the vertical slice. Will anything in the vertical slice be exactly like it is now? Not likely, there will be tweaks, changes, alterations, additions etc..based partly on what the devs decide as they go, and partly on feedback we get from the community. So yeah, we want the feedback.

Will the Crosshair configuration even be applied to the current guns, in the way that it has been?
Depends on how much the devs and community like it. So yeah, lets hear the feedback.

What kind of customization system will here be? Will there be mods, attachments, perks, etc that could change behavior of the weapons?
The only answer to that is, oh yes there will be something. but what and how much? cant say yet.
That, again, depends in part on how the devs and community feel about how the guns work as they use them. So yeah, let's hear feedback on how you like them now, and what kind of customization options you do or don't want.

Is any of that an argument to allow players to adjust the controllability of weapons in the settings? Depends on who you ask. I will say that we have to be careful what kind of impact on weapon effectiveness simple menu settings could have on the weapons in a game. That gets into tricky territory.

Is it fair to give a critique on the current crosshair behavior?
YES! We need the feedback now, Let's hear it. Will there be changes? oh yes. But they will be influenced, to some degree or another, by how everyone feels about how they feel in their current state.

I would agree that the current rendition of the crosshair for the rifle and plasma cannon does feel somewhat out of control, more suited for something like an SMG.

Make the players improve their own crosshairs/camera shake, with scopes, grips, stocks, compensators, and whatever other attachments can be crafted.

Ah ok cool. Feedback noted.

 

[Ronyn]

Just to add my own two cents on this... i agree with @ChAzZ_NuT
I like the idea of players improving their own crosshairs/camera shake, with scopes, grips, stocks, compensators, and whatever other attachments can be crafted.

 

[ChAzZ_NuT]

I'm going to chime in here because I want something to be super clear.
We want MORE FEEDBACK, not less!
Let's break it down.



Is it fair to critique the weapons at this time?
Yes. we need to know how people feel about the direction they are going in so we know whether to go one way or the other going forward.

Will the current guns be in the vertical slice?
Yes, after a fashion. Will they be the only guns? maybe, maybe not. What is being built now is the vertical slice. Will anything in the vertical slice be exactly like it is now? Not likely, there will be tweaks, changes, alterations, additions etc..based partly on what the devs decide as they go, and partly on feedback we get from the community. So yeah, we want the feedback.

Will the Crosshair configuration even be applied to the current guns, in the way that it has been?
Depends on how much the devs and community like it. So yeah, lets hear the feedback.

What kind of customization system will here be? Will there be mods, attachments, perks, etc that could change behavior of the weapons?
The only answer to that is, oh yes there will be something. but what and how much? cant say yet.
That, again, depends in part on how the devs and community feel about how the guns work as they use them. So yeah, let's hear feedback on how you like them now, and what kind of customization options you do or don't want.

Is any of that an argument to allow players to adjust the controllability of weapons in the settings? Depends on who you ask. I will say that we have to be careful what kind of impact on weapon effectiveness simple menu settings could have on the weapons in a game. That gets into tricky territory.

Is it fair to give a critique on the current crosshair behavior?
YES! We need the feedback now, Let's hear it. Will there be changes? oh yes. But they will be influenced, to some degree or another, by how everyone feels about how they feel in their current state.



Ah ok cool. Feedback noted.

Thanks for the clarifications.

The point I was making was, that there are parts of the game still missing from the Demo, and many adjustments are still to be made. How can we give accurate feedback?

I'm not really sure how to give an accurate opinion on the crosshair behaviour without; Having other weapons to compare the current weapons to, and their respective crosshairs.

Without seeing or knowing what attachments, modifications and perks there will be.

Without knowing what the interaction between the player and the enemies will be like, and in what environments? Open Environment Vs Closed Environment.

There seem to be a lot of unknowns, which all contribute toward balancing the crosshair behaviour.

If there won't be much in terms of weapon customization, then yeah, the current crosshair for the rifle is way too wild. But if there will be some significant customization, then the current crosshair behaviour is a good baseline that the players can build off as they advance.

Personally, I am in favour of heavy customization and I think that the guns we start with should be god awful, so there is a steep curve to allow room for maximum weapon customizability and advancement... IF it is within the scope of the budget for the Demo at least?


Another factor is, whether what we are discussing now is only within the scope of the Vertical Slice. Or also beyond it?

 

[Ronyn]

The point I was making was, that there are parts of the game still missing from the Demo, and many adjustments are still to be made. How can we give accurate feedback?

Yeah I understand where you're coming from.
Truthfully speaking, the amount of variables that will impact this kind of stuff is even more than most will realize. So when discussing "accurate feedback" it's pretty much a....well its not going to be very accurate at all. lol It's going to be opinions of things in an early state without a ton of the other factors to consider.

