Why so many players on NC side?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Mambakiller, Apr 6, 2013.

  1. Being@RT

    I'll just say how TR are consistently highest in Miller world population. Tonight 43% at primetime, 41% at this moment.

    Conclusion: It's not only faction balance, but also the player distribution and the ensuing domino effect that keeps on going. When a faction starts winning, they will retain more players and also gain more. This will further boost their success and thus the circle continues. The reverse applies to the losing faction.

    Now, why are NC the most populous on most servers? Perhaps the faction flavor appeals to the most people and/or they were balanced to be stronger than the others at one point in the game? Why aren't they the most numerous on Miller? Perhaps chance gave TR more organization or numbers at an early stage, enough to counter any balance issues?

    At any rate, current population numbers aren't just indicative of current balance - The past balance also affects things.
  2. p10k56

    NC is popular cos when two supernatural ultratalented pistoleros meets the one with bigger gun wins.
  3. madman278

    The reason why is there is a large percentage of PS2 population who play all factions. After all is said and done with all the arguments about which faction is better or needs a nerf, they decided NC is the "easiest" faction to cert farm and naturally migrate to NC. This is true with their CQC advantage ( since 80% of PS2 is CQC ), NC have a massive cert farm advantage esp in bio-lab defense and assault. Doesn't help SOE constantly release massively OP weaponry for NC every few months ( NC is largest faction and they cater to them by releasing OP weapons which then get nerfed but it makes SOE some $$$ ). That is why you don't see them release OP weapons for VS or TR, doesn't farm station cash as much..
  4. XParagonX

    I love the NC is the harder fraction so people play NC.

    Really? In this gaming age! you really going to believe? that people flock to the harder way of doing things!
    Where have you been? Everyone wants ez mode now! So the point about NC being harder to play, so thats why people go their, is more the complete opposite, Noobs flock to ez mode in most games. its a trend.
  5. Scorponok

    ever since the flinch got nerfed and TR and VS got nerfed, people have been swarming to NC...
  6. Springheel Jack

    Gauss SAW OP
    Mag Shot OP
    ScatMAX somewhat less OP now
    Best art design
    Fairly OP ESF weapons
  7. DramaticExit

    There's a few things about this.

    The NC are only really dominant on the US servers. On the EU servers the TR and NC tend to have roughly equal population.

    The NC, in a way, represent two key things. Free enterprise, and individual freedom. These are two things which are extremely important to the US.

    The TR represent collectivism. In particular, vertical collectivism. Something which is particularly unpopular in the states.

    The VS represent transhumanism. This is fairly unpopular everywhere.


    The balance in population between the factions has nothing to do with in game balance, but rather a balance between what they represent. In the EU people are somewhat less terrified of collectivist thinking. Hell, most countries over here in the EU actually have a welfare system that does something and a smattering of nationalised services.

    Transhumanism makes nearly everyone feel a little queasy.

    The NC's ideals will appeal to people more, the TR's ideals will appeal to fewer people (although not by much), and the VS's ideals will appeal to very few people.

    The NC population climbed to a level which reflects the players' ideals and aspirations when the NC stopped being shafted by the flinch mechanic.
    • Up x 1
  8. nick779

    this is almost comical. the TR and the VS, mainly the TR have consistently complained and whined about everything that made other factions different, or better then theirs.
    between the cries about NC's 200dmg weapons, the phoenix, the scatmaxes etc, and the magrider of all things considering the prowler is the most OP tank in the game.

    TR are the problem, and always have been, they whine and whine and whine until they get their way, SOE is just babysitting.
  9. RottenGroinArea

    The little kids/losers all want the "I am a winner" button so they switch to whatever faction is perceived
    to be "winning".

    Many of us chose NC at the start of the game and now we are flooded with all the "I win" maggots.

    Switching factions should not be allowed without some kind of penalty.
    • Up x 3
  10. Bill Hicks

    This couldn't be further from the truth. Pro, competitive players always pick the most powerful faction. Look at the leaderboards,dominated by TR and VS. Look at the faction war. TR won the vote and VS won the actual war. Where were all pro then? Population is down for all factions. NC just had the least attrition.
    • Up x 1
  11. madman278

    The only problem with the theory that people play NC for non-game mechanic reason is each faction was popular in their time when they had OP weapons / vehicles.. and curiously only after a round of nerfing did their population decline, so did people suddenly not like the VS spandex or lore or TR and jumped on the NC because they suddenly liked freedom and blue? Lol.. it's because they play all the factions and once one faction becomes "obviously" more powerful, they just jump ship. This happens over time of course for instance the NC max had always been powerful CQC but most PS2 playerbase probably didn't know this and now its common knowledge. Like others have mentioned the playerbase of PS2 has basically halved since release and is still dropping, maybe people who play NC just are more dedicated PS2 players.. who knows only SOE has those stats.
  12. HadesR

    When the game launched
    NC had the perceived worst WG
    The worst ESF
    To some the worst MBT
    The handicap of a flawed flinch system

    So maybe people who joined NC did so because the Faction appealed to them .. Rather than because of the weapon's .. Which is why we have maybe suffered less attrition of player's , and also picked up those who joined the other 2 originally because they thought them to be OP ( original Mag for example )
  13. Get2dachoppa

    Just throwing this out there. Looking at populations on the log on screen right now for the 3 servers I have characters on.

    Helios
    VS: 29%
    TR: 27%
    NC: 44%

    Waterson
    VS: 25%
    TR: 35%
    NC: 40%

    Mattherson
    VS: 28%
    TR: 33%
    NC: 39%
  14. Wharmaster

    On Connery, since the shotgun and phoenix nerfs, the numbers have actually been balancing themselves out.

    NC was full of FOTM players, there for the TV missiles and SCATMAX.
  15. hellaskan

    Not naming servers.. but on 3 servers atm..
    VS 29,23,29
    TR 27,31,31
    NC 44, 46, 40

    and I'm playing on two of the servers.. one as TR (my BR 30+) and the other as my NC (BR 9).
    The NC is just easier for me.. seems to do more damage with my standard LA gun vs my LA guns on my TR. NC population just steamrolls the other side. We are in the middle of taking the Crown, and they KNEW we were coming 3 bases prior. Steamrolled TR twice, and about to beat up VS.

    Oh yeah, does the Vanguard take much more damage than a Prowler - standard build? I feel unstoppable in that thing.. else, the enemy stinks on ice and doesnt do much damage?

    While I am having a blast from an "easy mode" perspective.. it sure feels rather underwhelming.
  16. Scorponok

    yea i know but dont tell anyone or we will get nerfed ^^ people pretend NC suck so they can avoid the nerfing to their damage...
  17. Strottinglemon

    Because the game does a crappy job of teaching you what the factions are about. If more players knew the actual backstory (how the Vanu want to help humanity evolve while the other factions want to kill each other for false concepts of freedom and peace) then I'm sure more would choose Vanu. The NC blew up a freaking space ship because they didn't get enough food from the Terrans to satisfy their obese cravings.
  18. Scorponok

    the problem for TR side is that they are in the crappy corner of the map....soon as NC turn to were they started you will see people leave NC and go either VS or TR...most probly TR hehe
  19. HadesR

    Connery : Indar
    Atm

    VS 34%
    TR 30%
    NC 35%

    Yeah don't ask where that other 1% is lol

    Even fight's are there ... Ofc you might not like which continent they are on but can't solve that with overall low pop
  20. Evil Monkey

    How does having good long range weapons help? I thought "all battles are CQB" due to base/game design... or thats what I had repeated to me on at least 100 scatmax/pump cry threads.... so it must be true. The TR and VS even said so themselves!