The only problem with lattice is that it makes small outfits irrelevant

This really is the only issue.

Sure "ghost capping" hex's was stupid, but it was a side effect of not having anything else smaller outfits can do. A "covert-ops" side mission of sorts. When you roll with a small outfit, zerg fights are boring because you have no impact on them and the fights just kind of play themselves.

The biggest issues with the lattice is that because the only fights you are allowed to have now ARE zerg fights, it gives little purpose for a small group of people to have an impact in any way on the fight. Before, if we didn't want to roll with the main force we could branch off and take "secondary" objectives such as towers or outposts that were not being fought over by the major zerg forces. This level of cover-ops play was fun, but not really that exciting. Still, it gave something smaller outfits to do.

I don't want ghost capping back because it's rather shallow and the only reason why we do it in smaller outfits is because there was a lack of a better option. Now, there is no option - smaller outfits are pretty much defunct under the current system.

All they need to do is to have some interesting optional/side objectives for smaller outfits to accomplish that help the main force but don't directly involve themselves with them. Imagine if you are fighting over the stronghold and your faction's zerg is in a stalemate with the enemy factions zerg. A great battle over all. Now, in a small outfit single platoon there isn't much you can currently do except contribute to the meatgrinder.

But what if there was some kind of defense matrix array on top of the cliffs near The Stronghold? Not directly connected to the outpost, but still powered by and owned by whoever has the stronghold. As a small outfit, we could go up to this defense matrix, and try and capture it for ourselves while the enemy is still holding the stronghold. If we succeed, we now give our faction the advantage it needs to capture the base and break the stalemate.

There would be the main battle down below in the canyon at the stronghold, and the battle between smaller outfits and covert-ops groups trying to maintain control over this defense matrix that gives some kind of advantage to the faction that owns it (perhaps automated turrets, a shiled of some sort, etc).

Thats the kind of stuff this new lattice needs - secondary objectives, secondary tower-spawns that don't contribute to lattice and don't need to be connected to one to be captured, etc. Stuff that lets smaller outfits do things in a battle to break a stalemate or give your faction the advantage. Something to let smaller outfits to actually have an impact in the battle without being forced to simply be a number in the main zerg.

We had that before, with ghost capping. Ghost capping was a bad solution to that problem though, but it was there. Now that ghost capping is gone, it's for the better... but now us smaller outfits need to actually have things we can do that are bigger and better than just ghost capping all the time.

I have a feeling that they will be putting in more 2edary objectives now that the battle flow is better. you could also take your small outfit and flank the attackers (if defending) or flank the defenders and attack from an angle that they do not expect. you can also use the current 2edary objectives as 'gen holds' even though they are not nearly as meaningful as PS1 genholds.

Oh look! Another unfortunate "smaller outfit player" who can no longer use his supreme tactics of taking an empty base!

For shame SoE!

Hold a particular building at the stronghold.
Guard one of the approaches and ward off reinforcements.
Camp up on the cliffs and provide burster cover.
Start prepping one of the adjacent territories by hacking terms, setting up a sundy, start destroying the air\ground turrets, mining the roads etc etc.
Act as an advance recon team and hunt down enemy AA nests.

There are plenty things you can do to make you feel "special" and "not a number in the zerg".

If anything it makes them even more relevant. Their presence is needed at the big fights now rather than on the outskirts capping empty bases with their tactical superiority...

I have to respectfully disagree with you. Small outfits have several advantages:

#1. Depending on how small they are, they can all know each other and all be online at the same time. This means they can be more comfortable playing with each other and knowing each others play styles than a massive outfit.

#2. Because of reason #1, they can train together more effectively, basically becoming an elite squad or half platoon.

#3. Since they can work well together and train together, they can become really good at doing certain things, and can perform specialized missions.

Allow me to illustrate. Have you ever defended a room with a bunch of randoms? Of course you have, its awful. Everyone is running around with their heads cut off, blindly blazing away at whatever they see, leaving the room to try to finish off someone, generally looking like idiots. Now, have you ever defended a room with a coordinated team who is communicating and covering specific targets? Where the medics are in the back and not getting themselves killed? Where the engineers are not spamming their under-barrels, but have turrets set up with crossfires to watch the halls and doors? Where each individual has an assignment and stays there? I have. [EXE] Organized Infantry squads actually know how to work together, and excellent team work increases the effectiveness of any squad exponentially.

