7 replies to this topic

[Culex]

This is a topic started almost 1 year and 2 months ago, during Closed Beta Event 1. Some newer players may not be familiar with it, but the map keybind was potentially a great tool for map strategy/tactics. It was basically a heads-up-display that showed where your allies were over the entire map overhead map image, denoted by arrows+lines connecting to player names. Hawken is mostly a mech-based FPS. It already has that FPS feel, but needs this more mech-like element brought back to compliment the others (large health bars, fuel/boosting, heat being built up on weapons, etc.) It would also possibly make scrimming a heck of a lot more fun.

This was removed around the time of Ascension (or before) and was told it would be eventually brought back. The distance in meters you are from your ally by looking at their tag should also come back (helpful when they are off the radar).

I really like the idea of the map, for all team-based game modes. It can be useful for checking which nodes your allies are at or where they are going. VOIP helps a lot, but if your ally is off the radar and kiting, one should be able to quickly and easily pull up the map and know exactly how far they are and what area requires your presence most. I rarely if ever use it in its current state, however. The biggest problems (at least back then) were:

Spoiler

• It disables any movement when you pull it up. This makes it feel very static, and come on if a mech can fire weapons and use items and move at the same time, pulling up a map over the HUD should be cake. Best times to use this would be when exiting out of base and walking forward, checking where you are needed most. This gives players more strategy. And under no circumstances is it a good idea to pull it up when you are at possible range of any enemy because you become a sitting duck (I can understand your vision being occupied-this would be the natural downside). It just doesn't feel useful if you can't check it while getting to where you need to be. Edit: Also not to mention there's basically a global cooldown effect to pulling it up/taking it down, which doesn't help.

• The player names with lines leading to their arrows is straining and annoying. While checking the map, it shouldn't take more than a couple mere seconds to read where each of your allies are. With the line method, it feels like one of the maze games trying to see where they end up. It takes up way more time and effort to see which arrow is which. I can understand that the devs maybe didn't want to have nameplates over the player arrows covering up space/each other, but I think if done correctly it would still be a vast improvement. Heck, even putting a legend of each of your allies and having a separate color for each person with their arrow being that color could work.

• There needs to be a bindable key for Set Focus Point or even just a right click on the map would do. Currently, you have to manually mouse click the "Set Focus Point' button, then click on a part of the map.This would really cut down on the time it takes and the annoyance factor (one-click vs two-click process with delay because your mouse cursor has to travel more distance). In a game where timing is everything, there should not be unnecessary delays.

• Orient your team base on the map to be in the bottom portion (pushing up). When opening the map, I think it always shows your team and your base on the top part of the map, pushing south (or maybe it's just if you end up a particular team-Sentium or Prosk, not entirely sure-but I always recall my team being on the north portion of the map chart). I'd recommend a change so that no matter which team you're on, the map lists your team in the south portion pushing up (similar to the way the current radar isn't locked), if that makes sense. It's much easier to gather information on positioning this way. Most people will coordinate with each other via voip via "enemies coming up via the left side, right rooftop, etc." and if you're on your way there you could open your map to quickly see your allies positioning and act based on that information they provided. With the current system, you have to reverse all your directions and its more complicated than it has to be.

• Allow the map to be viewable while depositing EU in the airlifter at base. It still doesn't let you open the map. I feel like this is one of the most opportune times to read the map because you can't really do anything but sit and wait for the collect. This will then give you direction on where you should head if you use map positioning to your advantage.

TL,DR;
Allow mech movement while the map is displayed. Rework it so it doesn't have lines leading to names. Allow a bindable key for Set Focus Point or even have it set to right-mouse click. Allow the map to be viewable while depositing EU in the airlifter at base. Last but really important, have the map display your team's base at the south and enemy team's base at the north part of the map.

Other ideas:

• Holding down a key to display the map (like the way repair bind works for repair) and let go for it to go back up.
  
• Setting additional waypoints via drag-able line markers
  
• Also, would like to see the enemy signatures that an ally sees on their radar from far away through your map (so you are rewarded by knowing what they know if you use your map). If this were too drastic, possible factors to offset could be a short cooldown for this 'enhanced map radar'.
  
• This would also make portable scanners much better! If you had your map open, and an enemy walked through scanner range on one side of the map, you would be able to see their signature (and keep a proper enemy headcount).

Source links (also had earlier player feedback):

• https://community.pl...p-needs-a-buff/
  
• https://community.pl...f-cbe2-edition/
  
• https://community.pl...n-beta-edition/
  
• https://community.pl...prove +the +map

PS: If anyone has an old screenshot of the map heads-up-display, please post it or pm it to me so we can better illustrate it here. Until then, I will leave a placeholder image of just the old radar.


[Not the Map HUD]

[Ker4u]

they said they will improve and bring it back right_ (~6 months ago)

[Hink]

This sound awesome, & simple enough to do. There's nothing to complicated about making any of this possible, but I will have to say it will have to either be done by the community or the dev team themselves. Either way the idea of making the map key-binded isn't bad at all, it's down right need in team based combat(ma, tdm & sg) while this idea of the key bind thing is possible as soon as the next update, the other ideas will have to wait till later time, has I'm guessing it'll start to mess with frame rates & connection issues. Hmmn now that I think about it this does sound like a big project, the current hud design will probably have to be modified to fit all the map changes. The old hud design had it's up & downs, but so does this current one too.

[Greenvalv]

I don't remember the old map, but I do know how useful the map is in PlanetSide 2 with setting waypoints/objectives and whatnot.

[Hijinks_The_Turtle]

It would be nice to have this, because it sucks when you head out to a teammate calling for help and then you realize he/she's really far away.  It can also improve teamwork as well, as people can get more organized to fight together.

[The_Silencer]

Culex, on December 13 2013 - 07:46 PM, said:

PS: If anyone has an old screenshot of the map heads-up-display, please post it or pm it to me so we can better illustrate it here. Until then, I will leave a placeholder image of just the old radar.

This is one of the aspects of the game which still I consider to be an step back. Besides the new location of the map -which in my personal case has been an stab in the.. well.. maybe only certain individuals have a serious issue with the new radar's location, maybe there's people who can not pay attention to such an important display placed on the bottom left of the screen... anyway, I'm unfortunately one of these.. and my performance went down aprox. a 30% or so due to that..- Sooo.. I'm rambling; my apologies..

The current directional and limited sight you see and is displayed as background for your radar should positively rather be like the old approach, I do completely agree on that.

[Sam123456]

I think it would be nice if you could put arrows or markers on the map that would show up for your own team.

I suppose it might be subject to abuse, but it could potentially help with coordination a good bit.

[The_Silencer]

IMHO, the main problem with the V map was that you were not able to drive your mech -AFAIK at least via keyboard control keys- when you had it opened. Some degree of transparency for the V_map would be much appreciated as well.

The potential of this game feature should no be subestimated.

Edited by The_Silencer, December 21 2013 - 11:44 AM.