The thread of Plan-Et-Side, not Planescape 2: 'Thousands of armies'

[Repline]

With "big announcements" planned for PlanetSide Next at the SOE Fan Faire starting July 7th, we're all excited to see exactly what Sony Online Entertainment has lined up for us. Now - a couple of days before the show - SOE has teased their big reveal.

http://media.gamerevolution.com/images/misc/Countdown(1).jpg

Officially naming the game PlanetSide 2, SOE's President John Smedley revealed a countdown on PlanetSide2.com that currently stands at just under 52 hours, as well as a Facebook page for the game that says "classified information" will be revealed at 7PM PDT on the 7th. We looked at the source info for the countdown site, and came across a revealing new description for the game

"PlanetSide 2 is the only first person shooter that delivers truly epic, massive combat on a scale never before seen in stunning, breathtaking detail. Be a part of explosive action in a futuristic world with forces ranging from tactical squads to thousand player armies all taking place in real-time on enormous open-world continents."

The SOE fan faire will be held from July 7th to July 9th.Gamerevolution (http://www.gamerevolution.com/news/planetside-2-countdown-begins-thousand-player-armies-in-realtime-6591)

[Flangenimblick]

Thosand-player armies? if so, then awesome, but I think this may flop horribly coz it's going directly against Dust 514, and we really don't need two MMOFPS's...

[Repline]

PlanetSide 2’s (finally official) announcement, at least for this editor, is the most exciting game announcement of the year – by a long shot. You may be asking, “What the heck is PlanetSide?” Well, the main thing you need to know is that it’s an MMOFPS, which should immediately prick up your ears if you love FPS games. “But wait,” you say, “I hate MMOs!” Have no fear: PlanetSide is almost nothing like the typical MMO, because it’s not an RPG, but an actual skill-based game, but with more players than you’ve ever encountered in an FPS before (MAG doesn’t even come close). It’s so amazing I insisted it be included in our Top 100 games of all time. And now, with PlanetSide 2 incoming, I have high hopes that gamers who would have loved the original game but missed out on it will finally see what all of (my) fuss is about. Of course, I don’t know if the sequel will actually be good yet, but I’m more excited and hopeful for this game than I’ve been for any game in probably ten years. Seriously.

First let’s check out that trailer:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBCp_rgAkfc

It’s possible after watching that you’ll say “Eh, looks like a generic sci-fi FPS.” And I wouldn’t blame you. PlanetSide’s art style has never been overtly flamboyant, but it has tiny details you don’t notice at first. With some deliberation the creative aspect of the armor, weapon, and vehicle designs becomes clear. Plus, that video shows a tiny fraction of what the game will offer. The video barely showed the infantry weapons, vehicles, and just a hint of the aircraft. Strangely, the true scale of the game isn’t obvious from the trailer – you get a glimpse of it, especially at the end with the fleet of aircraft, but I’m telling you, take everything you see in the video and multiply the number of players by ten to twenty and you’ll get an idea of just how massive the battles will be. And if PlanetSide 2 can pull off the same balance of roles that the first game did, these giant battles won’t be a huge mess like you might worry about. Other FPS games become total chaos when you get too many players on one map, but not PlanetSide. It’s a beautiful orchestra of foot soldiers, tanks, buggies, fighters and bombers, support units, invisible stealth dudes and much, much more.

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Bulk%20viewers/PC/2011-07-08/ps2_screen_shot_3--article_image.jpg
Above: Note the vast distances involved - those curving structures in the upper-right are parts of a warpgate, which is what you use to move between continents, so if you can see it, you can travel to it

After I played the first PlanetSide, every round-based shooter afterward felt like a hollow shell that only made me want to go back to PlanetSide, because not only is the scale so much bigger, but there’s also the persistent world. You have a character that levels up, joins a permanent Outfit (think guild), and wages war over continents that are always there, always changing hands. After that, simple shooter rounds that repeat over and over feel outdated. So if PlanetSide 2 can pull off what the first did and draw in a new audience, be prepared to never look at other shooters the same way again. You’re going to be spoiled. That said, let’s take a look at some of the interesting parts of the announcement.

