Planetside 2

[Surlyboi]

Did I hear, "bullet drop"? 

[01101010]

An NC shirt?? Higby can fuck right off with that...

[Ghambit]

He vaguely referenced a "membership" we can purchase. 
They haven't decided how it's gonna work yet though.

Tbh I dont really care, I'm gonna play this shit out of this game.  And I will likely at least throw $15/month at them for the trouble.

[Mrbloodworth]

The popping in an out of things annoys me to no end. It made it look like all the vehicles were cheep throw away toys, combined with his aircraft sliding off the platform.    Also, from the videos, it looks like the TTK is way to fast IMO. I REALLY hope his respawn time was just a dev trick, because that was insanely fast. The Galaxy as an AMS, yeah, that thing can only sit there because they only had 45 players in that engagement. The Aircraft physics were way to loose.

Players seemed to blend in a lot with the overly busy base walls and textures, but I assume that's why the red arrows popped up. The Tank driver being the gunner as well is a giant pander to the playing alone together crowd.

Don't get me started about the retarded killcam.

F'ing Battlefield dust everywhere.

Over all it looks good, id still like to see more.

[shiznitz]

One thing that struck me in those vids is extremely short TTK in infantry v infantry.  In Vid 2 the narrator was in light assault and killing unaware enemies in less than 1 second.

The base design with lots of cover points looks good.  I liked the kill cam, but it is new to me.

[Mrbloodworth]

Kill cam is ass in a wargame.

Get some situational awareness.

[Mrbloodworth]

I got 5$ on medics will be tossing out packs on the ground. Also, ammo will never be an issue.

I win.

[Mrbloodworth]

    Q: In what ways can we use Smoke besides Smoke Grenades on the Light Assault class? Leader barrage unlock, vehicles, etc... ?
    A: Nothing concrete at the moment but there are a lot more smoke effects than just from smoke nades. An example given was that when you fired a rocket you'd be given cover by the smoke produced. Also I believe that there was an implied affirmative that vehicles can pop smoke which I believe was covered in an earlier interview.

    Q: Can you go into more detail regarding the mission system? (limitations, requirements, types of missions, etc.)
    A: There are limits to the types of missions that can be created. Over time they plan to add in more types that can be selected from

    Q: How will leaders communicate with each other? Will command chat make it into PS2?
    A: They're working on this currently but there will be some way.

    Q: Are resources are gained both individually and by empire? will there be a correlation between them ensuring the players are mindful of both and not just their own?
    A:Resource gain is based on territory held by the empire and paid out like dividends to everyone.

    Q: What will the MAX crash dynamic be like in PS2?
    A: "Dynamic as ****."

    Q: How will Infiltrators be able to sabotage enemy equipment?
    A: By blowing equipment up. Gens will now be interactive things and not require heavy fire power to bring down.

    Q: If you're going to enforce one empire per server, and the game is free to play, what incentive is there not to make second accounts for empire hoping?
    A: There is none. But things you buy for one account obviously won't transfer.

    Q: Can an empire capture large facilities in sections, or is it just the "one cc, all or nothing" gameplay like PS1? If they can capture a section, and they grab one that has a spawn point in it, can they now spawn at that spawn point?
    A: You can capture bases in sections and when you capture a barracks you can spawn there.

    Q: Is/will there be a system in place to prevent grenade spam? In PS1 is wasn't much of an issue since taking grenades had to be a choice, and it took up a weapon slot but with every class having their own grenade types plus any generic grenades and grenades having their own "slot", could get out of hand really quick.
    A: Grenades cost in game resources. (It should be noted that Higby really stresses the difference between ingame resource cost vs station cash. Grenades will not be station cash items as that would make them pay to win items.)

Vehicles

    Q: What functions can the Galaxy perform when in a landed state as opposed to a deployed state? Specifically with regard to defensive turrets, terminals, and spawning. Expanding on that do troops spawn internally or externally and is there an interference radius?
    A: Difference between landed and deployed: "It looks different." (They're working on it, T-Ray was occupied when this was asked but Higby said he had a bunch of cool design ideas drawn up.)

