Backpacks and Classes

(Glyph) #21

Wouldn’t the simplest solution be to make the class icons more identifiable? Ideally every class would have a differently colored icon and more clear shape for faster identification. As it stands now the icons all have borders that only confuses the image. If the icons were clear enough there would be no need for any other solution.

(zenstar) #22

The icons are pretty different already.
Soldiers and operatives have round icons. Soldiers are mostly solid colour while operatives are 50/50 colour/transparent.
Medic has a square icon with a transparent cross.
Engineer has a cog (i think?).

I find them pretty identifiable. Maybe they should appear above the enemy at all times, say 50% transparent unless you’re aiming at them in which case they act as they do now, but other than that I don’t think we need much more in the way of identification.

(.Chris.) #23

Relying on even bigger icons isn’t really a solution, there’s already too much clutter on the screen.

They already had resort to red glow to be able to distinguish teams apart which is treating the symptom rather than the problem. My signature kind of shows you my feeling towards the clothing options in one regards but I went along with the idea assuming it wouldn’t hurt the game. Sadly for myself it really has.

In close quarter combat I find myself in situations where both the enemy and I are oblivious to the fact we are opposing teams for a few short moments. Then it’s like “Oh, wait he has orange text above his head, best shoot.” This is simply because they are too many clothing options. While in screenshots you can tell the factions apart in the heat of battle more often than not you can’t, especially for those who’ve had to turn down their graphics.

Then they are other moments when you see a red player model running towards you from around a corner, and you’re thinking “oh look an enemy” so you shoot only to find out it was a team mate running for cover, sadly you just finished him off. You press T and start typing “Sorry, I thought you was an enemy” only to have the person he was running from come around and type kill you.

Within a split second I knew there was an engineer, covert ops and a medic in that screenshot.

Likewise, I can tell the classes apart there, although admittedly at a distance a couple of them look similar when in game.

I personally think that customisation should just have been limited to the head and body and maybe a few alternative options for standard class ‘uniforms’.

For those who like all the clothing options, can I ask, what has it added to the game for you and would the game be any less awesome without them?

(Shadowcat) #24

For one, i find the game much more immersive with customization. You arent shooting at generic classes, you are shooting at unique players, and can easily start to find patterns in how people play.

Also, I’ve never had any issues with not being able to recognize one faction or the other. Far away, they glow red, up close they are either wearing ratty warm-colored clothes or sleek cool-colored or camo uniforms.

I wouldnt mind a way to visually identify classes at a glance though, and backpacks seem a good way to do that. Could just make them have the same color code that the gloves do.
Red = Medic
Blue = Soldier
Yellow = Engi
Green = Op

(light_sh4v0r) #25

Just the infiltrator and tech look alike, and even those I can easily pick out ingame.

(zenstar) #26

I agree with this. I also find picking up a player visually by their unique character customisation easier than trying to figure out if this is the soldier that loves grenades or the one that seems to have aimbot level aim.

Also: since any character can have any weapon you need something more than simple class identification. That med medic (A) may have a shotgun and a pistol, but that med medic may have an AR and an SMG (B). You know to keep medic A at mid range and you should be fine. You know that with medic B you have to be a bit trickier.
You wouldn’t be able to tell that easily with a standardized medic model. Standardized models would then push us to start standardising weapon loadout or have some crazy weapon identification system since one smg looks like another smg in combat. If people currently have issues spotting enemy classes then spotting enemy weapons on a standard class model will be worse.

(iFork) #27

Well it makes it easier for a sneaky operative to snipe out classes from the back

but really I don’t want to have to aim at everyone of them to know what their classes are and which I should prioritize.

(.Chris.) #28

[QUOTE=zenstar;339801]I agree with this. I also find picking up a player visually by their unique character customisation easier than trying to figure out if this is the soldier that loves grenades or the one that seems to have aimbot level aim.

