PlanetSide 2 Comm-Link Art

[Hamma]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/news-planetside-2-comm-link-art-2557.htm

[Heaven]

Very nice :)

[Mod]

I am an NC man through and through, but that VS vehicle does look pretty awesome.

[Graywolves]

The VS are very tempting

[Fuel Truck]

SWEET! Anyone else think the wheels on the NC craft seem out of place??

[basti]

Im pretty sure the TR one is a Mossy and the NC one a lib, but they got the shape of faction vehicles?

T-Ray, enlight us, whats going on? Mossy TR Only? Or what are those vehicles? Or do air vehicles now have a faction model, like a TR mossy, a NC mossy and a VS mossy? Halp!

[Tikuto]

Mosquito (if not Wasp)

Liberater (if not Vulture)

MagRider (if not a giant pebble stone)



awesomesz

[Heaven]

Loving the rugged rough effect that they are giving the NC. NC Forever bitches! ;)

[FIREk]

At this point I'm positive that what the Reaver is now the NC fighter.
It looks like there will be no gunships as a separate vehicle class, and a fighter with appropriate customizations will act as a gunship. And the TR Mosquito sure as hell looks the part! :)

I have to know what that NC vehicle is... My guess would be the Liberator (if bombers are empire-specific, then the name fits the NC like a glove), however the bomber was supposed to be a 2-seater, and this looks like it has 2 seats plus a rear turret with a canopy of its own. Might be an old concept render, though.
I can't say that I dig its design (the front reminds me of the Caldari Osprey from EVE) - it's much too verical and the canopies are too far apart for my taste (and for my militaristic side), however I won't be playing as the NC. :)

[FIREk]

T-Ray, enlight us, whats going on? Mossy TR Only?

Yes, fighters are empire-specific and the Mossy is TR. I think it's quite official, but I may have mis-interpreted some stuff. ;)

I wonder now, more than ever... Where does the turret go on the Mag?

[basti]

Yes, fighters are empire-specific and the Mossy is TR. I think it's quite official, but I may have mis-interpreted some stuff. ;)

It may be empire specific, but clearly there must be some sense behind it. It cant be that the Mossy is the TR air vehicle and the lib the NC one, that wouldnt make sense.

[SgtMAD]

the VS veh is probably a tank, it has a pretty good sized gun in the nose

and i'm not sure the NC veh isn't a gal,notice the wheels,we noticed that months ago in another pic.

and we have heard Higby talking about reavers

[TheRagingGerbil]

Awesome.

[TheRagingGerbil]

I wonder now, more than ever... Where does the turret go on the Mag?

Underneath?

[Hamma]

NC confirmed as a Liberator on Twitter

[Talek Krell]

Yes, fighters are empire-specific and the Mossy is TR. I think it's quite official, but I may have mis-interpreted some stuff. ;)There's been no official word on that. In fact if I recall they listed the Mossie, Lib, and Gal in addition to the ES fighters.

Can't decide if that aircraft in NC colors is the Lib, a modified Reaver, or maybe the NCs ES fighter. The design looks kind of odd due to being so tall, but I don't hate it.



I wonder now, more than ever... Where does the turret go on the Mag?
It doesn't, the Mag is confirmed as having a forward fixed main cannon now.

Edit:NC confirmed as a Liberator on Twitter
Ah, alright then.

[Kurtz]

bout time they showed me my ride. Can't friggin wait.

[basti]

Guys, seriously, its painfully obvious what those vehicles are

TR one Mossy
NC one Lib (you even have the tail gun)
VS one Mag

But now read the article actually, and you see that the Mossy fits the TR art style not just in color, but also in shape. Same goes with the NC Lib.

The big questions is: Why is that? Both Mossy and Liberator are used to be Common pool. This now doenst seem to be the case anymore. At least thats what the entire article suggests.

But it seems like they are still common pool. T-Ray just tweeted back that the Liberator is common pool, i assume the same for the Mossy

Means the only empire specific vehicle we have seen so far is the Mag (im pretty sure the Vanguard screeny is somewhat outdated these days)

[TheRagingGerbil]

PS_TRay T Ray
@sepomat liberace is. Common pool
3 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

Assuming he meant "Liberator." So maybe each faction gets it own unique design? Hence the reason for no vehicle hacking.

[Heaven]

NC confirmed as a Liberator on Twitter
I thought it was a lib, looks very bomber ish to me, I think you can just see the turret at the back of it if you look close

[Graywolves]

The TR one has rockets.

[Talek Krell]

Looks more like a bit of wiring to me. Might actually be a turret mount, a lot of these renders have shown the vehicles with their weapon modules empty.

[WarChimp130]

I was starting to jones really bad for some new art! Don't forget to check the blog, they have a landscape picture also, very pretty. Looks like a very well constructed world, beautiful but also filled with strategic points I can see.

Looking great, hope we see more soon!

[basti]

Assuming he meant "Liberator." So maybe each faction gets it own unique design? Hence the reason for no vehicle hacking.

Hm, that would be against the idea of Common pool and the entire Nanite Systems stuff.

[Wizkid45]

What I'm getting from these screen shots of the air vehicles is that some of them are no longer VTOL powered (like the lib, reaver and gal are in PS1) in PS2. Dunno how thrilled I am about needing a runway to take off, eliminates the ability to float around and cruise through trees as you'll always have to be flying to keep your aircraft in the air.

[Graywolves]

If the intent was to show us the difference in empire styles I think it would have been best to have displayed the same vehicle type.

Like the MBTs across the three empires.

[FIREk]

It doesn't, the Mag is confirmed as having a forward fixed main cannon now.

It is supposed to have a secondary gun, though, and there is no distinct disc-shaped piece of Magrider on which to put a small turret. ;)

[WarChimp130]

Assuming he meant "Liberator." So maybe each faction gets it own unique design? Hence the reason for no vehicle hacking.

I have come to the assumption hacking won't be in the game because of the cert system, not the vehicles themselves. I think they are going to make the training systems very specific for different things and that using the other empires weapons and vehicles won't fit the certifications without unbalancing things.

