replay, team work, and reputation

[scape211]

Ive seen a few boards that talk about Planetside Next, but honestly, this one seems to be the most constructive so props to all for being involved and providing helpful information and ideas. With that in mind, I wanted to talk about something I thought might be a good addition to the game to help for long term meta and team based gameplay.

In most other MMO games, a great way to do this is economy, crafting, etc. to create additional and personal goals. This is really not a good method for Planetside. PS just has too different a format for this to be possible and it can create a whole slew of problems/exploitation that the game really doesn’t need. However, what can be done to give players a goal to shoot for? One that will not only help to set them apart, but make them feel like after they have achieved full BR, they have something to go for.

I really think a system of reputation can make this happen. A controlled system created by SOE and the devs, but maintained by the players. Here are the main points im thinking for this idea:

• Reputation is a system that is gained through completing objectives given by your immediate commander and you outfit. As objectives are completed, players will gain reputation just like battle experience. This in turn can be used for various items and equipment to be used to enhance gameplay.

• Objectives that are given will be decided by the commanders and outfit leaders. It may be something simply like ‘take this tower’ or ‘take this base’ and the amount of experience gained will scale based on the level of difficulty and enemy resistance. Objectives can also be more difficult to create higher gains in reputation. An example might be ‘take this base, but all electrical elements (tubes, gen, terminals, etc.) must remain powered on when the base is captured.’ Objectives could also be more obscure or used to create rivals among outfits ‘ This enemy CR5 is there strongest player. Kill that player X number of times to complete the objective.’ This will create varying ‘missions’ players can choose from, but will always be given by commanders and outfits to keep it players based and (hopefully) keep players in check so they will work as a team instead if simply following the zerg.

• The reputation system will not affect Battle Rank; kills and base captures would still give normal experience for BR to allow players access to certain certifications. However, Reputation will allow players to dive further into the types of items that can choose from within certain certifications.

Overall, I think the idea of this is good, but will have to be refined and tested of course before we know how effective it is. One thing I thought might be a concern is that if the zerg is trying to take a base and simply wants to take it, they may take out the tubes and gen. However, a certain squad might have the objective of taking it without taking out the tubes and gen. I guess this is all the more reason for commanders to talk and verify who is doing what so that the entire faction works together. Again, it can emphasize teamwork, but might be rocky to get started. Ultimately, the effectiveness of this system will have an underlying dependence on SOE releasing new weapons/items as the game progresses that would require players to work together to gain reputation and access to these items.

Thoughts?