Lets start the discussion now - the future of PlanetSide

[MasterChief096]

So we all have six months of free game time, but that will eventually run out, and then what?

Do you think that the game will be appealing enough to retain an active player-base after the free time runs out at $15 a month?

Do you think $10 or $5 a month would be reasonable? What about paying for experience boosts (now that we have 40 battle ranks) or cosmetic items? Could PlanetSide thrive on a cosmetic/exp-driven free-to-play payment system? What about incorporating it into the PlanetSide 2 plan?

Is there any hope for the game once November rolls around and the six months have been exhausted?

Use this thread to track the developments of PlanetSide over the next six months and analyze what its best options would be.

Either we will find out that there is future for the game after Novemember, or we veterans are going to have to say a final goodbye when that time rolls around.

[MasterChief096]

To help with discussion, for the next six months I will be collecting population data during prime time (approximately 5pm-10pm on weekdays and several different times on weeekends).

My process will go as follows. Upon logging in I will generate an accurate estimate of my empire's population by using the chat commands, incentives toggle, and other tools. Based on that data, one can mathematically calculate the total game's population (at a given time) by looking at global population percentages. This data will be collected everyday (since it shouldn't take long to do) and put into graph format nearing the end of the six-month period for analysis by everyone here.

There are certain flaws with this methodology, such as not being able to be on all day to see the different population changes at different times of the day, but (sadly) prime time in the US is what really counts and is what will show if PlanetSide has an interested enough player-base to stay active after the six month period.

Data will probably be presented in a line graph showing time (by weeks) on the horizontal axis and population (in hundreds) along the vertical axis.

If you have any recommendations on what I can do to get a more accurate picture of prime time populations please let me know, just remember to keep them within reasonable means, I'm a 19 (almost 20) year old university student with not a lot of time.

If you are willing to help me by collecting data during other times of the day (I'm looking at European players now, with different prime times), please contact me.

[Crator]

Purchasable empire switching tickets
Purchasable re-certification timer reducers
Purchasable XP boosters

Main issue with F2P on PS1 though is the exploits...

[p0intman]

reduce it to a 5 dollar fee.

[Wahooo]

$15 a month is the price of a premium game subscription. Meaning a game that has PREMIUM support, PREMIUM features and development.

I stopped paying a while ago not because I couldn't afford it, but simply because I couldn't see what exactly I was paying for. I think I personally could justify $5 per month, I'm just now sure about anyone else.

Based on the free 40 days or whatever it was for the werner merge and then again when PS2 was finally announced I don't see the pops staying up for 6 months. The interest is there, but fades for some people, then as soon as the pop starts to drop more people stop logging in. I see myself playing regularly for the full 6 months but really don't know after that.

IF the hacking and script kiddies get out of control like has happened in the past I can't say at all where I will be. I know the free days at the Werner merge were absolutely devastated by just 3 or so people with over the top hacks. We went from 3 pop locked continents to none in a couple days. I know many people i've already talked about that have said "free planetside? why would I want to be shot by hackers? I won't play."

As far as cosmetics and cash shop stuff? Don't see that either. The old code for this game I don't think is understood by anyone around enough to be able to implement that stuff, at least in a way that would be useful and in a way that would not cost more than they could ever hope to make from it. Maybe XP boosters but how much could they make from that?

[Shogun]

i still think, including ps1 sub in the ps2 sub would be a good way to keep at least some population.

and lowering the standalone ps1 sub to 5 bucks would also help.

this way blatant hackers can still be banned. for both games. i am sure people would think twice if they could lose their sub and all their paid items from ps2 by cheating in ps1.

if the sub is maintained at a high level, the game would need another round of "ongoing developement" to justify the high costs. like an update to planetside next. i don´t know how far the devs went when they worked on ps next, but i hope there are prototypes left from that time.

and if the 6 months proove that there is not enough longtime demand and soe decides to shut down planetside, i would really apreciate if they would release the server to allow private shards. we already know that about any modern gamingserver can handle planetside for it once ran on a bunch of pentiums.

oh, and if f2p is the way, i wouldn´t mind reallife ads on the propagandaboards ingame, or banners during respawntimers. but the hackers would need to be adressed.

[Wahooo]

if the sub is maintained at a high level, the game would need another round of "ongoing developement" to justify the high costs.

Thats my point the game has run for almost 1/2 its life now with NO further development, yet still remained at a premium sub price. There has been nothing to justify a sub at all, let alone a top tier price for like 5 years.

[vieric]

Well, comments on smeds twitter indicate there are still future plans to make the game F2P. He made no mention of specifics, however, so no word yet on what changes would occur to make this feasible. At the very least it tells us it's still on SOE's list, if nothing else.

At least, I'm fairly sure he was referring to PS1, not sure what else would meet the criteria. Here's the source:

https://twitter.com/j_smedley/status/336694841457139712

Only thing I'm worried about is the hackers coming back during the next 6 months, causing the game to empty out, and SOE deeming the whole thing a failure and not moving forward with this...The first part has happened before, if I'm not mistaken.

