Vanu population problem is due to bad PR

Lots of forum crying makes the side look bad obviously.

thank god I'm an infantry Vanu.

If that was the case, the TR would be rock bottom in terms of population.

VS population problem is due to bad developer choices and the F2P model. They try to play the fotm game with us to buy stuff on different factions. TR started fotm, then VS, then TR again, I bet NC will get ultra buffed at some point and so on.

Hi,
Vanu player here (obviously!).
I have seen the sharp drop, but it is simply because the small tiny issues, and a lot of people left (FOTM players--you know, traitors.) when we weren't "teh ops". Vanu's Magrider I find on par with Vanguard, maybe Prowler needs a few tweaks. (Prowler drivers, any insight?) but I would rather be underpopulated then have tons of "Vanu" people on the forums belittling other people with "l2p" when you guys didn't have balanced tanks--it's better to have loyal warriors in smaller number, than a bunch of mercenaries who have no allegiance.

Anyway, it should all go back to normal in some time, for now, it is alright with me.

Sturmwaffles

The fact that there are so few "normal" players in the VS is their look. Seriously. Even when the VS had the most powerful weapons that one shot kill everything I wouldn't play a faction who's soldiers wear pink spandex.

The Vanu had many players because they were overpowered. Now that they are normal all of the "I only play the strongest faction!" noobs leave and go to the TR or the NC.

And the fact that many players left the overpopulated (because overpowered) VS led to even more people leaving the VS because they are afraid of being outnumbered by the enemy. And in leaving they actually made their fears turn into reality.

I understand this, and I think it's partially right.

To be honest, however, and perhaps I'm just odd, but I love their style...I would hate for it to be changed.

Lol, the only one?

People choose what they like, strong minded individuals will stick to their guns and stay with their faction through thick and thin. Then there is the 10% (pure guess) than are weak minded and will jump on any bandwagon as long as it has cookies (rewards). Most faction balance and switching is based on vague numbers and hearsay.

I couldn't honestly say which faction is strongest overall, mostly whoever brings the most troops wins, but even that isn't a hard and fast rule. Any well coordinated side as just as good as chance as the other when it comes to the battlefield. Part of the problem with prowlers pre GU2 was people expected to lose with them. You can't win anything in life or game, expecting to lose. Perception is key.

I have to agree with the OP. The perception now is that the VS suck and so do all their vehicles and weapons to some degree or another. Strangely enough VS were doing fine in general before the Mag nerf, as if the MBT is the backbone of each race's fighting force and as such the VS can no longer compete. This is of course false, as TR have hardly been using Prowlers since the game came out, only to start using them now.

The VS have problems, but the largest one is the lack of appeal. Because frankly.. you know, they don't look cool. Without a carrotsome people will just be turned off by the purple, skintight, glowy hover sci-fi aesthetics and go for TR and NC, who have a more "modern warfare" feel to them. NC especially.

Several reasons.

Fourth empire.
Some wierd purple hatred.
Utter bollox about easy mode.

Fourth empire will move to the op no matter what.

Purple unfashionable? Well that's just young people being odd and associating purple with sexual choices. Fact is you can change your Camo. Although I'm questioning my choice of white Camo everywhere.

And easy mode whinges from tr, lies and disinformation about zero recoil no bullet drop op mode. Drives players to tr or nc.
Last is. Tr are cclearly evil. Vs are made out a little too fanatical in 2. NC seem good.
In 1 they were all slightly dodgy.

Nc are just in it for themselves. Government wouldn't let the corps have their own way. So they used mercenary armies to start a civil war. They were an allegory of corporate greed mixed with a small dose of freedom.
Vs where the ones inthe middle the thinkers the doers. Who wouldnt stand for either side so they looked for themselves. With a little flavour of the singularity thrown in as a mix of religo science.

Here the story makes them more loony than in 1. But at least optimus prime speaks to u s.

Vanu population is low because VS got inferioir weaponry. Magrider is (was) good.. thats all.

I just rolled TR alt and played a while cuz Miller was down, and i got to say OMG TMG-50 is good at medium / close range and OMG T9 CARV is good at close range.

Did i feel bullet drop ? Yes a bit, but even brain dead monkey could compensate for that, you see the tracers after all.

I don't think the OP was being serious, its a failed attempt to be a troll over this post i made in another thread.

"Basically Vanu are going to be in trouble on every Continent but Indar, where the populations should be equal with the new players, as for Esamir and Amerish the Vanu will be out numbered badly, the massive excess of TR and NC will spill into them Continents and i doubt you will see them Vanu owed very often.

Mallory population levels seem to be pretty much the same to Ceres, its not SOE fault, you cant force someone to play a faction. Server mergers arnt going to fix Vanu, SOE needs to market the Faction better. We basically need a new PR rep and SOE need to stop pushing TR on every promotion they do. Just look at the whole Empire Showdown joke, i dont even think they have removed TB off the Start menu yet."

I agree with your post as well. If a faction is perseved as being rubbish and under strength then who is going to want to play that faction, so then people leave it and hence the problem gets worse. Also the constent pushing of TR in the main promotions draws people to TR, the other 2 factions are always in the back ground (mostly).

I love the female Vanu soldier when she says "I need batteries". I'm sure a smart marketing agent could turn this into a PR goldmine!

The only bad PR for the vanu is the fact that they changed our lore from PS1. No idea why they would make us "religious zealots" besides just to say "**** you" to the VS players from PS1. Whoever's doing lore this time around needs some better ideas and an imagination

You seem to forget than the forums were floded with TR QQing about the magrider.
I actully remember seeing at least 5 to 10 threads a day where a TR player would cry about VS.

To be honest, i would not play vanu if Planetside was a third person shooter.

If that were true, the combined tears of the NC pre-GU02 would have resulted in them having a public perception on the same level as Jack the Ripper.

because it was obviously an unfair fight?

Prowler needs some tweaking to bring it back in line but the numbers are a lot closer... the edge we have now is less than the edge you had then.


Anyways, I think the problem is character creation screen... there's simply more people interested in the more military style and opposed to dubstep... not to mention dat spandex.

I play VS too FWIW... and I have a suggestion. Since the Saron and mag in general were nerfed, I think the delay should be removed from the Saron (add to reload speed if required). The Enforcer is now better in every way (in large part due to lack of delay).

As for VS guns... I seem to do just fine with them. They feel weaker at 100m ranges, but I only engage at that range with a sniper so doesn't really affect me much. In close they feel better TBQH... though a lil less ammo (in other words, they balance out)


The problem with pop is simply one of style. The VS style apparently suits a smaller % of people, though I kinda like it myself.

I enjoy my VS alt a lot... but my friends and I are all in a TR outfit

People on this forum can't even see a joke when it walks up and punches them in the appendix.

There is not a huge difference between TMG-50 and Ursa but both are like slightly worse versions of the Guass SAW. Carv is not great at super close range because hip fire and movement speed is weak. In terms of range balance it goes something like Orion close, Carv room length, Orion longer.