new alerts are boring

[Rahabib]

First off I am on Connery, your server may vary.

Since the Alerts have been instigated I have seen about 20 of them. Of the 20, TR (which seem to be disfunctional on Connery when I am on) have won 1 - yes one. (I play evenings generally around 8pm PST).

Heres the problem. Especially recently, we have been getting a lot of Biolab alerts, so the VS gal rush the biolabs and quickly take them. Its a good strategy, but for the next 2 hours, virtually every VS is camping the biolab, and virtually no biolabs exchange control. So what does the TR do, surround the biolab an sit in the teleporter rooms just farming points - its lucrative, but again boring.

Even when we do get a decent alert, like capturing a continent, Theres a big push, it gets about half way then it turns out to be a stalemate. TR push north because they refuse to admit there is an eastern front, they get all the way by the NC warpgate, then the VS who seem to only care about TR get by our warpgate.

Maybe its the fact that the TR simply zerg when I am on, but it seems like the alerts, especially when its hold x facilities, turn into a camp-a-thon.

Anyone else seeing this?

[Figment]

Bio Lab flow. Teleporters.


Need I say more?


Same problem we talked about in tech test.

[Rahabib]

I wish the problem was just the biolabs, it seems all bases can be camped when no other territory means anything. Cram 2000 people into 6 territories seems to be the issue. big battles, yes, but alerts ruin the effect of using other territories. Its like there are maybe 10 locations I see every night. If I go anywhere else I am ghost capping.

[Assist]

I wish the problem was just the biolabs, it seems all bases can be camped when no other territory means anything.

It's the problem with making the goals of the game based on individual bases rather than the entire continent. The problem is that the continents are irrelevant and there's no harsh penalties for losing them and small incentive to take them. In the end this issue comes back to a really shitty resource system that has no depth. I find it so strange that the creators of this game are in love with games like Starcraft, which are completely based around resource systems that drive the game. Yet they went and made a game that has similar strategic themes and completely skipped the resource system.

[Figment]

Never been a fan of computer generated missions, they don't really comprehend the flow of a fight and usualy disrupt whatever fight is taking place.

[typhaon]

A year and a half ago the developers were in love with EVE.

I wish they had remained so.

[Qwan]

The alerts are fun on Woodman, the VS outfits actually work together taking and securing what ever the goals are for that alert, and if they need reinforcments they usually get it. We also get alot of domination wins on Woodman as well. And I dont want to hear about how bio labs are sooooo defendible, we took one this sunday from the NC and all I got to say is it took the whole damn two hrs to get it. But here is a hit to taking bio labs, FORGET ABOUT YOUR K/D RATIO. If you worry about that all the time you will loose a fight for sure. Push out of the damn spawn room, use max crashes, grenade, concusion grenades work awesome to. Believe me once everyone forgets about K/D ratio, and trying to get the most kills, fights will get alot better.

[Rahabib]

The alerts are fun on Woodman, the VS outfits actually work together taking and securing what ever the goals are for that alert, and if they need reinforcments they usually get it. We also get alot of domination wins on Woodman as well. And I dont want to hear about how bio labs are sooooo defendible, we took one this sunday from the NC and all I got to say is it took the whole damn two hrs to get it. But here is a hit to taking bio labs, FORGET ABOUT YOUR K/D RATIO. If you worry about that all the time you will loose a fight for sure. Push out of the damn spawn room, use max crashes, grenade, concusion grenades work awesome to. Believe me once everyone forgets about K/D ratio, and trying to get the most kills, fights will get alot better.

that would take a coordinated effort... I dont think the TR on Connery are capable of it. Perhaps this is more of faction and server issue.

Still if it took you the whole 2 hours to get one biolab, how did the other 5 go? At least on our server last night, half the biolabs were taken within 15 minutes, for the full 2 hours nothing changed hands, except maybe one. VS didnt get a dominating victory but they won. TR and NC turtled up on their bios as well. It was as if everyone was afraid to leave.

