Tank drivers acting as gunners in PS2 - Page 23

Aurmanite · 2012-02-18, 03:02 PM

I have never had a character that didn't have the tank certs and I spent a whole lot of time driving tanks. The absolute worst part of driving was the lack of control over the quality of your gunner. I usually had my roommate gun and we had instant communication, but there were loads of times when I had outfit members or even randoms gun. Quite often the experience was very poor. In the end I stopped pulling tanks unless I knew I could get a competent gunner in it.

Separation of the driver/gunner roles kept the number of tanks on the field in check. This is the main concern I have about driver gunning; there's gonna be a few tanks around.

All of that said, I'm happy that there will always be a surgical gunner at the helm every time I pull a tank.

SuperMorto · 2012-02-18, 03:13 PM

I think one of the biggest changes in PS2 will be the terrain. Its been said before by the devs, that some bases will be very hard to get to by tank. So aircraft will take a bigger role. And visa-versa. i think they are designing the game to make you do more than just one thing. Every base will be a different story, unlike PS1.

Xaine · 2012-02-18, 03:14 PM

Thanks for the people linking the other threads, I just hadn't seen one in a whole.

Also Firefly, I understand the change. I agree all the other people getting the kills was annoying when it was you that certed the bloody thing. However, I think that this is where Planetside differs from CoD. You don't work as a team in CoD, not really - this is coming from someone who plays FPS shooters competitively.

"I'll cover you" is code for "I'll wait until someone kills you, and then kill them".

The MMO part of Planetside is where the teamwork part comes in, healers in MMOs don't get to kill stuff, but they get rewarded for it.

I think the old Planetside promoted teamwork much better than this one (from my very narrow view of PS2, so I could be very wrong). You can get as many kills as you want, but if you lose your base because the other team is working better as a group - you still lose.

In many way I think the tank change epitomises the direction that PS2 is taking. The removal of teamwork, making the individual more powerful - again, I could be very wrong, but this isn't really a change I like.

Warborn · 2012-02-18, 03:15 PM

Having people learn a skill that enables them to chauffeur someone else around while that someone else gets big kills using cool tank guns is not a good way of handling things.

One thing to bear in mind is that vehicles cost resources to pull this time around. Maybe a tank will be able to do some damage with just the one driver/gunner, but maybe the tank's main gun won't be effective against infantry this time. Maybe its secondary gun will. And maybe the tank will be expensive enough that rolling into battle without a way to defend yourself against groups of infantry which are trying to hit you in the sides/rear with AV weapons will be a mistake you can't afford to make often.

Originally Posted by Xaine

The MMO part of Planetside is where the teamwork part comes in, healers in MMOs don't get to kill stuff, but they get rewarded for it.

Teamwork is cool, but so is fun gameplay. Being a tank driver just wasn't all that fun. Being a tank driver/gunner is fun. The teamwork portion comes when the developers actually balance the tanks around having a function greater than "kills literally everything on the ground using its main gun with ease".

Xaine · 2012-02-18, 03:28 PM

That's true, it wasn't handled brilliantly. But then I played VS so if I was driving a Mag I actually had a gun to use - so maybe my opinion is slightly invalid regarding tanks as a whole.

That's also what I was thinking, if the main gun isn't that effective against infantry then it will be ok. But then, Vanguard/Prowler shells could one shot infantry with an indirect hit (possibly not the prowler, but the fire rate made up for that). I think it'd also been said that the main guns can still do that. I just have this picture in my head of single man vanguards running around going trololol raping everything with one shot.

AncientVanu · 2012-02-18, 03:37 PM

I've only played games where the driver is also firing the main gun, and it's been like that since Battlefield 1942. And I like it that way.

Mentioning the effectiveness against infantry, it would be great if we get to choose loading an AP or HE ammo, but sadly I don't think it's going to happen. It would have given the tanks much more versatility though.

