Picture proof why Continent Locking hurts gameplay

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metagaming

capturing continents,taking over warpgates etc.


those are what creates metagames.

Okay first off, you have more than enough pop on Hossin to make a move. I understand your point though but ironically it cant be fixed without taking away peoples choice to choose which faction they play, so either way it wouldnt make you happy.

No, planetside IS known for big battles, their slogan literally is SIZE MEANS EVERYTHING.
Ghostcapping is baaaaaaaaaaaaaad, removing that is great (for people that want to play planetside for planetside and not loiteringside.)
You can play how you want to, they just made it a more dynamic playing field that pushes variety and removes stagnation from the game. You will at some point have to not fight on Indar, scary i know.

This is a bit off topic but heres an example of why giving the player full rein is dumb.
Halo 3 had a veto system for choosing map, you were given an option and you could either vote to skip (to an unknown map) or stick with what you had, you could only veto once. Sometimes you got a map you didnt like, sometimes one you did but you know what? It kept it interesting and people were happy because everyone got to play their personal favourites at some point.
Enter Halo 4
This game gave players 3 maps to choose from at once, so Ragnarok or Exile(the most popular large maps) are always a choice.
And you know what? WE PLAY THE SAME 2 MAPS FOREVER.
Its horrible, no variety, the maps are great sure but its pure stagnation and one of the reasons why the game is a flop.

We DO have choice in Planetside, we always have 2 continents to choose from and 2 will cycle around between the 4.
Remember this is only phase 1, when we have proper continental lattice we will actually be able to choose which one we want to play on but we will have to FIGHT for it. Which is sweet.

Why do people hate locking so much?
Because we are too used to Indar. On indar we know all the good fighting locations, which ones to defend, which ones to attack, all the prominent farming locations, secret hiding spots, good sniper vantage points. We can fit into an easy routine of farming and middling around. We hate locking because now there are people on our other continents that we used to escape the carnage and sit on a point and contemplate life (whilst getting exp).

That isnt choice, we were all stuck in a rut, doing the same thing over and over and over and over.

Personally I get excited when I come on because I dont know where I will be fighting, I dont know what resources will be readily available etc.
Its DIFFERENT each time I come on, like unwrapping presents at christmas, (sure sometimes its disappointing) but sometimes you find yourself defending a biolab on hossin and you have locked amerish so you are all mashing Maxes and sweeping through the enemy.

As a platoon leader I can actually have an impact on the battlefield now, we can for example rally the empire over command to cap a continent to unlock indar so we can fight there, then we will be on indar and you realise 'we MADE this possible'

This game is really pushing itself in the right direction and we should be offering constructive ideas to make it better rather than just saying REVERT EVERYTHING I WANT NOTHING TO CHANGE EVER. NERF EVERYONE ELSE. Which seems to be the stereotypical forumsider.

This is phase 1 and every problem I have ever heard from it is relevant ONLY to phase 1 (eg we should be able to choose which continent to unlock, alerts lock a continent regardless if anyone was actually there etc)

These are temporary transition problems.
This game has done the first RIGHT thing in 2 years and we are attacking them for it.
Sorry for the rant.
+10 points if you managed to read the whole thing.

TL;DR We actually have MOAR choice then before (something OTHER than indar). Cont locking is the best thing ever. Concede that phase 1 sucks though.

No sorry going in with a huge pop faction vrs a small pop faction for a steam roll is not metagaming, however lets say that the overpopulated faction(VS) is actually 30% (TR Loyalist) who in turn relay all vital information to TR command and if they are in VS leadership as well take their squads to meaningless fights with the NC, or setting up a truce between VS and TR giving the TR a chance to win an alert or something would be considered metgaming.

I think your overthinking things...... and derailing this thread.

Meh I'm just annoyed seeing that term thrown around so loosely in PS2 forums, and I actually like Halcyon's posts so no I didn't want to de rail thread so back to his point.
I mean no offense as your posts generally are not that bad although as of late it does seem as if an SOE employee high jacked your account

people have asked if i was a Dev a few times lol.

thats saying something hahaha.

(on page 1 there is my big segemented post....... this part of the post is supposed to be quoted.)

