Socom 3

[ps2online 0]

Socom 2 is very similar to CS and Socom 3 is coming! I think it is a great alternative to CS, and I rather play Socom than CS...oh, I forgot to say: Socom is for PS2

[ProfBob 0]

I ahve a bunch of info for socom 3: Here's some new features that we didn't read before in all the Socom III previews. * No SP-10 for seals, no M14 for terrorist * Kill a seal, take his weapon, it's yours for the entire MAP * In surpression they're no draws (unless teams are equal) -- team with most people alive as time expires wins * You only get two mines now (unless you double up mines) -- and with such a big map you gotta be damn lucky to get a mine kill * As soon as the lady says "Seals Win" or "Terrorist Win" the dead and alive people on the same team can talk to each other. No need to wait for the start of the next round.HARVESTER MAPThe map the public beta is currently testing is called Harvester. This huge map is about the size of Last Baston + 1/2. For those of you who haven't played Last Baston (a HDD map) figure on it being about 5 or 6 times (at least) the size of a normal SOCOM II map. As you probably know by now each of the 12 new maps in SOCOM III can be played in all seven -- suppression, demolition, escort, breach, convoy, control, extraction -- modes. The map evolves based upon the mode you're going to play. For example, in breach walls appear where they don't exsist in control. Vehicals and available spawn points also change based upon the mode of the map. Each map can also be played in night or day and some have changeable weather. Check out these screenshots of the map Harvester in all it's modes.

[ProfBob 0]

Movies

 

Quick Log-In

Walkthrough of main Menu

Create-A-Room

Seal Weaps. Characters

Terr Weaps. Characters

6 Mins Of Respawn

Round Of Control

Opening Video

[ProfBob 0]

SOCOM III: The Motherload of Information

Technical Information
Official Website: http://community.us.playstation.com/t5/SOCOM-Series/ct-p/12684
Expected Release Date: 09/15/2005 (September 15, 2005) This date isn't for sure, many sites have different ones.
Platform: PS2
Publisher: SCEA
Developer: Zipper Interactive, Inc.
Genre: Action

Preface
Okay, this is basically a collaborative post, I've combined all the Threads regarding SOCOM III and have added all the latest info that has just been acquired.

Thanks to blykmik
I really love this guy, blykmik from Playstation's message boards. All the users on the SOCOM Board have been compiling a list of questions that they've wanted answered regarding SOCOM III. Well, this guy blykmik actually took their huge list of questions and went to the E3 Gamers Convention. He talked with a devloper of the game and even got a 30 minute interview with the Lead Multiplayer Designer. According to him, he got to talk to the person that could actually say, "Oh, the 'man down' thing, yeah I put that back in." So what I'm saying is that this guy is my hero, he took his video camera and recorded the E3 SOCOM III Alpha Demo at the convention, trust me when I say that the game looks so *BLEEP*ing great.

Some General SOCOM III Information
SOCOM 3 will take place in Morocco, Poland, and Bangladesh. All-new streaming technology will be employed here, which is said to increase the size of the game's single-player maps by five or six times over what was seen in the previous SOCOM game. To help compensate for that size, single-player missions will have checkpoints, allowing you to save your game midmission. The missions will also have multiple paths to success.

The AI will see some improvements as well. Players' team AI should be better at assisting you, and the enemy AI will be better equipped to coordinate with one another to form smarter attacks against your SEAL team. Weapon customization sounds like it could be a big part of SOCOM 3. You'll have 31 weapons to choose from and 21 different attachments, making for more than a thousand possibilities.

SOCOM III will have vehicles and boats, which can be used on 7 different multiplayer maps. 32 players can now play online together at the same time. 2 new modes of online play: "Control" and "Convoy". Huge improvements in Clan support... including a radically revamped online system to provide much more support than before. The ability to create and remove different types of Clan Ladders. Designated private rooms created automatically for Clan Battles/Matches. Other new features include: Leader Boards, E-mail and a Private Messaging Center. The Leader Boards will now show an 90 new Statistics, in addition to normal Kills and Deaths, including the number of kills with any individual weapon.

