SOE Launches Planetside Fodder Program

RobinH writes "Sony Online Entertainment hopes to recruit more players to its aging MMOFPS title Planetside with the launch of its new play-for-free version Planetside: Reserves. According to a story in Gamasutra, 'The freeplay option limits players to a "battle rank" of six, with higher ranks only available to those with a paying account. PlanetSide is already part of the Massive in-game advertising network, and has been running billboard and other adverts since August 2005, presumably helping to fund the game's continued operation via this alternative model.'"

Comments

So...it's just a demo?

[xxxJonBoyxxx]

"The freeplay option limits players to a "battle rank" of six, with higher ranks only available to those with a paying account..."

So, it's just a traditional demo version, right?

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[Corbu Mulak]

Well...traditionally a demo version, even multiplayer, wouldn't allow to play with the regular players. I downloaded this over the weekend, as I was interested in trying out Planetside. Me and my brother hooked up with a crew of regular players and we fought in a largish battle.

The game is actually quite fun. It reminds me of a watered down Tribes with experience points.

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[Anonymous Coward]

Does it include the core expansion pack?

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[ptbarnett]

So, it's just a traditional demo version, right?

Not entirely. The Reserves play on the same server as everyone else. They can continue to play until the end of the demo period (March 24, 2007 -- no matter when you start).

All of the areas, vehicles, and weapons are available to the Reserve players. The BR 6 limitation just means they won't be able to "learn" more than a handful of certifications at any one time. But, you can "forget" a certification every 6 hours, so you can re-cert (almost) as often as you want.

You start with 7 cert points at BR1, and you'll get an additional one for each BR until BR6. At BR6, you get your first "implant" instead.

The only real handicap for a Reserve player is that paying subscribers will go to the head of the queue (in front of Reserve players) when a zone is population-locked (i.e. there are already 133 players from your empire in that zone).

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[Pluvius]

Q: Will these accounts have access to the caverns?
A: Yes. There will be no restriction on areas while playing the demo.
--PlanetSide Reserves FAQ

Rob

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[Anonymous Coward]

except you aren't stuck playing against people who are similarly limited - you fight opponents that have all the toys! :(

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[Manta9]

A sort of demo, the Battle Rank limitations means you can't build an "all-around" character. My 'toon is BR25/CR5 (command rank)I have a lot of options in a fight. Fly a plane, drive a tank, lay mines, call down Orbital Strikes...etc. All that and I'm still regualarly owned by some noob with a Suppressor (Assault Rifle). It's a fun game but with a steep learning curve, do the ingame training.

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[GreyFlcn]

Kind of.

You don't get access to the vehicles and weapons from the caves.
But you do get access to the caves themselves.

Re:So...it's just a demo?

[Jakblak]

Here is a nice FAQ http://www.planetside-universe.com/p-planetside-re serves-faq-64.htm

Dupe

[Anonymous Coward]

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=06/01/23/ 1513248

Re:Dupe

[Anonymous Coward]

Technically this story is announcing that it has finally been released. The previous story from January 23rd talked about the pending release. Nobody knew exactly when it was going to happen.

move along, nothing to see here....

[pxuongl]

i played this game for maybe 10 minutes before deleting it off my system. what a waste of time.

Re:move along, nothing to see here....

[Satertek]

I know very few games with a learning curve shorter than 10 minutes.

Re:move along, nothing to see here....

[yammosk]

I know very few games with a learning curve shorter than 10 minutes.

Yeah, but most of them have the (to borrow a literary term) "narrative hook" in the first 10 minutes, that makes someone interested in dealing with the learning curve.

Re:move along, nothing to see here....

[Anonymous Coward]

The page linked to in the original post says to make sure you do the "basic training" or whatever it's called. Did you do that?

Besides, every time you pull a vehicle or whatever, it pops up a help window with instructions on the keys to control it, etc. Man, if even I can figure it out, anyone can.

LOL HTTP DL Only??

[mOOzilla]

1.8 GB via non resumable HTTP Download link? You must be joking, no Torrents? No FTP hosting? What are they smoking?

Re:LOL HTTP DL Only??

[pxuongl]

we're talking sony online entertainment here.

when one stops expecting pigs to fart liquid gold, they consequently are also disappointed a lot less often.

Re:LOL HTTP DL Only??

