This is a very long how Socom 4 should be

Keep In Mind:
we understand that Socom 4 has been in production for almost 3 years now and we realize many of these ideas and points we want established into the game have a decent chance of not being implemented, but our point is to at least give a representation of what would be worthy additions/subtractions, and with hope perhaps a few ideas could change some opinions upstairs.

TOPIC OF THE DAY: SUPPORT VIDEO

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MOVEMENT & ANIMATION

One of the key concepts to accomplishing success in Socom 4, would be applying virtually what we have seen in the past from you guys: S1, S2, and S3 basic movements, while of course adding your own spice to the title, as it is 2010 and you (Zipper) have made it clear you are going to tinker in order to fit the need for the current generation.

The list below will show what the obvious wants are as far as movements and animations are concerned

-Reload Speed (make it snappy and quick, unlike confrontation)

-Strafing ( we want to feel loose and free, quick is the key here )

-Run Speed ( FAST, it's obvious we like speed, and Zipper has done that well in the past, so keep it fast!)

-Sprint ( keep it out, we'd rather run with our guns-a-blazing, the realism factor doesn't need to be present )

-Prone Dive ( we want the ability to dive down, stay down, or be able to pop back up quick, limitless, like in Socom 2)

-Prone Lean ( this should be enabled regardless how much realism your going for )

-Jump/Climb (boy is this implementation missed, we like to climb objects quickly, and objects that seem climbable too )

-Gun Switching ( Again with the free-feeling factor, fast, fast, fast, in a gunfight we want quick access to other weapons)

-Reload v2 (we'd like to do it fast as mentioned, but uninterrupted and also in mid-air, that limitation failed in S:CON)

-Firing Mid-Air ( Socom 3 was a little carried away, S:CON disabled it, and Socom 2 did it juuuuuust RIGHT!)

-Character ( make him ambidextrous as Zipper always has, it gives a much neater appearance and plays better as well)

-Lean ( make it useful, unlike Confrontation where you virtually had to put your whole body out to fire)

-Speed Summary ( overall faster movements cause for more exciting gunfights, hence the addiction we know and love)

So, overall, essentially give us the formula of animation and movement's from your past games on the PS2, but selecting certain elements from each game and their the animations like the ones listed above.



LOBBIES

Ah yes, lobbies, the unique set-up lobbies bring to SOCOM gives us a community felt presence that no other game can resemble. This is one aspect of the game we are not worried about AT ALL when it comes to Zipper's many talents. They have proven to be "experts" if you will, in making superb Lobby Systems that flow and work flawlessly ( for the most part ). They have proven now in MAG that on the PS3 things will be just as soothing as before, with great transitions and quick menu pop-ups with virtually no load times.

So we know what Zipper can do, and we're asking that they replicate, to almost the same degree, a Socom 1, 2, or 3 lobby set-up. Any of these three or elements from each will give us what we're looking for and expecting in Socom 4. But for re-assurance, let's take a deeper dig into sub-elements of the Lobby breakdown.

-Fluid Menus (basically do what you guys have been doing in past Socoms, MAG shows us you can do it on the PS3)

-Text Chat (While Zipper always had text chat, Slant Six did not, keep text chat in the lobbies, we like it and it helps!)

-Single Map Rank Rooms ( hopefully Zipper will stay true to having rooms like "Desert Glory" Ranked i.e)

-Spectating (Socom 2 had the best set-up for this, use that formula and grow from there and we've got a winner)

-Message Boards (Socom 3 introduced this and was actually a great feature, would be nice if able to access them on the game)

-Friend Following (an in-game friends list with several options to choose and the addition to follow a friend - i.e MAG, Socom 3)

-Friend Location ( simply seeing where your friends are is a nice touch - let's not pull a Confrontation style view )

-UCCR ( aka User Created Ranked Rooms, glitchers are going to glitch regardless, so let's see this return )

-Community (Past Socom community features have been great, stick too them, creating clans and all of course )

Like we've touched on Zipper, you guys ROCK at making Lobbies, From all your past games we've seen great and innovative lobbies progress and we love it. Most of these ideas are in all Socom's that Zipper has created and more or less are reminders that we like your way and not Socom Confrontation's way.

Remember, lobbies are essentially a core part of the Socom experience, even if it does sound like a smaller, less important element, it just gives that sense of unity, that we're all out there holding tryouts, recruiting, fighting epic battles, and having some good times, here we see the community in front of us, so make us feel at home! ( maybe a sweet theme song too )



GAMEPLAY

This topic is without a doubt one of the most crucial keys to success, and for Socom is the MAIN attraction. Forget flashy graphics, Socom has never been about that ( not to say Socom 4 won't look very pretty ). When it comes down to it, gameplay is what sucked us all in, the "star" of the show, without it, Socom would be another fish in the bucket (analogy fail <<).

