I really want to like Planetside 2, but I can't figure out how to have fun in the game. Help!

I say lets wait on the new resource and power system....

we're gonna have supply convoys pretty soon here.

Maybe make it so spawning uses power as well.

No, not every time but honestly I fail to see how traveling 5 minutes where you could be ambushed (and are at least vulnerable) is somehow that much worse than playing whack-a-mole or going to take a smoke break while you wait for timers to flip.

Personally, I would rather see troop transport and supply lines be a real thing (you know, strategy) and trade sitting outside an invincibility shield for 5 minutes for occassionally traveling for 5 minutes.

I agree that what I describe is not the Planetside that was nor the Planetside we have now but I do not see why they could not implement these kinds of changes- at the very least try something like this on the test server and see what people think.

You're probably right that we will not see a system like this in the game but I have to say that it does baffle me that no one realized that the very existence of spawn rooms then creates controlling the spawn room as a central strategic objective and that therefore "spawn-camping" is not only inevitable but is actually the winning strategy. That just seems so obvious that it hurts.

It also begs the question, why have spawn rooms in the first place? A simple answer, of course, is exactly, get rid of them. Then you only have think of ways to balance how much you want to force players to transport from the WG (and thereby institute real strategy revolving around troop transport, supply lines, etc).

The idea about how to flip territory is somewhat tertiary but is also seemingly obvious. The last thing people want to do in an action packed game is sit around and wait. So, replace waiting for timers to flip a base with a more or less continuous flipping of actual dynamic area based on player concentrations = no more waiting for things to flip. It also means that a highly concentrated Zerg is not always the winning strategy because that kind of density would not control a large area as well as a more evenly distributed frontline. Granted, traveling from place to place can feel like waiting but only because of how the current system is implemented. Traveling from place to place could increase immersion if more people were forced to do so and establishing true supply lines was an actual thing because then these supply lines would be areas of vulnerability where the enemy could ambush you. There is also the notion that this travel time creates a tension that is non-existent when you have complete control of a base and are only waiting for the timer.

This would just devolve the game to "First team to remove enemy AMS wins the base as you'll have it secured and capped before they get back"

I think you're right that we need a bit of a different spawning system, but I think there are other, easier ways to solve the problem. Like: Adding more teleporters from spawn rooms, making spawn rooms easier to advance out of, etc.

The other flaw with your idea is that people would get bored of a game with no bases to "Capture". I suggest a middle-ground, instead of just bases, you have bases AND in between segments that are like the areas you suggested above. Either controlling enough of the surrounding area gives you the base or a cap bonus, and/or having it gives you some kind of advantage in the base's area of influence.

This, in addition to creating some kind of new randomized local spawning system (Not drop pods, or pilots would be screwed), and I this we have a solved problem!

(We should really make a thread on this)

Step 1, Invent time travel. Step 2, travel back in time to December 2012. Enjoy the game!

uhh... no.. In Planetside 1 the spawns themselves were the objective. That's not a problem, that was a well working design.

How I have fun in Planetside 2:

Play Support
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Spec up engi and medic, find groups of people and follow them around supporting them. Very cheap to start out, spec up your basic tools to level 3ish, you start to become quite effective and doesn't take much skill to find groups to stand behind them and chuck ammo and throw heals and repairs. Default guns are fine for support classes, the Trac-5 and Cycler are solid guns. Really easy starter spec would be like:

Nanoweave 3, Nano Armor Kit/Medical Applicator 3, Ammo Pack/Nano Regen Device 2-3, really good support starter kit that doesn't take much time to unlock. Default frags are good, medical kit is a really good all class utility item to work on. Playing support isn't so much twitch based shooting mechanics as it is watching your surroundings and getting yourself in a good position to stay out of enemy fire and be in range of some heavy assaults and MAX units to heal, revive, repair, and resupply.

Play Infiltrator
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This is where the cash shop starts to come in play, or at the least after you have built up a nice pile of certs from playing support. You can become a solo juggernaut with the right tools.

A lone infiltrator with a solid SMG can be some of the most fun you can have in PS2. I like the NS-7 with 2x holo, sound suppressor, ext mags, and soft point. Most people will tell you the gen 2 high capacity SMGs with laser sight is the best way to go, but I like having the versatility of the NS-7 in the setup I described as it is a CQC beast as well as being capable in mid range too. Either way is strong, play in the VR to see which way you like it before spending the certs. If you play TR the Inquisitor pistol is almost like having a second SMG, but the default pistol is pretty epic too.

Just nothing like playing an SMG infil with Hunter Cloak 6, Nanoweave 5, Recon Detect Tool 6, Medical Kit 4, Terminal Hack 5, and Frag grenades. EMP can be fun but the default frags are honestly a lot more likely to increase your lethality. A budget oriented setup like Hunter Cloak 4-5, Nanoweave 3-4, Recon Detect Tool 4-5, Terminal Hacking 2-3, Medical Kit 2-3 is still effective, but of all the classes the infil is where you get the most out of your very high end items. Having a super strong soloing infil is a very good goal to work towards.

Well, no offense but playing an FPS against an invincibility room is lame and everytime it happens in PS2 it is a pita.

Umm actually...yeah, removing the spawn room. Thats how you solved the problem of the spawn room in Planetside. You blew up tubes, or you dropped the generator. No more enemies pouring out of a spawn room. Pretty ******* simple if you ask me.

In Planetside the spawn room was the objective in most base captures. You pushed against the enemy until you could advance into their spawn room and kill their spawn tubes. Rendering the spawn room inert. At which point you set up a perimeter on the base and hunkered down for the base to cap. If the enemy could break through and get the spawn room active again, by repairing the spawn tubes and/or the generator they could reinforce from the spawn room. It was a fantastic base design that created some of the most intense online battles I've ever experienced. I wish Planetside 2 had kept some of the base design from the first Planetside.

I can appreciate that the PS1 system was superior. I just question whether it is really necessary to have spawn rooms or hunker down and wait for a base to cap.

Why wait around defending a timer? Why make the objective a spawn room instead of "capturing" (i.e. controlling) territory?

Territory is controlled when your forces occupy an area- the moment the area is occupied it is controlled so taking control of an area means eliminating the occupying force. So all the action can revolve around FPS basics and the increased pressure on maintaining supply lines helps increase strategy and cut down on the grind/lag/zerg fests where all the action is (apparently intenionally) funneled to one specific location.

The lattice has reduced this quite a bit, but there's still plenty of people out there who just want to roll over a base and talk crap. As suggested you can look for an outfit that is looking to fight and help their faction, not roflstomp with numbers, or you can just play solo and go to fights that are even or at a disadvantage. I play solo and have no problems finding decent enough fights on a regular basis. It is definitely pretty rare to have really good evenly matched battles, mainly because a certain number of skilled players must be present on both sides to keep the fight going; if there's no skilled players and one shows up, they'll just pop the enemy sundies and the battle will be over =/

But when the really good fights happen it's a thing of beauty. Don't feel crushed when a zerg shows up to ruin the battle, there's a good chance a counterzerg will show up to even it up again, just fight hard and keep morale high, and it often works out.

Maybe read again what I said. I was talking about Planetside (1) where spawns were very much destroyable.
All that was special about them in terms of defense were locked doors (can be hacked through in matter of seconds) and pain field

If you haven't shopped around, looking to join an outfit who enjoys the playstyle you're after...


I've got nothing more to say.