Planetside 2

[Sky]

Yeah, I get the reasoning behind the dissatisfaction. It's not going to be a clone of the original...but the original didn't do all that well (even without the whole cave nonsense). While I'm a definite proponent of designing (and budgeting the development!) to the niche, game studios don't think that way.

As someone who loved PS1 casually, I think this one looks pretty great. Different, but I'm ok with that. I think it looks good enough to be worth setting aside stuff like entry animations and approach it with an open mind. It's not like we're getting a lot of polished large scale fps...and it is f2p and whatnot.

[Malakili]

Yeah, I get the reasoning behind the dissatisfaction. It's not going to be a clone of the original...but the original didn't do all that well (even without the whole cave nonsense). While I'm a definite proponent of designing (and budgeting the development!) to the niche, game studios don't think that way.

As someone who loved PS1 casually, I think this one looks pretty great. Different, but I'm ok with that. I think it looks good enough to be worth setting aside stuff like entry animations and approach it with an open mind. It's not like we're getting a lot of polished large scale fps...and it is f2p and whatnot.

This is basically how I am looking at PS2 at this point.  It isn't exactly what I want, but what I have seen looks good enough that I'm going to try it at the very least.  The fact that there are no alternatives (besides going back to WW2O again, but I've worn that one out at this point) really helps PS2.

[Kitsune]

All I want is Planetside, made cheaper, and made to work okay on modern hardware.  My only beef with PS1 was $10/month and the technical issues it had with networking and modern CPUs.  The gameplay was perfect and the graphics were fine.  Prettying up the graphics while screwing over the gameplay isn't an acceptable tradeoff.

[Ginaz]

Is there beta testing for this yet and if so, where can I sign up? I loved PS1 when it first came out and this actually looks pretty good for a f2p game, much better than Tribes.  I wonder how PS2 will effect Tribes since they're both high quality f2p FPS?

[Malakili]

Is there beta testing for this yet and if so, where can I sign up? I loved PS1 when it first came out and this actually looks pretty good for a f2p game, much better than Tribes.  I wonder how PS2 will effect Tribes since they're both high quality f2p FPS?

I can't imagine there will be too much overlap, they are drastically different games.  But then again, sometimes I make finer distinctions than others.

[Surlyboi]

I doubt there will be much overlap either and I'm guardedly optimistic about PS2. It'll still probably turn out to be a shit show, but I'll play it.

[Goumindong]

Is there beta testing for this yet and if so, where can I sign up? I loved PS1 when it first came out and this actually looks pretty good for a f2p game, much better than Tribes.  I wonder how PS2 will effect Tribes since they're both high quality f2p FPS?

Sign up at the main planetside 2 website.

Alternately go to their twitter and vainly attempt to get a key.

Beta start date has not been announced afaik.

[Sky]

The one long vid with Higby and Totalwanker made it sound like closed beta was coming pretty soon. That covers a pretty big spectrum, of course.

[Mrbloodworth]

Yeah, "a few weeks" seems to be about as specific as one can get right now.

[01101010]

Yeah, I get the reasoning behind the dissatisfaction. It's not going to be a clone of the original...but the original didn't do all that well (even without the whole cave nonsense). While I'm a definite proponent of designing (and budgeting the development!) to the niche, game studios don't think that way.

My argument and disdain comes from the fact that the first PS didn't do well, not from the gameplay design of a war game, but for the multitude of other problems stemming from netcode and development apathy. The core play of PS was the niche mark and PS2 just does not appear to stay true to that. They seem to have lost the synergy that made PS what it was in a quest to make a bigger BF3 or CoD. That is my source of vitriol here. I can see this boiling down in the first few months of release to nothing more than a bunch of individuals running around killing other players than a war game that progresses territory. A bunch of soldiers but not an army. I hope they can handle the massive scale they want, but I believe they lost site of the true purpose of PS, which was not a failing of the first PS but the reason to play it.

[Speedy Cerviche]

What?? PS1 was not supposed to be a niche game...

it was supposed to be mass market, they just did such a bad job that it was relegated to niche, that was not the plan.

