Like waking from a deep sleep

[simonp]

When I stopped playing Planetside I stopped playing PC games. My obsession progression was Early shooters -> Tribes -> Tribes 2 -> Planetside -> meh

I don't need to talk about how BFRs changed the game too much and I lost interest after about 1.5 yrs of daily play. I know that happened with a number of people. After that, for me, nothing else compared.

I had been through Doom, descent, and quake1, 2, & 3. Small maps with small populations. They were awesome at the time but then tribes and then planetside came out and it totally changed the way I expected to experience online play. I just got used to expecting a lot more from a game. None of the new games held a candle. Halo and the newer consoles seemed to bring a huge new market of gamers to FPSs which is wonderful. But the legacy of that game and the money and marketing around FPSs stayed focused back on the small maps and flat footed worlds for the past 10 years.

I just slowly stopped playing games. Nothing held the adrenaline rush. Nothing brought on the determination or excitement of fighting a pitched 5 hour battle over a single base. No other game ever naturally formed front lines that organically formed, broke, and reformed. CTF, deathmatch, who cared? Not me. Not anymore. I just couldn't go back.

Now finally things appear to be changing. I recently discovered tribes ascend and it's like rediscovering an old friend. I know that planetside next is coming and I wait on the edge of my seat in anticipation. I lurk, and read, and check back here regularly. The excitement builds....

So I guess what I'm trying to say is thank you. Thank you for reviving a play style and game type that nobody has done since. Thank you for making me care again about my video card and CPU and helping the economy by giving me a reason to spend the money upgrading. Thanks for reviving the love of play in a geek who's getting a little older every day.

I do have one suggestion though and I know it's probably asking the impossible. After the game is launched and much balancing has been done there may come a point where the game play feels rich and rewarding. Where weapons and sides are nearly matched. Where we're all having a hell of a good time. Try to take a step back once in a while and if you see that things are good... please try to resist the urge to change anything major or do too much tweaking. You'll never achieve perfect balance in a game with 3 different factions and beyond some intangible point you'll likely only make things worse for trying.

Thanks for reading... see you on the battlefield.

-ColonelWrex