Should weapon stats be listed?

[CutterJohn]

Not kill stats, but the actual figures themselves that determine a weapons and vehicles properties. I'm a fan of cold hard facts, and would approve of an info screen somewhere in game listing weapon damage, rate of fire, dps, cof, reload speed, etc, etc. Same for vehicles.

Players will figure out many of these things themselves, of course. I tend to be one of those that does it if info is not made available. But figuring out the hidden stats with a lab rat partner and a stopwatch get tedious.. I'd just like all the information to be present.

example: In the BF games they hide this stuff from you, making you guess, and making others dig through the game files to make stuff like this (http://denkirson.xanga.com/722757523/bad-company-2/).

[SKYeXile]

and this is why i like world of tanks.

http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/Gun

It should display all the stats.

[Goku]

I see no reason not to especially with customizable differences in weapons.

TF2 lists specifically what the weapon does. That I like, because I do not play the game full time and do not know about half the weapons anymore. That cash shop while fitting into TF2 nicely has ruined the game for me slightly.

[Sovereign]

and this is why i like world of tanks.

http://wiki.worldoftanks.com/Gun

It should display all the stats.

Not the best instance, played through WoT's beta(s) and never did they give concrete facts or even loosely based listing stats while I was there...

It certainly couldn't hurt as long as they do it proper and not try to convey it as the facts, just very tentative stats..

[Quovatis]

I'll be trying to get that info for the Wiki. The early PS devs gave us a lot of behind-the-scenes info like the hex colors for all the merits, so hopefully we can get something for PS2 as well. But even if they don't, we'll try to compile the stats the best we can. Of course this time, the stats will change depending on what upgrades/certs you have, so it's a little more difficult.

[CutterJohn]

Of course this time, the stats will change depending on what upgrades/certs you have, so it's a little more difficult.

Yeah, a cert selection gizmo would be handy, that automatically adjusted stats. Perhaps a comparison gizmo so you can see the difference between base and upgraded.

[Talek Krell]

Given how customizeable everything will be, I'll concede a need for it. I'd like it to be represented more abstractly though, rather than as precise numbers. So like colored bars that go up or down, rather than an excel sheet. I enjoy learning the intracacies of things through experience.

[Rbstr]

Sure, have the stats.

It's not like people won't compile rough stats, like shots-to-kill, on their own.

[SKYeXile]

Not the best instance, played through WoT's beta(s) and never did they give concrete facts or even loosely based listing stats while I was there...


I linked the stats...these are the same stats you see ingame...question mark.

[xcel]

Yes! Agreed!...

(This reminds me that PS1 weapons actually have a stats page...not sure how accurate they are though.

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[SKYeXile]

Yes! Agreed!...

(This reminds me that PS1 weapons actually have a stats page...not sure how accurate they are though.

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lol, not exactly stats on those guns, they tell you nothing.

[Bags]

Um, yes they do. The Jackhammer is four squares strong with two squares of range. Gauss rifle only does two squares of damage but makes up for it with four squares of speed.

[Aractain]

But my health bar is round....

[Bags]

Oh, and the MCG shoots bullets five squares per minute.

[xcel]

lmao

[Lunarchild]

I kinda like the stat-bar approach where you have more or less an idea of what things do without the actual numbers behind them.

[Coreldan]

I'd like some real info. APB has stat bars only and usually they dont give you any real information about anything, making people like me wasting countless of hours on theorycrafting just to find out basic things :D

[Bruttal]

But my health bar is round....
i lol'ed on that pretty loud

[Redshift]

Considering they're just going to be worked out by players anyway, it would seem sensible just to release them and save everyone time, it'll be a good gesture on SOE's part

[Coreldan]

Considering they're just going to be worked out by players anyway, it would seem sensible just to release them and save everyone time, it'll be a good gesture on SOE's part

Indeed, they will be digged up anyways, so might as well give accurate information.

[wildcat140679]

I'm guessing we will not be getting the hard data on weapon stats damage, speed, range. The information we will be getting will be equal to what we have seen in Planetside

Having accurate hard data on weapon stats has it's uses, but leaving players in the dark and guessing also. I've seen many games where accurate weapon data was displayed and certain power hungry players will number crunch the best weapon load out configuration out of that hard data, next thing you know you will end up with copy cat soldiers, walking around with the best load out.

As much I like to know the exact weapon data, I don't want to see it in planetside 2.

[kaffis]

I don't mind having exact data on how modifications *change* your stats. I.e., this recoil suppressor reduces bloom rate by 10%, this iron sight increases sighted accuracy by 3%, etc.

I'm not sure I'd like to have all the numbers and equations that govern damage, falloff, rate-of-fire, etc. to compare *between* weapons.

On the one hand, it can be useful to get a feel for optimal engagement ranges and such to help you hone your playstyle beyond simple trial-and-error and battlefield experience.

On the other hand, that's a sure-fire recipe to give self-proclaimed know-it-alls all the ammunition they need to drum up edge-case scenarios to incite riots among the populace about imbalance, etc.

