Producer's Letter: Weekly Updates

I love you Ryan.
BTW when are the vehicle secondary changes? I can't wait for my Ranger to be viable over the Walker(mostly excited about the massively increased ammo pool)

1. I'll visit the test for 1 reason

Performance testing-- thats it!, my number one concern with this game, game balance passes, well what are hotfixes for ?

Performance update Patch2 was the last significant update, we should have been on performance patch 10 by now.

Frame rates are very very spikey? why hasn't this been addressed?
This causes huge frame latencies which is no good for an FPS. micro stuttering, hitching, Nvidia driver issue,

CPU load
Again my CPU isn't really being taxed why? yet in game I'm CPU bound.

I've played this game for nearly 73 days, spent $100s dollars in this game,I love it, but of late it all feels like its slipping back, I want to see specific performance updates.

PhsyX Working
SLi scaling
better multi-core support
64bit client
DX11 with plans to move to DX12 ,
A link with update on Nvidia regarding DX 12 http://www.pcper.com/reviews/Graphics-Cards/NVIDIA-Talks-DX12-DX11-Efficiency-Improvements

I'd already have an all access pass if you guys would stop bumping the date! Holding off subbing to any of the SOE games I like because the all access pass was coming.. then bumped.. then bumped.

But the game already supports multi-core the problem is that it doesn't really use advanced instructions like SSE 4.2 because of the lack of 64-bit. And when it comes to Dx11 i'd stay on that about 2 years before thinking to move to DX12 because well testing new water (if you catch my meaning) but after that yep, DX12

This is GOOD news!

A few patches ago the game has been completely broken with the latest patch obviously rushed out the door.

Quality not quantity, please.

Here you go dude!



Also thank you for the letter. I know you intend for something good and I am glad that you are able to acknowledge past mistakes and post such a letter here on the forums.
But... forgive my skepticism but as another dude already mentioned, the game is close to borderline unplayable and we've only been getting bugs and advertisements to spend cash on the game whilst forum threads and basic communication between development and player, even on the PTS has been ignored so....... well, I've seen this before.

So let me put it like this. I've got cash on my credit card but you guys wont get a dime until I see results.

You may argue this as a bad way of supporting the game. However, I could also argue as to why the game should deserve my support. As it stands right now, PS2 is a bad investment with a unclear future.

Don't get me wrong though, I have supported the game a lot... in many ways, including financial. A real lot. But now I want results.

I like to think of the weekly updates more as a "Best case scenario" deal.

If everything goes smoothly, the update is released that week.
If a bug or issue arrives, that's to be expected, and waiting until the issue is resolved is fine as well.

I feel confident I speak for most when I say:
We would rather we have the option to play a stable version while the newest one is in the shop for bug fixes, than have a buggy version where (for example) people randomly run around with invincible liberators.

That is awesome!


The color in the video seems more fitting for the NC than anyone else.
We need faction color variants (Like how zebra camo is blue for NC, red for TR and purple for VS).

Make the yellowish one in the video the NC color, a red/orange rust color for TR, and a sour apple green for VS.

Will non premium members also get free stuff for testing on the test server?

Communication here is great. Thanks for keeping the community in the loop.

if you really want to motivate your team to make this the best game it can be, then FORCE them to spend at least a week on planetside 1. granted the pops wont be huge, but they'll finally get a clue about base design, weapon balance, vehicle balance, etc.

this game is less planetside and more battlefield/call of duty. that's not what most of us want. we want the good mechanics, base and continent design, and balance from planetside 1 with BF/CoD shooting mechanics

I'd already posted this in the PST Discussion forum, but thought it should also be posted here:

Did I miss anything?

totally agreed

If you wan't people to come back and actually stick around you need to raise the skill ceiling. You need to stop the boring vehicle spam. You need to foster inter outfit politics, ****** waving and outfit pride because right now the game has zero. The game needs a competitive scene, with outfits all trying to prove they are more organized, better, more fun, whatever so they constantly have a goal and a challenge. Right now, PS2 plays like a shallow BF series pub server that just happens to have a larger player limit. It 'feels' that empty and devoid of meaning. Outfits don't care if they win or lose, just how many certs they farm. Same applies to players. The game has lost virtually all of its competitive spirit and instead is a grind treadmill based entirely around chasing the worshiped 'KDR' and 'Cert'.

