Apr. 28, 2023 - PTS Update (Early Notes)

Discussion in 'Test Server: Announcements' started by RPG_Wrel, Apr 24, 2023.

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  1. RPG_Wrel Lead Designer

    Hey there, as quick note, we're posting these patch notes well in advance to give some heads up about our potential testing schedule. We've got some remaining issues to work out before we will be confident enough to send these items to the Public Test Server, so keep an eye on social to make sure you don't miss an update.

    The following update is now available on the Public Test Server.
    --
    Download the Test Server client from this thread after reading the Test Server Policies:
    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/ps...st-test-server-policies-download-link.114038/
    --

    The current testing schedule is planned as follows:
    • Apr. 28 - 4pm PT (1am CET)
    • Apr. 30 - 11am PT (8pm CET)
    Focused testing is planned to take place over the course of roughly an hour. Any event participants will receive the Analyst Helmet.

    We'll open this post to comments when the build is up on PTS.
    --

    Construction Overhaul
    We've made a number of changes to the Construction System to fulfill the goals of making construction easier to access, more fun to fight at, and allow for more diverse base building. We've added many new construction objects, offered more interior spaces and cover to maneuver around, and expanded what construction assets can accomplish across the battlefield.

    Learning Construction
    • New, one-time construction-based tutorial missions have been added for players, and will reward players with the Elysium Spawn Tube, Infantry Tree Stand, Light Vehicle Terminal, and the Equipment Terminal Module.
    • Additional construction-based daily missions have been added to the pool for all players.
    • VR Training now has Cortium spawns and facility silos, allowing for practice with construction objects.
    • Updated and added FTEs and Codex entries related to construction.
    UI Updates
    • Removed the two-click process of placing a construction object, and you can now select either currency with a single click.
    • Added new "Favorites" functionality, to mark your favorite construction objects in their own category.
    • Buy, Unlock, and Equip button and terminology have all been streamlined.
    • Exiting the building terminal window will retain your last selection.
    Placing Construction
    • Controls for placing construction objects are now visible when a construction object is held.
    • Reduced the default rotation speed of construction objects.
    • Construction placement spheres have been replaced with directional arrows showing whether they need to be above or below ground.
    • Sealed up the "holes" beneath certain construction objects, which would allow you to get inside the back-face of the models.
    Maintaining Construction
    • Passive Cortium drain has been removed. This change allows builders to set up bases far in advance of a fight that may or may not make its way down the lattice, instead of doing cortium runs for a fight that may never manifest.
    • Instead, we're moving toward a more active form of Cortium drain. The Flail, Glaive IPC, and Orbital Strikes will drain Cortium when firing (this is still work in progress); Modules (which we talk about later) are equipped and placed into structures when the need arises; and vehicle/air pads still drain Cortium as vehicles are used.
    Interacting with Construction
    • Cortium Silos within 500m now appear on your map and minimap.
    • Spotlights attached to construction objects (like those at the Infantry Tower,) now count as Darklights for the purposes of revealing cloaked targets.
    • Spawn points at construction bases now show which terminal types are nearby, and spawn locations now show the name of the player who owns the object.
    • Additionally, there are new ways to interact with construction through Construction Outposts, Modules, and Attack Modules.
    Construction Outposts
    Construction Outposts (previously open-field vehicle capture bases) have been updated with a new Construction Outpost Silo. This silo is accessible to the faction who owns the region, and is accessible to any player on that faction. These outpost silos regenerate cortium over time, ensuring that construction assets are readily available to build with. When an outpost is captured by an opposing faction, construction objects within 100 meters are converted to the capturing faction. Players who previously owned these objects have their placement limits freed up so that they can build elsewhere.

