[PTS] PTS Update - 3/31

[PSNews]

PTS will be updated later this afternoon. Here are most of the relevant changes we have made.

NSX Yumi

• Increased damage profile from 143 max damage to 150 max damage.
• New audio profile.
• Animation work.

Misc. Adjustments

• Sunderer no-deploy zones now affect both attackers and defenders. Known issues: No deploy zones can disappear from sight as you approach them.
• Infantry now gain experience for dealing damage to ground vehicles.

Forward Station

• On Test, you will have access to a rank 1 Forward Station found in the Combat Medic's ability slot.
• The Forward Station acts as a deployable spawn point that can be placed indoors, and regenerates the shields of nearby allies while deployed.
• The intention of this test would be to ultimately replace the Combat Medic's Shield Recharging Field.

Goals of this change

• To allow both attackers and defenders the ability to create footholds within a base.
• Foster a better feeling of progress toward capturing a base.
• Give defenders the opportunity to break out of spawn camp situations.
• Reduce the reliance on Sunderers while inside a base, while still retaining their importance to a fight.
• Create more opportunities to use different areas of a base, and potentially spread the fight out more often.

Considerations

• As listed earlier, we have enabled No Deploy Zones in each base to affect both attackers and defenders, while the Forward Station ignores this restriction.
• Sunderers will likely be defended less often by infantry spawning from them. With that in mind, we would be looking to increase the staying power of a Sunderer while in a deployed state.
• There is a concern that this may create some whack-a-mole style gameplay, and there are many potential adjustments we can make to mitigate that.

Some stats

• Only one can be placed, does not restock from ammo packs.
• Currently recharges 42 health per second for this test version, but will likely be more at release.
• Resupplying from a terminal and equipping the device will destroy your most recent pad, if it exists in the world.
• Cannot be deployed within 75 meters of another pad of the same faction.
• Players can respawn on the forward station within 100 meters.

Known issues

• Minimap indicators are currently broken, but the intention would be to allow enemies and allies to see a nearby spawn tube on their minimap at all times, similar to the Infiltrator's Motion Spotter.
• Shield recharging can take up to 5 seconds to initiate if you do not leave and re-enter the zone.
• Placeholder model and effects.

Facility Benefits

Dev Note: Moving forward, we're looking to create more consistency with vehicle usage so that players are encouraged to pull the right vehicle at the right time. Part of this effort comes from shifting cost-reduction benefits and vehicle requirement restrictions off of the Tech Plant and Continent Locking mechanics.

As a trade-off, continents are gaining access to more defensive benefits that have mild, but distinct impacts on how you approach a base fight, depending on which faction currently owns a continent.

Tech Plant

• No longer restrict the usage of Main Battle Tanks.
• Owning a Tech Plant now allows players to call down a stock Flash ATV using the Waypoint system. Dev Note: This is still a rough implementation of this feature, but having the ability to summon logistics opens doors in a number of different areas in the future.

Amp Station

• No longer increases heat efficiency for base turrets.

Continent Lock Benefits

Amerish

• No longer reduces infantry consumable costs.
• Now allows base generators to slowly regenerate health while destroyed.

Indar

• No longer reduces air vehicle costs.
• Now increases heat efficiency for base turrets (previously an Amp Station benefit.)

Esamir

• No longer reduces ground vehicle costs.
• Connected bases you own now regenerate infantry shields over time.

Source: Planetside 2 Test Server: Announcements