[Vashyo]

The alerts are fun on Woodman, the VS outfits actually work together taking and securing what ever the goals are for that alert, and if they need reinforcments they usually get it. We also get alot of domination wins on Woodman as well. And I dont want to hear about how bio labs are sooooo defendible, we took one this sunday from the NC and all I got to say is it took the whole damn two hrs to get it. But here is a hit to taking bio labs, FORGET ABOUT YOUR K/D RATIO. If you worry about that all the time you will loose a fight for sure. Push out of the damn spawn room, use max crashes, grenade, concusion grenades work awesome to. Believe me once everyone forgets about K/D ratio, and trying to get the most kills, fights will get alot better.

I really dislike the alerts, they're just not as much fun to do when ur undermanned. I'd rather they be removed or something be done to them so that the little guy can make up the lack of personnel.

Alerts are not as fun for many on NC or TR if u try winning them on woodman.

You win pretty much every alert from what I see and ur side is allways well presented around the clock http://sirisian.com/planetside2/population.php?world=9&timezone=0&allfactions=false

since the 4th empire started moving to VS on Woodman after GU10 ur side is allways the stacked one so u can easily get more reinsforcements anywhere, I just keep on telling my squadleader who's requesting reins that we ARE the reinsforcements. Some people should realize that fighting against 1000 with 800 means ur not gonna have that extra 200 to call for help. :lol:

Heck last sunday VS had 5-6 full platoons more people than NC/TR. That's a massive advantage and since nobody wants to lose the alerts, the sides get even worse as NC and TR players just go off and switch to their VS character so they can reap the benefits. Wish SOE did something to this.

[Hamma]

I must say I'm not a huge fan of the new alerts either. I enjoyed the Territory related ones.

[Gatekeeper]

I generally enjoy the alerts - it's nice to have some variety in objectives and it makes you feel like you're really competing for something for a change - rather than just pointlessly grinding.

On Cobalt, the VS are pretty variable when it comes to alerts. Sometimes I'm proud of how capable and organised we are, even with inferior numbers, and other times I find myself shouting at the screen, wishing all the idiots would stop camping irrelevant bases and come and actually help where they're needed.

TBH Cobalt seems a well-balanced server most of the time - good fights without any one faction dominating, and I think that often shows the game in a better light. Certainly when I play my alt on Miller, it's a lot less fun because the VS seem noticeably underpopulated there.

[ringring]

I Think the alerts are a poor substitute for 'proper' Planetside, but they're all we have.

The latest style of alert isn't so good.

[Maidere]

The reason why new alerts are not that awesome is techplant/biolab's layouts. They are kinda ok unless there are huge zergs on both sides.

[Dougnifico]

I concur. The old alerts were great in that they move the population around and made a continent pop lock for an even fight. With the facility alerts, the most populous win every time. When its cap all facilities of this type, on this cont, VS just takes a quick 10k on connery.

Kill the new alerts. That is the solution.

[Qwan]

that would take a coordinated effort... I dont think the TR on Connery are capable of it. Perhaps this is more of faction and server issue.

Still if it took you the whole 2 hours to get one biolab, how did the other 5 go? At least on our server last night, half the biolabs were taken within 15 minutes, for the full 2 hours nothing changed hands, except maybe one. VS didnt get a dominating victory but they won. TR and NC turtled up on their bios as well. It was as if everyone was afraid to leave.

Well I know that our outfit leader is talking to the other outfits, and I believe that once a bio lab had a pre emtive threat we pull outfits from other area's to ensure that the links or bases around the held base are not threatened. If we see one of the surrounding or linked bases starting a hack we usually pull a outfit, or platoons to reinforce, or even sometimes the zerg acts like it has common sence somtimes :lol:

I really dislike the alerts, they're just not as much fun to do when ur undermanned. I'd rather they be removed or something be done to them so that the little guy can make up the lack of personnel.

Alerts are not as fun for many on NC or TR if u try winning them on woodman.

You win pretty much every alert from what I see and ur side is allways well presented around the clock http://sirisian.com/planetside2/population.php?world=9&timezone=0&allfactions=false

since the 4th empire started moving to VS on Woodman after GU10 ur side is allways the stacked one so u can easily get more reinsforcements anywhere, I just keep on telling my squadleader who's requesting reins that we ARE the reinsforcements. Some people should realize that fighting against 1000 with 800 means ur not gonna have that extra 200 to call for help. :lol:

Heck last sunday VS had 5-6 full platoons more people than NC/TR. That's a massive advantage and since nobody wants to lose the alerts, the sides get even worse as NC and TR players just go off and switch to their VS character so they can reap the benefits. Wish SOE did something to this.