What exactly is gameplay? Well, we see it as a combination of the "feel" and overall structure of the game, to put it simple. Some features that don't have a particular section we'll be including here.

Here we'll discuss our list of crucial factors in gameplay:

-First Person View ( all past Zipper Socom's implemented this as the secondary view, and that's how we like it, simple as that)

-Weapon Selecting ( for the love of mankind this is not GRAW, Socom 1 and 2 perfected weapon selection, don't go changing)

-11 Rounds ( We like this number, ALOT, and we like to earn our tiebreakers via battlefield, not by computer decision; s1,2,3)

-Movement ( see MOVEMENT AND ANIMATION section; movement is another valued "feel" we missed in Confrontation )

-Bomb Respawn ( why Slant Six decided to do this is a mystery, Zipper's non respawning bomb is definitely our preference )

-Bomb Pick Up ( pressing a button to perform an animated pick up just felt like betrayal, a simple walk-over always worked)

-Custom Taunts ( We miss these, badly, it's a small feature we absolutely LOVE, who doesn't like custom taunting? )

-Grenade Taunting ( Again, Zipper had these in all their games, Slant Six went bye bye with it. We want it back! Raheelah! )

-Grenades From Dead ( if a dead player has grenades on them, we should be able to pick them up, i.e Socom 2)

-Bullet Spray ( reduce the bullet spray, put in a system like Socom 1's accuracy set-up in virtually every aspect )

-Scoreboard ( Socom 1's between round scoreboard and Socom 2's in game scoreboard, we'd like to see total kills!)

-Side Switching ( Confrontation tried doing this at the halfway mark, and honestly, it's better off being 1 side per game )

There are many aspects we can associate with gameplay, so if some don't seem to the norm of what you define it's simply because we feel it'd be better here than in a smaller section/topic down the road.

While all of these elements are considered crucial, most of us are going to need to accept the fact that Zipper is going to change a few things, there's nothing we can do. It's 2010 and they want to open up new ideas, we know this. With that being said both new and old should be implemented to complement each other, giving us a fresh taste with the good ole Socom touch.



PERSPECTIVE VIEW

3rd Person


It's rare these days that you see a "true" 3rd person perspective like SOCOM gives us. Well, let me rephrase that, it's rare these days you see a true 3rd person perspective like SOCOM 1, 2, and 3. Yea, that's right, we were a little dissapointed to see the 3rd person view change a tad in Confrontation. The view seems to become "cluttered" at times and is a "closer-up" view in most circumstances.

We always enjoyed the further out "classic" third person view from Zipper's Socom games. Seeing more of your characters body was, I don't know how to put this, more soothing...a "turn-on" perphaps? Regardless, we'd like to see something more along the lines of our "original" TPS view.

Here we have the "classic" 3rd Person View from Socom 2:




Now here's Confrontations average 3rd person view:



Now, this isn't to say the Confrontation view was HORRIBLE, because it wasn't, BUT, for some reason the camera liked to stay closer up to the character rather than farther off.

Bottom line, Socom 1,2,3 "3rd person" view = YES

Confrontation = "3rd person" view = NO

First Person (Secondary)

Let's make this really simple, because we all know what we're going to say here.

Over the shoulder, a view we all wondered why was implemented in Confrontation as the secondary view. While on the other hand, the beloved first person view was completely rid of. again, WHY! The secondary first person view is absolutely superb.

OTS blocked a majority of the screen and gave for a very awkward viewpoint. Again, on the otherhand, first person secondary gave for a very CLEAR and highly visible view that could easily be toggled in and out of. Zipper again got it right in all their games, so keep it.

Optional

If the OTS view is going to be implemented, then a FPS view needs to be as well. Now, with both included, the option to choose which view will be your secondary needs to be included.

This means whichever secondary you choose, is going to be the only one your character can access. Pretty simple and effective for both crowds.


Overall, keep it original like the older Socoms and if you must, use the option suggestion we've come up with.



MAPS/ENVIRONMENTS

Alright now, this subject has been a large issue that has indeed diminished the value of overall experience to a much lesser degree than we once knew. Environments can make or break a Socom game, and we're going to touch on factors that do such a thing when it comes down to the big picture.

