Patch is up (Notes Included)(5/8/03)

[WildCard101]

It seems pretty simple to me to have a time limit on hacks when its in a base that you dont actually own. And it seems to me that you'd be even more important to your squad given that terminals dont stay hacked.

[Vash]

(disclaimer: I didnt read past the 2nd post, and I didnt get a chance to play today)

New hack timers fucking suck.
I feel sorry for the dedicated hackers... jesus. Now you poor guys will have to babysit us assault infantry and max pilots every waking second.

shit... guess I'll take hacking next instead of heavy assault so I dont have to cry for a hack every 10 seconds

me: "can someone hack an equip term? I need to reload"
hacker: "again? christ..."
MAX: "can someone hack a med term? getting low on armor"
hacker: "damnit, I just got back downstairs"
everyone, spaced 20 seconds apart: "need a hack at the V pad. gotta get a new wraith/reaver/ams"
hacker: <cuts off his hands>

[Incubus]

Totally agree with you Vash.

[Camping Carl]

I'm sure this won't last for long if almost everyone hates it, which seems to be the case. I haven't seen it yet myself so I can't complain.

[Incubus]

Warborn said:

Then why do it? If you're hacking everything in the base, chances are most of it will never get used. Hacking is a support skill, just like medical and engineering (not combat engineering). If you're going around with a hacking tool in front of you 99% of the time, you've got the wrong impression. Don't you have a rifle slot? Why aren't you fighting instead of hacking stuff that most likely will not be used, and if it is, probably won't do more good than you, on the field, shooting some enemies up would.

Fact is, it is much MUCH easier to get in with an infil suit. Let's be honest, a vast majority of hackers are Infils, so let us just say that this is the desired config for a hacker. You don't have a rifle, any armor, and little killing ability. Also, you can't be a MAX and have to cert in Standard Ass. + Heavy Ass or AV and other things to even compete on the battlefield and vs. Armor. Additionally, PS offers up different positions for people who don't want to kill e.g., medics, engis, and HACKERS!!!

Then he said:

Ever considering that maybe it was not the intention of the developers to let people turn an enemy base almost entirely into a friendly one which you can rearm and reheal at your leisure from? You know, I actually thought people who consider themselves hackers primarily would have been happy with those changes. Now instead of one hacker going in, hacking stuff, and making your advanced hacking skill worthless, you get to use your cert to personally hack stuff for people to use. And, hey, you may even get a "thx" as reward -- just like the engineers and medics!

Yeah, you may turn a base into a supermarket, but you can't spawn there. The enemy can defend it from the inside out AND use all the terminals you have hacked.

How in God's green ball can you even purpose to think that hackers would like this patch?

Yeah, certainly a hacker may get into a base and hack the hell out of it before you get there leaving you with nothing to do, but hey, that's great by me. You may think that as an infil it is simple to get form point a to point b in an enemy base is no problem, but that is not the case. Sometimes, it is freaking hard to get around in there and it takes time.

The fairest thing, in my opinion, would be to give enemy hackers a way of telling when terminals have been hacked by their opposition. Then they can simply hack it back. This will give the hacker a defensive role and not just an offensive one. The timers, right now, are too damned short. The only reason they are so is to attempt to keep the "phanom" hacker close with his team. What is the problem with having someone in your squad have a "loner" role? And no, I am not talking about roaming the hills shanking snipers.

[LesserShade]

Hacking issues aside (I think the reset timers are a tad bit short). Thankfully they put that Framerate optimization back in

[�io]

Originally posted by Warborn
But make no mistake, killing people is still what you should be doing. Infantry is infantry, there is no such thing as a full-time medic or a full-time hacker.

It takes 1 hack to get everyone rearmed at an equipment terminal. It takes 1 hack to get a med terminal converted to heal your guys (assuming you have no medics or engineers). Exactly how can you make a priority out of something that is so basic? That's like saying that repairing body armor is your primary concern. What do you do, wait around with your gun holstered, your proverbial....


