The VS are, objectively, at a massive disadvantage. Thoughts from a nine year vet.

[Anuv]

I started playing Planetside in 2003. No other game I have played since has left me with the same impression that PS1 did. It's the best game that has ever made, hands down. The incredible balance between all three factions was managed extremely well considering the size of the battles. Every side had something going for it - that alone made for some incredible battles and scenarios.

But now? There's a problem. Unlike in the first game, with different pros and cons balancing one another out with each faction, the VS are now the most disadvantaged faction (by far) on several different fronts. The following are some examples.


Vehicles:
The Magrider's main cannon is locked in a forward vertical arc. You cannot turn the main cannon around in the same way that the Prowler and Vanguard can. This is, in my mind, the single largest disadvantage any MBT could ever have - so the fact that the devs decided to switch the cannon placement from PS1's configuration to this is completely unbelievable. The big draw of the Mag in PS1 was mobility. Now? All of that is now rendered inert by fixing the main cannon forward. You cannot engage new targets behind you in ANY reasonable amount of time. This is the single largest thing that anyone can do to design a terrible tank. It would be one thing for all the tanks to behave like this - but to have only ONE act this way? It needs to be reverted to the PS1 style, plain and simple.


The Scythe is, hands down, the worst aircraft to use out of the three. The corresponding air controls are terrible at the moment and that completely shows through with the Scythe. Whoever decided that the mouse X axis should control roll and not turn should be fired. To add insult to injury? The keys aren't even inverted. Has SOE even flown ANYTHING in a game before? Please, revert to Planetside's original air config. Again, having the Scythe be completely unique compared to TR/NC puts it at a huge disadvantage (much like the Mag).


Weapons:
The entire draw of VS weapons from Planetside was their ability to instantaneously switch between anti-armor and anti-personnel rounds by using the right mouse button. NC and TR had to carry AP ammo in their inventory and manually switch magazines if a MAX unit appeared - something the VS never had to worry about.

Now? There's literally no advantage to VS weapons at ALL. All weapons fire the same ammo - however, TR still have a high rate of fire and huge magazines, two very important things that provide a huge advantage in close quarters infantry fights. NC weapons still hit extremely hard too, again making their weapons very powerful despite their slower ROF. As for the VS? Their weapons have absolutely nothing going for them. When one faction has weak guns and high ROF and one has low ROF and high power being middle of the road is NOT an advantage. You get the worst of both worlds.

The battle rifles perform objectively worse in close engagements. TR and NC alike are able to kill VS who get the drop on them with much greater ease than the other way around. High capacity OR high damage are huge advantages to have - being somewhere in the middle is absolutely terrible. All VS players know the feeling of getting the drop on an unsuspecting soldier only to be killed despite half an entire clip hitting square on. It's extremely, extremely frustrating.

The VS sniper rifle is, objectively, the worst one in the game. The recoil is horrendous and it deals the least damage. The extremely strange "bounce" that the weapon does after firing makes it terrible to use under any circumstances. The awful scope provides zero help at that. It would be easier to score kills with it if iron sights were default instead of the current scope and recoil system.

The Beamer is completely unusable in its current state in relation to the TR and NC sidearms. The difference is night and day. Poor damage and a terrible fire rate make for a very useless pistol. The ADS mode is extremely cumbersome in relation to TR/NC. It doesn't help that the amount of time it takes to kill a given soldier is easily double to quadruple the time for TR/NC pistols. And, again, there's no ammo versatility advantage like in PS1. A complete downgrade in EVERY single respect.

The Quasar is laughable compared to the NC/TR anti-infantry MAX options. The number of MAX kills with this weapon can be counted on one hand in every major engagement. Terrible damage, slow ROF, bad accuracy, zero use. Again, so mediocre and middle-of-the-road it hurts. It neither has a huge ammo base nor hits hard, putting it in a completely irrelevant category.

The Lasher? I don't even think I need to write anything. So, so bad. The Minigun is better in every single way.


Color:
I'll never hate on the purple. Ever. HOWEVER, the color choice of the VS is a MASSIVE problem considering Planetside 2's engine. It provides a MUCH sharper contrast with the new lighting system and that is a big, big problem in battles that are indoors/at night. The red color of the TR is much, much more muted than purple against the black backgrounds inside most bases. Soldiers and tanks alike stand out in sore thumbs compared to both red and blue. It's extremely easy to spot a VS soldier in a dimly lit room than a TR soldier. Anyone can see that, plain as day. And that's a massive, massive disadvantage for anyone hoping to get the drop on TR/NC.

