Shaping the Battlefield - PlanetSide 2 Gameplay and Strategy

Talking a bit about how you can shape the way a battle plays out, instead of ramming your face into the same death-hole every time you respawn. Throughout this, I use the term "public players" in regards to less experienced and unguided players, there's also a note in the video regarding that. Not a whole lot of text in this video, and I'm talking pretty quick, but hopefully you'll be able to make sense of things. The intention is to get you to start thinking about something more than pointing and clicking at whichever enemy you see roll into sight.

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@WrelPlays

[ThutoMolefi]

Wrel always sounds so calm even when streaming. This dude could be a pilot and be like "Hey there folks, Wrel here and I'll be your pilot today. We'll be flying through a tropical storm so you may experience some turbulence. With that said I'd like you to fasten your seatbelts and hope for the best, Wrel signing off."

[Durbs]

I agree with the sunderer ideology in theory, but in practice when it happens I've never seen it done for the right reasons. Friend of mine had a guy C4 his and then immediately put his own (deployed, not supplemental) sunderer in the exact same point. The only conclusion I can draw from that is that he wanted the experience for himself and his team instead of letting some random guy get rewarded for his placement. I've only ever seen it happen from the team the guy is on [which I'll redact], so while I understand where you're coming from I think that's where the community's frustration over that tactic comes from.

[ssiriss]

The more I watch ur videos the more I enjoy them. The effort you put in to them really shows.

[JasonMansfield]

I've been a huge fan of smoke for a while. It's a huge help when enemies are dug in and defending without moving, especially when they're shooting out from their spawn room.

[ragingagent]

Light assaults are the kings of flanking. Get a few to cause trouble away from the front lines and people will go running to put out their fires. This will give the rest of your guys room to break through the now weaker line.

[buxt-tech]

I am really glad I subbed to you a couple years ago. You are a great source of PS2 wisdom for me to absorb upon my return to the game/ <3

[dragoncrystal]

Very interesting video. I think I'll definitely use some of these methods to strengthen my forces. Already I've been using sundy placement to give my allies better places to spawn.

One of the biggest times I've seen this used was when attacking a tower somewhere in esamir. We were attacking from the ground straight at it. Complete cert farm both ways, but we were losing momentum. As a sniper, I was looking for a good spot to take out tower guys, and saw a cliff to one side of the tower.

After parking a sundy at the top of the cliff, the battle completely shifted. People spawned like crazy up on the cliff, and we were able to suppress most of the resistance on the tower, at least for a while.

[edwardkaashoek]

Nice vid Wrel! I think the best way to use smoke is when there is a lot of enemy maxes, engies en medics. You throw your smoke and then enjoy your easy C4 group kill.

[pokebreaker]

This reminds me of an unintended lecture I made about 10 ago on Reddit, concerning tactic viability with Light Assaults, and why they get the negative attention they do.

"Unfortunately in war games, it's hard to measure the value of certain things that can't be statistically captured.

For instance, Suppression. The act of suppressive fire does not net you any points (in most games) and it can't be tracked anywhere, so there is no way to tell how well it's working. However, suppression DOES have an effect on the battlefield, being that it can (and often does) cause a delay in the forward progression of the enemy. Therefore allowing your forces to move forward with "less" danger, as the enemy is trying not to get killed; as well as potentially buying friendlies time to reinforce positions (running from spawn or redeploying). I'm sure we can all think of times in PS2 where we were pinned down behind a wall or a rock (or inside of a Teleporter/Spawn Room), While the enemy may not be able to hit you, the bullets flying your direction are enough to make you stay behind cover until there is a break in the firing (reloads, enemies killed/suppressed). In this game, most people aren't trying to suppress, but to kill, and are just bad shots. This also does not mean that there won't be people that run out and get themselves killed anyway.