Yea during the week, alerts arent as coordinated, its more like a free for all. But during the week its just a free for all, I usually find the base with the most action and just defend or attack, depends on what going on. But its mainly during the weekend that we really work together to try and win alerts.

[Gatekeeper]

I concur. The old alerts were great in that they move the population around and made a continent pop lock for an even fight. With the facility alerts, the most populous win every time. When its cap all facilities of this type, on this cont, VS just takes a quick 10k on connery.

Kill the new alerts. That is the solution.

The alerts themselves are fine, it's population balance that's the problem - the alerts just highlight the issue.

What we need are better fixes for population balance.

[Osskscosco]

The alerts are fun on Woodman, the VS outfits actually work together taking and securing what ever the goals are for that alert, and if they need reinforcments they usually get it. We also get alot of domination wins on Woodman as well. And I dont want to hear about how bio labs are sooooo defendible, we took one this sunday from the NC and all I got to say is it took the whole damn two hrs to get it. But here is a hit to taking bio labs, FORGET ABOUT YOUR K/D RATIO. If you worry about that all the time you will loose a fight for sure. Push out of the damn spawn room, use max crashes, grenade, concusion grenades work awesome to. Believe me once everyone forgets about K/D ratio, and trying to get the most kills, fights will get alot better.

Alert on woodman: the 45% VS population zergs and wins in 15-20 minutes.

[Rahabib]

Here's the problem with the alert system as I see it. It gives an objective, and nothing else in the game matters at that point. Sure there are resources to be gained, but since resources aren't important you cant cut off important defenses via other means other than rushing the same point.

Can these objectives work? I think so, but not unless there is a viable metagame that gives meaning to individual territories outside of the alert territories. This goes for continent capping alerts as well.

For instance, lets say you have a tech plant alert. You could just keep rushing head long into each other, or you could have it so that biolabs are the only facilities to generate infantry resources (and surrounding territories). Rather than one meaningless siege why not cut off the camping factions resources by attacking the biolabs.

What does this do? it forces the camping team to leave the biolab and defend the tech plants if they want to continue using Maxes. It spreads out the action and creates a form of "sub objectives."

Right now every base generates resources, and they should, but I still think there should be a regional hub for resources to be collected so that resources can be cut off. I am not advocating using ANTs etc. I think thats boring, but outposts need to be connected to the main bases (bios, techs, and amps) and each one generates one type of resource - and that base must be connected to the warp gate.

At the very least, main bases need to account for the bulk of the resources and outposts just a trickle. This at least would make it so that outposts are necessary to connect to the base, but bases are very important and that makes defense easier since you mainly need to focus on ~9 bases per continent rather than every single one. However, it increases defensibility to hold the outposts surrounding the base since the lattice makes it so they cant back cap on you.

Alerts should be side objectives, not THE objective. I like that it gives at least one objective to the game, but at this point it seems like everything in between the alerts is "warm up" time.

Its sad that SOE keeps bumping a resource overhaul, when IMO its the most important thing this game needs!

[Qwan]

Alert on woodman: the 45% VS population zergs and wins in 15-20 minutes.

LOL its not always a zerg, its there is some method to the madness which is PS2.

[Rahabib]

its called a "tactical login"

[Rivenshield]

I concur. The old alerts were great in that they move the population around and made a continent pop lock for an even fight. With the facility alerts, the most populous win every time. When its cap all facilities of this type, on this cont, VS just takes a quick 10k on connery.

Word. Facility alerts disperse the population. They suck. Cont alerts drag your nose over pieces of the map you've never seen, much less fought over before. And they give you big frantic clawing snarling JUST ONE MORE BASE TO GO battles. They rule.

For the record, I'm TR Connery as well, and I disagree 100% with OP. Our Republic does a reasonable amount of credit to the old Markov TR. Half our number at any given time are combat engies and medics. We are a self-regenerating self-supplying superorganism of death and doom. You see multiple lone strangers hunkered down behind tanks and MAXes taking fire -- and they'll go up with that tank if they have to. Hence, we rule at insane defense. Not so much the offense.