June 29, 2023 - PTS Update

Exceptional Implant: Experimental Stims needs a huge rework. It's incredibly garbage for 45,000 ISO-4.

It should be mega reworked or removed and 45k refunded.

Nice

Now we can snipe those pesky dart infiltrators... Well played!

I don't like the idea of Rally Mechanic, having vehicle passengers jump out and start repairing an enemy vehicle when you're battling a tank/harasser/liberator and being cheated out of a kill because of it is incredibly annoying. If anything I think repairing should be disabled for 2 seconds after taking damage. Vehicle gameplay has sucked since wrel ruined it with CAI and turned up the time to kill. AMRs also need to be nerfed back to their original state, they ruin vehicle gameplay.

1. MAX Punch should've been reserved as one of the sole melee abilities in PS2 that can perform a one-hit-kill to infantrymen and also cause minor vehicular damage (akin to AV knives). This is because MAX Units are mechanically powered exo-suits that are far stronger than an average infantryman - at the expense of sluggish movement acceleration and top speed.
   
   
2. Considering the community would have a meltdown over the above statement... an alternative solution is to simply make "Juggernaut" integrated as part of the baseline MAX Punch melee ability effect. It should also be given a "cleave" effect, which can strike multiple targets within range of its arc. This knockback effect should only apply to infantrymen, not other MAX units.

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Although Juggernaut is nifty, it isn't worth wasting an implant slot for (or making it an Implant to begin with) when considering superior Implants like Beserker, Infravision, Salvage and Sweeper HUD. Especially when considering how overly nerfed MAX's have become and the steady increase of AT weaponry that has become available to infantry over the years.

I have personally witnessed a severe decline in the presence of MAX Units, to the point of being a rarity or only situationally useful. MAX Units were reasonably common in Planetside 1, whereas its practically like seeing a ghost in Planetside 2.

Wow, these changes show a very positive amount of responsiveness and engagement with the player base. I am extremely happy to see this trend of actually fixing things in a timely fashion, and the cert refund finally making it in the other day was another nice surprise (I'd honestly assumed it would come in a year or so, if at all). As someone who has been highly critical of the dev team in the past, primarily for not being engaged and for ignoring feedback, I'm happy to be proven wrong and see the direction the game is taking.

As for these changes, I am extremely happy to see take a walk benched. I think a future cert line based around the little swimming device and some tweaks to it's usability could definitely add to underwater combat. Perhaps making a tactical choice between that and a "cavitation" deployable that decreases the movement speed penalty and adds some bubbles or something in a zone might be interesting.

I think outfit OS should require a targeting device as well, or should require an active bastion on the map to be used, or should have a 24 hour cooldown. Or some combo of those things. It's not good gameplay to have a zergfit spamming OS on a fight, not to mention outfits OSing themselves at the end of a battle to secure a point hold. The outfit OS designator should be pulled from a terminal and take up the tactical slot.

I'm going to try out rapid response on the PTS tonight but my instinct says it's still kind of meh for a whole implant slot. If there was some way to implement carrying more than one module at a time (even if just of the same type) I'd love to see each level of rapid response increase the number of modules you can hold at a time. This is risk/reward gameplay, since if you die carrying 5 modules (edit)*and die* you just lost 500 cortium.

Finally, on a side note, with all the good stuff coming from the dev team lately, I plan on picking up some more DBC as my way of tipping the dev team for their positive attitude and awesome new direction. Suggest anyone who feels the same way do the same, the re-enlistment bundles are awesome and provide great value.

Targeting Lasers

Seems like a reasonable change.
Might allow for elimination.

When using Covert Drop Lv5.
It can shoot Targeting Laser while still invisible, is this the intended behavior?

Now it would need to be discussed about being available in the stalker.

A display on the mini-map when the laser is fired should also be considered.
I have seen hundreds of Kills done by one person many times. The flail was that powerful.
It has been nerfed, but I think there is still something debatable about it.

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Outmaneuver

Very intense.
15 seconds is a very long time.

This condition is synonymous with the effect that a successful attack to the rear can generate a storm of shells for the next 15 seconds.
For example, it is possible to hit the rear with one shot and then use the next 15 seconds to bombard the building.

Personally, I think it would be appropriate to have an effect like, if the shell hits the rear, the reload is accelerated only for the next shell.

