"We need a gunner!"

Azren · 2012-03-12, 05:11 PM

Hello

This topic was on my mind recently, and I would like to see other people's opinion on it.

Here is a quick rundown on how I saw PS1's dilemma with missing gunners for vehicles develop:
In the early days it took a lot of certification points to aquire any vehicle, so if you chose to be a driver, you didn't really have much to go on in close combat (and vice-versa). Much of the community decided to go with close combat style characters, which resulted in an overflow of gunners looking for vehicles to board. You did not really see any vehicle calling out "We need a gunner" in those days.
As the game developed, getting cert points got easier and the points needed for specific vehicles got decreased. In the long run this resulted in every character having access to some sort of vehicle. Getting a gunner at this point got hard, only people who were bored of driving themself jumped in to gun.

In relation with Planetside 2, this issue will probably be the same, only escalated greatly.
As I understand the system, a character only needs to unlocks a vehicle (spend time to learn the skill) to use it. Apart from lost time, you do not need to put anything else into them. Of course this will result in every character having unlocked some vehicles, or maybe all of them in a very short time. From my experience in PS1 I belive that getting a gunner at this point will be very hard.
Of course the current gunnerdriver model of MBT-s does not help this issue either. While in PS1 one had to find a gunner for the main gun (which was the strongest ground based gun at the time), in PS2 we would be looking for gunners to take the secondary gun. I think most people would rather just pull their own vehicle and use the seat switching buttons to get access to the secondary gun if needed. Will getting gunners still be possible at this point?

For the sake of this argument strictly stay with random gunners, not with your friends over teamspeak, ect.

Aurmanite · 2012-03-12, 05:14 PM

V N G

Knocky · 2012-03-12, 05:14 PM

What is wrong with the other thread that has 560 replies about this very topic?

Knocky · 2012-03-12, 05:16 PM

And you are 561

Originally Posted by Azren

well the MBT got pointless the second they decided to make it a solo mashine, so what's the big deal?

Azren · 2012-03-12, 05:43 PM

Originally Posted by Knocky

What is wrong with the other thread that has 560 replies about this very topic?

How exactly is a topic about finding gunners for any vehicle in game the same as a topic about main battle tanks? While I did bring them up as an example, I did not limit the topic on them. Sunderers, TBA buggies, and even air units such as the galaxies and liberators are influenced by this issue.

Please put more effort into reading the topic before expressing your opinion.

Cosmical · 2012-03-12, 05:48 PM

Originally Posted by Azren

I did not limit the topic on them. Sunderers, TBA buggies,

BUGGIES!!? I thought i was in the know!? Buggies!?

I will happily sacrifice vehicle entry animations. and no weapon rendering if it means buggies are in at launch!

Talek Krell · 2012-03-12, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by Cosmical

BUGGIES!!? I thought i was in the know!? Buggies!?

I will happily sacrifice vehicle entry animations. and no weapon rendering if it means buggies are in at launch!

TBA means To Be Announced.

StumpyTheOzzie · 2012-03-12, 07:26 PM

Was there any skyguard type vehicle?

If so, as long as that's driver operated guns I'm happy.

I can never get a skyguard gunner even though Air is overpowered in PS1

Aurmanite · 2012-03-12, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by StumpyTheOzzie

Was there any skyguard type vehicle?

If so, as long as that's driver operated guns I'm happy.

I can never get a skyguard gunner even though Air is overpowered in PS1

All tanks are going to have AA weapons. The lightning being the most powerful of the lot.

Talek Krell · 2012-03-12, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by Aurmanite

All tanks are going to have AA weapons. The lightning being the most powerful of the lot.

The MBTs have AA as the secondary though, so that requires a gunner.

StumpyTheOzzie · 2012-03-13, 05:39 AM

Originally Posted by Aurmanite

All tanks are going to have AA weapons. The lightning being the most powerful of the lot.

And I'm sure they're all going to be super useful AA weapons too, just like the basilisk's AA weapons.

I hope then that I can take the cannon off my tank and swap it out for flak cannon -> SAMs -> guided flak -> minigun that fires infinite fuel fire & forget homing H bombs.

Knocky · 2012-03-13, 08:43 AM

Originally Posted by StumpyTheOzzie

Was there any skyguard type vehicle?

If so, as long as that's driver operated guns I'm happy.

I can never get a skyguard gunner even though Air is overpowered in PS1

The Lightning is the new SG.....supposedly.

It went back in for a reskinning job which is why we haven't seen it yet.

Cosmical · 2012-03-13, 08:59 AM

BUGGIES!!!!?

Azren · 2012-03-13, 12:28 PM

Buggies were confirmed to be added after launch.