Feels to me and a lot of others I've spoken with or read on the forums that it's more like the team loves to fly ESF and Libs and farm infantry to no end. Just about everyone who don't farm with ESF and especially Libs can see how obviously overpowered Libs are. They have been for a long time. Yet instead of getting balanced, they get buffed, and anti-air gets nerfed. Lock-on rockets are all but useless now. Not only do Libs and ESF farm beyond the reduced lock range, but if and when you do finally get a lock, the rocket just flies into a wall, the ground, or any of a thousand other obstacles.

Of course the pilots and friends of those pilots doing all the farming will disagree. After all, they're the ones benefiting from all the XP, certs, and fun. It's a different world being the ones farmed and spawn locked, being one shot before you can even get a lock and watching the rocket fly into the nearest part of the terrain when if you do. Even skyguards can hardly drop ESF before any half way decent pilot reaches cover and self-repairs now, even hitting consistently. And emptying two full loads of ammo from a skyguard doesn't bring down a certed Lib, even those that sit there and let you hit them.

Not saying they need to be flying origami. With the exception of Lib needing some balancing in the other direction, the game felt decent in regards to ground/infantry/air balance before the air vehicle buffs and anti-air nerfs.

No thanks. I was a subscribing member, buying SC for some things. But I canceled when the campaign for air superiority began. I still play, but not as much. And several of my gaming buddies and mates from my BF gaming clan don't even bother to do that any more. And when they or others ask me about the game, I tell them the truth, "Don't play it unless you're ok with getting farmed by air vehicles where even a noob pilot with common sense can easily escape and return over and over again all day long."

I tried to test vehicles on PTS and it is a huge pain in the buttocks. Why are there resources on the test server? Test server should be like VR where you can endlessly TEST things.

Once i ran out of resources once i uninstalled the test server and i havent been back.

I could understand the resource system being on test if changes have been made that need to be tested, otherwise i found it to be a massive impediment to testing vehicles.

I will not be logging onto the PTS until this issue is addressed.

Also there are massive issues with this game atm.

Stuttering lag, poor framerates, some bug that kills my frames until i have to reboot my entire system.

We still have Mana AV turrets that are completely broken.

All lock-ons need to be fixed to be like Striker to require constant lock.

A2A missiles and Coyote missiles need to be fixed, they are OP atm and take the fun out of flying.

The flash needs to be fixed to handle like it did after they fixed it the first time.

Vehicle thermals need to be removed (I mostly use vehicles and im saying this).

Bases with all of these walls are a huge pain for everyone, and while im all for limiting vehicle vs infantry spam, the walls need openings that infantry can pass through. Running around for a minute to find your way out of a base is just annoying.

The frustration factor is very high atm in this game, at least for me. There are so many 'lame' ways to die. Tanks sniping you with thermals when you are on foot. Max units. Mana AV turrets sniping you when you are in a vehicle.

Flak turrets. (I hacked one last night just to see and i made 5k xp shooting down planes. I spent no certs on the turret, it cost no resources, and i just griefed people with it. When they came to kill it with their entire airforce i just jumped out and hid until they left and hacked another turret.

You kill a turret and its back up in 30 secs or less via repair tool. Turrets need to have a timer so that if you kill one it stays dead for a while. Maybe 5 or 10 mins. To prevent the misuse that we currently see turrets should be like generators, unable to be attacked if they are not active according to the lattice, and unable to be used. They also need a serious range nerf.

I got in an AV turret at the crossroads watchtower and killed 4 tanks and 3 sunderers at the crown before they finally took me out. WHY can i shoot vehicles at the crown from crossroads watchtower with a totally free weapon? This makes no sense.