[Heaven]

What I'm getting from these screen shots of the air vehicles is that some of them are no longer VTOL powered (like the lib, reaver and gal are in PS1) in PS2. Dunno how thrilled I am about needing a runway to take off, eliminates the ability to float around and cruise through trees as you'll always have to be flying to keep your aircraft in the air.

I think its a good idea to have the aircraft to feel different, it gives the game a new dynamic as all the crafts in PS one had same mechanics but obv. slower and bigger, so having the lib not being able to float over a tower/base and camp the shit out of vehicle bay or what not is a good idea! :)

[Thoreaux]

I seem to recall they had hinted that vehicle hacking and the corresponding texture swapping for each faction was difficult from a memory budget standpoint.

I'm no 3D artist or engine programmer, but that kinda makes more sense to me now. If each empire actually has different shaped variants on common pool vehicles I'd think it would make doing palette swapping much more complicated.

Somebody with more expertise tell me if I'm wrong about that.

[Hamma]

I really like how they are using the shapes to define the empires further beyond the colors. Kudos to the Art team on some nice looking stuff!

[Higby]

Hamma, dude, don't you have enough art to do some updates to the top logo and add some PS2 love into it???

[Hamma]

Hamma, dude, don't you have enough art to do some updates to the top logo and add some PS2 love into it???

A new layout is in the works! :D

[Manitou]

Hamma, dude, don't you have enough art to do some updates to the top logo and add some PS2 love into it???

Let the gauntlet be dropped! Let the challenge be accepted!

[Manitou]

A new layout is in the works! :D

Beat me to it... ;)

[TheRagingGerbil]

Hahhaha!

Higby, is the last image of the terrain in-game or a render?!?!?

[FIREk]

Hm, that would be against the idea of Common pool and the entire Nanite Systems stuff.

A completely original design is one thing, but there could be subtle differences. For instance, just changing the canopy would make a huge difference to the vehicle's overall look.

Let's assume that the bulky glass-and-frames one is the NC canopy.
The TR could have a bubbly, oval canopy, like on the Mosquito,
The VS could have a completely plastic/metal cover instead of a canopy, with a small, shiny porthole (kind of like what the front section of the Magrider's hump looks like).

It's not uncommon for weapon operators to modify their gear to fit their needs, standardize some equipment and training... ;)

[Sirisian]

Looks nice. Can't way to see the VS liberator. What is that thing on the bottom of the NC liberator? Some kind of bomb holding thing? Someone in IRC said it looks like a floatation device.

TR mossy thing looks incredible. Rockets though? Needs explaining.

VS Magrider needs a turret. Doesn't really look like a tank anymore.

[TheRagingGerbil]

Looks nice. Can't way to see the VS liberator. What is that thing on the bottom of the NC liberator? Some kind of bomb holding thing? Someone in IRC said it looks like a floatation device.

TR mossy thing looks incredible. Rockets though? Needs explaining.

VS Magrider needs a turret. Doesn't really look like a tank anymore.

Landing gear pod like the c-17?

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/7241/c17render01.jpg

[kaffis]

I'm a little bothered that the NC's color palette seems MUCH more bright than the other two (again). I have a feeling TR and VS will melt into the night or dynamic shadows easily, while any stray bit of light will catch off the very saturated blue and bright-ass yellow for NC. Aside from that, I'm loving the way T-Ray describes the empire design aesthetics.

[FIREk]

TR mossy thing looks incredible. Rockets though? Needs explaining.

I'm telling ya! ;)

Higby said that the Mosquito has changed somewhat, however I believe that this is just a different variant.

The original Mosquito had thinner wings with a weird air-trap thingie that connects the wings to the fuselage. We can assume that it gives the AA mosquito superior speed and maneuverability. Also, there could be room for two weapon pods at the end of those fragile-looking wings.

Now, the new Mosquito could be an AV/AI "gunship" variant. Think about it - the game allows for a ton of customization. Why create a separate a "gunship" vehicle class and at the same time give another air vehicle the ability to attack ground targets? I'm positive that a "gunship" is just an AI/AV-customized fighter.

The engines look more bulky and the tail section is a bit different, but these can be customization elements, not a redesign of the vehicle itself.

If I'm correct, and the round shapes on the Mosquito can be considered proof enough that it is the TR fighter, then it would be logical for the Reaver to be the NC empire-specific fighter.
It's bulky, square-ish and looks "modern" in a XXI/late XX-century way. Just like the Vanguard, and the Gauss that looks like a buffed-up ACR/SCAR rifle.
It just adds up too nicely. ;)

[Miir]

The Mossy and Lib look great!

I'm not sold on the new look of the Mag.

[FIREk]

The Mossy and Lib look great!

I'm not sold on the new look of the Mag.

It's actually a good thing - the art directions are very different, so there's bound to be something that some people will love, and something many will hate. All the more reason to pick one side and enjoy shooting the other, right? :)

It's definitely better than all vehicles being essentially the same thing. :)

[Redshift]

Hamma, dude, don't you have enough art to do some updates to the top logo and add some PS2 love into it???

i.e get rid of the shitty BFR's that everyone hates? :P

[Raymac]

My jaw literally dropped when I saw those shots. I'm still in a little bit of shock in how amazing they look. So beautiful. I wish I was a poet.

[Higby]

A new layout is in the works! :D

Okay, well I think i'm speaking for everyone when I say: SCREENSHOTS PLS and/or a video of the new layout ASAP. Preferably 10 minutes of browsing the site with the new layout...




Maybe a twitter Q&A about the new layout?





NEED UPDATES!

[Raymac]

Okay, well I think i'm speaking for everyone when I say: SCREENSHOTS PLS and/or a video of the new layout ASAP. Preferably 10 minutes of browsing the site with the new layout...




Maybe a twitter Q&A about the new layout?





NEED UPDATES!

touche, sir

[NapalmEnima]

It's possible that the "empire specific light fighter" and the "mosquito" are the same thing... with each empire having a physically different version, sharing the same name. There might even be a common pool variant floating around.


As for the Mag turret... that dome shaped thing in the back might be able to raise up a bit and rotate. The big gray plate on the front of the dome could easily be Where The Gun Goes. Just reviewed the debut trailer... the done was too low to rotate there too.

