yup, this is crap because nobody on the team has any idea how sniping in their own game works and what the especially early stages of f2p inf experience looks like. And they say their game is catered to newcomers too... And if he dissed it because it sucks, why don't they create some craptastic smg available for free? Dragging your balls through the broken glass for weeks/months to save for a weapon that opens 'proper' playstyle is not fun. What is this supposed to do? Is it some kind of rite of passage?
Excuse me if I missed this some place in the 3 pages, but what if instead of static no deploy zones, infiltrators could deploy a spawn-denial (or spawn timer entension) device that costs resources and can be destroyed, or hacked and disassembled by an enemy infiltrator (like tank mines and engineers now)? Now there is a great play dynamic of making a gambit to get a sunderer some place but having to guard it against infiltrators, and infiltrators have the ability to sneak up to a sundy and deploy it causing havoc that wouldn't be apparent until the other team realizes what is going on and searches it out. Finding cover for a sunderer is now balanced with there being more hiding spots for the devices.
I think this sort of idea would be more useful to infiltrators. One of our key features is meant to be terminal hacking and using those terminals as would the enemy. If we can't spawn a sunderer and set it up sneakily (via fast deployment) then we are losing one of our key features. However, if we could sneak in and destroy the device that is stopping us do that (and stopping our team in general from getting an advantage) then we instead don't lose a key feature but gain one.
Exactly, less nanny restrictions from Sony, and more direct involvement and strategy from the players in defending a base. If you make the device a spawn timer increaser, you could also add a much needed experience source with XP per player who waits the extra time to spawn in an effected sunderer. Having it be an alternative to a proximity mine would fit perfectly with the Stalker cloak for a less combat oriented, true Infiltrator.
SOE had made many not so smart changes, may changes were reverted. At least we know that they listen. So if it ever comes to pass, we can all pass on the feedback and see how that goes.
There are tons of threads out there about the dozens of small tweaks the infiltrator could use to make it a viable class. These are small tweaks that will probably make the largest of differences for the class. The infiltrator is indeed one of the most expensive classes to invest in. As for the cheap smg, I heard they are working on an NS SMG--dirt cheap crap to smother on all of your accounts--and will probably be out in about 2 months. How does that sound? BTW, I got this from SOE's E3 Command Center episode. You forgot about stuff like turrets/vehicles. But aside from that, good points. Turrets? Easy, just hack 'em and take 'em. Any other vehicle that isn't a flash? Stare at it and hope it explodes or doesn't shoot at you. We are completely locked out from that game unless we can hack a terminal and pull out a tank which isn't that bad but most of the time, we aren't near a terminal that can spawn tanks. For infiltrators, you need maxed out NW to give you the OHK stopping power you need. And even then, it only works at the maximum damage dropoff range of most snipers because you survive with so little health that if a pebble were to hit you, you'd be dead. The main problem with NW is that the extra health it gives is very valuable allowing you to survive 1-2 more shots from most weapons or live through a single proximity mine (or most other explosions), etc. It might not do everything well but the fact that it does work against most things pretty decently does make it a pretty good "universal" option and infiltrators need that. I guess if I were to choose an alternate suit slot, I would choose the grenade bandoleer so I can carry more emp grenades which are really effective. NW already is effect against a pretty good majority of the weapons infantry carry although I'm not sure about shotguns (especially pump-actions). As for the XP reward for BA Headshots, solid idea and the concussion effect isn't that bad either but I'm not certain how most people would receive such an idea especially since 1-second is a pretty big deal in battle. The people that wear NW like being able to escape if they put in so many certs into getting the suit slot. That's just one of those things, like the infiltrator, that some people understand and most don't. I have some basic maneuvers down but I don't use my ESF enough to say I'm good at it. The only thing I use it for is transportation really (even though I carry around rocket pods, just in case). I have both of my infiltrators on my two accounts set just the way I like so I can play on my other account if I like and not feel limited but I did work for those certs (when I had one account set right, I would go over to the other to earn the certs I needed). And even then, I still play on my main account (NC) way more over my VS account. Yeah, one can only hope it translates well for the infiltrator update.