[ptbarnett]

1.8 GB via non resumable HTTP Download link? You must be joking, no Torrents? No FTP hosting?

You can find a torrent here:

http://www.mininova.org/tor/262474

This was posted elsewhere. I can't vouch for its reliability.

Re:LOL HTTP DL Only??

[GreyFlcn]

Well, I've done my best to polish up my installer over the weekend.
Put in about every detail I can think of for the trial.

It's a 1MB web installer.

Completely simple, compatable, and just about perfect in every way :)
http://www.greyfalcon.net/psinstall.zip


I'm also the guy who ran the installer last year when we had only 7 day trial keys.
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/05/ 1713229
Got about 7,000 downloads off that marketing push

As for the Devs, we've got a new Producer, really capable guy.
Last two patches have been fantastic.
And the next one looks pretty sweet as well.

Join the Fight :)

Re:LOL HTTP DL Only??

[Anonymous Coward]

the torrent is going good. 20+ seeding the file, 70+ downloading. this is at 7am est, torrent has been up for about 3 days or so now. #'s keep growing daily

You get what you pay for...

[theSpaceCow]

FYI: To someone who'd never played the game, 'Battle Rank 6' sounded pretty decent. This was probably because I was unconsciously imagining World of Warcraft PvP ranks. However, you can reach Battle Rank 4 just by demo'ing all of your faction's weapons in your starter base in less than an hour.

Sure, it's a decent little diversion for the price you pay, but you're still going to get your face melted in about two seconds to most of the real players out there. Or at least, that was my experience when I tried it yesterday.

Re:You get what you pay for...

[RobinH]

Sure, it's a decent little diversion for the price you pay, but you're still going to get your face melted in about two seconds to most of the real players out there. Or at least, that was my experience when I tried it yesterday.

n00b! :)

You need to spend some time getting good.

[Rifter13]

I guess people have this strange assumption that they will jump on a server with people that have been playing a game for 2 years, and think they can do well against them. Just to let you know, you probably won't. The best way to learn is to hook up with an outfit. Assume you will die a lot. But, you can spawn in near by. Not a big deal. This is a fun game. Just not a simple game, like Counter Strike.

Re:You need to spend some time getting good.

[Anonymous Coward]

I have only played Planetside for 2 months after release so I have no idea how following patches and expansion packs changed the game, but at least back then, BR6 was plenty to enjoy the game as long as you were able to do without the flexibility afforded by higher ranks.

You can use anti-vehicle, tank driving, MAX or even use the Reaver attack plane with 6 skill points. The only thing you'll have to forsake completely are a career in engineering, stealth or of course command.

Re:You need to spend some time getting good.

[Crolis]

This is true. Planetside, like the Tribes/Tribes2 games, are a bit more complex than most FPSes. Plan on spending some time in the VR training, and asking questions. Many outfit leaders are looking to swell their ranks and bringing in someone new who is willing to learn can be a great thing.

Personally, compared to the other MMO games I've tried, I like the way Planetside is set up. I am not worried about reaching Level 60 so I can get epic weapons and gear, I don't need to grind away before being able to use a B-wing, and I'm not outclassed by players a few levels higher than I am.

Does veteran experience make you a better fighter. Yes, but are you invincible? Certainly not. For those who learn the game, they can get a lot out of it.

Tribes 2

[mOOzilla]

Why have Sierria stopped the FREE licence codes for T2? Can they not give it to the community? I have 2 licenses alone for that game and it was the longest ever lasting game I ever had. What else do we have that comes close to T2? Legends? Please its rubbish. Sierria made their money on T2, they left it to die. Im not asking for source code etc, just the remove the dependancy on their auth servers.

Frist Pornt

[Anonymous Coward]

I would like the announcement to be made that I am a troll. Mod me -1, and you will have wasted a modpoint. Suck it.

Old news

[sinij]

Seems a lot of 'fringe' MMOG going free, like Shadowbane for some unknown PR reasons, instead of turning off the lights.

1) Release MMOG
2) Give it out for free
3) ????
4) Profit

Not sure what they hope for.

Re:Old news

[AuMatar]

Planetside is hoping for people to move up to paid accounts, and is selling in game adverts. SB is hoping to get people to come back and eventually buy Shadowbane 2.

Re:Old news

[linzeal]

Shadowbane was one of the worst griefing experiences I ever had. I like the care bear love of WOW.

