PlanetSide 2

[EDcase 87]

As soon as enemy armor can pound the spawn room its pretty hopeless unless you get armor reinforcements from another base.

Amerish map is better as they have restricted vehicle access to the bases. (Thats the only map I play on now)

A fundamental problem with so many players (1000+) is your organized squad has less and less significance.

So you end up capturing unprotected bases and moving on. Then those bases get re-captured a few minutes later.

Edited December 6, 2012 by EDcase

[oxmox 73]

Seems like Planetside 2 suffers a massive decline in player activity, someone did post the Steamgraph on the official forums:

http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/why-is-planetside-2-losing-so-many-players.74954/

[maddogx 13]

Well, there are probably a number of factors contributing to the decline in player numbers, starting with the fact that it's F2P, meaning a bunch of people will simply test it for a while and then lose interest because it's just not their thing.

On the other hand, I also know several people who have given up on it due to frustration with the frequent crashes and freezes, aswell as the numerous other bugs and glitches, and also a minor problem with hackers. The only reason I've managed to hold out until now is probably my long experience with buying BIS games on release day :D. (That being said, the bugs and crashes are bloody annoying for me aswell and I hope the devs fix them ASAP.)

Another issue, I think, is with the lack of variety in gameplay. At first the game does seem dauntingly massive and amazing, but once you've wrapped your head around it, the whole thing seems very straightforward: capture all bases, kill all enemies. That's it. The only thing keeping it mildly interesting is the "earn cert points, unlock more stuff" angle, but that doesn't last forever.

There's no story-element, nothing creative to do (unless you count buying skins and other gimmicks, which - admittedly - I have done) and above all no sense of exploration beyond checking out the three different continents. They may be quite huge (5x5km each, by my reckoning), but there is very little overall variation in the buildings, so the thrill of exploration vanishes quickly. So as far as actual "content" is concerned, you're left with very little.

Fortunately the devs have talked about adding some more in the future, such as player-owned bases, but I fear people won't wait for that stuff forever, myself included.

[Tonci87 163]

One of my biggest complaints is that there is pay to win.

I constatly see people with a low rank and high powered gear.

[maddogx 13]

One of my biggest complaints is that there is pay to win.

I constatly see people with a low rank and high powered gear.

This is true. I actually did the math:

The most expensive weapons (almost all of them) each cost 1000 cert points to unlock - and you get one cert point per 250XP earned aswell as 1 cert point per hour "passively", even if you are offline. Now, during the christmas holidays they had that double XP thing going on, and I was admittedly also using a +50% XP boost for good measure; during this time I usually saw my "score per hour" floating around 15,000, with a few exceptions (periods of epic pwnage ;)). Assuming that I am a fairly average player, this would make an average score of roughly 6,000 XP per hour of gameplay realistic (without the benefit of double XP or extra boosters of course), but let's call it 10,000 per hour, just to be fair. (I guess this is only achievable by farming XP somehow, or maybe I just suck and this is a normal number.)

Anyway, that number would equate to 40 cert points per hour of gameplay. Now let's assume that I have a fairly large amount of spare time on my hands, so I can spend 5-6 hours per day, every day, playing Planetside. That's between 200 and 240 cert points per day, but remember we also get 1 cert point per hour, i.e. 24 extra certs per day, so let's just call it an even 250 certs per day. At 1000 certs cost per weapon that would be four days per weapon, but remember that attachments like reticles, improved ammo and rail addons also cost cert points. I would say it takes an average of another 250 certs to upgrade each weapon to a relatively decent standard, so add another day on top of that. Per weapon of course.

That means by farm... ehh playing more than decently for almost six hours every day, you can unlock a new weapon every five days. Ouch. Considering all the vehicles and classes (especially the Max), even unlocking just a small amount of equipment for all classes and some vehicles can easily take over month -and that's if you don't spend cert points to upgrade anything else.

Edited January 3, 2013 by MadDogX

[viper[cww] 14]

One of my biggest complaints is that there is pay to win.

I constatly see people with a low rank and high powered gear.

Perhaps Alpha Squad. I haven't played for quite a while as it was getting very boring for me, it's essentially just Xeno's Domination without the addition of side missions. I do however have station cash of which I bought cosmetic stuff like helmets etc.

I did buy the Chaingun aswell (700SC out of the AlphaSquad 4000SC) for my Heavy Assault as there were a couple of MAX raping our spawn area. Suffice to say they didn't survive. ^^

[Tonci87 163]

And plus, some really usefull stuff is available only for cash. Camo paintings! Now you try to find a sniper sitting in the rocks that has the corresponding camo. Impossible if he doesn´t move.

[Mr. Charles 22]

Hurr, you can make yourself invisible for a few seconds, quit whining about camo :p

[PuFu 4600]

One of my biggest complaints is that there is pay to win.

I constatly see people with a low rank and high powered gear.