Or simply increasing the attack power to the rear a little would be appropriate.
The effect is: "If the attack to the rear is successful, the target will start to burn".
Real vehicles often have fuel and ammo in the rear, making it more immersive.
If the rear attack is successful on all target vehicles, not just tanks.
I think it would be an attractive implant, but not too strong.

Regarding the description of the original condition
Description needs to be more detailed.
Which Vehicles are applicable for the user to ride in order to generate the effect? Is it all of them? Does it include Air?
Does the effect occur on all vehicles with a bullet hitting the rear of the vehicle? Is it limited to tanks?
Would that work with a secondary gunner? If so, is it the main seat that should be equipped with the implant? Or do I need both?
What type of weapons? Does it work with machine guns?

Cannot test because the target that triggers the effect in VR does not exist.
If applied to Live, it must be tried in the actual fight.
Therefore, it may happen that it is not what you expected.
It should be described more precisely so that the exact specifications are conveyed.

Many people seem to be trying Prowler.
Many are wondering if it overlaps with Barrage (reload speed 30% faster).
This should also be clearly stated.

And, the user should be able to tell when the effect is triggered.
There should be an indicator or something like that.

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Rally Mechanic

If it is as described, it can be a very effective implant. It can also be considered essential.
I tested it but could not tell if it was working.
I would like to see an indicator while this is also in effect.

Is a vehicle all that exists, or does it include the turrets on Eng's , bases, towers, and construction, XS-1Flash?
It should also mention the efficacy for Robotics Technician,Electrotech and NSO repair drones.

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Outmaneuver,Rally Mechanic
These two implants are likely to become mainstream.
And it will be interesting to see where Sweeper Hud's equipment rate decreases and the threat to mines increases.

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Juggernaut

It's very enjoyable. I would love to see it added to the live server.

Very unstable, but flies very well at times.
As others have said, squatting down and punching upward seems to work very well.

A stronger upward forcing movement would make it less likely that the disappointment of only a few inches of flight would occur.

This is a very niche use, but sometimes powerful.
If a victim is dropped from a high place, it would mean that they would not be able to receive reviving.
Even against MAX, it will be possible to neutralize it with a one-hit attack.

Also, it's simply fun as a jokeing or trolling.
I want to hit back at an enemy who flies at me with a jump pad. People call it "baseball".
I guess you could also play golf and football. Maybe.

By the way, is it possible to prevent this knockback using heavyweight implants? Has anyone tried?
If there is a way to prevent that, I think this knockback could be allowed to blow up more grandly.
I was not able to investigate the behavior when equipped on NSO-MAX and when it is in seraph shield, when NC-MAX is holding the shield, and the anchor state of TR-MAX. If you have tried this, please let me know through your post.

I think the problem is that it is an Exceptional implant.
That would make it very difficult to obtain.

So, how about a variation of the punch instead of an implant?
Since normal troops can change their knives at will, it would be nice if the MAM punch could be chosen that way as well.

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Rapid Response

Yes, it is faster. The effect is reasonable.

However, it is somewhat weak to be used exclusively for that purpose.
Installation and stop overloading should be possible instantly.
Considering that they are in combat, I would like to be able to install and deactivate them while holding the gun.

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Deadshot

The explanation was clarified as requested. Thank you.

When used with bionics implants.
If the health section is less than 30 and the shield is at 900.

I noticed that if damage is taken in this state, a deadshot is triggered.

By damaging myself, for example by using an explosive type of weapon, I can maintain the potency quite safely.
Is this an intended specification?

The VS Lasher is quite noteworthy.
Attach a laser sight and shoot crouching. It is easy to damage myself.
It is possible to continue shooting quite accurately.

It same can be done with a VS assault rifle with Lashing ammo.This is even more accurate because it can also be given a short barrel.
As for Lasher, though, overcharge implant may be more effective. but both can be said to be effective.

Other factions can do that with explosive crossbow, but it is so much easier with VS's.

The other effect is on the launchers.
NSX-Muramasa hipfire makes it possible to be more accurate.

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Air Drop

The name is Airdrop but it seems to be working on vehicles as well.
Has anyone tried its efficacy when used with a flight suit?

