Weather?

[QuackzMcDuck]

So I have just started following this game and I had a question that I could not find answered anywhere, so I thought perhaps someone here would know.

Is there weather in Planetside 2? By weather, I mean like rain and snow pretty much. Nothing too advanced like actual tornadoes or anything, I'm just curious if there is going to be weather that comes and goes....Similar to real life weather...

[Sephirex]

Not yet, but its on the post launch list.

[Raymac]

It sounds like it likely won't be in at launch. However, the Forgelight engine is more than capable of amazing weather effects. We already see morning fog burning off in the afternoon, dust and smoke, etc. etc. I have a feeling the devs will want to flex those Forgelight muscles eventually.

[QuantumMechanic]

Yeah the devs don't want to half-ass it and put in a light rain and drizzle system. They are going to take some extra time and make a full-fledged weather system that has a direct effect on the battlefield. It's been confirmed to be post-launch though.

[darkfiretwofive]

I heard Higby say in one interview that they are planning to make smoke from battles effect other parts of the map :)

[Littleman]

Basically, if other posters haven't given strong enough hints, weather in PS2 will mean something. It won't just be for atmosphere, but just like with night and day, can and will influence how one goes about fighting in any given conditions. Consider that cloudy days mean air craft will have clouds to hide in, while stormy weather might be actually dangerous for aircraft to fly in, and the ground makes traction difficult for ground based vehicles. Never mind that nights will be even darker, and thick rain will pretty much blind you.

I'm sure they'll add wipers onto our visors to wipe away all the rain :rofl: If not, at least vehicle windshields.

[RSphil]

not at launch but they are putting it in. and when they do it will be awesome rom what iv heard them say they want to do.

[Zebasiz]

Don't forget thick sandstorms in the desert areas! Now THAT'S gona be some serious vision impairment. :D

[Pyreal]

That'll be so sweet! :D

The weather just better last long enough to actually use, instead of waiting it out for 10 mins!

[AzureWatcher]

Don't forget thick sandstorms in the desert areas! Now THAT'S gona be some serious vision impairment. :D

Snowstorms on Esamir, and dense fog on Amerish.

Hooray for being blind!

[Littleman]

That'll be so sweet! :D

The weather just better last long enough to actually use, instead of waiting it out for 10 mins!

I'm positive it will last a duration in tandem with the length of Auraxian days, like say a few Auraxian hours. Long enough for a good bit of fighting to take place anyway.

Taking advantage of all the different times and weather can be a determining factor in who reigns victorious and who must run with their tail tucked between their legs. Just imagine, a 10+ fully loaded galaxies flying above the cloud level during a storm, and what it will look like for the soldiers on the ground to see so many seemingly bright meteors raining down upon them from the darkly veiled heavens.

[Gugabalog]

^ This.

[Minigun]

Smoke from battles affecting other area's is news to me, sounds interesting. Would be awesome to load into the game and not even have to open up the map. Just look to the horizon where all the fire and brimstone shines. *lets go fight over there*

[Phisionary]

'Tis true, Higby mentioned an idea about smoke from a battle affecting the cloud cover or weather, in an alpha vid. That particular idea seems, to me, too subtle to really be that interesting, and I suspect it was a pipedream rather than a confirmed plan. I haven't seen anything burning so much as to believably effect the weather, even 2000X over (yet, I suppose I must add). I dunno, seems a bit harebrained besides.

I do look forward to weather in many forms. Perhaps... if you'll indulge me, a scenario:
Fighting in the jungle rain-forests of Amerish, the chatter of gunfire ringing out all around, almost drowned out by the cacophonous roar of cloudburst rainfall pounding down on the huge leafy undergrowth surrounding you. A ricochet passes near, as you dive through the brush. Someone is after you, but with all the rain you can't see them or hear the direction of the shots.

"Someone get this guy! I can't find him!" you scream into your comm channel.

But everyone is busy with their own battles right now. No one can help you. Another rattle of gunfire, and you can tell it's aiming at you. How the hell can they see you in this shit?! You run again. Finally, a break in the heavy underbrush. A wide swath of clear earth, mud, and water, 30 meters across. You crouch at the edge of the thick growth, gathering your stamina. If you can draw your pursuer out into the open, you might have a chance...

