The players will determine how good PS will be

[AcidCat]

Maybe this is common sense, but I'm realizing this more and more the last couple days - there is a lot of potential in PS, but it just depends on people tapping into it and playing creatively.

This first hit home about two days ago, I was playing NC walking along a road when around the corner here comes four Vanguards in a row all hauling ass .... this may seem like no big deal but in six weeks of playing this was the first organized group of armor I've ever seen. It made me a bit giddy, because I realized how entirely possible it was to have a dedicated mobile armor squad. With a little organization, such a squad could be devastating. It's just that most people aren't playing like this, they're doing the same things, form a ragtag squad, jump from base to base. Most squads I've joined have been slaves to base cap BEP, that's all that matters. And I think that focus is what had me getting burnt out on the game prematurely.

Last night, I didn't worry about base capture BEP. I defended a key tower that wasn't in a base SOI and I didn't care, I just had fun PLAYING, defending that tower and not worrying about experience points. And later there was a great battle at a bridge, the TR kept trying and trying to get across and we destroyed unit after unit on that bridge. It was great!

I just hope more squad leaders decide to play creatively - because when you join a squad you are kind of a slave to that squads objectives. Imagine that mobile armor squad working with an air cavalry squad and a squad of footsoldiers - that kind of organization would dominate, and it would be fun. I'm going to buy the game in the hopes that this kind of potential is recognized and taken advantage of by more and more players as time goes on.

[NightWalker XI]

I agree with you 100%

People can turn this game into proper military organisation if they want, thats where the real potential lies, you do what you wish, you can capture bases all day and get bored quickly or you can actually be creative and attack like a military force etc, lately everyone is just dpoing hotdrops etc...so repetitive

[shiflett]

yeh and thats how the game should be :D

If more and more people start doing that then it will force other squads to do the same. This might be hapening i wouldn't know tho coz i don't have the beta, heres hoping that it turns out to be as kick ass as it sounds

[NightWalker XI]

Theres a screenshot where you see a massive line of NC tanks and infantry and some aircraft above, then on the other side you could imagine a VS or a TR force the same size...thats what I always wished PS to be....

[Holo]

Give PS a few months after release and most of the xp whoring EQ kiddies should all filter out, leaving the hardcore military freaks to get on with the point of the game, massive conflicts :)

[tmartinez72]

Looks good on paper, but never works out.

WWIIOL is a prime example on how unorganzied people tend to be when you are paying to play a game the way you wish to play it.

I'm not going to listen to some punk when I think I have a better plan. Some punk is not going to listen to me when he thinks he has a better plan.

Is he paying my account? Am I paying his?

Of course not. You're going to have your lone-wolfs, renegades, griefers, rambo's, generals, casual player, cs-player, etc.

It's hard enough getting people to work in pickup-squads let alone seperate outfits. There is no chain of command other than your little group if you get them to work. And that little group is but a speck in the 3000 ppl we now have per server. Just imagine when this game goes public.

[NightWalker XI]

Thats why I joined an outfit, much better that way, always playing in a squad, etc, its cool

[Manitou]

My Outfit loves to play the game. We had two squads Friday night and we jumped into a tightly held Barney continent (Amerish) and stole a tower from them. The tower was mid-continent and didn't really threaten any major strategic location.

Our reason for taking it: Because.
The Barney reason for wanting it back: We had taken it.
What happened: Two hours of the funnest gaming I have had in years.

My two-and-a-half squads, fluctuating between 20 and 25 Dragon Wolves, held onto that tower as if it was the only place to exist. The Barney crews tried everything they could to root us out, unsuccessfully, I might add. :D

After the two hours we were called upon to begin the AGO operation planned for that night. My guys all kind of groaned because we were going to have to give up our little tower. I reminded them why it was okay: We chose to give it up, we were never forced to give it up. ;)

My point in this post? It was fun. Plain and simple we had a total blast. The tower eshewed us no golden experience points for the capture. Bravo Squad leader and myself, Alpha Squad leader, gained no Command Points. We operated in an area smaller than most people's backyards. We utilized no vehicles (unless you want to include using the Barney vehicles for target practice :p ).

For me, this game is the best fun I have had in gaming for years.

[tmartinez72]

Yup. I plan on forming my own outfit.

I just don't expect 50 or even 25 people to work together for a significant amount of time.