[bpostal]

I could see a sub of $5/mo but not much more than that. There was an okay pop online yesterday when I was playing and it was nice to see some familiar faces.
Here's to hoping the hackers don't fuck this up and people can stay interested! (Despite the older graphics)

[ringring]

I would reckon fpt would be difficult. I can't see that cosmetics or attachments or new weapons can be done without a significant investment in developer resources.

Maybe something like a token you can purchase that limits access in some way. Such as unless you buy the monthly 'aerospace' token you can't access aircraft.

Or the implants are purchasable perhaps.


Hopefully, some scheme can be found that will be enough to maintain population levels, however I doubt it. A major reason why Planetside was not played by many was because they didn't really know about it and as I'm sure SOE's marketing will be directed mostly towards PS2 (also EQ Next etc) I don't think much will change.

[Zeta]

Let me just say this, you don't want to do anything that will end up shooting yourself in the foot. SOE has all the power, so if anything is seen as coming across as demanding, insulting, or entitled it will never be the way to go.


I hope for a bright future for the whole PlanetSide franchise!

[MasterChief096]

Let me just say this, you don't want to do anything that will end up shooting yourself in the foot. SOE has all the power, so if anything is seen as coming across as demanding, insulting, or entitled it will never be the way to go.


I hope for a bright future for the whole PlanetSide franchise!

That's not my goal at all. Rain or shine, I just want some data at the end of the six months to analyze how the pops fluctuated over that time.

[bullet]

On top of it being the 10 year anniversary, this seems like a test for SOE to see if there is actually any interest left in the game. If the vets, who say they want PS1, don't play with their 6 months of time then I don't see them attempting to make this F2P.

Thats my theory anyway.

[Babyfark McGeez]

I think including PS1 in the PS2 subscription would be the most easy way, and i wouldn't object to it.

While i certainly would love F2P i just cannot see PS1 supporting such a model, nor would i like the whole can o' crap that would come with it (like selling weapons, hackers or glowing hats).

[GTGD]

There isn't all that much that needs to be done to show PS2 players what they missed with PS1. Just make a time-lapse video of the PS2 world map vs the PS1 world map to see how the world changes, and in between flash some sped-up gameplay footage showcasing some of the features that were left out (vehicle entrance/exit animations, unholstering weapons, armor columns, etc).

It's one thing to hear an idea and say "well it must have sucked since PS1 failed" and another to see it in action and wonder "why didn't they bring this back?"

[Wahooo]

Why didn't SOE send out a mass emailing for this announcement?

There are a lot of names I've yet to see who i'm pretty sure, simply don't know because they gave up on PS2 and do not follow anything PS related anymore. As happy as I am playing the population could be better and I'm sure there are many who don't even know about this free time, and the way the news is spreading may never know.

[Shogun]

an email to every account who has been flagged would be a good thing!

but those of you who still play ps2 should at least promote the free ps1 there.

damn, playing ps1 again makes me agressive about all the bad changes in ps2... and all the hard work the devs have to do now to roll back and get at least a little fun back into the game. dumbing this glorious game down to cater to console players was so damn wrong!

[MasterChief096]

Why didn't SOE send out a mass emailing for this announcement?

There are a lot of names I've yet to see who i'm pretty sure, simply don't know because they gave up on PS2 and do not follow anything PS related anymore. As happy as I am playing the population could be better and I'm sure there are many who don't even know about this free time, and the way the news is spreading may never know.

Mass email... Hamma.... wink...wink..

[basti]

Mass email? Stop trying to ignore the fact, realize the truth:

The game is dead. Its over.


EVERY SINGLE Ps1 and PS2 player EVER has access to PS1 now. I have yet to see a single pop lock in PS1 since the free time started, even tho the news is spreading on the web.

There simply is no more interrest in a bugged, 10 year old game. Its dead, and nothing will change that.

[p0intman]

Mass email? Stop trying to ignore the fact, realize the truth:

The game is dead. Its over.


EVERY SINGLE Ps1 and PS2 player EVER has access to PS1 now. I have yet to see a single pop lock in PS1 since the free time started, even tho the news is spreading on the web.

There simply is no more interrest in a bugged, 10 year old game. Its dead, and nothing will change that.

So says the guy who bumrushes defended bases with ams units only to have them blown up by enemies ten seconds after deploying them, and the guy who fails to notice his side loses towers from which to spawn at until he cannot spawn at them.

[vieric]

If you're so sure the game is dead, why are you wasting your time here? What do you care? Why not go do something more productive with your time than make defeatist comments about a "dead game"?

[Wahooo]

Mass email? Stop trying to ignore the fact, realize the truth:

The game is dead. Its over.


EVERY SINGLE Ps1 and PS2 player EVER has access to PS1 now. I have yet to see a single pop lock in PS1 since the free time started, even tho the news is spreading on the web.

There simply is no more interrest in a bugged, 10 year old game. Its dead, and nothing will change that.

Depending on your definition of dead the game died 6 years ago. Some people would define dead as requiring server merges... so is PS2 dead? Guess it is.

My point is the news is NOT spreading. Thinking anyone that cares already knows is more delusional than those who think the game still has a future. Unless you are still playing other games with someone who is still in PS2 or has been following this the word is not out there. There are plenty of people I know who WOULD come back at least for a bit IF they know but may never find out.

