Population Cap idea. Its pretty good!

[Ait'al]

Originally Posted by Mine from "Why planetside is really unbalanced"

Partly read the begining post but this came to mind. Why dont htey make the pop lock based on how many bases your holding (per empire, and without reducing hte enemies numbers) so that people that have bases can have as many people per base as the amount the attackers will likely bring against them instead of a constantly static number that makes you have to stretch out more and more after each base? Or am i completely misinterpreting the system?

BAsically you get 10 or 20 more people max for each base your "completely holding" including bases youve had and havent finished being hacked for ownership. Then as an addition, the same or half of that for the for an outfit when they implement OBO. So you have extra 10or 20 for that empires pop for each base(the numbers can be moded obvoiosly) and then For each base Owned by an outfit through OBO that OUtfit then has a sepreat 5-10 People seperate from that if there from that outfit that dont count against the empires max. You basically do this by making a qeue and fill it first when there are poeple in your outfit on continent before or after you cound just the normal continental pop max with people form your outfit wich can be used or not used if you have less than number of people form your outfit.

It may be better to reverse those numbers and make the OBO bonus larger so that you insure people form your Outfit can get in. Or increase the number to unsure alot more of your empire can get in, Like 20-100(possibly even based on calculation based on different calculations for outfit sizes. You could then stop increasing the bonuse after a certain outfit size so the bonus is only ever to much so you dont have to high of a population.). and have a small number like +5-10 for each base.

Obviously this would give a very real bonus and reason to have OBO no matter what the bonus is.

So X is Empire max O is outfit bonus with OBO and B is bonus per empire with each base owned normally.

You just start counting up B whenever you have an OBO take affect and Instantly filll the Qeue, but it can only be filled by people from your outfit, if you have to few you waiste the bonus untill you get more people insureing it cant be used by other people form your empire. Then it starts adds up the normal empire number normally, in a way at the same time.Then finnaly it adds the +10-+20 it would normally add to the Pop max per empire that has to do with your empire pop period, outfit or not to each empires pop individually.

This is kinda of an RPG way of calculating things so im not sure how familiar people are with this way of thinking up calculations. Sorry if this is to simplified.

[SecondRaven]

Dont like it...I mean it dont think it would work well.

[Ait'al]

Even at smaller numbers. Like 5 or 10 per base and 10-20 or less for OBO bases.

You wouldnt have to count it up or have to ever see it. You would just know you have a secured amount of your Outfit members that can get on continent when its full. and allow you a few extrea people for base defense wich would go back and forth as you take bases. It could just make you have to resqawn some where else if you dont have a base or anything ot sqawn form untill the pop is back down by a few of your empires men.

You wouldnt have to change anything about the current game. they just ahve to make sure to test it so there arent any way to leak in extra guys. which may not be that hard if the pop lock programming isnt that complicated. I have a feeling its not since they seem more willing to change it and stuff dealing with the warp gates than some other stuff.


Edit: i have a good idea to add to it. You could take the number of bases on the continent. then take the a bonus of lets say 10 for having a base for the empire. You then get that full bonus until you ahve like 1/4 of the bases which hten cuts the bonus in half till you have half the bases, which hten agains stops giving bonuses to your empire for general base ownership. But not to the apposing empires. this gives you a bonus still but makes you put them possibly in a more critical possition instead aff alowing you to stick them everywhere evenly.

How many bases per empire is that? You might obviously want to add Outfit points to have to be spent to get OBO then. ANd a decent amount. Not to mention a minimum amount of points period, like the same number you need for an outfit sig to even be allowed to spend anything on OBO(AKA get it). That should help deal with any abuses shouldnt it? not to mention add something to the outfit points design.

^ this part especialy signifigant./ What other part of it would cause a balance problem?

[Dharkbayne]

you don't play planetside.

BTW, Douche, THERE ISN'T FIGHTING AT EVERY BASE. THERE IS USUALLY ONLY FIGHTING AT 1 - 2 BASES AT A TIME, AND USUALLY ONLY ON 3 CONTINENTS, THAT'S ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE GAME AT 1-6 BASES. The pop cap is fine. The reason it's unbalanced is the weapons/vehicles. Not the popcap, PLAY PLANETSIDE before you make any fucking suggestions.

[Angel_of_Death]

Chill it was his opinion.

It's a good idea, but it wouldn't work, would unbalance things. I like it the way it is, it's finally balanced. Let's concentrate on the other issues.

[SecondRaven]

Shut it dhark ..just becuase i dont play doenst mean you have to make fun of me

[Ait'al]

the pops are that low? I was under the impression the pops were high somewhat after the servermerges. sheesh.. I hope this game isnt about ot bomb. 8( IM about to buy a years subscription to it.

[Jagd]

Get on it, the game is not going away. Remember that if you have played an FPS before a 32 v 32 match was about the most you'd have. We're still talking about 3-way fights with a couple hundred per side. Trust me, you won't use the words "low pop" to describe Emerald or Markov, unless you are logging in after 3am on a school night.

[Tannim]

I made a similiar post on the Dev boards.


