Do we know the pros/cons/specialties of the three sides yet?

[Dravz]

Just a general question as I try to get a feel for each team.

I read all the FAQs, will put down my first impressions. Feel free to flame/correct/add-on.

Vanu is the high-tech team, weapons are ammo-less (energy).

Terran Republic is the tank team, I think I read their weapons have the fastest fire rate?

New Congomerate is middle of the road on everything?

[OmnipotentKiwi]

Originally posted by Dravz
Vanu is the high-tech team, weapons are ammo-less (energy).

Terran Republic is the tank team, I think I read their weapons have the fastest fire rate?

New Congomerate is middle of the road on everything?

Vanu weapons, which are mainly energy, still need energy cells to fire. They act as ammo.


Generally this is how I see the three empires:
Vanu: Most Agile Empire. Their weapons are better on the move as they have the least amount of recoil. Their MAX utilizes his agility with jump-packs, and their takes utilize hovering and strafing abilities.

NC: Survival for close range. Their weapons are more geared for close up combat, such as the multiple shotgun type weapons. Their MAX also has the shield ability, so they can survive the travel. They also appear to do well in closed coridors, as well as have a good amount of firepower.

TR: The more we can shoot, the more that will hit. TR's MAX is based on clamping and rapid firing. Also, many of their guns utilize spray tactics, with fast releasing ammo.

All of this is just IMHO.

[Nightmare]

New Conglomerate has slow, powerful weapons. Vanu is more of the middle-of-the-road type, but they use energy weapons, like you stated, and their vehicles are moe manuverable than others.

[DaRB]

yes, beware the purple rain of death we shall loose on the infidels!!!

[Pingpang]

Hey,

This is what I understand, can someone please confirm?

NC's weapons are high damage with medium rate of fire. Their Scatter Pistol and Jackhammer are more effective at close range which probably means these weapons will be very effective indoors during base raids. I think for outdoor use, the Gauss rifle will be effective (high damage/long range).

TR's weapons have higher rate of fire. In this case I hope you can aim well or you'll run out off bullets pretty fast. TR also has the heaviest tank.

I don't know too much about VS tho, can anyone advise?

(don't mean to sound redundant, I was writing this at the same time as others)

[Nightmare]

VS uses plasma/energy weapons that have a steady RoF (slower than TR, faster than NC) and are probably a lot more accurate.

[Pingpang]

Interesting, seems like VS will fare well against other empires outdoor due to their agility.

How effective will VS abilities be inside the bases? This is where the NC's abilities become effective I think.

I think TR's rapid rate of fire will be good against quick moving targets on the outdoors because they can land more bullets on them. Indoors they will do just as well. My only concern is running out of ammo.

I'm picking NC because the point of Planetside is to capture the bases therefore indoor combat is essential.

On the flipside, getting to the base is the problem for NC. I think NC team will need to beef up their transportation in order to do well.

MHO = Food for thought, comments welcome!

[Nightmare]

I dont think NC, or anyone for that matter, will have trouble getting to a battle. If even one person knows how to use a galaxy or sunderer, then 10 or so people have a free ride. NC also has the Vanguard, which has the strongest cannon ( I think )

[Hellsfire123]

Originally posted by 9v.Pingpang
On the flipside, getting to the base is the problem for NC. I think NC team will need to beef up their transportation in order to do well.

I doubt it. Along with the shield the NC max has a ton of armor. It could just run (ok not really run, its a max after all) right past everyone into the base. I wouldnt, but it could. Plus, with reinforced armor we get two main guns, who can say guass and jackhammer?

Anyway, look at the beta journal and the screen shots. NC, VS, and TR are all pretty equal outside and inside.

[diluted]

nc have the best tank beeotch!!


glad to clear that up.

[diluted]

Originally posted by Hellsfire123
It could just run (ok not really run, its a max after all) right past everyone into the base. I wouldnt, but it could. Plus, with reinforced armor we get two main guns, who can say guass and jackhammer?


there is a sprint feature on maxes. it 'chews up terrain'

[LesserShade]

K, NC max even though it has shields, I though I read somewhere that it loses mobility when it's shields are activated. And while the NC tank does boast the big ass cannon, the TR tank has TWO cannons

[diluted]

two weapons not as powerful. yes the nc get slower fire rate when shield is turned on but eh who cares :)

[LesserShade]

ah yes, slower rate of fire. As far as the tanks go, NC = 150mm cannon, TR = 100mm cannon x2. 200mm > 150mm... that almost looks like ricer math to me, and you can't argue with that :D

[DaRB]

i dont think anyone should worry about "who has the best" anything, it wont matter if the pilot/driver is a douche bag. the best will depend on the person, just like it always has.

