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

[Hamma]

So Jennyboo and I will spend a couple days at SOE next week and then of course SOE Live 2012. What are some of the major issues you guys would like to know more about?

[Crator]

Well, if they haven't fixed it by the time you get there, the biggest issue I can think of is: Population balancing between continents. What are the plans to fix it?

[Cryofire]

The biggest issue for me personally is that in a proper fight, my fps is 8, oh well, I suppose that's better than last week, last week I had below 1 fps in a proper fight. And in warpgates my fps can reach to 50.

[sylphaen]

I second the server population/continent population balance concerns.

I am also curious about their medium-term/long-term plan for the evolution of continents, their facilities and overall map interaction/gameplay. Will we have a framework to structure combat/strategy (e.g. PS1's lattice)?
(hex contiguity+resources currently doesn't cut it)

[Serpent]

Any further tweaks to the guns? I don't feel any of it...

Also: Continent Conquer? Will we be able to capture a whole continent and force the other 2 factions out of it for some time?

Thanks!

[Zulthus]

I have some time to throw together a list...

Bases

They need to be much more complex. They don't feel like a base, and the placing of spawn rooms is terrible. Everything is too open and prone to vehicle camping, especially the spawn room. Once the enemy pushes you out of the main base you're pretty much done. Spawn rooms need to be underground, below the main base. There needs to be some sort of infantry combat indoors with places that are easily defensible. As it is now, enemies can come from anywhere around you and it's just a giant clusterfuck.

Different capture mechanics. Hack/hold and LLU were nice, since there was only one control console you needed to defend. Having 3+ objectives to hold is no fun because you're constantly running back and forth to cap them. I haven't seen any sort of defense of these points. It's fine that some bases have it, but not all of them should. It is getting annoying and boring.

Bring back the Dropship Centers and Interlink Facilities. Give each facility its same benefit from PS1.

We need the Lattice system. Instead of massive battles, there are lots of small ones spread thin all along your empire's frontline. The lattice will give each empire a direction in which to capture territory.

The World

ADD SANCTUARIES. We desperately need them. Footholds are just home to AFKers who soak up resources/auraxium and take up slots on the continent, preventing other people from playing there. We also need the extra buildings and a cease fire area. The one building in the warpgate isn't cutting it. People TK and throw grenades just to get to terminals because the density of people is so high. Add in the HART system again, but lower the timer significantly.

Once Amerish is added, give each empire a home continent and allow continents to be 'captured'. Hopefully sanctuaries will be in by that time, so 2 out of the three warpgates on the continents can be broadcast warpgates.




I'll continue this later, I have other things to do.

[The Kush]

The bases need to be more complex.
Sanctuaries.
Sphere of influence.
Frame rate.
Lattice system instead of hexes.

[Hamma]

Originally Posted by Zulthus

ADD SANCTUARIES.

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

[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.

Removal of kill:death as a default statistic, and replace it with points. keep the kills but remove the death part, its a negative stat that discourages effort. You can still have it in there, but make it an option rather than default exhibit.

Make BR count, its quite useless right now. I think giving people a points and cert bonus for levelling , as well as what they have now is the way to go. Unlock vehicles at set battle ranks, atv by default , lightning at br2, vanguard at br8, and so on. You unlock something and have a nice bonus of certs to spend on your new toys. As it is you get access to everything at br1 , and the rest of 'progress' is meh from then on. No limit to BR.

I'd like to bring back armor color changes as you level, berets and backpacks. I know theres the cash shop, but having small nonsensical rewards have that kudos pat on the back type of encouragement to keep playing.

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.

Allow people to use certs so they can reduce the resource cost for their chosen specialisation. Also allow them to turn excess of whatever they rarely use into the resource they want, same again, certed. For example,you rarely use catalysts so turn them into polymers, not 1:1, maybe 1 polymer from 3 catalysts. Limit this to per character, not per class.

Classes. I'd like to see them tweak this. You can choose to play all the classes as is now, and put certs into general ones that affect all of them, but once you cert into a particular class, that locks your certs to that class until you get to some magical point where you can then unlock a 2nd class, and so on. Link classes to relevant vehicle types. This is all to reduce the amount of magrider type spam that exists in the game. Plus you need a Battle Rank to gain access to them. For instance, you would need to be BR8, and have certs in engineering or heavy assault to use a magrider. You would need to be BR6 , engineer or light assault to use esf. Or BR2 ,medic or infiltrator to use an ams.
You can still play all the other classes as is now, but need to commit to certain ones to unlock vehicle relevant to your class via certs.
Bring in a 24 hour reset timer also.

Edit: a nod to Eliminatorr :bring back the wishlist :P

[GuyFawkes]

Originally Posted by Hamma

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

I fear you are right, but in practice the reason for having footholds ie getting back into the fight quickly, will always be defunct as long as people can earn anything from doing nothing.

I can log into any server, on any faction and I guarantee there will be more people in there staring at walls than the first hotspot I go to.

If they dont bring in sanctuaries, they really must put an end to passive gains while inside the warpgates at least.

[julfo]

Originally Posted by GuyFawkes

Bringing sanctuaries back...

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.

Removal of kill:death as a default statistic, and replace it with points. keep the kills but remove the death part, its a negative stat that discourages effort. You can still have it in there, but make it an option rather than default exhibit.

These 3 things are, in my opinion, crucial. They really need to get this right, and I have complete faith in them to do so. And pretty much the rest of what GuyFawkes said as well, there's no point me rehashing it and adding my superlatives; he said it how it is.

[psijaka]

Originally Posted by Crator

Well, if they haven't fixed it by the time you get there, the biggest issue I can think of is: Population balancing between continents. What are the plans to fix it?

^ this. NC were at 91% and Esamir was entirely blue up to the warp gates at 0800GMT this morning. A game killer - top priority.

I like the hex system, by the way. Has a lot of potential.

[RodenyC]

Really the Sancs should be forced upon them Hamma.Ask them why they don't want it when fans do.Show them post among post of people asking for it.

[Baneblade]

Originally Posted by Hamma

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

They hate e/e animations too. Silly devs, fluff is crucial.

[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.