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Bulk%20viewers/PC/2011-07-08/ps2_screen_shot_1--article_image.jpg
Above: This building has us baffled - it's bigger than the original game's towers, but smaller than the bases. We have no idea what its purpose is

The fact sheet mentions “tightly-packed urban centers” which is absolutely huge for PlanetSide fans. The first game started off with just big, wide-open fields, forests and mountains surrounding bases that look like futuristic castles. Players wanted to fight in an urban environment, but the Core Combat expansion, which was supposed to provide that, instead gave us giant caves full of crystalline “buildings” that may have in spirit provided urban-style combat, but never felt like a city. If we get true cities this time around, the game will have an appeal that will draw in players that never got enough traditional FPS combat from PlanetSide’s uninspired indoor level design (even if base battles were enormously fun despite the weak designs).

There’s also mention of “holding territories and controlling resources.” PlanetSide 1 has essentially only one type of thing to control – the bases. There are no real resources to speak of. The idea of resources in PS 2 is both exciting and worrying. On the one hand it could provide strategically deeper gameplay, but on the other hand it could introduce a slippery-slope dynamic often found in RTS games where once a side is losing, the resource disadvantage makes victory increasingly unlikely. This is especially dangerous in a persistent shooter because without rounds to reset teams’ advantages, one side could be in trouble for a very long time. Of course, we don’t know what these resources are or how they work yet, so we’ll have to wait and see. One thing that stands out, though, is the mention of “fuel bonuses,” which is strange because it implies that vehicles will require fuel – a radically different concept from PS 1 and also from most shooters that have vehicles. Again this is worrying and also potentially great: having to deal with fuel might make vehicle driving a pain (and some players dedicate their entire playstyle to vehicle driving), but on the other hand it may be a good check against the power of vehicles versus infantry, which is a bit out of whack in PS 1 – infantry being fodder for vehicles.

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Bulk%20viewers/PC/2011-07-08/ps2_screen_shot_2--article_image.jpg
Above: We noticed the cliffs at the top of those mountains, which has us worried again. In PS 1 there were few places a foot soldier or ground vehicle couldn't travel, so if those cliffs are prevalent, it means more restrictive maps

Another key quote is this: “PlanetSide 2 will launch with several continent maps.” The emphasis here is mine. PS 1 has ten continents, and that’s what it launched with (with six continent-sized caves added later). “Several” implies fewer than ten, but this may be a smart design choice: it will keep players closer together, ensuring huge battles instead of having people too spread out. And if the game takes off, they can always add more continents later, as implied by the at “launch” phrasing. They also mention that “landmass will have intrinsic value even without notable installations or major features.” This is particularly interesting because with PS 1’s bases, fights always centered on certain points of the continents, whereas if in PS 2 you gain something by owning every inch of land, there will be much more diverse battles because people will be fighting over random parts of the world no one would otherwise pay attention to.

Let's check out the concept art for the MAX suits for all three empires:

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Everything%20else/nc_max--article_image.jpg
http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Everything%20else/tr_max--article_image.jpg
http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Everything%20else/vs_max--article_image.jpg
Above: MAX suits are sort of like indoor tanks - they are heavily armored foot soldiers designed to punch through stalemates. You can see here how the three empires have beautifully unique design styles

Now we get to the big item that has me and other fans worried: a “free-form class-based system.” That may sound cool to PlanetSide newbies, but understand the PS 1 has no discrete classes, and that’s one of the features that makes it stand out amongst other shooters. In the original game, you can slot-in individual certifications for weapons and vehicles, meaning you can truly create any custom “class” you can imagine. If PS 2 restricts us to classes, that may take away a big part of PS 1’s unique flavor. However, some players argued that the original system allowed people to be one-man armies, discouraging teamwork. So it’s possible a class system (which they make sure to say is still customizable) could be good for teamwork-oriented players.

Apparently there’s going to be a mission system, which is something I had wanted for a long time in the original game. It’s implied that players in leadership roles will be able to create missions for their underlings – if this turns out how I’m hoping, it will mean coordination on a mass scale that possibly no FPS has ever achieved (MAG’s scale just doesn’t match up).

http://static.gamesradar.com/images/mb/GamesRadar/us/Games/P/Planetside%202/Everything%20else/environmental_concept_1--article_image.jpg
Above: Whoa, whoa, whoa! This is just concept art but what's up with that giant airship? Yes, please!

And finally, they talk about 20 basic weapons and 15 vehicles, but understand that the original game started with roughly that many pieces of equipment, but got far more by the later years. The real big question marks remain: what kind of subscription model will it have (the original has a monthly subscription), and will it be PC-only? We’re not sure how the game could possibly work on PS3 (this is a Sony game, so don’t expect a 360 version), and frankly although we like the idea of PlanetSide 2 reaching a bigger audience, if the game is designed around being ported to PS3, it will almost certainly have to be dumbed down, considering the original game got me to use more keys on my keyboard than any game I’ve ever played.

