Game Update 13: What to expect and when.

No to consumable implants!

1. SC buyable is just straight up pay to win. Literally, pay some money and your character constantly becomes better.
2. Even if they were made cert only, nobody wants to burn certs to stay up to par.

Bad mechanic, unfun, pay to win. Please no.

I don't know how I feel about the temporary consumable aspect of Implants yet, but some of the Implants themselves seem a bit over-the-top.

I'm hoping only 1 Implant can be used per loadout, a combination of these things would be horrid for everyone.
I think some of them need downsides though, specifically Sensor Shield. Maybe you're also unable to see the enemy being picked up by ally radar/motion detectors.
Clear Vision and EMP Shielding probably shouldn't outright remove the effects of those all ready underused grenades, but reduce the effect time instead by half or whatnot.
EOD HUD is silly when Infiltrators are getting this as a suit slot, keep this ability to solely Infiltrators.
Thermal Reduction seems a bit over the top as well. Maybe reducing the range you're highlighted by 75% would be better.
Awareness is a bit much, at least if it spots the other person in question for your allies as well.

There's not enough downsides to these, in fact, there's no downsides. That and this is in direct violation of what you (Higby) said about not having anything that affects gameplay to be purchasable. (Minus guns, but that's fine.)

It's not so much the "pay to win" thing that gets me about these implants. It's that they're consumable. I'm personally not going to waste my certs/SC no matter how cheap they are. If some schmuck wants to buy them for some perceived advantage, more power to him, whatever.

But what really gets me is that this is the "implants" we were given. That we were promised. And it's crap!

Yeah, it's a watered down concept that's been manipulated to fulfill a need for profit. No matter how you do it, it's just not going to work like this...and it won't even provide what we want in Implants. They just feel like magical buffs, and that's terrible.

3 awful patches in a row? Okay, actually I like lattice overall, and don't much care for the new weapons, but the proposed implant implementation is just awful. By all means, sell them in the store, but don't make them consumables. I don't typically earn enough certs in a play session that I would on any level be happy to burn them for implants and the advantages given are, frankly, far too situational to make it worth buying them. EMP grenade protection? Really? Is there some place being hit with them a lot happens? I think I get hit with one maybe once a fortnight.

Not happy with this at all and I'm not willing to participate in some real money arms race with other players and outfits who might actually be prepared to complete negate the point of radar abilities for cash.

I am not a fan at all of this idea. Having short duration boosts seems to only server two purposes.

1. Get people to spend more money for power (seems kind of pay to win to me).
2. Make people burn certs so they spend more SC.

In both instances this seems like a pure money grab. While I know SOE has to make a profit, I know the are doing just fine with the current system. I wouldn't mind them (I'd welcome them) if they had a more expensive SC/Cert cost (such as the price of a gun) and were permanent, but swappable.
I feel this will take away a lot of what the game is now, and drive a lot of people away. SOE has generally been good about listening to the community, so hopefully they do so again, as this thread seems to share my opinion.

But when can we expect a seemingly trivial fix to the Falcon's low velocity? It says 100m/s on the tooltip, but doesn't fly any faster than 40-50m/s. Surely correcting either the tooltip or the actual velocity can't be too much work?

you say mandatory i say this game is to big with to many variants of gaming styles for these to be mandatory. sorry but when i see those perks i see mini buffs that has close to no effect on a CQC base high speed base fight. almost no one use stun nor flash in them and spotting wont help against a mag of bullets in your back.
Also in this game i can go with a basic class and own BR70 fully set load outs no problem. What will a warning perk do against my machine gun in his back. will he have the time to turn around once i hold in the trigger?
And from what i understand they will be really careful with what kind of implants they add in the future. something OP QQQing on the forums will most likely fix it fast -w-

Auto spotting..... there is a counter version further down that prevents you from showing on the map!! and cloak insta removes spotting.
Thermal... It will reduce thermal signature it won't make you invisible on thermal. Just harder to spot.

on another note spotting only alerts allies about 50 meters around you. In big fights people suck at looking at the map.

NO CONSUMABLE IMPLANTS!

Implants should be buy it and forget it, making it a consumable and only purchasable through certs and SC that directly benefit the game makes it pay certs/sc to win.

So let me get this straight you are adding an implant that will negate the effects of the EMP grenade?

1 - EMP grenade rarely works as it is supposed to:
a - Doens't knock out HA shield capacitor
b - Doesn't regularly deplete shields when detonated in someones face
c - If grenade detonates in said persons face it causes shields to just start regenerating (direct hit)
d - all around a buggy device that more often than not means certain death for the EMP user who is trying to get an upper hand

2 - Effects of EMP grenade are hardly a staggering debuff.
a - enemy is not significantly blinded by static
b - enemy doesn't look at HUD 100% of the time so you are taking something out they don't use anyway
c - EMP should fry enemy circuitry causing player to need a resupply to fix their gear to regain certain HUD advantages.