    Modules
    Modules have all been converted into hand-held objects that can be slotted into new sockets on many of the construction objects. Modules come in a variety of types, allowing for base customization based on needs. Certain modules can only be equipped on certain construction objects, and a list of compatible modules is shown in the terminal screen.
    • When you're at a construction base, any empty module sockets appear on the HUD. While you're holding a module, the HUD updates to show compatible and incompatible module sockets, as well as which modules are socketed into which objects currently.
    • Modules are socketed into empty slots, or can be swapped out for a different module type. Modules cannot be stacked, meaning that only one module of a given type can be slotted into a construction object.
    • Attackers can overload a module, much like a generator, by interacting with it. When the timer is complete, the module explodes and deals some damage to the structure.
    • Similarly, Cortium Bombs and Tunnel Worms can be equipped in the Tactical Slot by attackers. When placed into an empty socket, they'll either count down until major damage (Cortium Bomb,) or prevent a structure from healing (Tunnel Worm.)
    Standard Modules
    • Repair Module - Repairs the building over time, and increases max health by 5000.
    • Projectile Shield Module - Provides the structure with shielded windows and doors, and increases max health by 2000. This shield is two-way.
    • Skywall Shield Module - Provides the structure with a skywall shield, protecting from airborne attacks, no longer EMPs infantry. This shield is one-way.
    • Firewall Module - Prevents non-Firewall modules in this structure from being hacked and overloaded. Increases maximum health by 5000.
    • Equipment Terminal Module - Provides the structure with an unhackable equipment terminal.
    • Durability Module - Increases maximum health by 8000.
    • Capacity Module - Increases the maximum cortium held by this object by 5000. Remains active until destroyed or replaced.
    High Pressure Modules
    • Heavy Repair Module - Repairs the building rapidly over time, and increases max health pool by 5000. Remains active for up to 1 minute.
    • Fortress Shield Module - Provides a projectile bubble shield around the structure and surrounding area. This shield is two-way. Remains active for 1 minute.
    • Heat Dispersion Module - Drastically reduces heat accumulation for the weapon while being operated by a player, increases maximum health pool by 2000. Remains active for 1 minute.
    Tactical Slot Items
    • Cortium Bomb - This item has been reworked into a bomb that players can slot into any module socket of an enemy building. Detonating after a short while, dealing incredible damage to the structure from the inside.
    • Tunnel Worm - This module, when socketed into an enemy object, prevents it from regenerating health until it expires or is removed.
    Removed Modules
    • Turret AI Module - Artillery and Orbital Strike Uplinks no longer require this module.
    • Alarm Module - Has been replaced with a Recon Array structure.
    • Recon Module - Combined with the Alarm Module into the Recon Array structure.
    New Construction Objects
    Many new construction objects have been added, and a handful of them have been shown off prior to this. You can check out the previous dev letter for some of the visuals: https://www.planetside2.com/news/update-under-construction
    • Command Center - The Command Center is a large structure that houses ground and air vehicle pads, and a secure spawn room and equipment terminal.
    • Recon Array - This object alerts the owner to the presence of nearby enemies and attackers (similar to the Alarm Module,) and passively checks for enemies nearby, similar to a Recon Device. The Recon Array can be activated manually to provide detailed motion sensing for a duration.
    • Bulwark Walls (Thin and Wide variants) - These heavy walls are built high to help hide structures behind them.
    • Module Dispenser - A module-only dispensary for placing close to the areas you need it.
    • Infantry Tunnel - A covered tunnel for safe infantry passage.
    • Infantry Treestand - A compact, tall sniping perch for surveying the base below.
    • Infantry Awning - A covered overhang to hold back fire from enemy aircraft.
    • Secure Silo - Store additional cortium that you can lock for the use of you and your squad.
    • Rebirthing Center - A shielded spawn point with a built-in equipment terminal.
    • Vehicle Bridge - This bridge can span small gaps or smooth rough terrain, and is wide enough to allow a Colossus to cross.
    Reworks and Removals
    • Many of the one-way shields have been converted into two-way shields. Exceptions include the Skywall Shield, and shields that are specifically meant to allow spawning defenders to push out of their spawn room.
    • Pain Spires and turret automation have been removed, and Skywall Shields no longer EMP shields. These mechanics aren't fun to play around for attackers, and one of our goals is meant to encourage back and forth gameplay throughout construction bases.
    • The Orbital Strike Uplink has been converted into a larger building that can be played within and around.
    • The Bunker no longer has such a large footprint, and has a more accessible roof.
    Misc. Construction Polish
    • Updated the visuals on the construction building FX.
    • Added ambient audio to construction objects as they build.
    • Many construction objects have received updated visuals.
    • Triggering a Recon Array's "alarm module" functionality now has more visual messaging.
    Things we're still working on...
    • Flail, Orbital Strike, and Glaive IPC targeting devices will be converted over to a "laze" system that requires the user to maintain a lock on the location for a time before the artillery piece acquires its target.
    • Health bars on construction objects may not be displaying correctly.
    • We're still looking to take a pass on the overall size of no-construction zones on each continent, shrinking them down where possible.
    • On Sanctuary, you'll be able to unlock "equivalent" items to the ones that are now being outmoded, based on what you owned. For example: If you owned the Skywall Shield Module prior to this change, you'll be able to unlock the new Skywall Shield Module at no charge.
    • Some additional construction objects, including a blast wall "checkpoint" and darklight lamp post, are still on the way.
    • We're currently investigating using more precise collision than a boundary box to determine whether construction objects are intersecting for placement purposes, but no promises here.
    • Darklight is a little janky when dealing with cloaks – not just for construction objects – we're currently working toward some better functionality here.
    • Plenty of the visuals for modules and structure death are still a work in progress.
    Oshur
    The island continent of Oshur has received a number of updates to certain bases, lattice, and surrounding terrain, targeting various pain points conveyed by the community.