I don't expect SOE to change the Vanu's color, of course, but it is a VERY important thing to consider when designing the lighting system.



I've been a part of the Planetside universe for almost a decade. I point out these things only to enhance SOE's balance of all three factions and to ensure that players feel compelled to take part in each group equally. People who join one faction for a big advantage (whether it be a gun, tank, or something else) will be a huge problem otherwise upon release. And since this game requires three factions to be balanced together? All the more reason to mention this stuff.

Thanks.

[Roy Awesome]

The magrider is straight up overpowered in any armored engagement. If you get hit, you are a retard. If you are range, it's even easier to dodge shots. Press A and D.

[Bittermen]

No bullet drop is pretty helpful.

[Ghost Runner]

I have to Say the VS killed me just fine while playing against them this weekend the Magrider is near impossible to hit with unguided rockets if the pilot is awake (it happens but its rare)
Their guns are awesome at close range (this is were I usually die to VS troopers) and balanced at medium range(its a crap shoot) and terrible at at long range (If they get drop usually still loose at this range). There sniper rifle picks me off plenty so aside from the crappy scope seems on par to me.
The Scythe possibly the easiest plane to fly in this game not sure where you have a problem with this.

Try playing NC and TR for a while then compare I bet you will find the Reaver fly's like a brick and the mosquito is paper thin. The Vanguard is slow and the prowler is under powered.

Also I find it easiest to spot TR at night and NC during the day the VS are easier to see in the day then TR but harder then NC. They blend in really well at night better then NC and TR imo.

Just my thoughts on your post.

[FortySe7en]

A 9 year vet of PS1 doesn't make a 9 year vet of PS2. With factions, there will always be an unbalance. All factions have their strong points and weak points, which may or may not be tuned out.

People need to stop looking at this as "I played planetside 1, so this is how this game should be". Instead look at it as a NEW GAME and talk about the mechanics in place.

[Carver]

All I could agree with is that the VS Anti-Infantry Max guns are pretty horrible. They have an effective range of about 8 feet. And even then they aren't especially deadly.

[Kitsune]

Meh, vanu take some getting used too.

I can't seriously complain about much besides how our rocket launchers can not 1-shot people like the others can, and But I will agree with you 100% on MAX's Quasar. It's stupidly inaccurate for something that shoots that slow and that little of damage. It's a disgrace that I have to spend materials to get a MAX unit that has worse damage, slower, less accurate, and it has a long cooldown timer. All it has to show for it is it's a bit tougher and there's no headshot damage that I know of.

(I do hate Max units atm though... I'm not kidding when i say we are getting punished for using them. Long cooldown, unfathomably large cert demands like 480 for a 2nd quasar, 750+ to not have a cooldown at all, another 750+ for decent armor or regen, and a cheezy "special" ability to move quicker...)

As for the Scythe, all air vehicles are weird. Until they have A2G or A2A rockets, they really can't do anything worth while unless you have some uncanny skill with that main gun. The scythe is amazing in 1 fact though... It has no metal bars blocking your view.

Mags, I can't say I like them either. All they need to do is incrase turning sensativity of the Mags and it should fix itself.

[Timealude]

Out of all the ones you listed, I think the only one that has a huge disadvantage is the sniper rifle...Not because of the reasons you listed but because of the bullet degradation. No bullet drop is nice for automatic weapons but our snipers can always be out ranged by any other sniper in the game.

[ringring]

The colour purple is practically invisible at night/dark ... idk what red looks like though

[Canaris]

is this guy for serio?

[PClownPosse]

I wish there was a VR training room so we can quickly try all weapons for ourselves.

My one and only character is an NC and I will say this:

Based on my unscientific observations, certain TR guns mows me down ridiculously fast at close ranges while I haven't seen anything of equivalence against the VS.

Edit: but, I remember the VS being somewhat gimped upon ps1 release as well, and frankly that was the reason I played them from the onset. It was like hard mode, lol.

[Maarvy]

Anyone who complains about the magrider is clearly retarded , Even in its latest neutered state it out performs the other mbt's hands down .