Just to list some of the things that SOCOM III has to offer: Colored Smoke (Yes, it's true, watch the 2nd Video to see footage of it.), the amount of people able to play in a single game has been doubled from 16 to 32, the amount of people able to be in a clan has been doubled from 16 to 32, increased statistics tracking, including the ability to view your stats online, just like Halo. You can send and accept Friend/Clan Invites in-game or from the Game Lobby. The game is also accompanied with the ability to drive multiple types of vehicles, including Humvees, light strike vehicles, technicals, T72 tanks, an SSCR assault boat, and a customized speed boat.

The Interviews
Thanks to blykmik, we have audio interviews with a developer of the game and the Lead Multiplayer Game Designer. Many thanks to him and his efforts and thanks also to CJ (The Lead Multiplayer Designer) and Travis. (A Developer) The audio quality isn't the greatest, as it was recorded with a video camera's microphone and that it was recorded at the E3 Convention, which you can imagine was rather noisy. So listen carefully and turn your volume up!

Audio Clip #1: Developer Travis (trt- 05:18-)
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Audio Clip #1: Lead Multiplayer Designer - CJ (trt- 12:03 -)
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

The Video Footage
Again, thanks to blykmik, we have video footage of the SOCOM III Exclusive E3 Demo. The footage is great and I can't wait to get the game after watching it. Keep your eyes peeled for additional footage that will be added as it becomes available.

Video Clip #1: First Day of E3 Convention - 5/18/05 (trt- 06:16)
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Video Clip #1: Second Day of E3 Convention - 5/19/05 (trt- 19:52)
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Gamebattles Official Interview With Zipper Interactive, Inc.
Credit To: Ryan Greer (Gamebattles)

GB: Framerate slowdown was a big issue in SOCOM II, especially in certain maps such as Vigilance and Bitter Jungle. Has this been addressed in SOCOM 3?

Brian Soderberg (CTO, Zipper Interactive): For SOCOM 3: US Navy SEALs, we're working hard to optimize the game to improve overall multiplayer game performance. We've done many things with the new SOCOM 3 game engine to speed up network, character, and background processing. I believe that our pre-alpha SOCOM 3 multiplayer missions, with 32 players, already run at a faster framerate compared with some production SOCOM II missions. And we're continuing to work on additional optimizations for the final release of the game.

GB: Will PMN mines make a return? Will claymores still be able to be blown up?

CJ Heine (Lead Designer, SOCOM 3 Multiplayer, Zipper Interactive): Yes, PMNs will be returning for SOCOM 3. Players will be given fewer in order to help balance them, and we've reduced the blast damage slightly. The players can still destroy PMNs and claymores with explosives.

GB: Will we be seeing a return of SOCOM 1, or SOCOM II style crouching/proning/standing? In SOCOM 2, was the inability to pivot while prone without getting stuck on nearby objects intentional or a glitch?

Doug Wilcox (Lead Animator, Zipper Interactive): SOCOM 3 locomotion and interaction with terrain and obstacles has advanced dramatically. The character will slide more easily along walls, and be allowed to turn in all situations, including prone next to a wall.

GB: What are the pros and cons of using a vehicle?

CJ: Before I begin, it is important to note that all of the maps are designed around the players on foot, and the vehicles are designed to support and compliment these players on foot. All of the key objective locations in the maps require the player to be on foot before the player can interact with the objective. Whether this involves simply stepping out of the vehicle to take control of a hostage, or having to exit the vehicle and walk for a while on foot to an area that doesn't allow vehicles, this was intentionally done to keep the focus of the game on the players and not the vehicles.

The vehicles are great for moving around the maps quickly. In some maps it will be important to reach key locations as fast as possible, and the vehicles fit that role perfectly. However, while the vehicles do have speed on their side, the players on foot will always have more stealthy options for moving around than the players in vehicles, which increases their survivability, since players in vehicles tend to draw more attention than the players on foot. Also, most of the maps force the vehicles to pass through specific areas on the way to objectives, wheras players on foot have multiple options and shortcuts.