I actually do believe quite the opposite. No matter what gear one has, it is sort of balanced one way or the other. It is not different from BF3 or other games with unlocks (i need to remind you that you can buy the entire arsenal for both BF3 and CODxx just as well, using real money).

And plus, some really usefull stuff is available only for cash. Camo paintings! Now you try to find a sniper sitting in the rocks that has the corresponding camo. Impossible if he doesn´t move.

Camo paintings, just like masks and other shit has no real use in this game world if you ask me.

[Dwarden 1125]

PlanetSide 2 is full of bad design decisions (spawn system, bases layout) , poor performance and terrible reliability (unstable as hell) ...

visibility ranges were slashes to great 100m for infantry and 250m for MAX units (while weapon ranges are double)

ironically if someone uses reveal on You ,then You become visible to them and can fire on You beyond Your visibility range

[PuFu 4600]

PlanetSide 2 is full of bad design decisions (spawn system, bases layout) , poor performance and terrible reliability (unstable as hell) ...

While i do agree with you on a huge number of bad design decisions (the spawn system that inevitably leads to farming, as well as some areas allowing single units to cap zones, i can't help myself but point out that your comments regarding poor performance, as well as stability issues are nowhere near as bad as ArmA2 had and still has. I can have a fluid 60fps in most cases, 40 at least when there are a huge number of particles drawn, but that is still about 3-4X higher than i was ever able to get in similar condition with any of my rigs, with any of the own products made by BIS.

I always find it funny david when you judge performance on another game (not that you are not entitled to, obviously), but then again, A2 is one of those games well renown for poor performance and scability across the board (and i am not talking about huge AI games here, but 60-100 PvP games). I would much rather have you just as honestly comment on A2 performance.

visibility ranges were slashes to great 100m for infantry and 250m for MAX units (while weapon ranges are double)

I am sorry, i really think you are wrong here. game engine renders character and vehicle models well past that distance.

ironically if someone uses reveal on You ,then You become visible to them and can fire on You beyond Your visibility range

never happened to me to be perfectly honest.

[max power 21]

I don't really want to compare PS2 to any BI product, but with regards to Dwarden's criticisms of PS2, I agree with Pufu. I'm not experiencing the same performance and / or visibility issues as he claims.

[maddogx 13]

As far as performance goes, PlanetSide 2 is ok, but definitely not great. The devs themselves (SOE) have in fact stated that they are working on improving it in the next patch, due to many player complaints about it.

No complaints from me about the visibility range; not sure what Dwarden is talking about there. (Perhaps the issue where units pop up right in front of you in large battles? That's annoying, but not exactly a visibility range issue.)

One thing I definitely have to agree on with Dwarden though is the terrible stability. PlanetSide 2 crashes on me approximately every 30-90 minutes - so far I have not gone a single day without multiple occurrances of crashes, freezes or game breaking bugs forcing me to restart. Arma2 - despite all its bugs and other problems - never had these stability problems, at least not for me.

[kilrbe3 37]

PlanetSide 2 is full of bad design decisions (spawn system, bases layout) , poor performance and terrible reliability (unstable as hell) ...

visibility ranges were slashes to great 100m for infantry and 250m for MAX units (while weapon ranges are double)

ironically if someone uses reveal on You ,then You become visible to them and can fire on You beyond Your visibility range

I agree fully. Now I know you are just another human giving a opinion, regardless of your status at BI. But this is kinda like calling the kettle black here...

A2 still and has had poor performance in many areas. Like PuFu said, not just mass AI.

Though I must agree with bad design choice, horrible spawn system that is nothing more than farm for kills while a base caps. Horrible base layout in numerous bases, and yes, the game crashes oh so often its not even funny. I have never had a PS2 crash *knock on wood*. But everyone i play with crashes about every hr to hr 1/2. Always.

As for ranges, you are not far off. Its about 250m-350m for Infantry, and about 450-650m for Vehicles. You can also test this visually with IR or NV Cert.

Plus the cash shop as obvious clear as day upgrades over default guns. That regardless what people say "But you can buy with certs". People still just fork out the $$$ and get them instantly. I admit myself I spent $25 on SC for the game, as I quite enjoy it with friends. But if I play it solo, I start to notice many of the games flaws and ALT+F4 my way out quickly. Friends, makes the game what it is. Without friends/outfit/squad, its the most boring game I have ever played.

As for @PuFu & @Max. That's great you don't crash. But we all know not one PC is alike.

Bottom line. The game still & plays like it did exactly in the BETA. It's still a BETA game. That was rushed for Holiday release. The "big optimize" patch in Jan. That people keep going " but just wait for it ". Sorry, that doesn't fly with me. That should of been you know, fixed, in the BETA... not Full Retail release..

[[aps]gnat 28]

I always find it funny david when you judge performance on another game (not that you are not entitled to, obviously), but then again, A2 is one of those games well renown for poor performance and scability across the board (and i am not talking about huge AI games here, but 60-100 PvP games). I would much rather have you just as honestly comment on A2 performance.

Where did this stem from ?