[Jonny]

Oh god, this ranting over bias post is here as well as the ps2 forums.

Most people find that:

The magriders forward facing turret is more than made up for the fact that it is basically a large slowly turning turret itself, which can strafe to avoid incoming fire.

VS are harder to see at night than any other faction, from my experience playing against them.

I'll agree the lasher looks terrible at the moment and the sniper rifle I'm not keen on, but thats my opinion.

Weapons need tweaking but i have no problem killing people, I usually win 1 on 1 engagements with the new faster rof medic weapon, though its bad at range to compensate. I think you might just need to practise.

Don't get your gripe with the scythe, its very manouverable and apart from that I don't see any major differences and I enjoy flying in this game in any aircraft. Why should the controls have to be inverted for you?

[Sturmhardt]

Sorry dude, you just suck at being vs :P
Especially the vehicles are really cool for the vs, the weapons are not underpowered either. I would love to drive the Magrider... But I am nc. Tried it and loved it though.

[Serpent]

VS vehicles are the best in the game IMO. The weapons ARE UNDERPOWERED but they do not need a huge buff- just for plasma (bullet) spread at range (or maybe just a range buff itself).

Yes, the Lasher needs an immense buff, and our weapons overall suck compared to the other factions (which should be dealt with) but our vehicles are the best.

[Mango]

Really? I play VS and love all everything they have with the exception of the lasher.

My main issue is with the main Vanu bases on Indar. The only base in the highlands that has turrets is Hvar and they are AA turrets not at all facing the right directions. Both the NC and TR have Amp stations loaded with turrets where as our has none!! Also the TR's Biolab has a wall with turrets although they admittedly don't use them much.

[Qwan]

I do have to say I agree with the tank comment, put the damn turret back on top with the main gun. Also fix the damn max guys, I think Ive checked out the max like 3 times since they wiped, its just not worth it. I know were in beta and its free to play, so I know my whinnings go in the circular filling cabanet, but this is bull.

[Miir]

Disagree on the Magrider. But everything else is pretty close to correct.

The thing that sucks about Planetside is faction loyalty. This starts at our level and goes all the way up to the top of SOE. It blinds people to actual issues. It's not just a VS issue either. Every time someone complains about a weapon or vehicle no matter how much time and effort goes into a post. There is always people from the other side that contradict everything making it next to impossible to really get any good feedback.

If this was a true beta like SOE keeps saying they should have force people to play other sides more. I know tons of people that barely played the other empires at all. How can they really give any solid input. Everything is a huge conflict of interest.

What SOE should have done is switched the weapon damage models between each empire and not tell anyone which weapon damage was for what empire. This would have made the testing unbiased and they would have got better results.

[maradine]

The Scythe is, hands down, the worst aircraft to use out of the three. The corresponding air controls are terrible at the moment and that completely shows through with the Scythe. Whoever decided that the mouse X axis should control roll and not turn should be fired. To add insult to injury? The keys aren't even inverted. Has SOE even flown ANYTHING in a game before? Please, revert to Planetside's original air config. Again, having the Scythe be completely unique compared to TR/NC puts it at a huge disadvantage (much like the Mag).




There's a large body of empirical evidence that he controls are quite playable. They even got stick support working. Axis mapping is, hopefully, coming.
Precisely because someone at SOE has actually flown something in a game before, the controls are how they are, and not how they were in PS1.
Have you spent enough time in all the fighter craft to notice that they all handle practically identically, and that there's a metric tonne of performance customization you can do with certs? Have you seen what you can do with vertical specialization? Guessing no. The hitbox is a pain when you're a pancake, but great when you're a thin purple line.
There are circumstances where the Mag can't hold its own. The point is to not get into them. In its element, the Mag is an unholy terror.

[UzumakiW]

Same thing I posted in the same thread on the PS2 forums:
I don't know, I've played VS nearly the entire time on PS2, with the exception of playing NC for a few days when I just started, but that when I was learning the game and trying to get used to KB&M again for shooters, since I haven't played many shooter extensively on PC in years, and VS seems to be alright. Grant it, minus the facts that people have mentioned about some things being fixed, I find VS to definitely have the potential to do good. When I get in a 1 on 1 firefight with a TR or an NC, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. On average, it seems pretty evened out. I mean, it must be decent because VS does a pretty good job taking and holding large portions of the map at many times.

