News: February Road Map Discussion

[maradine]

1. Account Level Unlocks - indifferent. I play one character.
2. VR Training Area - love. Missed it. Will make Scythe close order drill for our nublets much less expensive.
3. Community Grief Reporting - love.
4. Improved Item Preview - love, but not particularly important, imo.
5. Empire Specific Rocket Launchers - love.
6. Loadout Screen Revamp - love, though I don't have any specific suggestions on how to go about it.
7. Regional Empire Priority System - indifferent. I'd prefer we just get more continents up and link them properly.
8. Vehicle Update: Flash - indifferent, but I spend a lot of time in vehicles, so good by default.
9. Increase the number of vehicle cosmetic slots - errrr . . .
10. Separate Score from Experience - indifferent.
11. Daily Medals/Achievements - might be fun - tentative love.
12. Pump Action Shotguns - you can pry the Thanatos out of my gloved purple hand.
13. Spectator Mode - love, but how would this even work?

[Catfart]

I'm a bit unure about this one:

Originally Posted by Hamma

[*]Regional Empire Priority System - The intent for this system is to allow the game to set "priority level" for regions based on what activities are taking place there. These areas would come with score/XP bonuses to encourage fights in underutilized areas, spread population, and create hotspots.

There is lots of enthusiasm for this, but I dont think it gives enough detail. Are artificial hotspots a good thing? A battle that only exists because there is double exp in that hex, doesnt really fit in with a strategic game.

This will just pull resources away from true strategic targets.

[ExplodingSilver]

Daily Medals/Achievements - We'd like to add in daily achievements/medals for weapons and tools which could include things like:

"Kill 10 enemies with the CARV" or "Revive 10 allies with Revive Grenades" would net Experience or Cert rewards
These would reset daily

This game needs a steady stream of new people and new people who stay for a while, there are a lot of players who like the bling of medals popping up, so for the increased population health of the game, I will be voting up this one

[MrBloodworth]

Originally Posted by Catfart

I'm a bit unure about this one:


There is lots of enthusiasm for this, but I dont think it gives enough detail. Are artificial hotspots a good thing? A battle that only exists because there is double exp in that hex, doesnt really fit in with a strategic game.

This will just pull resources away from true strategic targets.

That's a really good point. The idea does indeed seem counter to the outfit or team-play of the game.

[Tatwi]

Originally Posted by MrBloodworth

That's a really good point. The idea does indeed seem counter to the outfit or team-play of the game.

I think the idea is to bring people of the same side together in the hope that they will team up, be successful, and get to know each other in the process. It's entirely up to the players if they want to socialize or not, but this system is a good community building tool if people actually bother communicating and making friends while fighting.

There comes a point where one has to blame the players for how they choose to play the game, rather than simply pointing fingers at how the game is designed.

[DirtyBird]

I'm going to use a bastardised version of Maradines format here.

1. Account Level Unlocks - Would also like to be refunded for items that are duplicated on characters of the same faction.
2. VR Training Area - So many new players desperately need this functionality and I think its an addition that will increase the longevity of the game.
3. Community Grief Reporting - Just investigating or they have new and improved methods being tested and good to go? I'm not seeing as many hacker but this would be a welcome addition.
4. Improved Item Preview - Should have been included from day one and now I am not so sure its all that important with much of it available offline anyway.
5. Empire Specific Rocket Launchers - They love adding and changing rocket launchers, these can wait 6mths imo.
6. Loadout Screen Revamp - Yes it should be easier to use but to get it right you need more than a month so push it back to June and get it right, get input along the way as well.
7. Regional Empire Priority System - Would love to see more involvement on unused continents we have now like Amerish. Someone suggested XP bonuses each weekend based on which cont got the least action during the week. Then XP bonuses for each cont scaled like 2x, 1.5x, 1x. I thought that idea would have worked wonders.
8. Vehicle Update: Flash - I like the idea of cloaking but its not important. The flash is pretty cheap to buy so I dont think you'd want it doing too much extra.
9. Increase the number of vehicle cosmetic slots - Should have been there at release so dont care too much about it now.
10. Separate Score from Experience - I assume this means the leader boards might work one day? Get them fixed first before making adjustments.
11. Daily Medals/Achievements - Meh not that interested.
12. Pump Action Shotguns - I've still got an unuseable Jack Hammer thats yet to be confirmed as useful. Lets get over that first.
13. Spectator Mode - Not important, who would actually benefit from this?

[Hamma]

Originally Posted by Stanis

Has anything on the february roadmap been postponed ?

Has anything on later months been brought forward ?

We haven't heard of any delays, you can hit up www.planetside2.com/roadmap to see the later months

[Higby]

Spectator mode will not be available to players. This is for special dev flagged accounts and will be used similar to the free flight camera that Maggie and Jimmy use all the time on FNO. We just need to spend some time making it better, so it's on the roadmap.

