So.. I'm going to SOE Next week. Top Issues?

[Zulthus]

Playing this game more and more, I really, really dislike the class system. I miss being able to make my own custom inventory.

No one ever said "Man, this game sucks. I have too many weapons to choose from."



I hate posting stuff like this because I already know it won't change anything.

[Tatwi]

Originally Posted by Zulthus

Playing this game more and more, I really, really dislike the class system. I miss being able to make my own custom inventory.

No one ever said "Man, this game sucks. I have too many weapons to choose from."

I hate posting stuff like this because I already know it won't change anything.

I feel the same way actually. When I tried Planetside for the first time in 2011 I honestly felt the game was genius. Inventory, certs, animations, vehicle variety and handling, the engineering stuff, and the base design blew me away (and defined the word Planetside to me). All of it is missing in PS2, even simple things like doors and windows with glass on a winter continent aren't in PS2.

[Helwyr]

Originally Posted by Hamma

What are some of the major issues you guys would like to know more about?

I really want to know what's going on with the Infiltrator Class.

1) When will we get to test a PS1 style Infiltrator?
- Related to this why was the "Stalker Camouflage cloak" removed along with many other certs from the Infiltrator skill tree in the latest build?

2) Where is the Wraith ATV?

3) Regarding Radar's proliferation in PS2, when will we start seeing some counters to this.

[elementHTTP]

Originally Posted by Tatwi

Please ask them to stop monitizing TIME, by making the base game a slow grind to encourage players to buy XP boosters. Sell us actual stuff, not our own time back.

This is crucial point !

other then that
- population imbalance - its not fun to have 60+ % of one faction dominate continent (warp gate camping its not fun nether for defenders or attackers ! ), because of current capture system you cannot concentrate defense to stop advancing of larger force - you are stretched to tin
- UI changes for information system on map - where i need to attack /defend , what is being captured (how long dose it take ), do i need to respond , who is responding ...

[Canaris]

I'd like a Yes or No answer, Is the Prolwer going to get redesigned?

[Malorn]

Originally Posted by Hamma

They hate sanctuaries for some reason so this would fall on deaf ears.

I've seen a few good arguments for them. Saying "we need sanctuaries!" isn't going to get very far, but explaining why they are needed might.

So far the arguments in this thread for sanctuaries are not very convincing. The AFKing is a resource/auraxium issue, not a foothold issue. Even if there was a sanctuary people would still AFK in the warpgates or somewhere remote on the continent. The problem is Auraxium gain, not the foothold system. I believe Cutter put it well many moons ago... Foothold = Sanctuary + Warpgate - Loading Screen.

If you want a sanctuary back there should be a reason why the sanctuary should be its own continent. The only real problem that I believe a Sanctuary addresses uniquely is population distribution and allowing people into the game when the continents are locked so they can at least socialize or get into a continent queue like in PS1. Effectively it becomes a lobby in the game, though it could serve multiple purposes. There are other possibilities like having zero resource costs in the sanctuary so you can always pull vehicles or having a super fast resource recharge rate while there so you can use it for staging / recovery purposes, or just to learn how to drive vehicles without having to wait for the resources (a way to get the same result as VR training).

I see sanctuaries as more of a scaling issue and handling population changes throught the day or between continents. It could also give people a place to come back and have fun.

The downside to sanctuaries (and the reason why I believe they do not like them) is that it's another layer removed from the action. I've already seen several videos and testimonials from friends that they get into the game in this warpgate and have no idea where to go or what to do. Sanctuary can't be something people start out in or get easily transported to - we really need new players to start out in the action as soon as possible. The game is boring until they see the massive combat. Sanctuaries are another way for a player to end up in a place without action and not being able to figure out how to get out of that situation because they need to understand how warpgates work. Warpgates are bad enough for a new player to get stuck, if they happen to end up in a sanctuary chances are that is a player that will get lost, bored, and quickly grow tired of the game.

So they need to serve a necessary purpose and they need to not be boredom traps for new players who stumble upon them.

[MGP]

1 word: Prowler

[bullet]

Originally Posted by GuyFawkes

Bringing sanctuaries back. Footholds are a failed experiment in my eyes. Cause more problems than they were intended to solve. At least if someone goes afk in sanctuary it dosen't affect continent population. If you are in sanctuary or a warpgate you earn no resources or points. No resources are needed in sanctuary to access vehicles or equipment, but a timer is still present at all times wherever you are.

Removal of Auraxium as a resource, instead make it an accumulative player based commodity directly related to points earned in game. Make killing, support, capping points, and strategy all have equal weighting for points.

Resources. Where to start with this one? They should be a finite entity shared among the empire according to that population, not everyone gets x amount every tick for being online. Thats also why I want auraxium removed as a resource. Reward people for playing, jumping ship with 4th empire should have a negative effect not be encouraged by the game. You join the 40% empire but you all have to share the same bag of M&M's. Less enemy to fight = less points to earn=less auraxium.

