Improvement: PS1-Style Biolab Bases for Outposts

[Neurotoxin]

Original post on PS2 Forums is here!

Hello PSU Community,

I have an idea for how to make outposts more defensible and meaningful: design them based on the layout of the PlanetSide 1 Biolabs, updated for PS2. I believe it would be worthwhile to try this for at least one outpost (or tower) somewhere on Auraxis, to see how it works.

The designs of the original PS1-style bases would be quite appropriate for Outposts. The size and layout of the original PS1 Biolab is absolutely perfect for a small, defensible outpost or garrison, and would be more useful for defenders than the average poorly-defended outpost (or even a tower). Considering the scale of an original PS1 Biolab, it would be about the size of an average outpost, so the area of the map that it takes up would be about the same.

The way to utilize the layout of the PS1 Biolab would be to update it to PS2 functionality. The Shield Generator would be in the place of the old Generator, at the top of the base. The Spawn Control Unit would be placed in the old medical bay area, just inside the front door of the base. The Control Console would retain its location and purpose. This means that much of this new outpost would be based on close-quarter basement fights.

Walls could be upgraded instead of simply updated, by either upgrading the turrets where they are, or putting PS2 style turret towers on the corners of the base. There would still be a backdoor that players can enter, possibly a second one could be added, and that is how non-Light Assault teams can get in and destroy the vehicle shield generators. Another option would be to only make one shield-protected entrance, and heavily barricade the other entrance so no land vehicle can pass through. These bases would be susceptible to Galaxy drops, but would otherwise be heavily defensible.

There would be many positive trade-offs:
-Urban-Industrial layout would be replaced by a functional, defensible base structure
-Shields and / or barricades would be used to prevent enemy vehicles from easily invading and overrunning the base
-Basements and tunnels would promote close-quarters combat seen nowhere else in the game
-Defenders spawn close to all the objectives that they need to be able to defend
-With additional turrets on the walls, or updating the turrets that the PS1 Biolabs had, the base would be a challenge to take over if there are a large group of defenders present
-Galaxy drops would be the most useful for assaulting these bases, which makes the Galaxy a more essential vehicle than it is right now.

Below is an image of an original PS1 Biolab. The NTU Silo would be replaced with an additional ammo tower or removed entirely. An air terminal can be added outside the top floor, or possibly elsewhere, since they are separate from ground vehicles in PS2. The gate by the Front Door would have a Vehicle Shield, and the gate at the back would have a Vehicle Shield or a set of barricades. The possible alternate backdoor would be connected to the main backdoor tunnel system, rather than being a separate offshoot, but would have to run along the length of the wall slightly before bending inward to prevent easier access with the alternate backdoor.



Additionally, here is what the basement would look like.



Special thanks to the PlanetSide Universe gallery for the PS1 Biolab photos!