For those wondering, PS2 will NOT have a monthly fee like Planetside 1. PS2 will be F2P (excluding the initial cost to buy the game, of course.) However, there will be a cash shop (aka "microtransactions"). The cash shop will not sell items such as guns or vehicles that make players more powerful, instead the shop will sell equipment, obtainable through the game progressions and cash shop exclusive things such as visual customizations.
Up to 2,000 players at once will be able to do battle in PlanetSide 2. Two thousand. Yes, Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide sequel puts the massive in MMOFPS, but it wasn't until I spoke with Creative Director Matt Higby that I recognized just how big SOE is trying to make PlanetSide 2. With its deep strategy elements, its free-to-play model, its controls, its endless customization options, all on an all-new game engine built to take advantage of modern PC hardware, PlanetSide 2 looks big in every way.
For those that enjoy casual flight in large map action titles such as the Battlefield and ARMA series:
Quote:
In the original PlanetSide, flight has a barebones, floating-camera feeling to it. Anyone can hop into a Mosquito or Galaxy and instantly become a successful pilot. In PlanetSide 2, flying has been reworked from the ground up. I had the chance to sample PlanetSide 2's flight at E3, and I'd describe it as a mix of jet and helicopter flight from Battlefield and Arma 2. I crashed. A lot. Like in Battlefield 3, vehicles now give the sensation they have true mass, and if you're not managing the throttle and hover controls, your plane will drop like a stone. Until you learn what you're doing and get a feel for it, it's straight-up hard.
"That's a hot topic of debate, whether or not to tone down piloting's difficulty," Higby said. "It's a true skill in PlanetSide 2, and it requires pilots to actively fly the plane, not just float. It's tough, but it feels really good when you actually learn how to fly. We're designing it in a way that, for guys who love piloting, they'll want to make a PlanetSide 2 career out of it."
Yes, a career. Because of the variety of gameplay options available through upgrades -- options that will allow pilots to customize their aircraft with speed for scouting, heavy armor for troop transport, bombs for air-to-ground attacks, missiles for dogfighting, and much more -- there's enough depth there to keep most players busy for a long time. Yet flying is just one piece of the PlanetSide 2 experience (and for many players a minor one), but the skill, depth, and variety SOE has planned is a good example of its ambition level. And oh yeah, flight-stick controls are confirmed.
First off, we're really all insanely excited about getting everyone in and playing the game as soon as possible. This has been a long road and it feels like we've all been in it together, having this next phase getting kicked off is a huge thrill for us.
I wanted to come by and give you guys some info about our beta plans and have there be one source of info from the dev team about what we're doing with beta rather than having a bunch of speculation based on tweets. Most of this info has been out there, but in various disconnected posts, so here it is all in one easy to reference spot.
Here is some general info about our current beta plans, what you should expect and when. I'll be sure to update this with more info and answers to more questions as I see them.
1 - Our external testing will be kicking off sometime this week (to be totally clear, I mean the week of July 9th - July 15th) with the technical test that we've been talking a lot about. This test will let us make sure the game runs across a variety of hardware configurations and the people invited will be hand picked based on the requirements in our hardware matrix. We're currently internally evaluating the build we expect to be used for this test and those players who have been selected will be receiving invites as soon as we're ready.
2 - We will be opening up the test in multiple phases or stages, inviting more and more players for each phase. Our priority invitees are those of you who are PlanetSide vets, and those who have priority beta keys (i.e. keys from the PC Gamer magazines), as well as those who received keys from members of the dev teams or at E3. Just so I'm 100% clear, we're not going to be opening the floodgates by inviting all of the thousands of PlanetSide veterans on day 1, but you are still the highest priority to get invites as we expand the testing circle out.
3 - Beta testing will begin with specific pre-determined times, and eventually will open up to being available more often. These testing times will be communicated through email to players who have been flagged for access.
4 - PlanetSide vets do not need a beta key, their accounts will be flagged for beta and they will receive an email letting them know – if you are a PlanetSide veteran, make sure your station account email is up to date.
5 - While we’re making every effort to communicate accurate times & dates to you guys, and get the beta going as soon as possible, if unforeseen circumstances occur and we’re forced to delay testing then we will.
6 - Beta testing is a critically important part of our development cycle on this project, we may be asking you to only play on tanks for a play session, or only play aircraft. We are doing true beta testing, not just a game demo and we implore those of you who are invited to understand and respect that. Things will break, the server will be unavailable sometimes, we will cancel scheduled tests when we find something that breaks before the test starts. All of this will help us make a better final game.
Looking forward to shooting you in the face and / or shooting other people in the face alongside you.
PlanetSide 2 Trailer -- Epic First person shooter! Get Your Beta On!
Drop in the middle of the war on Auraxis. Follow the path of one soldier as he powers through the battlefield determined to fulfill his mission. The war is raging, but his mission is clear. Death is No Excuse. The battlefield in the modern warfare epic third person shooter could make you a combat veteran or you could end up with a halo over your head.
i was a PS1 subscriber.. Smedley has just asked that all PS1 vets make sure they have registered for Beta as the invites are not automatic for vets unless they have registered.
