**Disclaimer** I do not play PS. Until I get a computer that is able to do more than function as a net-capable paperweight, I won't be able to play PS. I am a n00b, but I have been following the game for years now.
**Disclaimer**
Okay, I've read plenty of Planetside reviews as well as PS related posts in various message boards. One common complaint I've seen is the "there's no reason to hold a base" or "what's the point, it doesn't do anything, anyway" line of comments. Well, here's a suggestion that I think might be pretty cool: base related "research" for new content.
Now I don't mean that players get to create new stuff (which I'm sure we would all agree would make the game way too chaotic and unbalanced). By this I mean holding a base gives your faction "research points" and when you get a certain amount of points, the Dev team unlocks a new weapon or piece of equipment for your faction. Each base type can research different pieces of equipment too. For example:
Amplifier Station: Researches comon pool "items" (i.e. Advanced med kits, Advanced hacking tools, Det packs, etc.) The faction that finishes "researching" an item first gets to use it for, oh, say a month, before the other factions get to use it. Or they could be required to research it before use also.
Bio Lab: Researches new implants. They could be common pool and follow the "first research, first use" thing I suggested for the item research, or it could even research Empire-specific implants.
Interlink Facility: Researches base defense related items (i.e. interchangable base turrets, unhackable doors, placable manned-turrets, etc.) Again, common pool or Empire-specific.
Tech plant: Researches Empire-specific new weapons and ground vehicles. I put those two together to slow down the introduction of potentially unbalancing new stuff.
Drop ship center: Researches Empire-specific air vehicles. The fact that there is only 1 per continent should slow down introducing unbalanced new air vehicles.
You may be asking "So what, they hold a base for a few hours and BAM, new content?" Well of course not. It could be set so that the Empires would have to accumulate enough research points that the new content would take months to unlock. For example, let's say each base provides 1 research point per hour it is under your faction's control and 2 points if the base is on a locked contintent for that hour (incentive for continent locks
). Each researchable item could take a million research points to unlock. So even with all 6 servers contributing research points to their faction, it would take a while to build up those points.
Now all this assumes that the Dev team is able to work out new weapons/vehicles/items/implants prior to the players accumulating research points. But it would give incentive to defending bases as well as continent locks, and give the players a sense of purpose for capturing and holding all these bases.
So, what do you think? *dons flame retardant suit*
2003-06-24, 02:47 PM
Linear Mode
