Blue Sky Thinking
By Jim Rossignol on November 13th, 2012.
With huge changes appearing in the latest Planetside 2 patch, I decided it was time to pull my purple battle trousers, and head back into the fray.
Or, more accurately, amble like a lamb in the ultra-picturesque verdantly-carpeted meadows of temperate third continent, Amerish. Ooh, flowers!
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By Nathan Grayson on November 7th, 2012.
What do MechWarrior Online and PlanetSide 2 have in common? Well, they both have robots, guns, cold levels that affect gameplay, free-to-play options, explosions, planets, sides, walking, death, life, founder’s programs, other kinds of robots, rocks, trees, smoke, and battles that tickle fancies and funny bones. Also, war.
Oh, and they’re both in beta. I knew I was going somewhere with this. Anyway, videos!
By Jim Rossignol on October 19th, 2012.
Temperate and spectacularly mountainous terrain features in the reveal trailer of Amerish (below), which will be the third continent that Planetside 2 will feature at launch. It’s disgustingly pretty, probably more so than the other two, as you can see. I think I’ll end up playing here as much as I can, so that wearing purple armour and murdering an infinite army of similar begarbed space gentlemen can feel more like a nice holiday.
Oh and if you’re looking for RPS types to play with, we’re getting organised over here.
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By Nathan Grayson on October 19th, 2012.
Right then, it’s official: PlanetSide 2 isn’t facing a delay or staying in closed beta until 2013 just to taunt you. One day more than one month from now, it’ll be live and freely available for all (well, those with gaming PCs herculean enough to handle it, anyway). It’s been quite some time in coming, but – during SOE Live’s opening keynote in Las Vegas – John Smedley announced that this is it. So the day of reckoning is nearly at hand, but what exactly will it entail? Well, wouldn’t you like to know. And you can, after the break.
By Craig Pearson on October 17th, 2012.
I keep forgetting that Planetside 2 is in closed beta. It’s so big and busy that my brain tricks me into believing it’s been launched. But there’s still a lot to do, and SOE have shared the more immediate fixes with the players. SOE President John “Smed” Smedley took to the forums to outlay a bunch of upcoming changes, including some dramatic changes to the in-game economy, the announcement of another continent, and he even teased when the release date would be announced.
ForeverQuest
By Nathan Grayson on October 13th, 2012.
I’m beginning to think gaming industry people don’t actually know what the word “dead” means. Back in my day, it was a pretty final thing – oftentimes even considered fatal. Now, though, if something doesn’t have all eyes on it, it’s apparently dead and gone forever. Just ask adventure games and, oh right, that whole “entirety of PC gaming” thing. And now, with the era of WoW’s incomparable dominion drawing to a close, MMOs seem to be getting the same treatment. But that’s a knee-jerk reaction. Nothing’s six feet under just yet. The writing is, however, on the wall, and its message is quite clear: change or lose your audience to boredom’s creeping clutches. But how? Well, if you ask SOE president John Smedley, it’s time to stop railroading players and start letting them live their virtual lives as they see fit. I know because I did, er, ask him. I also asked him about replicating the success of EVE Online, PlanetSide 2‘s eventual planet-based metagame, EverQuest Next‘s new incredibly player-driven reboot, and tons more.
By Nathan Grayson on October 6th, 2012.
PlanetSide 2 takes place on a planet. An entire planet. If it didn’t, it’d be named Countryside, LargeLandmassSide, or Fred. And so, in that spirit, SOE’s adding a whole new continent – one of two more that are ultimately planned for the launch version. This one’s called Esamir, and it appears to be the estranged landson of the ice planet Hoth, what with all its frigid unpleasantness and potential for series-defining moments starring Harrison Ford. Take a peek at its peaks, valleys, and dangerously low-flying aircraft after the break.
More Planetside 2 Beta Impressions
By Jim Rossignol on October 5th, 2012.
There was something I neglected to mention in my previous observations about Planetside 2′s version of the venerable Galaxy drop ship, and that was the tactical implications of having it as the mobile base and spawning point. I’d been meaning to discuss it for a while, but then SOE went and fixed the problem. They promoted the Sunderer – Planetside 2′s bus-like person-carrier – to the role they had originally designated to the Galaxy.
Thoughts on this, and more besides, resides below.
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By Jim Rossignol on October 3rd, 2012.
By membership, of course, they mean subscription. While Planetside 2 will be completely free to play, a subscription confers a number of benefit. In response to the beta feedback the $15 a month sub will now confer: “25-50% increased resource gain, 25-50% increased XP gain, 25-50% increased passive cert point gain.” Each of these “start at 25% and increase by 5% per month of sustained membership up to a total bonus of 50% each at 6+ months membership.” Then there’s a priority login queue for subs, early Access to new cosmetic items on the store and 500 StationCash each month. Personally I suspect I will be paying for one of these for at least the first few months.
Meanwhile, I’ve been playing a bit in the beta, and feel that this remains one of the most exciting games out there right now. I will have some more thoughts on the progress of that beta a little later in the week. Our community is getting organised in this thread. Join us!
By Nathan Grayson on September 20th, 2012.
Redundancy police, beware. I’m about to commit a heinous crime the likes of which will make you physically ill even after your 30 years on the force. I will now use the word “impressive” until it loses all meaning. Here goes: PlanetSide 2 is an impressive game. It’s impressively large, yet also impressively free-to-play, and that impresses me. Not only that, SOE’s been impressively open about the development process and its intentions for the gigantotronic shooter behemoth. And now, based on a new post from creative director Matt Higby, I get the impression that SOE’s impressively dedicated to steering clear of pay-to-win’s slippery slope.
By Nathan Grayson on September 13th, 2012.
PlanetSide 2‘s beta is up and running (and flying and shooting and doing whatever tanks do), and it has many things. Jim, of course, has chronicled a large number of them in his characteristically handsome fashion. But, if you believe SOE’s rhetoric, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. And it’s not particularly difficult to believe, seeing as it’s getting ready to drop an entire continent on us. And then another continent after that, but probably not until much, much later. Also headed to our side of the PlanetSide planet: performance improvements, gunplay tweaks, and, well, maybe a delay – if need be. According to SOE, this one’s launching “when it’s ready, and not before.”
