The new spawn system look awesome

Sorry if I'm late to the party on this, but I just read through DBG's proposal and really dig it. Here's a link if you guys missed it.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/8re3b6/spawn_revamp_design_doc/

Sounds awful, in my opinion.

Wave spawns don't work for a game like PS2, they just don't. In Red Orchestra 2 for example, it fits in well with the very short TTKs and team-oriented gameplay. Even in pure deathmatch players will spawn close to allies and won't live very long without being brought back. But even then, the system is inherently flawed and can be very frustrating.

In PS2, it's going to be a line of HE lightnings on a hill just waiting for each wave.

And removing the ability to spawn in a base with more than 55% allies or 96+ players? WHY!? First of all one of the only things PS2 has going for it is large dynamic fights. And secondly, not every player in the hex is even actively playing, let alone in the base. How many times now does the game make it hard to spawn on a base because it's 55%/45%, but about half of the allied forces are in a PMB half a kilo away?

And then just dumb **** like spawning into open vehicle slots. Better hope your gunner is in a squad with you, otherwise he's getting replaced as soon as he jumps out to repair. Likely by a BR1-15... We all know how effective gunners they are.

Or what if I hit join combat and it dumps me into the Mjolnir on a Vanguard perched up a hill 200 meters away? So I can waste another 20 secs trying to spawn on the actual base this time?

It's like these people don't even play their game, but this one was posted by Wrel. As far as I'm aware he still makes YouTube videos of PS2, which would obviously require him to play the game.

I don't like any of it. They had damn well better think it through and implement it carefully on PTS first. And maybe this time listen to feedback.

This.

"PlanetSide 2 is a Massively Multiplayer first person shooter that delivers truly epic, massive combat on a scale never before seen"

We all know they've pushed massive fights, we also know the servers are incredibly stressed. So then making an effort to spread out the population instead of consolidate it must mean that too many players in one area is a cause of some serious server problems.

As far as getting to fights, this would really only stop you from getting to extremely lopsided "fights", which is a good thing. Of course except for the platoon vs platoon situation, but again, that seems like a necessary change till the servers are fixed or upgraded, as right now many people are taking a break from this unplayable latency.

Waves. Yeah, this one we'll have to test. But I can say that I'm sick of capping a base just to have a platoon rush from the spawn in the last few seconds and wipe us out of nowhere. Waves seems like it would gradually ramp up a fight, without that rush of instant, fight-ending rush we currently get out of nowhere.

No deploy to fights under 12 players. I love this. Small squads will have to take their own transport to attack and to defend. It's great.

Stopping zergs. This part is especially great. You'll still get armor convoys, but without infantry being able to redeploy to the next base, they'll have to get a ride or direct deploy to a fight where they'll actually be useful. There still won't be any waiting around.

Most of this is brilliant, and could lead to the best patch this game has likely ever seen.

100% Agreed! Let’s just pray they implement it well!

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The servers are so ******* awful and useless they'd still struggle in 12v12s. They crap out when standing in an empty base as is.

This would also stop players from actually reaching fights where they could help, instead forcing players to waste even more time or continue to spawn in the same place they're trying to leave. All it does is screw players over and try as hard as it can to stop them from actually playing the game.

Waves as I understand it would literally enforce spawn rushes. If it is as I think it is, it basically creates a spawn queue, where everyone who dies is placed into. The queue, once it reaches zero seconds, will spawn everyone in the queue. This can mean one player, this can mean 20 players. In larger fights, it's all but guaranteed to have minizergs flushing out of spawnrooms nearly all of the time. Chokepoint simulator 2019™.

Ghostcaping 4 lyfe. Because no one can spawn on the "contested" bases to recap them.

Infantry get punished for existing in a hex with vehicles, sounds great. Otherwise it'll be singing "the wheels on the bus go round" for a couple minutes every time they die in the fight.

Ultimately this game needs more spawn options, not less. If players were disallowed or discouraged from large fights there would be little reason to even play and little to call "PlanetSide." If I wanted to play a squad vs squad FPS I'd have dozens upon dozens of much better games to play instead.

If these changes went live I honestly don't know if I'd even play anymore. In my opinion these changes are unredeemable.

I like the idea of wave spawn, as it will make random noob player not come one by one to the slaughter.

I like the new spawn system : it's better to have more fight in different area than a huge 96+ that kick your FPS to the groin while other area need to be ghostcapped.
Also, one of the new system goal look like containing noob via "you are not needed here" message while not forbidding platoon to use logistic to have the number advantage.

