Progression is to extreme in PS2 and friends first impression.

That may be true for infantry vs infantry, but when you have to deal with maxes and vehicles that quickly changes. And then there's the vehicle game, which is insanely cert intensive.

Yes, I was meaning Infantry vs Infantry.

Why do gamers nowadays thrive on being "comfortable" in a game???

So the OP's friends couldn't wreck shop on their 1st day and quit. That's the gist of what I'm getting out of the OP's Letter/thread.

Good. I couldn't wreck shop on my 1st day either. I didn't quit though. . I'm not looking for a "comfortable" game to play. I took my beatings like everyone else. Still do occasionally . The game keeps you humble and that is downright fascinating to me.

At some point you just have to let those "comfortable" gamers realize the game isn't for them.
Just imagine if, the rules of Chess were changed for the sake of mass appeal.

Would you still play Chess?

I mean, define what type of progression you expect after a few days?

Arguably, the hardest progression in ps2 is making vehicles fully combat ready, but even then thats not deemed necessary depending on how you want to play.

People need to accept this is a war simulator, not a pure arena fps. Like most games, an investment of time is required to truly reap rewards.

That said, membership IS too expensive for what it offers, yet its hardly a necessity for progression.

Whenever this discussion comes up I wonder what exactly the players expect to unlock that would help them. Anything important you could need is unlockable by BR 10 at most, especially with the extra certs you get. Any new player will be disadvantaged, but not because of their equipment but rather their lack of experience (which isn't their fault, it's only natural).

I'm in agreement - yes membership gives you faster progression and DBC to buy stuff but it's really not a great benefit compared to the cost. I salute SoE / DBG for being so non pay-to-win but worry about the longevity of such a model.

I've been a member for years and have literally everything I could ever want (and plenty I don't) - there really is very little incentive for me to remain a member other than the fact that I want to continue to support DBG.

As a veteran who is past most of it, I do find it a bit annoying when I'm trying to spin up a new character. Getting one to the point where it can actually play the role of let's say two classes, plus the basic logistics vehicles is tedious. Actually getting decent implants on an alt? forget it.

Keep in mind our stupid headshot mechanics make noobs think they are getting outgunned by unlockable equipment. They don't realize it's skill. Noobs complaining about advancement are partially driven by this.

I'd be okay if new players could get a "one time free full unlocked class" of their choice after BR 15 -- excluding weapons and sidearms ofc. Just for a "Hey, you have effortlessly unlocked something ingame" feel.

g2a launcher, max second and flak second AV arm

close range automatic of your chosen class, a general good seconday because the atleast the VS and NC default are not good vor beginners

utitlity-, defense- and performanceslot of your chosen vehicle

LA both c4 bricks, engineer AVmines, Boltaction for sniper


"free players should suffer"

then don´t wonder if they don´t stay ..




i´m still of the opinion that directives need to change that are about kills, those need to be about damage dealt as not every weapon is good for kills ..

exp against infantry needs to be on damage dealt then kills as extra .. many times xp is not gained from damaging infantry as the opponent retreats and no one else kills him .. kill assists are not counted torward directives at all and revives take kills away ..

the solution to all of this is give exp on damage dealt .. so the player gets at least something out of it ..

vs and tr need to unlock their bolt action, were NC does not, NC gauss rifle is horrible for the ranges infantry usualy engages and is only controllable for a beginner when decked in attachments
default pistol for VS and NC is meh ..
MAX needs a set of AV and Flakweapons to be good at its role not just one

HA is helpless against air with default RL

and ESFcontrols for beginners are a GIGANTIC PITA ..

so there is quite the ammount of stuff DBG could change to make the new playerexperience aside from progression better ..

G2A launcher is the only mandatory that you have listed. It costs 650 certs, not that much. Others are optional and can wait.

Also I've just logged into my BR3 VS test char and guess what. I do already have second Burster for MAX (maybe cuz I bought it with DBC, I don't remember), bolt action for infiltrator, another carbine and a shotgun for LA and HA, another LMG for HA... Not gonna name it all.

Two bricks of C4 - 700 certs. Mines - 250 certs. Manticore pistol 325 certs.

It's not a big loss if free players don't stay. Whenever the game ask for for monthly sub to access everyone are fine with it. But as soon as DBG asks for the same 15$ people go b*tching on the forums. Free players contribute only to one thing - be the cannon fodder for those who pay. Otherwise they don't bring any income, they bring loses for power, bandwith, support. So why in the world they should feel themselves comfortable? I mean if they're fine with the grind, so be it. If some folks have a job, family, chores and don't have that much time to grind, that means they could afford 15$ in order to play comfortable as any other "sub to access" MMO.

uhu yea .... remember when PS 2 had players on 2 continents for more than 2 hours? remember when ps 2 could actualy fill that the 3000 players per server limit?
every player you can´t keep weither he pays or pays not further brings the game torwards it´s end of lifecycle ..
the new continent is no guarantee for getting enough players back to play .. and it´s definetly no guarantee to keep them ..
and the game at it´s current state NEEDS to keep its playebase ..

Despite the poor marketing of this game I still see many new players. And by new I mean really new, by the way they behave like inexperienced planetmans. New players will come and go. Those who don't wanna stay will find the reasons for it. We can't judge them or try to convince them to stay. Those who get hooked up will either endure the grind or will buy subs or cash. And let's face it, this game is not for everyone.
The only reason of population decline is poor marketing. But I tell you, for a new player this game is way more friendlier than it used to be couple of years ago. Also we don't need overpopped servers, it would create ridiculous queues and crying on forum, which would give the game far more negative impact than not so populated areas. Just remember, some players hate 96+ vs 96+ meatgrinders, so half empty conts provide them with smaller combats they look for.

Yes, this game has poor marketing. Planetside needs new trailers and articles on popular gaming websites. They really need to show off more of the outfit gameplay which has been my hook since the game first came out. I've definitely been salty over some of the changes over the years but adapting to those changes has kept the game challenging and fun.

The game is also a lot less grindy when working with other players for those squad XP bonuses and putting yourselves into situations where you can maximize that score per hour. When I first started out playing, I was a medic or an engineer supporting point holds. I got a lot of XP by sitting there and giving ammo and repairs to a MAX that was shooting and getting shot non-stop. Revives also give a lot of XP, especially when you land that revive grenade that gets a lot of people up.