Discussion: What do smaller squads want in order to have more fun AND make an impact?

[Pella]

Good Topic.

While my outfit have loads of fun in PS2, We look at the map and anything under Enemy platoons detected we go and re secure.

On the test server now. They have added enemy and ally numbers which will help.

As if there is 50 People. It will show enemy platoons. But it could also be 100 People which its impossible to tell currently.

This should open up the battle field abit more for us atleast.

Also a cloaked AMS still need to make it into ps2.

[Momember]

@p0intman

Dat-Post! I <3 you so much so much want

[Sunrock]

The outfit I run with usually only have 1 to 2 squads online even though we have enough members online every week to run two platoons... but some how they are never online at the same time. But that's for an other topic on an other forum.

Anyway we are having fun most of the days as it is now. But we are avoiding the big zergs, that is when it say enemy platoons detected and there is only one allied squad or less detected in the base hex.

[Crator]

Originally Posted by p0intman

-Easily defendable facilities.
-Squad transports that aren't giant HERE I AM, SHOOT ME NOW objects like galaxies. I want my phantasm* back.
-Base designs akin to those like in PS1 where a decent squad or two could reliably defend them if we knew wtf they were doing
-Less emphasis on zergfits. Screw zergfits. In the face, with rusty nails.
-Screw nerfing weapons to drive sales of new weapons being sold
-Screw the hex system. No turning back.
-Objectives that can be taken and held independently of base capping mechanics.
-Resources and ANTs
-Base drain mechanics
-Generators independent of base capping mechanics
-better defenses around cap points to facilitate holds against superior numbers
-Actual CE. You know, with spitfire turrets, mines, boomers, etc.
-I would like my inventory back, because screw classes and limitations, it stifles being creative and clever.
-I want my rocket rifle back. I should not have to pay for it, because screw microtransactions. IN THE FACE WITH RUSTY NAILS
-Screw putting small squad gameplay into esports. IN THE FACE WITH RUSTY NAILS!
-- SCREW ESPORTS. SCREW MLG. I WILL NOT HAVE MY FAVORED PLAYSTYLE TURNED INTO A SPECTATOR SPORT!

I've cleaned up the above list of curse words so that those who don't like such things will read it! Every one of the points are important!

All of the above please! I do believe this sums up the majority of what the PS1 vets have said they wanted since before beta... And dat pic was epic!

MOST WANTED: -Actual CE. You know, with spitfire turrets, mines, boomers, etc. / Plus, map elements telling you where your CE is, where friendly CE is, and UI element that displays how much CE you have out and the max you can have.

Missing from the list: -Cloak bubbles: CE flavor (Ageis Shield Generator) as well as AMS cloak capabilities.

*Phantasm: A multi-passenger flying plane that is capable of cloaking. Super quite engines. No weapons.

[Shamrock]

AMS with cloak bubble = more survivability for a small squad behind enemy lines, currently im forced to sit in a burster MAX and babysit a sunder from a constant stream of:-

(1) Lolpodders,
(2) C4 light assaults,
(3) suicidal tank mine engineers,
(4) Hot-dropping C4 heavy assaults.

With a cloak bubble as long as I was smart enough with my placement, and we made a point of not engaging the enemy when they were close to it to avoid detection we could keep it up and running for a decent period. In PS2 once a sunder in the field is "Q" spotted your basically shafted as you would have to devote a disproportionate amount of your squad to defend it which isn't an option for small squads.

NB: I miss my spitfire turrets (would be great for keeping light assaults at bay)

[Sunrock]

Well I don't mind the AMS is as it is. If you make the AMS allot harder to detect and take out it makes it harder for small outfits to defend a base. Because if you don't stop the spawning of enemy players they will eventually take the base. It's just a question of when as they re-enter the battle very quickly after getting killed.

Well.... Maybe after the next patch when the lactis system or how you spell it again get into the game it might be an idea to better hide the AMS... As it will concentrate the player base on the map witch makes it easer to detect the AMS as more eyes cover more ground. But as the game is designed to day... no.

[Hmr85]

Cloaked AMS needs to make a return. I am not worried about if its hard to find. It isn't if a large group of players is pouring out of it. Just follow them back to it. From a spec ops point though we need it to make a return due to all of the following reasons posted above.

[WSNeo]

Originally Posted by waldizzo

Give all bases a meaningful benefit that hurts to lose. Put a couple of generators in defensible locations at the bases. If the gens are blown, the base benefit is gone.

Smaller groups will target these for destruction. In turn, smaller groups will respond.

The base benefits need to be reviewed for this to work though. As they are now, no one will care if they lose a bioloab or amp station benefit.

This.

[WSNeo]

Originally Posted by Hmr85

Cloaked AMS needs to make a return. I am not worried about if its hard to find. It isn't if a large group of players is pouring out of it. Just follow them back to it. From a spec ops point though we need it to make a return due to all of the following reasons posted above.

Or an ESF could cert into the Scout Radar. It seems like a logical counter.

