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DysPatch has revealed in this FA Forum post that the skill system and credit cost of FAS has been changed. The skill system will feature six unique skills, with three levels each, for a total of 18 skills. Players will be able to chose as many skills after they want for a set number of kills, for now. In the future, when more skills are added, there will be a cap to how many skills an individual can acquire. With so many skills though, it is unsure if there will still be the standard 10 kills per skill upgrade in previous versions.
DysPatch also provides an example of how this new skill system will work with the new Commander skill.
* Commander I
o 5% Faster Movement Speed for Nearby Teammates
* Commander II
o 5% Accuracy Boost for Nearby Teammates
o 10% Less Damage to Nearby Teammates
* Commander III
o Capture Objectives Twice as Fast
In addtion to the skill changes, FAS will move from the traditional 30 skill points to an even 100. This is for the anticipation of new weapons in the future, allowing for better balance. All current items in FAS will have their credit cost raised to reflect this new system, such as the cost of grenades being raised from two credits, to six credits.
The highlight feature in the previous news update may not make it to the first release candidate. DysPatch said in this thread that the highlighting was unstable, and had to be cut. If this means for testing, or for the first RC, has yet be determined.
In many FPS these days, there is some indicator whether you hit someone or not, be it a change in your cross hair, a noise, or some other visual clue. FAS will not be much different from these other games.
As DysPatch states in this thread, "we plan on having a nice helmet thud or flesh break if you hit someone in the head" and continues with, "I wouldn't mind a cross hair flash for hit recognition. Its been brewing in my mind for sometime." However, adds that it would be something for after the initial release of FA.
Not everyone though shares the same philosophy as DysPatch. Naoto points out that, "hit indicators are borderline cheating." Citing examples from play test, Naota recalls when damage was displayed on the HUD, saying "[it] was one of the most frustrating parts of the game until we went out of our way to remove the damage indicator from testing." These on screen indicators showed when you hit someone, allowing players to "fire their machine gun into the darkness/undergrowth/water/solid walls/prone players/window ledges far away and have the UI feedback tell them to keep shooting because they're hitting someone."
And as Naota said, "As awesome as it might be, bullets are not one of the five senses."
In a FAS Input Forum post, Oelund commented about the possibility of a variety of ammo types in future versions of FAS. While it would be possible to have many ammo types such as Full Metal Jacket, Armor Piercing Steel Core, etc, it would not be beneficial to game play. The change in ammo types would make the differences between weapons less noticeable. If a weapon is coded for weaker damage compared to another and suddenly a player has the option to increase the damage by selecting a different ammo type, it would make one of the weapons redundant.
This is not to mean that no weapon would have different ammo types. Shotguns and grenade launchers, with their variety of specific shells, would provide unique ammo types as well as keeping balance. Also, some specific weapons that are available in different chambers, such as the Robinson Armament XCR, could be a candidate for multiple ammo types. This weapon would be an exception to the rule, as the entire upper part of the gun is changed out for the new caliber. In addition, the two types of rounds it can chamber - the 5.56mm and 6.8mm SPC - would be easy to balance, "6.8mm is more powerful, but magazine only hold 25 rounds (vs 30 in 5.56)."
This is still speculation and is a long way off. It a weapon like this ever does come, it would be with or after FAS implements its weapon-attachment system it has planned for future RCs.
When asked about the possibility of other bolt action sniper rifles in FAS, such as the SSG3000, Hitman said: Just because there's an M24 doesn't mean there can't or won't be any other bolt-actions. We're not limited to 32 weapons, and you shouldn't expect us to just stop at that point.
Hitman also stated that taking Firearms to the next level would mean a lot of guns.
Hitman has stated that the videos from last Sunday's testing session may not be the only ones. "I'll be getting some more videos tomorrow," Hitman said.
These new videos will have better sound as well be in YouTube HD.
However, their may not be new videos at all: it's the FAS Team's decision if Hitman publish them and if Hitman is able to get enough good footage from the next testing session.
Envelope please...
What are three things that are blue?
