Alright folks! This here's gonna be my first post in the "Let's Take a Look at.." series. This one's gonna be about the gameplay environment. Firefall as a game was known for beautiful environments, and I think that's a good place to start with Em8-er. Gameplay is one thing, but having an engaging world to play a game in makes all the difference. This will be broken up into a few posts. This post is going to cover Coral Forest and Sertao.
I'm going to rate all the zones I can think of: Coral Forest, Sertao, Diamondhead(Aka Devil's Tusk), Sargasso Sea, the Amazon, and Antarctica. I'm also going to give special mention to a few others-the tutorial version of Copacabana, Melding Tornado pockets, and Blackwater Anomaly.
The ratings themselves will be based on Appeal/Aesthetic(How attractive/well made the zone is), Atmosphere(The emotional content of the zone), Gameplay Potential(If the zone was developed, how well does it make use of the terrain, etc, if not, what potential exists for the terrain, etc), and World/Lore Development Potential(How the zone was used to develop the world's lore or could be used to develop the world's lore.). I'll go on a scale of 1-10.
Now, let us begin!
Coral Forest. Where the game starts. The zone with the most lore, and quite a lot of potential that's been squandered or unused.
Coral Forest is the zone in which we start. We land from a dropship, uplink to our first SIN tower, and the fun starts from there. The zone was well done, however, it had changes made to it that gradually crippled it. The invasions of Sunken Harbor and Thump Dump were great, and required a concerted effort to defeat-removing them was a death knell for the zone. However, gameplay isn't at stake here-without further ado, on to the rankings.
Appeal/Aesthetic: 8-9. The zone is certainly nice, and it's obvious that a large amount of effort was put into it. It runs the gamut from beaches and tropics to mountains, cliffs, and waterfalls. It's organic and well done, however. The Arclight crashed offshore. What I expect from the zone is a large amount of flooding damage. I understand that humanity has made efforts to rebuild after the crash, however the damage should be far more extensive. A crash on the Arclight's scale should cause a veritable tidal wave, and extensive damage from it. Broken Shores gets a 10 out of 10.
Atmosphere: 6-8. The zone, normally(at regular times) does not feel like a warzone. Transhub is militaristic(Even still, the most you see is tactical maps and dropships), obviously, but few of the places lend themselves to the feeling of an actual impending threat. Shanty Town and the areas near Sunken Harbor as well as Thump Dump certainly have some areas where bandits frequent, however once again, they don't feel very threatening(also because they shouldn't be.). Broken Shores captures the nature of the area, in my belief. You have destroyed terrain and buildings, fallen debris, even a grave marker dedicated to Nostromo's loved ones, if I remember correctly. That's what we should be seeing from a shattered world like Firefall's.
Gameplay Potential: 6-7. This makes me sad. Coral Forest was the landing point, so to speak, as we took back New Eden. Not only was it the place for us to expand out of, it was the most obvious place for us to get pushed back to(As shown in the destroyed Copacabana tutorial). Invasions should have been relatively common here and they should actually have existed. Chosen assaults should have been common. Tactically speaking, any area near where Coral Forest met with Sertao should have been common. Chosen incursions, drop pods, and pretty much any other attack they would make on us were warranted. For a time(when invasions were active, and attacks were common), the gameplay potential of this zone was done well. However, the attacks should have been more forceful. They should have been attacks to not just reclaim territory, but to fortify it and push us OUT of it.
Lore Potential: 8-10. Coral Forest, as one of the most worked on zones, was brimming with lore. Achievements compelled some to search it out, as did quests. This development enabled the lore to exist. From bunkers with ARES missions to hilltop outposts to forest camps, there was a plethora of things that could be done. In the future, though, I would recommend that the ARES missions be more specific to the area they’re in, and give lore about that area, and each mission maybe will give a unique tidbit.
The Good: Coral Forest was the most worked on zone, and as such, had the most going for it.
-Large amounts of lore.
-Safe terrain that allowed for newer players to get a feel for the game without unfair deaths.
-A beautiful environment that was pleasant to play in, and that could bring you back with nostalgia.
-A large NPC presence that helped make the outpost-defense mission realistic.
-The terrain held lots of interesting places that rewarded and allowed travelling.
The Bad:
-The most entertaining elements of the zone(the war) were culled from it in order to make it “safe” for new players.
-The zone did not feel like a warzone. It felt like one we had comfortably captured, and the incursions into it were minor annoyances(going solely off of the actions of NPCs and the appearances of the terrain/environment.)
