Lone Wolves Rise Up!

[Lone wolf]

I am a lone wolf, not by choice but because I don't have time to commit to an outfit. I play a lot and still get a lot of enjoyment out of creating havoc in the game and playing with informal drop in squads. My favorite thing to do is to drop deep into enemy terriory, mine the area with bouncing bettys and anti-tank mines, flip the base and then start picking off the enemy as I watch the chaos from afar. I can usually get a Sundy or two going as well and create a full scale battle.

But let's be honest, this game is not designed for my ilk. Organized squads will always win on the ground and the rest of us are just cannon fodder stumbling around trying to keep up.

I would like to see the designers do more to help lone wolves organize and I think it would help improve the game for us all. Maybe better incentives for successfully leading drop-in squads and completing missions with scrubs. It takes a skilled leader to organize noobs and lone wolfs and actually make something happen, they should benefit from it.

Would like to hear from all of you lone wolves out there. I know that there are a ton of us. Any ideas on how to improve our lot? Would also like to hear your stories and strategies on how you get by as a lone wolf in the field.

[CzuukWaterson]

I am a lone wolf, not by choice but because I don't have time to commit to an outfit. I play a lot and still get a lot of enjoyment out of creating havoc in the game and playing with informal drop in squads. My favorite thing to do is to drop deep into enemy terriory, mine the area with bouncing bettys and anti-tank mines, flip the base and then start picking off the enemy as I watch the chaos from afar. I can usually get a Sundy or two going as well and create a full scale battle.

But let's be honest, this game is not designed for my ilk. Organized squads will always win on the ground and the rest of us are just cannon fodder stumbling around trying to keep up.

I would like to see the designers do more to help lone wolves organize and I think it would help improve the game for us all. Maybe better incentives for successfully leading drop-in squads and completing missions with scrubs. It takes a skilled leader to organize noobs and lone wolfs and actually make something happen, they should benefit from it.

Would like to hear from all of you lone wolves out there. I know that there are a ton of us. Any ideas on how to improve our lot? Would also like to hear your stories and strategies on how you get by as a lone wolf in the field.

You don't have to play a lot of if you find the right outfit. Your skills would still be put to better use in coordination with somebody.

[Sledgecrushr]

You should definitely get together with some other lone wolves and work togther.

[Ghoest9]

i play lone wolf most of the time, but I dont really see what your asking as being the best use of developer efforts.

There are pleanty of outfits around that wont require you to be on more than you want.

[Tapman]

I am somewhat a Lone Wolf in Planetside 2 because it doesn't support the proper teamplay and coordination required to manage the battles due to their massive size. I do believe SOE is doing everything they can to improve this but like all good things, they take time. That doesn't mean I can't still try to play specialized roles as part of a unit even when I feel like farming or hanging back a bit. If my platoon is heading from a tower to a nearby hill to rush the Sundy sitting behind it, sometimes I prefer to hang out up over them with the dual Bursters I pulled 3 minutes prior and provide some air cover or grab my AV Turret and go to town. I still play with my PS1 outfit because they are solid players and we have fun, I think that every lone wolf should at least try to find a group that they mesh well with.

[Sledgecrushr]

The Hangover Alan***39;s Speech - YouTube

[Twasta]

The only problem I have as a lone wolf is outfits who shit all over me simply because I'm not a member. Throwing me out of an almost empty sunderer in the middle of nowhere, teamkilling me, not reviving me, et al.. I dislike most outfits on Miller due to this. I'm just trying to be helpful. If you dont want me to roll with your people, just tell me your reasoning for why I would disrupt your ability to fight effectively and I will take my leave.
Yesterday was one of the few days were I actually had fun riding with a bunch of dudes who had got together to zerg (can I name the outfit?). I remained with a single sunderer for an hour, got kills, conquered/defended bases, helped and had fun. That's when being a lone wolf is enjoyable. But not if the outfits treat you like a second class citizen.
That's the only issue I personally have. Apart from that the game is enormous fun.

