Why Factionless Robots?

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Ketenks, Nov 25, 2018.

  1. Ketenks

    So the robots are factionless and are supposed to draw players from every faction where those robots get automatically assigned a faction that has the lowest population.

    Now there are 2 kinds of players in Planetside: the kind that switch to the winning faction during an alert so that they can get the bonus rewards and the others who are loyalists. There isn't a third kind of player until these robots came along.

    But which pool of players do you likely think the robots will pull in from? If they pull in from the players that always switch to the winning team, then why would they choose a robot that automatically gets assigned to the least populous (and probably losing) faction? If they pull in from the loyalists, why would they switch to a robot that will sooner or later be playing against their faction except to "help the game out"?

    I don't see how the robots are going to solve population imbalances. On top of the fact that only members can use them (so there is much less potential for actually solving population imbalances), you will have to incentivize their use. So beyond it being a new gimmick people want to try, there is going to need to be a reason to play as a robot.

    And what reason is there that wouldn't give an advantage to it over other classes?

    I don't see this robot thing lasting or ever solving population imbalances. Let me know what you think.
    • Up x 2
  2. Liewec123

    actually that isn't all of the players.
    i play mostly once a week and when i do i cycle through all of my characters across each faction!
    so i'm neither a loyalist nor a forth factioner! i just want to experience all aspects of the game :)

    you do have a point though that these robots don't really add much!
    perhaps in the future they will be given some perks, like more spawn locations, higher nanites per minute or something.
    • Up x 3
  3. Ketenks

    But with any kind of definite advantage then you'll be getting rage from other non member players and actually an imbalance of robots versus regular players. Everyone will want to be a robot. At the cost of balancing population you can't imbalance the game play. I don't see this even being a remote possibility that this will help population imbalance, even down the road.

    But as for your style of play, do you play as the faction that is winning the alert? You can only play as 1 faction at a time. So if there is an alert which faction are you playing as? You can't expect me to believe that you never try to win the alerts because you're too busy cycling through your other characters.
    • Up x 1
  4. Pelojian

    the problem with the robots is the defaults are all NSX weapons (higher skill weapons) over the easier to use NS weapons like the NS-15 combined with the fact that they are always assigned to the low pop.

    higher skill defaults mean encouraging high skill players to play them and discouraging low or average skill players from trying them out unless they want to ether farm certs via support actions or vehicle gunner kills till they can afford a lower skill weapon or they can just pay to unlock an NS weapon instead

    meaning whenever 2 sides have significant pop all the robots will be assigned to the low people, as a result high skill players will login their NS robot to play the underpop side and wreck players with average or less then average skill.

    don't forget they are limited to NS and NSX weapons too, there's not a significant selection and even if they add some exlusive robot weapons they'll probably stupidly be tuned for high skill players like the NSX series.

    playing as the robots should be aimed at all players to encourage balanced fights, as-is it only appeals to high skill players.
  5. Ketenks

    But again, why would any of them choose to play a low population faction? If they are already skilled veterans then won't they just do what they've always done to get the alert rewards? None of it makes any sense. Robots wouldn't ever solve a population imbalance if there was an imbalance to begin with. It will only curb the imbalance from ever happening given that there are enough robots playing. But if there ever arises an imbalance and winning team then these players will drop the robots and go to that faction just like any other time.

    But I guess if there is a high enough percent of the population playing as robots before there is an alert or an imbalance then that will r.etard the chance of there ever being an imbalance. I suppose it won't solve alert style play but it will smooth over the general play.
    • Up x 1
  6. Eternaloptimist

    Well, I'm a different kind of player - I just like fighting. I have toons on all factions and on both EU servers and no, I don't try to join the winning side, just the one that is involved in the most enjoyable (i.e. BIG) fights.

    My query is how getting a robot that automatically joins the lowest population faction adds much of anything. After all, as things stand it ain't hard to log in to the low pop faction, especially when you're a member like me. Or do you switch factions mid-campaign when another faction becomes the lowest pop (that sounds like a recipe for confusion tbh).