I'd love to see a list of these tweaks. A cheap SMG sounds great. That would give new Infiltrator's the opportunity to play much more of the Infiltrator Class. If they made the Infiltrator Tool more usable for new players, that would make a huge impact as well. I think the best thing would be just to increase the starting Dart count (maybe by 1, with this bumping the count at each progressive tier by 1 though capping at 5 is fine). This would allow players to use it more flexibly and more often, without constantly worrying about staying near a re-supply source or just sitting on it in case they need it sometime later. If they want to make Recon Dart a standard Tool on the battlefield, then they need to lower the Cert costs to be in-line with other Class Tools. If they want to limit its impact on the battlefield, then they can keep it where it is. I lumped Vehicle Turrets as part of Sniping (Close Range) and CQC Assault. It's something you do up close on enemy defenses with preferably a Short Range weapon option. I just grouped things under the loadouts you'd want to be using when doing them. Vehicles are gonna be encountered at all core areas of dedicated Gameplay (unless in a Bio Lab). If you're near Turrets facing the right way, you have that as an option. If you're not, then it's best to either (a) Q-Spot them for allies to kill, (b) evade them if they are heading somewhere and you have some place to hide, (c) go somewhere else, (d) ignore them if they seem inactive or you are in terrain that allows you to stay out of their operational range, or (e) switch classes to something with an anti-vehicle option (like say a LA with 2 C4 for Sunderer hunting). Yeah, I have NW5 now, but I only use it currently on my extreme range Sniping loadout. NW5 + MedKit is a powerful counter to enemy Snipers at extreme range. This is a real big potential problem for the Infiltrator Class. If it's a "best option" then more and more players will start using it as they progress in level and options. And if it's only the Infiltrator that is really heavily affected by it being used, then the community and SOE are not likely to be overly concerned since it only affects one group vs. everyone else. I have the EMP but I don't use it much. I suppose I should start trying it more and getting a feel for how to really get the most out of it. Good point. The easiest changes to get made are those that don't make make other players unhappy directly. Adding XP for Sniping Headshots isn't likely to get anybody upset. Adding a concussion effect on victims for Sniper Headshots (unless it's really minor like double vision for 0.5 seconds) is likely to get a lot of people complaining and unhappy. I just don't have the ESF movements down. Like I said, I've tried and so far it's not happening. I see very few pilots actually able to control their aircraft well, which to me is sad. I've spent a lot of time in Fighting Games, and crazy difficult execution for key moves is bad since it keeps players from accessing the character at a core level and being able to explore the depth of the gameplay for that character. It may be the ESF movement (though nonintuitive) is not difficult. That it's just the figuring it out that is difficult because (a) it's non-intuitive, and (b) there aren't any good ways to teach it. If this is the case, it really doesn't make it any different currently since it still causes the same problems as difficult move execution. The Infiltrators feel mostly the same to me across factions. The only real differences seem to be Personnel Mine, SMGs, and Cloak Sound, and default suit visibility. And of those, the only ones I feel matter frequently are the Personnel Mine for the TR (don't like it) and maybe the visibility for the TR. (though I have not tried all SMGs) There are some scope shape differences (for me NC > VS > TR for scope shapes), but they don't bother so much that I feel the need to switch. But I would say that overall (adding up all the little things) the Infiltrator Factions for me balance out like this: NC > VS >>> TR
If you literally look at the thread names in this section of the forums, you'll get your list. I actually found people spamming so often ever since it started giving xp. The thing that annoys me is that the recon dart is overridden by spotting. So if that enemy in your dart range gets spotted, you don't get xp. On the issue of the price of the recon detect device: yeah, it's friggin' expensive for a tool. If they wanted to make it a standard tool on the battlefield, they would've lowered the cost by now...or hopefully in the infiltrator update. When the answer is "change to another class" you've gone too far. You shouldn't have to change classes to tackle on a problem and that's the problem with infiltrators. When it comes to destroying vehicles out in the open (away from turrets) the answer is to not be an infiltrator in the first place... Yeah, no kidding. Walla, welcome to the nanoweave issue. Tbh, I don't have EMP grenades. I've just seen how useful they are. A frenemy (person on another team that I've made friends with) once through an emp nade in my face before blasting me with an smg. However, I imagine the best way to use it is like this: 1) Throw EMP nade into a room full of enemies 2) Bring heavies 3) Spray and Pray 4) ? 5) Profit It is non-intuitive but practicing and figuring it out in the warpgate or VR training usually gives you the chance to figure things out. A friend told me he figured out some manuevers in the midst of combat. I never said it wouldn't be difficult. I disagree with the mines but the other differences actually can change how the infiltrators play. Also, I really don't think TR is that bad otherwise why would so many people be a part of the faction as an infiltrator. Asymmetrical gameplay allows the empires to play out like rock-paper-scissors with the exception that scissors is not always beaten by rock, etc. TR > NC > VS > TR