The vehicles make excellent mobile turrets. Most of the vehicles can provide more powerful firepower than what can be selected by players from the armory. Also, the accuracy of the turrets in SOCOM 3 has been increased so there is additional incentive to use them. Again, the trade-off here is that when players are in the vehicles, they're going to be drawing a lot of attention. Most of the vehicles are suceptible to gunfire, especially explosives, and can be destroyed if they take too much damage. In addition, the majority of vehicles leave the drivers, gunners, and occasionally the passengers exposed, and able to be shot by players outside the vehicle.

We intend for all of the maps to have a good balance between the players on foot and the vehicles, but we also wanted the players to have the option to disable them if they choose. The player always has the option in the Game Create screen to disable the vehicles.

GB: From the demo at E3 it appears as if the quick L2 switch is gone. Will it be back in the final version?

Travis Steiner (Lead Designer, SOCOM 3 Single Player, Zipper Interactive): Updating our control scheme was necessary to optimize gameplay and accommodate new features. It may take seasoned SOCOM veterans a few rounds to get their muscle memory adjusted to the new setup, but we are confident that they will quickly embrace the new control scheme based on the advantages it offers. L2 will now be used for communication, which makes the player less vulnerable when attempting to chat; they can keep their other hand on the aim and fire controls. No functionality is lost by having L1 as the lone weapon swap button, and it is actually quicker for players to switch between their primary and secondary weapons now.

GB: Some users on our forums are expressing concern about how gunfights may be effected by the ability to throw grenades while running. How is this being prevented from happening?

CJ: The ability to throw grenades while running should not seriously impact any of the gunfights. If the player is shot while attempting to throw a grenade, it will drop at their feet and detonate, making this a risky maneuver.

GB: Have flashbangs or smoke been tweaked to be more effective?

CJ: We've adjusted the range and angle at which the Mark141 will affect the player. We have also increased the amount of time players are under the effect of the grenade.

We are looking into increasing the density and volume of the smoke cloud produced from the smoke grenades, to make them a more attractive option for concealing player movements.

GB: Will players be able to see their hit percentage and hits taken at the end of each round?

CJ: We currently do not have these stats listed, but we will look into adding these in addition to the numerous stats already available.

GB: Is there anything Zipper can do to prevent players from pulling their cable or pressing the standby button on their modem to purposely lag?

Bob Gutman (Senior Engineer, Zipper Interactive): We obviously can't prevent players from pulling their cables or otherwise manually inducing network lag. There are a variety of techniques to determine how frequently messages are getting in and out of the console, but it always takes some time to determine if what we are seeing is an anomaly, or just normal internet behavior. If players are disconnected from the network for more than a short period of time, they will be removed from a SOCOM 3 game.

The best solution to this problem is to make sure there is no advantage for lagging players. We are looking at how we can best address this in SOCOM 3 as we are committed to offering a quality multiplayer game experience for broadband players. We also encourage players to take advantage of the built in features that allow them to police fellow gamers by voting off players or password-protecting games.

GB: Can you explain the evolution in hit detection from SOCOM, SOCOM II, and SOCOM 3?

CJ: In SOCOM: US Navy SEALs, our goal was to create realistic feeling weapons, damage, and player health. This translated into a game where players were taking very few hits before dying and the rounds usually ended very quickly. There was very little feedback given to players, such as blood effects and health meters, but the overall goal of creating an accurate damage and weapon system was in place.

In SOCOM II, we wanted to add in more feedback and effects. For example, we added the blood effects to help players see when they hit their target, and a more accurate health meter to allow players to monitor their health. We tightened the player controls and movement so that players were more responsive than they were in SOCOM: US Navy SEALs. We also experimented with ways that could allow players to live longer in the round. This included decreasing the accuracy of the weapons when fired from longer ranges, increasing the health of the player and slightly reducing the damage done by the weapons and ammo.

When all of these were brought together in SOCOM II, we got many of the results we were looking for, however, there were several undesirable results as well. The reduced accuracy ranges, faster player movements, more health and less damaging weapons encouraged close-range, circle-strafing battles in which players would dance back and forth in front of each other until one of them finally died.

For SOCOM 3, we've focused on identifying and dealing with many of the issues that arose in SOCOM II. This includes reworking some of the network code, the hit messages, the blood effects, and some framerate issues.

