Planetside 2

[shiznitz]

Goto:

http://www.planetside2.com/download

Log in.

If you can download, you are in.

Good idea. Still no for me.

[MediumHigh]

I'm in the camp of the more bullshit you put in front of me and shooting someone in the face, the more I want to log off and play something else. There is no shortage of games for organized noob slaughter with over 2 buddies.

Then why bother caring abour ps2 in the first place.  Last thing I want is them trying to appease people that dont even like the idea of their game in the first place.  I am not saying they need to include bullshit for the sake of bullshit, but a strategic layer is what makes the game interesting in the first place.  You are right that there is no shortage... so why try to compete with it.  Do something different and do it well.

There is strategy in any multiplier game, adding logistics only scales the amount to the few people needed to make those decisions. Out of say, 10,000 players, how many need to be cannon fodder? How many determine the who, what, where, and why of an engagement? Which one wins the war the arm chair general moving the fodder around to defend or attack a generator, or the fodder making tactical decisions on a much smaller scale? How much of the game is fun without the cannon fodder who just wants to play with a buddy or two.

[Malakili]

You can still play with a buddy or two, but require the efforts of organized clans.  In more recent times ww2 online allowed things like mobile spawn points which required organization to set up and defend, but anyone could then use it to spawn in.  Of course if it went down you might find yourself 15 minutes from the action when spawning.  It isnt about volume of fodder.  It is about emergent objectives which help you complete main objectives.  Making those objective happen IS the gameplay.  If you just want to shoot people you probably can most of the time, but getting upset there is more to think about than deathmatching seems absurd.  Yes, this is an mmo in which your goal is to fight a war.  You might actually need to consider more than your immediate desire to shoot things. This is true regardless of how many people are playing as ground pounders.  In fact that is my preferred way of playing, I dont like making the strategic choices, but I love helping to execute them and the feeling that my actions are contributing to something more than the immediate moment/round/map.

[Sky]

I like ambushes and defending strategic things as much as a straight firefight. I'm always about objectives over shooting.

[Mrbloodworth]

Planetside 2: Beta feedback design meeting

Looking for summery.

[Ghambit]

I skipped around and unluckily heard the part where they're actually wasting code-time developing a dynamically zoomed minimap.   Because y'know, who can be arsed into manually zooming a minimap in a FPS.     I fuckin despise automatic zoom in ANY game, let alone an FPS. 

So there ya go again.  An indication of the target audience.

Then I saw them still fighting over how the map will be capped.  Adjacency rules and the like to prevent back-hacking.  Like, why is that even a discussion?  You CANT allow backhacking and most definitely not in a resource dependent system.  The consensus (i.e. Higby as decider) was that they'll definitely put adjacency rules in eventually, but maybe will allow capturable facilities behind the line that'll just be cut off from resources... ala vanilla WW2O.  I like the latter plan better for peak userbase at release, especially since the map seems a bit small to me.

...almost open beta and they dont have a concrete set of game rules yet.     This kinda stuff really annoys me.  It's almost like they developed the game as a shooter first and a game last.

[shiznitz]

Instead of saying "let's build the PS we would have loved to 10 years ago but we didn't have the tech", they said "let's build a shooter and use our existing PS brand".

[Sky]

You guys hate this game you haven't played so much.

[Gets]

NDA being lifted soon.

[Trippy]

Oh thank god. Wait, can you even say that?

[Ghambit]

You guys hate this game you haven't played so much.

I'm holding out hope til Open Beta, only because this type of game really depends on playerbase and a fairly strict CB won't be a good indicator.

[Mrbloodworth]

I feel its OK to say. When they said they are doing a real beta. They were not joking.

[Surlyboi]

You guys hate this game you haven't played so much.

Negatory. I'll elaborate when the NDA lifts.

[Yoru]

I'm enjoying myself, but I can't say more at the moment due to .

[Goreschach]

I feel its OK to say. When they said they are doing a real beta. They were not joking.

I honestly don't even know what 'real beta' is supposed to imply at this point.

[Sky]

Not a retail showcase, actually working to change the product for the better based on test results.

[Malakili]

I feel its OK to say. When they said they are doing a real beta. They were not joking.

I honestly don't even know what 'real beta' is supposed to imply at this point.

A beta where they actually want to get feedback and change things as opposed to a pre-release hype building exercise.

[Mrbloodworth]

I feel its OK to say. When they said they are doing a real beta. They were not joking.

I honestly don't even know what 'real beta' is supposed to imply at this point.

A beta where they actually want to get feedback and change things as opposed to a pre-release hype building exercise.

That. I haven't seen a beta like this in, years. ( AS INDICATED BY THE PUBLIC DESIGN MEETING THEY POSTED AND I POSTED ABOVE. Don't ban me.   )

[Lantyssa]

I've seen plenty.  Guess you're not following or getting into the right ones.