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
I was into PS1 bigtime until they brought in the mechwalkers which effectively killed the game off. Everyone I knew went straight to World of warcraft as that was just starting then and most are still there. This looks epic to be honest.
That looks awesome! When he's flying over the battleground at night with the flak guns going off and all the little battles going on looks like a sci-fi movie.
I want my email!
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As far as I understand the beta process, invite priority is as follows:
("Tech test" invitees from July are grandfathered in. Lucky me! )
1. PS1 current/paid subscribers 2. PS1 vets (not subscribed) 3. Beta keys from gaming magazines and social media outlets (Twitter, Facebook) 4. Website beta registration www.planetside2.com
At this point it appears to be in waves and not "open" beta like other games. I'm sure at some point they'll open the floodgates to the general public so they can see how the servers really handle the massive population. I also think this beta process will be going on for at least the month of August. Every day the developers are working hard and pushing out new, little patches to improve the game and server stability. It shows and it's improving day by day.
Mace, stick with it.. remember this is a true beta, not a "this is our pretty game, come play it early and then buy it".. things get broken from patch to patch.. the game will run badly then run great whilst they sort out the netcode and game optimizations.
I promise you, when it works it is brilliant but 3 weeks into a true beta it is very unstable and will likely remain so.
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
Mace, what time are you trying to get on the servers?.. as it is still early Beta they are not up 24 hours a day.. they open at about 2pm most days and are up until approximately 11pm.
That being said, they can and do take them down at short notice to apply new game builds and fix any client or server side issues. The Beta forums have full details of server up and down times.
If you don't want to spend time chasing server opening times then just sit it out for a few weeks until it is more stable or a little longer until the servers are up for longer. Just promise me that you will try it when the largest issues are ironed out.. As i said.. true, old school beta..
At the moment PS2 does this to me regularly and i still love it.
Edited by Myrig (08/27/1212:32 PM)
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
I managed to get on ok last night. I liked flying the fighters and is very controllable with mouse and keyboard but I have no idea what to do in bases. Everyone was just stood around in the enemy base yet it still had the enemies banners up, how do you cap them?
I quite liked being the machine gunner in the tank too, got 5 fighter kills before being killed
I think it will grow on me but I need to know what I'm doing as that was what happened in the demos of PS1 I tried and no one will help you out.
_________________________ Intel i7 920 2.66Ghz D0 OC'd to 3.40GHz | MSI GeForce GTX 660 Black Knight 2048MB GDDR5 | Samsung F3 1TB | Corsair 6GB DDR3 | Gigabyte EX58-UD3R Intel X58 | LG DVD±RW SATA DL RW | Corsair TX 650W ATX2.2 PSU | Antec 902 | Coolermaster V8 CPU Cooler | W7 HP 64 bit | 27" iiyama monitor | TM HOTAS Warthog #05225 | TM Cougar MFDs | Saitek Pro-flight combat pedals | Track IR 5
mate, if you want shoot me an ingame message and i will get you into a squad if the guys i play with are online. You are right in saying it is much more usable with a squad.
For reference i play with a clan called Digital Legion. We use separate voice comms (Mumble) and the webby is Digital Legion
My in game name is Meurig and i will be online tonight. For reference we play as New Conglomorate (NC) so it does mean playing as them if you want to give it a bash with us.
Cheers Marcus.
Edited by Myrig (08/28/1201:11 PM)
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
Looks great, will have to keep my eye out for a beta key, probably best that I don't have access yet as work has been crazy and I am spending my free time with MechWarriorOnline "founder's benefits".
If anyone sees somewhere handing out keys, post here please.
YES! Got in a few nights ago through alpha squad. Both nights I have been on I have been in squads with full voice comms and everyone working together to get the objectives. Even though this is beta, it's easily one of the best gaming experiences I've had.
Long live the Terran Republic!
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"Fair fights are for suckers" - The Mighty Jingles Dakka dakka dakka dakka!
YES! Got in a few nights ago through alpha squad. Both nights I have been on I have been in squads with full voice comms and everyone working together to get the objectives. Even though this is beta, it's easily one of the best gaming experiences I've had.
I bought he Appha squad to support the devs as well.. The game is all i hoped it would be so far. Definately still issues to resolve in Beta but some of the recent changes are really pulling the game along..
I can't believe you all took the easy option and joined the Fascist Terran Republic... NC 4 LIFE!
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
I can't believe you all took the easy option and joined the Fascist Terran Republic... NC 4 LIFE!
Hey, who you calling Fascist? As you can see from my screenshots, the last 4 pics are NC. I have been testing all 3 factions to get a feel for the weapons. I was Terran in PS1, but undecided in PS2.
I can't believe you all took the easy option and joined the Fascist Terran Republic... NC 4 LIFE!
