Trailer's Drop Pod Beacon

[Deadeye]

The official thread is too crowded with people going back and forth so I thought I'd create a new thread since noone has mentioned it:

What is that? A Drop Pod Beacon that lets dozens or maybe hundreds drop on one point? Is that OP or what?

What do you guys think about having some kind of beacon like that in the game? Would it be too powerful for a single man to deploy?

Personally, I think it would be an awesome thing to have at the end of the command certification tree to encourage people to go into it but I wonder if it would be too OP. Maybe if there was a timer on it or something per soldier (which would explain why they're all hanging out in the HART Dropship waiting for it to deploy). Could it be a hint of a possible ingame item? What do you think about it?

[Ranik Ortega]

The official thread is too crowded with people going back and forth so I thought I'd create a new thread since noone has mentioned it:

What is that? A Drop Pod Beacon that lets dozens or maybe hundreds drop on one point? Is that OP or what?

What do you guys think about having some kind of beacon like that in the game? Would it be too powerful for a single man to deploy?

Personally, I think it would be an awesome thing to have at the end of the command certification tree to encourage people to go into it but I wonder if it would be too OP. Maybe if there was a timer on it or something per soldier (which would explain why they're all hanging out in the HART Dropship waiting for it to deploy). Could it be a hint of a possible ingame item? What do you think about it?

In the giant insta kill drop pod debate thread someone mentioned Higby talking about no squad spawning unless a drop pod beacon is dropped. The trailer probably has an overly dramatic example of this gameplay. The dude drops a beacon and 20 people drop.

So it's likely to be in game for balance purposes but not quite as dramatic or powerful :)

[Gonefshn]

Dropping a beacon would be a cooler mechanic for squad spawn than a simple timer because it would gaurantee the epicness and effectiveness of everyone coming in at once.

[Trip]

The official thread is too crowded with people going back and forth so I thought I'd create a new thread since noone has mentioned it:

What is that? A Drop Pod Beacon that lets dozens or maybe hundreds drop on one point? Is that OP or what?

What do you guys think about having some kind of beacon like that in the game? Would it be too powerful for a single man to deploy?

Personally, I think it would be an awesome thing to have at the end of the command certification tree to encourage people to go into it but I wonder if it would be too OP. Maybe if there was a timer on it or something per soldier (which would explain why they're all hanging out in the HART Dropship waiting for it to deploy). Could it be a hint of a possible ingame item? What do you think about it?

we also saw about 20 tr get killed from an nc shooting through the roof of what looked like a galaxy. I wouldnt put to much faith behind anything in that trailer being in the actual game. great trailer though.

[Ghryphen]

we also saw about 20 tr get killed from an nc shooting through the roof of what looked like a galaxy. I wouldnt put to much faith behind anything in that trailer being in the actual game. great trailer though.

He is just talking about the idea, not that he has faith it would be in because of the trailer. It is possible for people to talk about the things that were in the video without it meaning they believe the video means they will be in.

[Ranik Ortega]

Dropping a beacon would be a cooler mechanic for squad spawn than a simple timer because it would gaurantee the epicness and effectiveness of everyone coming in at once.

Gone it would not surprise me if the beacon were in purely as a balancing measure to squad spawning. It acts as an early warning system to people on the ground that pods are possibly incoming. It acts as something that can be destroyed to prevent spawning etc etc

[BlueSkies]

thats going to be a great mechanic... :rolleyes:

"alright platoon, go ahead and suicide. I am about to deploy the drop beacon"

[Ranik Ortega]

thats going to be a great mechanic... :rolleyes:

"alright platoon, go ahead and suicide. I am about to deploy the drop beacon"

Well it's theoretically better than having no idea when or where drop pods might come from and being in a state of having to move at all times and pray. Not saying it's something you drop right on enemies just in the area you are fighting.

