PlanetSide 2
| PlanetSide 2 | |||
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| PlanetSide logo 2 | |||
| Studio |
 Rogue Planet Games
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| Publisher |
 Sony (until 2015) Daybreak Game Company
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| Erstveröffent- lichung |
November 20, 2012 | ||
| platform | Windows , PlayStation 4 | ||
| Game engine | Forgelight engine | ||
| genre | Massively multiplayer online first-person shooter | ||
| Subject | Military science fiction | ||
| Game mode | Multiplayer | ||
| control | Mouse , keyboard , gamepad | ||
| medium | Download , DVD-ROM | ||
| language | German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish | ||
| Age rating |
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| information | Requires an internet connection. | ||
PlanetSide 2 is a massively multiplayer online first-person shooter from Rogue Planet Games (formerly Sony Online Entertainment) from 2012. The game is a unique attempt in the gaming world to fight several thousand players against each other on a map at the same time in a shooter to let. PlanetSide 2 holds the world record for the greatest shooter battle of all time. It is a new edition of PlanetSide from 2003 and relies on a free-to-play business model.
action
The backstory takes place in a distant future. After the earth had narrowly escaped destruction through a devastating war, humanity came to its senses and united under one banner as the Terran Republic. Some time later, a wormhole appeared and suddenly disappeared without a trace , which the scientists could not explain. The then President Tom Connery believed this was evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life and started several space expeditions on it. The first expedition found a first clue that confirmed Connery's suspicions; an ancient figurine of extraterrestrial origin. Connery then sent a second expedition deeper into space. Several spaceships flew into the wormhole and stranded there for a long time, the situation for the crews became more and more threatening. As a result of the strain the crew was exposed to and the dwindling supplies, strict curfews were imposed on board. A vote was later held on the need for this measure. Proponents only narrowly won. Almost as many votes against had been counted. A second election was then announced. However, a bomb detonated by terrorists and destroyed the ship on which the election was to be held. Everyone on board died, including the president. The exit ban remained in place. The expedition later discovered the Earth-like planet Auraxis and, as a result, the ancient, orphaned "Vanu" technology. Among them were the “rebirth chambers”, which make it possible for the injured or dead to be resurrected completely healthy using the smallest amounts of genetic material. This relieved the opponents of the Terran Republic's reign of terror on Auraxis from fear of repression. As a result, it banned this technology, but some scientists continued to work on it and formed Vanu sovereignty, which is why the Terran Republic militarized to prevent this. As a result of this militarization and repression, a group of separatists split off, stole equipment and weapons, and formed the New Conglomerate. Now exactly 175 years after those events in which President Tom Connery and other leaders were killed, war broke out between the Terran Republic and the New Conglomerate. Then the conglomerate attacked the Vanu sovereignty, which is still researching extraterrestrial technologies, and has now been drawn into the war with the Terran Republic. The hostilities between the factions are stifling any efforts to find a way to reconnect with Earth. The war has raged incessantly on Auraxis ever since.
Factions
The three factions, called "Empires" in the game:
Terran Republic
The Terran Republic is the authoritarian government on earth. It keeps the citizens under strict control and is therefore perceived as dictatorial. She strives to reconnect Auraxis to earth. Their military doctrine relies on conventional weapons with high cadence and large magazines, as well as fast vehicles. Their colors are red and black.
Vanu sovereignty
The Vanu Sovereignty (Vanu Sovereignty) is a highly technical, militant group of transhumanists and scientists who rely on salvaged extraterrestrial technology in the form of ancient artifacts found scattered across Auraxis. She sees this alien high technology as the only means to promote humanity to a higher plane of existence and wants to monopolize this for itself. Their military doctrine relies on precise laser and plasma weapons, as well as anti-gravity drives. Their colors are purple and blue-green.
New conglomerate
The New Conglomerate is the moderate of the three factions. It consists of loosely organized rebels, separatists and freedom fighters, led by outcasts, industrial giants, pirates and high-ranking ex-military. It split off from the Terran Republic in the past during the increasing militarization and dictatorship of the Terran Republic. Their military doctrine relies on Gauss weapons and heavy armor. Their colors are blue and yellow.
NS Operatives
The Nanite Systems Operatives are robots that always help out the faction that has the lowest population. However, they cannot be called an independent parliamentary group; the term temporary agents would be more precise. In this way, excessive differences in the population are evened out. The Operatives can only be played with an active membership.
