HELLFISH88

Re: New Interview compares PlanetSide 2 to Risk Oh God where to start...



First let me say that simply posting a Badass statistic spread on a forum and then running your mouth about how awesome you are usually just makes everyone else think you are an arrogant ass. Regardless of the game you are playing there is no better place to flaunt one's "skill" or superiority then the game itself...and you do this not by spamming chat but by actually accomplishing things. Let your action's speak for themselves and you have no need to air them verbally. On the other hand communication hubs and community's are like tools. It's all about how you use them. Sure it's fun to swap stats with all your buddies forumside but when hubris and pride cross the line it often destroy's the entire atmosphere. The Forum is a place to build relationship's and communicate. Not just a platform to flaunt yourself with.



I think some of you are giving the forumside of a game a bad shake. As I said they are tool's and as with all tools you need to learn how to utilize them best. In a game like planetside where charisma and leadership actually matter the forum provide's a platform for the community to gauge one another. I was reading Malorn's thread on teamwork and one of the issue's brought up was that after a certain degree of command saturation (See: Too many CR5's) it becomes very difficult for leadership to actually get anything done...or for the playerbase to distinguish who is actually competent. In my opinion this is what place's like the forum are best for. The forum share's the same community as the game but under an entirely different setting. Ergo people can really Bond and learn about each other more effectively then in game. (the exception to this being VOIP as that adds an entirely new layer of intimacy)



On the forum's people can express themselves via things like Signature's,Avatar's or even where they chose to post....and what they chose to post about. Another unique aspect of a forum is the ability to consistently track a record of what someone post's over incredibly large spans of time. This give's you a better exposure to them as player as a WHOLE and not just what they post in Global or outfit chat. I will also add people will behave differently in the more informal setting of the forum. In game a player who is a Commander our Outfit leader often must temper they're personality or emotions due to the responsibility or influence of their position over other players. It's like how all sorts of crazy bullshit managed to fly in the General Chat that would NEVER be allowed in the public communication channels in planetside itself. This being said, the forum also allows people to bond more deeply then in game as you are given the ability to have much more of a personality...this brings me to my next subject:



Levying the power of mass communication's such as a game forum. A charismatic yet tactful player can use the forum as a tool to gain popularity and respect within the community itself, and in games such as planetside such power is directly relevant and applicable in game IF one know's how to wield it. Player's are more likely to cooperate with people they respect or are fond of on a personal level. It's just like how reputation works anywhere else in our lives. More serious player's or outfits are much more willing to play ball with a commander they have been able to review and judge on a place like a forum. The forum allows people to display their intelligence,wit and all other sorts of talents and abilities. At the same time more casual player's who are perhaps looking for more "sheer fun or entertainment" will get behind a player they can identify with on a personal level via things such as common sense of humor or taste. All of these aspects are more easily and effectively communicated in the forum setting as opposed to the boring old chat window or having to deal with the limitations of the live game itself. It is concept's such as these that allow Commanders and outfit leaders to levy their influence and power effectively in game. Sometime's "The Zerg" doesn't want to listen to the Cr5 who sounds like he has a stick up his Rexo or is taking his armchair general outlet a bit TOO seriously. Once again, at the same time if one is trying too harness the power of a serious and organised outfit the leader/personality cannot just spam Meme's or rely on things like inside joke's to build a re pore. The more serious group will respect intelligent and well thought out post's they have seen.



The Charisma factor is one of my favorite part's about planetside. You really do need to have a certain degree of people skills if you want to get things done..especially if you are a player perusing command positions. The Same effect can be seen in games such as battlefield but the non-persistent nature of the deathmatch mechanic doesn't really lend itself the concept as well as Planetside does. The CR5's leading you today are probably going to be the same CR5's leading you 2 months from now due to things like time zones,server location or something as simple as the amount of time one needs to invest to reach high command status. I'm actually pleased to hear Command is something player's will have to really "Spec" into in planetside 2 as it may just deal with the "Command Saturation" problem I mentioned earlier.



This is just my quick take on it. To be honest given a less fatigue and more time and I could knock out volumes on this topic. I hope it's a discussion we will peruse in the future as it does play a major factor in the game we all know and love.



And Hamma my love. I AM big time on the forums ;D <3