Development Update – Forum Discussion - Jan. 25 2023

Please keep proxy repair. There are groups of us that have a blast roaming the map in sundy trains. By removing this you remove that ability.

All this sounds promising. I'm not completely sure, i got all you meant about the repair sundy role - and hope you have in mind the different ways MBTs fight - but it sounds like you guys had quite a deep dive into how it is and how it should be
Thx buddy!

Good letter, thanks!

I'm mostly interested in bug fixes, since that is what generally plagues my play time in the game, more than missing features or even cheaters. I think there's a lot of low-hanging fruit on fixing small bugs and clearing up UI problems.

My only concern about the Sunderer rework right now is how it will effect the battle bus. Currently the loadout uses both increased armor and the fire suppression for emergency heals, while I understand separating these two abilities, will the repair cargo slot be able to be used effectively as an emergency repair while the Sunderer moves, or will it only apply around 50 points of health before the Sunderer moves out of its range? And will it be possible to upgrade the effectiveness of the repair cargo ability?

One possibility that comes to mind (though I'm not sure how feasible it is) would be having the cargo ability 'beacons' carried on the outside of the Sunderer until deployed (either on top or attached to the back), and able to operate while the vehicle is moving.

In theory, that gives you a "best of both worlds" kind of deal (you can separate your utility from AMS deployment or repair a rolling armor group, but it's possible to cripple the 'beacon' faster than you can kill the Sunderer); there are definitely considerations that need attention (i.e. 'how does repairing it work if you can even repair it at all', 'how does deployment work programmatically and artistically') but I figured the idea was worth floating.

Thank you for communication and the work you are doing!

Completely random and I am sure trivial in the grand scheme of things ... one of my pet peeves is those few players who monopolize the chat with chat bots. It ruins a social aspect of the game. Honestly it bothers me more than the occasional person zooming around the sky killing everyone through the walls, as it happens on almost a daily basis now.

And the eternal sound bug!!! Oh the decade long sound bug.

But seriously thank you. I love this game despite its flaws and hope it lasts another ten years!

I'll move on to constructive suggestions. You made Colossus. And it was an interesting idea. Yes, I understand, you made it highly specialized because you didn't want it to easily destroy other faction battle tanks. Okay. Colossus has a narrow specialization. But why only one? It's a good idea to make this tank a carrier of unique, highly specialized weapons. How about making a modification of the Colossus, where artillery will be installed instead of its main caliber? Like Flail or Glaive? And only allow him to fire the main gun when it is set to a stationary state?

Imo I expect the changes outlined for sunderers to be a lot better than people anticipate. Yes, we'll have to change our game styles revolving around sunderers if the proposed changes go through, but I think everything looks great.

For anyone trying to wrap their head around it, if the repair module becomes a deployable, vehicles who want to receive repairs will have to stay near them, reducing their own mobility and having to fortify that position, while the bus can yeet away to safety or deploy somewhere else. Regarding battle busses, yes, this will remove some of their general mobility too, but here's the thing, if in a group, each sunderer can equip that ability and drop multiple repair modules along their route, destination and whatnot, so it's not THAT limiting. Solo battle busses should technically become stronger if I understood this correctly, since they can use fire suppresion for reps AND the deployed repair module as an extra AND deploy for shields. That's unless I misread something, correct me if I'm wrong.

So in short, solo battle busses get a buff imo, multiple battle busses have mobility reduced along with other vehicles when it comes to remote repairs and force them to fortify certain locations instead of zipping around.

Regarding cheating, I still stand by my old belief that the community can help. Yes, feel free to bash me for this controversial idea, I'd like to read about other options.
We all know automated systems suck at stuff and work only part of the time, if at all. They unfortunately become obsolete rather quickly after an update if someone takes them on with serious intent.
My old proposal was to seek out certain players that can be trusted to receive moderation abilities. People with longevity and passion for the game with a cool and collected mind could absolutely do this. Now, can this be abused? Obviously. And it WILL be abused sometimes by certain people with complete disregard for their account's integrity. But someone who's been playing the game for like 5+ years and spent money on it is a lot more likely to not risk their account by abusing the system (if I offer myself as an example, I've been playing on and off since 2013/2014, mostly f2p but I did spend a chunk of money on PS2 - there's absolutely no way in hell I'd risk account deletion for abusing moderation powers to ban some rando just because he's driving me mad - unless they're a flying max or shooting from underground and whatnot, 99.99% of the time I won't take any action, not even against routers spawned inside walls).
Also, the type of moderation I'm suggesting isn't about hiring people or HAVING to spend time in the game x hours a day like Reddit mods. No, I mean to just have the ability to moderate when logging in like normal (unless I've been gone for like 2-3 months, then take it away).
Simple way to implement it? The player can enter a /command in chat and turn invisible and into spectator mode and go check on whoever is suspicious with the ability to lock their camera onto them or even enter their POV. If they abuse this or throw bans galore completely unfounded, punish them hard to reduce incentive. Once? 1 month ban. Twice? 3 month ban and never mod powers again. Dunno, just saying.

On another note, I'm currently on a break from PS2, so no I'm not here to beg for mod powers, I'm just suggesting the option. Trust me, there are people in PS2 who have your back DBG.

PS: I think shotguns were nerfed a tad bit too hard. Or not? I find it funny to run around with a Jackhammer and not being able to do anything with a 'Heavy Weapon' lol! Unlike the Lasher which is perfectly balanced with no exploits!

