Issues with EndWar PC's Gameplay - Constructive Discussion.

[XeosCeleres]

A few points I'd like to highlight for discussion. Below are my own personal opinion. I do want to provide constructive criticism on issues to fix the game, thus no flames please.

1. Camera
The camera is a very big hindrance, and I'm surprised it got approved by all levels of Ubisoft. It's zoom must be free. At the present moment, you have such a limited view, you can't even see top down from your helicopters. While I understand that a large scale zoom gives an unfair advantage, and nullifies the purpose of the command vehicle, the zoom seriously needs adjustments.

Camera on an infantry squad garrisoned in a building (esp. a tower) is annoying! You can see your troops, and the tower itself - because the camera is in the tower.

2. Minimap
The minimap needs to be more intuitive, this is a PC RTS. Thus, mouseovers should work. Mouseover waypoint should have an overlay that says 'Bravo'. Mouseover an enemy and it should say '[3] Gunships' - for hostile 3 gunships.

The game adds in a neat voice feature for RTS, yet takes away some of the basics that makes an RTS.

[B]3. Mouse Control
The mouse control is not precise. There is some lag when moving it, even though my FPS is high. Probably implemented was mouse smoothing, or vertical sync. You can feel it's lagging slightly behind.

[XeosCeleres]

A few points I'd like to highlight for discussion. Below are my own personal opinion. I do want to provide constructive criticism on issues to fix the game, thus no flames please.

1. Camera
The camera is a very big hindrance, and I'm surprised it got approved by all levels of Ubisoft. It's zoom must be free. At the present moment, you have such a limited view, you can't even see top down from your helicopters. While I understand that a large scale zoom gives an unfair advantage, and nullifies the purpose of the command vehicle, the zoom seriously needs adjustments.

Camera on an infantry squad garrisoned in a building (esp. a tower) is annoying! You can see your troops, and the tower itself - because the camera is in the tower.

2. Minimap
The minimap needs to be more intuitive, this is a PC RTS. Thus, mouseovers should work. Mouseover waypoint should have an overlay that says 'Bravo'. Mouseover an enemy and it should say '[3] Gunships' - for hostile 3 gunships.

The game adds in a neat voice feature for RTS, yet takes away some of the basics that makes an RTS.

[B]3. Mouse Control
The mouse control is not precise. There is some lag when moving it, even though my FPS is high. Probably implemented was mouse smoothing, or vertical sync. You can feel it's lagging slightly behind.

[Brooklyn65]

- I have to agree with the camera issues.
- I would also like to see unit names in overview map

[Kruelgor]

I'm still waiting for my game to arrive in the mail, but have you seen any options in the settings that might fix any of these issues which you described?

[Raide]

The problem is, many people are approaching this from a PC RTS viewpoint and EndWar is not a PC RTS. It was made for the consoles in mind, so the standard PC RTS conventions are not all here.

The camera is closer to the units on purpose. The idea is to give gamers a closer link to their units and not a floating god hundreds of feet in the air. It is meant to be more visceral when you're in combat and it is used to differentiate itself from standard PC RTS games.

As for the mini-map, EndWar does it like this to get people to pay more attention to the actual battlefield and not making all their decisions based upon the mini-map. Using LoS and the CV "Sitrep" command to effectively move your units is more fun and in-depth that checking a mini-map over and over for additional battlefield information.

[ArtillerySmoke]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kruelgor:
I'm still waiting for my game to arrive in the mail, but have you seen any options in the settings that might fix any of these issues which you described? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The camera isn't really an "issue", per say. It's as intended...to mix things up and give us a more tactical view as opposed to giving us unrealistic LOS.

[Kruelgor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by ArtillerySmoke:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kruelgor:
I'm still waiting for my game to arrive in the mail, but have you seen any options in the settings that might fix any of these issues which you described? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The camera isn't really an "issue", per say. It's as intended...to mix things up and give us a more tactical view as opposed to giving us unrealistic LOS. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

So I take that as a "no" about the options in the settings. No map, minimap, or camera settings.

[Kruelgor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Raide:
The problem is, many people are approaching this from a PC RTS viewpoint and EndWar is not a PC RTS. It was made for the consoles in mind, so the standard PC RTS conventions are not all here.

