Well, I've read about three of the "What Should Be In SWBF3" threads, trying to figure out where is best to post... but since there's no clear answer and the "Supah Thread" is closed, I'll just post in a new thread and comment on the other ones. *shrug*

First, it seems to me that a lot of the things people are wanting in SWBF3 are things that can be had in SWBF2, either with mods or with settings. Don't like Jedi or Heroes? Change the settings so there aren't any. Want to play Jedi vs Droids in the Geonosis Arena? Download the mod map at Gametoast. Want to ride creatures? Some of the mod maps have them. Want to play on Rhen Var, Dune Sea, etc? Get the Conversion Pack mod maps, and play ALL the BF1 maps, with extras like Hero Assault or Hunt Mode.

When we look at what BF3 should have, I think we need to look at things that can't be gained through adjusting settings and using mod maps.


Some of my SWBF3 thoughts:
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1) Better AIs, of course

2) Expanded commands, more like what we had in BF1: Hold your position, Follow me, Move out (Attack)... and maybe a new one, something like "Specialist, get to work!" where you can direct Engineers to dispense health/ammo or repair ships and droids, direct Heavy Weapons units to lay mines, direct Snipers to start giving cover, etc.

3) Interactive environments -- blast walls and doors down with rocket launchers, push crates around, lockable and destructible blast doors, consoles that show area readouts, etc.

4) Expanded Capital Ship interiors -- more like the Tantive IV map, or the Death Star interior. Hallways, blast doors, auto-turrets, maybe even lifts; fight your way to the Life Support, the Engine Room, the Turret Bays, the Command Bridge, whatever. Also new rooms, like the Comm Center, the Short-Range Sensor Control, the Bridge, Turret Bays. Players can toggle between maps of the space battle and maps of their capital ship (as long as their Capital Ship’s short-range sensors are up?). Perhaps an Officer unit might spawn, in addition to the Pilots and the Marines, capable of accessing all of the ship's consoles? And maybe some rooms are capturable by boarding forces?

5) Functional Capital Ship rooms, providing a benefit if functional, penalties if destroyed (or captured?). Examples: a] When Life Support is out, non-Pilot units spawn in at reduced health. b] When Short-Range sensors are active, friendly fighters can see the location of enemy ships on a heads-up display, and can read the condition of frigates and capital ships. c] When more than 50% of the engine rooms are active, the Capital Ship can turn and move to select areas. d] When frigates are intact, they can be directed from the Capital Bridge to change positions. e] When the Comm Relay is destroyed, frigates can’t be moved or replaced, and reinforcements are reduced. f] When the Command Bridge is destroyed, all blast doors cease locking, auto-turrets go dead, and ship movement is impossible. Etc.

6) Vehicles: Air vehicles on ground maps again (such as LAATs, shuttles, maybe some starfighters, etc) – like in BF1. Also, more room in air vehicles and ships in general – 2 or 3 people in an ARC-170, maybe AT-ATs and AT-TE’s and shuttles that you can walk around in (if only a little), and so on.

7) More accessible settings-changes – you shouldn’t have to be running a dedicated server to adjust reinforcements by game type, get spawn invulnerability, etc.

8) More vehicle-weapon splash-damage -- somewhere in between BF1 (where tanks blast dozens of people away just by hitting the ground near them) and BF2 (where you practically have to snipe enemy units with a tank cannon and it still takes five hits to destroy them).

9) Side alterations: a] Stop referring to the 21st Nova Corps Galactic Marines as “Clone Commanders”! Make them the Marines for the Republic in Space Assaults, and for Clone Commanders, use actual Clone Commanders! Modders have already developed Bacara, Bly, Cody, and Gree, and there are skins out there that would work for Neyo, Keller, and Alpha-17. b] Also, give the Magnaguards their magna-staffs, they can function like lightsaber staves but less powerful. c] Bring back the B1 battle-droid, use it as the CIS grunt and make the B2 Super Battledroid tough like a Wookiee. d] Oh, and give some of the Wookiees a Ryyk blade or two!

10) Appearances: a] Make the laser-blasts brighter and more colorful, more like the movies (and like BF1). b] Make the skins fit the maps: Bacara and the 21st Marines on Mygeeto, Gree and the 41st Dogtroopers on Kashyyyk, Bly and the 327th on Felucia, 501st at the Temple on Coruscant, 65th at the Senate on Coruscant, etc. c] Maybe have insignias that are added to your character as you gain rank? Pauldrons and kama for clones and stormtroopers, visors for clones, badges for rebels, line-markings for droids? d] Add capes to the Magnaguards. e] Allow toggling between two skins for each class – male/female, droid/Geonosian, human/Calamari, etc.