[Ghambit]

Greatest MMO beta evar was for MxO.  Then they scrapped everything we worked on and went complete half-ass.  Oh hai, that was an SOE game too!   

[shiznitz]

But Higby is for real.  This time is different.

[Surlyboi]

I swear I won't hit you anymore baby. And this time, I mean it.

[UnSub]

Ahh, we're in the "hope" phase still. Next up: shock and denial.

[croaker69]

Greatest MMO beta evar was for MxO.  Then they scrapped everything we worked on and went complete half-ass.  Oh hai, that was an SOE game too!   

Nothing is correct in the post above. 

[Ghambit]

Greatest MMO beta evar was for MxO.  Then they scrapped everything we worked on and went complete half-ass.  Oh hai, that was an SOE game too!   

Nothing is correct in the post above. 

Yah, technically SOE picked it up later, but I'll use any opportunity to bash SOE.

As for the beta, if you got in early it was a 'real' beta.  As in you got to help design the game from a very basic template (the few times the game was stable and you could log in).  You got placed into workgroups focusing on certain things, had a contact in charge of that element, etc.  All through a perdy beta website.  It was pretty nifty.  And in the end totally underutilized, bloated, and overly lofty.  They obviously couldn't satisfy the demands of the testers; we've joked about that in here many times.

I'd say in today's world it'd really be called a very closed Alpha.

PotBS's beta was kinda fun too.  Nice guys over there that liked to listen.  Also Global Agenda.

Higby has the benefit of an extremely solid and devoted gaming community to work from though, namely PSU.  The odds are in his favor if he listens to at least SOME of what those folk have to say about his game.

[shiznitz]

Ahh, we're in the "hope" phase still. Next up: shock and denial.

Green text is banned or I would have used it. 

[Mrbloodworth]

John Smedley ‏@j_smedley

The NDA for the Planetside 2 beta is now officially lifted.

John Smedley ‏@j_smedley

Beta has a long way to go folks.

[Malakili]

Well, the short version is that the game still feels very beta, but that it has already created some of those really awesome "wow moments" that I really love to see in an MMO.

[WayAbvPar]

Been a few weeks since I played, but I was extremely underwhelmed when I did. More than willing to give it a shot when it nears release, however.

[shiznitz]

I am getting rave reviews from ex-PS casuals.  They all love the jetpacks that come with light infantry.  I have yet to reconnect with some of the more hardcore guys I used to play with.

[Ghambit]

-Map is too small.  Almost equivalent to a single continent in PS1.  I suppose this is a tradeoff for zoneless play since there are no warpgates, but I fail to see how Higby's plan of not capping the entire map in one night can be realized.  A concerted clan with the time and adequate players across timezones could probably pull it off.
-The map UI is the worst I've ever seen in a game.  But yah, beta right?  To be fair this is something they made a point of in the last dev meeting.  It's a VERY rough map. Not even labeled correctly.
-More on the above, there's no interaction from commanders to squadies as far as I can tell.  Or at least it wasnt turned on.  Platoon organization flat out doesnt work.  Coupled with the map not working, you're lucky to find your way to your AO.
-Your basic light-assault trooper at launch is VERY gimped.  Good luck killing anyone.  Really, they're meant for baserushes and reaching hard to get places and that's it.  Later on though I'm sure they'll be imba once specced into.
-Not sure I like their vision of bases.  Every cappable room is pretty much out in the open so there's no real building to storm.  And what buildings there are feel VERY cramped.  This means lob a few rockets into the entrance == win.  It's nothing like PS1 at all in this regard.  Even the hackstations are completely out in the open.
-The feel is pretty artificial.  Walking and running is more like a glide.  Some people like this, some dont.  To me it doesnt feel visceral enough.  Especially since there's no blood or bodily harm in any way in the game.
-The resource system isnt readily apparent in the game, but I wast really focusing on it.  It's unclear how it's even implemented.
-The social UI is also really really bad.  They don't make it easy to manage.
-There was backhacking, so a lot of time wasted recapping meaningless objectives.  They're taking backhacking out though thankfully.

Been a few weeks since I played, but I was extremely underwhelmed when I did. More than willing to give it a shot when it nears release, however.

I concur with this, but a lot of it had to do with the lack of enough players in the server.  Also, I roll with a pretty hardcore, experienced sim-FPS crowd.  Anyone we encounter pretty much melts.  The challenge just wasn't there.  This I hope will change during OB.  And yah, it was DEFINITELY a beta but the puzzle pieces are mostly in place.

There was a lot I liked though.  It's a very smooth game even during battles and it's fairly optimized it seems.  It definitely looks good, but I'd like more flora/fauna I think.  Vehicles are fine, though missing the entry/exit animations... so no popping someone whilst getting into their tank.   4-wheelers are a hoot! (I was impressed you could powerslide and drift in them)  Look for organized racing going on with these.