* Nanoweave * Bugs (Recon Dart, Hacking Turrets, Cloak, Aim Sway, etc.) * Friendly Fire Safe Cloak Coloring * Scout Rifles (or any number of underused guns) * Cloak (tons of different issues here) * Scout Radar * Scope Sway Pattern * Lower shields I'm all for fixing bugs. For most the rest, I play fine with them currently. Some are ones that non-Infiltrators are gonna complain about if they were changed (and there's more of them than us), which makes it a very hard issue to get changed. I know a lot of people don't like the Friendly Fire Safe Cloak and I think that's something that should be easy to revert (because it doesn't really impact non-Infiltrators much) unless someone at SOE is stubborn. I don't hate it as much as others, but I also don't feel like I'm being shot or run over less. In fact, there's a lot of team kill griefers out there and I'm getting MORE of those people taking me out now which seems to be offsetting the other drivers/shooters who are hitting us less. Losing Recon Dart XP to QQ Spotters is lame, but I can live with it. Recon Dart can be decent XP by general standards, but this helps offset the lameness of doing it for long periods when the situation demands it (like Revive and Repair Tools). Also, characters that have access to the upper levels of Recon Dart typically have better XP rates and less need for Certs anyway. Many times now while doing Recon Dart duty on my main I have wanted to ditch it and jump into the action, but I know the often deciding difference it can make in evenly matched battles so I stick it out. At some point I expect I am just gonna stop caring and skip Recon Dart duty so I can get back to the action, which is gonna swing more than a few battles. Boring Tool duty is usually the area for lower level players who don't mind monotonous grinding in order to crank out Certs. Also, as I mentioned, the Infils I have without it as now gathering dust as I passive collect Certs toward their getting it. NOT making it available to the class early just makes the Class so much worse and less useful at low levels. I'm one of the first to agree with you on this point: part of keeping a Class healthy is to make sure people can play exclusively as that class and both enjoy it and not (frequently) run into a brick wall. But for myself, I don't mind switching to other classes as follows: * Medic to heal myself up or Revive a dead person by a Spawn point * Engineer to repair a Sunderer or other Vehicle in need, Turret, Generator, etc. * LA to C4 a Sunderer I come across near a Spawn point * Engineer or HA to throw some firepower at a Ground Vehicle by a Spawn point In each of these, I generally just hop in and then hop back out of the other Class. It's a Power Creep issue, an undperplayed unit issue, a "most players are for it" issue, and probably more. It's complex and it's a mess and it could get a lot worse. These types of issues happen a lot in games, and typically they don't get resolved well for a very, very long time if ever. I just don't like them cause they seem to be best used as either a coordinated team boost vs. a specific nest or as a kamikaze weapon. I'm not in an outfit and so my game is like playing with Mime armies, so the "coordinated" use is shot. And I am not a huge fan of the kamikaze role just to take out a few troops. (like the story goes "don't run down there an **** one of em, walk down there and **** them all") I spent hours and hours looking up links, watching vids, and in the VR for ESF on moving backwards, etc.. But I didn't really know what I was doing because the "how to" vids I watched or posts I read were too cryptic and didn't convey precise inputs for me enough. I can kinda fly sideways backwards but it's pretty sad, and when I try it in the game I end up facing pilots who just move backwards/sideways/etc. exactly how they want and easily move behind me and knock me out. Got tired of wasting my time and stopped bothering with it. I don't think I will get back into it any time soon unless they trivialize the inputs or they make a trainer that trivializes learning it. I've played complicated Fighting Games and I place no value on execution knowledge exclusive to fewer people being cool. I just consider it a waste of time. I'm more interested in gameplay. I think a lot of people play each faction cause it's not easy (or cheap) to practice the Infil Class with each faction. Especially when a new player doesn't really know how to gauge what's important or different well. As a player of Infils in all 3 factions, I find TR the most limited in resources. But TR do have a nice Pistol, though if people switch to an NS revolver then that becomes moot. I don't think there is any meaningful asymmetrical gameplay between the factions. Iy would make the game a mess as you'd see lame OP blowouts based on which two factions met up.[/quote]
The color coded cloaks aren't a bad idea as they are in practice. I mean sure, I don't get run over or shot as much because people recognize I'm a friendly infiltrator. The downside to this is because friendly infiltrators are color-coded, any other shimmer you see (or shadow if you play on low settings >_<) people automatically shoot at. The other problem is that there aren't any other things in the game that "shimmer". Like heat or smoke coming out of vents in the ground, or the heat coming off of the ground on indar, etc. There isn't anything else out there to help beg the question (was that an infiltrator) and make players doubt their senses and whatnot... Recon darts are still useful and are more useful in team-play than anything else. Aside from that, I don't see a need to spam these things even though I have it maxed out. With the exception of the LA, I jump in the other classes to fill (a suprisingly) empty role at the time and place I'm fighting at. Whilst I don't exactly mind doing that, I would much prefer another person to fill that role if ever possible. Any infiltrator (I might even go so far to say any experienced player) can easily see the long-term effects and the end-game effects of Nanoweave. Because its too popular of an option, people will equip it as part of their end-game for the class. It's so popular because it's the it-can-do-everything defensive suit slot option. Granted, it may not protect you from things like explosives as well as flak armor but the fact that it can protect you from explosives and weapons such as snipers is the reason why it's such a popular suit option because of its one-size-fits-all nature. You can easily clear a room of 3-4 guys with these on your own with an smg...with enough practice of course. The "team-coordinated" aspect is for larger room clearing. Many would argue that that is gameplay. However, I won't push the issue any farther since you have no interest in it. The pistol is one of those "asymmetrical gameplay" aspects that I talked about. They aren't big differences nor are they OP in any way. The TR pistol is a very nice pistol when used properly. And just like any other weapon, it has the capacity to lend itself to a different style of play than the other pistols. I disagree. If you look at the maxes and the MBT's you should notice that each has a unique ability. Each ability lends itself to a playstyle that is unique to that faction--I mean let's face it, you wouldn't necessarily use the NC max the same way as a TR max. Same thing with the tanks, etc. It's meaningfully different but not game-breaking. There are many more smaller differences like between weapons and such. Without the differences, planetside 2 would turn into just another COD or BF where there aren't many differences and everyone has access to the same vehicles and weapons (they are great games in their own right but they are not Planetside 2).