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In each case, please make sure to make sufficient adjustments to avoid nerfing after introducing the implants to the Live server.
In particular, implants consume ISO, which takes a long time to acquire, so please do not nerf after purchasing implants.

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Bidirectional router

Suddenly, the story changes.

Someone proposed the idea of making the router bidirectional.
It means a warp tube that can be used by both friend and foe alike.

I love this idea.

If the router is carelessly placed, it will be rushed in the opposite direction and the base connected to it will be destroyed.

On the other hand, it can be a trap.
You can turn a player-based router position into a kill-box and wait for the enemy.

Also, as a viewpoint of the defender who has a router installed by an attacker.
It is interesting to note that the tactic of entering from the entrance side of the connected router, i.e., from the side of the enemy player base, can be used.
That would be a pretty fun surprise and an effective counterattack.

It's benefit is really counterproductive. By the time you have emptied your fuel, the buff will have run its course often. Especially if you don't immediately jetpack after exiting the vehicle, making this only useful for Air or Flash Assault, if anything.
I already suggested to make an Compressor Implant, that fully refills fuel and temporarly increases max jet fuel after exiting a vehicle (with a cooldown). Both limited in time but also so it cannot be refuel past the maximum. Just to it is more useful for non air specific playstyles.

Outmanuver
Please just don't. Messing with DPS in mechanized fights is as bad if not worse than Take a Walk. Pay to Win. Mandatory Implant. Singular usecase. Please, you listened on Take a Walk, this is a very bad idea.

You want rewarding getting behind enemies? Maggie will benifit the most out of all tanks. So if you want to do an implant here, it should merely affect small vehicles, like the Javelin, Flash and Harasser. But those already can trump vehicles and shouldn't be rewarded like this.

Rally Mechanic
I like it. Gives some alternatives to Ammo Printer, Counter Intelligence, Mine Detection, etc for engineers in vehicles. Questions:

• Does it only affect repair tool or all repair such as grenade, punisher grenade, electrotech?
• Does it only mean true vehicles or are base turrets (construction and regular) included? If not, why not add them to the list?

Deadshot
The higher threshold is nice, cannot say if it actually will prove all that useful until seen in bigger fights.
Juggernaut
No change in performance detected. As previously suggested: Make knockback alway be upward in 45° angle, so the effect is an arc avoiding issues around uneven terrain.
Also because it would be funny that way make friendlies throwable with this. Or at least allies without the friendly fire restriction.
Targeting Laser
Just putting my notes from another post here for visibility:

• Holding the Flail/Glaive Targeting Laser should show no deploy zones.

Final Ramblings
Overall the addition of more implants is nice. Thanks for keeping up the good work. I know your resources are limited, but please consider freshening up some older implants in the future. Like Covert Drop. I am a bit busy with some other ideas, but I feel like looking at Stats for Implant use should reveal some more outliers that could use some love.

Personally focused on the construction side of things, I like it. The laser will make bases being destroyed out of essentially nowhere much more rare. Since the observers has to get close, but can't be literally within the base, it's far easier to pin them down and eliminate them. I haven't tested it yet, but I assume the laser shows up for other characters too right? However, I think the minimum distance should be increased to 25 meters, or for there to be an audible sound when lasing a target, as otherwise sneaky boys inside a base can cause havoc.
I still think infiltrators should not have access to these tools, full stop. Engineers etc with Minor Cloak still exist, but at least hunting these down is easier.

I personally like rapid response, but still think it could be improved, perhaps with a sprint increase of up to 20%. Besides that, I believe all construction items should be added in as a need to get the increased sprint. This way base construction is sped up by an important margin.

Final (unrelated): Could bases in VR Training despawn after the owner has left VR Training? It's getting real difficult to test bases when literally all the spots are taken. Thanks!

if orbital strike has a time limit to target then outfit orbitals should get treated the same. in fact, people dont even like outfit orbitals due to its abuse

Since my thread was deleted after being in moderation limbo for over a day for no apparent reason i'll try again here. DO NOT BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY add Outmaneuver as it is now, giving direct dps boost to armor via implants is a suicidal move for vehicular gameplay for a bunch of reasons. Rally mechanic is absurd too, but less so.

Out Maneuver needs to "Take a Walk" Rally Mechanic is nice though