[KeviN]

It'll matter as soon as your pilot crashes into a tree. And, um, the pilot and drivers are people, so you're kinda contradicting yourself.

[Discordja]

ehhhhhhhhhhhhhh no he's not

we all know who the best side is tho ...

goggles = 1337

[MrVulcan]

Originally posted by LesserShade
ah yes, slower rate of fire. As far as the tanks go, NC = 150mm cannon, TR = 100mm cannon x2. 200mm > 150mm... that almost looks like ricer math to me, and you can't argue with that :D

This is not always true, the power of a weapon increases exponentially as the size increases.

IE: look at this data about the two ammo types:

.32 Winchester:
Penetration (10% gel.): 6.5"

Vs.

.41 Winchester:
Penetration (10% gel.): 17.5"

that is about a 24% difference in size, and the penetration is 2.69 times higher. so by increasing the size 24% you get 269% increase in power.

[OmnipotentKiwi]

Originally posted by MrVulcan
This is not always true, the power of a weapon increases exponentially as the size increases.

IE: look at this data about the two ammo types:

.32 Winchester:
Penetration (10% gel.): 6.5"

Vs.

.41 Winchester:
Penetration (10% gel.): 17.5"

that is about a 24% difference in size, and the penetration is 2.69 times higher. so by increasing the size 24% you get 269% increase in power.
Physics pwns, doesn't it Mr. Vulcan? :D

[MrVulcan]

yes it does omni, yes it does

:D :D :D :p :D
:D :D ;) :D :D
:D :D :D :D :D
:D :confused: :D :D :D

[Arshune]

From what I've read, here's how I see it.

TR-Offensive defense. Pros-They can throw a ton of ammo out there and can do it fast. Their MAX has an uberspray ability. The high RoF on their weapons makes them ideal for sitting in a protected location and just shooting at squads of people coming into a base. Their empire specific rocket launcher has a clip (at least it looks so in the picture, I'm gonna go through the screenshots and see if anyone is using it in a first person shot so I can be sure) AND it locks on. Their tank has 2x 100mm guns, the only thing bigger is the 150mm gun on the NC tank. They use drum magazines, so it's likely they'll have bigger clips (again, just pulling info out of my ass, but it seems logical).
Cons-running out of ammo will be a problem (unless the devs made their ammo crates bigger or something). Probably end up with a huge cone of fire after a spraying for a little bit. Also, to go uberspray their MAX has to hold still and can't pivot that much.

NC-Defensive offense.
Pros-They get a lot of good shotgun type weapons, which are great when you're charging in. Their MAX has a good shield, so they can get up close where their AI weapons will be most effective with less risk than other MAXes.
Cons-Their empire specific infantry weapons all look like they're going to suck at range, leaving them with somewhat less versatility. Their AI MAX uses a shotgun, so even with the long range barrel it's not gonna be so good for long range.

VS-Strategic movement.
Pros-They get all those nifty movement abilities, so an intelligent person can bypass a lot of danger. With a tank that can strafe and a MAX that can just jump over any bottlenecks that are created outside, they've got the agility covered. Their beam weapons don't need AP rounds to do AP-type damage and also have low recoil.
Cons-their MAX has much less armor than the other two, I'm assuming that probably applies to their other stuff as well (tank and buggy). Their anti-vehicle weapon has no lock on or guidance capability at all. It's also been stated somewhere that AP consumes more energy on the beamer, so I'm thinking switching a weapon for a different purpose probably burns through the ammo quite nicely. They're purple, so everyone under age 15 who plays the game (lots of people) will make fun of you. They probably require more skill to use effectively because they don't have as much armor on their shit. Also, their beam weapons give a clear indication of where the shooter is.

I'm going Vanu, the mobility is just too good to pass up. Not to mention they've got beam weapons, which are just plain cool. Not to mention that I dig the whole "we like crustacean inspired armor" style. Not to mention that everything I want from the other empires I can steal relatively easily.

[Nightmare]

Very well put, and you also chose the best side too. :vsrocks:

[Jaged]

Stop bickering. We all know NC is the best. WHo won in the beat journal thingy? NC. Who has the gauss, the most efective assualt rifel? NC. Who has the biggest gun in the game (Vanguard)? NC. Who has uber blue and yellow stuff? NC. Who has the best shotty in the game? NC. Who is gonna pwn you all? NC.
:ncrocks:

And yes, I know I have a damn TR sig. THis is from when I was a misguided TR. I know better now and havent had time to make myself a good NC sig.