Now, a quick sprint! through muddy puddles knee-deep, seemingly boiling with the furious spray of falling drops. You reach an outcropping, little more than a pile of sediment from some earlier flood. You take cover behind it, then bring your gun to the ready. Then, the rain starts to slacken, the watery chaos giving way to a shimmering, dripping, green panoply of flora, and suddenly you can see again. There he is! Faction colors bright in the clear air. Gun at the ready! Fire first! You send a volley into the bush, and you know you got some clean hits.

"Got you, you traitorous scum!" You grin to yourself, as the enemy dives for cover. Then, as the clouds clear a little more and the sun starts to shine through, you realize that just to the side, the entire enemy tank column is rolling strait at you. And as you lifelessly tumble forward, you marvel at the rainclouds parting to reveal a sunset, over a lush and verdant landscape, all reflected in the blood-tinged puddle your body is now floating in.

I think I got a tad carried away? Inspired by the idea of some slick weather I guess. That and maybe a bit of 'predator' and 'apocalypse now', mixed with bit of a Far Cry/Crysis game world.

I really love games where you can really get immersed in the environment. It doesn't require fancy graphics to do that, but it can help.

Ah! All while writing... that, I was trying to remember some game I played that had rain. I think I remembered, it was some old 'Rainbow 6' game from a while back. Missions in the rain-soaked back-alleys of some old European town. Equip silenced weapons and no-one could hear you. Good fun.

[WVoneseven]

Shall be be an interesting when outfits have dates and times planned only to log in to horrific weather!!!!!!!! Take an air battalion planning a raid on a specific back hex during a night period. Everyone logs in and the corner of the continent where the hex is located is covered in a dangerous lightning storm. Risk it knowing that air defence will be low? or find a new target?

Or a ground based spec ops hex grab mission to the same hex on the same day and time.... suddenly their day got a lot better!!! The rain and dimness makes their cloakers even harder to spot and their LA's harder to track. While their sundy in a nearby gully goes unseen because of the lack of air vehicles.

[cellinaire]

Volumetric clouds, full-fledged weather system, and battlefield smoke are all post-launch features they'll implement.

;)

[Novice bot]

INF's are certainly going to have a fun time.

Here's to hope for thermal scopes.

[IHateMMOs]

Wouldn't it be awesome if in a sandstorm your visor got all dirty and it's harder to see where you're going? Wish you could spec your armor so that it could automatically clean it up for you.

[Kalledorn]

Imagine a guard patrolling a base wall during heavy fog, looking out and seeing nothing. He turns back to his patrol route but then hesitates. Slowly, he turns back out and looks out toward the horizon.

A shape is seen through the fog, then two, then more. He raises his weapon to his shoulder and as the fog starts to lift, a whole enemy army is seen, in formation and ready for battle.

[Arcsilver]

One thing very interesting I saw about weather effects in this video:

Planetside 2 Beta Gameplay with Matt Higby - at Sony Headquarters - YouTube

Go to 44:54

what is that? a dust cloud? that was cool.

[DarthGiggles]

Flying in heavy wind and snow could make air combat even more epic!!!! :D

[Firearms]

Wouldn't it be awesome if in a sandstorm your visor got all dirty and it's harder to see where you're going? Wish you could spec your armor so that it could automatically clean it up for you.

I know what you mean - But for me it makes playing quite difficult. I have to have my monitor perfectly clean, same with the windscreen on my car....I don't think it's OCD.....
Dust clouds, snow etc is cool - makes the game tense. Dirt/blood on visors winds me right up... Prolly just me tho :doh:

[cellinaire]

I also remember Higby and PS2 dev crew clearly said they don't want to squeeze it(weather system) in just for launch date. They wanna do it justice.

[Littleman]

I don't know about infs in the rain. If SOE goes for broke, infs might just show up as a clearly visible "ghosts" in heavy rain.