Yeah, I can understand Infil players not liking this. And since it's not really a feature that affects non-Infils, it seems that Infils should be able to get this one reversed pretty easily. If it DOESN'T get reversed for Infils, then that at least sends the message to Infils that SOE is not listening and/or SOE does not care. Spamming them for me is the most effective way to use them: 1) Spam them in a line from your team's position to the target position, sending them the message to follow the ripples to the target, letting your team know if its clear sailing (allowing your team to move more quickly directly there), or if there are any nests that need to be dealt with. 2) Spam in each corner from the inside of a Tower (or other large structure) to give your team 360 vision. Especially useful for setting up a breakout from a camped Spawn Room. 3) Spam in a line across an entire enemy stalled battlefront, giving your team an exact view on enemy position and concentration. Where to focus firepower and where the enemy line is empty and can be breached. 4) When in a base with lots of buildings or towers, fire a Dart into each structure, letting your team know who is lurking around. 5) When camping a Spawn Room, fire darts into the corners of the Spawn Room. Let your team know who is inside, where they're located, and if any make a break for it out of the Spawn Room. 6) Spam them across the rock face/building/etc. concealing a friendly Sunderer. It creates a wall of feedback that can alert to any enemy encroachment of Sneak LA's or other Sunderer kill attempts. 7) etc. When operating from a position with a Terminal or Ammo Pack, I can spam Darts at such a volume that it can cover a massive amount of area and totally change a battle in short order. Or I can use it to draw lines of direct routes to Cap Points, Generators, etc. Understand you would prefer other players of other classes fill their roles without you having to switch to them. But there are 2 big reasons why this consistently fails to happen. The first problem, is as much as I like Planetside2, it's horrendous in terms of communicating to your teammates that they need to do basic specific stuff. It's like an Army Of Mimes. The problem here is that players don't have good channels of communication. /tell, /yell, /voice, /q-spot, and /region are grossly inadequate for team communication in coordinating an assault. The second problem is that most players are just gonna do what they want to do: Medics who ignore heal requests (rez is fast and great XP, healing is slow and bad XP, many medics won't both with you until you're dead), Engineers who ignore ammo requests, Sunderers that race off to Deploy first and ignore stranded Infantry, Sunderer on fire and people spawning there rush off to fight rather than switch classes to put it out, etc. There are ways to get things to happen. LA approaching a team Sunderer? Launch a Dart at the Sunderer and your team will swarm on the approaching dot. Need your team to take a target? Spam a line of Recon Darts to the target and watch them follow the ripples to it. I can't rely on my team to heal the Sunderer or heal me. Yup. But I'm not sure SOE really cares that much yet. "Fixing" it won't really make them any more profit, and right now so few people are complaining about it (and just as many people or more are defending it) that it's not really worth their !/$ to spend time on it. I have not had this experience. Once they all start moving, taking down multiple targets gets tougher. Especially if there are obstructions in the room or multiple ways into it. Most often I see EMP grenades for solo players enable 2-3 kills and then getting gunned down. I just recently switched back to Frag Grenade on all my loadouts. I just was never finding use for the EMP. Bring it. I have a very strong understanding of Fighting Game fundamentals. For me, skill curves based on players not being given an instruction book and not knowing how to play with basic moves is lame. Especially if those moves are so powerful that they play a massive role in determining the outcome of that game. We don't see Fighting Games released anymore that don't provide input directions for basic moves. Yes, I agree it is asymmetrical. And I like the game experience that well implemented asymmetrical design can provide. But that is not the same thing as "Scissors>Paper>Rock" in game design. Scissors>Paper>Rock (SPR) refers to a circular balance system where Unit A specifically trumps unit B, Unit B specifically trumps unit C, and unit C specifically trumps unit A. On the whole, Planetside2 has massive design holes in terms of its SPR balancing: they tend not to circular balance. And it seems to use these design holes to selectively favor units/items/etc. Either to suit dev preferences, or to "OP" the most recent new item released in the game to help hype and sell it. I actually don't have a problem with their OPing new items. But they push the level of OP far too high for my liking. Again, I appreciate asymmetrical design, but that is not the same thing as Scissors>Paper>Rock.
