I'm a fairly new player, and cannot seem to find a role that suits me. I'm the kind of person who likes to "pick one thing and stick with it", especially considering how expensive upgrading practically anything is in this game. New players really can't afford to be versatile. So far I've been main'ing the Support classes (mostly Engineer), but I would really like to find a more entertaining class to play. Running around dropping ammo packs and repairing stuff may be sorta useful for the team, but it doesn't feel very great... The best thing I can say about it is I get the most Certs when playing as a Support... but I don't think that makes up for the lack of fun any longer. I've tried all the classes many times over, and it just seems like the ones I would have the most fun with have one or more seriously limiting factor. For example, I love the Spitfire Auto Turret on my Engineer (I don't have the best aim, nor the best computer, so actually getting some kills is wonderful). However, the downside is you can only place 1 Spitfire, and then have to Resupply at a Terminal to get any more... This pretty much sucks the fun out of such a neat tool, because - to counter this purely annoying mechanic - I find myself hovering around Sunderers and Terminals instead of actually engaging in the fight - or when I do engage, I end up choosing between running back and forth, or just pretending I don't even have a turret. It just seems like an overly restricted and punishing mechanic for a turret which doesn't even do very well most of the time... I mean, you can waltz up, reload your gun, and still have time to blow them up while they shoot at you. I also rather like playing as a Max (again, because it gives me the boost I need to actually get kills). In most fights my FPS go down to 15-20, and that's just not enough to be competitive... Max suits are great because I can still usually 1v1 a person (who isn't another Max). There are 2 downsides I've noticed while playing Max's though: first is that they require resources, which wouldn't be such a horrible thing, however the second issue is that I've noticed platoons Redoploy SO OFTEN. I mean, it's like every 5 minutes, the platoon seems to want to relocate half way across the map. End of the story is, I end up being able to pull 2-4 Max's before running out of resource points and being forced back into my subservient Engineer. Even when I generate enough resources to pull another Max, I end up having to make a decision: "Is my platoon about to ditch this zone again, or do I actually have time to pull a Max?" The last 2 classes I enjoy playing are the Light Assault and Infiltrator (Stalker). The Light Assault is great because of the jet pack, however I feel it lacks something... it doesn't have a "Tool" like all the other classes, which I feel is rather noticeable. They only really have 1 viable jet pack (the default), even though I really like the concept behind the Icarus Jet Pack. My favourite Infiltrator is the Stalker but... well, to be honest, they are mostly useless (no offence). Whenever I play one, I always end up thinking: "I could do this better as a ___insert almost any other class here___." Their ability is really neat (permanent cloak), however the sacrifice of any Primary weapon, again, feels like very restricting. I guess it just seems like Planetside has so many great ideas that are implimented, but it's like they are mostly all "Half-baked" or "Half-nerf'd". The only class that seems to "have it all" are the Heavy Assaults which, sadly, I consider too bland to play as. I like to specialize, and I understand there are caveats to specialization, but I think Planetside has taken those restrictions too far. It's like the developers picked up a bat and broke 1 leg off of every super cool ability. I suppose it is better to release something underpowered than overpowered, but why have so many things remained gimped for so long? The game has Lolpod kill-farming, C4-Fairy-farming, frickin Harassers, and a few other rather overpowered mechanics... why do Engineers have to run back to a terminal just to set down another crappy auto turret? Why does the Vanu Max have no usable Faction-specific ability? Why are Light Assaults pidgeon-holed into being C4-delivery boys? Why don't they have an actual tool? Why can't I find 1 class (besides Heavy Assault) which doesn't feel like its special abilities are nerf'd half way into the ground? For me, Planetside is special because it isn't just another cookie-cutter shooter game (goodness knows there are too many already). It has roles and class abilities... but it just seems the developers are so concerned with balance that they end up adding in non-fun, chore-like mechanics. Rant over.
the old creative developer was a ******* with balanced decisions and the current dev team is terrified of the MLG mountain dewritos crowd that plays exclusively heavy assault to pad their stats to do anything more than kiss their fat pompous *****
I probably underestimate this computer a bit... it really depends on the size of the fight. In small-scale skirmishes, I get ~45-60 FPS. Medium is probably 30-40 FPS. It is the huge fights (which are the ones I end up being in the most) that my FPS goes down to probably 15-25. I agree though... First Person Shooters, in general, are not really fun at all if you don't have a good or amazingly-awesome computer/internet connection. That was the reason I was drawn to Planetside though - I thought that the class abilities would make up for hardware limitations. I mean... no one can shoot me at all if I am permanently cloaked! But, sadly, I think you are probably right... Planetside is still first and foremost a First Person Shooter, with its class abilities being only a "mild twist" on the genre.
