What worries me - Page 2

DviddLeff · 2009-09-28, 05:39 PM

Lattice was a welcome change; before it you never (well, not as often) saw the big fights developing, and its the big fights that set PS apart from a game like Battlefield which has much better combat and less lag.

Hamma · 2009-09-28, 07:11 PM

Yea PS without the lattice was even more frustrating than PS post the lattice. Now you can come back a few hours later and the entire continent has changed. pre lattice thats like 45 minutes.

Ait'al · 2009-09-28, 07:17 PM

I liked that idea more. I think I came in with the lattice but it looked too much was lost in subtlety in the game with the lattice being added. the terrain and the larger scale strategy became useless basically. Half hte map was useful to going behind enemy lines. Most really large scale warfare that the game had to use can't be done right when restricted to front lines. the only problem was no one playing learned to utilize it yet. I think the lattice was stuck in to soon and stopped that from happening. When I joined I would have been using that a lot personally and I'm pretty sure could have demonstrated good use of it. And I don't think that is just my ego talking. That would have part of my favorite parts of the game if I had got to do it. but people kept concentrating gameplay because they couldn't figure out how to play (sometimes I would think from gameplay changes making the game unsteady) and maybe from pop changes but that shouldn't affect it much since it should fluctuate.

And I thought all the really big battles all happened before the lattice was implemented. I always heard and saw pics and videos from back before that saying that.

Firefly · 2009-09-28, 07:24 PM

I hate the lattice because it dictates where fights will be held. Oh look, this base is hacked. Wonder where they'll go next! But everyone is correct - pre-lattice was a dicey game. One hacker could come along and screw up your entire plan.

QuakCow · 2009-09-28, 11:33 PM

I always just loved leading/being in the team deployed to counter that hacker...I never did well in the big fights...

And whatever killed the gal as primary troop transport also hurt my personal enjoyment. God knows it did speed the game up, but the travel time really helped develop a sense of team (the chit chat was a great way to get comfortable).

Fuzzball · 2009-09-29, 12:50 AM

It has been so long for me, I completely forgot lattice wasn't there from the beginning.

I started this game when I was 14, now I am 20. Planetside has become part of my life, and is the game I always go back too after getting tired of other new games, nomatter how shitty the graphics are or how overpowered one empire is over the others. I personally don't care what they do for Planetside 2, I am going to play it nomatter the outcome.

I can't say it was my first MMO though, I regret to announce that I was playing The Sims Online before Planetside.

Hamma · 2009-09-29, 10:27 AM

Yikes!

That game was really bad, didn't last very long either. It's all good though we all make mistakes..

DviddLeff · 2009-09-29, 03:07 PM

The big fights were pre lattice because they initially didn't have a pop limit, but we did have to deal with frequent crashing and mega lag (this may have just been in beta, cant remember much from back then

).

Then they had a pop limit that favoured the first two empires to join, so out of 400 players 300 could be from two empires, with 100 from the third, but they then changed it when the servers could only support a single pop lock so it was boring if you had 50 people out of the main fight with no one to play against.

While yes the lattice did stagnate and limit the fighting to specific areas and corridors between them, that could simply be fixed by randomising the links between bases, or adding in small outpost bases (think a base without walls) between the main facilities, but spread them out to all corners of the map.

Regarding the Galaxy what killed that was everyone having too many cert points, so everyone grabbed some kind of fast transport like the mossie or ATV and no one needed one anymore; why fly one big fat target when you can fly 12 of them and all with guns on?

Firefly · 2009-09-29, 03:17 PM

Effective defenses also killed Galaxy drops.

Example, you know they're going to drop on top of your base or at the back door (most likely back door). So you'd have a few CR4s/CR5s waiting with a CUD and they'd pinpoint an OS at the likely drop spots.

Also placing a minefield and Spitfire turrets, in addition to a wall of ANTs, at and around the back door, would disrupt the drop. If you were smart, plasma spam... as well as the Radiator pain field... would help cut into health. A back door guard team would mop up the rest.

DviddLeff · 2009-09-29, 03:24 PM

Yeah Firefly, those are definitely big factors in killing it; an organised drop could deal with deployables, but a well timed OS would mince you if you dropped from the flight ceiling.

More entry points would have been good for bases as well, what amused me was that the back door was easier to defend than the front internally. Perhaps have entry points that had to be destroyed; skylights or sections of wall that could be blown up and then repaired.

So what killed the Gal drop:
1. Too many cert points to spend on fast transport
2. Too many CR4/5s
3. Radiators
4. Only available from drop ship centres
5. Continent fights usually pop locked so you couldn't leave to get a gal at Sanc then come back.

Firefly · 2009-09-29, 03:30 PM

That defense is very good if it's done properly.

But it has a counter-balance. The trick with Galaxy drops is to fly nap of the earth, as low as possible and as fast as possible. An OS will take some time to cycle up. If your guys know how to switch from 3d person POV to 1st person POV, and especially if you can pre-OS the area... and your boys are dropping jammers and using their own EMP, you can pretty much take care of most issues before you hit the ground. Anyone that didn't get OS'd can still take you out, but if your pilot was flying fast and low then most of you can get inside before the beam comes down.

Now, if the tangos get the drop on you and they fire their OS as you're approaching, you're hosed. And if the defenders are dug in well, and if they have Lasher spam... you're hosed. Of course, nothing says "Screw you!" to the VS like spamming them back with looted Lashers.

DviddLeff · 2009-09-29, 03:36 PM

Never had to face mass Lasher spam, you wont find me not wearing purple

But year, as you say there are a lot of counters to drop defences, but I think they key is the availability of the fast transports as to what killed the gal.

Still when I came back for the reactivation I was helping organise random 5 strong gal drops on cyssor, which was (eventually) successful in grabbing a fully popped base. And with my outfit we did do some successful drops also; its still do-able, just need to know what you are doing and have the element of surprise.

Sentrosi · 2009-09-29, 03:42 PM

I'll throw in my 0.02 cents of opinions here.

Weapon balance needs to be addressed. I dislike having a full squad of TR being decimated by 4 Vanu spamming the Lasher. Does not seem right. You can easily hold a tower with 4 Vanu, but holding a tower with the TR took a lot of coordinated effort AND a full squad.

Empire hopping. Do NOT allow this. I hated knowing that some TR commander could hop over to the other empire if the TR was not doing well that day. Make three servers and only have people log into one server/empire.

Flight physics need to change.

Vehicle/player models need to be updated.

Firefly · 2009-09-29, 03:50 PM

Originally Posted by DviddLeff

Never had to face mass Lasher spam, you wont find me not wearing purple

I ran an Op one night after we spent a month looting Lashers and using alts for weapons trading. We stockpiled them and then went into a VS base with Lashers.

Take that, you sons of bitches!

DviddLeff · 2009-09-29, 03:57 PM

While yes the lasher excelled at holding corridors it was very much a situational weapon, really good at defence, but out in the field I would rather have an MCG any day; they are far more versatile range wise, easily able to compete at mid range with the MA rifles, yet still have the TTK at close to do the business. I do not know how the current incarnation of the Lasher fairs outdoors though.

That is the key thing about PS; different tools for different jobs, and while yes nothing was perfectly balanced I think the game benefited from it as it gave each empire a definite identity, not just a different colour scheme and armour style.

If I was going to loot anything it would be a Striker for scaring the shit out of aircraft (yeah, you are fighting VS, if you get a lock its going to be a Starfire!).