If I'm right, then the other gray spots could be mounting locations for Other Things. Armor add ons, thrusters, sensors, maybe some tertiary weaponry (a claymore-type deal on either side that the driver can trigger, for example).

The lip above the forward gun on the Mag leads me to believe that it can point upward fairly high, similar to the Mag in PS1.

[Trolltaxi]

The liberator is a bastard of a 30's hidroplane, a WH40K Fighta' Bomba and a WWII HE-111... :)

The secret behind the TR mossie (with rockets) may be in Higby's hint in the PCGamer preview yesterday. It says "Each of our fighter has it's own skill tree that lets you costumize it to be an air fighter, an air to ground fighter, a super fast reconnaisance craft, all from one plane."

So my bet is, that this is the air to ground variant with 16 unguided missiles (and a huge airbrake opebned on the top). It IS a mossie, but costumized to be A2G.

[Raymac]

The liberator is a bastard of a 30's hidroplane, a WH40K Fighta' Bomba and a WWII HE-111... :)


I actually thought of the Hind as soon as I saw the new Lib.

[SgtMAD]

"@HtSgtMAD yes, that is the new maggie without armor attachments"-Twitter

what the hell are the armor attachments?

[TheRagingGerbil]

Regarding the image of the terrain:
PS_TRay T Ray
@TheRagingGerbil IN GAME NO BULLJIVE, FORGELIGHT DONT FRONT #PlanetSide

[TheHalekTheory]

@Higby if we dont have "The Higby" as a custom hair style, then ill become emo, lock myself in my room with a 6-pack of wine coolers and an All-American Rejects cd and not come out till PS:2 release

[Talek Krell]

It is supposed to have a secondary gun, though, and there is no distinct disc-shaped piece of Magrider on which to put a small turret. ;)Ah, I misunderstood you then. I noted that as well. The only mounting points I can see are those two cylinders on the outriders.

I actually thought of the Hind as soon as I saw the new Lib.Now that you mention it....oh my. hehehehehe :evil:
The "floatation device" on the bottom looks rather odd though. You can see a wheel there, it doesn't really look large enough to need all that.

[basti]

Okay, well I think i'm speaking for everyone when I say: SCREENSHOTS PLS and/or a video of the new layout ASAP. Preferably 10 minutes of browsing the site with the new layout...




Maybe a twitter Q&A about the new layout?





NEED UPDATES!


Damn, hes using our weapons against us!

RETREAT!

[TheRagingGerbil]

It's possible that the "empire specific light fighter" and the "mosquito" are the same thing... with each empire having a physically different version, sharing the same name. There might even be a common pool variant floating around.


As for the Mag turret... that dome shaped thing in the back might be able to raise up a bit and rotate. The big gray plate on the front of the dome could easily be Where The Gun Goes. Just reviewed the debut trailer... the done was too low to rotate there too.

If I'm right, then the other gray spots could be mounting locations for Other Things. Armor add ons, thrusters, sensors, maybe some tertiary weaponry (a claymore-type deal on either side that the driver can trigger, for example).

The lip above the forward gun on the Mag leads me to believe that it can point upward fairly high, similar to the Mag in PS1.

Perhaps it will hover, detached, above the main body? Similar to the ancient vanu vehicles from PS1.

[Mazzy]

The air fighter looks great as does the Mag. The lib looks cool except the washtub strapped to the bottom looks a little out of place.

I am concerned about the design of the Mag though from a functional standpoint. With the main gun mounted on the front it can't go hull-down. Unless the Prowler and Vanguard have a similar design that's a problem.

Yeah, VS are all about mobility (and SCIENCE,) but if the others can actually use cover while firing that's a major advantage.

[Bruttal]

I wonder now, more than ever... Where does the turret go on the Mag?

you see the two round cylinder type objects on top of the mag?, am thinking its gonna be two small turrets opposed to 1 big turret. prob fires like single pulsar type rounds from each so if firing from either side only 1 of the smaller turrets would hit meaning the best angle of attack is now head on. witch makes this tank suck ass cus now your the gunner of the main cannon and you cant hit and run run run, its all or nothing =/

[DviddLeff]

Great update, nice vehicle pictures and awesome panoramic shot even if it is of the same area we've seen before (desktop background right there!).

So are we thinking that each empire has its own model for common pool kit?

[Grimster]

Okay, well I think i'm speaking for everyone when I say: SCREENSHOTS PLS and/or a video of the new layout ASAP. Preferably 10 minutes of browsing the site with the new layout...




Maybe a twitter Q&A about the new layout?





NEED UPDATES!

Higby tries out how it feels to be a demanding fan. :D

[Ghryphen]

Okay, well I think i'm speaking for everyone when I say: SCREENSHOTS PLS and/or a video of the new layout ASAP. Preferably 10 minutes of browsing the site with the new layout...




Maybe a twitter Q&A about the new layout?





NEED UPDATES!

Soon™

When we are happy with the site it will be released.

Release date has been pushed back 8 more months.

[CrystalViolet]

I'm thinking this confirms what I was asking for in my "empire specific versions of common pool vehicles" thread in the idea section. Way too cool, and I can't wait to compare all the planes! :D

[Malorn]

This article gives me another set of questions...

Mosquito and Liberator are both Common Pool, so they should have Nanite Systems art, right?

How does common pool interact with faction style? Does a common Pool NC liberator have some square shapes and doodads added on that make it seem NC-ish?

Does a TR/VS Liberator look fundamentally different or are we seeing Common Pool style with an NC paint job and they will all look like that with different colors?


Edit: Also, the Liberator looks like it could be a repurposed FedEx freight plane.

[kaffis]

Soon™

When we are happy with the site it will be released.

Release date has been pushed back 8 more months.
No, no, guys! Challenge the PS2 devs to a race!!!

[RedKnights]

Does a TR/VS Liberator look fundamentally different or are we seeing Common Pool style with an NC paint job and they will all look like that with different colors?

I that perhaps there might be empire variants on each of the flight vehicles, which would be pretty amazing. So for instance while that is the TS mosquito, the NC mosquito might look along the lines of the low polygon, boxy, ones we have currently in Planetside. While the VS will be mistaken for Cylon raiders...

http://bsgonlinegame.com/game/raider.png

Lets face it I doubt that liberator will be used by the TR or VS, they'd be affronted by it's boxy scrap-like build quality. I think we'll end up seeing empire variants of those craft. I think he was hinting at that.

