Battles in space for the future

[Malorn]

Naval combat might not be a niche if the continent is designed for it. Indar clearly isn't, but I can see a remake of Hossin where there's a lot of swamp water and what not where tanks are replaced by boats. Another new continent might be a bunch of small islands and you need boats and/or aircraft to move around. In those cases you could ahve a lot of huge naval battles as part of the continent design.

[Full of Fail]

Originally Posted by Malorn

Naval combat might not be a niche if the continent is designed for it. Indar clearly isn't, but I can see a remake of Hossin where there's a lot of swamp water and what not where tanks are replaced by boats. Another new continent might be a bunch of small islands and you need boats and/or aircraft to move around. In those cases you could ahve a lot of huge naval battles as part of the continent design.

Naval combat could definitely have a place in the game in areas designed for it. Maybe some coastal fortresses and such. And how about a carrier ship with an aircraft spawn pad? That'd be awesome.

[Malorn]

I can imagine a continent that has 5-6 medium-sized landmasses, with several small island outposts and some territories that might only be conquerable with naval units.

Could be awesome fighting over the open water. Aircraft woudl be important but with no terrain to hide behind it might not be nice for them.

[Mr DeCastellac]

Just so long as they don't pull the same "Continental Planets" bullsquirt they did in the original :P

[VioletZero]

I don't think fighting in space is quite right for Planetside.

[Full of Fail]

I'll also add here that the name "PlanetSide" tends to suggest it should be about fighting on a planet.

[Warborn]

Space combat would be interesting and I could see it essentially being a new continent in a way. A large, mostly open area above the planet with interspersed platforms, satellites, space stations, and so on. Intense infantry combat in relatively confined areas, with a really deep "air" combat game in between.

Naval combat, like actual ocean-going vessel combat, is pretty dumb, but recreating that kind of gameplay in space makes sense.

Originally Posted by Full of Fail

I'll also add here that the name "PlanetSide" tends to suggest it should be about fighting on a planet.

It's called Planetside because that's what the first one was called. It would be really quite foolish of them to restrict themselves in any way over something as unimportant as what the name of the game is.

[SurgeonX]

Originally Posted by Highwind

The problem with "space combat" ideas is the same problem with "naval combat" ideas. If you distract people from the core gameplay of Planetside 2 in a significant way there will be only downsides in the end.

People will either like or hate the new "mini-game" that has been built onto the existing world.

But who says that it wouldn't be part of the core gameplay?
I wouldn't see it as being implemented at all like a mini game.
For me both Space Combat and Naval Combat would need to be integral parts of the game in order to work.
So certain territories, and therefore resources, would be islands/carriers and space stations/capital ships.

PlanetSide is all about epic combat, and what's more epic than having battles fought on land, on sea and in space, at the same time?

I'd want to see shared objectives, and objectives that had to be completed in series, shared between each of the these three aspects.

There's nothing I'd love more than to see PlanetSide turn into SolarSystemSide.

[Stardouser]

They could still have warpgates that allow planet to planet travel on land, it's just that you can also assault directly by traveling to the planet through space.

how cool would it be if the enemy could defend by piling up tanks and shit in front of warpgates, forcing you to attack through space? Think of Stargate Command closing the iris, forcing the Goa'ulds to come in their motherships;.

[Eyeklops]

Originally Posted by Warborn

A large, mostly open area above the planet with interspersed platforms, satellites, space stations, and so on. Intense infantry combat in relatively confined areas, with a really deep "air" combat game in between.

I like this idea.

Originally Posted by Warborn

It's called Planetside because that's what the first one was called. It would be really quite foolish of them to restrict themselves in any way over something as unimportant as what the name of the game is.

I agree again. Creating a good space shooter MMO integrated into PS2 could draw in lots of people from other games. Some of those players might even get into the ground part game here and there.

Also, once PS2 becomes successful, there is no reason they cannot change the name of the franchise, or just call the space based part Spaceside.

It is comical to think of goofy names though.

• NotJustPlanetside 2
• EverythingSide 2
• Side 2 (my favorite)
• DoItAllSide 2

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by Eyeklops

I like this idea.

I agree again. Creating a good space shooter MMO integrated into PS2 could draw in lots of people from other games. Some of those players might even get into the ground part game here and there.

