Idea threads are usually for brainstorming and idea collaboration - someone who joins a thread half way through doesn't take on the full responsibility of providing a 100% complete idea for another singular forum goer to approve of or deny. Bounce Ideas around that you think would solve the problems you listed instead of just going:
You say heavy tanks have absolutely no reason for existing in planetside... Why? Heavy tanks can and have served their purpose very well in real life and other videogames. Elaborate on why you think they have no redeeming value in Planetside2. oh-- and what of this conversation is not on paper? no one can say they've playtested it to see if it is as awful as you say it is off paper. One thing people could say is they've played other games with heavy tanks that work just fine on balance.
---The way I see it
Pros:
1) Heavy Armor
2) Heavy main gun
Cons:
1) Poor Maneuvering and Speed
2) Massive weight and/or size limits where the heavy tank would be able to travel (inability to climb steep hills or pathways wide enough for other tanks but tricky for heavies)
2) Slow reload time on main gun
3) Limited field of fire for main gun
4) More expensive than a MBT
Additional possibilities:
1) Defensive abilities that affect nearby infantry and/or vehicles
-----This could work like the Paladin from UT2k4 or that tank from Ground Control 2 - giving the tank this ability would of course require the trade-off of less firepower.
2) Further dampening the strength of the main gun without making it a peashooter by creating a dedicated driver to necessitate good teamwork.
Strong against stationary targets such as base turrets and enemy tankers silly enough to never move. Weak against most other things due to slow main gun and poor agility. Even though heavy tanks would have trouble with agile targets, they still mitigate or draw fire from teammates. Depending on the strength of the mounted MG's it could have pretty atrocious ability to counter air vehicles...How is this impossible to balance? I think you're creating obstacles that don't have to exist.
Feel free to bounce ideas around- that goes for anyone. Lets give SOE as many ideas to work with as we can