In addition, many of the features we've added to SOCOM 3, such as the attachment modification system, which allows players to customize their weapons to be more accurate and longer/shorter ranges, and player encumbrance, which will slow down the player movement speeds, work to bring the gameplay back to a more strategic, slower paced style of playing where players can expect to kill their targets with fewer shots and at longer ranges.

GB: Has the night vision been improved to be more like SOCOM?

Travis: Our development team frequently evaluates the content we put into the previous SOCOM titles as we work on SOCOM 3 features. For night vision, we have considerably updated both the look and functionality of it to maximize its usefulness.

GB: Many players have also voiced concern on our forums regarding Nextel and AIM use. Will the camera still track players indefinitely after killing a player, or only for a few seconds?

CJ: We are currently looking into reducing the time the camera tracks the shooter before returning back to the player's corpse. We're also removing the 360-degree camer rotation when ghosting a living player, so that they can only view what the player is viewing.

EGM SOCOM III Preview
Article by Joe Rybicki of 1UP.com

The basics: Sony's immensely popular team-based online shooter returns with some hefty enhancements: 32-player matches, controllable vehicles, and a revamped matchmaking interface.
How was it? In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I've spent some serious time with SOCOM 3 (I wrote the Official PlayStation Magazine's recent cover story on it), so when I recently got a second chance to play it, I wasn't surprised to see the awesomely huge levels, the 32-player games, and the extensive use of vehicles. It was also no surprise to see control, the new game mode, with its capture-and-defend gameplay. What was surprising--no, perhaps "shocking" would be a better word--was how incredibly smoothly the game was running. For a series that's been slammed for online lag, seeing a speedy 24-player game was a very big deal. And knowing that each one of those players was using a completely customized weapon (courtesy of the game's new weapon-mod system) made it all the more impressive. But this was just one level, and getting one level into shape for a demo is one thing--getting 12 into shape for public consumption is another thing entirely. If nothing else, it proves that bigger levels, more players, and vehicles can be done without lag.

New Multiplayer Information Released By Zipper
Article by Matt Leone of 1UP.com

It's no easy task to describe all of SOCOM 3's many new multiplayer ideas in one sentence, so let's try to describe the approach in one word: bigger. The SOCOM series has always been popular online, so rather than make the same game again, the team at Zipper Interactive decided to scale up many of their key features. Number of players, map size, number of options -- all much bigger.

The most obvious way the game has gotten bigger -- literally -- is the increased size of the maps. Much like the single-player game that we reported on previously, many of the new multiplayer maps will all be large enough to house the new maximum number of players in a game: 32. Two teams of 16 can go head to head, showing off the necessity of having larger maps, but based on early impressions, the same level of detail seems present in the large-scale environments. To help with the large map size, players will also be able to select spawn points so as to not have to spend half the game trying to get back to where they just died.

Another reason for the large maps is the addition of vehicles to the gameplay. Along the lines of what'd you'd expect from games like Halo, players can team up and utilize tanks, boats, and other vehicles to cross the maps quickly and add to their firepower. Unlike some games, however, the designers at Zipper want to make it clear that vehicles will not dominate the experience with everyone running for them as soon as they spawn.

Naturally, Zipper decided to add a couple new gameplay modes to take advantage of these other changes to the game, and what they've come up with are modes called Convoy and Control. Convoy plays out pretty much as it sounds -- you start the mission with two cargo trucks and must protect them as they go along their charted path, eliminating all the terrorists that spawn nearby along the way. Control plays out where each team has to race to capture five points on the map; both teams can capture the same locations, though, so it's less of a tug of war and more of a race. The first team to get all five wins.

With the extensive options presented to the player, the team at Zipper wants to make sure everything stays organized, and a big part of that is the new group of community features. In addition to a messaging service, the game will include forums, surveys, and even a setup so players can check their stats on any PC with a web browser (similar to the system seen in Bungie's Halo 2).

