Orbital Strike: Does it negate good team game play?

[Tatwi]

Question: Would a game play mechanic like Planetside's Oribital Strike negate good team game play, at the expense of the spirit of the game?

The main purpose of Planetside 2 will be to set team goals and accomplish them through the use of sound tactics and persistence. As a result, I have to wonder if OS is simply too easy and too powerful of a game mechanic to justify its use in Planetside 2.

As an example, last night in PS1 the VS fought for at least 2 hours to take the shore on the other side of a bridge. When the VS finally got organized and were able to push over the bridge with a bunch of tanks, air cav, troops, a bus, and a BFR they were able to land some Load Stars on the shore to repair the tanks. This repair depot was successful in keeping the tanks on the field and the troops, bus, air cav, and BFR were able to defend the repair depot to ensure its ongoing use. This in the field repair depot was the result of literally hours of effort and, it worked perfectly until it was hit by two back to back Orbital Strikes and was completely removed from the game in an instant. At that point, the progression in the whole battle was reset, with the end result being most of the VS logged out shortly afterwards.

So I have to ask, is that really how people want game play to be in Planetside 2? To me, it's seems contrary to spirit of the game, in that an instant, unavoidable, easy to use attack by a single player can (that cannot be countered) negate hours of team play. Also, it seems to negatively impact the flow of the game, while also making people feel like their time has been wasted (which is contrary to having fun and games are, by definition, supposed to be fun).

I'm all for big explosions and tactical game play, which is actually why I'd prefer not to see a game play mechanic like Planetside's Oribital Strike in Planetside 2. I would refer to see massive, long range explosions caused by artillery pieces or mortars, because those threats can be countered through cooperative game play.

[Hosp]

What you're really saying is...1 guy with an OS shouldn't be able to take out a team to some extent that it demoralizes that team.

To which i say, maybe that 1 guy wasn't working alone and it in actuality took a team effort to get that OS off.

In general, a good OS isn't as easy to land as many may think. But when you leave a nice juicy target to get blown up, that's entirely the fault of whoever (individuals or teams) is leaving that target open to such an attack.

That being said, if i see friendly loadies bunched up, i will stop and go out of my way to tell them to split up so they don't all get OSd. Same with Galaxies loading up, armor bunching up around repair stations etc.

Besides, it doesn't seem like OSs will be as spammable in PS2. so there's nothing to worry about.

[Metalsheep]

An Orbital strike i think fits perfectly into teamplay. Need a hard emplacement destroyed so you can move your teammates into the breach? Launch your OS. Need to hit that otherwise intangible AMS to take pressure off your base? OS it.

Once upon a time people had to EARN their OS's. Getting to CR4-5 was no easy feat, and OS's were rare and battlefield changing occurrences. It took a ton of teamwork to even unlock the ability to use the OS. The problem with OS's came after so many people earned CR4-5 and basically everyone had an OS. I've even used my own OS on a single sniper or wall turret just because i could.

if they came up with a way to better delegate OS's they could still be awesome tools.

[Sledgecrushr]

To me the os is kind of an i win button. Like the op said hours of work by quite a few people wiped out not through superior gameplay or strategy but with the i win button. I dont like it in ps1 and hopefully its better balanced in ps2.

[Blackwolf]

Originally Posted by Sledgecrushr

To me the os is kind of an i win button. Like the op said hours of work by quite a few people wiped out not through superior gameplay or strategy but with the i win button. I dont like it in ps1 and hopefully its better balanced in ps2.

I hate to say it but using the OS to wipe out that target was strategy. From the sounds of it, the VS were freaking retarded for creating such a perfect target to be blown apart.

Yes the OSes can get annoying, and there will never be a perfect way to control them. But they are an asset and wise use of that asset is just as justifiable as "a large team's" so call hours of hard work.

Look at the situation. It took the VS hours to secure the beach at a battle. It should have taken the masters of water warfare minutes, not hours. They can field a battalion of hover tanks and flank the enemy with ease.

Second, they set themselves up in a fortified position. Sounds like they weren't making any progress at all beyond their little beach head. It was "effective for awhile" before it got blown apart, the mistake is that they kept it in one place, didn't advance their lines, and never pushed their advantage. They were stagnating the battle and a couple of higher ranked players decided to end it with a pair of OS strikes.

[Crator]

Originally Posted by Blackwolf

Yes the OSes can get annoying, and there will never be a perfect way to control them. But they are an asset and wise use of that asset is just as justifiable as "a large team's" so call hours of hard work.

I disagree, just give me an OS force shield (allows blocking of one OS) to cert into. With that at least ya gotta waste two OS on me now and would give me an opportunity to perhaps get out of the area 1st. Plus would require more strategy in performing a successful OS if you require two people to take the target out.

[Blackwolf]

Originally Posted by Crator

I disagree, just give me an OS force shield (allows blocking of one OS) to cert into. With that at least ya gotta waste two OS on me now and would give me an opportunity to perhaps get out of the area 1st. Plus would require more strategy in performing a successful OS if you require two people to take the target out.

