Article: The Nexus Revealed!

[kidriot]

http://themittani.com/news/ps2-nexus-revealed

and here's the Reddit thread for potential upvotes: http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1me061/the_nexus_revealed/

A few days ago NUC & FC + randoms were invited for the first public test of the Nexus. I still actually have a couple characters logged in there and it's going to be an absolute fucking blast once competition rolls around.

SOE just need to nail down the observer cam and we'll be rockin' and rollin' before you know it.

[CrimsonTemplar]

This merely confirms that MLG will doom PS2 for all eternity. It will devour the playerbase and corrupt their minds...combined arms will vanish and the skies will darken...intrigue and evil will spread...exaggerations and hyperbole will increase 1000% and I'm going to stop now. ;)

Yes I saw Itzmurda's twitch on this. Nice looking place. However I believe we already have a thread on the Nexus first look? In terms of the metagame, we need at least one more BI to flesh it out a bit.

[kidriot]

This post pertains specifically to my article on the subject and I appreciate the feedback from here so I believe it deserves its own thread. I figure you guys won't be shy to tell me when I'm full of shit!

[Carbon Copied]

So as someone who couldn't care less about MLG - has this been built for me or for the MLG crowd? Is this being focus tested to be MLG-centric?

Just to note I'm not anti-MLG I just have no care or interest in it as I think the whole concept of e-sports are boring.

[Sunrock]

So as someone who couldn't care less about MLG - has this been built for me or for the MLG crowd? Is this being focus tested to be MLG-centric?

Just to note I'm not anti-MLG I just have no care or interest in it as I think the whole concept of e-sports are boring.

Good question. I'm too totally uninterested in the e-sport phenomena even though I consider myself somewhat of a hardcore player, at least when it comes down to the dedication I give games.

My fears is that it will kill Planetside as a concept and turn this into a lobby game as no one will play in or care about the open world anymore.

But then again it might be time to move on to some other game when it finally hit the live servers anyway.

[Carbon Copied]

Good question. I'm too totally uninterested in the e-sport phenomena even though I consider myself somewhat of a hardcore player, at least when it comes down to the dedication I give games.

My fears is that it will kill Planetside as a concept and turn this into a lobby game as no one will play in or care about the open world anymore.

But then again it might be time to move on to some other game when it finally hit the live servers anyway.

Pretty much this brings the point home. As it is there's sod all "to do" and thats what probably makes it a great competitive game; lack of variables, restrictions and repetitiveness. Now you can argue day and night but at it's current core state (or lack of) it's a fast quake style arena shooter be it infantry or vehicle combat and how they interact, domination come deathmatch mechanics loosely sprinkled on top. Great if you want limitations to what happens and "rules", not so great if you're looking for something abit more meat beyond (and I'm not talking about metagame here).

So while the BI looks great with design I don't know where it fits in once more mechanics are (god I hope) introduced. Seems to me they've knee jerked to get on the e-sports band wagon and sacrificed the planet side concept. If this is however the restricted, watered down version for MLG then that's fine; however I don't think they've thought about this as part of the main game's core considering the size of it.

[Calista]

Well sadly (or not, depending how you see it) there is going to need to be much more of these type maps and actually they will need to be smaller for the PS4 audience. Persistence will be totally uninteresting to most of that audience.

[GeoGnome]

So as someone who couldn't care less about MLG - has this been built for me or for the MLG crowd? Is this being focus tested to be MLG-centric?

Just to note I'm not anti-MLG I just have no care or interest in it as I think the whole concept of e-sports are boring.

I know this is a wholly alien concept, but the MLG maps will be in the regular live world. They aren't being Built for anyone in-particular, as they will serve TWO purposes.

The purpose of the Nexus, Desolation, and the other one, will be that you can go through the smaller 2 faction map to use it as a shortcut between home continents, or you pass through all of Hossin. As Hossin will be the main fighting continent, and you have the chance of having to face down 2 of the three empires, it would be easier to pass through the 2 faction only Battle Island, though it will mean fewer people can fight there.

