December 14, 2023 - PTS Update

hope test server got locked to esamir only, so bases can be properly tested.

aren't construction outpost supposed to have a cortium point? right now its just a regular vehicle capture point. well technically northpoint and other top lane construction outpost also don't have cortium, so maybe find a new classification and add a map icon, because for new people the use of the same icon/name might be confusing. especially since esamir now has it all.

oh and i think colors on caputres of flag base counters are wrong. was playing VS and saw a pink timer, upon deploying there, turned out it was TR capturing it actually. was very confused.

also fonts look funny/break some messages.


and just looking at the map symetry, would it hurt to make still water watch a 3 point construction base similiar to ymir ruins?

will report once i see actual combat around the reworked bases on how they play, but these were just my imediate observations.

and another thing from the map:

They are and they should. A neutral cortium silo

Esamir just flows better without CtC.

The only way you could make the Esamir map flow better besides reverting all the CtC bases would be to replace the Containment Sites with mini-Shattered Warpgate style large outposts so players can play in that environment more often than rarely fighting by the Shattered Warpgate itself.

You have the tech to implement a Planetside 1 type of LLU.

First is a control point linked to a shielded doorway(s), like at The Crown on Indar. Once the point flips the shields drop allowing access to the Conduit.
Second is to move the drop point for the conduit back to the adjacent bases so it has to be run for the capture to complete.

The only major change would be to get the code to work so that the game selects the correct drop point for the faction that controls the point.

These types of bases should only be playable when the full map is available so off hours players don't have to stress about guarding a point and running the flag back.

I like the addition of the sunderer safe zones, but more shielded garages would be preferred. I agree that more play spaces like Spral Oasis would be nice to see. Maybe Esamir has been slowly thawing out around the various vents that are on the map.

i've just hopped to PTS and tried it out,
it is definitely a MASSIVE leap back in the correct direction.
"he" left things in a big mess, so THANK YOU for taking steps to get things back on track!

one thing worth noting though, in your letter about these changes you said:
"One of our big picture goals moving forward is to minimize the repetitive nature of capturing territory and to increase the diversity of tactics, loadouts, and play styles the game supports."

and i'd hope by now from the response to Oshur and CTF that it has become abundantly clear that
we aren't all still playing an 11 year old game because we want something different!

more of the same is good! trying to mix things up in an 11 year old game is just a recipe for disaster,
if people wanted new they wouldn't still be here!

the people who wanted something different all left long ago,
the people who didn't want something different are the people who remain.
so who are you wanting to change things for?!

its the old proverb,
"if it ain't broke, dont fix it!"

love you guys for supporting this amazing game <3

I've heard a lot about the Planetside 1 LLU situation and it seems much clearer and enjoyable than what we have currently and what I just saw on the test server.

So if im correct, the flag captures reduce the capture time by 15s. This is too little, i would at least double it to 30s. Other than that the cap time is good and bigger boost from flag capture will incentivise actually interacting with the flag more than just activating the repository capture point.
Previously the CtC bases were pretty much useless, fights usually just consisted of ghost capping or overpop fights because defenders couldn't even see the base getting captured from the map screen. Ofcourse we will have to see how it plays on live but it wont be worse than whats currently available.
I hope there will be more updates to esamir, these changes will certainly help. After shattered warpgate update esamir is just a mess and i didn't even like the original esamir but i would much rather play the original than the current one.

i agree, the flagcapturebonus(15sec) is too little for the efford of holding basicly the entire base, instead of just the cappoint.
and its not enganing enough to just see the small arrows pop up while capturing the flag and what is a blip in the progressbar.
i wish for a colorchange of the progressbar part that gets skipped by capturing the flag, to show up for like 1-3 sec. so everyone can notice visually on the bar that the progress is speeded up. currently only the flagrunner know when to watch the progressbar for a pushup, since its the player that is actually capping in that very moment.

//thanks for at least implementing it in its now tested form instead of ignoring it entirely

edit:
the flagcapture works for attackers, but as defender its totaly borring, you have nothing todo for the entire time of "defending the captureroom", thats like 5 minutes of afking in the captureroom after you pushed the attackers out of the base. woud be nice if the attackers coud run the flag themselfs to also speed up the progress, yes its more to implement but otherwise its borring for defenders that have the advantage

how to break the system:
flags can be carried from other bases towards a intentional capturebase, this specifically works well with steelrain
while the first flag must be from the intented base, additional flags can be from other bases,

the flag spawns with the player in the sky and then falls down together with the spawnpod and can then be picked up again

sidenote using orbitalstrikes to boost a runner across the map shoud also work. the base runnspeed/jumpjetting is too slow(8sec) to capture other bases this way

So far things are looking pretty descent in terms of of the CTC rework. Though can't say I am too optimistic about it but it's definitely an improvement over the current CTC setup and this will make the CTC bases more tolerable.

