[Suggestion] [NPE]Replace "Pull ESF" with "Pull Valkyrie" in Basic Training Directive

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Insignus, Nov 29, 2017.

  1. Insignus

    Synopsis - TLDR Version

    The Valkyrie is cheaper to fly, easier to learn, and more tolerant of crashes than any other aircraft. It also builds skill sets that can be adapted into the basic operations of any other airframe in the game, and encourages team play operations and play-styles.
    Proposal

    For these reasons, I'm formally requesting that the Valkyrie be selected by Daybreak Games as the preferred aircraft for new players, as encouraged by changing the Basic Training Directive to "Pull Valkyrie" over the current option "Pull ESF."

    Doing so will encourage new players and pilots to pull Valkyries as their initial aircraft experience, which will result in a more sustainable, enjoyable, and educational New Player Experience in the Air Game.
    Detailed Arguments

    This post addresses two topics of perennial interest in the community: Getting new players a smoother learning curve, and getting more people into the air game.

    Currently, the expert level of the basic training directive asks players to pull an ESF. In a time when the ESF was only one of three airframes, when it was the cheapest and simplest to fly on your own, this made sense.

    But since then, the player-base has developed, and there are now a body of extremely skilled ESF players at play, many of which easily and frustratingly dispatch new pilots with reckless abandon.

    This is a problem because the ESF costs 350 nanites, resulting in substantial downtime, which, coupled with their frustration, results in the new pilot going off to do other things, often resulting in whatever they've learned in their last death to fade away and decay. They may come back to flying a few days later, and still be frustrated, because as a fighter with access to a large volume of potential weapons, they are also operating under the expectation of achieving air superiority, which is continually frustrated. This means the body of pilots who continue in ESF remains low.

    The ESF is also notoriously fragile, and does not respond well to geometry or obstacles, let alone enemy fire. New Pilots, who are still working on their reaction times and response patterns, find themselves shying away from pushing the airframe due to its fragility and expense, which hampers their development as pilots.
    Valkyrie

    The Valk, by contrast, is cheaper, at 250 Nanites. This means that players can more sustainably pull it over the course of a session. It's also dramatically more crash friendly than other airframes, most notably in the deforming tail (Which protects against trees and ledges), the crumple zones on the wings (Protecting against getting too close to objects, side swiping buildings), and the belly armor, which helps protect against rough set-downs and skids.

    This crash friendliness means that players will be pulling it less often, due to their higher chances of surviving the inevitable accidents and mishaps that afflict new players and pilots, allowing for a more sustained, focused, and constructive learning experience.

    Psychologically, the fact that the Valkyrie is a light transport aircraft helps defuse some of the sting and let-down that afflicts the ESF, especially if the training voice-over tells them that its a transport, so they won't expect to suddenly own the skies, and when they get jumped by a more skilled pilot, they will be less likely to be affected by hopelessness.

    The Valkyrie also encourages the development of critical faculties that the ESF cannot. In addition to basic flight skills, its high maneuverability and energetic flight style means those skills can be translated forward to the ESF, while the need for gunners will help aspiring future liberator pilots get a good foundation. Finally, its transport abilities will give players a good start in the operations and usage of the Galaxy.
    The ESF, by contrast, only translates basic flight skills to the other airframes, which often require re-learning due to its peculiarities.

    Finally, the Valkyrie has niches and roles that encompass both offensive and support actions. It operates best when teamwork is involved, and the ability to diversify the airframe into those roles means that new players will be more quickly exposed to team-play mechanics.

    There is also an often commented upon issue in the discussions of the airgame in which aircraft players seem to be heavily focused on pushing k/d, and less enthused about supporting other players. Selecting the Valk as the initial aircraft of choice may help correct that.
    Conclusion

    For these reasons, the Valkyrie is the superior airframe for introducing new pilots and players to flight and aircraft in Planetside 2, thanks to its superior ergonomics, player friendly flight model, and niches/roles that are more in-line with the core gameplay of Planetside 2. Thank you for your time and consideration on this matter.

    Signed,

    ShadowInsignus, Fylkir, Connery

    Disclaimer: The author is the leader of an auto-cephalous pseudo-religious Holy Order, the Falkyrate, whose remit encompasses the advancement, safety, operations, and well-being of the Valkyrie, its pilots, passengers, and the squads/platoons they support.
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