Line Of Defense - AMA

dsmart

Let's see if we can, you know, discuss the game.

Before we get started, these are pre-requisites which will help shape some of your questions.

Quick Overview

Gameplay Flow

Why Early Access?

Game Docs

Game FAQ

Game Assets dB

Game Media (official, Steam)

Game Engine Overview

Game Changelog

I was considering re-opening the CBT sign-up page so that people who want to check out the game, can sign-up for a chance to get a free Starter Kit, which gives them immediate access to the game.

However, due to what happened back in March when we did the freeplay weekend in order to test the Steam services implementation (as well as the Starter Kit), and with all these recent attacks against us and the game, by a bunch of people, over my SC blog posts, I have decided not to do that.

So, I won't be opening the CBT again before the game is ready for final release later this year. I do however give out free keys from time to time, based on merit and a genuine interest. If you want one, just message me and we'll go from there. 

PS: The forum message reply appears to be broken (I have reported it). So I can't respond to messages in order to give out keys previously requested. So please email me instead to fleetcmd at 3000ad dot com

UnleadedRev

Thanks for posting this doing this Derek.

And, by the way, I agree 100% with you regarding SC, and I am a Founder too.

dsmart

Originally posted by UnleadedRev

Thanks for posting this doing this Derek.

And, by the way, I agree 100% with you regarding SC, and I am a Founder too.

You're welcome. 

There are lots of misconceptions about the game being passed around, none of which are true.

And since we really haven't been doing any promotion (we even gave MMORPG a bunch of keys weeks back, but advised that they wait for the game to be closer to final release before doing any sort of preview/review, key giveaway etc) on the game (we have been waiting for later this year when closer to final release), most of the info floating around - by people who have never played the game - is all false. Which prompts various (1, 2) responses from me to clarify things.

A lot of people have helped us shape the game since it hit EA back in Sept 2014, and it is reports like this one from someone (a Steam mod who has been helping with the forum moderation due to our being overwhelmed) who never ever touched the game before yesterday, that contribute to helping us make it better as things move along.

There isn't a game like this anywhere, or in development. Why? Because it is a major technological undertaking that not a lot of teams will dare attempt.

And it's only taken less than a dozen people, less than $12m and a little under five years (if you don't count the fact that I trashed the first engine, one year after we started developing it). Yet, rather than finding out more about the game, getting into it etc, some people find it easier to just go on the attack, while trying to compare it to another game that's 500+ people, and $85m in the making.

At the end of the day, like all my games, it will get done, and it will get released. How it is received is an entirely different story. But since my games are directed at a specific audience who are guaranteed to always buy them, those the reason I am still here, my guess is that we'll do OK. Especially given the way it's designed, and the ability to expand it over time.

Kyleran

The best thing you could do is to not respond to any discussions about "that other game" and report anyone who does asking the moderators remove it.

Let's see if it's possible to keep the discussion focused on LOD without devolving into "so and so does it better" arguments.

edit: OK, case in point, the post above me.  These are the only reasonable questions:

Why is your roadmap empty http://lodmmo.com/roadmap/ ? Why are you sticking to a lackluster engine that originated back in 2011 rather than making use of something future proof like Unreal 4?

The rest of the post should be ignored.

 

Kyleran

Originally posted by Rzep

Originally posted by Kyleran

The best thing you could do is to not respond to any discussions about "that other game" and report anyone who does asking the moderators remove it.

Let's see if it's possible to keep the discussion focused on LOD without devolving into "so and so does it better" arguments.

edit: OK, case in point, the post above me.  These are the only reasonable questions:

Why is your roadmap empty http://lodmmo.com/roadmap/ ? Why are you sticking to a lackluster engine that originated back in 2011 rather than making use of something future proof like Unreal 4?

The rest of the post should be ignored.

 

Thank you for deciding what is a valid question. You are pillar of this here community. My questions about Derek Smart are very much on topic since he has made himself the face of the company. There is no 3000AD, there is Derek Smart.  The man has an ego and is a controversial figure. He knows and acknowledges this openly so why do you see the need to protect him? A grown educated man who can do so on his very own?