Why wouldn't an SOE Planetside alert be able to be sent out to the emails associated with the accounts? We've had them before, I wouldn't think it that hard.

[basti]

The news was on RPS and other news sites, as well as on /r/games.

Thats the majority of PC gamers right there, and RPS is highly frequented by PS1 vets.


The news went out, nobody cared. Its just sadly a fact. Mass email to PS1 vets may bring a few more faces along, but by far not enough to sustain a poplock during prime time.


You wanted F2P, you got it, it failed, the end.

[MasterChief096]

The news was on RPS and other news sites, as well as on /r/games.

Thats the majority of PC gamers right there, and RPS is highly frequented by PS1 vets.


The news went out, nobody cared. Its just sadly a fact. Mass email to PS1 vets may bring a few more faces along, but by far not enough to sustain a poplock during prime time.


You wanted F2P, you got it, it failed, the end.

Do you have any sort of evidence that RPS is "frequented" by PS1 vets? There are probably over 150,000 PS1 accounts, I doubt even 1,000 of those people frequent RPS. I know I don't.

The PlanetSide article on RPS has like 26 comments, all of which are fairly positive, one is from a guy who couldn't handle PS back in the day but can now, another is a PS2 player asking what is so good about the first. Sure sounds like all the PS1 vets to me.

Fact: PSU and SOE have the access to the most former PlanetSide players.
Fact: A mass email from both of these institutions would result in enough players returning to probably poplock 3 continents.
Fact: I've spoken with over 10 people already in-game who would NOT have known about PS1's free-time unless I had mass emailed everyone who signed my F2P petition.
Fact: 10 people is roughly 3% of everyone that signed the petition, and I don't know how many actually came back because of that.
Fact: 3% of 150,000 is 4500 people. That's enough to warrant another server because Gemini wouldn't be able to handle it.
Conjecture: More than 3% of the accounts receiving emails from PSU and SOE would return, at least temporarily.
Fact: These figures do not include the large amount of PS2 players who are new to PS1 that are currently playing.
Fact: You're an asshole who continues to come into the PS1 section and act superior by claiming our game is dead.

Tip: Stay out of the PS1 forum, stop playing PS1 if you don't think its that great, and go do something more productive with your time instead of degrading a very dedicated community.

[vieric]

You accuse us of beating a dead horse, yet you do it yourself, telling us how the game will fail, we know your opinion, some of us don't think you're right, some do but keep going anyways, I'm still curious as to why, exactly, you feel the need to beat this point into the ground...some people won't give up, so what? how does that affect you in any way? As I said before, if you feel this game is a lost cause why are you wasting your time talking about it?

[Logit]

The news was on RPS and other news sites, as well as on /r/games.

Thats the majority of PC gamers right there, and RPS is highly frequented by PS1 vets.


The news went out, nobody cared. Its just sadly a fact. Mass email to PS1 vets may bring a few more faces along, but by far not enough to sustain a poplock during prime time.


You wanted F2P, you got it, it failed, the end.

I personally think this weekend will warrant a few pop locks.

[Shogun]

i didn´t see poplocks, but everytime i logged in, i found a nice battle going on. that´s all it needs to be more fun for me than ps2 actually is (was yesterday, i didn´t see the gu9 changes yet)

if the pop stays as it is, with several additional spikes at primetime, i am happy with it. it´s not like the glory days of planetside, but it is not dead either!

[Crator]

Mass email? Stop trying to ignore the fact, realize the truth:

The game is dead. Its over.


EVERY SINGLE Ps1 and PS2 player EVER has access to PS1 now. I have yet to see a single pop lock in PS1 since the free time started, even tho the news is spreading on the web.

There simply is no more interrest in a bugged, 10 year old game. Its dead, and nothing will change that.

Did PS2 accounts get free time to PS1? I thought it said only previous PS1 accounts got free time.

Happy Anniversary PlanetSide 1! (https://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/happy-anniversary-planetside-1.127192/)

It's been ten years since the Terran Republic, Vanu Sovereignty, and New Conglomerate first fought viciously over terrain in PlanetSide 1, a tradition that continues as conflict rages across Indar, Esamir, and Amerish in PlanetSide 2. Join us in celebrating this anniversary by remembering your service in PlanetSide 1.

As a thank you to those veterans, every former PlanetSide 1 subscriber will be granted 6 months of PlanetSide 1 membership absolutely free! Relive those glory days and bring honor to your empire!

Note: Time grants are ongoing but all eligible players should receive it within the next 24 hours.

[Shogun]

some earlier post basti digged up before the official announcement said, that ps1 subscribers and ps2 subscribers would get the free ps1 time.

but i don´t know how solit the source was.
and i was also puzzled when the official post was only about ps1 subscribers, because some ps2 players already noticed that their accounts have been flagged.

so i´m not sure if every ps2 player got it, or every subscriber, or even only some misflagged ps2 players because smed posted that there will be missflagging for sure.
i think they have to flag the accounts manually. they said something like it was not just pushing a switch and all accounts are granted free access, it was more complicated.

[basti]

The source is smed himself, and it is true.

Ive talked with a bunch of folks myself. Pure PS2 players couldnt care less, almost all of them tho. A few were interrested, and i directed them torwards a download link, gave them the quick "how to get aorund", and send them off.