Factors and Keys to Success/Failure of Maps/Environments:

-One Mode Per Map

Socom 1 and 2 did it right. Each and every map was designed specifially for the mode assigned to it's formation and structure. Designers could focus purely on the outcomes/scenarios of the single purpose the map was going to give the audience. Socom 3 abandoned this tactic ( along with Confrontation), giving us less appealing environments, where designers essentially "forced" a mode to work on a map that was designed to attempt working for multiple modes, rather than structuring around the sole purpose of 1 mode. We like 1 map per mode, plain and simple.

-Water

Again, Socom 1 and 2 got it right ( hate to keep bringing up these 2 games but they give great examples ). We don't want to spend a full round searching for a guy swimming underwater in 6 miles of ocean water, it's just not fun. We will compromise with you, however. Water is perfectly fine, IF ( and that's a big IF ) you can keep it toned down to something similar to say "Blood Lake" styled water. Keep the largest depth of water "waist deep", and if you do decide or insist on deeper water, i'd be nice to keep that area to a small area.

-Vehicles

This has been a touchy subject for many, but, overall, they just don't work in Socom. The experience completely changes and ruins the effect of what Socom used to bring to the table. We understand some maps are going to be larger than others, but it's just a feature the community overall has rejected. We got around just fine in Foxhunt

-Destructible Environments

From the IGN write up, we know they're going to be destructible, however, we must question, to what extent? Heaven forbid this becomes Battlefield Bad Company, it'd be a sad day in the Socom universe. What we're hoping for is a few interactive spots in every map. Shoot a barrel here, explode a wooden crate there, similar to past Socom's. On the other hand, we understand it's 2010, so you're going to spice it up a bit, but there's a line to be drawn and hopefully it's not crossed. Also, don't take Slant Six's path and assume every map is a Terrorist mine field.

-Interactive Environtments

Zipper nailed this quite well in past Socoms, so here is a small list of examples of what they did and should continue doing:

-Doors = many doors were open and closable in all maps that contained them ( worked very well )

-Lights = lights could be flipped on in certain maps ( example : Enwopi Basement ) ( also shooting out lights )

-Objects = could be flipped on with a switch to be moved ( Chain Reaction- large metal plate could move along side the top)

-Breaching/Opening Breaches = ( Death Trap - all fence breaches could opened from the inside and C4'd from the outside)

-Airstrikes = could be called on certain maps (Enwopi, Sujo and Sandstorm were a few examples )

-Detonators = example - Crossroads ( Red Room Bridge and Bell Tower Bridge )


-Design

What makes a great Socom map? Ask your level designers from Socom 1 and 2. Socom 3 had some creative ideas as well, but something just didn't click to the degree the "classic" maps did. Socom Confrontation on the other hand, destroyed Zipper's classics and proceeded to be very poor at creating a rememberable and original experience on their attempts.

Furthermore, we need maps that are going to "flow". Yes it does sound a bit simple, but basically that's what it comes down to. a design that can create several paths to travel, while not over complicating anything.

Summary

Zipper, we know you're capable of giving us great environments and maps, we've seen it from you. While we worry of the issue, we must also remember these guys have been working on the game 3 years, and that can only mean more quality. Make us proud Zipper.





MUSIC/SOUNDTRACK

Zipper has chosen without a doubt the best way possible to handle their music in previous games. SOCOM is known for bringing a tear to your eye when hearing those memorable harmonies, sending chills down your spine and giving you a feeling you'll never experience in any other video game. The epic sensation that flows through your body when catching the pulsing, yet soothing, symphony is truly an undescribable feeling that we really can't explain, it's just that good! All they have to do is continue this same process and we'll have back a hell of a soundtrack.

So, how exactly did Zipper touch our inner souls time after time? Simple, seek out the best of the best, with expertise in the field. The following videos will show you exactly what we mean:

The Making of Socom's Muisic:

SOCOM 2- MAKING THE MUSIC

SOCOM 3- MAKING THE MUSIC

Zipper knew what they wanted, they set out a guideline, and they seeked out the best to give us something we'll never forget.

From what we've heard of Socom 4's theme music ( from the trailer ), it sounds as if they've done a GREAT job once again. I guess it's a sigh of releif after hearing a "Tribe Man" beat a drum for Confrontation's soundtrack.


WEAPONS/FIRING/AIMING/ETC


Finally, we arrive to the aspect of Socom that has changed up since the beginning of the series, sadly, for the worse, weapons. When we were first introduced to Socom 1, we had simple, balanced weapons, that were for the most part accurate. A bullet followed the exact path your crosshair lay upon, it was beautiful, almost like magic. Then along came Socom 2, the hit detection was seen as the "worst" of the series, it wasn't as perfect as Socom 1, nevertheless we enjoyed it very much. Then along came Socom 3 aka a casual gamer's paradise.

