Terrain and Base improvements

[DviddLeff]

Forenote: I wrote this a while ago, when Oshur was still intact, but Ive got many referances to my Oshur ideas in the other desert continents, so make sure to read what Ive got to say on Oshur despite its destruction.

Map Improvements

General Terrain Improvements

Roads: Roads would be split into two types, the bumpy dirt track we have currently, and major roads, with bridge like surfaces and railings. The new major roads would give vehicles a speed and acceleration boost, to make them worth using, countering the risk of enemy mines on the surface, or ambushes.

Checkpoints: The above major roads would have checkpoints on them, near bases, that are basically towers that span the entire road, with a large gate to stop enemy vehicles from moving through (the vehicles would have to backtrack to a turnoff point of the road to exit, or take the checkpoint). The checkpoints would have Phalanx turrets on them, as well as bunkers facing in each direction.

Bridges: Bridges would be added that only allow troop access, stopping vehicles from using them. The standard bridges we have currently would have troop catwalks alongside the main road, to give vehicles easier, grief free passage. Bridges would also be destroyable, going through a damaged state before being totally destroyed, where vehicles that pass along it are shaken by the bumpy ground, and troops have to avoid the cracks in the surface. Bridges could be repaired by sending an engineer into a new control bunker on either side of the bridge, then fixing it using their vehicle repair tool.

Tunnels: Instead of going around mountains, some roads would be able to tunnel through them, making for some very atmospheric fights deep inside the tunnels, as enemy forces meet each other in the middle. These tunnels would have roads for two vehicles to pass side by side, as well as catwalks to the side of and sometimes above the road itself. These tunnels could in some cases be very long, giving the possibility of the equivalent of towers being dug into the rock and earth, so that troops could equip and respawn as they travel through.

Improved Bunkers: When situated near a base or tower, make bunkers only accessible from inside the court yard of the base, or bottom room of the tower, via tunnels (access from new doors in the walls). This stops them from being a death trap as enemies run up behind you, and also gives you a good place to try and hold when you are besieged. Also put AMS equipment terminals in all bunkers so base/tower defenders don’t have to trek back into the depths of the base/tower to rearm when they run low on ammo. Bunkers vision slits should also be made thinner, and the roof of the bunkers extend further out, so that it becomes harder for tanks to shell out every occupant with a single round, as the shells arc would make it difficult to pass through, instead detonating on the surface. Bunkers which are far away from a base or tower would benefit from the new designs, but would be accessed as they currently are via doors in the back.

Light Bases: These are bases without the large defensive walls surrounding them, just the main “keep” of present bases. However these bases would have defensive Phalanx turrets on them, however in much fewer numbers. These bases would either be swapped for existing ones at the far flung corners of the continents, many base links from the Capitol facility, or added as new links in the lattice. They would have either an aircraft or ground vehicle spawn point in them, never both, and would be staging posts for attacks by small forces, or the first bases to fall on a continent as it comes under attack, much like towers.

Towers: Towers would have more variety, depending on the continent (details below), including versions that repaired ground vehicles.

Human Buildings and Ancient Artefacts: Around the landscape of the world, signs of the past peace and occupation would still be visible. First created would be the Ancient Artefacts, remnants of the Ancient Vanu who lived on/built Auxaris. These would be strange objects, some much like the rock formations we see on Solsar, others more obvious things, like vast skeletons (apparently when viewed from above, one of the continents already has a vast skeleton on it, but I’m yet to find it), bits of excavated Ancient technology and buildings or giant holes, of unknown purpose, descending into the core of the planet. Also, human buildings would be around the landscape, all showing the damage of the civil war that broke out on the planet. Research centres, homes, factories, etc would be scattered around, some in large towns, others like the research stations near the Ancient artefacts or warpgates.

Individual Continental Base and Tower Designs: Id like to see some bases and towers replaced with continent specific versions, all of them fitting in with the landscape, looking as if they have been designed to be in that specific location, not just copy and pasted onto the map. Id like to see bases dug into mountains, underground or suspended over lakes, as well as the normal ones.

Amerish
The bases and towers on Amerish would be more or less the standard bases we have now, except a few of them would be dug into the rolling hills of the continent, as well as replacing the island base in the East with a base suspended over the sea, connected to the mainland via bridges. This base would have previously been an underwater research facility, and have various underwater passageways, allowing the troops underwater views as they work to defend the CC and respawn there.
Capitol: The Amerish capitol would be a very much larger version of the standard base; this would be the basic and raw capitol design, from which all others are based.

Cyssor
A new base could be placed at the peak of Mt Cyssor, with only aircraft able to reach it (the flight ceiling could be raised). Also some separate bases could be dug into the sides of Mt Cyssor, making it into one vast base, perhaps connected via tunnels and mechanical lifts inside the actual mountain. Other bases on this continent could be based on hover technology, floating above the landscape, akin to some of the bases in Tribes.
Capitol: The capitol Gunuku would be changed to be encompassing the entire island, with vast tunnel networks and trenches cut into its sides and bedrock.
Towers: Towers on this continent would be a mix of existing base design, and hovering towers.