But the sad reality is: The vast vast majority of PS2 players is happy with PS2 right now (hence they play it. ;) ), and the vast vast majority of PS2 playing PS1 vets does want some aspects of PS1 in PS2 (mostly ants, gen holds, The whole continent metagame), but they just dont want to go back, most of them not eve for a night or two.


So, here are the options: Wait, chill, let things settle for now, hope the current bugs get fixed. Once the time is right, do a proper Planetside day, hype the shit up like crazy. If the Hype gets strong enough, you will get a good pop again, for some time at least.
But it will die down again after it, go to current levels, and then die down even more.

Or: You just accept the fact that this isnt the first time we are in this situation. Its the third time already, at least

First time was prior to PS2s announcment. The game was pretty much dead, couldnt even get a pop lock anymore.
Second time was just after Planetside day. Still had free time, but pop dided down pretty quickly after Planetside Day, even tho we had 5 Poplocks during the event.


You obviously want to carry on, but theres just nothing left that can be used as weapon in this fight. Planetsides 2 announcment, And Planetside Day prior to beta, was the best we had. Theres just nothing left. Nothing that would keep people around, even when the game is free.



There are just not enough people left to care. Give it a Month and you propably wont even see anything else than 100+ on the population window at any given time.

[MasterChief096]

Basti - you are taking things out of context.

PlanetSide Day happened right before a huge wave of beta invites (which were sent to PS1 players first) were sent out. Obviously everyone went to beta test PlanetSide 2, I was one of them. Everyone let their sub drop because they were beta testing and wanted PS2 to be a good game.

And PlanetSide has had free time for like two days now, and you are claiming no one is playing it. Wait till weekend prime time before you make those claims. I myself have barely had time to play since it went free, I'm waiting till the weekend before I put in major time, probably like a lot of others.

[Ghodere]

Unfortunately, I feel Basti is probably right regarding the ultimate fate of PlanetSide. Which is not to say that we shouldn't do everything we can- I'll be here until it truly dies, I think- but while something like Quake Live is alive and kicking as long as you can get a room of 8 people together, PlanetSide bleeds players either not at all or exponentially.

[GTGD]

100 players online at 1am EST on a weeknight? Not bad for a "dead" game. Once word gets around and the weekend arrives there will be more, especially during primetime.

I'd still take 6 months of half-assed PS1 over any amount of PS2.

[Furber]

The game is going to die off quickly if they don't fix this Wasp shit. Disable the damn Wasp, and then 'try' to fix the bug. Shameless exploiters are massacring any hope we have for this game to retain a decent population. How ironic that they are ruining the game for themselves as much they are for everyone else, what fools.

[ringring]

Unfortunately, I feel Basti is probably right regarding the ultimate fate of PlanetSide. Which is not to say that we shouldn't do everything we can- I'll be here until it truly dies, I think- but while something like Quake Live is alive and kicking as long as you can get a room of 8 people together, PlanetSide bleeds players either not at all or exponentially.

I agree.

But, I am easily finding good fights and I am having more fun in ps1 than I've had in 9 months of ps2, what's more those people from my outfit who are playing it have said the same.

Now I'll admit there were twice as many people playing ps2 than ps1, but the point is that I am really enjoying the fights and if by the grace of God it stays anywhere near what it is at present I would resub in a heartbeat.

[Logit]

The game is going to die off quickly if they don't fix this Wasp shit. Disable the damn Wasp, and then 'try' to fix the bug. Shameless exploiters are massacring any hope we have for this game to retain a decent population. How ironic that they are ruining the game for themselves as much they are for everyone else, what fools.

This.

[basti]

The game is going to die off quickly if they don't fix this Wasp shit. Disable the damn Wasp, and then 'try' to fix the bug. Shameless exploiters are massacring any hope we have for this game to retain a decent population. How ironic that they are ruining the game for themselves as much they are for everyone else, what fools.

Just get everyone to uncert it. Post it up on the offical forums, get all 3 empires to use /comall to inform everyone now and then, and just hope that everyone is intelligent enough to understand that abusing the wasp could harm the games future greatly.

[bullet]

Just get everyone to uncert it. Post it up on the offical forums, get all 3 empires to use /comall to inform everyone now and then, and just hope that everyone is intelligent enough to understand that abusing the wasp could harm the games future greatly.

Yea, they don't care. There are certain people who are just want to shit on everyone else's time.

[Shogun]

so is there anyone working on the new bugs?

still can´t understand how so many new bugs could sneak into a game that hasn´t been changed for years.

played for 3 hours last night and had fun! but the battles weren´t very big this time. hope the double xp ps2 weekend isn´t another try to undermine the ps1 pop at our first free weekend. i would really like to see some giant battle where i actually have people to support. last night dedicated support was not an option and i have no weaponcerts, so i guarded the skys and hacked out amss.
i still need to get to br40 ;-) i haven´t played much since the cap was increased and am still 32.
does br40 really give every cert?