Just coming off the last comment the EMP grenade is a very very difficult item to use as opposed to flash grenades or conc grenades that provide instant advantages to an already advantaged class (HA pure HP survivability, and LA flanking potential).

You throw an EMP at someone as an INFIL you don't get a significant advantage based on your already low HP, and a pretty visible cloak (especially if someons running low settings).

I mainly use EMP as a quick finisher in an ambush situation -- issue is, as soon as that grenade goes off, everyone scatters and it makes shooting people with any weapon a challenge.

If the grenade worked better as long term disabler, then you have something that will work well with infils who are often ahead of their squad alone, and they can prep an enemy mass for an allied counter attack.

I feel EMP may have been slapped together hastily to be perhaps revisited later; kind of like the class as a whole, which is slowly coming along.... slowly.

That's on test but it's probably not final, considering they don't even work on the test server anyways..

S

So.. to counter the thing the guy spent SC on, you can pay cash to counter his thing. Cash for an upgrade to counter a cash upgrade! Genious!

So then how do I counter Clear vision, wich nullifies my 200 cert flash grenades.. Or Sensor shield wich nullifies my Sensor darts, personel radar on multiple vehicles, and the certs/SC i spent on my auto spotting.. and "people suck at looking at the map" is all well and good for the casuals, but this is supposed to be a "MLG READY" game.. are the "pros" going to be bringing their wallets to MLG to make sure they have the correct counters so they can stay up to par against the other pros?

Rental consumables for an instant upgrade to counter F2P cert gain is a bad thing all around. This just stinks of a cash grab and I'm really not comfortable with this. If i wanted cash for wins I could go play combat arms, with their rental system. (rent a gun for experience or cash and own for a while!).

Gotta draw a line in the sand of what you are willing to take otherwise they'll just keep going. I'm allready a subscriber because I enjoy the resource gain, being able to pull a vehicle when i want too or a max suit, or not worry about spending on C4 is rather nice. Without it I'm less effective as I don't have the resources to burn. This will just be more of that, and if it goes through for SC, welp, that'll be that.

Each implant should have some sort of counter/downside. For example for health regen, maybe have it so your sheilds regen slower. For Clear vision, make it so you cannot carry any grenade. This way it doesn't seem to overpowered

I guess the pistols didn't turn out as unfavorable as was previously planned, but they each sound so boring and unoriginal. They don't feel faction-unique.
Additionally wth is with the Cert/SC implants? I would have thought they would have turned out either as

1. Cert unlocks sorta like suit slots.
2. Infantry resource consumables.

But using them as duration consumables bought with certs/SC is a bad idea and does not sound fulfilling, meaning it doesn't lend to progression in a character.
At least the Advanced Shield Capacitor buff is good.

Really disappointed to see that implants are being used as a time/money sink. It's going to feel like I have to buy them or I'll be missing out on an advantage other people have. Would have been so much better if they just unlocked like a gun and you could swap them around for different loadouts.

"and the certs/SC i spent on my auto spotting".......Dude...just no. That one was bad very very bad. Im not even going to say more about this part of the comment.

continuing. Clear vision how often do people use that grenade and how often will it land where you want it. hmm?
A well placed flash is easy kills suddenly a small counter gets in the play....is something that adds a bit to the challenge that horrible?? please this is borderline CoD whining.

As for the sensor shield...thats like a stealth cert on vehicles just for infantry instead....not that much of a deal really in small fights it will make a bit of a difference not big enough to make it an actual upgrade in combat performance.

Neither of the listed ones will affect combat much at all i don't think i will buy implants anyway my self. Also this has been planned since beta and majority on Roadmap seem to have been positive for it. This is not pay to win there are no magical bullets or other things in there...

Like many others, I feel the current suggested implementation for implants is not cool.

The biggest issue I see is implants invalidating certain play styles in ways that the affected person has no way of knowing about until after the fact.

Some of the existing implants are clearly OP, because they directly and totally nullify either a play-style or investment made by another player. Most of these could be tweaked to be not OP, making them more in line with the power of the other implants:

Awareness: Auto-Q's anyone you hit only. This turns it from a game-breaker into a QOL-improvement. For careful shots it means you are saved the stress of having to reach across the keyboard to press the Q button. In crazy close-range battles it means one less manual action to worry about. It does not break sniper gameplay.

Thermal Reduction: instead of a blanket i-win against thermal, it now reduces the range at which you show up on thermal. So instead of being an orange glow at 350m, you only become a dimmer orange glow at <100m. This makes thermal still useful, and makes thermal reduction a handy bonus for snipers - but not an essential one.

See-Enemy-Explosives: Instead of an always-on mode, this is only active while not moving. If you stop at a door to check, you can sense that prox-mine just around the corner. If you sprint in at full speed, you sense the prox mine by leaping 50' in the air and scattering yourself over a wide area.

