Development Update: Critical Mass

Discussion in 'Official News and Announcements' started by Mepps, Aug 16, 2017.

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  1. Mepps Sr. Community Manager

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    Critical Mass: New Continent Lock Mechanics

    In an effort to foster more impactful fights over continents, and create a stronger sense of accomplishment when conquering one, the Critical Mass update later this month brings with it some major revisions to how continent locking works. Most of the inbound changes center around the Victory Point system, which has been revisited to create more straightforward and achievable goals while emphasizing the strategic importance of territory control.

    Previously, the VP system acted as a sort of checklist where factions would complete various objectives which then rewarded points to that faction. Earning these points was somewhat removed from the moment to moment experience, and would often reward factions for what they’ve done in the past, instead of painting a picture of the current state of a continent. This was especially noticeable toward the end of the process, where continents would lock abruptly, often interrupting high-intensity battles in a dissatisfying or anticlimactic way.

    With this month’s update, we intend to bring back a stronger sense of connection between your actions as a player (or squad of players) and how those actions impact your win or loss of a continent. Here’s how.

    Changes to Victory Points

    First, random alerts have been removed (at least for the time being). We like the focused nature of alerts and the fights they generate, but victories (or losses) didn’t feel punctuated or meaningful. We’ll talk more about alerts further down.

    Second, most of the checklist goals from the old Victory Point system have been removed. Some of these objectives detracted from the overall continent flow, and added an unnecessary layer of complexity to continent locking. In the new system, factions will still require points to win over a continent, but these points are now gained solely from controlling territory or from refining cortium, and you will need to do both in order to reach the maximum points threshold for that continent. Eight points are gained through territory control, two points are gained through cortium refinement, and each continent now has a ten point cap.

    Third, reaching the ten point maximum will no longer automatically lock a continent. Instead, when a faction reaches ten points, we trigger what we refer to internally as a Meltdown Alert. This alert requires the initiating faction to defend territory for the duration of the alert. If that faction can defend enough of their territory, their victory will then lock the continent. If that faction cannot defend enough territory, that faction will lose the points earned through cortium refinement and need to once again regain them - as well as the territory lost during the alert – before getting another shot at locking the continent. This setback gives the other two factions time to catch up.

    Continent Locking Rewards

    Finally, the Meltdown Alert will also offer more interesting rewards in a couple of different forms. All players will receive an amount of ISO-4 (the implant progression currency) for participating in an alert. This reward scales with how much time you’ve spent in the alert (with the most ISO-4 gained when you’ve participated for the full hour) and whether or not your faction is victorious.

    If your faction finished with the least amount of controlled territory in a meltdown alert, you will receive the least amount of ISO-4. If your faction didn’t trigger the alert, but did end up with the most territory at the end of it (thus preventing the other faction from winning,) you’ll receive a moderate amount of ISO-4. If your faction triggered the alert and won the alert, you’ll receive the most amount of ISO-4, as well as a loot box reward.

    Factions that initiate the Meltdown Alert and are victorious (thereby locking the continent) will receive an item reward on top of their ISO-4. This reward ranges from consumables, to weapons, to cosmetics, and will always give you an item you don’t already own, provided it’s not a consumable. You may even find equipment drops that you cannot purchase directly out of the depot.

    Similar to the ISO-4 scaling based on time spent, this item drop is given only to players who have participated for the majority of the alert. We want to discourage players from swapping from their faction to the “winning” faction as much as possible, and this is a behavior we’ll be looking very closely for when the system goes live.


    This system will soon be on the public test server, and we look forward to any feedback you can offer both now and after it goes live to PC and PS4 later this month. Feedback can be shared on Twitter, Reddit (PC), Reddit (PS4), or here on the forums.
    • Up x 12
  2. Mepps Sr. Community Manager

    If you missed the livestream, watch the replay now!

    • Up x 3
  3. TR5L4Y3R

    consider me very hyped for this :)
    • Up x 1
  4. Creeme


    I'm not complaining, but this is a peculiar decision IMO.
    • Up x 2
  5. Mepps Sr. Community Manager

  6. JibbaJabba

    I'm impressed most simply by a willingness to make changes. Nice work folks! I'm looking forward to this.

