The Complete and Total Comprehensive Revamp Thread - "Change everything so it actually feels good"

As of right now, this game is suffering from a BLIGHT. A HORRIBLE PREDICAMENT on a scale so bad that there is only ONE WAY to describe it.

STALE and FLACCID.

My biggest issue with this game right now isn't how piss-poor the Magrider is TvT, or how awkward the new pistols are going to be. Or even the liberator-esf air meta. It's just how plain and d*mn vanilla everything is.

Look, man. Let me tell you what planetside 2 is supposed to be. It's a three way war for a planet. On one end, we have the oppressive, tyranical, yet effecient Terran Republic. They're known to hit fast, move fast, and keep on hitting until whatever they're aiming at drops. If it's a problem, they throw bullets at it until its no longer a problem. And to them, there's a lot of f*cking problems. They want order, peace, and they're willing to use a lot of brass to get there.

Then we have the New Conglomerate: a fine example of dirty, hungry capitalists mixed with freedom and justice: the very things that created the USA. They can't stand the oppressive nature of the TR, so they took up arms against them. They use whatever they can (or really whatever their corporate overseercs can) get their hands on: specifically, extremely powerful railguns and utilitarian weapons. They fight for justice, democracy, and cold, hard, cash.

Then there's the Vanu. These are cold-blooded, intelligent scientists gone rogue. While they don't have the raw training and resources of the TR, or the corporate backup and camaraderie of the NC, they have extremely deadly technology. Utilizing top-of-the-line tech that is borderline alien, they'll burn, laser, or reduce to ash with superheated plasma whatever is in the way of them and another technological artifact.

But you know what Planetside feels like?

A bunch of red people with fast guns, a bunch of blue people with the Gauss Saw, and a bunch of purple people who like to complain about their tank.

And.

That.

Sucks.

To make it worse, it seems like they want all the factions to be almost identical. They keep making weapons just copy-pastes. Well, look, I get that it's the poor man's balancing tool, but it's just not fun. Balance should be balance, but it should be ASYMMETRICAL BALANCE.

One thing that should be extremely clear: each faction SHOULD have disadvantages and advantages, strength and weaknesses. While each faction should have OPTIONS for EVERYTHING, they shouldn't have EQUAL OPTIONS.

The issue we have right now is things that are good aren't really good, they just SUCK LESS MISERABLY THAN EVERYTHING ELSE. Look at the PPA for example: it does it's job beautifully, but is regarded as the best AI not because it's ridiculous, but because the other options are just horrible.

I propose revamping EVERYTHING in order to re-instate each faction so it actually FEELS unique.

VANU (college degrees) SOVEREIGNTY

How they feel now: Right now, they feel like the "discount sci-fi" faction. Yeah, sure, they have bright colors and cool sound effects. But really, those "plasma shells" and the "crystal ammo" feels dangerously close to bullets. The weapons are cookie cutter with minimal difference; and to make it worse, the difference is usually the problem.

How they should feel: The Vanu should feel strange, alien, and outworldish. Their weapons should have strange quirks that both punish the user, and grant him unique strengths. While it's not the best example, the Lasher was a good start, but we need more. Their weapons should all feel unique, unlike any other.

Proposed advantages:

-Most of their weapons have some unique trait that makes them better suited for certain situations

-They should be extremely mobile. Not FAST, but outrageously mobile.

-High number of mid range weapons

-Controllable weapons

-Armor is great for high-speed combat

Proposed disadvantages:

-Lack traditional weaponry

-Lack short ranged weaponry

-Armor isn't as good for slugging matches

-Armor is generally weaker, albeit not by much

-Weapons with unique traits often also come with a disadvantage

SPECIFIC PROPOSITIONS

Change the Magrider

-Make the speed just under the Prowler

-Increase traction

-Give it 2000 health with a 1500 recharging shield

-Give it the best rear armor, and I mean BEST. By a significant margin.