They may have a common goal (ie take that base), but they aren't going to wait pateintly for a line to form, plans drawn, and people to spawn in.

Take any huge battle. It's Spawn, kill, die, repeat. Push as far as you can until you get to the the hack.

You may have a single squad that works well together. I sometimes see a well co-ordinated drop of maxes, and grunts, but once half the team is wiped out upon entry, the plan goes down the toilet. It becomes: Spawn, kill, die, repeat after that.

Huge co-ordinated efforts won't happen unless there's some pre-determined scenario run by GMs. But even then, you'll have your misfits doing their own thing.

[Airlift]

This is too true, and will most likely never be accepted and understood by the gaming masses. That's why I quit bothering to explain why people just don't get it. They can piss up a rope and play something else for all I care. The reason I am so against this new experience rate is because slowing advancement down will drive people farther into the ladder mentality and farther away from the truth about the game.

Planetside isn't about you (at all). It isn't about me (at all). It is only about all of us collectively kicking the shit out of each other in a fun environment.

[Hamma]

I try to explain this every time someone says to me "All you do is cap bases, over, and over"

They arent thinking about the game in the way it is most powerful. Massive coordination, working with an alliance of squads to lock a continent. And stuff I have yet to think about :p

[EVILPIG]

If you like combined arms, then you should enlist in the 666th! We have an average of 7 squads working together each night and are organizing our post-release sections which include; reaver wings, all MAX squads and armored colums. We'll even have all stealth engineer-hacker teams to wreak havoc on the enemy. The 666th is on Markov-NC. Currently 330+ strong.

[tmartinez72]

I agree. The potentional is there. I just don't see it happening.

I may see a co-ordinated fight here and there, but nothing on a grand scale.

Just too many different types of players. You may have you're hard-core generals working with other generals, but in the big picture, it's still just a small factor.

Perhaps I'm just one of the casual gamers then. When I log on, I do my own thing. I do like to lead, but I'm not going to force other players to do my bidding.

The last thing I want to do is listen to some guy rant how I'm not following orders. Not until they are paying my account, anyhow.

[Airlift]

But there are other fun things that don't require organization on a massive scale. You could really make a difference in the shape of a continent by putting together 6 Reavers and 4 Mosquitos and hunting down every enemy ANT or Galaxy that may drop an ANT at a gate. Get 3 such squads and you could really put a hurt on the continent. Of course, you can't do this if you are focused on getting your BEP/CEP.

[Jarlo]

Squads only really work if they act as a unit. If the squad I'm in has no leadership, I leave. If I'm leading and a person isnt listening, he is booted.

[tmartinez72]

Correct airlift. I don't care too much about capping, but more about adding a little michief to my enemies. I find that really fun. It's about a common goal in a target rich enviroment that makes this game fun. Kill or be killed. Taking a base is up to someone else.

The problem is the mentality of players thinking that there is some grand chain of command, and it'll magically happen all the time.

I'll never boot a player off my squad for doing his own thing, but if I'm following, I'll leave a squad if some 14year old think's he's the commander-in-chief with an attitude.

[EVILPIG]

I believe that gaming communities have to respect and protect the casual gamer. That's what most are. I was a hardcore WWII Online player. WWII Online has succomb to a few who want a strict military method of commanding all who log into the game. WWII Online now penalizes anyone who wants to be an individual. There will always be individuals and it's not cool for those who want organization to look down on those who just want to wreak mayhem on the enemy. I hope that Palnetside never installs a system that will require players to join an organization.

The 666th is by no means strict. Our emphisis is on fun and civility towards each other. No member of the 666th is required to participate in any actions we may be organizing. We exist soley for comradery and provide a stable player base for anyone who logs and asks for an invite. We do broadcasts targets for those who wish to experience the awe of being in a 70+ man assault, but again this is all up to the player.

[Sp3ctre]

Teamplay is like the whole point of this game, and the most fun part. After about a month or 2, all the Rambos and individuals will be gone and organised outfits and squads will form because people will realise the fun is in teamplay, and people want to have the most fun for their money.

PS: Do Outfits have to have a certain number of people? I'd just like to have a permenant squad, not a huge army that I'll have to organise!

[Tieom]

Unless they changed it outfits need to be at least 10 people (Full squad). Whoever is squad leader at the time will become outfit leader of the new 10man outfit.

