As much as I love Planetside, I feel like the one of the main issues is player retention and player growth, which II believe are both problems caused by many issues. The issue I am focusing on is the lack of long term content of Planetside 2. In this post I will be defining what long term content is, what short term content is (and why it is bad for the current state of Planetside), and possible solutions for these issues.

What long term content is (and why the game needs it)

Long term content is content that effects the game in the long term, think the NSO update, outfit resources being added, construction, etc. Content that lasts past short term events not only is better for content efficiency (work : content added), but it actually is better for the game.

When I say the game is lacking in long term content, I am referring to the fact that despite the game being out for 8 years, the game has little to show for it. A new continent will be impressive at launch (ignoring all of the bugs and problems that come along side it), however it doesn't change how the game is fundamentally played. An example of lack of long term content is the lack of different playstyles between classes. Classes feel less like classes and more just different loadouts. For instance, all classes have the formula for 80% , with some mix-up coming in with the tool slot, ability slot. Hence, long term content (aka content that changes the game long term) has more value and requires a similar/less amount of work than short term content

What short term content is (and why it is bad for the current state of the game)

Short term content, in contrast, is content that is focused on changing the game for a few months to a year (for instance, Halloween events, winter events, summer events), in the moment short term content changes the game and brings in new people, but the people won't stay after that short term content is.

Short content isn't good for the current game for many reasons, but with how many problems there are with the current state of the game, covering up those problems with tape (not Band-Aids since Band-Aids fix cuts) doesn't fix anything. Having a new continent is fun, however it doesn't fix the current state of alerts, game flow, or the problems with directives. New seasons of content is only beneficial to player growth and retention if the original game is solid and consistent. As much as it is hated, base fortnite is a solid game, and having seasons and gamepasses bring a new breath of fresh air to that. Planetside 2 is not a solid game in any means, which means that there should be a lesser focus on short term content and more of a focus on long term content.

Possible solutions

Work on long term content: Pretty self explanatory, fix major bugs, balance gameplay, etc. (ADD MORE CLASS DIVERSITY).

Reduce quantity of short term content: Reducing short term content until there is enough long term content and the game is solid enough to grow consistently.

Add more content depth: Add more class tools, more construction, etc, etc, just add more long term content that changes the game, don't worry about nerfing or buffing outlier weapons .

Overall, thanks for reading this long post, feel free to comment other solutions or other problems the game has. Keep in mind, this isn't the only problem with the game, just the problem that I am currently focusing on.

(also note: the new continent is a piece of long term content however it doesn't change the game play of 75% of the continents, hence why I talked about it as if it wouldn't add that much to change the game)