[etheral]

hmmm, the more I look at the new mag, the more I think that it could be a combination of MBT and fightercraft.

its not going to happen, but it would be absolutely hilarious :D

[Atuday]

Wanting VS to have fastest fighter with best turning, NC to have highest damaging missiles and TR to have 3 20mm chainguns(or one that fires ridiculously fast for high damage)

[kaffis]

"NC armor will be chipped, dented and dinged but never compromised. The weapons and vehicles are worn but well maintained"

New Conglomerate: Even our vehicles are grizzled, battle-hardened veterans.

[CrystalViolet]

It's also interesting to note that each of the empire's logos are designed to contrast directly with their own design aesthetics. Never noticed that before.

[Malorn]

Lets face it I doubt that liberator will be used by the TR or VS, they'd be affronted by it's boxy scrap-like build quality. I think we'll end up seeing empire variants of those craft. I think he was hinting at that.

Right, but then what's the point of styling the common pool weapons and vehicles with Nanite Systems if they have empire-specific versions? Both the mossie and the lib are common pool...at least in PS1.

I think only T-Ray can answer with certainty how empire theming and common pool interact. We're just guessing.

[kaffis]

Well, to be fair, the logos are pre-existing, the design aesthetics not so much. At least, not as clearly laid out and associated with shapes the way T-Ray talks about.

[BlazingSun]

Nice article.

I'm not sure though I like the direction the NC is heading visual wise. I didn't expect them to be on a lower technology level than the TR either. (Where did the TR get the newer equipment from anyway with the wormwhole beeing closed and all that ?) The NC MAX looks terrible in my eyes and I hope the other empire specific stuff won't be anything like that.

The Liberator doesn't look that good either I think. The pilot's cockpit and the plane's nose look odd (also too small and thin in comparison to the rest) and especially the bottom of the plane is weird. It's also too high in my opinion.

So far I prefer the style of PS1's vehicles and aircrafts.

[kaffis]

Nice article.

I'm not sure though I like the direction the NC is heading visual wise. I didn't expect them to be on a lower technology level than the TR either. (Where did the TR get the newer equipment from anyway with the wormwhole beeing closed and all that ?) The NC MAX looks terrible in my eyes and I hope the other empire specific stuff won't be anything like that.

The Liberator doesn't look that good either I think. The pilot's cockpit and the plane's nose look odd (also too small and thin in comparison to the rest) and especially the bottom of the plane is weird. It's also too high in my opinion.

So far I prefer the style of PS1's vehicles and aircrafts.
It's not that the NC has lower tech. It's that they don't have big factories cranking advanced stuff out. They make due with what they can build using modular manufacturing equipment that can be packed up and moved around, guerilla-style. They also place a premium on field maintenance, since they don't have the static supply lines to just ship in a new unit when something breaks.

[Talek Krell]

It's not that the NC has lower tech. It's that they don't have big factories cranking advanced stuff out. They make due with what they can build using modular manufacturing equipment that can be packed up and moved around, guerilla-style. They also place a premium on field maintenance, since they don't have the static supply lines to just ship in a new unit when something breaks.Plus, it's not like the NC downloaded all the TR's design schematics before they left or anything, so the vehicles they use are probably from scratch by people who have minimal/no training and a greater concern with fighting for their lives than with design aesthetics. Can't blame them for being utilitarian.

[kaffis]

Exactly. Now, that said, I'm sure some engineers and techs and whatnot defected along with fighters, so it's not like NC doesn't have anybody with design experience. But the designers they do have will be cognizant of all those factors when adapting or designing new things from scratch. Factors the TR didn't really have to worry about.

[FIREk]

Ah, I misunderstood you then. I noted that as well. The only mounting points I can see are those two cylinders on the outriders.

Unless... Some kind of mounting skeleton gets attached to those four smaller cylinders and a turret is mounted a few centimeters above the main body? :o

[Xyntech]

Perhaps I'm being naive and overly optimistic, but I could see the forward fixed Magrider cannon as part of an overall advantage. Sure it would be a limitation and a clear disadvantage on it's own, but what if it is offset by a much higher strafing speed than the original Magrider had? Given that tanks will now have more of their armor allocated towards the front, a Magrider could strafe an enemy tank while keeping both the main gun AND the heaviest armor pointing towards them, while an enemy tank, despite having the ability rotate their cannon freely, would have to choose between keeping their front pointed at the Magrider or maneuvering.

Mind you, I am VS for life (even if I haven't played much Planetside recently), so I certainly don't want to end up with a gimped MBT, but if they play up the outside the box thinking of the VS even further with the sequel and if the Magrider ends up playing even more uniquely than the other two tanks while still being equally effective, I think it will only enrich the game.

I guess what I'm saying is I am nervous about the fixed cannon design, but I think maneuverability among other things could bridge the gap and make it an effective design choice. After all, it could end up over powered if the Magrider could maneuver freely all while pointing it's forward armor in which ever direction it chose AND it could point it's gun any way it wanted at the same time.

Still, it's good that the community keep voicing these important kinds of concerns. Keeps the developers aware of how the player base thinks. Some of the stuff they may know what they're doing and just haven't given us all of the information yet. It can't hurt to help them catch any few mistakes they may be letting slip through the cracks though right?

[NivexQ]

Unless they have utterly and completely changed things that we've seen before. That aircraft is neither a mossy or reaver, most likely a wasp... in the gameplay trailer it shows the concept reaver and mosquito and even a gal in the back, this aircraft was not in the gameplay trailer.

The tank in my opinion seems very.... round. not very tankish... more routerish... It may just be the angle at which they rendered it, but ya... my .75 cents..

The liberator was kind of a dead give away to me as I noticed the very edge of the ball turret on the back immediately. I like that design a LOT, big fat belly is an easy target AND it can hold a good amount of bombs realisticly, so it shouldn't be able to whisk away and all that jazz.