11) And finally, they need to make the player profile names EDITABLE! I spent a long time earning Legendary in various categories, attaining the rank of General, and getting the permanent award weapons. How ridiculous is it that if I want to add a clan badge to the name or just change my profile name, I have to start from scratch??? Someone should at least have a hack for this. But then, it should be built into the game so that it's editable. FFS.

I like how you complained about how the stuff that has been suggested can be found in mods/maps, but yet all or at least parts 6-10 of your ideas are all found in mods

Okay, well, good point -- to an extent. =)

Really, only #6, #9, and parts of #10 can be found in mods. And my point was that air vehicles should be in ALL maps where they make sense, not just mods; that you shouldn't have to turn to mods for skins other than the 501st; etc.

So out of my 11 points, about 2.5 of them could be addressed *somewhat* by mod maps. *shrug*

No personal offense was meant, my good fellow. I just noticed that with many people's posts, their entire list could be solved by downloading a few mod maps.


J~TH

Yeah, I've been trying to puzzle out how to use the LUA scripting, mapping, modeling, skinning, ODF editing, Particle Editor, Zero Editor, and Editlocalize functions for a year or so now. Lack of time paired with lack of understanding has impaired me. =/

Besides, I don't want to have to learn how to make the game myself in order to see changes -- that's what the people making Battlefront III are there for: to make the new game, so we don't have to do it ourselves. *shrug*

And I'll agree that the AI in BF2 are better than in BF1, but there's still lots of room for improvement. I still see them crash ships into mountains, walk right onto mines, refuse to take cover when there's obviously a sniper targeting them, etc. I don't find the Elite difficulty setting all that challenging, personally; and anyway, if they made Elite tougher, people who didn't like it could still play the easier settings.

I'm sure there are some who don't care one way or the other about getting the expanded commands back, and wouldn't use them; they, of course, can simply not use them. Personally, I found it immensely useful to be able to tell a few troopers to hold their position at a CP so that we didn't lose in two minutes after I went in and captured it, or to command stand-around troopers to move out. Or just simply the ability to issue the commands I WANT to issue, rather than just whichever one the game thinks would be best.

And finally, I tried that SaveGames file solution a long time ago, all that does is change the name that you see on the list of profiles to select. The name in the game is still the same as before you changed it -- the name that appears in multiplayer games over your head, the name that shows on the lists in-game, the name that shows onscreen in the corner when you make a kill, etc. So no go on that, but thanks for the idea -- I thought that would have worked too. =/

When it comes down to it, I think there's a difference between BF3 requests that can be solved by downloading a few mod maps, and BF3 requests that require learning how to mod and then doing all the work of modding (though I do very much hope to figure out how to mod fairly soon). And even with the BF3 requests that can be solved through getting some mod maps, I can see how people might just want to have them as a basic element of the new game -- for example, not wanting to only play as the 501st all the time.

yeah.... AI are really are really frusturating in just about every video game. if SWBF3 could make a AI breakthrough of the century that would be cool

i like ur ideas and ecspecially 2, 3 , 6 , 8

AI are terrible. I issue a command and they stand there but when I come back they are gone. I told them to hold the command post. I will tell them to follow me and after so many feet they run off in a different direction. Need improvement.

yeah i know how that feels
it sucks dealing with them

I want to be able to tell my AI's to attack the nearest vehicle or nearest starfighter. Or to attack the nearest trooper! Or tell them to watch out for a thermal detonator or mine!

yeah. i hate it really when they just stand there and watch the grenade blow up in their face.

What has really been bugging me with the AIs lately are these:

A) You order some AIs to follow you, then as you stop on a walkway to take out some enemies giving you trouble from below, your accompanying AIs jostle and push you until you fall off the catwalk.

B) As Rebels or Empire, ordering Wookiees or Dark Troopers to follow you out into battle is like shooting yourself in the foot. They just walk behind you and shoot you constantly while aiming at people in front of you.

C) I still see a number of AIs off in corners seizing up, twitching and spinning and all that.

D) AI gunners in Space battles refusing to use the Guided Missiles.

Etc....


Does anyone have any specific thoughts or feedback on my ideas?

Redo the whole thing its the Haze peoples now!!
3rd person is cool.
Easier to map controller.
HDR
Surround Sound
Better editor with sound editor included.
Action!
Better AI.
RagDoll!
Darker vibe!
Droids!
Bigger Maps!
More Vehicles!
Better Explosions!
Music that matches whats happening
Slow motion death
dismemberment! added secretly))

More maps.

I can do without the music altogether. I usually play with my own stuff going in the background anyway. I just have sound effects turned up loud enough to hear 'em. I usually got something like Static X matched with the DeathStar..

:evil6:

yeah i dont really go for the soundtracks
i like like playing back in black on the death star
lol

They should still leave it in, although I listen to it a lot less than other games that have good sound tracks like Deus Ex.