The hope is that SOE is listening since our class-specific update is coming up. Using the darts to draw lines is not something I even considered before...but I will definitely use that tactic. Surprisingly, if I stand in front of a medic that's on "standby" he/she will heal me. And generally if the medic that revived me chooses not to top me off, I easily go and find another one (but I do understand they they prioritize reviving the dead first because there is a 60 second timer the ticks off from the moment you die which dictates if you are revivable or not). Engineers who are on their game will see the ammo icons and will usually come and find you so that he can get xp and you get ammo. I'm talking of course about the people that most likely main these support classes. Typically, anyone that's been forced into the class, doesn't really play the class, or just new to the game won't have that insight as to what to look out for and what to do which is why I prefer these people to be in their respective classes. It's usually not too hard for me to find someone that's paying attention but I don't know about your experiences. I also disagree about communication. While I find proximity chat to be really annoying that I mute almost anyone using, I do like /regionsay, /orders, and q-spotting for relaying information and it actually works most of the time. I've used it to relay information on things like an enemy sunderer parked in the hills. It doesn't take long for a pack of heavies to start rolling out to where I pointed out it's location. That's what bother me and the rest of the forumsiders Infiltrators. It doesn't help that they nerfed the "disorientation" effect to hell but in general, automatic weapons or even regular explosives should be able to easily kill them because their shields are down. If you are a solo player, then I don't think this matters as much as a regular frag is more effective in such circumstances. What server do you fight on? If you're not on Connery by any chance, I could make an account to show you and explain the inputs as much as possible. Perhaps I have been using the SPR interchangeably with asymmetrical gameplay. SPR is something that has come from personal observation but I have quickly found that it varies from player to player. There really isn't anymore to explain here as I feel I wandered off from my original point on asymmetrical gameplay which makes each empire feel unique and play differently. I would like to mention that somebody on the forums said something about the player-base being the one to blame when it came to the loss of uniqueness to each empire due to it being the most simple-minded way of balancing things. Gladly, the devs are above this and implemented the NS weapons to satisfy that player-base.
To be fair to SOE, it's tough for a Dev to spend time looking over the forums. A lot of them are already working extra hours on the game, and with the little free time they have, they often try to tread water with their life outside the game. Those Devs who do follow the forums may or may not communicate with other Devs on what they read. Either through preference, because they don't socialize or interact with them, because they don't have the clout to speak on particular issues, or because they follow only certain parts of the forum or just don't really understand certain parts. Word of the forum pulse can make its way into the general Dev circles (for those not already following forums), but usually only with regards to a very strong uniform voice on a particular issue. I say all this from experience of having worked as a Dev on an MMO game. Yeah, Dart is great. However, echoing what Booface said: Recon Dart really becomes usable on the last 2 levels. Before that it's too limited: small effect, short duration, and the number of darts you have all combine to make it too high maintenance and too weak for quality full time tool duty in most situations. I have played extensively as a Medic and for me I choose Dead over Wounded for the following reasons: 1) wounded can fight, dead can't. Reviving gets more bodies back into battle faster 2) MUCH faster and less dangerous to Revive than Heal 3) Revive is MUCH better XP 4) Dead players don't move, wounded players often run off (before or while healing) and you have to chase them 5) ALL dead players show up on mini-map as corpses. Heal only shows up if someone uses <v> + <2> 6) ALL players that show up as corpses on the mini-map are dead (though not all can be Revived which is lame). Players that have the "+" Heal request may or may not need healing, may or may not stick around while you are healing them, are often difficult to chase down, and often heal themselves before you get to them I prefer the player just die and let me Revive them. It's just so much more efficient. I will chase down Corpses (need Revive) on the mini-map, but I rarely chase down "+" (need Heal) unless there is nothing else to do. But if someone calls for a Heal near me and stands around, I will definitely Heal them. And if someone near me yells for a Heal (of course if there is more than one "+" near me I have no idea who it was), I will activate my Area Effect Heal in case it can zap them. I've had amazing Engineers who have found me in isolated perches and hooked me