I'd rather balancing decisions came down to devs collecting real-world data and looking for trends rather than some excel wizards on the forums claiming Weapon X is 3% less efficient than Weapon Y in their number-crunching. If it's judged that the community is too mature to complain about the scenarios they calculate with their assumptions when they come into conflict with the developers' observations about real play, and that the developers will be steadfast and trust in their own data in the face of those spreadsheet warriors and their models, I'd be okay with seeing real numbers. If that conflict is likely to turn ugly and/or influence balance, I'd rather not.

[Dorest0rm]

They said they would be releasing alot of data voor app's and stuff, so i guess they'll also release weapon info.

[Rbstr]

I've seen many games where accurate weapon data was displayed and certain power hungry players will number crunch the best weapon load out configuration out of that hard data, next thing you know you will end up with copy cat soldiers, walking around with the best load out.

Load out optimisation happens regardless of the availability, and sometimes in the face, of hard available data. It's called FotM, Flavor of the Month.

People can find what's most effective by blind luck.

It's not like you need those shitty bar graphs to tell you that a gauss rifle does less damage than a jackhammer.

[headcrab13]

I'd love to see exact weapon stats either on planetside2.com, or preferably in-game.

It would be awesome to have a skill tree system like WoW's, where you can mouse over any upgrade and get a detailed explanation of how much of a bonus you'll be getting if you pursue it, and what the trade-offs might be.

-HC13

[1Shotwonder]

I believe stats would be awesome seeing as they are making the game much much more strategic and teamwork bound as it should be this would help develop plans for certain things to work in groups together and cover each others weak spots...

[Bags]

Yeah if they don't give 'em out we'll find them eventually so they should save us the hassle.

[Bravix]

Yes! Agreed!...

(This reminds me that PS1 weapons actually have a stats page...not sure how accurate they are though.

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LMAO. Gotta use that for arguing that the Lasher is underpowered now. Apparently, the Jackhammers has better range and damage, and only one blck less of RoF. :D

[exLupo]

The only argument I ever see against full disclosure is players picking loadout XYZ every time due to stats. The thing is, players will do that whether or not the devs show the raw numbers. If there's no way for players to mine the data then they will do endless in-game testing. See: GF's magnum opus on damage degradation in PS1. It's like hiding damage numbers in tab-target games, players will just fudge DPS from TTK on specific mobs of a specific level.

The data cannot ever be truly hidden. Better to have correct numbers out there than players going on best-guess info. Either way "BIS" and "lolz nub" loadouts will come to light. Giving clear stats makes players lives easier and, also, dev balance work in light of players' use of those stats.

[wildcat140679]

Load out optimisation happens regardless of the availability, and sometimes in the face, of hard available data. It's called FotM, Flavor of the Month.

People can find what's most effective by blind luck.

It's not like you need those shitty bar graphs to tell you that a gauss rifle does less damage than a jackhammer.

Very true, but having accurate weapon stats will result in much more weapon load out optimization, instead of when you're left in the dark and only have some rough indication to go with.

When kept in the dark about accurate weapon information, player will end up going with weapon loads out that "feel" right to them even if it ain't the most optimal weapon load out.

[exLupo]

^^^ Which really is a failure in design. What you want isn't a bunch of weapons that are pretty much the same, with one being the best. You want a bunch of different tools for different situations. Minor customization will exist for people that want a little more range for a little less rof or a little more ammo for a little less accuracy.

If people are quibbling about minor differences for same-empire weapons in PS2, dev has done something wrong. It's not like BF (thinking BFBC2) where you have 300 minor variations on a theme but even there, there wasn't one gun to rule them all. At least, not once balance fixes came through. Variations for personal preference, just like PS2's promised mod system.

[SwiftRanger]

Better to provide accurate intel in-game (through an encyclopedia or through the UI) than forcing players to look for data in the game files or on fansites.

[FriendlyFire]

I would prefer a system that allows players to become more efficient with weapons that they use most often. Depending on class and weapon function, bonuses to damage, RoF, reload speed, etc, could all be possible. With these types of bonuses base weapon stats could be less important.

*there will always be min/max players. I would like to know what the weapon stats are and I would like them to be listed in game. I don't want to be forced to use one rifle because it is the "best."

[TerminatorUK]

I'm a big fan of stats and would love to see both numeric and bar forms shown.

One argument for publishing stats (and ensuring their accuracy) is to remove any 'stealth nerf/buff' claims

[Lunarchild]

I would prefer a system that allows players to become more efficient with weapons that they use most often. Depending on class and weapon function, bonuses to damage, RoF, reload speed, etc, could all be possible. With these types of bonuses base weapon stats could be less important.

*there will always be min/max players. I would like to know what the weapon stats are and I would like them to be listed in game. I don't want to be forced to use one rifle because it is the "best."

I would personally prefer to see some easy weapons, that are reasonably powerful, and some weapons that are more powerful if used properly. At any rate, making it more powerful as you go is what I gather attachments and certs are for.

[Raymac]

Yeah, if they don't post the stats, then I'll just look for somebody that has done the homework and compared the different weapons themselves. We all know somebody out there will do it. So I'd prefer if the stats came from the source.