[ringring]

so is there anyone working on the new bugs?

still can´t understand how so many new bugs could sneak into a game that hasn´t been changed for years.

played for 3 hours last night and had fun! but the battles weren´t very big this time. hope the double xp ps2 weekend isn´t another try to undermine the ps1 pop at our first free weekend. i would really like to see some giant battle where i actually have people to support. last night dedicated support was not an option and i have no weaponcerts, so i guarded the skys and hacked out amss.
i still need to get to br40 ;-) i haven´t played much since the cap was increased and am still 32.
does br40 really give every cert?

Yes it does, you get everything.

[Logit]

so is there anyone working on the new bugs?

still can´t understand how so many new bugs could sneak into a game that hasn´t been changed for years.

played for 3 hours last night and had fun! but the battles weren´t very big this time. hope the double xp ps2 weekend isn´t another try to undermine the ps1 pop at our first free weekend. i would really like to see some giant battle where i actually have people to support. last night dedicated support was not an option and i have no weaponcerts, so i guarded the skys and hacked out amss.
i still need to get to br40 ;-) i haven´t played much since the cap was increased and am still 32.
does br40 really give every cert?

Well something changed, because the backpack things haven't always been that way. It doesn't take much to create a bug in the code, and I can't imagine PS is flawless code to begin with. And I can't imagine anyone is running a fine tooth comb over changes so..

[Crator]

They made the cosmetic changes to the dropped back pack many of times in the past. It's something that was built into the game and a simple parameter (think flip of a switch) to make that happen. It certainly doesn't require a dev to do that, just a moderator.

What looks to have happened is they deliberately went inside the game code to attempt to disable core combat features (BFRs for instance) and the wasp bug was introduced along side it. Bugs don't just randomly happen for no reason. The game was the exact same for many years without any new bugs. I know the devs have always said that PS1 game code was a maze that isn't easily changed cause it just wasn't built that way. Most likely one of the main reason they decided to create a whole new game, PS2, instead of redo PS1 in the first place.

[Shogun]

but why did they try to disable corecombat in the first place?
why not just give free time and let everything stay as it was? at least it was working, and the bugs around were at least known.

[Crator]

^ That I don't know, and it's pure speculation. But something was done to the code to make it not work...

[Furber]

I've noticed the Wasp bug is no longer occurring on Ishundar or Hossin. The only other cont we've known it to be broken on is Cyssor.

[Sheppe]

Been having real difficulty getting ingame to PS1 the last few days, near constant loss of connection, but only to PS1 :(

[ringring]

Odd, I've had no trouble, no loss of connection nor crashes whatsoever.

[Warborn]

The PS2 devs are more competent and responsive than the PS1 devs ever were. Even though PS2 has some issues currently, it is already a better designed game than PS1 ever was, and with time will eclipse PS1 in every aspect. The only exception is that the gunplay in PS2 is obviously way more "modern" and fast-paced, whereas in PS1 it was sluggish with a high TTK and no headshots even. That element will probably never return.

But anyway, as someone who played PS1 from its earliest beta days until a number of years after release, I probably won't even waste my time downloading the client again for the free months. Good riddance to a bad game. The fate of PS1 is to remain stagnant and finally be turned off once enough of the weirdos who would actually pay for it finally get medicated for their tragic condition.

[Program]

Warborn. Worst. Troll. Ever. I seriously don't know why you keep posting this crap on the PS1 forums if you don't care about the game at all. Do me a favor and get stuffed.

[Crator]

Damn Warborn, that's horrible thing to say about fans of a game that we all played. I guess not everyone loved it as much as some but, really? I guess you hated it from the start and threw it in the trash right away and waited until PS2 came out? Of course gun play in PS2 is more modern. PS1 was created 10 years ago! And to boot was a MMO, created 10 years ago! Jeez....

[ringring]

Warborn I have to say I logged into PS1 simply being a tourist and wanting to look at past battefields.

However, I played a bit and discovered I liked the infantry gameplay a lot better than that in ps2.

I'm not altogether sure why except:
ttk is profiled differently with shooting at range being less accurate, as a result you're more likely to move in close
perhaps as a result of 3rd person, but the infantry battle is more tactical
CQB when it happens is very twitchy and more involving than in PS2
there are a lot fewer guns and as a consequence the weapons of different factions are more distinct
the difference between good players and poor players is very marked, I think the faster ttk in ps2 flattens the differences out.

The downside though is the netcode (for want of a better word), it's obvious that has certainly been improved.

But I don't know why you're attempting to dump on PS1, at this stage it is not a threat to PS2, so there's no need to go all Rambo.

[Zulthus]

No need to feed the troll here, guys, move along.

[GTGD]

He's his precious time trolling the PS1 boards instead of playing glorious PS2. Sounds like he's having so much of a blast on Indar that he would rather revisit horrible memories of a game he hates.

[Babyfark McGeez]

Playing again the last days reminded me why i like it so much; The whole gameplay, visuals and mechanics feel like you are playing a soldier in a rts game. That's exactly the experience i am looking for in an online shooter, and ps1 just delivers it better for me.