[Headrattle]

NC-Defensive offense.
Pros-They get a lot of good shotgun type weapons, which are great when you're charging in. Their MAX has a good shield, so they can get up close where their AI weapons will be most effective with less risk than other MAXes.
Cons-Their empire specific infantry weapons all look like they're going to suck at range, leaving them with somewhat less versatility. Their AI MAX uses a shotgun, so even with the long range barrel it's not gonna be so good for long range.


I don't know man, seems you are centering your thoughts around the shotgun a little too much.
I think the NC center more around high damage/defense.
All of their weapons do more then the other Empire's.
The Gauss and the Vanguard both do high damage at long range. However their reload is a little lower.
The Pheonix and the AA and AV MAX all have large lock on missiles that do as much or more damage. This way they know they are going to hit. While the TR just soot a crap load out there.

Seems to me they are more for making their shots count and doing high damage then being on the defensive.
The TR want to get as many bullets as they can out there.
The TR AI max, cycler, and mini machine gun are all high refire weapons. These weapons won't be as handly at long ranges because of the COF and the fact that you are firing full auto. Shooting the cycler slowly will be more accurate, but the damage is less then the Gauss which will be shooting at the same ROF (or close to the same ROF) but at higher damage.

Just some observations.

[Nightmare]

Pfft, we can all talk about how great our factions are, but it's gonna be a different story when we prove it out on the field. NC may have won the beta journal thing, but it'll be different when over 3,000 people are in the world, and everyone is fighting. Damn, I can't wait...

[Hife246]

I haven't played the beta so I'm probably off on half this sutff but here it goes..

NC- High defense/Power/slow RoF

It was said about teh gauss so I don't think we limited to close quarters combat. Was also mentioned the high dmg to the slow RoF (there go the Power/Slow RoF) And for defense.. well.. the sheilds and what not.

VS- Mobile/Intelligence REQUIRED

I agree with whoever said or assumed that they will probably have less sheild strength, so u'l probably have to be smart when u attack/defend about where u fire form and when u fire. Your mobile hence the MAX with the jump jets and what not. And I'm guessing they the faster moving of the 3

TR-High Defense/lower power/REALLY HIGH RoF

ie-Mini chain gun, MAX, everything else u have.

Now.. if u were to include the Common pool Weapons all this info could go out the window so in a way... there is no way to define who is better at what, atless u look at MAXs.

Anyway.. just my opinions

[Nightmare]

I'm pretty sure if a VS, NC, and TR soldier were all in the same kind of armor, they'd all be equally... armored. The empire specific vehicles are probably a different story, and VS ones are probably less shielded. I assume all the MAXes have equal defense, ignoring the NC's special shield of course, in which case their's would be the strongest.

[Hife246]

That remind me... is the turret on either the TR or NC Tanks able to be moved in a 360o are or they "stuck" the way they are, cause if they can move then the strafing of the VS tank isn't as good as we thought cause I know its turret is "stuck"???

[Tobias]

The Vanguard can rotate 360 (or 3600 according to the officalsite hehe) The TR proalby can too.

[Arthell]

Also, the different MAXes do have different armor values. Last i seen Vanus was 650, with the others a hundred or two over.

[Vicentegrad]

VS MAX will spank the NC MAX

while the NC is engaging his shield and experiencing a mobility penalty, the VS will run/hop/temporarily fly circles around the NC

the TR MAX (aslong as it was anti-air or anti-infantry) would have an equal chance against either MAX

thus, TR 0wnxx0rs j00

*cough* I apologize for that, I really do

[Nightmare]

Here's how I see it. While the TR MAX is anchored, a NC MAX comes up from behind and obliterates the TR MAX. Then NC MAX keeps trying to hit the VS MAX, but it shoots too slow and te VS MAX is too fast, and it is constantly shooting while jumping around. The VS MAX ends up winning.

[Cygnus]

You should understand that a VS Max doesn't want to get anywhere NEAR an NC MAX with a shotgun. Those jumpjets turn the whole thing into a turkey shoot. "PULL - BANG BANG BANG"

No more VS MAX.

The VS MAX is going to want to utilize cover at range against the shotgun MAX, and is unlikely to use the jumpjets excessively in combat because they're unable to change their aspect while in the air...a MAJOR disadvantage for a lightly armored, maneuverable mech.