The official website news post has captions. It says "Terran Republic Mosquito" underneath the picture

[NCLynx]

Unless they have utterly and completely changed things that we've seen before. That aircraft is neither a mossy or reaver, most likely a wasp... in the gameplay trailer it shows the concept reaver and mosquito and even a gal in the back, this aircraft was not in the gameplay trailer.

The tank in my opinion seems very.... round. not very tankish... more routerish... It may just be the angle at which they rendered it, but ya... my .75 cents..

The liberator was kind of a dead give away to me as I noticed the very edge of the ball turret on the back immediately. I like that design a LOT, big fat belly is an easy target AND it can hold a good amount of bombs realisticly, so it shouldn't be able to whisk away and all that jazz.

http://www.planetside-universe.com/images/screenshots/mosq_excl_fptn.jpg

That's not different at all.

EDIT: For those that are simply looking at the pictures without reading the article...they're clearly labeled VS Magrider, TR Mossie, and NC Liberator...

[Accuser]

I think you guys might be taking the Magrider pic too seriously... For all we know this is a 'one-man variant' and the entire center portion could swap out for something that mounts a turret. It's entirely possible that a huge variety of options exist for someone who chooses to roll without a gunner.

If all you'd seen of BFRs was a pic of a flight-variant, you'd never figure out how to get a turret on there.

[Malorn]

The trailer had a turret on the top of the mag, otherwise it looks like the same vehicle. Could be a different configuration with no top turret, or the top turret was simply omitted from the render (they left weapons off previous renders).

[Xyntech]

I think the important question is: Will the Magmower be making it's full and glorious return?

With the faster pace of game play that they are aiming for, I am going to hazard a hell yes!

You TR and NC heathens can hide, but you can't run.

[SavageB]

Okay, well I think i'm speaking for everyone when I say: SCREENSHOTS PLS and/or a video of the new layout ASAP. Preferably 10 minutes of browsing the site with the new layout...




Maybe a twitter Q&A about the new layout?





NEED UPDATES!



Bahahahahaha.

[SavageB]

Unless they have utterly and completely changed things that we've seen before. That aircraft is neither a mossy or reaver, most likely a wasp... in the gameplay trailer it shows the concept reaver and mosquito and even a gal in the back, this aircraft was not in the gameplay trailer.

The tank in my opinion seems very.... round. not very tankish... more routerish... It may just be the angle at which they rendered it, but ya... my .75 cents..

The liberator was kind of a dead give away to me as I noticed the very edge of the ball turret on the back immediately. I like that design a LOT, big fat belly is an easy target AND it can hold a good amount of bombs realisticly, so it shouldn't be able to whisk away and all that jazz.



All about the aerodynamics, get with the times :P

[Captain1nsaneo]

I'm with Miir on the mag look, it doesn't have that sleek sexy feeling that yells "This is a badass tank!" to me. This may be due to the lack of perspective as we're seeing it alone and that it's showing us its back rather than its prow. To me if feels light, airy, with no armor and without much bite. The question 'where do I sit?' crops up in my brain looking at it and I feel a twist in my gut. It's flat and squished, it's squat and just doesn't menace. This is all opinion as are my suggestions for some fixes to make it feel dangerous as nothing is worse than driving a tank and feeling like it's more a death trap.

Changes that don't require editing the model:
-Point of view should be back where the hump rises out of the mag and should be able to see down the hood. Point of this is to make it feel like you're sitting on top of the cannon and gives the tank perceived heft as the tank is on the right and left.
-Deep sounds for the hover engine and the cannon with a slight echo after firing. No 'Pew' or any high pitch when the main gun is fired but when the round lands there should be a crack with a hiss that outlasts it.
-Pitch change when strafing or going backwards.
-Handling conserves momentum and it's slow to stop. Maybe add a sound effect for emergency brakes such as pressurized air escaping. (or replace breaks with an afterburner that makes you go faster in the direction pressed)

Changes that do:
-Stretch the model, raise the middle, pull in the sides. A larger mid section makes it seem like there's room for the cannon.
-Put the cannon off-center. The Mag's PPA was offset and made it feel like there was room inside the tank for you.
-At the back of the cannon there's some circles of teal. Everywhere else on the tank the colors are about as bright as their neighbors. The cannon is the only black part of the tank and the teal next to it grabs the eye away from the rest of the mag. One of the lighter shades of purple or grey in place of the teal would still stand out without breaking up the style of the tank.

I've been a bit nit picky but I didn't want to just say I didn't like it as that would not be useful.

[Sirisian]

One thing I didn't comment on. The TR plane has 16 rockets clearly on the outside of the plane. I imagine they don't magically form new ones using a nanite system so does that mean they only have 16 total rockets? If so that's awesome. I've always wanted ammo limitations to become a gameplay concept in PS. Really makes each shot count.

[Bags]

Psh, we all know T-Ray doesn't smile.

[Bags]

One thing I didn't comment on. The TR plane has 16 rockets clearly on the outside of the plane. I imagine they don't magically form new ones using a nanite system so does that mean they only have 16 total rockets? If so that's awesome. I've always wanted ammo limitations to become a gameplay concept in PS. Really makes each shot count.

Ammo has always been a concern, at least for grunts. But I don't die very often so maybe that's just me?

[Captain B]

I'm liking what I see! And that quote about NC manufacturing and hard-edged style rocks!

[Zulthus]

Ammo has always been a concern, at least for grunts. But I don't die very often so maybe that's just me?

http://troll.me/images/futurama-fry/not-sure-if-bragging-or-stating-defiantly.jpg

But yeah, love the new info. The aircraft look amazing, but I'm not too sure about the mag. Doesn't look particularly threatening.

The mosquito is armed with rockets now? Interesting... like someone mentioned before it'd be nice if it was limited to the 16 rockets then needed a rearm at a friendly base. That would cut down on rocket spam with the amount of people that will be using them.

[Bags]

I run out of ammo a lot, but I also go to great lengths to not die a lot so I don't know if I'm a good benchmark for ammo balance.

Loved the mossie and mag, the liberator looked like a galaxy to me though.

[stargazer093]

tbh...the new lib looks...ehh...weird?


also..didn`t see turret on the new mag, does this mean mag will be turretless?

edit:random lib idea
http://img651.imageshack.us/img651/2244/2132123.jpg

[SgtMAD]

I don't understand all the mossie mystery
SOE has said we would see an A/A variant,well that A/A variant is going to have missiles under the wing.