No.

First off, you are taking it too personally. The OS isn't aimed at just you. Secondly if you can't get out of the area in time with a 3 second warning, you suck and are outta luck.

Never had trouble with OSes as a grunt unless my brain was slower to react and I starting moving too late to do anything, or I was in the exact center of a CR5 OS. It's not that difficult.

Finally, why should anyone waste 2 OSes on you? A bullet to the head will kill you just as easily. It's not like you are immortal and the only thing that can kill you is a giant freaking laser beam from the sky.

[Kezz]

Originally Posted by Blackwolf

First off, you are taking it too personally. The OS isn't aimed at just you.

Yes, yes it is. I've been OSed for holding up a gate "rush" by a hack team. There weren't any other defenders on the ground in the area, according to my minimap. I've been OSed for being a nuisance with a wall turret.

Secondly if you can't get out of the area in time with a 3 second warning, you suck and are outta luck.

They got me because I was using a turret or an abandoned driverless vehicle and couldn't dismount and get out of the radius in time.

Finally, why should anyone waste 2 OSes on you? A bullet to the head will kill you just as easily. It's not like you are immortal and the only thing that can kill you is a giant freaking laser beam from the sky.

Unless they're infantry and you're in an armoured vehicle and they have no options for attacking you with AV from cover without getting shot to dogmeat.

I feel like I'm getting somewhere when I get GZ OSed (by the other side) for being a pain in the butt.

Sure, using every tool available is good military practice. The problem is when everyone has such a tool and feels they can use it on what ought to be trivial annoyances (I'm completely rubbish, BTW. My lifetime K/D is tending towards infinitessimal).

[StumpyTheOzzie]

Originally Posted by Blackwolf

I hate to say it but using the OS to wipe out that target was strategy. From the sounds of it, the VS were freaking retarded for creating such a perfect target to be blown apart.

Yes the OSes can get annoying, and there will never be a perfect way to control them. But they are an asset and wise use of that asset is just as justifiable as "a large team's" so call hours of hard work.

Look at the situation. It took the VS hours to secure the beach at a battle. It should have taken the masters of water warfare minutes, not hours. They can field a battalion of hover tanks and flank the enemy with ease.

Second, they set themselves up in a fortified position. Sounds like they weren't making any progress at all beyond their little beach head. It was "effective for awhile" before it got blown apart, the mistake is that they kept it in one place, didn't advance their lines, and never pushed their advantage. They were stagnating the battle and a couple of higher ranked players decided to end it with a pair of OS strikes.

Yes, you're completely right!

Still sucks that many hours of work can be undone with 2 OSes in 30 seconds. Also, coupled with the fact that everyone on the server can cast Orbital Strike now... Well, what's the point grabbing a high value target like an AMS or Lodestar?

I routinely bind myself to the nearest facility and just do AMS runs. Seems that by the time my 5 minute timer is up, the enemy have OSed my AMS and nobody else seems to want to drive one. So in a half hour battle, just my AMSes get OSed 5 times or so and the tower also gets done about 10 times, plus any opportunistic shots to armour columns etc etc.

So within the SOI of a base, there can be 20 OSes in an hour.

I'm not against the OS. I'm against it every 40 seconds.

[Doxy]

But doesn't OS has a visual identification before it hit?
Im pretty sure it's not that difficult to avoid it.

[SixShooter]

I can see the point of the OP but this is not a great example. First off, How many friendly OS's were used to take that piece of shore in the first place? Secondly, why was everything grouped in such a way that the battle could be lost with only two enemy strikes?

Honestly I could do without orbital strikes just because I hate that kind of stuff in games but if it ends up in PS2 then I'll learn to live with it and adjust my tactics accordingly.

[Sephirex]

If orbital strikes are brought in, I'd like to see massive resource costs and also some strategy or ability given to get out of the area in time or take shelter.

[Purple]

i dont think an os should 1 hit everything.

[RedKnights]

An OS is hardly an "I win" button. If I had a dollar for everytime I see one go off and not hit a single soul, i'd have a LOT of cash on my hands.

The OS, even in PS1 is:

1. Easy to Avoid - A Galaxy/Bus can go from a standstill to beyond the radius easily.
2. Very Audibly and Visually Recognizable - You never have to question if it's coming
3. Does not inflict much damage to a side - At most you will lose a single mobile spawn point.

An OS was a 'setback' but if you were worth a damn, it didn't slow you down much.

As for it negating team play, i'm not sure how it effects that, I mean it's deployed by one person, but what is that going to accomplish without support from teammates to take advantage of it? Not much, that's what.

The fact is, so far we've heard it is definately going to be implimented in PS2, or something similar to it like an airstrike/kinetic space missiles. We'll have to see how it plays out.

[Kayos]

I hope OS's aren't even in PS2. Last night in PS1 I was repairing turrets at the base I was defending when I got hit 4 times in a row from OS's while repairing the bases turrets. It is just spammed these days.