Planetary Annihilation LiveStream: May 3rd, 2013

A lot of people seem to be getting worried about not having a mini map.....but it has been said a couple of times now in different streams, that in game you will be able to open multiple windows, which you can use as mini maps or for replays, etc. So if you were fighting on 3 planets at once, you could have 2 windows open and at strategic zoom level for bases on 2 planets, while your main window was on your main base while you worked on stuff there. If something kicked off on another planet you could see it right away and jump straight over there. Its also been said that you can use these windows for replays, so if you happened to loose a base without realizing you can open a window and watch the replay back.

having to have multiple windows open to show different parts of the planet is a poor substitute to having a world fully projected onto a mini-map.

We don't know that yet. It's a completely new mechanic when combined with 3D play space. Until we get it and try it, we can't really call it anything but 'different'.

The ability to say, run duel monitor with 8x windows running, one of which constant commander hawking, could really be pretty darn sweet. It looks to me like unit movement is going to be fairly low to try to reduce the 'omg too much happening' effect.

Big big games may get pretty darn intense, but if that's not your style it looks like single planet 1 v 1 is going to be totally viable. Split your screen in half and invert the one. You now have the whole planet on your screen, done.

Normal mapping is a material effect and not post processing. They've already shown normal mapping.

Just to get back to a much earlier discussion:

directional artillery looks AWESOME.

It also does not need to be in whitebox level detailed models.

I have a little concern about the something that was said in the last stream at this point.

My question is what is the general direction really about? I like the idea of less and less micro, but I am a bit concerned about those simplification hints that I think I kinda herd in John's words, correct me if I'm wrong ("just less stuff"). He called Suppcom a "Taco town" and I was wondering if someone could explain this a bit more.

I mean "less stuff" could be good, I just got a bit worried that direction for this game was simplification, which in my opinion there is a lot in RTS-s. Developers dumbed down some of the great games in past few years to try to appeal to broader audience, but have totally forgot about people that liked the complexity and "lot of stuff" because it set those games apart from the rest of little RTS-s (I'll sound harsh a bit but for a little RTS I mean games like Suppcomm 2 in comparison to its prequel).

I just got a little concerned that we don't end up getting Supcomm 2 on multiple maps/planets, and my apologies to you that liked Suppcom 2, but as a true fan of Suppcomm 1, I would really like to see a game that is a worthy of me finally quitting on game that's more than a 6 years old

I think he was talking about the amount of units and factions. SupCom has a crazy amount of them.

I really hope so, I got concerned about the features too a bit...

Well with multiple battles on multiple planets, what we currently call macro would essentially be the new micro.


This is why they're so busy with ChronoCam: it's likely a necessary feature to keep track of a 5-planet war.

How would it possibly help to watch the past? You can't change the past so your time is better spent on changing the future anyway.

More in terms of seeing what your opponent did to so quickly curb stomp one of your armies/bases. Sometimes things like that, little tactics your opponent uses etc can help you see a way to exploit them or just defend better against them.

Know your enemy.

Well another option is to do something seen elsewhere, like a Mercator Projection http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercator_projection

Of course these thing don't handle poles well, though you can have multiple projections, that have different angular origins. That might make your head hurt though.

I do a lot of GIS in my work, and use these a lot. I use OpenLayers open source sloppy map.

Might make a good mod, just to project unit positions (icons) in a 2d plane. You then just need to wrap your head around stuff at top and bottom are really close to each other, as the Mercator thing stretches land out.

Slim

While I like this in principle - being able to review what just happened to my army/base - I think if you spend too much time doing it "in game", you will die quickly.

I would be more likely to want to drop a time marker in the chrono-timeline, so I can go back and review tactics after the game is over. Can we have a hot key for this?

I wonder if the replay will remove all fog of war, so you can learn by watching replays of really good players? Like watching poker on TV where you see how the best players handle the cards they are dealt.

Slim

That's a standard feature that any half-way working replay-system has.

but hopefully not while still ingame xD

That's sounds like a good point, I would also like a way to mark points in the replay. Which I'm sure is something Uber are going to decide upon. However it's done, this feature is something I'm definitely looking forward too.

The game looks great so far!

My only suggestion is that the unit strat icons could be a little smaller and compact, whenever the armies would clump up together the icons got pretty crowded, the icons don't have to look like the units as long as it's easily identifiable. Just a suggestion for the next pass on that front.

It's really nice to see some leaps and bounds in the game's development.

I'm a new forum member but I've been following the game since the Kickstarter! Just preordered, looks excellent!

+10!!!