Outfit Bonuses

LordReaver · 2011-03-25, 12:50 AM

When people bring up outfit bonuses, they usually bring up things that really have no place in the gameplay. Such as outfit bases, which honestly are a terrible idea.

What outfit bonuses should really be, are slight things that not only help make an outfit stand out, but help group play. For example, outfit's can earn deals on things like certification. So X outfit could purchase a deal that would make a given cert cheaper for anybody in said outfit (So instead of a cert costing 3 points, it would cost 2 or 1, or maybe even free). This would help encourage "air outfits" or "tank outfits" and such. This could also be used for implants (depending on their functionality), or even shorter purchase timers.

Point being, outfit bonuses need to be encouragement to play the game the way it is, rather than adding something that alters it.

Baneblade · 2011-03-25, 01:06 AM

I see what you did there.

Peacemaker · 2011-03-25, 03:22 AM

Outfit bases and such are something people want in the game to give them goals, and reasons to defend to the last man. I think outfit benefits should go beyond bases and what not, and I don't particularly think your idea is a bad one. Something else would work better however.

Robert089 · 2011-03-25, 06:26 AM

Honestly I think it's a bad idea. What's to stop every outfit from certing Heavy Assault or even Medium Assault just so the whole outfit has more points to spend on other certs?

Raymac · 2011-03-25, 01:22 PM

I have the same issue with it as Robert. I am really against the idea of discounting certs. It's because I've benefited alot from free and discounted certs and they really arn't needed. I preferred the days of BR20 cap where you felt needed if you had a particular cert. I know the arguement for allowing people to carry more certs, I just like it the old way.

As far as outfit bonuses go, I think it really should just be cosmetic stuff. I don't like straying too far from the pillar of an equal playing field.

DviddLeff · 2011-03-25, 03:25 PM

I don't like the cert bonus idea; it messes up role balance as people have said.

Outfit perks should be about easier teamwork and access to cosmetic upgrades. I do however also want outfits to have access to outfit cruisers and the like, to allow coordinated outfits to have a presence on the battlefield.

And what is wrong with outfit bases?

Rbstr · 2011-03-25, 05:28 PM

Personally, I think outfit base ownership just wouldn't work very well if the world is mostly structured as PS1 is.
The highly limited number of bases and game play that mostly revolves around capturing bases means that very few outfits will be able to own one. Let alone own it for any period of time.

If combat didn't revolve around capping bases with such regularity and the number of bases was much higher I can see something in it.

The other is what benefits would owning a base a continent away really give an outfit?
In the absence of various economic endeavors or bonuses a base might enable...there'd be no reason to own it except pride...and that's not worth all that much when these things are traded between empires all the time.

(Contrast with EVE again...stations are enablers of deep space economies and fights are not completely centered around capturing them...there'd be no reason to care much about them without benefits)

SgtMAD · 2011-03-25, 06:06 PM

We wanted outfit bases so we could defend that base or make a point of taking an outfits base from them to humiliate them LOL

I know on Markov NC I had a few different outfits ask me about what base we would pick and that we should have a "defensive" agreement,even taking bases that were linked

it would have been fun but like a lot of crap,it never made it into the game.

DviddLeff · 2011-03-25, 06:49 PM

http://www.planetside-idealab.com/obconcepts.htm

The reasons for outfit base ownership are:
1. Pride, have your logo and name on the base walls.
2. Upgrade the base to make it easier to defend, at the expense of outfit credits.
3. Advertise your outfit.

Raymac · 2011-03-25, 07:55 PM

I think the outfit "base" idea would work a heck of alot better if there were different kinds of buildings in between towers and bases. I mean say a base is a level 5 and a tower is a level 1 then you could have different structures that would be in the middle as far as size and complexity.

Senyu · 2011-03-25, 09:19 PM

My opinions which some have already been said. I apologize for the wall of text.

Outfit Bases

The outfit that hacked the base will have their logos printed on various areas of the building. Although base upgrades should be extremly balanced or limited as to not have the entire faction flaming or outfits stealing bases simply because they have more upgrades than the other outfit.

The benifits I can think of for an Outfit Base is as follows

1:Outfit gains extra xp for kills/assists/whatever while in "their" bases influence

2:Outfit vehical spawn speeds and cooldowns are reduced by a minor but noticable amount. This also applies to respawning at the outfit base only.

3:Not sure of this one but outfit's heals and repair are also increased by minor but noticable amount

4:Outfit has increased counter hack time in preventing an enemy hack of their base.