Also: since any character can have any weapon you need something more than simple class identification. That med medic (A) may have a shotgun and a pistol, but that med medic may have an AR and an SMG (B). You know to keep medic A at mid range and you should be fine. You know that with medic B you have to be a bit trickier.
You wouldn’t be able to tell that easily with a standardized medic model. Standardized models would then push us to start standardising weapon loadout or have some crazy weapon identification system since one smg looks like another smg in combat. If people currently have issues spotting enemy classes then spotting enemy weapons on a standard class model will be worse.[/QUOTE]

Not really, class indication is so that you know if a player is a medic for instance, then you would target them first as to make sure others in their team wont get revived. In other places you may want to know who the engineers are in order to kill them before they finish that last 5% of a construction or something.

(zenstar) #29

I agree with identification of class. I just don’t think that standardised uniforms are the way to go while maintaining the ability to completely change your weapon layout.
I generally have no issue using the enemy class icons. Perhaps if thay made those a little more prominant?

(Shadowcat) #30

colored backpacks that are visible from all angles would work just fine.

(Jimmy James) #31

[QUOTE=.Chris.;339787]
In close quarter combat I find myself in situations where both the enemy and I are oblivious to the fact we are opposing teams for a few short moments. Then it’s like “Oh, wait he has orange text above his head, best shoot.” This is simply because they are too many clothing options. While in screenshots you can tell the factions apart in the heat of battle more often than not you can’t, especially for those who’ve had to turn down their graphics.

Then they are other moments when you see a red player model running towards you from around a corner, and you’re thinking “oh look an enemy” so you shoot only to find out it was a team mate running for cover, sadly you just finished him off. You press T and start typing “Sorry, I thought you was an enemy” only to have the person he was running from come around and type kill you.[/QUOTE]
I’ve played W:ET and ET:QW since they first came out and I’ve been in numerous situations where an enemy and I were hunkering down in the same close quarters completely unaware of each other for a few moments.

Also, when in the heat of battle, even with graphics cranked all the way up I would sometimes mistake a teammate for an enemy and mow them down by accident. I just wish it was as easy to Quick Chat “sorry” in Brink as it was in ET.

Is there even a Quick Chat option in Brink? (Didn’t see anything about it in the manual.)

-JJ

(zenstar) #32

[QUOTE=Jimmy James;340034]I’ve played W:ET and ET:QW since they first came out and I’ve been in numerous situations where an enemy and I were hunkering down in the same close quarters completely unaware of each other for a few moments.

Also, when in the heat of battle, even with graphics cranked all the way up I would sometimes mistake a teammate for an enemy and mow them down by accident. I just wish it was as easy to Quick Chat “sorry” in Brink as it was in ET.

Is there even a Quick Chat option in Brink? (Didn’t see anything about it in the manual.)

-JJ[/QUOTE]

There’s a thread somewhere here (something about bchat not as good as vchat) where someone shows you how to bind a bunch of useful sayings to keys.
I’d like a vchat system too, but when life hands you lemons burn down their house with a radioactive lemon :smiley:

(wolfnemesis75) #33

I need a backpack with a Katana sword handle sticking out of it…oh, just kidding. So sorry:tongue:

(its al bout security) #34

my charicters backpack is filled with cocain :smiley:

(Cep) #35

Simpler idea would be to colour code the symbols above peoples heads.

Red - Medic
Green - Soldier
Blue - Engi
Grey - Covert

(wolfnemesis75) #36

[QUOTE=Cep;340061]Simpler idea would be to colour code the symbols above peoples heads.

Red - Medic
Green - Soldier
Blue - Engi
Grey - Covert[/QUOTE]

Purple name is people in your fire team. Doesn’t that work?

(its al bout security) #37

of enemies that would be cool but think of all the times it wouldnt work like what if it was a purple operative uknow

(aignetti) #38

much more important: Model Layer in Front of all the other Layers - that is much more important, as like it is now you sometimes cant even see the enemy/mates because of the objective borders for example

(wolfnemesis75) #39

I want a Backpack with a Mickey Mouse face or some kind of clown face on it! Seriously, not kidding.

(Cep) #40

It works, just suggesting that as the symbol is always that off white that maybe it would be better to have the symbol coloured, the names as they are and if your in a fire team the name turns purple but the symbol stays the same colour.