    Dev Note: The world map and mini-map images will not reflect the updated terrain and base layouts until closer to release. Additionally, we're investigating allowing the Corsair to deploy while on land, but there are currently some significant issues with this.

    Oshur Warpgates
    • Flotilla Warpgates have been moved back toward their original positions, and closer to the shoreline.
    • The target acquisition range on Exodus PPC cannons has been reduced.
    Mirror Bay Watchtower
    • Renamed to Excavion Cleanup Site.
    • This base has been entirely redone, and now acts as a 4-point capture hybrid water/land base.
    • Water vehicles can now be spawned from this base.
    Nascent Shipping and Storage
    • Spawn room is now located on the lower level.
    • There is now a teleporter room to upper airpad, and a second teleporter to an alternative ground-level room.
    • Water vehicles can now be spawned from this base.
    Veridian East Terrace
    • Added a road running north and south around the base. Previously, this base completely halted flow through it.
    • Moved vehicle pad and terminal closer to spawn room.
    • Removed teleporter room.
    Bathala Gardens
    • Has been removed, as well as the bridge spanning Mirror Bay.
    Centri Import Hub
    • Has been converted into a Large Outpost, allowing for western lattice vehicle access closer to the central island.
    • Water vehicles can now be spawned from this base.
    • Made adjustments to surrounding terrain at its new location.
    Lamplight Security
    • Added a bridge to span the pass east of Lamplight Security.
    • The sandbar in the cliff valley has been converted into a channel for water vehicles.
    • Added more roads to complement the bridge and channel entry points.
    • Water vehicles can now be spawned from this base.
    Emerald Arborteum
    • Lattice now connects to Oshur Southeast Flotilla.
    • Water vehicles can now be spawned from this base.
    Astira Hydroelectric
    • Removed the large "dam" walls, allowing water vehicles to enter/exit the center of the map.
    • Water vehicles can now be spawned from this base.
    Wakerift Beachhead
    • Has been moved east and renamed Wakerift Plateau.
    • This Construction Outpost has lattice connections to Excavion Cleanup Site, Astira Hydroelectric, and Seapost H10 - Debris.
    Bathala Overlook
    • This construction outpost has been added to the central ring, with connections to Excavion Cleanup Site, Pommel Gardens, Mirror Bay Checkpoint, and Seapost J8 - Delve.
    Leif Biochemical
    • This new base has been added to the southeastern island, with connections to Remnant Cove, Emerald Research Co., and the Southeast Flotilla.
    Vehicle Adjustments
    Vehicle Despawn Timers
    Deployed Sunderers, ANTs, and Galaxies equipped with the Lodestar Module no longer have despawn timers so long as you own them. If you spawn a second vehicle, it will despawn as usual.

    ANT
    • The ANT's Cortium Capacity and Mineral Radars now use max rank by default, and skill lines have been refunded. (Dev Note: This increases the ANT's Cortium capacity to 10k by default, and Cortium detection range to 600m by default.)
    • While driving in an ANT, the nearest friendly silo is pinned to the HUD.
    • The ANT and its target's Cortium are now visible in third person.
    • Added labels to the ANT's Cortium gauges and made the UI more readable.
    • Attempting to harvest while tanks are full now draws attention to your full tank.
    • WLT-Yellowjacket Mining Laser's muzzle FX now properly play on the muzzle in third person.
    Colossus
    Refunded the Cortium Storage and Starting Cortium max ranks.
    The Colossus now uses 10,000 starting and maxium cortium by default. (Dev Note: Previously, maxed skill lines capped this out at 5k starting and 8k maximum.)