Going by StealthSilver's twitter post, the blue player models are done. Expect to see them in an update soon.
In a FAS Forum thread taking about achievements, DysPatch replied when asked point blank about achievements, "I would hold off on that question for now. It may be cleared up in the near future."
FAS's twitter feed also states that Shinobi and DysPatch will be on halflife2.net's podcast, which would be "the near future." Podcast, besides letting fans hear about the mod, would also be an ideal place to drop some new information about FAS.
A poster, judoka, on FAS's Mod DB site for the 25 JUNE 2009 update mentioned something about gaining benefits for players who fight by playes who have the leadership skill.
While such claims can be made by anyone, the fact that the poster mentions the internal release number of FAS a few pages down seems to add more weight to his statement.
Waisted menkey has posted in the Alpha Testers Journal with many screen shots of testing the latest internal build of FAS. Most notable in the screen shots are of the scope mechanics for weapons with low powered scopes such as the MP5 and G36. Using the scopes on these weapons brings up the scope, but still allows you to to see the area around you as well. Scopes for dedicated sniper rifles, such as the M82 and SR25 are the full screen scope that most players of FPS are use to.
Also shown in one screen shot is a mini map in the HUD. The mini map displays the map topography, as well as near by team mates, your cone of view, medics (or possibly hospice flags), capture points and possibly mortar targets. Mortar targets however could have a map of their own for interaction, or the mini map could expand similar to DoD:S to allow players to interact with it.
In addition, this screen shot also shows the mortar's ammo count bar above your weapons ammo count. It is unable to be determined if this only appears for your mortar, is displayed if if you target the mortar and if you need the Artillery skill to see the ammo count.
Finally, there appears to be some type of medal system in FAS. What it is exactly has yet to be explained at all. Possibly achievements, possibly an in game system that awards players skills for other things besides killing.
In addition, there are screen shots of the blue model place holder. Also there are a few players wielding deadly bananas which are place holders for the new high quality world models.
The original Firearms had a unique prone system: going prone was slow, but with the skill Battle Field Agility, it was faster. Later versions changed this up some, making the standard prone faster and BFA only slightly more so. Another problem with prone in older versions is that the bounding boxes - the boxes that dictate where your character "collides" with the world - were very inaccurate. Players who were prone could not enter crawl spaces that they could while crouched, nor pass though narrow passages that they could while crouched or standing.
While FAS is going back to the older version of Firearms in terms of game play and "feel", the prone system is vastly updated, according to Hitman. The speed of going prone is fast to reflect the game play. It makes little sense for people to be sprinting around, jumping over sandbags and hurling grenades to be unable to quickly go prone. Additionally, the bounding boxes of prone are more accurate, reflecting character's real height: while prone, you are able to go under objects that you couldn't go under while crouched (but this still needs some more testing before release).
The fate of BFA is somewhat in question with the quick prone and lack of stamina drain while moving which were the two of the three main reasons for BFA in previous RCs; the last being able to fall at great distances without breaking your leg. As FAS does not have broken legs implemented yet, BFA as a unique skill seems unlikely.
Parachutes, a staple of Firearms, will not be in the initial release of FAS, but later releases?
"It's gotten enough talk among the developers that I think it's pretty much a given. Nobody has shot it down and all the devs want to see chutes someday," Hitman said. With player models done and people to do animations, the inclusion of parachutes at some point is all but confirmed.
The process to make a mod is a long, tedious task. Much of it is a learning experience; most mod teams learn and relearn techniques, seeing what works and what doesn't, trying new things while abandoning others. FAS is no different. Talks in the FAS forum allude to a FAS post modem after the first release candidate.
Schmung said he wouldn't mind writing a forum post or two about the development of FAS which Shinobi agreed it would be a good idea.
PFS commented on the 6 June News Post that FAS is due for a huge media blitz leading to the release of FAS. The scope of PFS comments regarding John Philips (from IGN) makes it seem any FAS media push will be much larger than just a simple internet campaign with a few banner adds. PFS expects that the IGN network "is going to run a full week's special on everything Firearms," which include, "interviews, screens and the list goes on."
