NPC's in planetside?

[Garem]

+1 to the "calm down folks" posters, although I understand the strong objections to the idea.

BTW, I'm not strongly swayed either way, but here's some food for thought.

The "animals" and passive NPCs issue has been discussed, so... what about NPC caravans?

Nobody really liked driving ANTs, but they had a very important purpose.
Resources in the game are changing; we're not exactly sure how, but we know that "territory is survival".
So we know they're going to be very important.

I can foresee it being interesting to have, say, an NPC caravan sending resources from the front line to a more secure location, or vise versa, for an outfit or just automatically by a faction itself. This creates an objective for the team to protect that isn't just a base.

Sure, I suppose it COULD be a player-driven convoy. But they got rid of ANTs for a reason- driving them really isn't as much fun as driving a tank. Player-directed NPCs could actually increase the game's PvP soul, not necessarily diminish it.

Addendum:

NPCs should never get computer space over players. I'm sure this can be scripted, of course, so that animals and any other NPCs disappear when poplocks happen. This makes sense, too- if that many people are around with guns, tanks, and aircraft and I were a helpless (insert NPC) I'd get the hell out of Dodge, too.

[Livefire]

Originally Posted by Garem

+1 to the "calm down folks" posters, although I understand the strong objections to the idea.

BTW, I'm not strongly swayed either way, but here's some food for thought.

The "animals" and passive NPCs issue has been discussed, so... what about NPC caravans?

Nobody really liked driving ANTs, but they had a very important purpose.
Resources in the game are changing; we're not exactly sure how, but we know that "territory is survival".
So we know they're going to be very important.

I can foresee it being interesting to have, say, an NPC caravan sending resources from the front line to a more secure location, or vise versa, for an outfit or just automatically by a faction itself. This creates an objective for the team to protect that isn't just a base.

Sure, I suppose it COULD be a player-driven convoy. But they got rid of ANTs for a reason- driving them really isn't as much fun as driving a tank. Player-directed NPCs could actually increase the game's PvP soul, not necessarily diminish it.

I actual was going to mention the ant being driven by a npc, lol forgot that one. Possible another thing command rank could do, give you the ability to tell a npc what to do as in evac the base and head to gal or sundere, move/stop that type of thing.

[Zulthus]

Originally Posted by Livefire

I actual was going to mention the ant being driven by a npc, lol forgot that one. Possible another thing command rank could do, give you the ability to tell a npc what to do as in evac the base and head to gal or sundere, move/stop that type of thing.

And this is where I say, "GTFO."

[Garem]

Originally Posted by Zulthus

And this is where I say, "GTFO."

Livefire is taking all the heat from a suggestion I made. >.>

Zulthus, why would a drone-NPC that by its very nature made players more likely to engage in combat for a purpose different than merely taking territory be a bad thing? Given that NPCs were not allowed to take up "space" that players might otherwise fill. What's the logical reason for refusing this opportunity?

[DayOne]

I really don't see what everyone's deal is with NPC's. Getting quests to kill and collect the helmets of 10 NC would be fun!


Seriously though. I get that people may not want them because they sap CPU and server power but if they could be implemented do they don't? It would be great!

Immersion is a great thing! Most games just won't work without it. CoD doesn't need it as it's an arcade shooter. Battlefield doesn't need for the same reason but it has it because of its graphics. They are pretty realistic in the way people move, that immersion is probably one of the only reasons I overlooked the bug filled mess of a game.

Planetside will benefit greatly from it. Would it be worse than PS1 without it? No. Would it become a much much better game than PS1 because of it? Most probably.

This is Planetside TWO people. Don't go down the CoD road of accepting a reskinned PS1 and just lap it up like a sheep.

[IronMole]

Originally Posted by DayOne

I really don't see what everyone's deal is with NPC's. Getting quests to kill and collect the helmets of 10 NC would be fun!


Seriously though. I get that people may not want them because they sap CPU and server power but if they could be implemented do they don't? It would be great!

