The Lattice System is Disappointing

And I say disappointing because the real words I want to use to describe my opinion would probably get me banned. I almost never post on the forums, but this has bothered me so much that I felt I needed to voice how frustrating the past several days has been.

As currently implemented, the lattice system is severely flawed. It isn't fun - it removes strategy from the game, and it is particularly harmful to small outfits that like to operate tactically rather than as part of a massive zerg. Gone are the days of attacking adjacent forces to split up massive zergs.

While I appreciate the efforts to consolidate battles to make them larger and play to Planetside's strength, it simply doesn't work this way. I am constantly seeing "lines" form up at certain bases that limited strategic opportunities. You can no longer attack adjacent territories with smaller squads/platoons to pull others off of the main zerg - which I think has destroyed a lot of the fun I had with this game. My outfit was small for many months and this was the only way we could really be effective.

It get's worse at the biolabs, which were already hard to capture. I won't waste my breath on this one - it just plain sucks attacking them now.

The only solutions I could offer would be to either greatly expand the number of lattice links, which defeats the purpose, or go back to the way it was. As is, I have had LESS fun on Indar that I have had in this game at any point. I have been a subscriber since launch and it is unlikely that I would renew in 3 months based on the way Indar plays. Or perhaps introduce a new gameplay element - like allowing a certain amount of infiltrators to work together "hack comms" so that other attack avenues open up.

As is, it simply isn't fun.

Your loss. I saw more strategy on Mattherson yesterday than in the many months I've played Planetside 2 since they let the former PS1 players in to the early beta. VS lost their lock on Indar. Had they held the Vanu Archives, we couldn't have pincered them at Indar Bay from the East. With the Hex system we could have ignored the Archives and just rolled past that point, making it useless as a defensive choke. It'd be a PITA to back track and take it, but it wouldn't have been nearly as intense as what went down yesterday. However, they could have spread in every which way from the archives with the old hex system, which isn't strategy so much as just grabbing at anything they can get their mitts on and generally being annoying to contain. That doesn't take strategy, just common sense and a real mindless, disorganized zerg.

So changing the hex system so that blocks cut-off from the WG would no longer count as adjacency, would not have had the same effect? Without adding a zerg friendly system while removing the platoon level strats (aka the PS2 macro) and making the squad level strats useless since all the fights are 300 - 600 people within a 200m radius.

Nevermind the fact that the ****** capping system changes and removal of the influence system(all part of the lettuce setup) screwed up the game, lettuce or no lettuce.

I like the big fights too, but we already had those on Waterson. So the lettuce just removes options and has been doing so for months!

I've seen more major fights in more places since Lattice went online than I have for a long time. I've also seen attacks progressing further than they usually do.

The new lattice system means your small outfit will have to come up with new tactics.
I'm in a small outfit myself and we hate a Bio Lab fight too. So here what we do.
We get four Harassers and flank a major battle with "Hit and run" tactics killing any ground vehicle we find. After they are cleared we set-up a AA battery and kill any aircraft that may come around. When we run out of targets we move to the next major battle, rinse and repeat.
Each Harasser is a three man team, driver is a engineer, gunner a Heavy Assault with a Striker, passenger a Double burster Max with lockdown.

We could and should have both. Different people have different tastes. There is nothing wrong with that. Hundreds of games have various game modes.

Why does PlanetSide 2 have to be the only game that has only one kind of ruleset? Only one game mode?

Here's an idea: Two sets of continents. One set with the Lattice and another set with the improved Hex.

I started off skeptical on the day the lattice came out, but I have to say I like it.

The lattice makes ambush attacks a vital and necessary part of the game. A small unit on a hill can control the amount of zerg that moves from place to place.

I still don't know if I like the exact capture point mechanics - the idea that you cannot start a cap until you completely own a base down the line. This leads to stalemates.

/Disagree

And will people stop saying it removed strategy from the game. Strategy hasn't been removed, it has changed. And if you think ghost capping non-defended bases around a contested base is strategy, then you are clueless. Ghost capping empty bases to work yourself around a contested base is just following the path of least resistance and requires absolutely no strategy or tactics.

I think the real problem is that the game now requires more strategy and tactics to crack contested bases, because the implementation of the lattice was a REAL buff to defenders and all the arm chair generals that thought they where brilliant little Pattons by running around capping undefended adjacent facilities, now have to fight.

Having the NC and TR work together to zero base the VS is not grounds for a recommendation of the (current) lattice. The pros and cons of the previous hex system are available to all sides, there is/was nothing to stop your empire from spreading out to contain VS expansion from Vanu Archives, this is an invalid argument to use.