[Gonefshn]

I'll take the magrider over the prowler or the vanguard any day.

The side to side strafe is invaluable when it comes to dodging dumbfire missiles.
The front turret is an advantage in my book.

The Vanu weapons are balanced fine. being in the middle of the road in no way means your at a disadvantage. Higher rate of fire means less damage per round. Higher bullet damage on the NC weapons is compensated for by lower fire rate. What matters isnt how hard a weapon hits or how fast the fire rate is. what matters is Damage Per Second, which is a combination of both traits.
A weapon can have any ROF and any amount of damage per round and still be balanced when it comes to its DPS.

Have you ever used the Vanu Bolt Action Rifle???
Probably the reason you think the vanu rifle is the worst is because you are comparing it to bolt action rifles from the other sides. If you compared it to the other empires' auto sniper rifles you will find they all fare the same.
On the other hand, try the XM98 bolt action sniper. It is easily as good as the NC bolt driver. In some ways better because you can put down more rounds quicker and you still have the 1 shot kill on a headshot.

The colors of the empire dont mean anything its easy to see anyone thats hardly an advantage.

And I love my beamer, though it does seem to be less useful than the TR pistol at least.

[SixShooter]

I'll take the magrider over the prowler or the vanguard any day.

The side to side strafe is invaluable when it comes to dodging dumbfire missiles.
The front turret is an advantage in my book.


Completely this^^^ I would not have the Mag any other way. I'm also digging the flight controls although it did take some time to get used to it. Once it clicked there was no looking back. I agree that infanty weapons are not the best but I'm still able to get kills with them.

[COmphalanx]

thats true

[hoblo]

The only thing i really agree with is when you fight nc. Multiple times I have gotten a the drop on a nc heavy as my vs heavy unleash most my mag on him he turns around and pops me a few times and I die.

[maradine]

WISE FWOM YOUR GWAVE.

http://erikdared.com/images/ab-rise.gif

[Bags]

>VS is objectively underpowered
>Claim the magrider is bad

oh god my sides

sorry not only is it the most fun to drive but I was getting ridiculous K/Ds like 60/1 where I can get like 2 - 4 /1 with the other empire tanks.

[Cosmical]

I pretty much kill as consistently as a VS as most other factions. Overall i generally don't see much difference between the factions, which is my only complaint really, the VS felt considerably different in PS1. With their own unique set of skills they bring to the battle.

Right now our uniqueness comes from the Magriders ability to strafe. And the bullet drop, which i dont think is as effective as anyone suggests. Maybe if Totalbuscuits "more bullet drop, killing at a distance should take skill" was implemented. But when im sniping a medic at max range, land a shot. And he turns around and pulses two single shot bursts into me behind cover. Something needs to be reworked.

But once again, i beleive these things will be worked and reworked. And i dont think there will any glaring balance problems when the game is realsed. Only to us Vet's.

[McFeeble]

Sorry OP I dont agree, in particular on the colour point and I am a VS. The lashers final form isnt even out yet is it? To be at such a perceived disadvantage and own 50% the map every night doesnt add up, VS players are no more gifted with skills than the other empires... Ah may be its because all the NC and TR are at the crown!

[Sledgecrushr]

I was in a big tank battle the other night against the vs and I have to say that shooting where the magmower ISNT trying to anticipate their strafe capabilities wont win you too many tank battles. So I call bullshit on the magrider being underpowered.

[psijaka]

I have to Say the VS killed me just fine while playing against them this weekend the Magrider is near impossible to hit with unguided rockets if the pilot is awake (it happens but its rare)
Their guns are awesome at close range (this is were I usually die to VS troopers) and balanced at medium range(its a crap shoot) and terrible at at long range (If they get drop usually still loose at this range). There sniper rifle picks me off plenty so aside from the crappy scope seems on par to me.
The Scythe possibly the easiest plane to fly in this game not sure where you have a problem with this.

Try playing NC and TR for a while then compare I bet you will find the Reaver fly's like a brick and the mosquito is paper thin. The Vanguard is slow and the prowler is under powered.

Also I find it easiest to spot TR at night and NC during the day the VS are easier to see in the day then TR but harder then NC. They blend in really well at night better then NC and TR imo.

Just my thoughts on your post.

+1. Sums up my thoughts perfectly.