And i take any medication that comes with it gladly. =)

[vieric]

The fact that the game actually managed to exceed the expectations I had set for it speaks volumes, I'll be honest, I've never really disliked PS2, I felt it was an alright game, but no more than that, just alright. To me it felt like "another FPS" with an open world gimmick. Frankly, I actually found that nice, I don't like lobby-based shooters much. But, other than that the gameplay is pretty generic....I'll play PS2 if I want to play an FPS, just any FPS...that's about it. Personally, I feel it suffers from the philosophy most modern games seem to possess these days: If you need to think about anything past "pew pew pew, lol owned noob" you are doing something wrong. This notion saddens me deeply, I actually enjoy having to think, I feel rewarded when I win with my mind, not with some uninspired weapon that takes half a second to kill someone, minimal aim required.

PS1 on the other hand is quite unique, I particularly like the fact that while you can certainly just rush in and try to be rambo (you'll get hurt, but nothing's outright stopping you), you will go much much farther if you actually try to use your head a bit. All the weapons feel different from one another as well, and it makes me stop to think about which ones I should bring to a fight, whereas in PS2 A gun is pretty well a gun, an AR is an AR, a Shotgun is a Shotgun, they might have differences, but very rarely can you feel it in gameplay.

I also enjoy the fact that I am not constantly fodder for vehicle pilots, In PS2 It always felt like that if you played infantry you were nothing more than fish food for anyone who didn't. While I've been taken out by them In PS1 as well, it was usually my own fault, running through an open field on foot just isn't a smart move, go figure.

[Shogun]

so vieric, you are new to ps1?
i hope the ps2 devs keep luring here and see what some of their new players think!

your post didn´t surprise me, because i think exactly the same way! but i hope it surprises smed, higgles and t-ray!
you are so damn right about modern games. in my book "modern game" is a very very negative phrase already.

ps2 may have the better netcode and graphics technology, but in comparison to ps1 it feels like a cellphone game.
i even like the old gunplay more than the "modern" one. i know, i´m alone on this one, but i dislike the heavy recoil.
higby said, they stripped things like spitfires and auto-wallturrets because they wanted the players to fight each other and not against a game mechanic. but the heavy recoil is constant fighting against a gamemechanic that tries to disrupt your aim. FAIL.

so i really hope there is a kind of future for ps1 because ps2 will never deliver.
the f2p microtransaction model destroyed the distinctiveness of guns and the art style. and those two things are gone forever without any chance to come back. i hope, at least the rest of ps1´s epicness will be restored in ps2 after a while. but this will take years.

[Crator]

higby said, they stripped things like spitfires and auto-wallturrets because they wanted the players to fight each other and not against a game mechanic.

Did he actually say that? I know they once mentioned the idea of putting AI into PS2 so I'm not certain he did. I agree about auto-wall turrets not being in-game but combat engineering deployables like spitfires are player placed for strategic purposes. So are mines/mine fields. They were used to secure an area for purposes of warning you when the enemy arrives and kill one off attackers.

[Baneblade]

I don't think PlanetSide 1 has any true longevity left. After the six months is up, Gemini will be as empty as it was last month. What I'm hoping for is that it will leave a much bigger impact on the direction PS2 will go.

[CrazEpharmacist]

I don't think PlanetSide 1 has any true longevity left. After the six months is up, Gemini will be as empty as it was last month. What I'm hoping for is that it will leave a much bigger impact on the direction PS2 will go.

Smed says the 6 months just gives them more time to make it F2P. So I think we will see a cash shop before our free time is up. And being free to play available to everyone and not just ex-PS members will consistently bring in new blood keeping the populations healthy.

[Baneblade]

It is certainly possible, and I definitely won't be the one to bet against PS1. I'm just not seeing SOE following through.

[SgtMAD]

you ppl are delusional,soe isn't going to spend one cent on any dev time to create a cash shop or anything else, the code in that game is so messed up from all the patches and bugs that have been accumulating for damn near a decade now,hell they won't even fix the core combat issues and we all PAID for that expansion years ago.

there are 100 ppl on this afternoon and that's about the average since they opened up the game and that's not even close to enough interest to keep the game alive after the 6 months is up.

I loved the game and was subbed for damn near the whole decade but to keep thinking that SOE is going to spend any time or money on a dead game is foolish

[MasterChief096]

you ppl are delusional,soe isn't going to spend one cent on any dev time to create a cash shop or anything else, the code in that game is so messed up from all the patches and bugs that have been accumulating for damn near a decade now,hell they won't even fix the core combat issues and we all PAID for that expansion years ago.

there are 100 ppl on this afternoon and that's about the average since they opened up the game and that's not even close to enough interest to keep the game alive after the 6 months is up.

I loved the game and was subbed for damn near the whole decade but to keep thinking that SOE is going to spend any time or money on a dead game is foolish

Then why haven't they pulled the plug yet? PS1, at times, had less players than what was left of The Matrix Online and Star Wars Galaxies, yet SOE pulled the plug on those games without hesitation.

Like EQ, they can't let the first game die, it reflects bad on the second one.

[Baneblade]

The difference is PlanetSide doesn't cost them a dime to keep around. MxO and SWG cost a small fortune in licensing.

[MasterChief096]

The difference is PlanetSide doesn't cost them a dime to keep around. MxO and SWG cost a small fortune in licensing.

That's also true. SOE is basically only paying for a single server located near their headquarters, and they've admitted several times it costs them almost nothing to run, so they have no reason not to slightly monetize it and make it free, they'd make more that way than leaving the game dead at $15 a month.

