Spherical maps will be this game's downfall

After playing the beta, it is painfully clear that this game's most original feature is also its worst feature.

It is very hard to build a mental map of where you are in relation to your enemies, and what attack routes are possible. This is made worse by the completely generic looking maps with no apparent structure. Look at an average TA/supcom map, and not only does the geography dictate how attacks can be made, they're usually limited by 2 possible directions since you're often in a corner. This is WAY more strategic than the current spherical maps, where trying focus attack or defense in a particular direction seems pointless.

I know that once you have build up the entire game around this feature, it is almost impossible to abandon it. You could save the game by at least also having a good selection of traditional rectangular maps, so people can choose themselves. The rest of the game seems awesome, so it be a shame to ruin it by stubbornness.

Technically, it shouldn't be hard either: rather than properly flat maps, just allow for really big planets that have some form of natural boundary restricting gameplay to a small part of its surface, and you'd have the same effect. No need to have 2 "modes".

Oh, and not related to gameplay: I know it is realistic to only have one light source, but with a spherical map that means have half of the planet is looking nice (shading and shadows) and the other half looks like ***. How about pretending this universe has 2 suns? it would make the game look so much prettier.

Welcome to the forums!

I would have to disagree with you. Spherical maps is this game's best feature.

It takes getting used to because it completely changes the nature of the game.

The maps are randomly generated.

There will be an option, either through mod or official release, for flat planets.

Either way, spherical maps are absolutely amazing and make for incredible gameplay.

ugh! just, wow welcome..... aaand you intervene now to say this game should be scrapped? thanks and good day.

so whole planet as a map will be the downfall of the game ?

you know that this is one of the MAIN reason allot of people like it ? lol

I mean WHOLE planets in an RTS game ?
WHY you want to only control a city or a fraction of an island when you can control a WHOLE planet and its Moon and the next planet after it......

btw when they update the Planets and make the Biomes EPIC you will have DIRECT routes that you can cover right now Biomes are unfinished and planets a realy flat so you can be attack from all sides by everything.

Ha! Sticking yourself in a corner only having to watch a few sides is more strategic than not being in a corner where you can be attacked (and attack) in all directions.

To make a long story short, I disagree in all points with the OP.

I guess that makes sense, this forum is self-selecting in that only the people that like spherical maps remain, so my post will probably fall on deaf ears.

I was NOT arguing spherical maps should be scrapped. I was arguing that having the CHOICE to ALSO play on only small section of a larger planet would make the game appeal to a much larger potential audience.

How long have you played? It took me a while to get used to, it's quite disorientating. Once you get used to it though it's quite liberating having a full 360 degree option to attack and defend from.

Have you used pole lock in the options yet? It helps a whole lot.

Also remember that the UI is far from finished and lots of things to help with orientation are on the way. Neutrino has also confirmed they will try to work on something in the vein of a minimap (but something a little different and a little new to deal with the spherical nature of the battlefield).

Stop hating on OP. It'd actually be pretty cool to have "planet segment" as a map type. Set some retarded radius like 30000, but only render a few degrees of it. Basically, it's a flat map.

There is no inherent reason that a "flat map" can't work for PA, even with orbital units involved. It'd be a bit trickier to get moons or asteroids working on that map, though.

well then go to THIS thread : https://forums.uberent.com/threads/flat-metal-planets.54722/

I would be all for having 'flat maps' in PA as an option. But PA's primary selling point always has been and always will be spherical maps that make flanking actually possible. Nonetheless, you can set the height range up to very high on an Earth biome planet and create a planet covered in a dense mountain range if you want chokepoints.

I understand that some people won't be able to handle keeping track of things on a sphere, but the game just isn't meant for everyone. People like PA because the game feels so big, and the sphere has a lot to do with that. Most people probably can handle this game if they spend a lot of time on it, but you really do have to train your brain to think in an extra dimension. It gets even more complicated when you start fighting over several spheres at the same time.

My recommendation is to start out slow by playing against a single AI on very small maps with pole lock turned on. You can start playing bigger and bigger games until you feel comfortable with it. I also can't recommend watching game recordings enough. You get to spend the whole time paying attention to everything without having to worry about actually playing the game. This really helps train your brain to handle three dimensions.

Ultimately, even the best players sometimes get a little lost. I think most of us are really looking forward to the UI improvements that are coming, because we do need better tools for managing combat on this scale.

It's more strategic to have less options. What? And how does a spherical map change the nature of why you would or would not attack in a particular direction? "Oh well I'd bypass this defensive line on a flat map, but spherical? **** no, head on!"

Spherical maps are exactly why I love this game, they give a huge advantage to dyslexic people! screw you no dyslexics

I disagree, it's one of the reasons i decided to buy early, i love the concept of fighting on planets. Also, enable pole lock, fixed all my disorientation issues. In fact, i think the devs should put pole lock on as default so that new players can get used to sphere maps easier.

Uber has mentioned that it is possible to make planets that are not spherical but torus's or halo rings where you can play on the outside of the ring.

The custom-ability of the game is amazing. Just give it time.

Disorientating! Oh, you English...

you can flank in Spherical maps a thing that you could not in flat one...

I disagree on all points of course - strategically speaking spherical maps are way better.

There is one point he makes that has some foundation though:
- generic looking maps

It may have been said before... randomly generated maps are needed of course, but does anyone know if will it be possible in the future to actually design your own planet (terra form it as you wish etc.)? As in, have the developers mentioned such a feature?

as I said the maps look generic and flat bicous the BIOMES aren't ready yet the plannets aren't finished there will be hills choke points etcetcetc: smnc-cdn.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/pa_images/PA_biomes_concept_public.jpg

and yes there will be a map editor basically it will be a mod or Uber makes it that's what we don't know.