        There will be an interference radius for deployment similar to AMSs. Higby agreed that there should be some way for pilots to see where they can deploy but there is nothing like that currently in the game.
        There will be an equipment term that becomes available when deployed. There will also be mannable guns that are "Powerful".
        Troops spawn externally. See GDC video for example.

    Q: In PS1 you couldn't ever choose which AMS to respawn at. You could only respawn at the closest one, is this staying in or can we hop to whatever deployed Galaxy we want?
    A: Right now you can spawn at any point inside a radius around your death. If there is no respawn point inside the radius it grows bigger. You will always be able to respawn at the nearest biolab (should note that I don't know if he was using this as an example of the nearest base or that biolabs are unique in that they may always be spawned at.)

    Q: Will PS2 have the same deploy radius limitations for deploying Galaxies as PS1 had for AMS's? If it does, can we please ensure that Galaxy pilots are able to view the deploy radius for currently deployed Galaxies so that you can land and deploy in a valid area?
    A: There will be an interference radius for deployment similar to AMSs. Higby agreed that there should be some way for pilots to see where they can deploy but there is nothing like that currently in the game.

    Q: Will there be vehicle ownership system? If yes, will it resemble PS1 ownership system?
    A: Yes, Yes, will also have outfit lock in addition to squad.

    Q: Will the scythe drift when changing directions?
    A: Yes. Their goal with the scythe is to make it as UFO as they can.

    Q: Could you please explain your reasoning for going to "Jack of all Trade" type vehicles? Example: Why give Vehicles like the Vanguard the Option to go AA,AV,AI.
    A: Higby said they wanted vehicles to have options and not feel like "I really want to drive my vanguard but there's too much air out." It's all about trade offs, e.g. a tank that's good at AA will be easy to kill with an RPG.

    Q: Will vehicles still have specific entry points?
    A: You can not enter a Reaver from the tail but you can anywhere near the cockpit. Evidenced in GDC video.

    Q: Will vehicle occupants still need to get out to change seats?
    A: No

    Q: Will there be limitations on when pilots can get out of their aircraft?
    A: No, but there is fall damage when you lack upgrades.

    Q: Are there any plans to let driver/pilot and gunner mark targets for each other on their respective HUDs?
    A: Yes, there are spotting mechanics in the game.

Weapons

    Q: What is the desired average range of infantry weapons and the engagements they'll often take place? (shorter range akin to cod, long as in a game like armed assault or the middle ground similar to battlefield.)
    A: For normal grunts 20m to 100m (middle). Sniper rifles are another topic.

    Q: How many slots will be upgradeable/sidegradeable for standard firearms (such as an infantry's primary weapon). Barrel, magazine, sight/scope, under-attachment? How will it work?
    A: 2 slots for game modifiers, 2 slots for cosmetic.

    Q: Does the beamer fire a beam rather than a projectile, will the pulsar act in a similar way?
    A: Projectiles for both.

    Q: What kind of Empire Specific equipment will a pulsar have on it?
    A: No weapon ES upgrades, there will be ES sidegrades however. A difference would be something like the red dot sight styles. Some ES weapons can be upgraded to be better than the other two in certain areas. Like rate of fire for TR but everything comes at a price.

    Q: Since the Beamer has "self-charging" cells, does this mean it will never run out of ammo?
    A: This is a side grade. So yes, but you lose damage.

    Q: Will there be multiple fire modes for weapons? Specifically in regards to assault rifles (Full Auto/3 round burst/single shot)
    A: They want to have this but not currently

    Q: Whats the difference in weapon handling "at the hip" versus aiming down the sights? Extreme like CoD (hip firing being essentially worthless at anything beyond point blank) or A: PS1 accuracy at hip with ADS being a slight improvement, maybe reducing CoF expansion? Empire Specific and Weapon dependant. eg. TR have better hip accuracy.

Classes

    Q: What is the VS MAX special ability that's replacing JumpJets?
    A: Don't know yet.