[bpostal]

...so they have no reason not to slightly monetize it and make it free, they'd make more that way than leaving the game dead at $15 a month.

Well, there's always spite.

[basti]

That's also true. SOE is basically only paying for a single server located near their headquarters, and they've admitted several times it costs them almost nothing to run, so they have no reason not to slightly monetize it and make it free, they'd make more that way than leaving the game dead at $15 a month.

Just that monetyzing it would propabbly cost more than the end result could ever generate.

[CrazEpharmacist]

Just that monetyzing it would propabbly cost more than the end result could ever generate.

Don't they already have all the GM commands to give things away? And all the cosmetic items they had for holidays. I'd gladly pay for a christmas hat or a katana sword if I didn't already have one. Can't see that taking too much dev time to throw everything they already have assets for into a cash shop. Maybe things like experience boosts would take more though.

[MasterChief096]

Just that monetyzing it would propabbly cost more than the end result could ever generate.

You assume that:

1. SOE needs to create new content to monetize the game
2. Players want SOE to create new content to monetize the game

The first one is false, SOE doesn't have to create a single new thing to monetize, they may have to patch bugs up that were created in the process, but no new content is needed.

The second one is untrue for the vast majority of people.

[Shogun]

we already have rl ads in planetsides gameworld.

right now they are only advertising planetside 1, but with the soe logo and the legal stuff included in the ad.
so changing these planetside ads to some other ads that actually generate money might be enough to cover the costs of hosting the game. it´s just one lowtech server.
and if not, they have charged for continued developement for years without providing any developement.so they have used the money for other games. time to show some fanservice and use some other games income to keep planetside alive in return.

[zeropositivo]

I'm not an old time PS1 veteran, you know by now I got only into the game one or so week before the anniversary. Right now, I absolutely LOVE the game. Is it better than PS2? At the moment, hell yes!

But was PS1 like this at launch? I don't think so. I still think that PS2 has even more potential to grow than the first one. The more enjoyable phisic system, the more rewarding gunplay, paired with the pwetty looking engine (that does count too! People that simply handwave graphics as not important are not really in contact with reality. Those DO count) and the more interesting continent design, those are macro elements that require the most work to improve. Luckily, they are all pretty awesome already

The other elements, like battle flow, balance, new features, interior design... those are all things that can be improved upon in short tidbits

Honestly, after playing PS1 and loving it, this makes me all the more excited about the second. I can see now where we could be in a year or two!

*now, if we could have the beta nights back, the hacking of vehicles, jamming grenades and stalker cloak, I'd be a happy happy infiltrator. That's the biggest reason I keep playing the first one: that infiltration stuff is so cool and powerful. Oh, and ANT runs, please*

[Shogun]

But was PS1 like this at launch? I don't think so. I still think that PS2 has even more potential to grow than the first one. The more enjoyable phisic system, the more rewarding gunplay, paired with the pwetty looking engine (that does count too! People that simply handwave graphics as not important are not really in contact with reality. Those DO count) and the more interesting continent design, those are macro elements that require the most work to improve. Luckily, they are all pretty awesome already



ps1 changed a bit from release to now, but only a little. most of the things added after launch are disabled right now.
there were some improvements like the loadstar, that wasn´t in on launch, and the platoon system. at launch it was only one squad, and the platoon was added later.
also the advanced hacker and battle engineer cert trees were not complete at launch, but that´s it.
the game was more than 90% completed, while ps2 launched at around 10% and has come to about 15% in the first 6 months.

[MasterChief096]

It doesn't matter how much new content is added to PS2 or how polished the game gets, the philosophy of the game is different.

Without making one sound better than the other, PS2 is a fast-paced game dedicated to a wide, casual audience. PS1 is a slower-paced game dedicated to a more hardcore group.

10 years from now, PS2 TTK will be the same as well as the general philosophy of the game, that is why PS1 needs to be advertised, to provide that niche that PS2 doesn't.

[Furber]

The future of this game will likely drop off in the next few weeks if there's not any sort of Official Announcement, or Emails sent out to PS1 vets. There are far too few vets in the game, word of mouth only has so much reach. We need to urge Smedley, or even Hamma, to send emails to raise awareness before the numbers dwindle too low. The past week and a half of Planetside 1 has been incredible, but we vets know the game is so much better just with more population.

[Skittles]

I appreciate the passion some of you have for this game, but I do believe you are living in fantasy world if you think SOE is going to do anything for this game anymore.

Its been 8yrs or so since they've done anything with it. For months and months leading upto the release of PS2 they bad mouthed, hinted, blantantly came right out and said they hate Planetside and here you are hoping that they're going to do more then do a quiet 6 month free time without emails or anything else for notifications.

Its too much for them to even dedicate 2-5hrs of an interns job to send out email notifications that they're even giving out free time. Face the facts, Smed/Higby and the whole of SOE want Planetside to simply fade away. I dont know why. They probably couldnt even tell you why. Its something they probably couldnt even put their finger on. Its like to them bad music that you think is good or something. Its like trying to explain Mozart or Bach to someone that listens to Miley Cyrus. Your energy would be better spent elsewhere.