up. I have also had Engineers right in front of me that I am spamming "Need Ammo" too and they just run off. As a player who has done a LOT of Recon Dart duty in battles (Often I am the only player in a 48+ Allies situation who uses Recon Darts or Flash Scout Radar), I have found Engineers providing Ammo Packs to be a rarity. I usually have to rely on using a Terminal to resupply or hunting down some Ammo Packs that all to often are located directly in the enemy's field of fire). Spamming "need Ammo" usually doesn't do me much good. I find Medic more responsive than Engineers in general. Probably because so many Engineers are drivers/pilots first or are AV Snipers. Most Medics are Medics first or at least happy to lend a helping Revive/Heal. /region, /yell, <q>, and <v> are all very useful. But they are really just the rough start for building proper communications to fit the potential strategic scale of the game. I made a suggestion post a long time ago that addressed this: https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2...ordinated-strategy-communication-more.102621/ It's not even clear what area /region and /yell cover. It should indicate when it posts what area is communicated to. And you should be able to specify /region to just this zone, or to this zone and neighboring zones, or even compose a region directed at a specific distant zone. The / communications also have to compete with other spam on the one scrolling chat bar. This is a mess on many levels. And another problem is the access players have to active Spawn Points. Players can often see great battles that they can't navigate to without spending minutes Re-Deploy hopping to get there (it should at least let you deploy to the closest friendly controlled base Spawn Point near a major battle). They have to be within a certain range to even see where vehicles are gathered. They have to be in Re-Deploy to even see that some Sunderers are deployed. And even when a Sunderer is deployed in a ripe area (often by us Infils), often it won't show up on many players Re-Deploy maps at all. It's a mess. The map should be tagged with deployed Sunderers and Scout Radar vehicles in the same way that re-supply Sunderers are tagged. Then players would be able to find and support these things. My main is on Connery (zaspacer). What type of stuff did you have in mind? I followed the tutorial on how to fly backwards (kill speed so jets align to vertical, roll sideways, strafe in opposite direction of roll, push forward on mouse or tilt forward with hotkey, add afterburner for more movement. I also need to get a new mouse. I only have the 2-buttons and wheel on mine. Getting the side buttons could help for ESF hotkeys. And more importantly I keep losing in close combat to knife attacks that I don't have the buttons to do myself. It seems that is the case. SPR is most often seen cleanly in RTS games where specific units are mean to counter other specific units, but also be vulnerable themselves to still other specific units. Planetside2 does not use a clean SPR because that would really limit the ability of units to interact or for player skill of each unit to matter. To be fair, a LOT of the complaining about asymmetrical gameplay is with regards to OP content that the Devs themselves have added. The Devs have a policy of adding OP content, and it can cause an absolute frustrating mess for players in game: unfun gameplay, faction hopping, etc. MANY of the current complaints about the game can be traced directly to OP content. Seemingly the only reliable way to safeguard from this policy is to have the OP content be available equally to all factions. I like asymmetrical gameplay, and I understand that SOE needs to sell items so they may new stuff OP. But put them together and it gets real messy real fsat. Also, there is a difference between asymmetrical content that is only asymmetrical in terms of how it looks or sounds and content that is actually functionally different. How many of the faction specific items are not really faction specific at all? Or is thematic asymmetrical content (that all functions the same) enough of a difference for you?
Infils should, at lvl 5, get a deployable recon module. It lasts for like 2 minutes and has a radius, maybe 3x larger then the max Recon dart. It should be a rather small little box, kinda like the IDS from 2142. It could be cloaked upon deployment to make it actually work for awhile. Infils should be able to knife people in cloak mode, upon knifing they give off feedback and become more identifiable to others in the area, but should beable to do that. Would be nice for taking out isolated targets off in dark corners...or just guys on their own.. It would eat up maybe 25% of the cloaking duration, but yeah. Infils should be able to fire from cloaking, absorbing 90% of the cloak power. This would only be possible if the cloak is fully charged. Also, crouch moving should eat up the cloak power like 75% slower then it does now. Running eats up the cloak as quick as it does now and normal walking eats it up 25% slower.
The recon module is something the devs are already working on implementing and the stalker cloak supposedly will cover what you talked about in your second and third paragraph if they let us use weapons while stealthed.