The Battle Islands, and all other continents can be spawned on private servers or instances for MLG, community Clash, and other private outfit v. outfit events. In this way, saying: "The Battle Island was made only for MLG" is akin to saying: "Every Continent made after they announced MLG is only for MLG." Which is a broad generalization, that while catering to the agenda you wish as someone who says they are "Anti-MLG", is completely false.

Good question. I'm too totally uninterested in the e-sport phenomena even though I consider myself somewhat of a hardcore player, at least when it comes down to the dedication I give games.

My fears is that it will kill Planetside as a concept and turn this into a lobby game as no one will play in or care about the open world anymore.

But then again it might be time to move on to some other game when it finally hit the live servers anyway.
In order for PS2 to become a Lobby based game, you would need for multiple things to happen. For one, MLG and whatnot would need to occur in a world disconnected from the live servers. We have already seen that, that is not the case. SOE has said, and with Community Clash, and existing MLG Outfits on the War Report, that you have to play in the real Live world, in order to place high enough to be considered for other matches. There are no teams who are ONLY MLG. You still have FC, TIW, ZAPs, NUC... all of these spending 99.99% of their time in the live servers fighting and doing what they can, because if they were to stop playing tomorrow, their ranking would plummet. The reason is, that the ranking is tied to Live server play, not their performance in the MLG or scrim circuits.
Well sadly (or not, depending how you see it) there is going to need to be much more of these type maps and actually they will need to be smaller for the PS4 audience. Persistence will be totally uninteresting to most of that audience.
...Why?

[Carbon Copied]

@GeoGnome

Totally get that they're designed to be within the game world and not as an extra "level" for when competitions happen - no dramas here.

I'm not sure if you've mis-read my post and question here :) First off I haven't said I'm "anti-MLG" (I genuinely just don't care for it) so please don't quote me as saying such. If someone wants to e-sport; then they're welcome to crack right on with it.

Second it makes sense to assume that the BI's are being developed MLG / competition centric as kidriot clearly puts in his article:

PS2 Creative Director Matt Higby provided the first test match on The Nexus between NUC (Numero Uno Clan) and Future Crew. NUC and FC being the top two competitive outfits in Planetside 2, it was fitting they were allowed to be the first ones to test the competitive viability of The Nexus.

So this was a competitive focus test. My question is based around wanting to know if things are being sacrificed at the expense of this competitive small-scale focus? If this is the final product (pending alternations) how is it going to function with an increased player count (last time I recall they were shrinking the population count to 300ish for live and 128ish and below for competitive mode?) in it; if it has indeed been built for a population scaled at the competitive side of things?

[GeoGnome]

@GeoGnome

Totally get that they're designed to be within the game world and not as an extra "level" for when competitions happen - no dramas here.

I'm not sure if you've mis-read my post and question here :) First off I haven't said I'm "anti-MLG" (I genuinely just don't care for it) so please don't quote me as saying such. If someone wants to e-sport; then they're welcome to crack right on with it.

Second it makes sense to assume that the BI's are being developed MLG / competition centric as kidriot clearly puts in his article:



So this was a competitive focus test. My question is based around wanting to know if things are being sacrificed at the expense of this competitive small-scale focus? If this is the final product (pending alternations) how is it going to function with an increased player count (last time I recall they were shrinking the population count to 300ish for live and 128ish and below for competitive mode?) in it; if it has indeed been built for a population scaled at the competitive side of things?
Your countermanding yourself here.

If you know that this is being developed for competitive and live play, and that the goals of both don't necessarily run counter to the goals of the other, the highlighted question is irrelevant. It is being made for Live play as well as Competitive play, not one or the other.

I've run on Nexus twice now, you are going to have no problem moving around when there are 300 people there. It's actually much too large for the 96-192 players you would see fighting there in a match (Assuming one day they bite the bullet and scale some matches up to 96 v 96, which given the size of the map is possible). Infact, after running there I was actually asking people whether or not 48 v. 48 was Enough for these maps in an MLG setting.