To quote the first line of the OP, "Let's see if we can, you know, discuss the game."

Try to keep on topic please.

Rzep

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by Rzep

Originally posted by Kyleran

The best thing you could do is to not respond to any discussions about "that other game" and report anyone who does asking the moderators remove it.

Let's see if it's possible to keep the discussion focused on LOD without devolving into "so and so does it better" arguments.

edit: OK, case in point, the post above me.  These are the only reasonable questions:

Why is your roadmap empty http://lodmmo.com/roadmap/ ? Why are you sticking to a lackluster engine that originated back in 2011 rather than making use of something future proof like Unreal 4?

The rest of the post should be ignored.

 

Thank you for deciding what is a valid question. You are pillar of this here community. My questions about Derek Smart are very much on topic since he has made himself the face of the company. There is no 3000AD, there is Derek Smart.  The man has an ego and is a controversial figure. He knows and acknowledges this openly so why do you see the need to protect him? A grown educated man who can do so on his very own?

To quote the first line of the OP, "Let's see if we can, you know, discuss the game."

Try to keep on topic please.

Very well sir moderator if there are no answers to be had I am off. Have fun with the AMA and good luck to Derek and LOD. 

Kyleran

Originally posted by Rzep

Originally posted by Kyleran

Originally posted by Rzep

Originally posted by Kyleran

The best thing you could do is to not respond to any discussions about "that other game" and report anyone who does asking the moderators remove it.

Let's see if it's possible to keep the discussion focused on LOD without devolving into "so and so does it better" arguments.

edit: OK, case in point, the post above me.  These are the only reasonable questions:

Why is your roadmap empty http://lodmmo.com/roadmap/ ? Why are you sticking to a lackluster engine that originated back in 2011 rather than making use of something future proof like Unreal 4?

The rest of the post should be ignored.

 

Thank you for deciding what is a valid question. You are pillar of this here community. My questions about Derek Smart are very much on topic since he has made himself the face of the company. There is no 3000AD, there is Derek Smart.  The man has an ego and is a controversial figure. He knows and acknowledges this openly so why do you see the need to protect him? A grown educated man who can do so on his very own?

To quote the first line of the OP, "Let's see if we can, you know, discuss the game."

Try to keep on topic please.

Very well sir moderator if there are no answers to be had I am off. Have fun with the AMA and good luck to Derek and LOD. 

LOL, I'm no moderator, I'm just trying to see if it's actually possible to have a discussion about the game, and not DS, I'm not sure we can.

 

dsmart

Originally posted by Rzep

Why is your roadmap empty http://lodmmo.com/roadmap/ ?

Because I never got around to populating it with data from my Confluence site. When I did, there were some issues with it and I decided not to waste time populating it before it was fixed. It has since been fixed, but again, I just never got around to populating it. I do plan on doing that.

Why are you sticking to a lackluster engine that originated back in 2011 rather than making use of something future proof like Unreal 4?

Because just picking an engine to make a custom game is not where it ends.

You need a custom engine. All my games are developed using a custom engine because there are no engines capable of running the games that I make.

Neither UE5 nor Unity5, are capable of powering this game, and for various reasons. One of them being that both of these have severe restrictions on scene size and management. CryEngine3 has the same problem.

We started building yet another engine back in 2010 and trashed it in 2011 to start over with a custom engine built with various middleware (see the link in my OP).

Even though Havok Vision Engine is a capable one, it pales in comparison to UE4 and U5 in various areas. However, it's design allowed us to do exactly what we wanted by extending it with ease. That's why we were able to use so many different middleware - all of which need to play nice with each other.

Note that I've had access to UE4 years before it was even made public, and before they changed the licensing model. I just chose not to use it because a) it wasn't ready (they even told us not to use it for production work) b) it wasn't suited for this type of game.

I also have access to Valve's Source engine. Didn't use that either; for the same reason.

The custom engine we built is very capable. The visual style was specifically chosen in order to balance gameplay with visual fidelity. Going any other way, would have resulted in an unplayable game. Even today, we're still having performance issues due to the game's immense size, and which we keep tweaking as things move along.