I know the devs don't watch just the forums and so do most of the forumsiders. The people that care about being heard typically post on many of the sites the devs watch like twitter. So I'm hoping the devs are hearing about nanoweave but I have my doubts. The sad thing is I can't disagree on this. I might argue that the pulse rate is better on the recon darts but that's all it has at max rank (which is really effing expensive). On a flash, scout radar is up to 100m at max rank. On an ESF, scout radar is 200m. I don't know about the rest of the vehicles but it's pretty ridiculous. I understand going after the dead first but if I need a heal, I'll do the chasing and chase down a medic and stand right in front of them 'til they heal me. Usually works. And if I see they are using the area of a effect heal, I try to be in that so I get the benefit. If I'm running and I realize I got a small zap because I'm running I typically stop (assuming it's safe of course) and let them catch up because they go through the effort of chasing me down. I've had similar experiences...you would assume the latter type of engineer is either off his game or new to the class. You have to get up in their face and spam "Need ammo" because that usually let's them know that you aren't going to leave them alone until you give them ammo. If I get desperate (never happens) I send them a tell saying "drop an ammo pack or I won't leave you alone." That should work. I agree. Medics have lives on their hands. Engineers just have maintenance to do. They are rough but for anyone actively checking them, they work. It's a way for squad/platoon leaders to communicate to people outside that circle in the area of what they are doing which hopefully encourages them to join said squad/platoon if their goals align. /region chat is usually confined to that specific territory as in anybody part of your empire within the hex/lines that define that territory will see /region chat from that area. /yell chat is just a more public version of /region chat--a great way to advertise girl scout cookies right before you take the territory from the enemy. The devs changed the way re-deploying works. I'm not really sure how but I think it has something to do with either a limited range from your current location or where the frontlines are. I do remember they did make it so that you can't redeploy to a sunderer outside of the region you are in currently but I'm not sure if that info is current as I use instant action or a flash to get everywhere. Alright, so during a time when we are both online, I'll take you to VR and show you what I know about maneuvers. I like asymmetrical gameplay where the gameplay aspect (as opposed to just the look) is different. I really like it when the devs release faction-specifc weapons or vehicles like the rocket launchers or the MBTs where they all operate differently and lend themselves to a different style of play and add some uniqueness to each empire and a new reason to join each empire. The biggest problem of this is really balancing everything because they all operate differently it can sometimes be difficult to see/balance something OP in relation to the other 2 faction specific stuff because they operate differently. Alla the latest HA tools. NC and TR got something great with the Phoenix and the Striker while the VS got the short-end-of-the-stick with the Lancer. Most VS guys I know don't like it and the vets I know wanted it to be the laser cutter it was in PS1 which imho would put it on level with the other weapons. I also understand the need to keep most things working the same (SMGs) for practicality and balancing but a unique something here and there would be nice.
I hope the Devs can get some of the insight provided by the Infil community here and elsewhere. As far as Nanoweave, I'd expect the Devs have heard of the Infil's issue with it by now. Yeah. Head-to-head, Scout Radar is better and cheaper and available to all Classes. But there are many cases when Scout Radar is not viable or convenient to Spawn, and where the Recon Dart is still easy to employ. Also, the Recon Dart is much better for directing forces. hehe, nice! I have yet to go to that extent. Kinda. Sometimes the Engineers support is paramount in importance, like keeping a Sunderer on the battlefield or keeping HA rockets supplied with ammo so they can knock out targets without huge downtime from having to run back to a Terminal. They are all useful, but I still feel the game could be so much better with some work put into better com channels. Redeploy and Instant Action both seem to change from time to time. It's not clear what their goals are and it can get very confusing and frustrating trying to use them. I do seem to currently be able to Redeploy to Sunderers in neighboring regions. HUGE thanks for you and Ashes helping me with this. I feel a new energy for tackling the ESF again. Of particular note was Ashes having me do circles around the Tower. This got me away from just trying to learn moves as movements, and instead starting to lean moves within actual practical applications. Yeah, I like the spirit of this type of design as well. It gives each Faction a lot more personality both in theme and gameplay. Yeah, it can create major issues in the game. Especially because SOE tends to like to launch new stuff more OP and then scale it back, rather than launch it underpowered and then tune it up based on in-game results. I feel that the SMGs definitely have differences between them. Though I am not sure these differences fit any Faction flavor pattern.
