Some thoughts on the current state of the game and the developement direction

Discussion in 'PlanetSide 2 Gameplay Discussion' started by Xebov, May 5, 2014.

  1. Xebov

    Im playing the game now since release and i have a strong feeling that the current developement direction will elad nowhere. If i look at the roadmap i see alot of features brought in that will not solve the issues the game has and i also see that entries that could give some solutions to some problems are getting pulled back.

    From the current developement direction we wwill see Hossin together with a "temporary Solution" for Continent Locking. From my experience with the Dev team i can guess that this temporrary solution will stay way longer then expected. Somewhere later we will see the Continent Locking itself and some new Alert types. The Resource System however is somewhere later.

    From what i see the game has several big issues:

    Bugs and Issues

    We currently have alot of Bugs in the game, and the number of Bugs and Issues that are Gamebreaking increased rapidly over the past ~6 months. One of the biggest Issue is the x64 Client that still doesnt work correctly for some players, some of my Outfitmembers even stopepd playing because of its instability. Bugs range from wrong rendering (Flying Objects like Buildings, Tech Plants or Rocks that are not used to be there), over Equipment not working correctly (GSD, AI Mines), to data not showing at all (Capture Points in bases) and Data shown wrong (Gens Status and Squad vehicles on Minimap).

    New Player Experience

    This game lives from new players coming in. Sadly most of them dont stay and some of us are not suprised why. The game is very complex, but it doesnt offer any good tutorials. The Tutorial given to new characters is mostly a Basic Tutorial for FPS, so it gets skipped. The game doesnt have special tutorials on certain points to show players how to handle the complexety or where they can get more information on certain parts of the game.

    Base Design

    The Base Design is a major issue in the game and it lacks consistency. The number of AA/AV/AI Turrets is completely random, ranging from none to a total overkill. The spawn room and alternative spawn rooms are very close together at some bases, leading to the same path to a point no matter what room you take. For some bases the no deploy areas are complete garbage, leading to defenders having longer ways to points then the attackers. Also worth mention is that most bases can still be shelled and some are completely defenceless against Air.

    Weapon Variaty

    If i take a look at the developement of new weapons, i can see that most new weapons where made for CQC combat. Since CQC weapons are mostly build around Advanced Laser sights, there is a real lack of weapons for ADS users, since weapons with Advance Forward Grips are rare and most CQC weapons lack 2x Reflex Scopes for them (anyone knows why?).


    The developement direction should be changed to address those issues. For some of them you allready have solutions that either never came, or got pushed back alot on the roadmap. What i think should be done:

    Fix the Bugs and solve the Issues, so players can keep playing and can rely on tehre tacticts to work and not may work depending if it gets buggy or not(looking at you GSD an AI Mines).

    Get the Resource update out ASAP and push Hossin and the Continent lock back. The Resource System is needed. We have pop issues on nearly every server and the current underpop Bonus on resources doesnt help here. 50% more of nothing is still nothing. The new system would help underpops to do successfull pushes out of Warpgates and would also get players into leaving there vehicles and help as infantry as they could get new ones after a base gets captured.

    Add more Information for new players either by building advanced tutorials or linking them to information on the forums or wiki etc.

    Rework the Bases by fortifying them. Add better walls to prevent vehicle entry and introduce the dome shields that have been on test long ago, maybe add gens to them so they can act as an objective. Move alternative Spawn rooms so they can be used for alternative paths, maybe add some tunnels. Open the alternative Spawns up for spawning so players unaware of teleporters can use them. Streamline the number of AA/AV/AI turrets to prevent overkill that some bases have, but enable them to be defended. Bases should become an Infantry ground that needs Infantry to enable Vehicle support (for example by dsiabling a dome shield or open up gates). Also add more Objectives for different Classes (like Hackable Gateshields or Bridges).

