Opinions on Planetside 2 being Pay to Win or not?

[Colt47]

Well, I've been playing Planetside 2 for about two weeks and got a good feel for the game. While it's fun to play, I can't help but feel that the way they are doing weapon unlocks seems wrong, especially when compared to Tribes Ascend and a few other games. In my opinion, the game isn't exactly Pay to Win as much as Slave to Win, as having all purchases from armor upgrades to weapon unlocks running on the same currency means that realistically it's just not possible on a standard schedule to get a 1000 cert weapon. The certs are almost always better placed into upgrades for classes, vehicles, and currently unlocked weapons.

Anyone else have a similar (or different) experience with the game thus far?

 

[Joseph Harrison]

Yeah its a bit unfair in that regard seeing as how you have to pay to unlock rockets and planes are basically useless without rockets. It doesn't really bother all that much seeing as how awesome the game is but they should make it so its slightly easier to unlock stuff without paying money. I'm fine with appearance stuff being stuck behind a pay wall but things that are essential to the game should not be.

 

[sanquin]

I agree with the rockets for planes and other such upgrades. 1000 certs takes ages to get unless you're able to get large kill streaks every time you encounter enemies. In 3 hours I'm able to get about 200 certs if my outfits does well. Which means I have to play 15 hours just to unlock one single new weapon. A weapon that's pretty essential for any air combatant.

Personally, I don't mind it costing that much certs. The problem I have with the rockets is how needed they are if you want to be viable in the air. So in that aspect, the game is definitely pay to win.

 

[Kopikatsu]

It was so much worse in the beta, you don't even know. Someone did the math; you needed roughly 80 years of moderate-to-heavy playing to unlock everything. If you reduced that number to just 'essentials' (Since you can't equip multiple things into one slot), it was still around 12 years.

But yeah. It's pay to win in the same way that Tribes is. At least Hawken isn't like that; since the starting mech is probably the best one in the game.

 

[Fractral]

Eh, aside from the planes being useless without rockets, the staring gear is actually not too bad. I've only really played light assault, but with the starting stuff on that I'm able to get positive K/D spreads without too much trouble. The biggest problem is with the upgrading weapons, although that can't be bought with money, only unlocked through play, fortunately. Even then I think there's only small advantages for the higher leveled players. Being goo at shooters helps more.

 

[Colt47]

It was so much worse in the beta, you don't even know. Someone did the math; you needed roughly 80 years of moderate-to-heavy playing to unlock everything. If you reduced that number to just 'essentials' (Since you can't equip multiple things into one slot), it was still around 12 years.

But yeah. It's pay to win in the same way that Tribes is. At least Hawken isn't like that; since the starting mech is probably the best one in the game.

I didn't find Tribes Ascend to be pay to win quite as much as Planet Side. They don't even require a subscription to get the bonus currency: Buying anything on the shop gives a permanent boost to point gain in that one. Also, I found everything in Tribes Ascend really is a side grade: even the things that one might actually think are necessary for a specific class to play. For example, the rockets for the Doombringer, or some of the weapons for the Juggernaut. (can't remember which jug weapons off the top of my head).

In any case, I felt like the guys who made Tribes Ascend deserved what I gave them rather than how I feel with Sony, who seems to be forcibly nickle and diming people for needed weapons to make vehicles functional in their roles. Case in point, the Liberator and the Lightning.

 

[Zhukov]

No, not really.

There are a few things that definitely favour people who pay. Fighter VTOLs are the big one, like you said. To be effective you basically need an air-to-air cannon and either seekers or rocket pods. The liberator bombers also only really come into their own if you have explosive or anti-armour weapons for them.

Apart from that the default gear for tanks and infantry will serve you just fine.

Everyone has equal access to hard upgrades since they're unlocked with XP only.

However, the prices on the weapons are pretty ridiculous. 1000 certs (many, many hours of play) or about $7 if you use cash.

 

[Orange12345]

There are a couple things that are almost required to use certain vehicles like rockets for planes, or second burster for max, but most of the starting gear is usable. As for ability/equipment upgrades I guess they can make a slight difference in single person combat but in large scale battles i don't think an extra 15% health on one player is going to tip the scale, and since weapons are the only thing that is pay its not really pay to win

 

[Smooth Operator]

Well not in the ground combat, your absolute basic classes are just as combat effective as the later ones, they just aren't focused specialists.
It is far worse with vehicles where an upgraded enemy will have you at a great disadvantage every time.

And yes the game is absolutely set up for a grind, probably no worse then any MMORPG but while those eek out all the basic stuff over time this arms you to the teeth and then has you grind 70+ hours before the next unlock, or you can throw $7 in for each weapon... which is absurdly expensive.
I absolutely get that they need to make some money back, but you do that with micro-transactions not price each item as a new game.

 

[Saviordd1]

Besides the air craft its pretty even. Well, kinda of even; you can pay to unlock horribly deadly weapons.


My main gripe with the game is the balancing, TR dominates unless they're low on players; meanwhile the VS only has a chance in the air and the NC are probably the only balanced faction.

 

[DustyDrB]

Eh, aside from the planes being useless without rockets, the staring gear is actually not too bad. I've only really played light assault, but with the starting stuff on that I'm able to get positive K/D spreads without too much trouble. The biggest problem is with the upgrading weapons, although that can't be bought with money, only unlocked through play, fortunately. Even then I think there's only small advantages for the higher leveled players. Being goo at shooters helps more.