Game world
The planet Auraxis has nine continents, with different climates and textures. Five of them are playable so far:
- Indar
- Indar (formerly Ishundar) is a continent with deserts, savannas and badlands . The vast desert area is a dry seabed on which whale skeletons, mussels and huge coral formations can be found. It is surrounded by rugged badlands, which are home to savanna-like terrain such as grasslands and trees on their plateaus.
- Esamir
- Esamir is a permafrost continent with wide, flat ice deserts, little vegetation and huge crystal formations. It therefore offers little privacy and cover.
- Amerish
- Amerish is a temperate continent with lots of rugged, steep mountains and forests.
- Hossin
- Hossin is a continent with huge contiguous swamps and jungles.
- Koltyr
- Koltyr was once a training continent for new players up to level 15, now just a simple training continent that anyone can enter.
- Oshur
- Is a planned island system with different landscapes such as diamond forests, cave systems or even deserts. Warpgates will no longer play a role on this map as they will be replaced by Bastion Fleet Carriers (spaceships). The new map was planned for the end of 2019 to the beginning of 2020, but has not been discussed further since then.
Soldier classes
- spy
- The spy (infiltrator) takes on the role of sniper and scout and can use scout rifles, submachine guns and sniper rifles as main weapons. He can camouflage himself temporarily with a cloaking device and use motion sensors to detect enemy forces. It is also ideally suited as an infiltrator to subvert enemy bases in order to hack consoles and defensive towers . However, in contrast to all other classes, it has a weaker shield and significantly reduced life. As a special grenade, he can also carry an EMP grenade or decoy grenade instead of the fragmentation grenade. The spy is the only class that cannot use C4 explosives, but can use anti-personnel mines.
- Light attack unit
- The light assault unit is characterized by mobility and speed. There are various unlockable jetpacks available with which the player can move around more individually. The equipment available consists of shotguns, carbines and submachine guns. It can use C4 explosives and smoke grenades, among other things. In addition, it is equipped with a "rocklet rifle", a type of grenade launcher with small missiles for vehicle and air defense.
- Heavy attack unit
- The Heavy Assault can be equipped with light machine guns to provide support fire, but also has access to submachine guns and shotguns. In addition, it has rocket launchers to combat vehicles and aircraft. In addition, the heavy attack unit has an additional shield that, depending on the type, reduces damage or absorbs it completely until the ability's energy is used up. She can also unlock C4 explosives. As a special grenade, the Heavy Assault Unit can also carry an anti-vehicle grenade or a confusion grenade.
- engineer
- The engineer is able to repair vehicles, max units, consoles and defensive towers and distribute ammunition. In addition, he can set up light stationary artillery or barriers ("hardlight barriers"). In addition to the ability to place C4 explosives or anti-personnel mines, it is the only class that can also use mines for vehicle defense.
- paramedic
- The Combat Medic is equipped with medical nanotechnology that enables him to heal and revive allies. He is armed mainly with assault rifles, shotguns and submachine guns. He can carry healing or resuscitation grenades instead of the fragmentation grenade, but alternatively be equipped with C4 explosives. He has the ability to heal himself and others nearby and to set up a small ground device that regenerates the shields in the area.
- MAX unit
- The MAX ( M echanized A ssault e X osuit) unit is a soldier in an artificial exoskeleton . With this he is heavily armored and has significantly more life energy than normal infantry. It can be resuscitated by paramedics, but only repaired by engineers instead of being healed. Armaments can be attached to both arms which, depending on the weapon, are suitable against infantry targets or vehicles and aircraft.
Vehicle classes
In PlanetSide 2 players have 6 different vehicle classes at their disposal. Each vehicle can be expanded individually with upgrades and weapons.
Flash
The Flash is a mobile quad that can transport two soldiers at the same time.
Harasser
The Harasser is primarily intended as a combat vehicle for three soldiers. In addition to the driver, there is also a shooter and an outside seat at the rear, from where the engineer can repair the vehicle.
Sunderer
The Sunderer is used as a transport vehicle and spawn point to launch attacks or defenses. Its shape is reminiscent of that of a bus, it can accommodate up to 12 people in total. It also offers two guns, which players can use to defend themselves.
Lightning
The Lightning is a small mobile tank with only one seat. The player takes on the tasks of both the shooter and the driver. In addition to the large-caliber guns typical of tanks, the "Skyguard" weapon can also be used, which qualifies the tank for use as an anti-aircraft vehicle.
Faction-specific tanks
Each faction has its own tank, which has typical characteristics for the respective faction. The agile Prowler, with a mode in which he can shoot faster, belongs to the Terran Republic. The floating Magrider with plasma cannon is intended for the Vanu sovereignty and the Vanguard with strong armor, but slower speed, is operated by the New Conglomerate.