[Sledgecrushr]

The only problem I have as a lone wolf is outfits who shit all over me simply because I'm not a member. Throwing me out of an almost empty sunderer in the middle of nowhere, teamkilling me, not reviving me, et al.. I dislike most outfits on Miller due to this. I'm just trying to be helpful. If you dont want me to roll with your people, just tell me your reasoning for why I would disrupt your ability to fight effectively and I will take my leave.
Yesterday was one of the few days were I actually had fun riding with a bunch of dudes who had got together to zerg (can I name the outfit?). I remained with a single sunderer for an hour, got kills, conquered/defended bases, helped and had fun. That's when being a lone wolf is enjoyable. But not if the outfits treat you like a second class citizen.
That's the only issue I personally have. Apart from that the game is enormous fun.

Yeah I try to snuff out any elitist BS in the squads I play in. We are an empire working towards a common goal, and we should act that way.

[Helwyr]

I would like to see the designers do more to help lone wolves organize and I think it would help improve the game for us all. Maybe better incentives for successfully leading drop-in squads and completing missions with scrubs. It takes a skilled leader to organize noobs and lone wolfs and actually make something happen, they should benefit from it.

As a mostly lone wolf player I don't understand this request. If I wanted to squad up with other people I wouldn't be a lone wolf.

Would like to hear from all of you lone wolves out there. I know that there are a ton of us. Any ideas on how to improve our lot? Would also like to hear your stories and strategies on how you get by as a lone wolf in the field.

Never felt like cannon fodder in PS1 or PS2. If I found myself in such a situation it was because I'd made a poor choice. The keys to being a successful lonewolf in any PvP MMO is being able to pick your fights. There's generally two paths offered along these lines in every MMO, speed or stealth. Stealth is a little lacking in PS2 but the option is still there and slowly getting better. Speed has been supreme with ESFs although that's slowly getting weaker, but is definitely not weak.

Even as part of the "zerg" if you play smartly you shouldn't be cannon fodder, the game isn't very complex you know what needs to be done to help your side win, just adapt to what both friendlies and enemies are doing around you, it's not hard.

Honestly lone wolf and casual players do not have it bad in PS2, if anything the game needs to be made more strategic and reward organized gameplay more than it currently does. That doesn't mean lone wolves need to be shat on, there's changes that could be made that would help both smart lone wolf players and organized outfits. Removing or giving counters to all the IFF crutches for instance, such as radar. This would empower small organized teams and lone wolves alike vs the zerg.

[Sifer2]

Honestly I find it's the opposite. If anything the game is designed too heavily towards the solo player side of things. Weapon balance is very clearly more an more balanced on 1v1 scenario's. I think it's actually easier to pull in more xp just bouncing from hotspot to hotspot where your Empire is winning solo. Until they put in ways for Outfits to make lasting impacts on the game I don't think we will see that change.

[Ghoest9]

The only problem I have as a lone wolf is outfits who shit all over me simply because I'm not a member. Throwing me out of an almost empty sunderer in the middle of nowhere, teamkilling me, not reviving me, et al.. .


Isnt that the reason we carry C4?

[Silent Thunder]

Really I think a lot of the Sundy locking would be resolved if you could just lock individual seats. I can't tell you how many times I've had to lock my Sundy because the idiot in seat 2 or 3 decides to take potshots at a tank that hasn't noticed me as I drive by, drawing its fire, and almost always resulting in my death, where I could have easily escaped.

[Falcon_br]

Isnt that the reason we carry C4?

Hehehe, this remember me when I got kicked out of a sunderer in the middle of nowhere so one member of the outfit could go in.

2 c4 blocks, 700 certs, 200 infantry resources.
Decimator, 700 SC
Team killing a full sunderer in the middle of nowhere
Priceless!

1 day weapon lock!

[Timealude]

Really I think a lot of the Sundy locking would be resolved if you could just lock individual seats. I can't tell you how many times I've had to lock my Sundy because the idiot in seat 2 or 3 decides to take potshots at a tank that hasn't noticed me as I drive by, drawing its fire, and almost always resulting in my death, where I could have easily escaped.