Outfits:

    Q: What kind of features will the outfits have in the new game. What kinds of cool stuff./ abilities features goals beyond the cosmetic?
    A: Mostly a coordination system at launch. Such as an outfit mission system. Later they plan on adding more things (see outfit bases tweet). There will be no limit to the number of ranks you can create inside an outfit.

Post Launch

    It's no longer a 3 year plan, it's a 5 year plan.

Random:

    Q: Do we still have /em cabbagepatch?
    A: There are no current good dance emotes ingame but that's definitely on the list.

    Q: Will vehicles once again get riddled with bullet holes and blast marks on them?
    A: Yes, currently they lose their markings when repaired though. After some talk about awesome vehicles that lived for hours, Higby said he'd consider having the repairs not remove the bullet holes.

Other - These items were not on the formal list but came up in the conversations.

    Biolabs use teleporters to get from the ground floor to the top as stairs would take ~15min to climb to get up to the top.
    No common pool vehicle can currently float in water, they may change the Sunderer to be able to do this.
    There will be upgrades for aircraft (including gals) that when you bail from them you will deploy in drop pods rather than just falling. Drop pods will accelerate to the ground and will deal damage on what they hit. Higby said you could kill gals mid air with them by knocking them about. He also said that the balance team hate it as they can't find a spot to put it in their spread sheets but as Higby said "It's fun! You can't put fun into a spread sheet." These drop pods will also be aimable and will be the method that squad spawning works. Higby wants this to happen: "A squad leader is under fire and stuck behind cover when two drop pods fall and crush two enemies and then MAXs get out of the pods and tear up the attackers. And that's your trailer." These are effectively living OS.
    You can have a maximum of 3 implants and implants have tiers. They will be consumable similar to a buff. There will be an exp booster implant that can be bought from the store with station cash.
    PR won't let Higby post girls as they are wanting to use them for a cover of some sort it seems. Also there is a plan to use MAXs as a hype builder.
    And I'll leave the part about PR wanting Higby fired out as I believe that was just a running internal joke as both parties were present and were smiling about it. They actually seem to be quite amiable with each other.
    Certs are no longer the method that players are limited to roles. That job has been taken over by the class system and limits on what gear can be equipped at the same time. There was indication that certain combinations would not be allowed.
    T-Ray is a stickler for the art style and is making sure everything looks just right. This is another reason why he is awesome.
    Asked about only being able to pull the Gal from tech and warpgates as that would seem to make getting a new one difficult when neither is close. Higby said that they want the bases to have unique properties and that there will be other methods of spawning besides the Gal (e.g. squad, towers, barracks).
    If there's a quick image of an NC MAX in the GDC videos it is in fact a reskined TR MAX as the designs are not yet done.

Observations

The entire team loves the game and wants to make sure that it's the best out there.

The dev team does not get enough love for what they're doing and how accessible they are. The fact that Higby took the time to go through "tiny minutia" with me while the rest of the crew was watching the pool game involving some Devs and some players shows his serious dedication to the community. They were talking about how PSU is the first thing that Higby looks at in the morning and the man himself said how he was laying in bed that morning thinking of making a post about how much fan support means to the team.

[Nebu]

You post all of that and have NOTHING to comment on? 

I want some objectivity, damnit!

[Mrbloodworth]

I "don't matter". So. I have been containing it.

I'm in a love hate relationship at the moment.

[Ghambit]

We're all gonna play it regardless.      Impending doom and all that.
I'm most pissy about the lack of command-strat. layer information.  It's the most important mechanic for retention and they fail to really talk about it.

Btw, the strat map is goddamned retarded.  It's like a hexmap playtoy from Rainbow Brite or something.  It needs "something."

I think not having faction-wide weapon unlocks is probably the right choice.  It'd create a slippery slope for the winning side that'd speed up the map drastically.  Making them player-only permanent unlocks is likely the better option.