And then of course there's the PSP version compatibility. While Zipper isn't going into specifics quite yet, they have said that players who put in extra effort in the PS2 game will get bonuses in the PSP version, but not vice versa. Given all the options available in the game (you can turn off vehicles, choose small maps, etc. if you want to play it conservatively), SOCOM 3 seems poised to be the ultimate PS2 SOCOM game and perhaps the last we'll see before the PS3 comes around. The ideas are all in place, so assuming Zipper can polish up the gameplay in time for release, the PS2 should be in good hands for a long time to come.

Preorder SOCOM III: US Navy SEALs Video Game from EBGames
Preorder your very own copy of SOCOM III: US Navy SEALs from EBGames, here.

Miscellaneous Media

SOCOM III Photo Slideshow
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/

Video Footage
Gamespot (E3 2005) - SOCOM III: US Navy SEALs Stage Demo
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
IGN Video Footage
LocateVideosHere
Gamespot - Interview with the Developers
Download Coming Soon

Gamespot - Gameplay Footage 2
Download Coming Soon

Gamespot - Gameplay Footage 1
Download Coming Soon

1UP - E3 Trailer
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
(You'll need WinZIP to extract the contents of the download. Don't have it? Get it here.)

1UP - SOCOM III: US Navy SEALs High Resolution Footage (Parts 1 & 2)
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ | http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/ Here
(You'll need WinZIP to extract the contents of the download. Don't have it? Get it here.)

1UP - Swimming Footage
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
(You'll need WinZIP to extract the contents of the download. Don't have it? Get it here.)

1UP - Introduction Footage
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
(You'll need WinZIP to extract the contents of the download. Don't have it? Get it here.)

1UP - Tank Footage
http://forums.xisto.com/no_longer_exists/
(You'll need WinZIP to extract the contents of the download. Don't have it? Get it here.)

SOCOM III: US Navy SEALs - Fact or Fiction List
List information taken from the "S3 Wish List Thread on the S3 Board at Playstation.com

Key

:yes: - Added in one way or another to SOCOM III
:no: - Not added to SOCOM III
:notsure: - No information or "still being looked into" by Zipper Interactive

Gameplay

:yes: Bullet hits have an effect on characters aim and speed

* Bullet hits will slow you down for a moment or two before you ramp back up to full speed. So yes, you are affected!

:yes: Variable movement speed based on equipment load

* Yes, it's called "encumbrance". Heavier weaponry and equipment will limit a player's mobility.

:yes: Overall speed more realistic, especially side to side strafing

* Socom III will add some momentum to your side to side strafe in order to cut down on unrealistic side to side firefights.

:notsure: More commands for VIPs and Hostages

* Zipper is "looking into" the possibility of this.

:notsure: Training and practice modes

* Unlikely to be put in the game.

:yes: Improved turret realism, rotation degree and strength

* All guns have supposedly been "rebalanced".

:yes: Return grenade drop when shot while throwing grenades

* Yes, this was somehow lost on SOCOM II after the March 10 patch.

:yes: Toggle thermal and night vision on/off while in scope

* You'll be able to turn the Nightvision/Thermal On/Off whenever you please.

:yes: Ability to toss grenade while running, less accurately

* Yes, obviously less accurate but more realistic.

:notsure: Ability to "cook" grenades

* Unlikely to be put in the game.

:no: Co-op play online, 4-8 man missions and other game types

* Zipper apparently wanted to put this in, but the game was too full to accomodate this feature.

:no: Knife/Butt kills if you can get behind opponent for 2 seconds

* Unlikely to be put in the game.

:yes: 32 Players Online - 16 vs 16 with 4 spectators

* Yes, most player number limitations have been doubled.

:yes: Player Driveable Vehicles

* Yes, the game is built with the ability to drive multiple types of vehicles, including Humvees, light strike vehicles, technicals, T72 tanks, an SSCR assault boat, and a customized speed boat.

Maps

:notsure: All lights should be able to be shot out

* Another idea Zipper is looking into. But, remember, this is more info to be passed around so it could affect network conditions.

:notsure: More destruction of walls, doors, bridges, vehicles, etc

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Variable Weather and time of day on all maps

* Night / Day confirmed, weather is being looked into. This means that you will have the ability to play your maps in either the day or the night. The ability to change weather conditions is being looked into, but is as of yet, uncertain.

