War or a Firefight?

Sinistrad · 2011-07-10, 01:33 PM

Looking over the launch videos, people keep returning to the scale of battles in Planetside as what stood it apart from other games.

Battle size is only part of what made the game unique. There was a whole spectrum of features, niceties and dynamics that made competing in planetside feel more like fighting in a war than taking part in a firefight.

So far the developers have stressed:

(i) Scale
(ii) Continuity
(iii) Small skirmishes that occur simultaneously in different settings, with immediate implications across the fight (and cliff sides with multiple stacked walkways built on to them sounds incredible by the way - great thinking)

My concern is that there's a strong move to cut out the arrival time into battles. OK, the HART timer was frustrating, so ditch it. Maybe Sanctuaries too if there's an alternative place to assemble, take a breather with friends, or go LD while grabbing pizza.

Still, some of the most lasting memories I have of the game are of those nagging doubts, and the anticipation before the gal drop. Or as the three thunderers strike out across the lake towards the facility two, or three full minutes drive away.

On paper, you're twiddling your thumbs, but in reality those moments are what made that firefight-war difference. They stick in your mind as much as a killstreak. Clearly this is a fine balancing act, but moving too far towards automatic respawns into firefights risks turning the whole game into one, and losing an element that made the original so gripping.

Short waiting times, especially in transit to a fight, built great suspense - got the heartrate going in advance. They also contributed to teamwork.

I appreciate that after any launch there's going to be a lot of assumptions jumped to. Just a lot of caps lock on forums based on total speculation.

Still, I wondered if anyone had any other thoughts on what it really was that meant that Planetside generated war-stories that put your WWII Vet Grandad to shame, rather than just kill-death ratios. It wasn't just size.

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Tikuto · 2011-07-10, 01:41 PM

Scale is important since it's only players in PlanetSide, assuming P2 will be just the same.

I'm worried we may not see as much players as we'd hope to from the start. Subscriptions are always the problem with player so here's what I suggest for PlanetSide 2's launch:

Within the first one of two months of PlanetSide 2's launch, all newly-paid accounts get their first 4 months of play.
Pre-Order players get their first 5 months free.
Pre-Order Exclusive players get their first 6 months free.

This can sustain massive battles for at least 4 months from official launch date, which is quite possibly the most important thing for PlanetSide 2's release and its future.

Sinistrad · 2011-07-10, 02:50 PM

I'm not so worried. Planetside got enough attention for the first three years to be pretty epic.

Back then, subscription fees were new enough to offend the bulk of gamers on principle. Also it had no reputation to build off, whereas this is a sequel with an established fan base. Plus I like to think that SoE have learnt some things about marketing over the years. PS1 got a great review in the UK PC Gamer, that's why I tried it. If the game's good, I expect word will spread.

The trailer's good, especially for old players who drool at the low flying gal, but maybe doesn't have enough broad appeal? The comments about it looking like a Halo ripoff could easily be rebuked with clips that highlight the teamwork and vehicle coordination that made the first game stand out. Plus the Magrider is the ugliest tank, and the flame effect wasn't so hot.

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bkx · 2011-07-10, 03:04 PM

The trailer sucked, it made the game look like another generic squad-based FPS. It was partially redeemed by the mossy attack at the end, but they need to show off more of what makes Planetside Planetside: large-scale, strategic, combined-arms combat.

They need better marketing people...

2coolforu · 2011-07-10, 03:07 PM

It's not a trailer, it's a teaser to let Planetside fans know that the project still exists and that they have actually done quite a lot of work on the game. Even T-Ray said that the teaser sucked and that people would be asking SOE 'Why did you release this when you have all these awesome trailers' after they get the real trailer out.

What I wanna know is when we are going to get all these new flashy trailers :P

DviddLeff · 2011-07-10, 03:26 PM

Yeah at little over a minute long this is more a teaser than anything else, plus its obvious that the game we saw in it isn't that far along (only one armour type, 6 different weapons and 3 vehicles).

A decent trailer would show the wide range of vehicles, weapons, armour types and massive scale of both the war zones and armies.

I would have the whole thing scaling out, first focusing on one guy, perhaps a sniper, then expand to his squad, his platoon, (his company?), the region, the continent and then the whole planet.

Aractain · 2011-07-10, 03:32 PM

The best comment I saw was someone saying SOE ripped of BF2142...

They really need (when they have made it lol) to do a massive fly though showing off the massive scale. I want people to be able to count a thousand players with no loading times, no editing, no effects. Just a mossie fly though showing off just how big the game is.

Maybe that will get accross to these people what it is?

ArcticPrism · 2011-07-10, 06:29 PM

Originally Posted by Aractain

The best comment I saw was someone saying SOE ripped of BF2142...

They really need (when they have made it lol) to do a massive fly though showing off the massive scale. I want people to be able to count a thousand players with no loading times, no editing, no effects. Just a mossie fly though showing off just how big the game is.

Maybe that will get accross to these people what it is?

Other than the scale and technology, what makes it look different than Battlefield?

Levente · 2011-07-10, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by ArcticPrism

Other than the scale and technology, what makes it look different than Battlefield?

not sure if serious...

Bags · 2011-07-10, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by 2coolforu

It's not a trailer, it's a teaser to let Planetside fans know that the project still exists and that they have actually done quite a lot of work on the game. Even T-Ray said that the teaser sucked and that people would be asking SOE 'Why did you release this when you have all these awesome trailers' after they get the real trailer out.

What I wanna know is when we are going to get all these new flashy trailers :P

This. The teaser wasn't to show off the game as much to say "Seriously we are working on this!".

krnasaur · 2011-07-10, 07:43 PM

The trailor could have been a CGI film for all I care. I just wanted an official "hey, were serious about PS2" which is what i got.

CutterJohn · 2011-07-10, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by DviddLeff

Yeah at little over a minute long this is more a teaser than anything else, plus its obvious that the game we saw in it isn't that far along (only one armour type, 6 different weapons and 3 vehicles).

A decent trailer would show the wide range of vehicles, weapons, armour types and massive scale of both the war zones and armies.

I would have the whole thing scaling out, first focusing on one guy, perhaps a sniper, then expand to his squad, his platoon, (his company?), the region, the continent and then the whole planet.

Show a couple dudes shoot, one gets hit by sniper, pan to sniper, he gets killed by a cloaker, who gets taken out by a spitfire, with a tank rolling by. Follow the tank for a bit, until a guy with a rocket launcher takes it out, which is killed by a mosquito, which is killed by an AA max, which is killed by a reaver. Reaver flies off, halfway across the continent, where it meets up with a galaxy at high altitude, and you see another battle down below. Gal drop, followed down onto a tower, fighting down into the tower, a bunch of MAXes spawn, and the end shot is 20 or 30 MAXs barreling past the camera charging the base at full speed.