GOOD NEWS though! We know. It's how this whole early dev feedback stuff works.
Just let us know what you think of what you can get your hands on. If you have additional thoughts like "I prefer we use attachments" we like hearing that too. It still has a lot of value.
This is all part of the iterative process. It all works out in the end.

 

[ChAzZ_NuT]

Yeah I understand where you're coming from.
Truthfully speaking, the amount of variables that will impact this kind of stuff is even more than most will realize. So when discussing "accurate feedback" it's pretty much a....well its not going to be very accurate at all. lol It's going to be opinions of things in an early state without a ton of the other factors to consider.

GOOD NEWS though! We know. It's how this whole early dev feedback stuff works.
Just let us know what you think of what you can get your hands on. If you have additional thoughts like "I prefer we use attachments" we like hearing that too. It still has a lot of value.
This is all part of the iterative process. It all works out in the end.

Yeah, exactly!

Something that must affect all of this is the "Demo Factor" too, because we want the Demo/Vertical Slice to be a super smooth, extremely fun, and over-hyped version of what the released-game gameplay will be like... Or at least I'd assume so? Because we want to grab people's attention, and we want to leave an impression for Kickstarter.

If we're not going to have weapon customization in the Demo then, let's give players a handful of super smooth running guns that feel awesome to use and make them think; "Man, those guns felt really great to fire..."

 

[Pandagnome]

Personally, I am in favour of heavy customization and I think that the guns we start with should be god awful, so there is a steep curve to allow room for maximum weapon customizability and advancement

Not so awful because some weaponary / item may already have 1 thing good at least on it and the rest average or rather poopy e.g. Laser high damage but damage range is very poor and reload time average.


This could depend on the quality of the weaponary / mod too e.g

- Ultimate (Far more customization for overclocking or to use for niche purposes)
- Epic (Good customization to use as a main)
- Rare (Decent customization reduced options)
- common (Start to learn the customization options and improve weapon)
- Standard issue aka poop (Its better than nothing!)

does feel somewhat out of control, more suited for something like an SMG.

I'd like to have a weapon that engulfs them in some sphere and inside they are twisted and spazing out. After that phase is done they are launched into the sky and turn into a native creature of the biome e.g Copacabana coconuttus weasel

This kind of dna mutator weapon could have a selection of various 3 dna profiles at one given time. With which you intend the target(s) to turn into.

These profiles would need to be studied and the created in the lab with some trail and error using the holodeck lab first before letting carmen and the smarties see your report.

If you wanted to could get the a more lethal creature profile such as a micro fire Em8erdon and have them do the work charging and headbutting everyones legs while cooking as you sneak past nice and steady without a peep .

 

[ChAzZ_NuT]

Not so awful because some weaponary / item may already have 1 thing good at least on it and the rest average or rather poopy e.g. Laser high damage but damage range is very poor and reload time average.


This could depend on the quality of the weaponary / mod too e.g

- Ultimate (Far more customization for overclocking or to use for niche purposes)
- Epic (Good customization to use as a main)
- Rare (Decent customization reduced options)
- common (Start to learn the customization options and improve weapon)
- Standard issue aka poop (Its better than nothing!)



I'd like to have a weapon that engulfs them in some sphere and inside they are twisted and spazing out. After that phase is done they are launched into the sky and turn into a native creature of the biome e.g Copacabana coconuttus weasel

This kind of dna mutator weapon could have a selection of various 3 dna profiles at one given time. With which you intend the target(s) to turn into.

These profiles would need to be studied and the created in the lab with some trail and error using the holodeck lab first before letting carmen and the smarties see your report.

If you wanted to could get the a more lethal creature profile such as a micro fire Em8erdon and have them do the work charging and headbutting everyones legs while cooking as you sneak past nice and steady without a peep .

This is amazing, please add to the game.

 

[punkbuzter#6186]

Thanks for the clarifications.

The point I was making was, that there are parts of the game still missing from the Demo, and many adjustments are still to be made. How can we give accurate feedback?

I'm not really sure how to give an accurate opinion on the crosshair behaviour without; Having other weapons to compare the current weapons to, and their respective crosshairs.

Without seeing or knowing what attachments, modifications and perks there will be.

Without knowing what the interaction between the player and the enemies will be like, and in what environments? Open Environment Vs Closed Environment.

There seem to be a lot of unknowns, which all contribute toward balancing the crosshair behaviour.

If there won't be much in terms of weapon customization, then yeah, the current crosshair for the rifle is way too wild. But if there will be some significant customization, then the current crosshair behaviour is a good baseline that the players can build off as they advance.

Personally, I am in favour of heavy customization and I think that the guns we start with should be god awful, so there is a steep curve to allow room for maximum weapon customizability and advancement... IF it is within the scope of the budget for the Demo at least?