    Player Studio
    Added the "Deathnaut" and "Reaper Hood" helmets from Steve0 to the TR and VS, respectively.


    Known Issues
    • Turrets and Artillery are missing build progress FX
    • Oshur's map and minimap are out of date
    • Various Construction objects will have the wrong corpse model
    • Construction Missions may not display their reward granted notification
    • Some outdated Construction objects still appear in the depot
    • Module sockets may not display their HUD icon
    • Modules have a chance to not be consumed after installation
    Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions
    • Point Lights and Spotlights now illuminate particle FX. This needs to be tested thoroughly for performance dips and hitching. Basically, go blow up a bunch of stuff and see what happens.
    • All instances of the "Anti-Personnel" Xiphos have been renamed to "Anti-Infantry".
    • The "DeRes" FX used when, for example, repairing an object, no longer turns certain objects black for the duration of the effect.
    • Cleaned up the "Deploy" indicator on vehicles, and the "Deployed" indicator now also shows the hotkey to undeploy.
    • Added an opacity slider for the chat window, allowing the background to appear more opaque or transparent.
    • Adjusted Hossin sky to reduce/remove purple color grading that occurs at certain times of day.
    • Adjusted Indar sky file to use consistent color grading to avoid janky sky file lerping.
    • Adjusted Amerish's sky file to remove reddish midday hues.
    • Unclaimed Mission exclamation point notification no longer appears on the Nav Bar for characters that had previously stockpiled missions.
    • You can no longer hack terminals through walls.
    • A cooldown has been added to equipment terminal use to prevent exploits.
    • Reworked the text in a variety of codex entries.
    • Up x 4
  2. Mithril Community Manager

    The test server is now unlocked, please note the following known issues and leave your feedback and playtest bug reports in the replies below. See you today at 4pm and Sunday at 11am pt!

    Known Issues:
    • Turrets and Artillery are missing build progress FX
    • Oshur's map and minimap are out of date
    • Various Construction objects will have the wrong corpse model
    • Construction Missions may not display their reward granted notification
    • Some outdated Construction objects still appear in the depot
    • Module sockets may not display their HUD icon
    • Modules have a chance to not be consumed after installation
    • Up x 4
  3. blueps

    Repair Module and Heavy Repair Module exist two by two New & on Sale tab in Depot.
    If you unlock the Repair Module and Heavy Repair Module from the New & on Sale tab in Depot, it will be added to the equipment section for some reason.
    There seems to be a bug in one of the two repair modules.And all modules can be unlocked again and again.
  4. OpolE

    Leif Biochemical hasn't been placed very well on the north side Sunderer garage[IMG]
    • Up x 1
  5. shoguncawwill

    Bulwark Walls (Thin and Wide variants) cant be deconsturted with fild tool. do to the placement of the module overrighting the node as such the module is defalting to the repair module when not equiped and when . deconstruct-screen or node needs to be moveed over to the right of the module like the ramparts.
    • Up x 5
  6. WatchTheNinja

    Some new construction buildings could not be despawned: Inf awning, light post, tree stand. Old ones were fine, even redesigned blast gate.

    Since yall are retouching construction, do you want the repair location for the vehicle gate to be how it is? In the middle looking at the module, its same on PTS. Video timestamp:
    • Up x 4
  7. SquallLord

    Some issues I experienced in the 2 hours of testing I encountered.

    -Running up the outer most stairs on a construction Bunker gave a speed boost that occasionally had me flying off.
    -Secure Silo tanks do not flip to the controlling faction when they are captured. (Don't know if it's a bug or intended.)
    -Distance required to hack vehicle terminals on Command Center is insanely far. Like 3x the hacking distance as a normal base vehicle terminal.
    -After a Silo is placed, removed, and a new Silo is put down, if a wall that was placed down during the initial silo was damaged, it will fail to repair. (This includes repairs from engineer tool as well as repair modules)
    -Weld tool sometimes glitched out while trying to remove large Bulwark Wall making it impossible to remove and furthermore, will remove the next construction object you come in contact with. (oops it removed my silo lol)

    The silo being removed was the closest thing I got to a game breaking bug, so all in all, not bad. Really enjoyed testing and props to whomever designed that Command Center, that thing is badass.
    • Up x 3
  8. SupremeMorpheus

