VS MAX ZOE: Boycott

I here by ask all VS players to not get or use ZOE other outside the VR, until they make it something relatively interesting other then temporary stat-buff. Anything at all even a "back-pack" that gives a burst of speed for just 5m(in any direction) with a short cooldown would be more fun.

To be honest will all the ideas that I have read in the forum from players of all factions, giving the VS a "stat-buff" has an empire specific ability is nothing but a slap in the face.

Abilities and items should in my book be judged by the same standards has both are new in-game features, and to me this decision fails to do so.

Note: this is not a critique from a balance nature but from a concept point of view.

Yet, I've seen others looking forward to the ZOE module. Boycotting it is going to do squat, I'm afraid.

Well it was a strong word
But yeah, I'm not going to use it... rather have the default dash to be honest.

I will admit the ZOE actually make's sense for VS MAXs instead of the other empire MAX's. I got tired of the HAL0 4 double or quad damage on projectile weapons. My question was how do you make a bullet twice as powerful by just some glowing field around it. Going by the KE=(M/2)*V^2 that is impossible without effecting speed. But for energy weapons it makes more sense as W=Amps*Volts and then there is also the other laws.

I will admit that it is sort of out of the classic VS characterization which used to rely on mobility, versatility and range selection. However with Planetside 2, I realized that any all the old strengths and characteristics that the Planetside (1) empires had has been either removed or completely gone. (i.e. TR having heavier vehicles that were slower but tougher, and NC having more firepower)

It would be really cool if activating the ZOE increases the brightness and duration for the bullet tracers. Now that would be a lightshow.

I assumed that this thread would be protesting the OPness of the module... Sometimes people surprise me.

Your idea of a slap in the face sounds to me like borderline OP awesomeness that is completely unavailable to other factions... I mean... seriously? you think being able to move around potentially faster than infantry as a max is a cop out?... dude....

You haven't failed vanu, you have only failed yourself... oh, and vanu.

Edit: I will however be deeply dissapointed if the visual effect for the ZOE is not sufficiently amazingly awesome... I want to see teal wisps of energy seeping from the muscle fibers, I want it to look painful and unnatural... and by extension, flippin awesome.

If a fight is going well it was an ambush. And I am all about trying to get a fight to go well, and that means its all about the Alpha. ZOE will bring the alpha. I will be using ZOE and lockdown, though likely not the riot sheild, dash is too important to the shotguns ability to get in your face, might throw the sheild on the burster to see if its worth while to throw up when they rocket strafe you (cus ESFs still ahvnt figured out that their nosegun kills ya faster).

Well you can't really try to justify things with real formulas since its a futuristic sci-fi game, otherwise I could just say that then VS weapon being lasers should have no recoil what so ever since there shouldn't be a a "kick-back" associated with light emissions. Also I could justify that to increase a laser you would require more power, however MAX armor does not use energy for anything since unlike infantry they don't have a regenerating shield, thus using ZOE should have no impact in the MAX's armor which is purely physical... but all that is due to balance and beside the point.

The concept of giving something as simple as a mathematical increase has a empire specific ability is nothing but lazy, they didn't know what to give the VS and clearly they didn't even try to figure something out... but hey since they players can't spend SC on it why bother.

If this is the rout they are taking, they might as well just make all empires the same and just change their stats, just need to change a number in the Data-Base and voila... "new" ability.

PS: not really a fan of the naming either, "zealot" implies fanaticism... I'm all for technological improvement, being part of a cult however not so much. Considering the VS have the least population(overall) ostracizing us further isn't helping the cause.

VS is a cult.
The backstory says something about ascension to a higher form of being, or the like, I think that's rather religious.
I agree it's bland, and really a cop-out "We've got no ideas" kind of ability.
It does, however, make sense for the faction, being about tactical mobility.

Gotta I am pretty disapointed by the damage boost, that's an NC thing. I would have loved an extra accuracy boost for bursters and AI weapons. THAT would have been VS.

Given the number of interesting ideas posted in the suggestions thread I find it very disappointing.

Okay, some of the ideas would have required a lot of coding but they could have picked something interesting and more in keeping with the faction than this.

I get that some people feel like VS is getting the raw deal here. But I'd much rather have the proposed VS ability. Particularly the mobility portion, which was implied to be a little faster than standard infintry, which essentially counters of the MAX suits major weaknesses, even at the cost of damage resistance. I think that's pretty awsome.

My max is getting a one-direction Nano-mesh generator that locks my weapons on a MAX that's teathered to close quarters due to effective range fall-off, as well as frequent and lengthy reloads that necessitate sticking close to cover anyway... want to trade?

I think my overall problem with the ZOE is how it effects the player that chooses it. I personally hate 'stat buff' powers as they don't generally change how I play they just make it easier (for good or worse depending on your enjoyment) Now the speed will be nice but ultimately this only highlights an alpha strike but will (depending on numbers, I haven't been on test so feel free to correct me) make you die even faster which is bad since MAXs aren't free/renewable.

