With all the core content being created in time for official release its needless to say that there isnt a whole lot of time for extra ideas. Still the forums are a great place to brainstorm and have fun talking about new concepts or directions the game could go in. Keeping that in mind Id like to write a little on the topic of immersing players into Eternal Crusade matches.

Most us are fully updated on the current state of the crusade, so we know that the game will be instanced maps connected to a world map interface. This could improve or get larger as time goes on, but this is what we can expect to be delivered at launch. Many of us were hooked to the "open world" feel of roaming a wide open map and feeling that each place we travel to in the game is somehow connected. Its my belief that we can still create this feeling in the game even though were actually playing on controlled instances.

At the moment when you select to go to battle, we are in a menu screen saying searching or that loading into game screen. What if we removed the lobby screen and instead focused it around the garrison (which is a planned feature), once a match is found an aircraft like say a thunder hawk gunship lands on a pad on the garrison. A scene shows the war party loading up into the thunder hawk and it takes off. While the instance loads and your setting up squads you find yourself standing in the cargo bay of the thunder hawk, the ships cargo door opens and you get to enjoy an overhead view of the map youll be fighting on before exiting the thunder hawk into the deployment zone. A brief audio explanation of the type of match and what the primary objectives are would play during this initial deployment. Giving the players a sense of environment.



Many games including Titanfall, Metal Gear solid V and many more have used these early match cinematics to bring some atmosphere to the game while helping smooth the transition from zone to zone. It gives a sense that you arent just teleporting onto a faceless battlefield and it gives players a chance to feel like theyre part of a bigger picture.

You could take it a step further and add in some AI guardsmen who move towards the enemy lines only to inevitably be killed by the defenders in the first 1-5 minutes of the match. Since AI is something that EC actually features, I honestly see only benefits to adding a little AI flavor to the matches. Titanfall is a great example of a instanced PvP with AI in the background. It instills a sense that you are an elite super soldier on the battlefield. I have to admit the joy of dropping a few weak AI and then going face to face vs an enemy of equal strength is a very immersive and satisfying feeling.

I want to be brought into an instance of EC like in this video

I wuldn't mind havin dat at da start of da match in da future. Only dat da orkz getz a great orky way of it, like havin us boyz chargin outta a landa dat crashed. I don't fink da ai gitz would wirk dough.

I definitly think there should be different deployments based on race. Even orks gotta get to the fight somehow. Even if it were like a mad max orky scene with boyz driving up to the deployment zone on trucks.

I just want to jump out of a Thunderhawk and land feet-first on top of a Daemon's face. Is that too much to ask for?

In all seriousness though, I do think something like that would be neat. Space Marines dropping in to reinforce a group of AI Guardsmen trying to hold their position, Chaos Marines rolling up in Rhinos to siege a fortress, Orks cresting a hillside and charging towards the battlefield with one collective 'WAAAAAAAGHH!', Eldar doing their... Eldar thing.

It'd be cool, is what I'm saying. I doubt it'll happen, but it'd be cool.

I would love it if we could deploy at the beginning of the game from a Thunderhawk or Drop Pod depending on if we're attacking or defending. Orks could use Rokks or trukks, Chaos warping in or rolling up in rhinos or Eldar already there because Eldar reasons.

1) add climbing animations
2) add big enough monstrous creatures to climb
3) stab them in the eye (shadow of colussus style)
4) replace eye with meltabomb
5) fini

Orky people, got to the garrison and check out your looted stormhawk!! it looks amazing!! The models of the Drop pods and stormhawks etc are way to good to just be sitting in the dirt. They need to be used!

This games would benefit greatly for this. No open world? Not a problem for me but it needs to have that feeling of bloody conflict you are in.
Space marines deploying from thunderhawks or landing with drop pods, rushing to their rhinos amongst their wounded fellows caried by apothecaries, ammo crates, fuel barrels. Same for chaos with being teleported by warp portals, have some slaves drained in chains by chanting cultists. Eldars emerging from the webway, grouping on the field between bonesingers rising wraithbone structures. Ork players deployed by wagons when meks are already working on customising looted wehicles with some gretchins running around with tools. All this placed at anemy unaccesable areas with noise from nearly raging battle. Sounds of explosions, shoots and rocket straffing runs. Just to bring some atmosphere. This would be great.
Also it would be nice to have more players at the match. Building atmosphere of massive conflict for just 30vs30 game at best would looks not coherent.

Really hope the Devs read this post!!! Immersion is a big part of 40k, MMO's and RPGs so it 100% needs it. Fingers crossed!

Unfortunately they have thrown the playbook out of the window for open world MMO with RPG elements and likely will give us the barest of a massively interconnected lobby shooter. I would be surprised if they have the development time and budget to add significantly more than what we see now in game outside of the map and tweaking the classes.

That said, I want that dream OP...I want as much immersive elements as possible to make this a world to explore or at least tricked into feeling like its a full scale war on a world vs tiny arena maps.