Alliances/ Outfit combinations

[cashfoyogash]

I believe this was briefly touched on in a previous post, I know the guy suggested this. That outfits can ally with other outfits to basically make one large outfit. An example of this would be for you EVE players corporations allying with other corporations to create an alliance that has the same goal.

In my mind an outfit is compared to a company in the actual military (around 100 soldiers). I also heard SOE plans on making it more beneficial to keep the outfit smaller and not promote one huge 500 player outfit, what small is to them i dont know, maybe platoon size? Anyway, in PS2 id see an alliance of outfits becoming more like a battalion compared to the real military. A battalion is usually composed of around six companies HHQ (high headquarters, also where you would find your mortar infantry and snipers etc.), Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta and a support company is usually attached. In my battalion, 1-36th infantry, alpha and bravo were mechanized infantry companies charlie and delta were tanker companies (m1a1 abrams).

I bring up combining outfits up to a certain number of outfits because it would be cool to combine outfits that specialize in certain things. Like you have your strictly infantry companies combining with your armor companies to create a armored battalion, much like the battalion i was a part of. The infantry and the armor really compliment each other well and it would just make organized attacks much easier since it appears outfits can really only specialize in one thing.

I just think you cant have only infantry, sometimes you need your armor to help push the enemy back. So instead of the commander asking for help in a public chat from another outfit he can just order outfit bravo to back up outfit alpha. Or say outfit bravo is the armor outfit and they are rolling through one of the urban areas and they are being pinned down by AV attacks due to all the choke points (armor really is more prone to defeat in an enclosed area) outfit bravo doesnt need to fall back and ask for help the outfit alliance commander can order outfit alpha to dismount (if they were mech infantry) and clear any buildings that are known to be AV nests.

I just hope SOE has decided to make it so outfits can align with each other as it would create a more tactical gameplay and more of a feeling of being a part of an actual military unit while giving commanders more options in how they would complete their objectives.

[Redshift]

nice name :/

I wouldn't mind an actual option to form alliances or battalions but there'd have to be a point to it, unless it was just for the extra chat channel :/

[cashfoyogash]

My point in having it would probably be more for commanders and the versitily they would have in how they conduct military movements. Say your in a infantry outfit you wont need to ask in public chat for armored support if a armored outfit is in your battalion/ alliance. It would be available to you to use, request, or command how ever you want to look at it. I dont think they would share in xp bonuses or skill buffs. Mainly just for organization and command.

[WarChimp130]

I think that's pretty much the plan. Smaller outfits of player who do the same thing and the outfits can specialize and gain benefits for doing so, and then those smaller specialized outfits can become an alliance which will be able to use those Infantry, Armor, Air and whatever else specialized outfits as one.

I could see the bigger outfits just diving their members into smaller specialized outfits with the same name.

[cashfoyogash]

Ok, so as we know this is suppose to be in the game? If people have videos of interviews could you please link them to me, either the post from this forum or the link itself will be fine. Thanks.

[Firefly]

Originally Posted by cashfoyogash

Ok, so as we know this is suppose to be in the game? If people have videos of interviews could you please link them to me, either the post from this forum or the link itself will be fine. Thanks.

No.

He did not confirm that alliances would be in-game.

He did not confirm anything about outfit specializations.

The only thing Higby typed was in response to my PSU forum question was that they were working on something that would address splitting outfits into mini-outfits, and that it was really awesome and that he thought we'd all love it. I'm roughly paraphrasing here. It's in the "Q&A On Reddit With Matt Higby" thread.

[Firefly]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/f...&postcount=300

Originally Posted by Higby

We definitely recognize that the inclusion of role specific advantages as part of the outfit progression will lead players to wanting to create smaller specialized outfits / divisions. We do have a plans to address this and when we're ready to reveal more details on the outfits system (which seriously, seriously rules, by the way -- I think you guys are going to be really stoked with what we're doing here) you'll find out all about it.

This is the ONLY thing he said. There is nothing in there to confirm that you will need mini-outfits and alliances, there is nothing there that states there will be alliances.

[cashfoyogash]

but sounds like basically the same premiss, thanks for the link. i think ill really really like it haha

[Firefly]

You can interpret it any way you want - I interpret it as "We're going to make outfit specializations into cute little fluffy bunnies that you have to TK via Mag-mow in Uncapturable Foothold Bases to gain". That doesn't make it so.

The bottom line is, they haven't unveiled anything for outfit specializations. They haven't said that there will be alliances, they haven't said that there won't be. All he said was, they have a plan to address it. Personally my advice is, don't read into it. You'll end up nerd-raging when they do a 180 from what you thought they intended, and in our experience shit like that leads to "OMG THEY SAID THIS! OMFG THEY DID NOT! ZOMFG YES THEY DID! THEY LIED!"

[cashfoyogash]

you just bursted my bubble, your a downer. haha thanks though and i understand where you are coming from. it could be a complete opposite from what im intending.

[WarChimp130]

I can't keep track of whats real and whats speculation on these forums anymore. I've taken the pieces that I do like from both though and constructed the game to completion in my mind though and it's breathe taking.

[JanitOr KanOs]

It seems like they really want to force outfit identity in this game. Having lots of small outfits forces every outfit commander to form a sort of unofficial command hierarchy on the global command channel. This would make for an interesting meta-game that forces the different factions to come up with their own command structures, though it may not become more than every commander advertising how awesome their outfit is.

They brought up the 101st Airborne a lot in interviews, so it seems like they really want everyone to be in a 101st Airborne/SEAL Team 6 kind of outfit. Something that stands out and gains notoriety.

Maybe they also just want to discourage the Zerging? Not sure if it's possible to stop that, though.

[cashfoyogash]

I think he talks about the 101st airborne due to its air assault capabilities (galaxy drops). They are able to be all over the place and dismount and be extracted and in another battle really fast.

[JanitOr KanOs]

Originally Posted by cashfoyogash

I think he talks about the 101st airborne due to its air assault capabilities (galaxy drops). They are able to be all over the place and dismount and be extracted and in another battle really fast.

Exactly, they're known for that. If an outfit specialized in gal drops got really good at it, they'd become the PS2 equivalent of the 101st Airborne and people would begin to love/hate them for it.

[Firefly]

Originally Posted by JanitOr KanOs

If an outfit specialized in gal drops got really good at it

Mine does. We don't model ourselves after (or consider ourselves) the 101st though.