After extensive use of the Auto Scout Rifle, I now think that it's "good enough" to fill the CQC role for a new Infiltrator. I only tested the Artemis (I don't own the other 2 faction ASRs), and while I do think it is better than the TR or NC ASRs, I expect the NC and TR ASRs are also "good enough". (unless I hear otherwise + explanation) This covers "cheap guns" for new players: 1) a cheap extreme Sniping gun (100 Certs [or FREE if NC] Bolt Action + 30 Certs for 12x Scope) 2) a cheap all-purpose gun (the same Bolt Action + 100 Certs for Suppressor), and 3) an affordable CQC weapon (250 Certs for ASR + 100 Certs for Suppressor + 30 Certs for 2x Reflex Scope + 100 Certs for the Laser Sight) I wish the ASR was 100 Certs to make it more accessible, but it's still a lot less than an SMG. So the only area that I think is too expensive for the Class right now is the Recon Detect Device Tool. As stated before, specifically I think it is too expensive because I feel the Recon Tool only becomes effective on the battlefield as a usable full Tool when it's Certed to Level 5 (780 Certs) or Level 6 (1780 Certs). Furthermore, the Level 5+ effect is SO powerful that it makes the Class a significant battlefield Team resource. NOT giving lower level Infiltrators access to the full tool severely limits what they can contribute to Team gameplay and limits the Class overall. (imagine if Medic or Engineer wasn't able to access their tool effectively until they'd put 780 Certs into it)
Have you considered looking into command chat? Currently, instant action is geared more towards putting you where you're needed and not where your team is already dominating. As for redeploy, I suppose they put a better range on it. It's nice to hear you benefited from the lessons. The first set of smgs favor faction flavors. For example, the cyclone has the highest dmg (at 167@6m - 100@46m) and lowest rate of fire (652rpm). The armistice has the highest rate of fire(896rpm) but the lowest damage (125@6m - 84@42m) of the three smgs in this set with a slightly larger ammo capacity (30 as opposed to 25 in a clip). The Eridani is in the middle with moderate rate of fire(750rpm) with moderate damage (143@6m - 91@42m) but the fastest reload times of the set. The second set of smgs are very identical: 125@6m - 84@6m, ~800-845rpm, etc. The only differences lie in the bullet velocity, ammo capacity/pool (which is negligible considering each weapon has atleast 50 rounds in a mag), and perhaps reload times. I'm gonna play devil's advocate here when it comes to the Recon Detect Device: It is true that it is a rather expensive tool in comparison to the medic or engineer tools but when you consider how valuable radar is in this game (the device gives you current information on enemy movements/locations up to 50m at max rank) on top of the fact that you are a cloaker, making the device more accessible to lower-end players doesn't reward the infiltrators that worked for the cost of a device that is almost like a legal map cheat. Radar in this game is just too good. Also on the ASR, I wouldn't call it a CQC weapon as much as an All-Purpose Rifle. The weapon was designed with medium-range engagements in mind. Even though it is capable of CQC, it does not necessarily make it a CQC weapon. I do agree it is affordable though.
Don't you have to be in a Squad to use that? I want stuff that I can use solo. I am already frequently the one who is setting-up, coordinating, or tackling key objectives in battles: spawning Sunderers at inactive bases or vulnerable fronts of existing battles or at fallback points that keep the battle alive, taking Spawn points or hitting Generators (especially to lock out an enemy Zerg at the connecting base), defending Spawn points, defending Sunderers, infiltrating enemy lines and Q-spotting key targets for Team to knock out, setting up Flash Radar or Recon Darts (still AMAZED how often I am the only person in a 48+ battle who uses either: I've quickly turned many Bio Lab battles by just spawning and parking a Flash Radar down below), etc. It just feels stupid to be doing this all solo while most the other players are just rush back into the action and farming Infantry for Certs. Ideally I'd like a dedicated Command Center, where players can work from a dedicated room in the Spawn Shield kinda as "dispatchers" and coordinate intel and operations (literally putting pre-made marking overlays on maps which players can turn on or off) to get the Team fed the right info and working on the right goals. But I'd settle for just some side channels that regular players can access to get localized intructions on what to focus on. Instant Action has been kinda buggy for me lately. Sometimes sending me deep into friendly territory where there is no action, or deep into enemy territory where there is no action. But usually it works well for me. I am totally cool with being sent to any battlefront with IA. That's exactly what I want/expect. With re-Deploy, I want to be able to get to any friendly base adjacent to a battlefront or any base/Sunderer in a zone adjacent to the base I am currently in. Especially in the Lattice, where the number of battlefronts is much more limited. Gotcha. I definitely think the differences are neat as long as it's flavor and it doesn't actually create bad play balances. When the 1st Series was released, did they have the extended Mag option? But that kind of high level character exclusive access to a major Class AND Team power doesn't really fit the rest of the game. Plus I think adding that to the game would be terrible in terms of selling the game to new players. I think the benefits that reward the player who has grinded the hours is that they have access to more things. But I think the cool accessibility of the game to new players is that they can be competitive quickly, but they have to focus on an area and don't have the broad level of access to things. I definitely don't want a game where I can win because I have more Certs or SC than my opponent. I worry if it's good for the health of the game in terms of attracting new players, and I don't like playing that kind of game. We can already see a lot of Infils expressing frustration with the Class and asking for major buffs. If the Infil gets Buffs and keeps their high end toys, the class could be seriously OP at the high end. I prefer to engage individual targets with the ASR at 10-35m using Aimed fire. But I am very comfortable using it 1-10m, and of the Infiltrator weapons only the SMGs edges it out at the 1-10m range. (mostly due to SMGs larger Mag size) It might fit the bill as an All-Purpose Rifle for most classes, but for the Infiltrator that's a taller order. Infiltrator engages the enemy from CQC to extreme long distance, and the have both Assault and Finesse/Sniper options. Though I'd definitely agree that it's an All-Purpose gun for the 1-35m range. (I'm kinda not sure what "medium" range should cover) And given the above, I DO feel it fulfills the new Infil players Close/Assault style combat needs plus the budget priced need for a gun. Currently I prefer using my Artemis over my Sirius in most situations.
