Planetside 2

[mazer246]

Plantside 2 is an amazing game that just got released November 20th. It's free-to-play and I believe that it is most likely the BEST game out there right now. I say you guys should check it out if your computer can handle it.

Basically, the game is one giant map with 3 teams trying to capture control points (each control point is the size of an ordinary fps map) and there is hundreds of people on each server.

[BinoAl]

I was pretty excited for this game, but unfortunately, my computer doesn't handle it too well. Maybe it will be that final push for me to invest in a better cpu :)

[mazer246]

Yeah, I eagerly downloaded the game only to find out that my computer is sadly as I suspected, a dinosaur...
although, for $120, the AMD FX-4170 has the fastest stock frequency I have ever seen on a CPU, 4.2/4.3 ghz.

[FlowerChild]

I've got it downloaded and will be giving it a try in the near future.

I was a HUGE fan of the original when it first came out, and ever since, I've said that "it was the best game I ever played...for two weeks".

My main problems with the original was that almost all fighting revolved around bases (despite there being a huge open world which remained largely devoid of activity) and the base design wasn't varied enough to justify everything happening in them.

There was something stupid like 5-10 different base types, so it wound up feeling like you were permanently stuck playing the same 5-10 Quake maps over...and over...and over...

That's just not enough tactical variety for me as a player, so while I absolutely LOVED the game with a totally unnatural level of passion, it was a short-lived infatuation that could not stand up to the test of time.

If Planetside 2 has corrected that one problem (and I sincerely hope it has), I'll likely fall in love all over again.

[Wookieguy]

My desire for this type of online warfare only escalated when I first played Skyrim. When I went through the gigantic world, I couldn't help but wish that all of those bad guys were other players... making them actually a challenge. I have been disappointed by MMOs and their lack of first person realism, but PlanetSide 2 looks like exactly the right thing. Of course, I know nothing of the effectiveness of execution, but I am quite happy about it nonetheless.

One issue. I am on a Mac. So that sucks for anyone who wants to play games. There are some great ports out there for other games I play, but not yet for PS2. All I can do is sit and wait...

[Bazgracz]

Well I started playing PS2 the second day it was launched and I was shocked by this. First, I didn't play PS1 and so it's new franchise to me. When I started the game I didn't know what to expect. 3 various factions and each of them own had own music theme and style. At start I was confused, i didn't know how to play as MAX, were to go and how to control air vehicles, but now I'm pretty happy with everything. I can fly without crashing at start and even chase someone. I bought yesterday sniper rifle for first 100 certs. Also I joined squad and outfit and I must say it's whole new game when you go with your squad. Helping each other, talking and other stuff. It's really nice game. Of course it's MMOFPS so don't expect npc and other things. It's not RPG except upgrading your classes. I don't know how repetitive were stuff in PS1 but there are many various types of bases and forts. Of course they repeat but there are many of them. Also environment varies so each base isn't same as other. I play in Novu faction on US server. I don't have lags and people are nice. Also to people who tell there is no strategy. There is a lot of strategy how can you take over base. Taking over base and territory is main point of this game. Also about shooting to each other. I love when I play and everything explodes around, air-crafts bombard my base and third faction gets between two faction, just chaos in one word. I love this in that game.

Bazgracz


edit: I play on Genudine US server and my nick is Madrawer if someone wants to play along :D.

[CreeperCommando]

My main problems with the original was that almost all fighting revolved around bases (despite there being a huge open world which remained largely devoid of activity) and the base design wasn't varied enough to justify everything happening in them.

There was something stupid like 5-10 different base types, so it wound up feeling like you were permanently stuck playing the same 5-10 Quake maps over...and over...and over...

That's just not enough tactical variety for me as a player, so while I absolutely LOVED the game with a totally unnatural level of passion, it was a short-lived infatuation that could not stand up to the test of time.