Graywolves · 2012-02-18, 03:37 PM

As a driver and a gunner I prefer the roles being segregated but I'm also aware that this dampens the solo player's experience.

Warborn · 2012-02-18, 03:40 PM

None of the vehicle guns they've described have been good against everything. The lightning has either an anti-vehicle cannon, an anti-infantry cannon, or an anti-air cannon. I don't imagine the tank will be much different, although it won't have an anti-air cannon (the lightning was described as taking over the function of the skyguard).

Either way, not having someone gun for your tank will be a liability, and if the tank is expensive then people are going to want it to be as able to defend itself as possible. There just wouldn't be any reason not to have a gunner.

Originally Posted by AncientVanu

Mentioning the effectiveness against infantry, it would be great if we get to choose loading an AP or HE ammo, but sadly I don't think it's going to happen. It would have given the tanks much more versatility though.

I think they'll have either a slower-firing, less/no splash anti-armor cannon, or they'll have a more rapid firing gun that shoots explosive rounds which are dangerous to infantry. Giving the tanks separate shells for one gun wouldn't really solve the problem at all, but making them choose between one type of gun over the other would let the vehicle be flexible but still make it have some real vulnerabilities.

Xaine · 2012-02-18, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by AncientVanu

I've only played games where the driver is also firing the main gun, and it's been like that since Battlefield 1942. And I like it that way.

Mentioning the effectiveness against infantry, it would be great if we get to choose loading an AP or HE ammo, but sadly I don't think it's going to happen. It would have given the tanks much more versatility though.

That's a great idea actually. Different ammo for tanks would be cool. Different ranges, more or less damage, bonuses against different targets.

Aurmanite · 2012-02-18, 03:43 PM

The main turrets on the tank are likely to work the same way they did in the original. The secondary guns, however, have been confirmed to be customizable.

Warborn · 2012-02-18, 03:46 PM

You think different ammo types is a great idea, and yet you started a thread about your concern that one-man MBTs could be too powerful. Does not compute.

Xaine · 2012-02-18, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by Graywolves

As a driver and a gunner I prefer the roles being segregated but I'm also aware that this dampens the solo player's experience.

I agree, but with respect to solo players. This is a teamwork focused game. Its what makes Planetside great. You can play a lone wolf Sniper, cloaker, air cav, lightning or whatever. I really don't think this should spread to MBTs.

If people want to be able to do everything on their own, then they're looking at the wrong game. That's the point of an MMO, right? The community and interacting with other people. If people want to play solo 100% of the time, then there are several games that cater to that.

IMO, Planetside should not be one of them.

Xaine · 2012-02-18, 03:51 PM

Originally Posted by Warborn

You think different ammo types is a great idea, and yet you started a thread about your concern that one-man MBTs could be too powerful. Does not compute.

Since when has more customisation been a bad thing. I'm not suggesting you should be able to switch between 19 different ammo types on the fly as different targets pop up, obviously.

You should be able to hold one type at a time. If you want to be good at killing infantry then ok, you should get annihilated against another tank.

I'm sure you could have worked all that out on your own, you're a clever chap. Did I really need to make this post?

Warborn · 2012-02-18, 03:54 PM

Don't get your frilly little pink panties in a wad, I'm not looking to get into an eFight with you, champ. You didn't specify it would be an issue of only holding one at a time, and that's not what Ancient Vanu suggested. That's kind of an important distinction to make.

Xaine · 2012-02-18, 04:00 PM

Originally Posted by Warborn

Don't get your frilly little pink panties in a wad, I'm not looking to get into an eFight with you, champ. You didn't specify it would be an issue of only holding one at a time, and that's not what Ancient Vanu suggested. That's kind of an important distinction to make.

I'm not try to get into a fight with you either, 'champ'. My frily pink panties are in perfect order, thank you. I was just pointing out that I wouldn't suggest an idea that would directly conflict with my original post. That would be a little silly, would it not? Hence me asking why I'd have to point that out. Either way, I apologise.