[KodanBlack]

P0intman's Galaxy poster is awesome. GOOD STUFF!

[ItZMuRdA]

Thanks for all the feedback so far guys, lets keep it going! I know there's plenty more of you.

[Rolfski]

Originally Posted by NewSith

In other words to make squad (or small team, that's more precise) play interesting, the zerg should not be allowed to play the game properly.

The promise of this game is scale, better get used to it. Nerfing this game down to a small tactical shooter only is exactly the opposite what is needed to improve overall game play. If I want to play small tactical only, I play BF3, not this game.

There's nothing wrong with zergs (it's what makes this game epic) but the game needs to provide better game play for small squads as well.

A cloakable squad-only Sundy is a good solution that will help smaller squads in particular imo. I don't see it as overpowered as Sunderers are very vulnerable anyway atm and when used by big outfits it becomes easy to track its location.

Deployable defenses like automatic turrets and the space equivalent of sandbags should also help smaller squads to overcome numerical superiority. These need to be balanced out of course to prevent over-spamming: Maybe some Sunderer-like mechanic that prevent more than 12 of them deployed at the same location and make them auto-deconstruct when you leave the area.

And there are of course secondary objectives that should help small squad play. Not sure in which form but PS1 apparently had a few good examples. My biggest concern with secondary objectives though is that they can potentially make the game overly complex and scare away too many new players so they need to figure out a way to make them easy to understand.

Originally Posted by KodanBlack

P0intman's Galaxy poster is awesome. GOOD STUFF!

Here's the original post, feel free to give it a like: https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/...galaxy.126461/

[NewSith]

Originally Posted by Rolfski

The promise of this game is scale, better get used to it. Nerfing this game down to a small tactical shooter only is exactly the opposite what is needed to improve overall game play. If I want to play small tactical only, I play BF3, not this game.

There's nothing wrong with zergs (it's what makes this game epic) but the game needs to provide better game play for small squads as well.

When I say zerg I mean players that play just to play, staying on a Biolab farm, when friendly hexes around the map are dropping like flies.

When I say zerg, I mean outfits, that participate in zerg, having 64+ people online, doing nothing to contribute to actual continent capture, while monopolizing the command chat.

When I say zerg, I mean outfits that come en masse on an unpopulated hex. The funny thing is, in this case it is mostly not their fault.

A cloakable squad-only Sundy is a good solution that will help smaller squads in particular imo. I don't see it as overpowered as Sunderers are very vulnerable anyway atm and when used by big outfits it becomes easy to track its location.

Cloaked fulltime AMS is still balanced, since it cannot use its guns (even if it can, a cloak would obviously work both ways, and the shooter wouldn't see what he's shooting at), nor can it have any extra layer of armor (be it mine guard or blockade armor) on it. I don't see any reason to lock it into squad-only.

Deployable defenses like automatic turrets and the space equivalent of sandbags should also help smaller squads to overcome numerical superiority.

They won't. Don't forget the principle of "if we have it, they have it too".

And there are of course secondary objectives that should help small squad play. Not sure in which form but PS1 apparently had a few good examples.

You'll be surprised but PS1 had LESS small objectives. The secret was in their design and functionality, not in their numbers.


Bottomline is, PlanetSide 2 doesn't make me want to play the game when my outfitmates are offline. This makes me quit the game until outfit mates are on. See the contraditction and what it results with?

[Rolfski]

Originally Posted by NewSith

Cloaked fulltime AMS is still balanced, since it cannot use its guns (even if it can, a cloak would obviously work both ways, and the shooter wouldn't see what he's shooting at), nor can it have any extra layer of armor (be it mine guard or blockade armor) on it. I don't see any reason to lock it into squad-only.

Not sure if it is balanced then but as a squad doing some "secret special ops" you would probably at least have the option to set it to squad-spawn only. A full greenie zerg spawning at your cloaked AMS is pretty much a dead give-away of the location and the end of your "secret ops".

Originally Posted by NewSith

They won't. Don't forget the principle of "if we have it, they have it too".

Deployable defences make less sense if you are the attacker so it should help smaller squads defending against bigger numbers, especially if you add mechanics that prevent others from deploying them in the same area as I suggested.

[camycamera]

wow, p0intman! SPAM THAT PIC EVERYWHERE SO HIGGLES CAN SEE.

kinda related, but i think it would be awesome for platoon leaders/sqaud leaders to be able to place cover/barricades after they capture/an already captured base, and then they can talk to the rest of the squad where to place them. the barricades can be limited to like 10, and they can be destroyed. imagine it: a terminal that spawns a little construction car that the platoon/squad leader can only go in, and it can place a certain amount of barricades around to help make bases more defence-able. also, have it so it can only be put in a certain area, etc.

it would be awesome, and help with defending a little. also, making the turrets automated but you can go into them if you want and pilot manually. oh, and maybe placeable turrets as well!

and XP FOR SUCCESSFULLY DEFENDING BASES, WHY THE FUCK ISN'T IT IN YET HIGGLES?!