If you’re still not sure what the big deal is about this game, don’t worry - I’ll be talking about it more as information trickles out.

Gamesradar (http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/planetside-2/news/planetside-2-officially-announced-with-amygdala-stroking-trailer/a-20110708112354817062/g-201107089553752061)

[Kharrak]

Thosand-player armies? if so, then awesome, but I think this may flop horribly coz it's going directly against Dust 514, and we really don't need two MMOFPS's...
Dust 514 is exclusive to the PS3, while Planetside 2 is a PC release (with pontential to also release on the PS3) so there's no direct competition.

I'm quite interested in this game. With every new MMO release, I always wonder how the MMOs I look forward to will fare (in this case, Dark Millennium Online). It's quite a vicious and interesting rat race.

[Garson007]

Thosand-player armies? if so, then awesome, but I think this may flop horribly coz it's going directly against Dust 514, and we really don't need two MMOFPS's...
If anything, Dust 514 has a MUCH higher chance of failure.

[Repline]

If anything, Dust 514 has a MUCH higher chance of failure.

Just to confirm the above:

I wouldn't call myself a FPS-kinda-guy. The best FPS shooter I own is probably... oh wait I dont own any. But even im a bit attracted to the above concept. This really looks like it can be fun.

However I cant compare it with Dust 514 as I have no point of reference, and barely have the detail regarding it.

[Deathburst]

Can't wait for PlanetSide 2 to release...only 9 hours left :D and it's free to play :P:P

[Acinixys]

Can't wait for PlanetSide 2 to release...only 9 hours left :D and it's free to play :P:P

I played about 4 hours of the beta before i gave up. The lag was too much to handle. :(

[Deathburst]

Ah no :(, really hope they improve it or something because it looks like a really cool game.

[Flangenimblick]

Watching the gameplay on youtube, this looks pretty much like Tribes: Acend. The only difference I can see is that it has a large, continuous game world. Other than that, doesn't seem to offer anything new. A RISK-like territory map isn't that impressive really, however if it becomes a very populated game then it might be fun.

[Zoop]

Sounds awesome to me. Currently busy downloading it. Should be done in the morning.

[Deathburst]

Well, for gameplay that looks as interesting as this and the fact that it's free to play, will make that I will at least try the game out. Only
problem is that there seems to be a problem already when trying to add the game and install it even though the game has already released...hope they fix it soon. Planetside 2 looks like a mixture of Halo and BF3 tbh, but still worth checking it out.

[Zoop]

Just restart your Steam client. It didn't want to install on mine and a Steam restart fixed it for me.

[Deathburst]

Sweet thanks!

[tarisma]

I was in the beta, wasn't bad, wasn't amazing but defiantly worth taking a look at. The ping however can be somewhat of an issue...

[Zoop]

Is it EU or US based? My pings to EU are generally very good. They rarely go over 200.

[tarisma]

Is it EU or US based? My pings to EU are generally very good. They rarely go over 200.

I was on EU, I tried first on an AU server and that was crazy high. I have the game installed but there is a big patch and I aint got much capp left. I will try next month

[Deathburst]

Read something that the servers is situated in Germany for people playing on EU. Still have to download 1.5gb :/

[Zoop]

Steam reports about 1.5gb for me too, but Steam keeps crashing after this morning's update.

[Zoop]

I'm about to start playing. Post your nicks and factions here, and we can see about starting a group or something. No idea what the game is about, so I'm down for playing any faction. Would just prefer not to play the Terran as they sound boring and overpopulated.

[Squirly]

I keep reading Planescape 2 in the thread title and it's driving me nuts.

[Deathburst]

So I finally played the game. I can see myself playing this game whenever I'm bored or if I want to play a game with almost constant action. All I know is....there is a heck load of players, probably hundreds or thousands :D. My game nick is DeathburstZA and I'm playing on the high populated EU server.
So far there is very little delay and lots of action, so yeah maybe check this game out.

[Zoop]

Unplayable on my dual-core rig. Meh. Can play BF3 on high, but not this on low.

[Deathburst]

Whaaat? That's really lame! Hopefully they will implement performance patches soon.

[Zoop]

Yeah, especially because I can still play all other recently released games either on full or High graphic settings. BF3 runs perfectly on High on my PC.

[CyniKill]

Could be the same problem Guild Wars 2 has. The sheer number of players takes a huge toll on the CPU.