In addition though the bases that were made back to be regular capture points I think that The Traverse needs a redesign mainly with the bridge as its current setup is just a pain to get over and requires either aircraft landing above the point or playing as Light Assault to reach the capture point, almost pointless to even be a vehicle capture point. The bridge should either be reverted back to being a proper bridge like before the Shattered Warpgate or redesigned to still be damaged but actually still connected and crossable for infantry and vehicles.

Mattherson's Triumph should probably have a slight CP layout change where instead of the 2 points being on the bridges they are inside the 2 watchtowers, with one in the upper floors on the south tower, the other in lower levels like the second floor of the spawn room tower in the north, one CP will still be in the center of the compound. Have this drawn up to show what I mean.

Dear Mr. Mithril,

I hope this letter finds you well, i have just joined the Planetside test Envoirment to experience your new creation. Here are some notes after taking a look.

General capture mechanics:
The flag repository currently acts as the capture point of the base, which is problematic since its much further towards the attackers than a usual a point. What i imagined is that the A point would act as a contestable capture point and bringing flags to the repository would speed up the cap. I understand this wouldnt work quite well as you'd usually end up capturing flags for free as long as you have the point.

With the current iteration bases are harder to defend as the relevant capture point is very far away from the spawn, at least in the two Andvari bases shown so far. Passing through an entire bridge to get to point is not fun. On the other hand capturing the base itself takes longer. With close to maximum effiency in flag capturing you'd end up needing 5:30min to gain ownership of the base. That can be a good thing to ensure that pop gets balanced before the base gets captured, but for that defending the base has to be fun against overpop. I dont think either of the Andvari bases are doing a good job at that. So you'd end with a zerg getting bored for 6 minutes.

So in conclusion the first iteration having the flag was somewhat riskfree due to the repository always being further away from the defender spawn than the flag point. In the current its too dangerous and uneccessary apart from the first one so it will not end up seeing play. Now thats not the problem, its that the capture point got moved back, throwing off the flow and balance of the base. Alternatively how about repository and capture point/flag point are roughly an equal amount away from the defenders.

Flag UI bugs:
- CTF bases that got changed back to point capture bases still show the wrong icon on the map
- the time gained from capturing a flag shows by replacing the capture time, thats really awkward and confusing, how about using the visual cue that you get from gaining certs (the little +1 popping up)
-the time gained from capturing a flag shows up wrong after the first one, it seems to keep decreasing
- after putting a flag in the repository for the first time the capture bar gets filled to 20% of your faction for no reason (also capping that repository takes unneccessarily long)

Andvari Bases:

Linear bases like the Andvari ones dont work for CTF in general.

Jord Amp Station:

This actually does not have the problem i've described above since the repositories are in places where capture points were placed beforehand. The problem is that the flag points are very close to spawn or hidden behind 2 generators.

Baldur Amp Station:

Amp station with all capture points outside of the generator-controlled shields usually work better, but they can end up getting capped too quickly so i like this as a compromise.

Matthersons Triumph:

Both the B and C point are on the top layer which is very exposed to A2G and tank shelling, at least one of them should get moved somewhere else, ideally inside of the spawnroom tower to fight zerging.

Spiral Oasis:

This base couldve made for a refreshing experience providing a different envoirment to have infantry fights in but it doesnt work as a construction base. Maybe giving it bunch of building and playing with the elevation as well as adding more cover could turn it into a fun time. Currently it just gets and im very certain that will keep happening as its irellevant in the lattice lines and provides no interesting experience.

The Traverse:

I dont think you can save this one, just leave it and focus on something else.

I hope you will conisder this feedback in your furture endeavours.

Best Regards,

Mr. Peter

I tested it for a little while yesterday and, unlike past PTS Changes, I quickly got bored and logged out.

The initial action is unclear about what to do at the bases. I can't interact with the repo, so I had to go get the flag first. Ok, that can be quickly learned. Then, I brought it back and put it in the repo and then a cap timer started. This was confusing. The labeling for A Secured" was also unclear, since the flag is labeled A, not the repo. I ran a few more flags at Andvari Barracks for a whopping 12 second bonus each. I quickly realized this was not worth the time.

Like so many other things in this game, it's over-designed and over-complicated when fighting at a base is complicated enough. Capture points are simple. Running flags for a 12 second bonus with people shooting at you is certainly not worth it, neither is doing it while ghost capping a lattice.

Just take CTF out. It doesn't work with this type of game. Make a payload map if you want to try another game type. This is just painful in a massive shooter. Any time the population is even, the base is nearly impossible to take without super high tactics and a huge skill advantage. Just give it up and revert all the CTF bases is my advice. This game needs much more attention in much more important areas right now to survive, if you ask me. It needs bug fixes and design refinement (spawn system, construction bugs, social for squad and outift interface, etc.)

andvari south bank
you can bolt from the spawn room into the repository
the av turrets of the containment site can shoot the repository

Revert Andvari south bank back to the normal capture point system. 2 CTCs, a construction 'base' and a containment site means that whole side of the map is a streaming pile now and should be avoided.