The players will determine how good PS will be

[AcidCat]

Maybe this is common sense, but I'm realizing this more and more the last couple days - there is a lot of potential in PS, but it just depends on people tapping into it and playing creatively.

This first hit home about two days ago, I was playing NC walking along a road when around the corner here comes four Vanguards in a row all hauling ass .... this may seem like no big deal but in six weeks of playing this was the first organized group of armor I've ever seen. It made me a bit giddy, because I realized how entirely possible it was to have a dedicated mobile armor squad. With a little organization, such a squad could be devastating. It's just that most people aren't playing like this, they're doing the same things, form a ragtag squad, jump from base to base. Most squads I've joined have been slaves to base cap BEP, that's all that matters. And I think that focus is what had me getting burnt out on the game prematurely.

Last night, I didn't worry about base capture BEP. I defended a key tower that wasn't in a base SOI and I didn't care, I just had fun PLAYING, defending that tower and not worrying about experience points. And later there was a great battle at a bridge, the TR kept trying and trying to get across and we destroyed unit after unit on that bridge. It was great!

I just hope more squad leaders decide to play creatively - because when you join a squad you are kind of a slave to that squads objectives. Imagine that mobile armor squad working with an air cavalry squad and a squad of footsoldiers - that kind of organization would dominate, and it would be fun. I'm going to buy the game in the hopes that this kind of potential is recognized and taken advantage of by more and more players as time goes on.

[NightWalker XI]

I agree with you 100%

People can turn this game into proper military organisation if they want, thats where the real potential lies, you do what you wish, you can capture bases all day and get bored quickly or you can actually be creative and attack like a military force etc, lately everyone is just dpoing hotdrops etc...so repetitive

[shiflett]

yeh and thats how the game should be

If more and more people start doing that then it will force other squads to do the same. This might be hapening i wouldn't know tho coz i don't have the beta, heres hoping that it turns out to be as kick ass as it sounds

[NightWalker XI]

Theres a screenshot where you see a massive line of NC tanks and infantry and some aircraft above, then on the other side you could imagine a VS or a TR force the same size...thats what I always wished PS to be....

[Holo]

Give PS a few months after release and most of the xp whoring EQ kiddies should all filter out, leaving the hardcore military freaks to get on with the point of the game, massive conflicts

[tmartinez72]

Looks good on paper, but never works out.

WWIIOL is a prime example on how unorganzied people tend to be when you are paying to play a game the way you wish to play it.

I'm not going to listen to some punk when I think I have a better plan. Some punk is not going to listen to me when he thinks he has a better plan.

Is he paying my account? Am I paying his?

Of course not. You're going to have your lone-wolfs, renegades, griefers, rambo's, generals, casual player, cs-player, etc.

It's hard enough getting people to work in pickup-squads let alone seperate outfits. There is no chain of command other than your little group if you get them to work. And that little group is but a speck in the 3000 ppl we now have per server. Just imagine when this game goes public.

[NightWalker XI]

Thats why I joined an outfit, much better that way, always playing in a squad, etc, its cool

[Manitou]

My Outfit loves to play the game. We had two squads Friday night and we jumped into a tightly held Barney continent (Amerish) and stole a tower from them. The tower was mid-continent and didn't really threaten any major strategic location.

Our reason for taking it: Because.
The Barney reason for wanting it back: We had taken it.
What happened: Two hours of the funnest gaming I have had in years.

My two-and-a-half squads, fluctuating between 20 and 25 Dragon Wolves, held onto that tower as if it was the only place to exist. The Barney crews tried everything they could to root us out, unsuccessfully, I might add.

After the two hours we were called upon to begin the AGO operation planned for that night. My guys all kind of groaned because we were going to have to give up our little tower. I reminded them why it was okay: We chose to give it up, we were never forced to give it up.

My point in this post? It was fun. Plain and simple we had a total blast. The tower eshewed us no golden experience points for the capture. Bravo Squad leader and myself, Alpha Squad leader, gained no Command Points. We operated in an area smaller than most people's backyards. We utilized no vehicles (unless you want to include using the Barney vehicles for target practice ).

For me, this game is the best fun I have had in gaming for years.

[tmartinez72]

Yup. I plan on forming my own outfit.

I just don't expect 50 or even 25 people to work together for a significant amount of time.

They may have a common goal (ie take that base), but they aren't going to wait pateintly for a line to form, plans drawn, and people to spawn in.

Take any huge battle. It's Spawn, kill, die, repeat. Push as far as you can until you get to the the hack.

You may have a single squad that works well together. I sometimes see a well co-ordinated drop of maxes, and grunts, but once half the team is wiped out upon entry, the plan goes down the toilet. It becomes: Spawn, kill, die, repeat after that.

Huge co-ordinated efforts won't happen unless there's some pre-determined scenario run by GMs. But even then, you'll have your misfits doing their own thing.

[Airlift]

This is too true, and will most likely never be accepted and understood by the gaming masses. That's why I quit bothering to explain why people just don't get it. They can piss up a rope and play something else for all I care. The reason I am so against this new experience rate is because slowing advancement down will drive people farther into the ladder mentality and farther away from the truth about the game.

Planetside isn't about you (at all). It isn't about me (at all). It is only about all of us collectively kicking the shit out of each other in a fun environment.

[Hamma]

I try to explain this every time someone says to me "All you do is cap bases, over, and over"

They arent thinking about the game in the way it is most powerful. Massive coordination, working with an alliance of squads to lock a continent. And stuff I have yet to think about

[EVILPIG]

If you like combined arms, then you should enlist in the 666th! We have an average of 7 squads working together each night and are organizing our post-release sections which include; reaver wings, all MAX squads and armored colums. We'll even have all stealth engineer-hacker teams to wreak havoc on the enemy. The 666th is on Markov-NC. Currently 330+ strong.

[tmartinez72]

I agree. The potentional is there. I just don't see it happening.

I may see a co-ordinated fight here and there, but nothing on a grand scale.

Just too many different types of players. You may have you're hard-core generals working with other generals, but in the big picture, it's still just a small factor.

Perhaps I'm just one of the casual gamers then. When I log on, I do my own thing. I do like to lead, but I'm not going to force other players to do my bidding.

The last thing I want to do is listen to some guy rant how I'm not following orders. Not until they are paying my account, anyhow.

[Airlift]

But there are other fun things that don't require organization on a massive scale. You could really make a difference in the shape of a continent by putting together 6 Reavers and 4 Mosquitos and hunting down every enemy ANT or Galaxy that may drop an ANT at a gate. Get 3 such squads and you could really put a hurt on the continent. Of course, you can't do this if you are focused on getting your BEP/CEP.

[Jarlo]

Squads only really work if they act as a unit. If the squad I'm in has no leadership, I leave. If I'm leading and a person isnt listening, he is booted.