AirWolf, creator of ps_forest, is no longer a member of the FAS Team in any capacity: his name is off the team list, screen shots and videos of ps_forest are no longer on the FAS site or FAS's ModDB site and his developer's journal no longer exist. However, the designs he created (at least the ones featured on his developers blog) for the FAS flags are still being used in media screen shots which can be found on the flags in ps_snowstorm.
When asked about his absence, the only response by a team member is that "he is no longer on the team. That is all anyone outside of development needs to know about it." While the curt response would make it seem as if there was some trouble.
"Let it be said that you never want to join a mod unless you can take criticism. Yeah, sometimes you'd like to say, screw you I know what I want and other times, after you sit back and think about it for a while, you realize they might be right," Airwolf said in his last developer's journal post. The rest of the post though has no other indication of discourse, commenting on the creation of a new map, as well as new menu that was conceptualized when FAS was still named Incursion.
With no statement from Airwolf or the FAS Team, there is no way to know what has happened. Airwolf could of left on his own reasons, not having time to work on FAS due to personal or financial reasons; or he could of made an artistic stand on ps_forest that wouldn't have worked well for FAS high standard of gameplay and visual quality.
With the latest news post, there are only a few more weapons the FAS Team can show off:
M3 Super 90
Sako Rk. 95
M14
M60E3
M82A1
M79 40mm Grenade Launcher
MK2 Frag Grenade
Combat Knife
Red/Blue Player Models
This means, going off the weapon list, the FAS Team is roughly 72% complete with their models.
In Hitman's 31 December 2008 developer's journal update, when mentioning the various types of updates FAS will receive after its release, one of them are achievements. It can only be assumed that this means that FAS will incorporate Steam's achievement system with its release.
Steam's achievement system seem to be linked to the Steamworks service that mods such as Insurgency and Age of Chivalry use. Does this mean that FAS will be able to be downloaded though Steam? While nothing indicates it as such, it would make sense with Hitmans hope for constant updates. However, PFS's comments about many sponsors for FAS's release would contradict this.
In a FAS Forums post, Naota talks about a few of the weapons in FAS.
He begins with the comparison between the OTS-33 and the MAC11. While both weapons have similar damage and credit cost - the MAC11 is one credit more - the similarities end there. The OTS-33 has a high rate of fire - 900 RPM - but a lower magazine size. The MAC11 is almost on the other end of the spectrum with a lower rate of fire, but almost double the magazine size.
Naota also speculates that the MAC11 may receive a suppressor in the future, but the same feature will most likely be not available for the OTS-33. However Naota says "the OTs-33 has a built-in attachment rail for things like LAMs, laser sights."
Naota finnishes with stating he has "just about finished modelling the M24."
The prone feature of past versions will possibly not be included with the first RC of FAS.
In Hitman's 22 September, 2008 developer's journal entry when asked about coding for the prone system which U4 stated here as not implemented, Hitman replies "I wouldn't count on prone being in anytime soon."
Reasons for the prone system not be included are not detailed in any following post. The most likely possibility is that the FAS Team is having trouble finding people to create animations for player models. Various post from FAS Team members and Alpha Testers in the FAS Forums have shown they have had problems finding people to create player models and this could extend to animators as well.
While PFS dose try to put up a smoke screen by stating that lack of prone in FAS may be a feature, U4's earlier comment clearly states that prone will be included at some date; unless features have changed within three days of U4's post.
That aside, it would be interesting to see how FAS plays without prone. Some have stated than prone in previous RCs is a culprit of slowing down game play, while others support it for its strategic and stealth elements. Going back to U4's comments, it seems currently without a prone system machine guns and sniper rifles are having difficulty stooping rushers. How this will be balanced will be tricky, for any changes now to make them effective could presumably make them overly effective when prone is introduced. Furthermore, the inclusion of the prone system in a later RC could turn off some players who were use to machine guns and sniper rifles not being effective, as well as not having to worry about people going prone and thus being a harder target to hit.