As an NC, I am all too often on the receiving end of the attention of a Magrider, they are much more dangerous than Prowlers, IMO. Being able to strafe in and out of cover is a huge advantage; they only have to expose their small, heavily armoured front profile to the enemy. No other tank can do this. By far the best tank.

And I've flown the Scythe a few times; the easiest of the 3 fighters, IMO. The OP should check this out: Intro To Vanu Scythe (Planetside 2 Gameplay/Commentary) - YouTube

[Hamma]

The bullet drop on all of the tanks is exactly the same btw.

[Gaalsien]

Had to actually sign up to the forum just to say that you're quite wrong.

1. The magrider is not overpowered. It has an extremely flat profile and hovers, meaning most unguided rockets will go under or over the tank. It is extremely accurate with minimal drop over range, making it extremely deadly at far longer ranges than the other MBTs. The fact that it can strafe allows it to dodge enemy tank fire more effectively than NC or TR MBTs. As for your argument that "you cant engage enemies behind you in any reasonable amount of time", NONE of the tanks can do that. That's supposed to be their weak point, and is the whole reason why you need a second gunner in all the tanks - to watch your back.

2. The Sythe is, hands down, the best fighter. It might not be as fast as the mozzie but it maneuvers much better. The NC handles like a brick strapped to a firework. Again, the flat profile means that projectiles are less likely to hit.

3. Weapons - so just because the Vanu don't have the ammo-switching of PS1 that automatically makes them underpowered? The Vanu weapons are a middle-ground between the NC and the TR. They have less of the debilitating recoil of the TR and no bullet drop, making them much more accurate and effective over mid-ranges, though the TR are better at close-range. I have no problem killing people I get the drop on with Vanu weapons.
The Vanu rifles have very quick reloads, which compensates greatly for the TRs larger clips.
I'll concede that NC weapons do seem more effective. Also the damage falloff on Vanu weapons at long range is atrocious. At short-to-mid range however, Vanu weapons are extremely reliable.

4. Yes, Vanu sniper rifles are crap. Certainly compared to the Bolt Driver.

[lawnmower]

This is the single largest thing that anyone can do to design a terrible tank. It would be one thing for all the tanks to behave like this - but to have only ONE act this way? It needs to be reverted to the PS1 style, plain and simple.
yes lets make all the races the same. if the magrider is bad, its because of bad balance. one can fix that in many ways.
also, tank destroyers

[Chinchy]

lol this has to be a troll post the VS are the only empire that blends in during the night.

[Shivermore]

I would have to agree that PS1 had noticeable differences between the three. MAX jump jets, shields, and other things that were empire specific. It almost seems like the only difference now is asthetic. I'd like to see a little more differentiation between the gear that don't just extend to how things look.

[Bine]

Anyone who says the lasher is shit has obviously not used it for its intended roll as support. If a group of enemies rushes your post, its an *amazing* weapon to soften up the enemy while your friends shoot at them. I rake in rediculous ammounts of critical assists using it. THe only downsides are it has no IFF identifier and its trash in one verses one. Fucking sucks when theres 6 enemies standing on top of a friendly turret and you weaponlock yourself killing them, despite the fact no ones on the turret.

The magrider freakin destroys the other two MBTs as well. Provided you arent junk with the thing. I take on anti tank turrets with enough ease as well. The magrider is freakin awsome. Just wish the pewpew faction guns were a smidge better. OR at least sounded cooler. Thats my experience with the anti armor cannon one.

[berzerkerking]

The Magrider is a pimpmobile stop complaining

[ArcGuard]

Objectively, the OP used the word "objectively" wrong.



I think he meant "subjectively" as in "this is how I feel about it."

[burbear]

As others have said, this is PS2, not PS1.

And we need to remember (and encourage!) the design of the factions being different at a micro scale but balanced at a macro scale. This makes the game far more interesting.

Yes, the Magrider can't shoot behind it, and might find itself in trouble in close range tank duels... but it can absolutely destroy things and has a high survival rate at medium or longer ranges because of it's straft-and-shoot ability.

The whole point of balancing these factions is that they need to be played a little differently, and there will always be a rock-paper-scissors element involved. Sure, it needs to be tweaked, but if every faction was good in every situation all the time, why have different factions at all?

[Stormhall]

Necro much?

[Ghoest9]

This necro should be locked.

