commander headstart ?

[Shogun]

i would like some kind of contest or vote during the last beta phase to let a small number of commanders on every faction have a headstart and maybe let them keep their beta char for release.

not too many, just a handful. maybe decided in an event-fight where the commander of the platoon with the most points wins this privilege, or a voting because at the end of beta we surely do know who are the good commanders.

if keeping the whole char is too much, let them at least keep some command skills, so there are commanders in the game right from the start.

what do you think?

[SgtMAD]

its not going to matter,there will be groups of ppl that play this game as much as physically possible at release,but then again the game is free so keeping the char of all the beta ppl could be done, but keeping your character would require moving it from the beta/test server to the actual release server that you will be playing on.

it might be more work than SOE wants to put into it.

[basti]

Nah, there needs to be wipe after closed beta.

Rolling from Open beta right into release may work, if the servers stay.


Anyway, non issue really. I already plan to get the nessesary Commanding skills first, before anything else.
Really depens how long it takes to get to the stuff a Commander needs.

[EASyEightyEight]

I think the game will see it's commanders from day one through day one outfits. I don't join outfits, on the simple fact I like to play on my terms, but I do like to follow orders when they're given as a means for succeeding in battle.

Basically, I don't like being ordered to resecure a ghost hack, but I willingly follow orders given on the frontline, for the frontline, provided they're not buzz-kills.

I'll never follow an order to drop the gen unless there's a really compelling reason for example. Taking out that ****ing tank column bombarding our ridge line, I'll do that with the best of my ability.

There is such a thing as an impossible order, but I'll still get it done :thumbsup:

[SKYeXile]

God no, head start to people who pay for a "CE" or something perhaps...however that works... but no way should you rollover beta characters to launch.

The only way characters will be kept is if the cash shop is open in open beta. still i would rather if everybody started on a clean slate.

[EASyEightyEight]

God no, head start to people who pay for a "CE" or something perhaps...however that works... but no way should you rollover beta characters to launch.

The only way characters will be kept is if the cash shop is open in open beta. still i would rather if everybody started on a clean slate.

Depends... I mean it seems kind of meaningless if Planetside 2 is going to be a free to play game, as in not even an initial purchase price. Open beta might as well be release. A potentially buggy release (but I imagine Sony can afford an internal testing team to find the real game breakers,) but release none-the-less. However, if there is even a $10 or even $5 account activation fee, then I agree, wipe the character data and start fresh.

That's the thinking behind Tribes: Ascend anyway. Just keep increasing player numbers through closed invites, and once they figure they have enough that they may as well go open, they'll just release instead. OB into release for an F2P is really just a status change.

[Graywolves]

I am already your commander.

[SKYeXile]

Depends... I mean it seems kind of meaningless if Planetside 2 is going to be a free to play game, as in not even an initial purchase price. Open beta might as well be release. A potentially buggy release (but I imagine Sony can afford an internal testing team to find the real game breakers,) but release none-the-less. However, if there is even a $10 or even $5 account activation fee, then I agree, wipe the character data and start fresh.

That's the thinking behind Tribes: Ascend anyway. Just keep increasing player numbers through closed invites, and once they figure they have enough that they may as well go open, they'll just release instead. OB into release for an F2P is really just a status change.

its not meaningless to have everybody start on an equal clean slate.

[Effective]

No. Absolutely not

[CutterJohn]

Commander skills should just aid the process of commanding, not allow it. There is no reason a day one newb in charge of squads or platoons shouldn't have the tools necessary to communicate.

[Canaris]

play the game to earn the rewards, being in beta shouldn't give or have any benefit for real launch

edit unless it's some sweet Beta Beret like this

http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/img-thing?.out=jpg&size=l&tid=7922649

there's a beret hat in there somewhere I'm just having trouble spotting it...... :D

[EASyEightyEight]

its not meaningless to have everybody start on an equal clean slate.

Did you not see the reasoning, which was in more in line with common sense?

If no one has to pay a dime to activate an account and play the game post release, what's the difference between an open beta that allows anyone to play, and official release that allows anyone to play? It's like Minecraft going from beta to "release." It got another patch, the price jumped up, and that was it. Didn't feel like a release at all.

F2P:
Closed -> open = wipe.
Open -> release = What's the difference?

B2P, P2P:
Closed -> open = wipe optional.
Open -> release = wipe.

