News: John Smedley on PlanetSide 2

[Zulthus]

Personally I hope the game remains P2P. It should cut down on the 8 year olds playing and hopefully ensure content updates for years to come. If the game was F2P, their only revenue from the game would be the cash shop, which they'd inevitably begin selling items that increase your power in-game. (Like most other "MMOFPS")

[Skorne]

I worry about SOE track record too. Notice in comments everywhere people are excited by the prospect of PS2, but are also like 'You better not mess this one up Sony'.

I was also disheartened to hear the mention of cash shop, cosmetic stuff sure but it's usually just to pave the way for pay to win elements when the marketing goons feel they can push their luck. It starts with cosmetic then it'll be % skill training speed booster and by the end we'll have rent-a-gun. The first sign of any type of advantage giving items in game shop and I'll drop PS2 like a stone even if it's the best game ever made.

Other than that I'm trying to remain optimistic though, the team (including Smed) seemed pretty sincere about making an awesome game in that QA session.

[Indecisive]

Watched the hour long video on g4's website. Heard you in the background Hamma. Lol.

I'll withhold judgement until I see first hand the game, but given the market, in order to succeed, truly, planetside 2 is going to have to do amazing things. World of warcraft, despite me no longer being a player succeeds due to a focused vision, and a game style that lends itself to slower paced action, creating a sense of community. On the other hand, FPS's are always faster moving. The goal for planetside 2 seems to be, make it move faster (which seems strange, considering the level of micromanaging they seem to be introducing, appears counterproductive to me) which leads to a differentiation issue I feel. More on this later.

In regards to a player base, sure, you have your FPS clans, and you have your hard core ps1 players that played, and still play, and you have people like myself who browse these forums or post from time to time, but in order to get broad market appeal, and truly succeed to the level where there is enough cash flow and interest to have a consistent level of quality and player base down the line that includes frequent updates and generally, just to keep the game fun; you have to reel in more than just the core planetside players. You also have to simultaneously keep what people like about FPS's, while combining it with a reason, people LONG TERM would find value in subscribing to PS2, the way they do with WoW.

From what i've seen, they've been taking a very non traditional approach through the promotion of this game, possibly due to the long standing close relationship with planetside universe, all the way from Planetside Universe Mobilization Alpha (still have that hand drawing of the phantom like a year before it was put in, lol) even all the way back into beta. While thats great for this community, I feel that smed and the team might be relying a little bit TOO much here on ole' PSU.

A reoccurring theme in the video was, "were making this game for the people who played PS1, the game we want to play." Thats all fine and dandy, but will it lead to the long term success of the game? I have my doubts.

But time will tell.

The point i'm trying to get to here, is that this game has to be READY. When this game launches, if they are going to charge 15 bucks for it, there needs to be a REASON for those people who play FPS's for free to switch. Your COD players aren't really looking for persistence, at least that they are aware of, they are looking to jump in and frag some bitches. There is a market to be created I feel, but if the execution isn't FLAWLESS, PS2, will, ultimately fail in their eyes. I think that's going to be a deciding factor in the game, as it will need to not only carry people over, but attract MANY new users as well.

To the same effect, if those people who play your world of warcrafts and what not, don't see a level of quality that they get from their other games, they will say, "well, i'm paying 15 dollars a month for WoW, and PS2, but I feel like the value i'm getting out of WoW subscription dollars feature wise, is considerable versus say, gauntlet legends or some shit; whereas Planetside 2 vs Battlefield 3.....eh, not so much"

So, you end up with no MMORPG players, and no FPS players. All you have left are the niche players and a half baked game.

When PS1 first launched, we had what, 4, maybe 6 servers? That's nothing in the grand scheme of things. Now we have 1 for all the English speaking countries in the world right? Of course the game went downhill, especially after BFRS, but it needs to find, and keep new subscriptions, of people who have never heard of Planetside (of which there are a lot of people who play both FPS's and World of Warcraft who fall into this category) in order to truly succeed.

Slight tangent; we can bitch and moan about the company looking out for their bottom lines vs players best interest, but theres a fine line to be had. If they don't care about players, there won't be money for the game. If there isn't money for the game, its going to suck, and then there won't be players for the game.

Just another point why this game has to be flawless upon launch. My best wishes that it is indeed flawless, but from whats been revealed so far, it feels....I don't know... awkward at best? Maybe they just need a new PR person or something. Promotional material for planetside has always sucked, and never really captured the feeling of an epic oldschool, no crappy battleislands/bfr/caverns battle.

Like I said, we'll see what we end up with. I hope its good.

[Bags]

Originally Posted by Skorne

I worry about SOE track record too. Notice in comments everywhere people are excited by the prospect of PS2, but are also like 'You better not mess this one up Sony'.

I was also disheartened to hear the mention of cash shop, cosmetic stuff sure but it's usually just to pave the way for pay to win elements when the marketing goons feel they can push their luck. It starts with cosmetic then it'll be % skill training speed booster and by the end we'll have rent-a-gun. The first sign of any type of advantage giving items in game shop and I'll drop PS2 like a stone even if it's the best game ever made.

Other than that I'm trying to remain optimistic though, the team (including Smed) seemed pretty sincere about making an awesome game in that QA session.

I don't know of any decent games with a cash shop that started with cosmetic then switched to selling power.

