Matt Higby talks testing weapons, server restrictions, and more in PlanetSide 2 interview
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For anyone who hadn't noticed, a little game called
PlanetSide 2 launched one week ago today. OK, it isn't really little at all; folks who log in to the new MMOFPS enter a massive world with battles taking place all over the map. In a recent video interview, Creative Director
Matt Higby discussed a few features players might have missed in their battle frenzy as well as some upcoming ones they can expect.
Introduced at launch, one feature Higby highlighted is
the ability to test weapons out in the field before committing their hard-earned certs to a purchase, so "buyer's remorse won't necessarily be as prominent." Every eight hours, players can grab a weapon (for free) and run around with it for 30 minutes. Players can do this three times a day but must use a different weapon each time; the cool-down timer for testing a weapon a second time is 30 days. And soon, players can also expect a more detailed preview window when perusing weapon with information on how the weapon behaves and what attachments can be used on it.
Higby goes on to reveal that the one empire per server restriction will be lifted and highlights the upcoming ability to switch servers and rename characters. Folks waiting for the ability to switch factions, however, are out of luck. Get all the details -- plus some in-game footage -- in the video after the break.
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PlanetSide 2 PSA: Sunderers are stalemate breakers
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at 10:37pm November 27 2012
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The Sunderer is PlanetSide 2′s school bus of war. It seats 12, and with the investment of certification points, you can pimp it out to your purposes—increasing its ability to climb hills, or adding a grenade launcher, protection against mines, or radar augmentations. One upgrade worth calling attention to, though, is the
Gate Shield Diffuser. It has a way of snapping the ugly stand-offs where two teams are fighting on opposite sides of an impassable shield—a stalemate we’ve seen emerge again and again at Tech Planet facilities in PS2′s first week.
PlanetSide 2′s vehicles keep its war churning. Sunderers shuttle troops quickly and efficiently to the frontlines. The C-130-esque Galaxy transport serves as the primary mode of aerial insertion for all three factions, but like the Watchmen, who transports the transports? Best sit down for the next part: In a tweet fired off today, SOE President John Smedley posted a conceptual mockup of an absolutely gigantic Terran Republic fleet carrier looking like a cross between a Star Destroyer and a shoebox, hinting of a possible future emergence of mobile vehicle platforms in the super-scaled MMOFPS.
PlanetSide 2 already has enough purchasable gear to run you over $300 per faction. But those of you who just can’t get enough guns, or haven’t really found one that suits your trigger finger yet, you’re in luck. SOE president John Smedley has revealed on his Twitter account that we’ll be seeing some shiny, new military hardware go on sale tomorrow.
When SOE president John Smedley spoke to PC Gamer a year ago, he mentioned PlanetSide 2 would have a three year plan, to be revealed post-release. We got a chance to chat to the mighty fellow last night (the full transcript will follow later today) and ask him where this plan had got to.
