smokejumper's new content list

[teratravp]

"PlanetSide's Future Plans

Folks,

A lot of you have expressed curiousity as to what the Dev Team is up to in regards to PlanetSide and its future content. Now that we've had a few weeks to shake out the launch of the game and watch how the game is running, we're ready to make some of this public.

The list below is not a complete list of all features that will be added to the game. It's just a list of what we're sure will go into the game in the near future. There are a whole host of things we're not quite ready to reveal yet, so you can expect lots more to be unveiled in the months to come.

Without further ado:

Near Future Improvements (features & tweaks)

(next two weeks)

Facility Link Benefits: Each facility gives a benefit to the owning Empire. This ability is activated whenever an Empire owns a facility of that specific type somewhere on a continent. If multiple types of facilities are owned by an Empire on a single continent, then the abilities are shared between those facilities if there are no ownership breaks between those facilities on the lattice.

For example: On Cyssor, if the TR own Pamba and Shango, then they would gain the ability for the Amp Station *and* the Bio Laboratory at both locations. However, if the TR only owned Pamba and Itan (no "friendly" connection between them), then the facilities wouldn't get to share their abilities. Instead, Pamba would have the Amp Station benefit (only) and Itan would have the Bio Laboratory benefit (only).

The facilities have the following benefits:

Bio Laboratory: Reduces all respawn penalties by 50%, at linked facilities only. (Not Towers and not AMSs.)
Technology Plant: Makes "advanced" vehicles avaialble at all vehicle pads linked to a friendly Tech Plant.
Amp Station: Allows vehicles to recharge their shield capacitors in the courtyard of any linked facilities. This shield strengthens the armor of the vehicle, but dissipates as damage hits that shield. Vehicles recharge over time when in a linked courtyard, and only dissipate energy when damaged. There is no way to recharge a shield capacitor "in the field".
Dropship Center: Allows access to Repair/Rearm Pads at linked facilities. Air vehicles can now land on the air vehicle pads and ground vehicles can pull up to a wall station in the courtyards. Once there, the vehicles can repair themselves over time, as well as access a terminal interface based on the Equipment Terminal that allows them to fill their trunk space without leaving the vehicle.
Interlink Facility: Creates an extended area that the facility can see on radar. In otherwords, it greatly enhances the coverage area of your basic radar and makes your Phalanx wall turrets much more effective. NOTE: Wall turrets are automated at all times when they are not manned by a player. They fire more slowly when automated, but are still effective. It is no longer required to own an Interlink Facility in order to activate the wall turrets. All bases have active turrets at all times unless ownership is neutral.
Advanced Hacking: Only Advanced Hacking lets you hack equipment terminals and vehicle terminals now. Basic Hacking only allows hacking of Medical Terminals, Lockers, Implant Terminals, and Certification Terminals. (Of course, all hacking abilities still continue to work for doors and control consoles.)

Liberator (bomber): The Liberator is a three-crew vehicle where all positions can shoot. The pilot has a fixed-forward machinegun, the tailgunner has an easily swiveled machinegun for air defense and ground sweeps, and the bombardier can choose between "tankbuster" shells (dropped one at a time) or "anti-personnel" shells that split in mid-air and drop a pattern of shells around the target area, designed to annihilate infantry with multiple explosions.

Skyguard (anti-aircraft buggy): The Skyguard is a two-crew vehicle where the driver sits forward and the gunner behind. The gunner has access to a flak cannon to take down air targets and a machinegun with which to defend against infantry.

Orbital Strikes: Command Rank 4 & 5 characters now have the ability to pull down powerful energy beams from the Empire's orbital platform in space. Targets are designated by dropping a waypoint somewhere in a radius around the commander and then confirming the Strike to the orbital platform. They then send a beam down that is massively destructive in its power. Orbital Strikes cost Outfit Points to use, so Commanders should keep in mind that they're spending their Outfit's collective points when using this ability. This is a timed ability, and once triggered, the timer must expire before another Orbital Strike can occur.

EMP Blasts: Imagine a Jammer grenade on steroids. A CR3-5 Commander can emit an EMP shockwave, centered on his position, that expands out, deactivating and disorienting enemy units around him. Soldiers lose their radar, all implants are reset, Spitfires and Alarm Sensors are deactivated, enemy vehicles are disabled, and mines and Boomers are detonated. All effects are temporary. Once an EMP Blast is used, the Commander must wait for a timer to expire before he's able to use it again.


--- continued in next post because of size limit