    Bug reports:

    Can't deconstruct some objects, like the module dispenser and bulwark walls
    Infantry tunnel has no repair point, so can't repair/deconstruct
    Air/vehicle terminals accept cortium capacity modules, but this does nothing


    Feedback:

    Overall changes look awesome.
    Would like to see module dispensers be able to be placed a bit closer together.
    A module slot in the blast wall would be nice.
    Skyshields are too restrictive - more options for these (bunker and tower?) would help
    Similar issue for projectile shields - can only put that in the command center and sundy garage. Why not simply add the shields as default and remove the module?
    • Up x 3
  9. WatchTheNinja

    Command structure and Rebirthing missing from module tooltips "Compatible Buildings"
    • Up x 1
  10. WatchTheNinja

    Should Equipment module have icon similar to terminals? It does not at the moment.

    Can also deploy modules through walls, unless that doesn't matter.
    Some structures missing the "building" audio (command)
    • Up x 1
  11. RiP0k

    The DEV Cortium Silo MUST be invulnerable as long as there is a structure with a spawn point.
    4 people with AV knives destroyed the Silo in less than a minute!!!. That's ********. Especially that you will not have time to do anything during this time, and you would not have done anything with 4 people.
    • Up x 4
  12. Mithril Community Manager

    Thank you for your reports!

    Do continue submitting your feedback or +1 likes on any already existing feedback.

    Much appreciated soldiers!
    • Up x 2
  13. hellatubby

    Some thoughts & ideas:
    -allows us to decorate construction objects with outfit decal
    -infantry tree stand walls on top level should be higher for infantry (the fork-castle
    shielding works well just higher)
    -orbital strike uplink self-destruct (deactivates if base captured within x minutes
    *reduce the damage and damage area of the orbital strike when self-destructing, should not oneshot surrounding buildings.
    -glaive also affects enemy vehicles and creates loss of steering controls/ engine shutoff for x duration
    -modules ought to have lesser fortifying affects to nearby deployables/vehicles/infantry, for example
    spitfire turrets gain repair status and heal to full after not taking damage for 8 seconds
    -allied armor have +100 hit points within 50 meters of the cap point (something fun but not
    imbalanced).
    -beyond that could just be like outfit resources but more specific to base holds, like infantry
    regen modules within a certain aoe of the affected structure
    -sunderer garage provides a 1000 hit point shield to vehicles within that regenerates after
    not taking damage for 20 seconds
    -command center/rebirthing center can issue an "under attack" alert that pings the minimap
    alerting faction for assistance. Also could allow silo-owner to Q-Select any construction
    object within their base and issue an alert to faction members within 500 meters of the base
    that for example "[base builder] alert: south wall needs repairing! (35% [hp] remaining)" and
    the construction object could also be highlighted visually for allies.
    -module that damages target on hacking attempt (implication is that recon array is triggered
    and ideally the first hack attempt would always fail and prevent them from hacking for like 5
    seconds. The damage could be really low or maybe it just breaks their shield).
    -would be paired with the terminal module or could add it to that module
    -give orbital mining drill exhaust damage to vehicles/infantry as it touches down to land
    -1.5x construction welding device repair rate increase, or could add cooldown (a certed-out
    nano-armor kit would be perfect in terms of repair rate, time to overheat and overheat recovery
    time. Basically as is the welding device, to me, feels like it could be stronger without causing too
    much disruption.
    -module dispenser should have a one way shield around it
    -WLT howler mining laser repairs allied construction objects at a rate of x% of the objects
    max hit points, and the yellowjacket mining laser top-gun on the ant repairs the target object for
    0.5% of its max hit points (only works on construction bases) would give builders another avenue to certs
    and encourage helping other base builders.
    -ant can doc with rebirthing or command center, providing the structure with a shield that is equal to the
    ants hp (a shield like the sundy shield or vanguard shield except non-recharging) and when the shield is
    fully removed, the ant is destroyed (5 minute cooldown on docking another ant with the structure).
    -last thing: add a structure that acts as a vehicle gate or is like a taller sunderer garage but that has
    a crushing mechanic that crushes an enemy vehicle that drives through the structure (think ewok tree-log
    contraption crushing chicken walker in return of the jedi) could make it so each side of the structure has to
    be manually reset and maybe add a 20minute cooldown (vehicle damage only not infantry damage).
    -I feel that some form of limited-duration structure invulnerability like the structure-shield module actives from
    before still has a place in the game. Being able to fortify a construction base as a solo player and completely deter
    10 tanks from mowing it down made building much more fun for me. This is especially the case when talking about
    a base that is built as a strategic forward point on the map but that is not necessarily intended to be part of a
    large battle but is still vulnerable to an enemy platoon drive by (I am a solo construction builder so this happens
    often).
    -Thanks for reading my suggestions and I am already really enjoying the new module system and structures!
  14. Ps2 player