-THE ARCLIGHT DOES NOTHING. It provides an end to invasions, but something large enough to catalyze the entire GAME should have more of an impact on the zone.
Next up, Sertao!
Sertao is practically attached to Coral Forest. It’s set up much more like a warzone, however suffers in the lore department. (Apologies for the small picture, the forums are being mean to me.)
Sertao was the next zone opened up when the game progressed to using leveling. While it was nice to have a new zone in existence, and especially nice to see what lay behind the Melding curtain, Sertao is plagued by illogic. The beginning of the game set a scene of humanity fighting and struggling for survival-how do we go from this to an audacious push into Sertao? And more importantly, how does that push into Sertao encounter so little resistance, as well as minimal counterattacks from the Chosen? However, let’s get to our ratings. The lore of the game world can be discussed later.
Appeal/Aesthetic: 8-9. Sertao maintains a relative similarity to Coral Forest. It’s more inland, so mountains and forests become more common, however it can definitely be a nice place. OCT is the hallmark of the zone and is very well put together. FOB Sagan, as well as OCT, lend themselves to the feeling that it’s a war, as well as several other areas in the zone. They’re not as common as one would expect from a warzone. Dredge is definitely another symbolic place, as it was spoken of often in Coral Forest dialogue, but it’s largely disappointing in Sertao(I can’t be the only one who thought it was bigger!). The northern portion of the region is fairly undeveloped, being mostly wilderness, and I’m not a huge fan of it personally. The main attention is the war effort and civilization in the south. Were the north barren due to being a constant warzone, I might be more inclined to approve of the artistic choice.
Atmosphere: 7. The atmosphere created here is one of comfort-that humanity has taken the zone back and for the most part is done with the brunt of the fighting. Although FOB Sagan and the sporadic watchtowers, as well as the presence of Accord guards lend themselves to the feeling, there’s little actual warfare. The only territory that bears markings of the Chosen is a small area to the west with a strange structure of Chosen make, however it’s never spoken about or elaborated on or anything. Elements of the zone lend themselves to it being a war zone, however they are not capitalized on or used properly to make it feel like one.
Gameplay Potential: 8-9. The assault on OCT is the hallmark of the zone. It’s a well done event that brings players from around the region(and from other regions) to participate in. The terrain here is varied, and opens up lots of potential for combat-there are cliffs to dive down onto enemy forces from, trees and rocks to hide behind, and plenty of rocky structures from which to stage ambushes. The presence of roads makes travelling easier as well. Unfortunately, random encounters are lacking here even compared to Coral Forest-a Chosen incursion or drop pod is rare and hard to find, and strike teams are even more infrequent. The potential remains for a war zone though. As one of the recently taken zones, the Chosen should be trying to push us back. Our foothold, due to its proximity to Coral Forest, should be Dredge, which should have been far more fortified. The northern region of the zone should have been where most of the hard fighting is, with battles getting easier as you move south due to increased fortification and a higher number of reinforcements.
Lore Potential: 6-7. The presence of OCT, FOB Sagan, and various Omnidyne/Kisuton labs provide a large amount of potential for lore here. Through quests, they’re explored, however all can prove to be more useful. OCT could have global impacts on the game, such as impairing teleportation between zones, our damaging our ability to see icons on the minimap if lost. The labs should be places where we go and research technology, finding ways to combat the Chosen and upgrade ourselves. Instead, there’s a bunch of quests telling us to run around because we got SIN hacked. The northeastern regions are entirely devoid of any lore. There’s a large facility, but it has almost no explanation given to it.
The Good:
-The terrain is a step up from Coral forest. It’s harder, and might get you killed, but it can be used to your advantage at the same time.
-Certain areas and bases are fortified such that they give the feel of being in a warzone.
-OCT, a major landmark in the game, is available and in existence. The structure itself can provide global, lasting impacts, and as such should be and is a focal point for combat in the area.
-Lots of scientific and research facilities should make this the technological and research hub of the game. Should.
The Bad:
-Almost an entire quadrant of the region is all wilderness, uninhabited, and feels neglected save for a few loreless outposts.
-The Chosen should be hitting this zone hard and trying to push us out of it. They’re not.
-OCT as well as the research labs have far weaker impacts than they should have. OCT should be something on the scale of the Arclight-losing it should be damaging, and tangibly so.
-Bandits and wildlife feel more dangerous than the Chosen here. I don’t need to explain how wrong that is.
