Sense of community

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by ZDarkShadowsZ, Jan 26, 2021.

  1. ZDarkShadowsZ

    While playing the other night I was just thinking about the community this game has, and how it brings people together.

    I have characters on 4 different servers, but Cobalt will always be my home. I recognise all the usual names, the usual tactics, the silly comments players make. Sometimes I join in and have a joke alongside others though it's rare. Even when players are ranting back and forth, 'You're letting X faction win!'.

    When I go to another server and play there, I know nobody. I don't know who that BR100 player is that just downed me in their ESF. That player who just sent me the weirdest rage tell. I just feel... weird. I go back to Cobalt and feel comfortable again.

    There's a sense of community I have where I've been playing the game for so long, that I recognise players even as far back as Ceres. Even though the majority of players on the server have likely no idea who I am or have ever seen me around, I notice them. It's a nice feeling to be able to recognise a plyer, no matter what faction they play as, knowing you've both been playing the same game for so long.
    • Up x 2
  2. FLHuk

    I was thinking much the same the other night. It's why all my toons are on what was for myself Lithcorp. Cobalt is home but Lithcorp is where family was made.

    While doing my usual playing the lowest pop faction I happened to cap a guy I've known since 2013.

    A founding Jester, who is an amazing player. As an outfit mate I used to TK him far too much during point holds... JEST is a deadfit but I wont leave it :)
  3. JustGotSuspended




    Here's a beautiful and sad example where a member of a zergfit that's become quite a meme on Connery passed away. She was the wife of another member of that particular outfit, who was obviously devastated by the loss.

    The community organized a cross-faction memorial, and we all showed as much support as we could and offered our condolences to that late player's husband. It was a moment where we all put aside our differences to grieve for a fellow player.

    Although I had never met or even encountered these players (to my knowledge) before, I was surprised how much the news affected me and I felt the need to share empathy.

    And then ofc it's funny to see the same guys always in their esfs, their harassers, or whatever playstyle they main with. I know the tryhards, the memes, the cool guys, the cyrious ones (pun intended) and I feel extremely familiar with the server I main on. I used to main on Emerald until I moved to Connery, and although I still remember a few dudes there, it really feels strange and empty when I go back. My friends list there is literally a pile of abandoned users. I think Connery is my home now.
    • Up x 5
  4. DarkQuark

    Often times what our souls seek: family, love, purpose, friends is drummed out by the noise of our brain and what we want.

    It's so often when people choose to hate each other and fight one another, so of course we cherish the times when we work together. Even when that is only virtual.

    The great sadness of the human condition is what we miss out on accomplishing by not working together but against one another.
  5. NotziMad

    I haven't played on other servers, but I agree with you that Cobalt has often felt like a community, and still today feel like a bit of a community, and it can be fun (or infuriating) to fight against or alongside people you've been fighting with or against for years.

    Although from my point of view, that feeling, of being part of a community, it has really degraded over the years. I mean never mind the Cobalt community, simply the faction community feels like it doesn't mean so much as it used to.

    It was little things like the orders' channel, little things, that nevertheless went a long way into helping a feeling of belonging to grow amongst players, whether it was with their own faction, or their server.

    It's jut my point of view, but I'm not really getting much of that these days, hardly as much as before anyway.
  6. Obscura

    I've played on emerald(waterson as it was called then) since beta, but now I also play on Connery, Cobalt, and Miller. I go to help my euro VS bros during hours when US servers are dead. I can't say I dislike any of these servers, there have been some quality fights on Cobalt and Miller I've seen.
    • Up x 1
  7. ThanksPS2

    Yeah, I love the community of PS2. Best prefer Emerald (too many linguistic and cultural barriers with Miller for me to appreciate, plus, I feel out of touch with many on my side of the Atlantic for non-political reasons generally).

    I admit I am missing out as a lone wolf but I have my personal reasons for wishing to be able to enjoy being alone beyond just being quite introverted to an extent, reasons related to problematic aspects of myself that I need to address soon, hopefully with a professional as soon as lockdown permits.

    Contrast this with like Arma, Battlefield and CoD, whose communities (if any especially for the latter one or two) are far more serious and miserable to me at best, and toxic at worst, especially as those games are more "grounded" in reality. Not to say PS2 is immune from having terrible people, but the nature of the game and its setting at least distracts from the grim realities we have.