-Let it strafe at any angle at 90% top speed

-Give it very little drop, slow velocity, and higher damage falloff

-Make the Magburner able to go in any direction, make the accelleration for it much faster

-Increase acelleration

-Make it bright and shiny

-Increase its stealth options

Weapon concepts

Positive traits: bullet ricochet, small AoE, marks hit targets, hitscan, large hitbox (detect area), very slight laser guided effect (just ideas, not for every weapon), recoil decreases over time, accuracy increases instead of decreases at a rapid rate

Negative traits: Non-negotiable max range (bullet literally stops), double damage falloff, marks the user, Fires slower as the trigger is held, recoil increases over time, start with max bloom

Change the scythe

-Should feel like a super-high-G fighter, not a hovercraft

-Max acceleration

-Momentum

NEW (capitalist) CONGLOMERATE

How they feel now: They feel like shotguns, and absolutely no railguns. For a faction that uses utilitarian weapons, they seem to only use shotguns, which aren't too utilitarian. They also don't feel... enthusiastic enough. And for the slow-firing, heavy-hitting weapons, a lot of our weapons feel like fast firing peashooters

How they should feel: They should feel brutal and hard-hitting. Loud, scary, and full of rage and freedom. They should be obvious to see, but you hate to see one, because it means big rounds are coming for you. Less shotguns, more railguns. They should have the best standard armor (as in it just feels the most like a traditional tank), and while they can't outgun the TR's armor, or outmaneuver the VS's magtech vehicles, they can outlast them.

Proposed advantages:

-They should hit hard, and fast. High risk, high reward weaponry that is difficult to tame but rewards those who do

-They should work better under set-up scenarios, where standing still and planning your shots is the best option

-The vanguard should be blatantly more bulky and heavy than it is now

-The reaver should feel more like a hoverjet than a fighter

-they should be able to dig in and be dangerous (think Phoenix), and their assaults should be mean, quick, and hard

-Survivability. Raw survivability.

-Awesome at mid-to-long and long-range

Proposed disadvantages:

-Less adaptable than other factions if you get the jump on them

-Weapons punish the player

-Loud and obvious: no hiding with these guys

-Poor and very niche CQC weapons, like the Jackhammer

-Generally lack of stealth

SPECIFIC PROPOSITIONS

Redo the vanguard

-Give it 6000 health

-Increase front and side armor to 70% and 68% respectively, top stays the same

-Decrease rear armor from 30% to 5%, making rear damage deadly

-Decrease shield to 2000, but make it have a universal resistance of 50% instead of taking armor resistence

-Decrease speed to just BARELY faster than infantry

-MASSIVELY increase traction

-Decrease tank turn rate and turret turn rate (tank moreso than turret)

-Increase size ever so slightly

-Make it significantly louder, and remove its stealth options

-Give it a railgun with high damage, high velocity, zero splash, trigger delay and horrendous reload to make it an AV beast with a punishing weapon

-Give it the worst AI options (or just let it keep what it has now, haha)

RAILGUNS

Fast bullets, longer reloads, and EVERYTHING IS A TRACER. There is no hiding as an NC soldier; but you don't want to hide. You want them to know you're coming and you want them to be AFRAID.

More talkative soldiers

The soldiers should always be ranting and talking and yelling and stuff, to add flair and make hiding difficult for non-infiltrators

Reaver change

-Better hovering

-Railgun ES nosegun that can only shoot accurately at very low speeds / hovering

-More health and armor

-More afterburned

-Slower base speed

TERRAN (soviet socialist) REPUBLIC

How they feel now: Lame. Red guys with fast firing guns.

How they should feel: Close-quarter beasts with some interesting long ranged options. They should feel oppressive: violent colors, sharp angles. Their soldiers should bark orders quite a bit, to add to the flair. They should be able to come in quicker than anyone else.

Proposed advantages:

-Absolutely deadly CQC options, from a superauto shotty to the MCG.

-Oppressive weaponry: even bigger mags

-Interesting niche long ranged options

-Very adaptable weaponry

Proposed disadvantages:

-Standard weapons: they'll never have something that excells as much as some NC and VS weapons, but these weapons will be more adaptable in more scenarios (bit of a tradeoff really)

-Mediocre mid-long range options

SPECIFIC PROPOSITIONS

Change the prowler

-Faster turning, for chassis and turret

-Decent stealth options

-Centralize the camera between two spread-out barrels

-Highest base DPS with heat, but less effective AP than the Vanguards railgun

-Better against infantry (Mag is middle ground for AP and AI)