I think thats what we are looking at.

[Talek Krell]

Personally thinking the opposite. That those are A/G rockets and the A/A variant will have guns (hesitant about putting lock on A/A missiles in the game).

[Miir]

The Mag needs less of this:
http://s224245511.onlinehome.us/tank1.jpg

And more of this:
http://s224245511.onlinehome.us/tank2.jpg

[Talek Krell]

:jawdrop:
Want.

[Rbstr]

That purple thing you have there is a monstrosity.

I like the sleek Mag they've got. Makes quite a bit more sense than having flat sides perpendicular to the ground. You don't do that unless you have to.

It'll be really cool if they really are doing empire-specific mossies, libs ect.

[BorisBlade]

The Mag needs less of this:
http://s224245511.onlinehome.us/tank1.jpg

And more of this:
http://s224245511.onlinehome.us/tank2.jpg

Yeah, needs a turret, and a focused pilot, but i rant enough about this horrible vehicle design enough already.....well maybe not enough but too lazy to rant anymore. =D

[Talek Krell]

Makes quite a bit more sense than having flat sides perpendicular to the ground. You don't do that unless you have to.
When you're building with legos, you have to. :p

[BorisBlade]

tbh...the new lib looks...ehh...weird?


also..didn`t see turret on the new mag, does this mean mag will be turretless?

Yup, vehicles are now glorified buffs like in battlefield, you pilot and gun at the same time so you dont need a turret, or friends, which is good since we all know there will be no other players in this game with you who could gun for you while you just drove like PS1 did so well, this is a completely single player game. Only noobs play games with tons of people and actually use that silly teamwork idea.

[Aractain]

Amazoring. That is all.

[Sirisian]

edit:random lib idea

As a lib pilot we don't need a front gun really. Just the ability to drop bombs and have a tail gunner is enough.

Whenever I had a front gun I found myself farming infantry. :lol: The lib is awesome at doing that. If I want to do that I'll get a tail gunner and do a low pass on the infantry and let the tail gunner pick them off.

[stuff]
He just wondered where the turret went. Not sure if you've played the original PS, but the Magrider had a turret. No need to go off on a rant. I personally also feel strongly about having a turret. That will wait until Friday during the twitter though.

[FastAndFree]

Someone alredy mentioned this, but allow me to reiterate, this is not the same Mosquito we saw earlier in the trailer

I wonder if the design evolved, or they are different variants

http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/4346/mosquitos2.jpg

edit - marked the differences

[dsi]

Yup, vehicles are now glorified buffs like in battlefield, you pilot and gun at the same time so you dont need a turret, or friends, which is good since we all know there will be no other players in this game with you who could gun for you while you just drove like PS1 did so well, this is a completely single player game. Only noobs play games with tons of people and actually use that silly teamwork idea.

Sad if true. (Hopefully isn't, signs so far point to yes...)

@FastAndFree: The only difference is that the tail wings got some shape, other than that the only difference is that the new model is armed. (Which seems to say modular armaments for vehicles)

[Zulthus]

Also to add to the mossy discussion; there are rockets AND a machine gun/cannon on the nose. Looks like it's an AV/AA variant.

[FastAndFree]

@FastAndFree: The only difference is that the tail wings got some shape, other than that the only difference is that the new model is armed. (Which seems to say modular armaments for vehicles)
I changed the pic (http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/4346/mosquitos2.jpg) to show the differences, so far I have:

-the wing stubs are different (compare the ends)
-the "airfoils" at the base of the wing stubs were empty in the trailer, and have what looks like engine intakes in this pic
-raised plate thing at the top. Airbrake maybe? (well this one might have been there alredy, just closed in the trailer)
-no antenna/stinger on the nose
-the side of the thrusters looks somewhat different (trailer had plates extend from the fuselage at an angle, this pic doesn't seem to)
-transparent canopy, duh

[blbeta]

Hamma, dude, don't you have enough art to do some updates to the top logo and add some PS2 love into it???

This is what I'd do first with no art time involved. Just a quick edit to the css_main.php. Throw in a nice background image and new header and we are on a nice track.

I only edited css on Home page as well. Wasn't about to go through the whole site and edit just to show a basic look. :D It was a good waste of 30-60min of my time

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1939/psucsspic.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/psucsspic.jpg/)

All the lines and borders on the current layout makes my eyes burn. No offense to the original design, my eyes just don't like it.

Looking forward to new look.

As for all the new art, it is nice. I truly won't be happy until I can test/play it. Let's just say that is not gonna come soon enough.

EDIT: Also in terms of looks I always have pictured Baneblade from Dawn of War as a NC Heavy Battle Tank. Hope we do see some larger ground vehicles like that, apart from Sunderer.
Baneblade model - YouTube
http://images.wikia.com/dawnofwar/images/c/c8/Baneblade.jpg

[Captain B]

I noticed those differences, too, but from an earlier picture they released and not from the trailer. Maybe cert/skill-tree based variants of the mosquito "base"?

[Trolltaxi]

I actually thought of the Hind as soon as I saw the new Lib.

Hinds fly over my house in quite a regular basis - this one is more badass! (maybe the angle of the wing reminds the angle of the pilons? I see your point...)

[KCTitan]

Should it be true, I love that the new Magrider will have a fixed-forward main gun as it had in Tanarus.

http://www.webspawner.com/users/trunkstanaruspage1/tan_mag.gif

Higby, please bring us a Chameleon! I want my stealth tank!
http://www.webspawner.com/users/trunkstanaruspage1/images/tancham.gif

Ah, I miss the good ol' days of Tanarus. :(

[FastAndFree]

I noticed those differences, too, but from an earlier picture they released and not from the trailer. Maybe cert/skill-tree based variants of the mosquito "base"?

Yeah that idea occured to me as well, in fact I feared that by the time I get back to the forum T-Ray would alredy reply "Cuss Tim My Zay Shun"

[Tilluss]

The new Liberator looks really good for the most part, but there are a few things that (in my opinion) look a bit odd.

