Flaws in F2P Design

p0intman · 2012-05-25, 02:36 PM

I wrote this last night, very quick thing, but go read it, ill wait.

To expand on it, F2P means that I can have an alt on an opposing empire, spying on things for me on another monitor. It means that I can have a cloaky alt specced as a leader to allow for me and my entire team to spawn on him when he is inside a base, behind someone's lines. It means I can use his resources to spawn vehicles for me and my team, when we don't have any extra. It means I can have an alt dedicated to inter-empire sabotage on an enemy empire. I can have my alt bombing in a liberator when I'm flying it, or gunning when I'm driving a tank. I can have an alt dedicated to being a beefy max that spawns on me when I've cloaked into a base and want to surprise people.

Theres no cost, so theres no reason NOT to do any of that. Whereas theres a subscription to deter people in planetside 1, theres no such deterrence here.

Prove me wrong, I dare you to try.

JPalmer · 2012-05-25, 02:39 PM

You can bomb and fly at the same time? Sir you deserve to have the ability to do this.

The cloaker just to spawn on will just take a squad slot away by the way.

Sirisian · 2012-05-25, 02:42 PM

Originally Posted by p0intman

Prove me wrong, I dare you to try.

Here's what I'm going to say. Go for it. I don't think the game should deter players from creating multiple characters across factions. If someone wants to play multiple characters the game should let them. It's really no different than the people in EVE with multiple accounts or people in WoW with multiple computers. If someone wants to do it then let them.

The effect on the game is extremely exaggerated.

onwee · 2012-05-25, 02:43 PM

Your multiboxing team will not be more coordinated than my real player team.

Your move.

Gogita · 2012-05-25, 02:44 PM

You do that, log in and out and switch between different specced characters. You'll be wasting a lot of time doing so and ruin the fun for you.

You cannot bomb in a liberator, it's not in the game

You cannot squad spawn inside, only outside

If you want to put so much effort just to gain a slight advantage, go ahead, you won't impact the game and hardly anyone else is willing do that.

p0intman · 2012-05-25, 02:45 PM

Originally Posted by JPalmer

You can bomb and fly at the same time? Sir you deserve to have the ability to do this.

The cloaker just to spawn on will just take a squad slot away by the way.

The nature of VTOL aircraft allows for it, and one spot doesn't mean much when it can be used to surprise, and stun people. You would be amazed at how long it takes some people to realize they've been caught in a trap. Assuming full size, ten person squads at launch... thats potentially 9-30+ people for a platoon that can be made to suddenly appear pretty much.

Originally Posted by onwee

Your multiboxing team will not be more coordinated than my real player team.

Your move.

Its about using one alt character for utility for a larger group of players.

Originally Posted by Sirisian

Here's what I'm going to say. Go for it. I don't think the game should deter players from creating multiple characters across factions. If someone wants to play multiple characters the game should let them. It's really no different than the people in EVE with multiple accounts or people in WoW with multiple computers. If someone wants to do it then let them.

The effect on the game is extremely exaggerated.

Thats a pretty good example of what can be done with multiple characters with EVE. A cloaking leader alt is effectively the same as a cyno alt in EVE. Cyno alts can do a lot of terrible things to people.

Originally Posted by Sirisian

Here's what I'm going to say. Go for it. I don't think the game should deter players from creating multiple characters across factions. If someone wants to play multiple characters the game should let them. It's really no different than the people in EVE with multiple accounts or people in WoW with multiple computers. If someone wants to do it then let them.

The effect on the game is extremely exaggerated.

Originally Posted by Gogita

You do that, log in and out and switch between different specced characters. You'll be wasting a lot of time doing so and ruin the fun for you.

You cannot bomb in a liberator, it's not in the game

You cannot squad spawn inside, only outside

If you want to put so much effort just to gain a slight advantage, go ahead, you won't impact the game and hardly anyone else is willing do that.

I have multiple computers, using one alt for various utility when I need it is not a problem. As for spawning specifics, I can use such an alt to spawn right outside someone's door and walk in while bypassing other defenders that dont catch me.

Gogita · 2012-05-25, 02:48 PM

Also, how does "having a cloaker as leader and let it run behind enemy lines" count as exploiting the system? It sounds like you cannot imagine people working together as a group and can only see people kill whoring.

Any team can have a cloaker as a leader and let it run behind enemy lines to spawn their team....

Gandhi · 2012-05-25, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by p0intman

The nature of VTOL aircraft allows for it, and one spot doesn't mean much when it can be used to surprise, and stun people. You would be amazed at how long it takes some people to realize they've been caught in a trap. Assuming full size, ten person squads at launch... thats potentially 9-30+ people for a platoon that can be made to suddenly appear pretty much.

You're assuming you can invite enemies into your squad, I really doubt that. Unless you're talking about a same empire alt doing the "anchoring" for you, in that case what's the point? Surely in a 30 man platoon someone will have squad spawning anyway, there's no need for you to go through all the trouble of sneaking an alt in there. And what's your main doing while you're sneaking in? Being totally useless. I don't see a problem at all from a balance standpoint. If you want to go through all that hassle be my guest.

KTNApollo · 2012-05-25, 02:49 PM

you won't be able to control two characters effectively (piloting/bombing) if you want to stay alive for more than ten seconds after entering combat. /thread

Gogita · 2012-05-25, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by p0intman

The nature of VTOL aircraft allows for it, and one spot doesn't mean much when it can be used to surprise, and stun people. You would be amazed at how long it takes some people to realize they've been caught in a trap. Assuming full size, ten person squads at launch... thats potentially 9-30+ people for a platoon that can be made to suddenly appear pretty much.

Theoretically this was also possible in Planetside 1. Nothing in the system stopped a person from doing so. The player only had to pay for a second account. What you are worried about is BS, because the effort one has to put in it to have a whole team played by one person deters people from using this strategy as casually as you imagine.

Rbstr · 2012-05-25, 02:51 PM

I don't see how doing exactly what any person could do undermines anything.

Shogun · 2012-05-25, 02:51 PM

you don´t need to use another account for spying. all gamedata will be released realtime and there will be info apps en masse

p0intman · 2012-05-25, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by Gogita

Also, how does "having a cloaker as leader and let it run behind enemy lines" count as exploiting the system? It sounds like you cannot imagine people working together as a group and can only see people kill whoring.

Any team can have a cloaker as a leader and let it run behind enemy lines to spawn their team....

The goal is not to determine if its useful, its to determine how people will use it for purposes other than what is intended by design. My experience says that if people can use a tool to bloat their ego via k/d design, they will do so without fail. I know quite enough about playing as a team, but thats not the purpose of this thread.

MyMeatStick · 2012-05-25, 02:54 PM

How many computers can you afford to run this off? / Good luck trying to sandbox/VM this graphically intensive game on a single computer?

What a waste of time and money?

You'd have to log out of one character to log in another one and by that time there's no point in what you were originally going to do because someone else has already done it without the need for extra accounts?

Having 1 spy on another faction will make no difference to the platoons on teamspeak and squad chats?

You would need to actually use those characters in the first place to gain the right certs to do what you want with each of your accounts?

It won't make a blind bit of difference to mine or anyone else's gameplay?

So many reasons why this thread is moot. Sorry bud!

p0intman · 2012-05-25, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by Shogun

you don´t need to use another account for spying. all gamedata will be released realtime and there will be info apps en masse

Doesnt matter, Higby claimed you wouldnt be able to change teams in the middle of the fight. I'm calling him a liar and/or incompetent.