-Slightly increase front armor by 1%

-Decrease rear armor by 8%

Weapons generally stay the same, besides some changes

Change the Mosquito

-It should be the middle ground between the Scythe and Reaver

-Fastest base speed

-Middle ground maneuverability

-High sustain weaponry

UNIVERSAL EMPIRE TRAITS

Vanu

-Vehicles besides Mag lose 20% health and get 16% health back in rechargeable shielding

-All stealth options slightly superior

-All vehicle get 15% turn rate buff

-All vehicles get +8% velocity

-Vehicle noise decreased

-All vehicles +3% speed

Terran

-All vehicles get 8% speed buff

-All vehicles get 10% turn rate buff

-All vehicles get more max ammo

-Higher ammo capacity overall

-All reload speed increased

-All vehicles get +10% reload speed

-Recharging abilities for vehicles recharge faster

Conglomerate

-All vehicles get +5% health and +8% armor

-All vehicles get -10% speed

-All vehicles get +10% velocity

-All vehicles +5% damage

-All vehicles -10% reload speed

-All stealth options weaker

-Vehicle noise increased

-Vehicles show up farther on the map

NUMBERS ARE NOT PERMANENT, AND ARE BASIC IDEAS

ALSO, if you think ASSYMETRICAL BALANCE IS A BAD IDEA, go play this game called RENEGADE X. It is COMPLETELY ASSYMETRICAL. One side has a tank that is a GOD OF A WEAPON, REPAIRS ITSELF, and has the HIGHEST. The other side has the weakest health wise, but has HOMING ROCKETS AS A PRIMARY, is ALWAYS STEALTHED WHEN NOT FIRING, is FAST AS F*CK, and is AWESOMELY RED TO MAKE IT GO FASTER. The best part, though, is they are considered equals by pretty much the entire community, despite not sharing one SINGLE trait.

That kind of mentality is littered throughout the entire game. I mean, the two sides share maybe 10% of EVERYTHING, and EVERYTHING ELSE is ENTIRELY UNIQUE. They even balanced it so one side had a FLAMETHROWER that was the counterpart to another sides GRENADE LAUNCHER. Also, if you DO get it, let me know, so we can play it together man. GDI all the way, bro. MAMMOTH TANK FOREVER.

I like it... I must say that I have no experience with NC or TR, but I'm liking the VS changes. And the different gameplay would be nice to have.

Just one problem: this would be EXTREMELY difficult to implement. Maybe too difficult. I can tell that you are very serious about your idea, but I just don't see this happening just because of the fact that the dev team might find this too extreme of a change. Unless all of Forumside and Reddit begins to raise full hell and then some on the devs, they just won't take up this big of a challenge, especially with all the other stuff in the pipeline right now.

Sorry for being a Negative Nancy, but I just don't know if this is a possibility. It's a great idea though.

Love It, I like not only the NC changes but TR and VS changes. I'm tired of no long range and anti stealth and same God forsaken weapons. Why can't we have you as a SOE Balance Director, HIRE THIS MAN NOW!

Bump, Also i like how you did the fonts and colors. And how each faction is compared to a real life scenario hint TR= Soviet Socialists, that got me in the heart and i can't stop laughing.

If NC vehicles moved that slow, and re-aimed that sluggishly, each and every shell would have to instill the fear that an ESF feels when an accurate dalton gunner aims and lets loose in his direction.


A meager 5% damage wouldn't cut it.
They're already much slower, plus the enemies getting speed and maneuverability buffs, each shot would have to be a potential kill shot.
(I'm not talking MBT vs MBT though, I'm talking lightning vs harasser or ESF vs ESF.)






As well, the vanguard being very slow would have to have the most armor all around.

Like killing a grizzly bear with a .40 cal handgun, you don't just rush up behind him and aim for the head.
The bullet will literally just glance off the skull and only serve to piss him off.


Taking him down should take multiple assailants all hit-and-run (TR) or getting in close and dodging/weaving for dear life (VS).

The toughest of the armored tanks should be like a dalton vs an ESF.

Either show up, throw a few pebbles, and peel out.
(Wearing down the enemy before he can find and blast you like a bird hunter firing on an agressive swooping falcon.)

Or get in close and move around so much his slower moving limbs can't quite catch you.
(And you best be able to dodge more quickly and erratically than he can follow, or he'll splat you like a fly with one smack.)



