Q: Gameplay: Body blocking has become a major device for defence. Do you plan to encourage this further

A: Yes.

Q: Will there be an in-game option for changing your FoV?

A: This hasn't been decided yet. Probably.

Q: Servers: This has been asked in the T3.org Q&A thread, but there was no definite answer. Will there be a seperate stand alone server download so that there isn't any need to install the full game off CD?

A: Yes, the current plan is to release a freely downloadable standalone server.

Q: I bet that you're playing at least parts of the game internally. Are there certain moments that stand out in your mind as memorable?

A: Yes. Let's see, um...since it's already known that T:V has ragdoll, I guess I'll say that sending a body flying with a disc is quite memorable, especially at high speeds. Tribes was meant to have ragdoll.

Q: Any plans on countering the D-Stack/Turtle strat you sometimes get when there is a flag stand off in CTF?

A: Countering, no, addressing, yes. In my opinion one of the best ways to address this issue is via map design, but there are other possibilities as well.

Q: Do you have any idea at this stage how restrictive the map ceilings will be?

A: No.

Q: Any chance for a range of views ... just an idea, has anything like that been considered?

A: We have considered this. There's no plans to implement anything like that at this stage.

Q: What can you guys reveal in terms of system specs?
I have a GTS2 with 800mhz Tbird and 512mb of pc133 ram. I'm intending to upgrade to a P4 2.4 800mhz FSB with hopefully a Radeon 9700Pro and at least 512mb of DDR3200 ram. Will this be sufficient to run the game at full eye candy do you think when it is released next year?

A: Your current machine may run the game with a small video card upgrade, but I can't really say for sure. You would definately need to turn everything way down to do it. Your new machine should be quite happy, but I can't say that you'll be able to run with everything turned all the way up. By the time we ship a "normal" new machine may be a P5 5GHz box with 2GB RAM and a gForce 5 with 1 GB of Video RAM. It may be more. There are certainly effects in the game which could be turned up to extreme levels (11) that would take advantage of a system like that.
It's safe to say that your 2.4/Radeon/512MB box will do just fine at the time of release. My 2GHz/GF4/512 box does fine now, and my AMD 1.2/512/9500Pro home machine does fine as well.
Right now we have goals for minimum spec, but we won't set the final values until the last minute. Minimum spec will still allow you to have fun, not just run a slide-show.

Q: Have you been taking into account various forums opinions (please dont) or have you more focused on making the game how the team wants and not how the fractured community wants?

A: There's no black and white answer to this. We're making the game how the team wants. However, there are people on the team who are members of the Tribes community, and part of what the team wants is for the game to be fun and successful, which in some cases involves satisfying the community.
In other words, although we're making the game how the team wants first and foremost, what the team wants often overlaps with what the community wants (whether you realize it or not).

Q: Will the voting system be revamped and full of customizable options? ( to Thrax, he knows)

A: Yes, it's revamped, and thanks for your thoughtful thread at tribes3.org.

Q: any chance of seeing the game playable in 3rd person view?
and by playable i mean not removing my reticles and red triangles
just a small gripe i had with t2 which i figured would be a simple thing to implement

A: The game is intended to be played in 1st person, so that's our focus, but yes, T:V includes 3rd person view and hopefully it won't suck.

Q: Scalability: We know ragdoll physics are definitely planned for T:V, but will there be an option to toggle it off to reduce the load on lower end machines?

A: Here's the answer direct from Glenn "Gaffer" Fiedler, our resident physics guru: “Yes, and there is a limit supplied on the amount of simultaneous ragdolls so even when its on it should not bog down but trust me, you WONT want to turn it off! > “

Q: Will the game have, or are you thinking about having dynamic times, as to where the sun moves as time goes by or it changes from day to night in a given period of time?

A: We're not creating a system like that. However, the assets needed to set missions at different, static times (morning, noon, night) will be there.

Q: So, without pulling punches and going outside the scope of your QA mandate (you obviously have one ), has TV been designed well from a T1/T2 player perspective or a bottom line, ROI and marketing perspective? Those goals are very different with minimal overlapping areas. In short, no one wants another T2.

A: I think you're wrong that those don't overlap. T2 sold very well and had a good ROI. T1 was extremely popular (with no ROI due to theft). TV is at it's heart a Tribes game. It will appeal to both T1 and T2 players. It will also appeal to players outside of the existing Tribes franchise.
So, in short, the game is designed well from a T1 & T2 players perspective, and for a huge ROI.

Q:...why did you choose to release [that screenshot]

A: Why does a stripper not just show you everything the instant she starts?

Q: Is that a team number on the shoulder of the guy in the yellow medium armour on tribalwars front page, and if so, is there going to be a full "sports-style" (ie numbers for positions etc) positional interface for captains to use in tournament play?
And can you elaborate on your plans for this at all?

A: Nope, not a team number. I can't comment on the rest at this stage.

Q: Will Vehicles be able to fire flare grenades like in the PS2 version or will it be up to the tailgunner to take care of that..what about shrieks, assuming they are in T3.

A: Vehicles in T:V are completely new - I would make no assumptions based on previous Tribes games.

Q: All due respect KP, Thrax and IE as reps of the development team, and I don't mean to sound unduly pessimistic but that's a Dave Georgeson argument.

A: All due respect to you, but you seem to have ignored (or perhaps misunderstood) the bulk of my post. If you look at it carefully, I didn't really answer one way or the other. Yes, we're developing it how the team wants, but part of what the team wants is to satisfy the community. In typical software development terminology, since you seem to be familiar with the industry, we want to satisfy the requirements of our customers while guarding against the pitfalls of feature-creep. We also want to attract new customers, which involves adding some of our own requirements in such a way that they don't conflict with existing requirements. When conflicts arise, tough decisions are made.

Q: What % of total completion are you at this stage?

A: http://www.tribalwar.com/media/viewer.php?img_id=5

Q: Is there going to be any protection against smurfing as somebody else ala T2 binding your nick to your account so others couldnt use it, or will it be like t1 again where you wernt sure if your mate was really your mate or just some 13 yr old fanboy.

A: There's a means of uniquely identifying yourself but it's different than T2's solution.

Q: Will the new engine offer any greater freedom of movement and rotation of player controlled objects? Basically, I'm wondering if it will be possible to to barrel rolls in flyers, or Superman loops with a jetpack.

A: The jet-pack will work in a way very similar to previous Tribes games. Vehicles are completely new, and will move in new ways.

Q: The only weapon in T1/T2 that has a "cone-of-fire" is the chaingun, and for good reason. Overall, Tribes is a great combination of aiming and slower projectile speed, leaving enormous room for personal player skill.
Are you gonna use pixel-perfect aiming and hit locations for T:V?
(I'm asking this because Planetside took a big step backwards by using an agressive CoF and removing hit locations. I don't want T:V to go backwards either)

A: T:V is in the spirit of T1 and T2, i.e. it favours prediction-based weapons over hitscan weapons. We agree that this is part of what makes Tribes stand out in the crowd. =)

Q: Will the new engine offer any greater freedom of movement and rotation of player controlled objects? Basically, I'm wondering if it will be possible to to barrel rolls in flyers, or Superman loops with a jetpack.

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