Immersion is a great thing! Most games just won't work without it. CoD doesn't need it as it's an arcade shooter. Battlefield doesn't need for the same reason but it has it because of its graphics. They are pretty realistic in the way people move, that immersion is probably one of the only reasons I overlooked the bug filled mess of a game.

Planetside will benefit greatly from it. Would it be worse than PS1 without it? No. Would it become a much much better game than PS1 because of it? Most probably.

This is Planetside TWO people. Don't go down the CoD road of accepting a reskinned PS1 and just lap it up like a sheep.

Why are people so adamant?

The reasons as to why that people have given can be done via players. "Player created missions", which doesn't need an NPC to give you.

Planetside doesn't need NPC's full stop, it's not going to offer anything a player can't. What immersion are they going to give other than to look at them?

"Hey look, there's a bird."
"Great, now fucking shoot the tank in front of us."

Planetside works fine without NPCs solely because it's a player driven game. You're going to be too busy teaming up, organizing raids, fight for resources and blowing shit up.

I also don't see how Planetside would benefit greatly from it?

[Sirisian]

Originally Posted by Zulthus

And this is where I say, "GTFO."

Oh c'mon be a little nicer in your replies. For instance, I'll say that if you require such a boring gameplay mechanic that no one wants to do it manually then it serves no purpose in the game and actually detracts from the gameplay.

This is why I made the rethinking the ant thread a while back. Take something that was painfully boring in the game and either make it fun or remove it.

[Tatwi]

Originally Posted by Sirisian

Oh c'mon be a little nicer in your replies. For instance, I'll say that if you require such a boring gameplay mechanic that no one wants to do it manually then it serves no purpose in the game and actually detracts from the gameplay.

This is why I made the rethinking the ant thread a while back. Take something that was painfully boring in the game and either make it fun or remove it.

I liked driving the ANT, manning a turret, guarding a base, and repairing/healing things, because all of those things worked OK when my ping was 400+. They aren't boring for everyone, despite how you personally feel about it.

[MGP]

I've imagined the chat like this:
"LFG to kill that <random-dragon-alien-thing-in-the woods>, good exp and drop epic weapon mods!"
And then i've started to cry...

[Garem]

Originally Posted by MGP

I've imagined the chat like this:
"LFG to kill that <random-dragon-alien-thing-in-the woods>, good exp and drop epic weapon mods!"
And then i've started to cry...

Out of curiosity, would the following line gathering be as offensive to you?

"LF raiders; lightly defended NC caravan spotted by scouts heading across NE Indar. Need Gal pilot, AT inf, EMP nades, any pilots."

Assume that the caravan vehicles are not fighting NPC "soldier" driven, but more or less drones told basic commands like Start, Stop, Slower, Faster, and Scatter. They may or may not be protected by Players. Caravans may or may not be automatically dispatched, or dispatched at the command of a Player/Outfit.

I just don't understand how a blanket theory can be made that all "NPC" characters would necessarily mean less PvP. Nothing in Planetside happens in a vacuum- people are going to care about losing important resources, which reduce their ability to fight.

[IronMole]

Originally Posted by Livefire

I actual was going to mention the ant being driven by a npc, lol forgot that one. Possible another thing command rank could do, give you the ability to tell a npc what to do as in evac the base and head to gal or sundere, move/stop that type of thing.

Oh so now were replacing players for NPC's?

All the ideas that you lot have come up with can just be done mission based with players.

What next? I will be able to hire an NPC to be my companion in fights?

[Warborn]

The knee-jerk reactions in this thread are sort of funny and sad. Are they sure they want PS1 vets to get priority access to the beta?

[IronMole]

Originally Posted by Warborn

The knee-jerk reactions in this thread are sort of funny and sad. Are they sure they want PS1 vets to get priority access to the beta?

Only if they don't want a care-bear game.

[Graywolves]

They should put wolves all over auraxis and I should control them and make hundreds of them maul armies and tanks apart.

[Mastachief]

Originally Posted by IronMole

Only if they don't want a care-bear game.

This.

If they want planetside 2 then vets are essential otherwise it will be wow with guns.