One thing we as a Socom community have always enjoyed about this game, was the constant struggle to become better. In Socom 1 and 2, you always felt as if your skill could improve, that your gun game could use work or practice. When Socom 3 hit, it was an obvious change, the learning curve had decreased down to that of the casual gamer, instead of staying true to the old "feel" of aiming and shooting your weapon.

The following are a mixture of issues having to do with multiple aspects of the weapon relm:

-Recoil ( Socom 3 and Confrontation really reduced recoil and therefore made the game easier, we think SOCOM should be skill)

-Crosshair Bounce ( somewhat related to recoil, but, Socom 1 and 2's crosshairs we're superb, the bounce needs to come back)

-Magnetic Headshots ( Zipper never had a problem with this, but don't make every other bullet a headshot (cough* slant 6) )

-Magnetic Bullets/Rails ( Again, Zipper never had a problem with this, but don't pull a Confrontation on us )

-Run/Shoot ( This is Socom, not real life, we'd like for the most part, to shoot somewhat accurate while running/strafing)

-Grenades ( Socom 1 got it perfect, hands down. from the throwing, to the meter, power, and amount of grenades allowed )

-Sniping ( This could go into deep deep detail, but to simplify = Take Socom 2's sniping system and upscale it for 2010 )

-Armor (Big NO NO. The playing field should be equal for everyone. If you include armor, make it for show and that's it )

-Perks ( This is not Call of Duty, while we understand the game needs to evolve in some ways, this should be left out )

-Knives ( Some hate them, Some love them, honestly we don't like them, but if you must include them, don't overpower them )

-Encumbrance ( Don't make this too realistic, that's all we ask, since we know it's going to be in the game )

-PMN Mines ( Regardless of how annoying these things can get, we miss them, Confrontation left them out, Zipper didn't )

-Gun Spray ( keep it to a minimum, we'd really like to see a Socom 1/2 syle system used here )

-Fire Rate ( We feel that with fire rate being reduced on most guns to simulate Socom 1 and 2's style, spray will reduce as well )

-Scopes ( Thermal scopes are fine, just don't overpower their power in terms of viewing distance, Socom 2 and 3 nailed it )

-Handguns ( All of Zipper's Socoms had great handguns and applied a good system to go along with it, keep it that way )

-Guns ( We like all of the classic weapons from past games, lots were missed in Confrontation! )

-Claymores ( Ideal in earlier iterations, but in Confrontation they rarely worked and detonator was a hassle to pull out )

-RPGS/M203s ( If you're going to include them, reduce their power and accuracy greatly from past games, no one likes um )


To sum everything up, weapons need BALANCE. Ensure the user that one side isn't overpowered with the better weapons, or even for that matter, that one weapon that's always going to be used due to it's ease to kill with. We'd like weapons to take skill to use, but at the same time are accurate when we've got our crosshairs on an enemies nutsack.

Gives us the goods Zipper...



We understand the footage seen in the GDC videos are in the Pre-Alpha stages and also solely a demo from the Single Player, but, we'd like to strongly suggest and leave feedback from what we've seen gameplay wise. We'll be telling you guys what we liked, didn't like, and what we feel should not carry over into Multiplayer.

-First Person Secondary View

We've all made it clear we prefer the first person view for our secondary zoom over the OTS view. We see in the gameplay that sadly it's an OTS view. We're hoping this is solely a single player option and that we'll be able to use the beloved FPS secondary in the Multiplayer aspect ( or even optional for single player ).

Here is an example of why we find it more enjoyable and superior:

YES!


YES!


NO!


NO!


-3rd Person Perspective View


SOCOM 4


SOCOM 2


Again, here, we see the SOCOM 4 view being pushed up, closer to the body. It's more enjoyable being able to see the full body, not cut-off halfway. It'd be really nice to have this fixed, unless it was pushed up simply for the motion control demo. It's simply a turn-off, like mentioned earlier, to see our original 3rd person view "tortured".

-Cover System

We're not going to lie to you Zipper, just about every Loyal Socom Fan you've ever had just lost a lot of faith in this game. While we understand this is just single player, this cover system, if implemented in MP, could and more than likely will be the doom of Socom. It really seems like the core gameplay is becoming more "casual" and less like SOCOM. This element just seems to put us in a state where it's going to completely alter the feel we used to love from Socom 1, 2 and even 3. We're asking please not to implement this into MP.

-Visuals

For pre-alpha visuals are looking pretty good. We're not really worried about this aspect, as we know the graphics are going to be decent enough for us, because we're more for the actual gameplay!

