Planetside 2: Grindy McGrindy McSpaceyPants

Woops, my bad. This is what I get for typing before my brain finishes thinking.

I'm installing, is there a particular server/faction combo I should be shooting for to play with folks here? I'm a little unclear after the discussions on the last couple pages.

New Conglomerate on SolTech!

Can you shoot me an Outfit invite? SphOnx with a capital "O" not a zero.

...if you're a nancy who thinks the other faction's guns are too hard!

That does sound like me!

You can apparently monitor your ping using the TCP/IP option in the windows task manager. Do not ask me how - it was just explained in mumble yesterday, and I pass it on.

So I'm in. Haven't played much yet, but: Heavy Assault is good fun! Meat for the grinder. I did realize that I'm going to have to very quickly retrain myself to not press 'E' thinking it rolls any aircraft - was very non-plussed when I did that in my very first Reaver. And then the second Reaver. And then my first Liberator. Being on the other end of our dogfights must be hilarious to these people.

NantucketSteele on SolTech, NC of course. Can I get an invite if we have an outfit?

I should be on tonight for at least a little while. I will throw you an invite

PS I am "Chozin" on SolTech/NC.

I'm BS0NES (the 0 is a zero... sorry) on SolTech. I'll throw you an invite is I see you on. Er, assuming I can. Can anyone in the outfit invite?

If you all don't mind, could you please throw a NC invite to "SpaceHerp"?

Yes, beer and Ice Pirates flashbacks were involved in that name.

The SolTech server went into night-mode and I finally figured out what this game reminds me of. Every post-apocalypse opening scene from the terminator movies. The really good battles capture that essence of simultaneous chaos and awesomeness.

I sent you a friend request; weirdly, the game allows you to send friend requests to offline players, but not outfit invites. So friend me and when I see you on, I'll send an outfit invite your way.

I am still unable to friend or outfit invite scapa16 which is talisker I believe. Not sure why.

I think so. I promoted everyone I invited to the top rank (leader).

By the way, Ben, are you a Euro? I feel like the times I've seen you on you're punching out just as I'm punching in.

The NC is a flakey bunch.

We have one continent fully locked down as such


But the other has been like this for a full week.


Good times.

Nope. I just have a toddler, so my free gaming time sometimes comes at odd hours.

I can't decide between Inf, LA, or Engineer. I messed around with a MAX for the first time the last couple days... pretty great if you have a support team around you.

LA and Engineer go well together since they share the same starter weapon . Any attachments or additional carbines you unlock will be available for both classes.

I mainly play Engineer because I spend a lot of time in a tank or support roles (I suck at shooting people with guns). During heavy base assaults I can pull out the LA for a bit more survivability.

Yeah, and I like the idea of C4 in theory for the LA. Maybe if I get the 6x scope for the APX-11 or whatever that gun is with the high velocity rounds I can have some kind of in between of Inf and LA.

FWIW I rolled an Alt on SolTech - FreedomRock

I haven't abandoned VS...we'll have to see how well I can tolerate the NC's theme music.

I have unlocked the AC-X11 based upon recommendations earlier in this thread. For long range attacking I kit it out with a forward grip and the 6x scope. With stock ammo it works OK for sniping but the bullet drop is very noticeable and it does not do much damage. Very few people are foolish enough to let me shoot them 3 or 4 times without taking cover. I really need to upgrade to high velocity ammo. Just need more certs.

For short range battles I use the AC-X11 with 2x reflex sight, forward grip, and compensator. I can actually hit people with some level of reliability now.

I have the high velocity rounds, I just need a better scope. Right now I'm using the 3.4 reflex, and it's pretty good, but something that gives me a bit more distance would be nice.

2x is as high as I like to scope on any of the carbines. More than that and you are tempted to shoot at things that are way outside their effective range. Even the AC-X11 is best for 30-50 meter engagements--what I think of as "medium range"--and a 2x scope is more than adequate for that. This differentiates it from, say, the GD-7X, which is really ideal for zero to maybe twenty meter hip shots. I use the 2x Reflex on the AC-X11, and the 1X Reflex on the GD-7X (I don't use the scope nearly as much on that weapon, but when I do pull it up, it's usually in situations where I don;t want to give up any peripheral vision).

Now with the Gauss Saw LMG, OTOH, the 4x Truesight scope is awesome.

Don't decide. Pick whatever's appropriate for the situation.