:no: Keep at least current total number of maps

* 12 New maps have been built from scratch and must now be larger. Zipper will make no promises about old maps being re-built from SOCOM I/II for SOCOM III.

:notsure: Innocent civilians in some online maps

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Lockable doors that can be shot or blown open

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Choice or Random spawn starts on maps

* Yes, you will now have the ability to choose your Spawn Location, instead of spawning in the same place. This will help you to avoid being "spawn camped".

:yes: Choice to play on different sized version of all maps

* Yes, you can instruct the game to delete portions of the map so that it is sized appropriately when smaller numbers of players are competing.

Game Design

:notsure: Default option on dead body should be weapon switch, not dance

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Clan [TAG] not needed over head during actual play

* There's been no word that this will be removed from the game.

:notsure: Host can force game start after 2 minutes

* Something that is being looked into.

:notsure: Instant replay available after you die

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:no: Health bar shaped as human figure with specific damage locations

* No, this will not be implemented into the game's design.

:notsure: Player names smaller and more transparent during play

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

Game Options

:yes: Complete customization of online games

* Much more online game customization will be included... to what extreme detail, is unknown.

:yes: Quick switch (L1) should be toggle for primary and secondary weapon

* L1 will now toggle between your Primary and Secondary, leaving L2 open for the "Run and Talk" feature.

:no: Custom online character skins (uniforms/camo) and faces

* No, this will not be implemented into the game's design.

:no: Fully customizable (mapping) controls

* No, this will not be implemented into the game's design.

:yes: / :no: Opacity setting for all on-screen HUD displays, including scrolling info

* It looks like you can turn off the scrolling messages if you choose to, but that's about it.

:notsure: Headset audio to TV speakers

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

Community Features

:yes: Improved friends list system

* No absolute details, but it's been confirmed that you can now send/receive friends/clan invites in-game or in the game lobby.

:notsure: Name-link feature to link all your user names and friends list

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Join games directly from friends and clan lists

* Yes, you can now go right from looking where your friend is and then being in the room with them, if the room isn't full, that is.

:notsure: More keyboard chat commands

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Internet access for clan management and friends list features

* Yes, you can now check your stats and ranks online.

:yes: Ability to check user profiles/stats from game lobbies

* Yes, you can now check user stats right in the Game Lobby.

:notsure: Waiting list to join full games

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Vote off option available in lobby

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Player Name and Clan Search Function

* Yes, you can now search for users and clans, without having to scroll through the lists to get them.

Chat

:yes: Lobby chat can be heard while in armory

* Yes, this was apparently implemented into S2, but a bug prevented it from happening.

:notsure: Add no mic icon when no mic is present

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Option to chat (trash talk) with enemy in one on one games

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:no: Proximity Chat Feature

* No, this will not be implemented into the game's design.

Clan

:notsure: Clan tags can be any five characters, not forced brackets

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: In game clan ladder and tournament system

* Details are sketchy, but we do know that the game will have it's own built in ladder system, including clan challenges, and auto-created clan war rooms, which will most likely allow only members from the warring clans access to the room. This will cut down on ringers and make it easier to find and war other clans.

:notsure: Clan leader can assign internal clan ranks

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Better Clan Message Board

* Yes, there is an internal email system AND message board for clans.

:notsure: Auto Clan Queue that puts you in room with highest available ranked Clan

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

Game Detail

:yes: Use Universe News Screen for Daily Stats Updates and more

* Yes, there will be an in-game message board system that will supposedly be up to date and allow players and the developers to communicate better.

:yes: More game details when browsing server games

* From the screenshots, it appears so.

:notsure: Blood trails when wounded (like in offline)

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Add colored smoke

* Not sure if it is selectable or just something at extraction/hold type points.

:notsure: Info scroll at top should show enemy kills and friendly kills in different colors

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Show hits taken and hit percentage at end of each round

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: More stats, team kills, MVPs, overall Seals vs. Terrorists, etc

* There will be more stats in Socom III... Exactly which ones is unknown.

