A terminal hacking idea

[BadAsh]

I think it would be cool that if you hack a terminal at an enemy base you should have access to their equipment. So if I�m a NC hacker and I hack an equipment terminal at a TR base, I should have access to TR equipment like the Cycler and MCG. If I hack their vehicle terminal I should have access to their vehicles like the Prowler or Marauder.

This would make getting enemy gear easier and add a little variety to your standard equipment selection. Also, it would add another incentive to attack an enemy base� equipment raids!

This really gives you nothing that an advanced hacker or simply looting can�t already provide. You can jack enemy vehicles and anyone can loot a fallen avatar. This would just make things more available and give a few more options in game play.

Also, it would help with real and perceived game balance. Everyone feels this or that weapon is better and the same is true with vehicles. With easier access to enemy gear this will be alleviated somewhat without breaking empire �style� integrity.

Finally, it just makes sense to me. I never understood how I could hack a VS equipment terminal and get my Cycler and MCG out of it� Is it not a VS terminal? How am I pulling TR gear out of it?

What do you think?

[Veteran]

It's an awesome idea with support from the majority of players, but the devs steadfastly refuse to adopt this clearly superior approach to equipment distribution.

Maybe in the future. I know a lot of players who would return if this became reality.

Good idea.

[Jagd]

[infinite loop]

I couldn't agree more, it would be really cool. It's been suggested multiple times, but haven't seen any dev response on it. But I wouldn't take it too far, like being able to get enemy maxes or vehicles. That would totally ruin balance, and too easy to exploit. But temporary access to enemy weapons would be fun.

[Veteran]

If you can explain just exactly how getting a Quasar MAX if you're TR is going to unbalance things, I'd like to hear it. If 'game balance' has to strangle obvious avenues for the advancement of the game, I say screw it and take the chance that people will really love the change.

[infinite loop]

Well I think you'd see people cert in things that they wouldn't normally, just so they can use the enemy's equivalent. It kinda takes away from the point of having separate empires. If you want everything available, why not just go one step further and make everything common pool?

Plus, I can see how exploiting of this with vehicles would be bad. Take for instance, a base behind your lines that is enemy controlled. Instead of hacking it, you just blow the tubes, and constantly hack the veh term for their vehicles. Not taking the base is counter-productive, and opens you up for unnecessary counter-assault there. Plus what happens when a friendly player comes in and hacks the base or blows the gen, and gets TK'ed endlessly? I don't want to add anything that entices stuff like that to happen.

[BadAsh]

Personally I don�t see a problem with people getting a certification in something they normally would not. The Flail already falls into this category. You can only get one if you have the proper module installed. Though if the decision were mine I�d probably rework some of the certifications. For example I�d keep the 3 MAX certs but probably change them to category based (AP, AA, and AV) rather than be MAX specific so someone with the Anti-Personnel MAX cert could use any AP MAX dependant upon availability.

Also, I don�t see this as a problem with game balance. If one empire has better equipment THAT is your balance problem. So no game balance problem should be introduced by simply making various equipment more readily attainable to others.

I do kind of see your point about bases not getting taken over and people just using a crippled (spawn tubes blown) base to stage an attack of hacked vehicles. But you can already do this with your own vehicles. You can Zerg a base, blow the tubes, and hack a horde of tanks, reavers, etc. without having to take the base. So I really don�t see this suggestion as introducing this as a problem.

I don�t see many problems with this, but I do see some really fun battle variations because of this. Imagine the surprise when a platoon of NC captured Blue skinned VS MAXs jump the walls of a TR base protected by a shield module�

The more opportunities for fun on a highly coordinated scale there are the more you will see it. And to me, that�s what Planet Side is all about! ***61514;

BadAsh

[Jagd]

Yeah but it would seriously nerf the fun of trading weapons with enemies, and those awesome rolls you get on when you loot a jackhammer and get like 15 kills in a row. Making them easy to attain cheapens them, and goes against the entire reason for having factions in the first place.

[BadAsh]

Originally Posted by Jagd

Yeah but it would seriously nerf the fun of trading weapons with enemies, and those awesome rolls you get on when you loot a jackhammer and get like 15 kills in a row. Making them easy to attain cheapens them, and goes against the entire reason for having factions in the first place.

Actually, my "rolls" I get on about are about 4 kills... but, if you've seen my amazing skillz in action, I could see how you'd think it was 15 or more...

[Jagd]

Yeah but that's cause you're on Johari. Last I heard there were only 4 soldiers per empire on there anyways.

[Kuraltai]

Originally Posted by Jagd

Yeah but that's cause you're on Johari. Last I heard there were only 4 soldiers per empire on there anyways.

Johari is not as populated as Emerald .. no .. but we still have some good fights there. Just ask the VS on Oshur early this morning. We attacked from Ceryshen and NC from Hossin .. battle pitched back and forth for hours. NC and VS held more bases, but the battles were a blast.

[Koopa]

That would actually let people complete their training list, by being able to try out the MAXes.

[Headrattle]

Devs have shot this one down a few times in the OF.

[Ait'al]

I think it makes more sense along those lines to only get common pool stuff.(lets say it disconnects there connection to the enemy comp and cant access how to make them.) And only allow you to get yoru own equipment if you have bases close enough in the LLU that it would make sense. If not no Empire Equipement for you. And they could make logical things like hacking a vehicle/weapon bases terminal in an enemy base of that type could get you ther EQ but under the same circumstances as they would have to get it if they walked up and asked it for EQ. So 5 minute timer or whatever for maxes. And only in the proper bases. Something else but i cant remember GGRR. Oh yea and the enemy would still have to have control of the base adn not have its ownership being be in hack condition.

What would those be anyway. I know vehicle has a building. what would be teh one for weapons and maxs. Tech?

Im getting at teh idea of having all stuff you get form hacked terminals based on what the enemy would have. Or what you could logically get.

If you make it really hard for them to get it it could work out. Only under very few conditions could you get enemy stuff and the enemy could just learn to put more defense in that place. Obviously this would have to have alot to make it hard to do but...

[Warborn]

I think they're disinclined to acquiesce with this idea because they don't want Empire specific equipment to be so easily acquired by enemy Empires.