Included are the long-awaited MAX buffs that allow a MAX to survive one more decimator shot (blah, not enough in my opinion) and barely survive stepping on a mine. Most of the AV maxes got buffs (the NC’s AV max has a faster projectile, which is left out of their report for some reason). Other than these common-pool changes most of the changes are buffs for the TR.
The second those mechs are in the game, so am I. Man, Planetside is really doing it right, for bringing old customers back, and keeping current ones interested. I let my subscription lapse after month two, but giant friggin’ mecha will instantly bring me back, and probably keep me there for months, unless they’re just AWFUL.
Bob, I didn’t know you were queer for mecha. I mean, you KNEW my robotic predilictions all this time, and you never said a thing? I’m hurting, here, man. Hurting.
Well, I just canceled. Not forseeing enough game time in the near future to justify paying for a subscription. But if they get those mechs done I will return. Maybe even for the buffed MAXes…
Ouch! The TR got buffed something fierce. The NC got, essentially, nothing, and the VS got some token improvements, one of which, the Quasar ammo buff, didn’t even address it’s major problem! All the empire jumpers are busy creating TR accounts now :) Replaced the 12mm on the prowler with the 15mm from the raider? yikes. Reavers be warned. :P
The main problem with the Quasar is the ammo. In AP-mode those 500 rounds run out like nothing. Another problem is clip size, and that is still present, but with this atleast you don’t have to run back to a base/tower after every kill.
And the 12mm on the Prowler was a joke. replacing it with a 15mm makes it easier for the TR to fill all positions in their MBT.
There was some further discussion on one of the PS boards about the Quasar, in which one of the devs was debating Quasar vs Dual-Cycler efficiency. He discovered the damage degradation (DD) of the Quasar was not the intended value (he indicated it was so far off, it had to be a typo) and so a fix to bring that up to the correct value is also in the patch. Also the AP mode will not consume 2x ammo. So the Quasar will be getting 4 fixes in addition to the 2 armor changes applied to all MAXs:
Damage degradation reduced to intended value.
AP mode uses same amount of ammo as normal.
Ammo boxes increased to 60
Ammo in gun increased to 120
Also there’s some buffs to the switchblade, which I rarely see.
This seems as good a place as any to ask, so could someone explain the whole “cone of fire” dealie that Planetside uses for its weapons? How different is it than a typical shooter like Quake/UT/Battlefield? Do you need to only aim generally at a target to hit it? Does it require more precision than that?
I’m asking because a friend who once played PS mentioned it as one of his peeves but couldn’t really explain why it bugged him.
The PS Cone of Fire means that the longer you hold down the trigger, the less accurate your shots become. The effect varies among all the weapons. For most weapons, short bursts are the best way to go unless you are firing into a crowd.
On the MAX changes, I am annoyed that VS (and NC sort of, see below) MAXes get buffed while the TR MAXes are supposed to be getting stronger RELATIVE to the others.
The Qasar is a fucking mad infantry killer indoors now AND will kill a TR Dual Cycler MAX head to head easily. This is NOT balanced since the Vanu MAXes can dodge while the TR have to lock down for maximum firing effeciency. The TR DC has better range, though. The thing is deadly at even 100 meters against soft targets. While the NC didn’t get buffed directly, with the decimator nerf requiring 3 deci shots to kill a MAX, the NC MAXes with their special shield ability need 4 decis. Decis only have 3 shots and cannot be reloaded. With Personal Shield implant, TR and VS MAXes can survice 3 decis and the NC can survive 4.
The TR Pounder is back to its old tricks as a hallway spaminator which is a good thing. It takes 20 shots to take down the weakest tank - a Lightning - but even a good operator will miss 25% of his shots against a moving Lightning.
The TR Anti-Air MAX is still a total piece of shit since it cannot hit aircraft at the flight ceiling yet the NC AA MAX got a missile speed buff. WTF? The TR AA MAX needs to be more like the Skyguard.
Note: This is the summary from some of the KAAOS guys I used to play with. I haven’t played PS in 3 months.
Overall I think these balance changes are a good thing. Every side gets a little something, and the TR get the biggest boost, which they needed.
I think Sony did the right thing by balancing in small increments: none of these changes are dramatically overpowerering, but I do believe the net effect will be as follows:
MAXes will have more impact on battle, especially if you can mass up a full squad or platoon of MAXes. However, I don’t think that infantry will become irrelevant: more MAXes means even more targets for AV specialists, plus somebody has to repair, transport and support the MAXes. Also, I still think basic HA battles will still dominate base captures as the MAXes can still be killed by Deci users fairly easily, and the low maneuverability of MAXes is still a limitation in CQB. What this change will do is allow the mass MAX attack as a viable option and will make that call of “incoming MAX units!” a little more scary :).
The TR will gain a modest boost in tank battles, with the Prowler being more effective vs vehicles and air power. However the NC will remain the dominant outdoor power with the Vanguard, Thunderer, and Phoenix. The TR MAX boosts don’t seem that big a deal to me but I’ll have to see em in action.
The Switchblade change will likely result in a moderate uptick in the ATV cert but won’t be a huge deal. The Gal changes are minor IMO.
The big thing I am looking forward to is the Mechs :).
As for worrying about the fairweather players jumping to TR, I’m not too worried: they still dont have anything as powerful as the Vanguard or as interesting as the Phoenix.