Also, once PS2 becomes successful, there is no reason they cannot change the name of the franchise, or just call the space based part Spaceside.

It is comical to think of goofy names though.

• NotJustPlanetside 2
• EverythingSide 2
• Side 2 (my favorite)
• DoItAllSide 2

Hell, I'd be interested in the space combat even if it wasn't tied to the ground. If you've ever played Star Wars Empire At War, I love destroying the space forces around a planet, not so much going down on the planet to secure it.

Though you have to remember that at least in my vision, there's still infantry combat in space combat. Breaching pod squads!

[Highwind]

Originally Posted by SurgeonX

But who says that it wouldn't be part of the core gameplay?
I wouldn't see it as being implemented at all like a mini game.
For me both Space Combat and Naval Combat would need to be integral parts of the game in order to work.
So certain territories, and therefore resources, would be islands/carriers and space stations/capital ships.

PlanetSide is all about epic combat, and what's more epic than having battles fought on land, on sea and in space, at the same time?

It might not be a "mini-game" but it wouldn't be part of the core gameplay. Any addition to the game that adds content, classes or vehicles, that can only be used in a unique new area but not in all other old areas are distracting from the game as a whole. You can have the devs use a lot of time and make "boats" with cert trees and spawning points, places to use them etc etc, but everywhere other then water/some bridge battles that skill is useless, and in my opinion distracting.

The Space-Platform, continent sized open air / with bases, that could support all classes and vehicles from foot soldiers to tanks, including our existing aircraft is the only plan I see working (unless you want Caves again, I do, but they have a stigma I think most would like to avoid).

This is well and good, but If they added Space Combat in another form, or even as described, and also added "space ship vehicle" that wasn't one of our existing aircraft then I see one of two things happening off the top of my head:

1. Either you have a new "vehicle class" for "space ship" only usable in the new area. Limiting and distracting for the classic choices, and unfun in the big picture.

2. You allow the "space ship vehicle class" to be used like any air craft all over the game. Then it needs its own niche, because there will be veteran aircraft pilots with full cert trees wanting to know where they sit in terms of balance compared to this new aircraft. Questions will come up like "Can a classic aircraft go in the new space zone like the new spaceship? If yes then why do I want to invest certs in the OLD aircraft again if the space ship is more versatile? If aircraft can't go in space, thanks for making my class obsolete in new content Devs etc."

TL.DR At the end of the day I think the simple version of my point is this: All new game content needs to work in the majority of current battles in current areas. All new game areas added need to allow all classes and vehicles to play a mostly effective role without excluding anyone or adding area specific classes/vehicles because it is wasteful and distracting. End.

[Stardouser]

Personally, I see space combat as using the same infantry classes as ground combat. The only difference is, there will be a few additional skills/certs/whatever to command capital ships and man capital ship guns, fly bombers and fighters, and breaching pods. Now; as far as fighters and bombers I don't see why those couldn't be worked into the ground battles. (Obviously, someone might say, because PS1 didn't have it). Obviously capital ships have to stay in space, and breaching pods, those are probably useless in ground battles.

I don't see how adding space combat is a "distraction", though. Calling those skills which can't be used on the ground(ie, capital ship skills) a distraction just seems to be a veiled way of saying it should never add space combat. If space combat is a completely disconnected mini-game that means nothing to the fight on the ground I'd understand that viewpoint, but if it can be tied together so that victory in space means something on the ground, that's different.

At the very least, the side that owns the space station overhead is going to be the only side that gets orbital strikes, for example.

[Sifer2]

It would be the best expansion pack they could release. Except its a F2P game so there wont be any expansion packs lol.

I would say assuming they get the base game right though that this could add a lot to the game. Having multiple Planets to fight over, with space battles factoring into it somehow. No drop pods or orbital strikes if you don't control the skies. No resources to make the bigger ships/weapons if you don't control the ground facilities or asteroid mines maybe.

But I think we should wait to see if Planetside 2 can last one year, and do well first. It's already an ambitious enough game as it is.

[Vanir]

Why not make the space part a different game that is connected with what is going on PlanteSide? Kind of what Eve is doing with it's expanding into FPS. 2 games, same universe, what happenes in one game can affect what happens in the other?