Planetside 2 - PS4 - F2PFPSMAGALIKE - The Bear and Badger

isanbard

Ah-ha.. perhaps I didn't leave the squad I was auto-joined to? Much like many other things about this game it's not explained particularly well is it?

Kernowgaz

Are people using coms?

Had a quick go and couldn't find anyone, ran for miles and come across people and saw my reticule turn red - killed them and it turned out I killed a team mate ! Aren't the enemies normally red?

digi

Kernowgaz wrote:

Are people using coms? Had a quick go and couldn't find anyone, ran for miles and come across people and saw my reticule turn red - killed them and it turned out I killed a team mate ! Aren't the enemies normally red?

Depends what faction you chose, if you went red like me then you fight blue and purple.

Nexx

Good session yesterday Pie. It was good to see that even just 2 people working together can influence the fight. Shame we didn't manage to get that Vanu Sunderer down though as that was a good fight.

Bollockoff

Everyone is New Conglomerate right?

Nexx

Yeah NC on Ceres

Vastik

Had a couple of goes on this, love the concept but the art direction is so bland.

Picked red team, was definitely a bit confusing at first as i'm just programmed to shoot anyone who is red and the difference in appearance between factions isn't strong enough to compensate. still, different coloured projectiles certainly helps with identification!

Nexx

I'll probably be on this tomorrow evening if anyone wants to squad up and give it a go.

isanbard

Fantastic wee session last night with Herr Commandant Nexxo. He Yoda'd me again through some of the weird PC-console transition stuff and the basics of characters and weapons etc. I think I'm actually getting a grasp of how the whole mix up between tight little battles and the bigger picture of area control. Checking maps, making vehicle/class choices for different situations.. it really is great this and it seems to work fine once you get over the initial clunky hurdles they throw at you.

I'll be going back in today when I can.. even though I've now blown all my starter credits on a slightly odd Heavy spec. I'll grind some more points and try to sort it out a bit. Seems I've made myself a CQC specialist dude with a hip fire beast cannon. Needs me the anti air rocket launcher and a laser sight now.

Nexx also then mentioned hats and pretty outfits.. ooof.. that's gonna be a whole new host of trouble..

g.man

I'm still tempted to buy a PS4 for this, but I'm not going to lie, I have real issues with the free to play/bleed you dry model that it uses. Has anything changed in that respect since the PC launch?

Paul the sparky

I gave this five minutes on my own after a Rocket League session earlier in the week. Was completely bewildered by it, probably not the best time to try and get the gist of it to be fair.

I'll be up for more if there's a squad going who can ease me in.

TheDJR

I'll finally get round to downloading it today.

g.man

Paul the sparky wrote:

I gave this five minutes on my own after a Rocket League session earlier in the week. Was completely bewildered by it, probably not the best time to try and get the gist of it to be fair. I'll be up for more if there's a squad going who can ease me in.

Yeah, all the vids I've watched make it look like another MAG like ordeal for noobs.

Bollockoff

I spawned, walked out and machinegunned someone trying to jetpack up our walls. Decided it's best I get into this after I've cleared Bloodborne.

Paul the sparky

There seemed to be a lot more going on than in MAG, loads of icons on the map.

Nexx

g.man wrote:

I'm still tempted to buy a PS4 for this, but I'm not going to lie, I have real issues with the free to play/bleed you dry model that it uses. Has anything changed in that respect since the PC launch?

Planetside 2 is widely regarded as having one of the best implemented F2P models so this really isn't much of an issue. What is an issue is just how poor the game is at explaining all of the systems. There's a a lot more going on in this compared to something like MAG in terms of character progression, loadouts, perks, base capturing etc which the game does a very poor job of explaining. Its still very much a typical PC game in just how obtuse it all is.

Its a game that needs a bit of commitment but is really rewarding once you start to get it.

Bollockoff

Yeah. Considering as a new player I got put in a tutorial continent I was waiting for the instruction to start.

isanbard

I would say it's invaluable to have someone show you the ropes a bit as the tutorial is...limited and much left to the player to hunt out.