[Ruffdog]

Hopefully not. Squad spawn on a leader will be max 9 guys and more only if you're in an organised platoon. If you want dozens of guys that's cool but get organised with some galaxies. Certs are going by time served so I really dont want I win buttons in everyones arsenal after 12-18 months. Thankfully theyve said orbital strikes will be unobtainable if you go too far down a shock trooper progression road

[BlueSkies]

Thankfully theyve said orbital strikes will be unobtainable if you go too far down a shock trooper progression road

Really? because they've also said there isn't a cap on certs...

[Firearms]

As above, Higby or other has mentioned a beacon which I took to mean BF3 style and that looks to be it. Don't know the mechanics tho....he may have said timer.

Could it be destructable too?



Edit Higby is hubby according to my tablet......he wishes

[Ranik Ortega]

Really? because they've also said there isn't a cap on certs...
Blue the devs also said "no one will be able to get all of the certs because their will be so many"

It's a common line from MMO devs that basically means nothing and the players will unlock everything fairly quickly.

[Xyntech]

A beacon could be cool.

It would alert enemies that death from above could be on its way.

It would be a target for the enemy to seek and destroy.

It would be an inventory tradeoff choice whether or not you wanted to bring a beacon along.

It would make it easier to rally everyone to spawn into the same area at the same time together, instead of scattershot like we've currently seen with most squad spawners.

[Ranik Ortega]

A beacon could be cool.

It would alert enemies that death from above could be on its way.

It would be a target for the enemy to seek and destroy.

It would be an inventory tradeoff choice whether or not you wanted to bring a beacon along.

It would make it easier to rally everyone to spawn into the same area at the same time together, instead of scattershot like we've currently seen with most squad spawners.

I actually hadn't thought of that last point. That's a VERY good point for pickup squads with zerglings :lol:

[Solidblock]

The idea of a beacon is just simple and should have been in anyway! It adds a counter to an otherwise powerful mechanic.

[BlueSkies]

A beacon could be cool.

It would alert enemies that death from above could be on its way.

It would be a target for the enemy to seek and destroy.

It would be an inventory tradeoff choice whether or not you wanted to bring a beacon along.

It would make it easier to rally everyone to spawn into the same area at the same time together, instead of scattershot like we've currently seen with most squad spawners.

Hell, it'd make a great distraction. Drop beacon at east side of base, wait for defenders to zerg a bit, rush the west side of base.

[Xyntech]

Hell, it'd make a great distraction. Drop beacon at east side of base, wait for defenders to zerg a bit, rush the west side of base.

Infiltrator places a beacon to the east, Galaxy flies in low to the ground and lands behind a hill to the west. Let the invasion commence :D

[Ranik Ortega]

Hell, it'd make a great distraction. Drop beacon at east side of base, wait for defenders to zerg a bit, rush the west side of base.

Lol good point. though if it were destroyable that wouldn't quite work unless pushed a bit outside the base outside of destruction range. Still a great tactic

[MercDT]

I would actually prefer this than squad spawning. It makes a lot more sense game play wise.

Battlefield 2142 had this mechanic and it worked just fine...then again this is Planetside. A replacement of the current cert should be replaced with this.

[pengalor]

I would actually like to see a mixture of both. I think you should always get a sqaud spawn where you just spawn at the location of the sqaudmate you selected (you come down in a drop pod still) but give it a decent cooldown so it's for emergency situations that you really need to keep pushing on that exact point. Then you could also have the option of a squad spawn beacon that has a much shorter cooldown but obviously has the downside of being stationary and easier to spot. I think this would balance perfectly.

[Gonefshn]

Gone it would not surprise me if the beacon were in purely as a balancing measure to squad spawning. It acts as an early warning system to people on the ground that pods are possibly incoming. It acts as something that can be destroyed to prevent spawning etc etc

That would be cool but just because it's in the video doesn't mean it's even in the game, haven't seen anything like it yet.

I'd love it to make it in though.