Now to my main point. The Light Assault has the ability to create disruption, misdirection, and chaos on enemy positions. They can harass the enemy to get them to change their focus from that of moving toward the point, to that of trying to find this person constantly picking them off one by one on their flanks. If an LA can redirect 10 or more enemies in his/her direction (that is opposite of the point), that is 10 or more enemies not moving directly towards the point. As we all know, EVERY second matters in PS2, because you can lose a base at 1 second left on the cap.

Just as with suppression, there is no way to measure the effectiveness of a Light Assault's work (if they are doing it with disruption in mind, which most aren't). Although it can be somewhat similar to the tactic of backcapping a base behind an enemy zerg, FORCING the zerg to come back or risk losing territory; therefore relieving pressure on your friendly forces at the previous location. Since leaders can't count how many enemies were redirected, it is assumed they are not effective (and they are usually right)

All that being said, MOST players are not YET capable of playing a Light Assault, even in it's basic usage, let alone advanced tactics focused on supporting the main effort by redirecting enemies. An LA's mobility is a MAJOR advantage. One that is often used very lightly to get into a location, but not to get out. Players will get a height advantage and camp that spot, instead of consistently moving around, keeping the enemy wondering where the hell they are. Movement is also what keeps the LA alive longer.
Sorry for the wall of text... I have more to say, but I feel I should cut myself off. I think I met my daily text quota..."  -Pokebreaker

[ChertovBaobab]

Good tips. Also, lemming analogy is briliant! :3

[cliffordanderson]

Sometimes when a small battle feels stagnated, I choose to grab my light assault and C-4, and try and find the sunderer the enemies are spawning at. By taking it town, I completely reverse the fight and the enemies seem to "magically" disappear.

[WinterSoldier-ozzb]

Yaaayyy, good to hear your voice again wrel. One thing that I have often found is extremely effective is a well positioned spawn beacon (for example in a tree on hossin). Watch some of Moukass's videos on team play if you want to see it done right. 

[xMElpx]

Sometimes its interesting how people want to fight tactical, but have no idea what they are doing. When I was BR 11 or so, and when we were loosing a base in my old team, they just said, push them out. I said: "Dudes, they have 70% overpop." Nobody cared. And then surprisingly they said: "Oh, better move to another fight". Or I said, lets put some C4 on a flash and drive it at the sunderer. Same thing.
And I think you all know from life that first experiences are most important. Just do me a favor and hear at all people in your squad even if they are new. The ideas are sometimes great.

Oh, little tip for shaping the battlefield: Take an infiltrator hack the enemie vehicle turret and spawn a sunderer. With this method I changed a really big fight. Its the little people :)

[Fusiondax]

always very pertinent and very interesting, keep up the good work.

[Ideeem]

Usually when fights freeze, I switch to trusty engie with sticky and proxi and get some kamikazee multi-kills. It never gets old.

[KAINReNzrakaReNe]

nice vid man, keep them comming :) Shaping the general community in how to exploit and advance in the art of war will only give us a more enjoyable game.

[betmynamespookedyou]

It's awesome when you say "Hey guys, Wrel here"

[jcjbrony]

My favourite trick to pull the tide of the fight, Suicide C4 Fairy. 2 bricks of C4 tossed into a room and clicked has a huge impact, especially when that room is a cap point. 
It may take 12 deaths to get there, but so long as you swap out the route you take, you'll get your kill. 

[YinYangGreen]

My buddy and I run harassers almost exclusively, so to push a fight along, base allowing, we pull a canister with stealth and basically act as a really big but fast max. Not only does this result in a lot of dead enemies, but our presence at the front lines gives allies cover and clears a way, forcing them to advance to shoot at things. Often times we'll get to the point and take it and hold it.

[rastordusquick]

how about you and your 2 or 3 squadmates hop in a valkyrie, get behind ennemy lines (empty ennemy base behind the one you're attacking) hack the terminal, spawn 1 sunderer each and dispatch them all around the ennemy base to provide several spawn at once. this worked a lot of time for us.