-Movement Speed/Running

Like we've been preaching and preaching, and praying and praying, SPEED IT UP! Ever since Confrontation was released we've had to deal with slow/sluggish gameplay. With Zipper we are really hoping you guys can return to another element that made your Socom games so fun!

Take a look at your iterations of Socom Zipper, and realize that we really do prefer fast movements over the slow, sluggish tactical approach that you seem to be putting more "care" into:

WE LIKE THIS
SOCOM 2 EXAMPLE VIDEO

WE DON'T WANT THIS
SOCOM 4 EXAMPLE VIDEO

-Reloading

No complaints here, reload looks to be nice and speedy, which is a GOOD thing!

-Sprint

*Sigh*, well, looks like it's back and that's not good. Ultimately, the whole commnunity wants it gone. This is all i'm going to say on the matter, please consider taking this out ( and speeding up character movements in the non-sprint mode!)

-Firing

We're hoping that recoil animation was just a pre-alpa "thing", because the "slow-motion-like" firing in the "Zoom" with sloppy recoil just really scares us. To be honest, it seems like a single player only type fire-mode, so hopefully, again, this won't be in the final version, or multiplayer for that matter.

-Motion Controller

This has been confirmed optional, so no complaints here, as most of your hardcore fans here will use the Dualshock ( no offense )

SUMMARY

Alright Zipper, this is how we feel, we're being brutally honest, and we're not trying to put you down as a company, we're simply giving you feedback and we're sure you understand this.

What made Socom so great was it's unique style of gameplay that captivated us. Now, it seems like your drifting further and further away from that forumula and applying all the elements that have made other "shooter" games popluar in the recent years, and it's simply tearing the series apart and only brings it to a less unique feel, a normal generic shooter.

We are your loyal fans, who have given you 100% support, and it seems that the further down the road we go, the further Zipper pushes away from us, and Casual gamers, who are looking for a cool game to play, are the ones your aiding "MORE" to.
We know you want to expand the series to new people, but why take away elements that your loyal fans love from the series. Those casual gamers are going to play the game until the next good shooter comes out, while we wait, and wait,and wait for Zipper to give us what we've been wanting for so long, a great Socom game that implements a core feel, while still evolving a bit to please casuals, not evolve MORE to the casuals.

SOCOMISM > REALISM



A large factor that played a role in earlier Socom's was it's ability to balance a sense of realism, to make the game feel authentic, like a true Navy Seal experience, but at the same time have lot's of unrealistic elements that gave the game a "Fun" factor. This fun factor that was inserted into Socom is something we like to call "SOCOMISM", elements of Socom that made Socom, well, Socom.

Let's explore this topic further with examples to show exactly what point we're making:

-Character Speed/Movement

In earlier Socom's we had character who had the ability ( WITHOUT A SPRINT BUTTON <<<) to move at a highly fast past, while his/her weapon was in a shooting manner. We could dive down with ease, pop up or get up at a quick pace, and shoot our weapons will doing most of these actions.

Now, Socom Confrontation and from what we've seen of SOCOM 4, have brought more of a "realistic" feel to these actions, with a MAJOR reduction in run speed. We must now gain speed by pressing a SPRINT button, unable to shoot our weapon while sprinting. We don't know much about the dive prone and stand-up quickness for SOCOM 4 yet, but, in Confrontation it was slow and sluggy. These realistic addtions really alter the gameplay for much a less enjoyable experience for a SOCOMer. More emphasis is now being put on REALISM, than actual SOCOMISM ( The fun factor ).

-Encumbrance

This one's pretty simple. Socom 1 and 2 didn't have encumbrance, just a good ol' simple set-up we loved. But, Socom 3 introduced encumbrance, Socom Confrontation tried it, and neither have really nailed it and is just a hassle to think about. Realism was trying to be added, and honestly took away from the game. Keep it simple and use what worked.

-The Cover System

Again, older SOCOMs did not have this feature, no other SOCOM for that matter (obviously). We understand Zipper is trying to appeal to a larger audience, but this factor is just another addition of REALISM that's going to make the game less like SOCOM and more like a casual gamer's "REAL LIFE" shooter. This almost convinces all loyal fans that Sony and Zipper care MORE for the casual gamer than to it's loyal fans, which is dissheartening, but we won't shut them out just yet, we havn't seen the full game nor have we played it.

This is one "Realistic" factor that hopefully is going to stay in the "single player" portion of the game only.

Summary

it's really simple, the more this game cater's to the casual gamer, the more it's going to cater realism. The outcome is a game that seems to leave behind it's loyal fans and the SOCOMISM that made this series.

SOCOMISM > REALISM