I'll just add that the radar does show a hit/direction indicator that stays there for a bit. If you are getting hit, glance up there and check the direction.

But all of the comments are certainly valid.

As Chow Chow said, you can certainly get used to things. I can usually tell allies from enemies, but I've been playing from way before last week's demo.   

Telling your teammates from your enemies in Gears can be a little confusing at times (especially in dark stages). Plus, Gears has no radar.

You can tell which team you are on by the look of your player, the match start screen before the match (look for your name in orange), and which color bar is on top. If the red bar is on top, then you're the red team. If blue's on top, you're on the blue team.

So there is a little bit of a learning curve before you get used to how the game works and the gameplay mechanics, which strategies work and which don't.

Welcome Kildain

Just wanted to say that I too have recently gotten my XBox on the previous Friday, as I assume a lot of poeple did due to "White Friday" deals. Furthermore, welcome to the Lost Planet forums and I hope you are enjoying the game as much as well all. Allow me to comment on your feedback if you don't mind, I just like some intellegent discussion. Hopefully you like feedback-on-feedback as much as I do.

1. Radar and bars are kind of confusing.

Indeed they are, this is the most commonly voiced concern throughout the forum, but this is because we only were left to figure it out for outselves! Aside from that, once you understand it -- it makes sense. Though it could be better presented, this is for certain.

2. I was thinking maybe a "respectful" taunt might be cool for players who want to honor a good opponent, like a salute or something.

I too would like something like this, but I tend to find more poeple I wish to be rude too than want to respect. It's safe to say not many people who play this game on XBox Live are exactly "friendly" and worth respect. But I would like to have something to give to those whom do give me that rare, very rare, challange.

3. Grappling on VS suits- besides maybe using grenades, can you shoot out the pilot like this?

You can shoot out the pilot, instead of holding the left-trigger to slap a Grenade onto it, just hit him with the right-tigger to open fire. Do it enough an you will knock the pilot out. The important thing is that the backside is the weakest point, and one attack to it just won't do it. But hopping on does do some good damage, I admit it should do more.

What makes me mad is that it's too easy to knock people off you know how to pilot a mech and expect people to hook on. You can actually begin to "plan" where you want them to fall off the mech and the you can easily turn around and kill them before they have another chance to hook on again. I admit, hooking on should do much more damage and be more threatening. If not the ability to just directly hurt the pilot alone and neglect the mech's armor. The best method of attack is to just stick a grenade and jump off, because giving the pilot time to think will get you killed.

4. I almost think there is too much going in the interface.

I don't mind the messages or the interface. But I wouldn't mind an option to toggle and adjust features to a player's ideal liking to make everyone happy.

5. Are any of the VS suits on pirates fortress the transforming ones? If so, how do you make that happen? That was one thing i wanted to see/try but getting in a suit is dangerous business, lol.

Sadly no, the transforming ones are just teasers in trailers at the moment.

6. What's the other map like?

Pre-Order the game at your nearest Best Buy and pick up th $5 Order box with the card inside. It's a very vertical hook-happy map which allows you to go underwater and pilot a whole new type of mech with jump-jets.

I fully agree with the "respect" taunt. I remember in MGO, when I had a good fight with someone, I always took the time to salute the opponent, and I liked when he saluted me when he won. (And I quite like the animation and its simplicity).

Seeing as there's 4 directions for taunt (well 2 if you remove "come" and "go") we could have a "respect" taunt.

Oh, and it could be good for the reputation management too. I've seen people seeing their rep go down after buttslapping overuse...

i really dig the game. there's only one complaint:
the spawn killing. i think there needs to be different spawn locations rather than just one. i've noticed that this happens a lot to the team that spawns opposite of the huge red wall with the bridge.

i also noticed that some people on here and on other boards want regenerating health using the T-eng. i think it should be an option and not a default option either. too many games use the regenerating health thingy and i like the fact that on MP, this game doesnt have that. it makes the battles more intense, imo. this along with the different/unique take on deathmatch, it really helps to separate Lost Planet's MP from others.

IMO, BEST MP EVER!!! its my hope that Capcom uses the Pirate Fortress map as a jump off point for more maps and downloadable content as i can clearly see this as the zanzibar of the games multiplayer. i hope that they make alot of maps that take advantage of the possibilities of fighting in indoor and outdoor mid battle, its stuff like that i love the most about the fortress.

a major problem i have with the MP is the fact that there are ONLY 4 gametypes. for a game this good i just cant see as that being enough. what about CTF? what about a capture and hold gametype? king of the hill? anything that will add longevity to this game as ppl grow weary of the same match types is welcome and i hope the wizards at capcom take full advantage of this opprotunity.

and lastly, while i might not necessarily care, i know alot of ppl do and thats a clan option. from the loooks of the demo, it didnt seem like that was in the cards but i hope they take full advantage of this opprotunity to turn Lost Planet into a heavily focused multiplayer game (something epic didnt do with GOW).

other than that its a very badass game and id like to congratulate Inafune-san's talented team on a job well done. now if only yall would get him to make a return trip to america so he can sign my copy of the game...........as well as my entire megaman collection. lol :P