Edit: Seeing as you have answered the poster above and the way you did it:

Why do you blame everything that may be wrong with the game and how the game is perceived on others instead of on yourself. You are the one presenting your ideas to gamers, you are the one in charge, you are the one making the decisions that lead to the misconceptions and negative outlook.

I am not responsible for people's feelings or how they act.

I tend not to let people get away with putting me under siege, bullying, harassing or intimidating me. People don't like to push a boulder that pushes back. And this is not new. As I wrote in my recent Gaming Urban Legend blog, it's just something I do not tolerate. Never have. Never will.

This will be the ONLY non-LOD related question that I will respond to. All others will be ignored and/or flagged for removal. Let's talk about the "GAME"

 

Erillion

< Snip > Removed ... as this is AMA and this was not a direct question, but advice ...

 

Have fun

Rzep

This is both an mmo and a hardcore shooter, are you creating your own anti-cheat solutions or are you partnering with one of the available programs?

This is a fairly large scale game,  how does the combat structure look. Is it limited to joining squads or is it something more complicated like single players make up squads, squads battalions, battalions armies and at the top there is a commander.

The games world, so I assume space included, is said to be seamless.

Does that mean you can, without a loading screen, go down to a planet from space?

(If so) How did you overcome what seems to have been a giant problem for many devs ( I think only the upcoming No Mans Sky has seamless descent to detailed fully featured planets )?

Is going down to a planet an animation that hides a loading screen or is it actually fully playable?

Is the 256 player limit set in stone due to design or is it something limited by the tech/engine that may change in the future. Will we see Planetside 2 size battles ( 2000 people fighting to claim one base, it was epic, but as expected laggy as all hell) ?

Erillion

@ Derek Smart

What is the main difference between Line of Defense and Planetside 2 ?

http://lodmmo.com/faqs/how-does-the-gameplay-flow/

http://lodmmo.com/faq-page/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlanetSide_2

 

What is new / better / different in LOD compared to Planetside 2 from your point of view ?

 

Have fun

dsmart

Just so we're clear.

Every time I see a post that has nothing to do with the game, fakes a question about the game, but contains completely unrelated questions (you DO know what an AMA for "GAME" is right? well read the OP), or just an attack on me or the game, it will be reported, and the person blocked (so I don't get to see any rubbish).

Since most of the usual suspects posting in this thread were already blocked, there is no need for you to even bother posting anything to me. I won't read it. I won't respond to it.

 

Erillion

Originally posted by dsmart

Just so we're clear.

Every time I see a post that has nothing to do with the game, fakes a question about the game, but contains completely unrelated questions (you DO know what an AMA for "GAME" is right? well read the OP), or just an attack on me or the game, it will be reported, and the person blocked (so I don't get to see any rubbish).

Since most of the usual suspects posting in this thread were already blocked, there is no need for you to even bother posting anything to me. I won't read it. I won't respond to it.

 

http://www.internetslang.com/AMA-meaning-definition.asp

"What is AMA?
AMA is "Ask Me Anything" or "Against Medical Advice" "

 

Have fun

 

Phaserlight

What were/are some of your inspirations in creating the All Aspects series?

dsmart

Originally posted by Rzep

This is both an mmo and a hardcore shooter, are you creating your own anti-cheat solutions or are you partnering with one of the available programs?

To be honest, we haven't even decided yet how we want to approach that. Given the game's design, we may just end up rolling our own. But that will depend on what it takes to implement a third-party solution.

This is a fairly large scale game,  how does the combat structure look. Is it limited to joining squads or is it something more complicated like single players make up squads, squads battalions, battalions armies and at the top there is a commander.

Very good question.  The combat structure is outlined in the game play flow description. 

You can play solo if you want - and there is nothing stopping you from doing so. Especially given the different gameplay modes. 

It also supports fireteams and squads which are optional. These are more like guilds which have a leader and people who join/leave etc. The mechanics and reasons for joining one of these, are pretty much in line with their use in other games.