[01101010]

The only reason I'll actually load this game on my machine is because it is going F2P and I owe it to my PS legacy to have it on there. Now, whether it gets a play or not.... well, it has been looking a lot like NOT for so long now. Nothing I have seen changes that fact. Trading the AMS abilities to the Gal and dropping the AMS all together just pisses me off to no end. Now, if they decide to give a ground vehicle "spawning capabilities" in a loadout for it, it may take the edge off my shitstorm. The rest is as I said it was... Battlefield with a PS skin. In fact, while I was watching pt 2 or 3, a guy here at work spotted it and asked if that was a PC mod of Battlefield.  I said yes... a startup company is developing it, I think they are called SOE ...

[Mrbloodworth]

Q: Will vehicles still have specific entry points?
    A: You can not enter a Reaver from the tail but you can anywhere near the cockpit. Evidenced in GDC video.

    Q: Will vehicle occupants still need to get out to change seats?
    A: No

    Q: Will there be limitations on when pilots can get out of their aircraft?
    A: No, but there is fall damage when you lack upgrades.

The march to mediocrity continues. "Battlefield did it" is now a design term I guess. God forbid you take 2 seconds away from "BOOM HEADSHOT".

[Malakili]

We're all gonna play it regardless.   

Yeah, no matter how much I bash their design decisions I am still going to at least give this a go.  Maybe that is what they are counting on with fans of the series. 

[shiznitz]

In the same boat.  I am buying a new PC to play this. 

[Sky]

The goddamned kids didn't get to the library copy of PC Gamer fast enough, so I got my 1337 beta code on my station account. For whatever that will be worth.

Also, lol haterade already.

[UnsGub]

Lots of details in the GDC videos.

[Surlyboi]

The goddamned kids didn't get to the library copy of PC Gamer fast enough, so I got my 1337 beta code on my station account. For whatever that will be worth.

Also, lol haterade already.

I'm all up in the hate parade.

I get what they're trying to do. but some of the decisions are so goddamn tone-deaf it's scary. They're trying hard not to paint themselves into some of the corners they did with PS1, but in true SOE fashion, they're inventing new corners to paint themselves into.

[Shatter]

Ok fine, Ill be the one person here who doesnt try this one....for the team!

[Ghambit]

Given your avatar (oh, and the fact that it's F2P), I find that hard to believe.

[Mrbloodworth]

I'll be playing it. Of course.

[shiznitz]

If you have a strong opinion on kill cams, PS2 Facebook page is asking.  The feedback is overwhelmingly "no" so far.

[Ghambit]

If the killcams were wide-angle 3rd-person I'd say keep em.  The way they are now though is just 
There needs to be a deathcam though for sure, not just a harsh screen change.  Let me fall to the ground and fade-to-black or something. 

[Kageru]

I'd love to play it, this sort of huge battle game would be fun, doubly so if it actually develops a feeling of flow and tactics. But I have to be realistic about the possibility of servers with a decent ping from Australia (virtually zero).

[Mrbloodworth]

I know why they want them:

1. Battlefield and CoD did it.
2. To show off Shop bling.

The second is valid. The first is just copy pasta with zero reasoning. Here is my solution:

Show the name, the gun and other stats of who killed you, possibly a render of them ( From in game, to show off bling, think Borderlands boss introductions ). But not the location or other killcam like functionality.

This removes the implications of number one, while maintaining the "show off the goods" of number two. Hell, its even less bandwidth.

[01101010]

If you have a strong opinion on kill cams, PS2 Facebook page is asking.  The feedback is overwhelmingly "no" so far.

Funniest thing I have read today...

[Mrbloodworth]

I'm most pissy about the lack of command-strat. layer information.

They said it was like twitter.

Ill find the quote.

EDIT: Here you are.

Matt Higby: "It's almost like twitter! Where you have three people that you can follow basically, and based on their current number of followers they can put missions in that are higher level or lower level. So you can have like one dude on your server that's like the most badass guy on the NC, and you want to follow him because he's always creating badass missions. You might also want to follow your guild leader because the Guild Leader is going to kick you out of the fucking guild unless you follow him -- So you're going to follow him for now, right? So you're following that dude, and maybe you're following some other guy too. And[sic] these guys are able to get missions from all three of these guys, but their missions are based on the number of people who are actually following them. So the most effective leaders are getting uh...the most followers, and therefore getting the best bonuses for doing stuff. We thinks it's a really cool system that could work really well, it's speculated at that time whether or not that's how we'll actually implement it. But that's the design at it stands now."