[Vancha]

Originally Posted by Bags

I don't know of any decent games with a cash shop that started with cosmetic then switched to selling power.

Can't you buy weapons in TF2?

[Bags]

Originally Posted by Vancha

Can't you buy weapons in TF2?

The weapons are side grades and they can be found, crafted or bought, so not really.

[opticalshadow]

Originally Posted by Bags

The weapons are side grades and they can be found, crafted or bought, so not really.

well the thign is yes you can buy weapons. and even if you can attain the same thing in game, it allows cash to buy power.

in ps terms why shoudl someone be allowed to drop 30 extra bucks and get all the perks that would take someone to actually play the game for three months, thats buyign power, it might not be exclucive but it will be there. and it rarely stops so short, they will inflate the cash shop with mino minor things. it might start as a special varient weapon that adds looks you can only get cashshop, and it may have a small reload faster click or something. or you may be able to eventually buy certs outright.

this is the problem with cash shops.


im also not a fan of it being p2p with cash shop options. if im paying 50 bucks for a box, andthen 15 a month, why should i pay an extra 10 bucks to incorperate my own logo for my team?

[Bags]

Originally Posted by opticalshadow

well the thign is yes you can buy weapons. and even if you can attain the same thing in game, it allows cash to buy power.

in ps terms why shoudl someone be allowed to drop 30 extra bucks and get all the perks that would take someone to actually play the game for three months, thats buyign power, it might not be exclucive but it will be there. and it rarely stops so short, they will inflate the cash shop with mino minor things. it might start as a special varient weapon that adds looks you can only get cashshop, and it may have a small reload faster click or something. or you may be able to eventually buy certs outright.

this is the problem with cash shops.


im also not a fan of it being p2p with cash shop options. if im paying 50 bucks for a box, andthen 15 a month, why should i pay an extra 10 bucks to incorperate my own logo for my team?

It doesn't take three months to find a weapon in TF2. And it's not buying power... it's buying a side grade.

[Gandhi]

Personally I'd rather have a subscription based game. My experience with F2P cash shop games hasn't been particularly good, I can't quite put my finger on it but I think mostly it's been the communities it tends to create. Maybe I've just had bad luck in that regard, I dunno.

But since they're going for a cash shop I guess there's no use complaining about it. I just hope they can find a way to do it right, because I don't think it's an easy thing to do.

[Bags]

It's actually really easy to do. IT's the one thing RIOT has gotten right with League of Legends. They just sell skins and champions that you can unlock with ingame currency.

[Oty]

Originally Posted by Malorn

Good questions, and great answers.

Only thing I still don't get is how Sanctuaries slowed the game down. The only time I spent a significant amount of time in sanc was when I was AFK (and wouldn't have been playing anyway). The other times I went to sanc was to rally and get new vehicles for hitting a new continent with my squad.
[...]
I think Sancs were great for rally points for switching offensives...I really don't see how they slowed the game at all.

I agree, I'm positive to everything they have said so far and i'm looking forward to the game, but one thing is buggering me. Why is Smedley constntly taking up the subject of removing the sancs? all the time is he talking about just that, I would have bought it the first time but now when he is talking about it like it's something that they need to sell to the audience I'm starting to get worried that somethings not right.

[Volw]

Originally Posted by Oty

I agree, I'm positive to everything they have said so far and i'm looking forward to the game, but one thing is buggering me. Why is Smedley constntly taking up the subject of removing the sancs? all the time is he talking about just that, I would have bought it the first time but now when he is talking about it like it's something that they need to sell to the audience I'm starting to get worried that somethings not right.

They probably had a test group to see which feature of PlanetSide is the most daunting to new players, which turned out to be Sanc.

Not surprisingly really, you log in, have to spend 2 minutes running to HART (even longer for new player to figure out WTF is going on) then if you're unlucky have to spend another 15 minutes waiting. Then the 1 min or so long animation ... then you select where you want to drop. Wait 2 minutes for animations ... and often by the time you land, noone's there already.

So we are looking at a considerable time spent in game, doing nothing.

Also the fact it was empty most of the time, unless staging an assault contributed to its removal.


Also, we havn't seen the footholds yet, which might turn out to be something incredible sexy, that would not work as a separate map.

[Dreamcast]

League of Legends does good doing the F2P...They make money of skins and xp....I never feel underpowered in the game....Sure they could level faster but once they reach their max and I do....We are equal, nothing really OP about it IMO.


Planetside could sell the game for $50 and do the same........thing is can it be enough to support the servers because if it isn't then I could see SOE selling things to make people OP.



I wouldn't mind P2P....But apperantly people have a problem with it.

[basti]

F2p has one big issue: you have to rely on people to buy stuff. Sooner or later you have to sell them something new, and at some point that new thing may slightly improve a player. Once you got to that point you lost, you end up in a cycle of new and better improvements, resulting in new playerrs being food for vets until they spend cash to get the same improvements.
That being said: keep the cash shop light. Dont pull a valve and spam hats and other crap.

[xcel]

I have no idea what he is talking about. Sanctuaries weren't a problem at all. However, what they are doing now I can see working, plus it's way to late to add sanctuaries back in. They have probably already developed the game to work with the unconquerable footholds and redesigning the game for sanctuaries now would require a huge step backward.