This....

The main reason my outfit kicks out randoms is because they will take shots when we are trying to sneak by enemies. Other then that, its just we have times where we have a full squad or two going and so we lock it to preserve seats for our members. Once the seat locking system is put in we will probably run alot more open vehicles.

[Twasta]

Really I think a lot of the Sundy locking would be resolved if you could just lock individual seats. I can't tell you how many times I've had to lock my Sundy because the idiot in seat 2 or 3 decides to take potshots at a tank that hasn't noticed me as I drive by, drawing its fire, and almost always resulting in my death, where I could have easily escaped.

I'm one of those sundy gunners who never fires unless it gives a clear tactical advantage. Blazing away at anything hostile upon sighting is an idiotic move and I feel your pain. I lost my fair share of sunderers to such numbnuts.

[Silent Thunder]

This....

The main reason my outfit kicks out randoms is because they will take shots when we are trying to sneak by enemies. Other then that, its just we have times where we have a full squad or two going and so we lock it to preserve seats for our members. Once the seat locking system is put in we will probably run alot more open vehicles.

Worst one for me was I hadn't noticed the guy get in, untill he opened fire on a Scythe swarm about 5 or 6 strong, all armed with G2A pods. Up untill he shot at them they were basically afterburning past me as well. Not only was my Resupply Sundy destroyed, but so were my 4 or 5 squad mates in the tanks that I was supporting. All because one guy ran up and hopped in the turret. Stuff like that is why I default my Sundy to Squad Only/Locked now

[Gatekeeper]

I play lone wolf most of the time (though I have a few friends that play less often, who I squad up with when they're on).

I play the game a lot, so my reason for not joining an outfit isn't time restriction, I'm just too impatient and antisocial... it's quicker and easier to bounce between random fights on my own than to wait around for a squad to form, and I don't have to consult with anyone else if I want to change tactics, change objectives or even change continents.

Most of the time I just follow the zerg along, or fight to defend one of our overwhelmed bases. I don't have the patience for infiltrating or special forces sneaking around. I find the game supports my play-style pretty well, overall - although obviously it's harder for me to compete with groups of enemies when I end up on my own, and that does affect my k/d.

I'm not too keen on the recent change to instant action - especially since it now often moves me from Esamir to Indar when I use it, which seems a bit crazy. At least knowing you'll turn up somewhere on your current continent would be nice.

[Silent Thunder]

I will agree that IA should keep you on the same continent, and provide a more reliable fight, but the old method had issues as well. While it was great for a lone wolf, it also opened the game up to abuse by larger outfits, who would use IA to droppod large groups behind a defensive permieter with no warning, causing a good fight to immediatly collapse. This action would essentially ruin the fun for both the attackers and defenders who were stuck in to one of the rare good fights you can find.

[Gatekeeper]

I will agree that IA should keep you on the same continent, and provide a more reliable fight, but the old method had issues as well. While it was great for a lone wolf, it also opened the game up to abuse by larger outfits, who would use IA to droppod large groups behind a defensive permieter with no warning, causing a good fight to immediatly collapse. This action would essentially ruin the fun for both the attackers and defenders who were stuck in to one of the rare good fights you can find.

Yeah, that's a fair point - and I agree, I have no objection to IA taking me to an ongoing fight, but not giving me control over which one. But it should be a fight in progress (and ideally one that I have some chance of winning), and it should be on the same continent.

Edit: actually, I wonder if squad leaders/faction commanders could be given some influence over IA locations somehow? It'd be nice if they could request reinforcements and have IA direct troops to assist them - not in a 'mass drop behind enemy lines, smash a good fight' kind of way, but dropping on the friendly forces to assist them.

And/or maybe IA drops could preferentially target squad deployment beacons? Then at least enemies have some idea where reinforcements are likely to drop, and can destroy the beacons to stop them.