It really hasn't :/ I've played it a bit now and it is exactly (some exceptions) the way as you say.
Attack = breaking through the enemy killing fields.
Defence= digging down inside the base.
Although it has awesome capabilities for real raidtactics, and it is pretty well balanced for coregaming your characters responsibilities (the class you chooses should do what he should when in huge groupes).
Some exceptions happens when there are huge battles beetween groups and the group that loses ground successfully reorganises defence of the next base while still counterpushing, leading to battles along the roads to the next base, and some areas also easily leads to huge sieges of enemy bases. Otherwise it's only harass tactics from few single players outside the bases....


my thoughts on this.....

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I'd believe it's a problem due to: logistic balance, intelligence balance and problem with no possibility for groundcontrol

logistics: due to the ease of creating new spawn point, i.e.. only driving a troop transport to a hidden spot in the enemy base(and knowing how to deploy it) or become get a drop beacon, place it on a difficult to reach part of the enemy base and await massive drop-pod barrage. giving better restrictions in these types of spawning would allow for more run/drive time outside the battle and effectively make outside engagements more of a likelyhood

Intelligence (information warfare): making recon a stronger tactic of the battlefield especially for things as bombers and tanks in a way that recon teams out in the open can get support in field engagements would give small organised recon team a better edge against larger but disorganised forces.

Groundcontrol: I'd believe trenches, (destroyable?) tank traps, and barbed wires (also destroyable?) could give defenders of outside areas some well needed time to dig down in the open, which mainly becomes a lucrative tactic if it lets them have a stronger counter-push from this area than from the base. being able to spec in stronger area denial weapons(although limited to out in field use only) than mines and sentry turrets could give groundcontrol a better chance for out in fields engagements.

only my thoughts...

[Katalliaan]

It's a fun game, especially with large groups. I've been playing Vanu on the Mattherson US server, and I've found that large groups lead to one of two things - either steamrolling through bases, or epic battles. Here's a couple examples that I was a part of (not my videos, but I was a part of the battles):



As I like to be around armor columns, I tend to do a bit of battle engineering - I've bought a pair of weapons for my engineer, one that's a modified version of the default gun, but with select fire and the ability to have underslung weapons, and the other that's a long-range rifle that I put a 4x scope on. I bought the rifle first because I didn't like the default gun's cone of fire at medium-to-long ranges, and the SF version of the default gun because it offered more options while still being very familiar.

[FlowerChild]

It really hasn't :/ I've played it a bit now and it is exactly (some exceptions) the way as you say.

Fuck. Ok, that pretty much killed my interest in the sequel. Can't believe they didn't catch that design flaw from the first, as IMO, it was the only thing holding it back from true greatness.

Man, I so loved those two weeks. I still have very strong memories from them, and that was what? A decade ago? During that time I became a rather successful squad leader, and I still remember the thrill of giving the order for my troops to drop on a zone and all of us streaking out of the sky, or crouching behind a boulder during a fire fight clicking out orders on the map for my squad to get the job done.

It was such a bloody visceral thrill, cut short only by the issues I mentioned.

[CreeperCommando]

It really hasn't :/ I've played it a bit now and it is exactly (some exceptions) the way as you say.

Fuck. Ok, that pretty much killed my interest in the sequel. Can't believe they didn't catch that design flaw from the first, as IMO, it was the only thing holding it back from true greatness.

Man, I so loved those two weeks. I still have very strong memories from them, and that was what? A decade ago? During that time I became a rather successful squad leader, and I still remember the thrill of giving the order for my troops to drop on a zone and all of us streaking out of the sky, or crouching behind a boulder during a fire fight clicking out orders on the map for my squad to get the job done.

It was such a bloody visceral thrill, cut short only by the issues I mentioned.

Ok, dude I know what I said, but please at least test it. I haven't played PS1 and my comment is based as a contrast around your comment. I generally want a very high degree of RL tactical and strategical immersion when it comes to wargames and you pointed out a flaw I could relate to. Also remember that your mod made me a fussy eater when it comes to games ;)

Simply don't keep your hopes up, but seriously don't use a random idiots comment as a final judgement :), please test it at least (gives me heeby jeebies when an idol to me listens to my comment to such an extent). :O

Edit: maybe have misread 'interest' as 'want to playtest it' :s

[Katalliaan]

Yeah, the downside of the base design is that there's only three designs for the big facilities - biolab, tech plant, amp station.

