[Suggestion] Rework MBT Accessibility

Lightning should be 300, IMHO. It seemed weird to me that it was 350.

You have two options here. Vehicles can either be:

A. Strong and versatile, limited access.
B. Weak and disposable, fully accessible

They tried A in the early days. They wanted a system where they could create the "limited access" aspect while allowing every individual player equal access to it. That was eventually deemed impossible, so they took a shift towards B. Less accessibility is simply something that's not going to happen, and as a consequence, "tankier" tanks are not going to happen. The best thing we can ask for is more accessible tanks.So, I lied. A is not actually an option. If you want tanky tanks, PS1 is going to be populated over the next couple days. PS1 fit A, but only because they barred access to MBTs via the progression system. If you wanted to roll over everything in a tank, most players would have to sacrifice their ability to participate in other aspects of the game. They would have to give up their aircraft access or empire specific heavy infantry weapons, or even the reinforced exosuit if they were truly dedicated. PS2 has taken a radically different approach from that.

So, I propose we pick B and go into it full throttle. I would feel a lot less upset about losing my MBTs to C4 fairies if I I wasn't emotionally and economically invested into them.

I really wish it were A. I'm against giving MORE access to tanks. I'd rather more things get restricted access, not just MBTs, but MAXes and certain NS weapons.

I wouldn't mind making tanks more expensive, but tankier. I would also like to see a Tech Plant equivalent for MAX suits, and for new NS weapons to be unlocked via certain base captures.

This would solve two problems, the spammability of certain resource based pulls, and giving more incentive to hold bases. I know some people will complain about not having access to MAX suits or their favourite weapons, but I have no sympathy. If you want access, defend those bases. Don't want to bother holding those points? Tough.

Let derping around have consequences.

Things wouldn't play out well under those circumstances.

First things first, even if MBTs were the full 750 across the board, it wouldn't stop them from being spammed en-masse. The only thing you can do to prevent that is to lock them behind a pay wall or certification system like in PS1. It's very easy to romanticize the idea of the "boss fight" tanks, but in actual gameplay that just makes it miserable for everybody. Vehicles should be situational and disposable tools for a specific purpose, not all-powerful death machines.

Secondly, you don't incentivize behavior by making things less fun for not meeting certain conditions. That's just not how video games work anymore. The only thing you incentivize there is a log-off. The game's first year and a half proved this point many times over.

Neither tanks or airplanes in PlanetSide 2 kill tanks with a single damaging hit (as they could and often do in reality), so the rocket launchers available for infantry also need multiple hits to fit the rest of the game environment, and they need to be quite ineffective against the front.

And that's exactly how they work.
PS 2's equivalents of the Javelin, TOW, AT-4 and others are the AV MANA, Decimator, Phoenix, and Shrike, to name a few.

C4 is way out of this convention that mutliple hits by dedicated AT weapons are needed to kill an armored vehicle.

In fact it doesn't even fit in with gun or missile based high explosive charges- such as HE rounds, Bulldogs, frag grenades or rocket pods, all of which are less effective against armor than armor piercing weapons.

If PS2 were reality infantry would have to hit the rear or top of tanks with their missiles or do no damage, while standing completely still, and they'd have 1 shot to do it before that tank vaporizes them, anyone standing near them and the building their in if they miss. Also if anyone is in the room your fired the rocket from or behind you they will most likely die from the backblast.

Harassers are 150 nanites, an MBT 3 times as much, wth are you talking about?

on Esamir its not a problem, you can pull MBT at WG and reach anywhere within 3 min or less

Sure, the terminal price is 450 but keep in mind that MBTs are a dual crew vehicle. When you account for the ability to rotate pulls among the crew:

Flash - 50
Harasser - 75 (150, considering how hard it is to get a gunner for this thing)
MBT - 225
Liberator - 225 (150 if you have a dependable tail gunner)
Valk - 250 (again, hard to find gunners. If somehow you got a dedicated crew this would actually be ~40 Nanites)
Lightning & ESF - 350

Or when the faction in SW Indar steamrolls into Tawrich, while those in the north roll down to Crimson Bluff/Rashnu.
I've seen that sandwhich a few times too many.

You're in NE Esamir, don't have the tech plant, and are stuck in a grind at Saerro Listening Post.
The SW faction has the tech plant and are coming from Ymir with armour. Your faction wants to counter them with your own tanks, but you don't have a tech plant. To get MBTs down to Frostfall (whatever that base is called) takes a lot more than 3 mins.
This situation happens often.

When Ive seen this I thought: "Again one of those Vanguard avatar guys, its gonna suck".
But its a very good idea!!!

Sundy 250 for starters,
lightning 300,
mbt 400.

Infantry can destroy tanks beyond render range.....

Tanks were never tanky in this game.

Low pop faction would be at a major disadvantage with this.

Why?

The guy who proudly puts "Titan-150 AP || Rank: 4th" in his signature doesn't want tanks in this game.

Alriiiiight.

Just in case I haven't been clear enough in the OP: the end result of this suggestion would be that instead of having no option to pull an MBT outside a warpgate when you don't have a Tech Plant, you would instead be able to pull one at the cost of 750 resources.

Ohhh ok, so you're just crazy, most people who dedicate certs towards their vehicle of choice don't need to rotate nanites as they can live long enough to pull another one. The harasser is the only vehicle i treat as a throwaway since it can literally take 2 minutes to get your nanites back, lol.

Not that ANY of this matters or is an issue and this is thread about allowing a faction to still pull MBTs without getting one from their WG and driving a million miles, but hey you can pull a galaxy almost anywhere that has air terminals now, even though they move 4 times faster than a tank and can traverse from the WG to a fight in a minute or two, and they're now almost game breaking with a any platoon with a brain puking infantry constantly while sitting near flight ceiling.