[Suggestion] Faction Diversity is Dying. It Must Be Saved.

And again, If someone is able to catch Higbypls, Go into the chat and tell Higby to read this thread. Who knows if he will catch you saying it or not, But sometimes he has his moments where he notices the little people in the background saying something. Every time he has his show, I am at work :c

Completely agree with OP. I'm still pissed the NC don't have their own unique revolver. I mean, come the **** on.

I agree that ES weapons are a basic component of this game, but one that is being swept away in favor for the NS universality. Faction diversity in itself entails unavoidable balances issues, no one will ever agree X faction is always competitive with both Y faction and Z faction.

Then again SOE was putting itself in that situation by trying this game model. I'm really all for faction diversity as long as it's reasonably balanced.

I'm sure I'll get called out on it by the Vanu fanboys, but I find hard to not see the disproportionate love that this. faction gets from the developers. The Terrans' theoretical RoF advantage is nullified by the fact that both of the other factions have access to weapons with more or less comparable RoF. While the NC as far as I know has a monopoly on 200 damage weapons, their RoF limits their usage, and both of the other factions have access to 167 damage weapons. The Vanu are unique in that their lack of bullet drop and high accuracy aren't replicated by any weapons of the other factions. Not to mention the Vanu get a LMG with .75 ADS movement speed, or a suppression weapon like the Lasher, which are utterly unique (And IMO quite OP on top of its faction trait, but that's another topic altogether).

Faction Diversity is great when its balanced. I'd certainly like to see a lot more of it. I just think it will only exacerbate the already rampant balance tirades. I wouldn't be surprised if the NS weapons were simply SOE's way trying to introduce weapons without the constant nerf controversies.

TR its the dakka faction and we have no high rof LMG. Change when?

If i remember correct, there was a thread some weeks ago about new vehicles.
Something between Flash and Harasser with 1 seat - the VS one was a hovering one, TR was nearly the same as flash and NC i can´t remember.
As a VS i like my NS weapons ( especially Vandal, PDW, Commissionar and Baron) but in the end i would rather see more ES than NS.

Rumor is that each empire is getting a new LMG and that the TR's a high ROF 125 damage LMG. Not exactly what you wanted but if you really want a high ROF 143 weapon on the heavy use the MCG.

Really though, faction diversity for infantry weapons should have been the following from the start.

TR LMG: (1) 125/857, (2) 143/750, (1) 143/698, (1) 143/652 (1) 167/550
TR AR/Carbine: (1) 125/909 (1) 125/857 (1) 143/845 (2) 143/750 (1) 143/698 (1) 167/577

VS LMG: (1) 143/750 (2) 143/698 (1) 143/652 (1) 167/577 (1) 167/550
VS AR/Carbine (1) 143/800 (1) 143/750 (2) 143/698 (1) 143/652 (1) 167/600 (1) 167/577

NC LMG: (1) 200/500 (2) 167/600 (1) 167/577 (1) 143/698 (1) 143/652
NC AR/Carbine: (1) 200/500 (1) 200/469 (1) 167/632 (1) 167/600 (2) 167/577 (1) 143/750

There, faction diversity that's consistent across the board. TR get the most Dakka at all times (and as a result has the most ammo per magazine but slower reload times), NC get's the hardest hitting guns at all times (and as a result has the smallest damage per magazine but faster reload times), and VS is a hybrid of the two that doesn't get NC's 200 damage or TR's 125 damage weapons and doesn't get TR's 143/845 or NC's 167/632 damage weapons but every weapon would have a heat mechanic that draws from a maximum ammo pool instead of having magazines to reload.

We need them to actually do it though. It would be nice if they did...

All of this thread. All of it. Once I got a NS carbine I almost don't need anything else. Having 3 factions that can all have the same primary weapon advantage is missing the point. Also, I want my thumper! HIGBY! THUMPER! NOW!

THOOMP. BOOM!

That sound is so satisfying...

Me want.

People QQd about ZOE and PPA to the point both have sucked for months beyond reason and still remain underpowered and imbalanced.

Don't forget the Lasher. It's pretty useless too now.

now this guy has the right idea diversity is a big part of planetside the way this NS thing is going imagine everyone being one faction and fighting the only difference is the color

I agree but it would help if all 3 factions had a solid identity to begin with (talking about VS). In terms of visual themes and style its fine, in fact I think VS wins in that category, but stats and empires benefits are still imbalanced. If you try and list off the empire benefits and their downsides for TR and NC you get a good idea of what the teams are about but then you list off VS and its "no bullet drop"......and?! And nothing. That's the issue. Back when I played PS1 i could easily identify the pros and cons of each team and understand why one of them would achieve victory over the other (in cases of equal skill, army size, etc..) now its "ok VS we won this battle of 50% vs 50% pop because of.....floating tanks? No, because we got ******* lucky that's why or because the base we took had poor defenses.

PS1 VS ES benefit was originally "versatility" mainly because all their infantry weapons used only 1 type of ammo and you could change it to AP mode at any time instead of having to reload. Our tank required 1 less person to be fully functional and it could cross water safely while our MAX suit got jump jets.

The devs see the VS in terms of stats as "the middle man" but to me it sounds more like "we could only really identify the other 2 teams with the new game mechanics and couldn't think of what to do with "versatility" that wouldn't break the game"...TLDR "We. Are. lazy.". At this point in the game I could care less about the whole "middle man" concept as long as it lived up to it. Most of our guns fall in between the TR and NCs RoF and accuracy but damage is an issue. Example: Most VS LMGs have the standard 143 damage but TR also got 143 damage which sorta leaves VS short stacked as the TR in PS1 actually did less than average damage per bullet. Not to mention only our MBT gets no ES benefits other than floating...(oh and no bullet drop on 1 gun, when it doesn't matter cause the equivalents don't have much either) with no water in the game I don't see how this is very equal to increased RoF/Maximum Speed/Damage/Resilience/Acceleration.