Well... There are engineer, you can drop tankmines, repair stuff, use MANA-turrets, deploy explosives, supply ammo, snipe MAXXES with antimaterial rifle, all this while randomly jumping in and gunning ppl's vehicles at the frontline... (ooh and you can also throw sticky grenades!)
Don't follow zergs around. If your not having fun with the platoon/outfit you are playing with, find another one that fits your style of play. Maybe try learning a vehicle? Sundys are fun, have a ton of cool abilities for support, and can also be quite deadly if equipped with the right weapons. It helps that you already have some Certs in engineer since you'll want to always be one when driving. Sunday's are also cert generating machines. When playing as infantry engineer, don't look at yourself as strictly support. Engineers have weapons and can kill things very well. Also switch to the AV turret. More powerful then spitfire, which iMo is a waste of certs. Get utility pouch and you can carry multiple tank mines, c4 or proxy mines. I agree with Stalker being kind of useless. Hiding around waiting for an easy kill isn't really all that helpful to your team and it does not leave you feeling productive or gaining lots of certs. I guess if your constantly using recon beacons or darts as infil you are being helpful, but this is a FPS, you should be killing things. Switch to one of the other cloaks, get an SMG and piss people off. Don't be so down on HA. I also hesitated to use it at first thinking that I would rather help elsewhere or have a more diverse role, but again this boils down to being an FPS, and killing/staying alive is more important. It's the most deadly class, can attack vehicles effectively, and with shields and med kits you can tank a ton of damage, which will be helpful if you lack the skill and FpS to do really well in 1v1 fights. It may be tempting to want to specialize, but this game is not about specializing. It's about using the right tools, weapons, vehicles, and abilities for the situation at hand. Hope this helps. PS2 is a really fun game with so many things to do. Don't pidgeonhole yourself into one role and you will start to have more fun.
Why would you focus on infantry when you can roll/fly around in a vehicle? Engineers are the only way to go.
That's about what I get if not better sometimes. And I manage to have pretty stats anyways. It's just about practicing to get better. Instead of following the zerg mindlessly, pick a combat class and start getting better with it. You'll get plenty of kills once you stop finding yourself excuses.
Gotta work on that FPS. Your not gonna play at any level of competitive at 15 fps. I would stick with the engineer. Great class. Very versitile. That spitfire is a nitche weapon though. The AI turret is more useful in most situations. Use it as cover, use it to lay down heavy fire, use it as a distraction. Its a real great tool. Use AI/AT mines to cover your flanks and hold positions. Also, like everyone else said, get away from the zerg. Its entirely not fun.
Mark sums it up friend. You wont enjoy this game until you decide to make a serious investment in an i5 or i7 Rig. Poor performance by your Rig getting you 20 FPS will simply leave you frustrated no matter which class you play. PS2 like any other PC game rewards what one invests in their Rigs. This is what separates the PC player from the console player. When you run with poor performance, you start to run into hit detection problems and Echoes. This is not Day Breaks problem since their Rig specs are clearly noted for one to have a great gaming experience...and I promise you will with a Rig meeting or exceeding their specs. Another area to pay attention to is your ping on your server. Keeping a good eye on your ping by pressing TAB and making sure its in the Green(Good) is very important. Again...bad ping and you get hit detection problems. I wont play on a server thats yellow or log off if one starts fluctuating Green and Yellow.