I honestly doubt that most people will change their cert layout as a result. In fact, I'm sure most other hackers will appreciate the change, as we'll be calling on them more to hack a terminal for us to heal or rearm at.

- Well if our primary just is (IYO) to kill then how the heck can we do it we have to constantly run back to the temrs to hack them?

- I don't know about your tactics but all the squads i've been in don't just cram 10 peeps in the CC, there's some outside possibly in tank, some all the levels, some scouting/patrolling a bit everywhere. I don't feel like telling my squad and/or outfit "Ok guys i'm hackign 1 term, if you can't get there in time too bad i have to go kill now"

- Funny after your post already 2 people agreed with me as well as many on the OFs but they count more or less.

Anyhoo i'm tired of arguing about this, as i said bottom line is i'm not gonna be spending my first cert pts on hacking anymore till this timer thing is fixed.

[Nekota]

Ok here's the scenario pre-patch. You just hacked all the terminals in an enemy base now what do you do? If Hacking is all you do then... there's nothing left to do but, see if you can go knife someone (if you're infiltrator) or redress for battle. However if you're redressing then how can you claim to be a primary Hacker. With the new patch you're role will be in constant demand. Now I agree you have a lot of running around to do if you're the sole Hacker during an attack. Much like myself who tends to be the lone Mechanic. However just like my primary role doesn't net me any BP and, just like how if something breaks I'm going to have to fix it again you to have to keep up on your hacks. Now could the timers be a little longer? Sure. However should they be indefinite hacks? No. As it was before we had Hackers hack terminals of a base then move on to the next one while the rest of his squad secured the Cap. This made for quick sweeps of continents which although convienient was making the game a cake walk. A little challenge isn't gonna kill us.

[Warborn]

Dio:
- Well if our primary just is (IYO) to kill then how the heck can we do it we have to constantly run back to the temrs to hack them?

You... don't move together with your squad?

- I don't know about your tactics but all the squads i've been in don't just cram 10 peeps in the CC, there's some outside possibly in tank, some all the levels, some scouting/patrolling a bit everywhere. I don't feel like telling my squad and/or outfit "Ok guys i'm hackign 1 term, if you can't get there in time too bad i have to go kill now"

The squads I'm in stick together. We don't scatter ourselves all over the enemy base so that we can't fight as a unit. Granted, I only fight in Outfit squads, but the point still remains.

- Funny after your post already 2 people agreed with me as well as many on the OFs but they count more or less.

Yeah, you must be right with two people agreeing with you. Hey, I've got an idea. Let's dig up the old sniper threads, where you had way more than two people agreeing with you regarding snipers. Just to see whether having people agreeing with you makes you right or not. It'll be fun.

Incubus:
Additionally, PS offers up different positions for people who don't want to kill e.g., medics, engis, and HACKERS!!!

Have you even played PlanetSide? Sorry, but medics and engineers kill just as much as everyone else. After the fight, sure, they get to revive or patch up armor, but during the fight, what do you think they do? Sit around waiting to die, watching whatever weapon they have collect dust as their squadmates get gunned down? During a fight, everyone is a combatant, nobody sits out. If you don't want to fight, you shouldn't be playing PlanetSide, because any squad that takes in a medic who does nothing but wait for people to get hurt or die is getting screwed.

How in God's green ball can you even purpose to think that hackers would like this patch?

Because now instead of one hacker going into a base, hacking everything, and making your certs redundant, you will actually get the opportunity to use them, because stuff won't stay hacked indefinitely. I mean, Christ, heaven forbid you should ever go to a base and have nothing to hack. Then you might have to fight.

[Matuse]

My prediction is that many more people will take the hacking cert in response to this so that they don't HAVE to burden their "hacker" with doing it. People who really love to hack will still get adv. hack, which is notably better than the basic version.

The benefit? With points spent on hacking in order to be better rounded, they'll have fewer certs to collect all of the offensive certs. Should give rise to more variety in how people set out their certs.