    It ain't a game until someone slaps some money on the table. I think the new rewards might do just that.
    • Up x 2
  7. Famif

    This is, in my honest opinion, a brilliant concept. Every corner of what you are trying to achieve with this meltdown alert, from the mechanics to the stakes for activating the alert, to the rewards on all sides, to how everyone gets blown up from orbit... absolutely awesome. However you end up tweaking this system, I hope you keep it simple and you run into as few production bumps as possible.

    This... This is a great concept to build on. A simple alert system that encourages extreme tactical play by outfits and platoons, this may in fact bring back many people now that there are things to win besides a kill streak for being good. A reward of boosters and cosmetics is HUGE and I appreciate you lot taking the choice on offering this step.

    I can see this alert system getting a bit more unique for conditions later on. Doing things like uh, "Capture times for the other two factions is decreased by 25% and if they warp-gate you, your faction loses" I dunno. I ramble a lot. Time to get an hour in before bed.
    • Up x 6
  8. ParakeetLord88

    It's like this: RNG chance of a reward, and a fair bit of ISO-4, *WILL* make people want to lock continents. The single biggest problem with the game will finally have been solved, pending adjustments going forward.

    Believe me, this is very good and will make people play more - and harder.
    • Up x 1
  9. SpeedFreakPS0NE

    What the hell is this, how about when are you going to fix ZOE!?
    • Up x 1
  10. DarkStarAnubis

    It looks good.

    Could we know the min-max amount of ISO-4 given (just as reference, to upgrade an implant from level 4 to 5 costs more than 2000 units)?
  11. LtBomber1

    Looks like we will see some good changes here!
    But what about...

    ...Under/Overpop? I cant see Miller VS winning a single alert with just 25% pop (primetime).
    ...Win-team-joining? As soon as an alert starts, switch faction to get reward (artificial overpop)
    ...Player made bases have no purpose after 2VP created? We cant protect conventional bases due to no construction zones, inter lattice bases are hardly usefull (could change if OS could target bases)
    ...Continent dont lock for a long time? Maybe lower the requirements for alert victory depending on the number of alerts
    ...Two alerts on two continents simultanious? Would spread pop out, but denying an alert would also be unfair
  12. Demigan

    Here's some things I have questions about:
    In the stream, Wrel went to his implant page. There I saw "Logistics specialist" and "Power Strike" rare implants. Anyone an idea what they are?

    What about the R-version (or whatever they are called) weapons we saw in the screenshots teasing the critical mass update?
    What about the ES gun we saw in the screenshot in the critical mass update?

    I already have the analyst helmet from years ago, and I think 90% of the players who actually test things on the PTS as well. Can't you give out other awards for these players? A bit of DBC (which would incidentally give these players a taste of using DBC and could encourage them to buy some), new decals&cosmetics, special weapon versions etc?

    You gave away DBC in the raffle of the stream, only the european players had a pretty bad timing when they could watch so it's a bit unfair to them to put it in the middle of the week near midnight.

    The Engineer got another toy, again. Any chance the other classes will start getting a similar amount of toys? I would love to see a remote-detonated sticky flash grenade or something for better ambush capabilities etc.

    Paul Dziadzio is a programmer... Of what exactly? What's his specialty?

    They commented on leadership, make sure it's not purely squad or platoon leadership. Make sure players can do leadership on a larger scale to both randoms and squads/platoons that aren't part of them.

    The weapon they showed in the middle of the stream didn't look anything like the PS2 design, what was it about?
  13. Who Garou

    So the new Victory Point/Continent-capping system seems anti-base building.

    "Eight points are gained through territory control, two points are gained through cortium refinement, and each continent now has a ten point cap."

    Only 2 points can be gained by Cortium Refinement.

    I don't know about the other servers, but continents have been getting capped quite frequently due to Cortium Refinement on Emerald.

    I don't see anything wrong with this.
    It encourages players to attack player-made bases (so did the rewards for have the most silos active, and having all the cores active).

