Let's Talk: Difference between Combined Arms and Farming

Combined Arms vs. Farming
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Combined Arms is using a variety of Units, in concert with each other, toward achieving a shared goal. Farming is using a Unit that is OP for a situation, to grind a specific reward/stat/etc.


How Players Farm In PS2
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In PS2, Farming is usually done by using a Vehicle/MAX vs. Infantry in a situation where the Vehicle/MAX is OP. This works for Farming because the Vehicle/MAX is safe from the Infantry, Infantry are plentiful and easy to find, and the Infantry are setup in PS2 to give amazing rewards/stats/etc. relative to what Vehicles or Objectives give.

Farming is about players seeking out the broken matchup in their favor so they can safely/easily/quickly grind the desired Reward/Stat/etc. It is the product of (1) having a desired Reward/Stat that requires lots of grinding, and (2) having a broken matchup that the game allows to satisfy that grind.


Easiest Way To Stop Farming
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The easiest way for PS2 to stop Farming is to change the Reward/Stat system. Specifically:
1) give lower Rewards for killing Infantry when done specifically by Vehicles/MAXs
2) give higher Rewards for killing Vehicles
3) change the Stats to show: Infantry Kills vs. non-MAX Infantry, Infantry Kills vs. MAXs, Infantry Kills vs. Vehicles Destroyed. Vehicle Kills vs. non-MAX Infantry, Vehicle Kills vs. MAXs, Vehicle Kills vs. Vehicles Destroyed. Then create an additional section which Further expands it to show Kills vs. each Class/Unit (like Oracle of Death does)
4) change Directive requirements for Vehicle Directives to offer lower progress when killing Infantry, and more progress for Vehicles Kills and Vehicle Kill Assists


Other Ways To Stop Farming
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There are other ways to stop Farming, but they are much more complicated or even undesired. They involve things like:
1) tuning Units to be less effective vs. certain vulnerable Targets
2) removing the need/motivation for players to Grind
3) etc.
But often these require a lot of complicated work that can go wrong very easily, or they involve removing or warping content in a way that feels off or just unfun.


Conclusion
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Right now, Farming Infantry is the main way to Grind most Rewards/Stats, for most Players, for all Units. And this is because (1) the game has Grind based Rewards and (2) Killing Infantry in PS2 gives amazing rewards/stats/etc. relative to what Killing Vehicles or Objectives give (for most players). If you want to curtail this, the easiest method is to reduce Rewards for Infantry Kills by Vehicles and (if needed) increase Rewards for Killing Vehicles (or maybe just specific Units killing other Specific Units they are intended to be the counters for)

Anti Vehicle weapons scale exponentially with numbers. The fact is you can have 30 tanks hitting a base at long range and destroying infantry. But Infantry can spawn at the base next door (or even the same base depending on base layout) -- everyone can pull lockon RLs. and 30 guys with RL launchers (same numbers -- no nanite cost) will destroy that tank line in seconds. Every tank destroyed has to go pull another tank and drive it back -- the infantry can just redeploy back at the base that was getting spammed in seconds.

In this game with infinite respawns -- time is the deciding factors in wins and losses. That is why it works as combined arms -- at anytime infantry can simply remove any vehicle attacking them with some teamwork pretty much unstoppably. That's the nut of the problem a lot of infantry feel -- it requires combined arms (other players) to destroy combined arms (vehicles.)

And people don't like that -- they want to solo hero warrior everything.

Even though I was quite vague about it, I myself only feel upset about airfarming even though I do it some. I feel no ill will towards tankers, they have it rough enough as it is.

I think you can have a good idea of the difference between the two if you compare MBT / Lightnings / Harassers / Liberator in one side and ESF in another side : in the first case, you have lazy pilots, sitting in their immobile and particularly strong vehicle and picking infantry ; in the other case, you have pilots that need to be always in movement (because they can't be stationary and even if they could, they are too weak to do it and take shots) and have weak planes that can be badly hurts by gunshots or oneshoted by MBT or Libs or even obstacles like trees or antenna.

Sure, all vehicles can support their infantry, destroy tactical targets (enemy sundys, turrets...) but only ESF pilots have a hard time and have to permanently think and react, hit and run. The total imbalance between these two kinds of vehicles lead to the fact that the MBT / lightnings / libs etc... are not really making combined arms battles but just farm infantry.

Combined arms is Briggs NC, farming is Emerald VS.

Exactly what i came to say.

Its pretty simple really, killing infantry at a base so you can move in a cap it (regardless of how long it takes) with the intention of playing the meta is 100% fair game.

If you are just sat there looking for easy kills for certs... your farming.

Is there anything wrong with farming? Absolutely 100% no of course there isn't!