That concludes this section. I’ll comment on any and all feedback! Next up will be the Sargasso Sea and the Amazon war zone. In the comments I'll be taking your feedback and using it to discuss what from these zones should be kept in Em8-er.
Cheers!
AdmiralStryker
I'm going to rate all the zones I can think of: Coral Forest, Sertao, Diamondhead(Aka Devil's Tusk), Sargasso Sea, the Amazon, and Antarctica. I'm also going to give special mention to a few others-the tutorial version of Copacabana, Melding Tornado pockets, and Blackwater Anomaly.
The ratings themselves will be based on Appeal/Aesthetic(How attractive/well made the zone is), Atmosphere(The emotional content of the zone), Gameplay Potential(If the zone was developed, how well does it make use of the terrain, etc, if not, what potential exists for the terrain, etc), and World/Lore Development Potential(How the zone was used to develop the world's lore or could be used to develop the world's lore.). I'll go on a scale of 1-10.
Now, let us begin!
Coral Forest. Where the game starts. The zone with the most lore, and quite a lot of potential that's been squandered or unused.
Coral Forest is the zone in which we start. We land from a dropship, uplink to our first SIN tower, and the fun starts from there. The zone was well done, however, it had changes made to it that gradually crippled it. The invasions of Sunken Harbor and Thump Dump were great, and required a concerted effort to defeat-removing them was a death knell for the zone. However, gameplay isn't at stake here-without further ado, on to the rankings.
Appeal/Aesthetic: 8-9. The zone is certainly nice, and it's obvious that a large amount of effort was put into it. It runs the gamut from beaches and tropics to mountains, cliffs, and waterfalls. It's organic and well done, however. The Arclight crashed offshore. What I expect from the zone is a large amount of flooding damage. I understand that humanity has made efforts to rebuild after the crash, however the damage should be far more extensive. A crash on the Arclight's scale should cause a veritable tidal wave, and extensive damage from it. Broken Shores gets a 10 out of 10.
Atmosphere: 6-8. The zone, normally(at regular times) does not feel like a warzone. Transhub is militaristic(Even still, the most you see is tactical maps and dropships), obviously, but few of the places lend themselves to the feeling of an actual impending threat. Shanty Town and the areas near Sunken Harbor as well as Thump Dump certainly have some areas where bandits frequent, however once again, they don't feel very threatening(also because they shouldn't be.). Broken Shores captures the nature of the area, in my belief. You have destroyed terrain and buildings, fallen debris, even a grave marker dedicated to Nostromo's loved ones, if I remember correctly. That's what we should be seeing from a shattered world like Firefall's.
Gameplay Potential: 6-7. This makes me sad. Coral Forest was the landing point, so to speak, as we took back New Eden. Not only was it the place for us to expand out of, it was the most obvious place for us to get pushed back to(As shown in the destroyed Copacabana tutorial). Invasions should have been relatively common here and they should actually have existed. Chosen assaults should have been common. Tactically speaking, any area near where Coral Forest met with Sertao should have been common. Chosen incursions, drop pods, and pretty much any other attack they would make on us were warranted. For a time(when invasions were active, and attacks were common), the gameplay potential of this zone was done well. However, the attacks should have been more forceful. They should have been attacks to not just reclaim territory, but to fortify it and push us OUT of it.
Lore Potential: 8-10. Coral Forest, as one of the most worked on zones, was brimming with lore. Achievements compelled some to search it out, as did quests. This development enabled the lore to exist. From bunkers with ARES missions to hilltop outposts to forest camps, there was a plethora of things that could be done. In the future, though, I would recommend that the ARES missions be more specific to the area they’re in, and give lore about that area, and each mission maybe will give a unique tidbit.
The Good: Coral Forest was the most worked on zone, and as such, had the most going for it.
-Large amounts of lore.
-Safe terrain that allowed for newer players to get a feel for the game without unfair deaths.
-A beautiful environment that was pleasant to play in, and that could bring you back with nostalgia.
-A large NPC presence that helped make the outpost-defense mission realistic.
-The terrain held lots of interesting places that rewarded and allowed travelling.
The Bad:
-The most entertaining elements of the zone(the war) were culled from it in order to make it “safe” for new players.
-The zone did not feel like a warzone. It felt like one we had comfortably captured, and the incursions into it were minor annoyances(going solely off of the actions of NPCs and the appearances of the terrain/environment.)
-THE ARCLIGHT DOES NOTHING. It provides an end to invasions, but something large enough to catalyze the entire GAME should have more of an impact on the zone.
Next up, Sertao!