[SixShooter]

I would love to see this as opposed to the current squad spawn mechanic. It would take some balls to set up a beacon like that behind enemy lines and even more balls to spawn there knowing that everyon can see where you're dropping in.

[Littleman]

People can see it, it needs to be deployed, and likely will be limited in number. On the other hand, there wouldn't need to be a cooldown timer, just a maximum drop limit or a time limit on how long the beacon lasts. It can't last indefinitely until destroyed, else why bring a galaxy besides potentially being less visible than a shining pillar of light?

And before anyone points out that last bit: It's a galaxy... it's not subtle.

[SpcFarlen]

I would love to see this as opposed to the current squad spawn mechanic. It would take some balls to set up a beacon like that behind enemy lines and even more balls to spawn there knowing that everyon can see where you're dropping in.

I agree, its risky for both the one placing it and the ones spawning in. It tells everyone in the area HEY LOOK AT ME!!! But could also be deadly if a full platoon were to just fall out of the sky near a base where the defenders cant get to.

Id say let them throw it in beta to see how it works. If its bad, take it out. Simple as that.

[PoisonTaco]

Sounds a lot like the spawning beacon from Battlefield 2142. In 2142 you could only spawn on the squad leader. The squad leader had the option of taking the beacon and when deployed his squad spawned there instead of the beacon.

I think Planetside 2 should do something similar. You can ONLY squad spawn on the squad leader (gives you a big bonus if you can snipe him) but that changes to the beacon once it's placed.

I just hope the beacon doesn't have the obvious beam of light going into the sky that can be seen from a mile away.

One thing I could see being a really cool for customization is changing the drops. Higby and Co. could play around with the accuracy of the drop pods. You could say have a beacon that gives your squad a very accurate deployment a the cost of longer respawn times. You could have a beacon with lower spawning times but when people come down, they may be spread out and further away from the beacon.

[vVRedOctoberVv]

Dropping a beacon would be a cooler mechanic for squad spawn than a simple timer because it would gaurantee the epicness and effectiveness of everyone coming in at once.

This, I always liked to take the HART into battle, but was disappointed that even when I wasn't the only one doing it, it felt like I was the only one cause everybody was scattered depending on where they happened to click, and how fast they navigated the map :P Plus... Pods didn't seem to be very visible in PS1. You'd see one occasionally, sure, but even so, it wasn't until JUST before it hit, and it was kind of "meh"

Wouldn't mind seeing larger pods with some of the vehicles, at least smaller ones, in them. It's a logical extension of the technology.

[JoeDragon]

Blue the devs also said "no one will be able to get all of the certs because their will be so many"

It's a common line from MMO devs that basically means nothing and the players will unlock everything fairly quickly.

I find it funny how Devs always underestimate the shear ferocity in which Players will devour content and streak through levels. Plus I specifically remember Higby saying "It will take years to unlock everything and by then we will have added more." Or something along those lines.

To that I say, Challenge Accepted. (give me a couple months lol.)


As for the Drop Pod beacons/Squad spawning... If they limit it to your squad alone and not the entire platoon (which I've heard could be like a hundred people) then it wouldn't be any different than a Gal Drop.

Fact is, if a Large Organized Guild wants to drop in 100 people on one location, it's going to happen. Mobilization on a massive scale is what Planetside is all about.

[Timealude]

If they put squad beacons in the game, I want to be able to stab someone in the stomach

[vVRedOctoberVv]

@JD

No shit. People go bananas over that stuff

[matthewpeters]

I think you are all overlooking the fact that the enemy will be running around screaming "BACON!!!!!!!!!!" whenever someone does place a beacon. That alone makes this idea worthwhile.

[QuantumMechanic]

I think having to deploy a spawn beacon in order for squad spawn to work rather than just being able to drop on your squad leader would be a great addition.

Funny thing is that BF3 has this in that deployable beacon that the recon class has, so I'm kinda surprised this didn't inspire a counterpart in PS2.