A highly maneuverable tank (Like your proposed magrider) could have an incredibly sensitive weak spot (Though not large, but a definite target to shoot for to cut the battle down in a blow or two) to cause him to depend on keeping it's front toward the enemy, because a hard to hit soft spot is something they should have to guard (Swinging any other part of their body around to shield it).

This also fit's well with the "High tech" theme, as higher tech inevitably has a numerous quantity of delicate little incredibly intricate mechanisms and circuit boards.

Throw all the super-sensitive stuff that a cup of spilled coffee could reduce to scrap like an iphone in a blender all in the back by the engine, and there you have a target that needs to keep it's guard up as it dodges and weaves around enemy fire.

I like the hitspot it changes ways on death, which is more important than changes on ways to kill. The NC im not to familier but I would like to see some fear from the NC instead of blue power rangers running around with shotguns and bolt drivers. I want to able to use team work to take down a Hard hitting but slow tank that costs alot of resources. The main thing about the tank should be how much it would cost due to how great it is when it comes to regular non organized combat which i been seeing at night and early mornings and sometimes on esamir all day.

I seriously doubt SOE will do it. If anything instead of the TR being the faction that makes it impossible for you to move in the open without a bullet hitting you, the NC making you shiver when that gun is aimed at you, and the VS being cold and calculating...they'll probably end up putting out another update worse than this one, where everyone gets weapons that are exact copies of each other. I'm certain of it.

I mean **** they even ****** up the new carbines. The Cougar is CLEARLY an NC weapon, what kind of brain damage leads someone to believe that's a TR weapon? The Bandit, clearly VS. And the Zenith, clearly TR. And they didn't **** it up by a couple numbers, no the RPM for each of the 3 are off by at least a hundred ******* rpm. How do they screw it up that badly?

Honestly, I don't think you can hope for asymmetrical balance, the game is a fun concept and fun to play, but the team are the most incompetent people when it comes to making things look good and unique. It's embarrassing, and the fact that they're gonna release the game on ps4 is just difficult to even try to comprehend.

I'm really afraid that SOE will make us even less effective than we are now (NC are the highest killed faction. As much as everyone says they're well balanced, the fact is that just over 38.3% of all infantry killed on all servers game-wide have been NC. VS are second at a tad under 33.8%, and TR are right up top for least killed at a measly approximate 27.9%).

++++Do note++++
These numbers were posted on March 2014, and are for the 3 month period of December 1st, 1013 to March 1st, 2014 (90 days exactly).

No doubt they've have fluctuated slightly since, but it still shows NC's blatant weakness relative to it's enemies as a faction.
The VS are well balanced, the NC are woefully under equipped (It's my opinion that this is due to NC's CQC options being very sparse, and most -jackhammer excluded- are rather sub-par.), and TR are excelling (Again, no doubt due to an abundance of low skill requirement high ammo high fire rate weapons).

If they were balanced, these numbers would have only tiny fluctuations, going no more than 1.0% to 1.2% in any direction.
Seeing massive discrepancies of over 10% between one faction and another clearly show a lack of balance.


TR, of course, do have many issues that plauge them for range, but ranged fights are few and far between.
As well, ranged fights rarely garner many kills, while CQC fights toss out kills like stale moldy bread.



To reiterate, I just don't want to see the side with my preferred style be unjustly tossed to the ****-side of combat.
(The NC in general are quite sick of being the unnoticed middle child that mommy and daddy SOE always give the tiny bowl at dinner time.)
Don't get me wrong, I don't mean to downplay the serious and glaring issues that the TR and VS suffer from (VS having the magrider -that issue is self explanatory-, and the TR having virtually zero ranged combat weapons to speak of), but the NC have been stuck in the muck at the bottom of the barrel now since not long after beta.

This is the best post. VERVEDIAN (Ghostcapping) APPROVAL!

Yes sadly all of that is true, the only reason you guys more often is that because of teamkilling, and most you guys fly solo. The NC were never meant to cooperate with each other in SOE's eyes. The only time i see NC fighting together is in defense and farming. I rather see a NC tank zerg with medics and engineers and tons of max's than see 500 liberators that takes no cooperation. Not sure how the TR die less though, it might just be that all thier vehicles are to fast for us to shoot at them or simply there just to good.