As for straight up bonuses for outfits heres some more

1:Outfits can specilize into different categories. Similair to Certs, the categories cost points and can be relearned/forgotten. These categories provide small bonuses to their respective area. Ex. Vehical Specilization:Outfit owned spawned vehicales have increased stats by small but noticable amount. Such as armor and/or damage. This can be broken down in many ways and applied to every upgrade including implants. The categories can be wide such as Vehical Specilization or more detailed such as subcategories of bonus Vehicale Armor and bonus Vehicale Weapons. And the outfit can change their specilization as seen fit by the outfits leaders. This can proivide small but fun goals or a complex long level up of the outfit grabbing multiple things. Also it should be discussed if there is a limit to how many categories can be active at a time.

2:Outfits heal and repair each other at a small but noticable rate

3:Outfits Hatred: Thought this might be fun, pick a enemy faction for the next X hours. Entire Outfit deals additional 5% or whatever amount to that faction. This can be something that is changed every X time such as a day or a cooldown ability that lasts for a limited time.

4:Similair to Outfit Hatred, their can be a variety of "Abilities" that outfit could possess or earn, that gives an positive effect on them for battles. This can be ranging from a small increased health/armor to have respawn times cut in half, all for a limited time and of course not so game changing as my examples perhaps.

5:Within Your Own:Being near a squad leader of your outfit or your outfits leader provides a small morale boost. Giving you 5% more health or some other benifit. The idea is to support outfit run squads even more and a reason to join an outfit. This could also be a small xp increase.

There, thats my wall of text. Thoughts, ideas?

Sifer2 · 2011-03-25, 09:25 PM

The desire for Outfit bases stems from older PvP MMO's where a lot of the focus was on taking castles an trying to hold them for your guild.

It would honestly be an improvement over the current gameplay of take a base an then leave it cause you don't feel like defending. An next morning everything is back in enemy hands.

Of course the problem is people will demand that an outfit base is harder to take. With a several hour advance warning of an attack or only specific time periods where the base will be vulnerable to hacks. It is this IMO that makes it not fit into Planetside that well.

Really depending on how they decide to design the game I have some ideas. You could have outfit owned space cruiser type ships in orbit. That can be raided by enemies at certain times perhaps. An serve as a respawn point an personal base of operation for your outfit. Would have loading bays where you can launch Galaxy transports down to the service an also HART style drop pods.

That way Outfits could have their home base of sorts without it really cluttering or getting in the way of the ground war.

SgtMAD · 2011-03-25, 09:50 PM

if you decide you want that outfits base you go drain the friggin thing.

no one said it had to be easy

LordReaver · 2011-03-26, 01:00 AM

The reasons I feel outfit bases don't really work are pretty much what Rbstr said. There are just too many issues with the concept. With the limited bases, it would either have to be first grab, or highest bidder. You would also need an expiration with that system, otherwise they would be owned by a bunch of dead outfits. Unless you let multiple outfits shack up in the same base, however, then you would get every outfit just going straight for whatever is the equivalent of Leza. Then you have the problems with benefits. What benefits could it provide, that would be fun and noticeable, yet not be overpowered and applied to every single base across the board (because every single base would more than likely be owned). What happens when your base is captured? Do you lose ownership or is it still yours when it's retaken? What about when your outfit isn't on to defend? What kind of warning system is there? The way PS currently works, you can knock out a base before there is any warning at all. If the base goes down, what is the point of this all to begin with?

Or...

Have a system that is simple, mostly passive, and easy to implement.

In response the the criticisms of my idea: I'm betting that certs are more restrictive than they are now, more like back in the days of BR20 (Which I'm all for). Making a single point discount not really a big deal, it's more restrictive than just gaining an extra cert point. Think of it as a gift card. We don't know the state HA will be in, so it's stupid to assume it will be overpowered. Besides, if everybody in the game has MA and HA like it is now, that is a completely different problem that needs addressing. Personally I'd hope MA and HA are independent of one another, and are more about specializing. In other words, I hope standard assault really is the standard assault (I'm not saying I want everybody running around with the current suppressor

). Like I said before, my system could be for implants, or other stuff even.

I like the idea of an outfit specific vehicle. Whatever it would be, it shouldn't be some super weapon like the current GG.

krnasaur · 2011-03-26, 12:37 AM

The only thing an outfit should be able to provide in game are cosmetic things. Inter race outfit "events" i would want, to show who is the best of the best of the NC/TR/VS.

It would work like this one OL or X-ranked member could issure a challange to another outfit's leader. If the other Outfit accepts they would go into a VR duel. IDK the specifics yet, but it could be a base raid or something like that and first to x points wins.