People read the firsy page and think it has something to do with the current game.

[Sifer2]

Yeah on East servers at least Vanu actually outpopulates the TR on some servers. And their equipment is very good so they don't have problems holding territory either. Think this rant is out of date.

[Phrygen]

i got necroed ><

[FreeSpeech]

VS underpowered?! Oh god now I've heard everything - now talking sense here, the NC need a massive buff.

[maradine]

http://www.affiliatebible.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/wise.jpg

[thegreekboy]

Yes, the VS weapons are extremely underpowered. What gave it away? The high rate of fire, the lack of any recoil, or the middle of the road damage? Maybe a combination of all 3?

The VS are the most OP faction in the game. You guys shoot just as fast as the TR, do MORE damage, AND you have no recoil. What's not to love?

[Suitepee]

No. The VS are most definitely not at any massive disadvantage whatsoever.

Well except that they stole their entire look from the Halo Covenant, but aside from that....

[PredatorFour]

Vanu smiles upon us!

[ringring]

I love the word objectively.

[FreeSpeech]

Defending either the VS or TR is only done by those literally loving the fact they chose a good side. Not being able to transfer CERT points to other factions, what a stupid management decision.

[Mathematics]

I started playing Planetside in 2003. No other game I have played since has left me with the same impression that PS1 did. It's the best game that has ever made, hands down. The incredible balance between all three factions was managed extremely well considering the size of the battles. Every side had something going for it - that alone made for some incredible battles and scenarios.

But now? There's a problem. Unlike in the first game, with different pros and cons balancing one another out with each faction, the VS are now the most disadvantaged faction (by far) on several different fronts. The following are some examples.


Vehicles:
The Magrider's main cannon is locked in a forward vertical arc. You cannot turn the main cannon around in the same way that the Prowler and Vanguard can. This is, in my mind, the single largest disadvantage any MBT could ever have - so the fact that the devs decided to switch the cannon placement from PS1's configuration to this is completely unbelievable. The big draw of the Mag in PS1 was mobility. Now? All of that is now rendered inert by fixing the main cannon forward. You cannot engage new targets behind you in ANY reasonable amount of time. This is the single largest thing that anyone can do to design a terrible tank. It would be one thing for all the tanks to behave like this - but to have only ONE act this way? It needs to be reverted to the PS1 style, plain and simple.


The Scythe is, hands down, the worst aircraft to use out of the three. The corresponding air controls are terrible at the moment and that completely shows through with the Scythe. Whoever decided that the mouse X axis should control roll and not turn should be fired. To add insult to injury? The keys aren't even inverted. Has SOE even flown ANYTHING in a game before? Please, revert to Planetside's original air config. Again, having the Scythe be completely unique compared to TR/NC puts it at a huge disadvantage (much like the Mag).


Weapons:
The entire draw of VS weapons from Planetside was their ability to instantaneously switch between anti-armor and anti-personnel rounds by using the right mouse button. NC and TR had to carry AP ammo in their inventory and manually switch magazines if a MAX unit appeared - something the VS never had to worry about.

Now? There's literally no advantage to VS weapons at ALL. All weapons fire the same ammo - however, TR still have a high rate of fire and huge magazines, two very important things that provide a huge advantage in close quarters infantry fights. NC weapons still hit extremely hard too, again making their weapons very powerful despite their slower ROF. As for the VS? Their weapons have absolutely nothing going for them. When one faction has weak guns and high ROF and one has low ROF and high power being middle of the road is NOT an advantage. You get the worst of both worlds.

The battle rifles perform objectively worse in close engagements. TR and NC alike are able to kill VS who get the drop on them with much greater ease than the other way around. High capacity OR high damage are huge advantages to have - being somewhere in the middle is absolutely terrible. All VS players know the feeling of getting the drop on an unsuspecting soldier only to be killed despite half an entire clip hitting square on. It's extremely, extremely frustrating.

The VS sniper rifle is, objectively, the worst one in the game. The recoil is horrendous and it deals the least damage. The extremely strange "bounce" that the weapon does after firing makes it terrible to use under any circumstances. The awful scope provides zero help at that. It would be easier to score kills with it if iron sights were default instead of the current scope and recoil system.

