Planetside 2 Going down the toilet?

[DeltaGun]

Poorly balanced shotguns infuriating fans of infantry combat.

VS population dwindling (Waterson).

MLG mode coming out that nobody will be able to participate in.

Very large outfits hold all the power on the battlefield using numbers > all tactics.

New ESAV released in a bizarrely unfinished state.

___

I was really happy with the vehicle changes they made, but server transfers seemed to highlight old problems with the metagame.

Maybe its just because VS lost out big time on Waterson when Jaeger came in (comparatively), but having a fight with the enemy where I feel we didn't get crapped on by huge enemy numbers is dwindling, and the fun with it. Every battle is a "take as many with us as we can" battle.

Shotguns and shotgun maxes... will we ever know why PS2 devs introduced 0-.5 sec TTK infantry weapons (pump shotguns/dual scattercannon), completely trivializing indoor infantry engagements down to who shoots first and who bought the shotgun?

Whats the deal with the new launchers? The Phoenix and Glancer barely work correctly functionally and make no sense tactically (Phoenix used for AI, Glancer used for putting on laser light shows).

Planetside 2... it used to be a good, promising game.

[MrVicchio]

It's all over, everyone pack your bags. Games toast, better wait for HaloMMO or CoD4.. or is it to 5 now? I really don't know.

[DeltaGun]

Originally Posted by MrVicchio

It's all over, everyone pack your bags. Games toast, better wait for HaloMMO or CoD4.. or is it to 5 now? I really don't know.

Hey... CoD 4 was a good game.

[RSphil]

the shotguns suck atm. I got the jump on a guy and fired into his chest/head with my heavy assault weapon. he looked at me and 2 shot me. I got the jump on a few guys tonight and they all nailed me with a shotgun.
if I get the jump and fire first with every round hitting they should not be able to aim and kill me with 2 shots. really annoying and very op atm. no reason to use anything else atm.

[ChipMHazard]

If anything it's getting better and better with each passing GU patch, well except for the technical issues that also seem to follow.

[Ghoest9]

PUMP shotguns do suck right now(and there is no good way to fix them.)
But thats hardly sending the game down the toilet.

[Badjuju]

Shotguns negate all competitiveness and numbers are all that matter with the current game mechanics and base design unfortunately. NC is at 37-38% pop on all US servers atm at 10:51 pm.

[DeltaGun]

Originally Posted by Badjuju

Shotguns negate all competitiveness and numbers are all that matter with the current game mechanics and base design unfortunately. NC is at 37-38% pop on all US servers atm at 10:51 pm.

Why is NC so popular? TR seemed to be the master of population for a while.

[Silent Thunder]

TR got their Prowler nerfed a bit IIRC, and just like with the Magrider nerf, the 4th faction all jumped ship to another faction. In addition, they got shoved in the SE corner this rotation, which is terrain that ill suits their MBTs playstyle (Shock and Awe with high speed rushes, which if done right, can be quite the sight)

In all honesty I liked it best when the VS got the only greenery, and the NC got the canyons to hide in. While the TR got the largest, but also most spread out area. Might not have been best for balance, thats a whole 'nother argument, but I feel it really fit the lore in those cases.

[Badjuju]

Originally Posted by DeltaGun

Why is NC so popular? TR seemed to be the master of population for a while.

Well the NC have always been popular, they had large numbers in PS1 as well. I think this is partly do to the good guy/freedom thing and colors/design.

Also their weapon are very efficient right now after the flinch nerf. This is particularly true for the SAW. It out performs all other LMGs and has a massive magazine to go along with it (i would say the rest of their weapons are pretty balanced). And then you have the scat max which can instantly kill anything which crosses its path.

I would argue that they are the strongest faction at the moment which attracts people. The fact that they are winning just because of population alone attracts even more people. This is particularly true with the current game design drastically favoring numbers over anything else. Then you have the aesthetics and overall feel of the empire. Between the vanguard and their looks once camoed up, they look the most like a modern military.

The vanu are gimped with purple so they really need some cool looking designs to attract people their way, which they didn't really get and don't appear to be with the helmet concepts released. There has been endless complaints about their spandex and overall design. Then allot of their weapons are rather boring in design and feel as well. Only recently have some of the weapons felt like they have had some oomph to them and more attractive designs.