A wild Verviedi has appeared :O

Actaully if they release it on the PS4 and get more money or near as much as on the computer then we can hope for a revamp. Revamping a game costs ALOT OF MONEY, its like buying a new engine.

The reason all the weapons and vehicles have started to look similar is because when they were more unique and empire specific and had empire traits, the MORE PEOPLE WHINED ABOUT 1 FACTION BEING SUPER OP.

So then SOE decided to satisfy everyone by giving them the same crap with a different color and the NS is now the main manufacturer of weapons.

How is that even possible? They're not buying scripts are they? They're changing numbers.

They won't if you're negative about it. You have to be aggressive and optimistic.

You should see my OTHER THREAD.

I want to eventually dominated the front of the suggestions pages. Why? Because if we're going to get SOE's attention to make such big changes to the game, everyone, no-matter the faction, needs to be united in their efforts.

And if that means writing my sweet **** off to make it happen, by god so be it I will.

Is this someone important?

I have no idea. I'm just here to make good ideas.

Well then good sir, I would propose devoting the test server ENTIRELY to this revamp, and apply EVERY CHANGE made, even if its just one number, to the test server the moment it's done. Nonstop testing.

No. No new engine is necessary. It's mostly changing numbers and adding a few models, textures, and firing animations.

The NS vehicles would only need VERY MINOR revamps to make each factions universal trates more apparent.

For one, the only super slow NC vehicle would be the Vanguard; and it would get such huge front and side armor buffs, and a hugely powerful AV cannon, it would make up for itself. And the turn rate, while slowest, wouldn't be ridiculously sluggish: you could keep up and track a close-range circling opponent. It would also be the most stabilized. The rear armor, however, is to give it a weak point: it's a danger-close, in your face vehicle. No one should get past an NC war-line, and if they do, the NC will be punished for it. The magrider however, would have the weakest armor OVERALL, but the armor would be fairly well rounded, making getting the "jump" on a maggy much more difficult and less rewarding, but force the Maggy to be more careful with how it engages enemies

It is possible. Go play Renegade X. The diversity in that game is absolutely ridiculous. And it was a fan-made re-hash of an old game done for $0, sold for $0, with $0 of pay items. Completely free, completely fun.

I'd take the job in a heart beat. I'd even wear my aviator shades to work every day.

Someone has to pay the employees to work harder to make that happen. Also there is such things as a bill

That still wouldn't make sense.

Infantry RL's, air, literally every AV option other than a lightning/MBT in existence would still be able to circle around unnoticed with ease.

You don't put an uber weak spot on a slow, super tough tank.
You do, however, put one on a fast moving very maneuverable vehicle.


The Vanguard would be utterly screwed by a single heavy with a clear engine shot.

Is this someone important?

I have no idea. I'm just here to make good ideas.


No. No new engine is necessary. It's mostly changing numbers and adding a few models, textures, and firing animations.

The NS vehicles would only need VERY MINOR revamps to make each factions universal trates more apparent.



I'd take the job in a heart beat. I'd even wear my aviator shades to work every day.[/quote]
I was talking about a car engine, but i would rather have a more game play engine than a graphics engine like forge light. And Verviedi is just my friend and i hardly see him on the forums and via skype.

Yes. I am very important and should be listened to at all costs
No, seriously though. I'm the "Great idea! Now make it ES and I'll support!" Guy.

Except they wouldn't.

Wraith from Halo; actually slower than the Scorpion, with less range, and slower turn rate. Has a glaring weakspot in the rear; Still a fantastic tank.

Maybe not as bad as 5%, say, 50% armor. But nonetheless, giving it a weakspot wouldn't be bad. The secondary gunner would be tasked with keeping it covered, while the main gunner tears apart everything in its path. The idea is you don't let anything get behind you.

With the proposed range buff, that wouldn't be hard. You wouldn't need to get as close to the action to do damage, not as close as you need to get now. And if a heavy actually manages to carry his RL all the way behind you, that's your fault. Or you're just in a situation you shouldn't have gotten into.

It could play excellently if you implimented it properly. Giving it the highest overall armor would just make it entirely superior to the other tanks with almost no counter.