[shiznitz]

I expect that this game will creep closer and closer to PS1 post launch as they realize the console crowd isn't sticking around.

[Nebu]

I expect that this game will creep closer and closer to PS1 post launch as they realize the console crowd isn't sticking around.

Would that be a good strategy for making $$$?

I think that they need to cater to a broader audience if they're to broaden their base.  That's going to alienate the some of the hardcore PS1 crowd.  Seems you have to lose a few to potentially gain broader appeal. 

[01101010]

I expect that this game will creep closer and closer to PS1 post launch as they realize the console crowd isn't sticking around.

Would that be a good strategy for making $$$?

I think that they need to cater to a broader audience if they're to broaden their base.  That's going to alienate the some of the hardcore PS1 crowd.  Seems you have to lose a few to potentially gain broader appeal. 

Which will never happen since those people like their couches and gamepads/joysticks. Has catering to a broader audience ever worked in a genre that is already dripping with choices? You will lose those people because this is just like every other shooter only here you have to use the lolmouse/keyboard and be strapped to your desk to play it. Then you lose the diehards because population drops and it doesn't measure up to the first one in terms of depth or scope. This whole sequel thing is a mess... and I am morbidly facsinated at how SOE is seemingly walking straight to the cliff without slowing down - can't wait for the excuses when this game plummets... I may have to create a twitter account just to follow Higby's trail of tears as he tries to explain why and how PS2 failed. I am going with "it was too ahead of its time for the players to really appreciate it."

[shiznitz]

PS1 was fun AND cool.  At least that is how I and many of the early players felt.  PS2 looks like it will be fun, but the cool aspect has yet to show itself.  Cool is hard to capture in design docs.  It usually comes from a collection of interesting small touches.  The vehicle mounting and dismounting animations were an important part of this in PS1.  I would include the CR5 backpacks in that category as well.

Maybe skin customization will do the trick, but I am not optimistic.

[Mrbloodworth]

@mhigby
re: killcam I'd like to build it to be a UI w/ 3d view of your killer (not in world) and shows stats like the LoL "death recap".

Thank god.

[01101010]

@mhigby
re: killcam I'd like to build it to be a UI w/ 3d view of your killer (not in world) and shows stats like the LoL "death recap".

Thank god.

Point though is IT DOES NOT FUCKING MATTER WHO KILLED YOU IN A GOD DAMN WAR WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.

I want to see this when I die... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yK4lxBarpE

[Mrbloodworth]

I agree, but in this context of them selling bling, its a good compromise.

[Ghambit]

@mhigby
re: killcam I'd like to build it to be a UI w/ 3d view of your killer (not in world) and shows stats like the LoL "death recap".

Thank god.

Point though is IT DOES NOT FUCKING MATTER WHO KILLED YOU IN A GOD DAMN WAR WITH HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE.

I want to see this when I die... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yK4lxBarpE

Go play APB.    One of the few things they got right in that game.

Remember too though, there will be fully served "killmail" just like in Eve or WW2O.  So no matter what, you can track what happened, when, and where.  Much shit-talking will ensue I'm sure.
In WW2O our squad routinely used AAR's to find the best players and many times said players would get emails from rival factions trying to get them to change sides   .  And since they're doing it in xml 3rd-parties can parse what they need into all kinds of cool apps.  Matter of fact, we had an entire regiment (off the grid) devoted to that kinda espionage stuff.  And our command level guys had their own parsing systems they used to track action w/o even logging in the game.

Smart clan leaders will take advantage of this as it plays directly into the resource/xp system through missions, so you'll want the best players you can find.  The "twitter follower" thing is a nice touch in this regard.  Ego is a powerful game mechanic.  

Things can get pretty cutthroat in PS2 if they leave enough wiggle room in the design to allow us to do-so.