Do we need the AMS to return?

[SurgeonX]

I was playing the other night, and got to thinking about the role of the the AMS in PlanetSide, and how that now translates into PS2 and using the Galaxy.

We were on Hossin, in a three way.
We had pushed out of Ghannon, and were trying to capture Ixtab.
The TR then managed to capture a tower at Ghannon, threatening the hack, and we needed to respond.

So I pulled an AMS and tried to spearhead the recapture of the tower by getting the AMS in there.
It didn't quite work, but it was a start.

So I was thinking about how that would work in PS2, and it has got me thinking that maybe we need an AMS as well as the Gal.
The reasons being that:
The AMS is more suited to that kind of quick response tactic.
It is a more subtle approach, compared to flying a Gal over and landing it next to the tower.
Maybe it's because I was never a Galaxy pilot, but having to do the same routine with a Gal seems like a massive pain in the arse.
Plus, if it works the same in PS2 as in PS1, then you might not even be able to pull a Gal from the same base.

Anyone think the same, or do I worry too much?

[Bags]

Maybe post release, but they reall don't seem to like redundancy at all for PS2.

[Hmr85]

I'm not sure yet if it does or doesn't need to make a return. I'll have a better answer for you come beta.

[Vancha]

We can't know until beta. When we get into the game and discover how it plays, we'll know whether it's necessary.

[Raymac]

I agree with Bags. I think the Gal will be fine for launch, but the return of the AMS might not be a bad idea as an addition later on. Remember, after launch we will all be clamoring for new content. lol

[Malorn]

I'm skeptical about whether the Galaxy will be sufficient as an anchor point for respawn due to it being an easy target to spot and hit.

However, there were a lot more hard spawn points around, and individual barracks within a base can be captured, and with squad spawning maybe those are sufficient.

If it's a problem I have faith they'll fix it, but we wont' know until we get a lot bigger battles going on. Its something that's difficult to predict without hands-on playing the game so I'm remaining optimistic and deferring judgement.

[Vash02]

The problem with barracks replacing AMS's is that you cant destroy a building. You cant use an OS, or a wave of aircraft, to take it out and allow the defenders a chance to push out.

[Canaris]

Well if it comes to it in beta I suppose they could make a AMS variant of the Sunderer, just like the Gal.

[Vash02]

Originally Posted by Canaris

Well if it comes to it in beta I suppose they could make a AMS variant of the Sunderer, just like the Gal.

Dont get me started on the multi-purpose vehicles...

[Knocky]

If we really do need an AMS then it should be a sidegrade to the Sundy.

[Ragotag]

Originally Posted by Knocky

If we really do need an AMS then it should be a sidegrade to the Sundy.

I think this idea has merit; a sidegrade that modifies the Sunderer to act like a bulky troop transport as in "Space: Above and Beyond" or "Starship Troopers".

[Graywolves]

I think something like the AMS is going to come eventually.


The Gal is big and expensive and only able to be pulled from limited areas.

On top of that you still can't deploy two galaxies close to each other. In PS1 if your AMS couldn't deploy you would just drive some more. A Galaxy might need to lift off and move somewhere else and land again making the procedure far more tedious.

I can't think of a way to let the Pilot know where he can deploy the Galaxy on the ground before he puts himself down there without interfering drastically with the rest of his gameplay (distracting messages or visual queues)

[DayOne]

At this point in time? No.

We now have the gal and a lot more places to spawn in.

[Malorn]

The thing I like about the galaxy being the AMS is that it gets to the fight faster and is a clear objective. It speeds up pacing and makes the fight a bit more predictible, while an AMS would have to drive to get to the deployment zone. But so do sunderers / tanks, so I could see a sunderer AMS variant. But it could be all those villages and small bases scattered about are more than sufficient. Impossible to say without experiencing the game.

But on the other hand skills like finding the enemy AMS or AMS placement or hacking out an AMS from a base were all core PS1 characteristics, so I'm going to miss that.