1.5 Impression, - discuss, post opinions - Options

[Anubis]

Since there is no topic like this opened yet, i'll be the first to post. Discuss opinions about 1.5, what you like, what you don't like etc. I'll go first as i'm the topic starter .
After playing a few days of rotr 1.5 here is my view of it.

1. Tier system - while the whole tier system is really interesting i find some of the ingame aspects a bit odd, and some really odd.
- the current defense tier system feels really strange imo - the usa protector requires tier 2 while the firebase tier one. what is the point of the howitzer upgrade with this system. Imo the protector should be the T1 defense, while the firebase the T2 one, as it can garrison 4 infantry and upgrade with the howitzer and all of this without any power req. The Tower Component system also feels really odd - imo the RPG tower should be T1 and tesla/air raid sirene ones T2.
- the MBT system also feels out of place and way to RA3-ish.

2. USA Detention Camp - i dunno exactly what plan's are for this structure, but it's current design is the oddest one ingame. A jail that can research high tech upgrades... ? I know realism is not something rotr aim's for, but then again what is the difference between a jail that researches advanced technologies and a tomahawk launcher that launches tomahawk axes ? . The design looks good enough to get renamed at least - maybe rename the Detention Camp to - Tech Center or something ( even research centers have defense fences and guard towers ).

3. USA Firebase howitzer - the thing looks big and bad enough to make even the mighty inferno cannon cry. But currebtly it has a really low range/damage and radius damage. Imo the howitzer should gain as much range as the infenro cannon, but at a lower ROF. Currently it's just to big, and does to little. It's like an overlord that fires scorpion shells.

4. Some designs - while some units ingame looks really awsome, and some redesigns are really cool, other suffer from old looking/EA shity job designs imo.
- while the new paladin feels better than the old one, compaired to the crusader it looks like a box on treads. It's suppose to be a heavy armored tank, yet it's the same size as the crusader, and looks alot lighter. If it wasn't for the treads side covers, the paladin could just as well be the crusader mk2 and the new crusader would be the paladin. It has 4 treads, it looks alot heavyer, and the design is alot more high tech than the paladin box on treads design.
- the Chaparral looks like a black dot on a white sheed. With newer designs aimed at AA combat like the THAAD launcher or the ADATS system, the chaparral really looks absolite, ugly and out of place with the modern and even a bit futuristic design of the current usa faction.
- with the new design/texture detail on the russian barracks and airfield, i couldn't help realising that some of the russian buildings really need some loving - russian CC, Radar and Warfactory. There skin simply looks bland, and the models look highly simplistic.
- Chinese Battlemater - the mg on the turret looks really ugly. While the model got a improved design, that mg looks like crap ( because it's EA's crap ).
- Chinese Propaganda Tower - with the new redesign of the chinese defenses, the prop tower is starting to look really old and bland. Needs some loving to, and probably some visual addons once the subliminal messaging is done - like additional patriotic flags on it or stuff like that.

5. I miss the Helix - i personaly was really dissapointed to see the helix out again. While the han is probably one of the coolest gunships in any ZH mod ( and the flamer addon is really great ), the helix had it's coolnes factor as well .

6. Cobra Gunship - while the cobra was one of my fav gunship designs, i really think it's a bit to old for RotR. Again, i'm not a big fan of realism and it's not why i don't like it in rotr, but with such talented team members i really can't understand why not create a new cool/modern/bit futuritic design for it, and use a 40+ years old design.

7. Nighthawk bomber - again, with so many new design possibilites, i simply cannot understand why keep this crapy old plane. It just looks bad, and feels out of place with so omany other design possibiltes, that would be more modern and more in touch with the RotR timeline.

8. Cool new stuff :

- the Crusader mk 2 is really cool, although the locomotor type upg system feels a bit buggy as it starts with bouth upgrades 'not researched' and only once you chose one status the upgrades become - one active and one unactive.
- The Osprey - really great model and skin job on this one.
- The black hawk - again great job on it ( ignoring the small copy/paste errors we all know of ).
- The new Raptor model and skin.
- The new chinese defenses and nuke cannon, as well as the flame upg for khan.
- The new Russian sentinel and airfield.
- nuke cannon and tomahawk new working systems.
- new AI .
- new maps - especialy the waterfall one from the video feed. Awsome detail job on it.

Final words : RotR imo has a great potential, but at it's current state feels and looks way to much like vanila generals - in terms of the old faction that is. I know it's to early to talk about it, but the thing is, the stuff in 1.5 might just as well make it in 2.0 , so my point is - add alot of new designs and mechanics - scrap almost everything EA used/did, and get as far away from the generals style as possible ( like using really old crapy techs with newer weapon warheads - like the cobra and chaparral ). At least this is how i see it. Imo the current rotr might just as well pass as a different view of shockwave, but instead of new generals it adds new factions. Feels to much like a addon made by EA, and to litle like a true stand alone ( gameplay wise not game wise ) mod. Again this is my personal opinion. Feel free to comment on it, or post your own. It's after all the point of this topic.

Anubis out.

This post has been edited by Anubis: 1 Oct 2009, 2:51