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View Full Version : The Current State of Planetside 2


Zekeen
2012-06-15, 02:52 PM
DUE to the growing ILLITERACY rate of forum goers, I'm forced to explain - the following is a PURELY POSITIVE outlook on how great Planetside 2 currently is and how thankful myself, and the entire community, is toward the devs for bringing it to us. It has nothing to do whether the game is alpha or beta, or ready for release. Thank you to the literate people who actually can SKIM or READ the following.




Back in 2003, a little game called Planetside was released. I downloaded the trial right after it did, and after my trial ended, I spent 5 hours begging to my parents to lend me their credit card. It was the first game I ever subscribed to, and my first real MMO.

I had loads of fun, and left a few times dragged into other MMOs like Final Fantasy 11 by friends, only to regret it and come back. Eventually things dragged me away, and when BFRs came into the game, I began to watch it degrade outside of its original impact. I left it a few months after.

For years, players of Planetside 1 have joked on the idea of a sequel, always sure it would never happen. Who in their right mind would rebuild this world of ours, even if it was the most fun we ever had, it was changed to the point of breaking and so few even really had a memory of it.

In 2009, we heard of Planetside Next, and in 2010 that it would be appear in the spring. We waited and waited, till finally the day came. That's when we heard it - Planetside Next was delayed again, but for a different reason than we ever heard - to give it a newer, better engine of ultold proportions. Planetside 2 developement, had officially started.

It is now 2012, our sequel was put off again and again, not for delays, but for major improvements, and not a single player following Planetside 2 can blame anyone for making those decisions, they were undoubtably for the better and more than obvious.

Right now Forgelight has more power than we thought even a brand new console FPS could have, with less requirements. It can do things with light and weather we only dream about. It took the style of the original Planetside and brought it to a new level, bringing back the old and recreating the new and polishing the rusty. Forgelight can only be expressed by one word, "Unbeleivable".

The developement of Planetside 2 has been both secretive and open, with the devs constantly working on the game. Hiding anything they weren't quite decided on, but openly expressing themselves on anything they felt needed to be in the game. They even asked for opinions fro mthe community on anything they felt they couldn't decide on their own, and listened.

Through the course of the past year, Planetside 2 has gone through many changes, all for the better. Many new features had many of us old veterans against their decisions, but they explained it all to us and showed how it was better, changing most of us to their side on the decisions. I myself, started a widely discussed thread on the change of infantry armor to shields, feeling it wasn't Planetside but more of Halo. After seeign what the devs said and watching videos, all my fears were dashed against pointy rocks and I quickly embraced the idea that I opposed so heavily. Even the idea of driver operated tanks has warmed up to me, particularly after Higby spoke of the incredibly powerful arsenal of the secondary gunner. Still, the remnants of the original Planetside linger in us, and we still wish for some way of the designated driver to return, which the devs are hard at work thinking about how to add it for us to enjoy both worlds.

Currently, the design the devs have been following has stayed true to its roots. They remain attached to the community and many of us have practically taken to them as our own personal celebrities, which they joyously take pride in and return the attention. They take more than opinions from the community but also ideas, secretly browsing our ideas, unable to let us know what they think for obvious and less obvious reasons. I myself submitted an idea on drop pods for Galaxys and kept the discussion running for 2 weeks. At the end of these 2 weeks, I watched Higby speak of drop pods for Galaxys in an interview, spoken the same way I had listed it in my ideas. It was probably a coincidence, but I like to think that I gave him that idea and that they are always going through the ideas the community gives them.

Planetside 2 has become something no other game has or can do. Not just because of the groundbreaking graphics, or thousands of players, but because of the community involvement with the production and way that Planetside 2 is still able to keep true to the original and improve it. Rather than just change for the better, the game is created to take from the original and still stay true to it. The Liberator Bomber was transformed into the Liberator Gunship, using a cannon instead of the whistling bombs we'd hear overhead when capturing a base. Instead of leaving it as a new vehicle however, we get it confirmed that the Liberator remains a bomber and can still be outfitted with the old bombing style instead of the mortar. We have both the new and old merged into one, retaining the same role in a single package.