For example, there is no way people playing solo are going to be able to make any difference in a Base Capture engagement. In a World Event, maybe, but even so - given how deadly the NPCs are, you're probably going to die a lot. Think Terminator

The games world, so I assume space included, is said to be seamless.

Does that mean you can, without a loading screen, go down to a planet from space?

No. As described in this FAQ entry, due to the significant size of the game world, as well as the design, the need for control over server population, performance considerations etc, there is no seamless space <-> planet transition.

Instead, going from planet to space, and vice versa, is done via jump gates. When players jump from one region to the other via a jump gate, the target scene is then loaded.

Even though the engine is quite capable of handling a seamless transition, I opted not to do it for all the aforementioned reasons. It adds nothing to the game, other than the "cool" factor. 

(If so) How did you overcome what seems to have been a giant problem for many devs ( I think only the upcoming No Mans Sky has seamless descent to detailed fully featured planets )?

Is going down to a planet an animation that hides a loading screen or is it actually fully playable?

NMS is a procedural generated engine, so doing seamless transitions is trivial since they're just seeded values.

In LOD, because the world is segmented, it is just a matter of loading the target scene (space or planet). If it were made seamless, then all we'd need to do is remove the jump gates and when you are within proximity of the planet, auto load it. I did this in my previous games, but I used an external camera flyby during loading of the target scene.

The biggest issue with seamless transition is in memory and performance. Especially for games that have pre-built environments.

Is the 256 player limit set in stone due to design or is it something limited by the tech/engine that may change in the future. Will we see Planetside 2 size battles ( 2000 people fighting to claim one base, it was epic, but as expected laggy as all hell) ?

To be perfectly honest, as described in this FAQ entry, that number is arbitrary. It could be 2048 if we wanted it. We picked 256 clients per scene based on the server config, as well as the need to keep performance in check. The novelty of 2000+ people fighting a battle, is just that, a novelty. It tends to wear off once the initial adrenaline rush is over.

Also, coupled with the fact that we are planning to have player built bases (aka player housing), keeping the client numbers in check, also benefits the performance.

We do intend to increase that number above 256 per scene, once the game has been optimized and is approaching final release.

 

 

dsmart

Originally posted by Phaserlight
What were/are some of your inspirations in creating the All Aspects series?

For me, doing the series came from wanting to try something different. For years I was doing advanced, and very hardcore simulations (Battlecruiser, Universal Combat, Echo Squad) which had a different audience. Also, doing the AAW series also allowed me to branch out of the pure simulation field and focus on a different core subject matter; primarily first person mayhem. Though the Angle Of Attack air combat simulation was still as hardcore as they come

 

ps: This will be my final response. As this was not an official AMA, there are no moderators, could be perceived as advertising etc. So I will schedule something with the site and have a more formal AMA at some later date.

 

 

Rzep

Speaking of player bases. In the recently released ARK many gamers have bemoned the fact that when they are offline it is exceedingly easy for their things to be stolen or destroyed. Their guards dinos are killed with little effort and days of progress goes out the window. 

Do you feel that is part of the persistant PvP experiance or do you have something in mind to combat offline destruction. Obviously fighting over a bases is more exciting than a group/guild knowing when another is offline and simply walking in and taking their stuff. Maybe it is simple an issue of balance, having strong auto defenses. 

This somewhat ties into the issue of how not to turn gamers off too quickly. There will of course be people used to such situations but I do not believe they are a large enough group to keep any game going. Are you afraid that a focus on a hardcore PvP experiance will only cater to a small, albeit, devoted crowd?

Loktofeit

Good question, Erillion. Interested in that, too. 

 

Cybersclong

You seem like a stand up guy and for that I will purchase your game and see if I can feel your vision.

Don't take any **** !!!!

MikeB

Hey guys,

We're going to restart this AMA at a later date so that we can dedicate the appropriate promotional and moderator resources to the event such that both Mr. Smart and you guys get the most out of it. We'll be locking this thread and we'll let you know once we've set a date for the official AMA.

Thanks, everyone!