[sylphaen]

The difference is that when beta characters get wiped and an extra 4000 players starts to play, you will not keep an unjustified advantage over the new players.

Beta is a gameplay test, not actual gameplay.

Even with a character wipe, you will have the advantage of knowing which certs you like, which weapons are nice, etc... It's already a big advantage for the first few weeks.

[Shogun]

my OP was not about advantage at all!

i just wanted to have someone in the game at start with command abilitys. not for his advantage, but for everyone´s advantage because the command features are going to be the key to good tactical play! and if noone has the ability to set up missions, let the squad spawn at his position, etc., the first days or even weeks of the game will have no chance to be anything but a giant zerg clusterfuck until someone finally gets the ability to sort the troops. but then it might be too late to educate the zerg or maybe even the tactic lovers have already left the game.

[EASyEightyEight]

The difference is that when beta characters get wiped and an extra 4000 players starts to play, you will not keep an unjustified advantage over the new players.

Beta is a gameplay test, not actual gameplay.

Even with a character wipe, you will have the advantage of knowing which certs you like, which weapons are nice, etc... It's already a big advantage for the first few weeks.

Oh for god sakes, if it helps, perhaps SOE should just go from closed beta to release to avoid putting anyone through the apparent mind-fuck that is a simple status change. We're getting hung up on what the phase is called. Think outside of what is right in front of you.

The people playing in the open beta - which MMO developers worth their salt largely don't use as a bug hunt period for what should be obvious reasons - is no more exclusive than release. If we're looking at a true to word free to play game, there is absolutely NO advantage between subscribing during the open beta instead of release besides subscribing earlier. Those people that jumped on - for FREE - when SOE decided to call the game "release" only have themselves to blame for coming in late. No one was stopping them. It's like driving onto a street after the name has changed from dorkmire dr. to sheeppen rd. No toll booth was installed, no one gets a new car, it just changed names.

We might as well wipe every time a new player activates an account if we're worried about someone being at a disadvantage.

For the record, if there are game breaking bugs in the open beta, we have bigger issues regarding further development of Planetside 2 than things being 100% fair for players popping in after "release."

If people still don't get it, I don't know what to say. Think outside the box?

[CutterJohn]

I highly doubt necessary command tools like setting missions, broadcasts, waypoints, etc, will be locked behind skills.

[Hamma]

I'm sure that skills will increase the amount of missions you can set objectives you can set etc as well as the range of said missions and objectives (squad level, outfit level, empire level) But I highly doubt that it will make the commander role useless.

[Talek Krell]

I think an argument could be made to not wipe the skills at all at launch/open beta/whatever. It would avoid what seems like an awkward wind up phase where no one would be able to use tanks, aircraft, squad spawning, whatever it is that they've got up the skill tree by essentially shipping the game with a playerbase included. Or maybe start new characters out with a pool of skill points that they can distribute to get started...

[Zulthus]

I imagine it will be like PS1. They gave you a few cert points at BR1 to play around with to find out what you wanted to do.

[SKYeXile]

I think an argument could be made to not wipe the skills at all at launch/open beta/whatever. It would avoid what seems like an awkward wind up phase where no one would be able to use tanks, aircraft, squad spawning, whatever it is that they've got up the skill tree by essentially shipping the game with a playerbase included. Or maybe start new characters out with a pool of skill points that they can distribute to get started...

well thats how perpetuum do it, they give you 20k points to start with and you assign them where you like. and then you accumulate points every minute i think and spend them instantly on what you want.

but im still not exactly sure how the whole BR and then offline points mix together.

[DviddLeff]

It shouldn't be a vote otherwise it will just be leaders of big outfits that get the reward.

If it did happen it should be based around the number of successful missions the commander created or similar.

[Trolltaxi]

While I accept the point of the OP that the playerbase would benefit from Day1 commanders, I'm against the method.

Let's just hope you'll get some points to spend on skills and you can start your first session with at least CR1-like abilities if you want.

Or it may be a huuuge starting event (lasting for weeks or months) for every empire to train their empire. Maybe the old brass was gathered to a meeting and they were all nuked to hell. Or they were poisioned in the officers' mess... anything, but only grunts are left and they all accuse the other empires and now they are to rebuild their command structures.

[ringring]

I think it wilol all work out. Command structures will arise whether or not a 'skills' exist on day 1.

How about, press P, look who is leading the existing squads. You will recognise some names and some outfit names from PS1, send a few tells and take from there.