[phungus]

Organized outfits are usually worse then the zerg, and they both do pretty much the same thing: overrun light resistance with overwhelming force. Gets boring fast, and is an epic waste of players' time. I still do not understand why 90% of you like to roll 50 deep on a base to kill 5 or so people and then spawn camp while "waiting for the points". Seriously what do you guys get out of that, and how is it fun?

Much more fun to lone wolf with your ESF and just kill things. If you're out of aerospace resources, grab a sundee and go take a point that makes sense, or try defending one (while half your team is massed in a zerg/organized platoons).

Lone wolfing is pretty much the only way to play this game and get enjoyment out of it.

[Gatekeeper]

Organized outfits are usually worse then the zerg, and they both do pretty much the same thing: overrun light resistance with overwhelming force. Gets boring fast, and is an epic waste of players' time. I still do not understand why 90% of you like to roll 50 deep on a base to kill 5 or so people and then spawn camp while "waiting for the points". Seriously what do you guys get out of that, and how is it fun?

Much more fun to lone wolf with your ESF and just kill things. If you're out of aerospace resources, grab a sundee and go take a point that makes sense, or try defending one (while half your team is massed in a zerg/organized platoons).

Lone wolfing is pretty much the only way to play this game and get enjoyment out of it.

Ha, I actually agree with pretty much all of that. Perhaps I was just being a bit too polite in my post ;)

[Vashyo]

Organized outfits are usually worse then the zerg, and they both do pretty much the same thing: overrun light resistance with overwhelming force. Gets boring fast, and is an epic waste of players' time. I still do not understand why 90% of you like to roll 50 deep on a base to kill 5 or so people and then spawn camp while "waiting for the points". Seriously what do you guys get out of that, and how is it fun?

Much more fun to lone wolf with your ESF and just kill things. If you're out of aerospace resources, grab a sundee and go take a point that makes sense, or try defending one (while half your team is massed in a zerg/organized platoons).

Lone wolfing is pretty much the only way to play this game and get enjoyment out of it.

This is the biggest issue I have with outfit play, I just hate playing risk and waiting around when I can shoot people. The game even rewards u more by shooting people.

[Rolfski]

I like to lone wolf a bit before I join my outfit ops. I takes some time to understand the flow of the map & battles and predict what's going to happen where and what is needed in a upcoming fight. But when you do, lone wolving can be equally fun. It also can be equally frustrating of course considering the limit to what you can accomplish on your own.

When I find myself getting frustrated by these limitations it's usually a good moment to join my outfit ops.

[Ghoest9]

So you guys are unhappy that players often employ the most successful tactic in history?

[Sonny]

I have to disagree with OP when he says that the game is not designed for lone wolves. I run almost exclusively lone wolf or random squads. I've never had a problem with finding fun stuff to do alone. Whether that is hacking every terminal and destroying every generator at a base behind enemy lines, getting an ESF and randomly taking down infantry, enemy liberators or galaxies or taking part in a charge on the crown with some random pubbies, i always find something to do.

In fact, I have the opposite opinion of the game in its current state. I think it is too focused on casual, diffuse players who never feel the need to join a serious squad or outfit. At the moment, the community is very 'I need a fight now' focused rather than 'I need to do what is best for my outfit/faction' focused. There is no long term objective that would make me fight for my faction/outfit rather than just for myself and my certs. This is not a fault of any individual playstyle or player, I guess that the incentives and/or objective of the game are not focused on longer term objectives.

Sonny

[Obstruction]

when i first started i heard that you needed an outfit to "really experience what planetside 2 is all about."

but that's not really the case at all.

from what i've seen the really good outfits of hardcore players or at least dedicated weekenders are few and far between. what you mostly have out there are either groups that have enough members that there's almost always a platoon online, or groups that have 1-3 squads on certain times of the week and a handful of hardcore players that try to run in a small group as much as they can.

then rarely there's one or two groups of hardcore players that are all online a million hours a day and you know who they are.

