2021.01.22
[Developer Newsletter] Map update in late January 2021
- ■[PST]2021/01/22 01:00
- [CET]2021/01/22 10:00
- Hello Pilots! Funatani here! It’s been awhile, but I am very excited to share our latest news.
- I’m going to share some details about the “New MAP Military Base” that is scheduled to be released in late January!
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New MAP Military Base
- After finishing the “Jungle” map design (released September 2020), I looked back at the most recent MAPs I had created to see what kind of designs I wanted to play with next. After MAPs with close quarter combat like “Arctic Base”, “Derelict Colony” and “Jungle”, I thought that the next MAP should have long distance combat where it would be easy to fight from afar and allow me to get close by using shields. This made me recall the “Military Base” that I created in the previous GBO game. Of course, some changes have been made for GBO2! Let’s start with the overall appearance. It is a MAP consisting of flatlands and medium to large buildings. Since the area is not divided by super-large buildings like “City Ruins” or mountainous areas like “Impact Site,” it is a type of MAP that allows you to move freely, with open skies and a great sense of freedom.
- The area is 1.3 km in length and width, roughly the same as “Deserted City”. In the previous game, battles were basically fought between BCs, but with the increase of highly maneuverable Mobile Suits in this game, there were many cases during testing where the old gameplay simply did not work. I’m looking forward to seeing how things will change after release, or whether the main battlefield will still be between BCs.
- When you are on top of a building, you have a clear view and line of sight to the ground, which makes it easier to get caught in the blast. Support units can be positioned in warehouses. Personally, I find the triangular-roofed warehouses to be very useful. The large warehouse in the roundhouse is not bad, but it’s in a place where you can easily get isolated, and the footholds are surprisingly solid… which can easily be overrun by raid units. There are also a lot of buildings that are too big for hiding in for stealth, which can be a problem… since you may find yourself with an Acguy behind you…
- Take to the skies! Since this is a MAP with open skies and barely any vertical obstructions, transformable MS can fly freely. I think it will be useful in a variety of cases, such as accessing high ground, building a front line, and helping support units that are entangled with raid units in the rear.
- The major change this time is the runway. The runway used to be straight and open, but to match it with GBO2’s gameplay, we added craters and large pieces of debris caused by bombing to make it harder for projectiles to pass through. This makes it more difficult to get a clear line of sight! Watch out though… one can get a clear line of fire from above. It’s always a good strategy to check your opponent’s positions while taking cover.
- ■Closing Words
- That’s all for now! I hope you all enjoy this new MAP! Kanbe will be sharing his report in the next Developer Newsletter, so please look forward to that.
- While it may be difficult to be out and about now, I hope you will enjoy the breath of fresh air this new MAP has to offer.
- (Assistant Director of Development, Funatani)