    If only 2 points can be gained by Cortium Refinement, there is far less reason to hunt down and destroy bases.
    One would think that, possibly, it would make people want to hunt them down faster, but when you cap the possible gain to 2 VP, it is really hard to respond fast enough to stop that from happening realistically based on behavior that I have seen in-game.

    The Sudden-Death Alert mechanic is interesting, but it just replaces the current Alert system.
    These Alerts last for 1 hour and they will be triggered at a random time. We will have to see how often a player in prime-time that can only play for a couple hours is able to "enjoy" these Alerts.
    Regardless of the timing of a Continent cap, someone is going to be dissatisfied that the big battle that they are at is suddenly on a locked continent. The Sudden-Death Alert doesn't stop that from happening; it just causes it to happen at a different time than it did before.

    The game needed to drop ISO-4 somehow, this is better than nothing
    (I kind of would have liked to see it be ... and it still can be ... an All Access perk to get a certain amount of ISO-4 for subscribing... but I don't know important subscriptions are to the ... as they say ... bottom-line)
  14. Kristan

    So we have new Mr. Crazyhair, eh?

    As for alerts system I'm afraid one faction that caused it gonna be doubleteamed and continents might never be locked.
  15. SashsaACIII

    As the saying goes wait and see the future of PlanetSide 2 ( and it becomes interesting what the update is racing by September or maybe sooner [ more tests the better !] )
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    As usual the two continents closed and two open continent ( with a smaller population of players on the server that three of the continent closed one open continent ).

    In this update ... . when you close the continent's mass murder will be two factions !!! will start in 10 meager beginnings of mass murder. Sounds good who is not washed away it is not to blame in mass murder.

    ...N7® .
    • Up x 1
  16. Narrisch



    They try to address that with handing out more/better rewards for the faction contributing most is my guess. So there is some potential for conflict among the not locking factions. It is one of the things that needs to be evaluated when it goes live i guess.
  17. Sirygba

    1. That is the Point of this update, The overpoping faction will trigger allert and find itself doubleteamed by other two factions trying to deny this allert Victory. If DIG... erm Miller VS locked continents by HIVE generated points they were part of problem because this is MMOFPS and not CIV 6 with cultural victory.
    2. Unless allert starting faction pop will be 50% of continent population, then it will always be underpoped SO faction change will havo Little to no effect on allert.
    3. Only HIVES will have no effect. Allert starting faction goal is to DEFEND its territory and what is better to DEFEND territory than Player made fortifications.
    4. Sudden and frequent continent locking by VICTORY POINTS was THE problem but devs will be testing requirements and goals of allert and change them until good gameplay is created.
  18. Maniaboo

    I'm curious what happens if were stuck on indarside for 4 days because no one can lock it.
  19. DemonicTreerat

    So far looks good. Certainly addresses the issue of one side mass-producing VP via HIVEs.

    Add me to the side that is a bit concerned about faction-jumping when the alert starts. Playing off-hours I can see that being a big problem with some outfits that are more concerned about winning period than fighting to win. Maybe reduce the ISO by 50% and no loot box if one changed faction within say 10 minutes of the alert starting?

    Only additional concern is that one has to both trigger the alert and win to get the best possible rewards. Obviously one can see that being a problem when a faction does have an overwhelming population edge (for example Connery TR around 8am or so) or a continent is almost entirely ghost-capped (ala Hossin when Indar is available), especially if one of the other factions decides its easier to focus on coming in second and thus undercuts the other non-winning side. Another possible issue that breaking a side that is on a winning streak is often more difficult than continuing an existing streak, yet doesn't reward as well as simply following through.

    My preference would let the ISO rewards stand but make the loot box require breaking a potential lock then going on to lock the continent oneself, and require that the winning side have no more than a 5% (at a guess) edge in population at the start of the alert. That way the hardest goal - coming back from behind to win - gets the best rewards and we won't see factions riding a 40+% population to lock after lock.
  20. BorgUK1of9


    While watching the video this morning this is exactly what I was thinking, this strategy would have been great 2 years ago, the only way this will work now is if they merge Cobalt and Miller.
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