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Old 2014-06-11, 10:14 AM   [Ignore Me] #85
Babyfark McGeez
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Re: Cont Lock finally?


In my opinion, base (and also continent) design is still the crucial flaw of PS2, and cont locks won't help there (allthough it's nice to finally see the core game mechanic come into play...took some bloody time). I last played in march, so i will just assume here they didn't magically change all bases in the past months.

Bases in PS2 have been designed in a non-linear fashion, clearly with TDM, conquest (BF) or domination (UT) modes in mind. PS1 bases on the other hand were more designed like an assault map (UT), linear with several, well seperated "stages" and an "arena" courtyard. Just compare videos of the two UT game-modes "Assault" (PS1) and "Domination" (PS2), and then look at the new, atrocious merry-go-round, AMP Station layout, you should recognize the problem.
Additonally in PS2 i don't recall many bases (except maybe biolabs) that offer a way to their own objective protected from vehicles / aircraft fire.
Those two flaws still existed in pretty much ALL bases. They did slooowly change some bases, but atleast on amerish that mostly resulted in stretching out bases and making defenders run even further through unprotected "arena" territory. The only base that, from a strategic viewpoint, was done well, was subterrenean something. It just felt horribly designed in every other aspect, confusing, cube-ish, full of elevator pads and with invisible "force fields"...oh boy...but the idea behind it was right.

And continent design itself is the other problem. They shot themselves in the foot so hard with the choice to friggin' handcraft every single area. I mean, that's just insane.
Some of the bases will barely ever see a fight anyways, and since size/number of continents is one of the most crucial points of PS and what's currently holding this game back it's just a mindbogglingly bad decision imo. It would have made much more sense to just find a couple of good (assault type) base designs, and copy+paste them over the landscape. You can allways change them later. Same goes for the landscape and terrain.

Sure it may look less gorgeous, but considering having many connected continents is the heart, the whole point if you will, of planetside (without them it's just "big maps"), i'd say it's necessary. I mean how long did it take them again to get out Hossin? Which is just continent number four i might add. Are there even any plans for the next one? When will we see Searhus hm?

Tl;Dr: Wrong priorities in the map design process (for a PS game) lead to the lack of continents, without which Planetside can't really work how it should/could. Same applies to bases, additionally the focus on TDM/Arena gameplay instead of Assault/Objective based gameplay results in pointless bases.
So even though i will probably check PS2 out again when cont locking is in, i don't see how cont locking can fix these underlying basic flaws in design and method. Next arena continent in 2016.

Last edited by Babyfark McGeez; 2014-06-11 at 10:36 AM.
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