Rankings

:notsure: Automated system to detect and eliminate rank-up tactics

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Names not used for 15 days hidden from rank ladder until they re-login

* Not sure exactly how it will work, but names will not be shown on the ranking ladder until they've played a specified amount of "ranked/scored" games. How this is adjusted for names that become inactive is unknown.

:yes: Add additional Navy ranks for more brackets of rank

* Not sure exactly how it works, but naval ranks will be - (shown here in Navy Column)

:notsure: All friendly-fire OFF games should be unranked

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: All rooms have option to be ranked or unranked

* Yes, SOCOM III will have this option available to choose during Game Creation.

:notsure: Auto feature that puts you in room with highest available ranked players

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

Game Servers

:notsure: Moderators for online play to eliminate cheating and ranking up

* Possibly, apparently, they are trying to make this happen. There is a new rank system which will obviously require it. It would be a huge blunder by Sony not to provide 2 or 3 moderators.

:notsure: Show player connection speed in lobby

* Zipper is apparently "looking into it".

:notsure: Ability to switch user names without re-booting PS2

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Change password feature

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:notsure: Favorite server list, to be placed at top of all servers

* There's been nothing confirmed about this being implemented into the game.

:yes: Quick Log-in Feature

* Yes, though details are sketchy about how it will work.

Additional Changes

:yes: More Guns! Primary Weapons

* Yes, be advised that this is not necessarily a full list. Please don't make assumptions about weapons balance... the E3 Demo was a Pre-Alpha version of the game, every weapon was not visible and Zipper may very well still be arranging weapons, attachments, and load setups.
o Seals Primary: M4A1, M40A1, M4-90 (semi-shotgun), M60E3, MK-48, HK-36(?), IW-80 A2, M14, M8 (Next Gen Assault), HK5, M16A2 ---- Terrorists Primary: ATK-74, AK-47, AG-94, RA-14, STG-77, 9mm Sub, F90, M40A1, M82A1A, SASR, 12 Gauge Pump, TA 12 Gauge, M60E3, 552.

:yes: Gun Modifications! Primary Attachment Options



* From the videos of E3 2005, we were able to see the following primary weapon attachments. Be aware that different guns may have different choices. Again, this is not a fill list, just what was seen on the E3 video.
o SEALS PRIMARY ATTACHMENTS - Suppressor 1, Suppressor 2, Bipod 1, Bipod 3, M24 Airburst, 4x Scope, Low Scope (1.5x & 3.0x zoom), Medium Scope (3.0x & 8.0x magnification), High Scope (5.0x, 10.0x and 16.0x magnification).
o Terrorst Primary attachments - Suppressor 1, Front Grip, Low Scope, Medium Scope.

:yes: More Guns! Handguns with Attachments



* So far th following handguns have been seen in SOCOM III. Again, this is not a full list, just what was seen on the E3 video.
o SEALS - Mark 23, 226, 9mm Pistoll. Terrorists - F57, DE .50. *Both SEALS and terrorsts have 1 slot for attatchments to handguns. I've only seen "suppresor" selected on the SEALS side... Haven't yet seen a terrorist handgun attachment.

:yes: 2 Mines max load with adjusted damage radius



* From the GB interview with CJ, he stated that they'd do less damage.

:yes: Socom 3 will NOT be Pay to Play

* Correct, online play will be free as usual.

:yes: Multiple Gametypes on each map

* Yes, you can play Demolition, Suppresion, Extraction, etc. on any Map.



The Sea Snipers Talk With Zipper at E3 '05
Courtesy of the Sea Snipers - E3 '05 Newsletter
Read the entire newsletter, here.

[sS]: Will there be an arrival screen where you can select which team you want to be on before you join the game?
Zipper: Yes, that is how we have it setup now, however it is a bit tempermental and may not be in the final release.
(We proceed to tell CJ that he needs to make sure that it DOES make it into the final release because too many times 1 or 2 guys from each side will get booted in a match, and the match has to be played short because the right people can't get back on the right side.)

[sS]: What is being done about the lag? Is the game still peer to peer connection?
Zipper: There's nothing we can do. Lag is seen when one person has a bad connection to the rest of the players.