The pop changes are showing the biggest flaw in PS. A three sided war. We'd have been better off if the devs had just picked 2 sides. As it is, just when you're about to kick 1 opponent off the continent, the other begins to back hack you. And since the guy you have down to 2 bases has 200 guys in 2 bases, you can't detach enough troops to handle your second opponent's attacks without giving the 2 base defender the edge. Why? Because he has the same number of defenders fighting in a smaller area, making him more powerful than you are. There needs to be a way to counter the increasing power of 200 players concentrated in a small area.

I think that the population limits you have on an island should be somehow linked the number of bases you control. A force that controls 80% of an island's bases should have more troops than the 2 sides that have 10% each. And when you die and you're suddenly over the pop limit, you should be recalled to sanc. This is truely reflective of the land you're losing.

Another check to make on the population adjustment should be if you have a continel lock on the island you're invading from. You'd get a 10% or so pop bonus if you're attacking a continent that you've pop locked

For example. TR has pop locked Forseral. Then they move to attack Searhus. TR's population limit is increase 10%.

These two changes would make holding bases and locking continents useful.

[Jagd]

The problem is that there are only even numbers when 2 or 3 empires poplock a continent. Even numbers = better gameplay. Giving bonuses for more bases, etc, etc just puts one side at a bigger and bigger disadvantage. The only new population system I would be into, is one that stopped zergs from going somewhere and rolling the defenders.

[Tannim]

If you defending few bases and you still have 200 people, you become more powerful and not less. It the same principle behind concentric ring castles. In a week of playing under the new system, the only time "winning" is possible is when there are 2 sides. Every time I've played with 3 sides, it's been a WWI style stalemate. The second you gain ground on 1 opponent, the other is attacking with 200 guys from the other direction.

Since the pop would be tied to continential locks and bases held, you can't say it specifically hurts team X or team Y. Their own accomplishments hurt them.

[UncleDynamite]

Well, I don't think 3-way fights is a weakness in the game at all. I mean, if they didn't want battles between three empires, the original design wouldn't have had a third empire. The big problem is, as Jagd said, keeping the numbers even. Awarding extra population would basically screw defenders even more. For example, when one side loses a base, they lose some extra pop cap while the attackers gain that extra pop cap. Since there are now less defenders and more attackers, defending the next base is harder. As bases are lost, it gets harder and harder to defend and counter-attack. This pop cap idea would give extra momentum to Zergs, not defenders. In other words, this is a bad idea.

[Ait'al]

Well, I don't think 3-way fights is a weakness in the game at all. I mean, if they didn't want battles between three empires, the original design wouldn't have had a third empire. The big problem is, as Jagd said, keeping the numbers even. Awarding extra population would basically screw defenders even more. For example, when one side loses a base, they lose some extra pop cap while the attackers gain that extra pop cap. Since there are now less defenders and more attackers, defending the next base is harder. As bases are lost, it gets harder and harder to defend and counter-attack. This pop cap idea would give extra momentum to Zergs, not defenders. In other words, this is a bad idea.

IM not saying they are completely based on hte base numbers. Im saying to add this ot the current system. You always have 200 pop minimum. If you have a base you get a small bonus. If you lose it it doesnt auto kick you, it just doesnt let those who die without a base or linked thing like ams on hte continent to respawn on the continent untill the number is back(IE only those who would normaly have to respawn elsewhere have to respqwn elsewhere. You can also still respawn if you do have somewhere on the continent to if those havent left yet). which is like 5-10 people, so you still have them till they die. The idea is you now work ot keep the extra numbers and as long as you hold the base you get the extra couple guys for that can be used at that base. And The base has to be completely hacked first for it to take away the bonus.

It can take a while to lose the actual people because if they are attached to an ams of anything else they can stay. So only the people at the base that was lost and died basically get kicked. Or it randomely takes from the pop elsewhere form people who didnt use attach themselves to teh spawn of a base. Hopefuly making people stick to there bases more.

What about making you use outfit points to get hte general bonus and then another amount seperatley to use the OB benefit. Like adding better guns etc to the base? Then you have ot have higher ups spend it right?

Edit: i edited, so part of it might not make as much sense now. sorry! ^^

Edit2: if your thinking then you can always keep the extra numbers remember that if the bonus is lost then a base was taken and an entire group of people just lost there link and have to making the number the bonus gave you drop. You can then have some people keep an ams and still defend the base probably in the way the attackers took it. And ther is also the bonus from the OBO thing if you consider that. which would be larger and give them a little more than normal. I was thinking of it costing alot then to have OBO to the point you hvae to either spend quite a bit to get it if the base defense is really easy or a decent amount if everyone is loosing htem constantly so that you can still get it once or twice. this could give the devs an incentive to add good OBO advantages quicker. 8) And make some slightly better ones making OBO bases harder to take and more permanent. But you can alway group forces and use strategies based on ther base defenses weaknesses.(the obo bonus only applies if there are people from your outfit trying to get onto the continent.)

[Neon Apocalypse]

Ait'al just play the fucking game before you make suggestions. And secondraven has atleast played it but you haven't.

[Scorched_earth]

Just want to see:

- Vanu vehicals go over mines!
- Inbuilt clock in the chat panel or map! So u dont hav to keep typin the command
- JackHammer buff for the nc! The jh is Just shit lately!