Will New Content Thin Numbers?

[Mirror]

I think SOE have learned a lot over the years and aim to avoid repeating mistakes from Planetside 1 that made the majority of people unsub.


edit: omg I forgot some rather important words.

[SergeantNubins]

It wont be a problem, as in ps1, people go to where the fights are, and you arent going to sturggle with 6000 players spread over an 8000 player area.

More continents will hopefully bring back one aspect of ps1 that I have a feeling we might actually miss from PS2, which is the build up and cool down of battles. WHen you opened up on a new continent and raced to get your footholds in before the enemy defenders could respond en masse and overrun you and the chilled moments when the enemy were defeated and finally had to bug out, all that was left was for you and your buddies to dick about team killing each other and go get a cuppa... just chill for a 15 minutes or so.. sounds strange, but after a 4-8 hour long and pretty intense battle, it was kinda nice

[Crator]

So a single server to the player is actually a shard of servers in the back end. Meaning there is more then one server running for the one server the players see. I'd imagine there will be a population limit for each continent. If they add more continents to the game it would expand the total amount of population on a single player server. I've always viewed the limit of population to a cont, not the the entire server. AmIRight?

[RadarX]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

Are we going to be able to relax a bit when we get to more continents or will numbers be kept so dense there will be substantial combat on every continent at all times?

Player balance is obviously crucial for good gameplay and we will do whatever we can to ensure that stays strong. It's hard to outline specifics with things as fluid as they are right now. We need some good stress testing from you folks to see what needs to happen.

[ringring]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

Are we going to be able to relax a bit when we get to more continents or will numbers be kept so dense there will be substantial combat on every continent at all times?

From experience on PS1 there is no need for there to be substantial combat on all continents. People will naturally move to the fight they want to be at.
What's more, open areas will aid the meta-game enormously and my particular concern is the opposite to the OP's, that there is not enough fighting space.

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by ringring

From experience on PS1 there is no need for there to be substantial combat on all continents. People will naturally move to the fight they want to be at.
What's more, open areas will aid the meta-game enormously and my particular concern is the opposite to the OP's, that there is not enough fighting space.

Sounds like we're looking for the same thing. I mean, don't get me wrong - for the first 6 months, I understand there will be some sardine canning since we only have 3 continents and we don't want to have to have any more servers than necessary - but I would like to be able to look forward to a little bit of breathing room coming with the extra continents.

And yea- more open areas means more strategies for the meta-game. Actually, that's probably my biggest concern. If there's combat everywhere at once, how would that allow for a meta-game?

[Traenor]

You also have to remember that the changed business model, F2P, will mean that a constant stream of new players will probably happen if this game is moderately succesful, which i am sure it will in the least.

[Professor Frink]

Originally Posted by Silencer22

In the original PS, I think most people would tend to go to where the action and biggest fights were occurring.

Exactly. If there is a big battle going on we will all head that way.

[Red Beard]

Originally Posted by RadarX

We've gotten really good at keeping numbers where they need to be. I assure you all this has been considered.

Anyone notice he couldn't claim this without a populated server?

[Otleaz]

Originally Posted by Red Beard

Anyone notice he couldn't claim this without a populated server?

EQ, EQ2, PS1

Those were all populated at one point I believe.

[Serotriptomine]

The only suggestion I could reiterate in good conscious would be to be PREPARED, for server merging @ devs. It might not happen for weeks, months, a year, but WHEN IT DOES, the process does NOT need to take 1-3 months to complete.

[IHateMMOs]

I hope Amerish will have the rest of the facility types when it comes out. I have a bad feeling that some continents you'll have to purchase as a DLC in order to play on. Getting a chill down my spine.

[ringring]

Originally Posted by IHateMMOs

I hope Amerish will have the rest of the facility types when it comes out. I have a bad feeling that some continents you'll have to purchase as a DLC in order to play on. Getting a chill down my spine.

Actually Smedley said no to that in his recent interview.

[Nasher]

I doubt server merges will be needed for a very long time. Being free to play it's always going to have tonnes of players, because you can drop in and out as you like and it costs nothing.

...And yea, making new continents and major content updates paid for DLC would be a game killer, since half would buy it and half wouldn't. Split communities in MMOs never work and ALWAYS end in people quitting (like we saw with core combat in PS1)

[xnorb]

Whenever possible i'll stay away from the clusterfucks.
I know many love that, but i'd rather fight a 4on4 over a small installment
over an hour than a 200on200 meatgrinding base fight.