Basically looking at the other abilities, charge lets me get closer to a target or quickly go from cover to cover. Lockdown would mean I can change my playstyle and try to set up ambushes or choke-points. A shield means I can create a slow advance or lead a charge for my allies to get in with me. Both powers give me something different to do where as ZOE would be extra damage, I can try to chase someone down or flee a little better (though reduced armour means I'll die faster if I flee...) so it's only good for trying to advance on the enemy harder, something a MAX was always meant for, it doesn't give me a different job or fill a nitch, it just boosts my current job (again, this isn't exactly a bad thing but it's not exactly exiting and fun, to me at least)

I suppose lastly the problem I have with this (again I'd have to see the numbers such as duration, how much damage boost, armour loss and speed) is that a MAX already easily defeats just about any infantry 1 on 1. However this ease of combat drastically goes down as you fight more people. 2 on 1 can beat a max with some terrain abuse and this gets worse and worse the more you add. As such, an increase in damage will make the 1 on 1 incredibly MAX favored, but unless you can accurately target one target then the other, that armour decrease could actually increase the chance of victory for 2 or more infantry. The ZOE effectively doesn't change the battlefield, it just speeds up the outcome.

AV MAXs will be pretty OP with the ZOE but change nothing for infantry battles.

Personally I believe the ZOE should be an NS power for all MAXs. Its an overdrive at the expense of the suit's integrity which could easily fit TR or NC MAXes as well. A faction specific power should help you in every situation not just one. TR lockdown can easily destroy tanks, infantry and air with their firerate. NC shields will let them survive an attack from any direction (assuming they're facing in it) VS power will only really help with ambushes which against infantry doesn't really matter but vehicle pilots/drivers will be annoyed.

I admit I'm biased, I dislike number buffs as powers and personally was looking forward to a quick recharge short range all directional dash. It would let you dodge missiles, explosives, and help against in your face LAs and with the introduction of flamthrowers soon, would let you dash from cover to cover so you can unleash hell. Plus the VS MAX armour just screams jets of some sorts.

Mobility was a VS thing, that is why they had MAXs jumpjets and hover vehicles that can strafe and cross water. But yeah the harder hitting did seem like a NC thing but in Planetside 2 now the NC theme is being all tanky with the Vany shield and the Reaver. The TR wer the tough and heavy but now it is just rapid firepower. They have the best damage output in the game.

Funny how the Planetside 2 Devs mixed everything up with the empire traits from Planetside.

The kickback would be Newtons 3rd law, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Sure if you take a light or a laser the reaction is nothing powerful enough to feel any force pushing back due to other forces, but then again if you get hit by a laser pointer you still won't feel a thing. The most powerful laser would just burn you instead of transferring energy. But I do agree that the lasers in Planetside one act more like bullets then laser blasts. I keep adding jokes of a semi-auto and full-auto laser pointer being preposterous and should have switch from say pulse laser stream to a AP laser burst.

I am also against the concept of a simple stat increase. IMHO it seem lazy and overused. I am just grateful they didn't apply it to all empires and stuck with the energy weapons (though they still broke that rule when you got a VS burster MAX ) .

However many gamer when they take a look at function and balance they expect more of a digital game of arithmetic instead of say a game of balance. Take any RPG and health system, damage simply remove health points while healing items simply adds in health points (addition and subtraction), even with restoration kits and poison or burns that is simply damage over time vs healing over time so multiplication. It wasn't until fable 2 where you could heal yourself by simply eating food but if you continue to do that to push through you would en up fat, bulky and ponderous.

My main disappointment about the ZOE ability, is how uncreative it is, it is not the reason why I joined VS.

The magriders hover and strafe.

The lasher being the only automatic explosive infantry sidearm. Or the PPA vehicle varients for scythe and magrider.

The lancer/Saron being anti tank projectile weapons.


These are the reason you play vanu (and the lore obviously), you picked the purple spandex faction because they got to have the cool toys that TR and NC couldn't have.

A damage buff is not a fun new toy that 'the others can't have'. What would have been a very vanu thing would be something like:


Hover mode, while active you can strafe in all directions at full speed, instead of having the most speed when going forward.


The ability to change the kind of targets we can engage with our guns.

AI weapons being able to switch to armor piercing mode to annoy tanks and murder MAX units. (armor piercing rounds being a throwback to the original planetside)

AV weapons getting a rapid fire HE fire mode that does nothing to vehicles (lashers essentially)

AA getting, I dont know.. They're NS flak cannons :-/ (If only we had the starfire)


A sniper mode where you only use one of your guns, but gain incredible accuracy and a zoom.


In short: Something more creative than just a direct power buff, something to make TR/NC jelly <_<..

Well i think its to early to complain about something we have not even tested yet.

Why am I against ZOE? Because it reduces MAX protection, this is at a minimum. Based on the huge number of ideas, albeit more than half of them are stupid, I think it was possible to create something useful. Something Vanu-like, something that adds to Vanu MAXes and Vanu infantry exactly what they need.
Also, MAX with lower armor taking damage faster, but repair speed will still same? Not fun.
Here my post from MAX revamp, how i see it:

Can't edit. Also, weak MAX are useless on defence and MAX Crash.

Hover & strafe, gimme !
Nuff said.

This is seriously lazy. The ZOE is just a few number changes on the stats page, NC get a badass looking shield and TR will no doubt get a cool lockdown animation. We get.... different numbers inputted to the weapon database thing.