The upside of that choice for base design is that one you've gotten accustomed to fighting over a certain facility style, you can apply that knowledge to all facilities of that same type. Assaulting a biolab, you have the option of either attacking through the openings at the landing pads or through the teleporters; a tech plant forces you to either use a light assault to fly over the vehicle bay shielding or to attack through the rear entrances; an amp station requires you to take down the two layers of shields around the vehicle bay to reach the capture point.

There's plenty of variety in the dozens of minor bases, though - for example, there's a base on Indar that's (as far as I'm aware) the only base that cannot be assaulted by the ground, instead requiring you to either come in with aircraft or drop pod in on a squad spawn beacon.

[CreeperCommando]

Yeah, but still there is to little of field engagements as it is very little time spent by players through logistics between bases, and there is not that good balance between 'small organised attack-squads' vs. 'huge armour columns'. Where even a way to delay and harass them would be great. Also all field battles become moot when all it takes is only one sunderer (troop transport), or a single player with a droppod beacon to send a whole army..... making logistical bottlenecks in these two would allow for more fun battles......

[Bazgracz]

As Katalliaan said I will only add. Even if there are 3 types of big facilities, there are huge number of various small facilities. Beside even if there are 3 types of big facilities, each is in various biome/location/environment so it's not like you play same game. Furthermore in your typical FPS do you have like 100 various maps? No, you have few maps with various types of gameplay like DM/TDM/Bomb/One-Man-Army. Here you have one big map, a lot of players fighting simultaneously in three levels: infantry/ground vehicle/air vehicle. You should try it FC because it's worth it 100%. It's free on steam and if you don't like it you can uninstall it if you want. You will never know if you don't try it.

[Nexus Trimean]

New GFX card is in transit as we speak, i played PS1 for many many years, i have been looking forward to this game since before it was announced.

[ada221]

i was really looking forward to this game over the summer and was thrilled when i learned i got into the beta... then i found out i cant play it... at all. my graphics card is too old to even start the game. from what i can see it is amazing, ill just have to watch other people play it on youtube haha. and im not gonna be getting new hardware any time soon (i need a new pc because i cant just switch the graphics card out, i have a laptop)

[Katalliaan]

Just to add something else: small squads do serve a purpose. The outfit I run with normally has a platoon or two (48-96 players) active in the evenings, but last night we had too many for a single platoon, but not enough for a second platoon. As a result, 12 of us broke off into a guerrilla warfare squad. We focused on being mobile and hitting the targets away from other players. Our goal wasn't to roll in with an armor column and slowly push the enemy out, but rather to move quickly from base to base with either a galaxy or sunderer. Thanks to our hit-and-run tactics, the other factions had to constantly backcap - as a result, their focus was on us rather than the zerg and our outfit's platoon.

[DaveYanakov]

The reason I can't get excited about Planetside is because Dust 514 is imminent. A game where players place the facilities on hundreds of thousands of unique worlds. A game where players fight for control of the high orbitals and your fire support is not guaranteed. It will still be similar bases being placed but with eight different world types ranging from airless rock to worlds bathed in plasma storms there is serious potential for different world types.

Oh yeah, players that drive the spaceships can hire your mercenary clan to attack or defend their crap and either help to supply you or you can pay them to escort you to other planets across the galaxy. Playstation 3 exclusive but it's still an exciting thing even if I'll never play it.

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Second clip is a very small scale demonstration battle between CCP employees. Even so the ships involved represent an average of twelve hours of work for players that are put at risk of loss in order to allow you to call for fire. Skip ahead to the three minute mark for the fireworks.

Planetside also looks like it made a similar mistake as some other class based competitive shooters. There appears to be very little ability to figure out what your target is capable of based on silhouette. One of the reasons Team Fortress 2 remains so popular is that you can instantly tell the difference between a scout and a sniper at a glance regardless of how far away they may be.

I realize we're talking apples and oranges to the extent that the games are based in different operating systems but Planetside 2 looks a lot like they mostly focused on dumping a pile of glitter on Planetside 1 and calling it a day rather than coming up with new ways to do things.