That alone is a pretty big deal. This game is dominated by vehicles.

Also, you should play Medic, Infiltrator, and Engie more if you want Certs. There are lots of support things you can do as those classes.

Besides the air craft its pretty even. Well, kinda of even; you can pay to unlock horribly deadly weapons.


My main gripe with the game is the balancing, TR dominates unless they're low on players; meanwhile the VS only has a chance in the air and the NC are probably the only balanced faction.

It probably just depends on what server you're on. I'm VS on Jaeger, and it's always just between TR and us. NC never really does much.

The things I don't like are these:
-Ultimately, the game feels like an endless tug-of-war. It needs more tangible daily goals so you can have some feeling of accomplishment.

-The population per continent is never balanced. It's most often 50% of one faction, with the other two splitting the remainder. That one faction will roll the continent, take it all, and then many will leave. So then things become temporarily more even. But then a different faction will start to make a push, with players from other continents joining to once again start to make the population lopsided. The faction who is losing territory will get sick of losing and switch continents, and that's when the attacking faction gets to 50% population.

And it's just back and forth with that shit. I almost never see a faction stick around and try to defend. Instead, they just switch to a continent where they're doing better.

 

[More Fun To Compute]

If you want to pay to win make sure you pick vanu. Or pay for an aimbot or something.

 

[Edible Avatar]

It feels like there are huge boosts for those that dish out real cash, which is really a shame. I've played the game for about ~30 hours now and I've only accumulated about 500 certs, and this was during the double XP week. In a game where you need 1000 certs JUST to get a new gun, i'd say that is pretty much pay-to-win.

I wish they took a hint from MMO's like WoT, where leveling up to tier 5 (the halfway point) can be achieved in a afternoon of hard play. This allows the player to feel like they are progressing rather than consistently grinding. Also, World of Tanks also has purchase-exclusive content, but it is VERY balanced with the free content. Many of the tanks that you can buy will have under-powered guns and engines for their tier, meaning that the free alternatives are often better, you just have to work towards them. The whole idea that the overpowered weapons are restricted to paying players and 50-hour-grinders just makes the game not enjoyable.

I dunno, maybe Sony with iron out the problems in the coming updates, a decrease in cert prices would really help.

 

[TallestGargoyle]

I heard there are actually important game mechanics that need to be purchased, or at least take a while to access through level ups that you might as well buy them to be capable of competing.

Though my knowledge of the game isn't fantastic, I played for about two hours and couldn't get into it at all.

 

[Piorn]

The main misconception people seem to have is that the weapons are actually "better", and that you need them to be competitive.
I'm having fun, and don't get owned regularly. I suck less than in the beginning, despite always using the same beginner weapon. It's just skill, practise and tactics.

 

[shintakie10]

Sunderers and all forms of aircraft are absolutely useless if you dont cert into their important upgrades. You have to cert into sunderers becomin a spawn point, without that you're basically a really weak troop transport. You have to cert into the flashes only defensive ability. Without any certs the basic fighter is completely useless and the liberator is only slightly less useless.

This wouldn't be a problem if the really important things you needed to cert were cheap like engineers AT mines (never leave home without them). However they're not cheap. They're bloody fuck expensive. They're so expensive and so mandatory that I don't even feel like I'm progressin towards a goal. Instead I feel like I'm just tryin to get to the friggin startin line.

Still love the game though.

 

[Jowe]

In the beta the most expensive weapons were 480 certs, and most were 50 certs or so, that seemed to work well, I managed to unlock 3-4 guns in the month of time I spent playing it. I feel like this was a more reasonable price.
I also liked how in the beta a separate currency was used (auraxium) to purchase weapons and certs were used for self upgrades. The downside of this was that the auraxium points were based on territory that you owned, so if you side was dominating you got lots of auraxium, and the other teams tended to leave. I feel like they could have changed this system instead of scraping it.

 

[shintakie10]

The main misconception people seem to have is that the weapons are actually "better", and that you need them to be competitive.
I'm having fun, and don't get owned regularly. I suck less than in the beginning, despite always using the same beginner weapon. It's just skill, practise and tactics.

In ground combat, sure. You don't really need anythin other than stock weapons to take on other infantry (might need some stuff to handle MAX). However infantry swarms aren't the bulk of the game, vehicles are the bulk of the game. Without sunderers, air support, and tank support you'll never get very far. However of those 3 the only one thats useful without upgrades are the tanks and even then if you go up against someone who has their tank fully teched out you're little more than a minor speed bump to them. Without upgrades your aircraft aren't a threat to other aircraft and you literally can not help support ground troups in a fighter. Without upgrades you're a sittin duck for other aircraft and are only minorly useful against ground targets in a Liberator. Wtihout upgrades your Sunderer is just a really expensive troop transport with really cruddy weapons that have trouble takin out enemy infantry, let alone aircraft or other vehicles.

 

[Piorn]

I heard there are actually important game mechanics that need to be purchased, or at least take a while to access through level ups that you might as well buy them to be capable of competing.

I guess you mean the "Deploy Sunderer as a mobile Spawn point"? It's very cheap to unlock, and needs some knowledge of the game to actually be effective. And it has limit of how many can be set up in the area.
I can't think of anything else I'd describe as core feature.