TL;DR Team work works.

your lacking creativity , it seems all you want to do is take out light or undefended bases

if you really that much in to having a small tactical unit, then create your own side objectives THAT ARE PART of the ongoing battle

example:
-so let say a zerg is attacking a base, you as small unit could flank the SAME location

-you could position your self between the zerged base and the next one and take out any reinforcements that might arrive

SOE dont have to create secondary objectives, create your own !

Small Outfits will be important because they can actually focus on specific objectives. If you have a tight group of guys, you can hold a CP, or keep a gen down.

Actually on Indar yesterday there were only about 3 of us fighting 4 or 5 of the enemy in a couple of basis.

Its just that you can't usually hit one right after the other.

Do small outfits think this is some type of single player game where only they can do stuff?

me and 3 other guys were talking over ip and playing as few hours before GU09 came out. we flew as TR to Peris AMP station in southern Indar and destroyed all the gens with only 3 of us as infiltrators. Tho just after we blew up the SCu swarms of vanu came and we left. This is a purpose for small outfits. Infiltration. We simply took up and occupied and bunch of the Vanus manpower for 10mins to take the pressure off other areas. They have destroyed the point of small groups and the infiltrator. They can no longer "infiltrate" there is nothing for them to do other than silently kill. which is boring

To the OP: My take on small outfit play in the Lattice system.

I am a member of a small outfit(70 guys) and no, we don't. but its nice to have player skill being an important factor in fights and not just pure numbers. As we fight a lot with Large outfits like the TTRO and take over small jobs for them like taking satellite bases, acting as recon and infiltrating bases prior to an attack. but now all of those but satellite bases don't exist. now the game is just get as many people as possible and kill kill kill. no big objectives other than kill. This game is now effectively a shoot 'em up. Large outfits can be nice to play in but the leaders often don't notice the smaller things and are a decent percentage of the time crap commanders.

I don't agree at all.

First, I do like the new lattice system at Indar: operations look now much more "military", with operations on the maps much more "readable".

Also small outfits can have a very important role with this system, by organizing counter-attacks in the back of zergs, in my opinion much more interesting than capping empty bases for certs (to me, very boring).

Not to mention unrewarding. Cap certs are worth nothing next to, you know, actually killing people and supporting others.

I think a majority of these smaller outfit leaders complaining is due to the fact that once the people they used to "command" see how much fun they are missing out on they are going to jump ship to bigger outfits and they will be left with no one to order around.

irrelevant?

I play with guild RUSN we were RUS on beta but strumpets became upset with us and stole tag RUS on live. We do not have many player but I would never say word irrelevant? Is shooting DVS coward that won't move up irrelevant? No. Does the sight of flaming funny colored RUSN sunderer charging enemy inspire man child pubbie? Yes. Does shooting child who make yelling into proximity boost morale of NC population that have ear? OF COURSE! You just need to find way to make difference. I like shooting cowards and charging enemy screaming and shooting wildley from hip. Maybe you bring ammo bus to supply troops or come from different direction of pubbie attack. Small Outfit that communicate will always make difference when fighting pubby hoard. Trust me, small outfit will be fine.

Only problem!

I would say it effectively changes the game from a tactical, open world FPS to a rail shooter. I really hope this is reverted, it might be alright for the casuals who just want to log on for an hour and not have to think about anything but if they are planning on longevity with the game it needs more choices, not less.

I play in a VERY small outfit, 2-4 people on usually, and we like the change. For a long time there were no useful map indicators of where fights were. If we wanted to join the zerg, we had to join up with larger outfit squads where it was basically mass chaos. Lots of ordering people around, lots of confused people, lots of people talking over each other -- ugh. Now we can easily see where the smaller and larger battles are, and instantly go to them. We cannot, however, hack empty bases across the continent in some silly attempt to 'win' a game where the battles are continuous. No loss there.

Just imagine: a team of four Harassers with Enforcers and Fracture Maxes in the backseats.
With such a team, one can organize very dangerous counter-attacks in the back of the enemy, like British WWII commandos in the desert with their armed Jeeps.