FNT (ANT) vehicle
The ANT is a harvesting vehicle for the mineral cortium. It is necessary to build your own bases.
Colossus
The Colossus is a huge tank with five seats. It is very effective against the "Bastion Fleet Carrier" and has to be crafted with outfit resources, as it cannot be spawned with nanites like all other vehicles.
He wields a large railgun as an on-board cannon and needs cortium as fuel, which has to be collected by an ANT.
Aircraft classes
In addition to the vehicles, players can also choose between four different types of aircraft.
Valkyrie
The Valkyrie is a transport aircraft for 6 soldiers. The soldiers sit in rows open on the sides of the aircraft, which allows them to defend themselves against enemies.
Liberator
The Liberator is a three-soldier fighter with three guns.
Galaxy
The Galaxy is the largest aircraft, there is space for up to 12 soldiers, it has four guns and can be used for troops as a means of transport and attack.
Faction-specific aircraft
As with the vehicles, each faction has its own aircraft. The Mosquito for the Terran Republic, the Scythe for Vanu Sovereignty, and the Reaver for the New Conglomerate. They are intended for a single soldier who can strike quickly and with great agility.
Gameplay
PlanetSide 2 is an online, open world game in the form of a first person shooter that combines infantry, ground and aerial combat on vast continents. Per map, or continent, up to 2000 players can fight against each other at the same time. This results in battles with hundreds of players, some of which can last for hours. Three factions fight each other on 4 continents (out of a total of nine) for territorial supremacy. The fifth continent Koltyr is a training continent, which was once only for players under level 15, now it is accessible by everyone. Many players have great problems getting into the game properly. The experienced players are not separated from the beginners, which, combined with the complexity of the game, can quickly lead to frustration. However, the developers announced new tutorial courses to make it easier for beginners to get into the game. The main bases for each faction are the warpgates. From there the player starts and the fortresses, stations, outposts, technical systems, amplification stations and bio-laboratories of the respective continent must be taken. Territories bring in diverse resources when owned, which can be invested in consumable equipment, vehicles and aircraft. Continent dominations bring in price-reducing bonuses. Owning bio-laboratories brings health regeneration to injured troops, technical systems allow the faction to access battle tanks, and reinforcement stations offer a repair and ammunition bonus at landing areas and ammunition towers.
Various "operations" or "alerts" start regularly on the continents, in which the players can participate voluntarily. In the thirty-minute “Aerial Anomaly”, all aircraft classes are available to the players free of charge. A kind of black hole spawns in the sky, around which the players have to fly, generating points for their faction. Whoever has generated the most points at the end wins. During the forty-five minute Refine and Refuel operation, the ANT vehicle and the Sunderer are free. Two silos spawn on the map that are supposed to be filled with the mineral Cortium. When a silo is full, it automatically shoots into orbit. The faction that has put the most cortium into the silo wins points. Then a new silo spawns in a different position and the game starts over. There are significantly more such "alerts", but at the end of the various operations there is always a main operation. This lasts exactly 90 minutes. At the end of this period, the aim is to have conquered most of the areas on the continents. The faction that has captured the highest percentage of territories wins power over the entire continent. If a faction has conquered a continent, all players in this faction receive rewards, depending on how long they have participated in the alert. The two losing factions also receive a smaller reward. The reward is made up of certification points and ISO-4 points with which you can buy implant packages. If you are lucky, however, helmets, unique camouflages or very rare weapons can also be won.
Players can organize themselves in so-called outfits ( clans ). Similar to a role-playing game, the character of the game can be expanded, adjusted according to preferences and style of play, and increases over time through the acquisition of experience points in the level (battle rank) and receives so-called certification points with which new weapons, weapon attachments, grenade types and the like can be unlocked . Players have the option of coordinating in groups ("squads") with a maximum of 12 players, which provides more experience points. Squad leaders have the opportunity to form a platoon. Four teams play together in a platoon, i.e. a maximum of 48 players. Squad leaders can set up a spawn light where their squad members can respawn and then land on the battlefield with drop pods. In addition, they (like platoon leaders) have the opportunity to use tactical means such as smoke signals, map markers and waypoints and to communicate with other leaders.
It is also possible to build facilities yourself. The players must first mine the mineral cortium with the ANT vehicle, which grows scattered on the map. When enough has been collected, the player places his vehicle, which gives him access to various structures such as walls, turrets, garages and more. The basis for each base is a silo, which must be filled with cortium at the beginning of construction. The silo supplies the surrounding structures with cortium and is therefore the heart of every base. Each player only has a limited number of available components at their disposal, but other players can further expand the base. So powerful complexes can arise if z. B. an organized platoon of 48 players builds a facility. Self-built bases can be used to tactically stop the advance of the enemy and push them back again.