[Blackwolf]

The official thread is too crowded with people going back and forth so I thought I'd create a new thread since noone has mentioned it:

What is that? A Drop Pod Beacon that lets dozens or maybe hundreds drop on one point? Is that OP or what?

What do you guys think about having some kind of beacon like that in the game? Would it be too powerful for a single man to deploy?

Personally, I think it would be an awesome thing to have at the end of the command certification tree to encourage people to go into it but I wonder if it would be too OP. Maybe if there was a timer on it or something per soldier (which would explain why they're all hanging out in the HART Dropship waiting for it to deploy). Could it be a hint of a possible ingame item? What do you think about it?

What that is, is a trailer with an obvious disclaimer at the bottom of the screen in big grey letters that says "NOT ACTUAL GAMEPLAY".

[RageMasterUK]

Good thread...

I feel that you should have to fork out resources with squad spawning, so that even the larger outfits have to encourage their players to 'save up' there resources. It must have a direct cost to the player.

If hotdropping on point is the best strategy to attack/reinforce/win bases, uber-outfits will be squadspawning every available opportunity, so if its just on a timer of 15 minutes then such outfits will develop the '15 minute hotdrop' strat and use it almost exclusively.

The base SOI's will sort that out to some extent, but things like beacons and other items to 'aid' squadspawning would be welcome in my eyes. More strategic options the better. Sounds like the beacon could be used to interrupt the bases SOI, and with that sky-pointing visual beacon it would be easy for enemies to spot it as a point of attack so there would be a tradeoff. Gives the same effect as the Router does in PS1 in an abstract way. Its like the teleport pad with no vehicle to drive.

Players with a higher level command beacon could allow hotdropping players to pay less for their entry. This would help top commanders incentivse a larger empire response.

I just dont want to see it turn into HotdropSide is all. I am sure they will not let that happen when they balance it in beta!

-RageMasterUK

[PoisonTaco]

Not sure if many people have played/heard of it but there's a shooter called Section 8 that you can get for like $15. It's fun and has some really cool ideas but it uses GFWL and well you know how multiplayer games work on GFWL (they don't).

The primary method of spawning in Section 8 is that you drop down from a ship high in the sky. You can spawn down anywhere on the map. What prevents you from actually being able to drop anywhere is that the bases have AA turrets and when captured will shoot down any enemies dropping down within their radius.

So what if facilities had guns that shot down pods if they try dropping in too close? What if there were possible deployables that people could use out in the field? That could add another layer of depth to squad spawning.

[Ranik Ortega]

Taco the current issues with drop pods are

A) you have no idea when one is coming down on your head

B)You cannot prevent them from coming down on your head.(unless they are VERY easy to shoot down which makes it crappy to be the guy dropping)

The beacon would address A and B insofar as a beacon is noticeable and you can destroy the beacon.

The flak idea would also work if they added some trail lights to drop pods but gives you less prior warning.

However if done right the deployable beacon and your flak deploy-able concept may actually add to the gameplay. The execution is the most important part though as always

[PoisonTaco]

What if when a drop pod hits an aircraft or tank on its way down it also blows up? Sure you could get a hilarious kill but then you die and it burns your cooldown. That way you've got a reason to avoid vehicles on your way down.

[Ranik Ortega]

What if when a drop pod hits an aircraft or tank on its way down it also blows up? Sure you could get a hilarious kill but then you die and it burns your cooldown. That way you've got a reason to avoid vehicles on your way down.

I'll assume you aren't informed rather than trolling :) That already happens. Which is why people actually want prior warning to a drop pod landing on them. Because at the moment you would basically have to move non stop to prevent it from happening if you are close to enemies.

[PoisonTaco]

I have no idea. It was never an issue in 2142. I know there aren't nearly as many people in a game of Battlefield.

I don't think it'll be that big of a deal in all honesty.