Also a bunch of you are making very sweeping judgements of how bad PS2 gameplay is before you even had a sniff at it which is pretty funny.

[Engels]

Dude, MMOs in general were niche, never mind PS1. Tilll WoW, mmos in general had the market exposure of a leprous rat.

[Speedy Cerviche]

Dude, MMOs in general were niche, never mind PS1. Tilll WoW, mmos in general had the market exposure of a leprous rat.

When Planetside 1 was released, Everquest was around 500,000 subs, pulling close to $100 million annual revenues. That is hardly niche.

[Mrbloodworth]

It was Niche. I also think you are completely missing 01101010's point of his post, insisting on zeroing in on a word choice.

[kaid]

Yeah, I get the reasoning behind the dissatisfaction. It's not going to be a clone of the original...but the original didn't do all that well (even without the whole cave nonsense). While I'm a definite proponent of designing (and budgeting the development!) to the niche, game studios don't think that way.

As someone who loved PS1 casually, I think this one looks pretty great. Different, but I'm ok with that. I think it looks good enough to be worth setting aside stuff like entry animations and approach it with an open mind. It's not like we're getting a lot of polished large scale fps...and it is f2p and whatnot.

I think the whole f2p thing could really be good for a game like planetside and ps2. The first one using a sub model was one reason its player base stayed the size it did. Its hard for many to justify a sub fee for a FPS game. A F2P model along the lines of LOL is a much better fit for this kind of game than the old school sub model.

[Surlyboi]

It was Niche. I also think you are completely missing 01101010's point of his post, insisting on zeroing in on a word choice.

Well, let's be fair, it IS speedy and he's already declared us all haters because we don't think BF/CoD is the way to go.

[Mrbloodworth]

PlanetSide 2 -- Ground Assault on Tech Plant HVAR

[Mrbloodworth]

Hi all! I wanted to start off this initial PlanetSide 2 Producer Letter to everyone in the community by saying a big ‘Thank you’. The development team has been working their butts off for the past year pulling the game together in anticipation of our first hands-on and Beta. All the fan support so far has been awesome and it’s been really motivating for everyone here as we’re cranking through making the game. At the end of the day we’re building this for the fans!

There is a crazy list of upcoming events this summer for PlanetSide 2 including ChinaJoy, GamesCom, San Diego Comic Con, and PAX Prime, and it really all kicked-off at E3 a few weeks ago. The Electronic Entertainment Expo was the first opportunity for hands-on with the game and thousands of people swamped the booth to do just that. It was three days of epic battles, headshots, tank explosions and kamikaze aircraft. The press jumped in as well and ended up sharing the love with nominations for 40 separate awards and 21 wins so far! For those that missed them, I’ve included some of the links below. The E3 demo was a critical milestone for PlanetSide 2, and we’re extremely proud of the team’s accomplishments, but we still have a ways to go... which is where all of you come in.

Like I said before, the community’s enthusiasm has been stellar, and the comments on Facebook, Reddit and Twitter have really helped shape the game. As we move forward we will continue to have that open dialogue with the PlanetSide 2 community as you are the most important members of our external team! That said, there has been a running theme from everyone revolving around Beta. That time is fast approaching and I wanted to take a moment to break down the phases of the upcoming PlanetSide 2 Beta and how your help is integral to the launch of the game.

We’re currently in Internal Closed Beta which includes daily team playtests, tons of optimizations, lots of bug fixing, polishing game mechanics... you get the idea. Our next step is a Technical Test Phase that will include testing our servers, concurrent players and further optimizations of both our client and our server. This critical step is necessary to ensure a solid foundation for the first phase of our External Beta. I want to be clear that this testing phase is not part of the actual Beta. I don’t want anyone feeling like this is some exclusive thing they didn’t get invited to. This is purely for making sure what video cards work, what drivers work, what machine speeds work and how they interact prior to External Beta.