    First, not directly related to PTS but switching seats on javelin to shoot does not register shots at all sometimes. (please fix its been this way for 2 months)

    PTS Feedback.

    Silo: if a silo is guarded with the traditional way it has been for years (lumbifer walls with shielded windows) tanks cant easily kill a silo from a distance, now that wall shields are removed, Tanks will easily sit at a distance and kill the much weaker and taller looking silo.

    - silo collision boundary needs to be shortened, alot of objects u cant place near a silo to help protect it

    - if a silo is not near a rebirthing center or a command center it has no defense from a pocket orbital strike due to not having a sky shield defending it.

    - silo should be able to be placed underneath a vehicle bridge, widening or removing the middle beams below the bridge would help this immensely, this would open up more variety of building styles then the usual weve been doing for the past years.


    - players actively farm cortium for certs, now that silos dont deplete cortium, you will be left with many lone silos all across the map preventing actual construction players from building a base in that location. (this has been a major problem for construction players for years.)

    Vehicle bridge: Vehicle bridge still not able to be placed in intended locations (trenches like TI alloys area)

    - vehicle bridge needs a partner vehicle ramp object as well to compensate for its actual use when not in trenches.

    - current vehicle ramp works well with lumbifer walls, but does not do well with vehicle bridge, a brand new or redesign of the vehicle ramp should be considered, i myself, use vehicle ramps to aid in one way only blockades, you can go in, but the enemy cant get out.


    Repair module: percentages need a slight buff as it wont be enough to withstand a armor column, provided the fact that you wont have enough engineers in this games current state to even keep the walls from getting outdps'd at a balanced rate.


    1 min runtime modules : players were able to continuously spam the temp modules (skybubble) as it would not drain cortium and stay in players hand after being equipped into the module terminal.


    players exploiting merging buildings together, i will not post this on here if you want the fix for this you'll have to message me so i can tell you exactly how they are doing it.


    bulwark walls: Not a fan of the pistons behind the walls as they get in the way for other construction items, this was a huge annoyance problem for blast walls stairs which is why no one uses them in the first place because of it. removing these pistons will also help construction variety of wether to use them to protect a silo instead of regular walls.


    Infantry awning: this particular item is kind of useless and should be redesigned in a way for it to be useful.
    at best all i was able to do with it was make a ghetto sunderer garage.

    Command Centers: command centers take way too long to build, and during that time can easily be destroyed. any tank player in eyes distance will keep destroying a very expensive building (3k) before it can even come to be, make the time to build much quicker, please.

    -command centers are extremely vunerable to squads placing beacons ontop of the roof of command centers and spamming drop pods onto a construction base.


    AI modules: the reddit echo chamber has somehow convinced the devs to remove it, but please understand, these are ESF mains that DONT play construction, they hate when construction AA turrets ruin their useless Airplane duels, they will make up any lie for their hidden agenda, which was to get it removed. .

    Removing AI does nothing however, Low level players will sit inside your turret for hours on end annoying everyone.

    if you want to keep both sides happy, allow 1 AI module to be used in a base only with the ability to only allow 2 turrets of player choice to use, the AI is powered by a 60 second module node.



    No construction deploy zones: if zones aren't reduced this gameplay update will be rendered not as useful. many areas on the map can benefit for defenders and attackers if construction deploy zones are lowered.

    with this new construction update i plan to use a nomadic style of construction gameplay, moving with your factions population to help siege bases and secure/defend a base capture, this involves the use of orbital strike uplinks and router spires, vehicle pads and air pads.


    when a squad of players decide to attack a base, theyre sunderer is usually met with a lightning tank spammer, now that vehicle quick deploy is back, so is this major problem.


    to counteract this, having construction no deploy zones lowered will enable construction players to make bases closer (not on) to bases which will help with sunderer flow and offense, by making construction weaker it will balance out this type of gameplay that you will be seeing soon if this update goes live.