Most times I see VS achieve a victory is because of a population advantage and a big one at that. (Disclaimer this is Emerald VS) Don't believe me? Then think about where the whole concept of "only the VS zerg" came from. Every other time its because some smart group of players would actually formulate a plan to attack the enemy by either focusing Sunderers or flanking enemy positions. I don't want to insinuate that TR or NC on Emerald lack the capacity for warfare tactics but it just seems that the VS have to apply them more often to get the same results as opposed to just rushing in there.

The problem i'm getting at is that each time should have a benefit it knows it can exploit in most situations but VS doesn't have something it can exploit as a tactical advantage. TR know their team is built for speed whether it be RoF or vehicle speed they understand on how to use that by rushing their opponent and using fast overwhelming attacks. NC know their team is built for outlasting their opponent while returning substantial damage with every shot. They understand its all about closing the gap on the opponent and obliterating them with their superior damage. And VS is stuck going "ok well semi-auto snipers you guys can have fun while the rest of us...uhhh.....just pick what the enemy has and hopefully use it better than them". That is really what it comes to.

I respect the ways in which you describe the factions' situations. Instead of saying,"Well, VS is UP, so they became smarter!", you stated HOW they were required to execute more tactical strategies in order to succeed.
Because we don't know EXACTLY what we have. I never liked PS1, but I'll admit, the VS did seem to be more "alien" than in PS2. I mean, sure, I prefer more accuracy over switching to useless AP ammo any time, but just the way it was done... it really made me feel like I belonged to a cult of scientists. The VS should be a faction of balanced fire power, but STRANGE abilities, not more "accuracy" or "bullet drop." Take the Lasher for example. It is the only TRUE alien weapon VS forces employ. Why can't we have more weapons like it, then? Maybe a knockback gun that knocks people back at bone-crushing speeds. Or a hitscan laser that deals no damage at 75 meters. The possibilities for true abilities are endless for every faction, but even more so with the faction whose technology surpasses that of everyone on Auraxis.

Oh for sure. The old VS saying is "Technology equals might". Lore wise the VS aren't meant to be trained soldiers or have much inclination of warfare tactics. VS troops are just civilians that have augments to increase physical fitness. We should be using more advanced and creative weaponry to keep us on par. Hell the NC even developed Gauss tech to put them on par with the TRs training and military history. We were meant to take that even further.

Exactly!
But...
If you've ever played Civ: Beyond Earth, there are three affinities: Purity (preservation of mankind), Harmony (genetic modification of mankind), and Supremacy (transhumanism via robotics). What's special is that each has different aesthetics and abilities, such as Harmony's ability to modify your units to adapt to the new planet's conditions, Purity's offensive capabilities and the ability to make the new planet feel more like Earth (or terraforming, in other words), and Supremacy's use of various resources to enhance production and growth beyond belief. This COULD work with Planetside, where Purity goes for the TR (in which Terran facilities and troops look far more traditional than other factions, where they employ banners, sigils, etc.), Supremacy goes for the NC (in which, as NC troops go up the ranks, they begin to have more robotic parts on their armor, to the point where they are truly augmented and employ Gauss tech as part of their physiology), and Harmony for the VS (in which VS troops do not at all look human and instead can use the planet for their own needs, such as using Esamir crystals to replenish ammunition or shields, and VS facilities seem to be very organic in nature and are made of natural composite materials). This would serve to solidify each faction's ideals and strengths: The TR's traditional aspect of warfare and culture, the NC's dominating view of crushing power, and the Vanu's spiritual belief of using the planet to one's benefit.

Yes, and for good reason. From what I heard, there was no reason not to turn on ZOE because of the huge benefits it gave the user and the PPA because it was vastly more versatile to the NC/TR equivalents in that it could fire from unsurpassed distances (could be compared to pre-nerfed HEAT/HE lockdown prowler) and be spammed for days. But that doesn't justify how they were nerfed into practical uselessness. Also your sounding narrow minded making it sound like the VS are the only ones to get the nerf bat.

We weren't the only ones to get the nerfed bat, but ZOE and PPA were nerfed harder than anything else except the striker (which was Broken and now is only situational but still better than the PPA or ZOE)
Its been over a year for ZOE and its been months for the PPA, fix them SOE.

Guys, Try to keep the posts on topic with the thread. This is not a thread about who got what nerfbat. This is a thread about factions needing to get back to their grass roots with faction diversity.

I see the OP's point, but I must respectfully disagree.

My outfit and I have recently been messing around as VS recently, and, surprisingly, I did well with their weapons. Far better, in fact, than the TR weapons with which I have far more experience. I especially took a liking to the Lancer. As a guy who likes to attack from long distance, the Lancer was the perfect kind of weapon for me.

That being said, there's no way I'd ever switch to VS for my main character. Why? Magriders.

As I said before, I like attacking from long distance, and that makes the Prowler the perfect tank for me. In contrast, the Magrider has proven to be the worst heavy tank (in my opinion) for that role. Yes, its ability to jink from side to side helps in long range fights, but the slow muzzle velocity of the main gun and the high profile of the tank itself have proven to be my undoing time and time again.

If I were somehow able to get my hands on a Lancer while still having access to my Prowler, I would be a very happy gamer indeed.

So, while it is an obviously VS weapon, why shouldn't NC and TR players have access to the Lancer? After all, the devs claim that the faction specific stuff is all balanced, so how would being able to pull other factions' equipment hurt anything?

How could giving players more options ever be a bad thing??