Another factor is, whether what we are discussing now is only within the scope of the Vertical Slice. Or also beyond it?

You should compare the Em8er demos to other games. Which games do you feel combat is best, and why...? What does it have that Em8er doesn't. That's the feedback they want.
Doesn't matter if they're working on that exact optimization right now, or planning to do it in the future... Leaving your opinions, comparisons and thoughts about it now is the best time to do so, before they make more guns using the current rifle as their default value for all other guns to come.
At some point, they will have to balance the guns... Should that balance be based on the current Assault Rifle, or should the balance be using another standard?

That's why I made my complaint about it now, rather than later... So instead of having to tune 15 guns because the first one they used as their base-model was bad, they optimize the only one they have for the sake of all future guns.
And it's more than just the guns... They optimize combat, enemy health pools and number of enemies based on how this gun performs in a fight. It is ground-zero, the epicenter of everything combat related in the coming future, so, this gun might just make or break the game. People put up with a lot of things in games but the combat always has to be good, or people won't play it.

 

[punkbuzter#6186]

Not so awful because some weaponary / item may already have 1 thing good at least on it and the rest average or rather poopy e.g. Laser high damage but damage range is very poor and reload time average.


This could depend on the quality of the weaponary / mod too e.g

- Ultimate (Far more customization for overclocking or to use for niche purposes)
- Epic (Good customization to use as a main)
- Rare (Decent customization reduced options)
- common (Start to learn the customization options and improve weapon)
- Standard issue aka poop (Its better than nothing!)



I'd like to have a weapon that engulfs them in some sphere and inside they are twisted and spazing out. After that phase is done they are launched into the sky and turn into a native creature of the biome e.g Copacabana coconuttus weasel

This kind of dna mutator weapon could have a selection of various 3 dna profiles at one given time. With which you intend the target(s) to turn into.

These profiles would need to be studied and the created in the lab with some trail and error using the holodeck lab first before letting carmen and the smarties see your report.

If you wanted to could get the a more lethal creature profile such as a micro fire Em8erdon and have them do the work charging and headbutting everyones legs while cooking as you sneak past nice and steady without a peep .

In planetside we have progression unlocked features, mostly earned through spending "Certs" that gets rewarded through EXP. There's also an expertise version of some weapons called Auraxium, which is the equivalent of a "Legendary" weapon which has non customizable attachments, but has attachments otherwise not able to be mounted on that gun.
"Legendary" is also the highest rank in Path of Exile, which has the same kind of thing going on as Planetside of being non-customizable by default, because it has a static set of rules, like +1000 to HP but no gem-sockets (otherwise the same base-type but "Rare" doesn't have +1000 HP but has 6 sockets). Or, a Legendary glove which features reversed knockback, or converts one type of damage into another. PoE suffers from a lot of RNG ofc, so you can always try to make it better but risking destroying the item if you fail... I find this to be a good thing because it creates more demand on the player market. Planetside doesn't do that tho, if you get an Auraxium weapon it's yours forever as it is, but earning one is quiet a journey.

 

[Pandagnome]

You should compare the Em8er demos to other games. Which games do you feel combat is best, and why...? What does it have that Em8er doesn't.

Well these could be interesting

The combination of different fun items to create something unique e.g the rc helicopter + machete, and bingo ball cage + battery etc

Attachments to give weapons more tactical options

Unlocks of skill / weapons from missions or achievements

Weapons that come from certain factions or unique to the role e.g. GCSF etc
upgrades of weapons e.g in the video the MkI law giver was eventually used by criminals and against the judges so as a result MK II was created to counter and improve what they already had.

So with not only upgrades of weapon / item you also have the grade from standard - ultimate.

Have to add non-lethal options for weapons / items have its place too the law giver has a stun option and comes in handy when the option to interrogate or stop someone who may be under the influence of mind control. chemicals etc

PoE suffers from a lot of RNG ofc, so you can always try to make it better but risking destroying the item if you fail

I guess that's where the risk reward can play though it does make me wonder how far would someone risk to lose an ultimate hmm

Planetside doesn't do that tho, if you get an Auraxium weapon it's yours forever as it is, but earning one is quiet a journey.

Do like this because if it takes the effort to earn one keeping this would be a reward ofc i'd expect it could still need to be maintained or lose its effectiveness or if it gets dangerously low could stop working altogether which is just as bad as destroying.

Perhaps if that happened the parts could still be salvageable to break and use for creating other components for something else.

 

[Sy]

Idk about anyone else, but I prefer the stationary thumping as was in Firefall

I don't know if anyone answered this, but the last I heard there will be several types of thumping including the original stationary kind. Each one will be for a different collection of materials and all materials will be useful to mine.

Maybe the "high end" materials will be rare in some modes and only available in the current mobile version, which might not suit you.