The game is also being built from the ground up on a model that supports itself far better than the original could. It is being built as a game though should be pay to play with purchase of the original box, but with a free to play model, making ti stand out above those you would pay an organ to play. On top of this, the new creation of the certification system, allows experienced players to adapt to much more intricate strategies and use skill rather than raw power to dominate newer players. Not only does this improve the old style more, but allows for expansions to endless be added to the game, as certification come at a rather constant rate and have no limitations. This means the game will never be finished and always be improving, just based on the cert system alone.

E3 showed off Planetside 2 to the world, with great results. Winning a slew of awards and respect as well as showing itself to thousands of new fans, Planetside 2 dominated shooters and MMOs as unique and new, despite being a sequel. The game showcased new fixes and features never before shown in their videos, screenshots, and reviews of features but added a few less popular features to ease new players into it at E3. Since then, the devs again began listening to the community and decided to take another look at whether or not Light Assault should get the ammo drop ability, seeing as they are a "lone wolf"/scout type of role. Planetside 2 is still changing every day, and E3 only gave the world a small taste - and the game was only in Alpha, but better than most games on release. At this rate, it is with no doubt, that Planetside 2 will RULE over E3 of next year with a fully released game taking it's final steps of infancy and preparing to take on even more features and content to add a hundred more layers of depth to an already deep game.

The game is still not in Beta, but our dreams are answered and all we dream of now is to play it. From 2003 to now, we have waited and hoped. 9 years after the orignal, it is finally time. We veterans of the original never even gave a single serious thought to it happening again, so we have to thank all you devs - Higby, T-Ray, Clegg, Purffectstorm, RadarX, and all you other devs I have either forgotten or need to take a step into the spotlight and let us know you exist, for you guys are awesome. We can never thank you guys enough for making something we never dreamed of a reality. A Hope from the back of our minds. Planetside 2 is not a sequel, nor is it a recreation of the original, it is an EVOLUTION of what Planetside is, needs, deserves, and embodies within every player who ever witness it's glory. And with all the thanks that we have to you devs for creating what we all desired for so long, I leave you all with one word...




Soon....

Bazilx
2012-06-15, 02:55 PM
Congratulations, you reached the second post! You are now 15 minutes older!

Ratstomper
2012-06-15, 02:57 PM
Good gravy...

NCLynx
2012-06-15, 02:58 PM
I'd say the current state of Planetside 2 is Alpha. Soon to be Beta.

YaJackWagon
2012-06-15, 02:58 PM
Congratulations, you reached the second post! You are now 15 minutes older!

:lol:

I don't mind.

Senyu
2012-06-15, 03:10 PM
You deserve this

*pins a +1 on OP"

indirect
2012-06-15, 03:11 PM
I'd say you don't know the current state of Planetside 2.
8)

Furber
2012-06-15, 03:13 PM
Great read. I'm curious though, do you have a source for them confirming/mentioning the original "carpet bomb" liberator style as an alternative to the mortar style we've seen? I don't recall them saying that, but I'd love for it to be true!

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 03:31 PM
Great read. I'm curious though, do you have a source for them confirming/mentioning the original "carpet bomb" liberator style as an alternative to the mortar style we've seen? I don't recall them saying that, but I'd love for it to be true!

http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=42650

Was tweeted by two devs, so yeah, we got bombing coming back too.


I felt a desire to express what Planetside means to myself and give a bit of history and understanding to all the new influx of people here, and to gives a nice hardy thanks to the devs who are bringing us this game.

Bags
2012-06-15, 03:35 PM
http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=42650

Was tweeted by two devs, so yeah, we got bombing coming back too.


I felt a desire to express what Planetside means to myself and give a bit of history and understanding to all the new influx of people here, and to gives a nice hardy thanks to the devs who are bringing us this game.

IIRC they later said it wasn't coming back ala ps1.

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 03:37 PM
IIRC they later said it wasn't coming back ala ps1.

Still ,it's going to be bombing of some kind, there's only so many ways they can do it. More than likely there is a sort of aiming mechanic added in. Regardless, I'm sure we'll have some resemblance in some form.