The real issue of Population imbalances are strongly influenced by players focusing on themselves an neglecting any interest in their factions success or loss. Granted not everyone has hours to get involved in a larger fight for a continent an maybe only a half hour of game time an want to spend it doing what they want to do best. Fair enough.

The underpopulated bit, has plenty to do with new content and a lot more to self-gratification an lack of faction community pride. I've often heard on NC command coms at times when alerts come up for (Indar/Esamiir/Amerish), how they're keeping their platoons/squads on "insert continent", cause "insert continent" is fun, or how they hate that continent, screw the alert, they don't care if they lose it as it doesn't affect them. Once losing alerts an continental links has some detrimental effect, will the selfish players start paying more attention. At that point you could effectively say, the lazy faction might have to actually talk to other people inside their faction.

Time to wake up
THat is the issue, too many people just not giving a beef, an that hurts your faction on a community level.

It is the players responsibility to build bridges within your faction via socializing (not just trolling). Do you think EVE's grandiose alliances an control of swathes of planetary systems happened from a bunch of randoms flying in an blowing everything up?
Communication is the key building block to any MMO that has faction rivalry to being a successful game (win or lose) both on a personal level as well as a goal for the game.

The larger ZERG fights become less mindless mob mentality, more so because you start seeing the coordination andsee how it has been working for the enemies of your faction, possibly realizing they have been doing so for possibly longer than your own. Cause those outfit leaders actually took measures to build some form of military command communication between their respective outfits to overcome large groups of piecemeal randoms in larger fights.

As SCr1 has stated, read the details of development an direction to where they are aiming the "metagame" to become. It's still just wackamole like beta for hex/continent domination. Since it's only part of a larger system of updates to come to bring in the larger framework to the game.

OP, I faced the same problem, with lack of proper battles, which of course arent 48+vs48+ spamfest around the corner.
But I can hardly say there are no battles I enjoy. Its just the average chance of getting into it is a bit smaller now.

Yes, there's more. But for a huge numer of players only Indar is fun and other continents are just dull and boring.

thats because thats all they know.

because they are so closed minded thanks to indar, and the other continents spice things up playstyle and map wise.

Then go work as a team and unlock Indar.

Boom, pow, problem solved!

Can you, please, explain why should I waste my time playing on a continent I don't like?

Do you seriously think players did not try other continents?
Or you really think that if you can force people to play something they hate long enough they will eventually like it?
Players are consumers - they choose the most enjoyable experience and if they choose Indar over other continents, that is the reason to think WHY people don't like other continents.
The easiest and the most primitive way - to blame Indar for all the faults. Or blame players. Your kind likes to say "don'tlike -it - find another game". Well, maybe it is you who should look for a game with "correct" players, who will not gravitate back to Indar.

Enter the game - Indar locked. Now players have to waste hours of their time to even be allowed to play on a cont. they like. That borders masochism - except masochist take enjoyment from the pain and suffering, and players will get no enjoyment, only boring and tedious experience.
So you have two options - play something you hate or quit and wait until conts will be unlocked.

No, I'm not talking about ghost capping.
Before CL, small groups of players that don't always like zerging would enjoy playing small 6-12 man fights at small bases.

And no, the real problem isn't one faction having too many players. The fights shown in the screenshots were more towards even about 30 min prior to that, but as soon as a squad leaves here, another platoon leaves there, and so on it creates a domino effect that is amplified by the fact all combat is funnelled through only two continents.

Thanks for assuming, but I did play PS1 quite a bit. What PS1 had that PS2 doesn't is 3x the number of maps to play on. Having CL with only 4 continents and having 50% of them locked at all times is just stupid.

I don't like how CL is being implemented, and thanks but I'll pass on BF4/COD as I already mentioned BF4 in my OP.
If they want to do CL, then they need to do it properly when all the pieces are in place, and not in phases that by themselves don't work properly at all.

First time I've ever posted on continent locking.
Any other hyperbole? Or did you have something meaningful to contribute to the discussion?

It's almost like this is a persistent world MMOFPS where the actions of players have far-reaching consequences for others.

Oh, there are plenty of threads, including the one with hundreds of replies, where people with your (ignorant) opinion have been shredded ruthlessly. I don't feel the need to tread old grounds.

Hopefully you realize the irony of the situation at least.