The 'base' of the aircraft for one, why does it look like it's sitting on a fat trolly? It makes the quite elegant looking aircraft look clumsy, couldn't the bottom of the aircraft be streamlined to be in line with the rest of the aircraft? I know the theory behind the wide base will be the bomb bay, but it just doesn't look very good.

Where are the NC logo's?! The other 2 vehicles are plastered with faction logo's but the liberator has none! I am disapoint! On a more serious note, the lib looks like an earlier render without the proper lighting applied, so it will be interesting to see if the colours are as vivid in the actual game engine as they are in the render.

[FastAndFree]

I want a delorean with suicide doors :(

The Delorean has gull-wing doors

You need to buy the suicide door upgrade kit for 5$ in the SOE shop

[kaffis]

On a more serious note, the lib looks like an earlier render without the proper lighting applied, so it will be interesting to see if the colours are as vivid in the actual game engine as they are in the render.
I fully expect them to be, even if you're right. Look up at the faction logos and the color palettes associated with them. Judging by those raw palettes, NC is the only faction with day-glo colors.. again.

[Marsgrim]

I like the Mozzie, looks good.

The Lib looks awful and that it shouldn't fly with that grey, square block/base sitting at the bottom of it - looks like a plane chasis mounted on a birck!

I like the Mag, reminds me of Eldar grav tanks from 40k.

[Hamma]

Cool finds on the video/mosquito screenshot!

Definitely were some changes in there - as someone mentioned i think its just design evolution, but nice work on the video analysis :)

This is what I'd do first with no art time involved. Just a quick edit to the css_main.php. Throw in a nice background image and new header and we are on a nice track.

I only edited css on Home page as well. Wasn't about to go through the whole site and edit just to show a basic look. :D It was a good waste of 30-60min of my time

http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/1939/psucsspic.th.jpg (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/6/psucsspic.jpg/)

All the lines and borders on the current layout makes my eyes burn. No offense to the original design, my eyes just don't like it.
:lol: Nice!

The new design is going to be a drastic totally new look, new colors new layout and all.

[atone]

Where are the NC logo's?! The other 2 vehicles are plastered with faction logo's but the liberator has none!

http://i55.tinypic.com/rrqrg9.jpg

done:)

[Kouza]

Not to be that guy but, where is the prowler :(?

[Hamma]

:lol:

More Vehicles! :) I'd love to see the new Take on the Prowler also, and the Vanguard.

[NapalmEnima]

Higby tries out how it feels to be a demanding fan. :D

I'm sure he's been there before. He played the original, prior to working for SOE IIRC.

[NapalmEnima]

Not to be that guy but, where is the prowler :(?

In a smoldering heap where it belongs. :P

Superior Tech!

[Nephilimuk]

More Vehicles! I'd love to see the new Take on the Prowler also, and the Vanguard

Hamma noooo......you should have said "we are about to finalise the new designs for the website but are waiting for the new artwork for the Prowler and Vanguard before we can complete and publish"

Oh well opportunity lost but Mr H it would be a really good exclusive for PSU.

[Talek Krell]

Not to be that guy but, where is the prowler :(?Stealth Prowler! >.>

[Traak]

Prowler: Five-man death machine.
Vanguard: One man driving around naked, balanced on a 150 floating in air.

If they proceed with the "driver=gunner", MAW. might as well.

[WeNeedAMedic]

looks like a Lib for NC, maybe a magrider for vanu. That TR ship looks bad ass with the rockets under the wings, which makes me think it probably isnt a mossie. Unless they're implementing rockets onto the mossies.

[NewSith]

looks like a Lib for NC, maybe a magrider for vanu. That TR ship looks bad ass with the rockets under the wings, which makes me think it probably isnt a mossie. Unless they're implementing rockets onto the mossies.

You should totally check the link before posting =) http://www.planetside2.com/news/article41.html

And imo Maggy looks more like a ufo, rather than a tank. Unless it has been given without its turret.

[Talek Krell]

Vehicles are can be customized and configured now, and they've mentioned that any aircraft could be set up to attack ground targets. So I'd say it's quite possible that they're implementing rockets onto mossies.

[NapalmEnima]

looks like a Lib for NC, maybe a magrider for vanu. That TR ship looks bad ass with the rockets under the wings, which makes me think it probably isnt a mossie. Unless they're implementing rockets onto the mossies.

The article specifically states that it's a mosquito. I suspect we'll be able to unlock all kinds of goodies for under the wings. Air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground rockets/bombs/missiles, maybe some extra guns of one sort or another.

A recon-spec'ed mossy might even have some spiffy sensors it can strap to the sides.

[Hamma]

Wait - did they update that article? I don't remember those being on there before.. :lol:

[NewSith]

The article specifically states that it's a mosquito. I suspect we'll be able to unlock all kinds of goodies for under the wings. Air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground rockets/bombs/missiles, maybe some extra guns of one sort or another.

A recon-spec'ed mossy might even have some spiffy sensors it can strap to the sides.

I want a bomber mozzie.

Hence:
http://www.lisisoft.com/imglisi/5/Screensavers/163938tfs4.jpg

[TacosWLove]

Woot! Now i can not only farm softies in my skeeter, i can now rain down AV from the skys! No longer will you have the upperhand MR. AA Max whore! :D

[NapalmEnima]

I want a bomber mozzie.

A dive bomber sounds quite doable, as do A2G missiles/rockets.

I believe Higby has stated that the vehicle weapon unlock tree is one of the largest trees in the game. Not those exact words, and I may be reading too much into it. May just "extensive" rather than "one of the largest". Don't recall.

[kaffis]

A dive bomber sounds quite doable, as do A2G missiles/rockets.

I believe Higby has stated that the vehicle weapon unlock tree is one of the largest trees in the game. Not those exact words, and I may be reading too much into it. May just "extensive" rather than "one of the largest". Don't recall.
While true, I think a bomber other than the Liberator (a purpose-built bomber) is pretty pie-in-the-sky.

That'd be like saying "I want an main battle cannon unlock for my quad!!!" There's a tank for that, silly.

[NapalmEnima]

I disagree. I think we'll be able to shoehorn different vehicles into a variety of roles, they simply won't do it as well as a vehicle designed for that role.