[Fire_Monkey]

Just a note cygnus, MAXes have their own specialized weapons, thus a MAX cannot use a shotgun. Also I believe that the Vanu MAX will have a long recharge time on those jump jets, they dont want all VS MAXes to bunny hop

[Jaged]

The NC AI MAX wep is a shotgun.

[Fire_Monkey]

damn, I was wrong

[Frozen-Monkey]

yes, just cheack in the main site under weapons, vehicals, and....................other stuff

[Sando138]

Tactics
TR Main Combat Tactic:
TR commanders and weapon designers express the desire to fill as much volume of air and the enemy as possible with flying lead. their gatling guns, max ability, and double-barrelled tank all establish this point fairly well.

NC Main Combat Tactic:
My fellow NC focus mainly on firepower (emphasis on the power) that is useful both up close, medium range, and long range. hence, mag-scatter, Jackhammer, Gauss, and the Anti-infantry tri-barrel multi range shotgun on their MAX units.

VS Main Combat Tactic:
Now, we reach the Vanu soverignty. these guys use beam weapons that concentrate energy into devastating blasts. they put a lot of emphasis on mobility and accuracy. their MAX has jumpjets to fly over walls, short stretches of water, gaps, etc. their exclusive vehicles all hover, and thus can strafe left and right, as no other tank can, and can cross short expanses of water like a hovercraft. their weapons have minimal recoil effect owing to the nature of it's blasts. the only limit to their weapons is probably either ammo consumtion or power.

[Flameseeker]

Originally posted by Vicentegrad
VS MAX will spank the NC MAX

while the NC is engaging his shield and experiencing a mobility penalty, the VS will run/hop/temporarily fly circles around the NC

the TR MAX (aslong as it was anti-air or anti-infantry) would have an equal chance against either MAX

thus, TR 0wnxx0rs j00

*cough* I apologize for that, I really do
Ok, let's talk in hypothetical terms. Say that a VS AI MAX can fire for 7 damage per second. An NC AI MAX can fire for 14 damage every two seconds. VS activates JJs, now how in the heck are you gonna fire underneath and behind you? The NC activates shield, it now does 14 damage ever 4 seconds. So VS is dealing out twice as much damage right now, but it can't even see the MAX. The NC is dealing a steady 14 damage. The Vanu takes time to turn around and start shooting. By now, it's lost a considerable chunk of HP, and the NC's shield is a bit dinged up. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict the outcome of that fight. JJs will probably help for:
A) Avoiding Bottlenecks
B) Avoiding Grenade/Rocket
C) Jumping onto a Vehicle/Wall
It won't save your hide in combat, because I doubt you can look straight down and then shoot through your legs.

[Nightmare]

I'm pretty sure it's easy to look down and shoot...

[Vicentegrad]

no one says you're leaping over the NC. It'd be just as effective to jump straight up or left (relative to the NC MAX) and turn your MAX to face the enemy and atleast get off a round or two (yes I know you can't change direction mid-jump, I mean to face the enemy by turning my body, not direction)

[Nightmare]

Ohhh, so that's what he meant. Heh, why on Auraxis would you jump OVER the MAX? I would jump backwards or sideways, or maybe just straight up avoid a few shots.

[Streamline]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/content.php?p=sdArmorInfo

I went straight down the list of MAXen discriptions and broke it down into simple terms. Some other variables are not accounted for due to lack of actual physics familiarity.

