http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/beta ... 09995.html
Disclaimer: This is not meant to be a negative post, or an I hate PS post. On the contrary, I really like PS. I've just been frustrated of late. Call it venting if you like, but bear in mind I think the dev's are doing a great job.
This I've been playing Planetside like a crack-fiend since the day I got into beta. I have to be honest when I say I've had an absolute blast. I like to think I've done pretty well. The outfit I lead on Markov has maintained the most outfit points in the TR empire for about two weeks now, and I play with a group of people that work well together, cover each other, and have a good understanding of the game.
When the lattice came out (no this isn't a remove the lattice system post), I was apprehensive about how it would affect the game. My chief concern was that it was going to take away our Outfit's freedom to operate independently. This has proven to be the case for the most part. My outfit listing tells me that we have 55 people, but I'm certain that we've never had more than 30 people online at one time (and this is rare). More often than not we have just under 20 people online, capping bases, and doing well. I know we play well. I'm certain of it. We get into situations where we're being hit with three times our numbers at a base we've decide to defend, and we can almost always hold it until the NTU silo runs out of energy or the enemy gives up. Sometimes we'll hit a base from several directions and have it under control in mere moments with a well executed surprise attack. Sometimes we lose; I don't mind losing if I feel like we at least fought well. I don't mind calling a retreat when we're completely overwhelmed. Without a doubt, the game can still be a lot of fun.
Lately however I've been frustrated, PS is starting to feel less like a game that rewards skill, and more like a game that rewards large Normandy-like invasions where attrition is a bigger enemy than a skilled opponent. Sure those battles can be awing in their sheer scale and chaos. The real question though, is are they fun, and are they what's best for the game.
The squad unit in the game, 10 people, is far too small. In most cases, 10 people aren't going to be able to make an impact against a force 3-4 times their size no matter what level of skill they possess. The game essentially now forces you to follow your empire's 'herd' from base to base. It honestly seems like you're no longer (or at least rarely) able to commplete the games objectives by being good. Instead, you need overwhelming numbers. To me, it's a disappointment, because at one time I felt the game was designed to reward players with more skill. I think the spawn timers are a good idea, but I think more needs to be done. I haven't been able to come up with a meaningful solution to my frustration with the mindless zerging going on now. I'm fairly certain I can offer solutions to the problems the lattice system was designed to prevent, solo hackers, etc. but not with the current system in place.
Command ranks lower than CR5 are a novelty at this point. Given that the squad unit is obsolete in the current game, any command rank ability that is squad only is useless. The only worthwhile command abilities are the ones that allow you to coordinate large numbers of your empires troops simultaneously. There needs to be better tools available in the game to command and control friendly forces. The scale of the game has changed due to the lattice system, but the tools available to commanders have not. There absolutely needs to be 'Outfit Waypoints'. Currently being an outfit leader has no tools available to him save the /outfit channel to help make his outfit successful. He can't see where his outfit members are on the map, only his squad mates, and he has no way to direct his outfit other than the /o channel.
This isn't a 'remove the lattice post', it's not an 'I'm not going to buy this game!!11!11' post, but it is a post to say that a few weeks ago, I was having the most fun I've had gaming in a long time, and over the last week or so, that fun has been greatly diminished. I think my biggest frustration comes from not knowing what to suggest to fix the problems I see in the game. I will continue to report bugs, and work on coming up with solutions. I love the idea of the game, and I have since I first heard about it over 4 years ago. I'm keeping the faith, but right now I'm frustrated.