For example:

While I don't think we'll see a 150mm cannon on an NC quad any time soon, we just might see an AV cannon of some sort (50mm, a stripped down 75mm). To say nothing of AV rockets. Would such a quad do as well against a tank as another tank? No. Will it still be capable of forcing an MBT to pay attention to it? Yes, I suspect so.

[T-Ray]

Im pretty sure the TR one is a Mossy and the NC one a lib, but they got the shape of faction vehicles?

T-Ray, enlight us, whats going on? Mossy TR Only? Or what are those vehicles? Or do air vehicles now have a faction model, like a TR mossy, a NC mossy and a VS mossy? Halp!

all your Mossies are belonging to TR now

Libs is common pool

Magrider is VS of course

[T-Ray]

At this point I'm positive that what the Reaver is now the NC fighter.
It looks like there will be no gunships as a separate vehicle class, and a fighter with appropriate customizations will act as a gunship. And the TR Mosquito sure as hell looks the part! :)

I have to know what that NC vehicle is... My guess would be the Liberator (if bombers are empire-specific, then the name fits the NC like a glove), however the bomber was supposed to be a 2-seater, and this looks like it has 2 seats plus a rear turret with a canopy of its own. Might be an old concept render, though.
I can't say that I dig its design (the front reminds me of the Caldari Osprey from EVE) - it's much too verical and the canopies are too far apart for my taste (and for my militaristic side), however I won't be playing as the NC. :)

The Reaver belongs to NC now

[Bags]

And the Dyson belongs to the VS. Will they have cyclone powered tractor beams?

[T-Ray]

NC confirmed as a Liberator on Twitter

NC skin on the Lib... It is common pool

[Brusi]

Is T-Ray Trolling?

[Zulthus]

NC skin on the Lib... It is common pool

Does the vehicle model differ at all by faction, or is the paint job just changed?

[T-Ray]

I really like how they are using the shapes to define the empires further beyond the colors. Kudos to the Art team on some nice looking stuff!

thank you my good man

[T-Ray]

A new layout is in the works! :D

WORD

[T-Ray]

Hahhaha!

Higby, is the last image of the terrain in-game or a render?!?!?

100% in game

FORGELIGHT!!!! dats my itsh

[kaffis]

100% in game

FORGELIGHT!!!! dats my itsh
Just to quell the skeptical out there -- when you say 100% in game, as is your wont, does that also correctly imply that it's a real-time render at a playable framerate? ;)

[Raymac]

The Reaver belongs to NC now

It's funny how after 8 years you get used to something, and so this quote totally took awhile to sink in. I loved the Reaver...I played as NC....where some see coincidence, I see fate.

Now of course, I can't wait to see the VS fighter.

[Silverbullet]

Instead of a screenshot of the VS Fighter, the Dyson, can we get a video of it in flight?

[Grimster]

Damn it T-Ray my boss is going to slap you soon because I feel compelled to read all your posts through the VIP tracker. :D :D


Gotta catch them all!


On a side note very glad to see the high activity among the community and the fans by the developers. :)

[FastAndFree]

It's funny how after 8 years you get used to something, and so this quote totally took awhile to sink in. I loved the Reaver...I played as NC....where some see coincidence, I see fate.

Now of course, I can't wait to see the VS fighter.

Oh yeah. For all these years the Reaver has been sinonymous with ground-attack. And the new version looked so awesome :(

T-Ray can you vouch for the Dyson, that it's even more awesome looking? :D

Also, fingers crossed for aerial BEAM SPAM

[Aractain]

Maybe they could put some new aircraft designs in cashshop after launch?


:D

[cellinaire]

Just to quell the skeptical out there -- when you say 100% in game, as is your wont, does that also correctly imply that it's a real-time render at a playable framerate? ;)


Lol


and you need to know that ForgeLight™ is a pure magic...err I mean hotness :lol:

[Shogun]

how about a new collection of questions for this q&a?

i would like to know more about the scalability of the engine (how much eyecandy i can switch off to play the game on a 2010 gamer laptop and what will be limited on lower settings)

or do i even have to go on low settings on a higher middleclass gamerpc from 2010?
forgelight looks awsome! and i really cannot imagine what kind of hardware it will need to run smooth. especially when 10 full loaded gals with a full air-escort of fighters comes around the mountain, ejecting hordes of troops on a facility

[Hamma]

http://www.planetside-universe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37452 :D

[T-Ray]

Oh yeah. For all these years the Reaver has been sinonymous with ground-attack. And the new version looked so awesome :(

T-Ray can you vouch for the Dyson, that it's even more awesome looking? :D

Also, fingers crossed for aerial BEAM SPAM

It will be so awesome that you'll want to slap yo mama.

[Raymac]

It will be so awesome that you'll want to slap yo mama.

I think the marketing team has found their new catch phrase for Planetside 2. :rofl:

[CrystalViolet]

It will be so awesome that you'll want to slap yo mama.

Will customization options come in the form of hose attachments? ;) Also, how does it handle pet hair?

[basti]

PS_TRay T Ray
one hour til I blow you eva lovin' minds

From Twitter.


Im expecting a video now. :>

[Zulthus]

PS_TRay T Ray
one hour til I blow you eva lovin' minds

From Twitter.


Im expecting a video now. :>

party:

[FastAndFree]

It will be so awesome that you'll want to slap yo mama.

I knew I could count on you

[cellinaire]

It will be so awesome that you'll want to slap yo mama.

Lolooooooooool

[Talek Krell]

PS_TRay T Ray
one hour til I blow you eva lovin' minds

From Twitter.Anything yet? :(

[Nihil]

It will be so awesome that you'll want to slap yo mama.

Oh, it's gonna be slap yo mama good?

i went to take a screen shot of yo mama and had to zoom out to the galactic map!

Yo mama went upside Basteg's head so hard it caused The Bending.

Yo mama so fat her avatar weighs 42 pounds and she has to use a spawn tub.

Yo daddy's client so out of date he has to type LOAD "$",8,1.

i swerved to miss yo mama and ran out of NTU.

Ah, PlanetSide yo mama jokes....

[Hamma]

Recordings are available here

http://www.planetside-universe.com/p-soe-stickam-95.htm