NC MAX = shield whores
moto = "rip 'em open before the shield gives out."
target = easy to hit/slow to kill
--------------------------
Sparrow(AA) = lock once, fire many
skills required = none
risk to team8s = none
risk to enemy infantry = none
Flavor = vanilla
--------------------------
Falcon(AV) = acquire tone...reaquire tone...acquire tone...reaquire tone...
Skills required = "who cares... whats your attention span like?"
risk to team8s = none
risk to enemy infantry = none
Flavor = vanilla
--------------------------
Scattercannon(AI) = full featured shotgun with variable spread.
skills required = hitting targets using tightest spread posible at all times
risk to team8s = high
risk to enemy infantry = high
Favorite haunts = Inside - home or away
Flavor = vanilla with magic shell
--------------------------
TR MAX = spray and pray ground pounding human turrets
moto = If all else fails... hold the trigger down.
target = easy to hit/hard to kill
--------------------------
Burster(AA) = acquire tone...reaquire tone...acquire tone...reaquire tone...
skills required = not moving
risk to team8s = moderate
risk to enemy infantry = none
Flavor = vanilla
--------------------------
Pounder(AV) = "On contact or two second delay?"
skills required = not moving
risk to team8s = high
risk to enemy infantry = high
Flavor = vanilla chocolate chip
--------------------------
Dual-Cycler(AI) = chain whores
skills required = not moving
risk to team8s = low
risk to enemy infantry = high
Favorite haunts = "Anywhere but here, i been in the same place for days..."
Flavor = vanilla with chocolate sprinkles
--------------------------
VS MAX = Jumpjets
moto = "Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee."
target = hard to hit/easy to kill
--------------------------
Starfire(AA) = "deadhead" (without lock), but will do much less damage in that fashion!?! .....Rocket Jump!!!
skills required = timing
risk to team8s = low
risk to enemy infantry = moderate - high
Flavor = super fudge chunk
--------------------------
Comet(AV) = "Fire in the hole!"
skills required = herding and ground pounding
risk to team8s = high
risk to enemy infantry = moderate - high
Flavor = chocolate caramel swirl
--------------------------
Quasar(AI) = Stick and move! stick and move!
skills required = mad skills yo!
risk to team8s = low
risk to enemy infantry = high
Favorite haunts = No time for that now!
Flavor = Jenifer Lopez

[Zatrais]

Lets see here

VS: Best mobility and speed of the 3, worst armor. Weapons have a low to zero recoil making them nice for sustained fire annywhere. They don't have the fastest firering weapons or the heaviest hitters but the accuracy and low recoild makes up for it.

NC: All about the front damage, heavy hits are the bread&butter of the NC weapons. They have the worst ROF but the best payload of the weapons. Recoil isn't that big a deal due to the rof (not sure wheter or not this applies 100% to the gauss). Have the biggest gun in the game on their tank.

TR: The side whit the most amounts of ammo heading your way in the shortest amount of time, or the ROF kings. Shots won't do so much damage individually but the sheer volume of fire makes up for it. Basicly, they spit out alott of rounds before the COF gets too big and innacurate. I for one won't spray and pray whit them, i will burst fire. Best armor, best rate of fire, worst speed and well worst accuracy if you run around firering nonstop.....


Now as for ammo, i remember reading that the only way to get ammo for you stolen weapon is to steal the ammo, that leads me to think that the different ammoboxes will have different amounts in them.. More in the TR, less in the NC but balanced so they can sustain the same amount of firering time.

If you want a good idea of what each empire is, look at the MAX's... they're the pinacle of the empires... (i would say tanks too but we don't know enough on them =/)

[DarkDragon00]

Terran Elite Airborne Regiment

I really dont plan on being a MAX on my main account, maybe on one of my extra 3, i really do think at most i'll use 2 of my characters, the other 2 i can allow my friends to F'up!

-Dark- CO [TEAR]

[Dravz]

Ok, thank you for all the replies.

From this, I've pretty much gathered the following pros/cons of the three sides:

Vanu = high agility, high accuracy, low armor, moderate damage

NC = low agility, moderate accuracy, high armor, high damage

TR = moderate agility, low accuracy, moderate/high armor, moderate damage (but very fast)


And if I had to label specialties, I'd label them as follows:

Vanu = maneuverability

NC = big shots

TR = rate of fire


Something like that?

[Streamline]

I read the discriptions again and i may be very wrong about the Burster.

Burster (anti-aircraft)
Dual "flak cannons" that shoot rapidly at locked targets. The "lock" merely pre-programs the shells to burst at a specific altitude (the altitude of the locked target), but the aim requires human control. The weapon is effective because it allows you to saturate an air corridor with detonating bursts.

Dual "flak cannons" that shoot rapidly at locked targets.

At first, i interperated this as it can only fire while locked. But it says:

The "lock" merely pre-programs the shells to burst at a specific altitude (the altitude of the locked target), but the aim requires human control.

And they don't elaborate on it any more. I would think that you could fire this "not locked" but the shells would only blow up if they where to direct hit, or reach its maximum range, or even just shot the ground.

My origanal thought is that there is little to no risk in injury to team8s. And there is no defense for it vs. infantry. However, if the Burster can dumbfire. It would be devistating to enemy infantry. Giving it more versitility as a AA platform.

Further more, any TR MAX can choose not to spike. Spiking only increases your rate of fire at the cost of all movement. Mastery of the TR MAX will be about short burst fire and picking your spot.

Expect to see an evolution of spike points particularly for defense in the TR MAX community.