The Beamer is completely unusable in its current state in relation to the TR and NC sidearms. The difference is night and day. Poor damage and a terrible fire rate make for a very useless pistol. The ADS mode is extremely cumbersome in relation to TR/NC. It doesn't help that the amount of time it takes to kill a given soldier is easily double to quadruple the time for TR/NC pistols. And, again, there's no ammo versatility advantage like in PS1. A complete downgrade in EVERY single respect.

The Quasar is laughable compared to the NC/TR anti-infantry MAX options. The number of MAX kills with this weapon can be counted on one hand in every major engagement. Terrible damage, slow ROF, bad accuracy, zero use. Again, so mediocre and middle-of-the-road it hurts. It neither has a huge ammo base nor hits hard, putting it in a completely irrelevant category.

The Lasher? I don't even think I need to write anything. So, so bad. The Minigun is better in every single way.


Color:
I'll never hate on the purple. Ever. HOWEVER, the color choice of the VS is a MASSIVE problem considering Planetside 2's engine. It provides a MUCH sharper contrast with the new lighting system and that is a big, big problem in battles that are indoors/at night. The red color of the TR is much, much more muted than purple against the black backgrounds inside most bases. Soldiers and tanks alike stand out in sore thumbs compared to both red and blue. It's extremely easy to spot a VS soldier in a dimly lit room than a TR soldier. Anyone can see that, plain as day. And that's a massive, massive disadvantage for anyone hoping to get the drop on TR/NC.

I don't expect SOE to change the Vanu's color, of course, but it is a VERY important thing to consider when designing the lighting system.



I've been a part of the Planetside universe for almost a decade. I point out these things only to enhance SOE's balance of all three factions and to ensure that players feel compelled to take part in each group equally. People who join one faction for a big advantage (whether it be a gun, tank, or something else) will be a huge problem otherwise upon release. And since this game requires three factions to be balanced together? All the more reason to mention this stuff.

Thanks.

I like how you used the word "objectively" in the title, and then proceed to completely omit objective data from your post.

Regarding Magrider "disadvantage", why the hell would you NOT want to completely turn around to engage an enemy behind you? Do you realize that you take significantly more damage from behind?

[Lonehunter]

I feel like Anuv is playing a completely separate game then me, did someone figure out how to run a private PS2 server? That seems like the most logical thing at this point...

[Kendrick]

When people make the OP or UP claims... do they actually spend time playing the different empires? Specific weapons/vehicles in each empire are better than the equivalent of other empires... but it's the whole picture that needs evaluating. Personally, I find the Vanu firearms to be *very* powerful at longer ranges due to lack of bullet drop... but those rocket launchers are just awful. When I play NC, the Scythes seem to dominate the skies... could be better aircraft or just better pilots in the empire... dunno.

[GLaDOS]

I feel like Anuv is playing a completely separate game then me, did someone figure out how to run a private PS2 server? That seems like the most logical thing at this point...

Yes, he was playing a different game, several months ago. You see those numbers above someone's name on a post? Those show the date the post was made. Balance was different in September, surprisingly enough.

[maradine]

This is why we don't necro threads.

[JimmyOmaha]

Twice necro'd? o0


This thing is gonna get locked, heh.

[KaskaMatej]

The Magrider

Single best piece of equipment VS has. In the open it's the best MBT of the three, in cramped placed mediocre. I can't say Maggy is bad at all. I always read some QQing of Maggies being OP. ALWAYS! Mostly from NC because they QQ the most. :P

The Scythe
All three ESF are nearly carbon copies of eachother, apart from Mossy' speed. Manoeuvrability is the same on all accounts.

There's literally no advantage to VS weapons at ALL. /.../ You get the worst of both worlds.
We have no bullet drop. And not that much vertical recoil. The biggest problem with VS guns is, they are bland. They don't feel unique. IMO.

The VS sniper rifle is, objectively, the worst one in the game.
That's not very objective, is there. Also, sidegrades.

The Beamer is completely unusable in its current state in relation to the TR and NC sidearms.
I do agree with you on the Beamer part. It's worse than NC's Mag-shot or TR's burst machine pistol.

The Quasar
Also agree with you on Quasar. It's bad compared to Cycler or Scatter cannon. Good luck getting a kill at more than 10 metres and less than 15. (the math is deliberate).

The Lasher
It's good. It fires orbs. The lash, a little. Is as weak as Beamer in fire power and slow ROF and orbs speed and it's really a grieving machine. Though, not as bad as you make it.

