Confirmed: 9 Sanctuaries at launch.

[Stardouser]

I know this idea is crazy and probably even idiotic, but in the event it might inspire someone else to think of something that's related but actually works, I'm putting it out there:

OK. so we're going to have 3 continents per server, unknown number of servers. Maybe it will start with 3? So...assuming 3...what if the servers were arrayed so that when you log in, you can spawn at the footholds of your server's 3 continents, and ONLY those footholds, just like you expect...but you can use warpgates to travel to the continents of the other 2 servers in your array? You cannot bind in the other 2 servers, and if you log out while at one you are returned to your own. This would be kinda, sorta, like invading an alternate universe...

Put another way, this would be almost like having a server array where there are 3 separate versions of each faction, for a total of 9 different empires, except, obviously, you will be allied with your doppelganger empire, able to use their equipment, etc. If you capture territory, it becomes the territory of your doppelganger empire, naturally.

Dumb idea I know, could be worth a laugh, could be worth a swift kick in the pants, or it might inspire someone to think of something along these lines that would actually work.

[ThGlump]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

Hm...I guess you can't. But...as an emegency stopgap, if one team outnumbers both the other empires put together, they could ally the two smaller ones...? It would be either that or a server merge.

Those numbers usually change soon. 2 hours later it could be even and then switch to other side.
But what population we are speaking of? Total server population? You can focus on one continent to bring even numbers there and leave other one to 2side battle.
Continent pop? You cant limit it either. If one empire dont want or cant fight there why limit other 2?

Thats how it worked in ps1. In ps2 we will see how its done, but lets hope there will be enough players to poplock continents so that population imbalance wont happen.

[Raymac]

Originally Posted by WildVS

I'm just skimming trough some of these articles but are you saying some are wanting to capture a foothold? I think they are just wanting to run a empire off a cont and push them somewhere else so the 2 remaining can fight it out and if the one booted wants to get back in, they should have to earn it, not be gifted it via a foothold. Like in PS you had to earn a 15 minute base cap to get back on the fight.

No, you had access to a continent via the warpgate. You didn't need a base to start fighting, but it obviously strengthed your position. The only difference PS2 has is putting structures in that warpgate. There is nothing stopping you from taking all the hexes from another empire so this "continent lock" that people keep clamoring for means you'd have to kick them off their warpgate too.

[ThGlump]

Originally Posted by Stardouser

I know this idea is crazy and probably even idiotic, but in the event it might inspire someone else to think of something that's related but actually works, I'm putting it out there:

OK. so we're going to have 3 continents per server, unknown number of servers. Maybe it will start with 3? So...assuming 3...what if the servers were arrayed so that when you log in, you can spawn at the footholds of your server's 3 continents, and ONLY those footholds, just like you expect...but you can use warpgates to travel to the continents of the other 2 servers in your array? You cannot bind in the other 2 servers, and if you log out while at one you are returned to your own. This would be kinda, sorta, like invading an alternate universe...

Put another way, this would be almost like having a server array where there are 3 separate versions of each faction, for a total of 9 different empires, except, obviously, you will be allied with your doppelganger empire, able to use their equipment, etc. If you capture territory, it becomes the territory of your doppelganger empire, naturally.

Dumb idea I know, could be worth a laugh, could be worth a swift kick in the pants, or it might inspire someone to think of something along these lines that would actually work.

Then you can make global login server that hold characters like BF, and then join any available server. This is good, as you avoid queues, its good for launch rush and later merges wont be necessary.
But you would feel disconnected from your empire, no sense of persistence and loyalty as this is not land you conquered, not the empire you play etc. For persistence and commitment feeling is separated servers better. (after it settle down few months after release with few merges - it happen to all mmo)

[Stardouser]

Originally Posted by ThGlump

Those numbers usually change soon. 2 hours later it could be even and then switch to other side.
But what population we are speaking of? Total server population? You can focus on one continent to bring even numbers there and leave other one to 2side battle.
Continent pop? You cant limit it either. If one empire dont want or cant fight there why limit other 2?

Thats how it worked in ps1. In ps2 we will see how its done, but lets hope there will be enough players to poplock continents so that population imbalance wont happen.

ohhh, I thought we were talking about where the total population, both offline and online of an empire, and that one empire might only have 8%, meaning people just plain aren't making characters for one of the empires.

[Cricetinus]

How about a combination of the two choices? Every empire has a foothold on 2 continents, sharing each continent with one of the other empires. So if NC might share Indar with TR and Esamir with the VS, meanwhile the VS and TR share Amerish.

The biggest problem I could think of would be always fighting the same empire on a particular continent. This could be solved by rotating 'home continents' every month or so or by just having one or two neutral continents or both. Though three-ways would be somewhat rarer than they are now outside of said neutral continents or when one empire starts to dominate. Maybe provide extra incentives for invading non-home continents?

[Khellendros]

Originally Posted by Raymac

But how do you account for the population of 1 empire getting kicked off a continent and having nowhere to go because their "home" continent is pop-locked? All those people will be booted from the server. That is an extremely stupid problem to just ignore.

