Attack on Auraxis: Planetside 2 eSports show today 11/17 at 2pm PST

[kidriot]

I'm happy to announce that today, 11/17, at 2pm PST on www.twitch.tv/kidriot I'll be hosting the first Planetside 2 eSports discussion show with Scourgeoftheserver, Pella and Wrel.

We'll be discussing a variety of topics ranging from MLG, scrimmages, Community Clash and more.

Tune in to the discussion and let's get down to the nitty gritty of the Planetside 2 competitive scene!

[Froufrou]

Just finished watching the show, I liked it a lot and I think Scourge, Wrel and Pella were great guests.

But I was very disappointed in the last "balance" part, I think you guys all missed the point. In the end it came down to the VS player saying "strikers are OP" and the TR player saying "The lancer is even more effective when used coordinately!". No shit sherlock, no need to bring pella and scourge in if we are going to have this discussion again, official forums are enough really.
I think you missed the whole balance discussion, you basically settled it right at the start: all faction guns are pretty much similar. All right, the TAR is better, the orion is better. In the end there are only a few big difference between the guns (NC 200dmg guns, VS having access to 0,75 LMGs, TR mag size, NC not having a high ROF LMG etc.) It's ok to talk about these little balance things since they do affect competition but you all rapidly came to the right conclusion that they really aren't game breaking scrim-wise.

These aren't the main things the community needs you to discuss (people who can read a spreadsheet can figure this out by themself), most of your watchers don't scrim at a high level, that's why you are the only ones who can talk about the recently created "scrim-META". You barely scratched the surface when you were talking about rules and limitations and really need to go deeper.
First of all, explain what the scrim meta currently is: MAXES, revive grenades, UBGLs, DECIwarrioring, Grenade spamming, MAXES (and a pinch of AI turrets here and there). These are the main factors, a 0,75 LMG is negligible next to all these.
Here's my point: Don't talk too much about faction balance and assymetrical balance, focus mainly on symmetrical scrim balance, you guys clearly said everything comes down to MAXES, but why? Is it a good thing? Is it boring? Yes it is, how can it be fixed then? Then do it again with UBGL (especially since it recently caused a lot drama) and the other topics.
Funny thing is, all these issues translate very well to ops on the live servers. The abuse of certain mechanics during high level matches is the best balance indicator there is and you guys are the best placed to talk about it, SOE and the community could really use your opinion on how to fix it.

[kidriot]

Hey Frou. Replied to you on Reddit.

I'm looking for 3 guests for next weeks episode. Should prove interesting as MLG Columbus will be rolling that weekend, so hopefully, we'll have plenty to talk about.

Also looking for more feedback and criticism, etc etc

[DirtyBird]

This is a long video and I'm only a 3rd of the way through.
So far I've enjoyed what yourself, Wrel, Pella and Scourge have had to say.

Interesting bit about promoting personalities or taking it up a step to outfits but imo its all about factions.
Unless its expected to be the same three outfits competing all the time.
Our game is different on so many levels so I cant see how individuals would work.
Wasnt there a TR individual that recently "retired" who wasnt all that popular with anyone outside of his outfit.

The proposed MLG event where 5 players get invited, 1 platoon leader and 4 squad leaders. I've found that my squads rotate leaders during battles depending on what they are doing, is that something that most of the other outfits dont do?
Would those 5 have to be locked in and consistent each clash to push this individual personality agenda.

Anyway, looking forward to watching the rest asap when time permits.

[typhaon]

A bunch of Vanu and TR talking about balance...

Seriously, I think a lot of the discussion was "cart before the horse," talk... but I did enjoy the discussion. Mostly good points and intelligent discussion.

I don't think SOE has either the capacity or the determination to really balance this game.

[kidriot]

Originally Posted by typhaon

A bunch of Vanu and TR talking about balance...

Seriously, I think a lot of the discussion was "cart before the horse," talk... but I did enjoy the discussion. Mostly good points and intelligent discussion.