Foreseral
These bases would be unlike anything we have seen before, as this island was previously the base of the Ancient Vanu’s operations on Auxaris. The bases and towers of this island would be similar to the alpha screenshots we saw, depicting purple, organic structures. These base Artefacts would also have small human research outposts (light bases) near them, but no extensive human facilities on the continent at all. The troops would be able to spawn vehicles and equipment, as well as respawn in these bases only via human tech, that has been built into the Ancient Vanu’s buildings. The weather on this continent would be prone to causing mists and fogs, making the whole continent seem eerie and other worldly.
Capitol: The capitol of this continent would be the Ancient Vanu’s main “Temple” a huge construct reaching far into the sky and far underground, spreading over a wide distance on the surface. The sub capitols of this capitol would be part of the actual Temple itself, gateways through which the Ancient Vanu passed to reach the Temple.
Towers: Towers on this continent would be small Ancient Vanu buildings, with human tech integrated in them.

Oshur
The bases on Oshur would have to be built to endure the continents harsh sandstorms (made much more regular and widespread, with possible damaging effects to light units such as cloakers and standard armours caught outside during the stronger storms), and would therefore be built further underground than regular bases, with ground vehicles exiting out of caves, akin to current tech plant vehicle pads, with air vehicles exiting out of canyon cliffs or caves as well. They could also be built into the continents many fractures, protecting them from the sandstorms, troops and vehicles being able to enter via paths worn down the sides of the canyons or mechanical lifts.
Capitol: The Oshur capitol would be built far underground, only accessible via long tunnel networks for troops and vehicles would exit this base via shafts leading up to openings into caverns and canyons on the surface. This would be a very claustrophobic environment, with no fighting over 50m or so available, battles for this base would be brutal.
Towers: On this continent towers would be mostly underground; having phalanx turrets and repair terminals above ground, in a depression, covered with a concrete shield to keep the sandstorms off or small excavated holes in the sides of canyons, with protective walls covering the entrances with spawn tubes and equipment terminals would be underground.

Ishundar
Like Amerish, Ishundar bases and towers would be akin to the standard bases we have now, although like Oshur, some of them would be dug slightly further underground to avoid the heat. Weather here would be mostly light sandstorms, although not as fierce as Oshurs.
Capitol: This would be very much like the Amerish version, except dug further underground to avoid the heat.

Solsar
The arid landscape of Solsar would be very much like Ishundars, except on this continent there is a strong presence of Ancient Vanu buildings, akin to Foreseral, to tie in with all the strange rock formations on this continent. To complement these Ancient buildings, a large amount of human research buildings would be on this continent, around the Artefacts.

Searhus
The bases and towers around the exterior of the island would be again similar to Amerish, standard bases with standard towers. All the bases on Searhus would have been subjected to years of lava bombs from the volcano, damaging some bases, leaving large rocks over parts of them, coating others in a hard rock coating, especially in the crater.
Capitol: The capitol would be suspended 100m above the boiling magma (all of the crater would now be magma), only reachable from large bridges connecting directly from the four sub capitols and from the air. “Towers” would be built along the bridges, wrapping around the bridge above and below, providing the faction with a strong point to take and hold. The four sub capitols and the capitol would have originally been research stations, built by the humans to discover the workings of the planet. Two of the sub capitols would be down in the base of caldera, slightly built into the walls with many pipes and tubes descending into the heart of the volcano. These would be reachable via the existing roads into the crater. The other two sub capitols would be built into the cone of the volcano (original purpose to take samples of the vapour for analysis), reachable via roads as usual.

Hossin
The humans on Hossin have to deal with the onslaught of the weather, storms lashing at the bases on this continent, often causing flooding, damaging the first bases the humans established here. Because of this some of the bases would be partially flooded, whole tunnel networks underwater (none of vital base equipment would be underwater, however alternative routes to them could be via the flooded tunnel). Newer bases would have been built on this continent, on stilts above the water, to avoid the flooding. All the new bases would have covered walkways, to keep the heavy rain off defenders. These tree top bases would be accessible via ramps, stairwells and mechanical lifts.
Capitol: The capitol would be built on the only bit of well drained and high ground on the continent, the central island where it resides now. This too would have covered walkways.
Towers: The towers on Hossin would be suspended above the ground on stilts, among the tree tops, with exposed stairs leading to the entrances.

Esamir
Bases on this cold and wintry continent would be snow covered, all walkways and level surfaces covered with snow, with large snow drifts up the sides of base walls, sometimes giving attackers access to them from the outside. Towers and bases here would be similar to Amerish as well, except blanketed in snow.
Capitol: The capitol would have a large snow shield built over it, at a height of about 30m. This would keep the base below snow free, as well as defending occupiers from orbital strikes. There would also be a stairwell leading up to the snow shield, for use by both attackers and defenders.

