What is it going to take to push Planetside 2 over the top

Sledgecrushr · 2013-03-28, 11:22 AM

I like PS2 and think it has a very bright future. But right now I see that the pops are starting to slip again. So i was wondering what it would take to make this game the total shit. So I had a couple of ideas.

Bring back the BFR. Now before you go and pitchfork me for bringing this up the new BFR would basically be just as powerful as a prowler is right now. But what I was thinking is it would have 2 gunners and a driver.

Lattice of course.

More continents with a continental conquest meta.

The BASTION. This is kind of a gameplay hook Ive been looking forward to. Now I dont really care for the design that has been shown to us. I would like these flying outfit carriers to be more along the lines of old fashioned naval warfare. A row of powerful but extremely short ranged av guns on the sides. Add a couple of aa guns interspersed with these and you have naval warfare along with ship boarding at 1000 meters in the sky.

These are just a few big suggestions and Im wanting to see what you guys think can be added to really push Planetside 2 over the top.

bpostal · 2013-03-28, 11:50 AM

What can be done? Improve the flow of battle on a micro and macro scale. Since they're already working on this I'd call it good until we see more.
The other major thing would be to improve the infamous lag/rendering/etc that's stopping/slowing the large fights. Since that's ongoing I'm not too worried about that.
The last thing I can think of off the top of my head would be to better clarify what the objective of the game is. Promote teamwork and good fights, not spawn camping and face stomping.

Snydenthur · 2013-03-28, 11:57 AM

I think the single most people-turning "feature" at the moment is performance. Soe needs to get the fps up faster. And stop destroying the performance at the larger game updates. Hopefully test server helps with the latter.

Assist · 2013-03-28, 03:23 PM

Originally Posted by Snydenthur

I think the single most people-turning "feature" at the moment is performance. Soe needs to get the fps up faster. And stop destroying the performance at the larger game updates. Hopefully test server helps with the latter.

Agreed, too many people I talk to on other gaming forums didn't continue to play because 'their computers couldn't handle it'. Yet they can play other new games perfectly fine.

Maidere · 2013-03-28, 12:14 PM

Endgame. Build something giant, by example. Each territory improves building speed.

Timealude · 2013-03-28, 12:15 PM

With alot of my suggestions already on the way (via roadmap), I feel that the mission system will help retain some pop as well as the the new hex system they are putting in. New continents are nice but it wont do anything unless we have a solid battle flow element in. I think Cont locking will bring people back as it will force the fights to different areas of the world and will give empires a bit more to strive for when they are trying to do continental conquest.

I also agree the performance thing is another one that have pushed people away, but at the rate we are seeing of improvements after every patch, I have no doubt in my mind they will have the performance thing figured out soon.

VaderShake · 2013-03-28, 12:37 PM

I think one thing that would help from a population standpoint as well is some renewed marketing efforts. There are allot of gamers out there that still don't know what Planetside 2 is.

wasdie · 2013-03-28, 03:12 PM

Originally Posted by VaderShake

I think one thing that would help from a population standpoint as well is some renewed marketing efforts. There are allot of gamers out there that still don't know what Planetside 2 is.

This is tricky right now since the game is about to radically change (for the better).

I'm hoping that they had made enough money since launch to keep the studio kicking for the rest of 2013. They can get 2 more continents in, the micro-hex system, some new vehicles, and constant improvements to the whole game (optimizations, ragdoll physics, resource changes, missions system, better UI... stuff like that) and then they can do an add blitz later.

VaderShake · 2013-03-28, 03:46 PM

Originally Posted by wasdie

This is tricky right now since the game is about to radically change (for the better).

I'm hoping that they had made enough money since launch to keep the studio kicking for the rest of 2013. They can get 2 more continents in, the micro-hex system, some new vehicles, and constant improvements to the whole game (optimizations, ragdoll physics, resource changes, missions system, better UI... stuff like that) and then they can do an add blitz later.

Yea but they will really have to do some explaining of PS2 either way. It won't be a game for everyone, if they went with a "Help Us Build This Game" type of message that might help.

Rolfski · 2013-03-28, 12:41 PM

Almost everything that needs to be done is already on the road map, I just wish they would hurry up.

The only thing I'm missing on the road map is Blacklight Retribution-like weapon customization options.

For the long term (2+ years) I would like them to expand the universe a bit.

wasdie · 2013-03-28, 03:07 PM

Until they get the new map changes in, there isn't going to be much new. This isn't an overnight process, it will take them a few months to get all worked out.

The micro hex/lattice system is a huge step in the right direction. After this comes vehicle zoning, continent locking, and home continents. Of course all the while continuing to make changes to the map design themselves, adding more defenses, making new bases. Also they'll be adding more continents in time.

Hamma · 2013-03-28, 09:31 PM

The BFR will never come back.

CrankyTRex · 2013-03-28, 09:54 PM

The three most frequent reasons I get from friends as to why they don't play PS2 are:
1. "What's the point if it's always on?" (Basically, since there's no victory condition of any significance, they don't see why they'd spend their time fighting over territory that will probably change hands moments later.)
2. "Sounds like pay to win."

If I get them over that and in the game, #3 comes up:
"Wow, you die a lot in this game."

Generally speaking that sums up the feeling of helplessness in the face of superior numbers and random death from all sides they don't feel like dealing with.

So basically, whatever can overcome those issues. :-)

Hamma · 2013-03-30, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by CrankyTRex

The three most frequent reasons I get from friends as to why they don't play PS2 are:
1. "What's the point if it's always on?" (Basically, since there's no victory condition of any significance, they don't see why they'd spend their time fighting over territory that will probably change hands moments later.)
2. "Sounds like pay to win."

If I get them over that and in the game, #3 comes up:
"Wow, you die a lot in this game."

Generally speaking that sums up the feeling of helplessness in the face of superior numbers and random death from all sides they don't feel like dealing with.

So basically, whatever can overcome those issues. :-)

Fail.

I don't know, that just feels like a bunch of reasons not to like the game rather than problems. Except maybe #3.

CrankyTRex · 2013-03-30, 12:32 PM

Originally Posted by Hamma

Fail.

I don't know, that just feels like a bunch of reasons not to like the game rather than problems. Except maybe #3.

Well, we all spend a lot of time talking about "meta game" and the lack of meaning there seems to be in doing many activities in this game, which goes right to the victory condition issue.

PS2 inhabits this weird zone where you don't have rounds to dictate winning, but your XP also isn't really supposed to matter enough to treat it like an RPG/MMO (nor do I think the speed at which that XP/certs comes in is sufficiently paced to work that way.) Nor is there a story with an ending to see your way to.

That leaves the experience of a fight itself as the reason to play, and that's not that strong of a sell unless you've actually experienced how epic PS2 can be.

Then if you get people to play, you have to ensure they have one of those experiences, and that's not always easy for reasons we talk about all the time. The numbers can grind computers to a halt. The Zerg may just roll people over so it quickly becomes camp/be camped, which is boring despite the numbers. They can get suck standing around ghost capping. Etc.

The pay to win issue comes up from previous experience with other games. That one I have difficulty countering because it's one of my biggest gripes with the game. It's not straight up P2W, but there are definitely things that I don't consider sidegrades that require unlocking and cost a lot of certs.

#3 we have probably all commented on at one time or another and it ties right back into the first two things. A new player dying over and over again to something like rocket pods that they can't unlock yet without paying money over a base they either can't defend due to the Zerg, or that gets ghost capped as soon as they leave and which has almost no bearing on the game as a whole short of flipping a hex a different color? Can be a tough sell to tell people it gets better.