The camera is closer to the units on purpose. The idea is to give gamers a closer link to their units and not a floating god hundreds of feet in the air. It is meant to be more visceral when you're in combat and it is used to differentiate itself from standard PC RTS games.

As for the mini-map, EndWar does it like this to get people to pay more attention to the actual battlefield and not making all their decisions based upon the mini-map. Using LoS and the CV "Sitrep" command to effectively move your units is more fun and in-depth that checking a mini-map over and over for additional battlefield information. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

As a traditional PC RTS gamer, I actually like the concept of something different so this sounds good. It sounds more realistic and challenging. I can't wait to play it (it's in the mail).

[ArtillerySmoke]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kruelgor:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Raide:
The problem is, many people are approaching this from a PC RTS viewpoint and EndWar is not a PC RTS. It was made for the consoles in mind, so the standard PC RTS conventions are not all here.

The camera is closer to the units on purpose. The idea is to give gamers a closer link to their units and not a floating god hundreds of feet in the air. It is meant to be more visceral when you're in combat and it is used to differentiate itself from standard PC RTS games.

As for the mini-map, EndWar does it like this to get people to pay more attention to the actual battlefield and not making all their decisions based upon the mini-map. Using LoS and the CV "Sitrep" command to effectively move your units is more fun and in-depth that checking a mini-map over and over for additional battlefield information. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

As a traditional PC RTS gamer, I actually like the concept of something different so this sounds good. It sounds more realistic and challenging. I can't wait to play it (it's in the mail). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah I never got a chance to install it last night. Got busy with some life. I'll definitely be playing it today though. I'll let you know how things are.

It will be interesting to see how this game compares to WiC.

[Kruelgor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It will be interesting to see how this game compares to WiC. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

WiC is one step away from being a great game, but falls short only because it doesn't have rank restricted servers. The game is so reliant on teamwork which makes for an extremely unenjoyable game when you have a team mixed with veterans and newbies. The team is literally only as strong as its weakest player because everyone relies on everyone to fulfill certain roles and responsibilities.

WiC's average online population is 100 to 300 at any given time and gradually shrinking.

[ArtillerySmoke]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kruelgor:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It will be interesting to see how this game compares to WiC. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

WiC is one step away from being a great game, but falls short only because it doesn't have rank restricted servers. The game is so reliant on teamwork which makes for an extremely unenjoyable game when you have a team mixed with veterans and newbies. The team is literally only as strong as its weakest player because everyone relies on everyone to fulfill certain roles and responsibilities.

WiC's average online population is 100 to 300 at any given time and gradually shrinking. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

1) WiC's expansion pack releases in a couple of weeks.

2) Yeah WiC's community has always been relatively small, mainly because of the high requirements for the game and the fact that it requires so much teamwork.

3) That said, I highly doubt there are more than 300 people online in this game right now. I haven't installed it yet, can anyone check?

[XeosCeleres]

Hi Raide,

I can understand that this game is different, and I approached it with no high expectations, just a casual RTS. I still have these issues I would like to raise;

1. Unit 1 Infantry is inside a building, tower, warehouse, etc. The camera doesn't show you the building itself, the camera is stuck on the roof of the building. Atleast allow the camera to be above the building, not stuck inside a transparent roof, and allow 360 degree turning.

2. Infantry garrisoned inside a building should have an indicator ontop of the building that shows Unit 1 is garrisoned inside.

3. Camera should atleast be allowed to go above the helicopter.

4. Currently, when you run your infantry through a forest, the trees cover everything your camera can see - making that camera viewpoint almost useless. Trees probably needs to be translucent. Or camera should be above the trees, and infantry that running/taking cover inside should be highlighted.

5. Mouse Precision
The mouse control is not precise. There is some lag when moving it, even though my FPS is high. Probably implemented was mouse smoothing, or vertical sync. You can feel it's lagging slightly behind.

[Kruelgor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
1) WiC's expansion pack releases in a couple of weeks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It might bring in a few new players, but it doesn't matter. At least 400,000 people have tried WiC but it's just an unpleasant game for newbies because they constantly get raped by veterans so 99% of everyone who has ever tried WiC no longer plays it. Team stacking is another serious problem which only rank restricted servers can solve.