Sertao is practically attached to Coral Forest. It’s set up much more like a warzone, however suffers in the lore department. (Apologies for the small picture, the forums are being mean to me.)
Sertao was the next zone opened up when the game progressed to using leveling. While it was nice to have a new zone in existence, and especially nice to see what lay behind the Melding curtain, Sertao is plagued by illogic. The beginning of the game set a scene of humanity fighting and struggling for survival-how do we go from this to an audacious push into Sertao? And more importantly, how does that push into Sertao encounter so little resistance, as well as minimal counterattacks from the Chosen? However, let’s get to our ratings. The lore of the game world can be discussed later.
Appeal/Aesthetic: 8-9. Sertao maintains a relative similarity to Coral Forest. It’s more inland, so mountains and forests become more common, however it can definitely be a nice place. OCT is the hallmark of the zone and is very well put together. FOB Sagan, as well as OCT, lend themselves to the feeling that it’s a war, as well as several other areas in the zone. They’re not as common as one would expect from a warzone. Dredge is definitely another symbolic place, as it was spoken of often in Coral Forest dialogue, but it’s largely disappointing in Sertao(I can’t be the only one who thought it was bigger!). The northern portion of the region is fairly undeveloped, being mostly wilderness, and I’m not a huge fan of it personally. The main attention is the war effort and civilization in the south. Were the north barren due to being a constant warzone, I might be more inclined to approve of the artistic choice.
Atmosphere: 7. The atmosphere created here is one of comfort-that humanity has taken the zone back and for the most part is done with the brunt of the fighting. Although FOB Sagan and the sporadic watchtowers, as well as the presence of Accord guards lend themselves to the feeling, there’s little actual warfare. The only territory that bears markings of the Chosen is a small area to the west with a strange structure of Chosen make, however it’s never spoken about or elaborated on or anything. Elements of the zone lend themselves to it being a war zone, however they are not capitalized on or used properly to make it feel like one.
Gameplay Potential: 8-9. The assault on OCT is the hallmark of the zone. It’s a well done event that brings players from around the region(and from other regions) to participate in. The terrain here is varied, and opens up lots of potential for combat-there are cliffs to dive down onto enemy forces from, trees and rocks to hide behind, and plenty of rocky structures from which to stage ambushes. The presence of roads makes travelling easier as well. Unfortunately, random encounters are lacking here even compared to Coral Forest-a Chosen incursion or drop pod is rare and hard to find, and strike teams are even more infrequent. The potential remains for a war zone though. As one of the recently taken zones, the Chosen should be trying to push us back. Our foothold, due to its proximity to Coral Forest, should be Dredge, which should have been far more fortified. The northern region of the zone should have been where most of the hard fighting is, with battles getting easier as you move south due to increased fortification and a higher number of reinforcements.
Lore Potential: 6-7. The presence of OCT, FOB Sagan, and various Omnidyne/Kisuton labs provide a large amount of potential for lore here. Through quests, they’re explored, however all can prove to be more useful. OCT could have global impacts on the game, such as impairing teleportation between zones, our damaging our ability to see icons on the minimap if lost. The labs should be places where we go and research technology, finding ways to combat the Chosen and upgrade ourselves. Instead, there’s a bunch of quests telling us to run around because we got SIN hacked. The northeastern regions are entirely devoid of any lore. There’s a large facility, but it has almost no explanation given to it.
The Good:
-The terrain is a step up from Coral forest. It’s harder, and might get you killed, but it can be used to your advantage at the same time.
-Certain areas and bases are fortified such that they give the feel of being in a warzone.
-OCT, a major landmark in the game, is available and in existence. The structure itself can provide global, lasting impacts, and as such should be and is a focal point for combat in the area.
-Lots of scientific and research facilities should make this the technological and research hub of the game. Should.
The Bad:
-Almost an entire quadrant of the region is all wilderness, uninhabited, and feels neglected save for a few loreless outposts.
-The Chosen should be hitting this zone hard and trying to push us out of it. They’re not.
-OCT as well as the research labs have far weaker impacts than they should have. OCT should be something on the scale of the Arclight-losing it should be damaging, and tangibly so.
-Bandits and wildlife feel more dangerous than the Chosen here. I don’t need to explain how wrong that is.
That concludes this section. I’ll comment on any and all feedback! Next up will be the Sargasso Sea and the Amazon war zone. In the comments I'll be taking your feedback and using it to discuss what from these zones should be kept in Em8-er.
Cheers!
AdmiralStryker
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