    out of the 20 construction haters on reddit, the vast majority of the remaining playerbase does approve of the update.


    to support my claims of lowering no deploy zones, take echovalley, nasons defiance, crown, gourneydam, and other areas that have lowered no construction zones all bring good fights to the game that supports tug of war flow that most people enjoy, and theres two kinds of people in planetside, the solo flow players, and the outfit only redeployside players, its time to cater to the mass majority.


    my suggestion: Anti construction players actively use the excuse of "what does this update bring to make me want to defend construction if its useless"

    - an implementation of a new faction specific vehicle or acess to certain weaponry Via a tech building that can only be acessed through construction.


    - a construction base under attack map identifer that construction players can purchase in the squad certs options menu, ( many times i make a base near an important region and have used leader chat to tell squad leaders that my base is nearby to help with router/OS and have gotten good replies back for the help, alerting players in the sourrounding area via a indicator would also help with this, and players who helped gain more certs/xp in the zone.
    • Up x 6
  15. AlbatrossofTime

    Hey Mithril,

    I took part in today's test. The only thing that I am concerned about is the no-deploy zone at Excavion. If there is going to be one, we need to know where it is going to be, and test with it as soon as possible. The NDZ will make or break this base. If defenders can set up underwater in the tower, the defenders have a huge advantage. If they can't, then the base will most likely be changing ownership every six minutes or so. The only way to know how it's actually going to play out is to have the NDZ up and running, if there is going to be one (or not).

    Personally, I think the base operates fine without an NDZ, but there have been quite a few people who are worried about how hard it will be for the attackers if there isn't one. Please let us know if it's going to change or remain as it is currently.

    Again, just to reiterate,

    NDZ inclusion - defenders might not ever stand a chance.
    NDZ exclusion - attackers might not ever stand a chance.

    It's going to be a tricky problem to solve.

    Thank you,
    AlbatrossofTime
  16. ClassicDelta

    PTS Feedback
    It is currently possible to build may constructibles without a silo. I'm unaware if this is a bug or a feature but any construction that can take a module will out repair decay. Rampart walls are currently the only exception I found.

    The OS uplink construction can be charged without a cortium silo. Therefore, it is possible to max charge an OS, fill a silo with only a little cortium and fire.

    There are left over parts of some construction, such as terminals or lifts, that still have collisions or operate. These lifts or terminals impede other construction options, and cannot be removed or destroyed
  17. akmadman7274

    PTS Feedback.

    All construction objects should automatically come with a standard auto repair system similar to Nanite Auto Repair otherwise many of the implemented new modules will be overshadowed by the necessity of the repair module.

    Alternatively, you could add a passive ability for silos that repair all structures in its vicinity acting like a repair module pre-construction revamp.
  18. akmadman7274

    Construction spawn tubes and such cannot be spawned at in disabled hexes
  19. Larington

    Was planning to examine Oshur while PTS was quiet but unfortunately Oshur has rotated out and can't be accessed right now. I've already seen complaints that Mirror Bay is extremely exposed to HESH shelling from clifftops.