    I'll be interested to see if the robot is an additional toon with its own stats or a robotic avatar for one of my existing toons i.e. which toon gets directive credits, ISO etc.
  7. Ketenks

    I'm fairly certain it is just another kind of class to use. You load out with it and it automatically deploys you on the smallest faction.
    That makes you a loyalist, albeit a versatile one.
  8. Liewec123

    but they are still limited to NS weapons and can't pull max, so they aren't all advantage,
    they have some hefty handicaps, plus they always join the underdog faction!


    if an alert triggers i will sometimes switch to my main (nc) but usually i'll just ride it out on whatever character i'm on at the time.
    i enjoy playing all 3 factions!
    • Up x 1
  9. Ketenks

    That's a good point. There might be room to make them better in other ways. If they couldn't pull vehicles as well then you'd make a lot of room to give them better gear.
  10. Nintyuk

    I have 1 NC character and no others
    • Up x 2
  11. LordKrelas

    It has the same classes.
    It just is a skin.

    Consider it, the PS1 Operatives, who reinforce the Low-pop side, so they have some allies dedicated to helping them enjoy some fights, or counter-act being mobbed.

    The low-pop side is often targeted, or needing reinforcements.
    Having allies, dedicated to Combat, is a Blessing.

    For motivation; They get to keep all their perks, their directives, their stats, their weapons, Unlike if you switch sides to do the same kind of thing.
    As well, they will be always involved in fights, more often than not, given the system.

    So, if you want Combat, and don't care about always having your ES gear, it's perfect.
  12. PlanetBound

    It would make more sense to have AI bots instead of human "robots'.
    • Up x 1
  13. Twin Suns

    Honestly it seems like a recipe for disaster.

    What happens when these robotic saviors decide to be saboteurs.

    Destroying friendly Sundays and spawn beacons when nobody's looking. Relaying troop movements and other intel to their enemy homies.
    Not to mention other nefarious deeds.

    What if a whole outfit decides to be robots and grieve the low pop Faction with reindeer games. Bwahahahaha.

    I hope they thought this through.
  14. Pelojian

    these two statements are contradictory, if it's 'just a skin' you'd have access to ES weapons and ES vehicles.

    the system would be better if the robots could access ES stuff, but only use the stuff appropriate for the faction they are in at the time, as a counter balance the ES weapons could cost less certs for the robots considering they would have 3x the ES stuff to unlock then faction specific charaters.
    • Up x 2
  15. Trigga

    In a 100% PVP multiplayer online shooter it would make 0 sense to have AI anything.
    Too much already tbh.
    • Up x 2
  16. JibbaJabba

    There aren't "two types of players blah blah..."

    There are two games.

    There is one game where you play for the alert, play the lattice, command troops to move together, hold areas together, do flanks, pull complimentary vehicles, etc.
    There is a second game where people just mostly play deathmatch in the arenas that get formed from the first game.

    I'm guessing all of you with concerns about the 4th faction are players of the first game type. You are under some illusion that those playing the second game care about the first. That's why people start crying about 4th faction and switching teams to win. But it just doesn't happen that way. The people that play the first type of game are indeed loyalists and aren't going to switch factions...much at all really.
    The people that play the 2nd game are looking for the good fight. Having recently begun spending more time in this gamespace I can tell you: If I do decide to switch factions during the early stages of an alert, it's rare. When it happens though, I switch to the faction with the lowest pop.
    If this new 4th faction doesn't appeal to you or doesn't make sense to you, it's because you're probably not a player of that second game type. The players who want it, just want to pop into the game and deathmatch. This lets them do it, and at the same time will make some modest improvement on faction balance.

    They won't sabotage, they won't lean towards one faction or the other... they just don't care to.

  17. Skraggz


    Disagree. The robots should be geared towards better players, while driving faction pride as an overall for the rest. The robot idea breaks outfits and is incredibly well suited for lone wolf skilled players. If they do swap there is no guarantee they will land on the team they want, and during an alert I can almost bet they will land on a losing team... usually by a large amount that could use the help. Overall I dislike that it breaks the 3 factions (sense of pride), and I do not think every joe blow should have access or want to use this program.
  18. ChUnKiFieR

    why? To sell us stuff silly rabbit!
    • Up x 1
  19. Ketenks

    Now this is the first time I'm hearing of a real incentive to play as a robot, and one that doesn't have anything to do with advantage. I get this. Some players play for the farm of it. And the robot is a fun way to do that.

    But tell me, how strong of an incentive is that? I can't judge it myself. I don't know enough about what people do in the game. But I have a sinking suspicion that it's gimmicky and will only last for a short while.
  20. FateJH

    How would that be any different if the players themselves had non-account alts did it? It wouldn't.
    • Up x 1