[AcidCat]

I have nothing against peeps who want to lone wolf ... in fact sometimes that's what I feel like doing, just going out on my own and doing whatever. PS accomodates many different playstyles, which is one of its strengths. When I say I'd like to see more coordination, that's certainly not saying "everybody needs to play this way" - and in fact I'm hoping the enemy is certainly not playing that way!:D

[WildCard101]

Originally posted by Jarlo
Squads only really work if they act as a unit. If the squad I'm in has no leadership, I leave. If I'm leading and a person isnt listening, he is booted.

I agree with that. :thumbsup:

If I get this game I plan on being a commander. And if I got a bunch of dudes in my outfit that dont want to play as an outfit - they get the boot. Then they can go out on their own like they want to. Not that there arent exceptions of course.

[glsauron]

Manitou:

What outfit, what server, what empire, and where can I find joining info?


<end of post>

[Hamma]

Dragon Wolves, Emerald, www.dragonwolves.com

[glsauron]

Now im looking at the 666th. Its the right server and I already had trouble choosing between VS and NC soo...

[Hamma]

oops, TR

[HS Warwolf]

I hear ya. It could be real cool to organize an outfit with Infantry Devisions or Air calvalry squads in Mosquitoes. You might have a tank platoon or a squad of pilots in Galaxies. Then organize you're chain of command into Officers and Enlisted personel. You could dominate the battlefield if that kind of organization is ever brought to ps. Then again, you could just be a "Rambo" as you call it. Go around and do what you want just killing resuply convoys and take off and try not to get killed. Then again, that's what makes all these multiplayer games so cool. You don't HAVE to join an outfit and rise through the ranks, become part of one of the MAX platoons. (Though it would be pretty cool)

[glsauron]

A squad with (whats the max in a squad? 10?) assault buggies running around (1 per base) and killing AMSs, ANTS, and etc as they try to get in, supported by a squad of reavers and another of tanks would own if they were outfitted (platooned? Do plattoons share BEP) would be awesome. They just circle each base on a conitnent, each time somebody gets a kill everybody gets BEP and you would rack it up pretty quick if you had one per base. Even having to double up on the buggies (driver and gunner) you could still circle 5 bases and that could starve those bases of energy real quick. Everytime somebody respawns, gets a new ANT, new equipment is that much less energy they got. When they hit 0 have a guy run in a capture it. Cant be anybody inside anymore... :)

Thats what I thought PS was gonna be about. Big battles and well organized teams.

Im starting to think the entire rank system should be pulled for certs. Give people a certain number of points (like 16 instead of 22) and have just colors for BR and the current command system for CR abilities. W/O server wipes in a month or 2 everybody is gonna be BR20 anyway...

Other thing is pull the bases down to 6-7 per continent and make each of those unique. Only 1 tech plant, only 1 AMP station, etc. Make 1-2 more so they are all different. The benefits of the dropship center dont extend to the other bases, neither should they. Have the AMP have a MASSIVE SOI, with full radar and etc. But no turrets. Tech plant the only place you can be reavers, (big) tanks, etc. Would also have implant stations. Interlink would have automative turrets and a slightly increased SOI, and would take 20 min to hack instead of 15, but would have only 1-2 equip stations in it, no meds, and no V-pad. Just saying make each base worth fighting for in its own way.

Im trying to think of the other base types, and I cant. No real reason to right now. There are no noticeable benefits.

Perhaps one of the new bases would have a miniscule SOI and be an open type base. Just 4 pillers in the ground on a nice flat terrain spot. A big square roof would be on top of the pillars with 2 triangles cut out (think 2 'V's. Beneath each open triangle would be a air vehicle pad, each facing opposite directions. The 2 closed triangles would have vehicles pads. These pads CAN create reavers/tanks. Next 2 each of the vehicle pads would be a tower (like 3 stories now), with a "virtual transport link" to the top for 1 person. Top would have a decent fire rate missile turret. Controlled like a phoenix. The big open area would help promote vehicles warfare, and the 4 pads (I would hope) would help promote that too, for the defenders. 4 (current) towers would be spaced pretty far out on each corner. But 2 of them would have V pads (1 each) in front.

EDIT:"ones that tunnel into the mountainside and have defensive turrets and balconies along the cliffsides."-DradeeusOmen

Its 3:15 and Im tired so this is the end :) And I cant think of anything else. Im sure the designers had base ideas that they rejected. Bring some out as a poll for the first major update (1-2 months at the latest)