Synapse
2012-06-15, 03:59 PM
TL/DR. Seriously, no one knows the state of the game other than Beta. Don't waste your keyboard.

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 04:06 PM
TL/DR. Seriously, no one knows the state of the game other than Beta. Don't waste your keyboard.

You do realize this post was more of complimenting how Planetside 2 went from a STATE of NONEXISTENCE to a STATE of everything we want.

This isn't a "is planetside good or bad" thread or "Is planetside in alpha or beta" thread. This is a thread on how incredible Planetside is at the current state and it hasn't even gotten started yet.

Are people so illiterate they can't even skim or read the first and last section of a post?

Synapse
2012-06-15, 04:19 PM
You do realize this post was more of complimenting how Planetside 2 went from a STATE of NONEXISTENCE to a STATE of everything we want.

This isn't a "is planetside good or bad" thread or "Is planetside in alpha or beta" thread. This is a thread on how incredible Planetside is at the current state and it hasn't even gotten started yet.

Are people so illiterate they can't even skim or read the first and last section of a post?

I _did_ skim it, and I got roughly what you just reiterated. I just think a page and a half is way too much for that when you can just say:

"Wow PS2 has come a long way and looks really great, huh guys?"

I mean you're essentially preaching to the choir here, we all know PS2 has come a long way and is great or we wouldnt be on this forum, so what are we supposed to gain that we don't already know from reading your post?

If you make a new thread it should to contribute something people don't already know. I can see your thread working a lot better somewhere like MMORPG.com where an overview of what ps2 is and why it's exciting might be useful to people.

Envenom
2012-06-15, 04:23 PM
Nice post. You summed up the 'state of the nation' quite well.

Malorn
2012-06-15, 04:26 PM
The current state of PlanetSide 2 is Mind-blowingly Awesome.


Edit: Also, very nice post Zekeen. I think you captured how many vets felt over the last decade. It is a dream come true.

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 04:29 PM
I _did_ skim it, and I got roughly what you just reiterated. I just think a page and a half is way too much for that when you can just say:

"Wow PS2 has come a long way and looks really great, huh guys?"

I mean you're essentially preaching to the choir here, we all know PS2 has come a long way and is great or we wouldnt be on this forum, so what are we supposed to gain that we don't already know from reading your post?

If you make a new thread it should to contribute something people don't already know. I can see your thread working a lot better somewhere like MMORPG.com where an overview of what ps2 is and why it's exciting might be useful to people.

Because maybe, since the Devs read these forums regularly, I'd like to give them a heartfelt thanks to how they've affected my views on their design and how happy I am with the work they put in and every point they changed for our sake. Because "thanks" just isn't enough, like you'd probably suggest next for your crusade against words. "Wow this game looks great" doesn't say that I've been watching how the devs have been working, that I appreciate every detail they put into the game and am personally expressing my gratitude.

Should we call up the President and let him know he should just use 20 words or less for the next State of the Union address? "Gee guys, the nation isn't doing so well, but I plan to make it better... vote for me".

Sifer2
2012-06-15, 04:33 PM
It's true the game has turned out better than I expected. I have seen so many franchises I liked get streamlined or turned into something completely different to appeal to the masses lately. That I honestly expected them to make the sequel almost unrecognizable. Such as dropping it to two factions an setting it in modern warfare times. That was even an option on their consumer survey for Planetside Next a few years back. So I guess whatever state the game ends in we can thank goodness at least it is as close to the original as it is.

Doesn't mean I don't think we shouldn't keep fighting to see it made better. They already made some changes for the better along the way based on feedback.

PhoenixDog
2012-06-15, 04:43 PM
All but a tear came to my eye reading this. So many memories from PS1 with my outfit and even my short time before it...The game is truly different. I know I'm not alone in saying...

Hey Higby...Release the beta already!!!

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 05:14 PM
All but a tear came to my eye reading this. So many memories from PS1 with my outfit and even my short time before it...The game is truly different. I know I'm not alone in saying...

Hey Higby...Release the beta already!!!

It's good when people share the same view on this as me. It really does give you the feeling like you're going back in time when you had the most fun. We could probably wait longer for Beta while they get it ready... except after E3 it's like we all got a whiff of some sort of barbecued eack of baby back ribs. Now, we're just plain hungry.

