For the record I am loving my time with PS2 so far, but this is probably my biggest gripe right now... I know there are limitations in terms of developer resources for every aspect of the game, however this is more of a direction of resources being used as opposed to extra work. Empires are just too similar, and this causes balance problems because of the direct comparisons that can be made because of it. Despite what some people think, high asymmetry causes LESS balance issues than just slight differences. Take Starcraft for instance: there is a reason it is balanced so well - because the differences cause a shift in playstyle. What is useful for one side may not be as much for the other because of those differences. Therefore something can feel powerful and FUN without making the other side feel weaker. I love the fact that the Magrider is different than the other tanks; balance is irrelevant, and can be overcome with time if need be. Sadly I suspect that the devs would not have even included it in the first place if it had not been in PS1, and would probably have gone with just a slightly different tuned tank just like the ESF's if the veterans weren't guaranteed to start a revolt. In early beta the Scythe had sick maneuverability, but now I can barely tell the difference when I try out other ESF's. Apparently the devs just threw their hands up and said, "whelp, too good, can't balance that, just make it the same!" Instead of tiny differences I would rather see the mosquito be TWICE as fast as other ESF's, the Scythe able to stop on a dime, and the reaver be built like a tank. Note: not these specifically, just an example... Even with the new carbines released it is highlighting the problem. As a VS I don't want a gun with a RoF as fast as any TR gun, that's not my specialty!! Of course there should be some overlap, but just because (for instance) a lot of women are stronger than a lot of men, doesn't mean the strongest woman will ever be as strong as the strongest man. For that matter I think we have enough bland projectile weapons in the game, can we start having some stuff that just "screams" TR, VS, and NC?? I want rapid fire rockets, laser beams, and shotguns that shoot tanks (sorry I couldn't come up with a good NC one)!! Ok, I don't want to derail myself here, I just want to see if anyone out there agrees with me.
I agree, indeed, but as you said developpers have gone the wrong path and unless a miracle happen and higby grow some balls game will sink deep under the sea with all the other AAA games that tried so hard to be a clone and actually succeded at being a nice bland clone.
"Bland." That's the word I've been looking for. This game is a lot of fun. It's got a lot of things I miss from RvR in DAoC, and it's Sci Fi (which I love). That said...it's kinda bland. All the races are about the same. None of the conquests seem to really matter much. Take a facility or lose one. It doesn't matter. I've never run out of vehicle or aerial resources, and only run low on infantry when I buy loads of grenades. The bases and discounts they offer don't seem to matter much. They're just junk to fight over. Bland. Yeah, that's the bittersweet failure here. The game play is engaging and fun, but the setting is bland and meaningless. Well, I guess we can't have everything right off the bat. I'm at least enjoying shooting at stuff for a while. I even bought some guns, though they're eerily similar to the guns I replaced. Funny story. I was testing the Serpent out on a Trial and had to AFK for 5 minutes. I came back and started playing again. It took me about 15 minutes to realize that my trial had ended and I'd been using the Solstice the whole time. LOL! Some distinctive equipment there, eh?
Forget it man, as I said, it would take a miracle for a game to go from bland to original. The lead designer just like many like him doesn't have that kind of drive and its obvious.