I know the cert system rewards specialisation but when you're getting hammered by multiple tanks, a squad of HAs can quickly destroy them. Stuck outside the walls of a big base? Everyone go LA, take the walls. Faced with an infantry horde? TURRETS HOOOOOOO

Try and get some time in this weekend if you can, they're temporarily doubling the experience gain. Starts at 9am PDT.

Yeah, they did a good job at making sure that basic, un-certed classes are effective in combat. Certs will, for the most part, not make you that much more powerful. A little bit, but not a lot. Most of the default weapons are solid and versatile. The HA's dumbfire rocket, for example, remains useful even if you have unlocked the guided versions. It requires a bit more skill to use, but it also does a lot more damage. It's the best weapon to use against static targets like turrets and deployed Sunderers, and is arguably the best to use against tanks as well, provided that you are good at leading your target. I use the default SAW on the HA as my go-to weapon for ranged combat. The LA's Mercenary carbine is a decent weapon even with zero certs invested in the class.

So, yeah. Focus your cert points on your favorite class (or two), but don't hesitate to switch up classes as need dictates.

So I spent the certs on the Vanu IRNV scope, and I'm finding it horrifyingly terrible for the combat medic. The silhouettes aren't that different between the factions, since everyone is dressed in space armor, and it actually makes the blue friend indicator more difficult to see. The particle effect from healing blocks a third of the screen, and if someone is by a monitor they blend right in. I also still have to press the spot key every few seconds, since its range is so ridiculously limited.

The only use I can see for it would be in conjunction with smoke grenades in close quarters.

Yesssss...GF is out of town this weekend.

Oh, no. I switch, I meant which one to concentrate my certs into. I'll swap around if I notice a lack of any one thing on the battlefield.

Man, I couldn't disagree more. I LOVE the IRNV scope and I use it on every weapon I can. I find that it makes it so much easier to go for headshots.

On enemies that are out of range of the scope, I just aim using the spot indicator. That's typically beyond the effective range of my weapon anyway, so I'm just pulse firing to get the first-shot accuracy.

I'm getting a bit tired of people not doing the job of the class they pick. In standard MMOs I generally tank. I like being on the front lines getting pummeled and hitting back. I try to do that with a MAX, knowing I have a couple Engineers or Medics around...and I get no support. I do like the timers on the MAX, though. Does the MAX's ability actually damage people? I haven't been close enough (I usually go anti-vehicle) to use it on a person.

I don't understand turrets in this game
I think a big part of this is I miss my FOF turrets from PS 1.
But whenever I try and use the turrets in PS2 it basicaly feels like I'm just shouting out "Hey I've rooted myself into place. Free easy to line up headshot here!"
I usualy just end up being a Pez dispenser and getting my toes run over trying to fix up the tanks.

You need to be careful about where you set your turrets up. Out in the open, you are just asking to be sniped. If you place them such that people have to engage you at medium to close range, preferably in the open, then you can gun them down faster than they can land headshots. The shield makes you a very small target, and can take a lot of abuse.

I don't really play Engineer much, mind you, but I've been killed by turrets enough times to know that they can be effective.

Yeah, chokepoints are the obvious choice, but you want to be sure that you've not got so much cover ahead of you that people can snipe you with impunity. Make them come at you at medium range.

We had a Vanu squad bottle us up in a base once with 4-5 guys putting down turrets. Sucked. They're absolutely vicious in the right places.

I saw some turret use late last night while trying my hand at support classes (I like! But stressful and low XP?). Looked good to me, but I'm only assuming since I just started playing. Was on Esamir with a decentish sized army holding off the Vanu from retaking the top-most chunk (1/10? We held 4 hexes or whatever) of land around the NC warpgate so that they would keep throwing forces at us there instead of at our efforts on Amerish. Snipers/counter-snipers were mostly hanging out on towers or one hill back from the line, while there were a couple of squads largely made up of engineers running around deploying turrets with their backs to a hill or rock (where mechanized would have a hard time blasting them even if they weren't being kept busy) and pinning down buildings or chokepoints. Anytime someone went down I'd revive them. Seemed legit.

Bear in mind that as a MAX, Engineers can heal you but Medics can only revive you.

As an Engie I love supporting MAXs:
A - Your ammo box can resupply them
B - You can heal them without being worried they are going to throw it in reverse and back over you.
3 - You usually don't have to make a mad dash between speeding armor, exploding shells and snipers to repair MAXs - They come to you!

Exactly. And I make it a point to try and shield whoever is around me since I can take a bit more beating, but I rarely get the support of the people huddled around.