So imo you guys should work on making the game more fun to play before you add more frustrating things. Every time some level 12 guy kills me with A2A missiles i just log out. Anyway thats my 2 coppers for what they're worth.

This is the kind of stuff that kills me. Go fly a plane before you talk about them. Don't sit here and talk about balance when you dont know both sides of the story.

Skyguard is extremely powerful SOLO. Get more than one skyguard and its a nightmare for air. I know i do it at times. Get a buddy, go find a spot where there are planes and just clear the skies. Anyone who comes too close just gets melted.

The problem with the skyguard is that its very hard to see from the air. You can hide under a tree or inside a building. You can get camo that makes you nearly impossible to see. Then when you start flaking someone they have no idea where its coming from. Most of the time since they nerfed hitmarkers you cant even tell which direction its in. Another problem with skyguard is that its terrible easy to use compared to an ESF, and its basically unkillable by an ESF unless the tank pilot is bad and that doesnt count.

Skyguard is a griefer weapon. Its like a max unit. When i encounter an air zerg and they shoot down my ESF i get a skyguard to get revenge. You can add on air fights from render range and completely ruin people's fun time its great. There is nothing more frustrating as an ESF pilot than to have constant flak spam at every spot of the map.

So now that ive set you right on that, there are some things that could be done to make life better for everyone. The skyguard should have its cof tightened considerably to help it perform better against infantry, but flak rounds should explode automatically at a set range, 500 or so meters imo. When im in the skyguard its silly how i can grief ESFS and LIBS, but i have almost no defense against an infantry with a rocket launcher at 50 meters.

Of course if there is a problem with air farming ground, ( i pound the ground a lot lately and i never die to rocket pods) then address that. But flak is so frustrating as a pilot it takes 42% of the fun out of flying.

You take something thats frustrating, (rocket pods vs infantry) and instead of just fixing that, you add lockons. Now you have 2 frustrating mechanics. You have people dying in a very unsatisfactory way from rocket pods who are frustrated, and now you have all these pilots who are frustrated. 2 wrongs don't make a right, as my momma used to say. Of course the F2P model encourages these frustrating game mechanics, just look at how many people spent money on lock on launchers, but in the end they diminish the player base and over the long term lose you more money than they make you.

Of course these frustrating game mechanics are all magnified for new players who have no idea how to avoid them and so that costs even more money. Its certainly not a long term solution by any means.

You already can do that...
You have 100,000 certs per character...


I do like your first idea. Along with that you could offer SC bonuses (I am thinking like 100 SC) for getting on after a new patch and Using whatever the new ability is a certain amount of times.

Or SC rewards for reporting bugs, every bug report is checked by a human. When they get it just click a yes it is a real bug (gift 5 SC to reporter or first time this bug has been reported gift 50-100 SC) reward people for helping the cause. The little 5 SC boost for reporting a bug can't cost you much at all. Unless they report a lot of bugs, in which case they are helping you a lot and may save you time and money in future bug fixing scrambles after they hit live and are found.

I would love if your update notes looked more like what League of Legends does when they release them. They explain what happened and why it happened.
Here is a recent example with Annie
We like Annie's versatility, but some of her base damage is too high for how she's currently being used. Our goal is to introduce more interesting choices in Annie's kit (particularly on that Disintegrate buff) as we looked for ways to buff her late game scaling when she builds more traditional AP items.



We've reduced Disintegrate's cooldown by half on any kill (champion or minion). We've also fiddled with Incinerate and Tibbers so they do less base damage but scale better with AP.


When they release their update notes they explain what the problem was, how they changed it, and what impact it should have on game play.

I love the New patch notes from Radar X with the different funny jokes and puns, would love to keep that but also have some of the thought behind why changes were made, and how you envision it will affect game play.

Hard to have a debate over what if you don't know the why.

Good compilation. Sounds like there are some hints in the OP that they may be thinking along some of these lines. Fingers crossed...