This is an OT gaming thread, his opinion must be reassessed/adjusted based on whatever involvement he might have with ArmA development ?!

Seems a little unfair.

[maddogx 13]

Gnat;2274466']This is an OT gaming thread' date=' his opinion must be reassessed/adjusted based on whatever involvement he might have with ArmA development ?![/quote']

"Judge not, lest ye be judged."

The curse of working in any creative industry, no matter if it's software development, music, literature or other arts. Criticise your peers and someone will immediately turn it around.

[PuFu 4600]

As for @PuFu & @Max. That's great you don't crash. But we all know not one PC is alike.

Oh, i didn't say i never crash. It just pretty seldom(once or twice so far), but when i do i get the white flickering with all models gone bar the sky dome. That being said, it is by no mean worse than it used to be with A2 (i didn't have that much of a problem with OA), even 1 year after it's release.

Bottom line. The game still & plays like it did exactly in the BETA. It's still a BETA game. That was rushed for Holiday release. The "big optimize" patch in Jan. That people keep going " but just wait for it ". Sorry, that doesn't fly with me. That should of been you know, fixed, in the BETA... not Full Retail release..

Oh fully agree on the beta state of the game. That being said, the game is NOT a full RETAIL game. It is free to play (of course you can CHOOSE to pay for ingame cash, or pay the premium fee). It is pretty much the same with most games nowadays, when there is almost always a 1st day path, and another 3-4 until most bugs are crushed. A2 is no exception either

Gnat;2274466']Where did this stem from ?

This is an OT gaming thread' date=' his opinion must be reassessed/adjusted based on whatever involvement he might have with ArmA development ?!

Seems a little unfair.[/quote']

I think you got me wrong. Of course dwarden is allowed to have an opinion, and i have already stated that. BUT, that doesn't mean most (or at least I), cannot just forget he is a BIS employee, and that this OT discussion regarding PS2 poor performance happens on BIS official forums, where the troubleshooting subforum is filled with exactly the same sort of topics. Again, i am sorry if it sounded unfair towards david (who's possition within BIS has little to no relation with file optimization and the product's, average at best, performance).

Edited January 7, 2013 by PuFu

[PuFu 4600]

http://www.pcgamer.com/2013/01/09/first-major-changes-to-planetside-2-outlined-by-soe-coming-jan-30/

[maddogx 13]

They've also finally fixed the hex crash exploit. Fucking yes!

[Hans Ludwig 0]

Yeh my impressions were this is amazing, but then it all went to shit. Worst game ive played in terms of balances for units and weapons. Aircraft are insanely overpowered and AA defences are utter crap. Its mostly about just rushing about capping bases which are not being defended and moving onto the next one. Its good for a week and then its just meh. I really cant see the game maintaining a playerbase unless those balances are sorted out.

I can't agree with you more on the game. I was expecting something that required more skill to operate vehicles, but all you do is drive/fly around and shoot up stuff with weak guns (unless you bought the better weapons). You drive around capping undefended objective after undefended objective. Maybe some people like that type of game play, but it's soooooo boring and repetitive. To sum all this up, it's just to gamey to hold my attention for very long, which has only been a little over a week of playing.

[Dwarden 1125]

well considering all what I mentioned is being addressed by SOE developers I stand behind what I said :)

[Tonci87 163]

The only thing I´m sceptical about is that "invulnerability after respawn" stuff.

What do you guys think about it?

[maddogx 13]

The only thing I´m sceptical about is that "invulnerability after respawn" stuff.

What do you guys think about it?

Well, they say you will lose the invulnerability as soon as you fire a weapon or perform an action, so that's one potential exploit nipped in the bud.

Otherwise only time will tell. It's not a bad idea in principle, since it will make spawn camping much less viable, but I doubt the first iteration will be perfectly unexploitable. People always find a way.

[PuFu 4600]

The only thing I´m sceptical about is that "invulnerability after respawn" stuff.

What do you guys think about it?

depends on implementation. I am for it, but maybe because i never farm. I think it is a good call to reduce XP gained from pawning freshly spawn lads at their spawn box, and that includes the normally 1-2 gunships continuously firing on top of one.

Same goes for Sunders, where the aim is to destroy the sunder, and not kill every single soul that spawns from it for 10+ minutes (i have seen it happen numerous times).

At the moment, 60% of the action reveolves around camping and continuously shooting towards cap zones

So i personally am for it. This is a game where people still have problems understanding how it works, and because the focus is on kills and not capping or holding areas (satellites and so forth). For this sort of game, forcing by the amount of XP gained a certain playstyle is worth it. We'll see how much this change actually motivates people to stop camping spawn areas and play the game instead.

[oxmox 73]

Actually, there is no Planetside in Planetside 2. Reading about the gameplay of Planetside 1 and comparing it to Planetside 2 it seems the game is only half finished or just did a totally different direction which is disappointing. Nah, I did try this game some weeks ago but did not like it. Was pointless for me.

Edited January 14, 2013 by oxmox