Radar Stealth: You do not show up on enemy radar when not moving or crouch-moving. Standard movement makes you just as visible as everyone else.

The above is not exhaustive, just the ideas that came to me while typing.

As long as implants do not completely negate/break someone else's ability, but only do so situationally, they will be of an appropriate power level to be temporary buffs. As soon as they get the power to completely break someone else's invested gameplay mode, they are clearly P2W and you will lose paying customers who are paying/subscribing precisely because they support a game that is F2P without being P2W. I suspect that is quite a chunk of your paying player-base.

As for implant costings, I think the straight sc/certs to temporary buff is not the best way to go. I would go for something that allows for the same model, but feels less directly P2W and gives players who are new, or who are unwilling/unable to pay, a way to use implants as well (albeit use them less frequently).

* Each player gets one implant slot and gets to pick one free implant at BR 5 (or similar)
Reason: it means every player, even the newbie F2Pers, have something to feel special about. It gives the player a taste of what implants can do, and lets them dabble/get their feet wet and feel they aren't at a disadvantage simply because they are (currently) a free-play newbie.

* Sub-BR 5 players can purchase the first implant slot and corresponding free implant for SC.
Reason: Some people want their toys now, and are willing to pay cash for them. Let them.

* Additional implant slots may be purchasable with SC/certs, but only after unlocking the first one
Reason: allows for greater player customisation. Running multiple implants is offset by a higher operating cost, see below.

* Additional implants can be purchased, which go into your gear-set like any other. These cost SC/certs as well.
Reason: players buy new things to use, and can customise their play experience. Allowing greater choice means the SC/cert cost is supporting the sideways progression, rather than direct power-up.

* When installed/active, each implant drains its internal power supply. If the internal power is empty, the implant ceases functioning. Each implant lasts ~1-2 hours of active play.
Reason: This mimics the behaviour of the existing implant timer, only the implant doesn't cease to exist when the timer expires. It still exists, it just doesn't function.

* Implant power-source recharges slowly while the implant is not installed/active. Each implant takes ~3-5 hours of active play to recharge.
Reason: This means a player who has purchased an implant still knows they have some future use out of it, even if they can't use it now. It makes deciding when to use/not use an implant into part of the strategy of the game. It means outfits who want to run ops with specific implants can reasonably expect all their disciplined members to have that implant available for the op, regardless of whether the outfit member is premium or F2P. It also means people are more likely to buy implants - especially players who typically don't buy boosts - meaning more opportunities to hook people in on battery sales (see below).

* When re-spawning, the player is notified of any implants that are low on charge or depleted that are currently equipped. This is done using the existing notification system (the one used for squad invites).
Reason: firstly, it lets the player know that they are about to lose some performance. Secondly, it provides a direct opportunity to direct the player to the store to spend some certs or SC (see below). The reason for re-notification on each death is to ensure the player is kept up to date, and to provide more exposure to the store via the notification message. Example: "Awareness Implant Is Low On Charge. Get implant battery? (Y/N)" - with yes taking you to the store page.


* Implant recharge rate can be boosted with a consumable, purchasable boost.
Reason: Resource boosts are already in the game. This makes non-used implants become available faster, at the cost of SC.

* Implant batteries can be purchased as a consumable using SC and certs. If the player has batteries (a buff, essentially), then active implants draw their power from the battery before from their internal power.
Reason: This mimics the behaviour of the existing buy-implant-time design. It lets players with spare SC and/or certs run implants for longer, or lets them run implants that have run out of internal power. Because it supplements the base system it means the paying customer is not paying for a flat-out advantage, but instead for being able to use the same toy for longer than a non-paying customer in a single play session. It also means that everyone can reasonably expect most opponents to be running some kind of implant, removing the clear class-distinction between people willing to pay and people who won't or can't. Note that running multiple implants simultaneously will cause batteries to expire faster, as each implant is drawing from the same pool.

I hope this has already been mentioned, but while you are taking a look at the ESF, can you add mouse yaw to aircraft please.

A couple more things. Using certs on consumables is just a terrible idea because certs translate directly from experience and if you buy things with certs that fade away then that means you are burning exp points, not accumulating them into your character. Certs should only be spent on PERMANENT things. It becomes a choice of should I spend my character-developing exp points on P2W temp upgrades or on weapons/abilities that will last until the servers burn down after the Sun goes supernova in a couple billion years.

This sounds a lot like Dust 514, and we know how great that game is! You die and lose one of every item in your loadout (sounds like great fun and not at all P2W). Even if each implant cost 1 cert for a stack of 100, I still would not use them out of principle.

If you get nothing from this then at least see that the implant model is currently UNSATISFYING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUR CHARACTERS.

(P.S. The battle rifles need a buff, in either damage or recoil. Additionally the ACX-11 and Reaper DMR need a mag size buff maybe to 24 or 25 like the auto scout rifles.)

I agree ....implants will ruin the game!