A hard question to the developers: Making use of server variable: global unlocks 1

[Expendable Grunt]

Numerous times we have had threads on "unlocks" for PR, be they for ranks (which we cannot do in PR, thankfully), or alternative loadouts for given spawn kits. These threads have always been locked, regardless of any unanswered questions in them, so I bringing this question up again.

Vanilla BF2 servers have the option of turning on "Global unlocks" for all players on unranked servers, so you can gain the use of all the unlockable weapons in the game at the expense of your score not counting. The vBF2 mod "Eve of Destruction" had unlocks for their spawnable kits, but only if your vBF2 account had unlocks for that particular kit already.

My question is why the two extremes cannot be reconciled; why can't we default Global Unlocks to true on PR server files, and then give a few kits alternative equipment to suit slightly altered roles in game? Is this "hardcoded"? I never got a response from the EoD team, but I distinctly remember being on a server with global unlocks enabled on that mod, which is how I discovered they even HAD unlocks in the first place.

So why have we not reconciled these two facts?

[Rhino]

well with using the stock method of the unlock system, ie, same buttons, layout etc with little editing apart from which kits it has, there is a large flaw which is that, if you did not unlock that kit in vBF2, ie, the kit type (assault unlock or w/e) then that kit would not be available in any other mod, even with these settings, even if named 100% differently, unless you had unlocked it in vbf2.

thou there are ways round this which we have known about for some time, but we are simply quite happy with the current system and the current system is much easier to control etc.

[Expendable Grunt]

I already brought that point up, Rhino. I'm asking WHY you haven't used the global unlocks setting? Fire up Vanilla with a brand new account, hop on any server with global unlocks enabled, and you can use every kit in the game, regardless of rank.

[Solid Knight]

I've wondered the same thing. PR cannot be ranked so why the absence of unlockables?

[Wicca]

Its not realistic?

[Raegron]

Its not realistic?

I don't think you should see it as an "unlock", but more some sort of "kit moderation". You know, the ability to change small things of kits (if that's possible). Not the main weapon, that would make no sense I think..

[Solid Knight]

You could add variations as loads can be altered by the individual soldier to a certain extent or by the mission itself.

[hall0]

Its not realistic?

Why shouldnt it be unrealistic. You dont change the kit from a M16 to an AK you can make it for example to change it from a M16 to another weapon of the US weapons.

[hx.bjoffe]

^.. or let the rifleman choose between scope/ironsite without it being two different kits.

[hall0]

Yes for example

[Raegron]

Exactly. You could switch between grenade and smoke, scoped and unscoped, etc. If gives the players more "control" over their kit. They can in fact change small things, without going l33t -and- preserving gameplay. I would say "yay" to this!

[SqnLdr]

You could choose Officer kit with either ACOG or Aimpoint!
To be honest, this is how I thought the kit system would work for PR before they introduced the pickup kits back in 0.4, I guess there must be some other limitation...

[Rudd]

EoD did it, and it isn't unrealistic

[Katsu]

It seems the perfect tool for players to tailor their loadout to a slight degree. The officer kit with ACOG or aimpoint being a great example.

[Rudd]

only thing is, that the requestable kits would have to be kept the same, and officer requestable would be acog, unless you put duplicates of every one in the selection and I don't think thats a good idea/might not even be possible.

[jOHNNYdOUBE]

If they can find the manpower, I'm sure they can pull it off.
It sounds reasonable.

[DeltaFart]

I'd say with the amount of friendly studio mods, PR shouldn't have that much of an issue finding out how to make this possible

[Solid Knight]

I believe you just set global unlocks to 1 then in the kit files for each solider you specify what gets replaced with what when people toggle through the unlocks.

[Darktrooper]

Mmmh... Are you sure we can have different unlocks for different teams?

In vBF2 all factions had the same unlockable weapons... Would not make sense here.