Madfish
2012-06-15, 05:23 PM
Great post Zekeen. We all have found memories of brilliant moments in PS1.

PS2 has been something we've all looked forward too for a very long time! Not long now! SOOOON!

ODonnell
2012-06-15, 05:40 PM
I give you a thumbs up for the passion you have for the game and the obvious thought you put into your post. Thank you.

Ghoest9
2012-06-15, 06:43 PM
After seeign what the devs said and watching videos, all my fears were dashed against pointy rocks and I quickly embraced the idea that I opposed so heavily.

You totally hack up and misapply a cliche metaphor and then you write and endless boring wall of text - and you think the problem is that readers are illiterate?

noob

JimmyOmaha
2012-06-15, 08:25 PM
Read it in the style of a president's state of the union speech. Need to add pauses for the audience to stand and clap. :]

jepaul
2012-06-15, 09:55 PM
What....

FINALCUT
2012-06-15, 10:35 PM
I _did_ skim it, and I got roughly what you just reiterated. I just think a page and a half is way too much for that when you can just say:

"Wow PS2 has come a long way and looks really great, huh guys?"

I mean you're essentially preaching to the choir here, we all know PS2 has come a long way and is great or we wouldnt be on this forum, so what are we supposed to gain that we don't already know from reading your post?

If you make a new thread it should to contribute something people don't already know. I can see your thread working a lot better somewhere like MMORPG.com where an overview of what ps2 is and why it's exciting might be useful to people.

Damn Synapse. The guy put a lot of thought and effort into this post. Why be critical ? Just read it,or don't read it, The man is excited about this game and wants to share his excitment with others, why judge him for that ? Good post OP. I enjoyed the read. Had to read something as the news this past coupe days has been very little and I didn't get a Beta e-mail today.

Electrofreak
2012-06-15, 10:41 PM
A lot of stupid fools in this thread. If it's too long for you, don't read it. You waste more time clicking Reply and typing something to make yourself like an idiot than you would have spent actually reading the thing.

Well written, Zekeen. It captures a similar sentiment that I feel. Years passed after I gave up on PS1 where I thought we'd never see something so awesome return, and here it is on our doorstep.

It just makes me wonder if I'll see a Freespace 3, Homeworld: Next or a Nexus: Another Incident.

:)

Xeller
2012-06-15, 10:56 PM
It's a good read for those new to the Planetside universe as well.

It's a rich place :)

Zulthus
2012-06-15, 10:57 PM
Great post Zekeen! Also, ignore the trolls, indeed the PSU community is becoming worse and worse... hopefully the PS2 forums open up soon so that we can flush out the uglies.

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 11:01 PM
Thanks much to you fellows, makes it feel worth writing (as much as it pains me to say, it took an hour to come up with all that).

I figured only people who had no care for the original could say anything negative, or call it a "long boring useless post", seeing as to use veterans, it's a post from waiting 9 years. Not too long when you think of it that way.

And good to see that the history and points can help out the new guys understand the Planetside situation with the Devs and such.

Blue
2012-06-15, 11:11 PM
Nice post, thank you!

Eyeklops
2012-06-15, 11:17 PM
Not a bad read...not at all.

RawketLawnchair
2012-06-15, 11:21 PM
I was going to post tl;dr but I ended up reading the entire thing.

I agree with the above posts, good read. Should be on the wiki as a PS1 Vet's thoughts on Planetside 2.

PS: +1

2coolforu
2012-06-15, 11:21 PM
+1

PvtHazard
2012-06-15, 11:21 PM
Very nice post quite long but good.

Zekeen
2012-06-15, 11:26 PM
Very nice post quite long but good.

Be glad I at least know how to separate paragraphs.

Meatball Mobeus
2012-06-15, 11:26 PM
Nice post man!

PvtHazard
2012-06-15, 11:34 PM
Be glad I at least know how to separate paragraphs. I definitely am glad you do! I'm also quite glad for the great progress of PlanetSide 2

berzerkerking
2012-06-16, 11:59 AM
so true