I think Engineer is an awesome and fun class. You dont need to just throw ammo and hug MAXes for repairs, there is tons of things the Engineer can do, and almost all of it is fun. -You can place 5 AT mines and 3 AP mines at bases where you know the enemy will come to. Or place ones while attacking something. You almost always get kills when you place AP mines in good spots. -You have unlimited ammo, and a carbine. Carbines are pretty good, and you can spam it as much as you want. Engineer is also the only class that can reliably use the (ammo chewing) auto-shotgun. -Sticky grenades! Throw one into a chokepoint in a 06+ battle and get like 5+ kills. -The best class to be certed into if you want to drive any sort of vehicle later on. -Probably the best class for farming certs and levels. Medic is arguably better, but you dont have to compete with anyone for revives. -The spitfire is fun, as you mentioned. Try not to worry too much about resupplying it. Just drop it somewhere and refill if you happen to come across a terminal or if you die. -The Archer is hilarious. It totally sucks, but its fun harassing MAXes at medium range, or making smaller vehicles and even MBTs back off -AV turret is amazing. Once you get the hang of it, you can snipe infantry at any range. And hold off tanks at long range. -You can access to the under-barrel grenade launcher and unlimited ammo. Fun. Also smoke. Engineers are very versatile. You can play Engi almost any way you like, even as an assault class. Plus you have lots of gadgets. Thats why i think its the most fun class, and also the "best"
Light Assault can indeed feel a bit "small", but think about it - do you really need a tool? You have your gun to kill enemy infantry, and the jet pack do it with style. You don't really need much else, not even C4. C4 is a nice tool to have against MAXes or crowds of infantry, and against an occasional tunnel vision tank, but I wouldn't call an LA a C4 delivery boy. C4 is by far not the most important thing about the class, especially considering infantry as a whole is fairly terrible at dealing with vehicles, and often you're better off just by pulling your own AP tank. I do think LA is the most fun class to play, but like MarkAntony said, you really need higher FPS before you can truly enjoy that type of play.
Improve FPS first, then choose a class : Like being an invisible jerk sniping from 100m+ or going into buildings with a SMG and AI Mines? Go inflitrator. Like having a jetpack and making explsive deliveries and one of the best guns in the game? Go LA. Like being a support class and helping yourself and your team as well? Go medic/engineer. Like having an 1.7x health boost and one hell of a gun and a rocket launcher on top of that? Go HA.
Play HA, you will naturally "win every 1v1 engagement." Other classes are made only to loose every 1v1 engagement as it seems.
Took me while too. I eventually settled into HA because I love the LMGs. That was really the deciding factor. As time went on, I learned to land most dumbfire shots on armor and air, which gets me a ridiculous amount of XP all the time. And of course, the overshield is great for winning some 1v1s, but all the people crying about it fail to understand that LAs and infiltrators are supposed to be using their jetpack and cloak to give them a situational advantage, not taking HAs head-on or at ground level. Realistically, many 1v1s in that situation should be with other HAs, which means the overshield is no longer an advantage. But thanks to all the people who don't know how to play their class, I get loads of easy kills. Don't let them guilt-trip you because of their own failings.
Don't bother picking favorite class, always pull whatever class/loadout/vehicle the situation calls for. You have to constantly adapt to situation in this game if you want your team to win. On the other hand you can, if you're selfish, find whatever class/loadout/vehicle gets you most kills/certs and use it constantly. I personally don't advocate that playstyle, though there are many that stick to it religiously. Sometimes you have to be that first man through the entrance leading the charge, eating bullets and dying in 0.001 second so that the man behind you can make it a few steps further toward the capture point, or be that one guy that guards the point while everyone else is farming enemy spawn. It doesn't earn you the most certs, doesn't improve your K/D or weapon accuracy so you can brag about it on forums by linking your personal stats in every post, but it sure as hell helps your team. Up to you which way you go and what you choose.
I used to be just like you. I didnt want to be a lmg toting fanboy or a c4 pixie and i also didnt have the hottest computer(spec wise)engineer appealed to me but its limitsd application in actual situations drove me away. Which brings me to what i did. Ibought a new computer and played the most rewarding imo class: medic.rez heal kill do what you want playstyle now i dont recomend being an absolutly careless medic but you can if you want also if you play NC or TR the ARs are really good