Allot of modern FPS players prefer a more modern style over sci-fi and will go TR or NC. Many also typically have a predisposition to play the good guys or bad guys. Since there is no cinematic to give new players an idea of what is going on with the lore/war the VS end up feeling like the odd man out in that situation and end up being no more than the alien guys in yoga pants.

I think there is just a smaller crowd in the FPS genera which will automatically jump for the most sci-fi faction over more militaristic feeling ones (both NC and TR), and then there is really nothing outstanding about the faction to attract players to it. The feel, look, and lack of anything unique just dosn't compel people to play Vanu.

[Ghoest9]

Originally Posted by DeltaGun

Why is NC so popular? TR seemed to be the master of population for a while.

Do I have to keep explaining this. All things being equal NC is going to be the most popular(at least in America) and VS is going to be the least popular - just based on art, colors and lore.

Right now things are roughly equal. NC has the best max and worst ESF but for the most part no one has an advantage.

[Neutral Calypso]

I take offense whenever anyone compares the NC to AMURRICA. Mainly because NC voice emotes are utterly retarded.

NC YOU ARE NOT SPACE AMERICA

YOU ARE SPACE WHISKEY REBELLION.

[Mordelicius]

Originally Posted by DeltaGun

Poorly balanced shotguns infuriating fans of infantry combat.

VS population dwindling (Waterson).

MLG mode coming out that nobody will be able to participate in.

Very large outfits hold all the power on the battlefield using numbers > all tactics.

New ESAV released in a bizarrely unfinished state.

___

I was really happy with the vehicle changes they made, but server transfers seemed to highlight old problems with the metagame.

Maybe its just because VS lost out big time on Waterson when Jaeger came in (comparatively), but having a fight with the enemy where I feel we didn't get crapped on by huge enemy numbers is dwindling, and the fun with it. Every battle is a "take as many with us as we can" battle.

Shotguns and shotgun maxes... will we ever know why PS2 devs introduced 0-.5 sec TTK infantry weapons (pump shotguns/dual scattercannon), completely trivializing indoor infantry engagements down to who shoots first and who bought the shotgun?

Whats the deal with the new launchers? The Phoenix and Glancer barely work correctly functionally and make no sense tactically (Phoenix used for AI, Glancer used for putting on laser light shows).

Planetside 2... it used to be a good, promising game.

- Imo, there's no way they won't fix the shotguns. It will get nerfed. When light troops are acting effectively like they are heavies, then the class system is broken.

- Vanu easily has the best infantry weapons. They got the best ESF and the 2nd best MBT. NC has crappiest stuff except the Max. And they are only good at Biolabs.

- Wait for the Rush Lanes system where they streamline the map pathways.

I just think they should rollback the changes to the the Instant Action. Imo, that ruined combat flow and the continents/locking/rush lane is still months away. Imo, it was a badly premature change.

They need to tinker with it. I think it's fairly broken in implementation too. I've seen players hot drop like rain after a battle as if it's still a hotspot

[DeltaGun]

Originally Posted by Mordelicius

I just think they should rollback the changes to the the Instant Action. Imo, that ruined combat flow and the continents/locking/rush lane is still months away. Imo, it was a badly premature change.

They need to tinker with it. I think it's fairly broken in implementation too. I've seen players hot drop like rain after a battle as if it's still a hotspot

Agreed, the new instant action /squad spawn make it so you basically have an extra Spawn Beacon on a separate cooldown wherever you go.

This is one of the regressions in game balance I should have listed in the OP.

[TheSaltySeagull]

Originally Posted by DeltaGun

Why is NC so popular? TR seemed to be the master of population for a while.

I think its because they are currently the best out of the box faction. They start with some of the best items available. For example infiltrators start with the bolt action rifle which allows OHK. Heavy has the saw which is the best of the default LMGs and one of the best LMGs in the game. They have the best close combat max which excel on bio labs and towers which are some of the few fights where AI max units are important. They benefited most from the flinch changes. The new phoenix has its draw because of its infantry farming ability which gives it a unique niche role while the lancer is essentially useless and the striker is just a buffed annie which all three factions have access to.

I dont think the NC are "OP" but I do see them as the easier faction to start out on because you get access to some of the best stuff right away as your default starting gear. Also the "freedom fighter" lore and blue/gold colors also make them an attractive choice to many players. And then of course 4th empire hoppers are playing them now because they have not suffered any faction specific nerfs recently.