[Ranik Ortega]

I have no idea. It was never an issue in 2142. I know there aren't nearly as many people in a game of Battlefield.

I don't think it'll be that big of a deal in all honesty.

With 2000 people it may very well. Look at the perspective thread :D

[Yenni]

I'm actually a little dissapointed I've never thought of this squad beacon before. I thought sqaud-spawning itself was a great trick.

But with the ability to simply have 9 extra players in apear in a general location and in such an epic fashion. ..

I've seen other game mechanics that allow you to drop in some where. But it never really gave me that cinematic feel of a high-risk high-reward halo drop that you see in so many set pieces.

I personally hope the negatives still allow for semi-frequent use of these, with the required certs of course.

[Sephirex]

I'll assume you aren't informed rather than trolling :) That already happens. Which is why people actually want prior warning to a drop pod landing on them. Because at the moment you would basically have to move non stop to prevent it from happening if you are close to enemies.

He meant that the guy in the pod should die as well.

[Mythoclast]

I find it funny how Devs always underestimate the shear ferocity in which Players will devour content and streak through levels. Plus I specifically remember Higby saying "It will take years to unlock everything and by then we will have added more." Or something along those lines.

To that I say, Challenge Accepted. (give me a couple months lol.)


As for the Drop Pod beacons/Squad spawning... If they limit it to your squad alone and not the entire platoon (which I've heard could be like a hundred people) then it wouldn't be any different than a Gal Drop.

Fact is, if a Large Organized Guild wants to drop in 100 people on one location, it's going to happen. Mobilization on a massive scale is what Planetside is all about.

Reminds me of Skyrim. They have the "three classes" with various trees belonging to different class groups. They expect you to choose one and dip a little into others. Of course if you play enough there is no distinction.

Random Friend: "Hey, what class are you?"

Me: "All of them?"

Random Friend: "OK but which one is highest?"

Me: "All of them?"

[Ranik Ortega]

Reminds me of Skyrim. They have the "three classes" with various trees belonging to different class groups. They expect you to choose one and dip a little into others. Of course if you play enough there is no distinction.

Random Friend: "Hey, what class are you?"

Me: "All of them?"

Random Friend: "OK but which one is highest?"

Me: "All of them?"

If you do not have hard limits to character development then you will have uber characters. Look up the history of darkfall for an example of how NOT to do MMO character development.

[Sephirex]

I find it funny how Devs always underestimate the shear ferocity in which Players will devour content and streak through levels. Plus I specifically remember Higby saying "It will take years to unlock everything and by then we will have added more." Or something along those lines.

To that I say, Challenge Accepted. (give me a couple months lol.)



I think cert points are on a timer and not tied to exp or in game feats of skill...
Source: That NDA breaker on youtube had 15% of a cert point done after just creating his character and then tooling around his base tking and not doing anything productive.

Also, most F2P games give you unlock points based off time played, not in-game skill other then a win/lose bonus (LOL, BlackLight, Tribes Ascend). This keeps people from getting too far ahead of the pack in unlocks as they get better bonuses.

[codylee]

HeHe think of this, Ten fully stealthed infiltrator squad leaders with full squads on standby get as close as possible to a base as they can then DEPLOY THE BEACONS. i think we can simulate the trailer. ;) Tactics for the win!

[MorioMortis]

If you do not have hard limits to character development then you will have uber characters. Look up the history of darkfall for an example of how NOT to do MMO character development.

As long as there is a hardcap on the simultaneous use of progression, than balance is entirely possible; as soon as you max out one class, with a single weapon set and one vehicle, any further progression is theoretically only horizontal, rather than vertical. Darkfall fails because, like in Runescape and most other skill based rpg system (live action or PnP), all your progression is available at all times; this is not the case in Planetside, and, although your versatility increases (or rather, the relative power of your versatility), you don't become actually better at any one specialization, so even if you have all the certs, someone who has only maxed out the trees he needs for his playstyle will be on equal footings with you.