But, hey. More power to ya. I wish you the best of luck. Just realize you're up against 2 people that are on train tracks going only one direction regardless of what lays ahead.

[Babyfark McGeez]

They just need to sell us the engine and source code. ;)

Now i don't know the reasons behind it, but the game still is there despite ~2 years of literally empty servers. So naturally i suspect they have something on their mind for its future. Else they could have shut it down a year ago, taken the shitstorm and move on.

I mean they can't be that clueless about their own business plans, right? right?...

I will wait untill they come up with their plan. If it really is their plan to let these 6 months pass without really notifying people about the free time and the free time being restricted to ps1/ps2 players, only to say at the end "see, still only ~100 people on - we now shut it down" i can start to rage then.

[kubacheski]

The problem with maintenance cost isn't in keeping the current system and code running. Obviously it will handle the small population just fine. The problem is investing any cash in modifying the code to fix bugs or add new anything.

Any change that is made, new content, bug fixes all have to be QA tested. That's a crew of people to ensure that balance isn't broken by it. Yea you can say that the players can test it. well yes, but someone has to analyze the data collected and approve it through the Higbys and Smeds and others that have final say. It's not like there is just one guy needed to modify all of this it really is a team effort.

Plus add on that the original dev crew isn't there, someone has to learn all the quirks of the code that exists and then "hopefully" make some positive chnages to it.

The PS:Next idea was to upgrade the graphics. The ease of this is that it would theoretically take minimal if any changes to the core codebase. The graphics are another layer of technology that can be manipulated secondary to the core. The core calls the graphics libraries to say "draw this", "color this". I almost bet that TRay and team got started down this line and said, ok we can only go so far and someone's going to have to change the calls being made. When faced with the decision to invest significant amounts of real resources into PS or invest significant resources into something new (PS2), the choice was easy as getting a revenue stream out of PS2 was going to be much easier than resurrecting PS1.

I honestly like PS2 graphics and UI and the experience of running around shooting people, but it's nothing like PS1. TTK is to short. certs are stupid, class even sucks, hacking somewhat useless, etc, etc. I could go on and on about how it isn't like PS1 like the dev team said it would be. It would be so nice to see a server that implements some of the things they said would be in PS2 that aren't. The problem with trying this now is the same as PS1. Having 2 separate codebases, 2 separate QA teams, double the expense.
The ship has sailed and I doubt that PS2 lives for long enough to implement it's roadmap as there are too many shooters coming up.

The bottom line is that I don't believe anymore that there is a playerbase for a game like PS1 in todays world. Yea I agree it'd be superior to any of these jump in and wack a few guys then log off shooters, but so few seem to have the attention span to work within a squad, to design their toon to fit their playstyle, to patiently wait for some dirty vanu to walk past your boomer, etc. Everything is thrown at us all at once. When I started PS2 I could drive, fly, shoot, heal, repair, and max. I think the only thing I couldn't do was AA max. Really?!?! Think about it. Everyone is only certing up to be better at what you do, not like in PS1 where you certed into things "to do".

I'd say just let PS1 run for free on what, a virtual server someplace. Noone at SOE wants to touch the code.

They weren't clueless about their business plan, it was to let it sit and leach money off of the handful still subbing. When the idea came to make more with a graphics refresh, it didn't pan out and Forgelight came available. Someone needed to test the engine to work out bugs before EQ:Next was released, so PS2 was realized. We're testing for SOE's cash cow and they're making money in the process. many game companies do this for new engines. It's just that PS2 hits perfect between a lull in shooters, just wait a few months and see the pop drop to nothing when the FPS big names have their next titles. But by then it won't really matter, PS2 has made significant revenue and EQ:Next will be out for the RPG fans. PS2 will have paid for itself and will be complete in testing netcode, graphics, etc to ensure the EQ:Next release goes much more cleanly. That's what I'd do anyway. ;)

P.S. Before someone says well they made EQ F2P, look at subscription rates and revenue. Now compare that to PS. The revenue stream from EQ was and still is many many times greater. Although someone did make the valid point of no license fees for EQ and PS.

[Babyfark McGeez]

You know, the little tinfoil-hat voice in my head told me back when i first saw the, ahum, ambitious release date: "Oh boy, they are really making this an engine test for eq:next with a tacked on cash shop".
But i refused to let this thought out all too often. So it's kinda good to see that i was not alone with that assumption. :p

[sylphaen]

Actually, Smedley said PS2 would be a different game when he explained the change of title from Planetside Next to Planetside 2. There was also that questionaire I remember from which a question asked whether a PS2 game should be taing place in the PS universe, a WW2 universe or modern era. Nevertheless I have been disappointed in PS2.

I never played EQ but if EQ2 is any fun, I'll actually try it.

Otherwise, it's about waiting for BF2143 or Blizard's Titan (and hoping they are good games)... Unless RL becomes a living hell before.

[Crator]

I never played EQ but if EQ2 is any fun, I'll actually try it.

EQ2 has been out since Nov 8, 2004. EQ Next will be the 3rd game in the series...

[sylphaen]

EQ2 has been out since Nov 8, 2004. EQ Next will be the 3rd game in the series...

Yes, PS:Next is what I meant. Uh... EQ:Next !
:lol:

Subconscious typing...
:p