For an MMO, PS2 is not very massive

lol, just logged into miller during prime time, 9pm server time... not a battle more than 12 v 12, and most of those were 70-30% or 80-20% or worse

I stopped two guys in HA suits from capping an amp station all alone, then got bored. PS2 simply isn't a very good FPS with those population levels... balance sucks and you have to play HA in order to survive against the instant win shields. there are balanced FPS with no instant win shields or guys in ESFs trolling for kills...

suggest DBG turn the code over to the community to let people make small balance maps and run community servers

They just need a server merger. I'm shocked it has lasted this long without one.

[L2P issues + "Game is bad because it is different from other games"] = What about going to play another game instead of whining here day after day ?

The game functions off of having a large population to support the style of combat it's geared towards. If it's losing population, you can't exactly "learn to play."

Just adapt and train.
Balance is not perfect (especially with HAs), but is what it is. It's not like you couldn't defeat any godlike class or weapon. Just pick the class you like and train. And try to kill more than you get killed.
Pop is a sometimes a problem for sure. Just redeploy to an aera with a lower pop. Don't face zergs, it will be frustrating. Maybe playing with a good outfiy may bring you a more efficient gameplay depending on your class.
Or just move to another server if your really feel like you can't do anything because of overpop issues.

You seem to have read my post backwards or something. I'm saying there's not enough people in most fights. Underpop, not overpop.

So, why not trying to go on another server instead of waiting for a sever merge ? Many people have characters on different servers.
And searching for targets in order to find small fights is a part of the game. But i guess i'm not a member of your server. So, i can't judge about what's going on there.

Just logged in myself (only 30 mins after you) and saw two 48-96 and one 96+ battles on the one factions front line on Amerish alone. Couldn't be bothered to count the rest of the fights on other factions lines and continents (of which there where many more) as I now know you are simply full of it. Nothing like a bit of BS to validate your ideas.

I suggest no one pays this troll any attention.

???
Whenever i log to Miller, and i do often, i find a fight 48 vs 48 plus. At around 9oo (CET) there was Esamir Biofarm...

Server merges.
Population.
None of these will help the problem.

Development will help the problem.
Building more to the game will help the problem.

Micro-transactions tend to exist if you don't intend to do that.

Miller is dead...S.O.S !!!!

Shhh, Cobalt has about 400 people less online right now compared to Miller.

So...Your server is bigger than mine ??? OMG !!!

Added another bullet point to help the problem. Except balance comes with another problem - people are too attached to their win-shield crutch to give it up, and I bet gimping their speed and boosting every other class' speed (jogging, sprinting and ADS) would cause them to scream bloody murder because now their class and shield is an actual trade off, not the de-facto go to win setup. When two opponents of equal skill meet, the one with more bullets and more health wins. And this is just ONE problem, there are a myriad of others, but this one ranks very high up there in "cardinal sins of FPS balance."

I'm sorry, but this game sells itself as an FPS first and foremost. One does not simply "learn to play" against a heavy assault, which IS hurting the game. No other game has a class like the HA without giving the other classes real advantages of their own over the HA. Anyone that seriously thinks this is okay or that the game is fine and will continue to do fine either can't hack it in any other FPS or is simply in denial of the game state.

Heavy assault doesn't get assault rifles or CQC carbines.

It ends up with pretty worthless LMGs. As an engineer or light assault going head to head with a heavy, my GD7F will usually kill them before they can kill me. Of course thanks to lag, more often than not I die then it notifies me that I actually killed them.

After years of play, I haven't noticed heavy assault being much harder to deal with than anything else. Especially if you use a shotgun or a CQC carbine.

Oh yes, a CQC carbine will work with a little strafing and hip fire thrown in. Medics don't get CQC carbines, they get ARs, which are worse at hip fire and are negligibly better at recoil control, except that only matters over greater distances - where most killing doesn't happen.

LMGs are hardly worthless by the way. Magazine sizes grant the HA a lot of forgiveness in their accuracy, and their shield ensures they're going to live through a hail of bullets - a hail of bullets that can be very tight and unforgiving on non-LMG magazines. Pit an equally skilled engi/LA or better yet medic against an equally skilled HA, my money's on the HA. Every time. It's not that "oh, I CAN kill the HA." Sure, everyone gets lucky from time to time and catches one with their pants down. It's that there's really nothing the other classes truly have over the HA in an exchange of fire except within 10-15m, with a laser, and guns that actually benefit from a laser enough to be worth hip firing. In other words, any other class' advantages are incredibly situational and setup specific.

An experienced FPS player would do well to notice no other FPS grants a class or armor tier the advantages of being tougher to kill without any of the disadvantages (lower movement speed, carries less or lesser equipment in case of a weight system.) There's a very good and vital reason for that. Take the HA's rocket, put it on another class (preferably COMBAT Medic so they have SOMETHING to do besides shoot and heal,) and delete the HA. The game will be better for it, and the only players that will miss it are the one's dependent on the shield.

Absolutly true. This is pure logic.

Yes, "L2P" or "deal with it and improve". Why ? Just look at the TONS of forums pages complaining about HAs lack of balance, look at the TONS of ideas submitted by players is order to balance a bit more HAs for making this game a bit more fun for everyone since 3 YEARS.
What is the result of it ? Did anything change about HAs ? Yes, as friend of mine highlighted it...Devs choosed to nerf Melee Damages dealt to HAs 3 monthes ago. Isn't it awesome ?

Saying "L2P" is not a denial of anything. That's just the sum of 3 long years of development. It is clear than nothing will be done to HAs and that we have to deal with them, to play as an HA or to quit the game. I don't want to play HA and i don't want to quit the game. So ? "Deal with it and L2P".
HAs are a pain if played in the good-best way. Fortunately, most of HAs players have a low-average skill level. You can defeat a lot of them (not most of them), even if the 1vs1 fight will not be in your favor.
And Devs will never do anything about them, even if you stay in your own denial with adding 50000 pages of complains and solutions to this lack of balance. None is listening.

HAs were built for massive battles. But people use them for cheezy victories in small battles. This is how the game is.
By the way, is it really a balance problem due to Devs...Or wouldn't it rather be an issue due to a part of the community who prefer cheezy victories and KD over balanced cool fights ?

Let me guess. You went to Hossin during an Alert in another continent?

They're probably going to shut down the PC servers in February. If they merge then that'll push it to next October.

HA takees a few extra bullets to kill

I find it hilarious how people find that to be op. I'm not aiming that at you either, just saying.