Do the devs have any plans on forcing Planetside 2 through steam? that way you could get VAC-bans for cheaters so they get hardware-id banned right now you can just make a new account and continue if you get banned which is what destroyed Cobalt server pretty much. Its not a fix to the situation but would be get rid of a % of cheaters maybe?

Thank you for sharing the latest updates on PlanetSide 2. It's encouraging to see the team's dedication to improving the game, particularly with the Sunderer changes and the efforts to combat cheating. However, I'd like to address a few concerns regarding community engagement and decision-making processes.

Firstly, while the team's efforts are commendable, there seems to be a disconnect between the developers and the game's community, especially in terms of communication and feedback. Many passionate players actively participate in discussions on the official forums, yet their contributions often go unrecognized. This lack of engagement on official channels can create a perception that the developers are indifferent to the broader community's input. Instead, it appears that only select voices on unofficial platforms like Reddit or Discord are acknowledged, which can be disheartening for those who invest time in the official forums.

This issue is exemplified by the handling of certain game changes, such as the alterations to MAX suits and the capture the conduit mechanics. These changes, primarily discussed in unofficial forums, were poorly received by the wider player base and have had a negative impact on the game's reception. It's clear that these decisions, which bypassed broader community consultation, have had significant repercussions.

To bridge this gap between the developers and the community, I propose the following recommendations:

Centralize Developer Communication: Limit developer interactions to the PlanetSide 2 official forums. This approach ensures that all players have equal access to information and can engage directly with the team.

Enhance Community Engagement: Developers should actively participate in discussions on the official forums. Engaging with the community on features, ideas, and development plans can foster a more inclusive and collaborative environment.

Reintroduce a Roadmap: Bring back a public roadmap for the game's development. Allow players to comment on and vote for upcoming features and changes. This transparency and inclusivity in the decision-making process can significantly enhance player investment and satisfaction.

By implementing these recommendations, the team can strengthen its relationship with the entire PlanetSide 2 community, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued. This approach not only benefits the players but also provides the developers with a diverse range of insights and feedback, ultimately leading to a more successful and well-received game.

please help balance the population on Soltech, for example reducing the maximum limit per faction on the continent from 200 to 150 or reducing the nanites of factions with over 38% population on the continent

I have a suggestion, Remove the Lattice system, every single person i talk with about hates it, like me, there is no real organic frontlines anymore, and that's since a long time, when this thing got introduced, it drastically reduced the number of playing players, because its destroying the gameplay and we hate it, so its your choice to see, do you want to please whales, or do you want your game to be overflowed with pleased players. We just move braindead from a base to the next, with no choice of our terrain, we are just forced into places, i really liked to go alone on a remote base and make a carnage when people came to defend it, and/or grusomely die when trying to attack, facing opposition, also, prioritarise the ability of individual skills to shine instead of having battles rely on numbers only, the game was excessively good in alpha and beta, then for me, development decisions to increase the mainstream appeal by reducing individual impact made the game less interesting, i loved the wind also, maybe there was too much wind and bullet falloff, but it was so good, and we could deal with it, using real actual skill, i could cook a book on why the game is not that much played anymore, and it has nothing to do with its age, its because of development decisions, its the only real MMOFPS, its should be the most played game of all times, at all times, and because you listen more to marketing people than devs probably, its not in its best shape.

I just hopped back in the game to see if any of that stuff I mentioned was fixed, and found something else to add your movement feels very slow compared to apex which is what I am playing now. So foot speed/movement mechanics does not feel good. This was something that use to be brought up a lot when I use to promote the game all the time, and at that point I didn't understand it. I do now because it feels like you are walking through molasses.

4X4 would be nice on Sunderer, they climb like they have a 4 cylinder engine with 90 horsepower.

As excerpted from the previous thread:

(TL;DR NOTE - The Sunderer's driving/handling characteristics can be vastly improved if the ANT vehicle template is imposed upon the Sunderer with a few adjustments to give it a more appropriate feel respectively. The Sunderer's low traction and tendency to slide upon the most modest of inclines has remained horrendous for years. In example... ascending the Seabed Ridge-line of Indar.)

If anyone has spent time driving a Sunderer... then they've quickly learned it requires a lead foot upon the gas pedal to get anywhere - especially up a hill. Because to do it any other way results in a constantly unpleasant struggle.

This is something I will continually insist above all else, as it remains a critically necessary improvement.

In February, it was still not possible to merge Connery with Emerald... Connery's players are going to be lonely for another month.

Remove NIGHT
Always daylight................


I know it's a bold thing to ask, but it's super easy to do. And will have immediate effects to your bottom line. Because youtubers like me, our audience cannot see what's going on in the dark. it's bad for filming. And some of us have a very big audience.

Fortnite is making this same mistake. And so is battlefield 2042. It's so hard to film when it's dark. Or stormy. Or foggy. Or that really dumb tint you guys put in months ago. Where now if I'm at the TINT borber, and i move back and forth, the color of the screen is constantly changing. Just clear... see-through atmosphere would be great, with increased brightness.

Before adding things and likely make it worse, undo past mistakes first and set a focus on fixing bugs and improving performance. having blatant cheaters (through the wall snipers, flying maxes etc) has huge potential to drive those few new players away very quickly. Get your house in order first, then try to improve it.

Dear developers!

I have no idea what you did, but right after latest update I'm being thrown out of the game after few seconds on Sanctuary.
And ping is very high - about 500-600, before that it was below 100.
Ticked submitted.

Can't play at all.