so what you get with the first type, the zergfit, barely fits the definition of organized. they are constantly gaining and losing members, may boast about 2000+ members but then you look at their roster and 1500 of them are BR9 and last logged in before new years. when you run with these groups (you always can, because they always have "recruiting" platoons) you see that it's basically just a popularity contest between the "officers" and that what the group is doing at a given engagement is random at best, and whimsical at worst. my favorite example is having everyone blow their max suit when a biofarm is about to flip. so you get 35 maxes that all die 15 seconds later. brilliant lol. way to feed, am i rite?

my favorite though is when they decide to "go fight the vanu for a while, i'm bored of tr." and suddenly 36-48 people who were fighting on your side in a conflict just evaporate and all those other small squads, lone wolves, specialist outfits are left to feed because the zergfit held that tech plant just long enough for a trickle of enemy to turn into a zerg of its own.

even better is having everyone abandon their vehicles to regroup at warpgate, then sit for 15 minutes "getting organized" into galaxies to go drop on a perfectly good biofarm and ruin it by wiping out the enemy FOB. way to go.

it just fails to provide enhanced gameplay to anyone who can figure out what to do on their own, and what patterns the majority of players follow.

secondly, there's no such thing as a commander having any extra training or experience, or any type of strategic reasoning ability. a commander is just someone who's probably "been here since beta, noob."

well, woop de shit. you've been playing since beta but you don't have that many hours logged, your certs look like a pile of unspecialized dog crap, and you're constantly trying to "defend this tech plant guys" when pretty much everyone in the game understands that THEY CHANGED THE TECH PLANT TO MAKE IT INDEFENSIBLE. and you can watch them repeat the same patterns daily.

then that brings us to the weekenders. you love these guys. you like to sit in the teamspeak while you play borderlands or arma or whatever. you show up for the op night. you follow them into the gates of hell.

but you lose k/d (if it matters to you, you notice) and your exp/hour plummets. you play as a member of a team, fly wingman, be the bored ass medic in the burster nest, run suicide engi into a crowd of pump actions as many times as it takes to see that sundy drop. but you don't get the kills or the points because "you're doing your job" and "getting stuff done."

"stuff" like capping a territory that, honestly, whatever. who cares?

so you play alone more and more. or group with the one or two people you really like to talk to and who don't chew food on mic, or have barking dogs, or whatever. maybe its just that they don't constantly narrate every detail of what's happening on their screen.

and you learn that you do way better as an ESF pilot, or Lib team. or you instant action and do the redeploy shuffle until you're standing on the good side of the ridgeline and take your shots, then move with the group, or flank, or whatever it is you like. maybe you just sneak around hacking turrets and setting traps. or ride armor columns. or defend people's sunderers. all the things we do as loners.

i know this was too long. i know you didn't read.

but i have been needing to say it. you don't have to have an outfit and it's often better without them. the social game is a good reason to stick with it and to try your best to contribute to outfit play. but it honestly just isn't better.

and i know the common argument is that organized forces will always outperform "disorganized" forces.

but:

1. this isn't real war.

2. your "organized" forces in PS2 are most often hampered by slow decision making and piss poor orders. besides that they RARELY exhibit actual organization. most often they are just scrambling around being yelled at.

3. an equally sized group of hardcore lone wolves will make superior tactical decisions, faster, less predictably, and generally already make their living from farming big "organized" groups like yours.

and i'd put money on it.

[Hamma]

Creative name btw :lol:

[Brusi]

I'm a lone wolf... also not by choice.

The territory capture mini-game feels like a waste of time. Racking up kills and certs feels way more productive, and outside of a liberator... lone-wolfing is the best way to do that.

Well, Ok... so i'm technically a i'm a lone wolf by choice, then. You get what i'm trying to say though ;p

If the aim of the game was felt (by the community) to be completing objectives using team-work rather than to...

http://i.imgur.com/OkYub23.jpg

... Then, i think myself and more players in general would seek out organised squads and outfits.

[Neutral Calypso]

I have lately felt more inclined to engage in a sort of defensive conquest, myself...

Namely, heading to every major facility "naturally belonging" to my faction and ensuring that all the territory surrounding them is taken so nobody can just march in and start capping 'em.