[Hamma]

Cool thanks for the clarification

[Phantomdestiny]

Originally Posted by Higby

Spectator mode will not be available to players. This is for special dev flagged accounts and will be used similar to the free flight camera that Maggie and Jimmy use all the time on FNO. We just need to spend some time making it better, so it's on the roadmap.

thanks Higby ; you guys/girls are great keep up the good work

[typhaon]

1. Account Level Unlocks - Meh. I also play one character. But, it makes sense.
2. VR Training Area - I don't care, but I can see how the game definitely needs this feature.
3. Community Grief Reporting - Better reporting is needed, but also some ability for SOE to react faster/immediately to hacking/cheating. They have to go hand in hand.
4. Improved Item Preview - Meh. Sure. I tend to use vids/forums to get an idea about weapons, anyway.
5. Empire Specific Rocket Launchers - Beyond just this, I'm a HUGE fan of anything empire-specific. These things make the game for me... set it apart... Balance issues? I have faith you'll get it right (eventually) - that's why they pay you the big $$$!
6. Loadout Screen Revamp - OK. It could use some love, but not a huge priority.
7. Regional Empire Priority System - Not necessary. Lipstick on a pig. Real issue is linking everything together into one big game. PS2 is still 3 separate mini-games (continents 1 through 3).
8. Vehicle Update: Flash - Meh. Almost gave this red. It has a role, it does some things. I don't want to see it around more than we already see it. Work on something else.
9. Increase the number of vehicle cosmetic slots - I thought we had unused slots? I'm not a fan of the price of cosmetics, in general.
10. Separate Score from Experience - I'd like to see stats fully working -- daily, weekly, etc. -- before effort is put into stripping out more useful ones. I'd like to see expansion of the type of kill/damage stats available to players. I'd like to see kills, deaths, damage, etc. by class... score earned by various (healing, repairing) activities.
11. Daily Medals/Achievements - makes me nervous. Do NOT want to see this morph into daily grinding quests -- "kill 20 enemy engineers for 10 certs" - etc.. If they were just fun medals you collected when certain conditions were met... fine. Maybe at some point they can be traded in for a cosmetic item.
12. Pump Action Shotguns - I think we're good on the number of shotguns in the game, right now.
13. Spectator Mode - A couple of things. If it's an in-game gameplay thing... we're talking spy drones/satellites? <-- Love that. Could cert them out... use them for various video purposes... but they also have a game purpose and could be shot down, jammed, etc.. If it's strictly inviso-spectator mode... I assume it would have to be on some kind of a delay -- which I don't even know how that would work.

[Rago]

Spec mode , nobody likes or vote it, if we are lucky they drop this Idea.
Right ?

Spec mode is in no way useful for the Game-player.(ahh i just read about it, usually used for admins)

I also gave the Pump Actions a No, shotguns are strong enough.
I killed 7 people Yesterday alone in a Base using a shotgun and im talking about the NC.

[Ogre]

Man, for the flash I have had a ton of ideas for it, and it stems down to vehicles needing more module slots, or certs that are passive and not slotted.

Flash: Instead of the racer frames, or other BS, you get new frames that are literally a fucking frame. Check it out
*Wraith configuration: first level adds a muffler, visible, next level, cloaking generator that is sympathetic to a cloak suit. so on and so on
*Brawler configuration: Takes The flash is able to deploy into a turret. The wheels simply flip down, and the vehicle pivots from the middle of the four. The minguard would be part of this cert further down the tree, and would flip from under, to the front of the vehicle to act as a type of shield.
*Faction configuration: It irks me that with all the bad ass talent and raw creativity that the common pool vehicles do not have faction specific upgrades. Dramatically changes the appearance, and adds a new weapon option to unlock.
-Vanu: Hover flash, as you upgrade you gain access to jumps and boosts. Is sympathetic to jump armor, so wear the armor, boost/ jump harder.
-TR: Motorcycle flash, its not that hard to animate. when they stop one leg drops to the side and they lean a little. massive speed bonus, sweet jumps. its like a combat dirtbike.
-NC: Treads son, or a six wheeler like a gator. be a comically small tank.



----
Same thing for the lightning: anyone remember the thresher, just keep the lightning frame, add on some hover units, and a vanu cannon. bam. its back.

Faction specific lightning armor: why the hell not.

[Chefkoch]

I would like to see Death Traking gone from the game and just have Score / Outfitpoints per hour or something instead.

Also stats per Vehicle Weapon would be nice as right now you only see xx Kills in Magrider but not listed per weapon.

[Azarga]

1. Account Level Unlocks. I play one character, so it doesn't really affects me. But it's a fair change.
2. VR Training Area. This will give NC pilots much needed practice in handling Reavers without being immediately shot down.
3. Community Grief Reporting. Griefing is bad and needs to be dealt with.
4. Improved Item Preview. Unimportant, IMO.
5. Empire Specific Rocket Launchers. Want to see guided missiles.
6. Loadout Screen Revamp.
7. Regional Empire Priority System. Can't say for sure, need more info.
8. Vehicle Update: Flash.
9. Increase the number of vehicle cosmetic slots Never really wanted anything of vehicle cosmetics, so - meh.
10. Separate Score from Experience. Not sure... what's the point?
11. Daily Medals/Achievements. "-Switch to medic plox. -No, I've already done daily for Assault rifles."
12. Pump Action Shotguns. As long as there will be no hilarious sh*t like some LOL-SAWED-OFF-SHAWTGUM.
13. Spectator Mode Was strongly against it until Higby said that it will be admin tool solely. Now indifferent.