How do we improve Aerial Anomalies?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by adamts01, Oct 17, 2018.

  1. adamts01

    The problem - 1 faction dominates these things, decisively. I'd guess 1 in 20 end up being a good fight, if that.

    I don't have a solution. But I love these alerts when they work, and want to see this alert type succeed. The end goal is having more competitive fights and 2/3 factions not looking at the score and saying "screw it".

    Possible ideas?....
    • Make the alert area much wider, sort of pancake shaped and roughly 6x the size. This would keep it from being instant suicide to get some points on the board.
    • Give points at an increased rate the farther you trail, or the more outnumbered you are.
    • Give extra points for every winning enemy aircraft kill while in the alert area.
    • Give the losing factions free area effect bonuses while inside the alert (repair, jamming field, ammo regen, can't be spotted....)
    • Up x 1
  2. Blam320

    The problem will still be one faction puts together an unstoppable air zerg that decimates the competition. Hopefully, we can brainstorm some new, more balanced alerts that promote less cheese (and therefore don't necessitate counterbalancing bonuses for underpop factions).
  3. adamts01

    What about the bonuses I mentioned, plus two anomalies at all times, and the anomaly with fighting taking place yields triple rewards? That way the camping zerg would't stack points the way they do, unless they split up to more manageable numbers.

    And really, if you remove the ability to air lock and spot the losing factions, as well as give them a small but constant health regen that would be a huge buff to attacking multiple numbers.

    Even if the zerg still wins, the fights would be a lot better.
  4. Demigan

    The winning faction will have all their area exclude the air anomalies. Having the anomaly over your area is a strong boon and helps combat the winning faction as it takes longer to get back there and there's more likely G2A present against them.

    Perhaps also make the points system different. Instead of 10 aircraft each receiving 1 point per X seconds, you reduce it for each additional aircraft.
    Example: 1 aircraft gains 10 points per 10 seconds. The second aircraft gains 9 points per 10 seconds (while the first still gains 10 points). The third 8 points... By the time you reach 11+ aircraft the extra aircraft only gain 1 point per 10 seconds each. It makes it harder to get a lead by simply jamming the anomaly full of aircraft.

    Again, an example of how it could go.
    • Up x 4
  5. adamts01

    This actually might be the ticket. Let the first anomaly spawn in the center of the map, and have the next anomaly spawn according to points. If faction A and B lead by far, the anomaly will spawn deep in to C territory. If A leads by far, then the anomaly will spawn far away from A, and in between B and C. If all factions are tied, then the anomaly will spawn somewhere around the middle.
    • Up x 2
  6. LodeTria

    Your first challenge is actually making them matter. So long as they so irrelevant (wowee 20% off air lol) everyone who's not in the zerging faction will continue to ignore it. The "it's new" paint only lasts so long and we are well beyond that.
    • Up x 1
  7. Hegeteus

    I'd at least remove free aircraft cost, and make participation reward nanites instead. That way people would be encouraged to participate in the alert, instead of groundpounding with a2g and so on.

    Alternatively, refund the aircraft cost when it's destroyed in the anomaly area.
    • Up x 2
  8. strikearrow

    The way to improve it is make 7 anomalies instead of just one that can be zerged. And place some so low or near heavy AA bases so that ground forces can contribute and some at max altitude so they cannot. With some near the ground, there wouldn't be so many AA locks and coyotes used. Of course keep shifting the anomalies around and keep aircraft free for sure so inexperienced pilots get A2A and A2G experience.

    The rewards for the victors should be a 10% chance at a cosmetic (skin, decal, armor, wheels etc.), maybe 2% chance at a weapon or exceptional implant (but only 1 item). If none of those rewards land, then 400 ISO + 100 certs. or so. All participants would get ISO as they do now.
  9. strikearrow

    That would still heavily punish the losing factions because usually they do not make it into the anomaly at all or at least many of them do not so it would really discourage people from playing the alert once their side was losing.
  10. VeryCoolMiller

    adding huge carriers to protect with AA infantry on the deck of the carrier while liberators and esf try to destroy them !
  11. adamts01

    Part of the reason for a single, or possibly two anomalies is to force a massive air battle, something you NEVER see during normal gameplay. Too many anomalies and it turns in to the same old small air fights, especially on dead servers.


    Not with current AoE AA. With low anomalies there's just zero way aircraft could linger in them, which is the whole idea behind the thing. And, the entire point is to finally give air the A2A battles we've been waiting for, entangling ground defeats the entire purpose.
  12. JibbaJabba

    Require 3 smaller locations to be held before scoring can occur in the main location.

    This will fracture air zergs and get it down more to the dogfighting level
  13. Naphemil

    delete it... that would fix the issue.... but this is DBG we're talking about... they only know how to break code xD
  14. adamts01

    That would help a smaller force find a good fight, but it these alerts would still be a steamroll. Ideally more people would participate and we wouldn't need to baby factions, but the only way that's going to happen is if the other 2 factions have at least a hope to win.
  15. strikearrow

    Not all low enough for AA, but some so that losing factions can bring in AA to help establish some air control. Otherwise getting 30+ aircraft together for a decent counter-zerg is very difficult.
  16. Blam320


    So basically enable a faction to spawn a Bastion Fleet Carrier to provide AA support?
  17. IcEzEbRa

    I like the points for air vehicle kills w/in the anomalous area counting...and if flight ceiling could be raised on the entire continent, like 1500m, and the anomaly occurred in that space, would be better imho...AA is so often waiting like ground vultures under the anomaly. I don't know if that can be done, I assume so because the Bastion Carriers are in this space after alerts. Making anomalous aircraft spawn from 3 faction fleet carriers would be cool.

    One thing I see now is merciless ground pounding during anomalies. Farming the newest, and newer players still on the ground, trying to figure out how to play. For some, its just free air resources for AI or rocket pod spam during the event... shouldn't be that.
  18. VeryCoolMiller

    more 3 carriers and to win the anomaly you need to destroy the other 2 carriers. A faction need to protect his carrier and destroy the other 2.

    Everything at high altitude with the infantry on the deck of the carrier fighting against the boarding of another faction. To destroy a carrier you need to produce enough damage to the hull until it crack with vehicles and then board the carrier and overload the generator :p...

    ahahah ok i m dreaming :D
  19. adamts01

    Flak from the ground is already very punishing. You might not feel it, because it's easy to escape at that range, but when there's a single Skyguard below you need at least 2 rwp gals. With 2 sources of flak the 2 gals can't loiter. 3 Skyguards is a nightmare. Current AA is already a real pain in the ***, and lowering the anomaly would turn the air event in to an AA event.
    • Up x 1
  20. Blam320


    AA is a pain because A2G farming is a pain.