[sS]: Has the hit detection been improved? Is it body part sensitive?
Zipper: Yes, the hit detection now falls somewhere inbewteen S1 and S2. Yes, damage is body part specific. If you get shot in the arm, it can take a certain amount of hits before it becomes "dead" at which point, if it gets hit any more, the damage will be redirected to the torso. In addition, players will get pushed back a bit when getting shot depending on the calibre of the bullet.

[sS]: Will there be any changes to the in-game player stats screens and the final screens?
Zipper: The screens are the same as they are now but with more stats. The in-game screen will show you everyones stats, and the final screen will show you your personal stats and team stats.
(We tell CJ that it should be the other way around and that the in-game stats should be your personal stats, and the final screen should show everyones stats. He makes a note of this and says its a good idea, they are going to talk about it.)

[sS]: What can you do about dead-speak? Lots of clans use nextels, or have 2 systems set up next to each other and relay information to the living while they are dead.
Zipper: We can't really do anything about that.
(We tell them that one way to minimize this is to have it set up where when you die and you can rotate to other players views, to set the camera to the first person view only. This way they can't look behind. CJ says, great idea! We're going to talk about this as well!)

[sS]: Will we be able to have the same weapons on both sides?
Zipper: No, for authenticitys sake, we have terrorist weapons and seal weapons available for their respective sides.
(They are however making the weapons more close in damage and accuracy to each other.)

[sS]: Will all the weapons be configreable online?
Zipper: Yes. You can put several different scopes, silencers, grenade launchers, and bi-pods (like a tri-pod) on your rifles.
(so you can have an M14 with a silencer and a scope, awesome!)

[sS]: What about the web-stats?
Zipper: We will have a website where you can view players online stats etc.
(We ask if it would be possible to put a link on our site that says "View Sea Snipers Stats" and bring up a page with just our stats pulled from the online xml data. CJ says, "Wow, thats a great idea!" He pitches the idea to Sony and tells us the next day that they are talking about it and Sony will get back to them on it.)

[sS]: Will the S2 maps be available in S3?
Zipper: We can't really comment on this, but what we can tell you is that the game will ship with 12 new maps.

[sS]: Will the maps have selectable weather and day and night?
Zipper: You cannot select weather options, but you will be able to select day or night.

[sS]: How many people can you invite to the clan?
Zipper: 32

[sS]: Is the map size automatic or host selected?
Zipper: The host can set how much of the map will be playable before the game starts.

So, the game will remain peer to peer, but based on the time we put in, the hit detection is MUCH better. The game is smooth, the graphics are great, the vehicles are fun, the maps are huge, the configureable weapons are awesome, the game modes are great (we played a control point game which is kind of like Battlefield or Battlefront). Seeing as S2 was originally intended to be an expansion, we believe that Socom 3 will be much cleaner and less buggy than S2. They have a built in ladder system which allows people to challenge other clans up to 20 slots ahead of them with only 1 challenge acceptable by a clan at any given time to avoid huge backlogs of challenges. When you challenge a clan, you set the date and time, and once accepted, the room is automatically created privately, 30 mins prior to match time. Once you log on, you get a message saying that the room is up and it gives you an option to join. It will not show up in the server/rooms list. Very cool. An alternative to GB and other ladder sites. We asked when it would be released, and they could only tell us "Fall".

[Saint_Michael 3]

thats alot of info funny how this topic has been discuss several times, i know i posted a topic about it.

[romy 0]

1 link to the movie doesn't work to me!!!

[far3 0]

i dont like thisu game much, its waay too open the real reason i loved crossroads and frostfire on socom2 is that it was relativley small and a blast to play, fun quick rounds and the ocassional HUGE map that jungle map and the blizzard they were both breach, I think they shouldnrt of went the way of making the maps huge they should of kept them small like in 1 and 2 I never play 3 now casue I could just play bf2 for the same or a much better effect, if EA holds up on their servers socom2 maps in css , now that would be interesting.

[Helium 0]

I liked SOCOM II more too.SOCOM 3 is alright but if you join a server with few people playing it takes way to long before you find someone to kill. There should've been a few old SOCOM II maps aswell for "classic" 8vs8.