Resources shouldnt be given just for being on a continent. These resources need to be logistically moved from base to base with an additional pipeline lattice, which can be defended, broken and countered. It also allows movement of resources between continents via warpgate connection. This is where they can add the old ps1 logistics and meta game in, without changing the hex or anything. It would be a simple tactical map overlay representing the lattice. It also gives a way for a empire trying to enter another continent a means of gaining resources without using the global 'per tick' nonsense. People taking down a resource link earn resources for themselves, and likewise defenders get a bonus for resecuring.

If you take a base or defend it, give them a resource, cert and xp bonus for doing so, according to the size and length of the fight and the amount of points you earn while there.

These issues but mainly the concepts of Footholds/Sancs/Cont Locking/Continental conquest. How do they plan on adding Continental conquest in if they don't have sanctuaries? I feel sancs were the key element to continental conquest. You had to kick the opposing factions from the continent and send them back to their sancs.

Auraxium is another huge concern of mine. Auraxium basically = Money. People actions are controlled far too much by the passive auraxium gain. Malorn made a great post on the official forums about different ways of doing auraxium gains but I think the general idea is to tie the gains to player actions. I'd like to know how they plan to fix the masses who jump ship for free auraxium, or the auraxium whores who camp warpgates for hours on end.

[ringring]

Sanctuaries - but as others have said they go together with a bunch of other issues, ie more continents with a conquest and a global strategic met-game.

@malorn .... (congratulations btw) ... I see the point about getting people (especially new people) into the action quicker but I'd argue that there are other issues to consider and are more important.

Is loading up in sanc and pressing esc+I quicker that loading up in a foothold and pressing esc+I? No I don't know that it is.

Or, as happens now, you load up and you speak to your outfit and your first question is -- this always happens now -- "which continent are we on?"

And for new people .... the first thing you do when you initially log in is to orientate yourself ...... many games have a 'bootcamp' type thing which introduces you to the basic controls and concepts; and wouldn't be good to have a VR? This type of stuff is best done in a safe zone.

There again there are many things in the game that are non-friendly - only one example if which is trying to navigate your way around facilities, how do I know which building are which?



Anyways.
The main issue right now is Auraxium gain (I'm sure Marlorn has ideas).
Ask about the status of the fourth continent. Is it Searhus and has conceptual work started.
Ask about the heavy infantry weapons, ie Lasher, Jackhammer and MCG ..... also ask what will be the effect on TTK? These weapons are supposed to have a quicker TTK than the other weapons, how how will they fit in game and are we going to see an even quicker ttk's overall?

[Livefire]

1.Crewed main battle tanks (change it back to PS1 style and give the lighting a purpose) -test it for at least a couple weeks in beta and see what the data says Would like coax machine guns to be added to the tanks main turret like in most modern FPS's and RL but controlled by a dedicated gunner of course. A third dedicated gunner could control the top weapons that you choose to put on, AA, AI, AV. Would not mind having the TR and NC having 3 persons tanks like the prowler used to be.
http://planetside-tracker.com/issues/

2.Sanctuaries and shuttle system-(Good for all the AFKers and need it for Continent Locking, just make the shuttle faster this time like it was tested at in PS1 one time)

3. Continental conquests-(Continent Locking/Meta Game)

4.Dedicated driver class - Sense it does not cost certs to pull a vehicle could we get a dedicated driver/pilot class that can't do much other then drive or fly there attack vehicels i.e. tanks, Reavers, Liberators? I would also be fine if even the crew for these attack vehicles where that dedicated class as well. It would help to cut down on vehicle spam a lot. Only Sunderers and flashes and maybe galaxy's should be driven by any class including (HEAVY ASSAULT)

5.Ask about getting A sophisticated command system and the Mission system for us PS1 Vets and the hardcore gamers to use as we get are command rank and get the "casual gamers" doing something useful. Gonna have to be a lot more advanced then PS1 as we will have so many BF3 and COD players in the game that are not used to MMO's and especially ones as grand as PS (Organising Chaos if you will)

6. Will we ever get vehicle specialisation modifications like the much talked about 2 person Reaver gunship that was originally drawn and used in alpha before it was turned into an interceptor in beta or is that going to have to wait for the player studio system for players to make them selves?

And you can give the devs my compliments on a couple things. The graphics and art is awesome. I like the hex system, I prefer this more open free battle system, but we really need some serious command tools with this system to organize the big battles we all want. I like the resource system but it will need some tweaking obviously. Love the low TTK and realistic game play(as a big fan of tactical shooters and arma, would not mind if it went even lower).

[sylphaen]

Originally Posted by Malorn

The AFKing is a resource/auraxium issue, not a foothold issue. Even if there was a sanctuary people would still AFK in the warpgates or somewhere remote on the continent. The problem is Auraxium gain, not the foothold system.