    Preliminary Construction Thoughts:
    • The Cortium Mining Drill can safely have its uptime reduced 50% and still provide a signficant amount of Cortium for the person who deployed it (Bonus, quicker cleanup of a ticking resource that puts entities into the world)
    • Some of the new & old constructions like the Light Vehicle Terminal, Light Air Terminal, Rebirthing Center, Orbital Strike building & Command Center have poor tolerance of sloped terrain and need their 'physical' foundation length & lower placer limits to be increased. The same is true of walls.
    • The central placement point on the command centre is off centre so it spins on its axis uncomfortably. (This may be intentional for easier visibility on the concave part of the construction)
    • Infantry awning should have more of a space defenders can dip into to reload or heal as cover from the sides as well as above, consider extending the bit at the top that extends halfway accross right down to the foundation height of the construction. Also, move the infantry awning into the walls section of the construction terminals since it's more of a wall really and there's two spots unused on the 'first page' of that section.
    [IMG]
    • Some of the information on module compatability is incorrect, for example Skywall shield module doesn't mention rebirthing & command centers.
    • Blast Wall acquisition button is using the old blastwall graphic/visual.
    • Would recommend figuring out how to allow wall pieces to have slightly overlapping collision so it's quicker & easier to place down a good line of walls. One posibility is a special wall joint piece that ignores intersection with walls during placement but afterwards creates a 'seal' in the wall, to fix any painful keyhole firing angles to the silo (etc).
    • The placement limiter on the Module Dispenser construction didn't change to 1/2 after placing the structure. (Could be a VR training issue though)
    • The descriptions for modules need to be more clear if it will stay or expire after a time and need to inform how much they will increase power drain on silo.
    • Please expand the selection of buildings a 60 second fortress shield can be installed in to include the bunker.
    • Please expand the buildings a skywall shield can be installed in to include the bunker & infantry tower, since the skywalls seem to be smaller (Or maybe I'm imagining it, but the size they seem to be at right now makes bases vulnerable to a carefull placed right click OS). Maybe also allow the wide bulwark wall to house Skywall modules.
    • When someone leaves VR training their constructions should deconstructed so the place is free for other people to experiment.
    • (Already seen someone else say it but bears repeating) The repair/deconstruct point for the Vehicle Gate is at the base of the shield in the middle, which means it often gets placed underground and cannot be interacted with due to collision blocking repair/construction tools. Please move that repair point.
    • Consider an expensive 5 minute Advanced Technology module for the command center only that temporarily allows it to spawn a galaxy, or MBT from the air/vehicle terminals. I did some checking & both the Chimera & Magrider can sit in the vehicle bay, so it should only be code that's the issue there.
    • The sunderer garage is a little narrow, almost couldn't fit the chimera through it, that building does make for a nice 'alternate vehicle gate' so if you could widen that ever so slightly I would appreciate it.
    • Periodically (Say once every 5 minutes) the Cortium silo should look at nearby Cortium Silo Reserves. If the Cortium silo has less than 25,000 Cortium, and a Silo Reserve has more than 10,000, it should transfer 5,000 from the reserve to itself. The Cortium Silo is the center of operations for a base so it should be hoarding the Cortium somewhat - This also opens up that silo reserve to being on the outer ring of a base and be a handy place to deposit more cortium from an ANT.
    • Periodically (Say once every 5 minutes), the silo should check A) if it's owner has logged out & B) if the silo has had any construction attached to it. - This is for the purposes of cleanup, there are players who will use a silo to dump cortium for certs then move on. If both the conditions are met the silo should become open for use by anyone, even with low cortium levels and as a consequence allows any player to deconstruct that silo if they feel it's achieving nothing or is in the way of their own construction efforts.
    • As I'm walking around my base construction in VR training I'm seeing some kind of warping/phasing effect, it's especially visible in the leaves of trees. Not sure what's causing it.
    • Up x 3
  20. Toumal

    It feels like this whole revamp turns bases into less of a functional thing, and more of a player-created set of cover and walls. I've voiced my disagreement with removing all forms of AI controlled turrets before. The arguments for doing don't hold water - you don't get "tons of kills" with automated turrets, on live they are a good deterrent, not more - and that's exactly what they should be as long as there's no player inside.
    In PTS though? There's zero reason to build turrets now. Why do that, when you can pull a tank instantly without having to wait for construction, plus you're mobile.

    Removal of pain fields makes silos completely helpless. Two cloakers take less than 30 seconds, and only a little bit more with modules.

    Walls still don't snap together. At lest allow some overlap on construction to prevent gaps that people can just erase your silo through.

    All in all, while the variety of modules and the plug-in system is definitely a good idea and gives people choice, the removal of actual base defenses (aside from passives like the shields) is absolutely a step back for me. I feel like the devs don't see how people play construction, or they only looked at people who frankly don't have a lot of actual experience with it. And considering just how many people I see putting up silos on top of cortium nodes, or placing AI modules right next to a turret, or using pain spires as if they projected an impassable field (protip: they do not), I am not surprised.

    I'd love to at least see AI modules for turrets come back. Dial down the accuracy on AI controlled turrets a little bit, but at least give us a minimum of automated defense. I understand that you want people to actively play instead of just building large bases on their own, but if that was your goal it wasn't really accomplished. And a one-man base was already easy to take down even as a single player.

    Keep in mind that there's not always a large number of players in a given area, and letting people build nothing but glorified short-term cover isn't that fun in the long run.

    Also, tying the vehicle color setting together with the facility colors was a bad move. Either link player and vehicle colors together, or give us a separate control for that.
    • Up x 4
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