You can tell it's a game designed around large scale battles.  They took the ww2o route in this regard.  With the openness of the bases and the need to cap multiple locations within a base to completely cap it - that's totally ww2o there.  And this is why they'll inevitably need to get rid of backhacking.  But, unlike ww2o it's missing any true resource grind though given the size of the map since you can bring materiel in from your home base very quickly - not sure how that mechanic's gonna work.  It seems mostly based on the spawn timer right now - not sure.  Someone clarify?

I envision epic battles in this game though, but also a lot of die/respawn for those without an organized squad full of medics and engis.  I'd recommend going MAX or tank-engi for lone-wolfers.  And never fly alone either - ur easy pickins if u do.

[Mrbloodworth]

Have you played recently?

Because the Cap system they had in place recently was a placeholder it seems. They have just recently introduced two new systems at the same time, on two different bases. They seem to be trying different things during the beta. The new ones are much more like the PS1 method of you take this to open that. Also, simply pressing "e" and or standing next to a point is also a placeholder system, as hacking, in most of its entirety is not in game yet.

Bases I agree with, the base layouts are directly taken from COD maps, were there is no wrong way to go and a straight line is possible, leading to round robin point caps. ( But not on the two bases I mentioned with the new systems ) There is talk about adding more walls, and a more defensible layout to the major facilities, but outposts may remain open.

Resources are a tic system, empire wide. There are three types and different bases, and outposts grant different amounts per Tic. Those three types are used to purchase Vehicles, and some ammo, like grenades or C4. The fourth type, is Araxium (SP?). Only major bases give this at each tic. The 4th resource, is more of a currency. It is used to unlock items, guns, and alt Vehicle armaments from the store.

CERTS are what are used not to necessarily unlock new item, but new options and also do things like, if invested, reduce timers, increase how many grenades you can carry or the ability to use new abilities, like say Heal grenades or Resection Grenades, Eject your entire Gal load of passengers, armor modification ( Player or Vehicle ) it also unlocks many of the trade off items. For instance you can put points into unlocking both the forward grip, or a silencer for a gun, but you can't equip both at the same time.


About my comment that this is indeed a real beta of old.

They are making rather large map changes, they have been patching in different capture systems to see what works. They have made changes based on feedback from users. While it may not always be the changes I personally want, this is more then I have seen in many betas in recent years. This is no demo, nor is it simply a hype machine. I would say about 20% of systems are even in at this point. So comments like "balance" are some what moot at this time, as things like AA are not even fully realized or in game right now. There is an iteration at work here most recent games would have called Alpha. as Ghambit said, there are no doors on anything, hell, we just recently got base shields on vehicle terminals, and they just added shield generators that create those shields. This is almost a Daily thing now.


As for the overall shooting and such. Its really darn solid. Anyone who has played any modern shooter game will be right at home, however the TTK is possibly slower than any current battlefield game. But it does not feel slow, its just not as fast.


There are many, MANY bugs, like the one with older, or first run multicore processors. But to the credit of the engineers, before this bug was introduced, a friend of mine has unexpected positive performance on what many would call a machine at the end of its life cycle. Its really surprising considering the visuals they are producing on screen. None of it is bleeding edge, but its used extremely well. I would say on ultra ( That is disabled at the moment ) the game meets or exceeds BF3 in terms of visuals, with out the needed hardware. Quite an accomplishment.

I also feel I need to correct Gambit. There is only one Continent active right now, there will be 3 at launch, with the rest coming online as they go. So, his map comment is slightly off, or a typo. Its almost equivalent to a single continent, because its is a single continent, and there are warp-gates, each faction starts in one. That one Cont holds 2000 players at once.

The large global war game is not in yet. Many, Many things are not, entire class certs are listed, but not in, including all Heavy assault, engineer deploy able shields and so on. I have to say, the game has grown on me, but I'm not with out personal reservations.

Feel free to ask me anything.

[Trippy]

There are many, MANY bugs, like the one with older, or first run multicore processors.

Hahaha PS1 has/had that dual-core AMD (Athlon 64 X2) bug that, among other things, made you run super fast in game (go go client-side movement code!). It sounds like they inherited that code

[Mrbloodworth]

There are many, MANY bugs, like the one with older, or first run multicore processors.

Hahaha PS1 has/had that dual-core AMD (Athlon 64 X2) bug that, among other things, made you run super fast in game (go go client-side movement code!). It sounds like they inherited that code

I don't know about inherited, but this was a recent bug introduced in a performance patch. Also, I can't confirm, but PS2 is using Client side stuff, but the server is still authoritative. There is some voodoo here that over my head.

It was my understanding, that the bug you speak of was because PS1 was not built in a multicore age leading to faster than expected code execution, combined with client side authoritative.

[Trippy]

PS1 worked fine with Intel dual/multi-core, but AMD's implementation was slightly different which caused all sorts of issues with the game. I had to play with CPU affinity explicitly set to a single core for PS1.