[opticalshadow]

I don't know about infs in the rain. If SOE goes for broke, infs might just show up as a clearly visible "ghosts" in heavy rain.

maybe, but the balence would be as simple as how much harder they are to see at night.

[SFJake]

Wouldn't it be awesome if in a sandstorm your visor got all dirty and it's harder to see where you're going? Wish you could spec your armor so that it could automatically clean it up for you.

Frankly having anything hinder my vision directly would annoy the living hell out of me. I despise things that aren't even created to hinder you, such as blood splat on the screen.

Please don't arbitrarily make my eyes not work just because there's some weather. The weather can make it difficult to see yes: but don't arbitrarily stick things in my screen.

Basically...

I know what you mean - But for me it makes playing quite difficult. I have to have my monitor perfectly clean, same with the windscreen on my car....I don't think it's OCD.....
Dust clouds, snow etc is cool - makes the game tense. Dirt/blood on visors winds me right up... Prolly just me tho :doh:

This. You're not alone, I can tell you that. I don't think I'm as OCD over that, but it still bothers the living hell out of me.

[Gugabalog]

Rain Spatter on a visor is not arbitrary, but I understand your point.

[opticalshadow]

Frankly having anything hinder my vision directly would annoy the living hell out of me. I despise things that aren't even created to hinder you, such as blood splat on the screen.

Please don't arbitrarily make my eyes not work just because there's some weather. The weather can make it difficult to see yes: but don't arbitrarily stick things in my screen.

Basically...



This. You're not alone, I can tell you that. I don't think I'm as OCD over that, but it still bothers the living hell out of me.

i wouldnt call it arbitrary, its quite logical. if your in a sandstorm, dust becoems a real problem. if you were in the desert wearing goggles, both the sandstorm would make it hard to see, and your goggles would cake with dust.

[TheSadhatter]

Dynamic weather would be awesome, but if they do add it I hope there is a way to track it. Sort of like a forecaster, that in fact doesn't even have to be accurate. It could make for very interesting scenarios...

[opticalshadow]

Dynamic weather would be awesome, but if they do add it I hope there is a way to track it. Sort of like a forecaster, that in fact doesn't even have to be accurate. It could make for very interesting scenarios...

in the early times of PS we did have weather tracking on the main map.

[Solidblock]

Weather in this game will only make this game better, more unpredictable and different. It's also quite imperative to give off the persisting and living world effect. I simply cannot wait.

[SmokinJacakal]

So I have just started following this game and I had a question that I could not find answered anywhere, so I thought perhaps someone here would know.

Is there weather in Planetside 2? By weather, I mean like rain and snow pretty much. Nothing too advanced like actual tornadoes or anything, I'm just curious if there is going to be weather that comes and goes....Similar to real life weather...

This is something I've been following and I did hear Higby state that they were going for pretty extreme storms which is awesome I'm also sure the weather will range from lgiht rain to full out storm.

Now for the brillant thing you mentioned that i've yet to fathom...tornados, I've always been a fan of destructive weather in games The game Fuel had really great tornados but if SOE could find a way to put dynamic tornados into this game on top of all the other great things they are doing I'd never have a reason to close the station launcher lol. Hell I'll start the first stormchasers outfit tracking down tornados in a couple of sunderers not to mention the boost your light assualt could get :)

Sadly I have my doubts on tornados for a game like this because flying debris would add a hefty tax to the frame rate I'm sure but never the less I can hope!

[Littleman]

I wouldn't expect complicated, life-threatening weather effects any more than I would expect sand worms on Indar. People don't like dying to the server. Turrets and trees are enough as is.

[Gugabalog]

LOL. I wouldn't like deadly weather either.

But PLZ PLZ PLZ give us sandworms!!!

[Pinion]

If they are adding Sandworms then I want Rodents of Unusual Size.

[opticalshadow]

IDK about tornados, would be awesome. i would also love werid anomalies like the old chrono storms in red alert 1.

sandstorms and thunderstorms and blizzards were all specifically stated by higby to be in eventually.

[Gugabalog]

Your ROUS would be owned by my Sandworm :D