    Work on the Guns and add some more support for ADS players, add missing 2x Reflex and NV scopes. Rework some of the accurate guns (Battle Rifles for example) to be on paar and not stay behind interms of TTK. Give some more 0.75 Movement ADS weapons to the Factions.
    • Up x 2
  2. Maljas23

    We get a version of this kind of thread every week it seems. If you guys keep asking SOE to go back and "Fix"(stuff that is broken based on your own opinion) stuff, new content will be limited. People complain about the lack of new content yet also complain that things currently in-game are broken. Its getting kind of crazy :\.
    • Up x 2
  3. Brahma2

    You spelled variety wrong.
  4. Goden


    The horror!
    • Up x 1
  5. Tbone

    Fix current things, than add new content.Make the substructure first than put up the roof ,not inversely.
    • Up x 1
  6. Xebov

    If core mechanics dont work, how should new conent work out? Have you ever tried to capture or defend a base where half of your Squad cant see the status of the points? Or where you ever flying around when the game suddenly started to render buildings into mid air? Or have you ever tried to get a Squad into an Ampstation just to notice that your GSD Sunderer cant go through the shield? These are the annoying Bugs with the core of the game. Having stuff like Hossin out wont fix those.

    Also im not talking about to stop all developement, im asking to put more effort into getting things working and get content out that solves some issues the game has.
    • Up x 3
  7. Bl4ckVoid

    I do not think people leave because of the perceived complexity. PS2 is not that complex, any MMORPG is more complex It is an FPS, you go out and shoot the enemy. Very easy to start this game.

    What drives new players away is dying to infiltrators and vehicles. Imagine your first battle where a Lib is farming above you. Or a first battle where you stand still for 2 seconds and die instantly. Or SMG infiltrator shooting you in the back. NOT FUN.
    Having to constantly move due to snipers is not fun either.

    These are the basic design flaws that are obvious right away to any new player, yet they are kept. Not only this, but infiltrators get constant improvements, the next one is scout radar not detecting them while stationary. SOE is lucky that the competition is asleep.
    • Up x 1
  8. Forkyar24

    Soe already does that with out researching on their own, that's how the game is dumned down already and will keep going that way.
  9. Bl4ckVoid

    I disagree about the dumbing down, what changes are dumping down the game?
  10. Forkyar24

    disagree all you want its the truth, the real question is what hasn't.
  11. Maljas23


    Why do people on this forum not understand that "FUN" is subjective, and that using it to try and back up your argument actually helps kill it without anyone else saying anything?
  12. Bl4ckVoid

    Yeah, I guess some people like being farmed by liberators and we all love how we constantly have to dance to avoid sniper headshots . Especially new players. I do not think that this is subjective at all, these things suck, plain and simple. It is obvious that you just want to keep your easy-mode, cert-farming gameplay.

    If these are kept in the game, the tutorial should explain:
    - due to sniper fire you always have to move, non-stop
    - due to liberators not having any counters - use redeploy if you find yourself in a situation where a low pop base has a liberator overhead

    If bad design is kept, then at least explain it to newbies.
  13. Maljas23


    "Fun" being subjective isn't an opinion. It is a fact. Your fun and my fun are likely very different things. Don't confuse your opinion with a fact.

    I forgot that hand-holding is the norm these days. Believe it or not, there was a time where people would think and act by themselves, without any guidance. That time has clearly passed.

    I'm ignoring your "EASY MODE" comment for the sake of keeping this thread on-topic.
  14. Goretzu

    CTD is what's killing it for me. :(
  15. z1967

    Yeah, happens every other play session. Coincidentally it also seems to be related to heavy frame drops from Lib zergs and stupidly large amounts of flak :|
    • Up x 1
  16. Yaesu



    Yes. The VERY THING that's removed "the fun" from PS2 for me, is the infiltrators. They can't battle their way in on another class. Lets jump on an infiltrator, sneak up behind them, and shoot or melee them in the back. Total BS. I've seen a bunch of people complain about it, but what does SOE do about it? Buff up the infiltrators. This is just one of the things that's BROKEN with PS2. Weapon balance.....or, LACK OF, being another.

    What's "current" is what needs to be fixed. If you wish customers to keep paying, fix the things that'll keep them happy. Why bother upgrading to anything else, when we all know that will only be broken to.
  17. Xebov

    Liberators have enought counters. They just need to fortify the bases so they have 1 or 2 AAs by default to handle them. The Problem is that for new players there is no resource free option available and Bases are build like the military guys didnt expect any Air to show up.
  18. squarebug

    quite fubar. ontop of that the prices for items are insanely high and the last sale was 2 months ago
  19. Dead soldier

    i'd say the airgame but then I think of coyotes...