Seemingly even setting up squads and getting a team together is different and adapted from the PC version with only a nod really to the PS environment. You hold a separate friendslist in the PS2 client (that you can search for via PSN names). I'm not entirely sure if a squad leader can force a team to move about as one, the big map is a bit slow and unwieldy, and respawns can often put you back at a fairly distant station if you've lost control of a point or Sunderer (spawn apc vehicle).... that's just a few of the issues that come to mind.

BUT! When you can get it all together; Nexx spawns in one of his mega tanks, you barrel down towards a dangerzone with fighters, bombers and grunts flooding in with you it's like nothing I've played before really. MAG could well be comparable from what I remember hearing?

I've yet to spend a penny on it either. The F2P stuff comes in with a separate currency you can use real cash to buy. You can also buy the same things with an ingame currency you gain from XP (capping points, defending areas and killing fools). I think you can only get weapons mods and upgrades from the ingame XP currency though so it's not a total pay to win thing. If you put in the time and kill lots of folks then you will get lots more toys to play with.
I'm tempted to try a month or three as a 'member' that gives you a big XP boost and 10% shopping discount for items & mods amongst other things.

Spoiler:

Seems to be £9 for a month and less for more months etc.. You can easily get by without mind; the grindy cash grab seems far more restrained than an iOS type game. The standard weapons they give you are workable and you have a good amount of starter cash to get you a few bits and pieces. If you can get in even a 2 man team and go grab some quiet points then you quite quickly rack up some more easy points for bits and bobs too.

g.man

Nexx wrote:

g.man wrote:

I'm still tempted to buy a PS4 for this, but I'm not going to lie, I have real issues with the free to play/bleed you dry model that it uses. Has anything changed in that respect since the PC launch?

Planetside 2 is widely regarded as having one of the best implemented F2P models so this really isn't much of an issue. What is an issue is just how poor the game is at explaining all of the systems. There's a a lot more going on in this compared to something like MAG in terms of character progression, loadouts, perks, base capturing etc which the game does a very poor job of explaining. Its still very much a typical PC game in just how obtuse it all is. Its a game that needs a bit of commitment but is really rewarding once you start to get it.

Yeah, this is pretty much my impression.

isanbard

Anyone up for some Pi based education? We're kicking booty on Esamir!

acemuzzy

I've got this downloaded now. So, what next...?

Djornson

Downloading, i briefly played the original Planetside long ago, always loved the concept

g.man

What size is the download peeps?

TheDJR

About 12-13gb including the update.

g.man

Ta. That's not too bad.

[Deleted User]

Think I read somewhere that you can start playing the training area once the first 4/5 gigs download.

I'm currently bewitched (with caveats) by the Witcher but I'll definitely give this a try at some point.

acemuzzy

Should i go the same server / side as you lot then? Are they both prerequisites for teaming up?

isanbard

Pretty much. Squads have to be from the same faction obviously as this is a goddamn war soldier!

LIVE FREE IN THE NC!!!

In Ceres server thingy err.. iirc..

isanbard

Thanks to the power combo of vicinity and Nexxo last night I got myself to the handy level 15. Got a good portion of my spent Certs back in case I bungled all my mods/updates. Doing a bit more research to se how to best spend the 750 I've got back.

Was very revealing to be part of my first big Continent Alert thing too. Having to use your map to try to push for area control over getting mired in local skirmishes was an eyeopener to the bigger part of the game.

Had a chance to test out some of the aircraft too. The controls are almost as obtuse and mysterious as the general intro to the game but I was getting some stable flight eventually. Not a patch on Pi and his brutal drop ship strats quite yet mind but I've still got me L plates on.
The vehicle spawns work off a personal allowance of points (750) that regen at a rate dependant on map control. You got more map areas son, you got more tanks and planes baby! When you hold a good deal of the map you can happily burn though a good few without too much trouble.

You can feel that this has been around for a good few years and the currencies are pretty well established and fair enough.

Djornson

Bem-Jammin / Djornson / Ceres / NC

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