PS Releases May 20

[Strygun]

SOE has put out a press release today stating that Planetside will launch in the U.S. May 20. Here's a clip from the release:
SAN DIEGO, CA � May 6, 2003 � Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online gaming, announced that its highly-anticipated massively multiplayer online first-person action game, PlanetSide� will make history when it launches on May 20. The groundbreaking game will allow thousands of players to fight online in an all-hours-of-day global war that has never been seen before in the first-person action genre. The company also announced that it will add squad-based voice chat functionality to PlanetSide, further enhancing the experience of fighting together with a squad and working as a team. PlanetSide will be available on May 20, 2003 in North American retail stores.
Note: The release says "Planetside will be available on May 20, 2003 in North American retail stores." You can find the full press release here (http://sonyonline.com/corp/press_releases/050503_pside_launch_day.html).

[Squeeky]

:clap:

[Destroyeron]

One more day for me to get my new graphics card and money in order....

[BUGGER]

I thought you were aiming for cable.:rolleyes:

[Civilian]

So sad.

This game will not be ready at release and it is going to get very poor reviews because it's just not stable. I knew SOE would set a drop-dead date for the games release whether the devs or the testers believe it's ready or not. They better make some MAJOR improvements over the next 5 days or this game is going to be an absolute disaster at release.

Is Planetside fun? Absolutely. Is Planetside ready for release? No, and I would contend that it is at least a month away from the type of stability needed for a MMO game. Hell, they are going to have to rush just to perfect the gameplay.

I'm sorry, but this is bad news imo. :(

[Hamma]

Once again, I will say it.

I have seen the progress this team can make. It will be ready.

[SpongeBob]

When will it be released in Europe?!?!
I bet they wont and most of europe will never even know it exists just because they want to make some quick bucks and dont bother about making the game a world wide experience. however, I will keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best.

[enjoi]

aw shucks... no more free beta :)

heh i won't be able to pay for it for at least a few weeks. time to cry :(

[TekDragon]

You people have GOT to realize the servers they are using now are NOT the servers that will be used for the release!!!!!

[InuYasha]

How about this one: Anybody have any thoughts on just how many servers there will be initially? Something tells me that there will be more than three or four, I can't imagine 30,000 or more people on only three servers, can you?

InuYasha
Who wants to be able to walk without bumping into somebody

[Harps]

yah i know.. um 10 servers 3000 on each :confused:

[Mr Patate]

Will there be european servers too?
How many months do we have to whait till PS comes out in europe?
Will it ever come out?
Maybe i'll just look for something else to spent my money on...

[Hawklans]

I hear that the european version is going to be released on the 29th May, with the euro servers up and ready for that time.

So far as i have read or heard there will be no difference between the versions, just the availability in the UK etc stores. Of course many online uk sites are starting to do pre-orders now so thats always worth it....

So lets hope that they live up to their promise unlike DAOC which was a bloody joke when it came to the UK release...

[MrFist]

Originally posted by Hamma
Once again, I will say it.

I have seen the progress this team can make. It will be ready.

/me trusts hamma ><, every day since ive had PS beta, near enough everyday the servers have gone down for maintenance, and a patch to follow. Theyve got just under 2 weeks, i belive it will be ready :P

[G1ZM0]

Originally posted by TekDragon
You people have GOT to realize the servers they are using now are NOT the servers that will be used for the release!!!!!

Why NOT. What's the point of testing them if these aren't the servers they ARE going to use. Just where did you hear this.

I think the main concern is not the hardware but the software.
I don't care how fast these guys can code it takes time to duplicate and ship CD's. The 20th is two weeks from today. At some point they have to say OK this is the code we will ship. Maybe they already did.

Then the question is how big will the day 1 patch be, and with the day 1 patch is the game playable and worth paying for. I think most people would agree a crash every 2-3 hours isn't a finished game. Just look at what rushing release did to Tribes 2.

Yes I have fun playing planetside now, mostly because it's free and new.
How many people will be willing to pay(and keep paying) to enter phase 2 of the beta.

I'm on the fence right now I could go either way.

[Airlift]

What is the value in predicting doom against the inevitable? The only reason I can see to do so is to come back later and say "I was right, I told you so". Quite a risky stance, and you come out looking like just another random guy who thinks he knows the game better than its producers and developers if you are wrong.

The only authoritative answer that any tester can give on will the game be ready by release is "I hope so".

[G1ZM0]

Hey I'd love to see the game ready when it comes out. I could care less about being "right". I honestly don't know how long production and distribution of CD's takes. It just seems to me like there is a lot of testing yet to do.
Take the character wipe for example. They want to see who the new XP system will affect progression. If it works great but what if they find another major flaw in XP and have to make more changes. I think it's going to take more than a week to see if the XP system is working the way they want.
Do you think a character wipe is acceptable after release?
What option do they have if the XP system is flawed at release?
All I know is what I've experienced and what I've heard from other players. Sometimes I play for and couple of hours with no problem. Other times I CTD every 15 minutes. Do I think the game is ready to release, probably not. Will it be ready on release day? I don't think anyone, even the dev's know that.

Day 1 patches have become common. It's that or wait "till it's done" which could be a long time. (DNF anyone.)

I hope planeside comes out and is great. If SOE boards are any indication people will always be complaing about one thing or another. Minor tweaks are one thing, but major changes to XP and the matrix are somthing else.

Basically it comes down to two things.
1. At what point will the code be "gold" and sent out for duplication?
2. Can changes made be sufficently tested before release?