Finally, drop pod will be back.

A good video I found on Reddit with 2 key suggestions that NEED to be implemented in this system.

1. Only consider populations within a certain radius of the base, disregarding all players in the hex not involved in the base fight, such as players fighting at a player-made base.
2. Instead of a population cap for spawning set at a rigid 96 players, let each base have their own unique population cap. Some bases fight better with 48 total players, and some larger 3-point bases really shine with 2 platoons on each side.

He does mention incorporating more offensive spawn options, but I don't see this as a necessity, as countering a mindless zerg on the roll has always been the problem, not getting a push going.

Where this system falls short is addressing some of those fights where you flat out need pop to take the base, such as Crown and Indar Ex, but I see that as something that can only be solved through base design.

I hope that's not the case. I read in to it that waves would apply to new players spawning in to the area, but that mechanic does need to be clarified. And if it is how you imagine, then that is definitely a bad thing. You're absolutely right that without defenders respawning right back in to combat it would be too easy to rush spawn rooms. On the flip side, if that applies to attackers, then those impossibly killed sunderers would be easier targets. Either way, this is a buff to suicide C4/mine attacks and a buff to medics and more tactical play, so I'm looking forward to any change.

I hope so too. It's a mixed bag but usually it doesn't work out in one's favour, or so it may seem.

I suppose you do have a fair point though, can't say it'd be the absolute worst thing ever but I still don't think it'd mesh well with PS2.

I meant it's a NERF to suicide attacks, not a buff. Not enough coffee. While I agree with most that we need to keep downtime to a minimum, it would be nice if infantry wasn't completely disposable.

It sounds like the spawn-limiting hands the advantage to coordinated squads. Obviously that's not a bad thing, because coordination should be rewarded, but it shouldn't be by locking out opponents. The system dissuades new/solo players from supporting fights against coordinated opponents, who can effectively keep the hex's pop within 10% difference unless another organized squad intervenes.

Say 18 highly organized players do a point hold, then 22 solo players of varying skill level are allowed to spawn and defend the base. A difference of four players probably isn't enough to overcome coordinated attackers, but with this system, any further solo defenders can't spawn at the base. Organized play should be encouraged, but DBG should add further noob-herding mechanics to go alongside it.

For example, a mechanic allowing Galaxy pilots to designate themselves as transport, and allow direct spawn-from-map for non-squad members, as long as the gal is X distance away from combat. That sort of thing would allow experienced players to directly help new and solo players.

At some point people need to put on their big boy pants, realize that teamwork is OP, and use one of the many ways the game provides to group up. As for herding the noobs, that's exactly what this system does, it puts them at a fight where their faction needs population, while at the same time limiting the snowball effect of the players they're fighting against, who up until this proposal would simply grow, and grow, and grow till you've got 3+ platoons in a completely unopposed zerg steamrolling to the warpgate. So theoretically they won't go up against an unbeatable monster like we currently see.

That's just not something I would bet on, lol

Sounds like it was only half thought through.

Wave spawns mean that HE and Explosive spam can easily be timed to kill half of the wave when they come out.

Spawning in open vehicle seats means that i get mister smart pants into the gunner seat of my stealth vanguard that starts shooting anything that moves because my gunner is repping. Or that my spawn in position gets blocked because teh system decided to place a BR5 in there.

Spawn time increases means i get penalized for having more ppl for defending. I can already immagine the fun if i have more randoms against organized squads and get spawn penalty, or get penalty because half the enemy force is still hexes away and it gets easy for them to push the points.

Tactics during alerts to win are also going down the drain with it.

I can also already see the squads that try to get into a fight together without having 1min spawn penalty...

Nah this is just really good to be honest. You're all insane for thinking 90% of these negatives will actually occur in game situation and the only thing I'm concerned with is the squad waypoint situation for <12 people because with briggs in mind, 12 people is a full scale battle. We only get 60 or so people per faction in peak gameplay. Might even be that none of this "hard spawn" stuff applies to our server at all.

Isn't that blatantly ignoring the premise?

I

I suppose. I'm just sick of the meta of repeatedly flailing yourself with some sort of explosive at the enemy. I'd sacrifice a little bit of up time to limit that ***** ****.

How about Mr Smart Pants locks his tank? Or sets it to squad/platoon? Bam, problem solved. No more whining necessary.