<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> 2) Yeah WiC's community has always been relatively small, mainly because of the high requirements for the game and the fact that it requires so much teamwork. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually the minimum requirements are very low. I can play WiC on my old antique 7 year old computer and video card. No, the population is low because it can't keep newbie players to stick with it. They play it and leave after consistently getting raped by veteran players.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">3) That said, I highly doubt there are more than 300 people online in this game right now. I haven't installed it yet, can anyone check? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

WiC is 1.5 years old. For a true comparison, we'll have to see how many people are playing EndWar in 1.5 years from now. After a few patches I'm sure EndWar will rock.

WiC has fictitious maps which don't exist in real life (except for Seattle) while EndWar has 25 or 26 realistic maps of real geographical locations.

[ArtillerySmoke]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kruelgor:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">
1) WiC's expansion pack releases in a couple of weeks. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It might bring in a few new players, but it doesn't matter. At least 400,000 people have tried WiC but it's just an unpleasant game for newbies because they constantly get raped by veterans so 99% of everyone who has ever tried WiC no longer plays it. Team stacking is another serious problem which only rank restricted servers can solve.


<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> 2) Yeah WiC's community has always been relatively small, mainly because of the high requirements for the game and the fact that it requires so much teamwork. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Actually the minimum requirements are very low. I can play WiC on my old antique 7 year old computer and video card. No, the population is low because it can't keep newbie players to stick with it. They play it and leave after consistently getting raped by veteran players.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">3) That said, I highly doubt there are more than 300 people online in this game right now. I haven't installed it yet, can anyone check? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

WiC is 1.5 years old. For a true comparison, we'll have to see how many people are playing EndWar in 1.5 years from now. After a few patches I'm sure EndWar will rock.

WiC has fictitious maps which don't exist in real life (except for Seattle) while EndWar has 25 or 26 realistic maps of real geographical locations. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're telling me there are 25 MP maps?

[Kruelgor]

Yeah, they are right here: http://endwargame.us.ubi.com/locations.php

Also, they are all combined into a massive online war known as Theater of War.

[ArtillerySmoke]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kruelgor:
Yeah, they are right here: http://endwargame.us.ubi.com/locations.php

Also, they are all combined into a massive online war known as Theater of War. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well this is why I bought the game. ToW sounds awesome...and 25 maps is a nice surprise for me.

If that's the case, I don't see how this game doesn't get popular. Just on all of the gaming forums I'm registered on right now, nobody seems overly excited about it. A few people - it's not a ghost town, but it doesn't seem like a pulsing community right off the bat.

Again, if anyone's playing now or was recently can you tell us how many people were online?

Thanks.

edit: Oh and thanks for the map link. Looking into it now.

[Kruelgor]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">A few people - it's not a ghost town, but it doesn't seem like a pulsing community right off the bat. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

EndWar forum will be fine. I've been active on the forums at WiC, Red Alert 3, and Dawn of War II and I can say typically only a very small percentage of its active players post on the forums. It's just the way it is.

EndWar will pick up as more and more people notice the game at their local retailer, or on Steam, Direct2Drive, and Gamestop.com, Amazon.com, etc...

The name Tom Clancy will get all of their attentions.

[ArtillerySmoke]

Yeah I'm just wrapping up some bs here at home and then I'll install the game this afternoon, see how things are.

All I know is that when my Russian tanks start rolling across the battlefield, that ToW frontline is getting pushed baby.

[Dougem]

Just a few things I can come up with, to take advantage of the fact that this game is indeed on the PC...

In-game chat could be cleaned up a bit, perhaps colorcoding ally and enemy chat distinctly. Some way of easily telling the difference between ALL or TEAM chat when displayed. Would also be nice to be able to chat with own team before the battle, like a quick strategy huddle. Perhaps some kind of global faction-only chat while searching for battles?

Friends would be nice - being able to mark people as friends, try to join battles with them if possible.

A quick and easy way to check out who you're fighting against and basic stats during battle would be nice.

That's all I can think of for now, aside from bugs I've addressed elsewhere.

[Lige-]

I was playing the Solo WW3 earlier, when an enemy went inside a building, the building was highlighted in red and had a number over it.

Also, I haven't figured out a way to manually control the camera, do you only get the POV of the units?

Point 3: Telling a infantry unit to move to a transport (to get into it) doesn't seem to always work and I've had to click on the transport.