This is a separate problem that could still happen even with a foothold on every continent...

[Roradan]

Originally Posted by EVILPIG

They should just make the footholds look really jazzy and call them "Sanctuaries".

Yes we should gold plate them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Knocky]

Originally Posted by acosmo

really?

Originally Posted by Roradan

Yes we should gold plate them !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is NOT funny....

Don't give em anymore Ideas....

[EASyEightyEight]

I don't get it. It's like people were/are playing PS1 for anything and everything but the very basic principle that made it great in the first place: massive clusterfuck battles!

Why is nearly every suggestion in here against the 3 footholds-per-continent reality essentially trying to impede that?

"For conquest!" Who the **** cares? The zerg doesn't. The zerg fights for one reason: To fight.

"A place to form up!" Don't the footholds offer the exact same capability, minus the loading screen?

All I'm seeing in this thread are people missing the sense of victory and swathing the map in their factions colors, which as far as I can tell, will happen with hexes.

Tell you guys what, maybe, just maybe, PS2 isn't being designed solely for the PS1 crowd. Maybe, just maybe... PS2 isn't for you. The current setup is designed for the sole purpose of making sure there is always someone to fight, and as few obstacles as possible impeding you in getting to said fight.

I'll play Planetside so I can shoot alongside 333 assholes at 666 other assholes shooting at me. Each kill is a stepping stone, each hex is a victory, each base is an achievement, and I don't EVER want the bad guys to stop coming at me.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome! Stop bitching and deal with the changes. PS1 is essentially dead compared to its glory days. Good reasons for it too.

[VioletZero]

I agree with you.

And any new continents from there on out would be completely sanctuary free. That way, it always keeps the continents occupied. Because if nothing else, complete domination is a great hook. But with all continents having three sanctuaries, I have a feeling that some continents will be abandoned because all it will be is just another battleground. All of your progress won't mean anything because an assault from a sanctuary will most likely mean that they'll take back the ground in no time.

[Roradan]

EASyEightyEight which empire will you be fighting for ?

[VioletZero]

Originally Posted by Roradan

EASyEightyEight which empire will you be fighting for ?

Who cares?

He's just being rude.

Not to mention wrong too. There's more to victory than taking hexes. We don't want to just win battles, we want to win wars too. We want every server to form its own personality and have its own events.

I want to hear one day "The Steel Claws outfit of New Conglomerate is on a crusade through the continents and they have personally dominated over 70% of the continents. But the "Kill on Sight" outfit of Terran Republic put a stop to this and <continent> is the primary staging ground for their blood feud."

Events like that tickle me pink because it really shows how a server can evolve and form its own personality.

The 3 sanctuaries per continent railroads it into the same predictable pattern every day of push and pull.

[Whalenator]

Originally Posted by EASyEightyEight

I don't get it. It's like people were/are playing PS1 for anything and everything but the very basic principle that made it great in the first place: massive clusterfuck battles!

Why is nearly every suggestion in here against the 3 footholds-per-continent reality essentially trying to impede that?

"For conquest!" Who the **** cares? The zerg doesn't. The zerg fights for one reason: To fight.

"A place to form up!" Don't the footholds offer the exact same capability, minus the loading screen?

All I'm seeing in this thread are people missing the sense of victory and swathing the map in their factions colors, which as far as I can tell, will happen with hexes.

Tell you guys what, maybe, just maybe, PS2 isn't being designed solely for the PS1 crowd. Maybe, just maybe... PS2 isn't for you. The current setup is designed for the sole purpose of making sure there is always someone to fight, and as few obstacles as possible impeding you in getting to said fight.

I'll play Planetside so I can shoot alongside 333 assholes at 666 other assholes shooting at me. Each kill is a stepping stone, each hex is a victory, each base is an achievement, and I don't EVER want the bad guys to stop coming at me.

Improvise. Adapt. Overcome! Stop bitching and deal with the changes. PS1 is essentially dead compared to its glory days. Good reasons for it too.

Oh my god, you're missing the entire point of the "epic feel" of Planetside 1 and why it was in place. Did you even play Planetside 1? What, for a week? Were you in an Outfit?

In my opinion the epic feel wasn't just the FACT that you were playing alongside hundreds of other players, it was the FEEL that you were. The interaction. The strategy and, consequently, the tactics used to achieve that strategy. Even if it was an FPS, even if it had minimal backstory and resetting maps, it still had immersion. But even more importantly, it had a long-term goal. Domination.

Whoa, what's that? Some kind of end objective to add meaning to the game? To add meaning to my FPS?! That's unheard of, that's insane! Slow down, this won't be instances? My game will have meaning! I'm confuse-



Seriously, get with it. We want our game to be as fun as possible, and for some of us that means we'd appreciate some long-term goals so our teamwork actually has meaning. Ain't that crazy?

[cellinaire]

I don't know why you wrote 'Confirmed' in the title when almost all people in this forum saw this coming, but great read nonetheless =)

Hope they're willing to CHANGE things this time when things go wrong. I hope...