Better plot and levels design.

[curiosity]

Hello. Two suggestions:

1. Better plot/writing. PB2 plot feels really cliched - typical bad aliens invade Earth, typical dystopian future (if I get it right), typical main hero who tries to be the good guy and save everybody, typical side characters/friends with their short and simple backstory, typical predictable happy ending where main heroes win and aliens are defeated/never invaded Earth. This feels like a plot for young people who don't have a taste yet (subjective, ikr, but still, you get it, right?). Perhaps the community can help write a better and more complex and adult plot that would give a better impression of the game?

2. Better levels design. PB2 levels feel really empty and simple due to them being released in 2011. Currently I'm not sure if Eric Gurt can make extremely beautiful maps like some of community level developers can do, because I saw Eric's maps made in recent years and they do not look very pretty, modern or overall impressive, no offense. Maybe community members can try to help Eric with the levels theme of PB3 campaign? Perhaps make a few demonstration levels that would give Eric an inspiration to make something similar?

[Longbow Mangudai]

- I'm not sure on how to speak about the whole "typical bad aliens" part. They can just be like this for the sake of being so, but they would need to interact with the Marine and the CS in ways that would hold our attention. But they can also be given a reason behind their actions - say, some corrupt part of the Usurpation Race thinks [insert reasoning], or the ruler is an evil doosh who thinks [insert reasoning].

There's no wrong way of going about this, if Eric decides (and actually does well) with either idea.

- Yes, a 100-- no, 10,000 times yes. I'm so sick of the whole dystopian future trope. Maybe a warzone kinda thing or the reason why the Time Machine was created was because of paranoid people at C-9 who think that the dynamic time travel theory* applies. If this theory doesn't get used, then it could certainly make the plot better.

- Proxy just appeared out of thin air (come on, you can't disagree with that). I feel as if she should've started out fixated on her hatred for the CS. Whatever the reason for that is up to Eric.
At least there's some level of explanation as to why NL is there, but we don't even get to know him and his partner.

- I do agree that there should be some level of modernisation for the campaign. Not a lot, just some.

*Basically, what I'm referring to is the idea that if you go back in time and change something, the future changes as well.

[curiosity]

-quote-

Do you feel like the plot ending of PB3 is predictable? The good guys (Marine, Proxy, NL) win and usurpers never invade the Earth or just being defeated? Does it feel boring to go through the plot while you know how it will most likely end? How can you make the plot more interesting aside from, maybe, let's say, killing a few of main characters? Because I don't feel like Eric will set the plot in a way where there is a possbility of continuation of the plot in PB4 (yes, Plazma Burst 4)?

And... I wonder how could PB3 campaign look like if we make a guess Eric is asking for community help? Maybe you can provide certain map IDs (for demonstration purposes)?

[Longbow Mangudai]

Do you feel like the plot ending of PB3 is predictable?

It's possible that the ending would end up being predictable. Then again, Eric could just do a complete 180 and make it so that all their time-travelling shenanigans have been for nothing at any moment.

Does it feel boring to go through the plot while you know how it will most likely end? How can you make the plot more interesting aside from, maybe, let's say, killing a few of main characters?

...yeah, it does feel kinda lame that I feel like the plot will end in a linear way where the Usurpation Forces never invaded Earth, and they changed history for the better. If I wanted to make it more interesting, perhaps making the duo realise that their mission was in vain could work, but after all they've been through they don't think the aliens will stand a chance. Maybe they're overconfident, maybe they're not. Though, I'd kinda struggle with Proxy's place in the story... what would be the best choice for her besides killing her off? Sending her back to her timeline? I have no idea.
And yeah, I do agree that there's probably no chance of a PB4. Perhaps for the better, since PB3 should be a good enough send-off.

And... I wonder how could PB3 campaign look like if we make a guess Eric is asking for community help?

Well, it'll definitely feel a lot more open and I feel as if the difficulty scaling has a bigger chance of being more smooth.


I don't think I have anything else to add here.

[Gashadokuro]

1 - Simple or cliché isn't necessarily bad, you are also omiting the CS, C9, Falkoks, Usurpation, etc, which by themselves have very good designs and potential. A select part of the community, or close friends might contribute to Eric's script, but you do not suggest or point out anything in particular.

2 - It sounds like you only want more decors, when less can very well be more. There's many great games with simple designs or decors. Anyways, since there's new weapons planned as well as possible map destruction, this will probably be taken into account. It is hard to judge Eric's map making level, considering how not only do we have little experience as map makers, but most of his work is several years old.

[curiosity]

1 - Simple or cliché isn't necessarily bad, you are also omiting the CS, C9, Falkoks, Usurpation, etc, which by themselves have very good designs and potential. A select part of the community, or close friends might contribute to Eric's script, but you do not suggest or point out anything in particular.

2 - It sounds like you only want more decors, when less can very well be more. There's many great games with simple designs or decors. Anyways, since there's new weapons planned as well as possible map destruction, this will probably be taken into account. It is hard to judge Eric's map making level, considering how not only do we have little experience as map makers, but most of his work is several years old.

1 - If you're a kid and know nothing about the world - you prefer simple plots with simple good guys fighting against typical simple villain. Sometimes it's fine, but sometimes it's just annoying. In some good movies/games and even reality it's not always obvious who is the good and who is the bad or what choice is the best, what consequences will it have. Maybe aliens are the good guys and we are the bad, who knows? That's complex and quality plot. But most people don't have a taste, so yeah, maybe something extremely simple would be the best for them.

I cannot point out anything in particular because even Eric himself doesn't seem to know the plot of his game. I checked his Lore Discussion answers and many of them are like "can't tell for now", "might be", "Hmmm", "remains unknown", "it's either", "never been described" and so on.

2 - Not just decors. Everything - good decors, backgrounds, mechanisms, effects, interactive elements, everything that PB2 campsign doesn't have.

Sometimes simple things work, but PB2 already has custom decorations and if you don't use them today your map looks like sh*t. PB3 graphics will be better and it will also have custom decorarations. So standards for PB2 campaign and PB3 campaign are different. Simplicity won't necessary work today.

Speak for yourself. I have map making experience so I can judge. Also his latest work is eric gurt-breakout which is 2022. And it's not even matter if they are several years old. People were making visually amazing maps since maybe 2011. It's not important if he made a map in 2019 or any other year since there were already other maps to compare it to and there already were high standards back then.