The main bases, the Nexuses have a unique capture system. The combat is much more focused around corridors and catwalks. All the walls have guns and are fortified. I mean this actually feels like 9 real bases set out and designed to push back attackers, unlike something like Esamir with however many bases surrounded by partitions.

[Carbon Copied]

Thanks for the clarification for those of us who haven't had hands on play and rely on nothing but basic info and speculation :)

[Emperor Newt]

this game, the game we all love to play, is poised to make itself well known and respected in the eSports and gaming community.
I doubt that. 48vs48 is too hard to follow for the viewers and to hard to cast. Also organizing 48 players (+backup players) for regular tournaments with set player roosters will be a pain in the arse only a handful of teams will be able to do. Other games like the Battlefield series even struggle to keep up teams with 8 players. And for competitive eSports with prize money it's uninteresting for most sponsored clans because the money would have to be split among 48 players. And why run a squad with 48 players when five Dota players can bring in way more money and prestige?

Don't get me wrong, I think it's a nice addition to the game (although I might think the resources would have been needed somewhere else more urgently) and might be cool for the bigger outfits already playing the game. Also I am a eSports "fan" myself. Having "worked" (non paid position) as an ESL admin for over eight years. But I highly doubt that PS2 will make a huge impact on the eSports scene. It lacks almost everything that makes a good and especially enjoyable to watch eSports game.
Maybe there is some noise generated by this for the first two years when Sony is willing to throw money at MLG. But after that... I doubt it. I would be happy to be proven wrong, but I have seen plenty of games fail that were way more suited to be an eSports game then PS2 currently is.

[Varsam]

Interesting article, I'd personally like to see you expand more on the implications in terms of the practical viability and longevity of e-Sports and spectating in PS2 specifically. You touch on it more than once, but never too deeply.

Just to note I'm not anti-MLG I just have no care or interest in it as I think the whole concept of e-sports are boring.
I don't understand this. That's like saying, "I don't dislike muffins, I just don't care for their taste, shape, or anything they represent."

...I highly doubt that PS2 will make a huge impact on the eSports scene. It lacks almost everything that makes a good and especially enjoyable to watch eSports game.
Maybe there is some noise generated by this for the first two years when Sony is willing to throw money at MLG. But after that... I doubt it. I would be happy to be proven wrong, but I have seen plenty of games fail that were way more suited to be an eSports game then PS2 currently is.
Maybe that is exactly what will work in PS2's favor then, that it *isn't* like most other competitively-geared games out there. I agree that it needs a LOT of work to get there... but one can dream.

[Carbon Copied]

Just attempting to pre-empt the responses/opinions/retorts the acronym entails - I will in future run all posts by you Varsam. Cheers.

[Zadexin]

I get what Carbon is saying. To a great majority of PS2 players, e-sports and MLG is simply a non issue. Its not that we think its bad. Its like Cricket, I know it exists but I have no desire or care to watch or play it. As long as it doesn't interfere with my regular gameplay, I simply am not interested in it. Same with the console.

BUT if it starts messing with my game, like adding aim assist for console twerps, or balancing out all the flavor for the MLG people OR causing times when I can't log on due to spectators, there is going to be a holy shitstorm and a ton of animosity from existing players.

[Varsam]

I get what Carbon is saying. To a great majority of PS2 players, e-sports and MLG is simply a non issue. Its not that we think its bad. Its like Cricket, I know it exists but I have no desire or care to watch or play it. As long as it doesn't interfere with my regular gameplay, I simply am not interested in it. Same with the console.

BUT if it starts messing with my game, like adding aim assist for console twerps, or balancing out all the flavor for the MLG people OR causing times when I can't log on due to spectators, there is going to be a holy shitstorm and a ton of animosity from existing players.

Ah. I get it now. DGAF, more or less?