I don't think SOE has either the capacity or the determination to really balance this game.

To be honest, I primarily invited these guys because I respect their intelligence, both in casual conversations, based on the content they've produced and the insight they could bring to a discussion like this. I will normally attempt to run a program where 1 rep from each faction is represented, but I knew these guys know their shit and wanted to bring an engaging discussion for the first episode rather than something arbitrarily "balanced" to even out the equation.

I do appreciate the perspective playing in different factions brings, but I was aiming for guaranteed know-how.

I truly believe, outside of a few instances, that the game is balanced as it stands.

[typhaon]

Originally Posted by kidriot

To be honest, I primarily invited these guys because I respect their intelligence, both in casual conversations, based on the content they've produced and the insight they could bring to a discussion like this. I will normally attempt to run a program where 1 rep from each faction is represented, but I knew these guys know their shit and wanted to bring an engaging discussion for the first episode rather than something arbitrarily "balanced" to even out the equation.

I do appreciate the perspective playing in different factions brings, but I was aiming for guaranteed know-how.

I truly believe, outside of a few instances, that the game is balanced as it stands.

Really? I don't think it's even close to balanced.

I'll admit that in open gameplay, I think population and the degree of organization are greater factors than raw weapon/vehicle imbalances...

I don't think SOE has done a great job of imparting a vision of balance. We've heard them mention asymmetric balance and we all remember the 3 circle diagrams - but... fill in the blanks.

Is it supposed to just be an overall factional balance that is achieved? Let's say 10 "things" from one faction appear to be weaker than the other 2 factions, is that supposed to be made up for by a certain other thing, or things being significantly stronger?

Where is this specific plan? It shouldn't be a secret. I suspect we haven't seen it because there really isn't one... and outside of a few hotfixes for the most absurd issues - this has been a fly by the seat of your pants operation, with the main goal simply having been "get as much stuff in the store as fast as possible before populations drop."

There should be a Czar of Game Balance. This person should communicate to the players often and in detail. Let us know what he sees... what the plan is... with data... and we can respond/react.

I've never been a huge fan of the forced effort with MLG - but the one thing I DID think it would bring would be a sharp attention to detail.

[diLLa]

Originally Posted by typhaon

A bunch of Vanu and TR talking about balance...

Seriously, I think a lot of the discussion was "cart before the horse," talk... but I did enjoy the discussion. Mostly good points and intelligent discussion.

I don't think SOE has either the capacity or the determination to really balance this game.

Live server imbalances =/= competitive play imbalances.

With the little knowledge we have of how stuff gets played out, it's pretty much impossible to state that NC is underpowered in any way. At least in a competitive setting. This show was about the competitive scene, so I don't see the problem.

[kidriot]

Originally Posted by DirtyBird

The proposed MLG event where 5 players get invited, 1 platoon leader and 4 squad leaders. I've found that my squads rotate leaders during battles depending on what they are doing, is that something that most of the other outfits dont do?
Would those 5 have to be locked in and consistent each clash to push this individual personality agenda.

Anyway, looking forward to watching the rest asap when time permits.

This is something that I'm wondering myself. It's really up to how MLG setups their rule set and then we can go from there. We did a bit of theory crafting but didn't even scratch the surface.

I've lead 2 outfits. The first I stepped up to take the reigns and the second, Recursion, I co-lead through a merger with GOLD. In both scenarios the Platoon lead also did squad leading which is very draining on the PL.

I'm in NUC now where it's one clear PL and 4 distinct squad leads. Commands come down through comes and we adjust based off the SL's tactics. I think that's a far more efficient system for both live server and competitive play.

Rotating squad leads is a good idea because you get more people on the same page and don't suffer so much from burnout if you had 4 dedicated people. In the end, you'd have to pick 4 primary SL's and 4 secondary SL's as that's going to simply be the nature of MLG (if you're going to participate).