Agreed. Auraxium should not be gained from land rent like other resources.

Originally Posted by Malorn

If you want a sanctuary back there should be a reason why the sanctuary should be its own continent. The only real problem that I believe a Sanctuary addresses uniquely is population distribution and allowing people into the game when the continents are locked so they can at least socialize or get into a continent queue like in PS1. Effectively it becomes a lobby in the game, though it could serve multiple purposes. There are other possibilities like having zero resource costs in the sanctuary so you can always pull vehicles or having a super fast resource recharge rate while there so you can use it for staging / recovery purposes, or just to learn how to drive vehicles without having to wait for the resources (a way to get the same result as VR training).

Good points again.

Originally Posted by Malorn

The downside to sanctuaries (and the reason why I believe they do not like them) is that it's another layer removed from the action. I've already seen several videos and testimonials from friends that they get into the game in this warpgate and have no idea where to go or what to do. Sanctuary can't be something people start out in or get easily transported to - we really need new players to start out in the action as soon as possible. The game is boring until they see the massive combat. Sanctuaries are another way for a player to end up in a place without action and not being able to figure out how to get out of that situation because they need to understand how warpgates work. Warpgates are bad enough for a new player to get stuck, if they happen to end up in a sanctuary chances are that is a player that will get lost, bored, and quickly grow tired of the game.

The million dollar question: what assumptions should be taken for the IQ level and attention span of SOE's target average PS2 player ?

I introduced a friend's 14 y-o brother to PS2 by getting him a beta key. When I visited his family 3 days later, his brother still had not figured out there was an "Instant Action" system (and that's back when it was not limited by a 30 minutes timer).

What they did manage to find is the sniper class. The younger brother rolled VS first because they looked "cool" but then he found sniping sucked. I told him to go NC and with the OSOK headshot, he was much happier. He still stopped playing the game after a few weeks though.

For my friend, he plays very casually but still gets confused about choosing where to go and what to fight. He basically goes where the action is to shoot at targets and that's about it. He is not at all concerned about what's happening on the map. If he sees a point to capture, he does get that it's useful to capture but that's about it. He would rather stand still and shooting at targets of opportunity than try taking a point. I think it's because he does not understand the interest of points: as long as he can spawn with his rifle and get cert points to upgrade his character, there is no problem.

He did manage to go straight to the x12 zoom !


In short, noobs and short attention span people need a lot more help to understand the game. When you come from small maps games, there is a set of understanding you do not have when you switch to a game like PS2. A new game will always be too complex to learn for a new player. What's important is to keep the new players interested as they learn and better understand all the aspects of the game.

Also, not playing alone is super important.

[Captain1nsaneo]

This thread is to make a list of issues Hamma can talk to the devs. This is not to make a list of things to be sent to the video game wizard who can snap his fingers and make them real.



Well done by Malorn for pointing out the flaws in the presented arguments about Sancs. However, the argument for Sancs ignores the problem that removing them was trying to fix and didn't. The need for players to get into the fight quickly. The complaint of "How do I get to the fight?" was one of the most legitimate complaints I heard from players who picked up the game but didn't get hooked. The problem isn't Sancs or Warpgates, it's something that Planetside has always been bad at.
Tutorials.
Normal MMOs have a kidy pool where new players can get into a fight and be able to learn before letting into the deeper game. Planetside doesn't have that. Never has. There is no 'end' game for people to practice through there just is 'the' game. CoD has its single player to act as the tutorial for its multiplayer (remember 'The Pit' level in mw2?) When players say "I can't find a fight" what they're actually saying is "I don't know how to find a fight" and right now there is no way for them to learn how to besides fumbling.

The Devs are probably eyes deep in making the game right now so I'd suggest to ask some broader questions because they'll have plenty of time to fix the mag's turning/fps issue but once the game goes live they're stuck with their payment model.

What kind of game do they want to make? Not "The best MMOFPS ever" but things like combined arms, rotating cont control, and the place of resources. What are they supposed to be when they're done?
If we get this information we can give better feedback.

Infantry resource costs vs Vehicle resource costs.

Size of the world vs size of the war. Which is supposed to feel larger?

The pace of combat when looked at over hours.

Player distribution, is the idea of splitting the fight out over a base still holding?
What about distribution over the map?

What are engagement distances now? Tank engagement distances? Do the maps support it?

What vehicles are pulled most? Least? Why?

Why do certs cost what they cost? Does the cert justify the cost?

[Legolas]

- Accessibility for new players.

- Population imbalances.

- Amerish.

- Weather.

- Less hexes on Indar.

[Canaris]

oh and speaking of redesigns are bases/outpost layouts going to get some also?

If so will we see more infantry only only areas soon?

[Exmortius]

not being able to load textures and actually play lol win8 is borked right now. i'm sure they will fix it but that is my big issue. i can't even log in to see what works with the newest patch.