About SCUs

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by RabidIBM, Dec 17, 2020.

  1. RabidIBM

    I feel that these aren't good for game play. I recognize that they are meant to be a strategic micro objective. However, having the ability to kill off an active fight, then have a couple minutes of dead time while the successful attackers watch the clock tick down is not entertaining.

    I'd say the recent change to Eisa Tech Plant has shown without removing the SCU that SCUs are unnecessary. With a single point, 7 minute tech plant, the SCU is vulnerable after 3 and a half minutes, then 60 more seconds and the SCU is gone. Totaled up, this means that the defending faction has 4 and a half minutes to react or the Tech Plant is likely gone. Yes, last minute Gal/MAX crashes can save the base by catching half the attackers AFK, but this is rare, and really not the greatest design. The shorter capture time with 3 control points simulates the effects of an SCU being destroyed, as the defenders now have 4 minutes instead of 4 and a half, which is not much change.

    This way, if the capture is a ghost cap, the attackers are free to move on and get back to the game 3 minutes sooner. At this point, I don't see that the SCU even needs to be there. I would like to see more changes like this, as more control points would mean more bases could support bigger fights, and there would be more "correct" ways to attack and defend them, which would help prevent the game from getting stale. Seriously, I'm particularly sick of point holds in triple stacks! Shorter total capture timers would mean less dead time too.

    So, thoughts? Does anyone actually enjoy the game play around SCUs?
  2. JustGotSuspended



    50/50

    I've had some insanely fun moments where I repped the SCU and surprise saved the fight, and I feel it adds an interesting layer to the gameplay.

    That said, there's also sometimes where I'm basically alone fighting a zerg, and they kill the SCU, meaning both sides have a few minutes of doing nothing until one side pushes. It's not like I was expecting to save the fight in these scenarios anyways, but it's annoying because I can't even farm kill, the fight effectively finishes before the cap timer.
    • Up x 3
  3. RabidIBM

    I hear where you're coming from, I've had a couple clutch saves that involved repairing or even saving the SCU, but I'd give it more of a 90/10 split if I'm being generous to the 10.
  4. Johannes Kaiser

    I'd also go to 50/50. They make it so that the defenders need to be careful (with noticing early when they could lose the place) or very smart (to still be able to push back in and get the point/s even without the main spawn). Simple last-minute popdumps don't work out when the attackers play their cards right.
    It also makes it so that attackers who have fought through their time and managed to overload and hold the SCU for the meltdown time can then play for keeps instead of being subjected to said almost unavoidable popdump by the defenders. Obviously this can also create quite unfair fights if the attackers start with large overpop, but in general those kind of fights tend to be somewhat even.
    And for Biolabs it is inconsequential anyway, as the defenders will most likely have at least one satellite spawn still. Only thing they have denied then is access to an infantry terminal, which means no MAXes (normal loadout changes can easily be done via redeploy still). If they don't have satellites then they are cut off entirely and should not be there anymore anyway.

    Thus it adds a bit of depth that can occasionally end up being unfair to the defenders (mostly when the attackers come in overpop and quite sudden), but mostly it just splits the fights a little and depending on location might actually be neccessary for the attackers to be able to take the base when the forces are about even in numbers and average skill level.
    • Up x 1
  5. Zipr

    Think there is a good argument to be made that every base should require an SCU... Now I know some players would be affected more than others too Some only enjoy killin fools playing objectives Some only willing to make a one shot attempt at a pass w/ a Galaxy crew Either way the game is too far along for such a drastic change...

    For one thing it would be a real hard counter for such things as a router-only cap... I'm sure we all can agree that someone will be willing to take out the SCU So all that remains for a counter attack is taking out the router while defending the SCU from being repaired Unless of course the now defenders can muster the ground forces to semi-control the area

    Biggest benefit being for players who crave action (Work is done here... Let's go!) Coinciding w/ players who enjoy strategic play or something I mean there is no real perk to defending early and exiting the spawn w/ 30 sec's to go is still quite a bit of lull time involved

    Hard to reference generator's as meaningless what w/ things like an Amp Station Matter of fact it might even be too interesting of play for the few smaller bases that already require killing a generator for access to the point
  6. JibbaJabba

    I would like to have more bases with SCUs.

    They are a safety valve for fun gameplay.

    If defenders are so crushed they have no hope of reaching the point and are now fighting just to be allowed to spawn and keep playing then the match should end. Without SCUs these fights turn into one side firing at the spawnroom shields and the other side either getting farmed, or spawn sniping.

    In really good even fights they matter very little. Think about it. In a Tech plant the really close fights can't spare enough attackers to go after the SCU lest they lose the point. It's only in lopsided fights that the SCU comes into play. In Biolabs it's different and adds intensity to the close fights.

    Zurvan Pump station is an example of what I mean when I say I would like more of them. Rarely does that SCU ever get touched. The fights are usually too intense at the triple stack point building. When a zerg rolls in though, the SCU goes down.

    This is for the best. If it didn't what would happen? That worst of planetside experiences .. the zerg spawn camp.
    • Up x 2
  7. Zipr

    Hard to deny rinse/repeat glory: Disarm, shot in head or knifed followed by a reset of generator...


    In any such a case it's probably only the common player pool using the SCU to spawn who is really affected Note: Newer or even some veteran players may not comprehend how to best access the point via some router(s) placement...

    Think the biggest point to any changes on such a specific base entails the fact that it is an important base, which shouldn't necessarily entail giving up some other fight at the drop of a hat? (Developers chose to make it a one tech Continent) Have the Developers hinted at changing the bases cap time? It may be worth the time to discuss I mean some Bio Labs appear to cap in two minutes w/ barely the time to get through the first Gen
  8. RabidIBM

    Ok, a good point was made about bio labs. I've seen those hold out for utterly stupid amounts of time while encircled. So, in the current broken build of bio blenders, removing the SCU would make things worse. Current bio labs should continue to have SCUs to give the attackers another way to win the fight. This is largely because the numerous built in spawn points are too close to the control points and respawn timers are too short, thus it is nearly impossible for either side to score any lasting damage on the other, and the fight see saws infinitely.

    However, on the topic of amp stations and tech plants, a point was made about the defending faction having to be more on the ball to not miss the opportunity to get in before the SCU is destroyed. This same effect is already achieved by reducing the capture timer from 7 minutes to 4 minutes, or the 2 minutes and whatever seconds 3 point amps stations fall in. However, the shortened timer ups the ante, as now the next base will become vulnerable sooner, so the defending faction can't even use the falling base as a speed bump.

    The point about large attacks gaining an early spawn room camp has more to do with base layout than SCUs. Take Gourney damn for example. How many times have we all seen attackers lose it because they left the control point to move into a spawn camp, only to have a defending platoon crash the point from the teleporter room? Or, for another example, the layouts of amp stations which have the defenders spawn in the middle building are very difficult to spawn camp because they have so many exits. If the attackers have managed to effectively camp 5 different exits well enough to hold an organized push...they've earned the base.