Especially the tech plants... I like my MBTs thanks.

[CzuukWaterson]

Organized outfits are usually worse then the zerg, and they both do pretty much the same thing:.

Who said anything about organized mate? :P The key to success in business is proper delegation of authority. We are in the business of war. Business is good.

[LayZ]

even better is having everyone abandon their vehicles to regroup at warpgate, then sit for 15 minutes "getting organized" into galaxies to go drop on a perfectly good biofarm and ruin it by wiping out the enemy FOB. way to go.


My favorite is the guy designated squad lead during the raid that can't make a decision to save his/her life. Says "uhhhh" and "aaaah" more often than actual words on TS. Decides to pull MAXes when there's no need then switch to armor when we're supposed to be an infantry squad to clear out enemy infantry. The platoon that lets all the squads do their own thing rather than run together as a platoon. Why bother even having a platoon?

But most of all that infuriates me is sitting in the warpgate for 30 minutes waiting for someone to make a decision. Most of the time it becomes the path to least resistance so we can show how "1337" we are rolling over forces we outnumber 3 to 1. Then when the fighting finally gets good after two hours (this includes the 30 minute circle jerk of dicking around in the warpgate), it ends and everyone is left to their own devices. Any momentum that was gained becomes lost.

[Gatekeeper]

Back in PS1 the first outfit I joined ended up becoming more and more 'organised' as it got bigger and the guy in charge developed more and more of a power complex. We'd spend bloody ages getting organised for big assaults or events, and then it was nothing more than a big, messy zerg when we actually went into battle.

In the end my friends and I used to refer to all the messing about in the Sanctuary as 'marching up and down the square' (after the Monty Python sketch from The Meaning of Life). In the end, we all decided we did have something else better to do - playing the damn game.

Monty Python ~ Marching up and down the square (Michael Palin) - YouTube

[Lone wolf]

Thanks for the input everyone.

The discussion inspired me to join up with an outfit yesterday but ended up getting bored with all of the stupid chit chat and posturing. When we finally went into battle (Playing NC and attacked the Crown where TR was dug in) we got slaughtered repeatedly. I got a ton of cert points as I was playing medic but that was definitely four hours of my life that I wish I had back.

It probably has to do with the group but screw it, I am embracing my solo life style unless some major change happens in the game. It is plenty fun to create havoc on my own. Sounds like some of you are having the same experience.

See y'all in my crosshairs.

[Obstruction]

The platoon that lets all the squads do their own thing rather than run together as a platoon. Why bother even having a platoon?

one day i ran a platoon that had no waypoints and i repeatedly shushed anyone who tried to talk in platoon. politely, but i shushed them. i would say something like:

"hey guys those of you who just joined, lets keep the comms quiet please. this isn't a platoon for giving orders, there's no orders, it's called Free Fight. just do your thing. repair tanks, heal people, snipe, fly, whatever. the platoon is here so you can look at the map and see where people are, and so you can get squad bonuses and such. use your proximity voice to coordinate with the people close to you, and use the platoon text chat if you just want to talk. but let's keep platoon voice quiet, because you're broadcasting to 40+ people. thanks everyone, have fun."

and i'd say that whenever some guy joined and started saying GO GO GO or whatever the hell noobs usually do.

anyway it was a successful platoon, we kept 30+ members for 3 or 4 hours and only a few guys got butthurt about the comms silence. one guy was trying to recruit for his lame outfit and i had to kick him but otherwise it was a great time and people said thanks in the chat before they logged out.

i've been thinking about doing it more regularly, but calling it like Lone Wolf Cert Brigade or something and just putting platoon waypoint at the current best farm. and maybe focusing on bringing bodies into biolabs and stuff for the specific purpose of creating good farm.

[Masriel]

i've been thinking about doing it more regularly, but calling it like Lone Wolf Cert Brigade or something and just putting platoon waypoint at the current best farm. and maybe focusing on bringing bodies into biolabs and stuff for the specific purpose of creating good farm.

That sounds like a hell of a lot of fun. I'd join that in a heart beat.