The game mechanics of PlanetSide 2 are largely based on those of the Battlefield series .
Development history
Work on PlanetSide 2 began in October 2009. The game was announced on July 7, 2011 at the Sony Fan Fair. The closed beta version ran from August 6 to November 17, 2012. On November 20, 2012, the game was released for Windows. It was announced for the PlayStation 4 on June 5, 2013 .
The game is constantly being expanded to include game content in close cooperation with the community and improved by means of patches .
On July 2, 2014, PlanetSide 2 Europe switched from the previous publisher ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG to Sony Online Entertainment.
With 1158 players in a single battle, PlanetSide 2 set a world record on January 24, 2015. This was considered the greatest shooter battle of all time.
After being sold in January 2015, the operating studio Sony Online Entertainment was renamed Daybreak Game Company.
In May 2016, the developers introduced the Construction System into the game, which enabled players to build bases themselves.
In December 2018, Daybreak announced the match-based shooter "PlanetSide Arena", which should include mass battles in the form of different modes. The development of PlanetSide Arena made the following update possible for PlanetSide 2.
On April 25, 2019, the biggest update for PlanetSide 2 since 2016 was released. The focus was on the technical side, among other things, the engine was upgraded to the DirectX 11 version, which enabled many players to have a smoother gameplay. A new file packaging system shortened loading times and made it even more difficult for hackers to gain a foothold. The mercenary faction NSO - Nanite System Operatives was also part of the update, as well as some other small optimizations, such as a revised spawn system.
Daybreak Games announced on January 21, 2020 that it would split into three franchise studios. Daybreak is withdrawing as a developer and would like to take care of the titles as a publisher. The new studios include Darkpaw Games (EverQuest), Dimensional Ink Games (DC) and Rogue Planet Games (PlanetSide). The studios operate independently, development is no longer carried out centrally by Daybreak. PlanetSide 2 will be expanded by Rogue Planet Games in 2020 with a very big outfit update in February. The vision for a PlanetSide 3 is also clearly anchored in the studio.
Business model
PlanetSide 2 is free-to-play , i. H. Basically playable for free, but offers so-called microtransactions that finance the game. A distinction is made between two currencies in the game: Certification points are obtained by gaining experience, Daybreak Cash is the currency that is subject to charge. Paying players make faster progress than non-paying players and have more options for customization. However, in principle, all content is also available without payment, only cosmetic items such as camouflage, emblems or the like can only be bought with Daybreak Cash, i.e. real money. The commercially available game content includes experience boosters, weapons, helmets, armor, camouflage colors and optical vehicle tuning. Furthermore, upgrades for the respective infantry classes (as well as vehicles and aircraft) can only be paid for with certification points. In addition, you can take out a subscription and get more experience and certification points in battles, which means that paying players also have a time-related advantage when unlocking better items.
There is also a player studio where players can design game items, distribute them after approval and share in the turnover.
reception
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Reviews in German PC game magazines :
Steam reviews (Fall 2019):
- Overall: "very positive" (82%)
- Recently: "very positive" (86%)
Web links
- Official website (English)
- PlanetSide 2 at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Planetside 2 Developer: The Reconstructed Construction Update. Retrieved July 8, 2019 .
- ↑ Nils Lassen: Planetside 2: World record for most shooter players at the same time. In: GIGA . January 26, 2015, accessed March 8, 2018 .
- ↑ Planetside 2: Construction System introduces base construction elements. Retrieved July 8, 2019 .
- ↑ Nick Silva: DX 11 Progress and a secure future. Retrieved July 8, 2019 .
- ↑ Andreas Bertits: MMO shooter Planetside 2 gets the biggest update in 3 years - that's inside. In: MeinMMO.de. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019 .
- ↑ EverQuest and PlanetSide developer split into three new studios. Polygon, accessed January 23, 2020 .
- ^ Andy Sites: Rogue Planet Games Producers Letter. Retrieved January 23, 2020 (English).
- ↑ PlanetSide 2 tackles 'Pay-To-Win' problem
- ↑ Meta evaluation PlanetSide 2 (Windows). In: Metacritic . CBS Corporation , accessed April 27, 2015 .
- ↑ GameStar - PlanetSide 2 rating
- ↑ PC Games - PlanetSide 2 rating
- ↑ PlanetSide 2 Steam Reviews. Retrieved November 17, 2019 .