External Beta will include primary rounds of entry for existing PlanetSide 1 players and additional External Beta registrants, including those who obtained Beta codes from the PC Gamer magazine cover feature. Playtests will be scheduled during this time to ensure the maximum testing of specific aspects of the game with ever increasing numbers of players. Your participation is extremely valuable to us and we’ll be balancing and revising base layouts based on your feedback. Again, we will be inviting as many of our existing PlanetSide 1 players as we can into the early phases of Beta determined by a number of different factors, including machine type. Rest assured PlanetSide 1 players... you’re top of the list in each phase.

As Beta progresses I will continue to send out more specifics on dates of each of the phases. If you don’t have a Beta code, you don’t have to go to eBay to get one. Prove your empire allegiance and tweet (@planetside2) or drop us a comment (facebook.com/planetside2) for a chance to receive a Beta code. Be sure to check out our Facebook APP as well!  And, if you haven’t done so yet, sign up for Beta access at www.PlanetSide2.com and ensure your contact information and computer specs are up to date. Please also remember that Beta testers will be under an NDA (Non-disclosure agreement) which requires acceptance prior to admission into Beta.

Thanks again for all the support and help in making PlanetSide 2 a truly epic experience!

Josh Hackney

Executive Producer, PlanetSide 2

 

Join PlanetSide Day!

Can’t wait for the launch of PlanetSide 2 Beta? Itching for some action? Pass the time and start honing your skills again in PlanetSide 1! The community is returning to Auraxis this Sunday, July 1st, in celebration of PlanetSide Day. In support of this monumental occasion, starting this week, SOE is granting 30 days of free game time to every former PlanetSide player who has ever had an active subscription!  

If you need to download PlanetSide 1, head to our Get The Game page, find PlanetSide 1, and click Reinstall. We can’t wait to see everyone back!

http://www.planetside2.com/news/june-2012-producers-letter-beta

[Engels]

So reading between the lines, if we resub to PS1, we will get into PS2 beta? Or are they not counting subscribers as of this announcement? (never mind the free month of PS1)

[Sky]

I read it as paying subs set at the top of the list.

Yay for the nod to the PC Gamer promo, I sponsor that for the library's periodical room and yoinked the code when it came in.

[Mrbloodworth]

So reading between the lines, if we resub to PS1, we will get into PS2 beta? Or are they not counting subscribers as of this announcement? (never mind the free month of PS1)

No. To be a "vet" you needed to have had a sub, some years/months ago. Forgot what the cut off was.

For the 30 free days, you had to have had a sub at some point.

[Slayerik]

So, anyone gonna fire up ole PS1? Vanu here....

[Mrbloodworth]

Yep. TR here. My weekend is shot.

[Slayerik]

If you are TR then shot is what you'll be when I see you!

[Simond]

Loyalty until Death, Strength through Unity!

[Mrbloodworth]

For those of you waiting on your time grants, we've confirmed that these should be done by 11:59 PM on June 27th (PST). This should give you plenty of time to get in for the weekend.

[Mrbloodworth]

If you are TR then shot is what you'll be when I see you!

Not likely.

[Mrbloodworth]

Check your E-mails people. Hardware servery for beta just went out.

[Goumindong]

If any of you have a key and don't want one. I would love to take it off your hands.

[Surlyboi]

Got the hardware request.

Not sure if my new retina Macbook Pro is up to the challenge.

Oh wait, yes I am. 

[JWIV]

yep, reinstalling PS1 now.  smurf4lyfe

[Slayerik]

If anyone is interested, I'll probably rejoin my old Vanu outfit for this. PM me if you want to try the game at a larger scale, they still do Thursday night 60+ man raids with Air, Inf, Armor divisions. Sunday night is Fun raid, theme night like ALL LIGHTNINGS! or MAX Crashes, gal drops and stuff.

[Surlyboi]

Fuckin' barneys.

[Engels]

So after getting most of my SOE game accounts UNBANNED (someone had attempted a hack apparently), I got back into PS with the 30 day free. Anyone else playing? I have 17th level smurf and TR toons.

[Slayerik]

I'll be playin tonight some, if you decide to roll out like a real man (in purple).