Test Server Update Notes : 7/1

Ah, glad to see the incompetent and just plain dumb soe we all know and love are back, after their only successful major update in a year. Those tank changes are probably literally the dumbest thing you guys have ever considered and...that's saying a lot. Thanks for letting me know to stay unsubscribed though, was almost interested in playing again.

Same. They seem completely incapable of realizing they need to reduce tank numbers. Not nerf tanks into oblivion which they've been doing repeatedly for 2 years.

which happens to be probably the hardest thing to do in a persistant FPS MMO


go ahead, lets hear your solution to lower the number of tanks

let me go get popcorn

Exactly. They didn't say AP was a problem (it isn't) but nerfed it anyway. HEAT and HE could have direct hit damage increases though.

Is 8 meter splash really necessary to hit infantry? Never mind near misses or, heck, even badly aimed shots, 8 meter splash was enough to aim in completely the wrong place and still hit your target. Or to shoot large groups of infantry and still have redundant splash left over; wasted firepower.

It was excessive and the weapon can't be made more powerful without reducing that. And that's exactly what they're doing by reducing reload time. Splash won't even be missed unless you were trying to hit people behind cover and that will still be possible to a lesser extent.


I expect some people will appreciate the gap between free and paid players being reduced. It's not as though the weapons functioned differently and we're losing any interesting gameplay, the stats will just be closer. SOE are being pushed that way for balance because we have 3 weapons filling 2 roles. HEAT is a middle-ground that will inherently feel close to the alternatives.

Variety and interesting purchases would be better achieved with new tank weapons.

Only if infantry have flak armor, or rocket splash damage, which is a good start at least.

which is RARE.


Also forumside overhyped it.

But its not a game breaking issue.


you yourself JUST stated the most common scenario for why people get rocketed by accident.

IT HAS.

which are completely unneeded.

Instead of nerfing the launchers they should have buffed flak armor and made it so it also effected primary target damage not just splash.

rocket primarying is a FALSE problem.

you are more likely to die to a teammate then to a enemy rocket.

The answer here is the important change for gameplay right now: The Resource Revamp. Less spam / zergs.

It should have been way higher priority.

Don't get me wrong, I think it would be good for Flak armor to protect against direct hits on infantry by rocket launchers. But I don't think decreasing rocket launcher's damage values against infantry targets on top of making Flak armor more useful is the right way to go about it. People should have to make more stark decisions - do I want to survive explosive damage easier or do I want my shields to recharge faster or do I want to be able to absorb more small arms fire? If you choose one you should have to sacrifice something else. It's the same with the tank cannons that already exist. If you're using AP, you're doing it because you intend to fight other vehicles. If you're choosing HEAT, you're making the conscious decision to sacrifice the ability to kill either infantry or vehicles as effectively as you could in order to be able to have a chance against both. And if you've chosen HE then the advantages and drawbacks of that should be pretty clear.

The cannons as they are now do a fairly good job at fitting the roles they were designed for, with a few minor exceptions. Magrider main cannons cannot kill ESFs with just one hit, HEAT main cannons aren't used as often because they sacrifice too much direct damage over AP so better tank drivers tend to use AP for almost all occasions (including yours truly) and HE is a mixed bag. HE cannons are either good or they're not. But that doesn't matter when multiple HE tanks are shelling the same target. Ultimately though it's not the HE cannon that is the problem for infantry but how easy it is for any tank to fire into bases where honestly they shouldn't be able to fire into. It's base design that needs more tweaking. (Honestly, who thought putting hills right next to tower bases was a good idea?)

well the OHK ESFs.........its an ESF



and your a tank


pick a weapon suited for the role of AA


for the rocket launchers, they shouldnt be an option to use against infantry at all

yes we can argue about how in real life, a shaped charge in an AT4 or AT5 would obliterate your chest or face, but this isnt IRL and its not fun to be killed by rocket primary noobs who run around not even trying to aim and get better at the game

at leas PA shotguns require aim to OHK

So tanks shooting down ESFs, something that takes a lot of time, practice and skill to be able to do, is not okay, but pump actions are okay?

A 2/2 fully certed out MBT that costs 450 resources and is manned by skilled and experienced players can be completely shut down by an average player in an ESF that costs 250 resources and only has Hornets/Rockets equipped.

a PA shotgun is meant to OHK infantry


shooting down ESFs with a cannon on a tank is a side effect of it being a cannon on a tank and it being an ESF

i honestly dont have a problem with ESFs being shot down with tank cannons, but you cant balance a tank cannon around something that its not really intended to do

Was a bit shocked and perplexed when I first read this but it's been a minute or so and I think I see it now, look forward to seeing the changes, keep up the good work!

Edit: actually the more I think about it the more I like it, it's a really good idea, hopefully the community doesn't put up too much resistance.

Lets see the number of solutions that have been suggested and never actually even considered.

Suggestions made all the way back in beta...
PS1 Cert system for vehicles. AKA you can only use X many vehicles at any given time.

Dedicated driver dedicated gunner.

Tank driver controls the secondary gun instead of the primary. Reducing the number of 1/2 tanks.

Increase vehicle cost greatly. Outfit specialization reducing cost of specific vehicles.

And probably a dozen more I can't even remember since anyone with creative ideas lost interest two years ago.

My Vanguard being able to shoot down ESFs effectively while a Magrider can't is basically ********.

I really don't care whether or not it was intended, but it turns out to be an extremely enjoyable and unique thing to do, and something that often saves your life. The Magrider has the lowest angle of elevation, the slowest velocity, and now it can't even OHK.

what.....what is wrong with you?

These changes are completely baffling and stupid.

Who do you think this patch is aimed at? I'll give you a hint: what's the typical BR of the the players that get REPEATEDLY KILLED AND FARMED with explosives? When people try PS2 for the first time, they want to have fun. Its an exercise in frustration to get blown up at every single exit and have ZERO chance at fighting back at early battle ranks.

"Well then they need to redeploy to another base and regroup."

Or they will just uninstall and never come back? If SOE pissed you tankers off to the point of quitting (which you won't) you guys will STILL come back for a major update. New players with a bad taste in their mouth from the first 30 minutes of the game? Not so much.
I would trade 1 pro tank driver for 10 newbies if I could.

It is the "ProMLG1337" tankers that are so incredibly toxic to the new player experience. They always seems to find that one spot up on a hill where they can fire over the blast walls and farm all day, and not a damn thing the player can do about it.

THEN WHY DON'T THEY JUST BUFF FLAK ARMOR?????

They did back in PU02.

no they didn't.

Buff tanks, wait for resource revamp = problem solved. Right now tanks are throw away vehicles that are worth 200-250 resources tops not 450. They need to be buffed to match the cost. Or you could buff tanks even further but max out the resource cost.

Except: Get rocket launcher, Engineer turret, use teamwork, use tank mines, C4, base AV turrets, gun for someone, etc. Yea there's nothing you can do to stop a tank at all.