Consequentially, had the TR done as you say with the hex layout and rolled past Archives, you would still have had to face the same level of VS, more than likely more, as this would have become the last held VS hex.

In essence, the lattice system benefits zergs, take Indar for example (prior to the lolstrategylol double team): The VS would have fights going at Regent Rock, Crossroads Watchtower and the Suarva biolab area.... and that was it. There was nothing else for nearly 8 hours after the lattice went live with 33% pop for each empire, with the hex system there might have been fights at Zurvan for VS, or toward Crater Impact Site but the chances of this happening are now incredibly low because the railroad system doesnt head that way unless we have very persistent ghost cappers out, I doubt I will see any action again toward the NE section of the map around Mao tech planet with this current system and that is the biggest let down for me.

The current lattice, in my opinion, limits choice and flexibility where the hex system encouraged both and allowed alternative fights to flourish and occasionally prosper in to fully fledged war zones, Esamir is the best place for this and it can be seen in action when the VS actually take Ran (side note, why were the infantry tunnels on the south side removed? There was no need). Amerish might have been had it not been for the fact the fact that the massive and extensive mountains act as lattice and railroad the zerg (seriously, look at the general direction of the fights and then look at the roads).

I dont expect any of this to convince you, people will always have a difference of opinion, so I will end this block of text with the following: I blame Malorn - Lots of love, Trickv2, Ahriman Corp.

And you just pointed out one symptom of the problem: invading armies would have had to spread themselves so thin to contain everything a place like Indar could never really be capped. It doesn't take a massive force to spread out and cap undefended territories, but it does take more manpower to contain them. Responding empires will always be a step behind and there was little guarantee in setting up at a potential next target before hand that the enemy would even ever show up there instead of somewhere else. The lattice places in a sense of progression and a sense of strategic value in far more facilities than the hex system ever could, and allows commanders to actually, reliably PLAN ahead.

Keep in mid, YOU types are the reason the lattice had to be implemented to begin with.

This game is for massive conflicts, and the hex system wasn't supporting it nearly as well as the lattice is. There's more strategy in the lattice. I can't convince you that the hex system was a mess, but just know your requirements for "strategy" are what everyone from children to "arm chair generals" have been doing in RISK for years: path of least resistance. If what you're doing didn't involve coming back around to striking at the enemy zerg directly, it wasn't strategic, it was child's play. Get strategic and tactical, or follow those who can. Those are your options. Small squads/outfits have their place in zerg combat. Those that have leadership whom are complaining were never worth following to begin with.

I've given the lattice a real chance - playing as vanu/NC on woodman/miller.

I still say the game is now not anywhere near as good. Lattice has removed the charm and freedom. Everything that made PS2 special is gone. Now it's just like BF3 rush (which is rubbish) except with 50+ tanks.

Almost every battle has been either (1) Zerg-roll the base and rout the enemy or (2) be zerg rolled and stand no chance.

There has been no contrast, Every battle is just a mess of people running around shooting and 50+ tanks jamming up the road.

And due to the restrictions of the lattice, you can (if you want) effectively defend bases all day. I sat in Dahaka last night with some other guys and was still sitting in it 3 hrs laters - repelling TR attack after TR attack.

Ok, fun for a while but in the end very tedious - and with no real option for the enemy.

I think the way forward lies with an updated/enhanced HEX system. I hope the lattice is removed.

NO STRATEGY?! so, your telling me, the hex had strategy? you mean, go to the next closest base and cap that as well, instead of having to go to point A to reconnect point f and d to the warpgate again? or capping point x to cut off point z so they have to cap point k to capp point x or whatever. it is more predictable, yes, but more strategical.

and how the **** is it boring? i have never seen so many frequent huge fights in a loooong time.

people against the lattice are just ghost cappers and shouldn't be playing the game.

Oh be quiet... If we changed from lattice to hex, you'd be saying thats disappointing too.

And that will just split the population even more and make the quieter servers feel barren again.

Yeah I agree. This cannot happen.

So which is it? Can I defend all day or do I get rolled all day? Or Do I roll over everybody else?

and people who need to rely on ad hominem to deliver a non relevant comment shouldnt be allowed to post, but I guess we both have to have our opinions

shame your mind is closed to having both big fights and being able to choose our own route rather than this pre-programmed carnival procession, but hey, perhaps youll wake up and smell coffee one day, I just hope its not too late by then

That doesn't make much sense. The population won't change with what I'm proposing.

And if people only can play one game-mode I assure you that more than a few people WILL be leaving. Not just Neo-Hexers, but also Latticers who suffer from burn-out and won't be able to find variety.

But you said adding two sets of continents. That's more continents. Most servers don't have the population to support that.