Ceryshen
Much like Oshur, bases here would be built deep underground, except here to avoid the cold and snowstorms rather than heat and sandstorms. Here also snow would be built up in drifts around bases, and would cover exposed surfaces.
Capitol: The capitol of Ceryshen would be built much like Helms Deep in The Lord of the Rings, built into one of the giant cliffs, attackers having to breach a large defensive wall network to get to the main doors of the facility. Other features of this building could be a small backdoor that is difficult to defend at the top of the cliff, leading to tunnels inside the base that work their way down to the main facility itself. The air pads could be hangers dug into the side of the cliff away from the main entrance, with a large landing platform extending out from the cliff (an entry point for airborne attackers, think of gals landing in the hanger, disgorging troops as they do).
Towers: Towers on this cold continent could also be built a small way into the cliffs and glaciers, a bolt hole during the storms. Air towers could be built in the middle of the cliff faces, a landing pad jutting out, only accessible from aircraft.


Capitol Enhancements

Vehicle Pads: Give all capitols a drop ship construction pad, that can only be used however when linked to a drop ship centre. Galaxies and Loadstars are too rare in current play, giving us an extra base on most continents where we can get them would be a godsend to some people and outfits, allowing them to form up in the battle zone, rather than having to recall to sanctuary. Also make sure that aircraft and ground vehicles have separate pads, like Tech plants, so that waiting lines are reduced.

Multiple walls: Give them various rings of walls, with small, easily defendable walkways between the two rings, as well as moving the gates into the next courtyard around in the walls, forcing attacking vehicles to drive around the walls, under the defenders guns.

Improved base walls: Give them two levels, the current level, but then have another walkway on top of that one. This makes the walls slightly more defensive, stopping more flail and tank shells from arcing over the base and pounding it. It also gives the defenders on the middle level protection from Reaver spam and Liberator bombs to some degree. Those on the top level would be more exposed, but would have a better angle of fire on attacking troops.

Dual IFF locks on certain functions: Have dual IFF locks on external doors of the base and the CC, making it harder for lone hackers to change the tide of battle. You'll have some of the biggest fights around these facilities; we may as well work together to take them.

[Earlydawn]

I totally agree with continent specific building and capitol designs. Good post.

[piolet68654]

good job
very nice discription

change oshur to "battle islands"
a little outdated but overall very good job! ;)

[Polgara]

Yes, love it, I'v wanted everything on that post for a long time now (also maby a civilian city on each cont where you can have actual urban battles, not like those cavern fights, although they are fun when they take off)

The only idea on there i never thought of would be the underground bases, or the bases suspended over lakes, Very good idea. Hope it comes.

[DviddLeff]

Ill redo the article sometime, moving the Oshur details into Ish or the desert battle island, as well as getting it all tied in with the "story" of each of the planets we now have post-bending.

[Polgara]

I was just thinking, what if we could make this into the next expansion pack, where the maps would change for everyone, making them accesible to everyone, but add new maps or weapons for people who buy the expansion, like core combat does.

Maby the story could be that because of the bending, the continents returned to where they were originaly, before the Vanu made auraxis. But now that they are in there new areas, the planets are begining to readjust themselves to there new orbits and luner activitys, causeing significent changes in its sea levels, as in hossin, or causing Searhus's Volcano to erupt, causeing the mass damage, and need for the suspended bases you talked about.

Anyone got any ideas for new technologys or weapons that could be included with the expansion?

[DviddLeff]

Although new territory to fight on would be nice to see, there really is no point, already we see fights only taking place on 3-4 continents at the same time, when there are many unused links to enemy continents going.

What there needs to be before they add any new fighting areas are hotspots on the end of every battlefront.

[Polgara]

well, instead of an expansion, what about it being the next big event, like the bending was. and over maby a week, differnt things happen on each cont, Lava bombs start falling on Searhus, Heavy rains on Hossin, heavy snowfall on cherishen and esameer, and at the end of the weak, the continents could change to the ways you described them.

maby even all of the other things you described as well, new roads, checkpoints and tunnels because most of the terrain will have changed and most of the conts would need to be rebuilt.

[DviddLeff]

Like it, and I think the continents could be changed one by one, and the bases in waves, in order to keep the downloads small.

[piolet68654]

i was thinking of a new map with A Story
ok,
A Terran Freighter was dillivering supplies to a colony FAR from the terran homeworld. it got lost. he saw a small island planet. the pilot planned on orbitting around several times before landing. all of a sudden the ship was a victom of A New conglomerate heavy fighter's powerful Hellfire missles the island had several towers on it already. No permenit bases had been established.
so the freighter crashed and now the 3 empires can battle in its reckage.
this would BE VERY hard to develop but, it would be nice

also, the light bases would have small buildings "tent-like".
and i think empires home continis should depict the empire. for example solsar (NC home cont) would take advantage of the NC close quarter weapons, and have "rebel-like buildings" for example we can rename solsar, IRAQ.

[piolet68654]

another map ideas (from popular game Battlefeild 1942)
http://www.planetbattlefield.com/bf1942/ga...ps/index2.shtml
the map is wake island this would make a great PS map
P.S. the buildings represent bases (ignore the ships)

[piolet68654]

Un walled base
unless you particapated in alpha i would suggest you dont scroll down
you've been warned!
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here are more images of alpha,
look at the galaxy abd vangard

magrider

now look at this galaxy