Map control not comfortable like on rectangular maps.

I have been a backer of PA since the start because i loved Ta and Supcom. i have tried PA playing many times in Alpha and Beta.

But my overall experience has not been good and i always seem to go back to playing Forged Alliance.

The reason for this is the whole planet thing i am used to a normal flat map and no mater how hard i try i just hate the revolving planet thing .

Now i know its called planetary annihilation but i think the revolving interface will hold this game back i played it with friends who also backed it they are of the same feeling .

I know its a lot to ask but is there any way the interface could stretch the map out so its flat still the same dynamics but just normal rectangular map i feel new players will get the hang of it much faster .

Now before you all start slamming me this is just me and my friends opinion after all if we don't like it then there must be others and everyone that does not is one less person playing PA.

The Game is good but the revolving planet thing keeps us going back to Forged Alliance every time.

I guess this sort of thing to an extent can be dealt with by reducing the unit size and massive planets. If possible, add fuel and refueling to aircraft, make going the long way round much more difficult. Ideally added by mods of course, Uber have got enough on their plate

Flat maps that had "edges you can't pass" wouldn't be balanced the same but would be pretty cool for entertainment sake.

Stretching the world view, wouldn't work like you think though.

Really, having half a planet "craterized" so units can only travel on one face of it, is as close as you can get, and even then I think units can navigate the crater not to mention air can.

I think the closest you could get, is having a map maker block off most of the planet into a rectangle or square area of play, so at least with land forces you would still be playing on a rectangle.

Have you tried playing with "Pole lock" on? It's really helpful for staying oriented in the right direction...

Pole lock might help you keep your bearings, and PIP lets you keep an eye on the other side of the planet.

I don't think it would be practical to stretch the map onto a flat plane. You'd have to stretch not just the terrain, but the unit models and projectile trajectories as well. It would be ugly as ****.

The round planets are a bit hard to get used to, but once do do get the hang of them its hard, at least for me, to play a regular RTS like SupCom.

Stand back everyone! I HAVE AN IDEA!

Ok, This may have been asked before, but bear with me.

How about Uber makes a special game mode that is based on a flat single map like those old games? Single player and multiplayer could be offered. Doing this will bring in everyone who hates the spherical way.

Don't get me wrong , I love the PA the way it is but since HR was cancelled this would be a chance to add the flat map system to this engine thus giving HR a leg up the next time they attempt making the new game.

It could be a floating landmass that you could see at all angles and have a flat mini map.

Right, Let the flaming begin!

I'm in the opposite boat: Now that I've played on spherical maps, I just can't go back. I'm a three-dimensional thinker and this game has had me drooling since the KS pitch for exactly that reason.

I think the OP has a valid point. I hope there is a way because it is needed to draw more players in.

Yup that's why i started the thread i think there many like me that hate it .

The problem is even Supcom was steep learning curve to get to grips with but once you got used to it there is no other system that comes close to the control and ease of use it has.

I am reasonably good on Forged alliance and one of the higher ranks there but even i struggle with getting things right with this revolving planet system. I Worry as i think people try playing it once and just don't bother anymore like most of my friends and me included .
I dont in anyway regret being a backer as its good to see company's having the balls to try something new but if its holding the game back and the takers are low then a rethink may be needed.
Maybe i should have made my views earlier in alpha or beta but i didn't so i have myself to blame .

And i agree with Kryo that would be a big plus to have a system like that .

Well if you missed it Uber did attempt to kickstart a new game based on this engine that was focused on flat maps, so it *is* possible.

Personally I've never had an issue with the spherical maps, it makes a lot of sense to me and if you've ever used any 3D cad / modelling software you'd probably be used to the controls already. More options is always good though, it's a shame HR didn't reach target as that would have been your flat maps right there

Yeah, I have a similar problem dealing with more than 40 units a time. I think Dune II had a 40-unit cap, and there are people who quit RTS after they started adding more, so I think if Uber wants to bring in more players they should also add the option to cap the units at 40.

To add something more than sarcasm to this thread: The better Uber makes the game, the fewer people will want to play it. It's already too good for the majority of the videogame players on the planet, hence the bad reviews.

More options is a good thing to accommodate all the people who can't deal with all the quality, but an option which removes the game's ESSENTIAL NEW FEATURE?

I am against it.

It took me about two weeks of constant playing to train my brain for spherical maps. Now that I am adjusted to playing like this, it feels so liberating!

And at the end of the day, how many RTSes already exist which feature flat maps?

All of them except one.

How many exist that feature spherical ones?

One.

If anyone should be asking for more titles to accommodate their taste it should be the people who prefer spherical maps.

More like it. And nothing wrong with the engine supporting different gameplay concepts, in my opinion.

It takes work to support "different gameplay concepts". And if that work goes against the spirit of the game, it is work that is being diverted away from going in the direction of the spirit of the game. It's not like we don't have a billion other priorities that we all like to see in PA. And even the lowest of those priorities should still be higher on Uber's list than adding an option that takes us back to the direction of Dune II.

Fair enough, right now there are more pressing concerns.

After all, Dune II already exists. TA and SupCom already exist, and anyone can play them. But PA still hasn't reached anywhere near the 40-player games and tens of thousands of units that Uber was advertising for KS, which people paid money to fund (and some of them a TON of it). Meanwhile, no one paid money to get another flat map RTS. And until PA has reached its true potential -- in ALL aspects, including the elimination of a multitude of annoying little bugs -- I believe that work like the OP is asking for should remain the province of modders.

And what the heck would you do with orbital units, planet smashing and the annihilaser on a flat map?

It seems easier to me to mod PA's units and balance into SupCom than to make PA into a TA- and SupCom-type of game.