Hey, who you calling Fascist? As you can see from my screenshots, the last 4 pics are NC. I have been testing all 3 factions to get a feel for the weapons. I was Terran in PS1, but undecided in PS2.
Then there is no decision to make.. NC it is.. Having said that, the server i am on currently ahs a massive overpopulation of NC so if my guild ever decided to jump to Terran i would consider it on that basis alone. However, not playing in the Blue and Gold would be.. difficult.
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
If anyone is interested in trying this out i have 2 Beta invites sitting waiting to be used. I would rather they went to SimHqers than randoms so if you want one give me a shout.
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
To SimHQ staff, I have a Beta Key available if you would like to try out this massive multiplayer tactical shooter. Post here or send me a PM. I would like to see your review/opinion on this game. (Think BF3... on a MASSIVE scale.)
This vid is entirely user generated (not mine) and this sort of battle happens multiple times, over a now 16km x 16km battlefield. PS2 is epic and those who don't even give it a try because it is sci-fi or just not bf3 are truly missing out.
True squad and platoon action over a vast battlefield with thousands of players.. why would you not at least try it. If you hate it after trying it then so be it.
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..." Ice
"Ha! If it gets him on the deck its a start!" MigBuster
"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands." Sauron
Registered: 03/10/07
Posts: 340
Loc: Franklinville, New Jersey
Just got an e-mail saying i was accepted into the beta. Downloading and installing now. Never played this or the previous games before, should be a fun experience.
"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..." Ice
"Ha! If it gets him on the deck its a start!" MigBuster
"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands." Sauron
"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..." Ice
"Ha! If it gets him on the deck its a start!" MigBuster
"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands." Sauron
I still don't like it, bores the life out of me! All that happens is your base gets spammed by enemy tanks and you can't get out, they kill you and you spawn at another base, rinse and repeat....
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I still don't like it, bores the life out of me! All that happens is your base gets spammed by enemy tanks and you can't get out, they kill you and you spawn at another base, rinse and repeat....
Sounds like.... the majority of squad based, tactical shooters (BF3, medal of honor, CoD: MW, Black Ops. etc)... *tongue in cheek*
But seriously, I offered one of my beta keys to the SimHQ staff, but there was no interest. Judging by what games make the news reel on their main page, it appears there is a... bias?.. to certain shooters- that's just my opinion/perspective. Anyways, PS2 could be niche... but it could be much more. I guess whatever is your cup of tea.
Sounds like.... the majority of squad based, tactical shooters (BF3, medal of honor, CoD: MW, Black Ops. etc)... *tongue in cheek*
But seriously, I offered one of my beta keys to the SimHQ staff, but there was no interest. Judging by what games make the news reel on their main page, it appears there is a... bias?.. to certain shooters- that's just my opinion/perspective. Anyways, PS2 could be niche... but it could be much more. I guess whatever is your cup of tea.
I think milsims are the bread and butter of SimHQ, stuff like space shooters, mechs, and RPGs are not mainstream here but things a smaller number of individuals like. Since none are paid fulltime reviewers, I think the official reviews will always depend on the game interests of the reviewers, but it doesn't stop many of us who are interested in other stuff from being active and sharing it with our fellow SimHQers... you could always do an unofficial review yourself I think... most of us appreciate the unofficial reviews too.
I still don't like it, bores the life out of me! All that happens is your base gets spammed by enemy tanks and you can't get out, they kill you and you spawn at another base, rinse and repeat....
Hey Mace I guess some games just don't float everyones boat. I get that completely. It's a shame you aren't getting on with it but it's never going to be everyone's cup of tea I guess.
All I would say is have you played in a proper, organised squad?.. if you have and you still hate it then fair play, i guess it isn't for you. If you haven't then that could be a way in for you.
Anyway, I am glad you tried it before you decided it wasn't for you. So many people hate on games they never even tried.. that really makes my blood boil!
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..." Ice
"Ha! If it gets him on the deck its a start!" MigBuster
"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands." Sauron
Anyone care to try a night all together to see if tactically played can have a meaning?
I would definitely be up for this if anyone else wants to. If needed i can lead a squad (although im not the best SL in the world). However, i'm in the EU and this may cause issues of time for us. I also play exclusively NC.. I just can't bring myself to pick up a cycler or a ray gun.
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Xbox Gamertag: Myrig PSN ID: Meurig Steam ID: Meurig iRacing name: Marcus Meyrick
"It takes forever +/- 2 weeks for the A-10 to get anywhere significant..." Ice
"Ha! If it gets him on the deck its a start!" MigBuster
"What people like and what critics praise are rarely the same thing. 'Critic' is just another one of those unnecessary, overpaid, parasitic jobs that the human race has churned out so that clever slackers won't have to actually get a real job and possibly soil their hands." Sauron
to me regularly and i still love it.
As you can see from my screenshots, the last 4 pics are NC. I have been testing all 3 factions to get a feel for the weapons. I was Terran in PS1, but undecided in PS2. 
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