Color
TR and NC also QQ when they fight against VS at night. The purple is actually the best default camouflage at night in this game. Actually, of all, at night at least.

I need to say, your "objectivity" is very subjective. All of the above are "IMO", I play only VS, I haven't played PS1 but I play PS2 since it came out of tech test. Again, all of the above are my opinions.

[FreeSpeech]

Sniper the worst one? Hardly it's like a 1 hit kill!

You do mention some of their worst guns in that big list, but then nobody ever uses them! It's Orion and Cycler constantly which are basically spray and pray sniper miniguns in comparison to anything that NC can dish out.

Pistols, who cares about pistols, when are you using pistols outside of an Infiltrator?

And personally I can live with the colour and design when I know my guns are owning people with minimal effort.

Oh and Scythe maneovering capabilities are beyond the other factions.

[ShadetheDruid]

Pistols, who cares about pistols, when are you using pistols outside of an Infiltrator?

You'd be surprised, I regularly go on a pistol "rampage" as a HA when i'm rocking my Warden and need something to use at close range.

[boogy]

For months I've been giving the VS the benefit of the doubt as not being the OP faction. But this last week or two it's no longer undeniable. They're guns are out right OP, no downside. In Beta they had a counter to their low recoil and no bullet drop. That was damage degradation. But we saw you can't degrade damage on a close or med range gun without making them useless. In early Beta their guns sucked because of this. As a result the were buffed and damage degradation was removed. Now their gun's upside has no counter. It's the complete opposite to the NC. Their guns have an existing evident counter to their hard hitting characteristic, which is sucky recoil. VS have none implemented. Their only counter is their purple spandex resulting in low populations.

[Rasgriz]

"The Scythe is, hands down, the worst aircraft to use out of the three."

What?

no...No...I will read it again...

"The Scythe is, hands down, the worst aircraft to use out of the three."

Have you even SEEN the insanely brick like flight characteristics of the Reaver?

Holy crap man...

Also the Magrider is easily the best tank... A and D are your friends.

What about VS infantry you ask?

Three words.

No
Bullet
Drop

[KaskaMatej]

Their guns are out right OP, no downside.

FTFY and yea, let's call horizontal recoil no downside.

What about VS infantry you ask?

Three words.

No
Bullet
Drop

Doesn't really matter at close range and it's bullet drop can easily be compensated at medium-to-long range for both NC and TR, because there is not much drop anyway. Not really a benefit in long run or for/against equally-average-to-above-average skilled players.

[Ghoest9]

This is a necroed beta thread - lock it already.

[MaxDamage]

As a dedicated AA MAX, your scythes have such a thin profile they have a huge advantage in that flak currently has no spread and they are extremely difficult to hit compared to the fat bellied reavers and "x marks the spot" mosquitoes. Massive benefit imo, they really annoy me.

[FreeSpeech]

Ah I don't do long-long range - not my style, it's a cowardly play - I get stuck in on the front lines.

[The Messenger]

The VS had their damage at long range buffed right before the end of beta. They're ability to kill at long range went through the roof. This was contradictory to their weapons. If they're powerful upclose and have the least re-coil, the weapons should do less damage at long range.

[Fortress]

Nope.

[Chaff]

....
....this HAS to be an intentional TROLL post.

Accross the PS2 Community - the MAG is clearly seen as best MBT in game - I too agree with that assessment. SCYTHE pulls some of the most Rediculous aero-acrobatics of any air vehicle in game.

My impression is that if any one Empire has an overall advantage with weapons & vehicles, I'd have to say it's the VS. They tend to be the devs favorite empire. I have tin foil concerns about them being OP because they are overwhelmingly the Devs darlings.....of course the Dev (Nerd?) group will favor the VS - Technology-driven. Who better to Love/Obsess over the Tech-Empire than the Tech-Savvy Devs ?

....on a more serious level, PS2 seems pretty well balanced. Some nights my Empire rolls over everyting. Some nights it seems like the other Two Empires are Super-OP. Usually, dominance comes-and-goes throughout the night. One moment your Empire is getting powned by both sides....45 minutes later, it can seem like Nothing can stop your Empire - not even the other two working against you. This gaming experience tells me that overall, game "balance" is pretty damn good.

.

[Nadrik]

This has to be satire.