[Deathburst]

But in my case I can play BF3 only on medium as well as Planetside 2, can it be cpu related?

[Zoop]

Yeah, I think this is CPU related. My GPU meets the recommended requirements on the dot.

[h3dsh0t]

Had lots of fun on the Eurydome server while in Beta. Will join up later on when I get around to downloading the latest patch. DAC got about 5 players that play PS2 regularly.

[=GSG=Shadowstep]

What servers are people playing on the most?

[rElentLe$$]

Nick: jO3BZA
Fraction: the alien technology guys (can't remeber the name)
Server: EU Miller

Played about 30 mins yesterday for the first time and so far its quite good and interesting, but I have no idea really where to go and what the objective is, I just spawned and the base was already under attack. Is there a clear, way of direction and who/what decides where we should attack or defend? I'm lost
How can i gather resources to make a vehicle?

[Deathburst]

You receive in-game points that you get for experience you gain and with that you can buy vehicles, weapons and weapon attachments. When you press "m" for the map you can see the whole continent, with that you can see the area you control and the bases close to the border of another enemies turf and defend it or attack their bases.
The main objective is to gain map control as much as possible, so just keep pushing or defending those borders.
Sometimes there are Sunderers(Vehicle with a spawnpoint) that you can spawn on.

[rElentLe$$]

You receive in-game points that you get for experience you gain and with that you can buy vehicles, weapons and weapon attachments. When you press "m" for the map you can see the whole continent, with that you can see the area you control and the bases close to the border of another enemies turf and defend it or attack their bases.
The main objective is to gain map control as much as possible, so just keep pushing or defending those borders.
Sometimes there are Sunderers(Vehicle with a spawnpoint) that you can spawn on.

Thanks this helps, is there way that I know where/what my team mates are doing besides the chat? some kind of VoIP? so that we can form a strategical attack?

[{G}Zulu]

Downloading this FTP game now. Seeing whats up with it. Hope it delivers.

[Deathburst]

I haven't heard any voip yet, but I'm sorry I also don't know what everyone else is doing as well :/. You can maybe voip if you're in a squad...think the shortcut is p or something.

[h3dsh0t]

I found on the beta server Eurydome the NC team I played with had definite leadership. We had squad leaders who followed orders from the guy(s) above them. If you didn't want to play in a squad and get given an objective then you lone wolfed it. More fun in a big squad when attacking a bio dome or point with 3 other squads 48+ ppl. Haven't found where those players are yet. Currently playing on Ceres (EU) but getting a bit of lag to it. Anyone tried the new AUssie server yet? SOE have done a ton of work on it and there should be a lot better play. Only problem is the timezone - when we want to play they're sleeping so the server is quiet. I prefer the EU servers as they're usually busy when I want to play.

[{G}Zulu]

Ok. Update. My power went off while I was downloading. Next morning when I relaunch Steam, guess what happened??? BACK TO SQUARE 0!!! ZERO PERCENT! FFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I'll skip this game now... *cries*

[T_Kill3r]

I absolutely love the feel of this game. Just had a great moment where right after our side had captured a point, the whole army went for the adjacent point which was on a peak with only one road leading up to it. Felt like a real war running up that road between 40-50 tanks being blasted by rockets and gunfire.

[Shad0wstr1k3]

Busy downloading now :D Still gonna take a while though...

Just out of curiosity, which server are most of you playing on? Be nice to play with some other South Africans :P

[Zen]

I dig this game, its what Battlefield 3 should have been. Huge maps and huge battles. I do however feel that they could have added more in the way of arsenal. i.e., What if you are running a blitz squad? You pretty much have 3 options. Everyone gets a flash (which cannot defend itself), or everyone gets a lightning (Which can be shot to pieces by Sunderers, Tanks and gunships) or a galaxy, which is a flying boat. I would have liked something like a Scorpion DPV - quick, can hold a few squad members and has some form of armament.

I regularly run squads for TR on the Mallory server with the rest of my clan, but the squad is typically open for the rest of the server. People get quite surprised when they see us working as a team. Nick is XennoXTR.

[T_Kill3r]

I'm playing EU ceres, as New Conglomerate. We really suck, I think we're the worst on every continent. :>

[.exe]

I've been thinking about giving this title a spin, and being F2P does definitely factor into it. I really like the sound of the epic battles, with thousands of players on any given server, and most of all, it seems proper community based, with everyone working toward a greater good.

I've got one or two minor PC issues at present, but once those are sorted out, I'm giving this a shot. It looks so hot.