Re:Old news

[AuMatar]

Umm, that was the whole POINT of shadowbane- full PvP, all the time. It wasn't meant to be a 6 million seller like WoW, it was supposed to sell to a certain market segment (PvP). Its not griefing when thats the point of the game- to kill other people and destroy their towns.

As for WoW- it was fun for a while. Then Battlegrounds and honor killed world PvP, and raid loot became so powerful that if you didn't do MC and BWL every week you couldn't PvP effectively at all. Thats when I quit.

Re:Old news

[Anonymous Coward]

I, quite literally, sit beside the guy who is responsible for maintaining the Shadowbane servers. Even he has no freakin' clue why the powers-that-be decided to make the subscriptions free instead of closing the whole thing down. :P

Re:Old news

[slavemowgli]

They're not going free, not at all. Look at the facts:

1) Fodder accounts are limited to BR6. That's *nothing* - you can go up to 24 at least if you pay.
2) Fodder accounts are time-limited - and what's more, they all expire at the same time. If you sign up now, you still have almost a year; if you sign up in early 2007, you'll only have a few months.
3) Fodder accounts are not able to use many of the better vehicles.

Also, keep in mind that you're competing against players who are more experienced (both in in-game and out-of-game terms) - you pretty much won't stand a chance unless you team up with a few experienced friends with paid accounts.

Oh yeah, and also don't forget that paid accounts aren't actually going away - they still make money off of those. And don't forget the in-game advertisements, either - unobtrusive, yes, but they exist, and SOE will definitely make some profit with those, too. Oh yeah, and if you want to be able to use BFRs, you'll also have to buy the add-on pack for that - even more money thrown at SOE.

All this is very, very far from allowing people to play for free. What they *are* doing is providing fodder for the more experienced (paying) players. Think about it: the only people SOE actually cares about are those who pay. Sure, showing the game to some in hopes of getting them to sign up eventually is also an idea, but I think the main idea behind this is to make things more fun for those who already are paying. Those who actually sign up for the free accounts are getting conned, and they probably don't even realise it - but then, the same thing's true in real life, too, so I should probably commend PlanetSide for being realistic in that area, at least.

Re:Old news

[cowscows]

You're not getting conned, you're getting something for nothing. Sure, your something isn't as nice as the something given to people who are paying, and sure they're only giving it to you hoping it'll increase your desire for the non-free product, but so what? It's not like they're being underhanded about it.

If you're the least bit interested in Planetside, now you can try it out for free for a while. If you like it and want to pay to get more out of it, great! Everyone's happy. If you don't like it, then remove it from your hard drive, and you don't have to wonder about it anymore. SOE goes on with their business as usual as well.

What exactly is the problem here?

Try it, but join a good outfit with voice comm!

[Erik_Kahl]

I've been playing this game on and off since it was in beta three years ago. Few games provide me with as much rage or entertainment. SOE has made mistake after mistake compounded with bad ideas. But, the core idea of the game is so interesting and the variety such that I keep playing. Really, once you get into it and find a good group to play with, there just isn't any game like it.

For new players, the game will SUCK for about two weeks. The game is a lot more complex than you think.

For example:

If you're wearing an activated infiltration suit, armed with a spiker, have the weapon drawn and walk by a spitfire turret in an enemy owned interlink facility shpere of influence and in range of a motion sensor does the turret fire at you? What if you crouch walk? What if you fire the weapon? What if you take damage?

Hell, I can't even remember. But, there are players who do and they will kill you.

Now, how many shots will it take an NC in heavy armor with heavy assault to kill you? One. Cause the NC have magical guns. (not really, they just kill me a lot)

In all, this is the stuff you learn by playing with a good group and asking questions over voice comms.

If you want help go to:

www.PlanetsideSyndicate.com

and ask for help. I'll find you a group to play with or the other people there will. The wiki there also has a lot of game info.

Re:Try it, but join a good outfit with voice comm!

[ptbarnett]

Now, how many shots will it take an NC in heavy armor with heavy assault to kill you? One. Cause the NC have magical guns. (not really, they just kill me a lot)

LOL. You should hear what the NC say about the TR and VS heavy assault weapons. :-)

The secret to success with the NC heavy assault weapon (basically, a big-ass shotgun) is to close on your target. At close range, it's awesome when it works. Unfortunately, there's a lingering bug that causes you to "miss" at point-blank range, and it's been there since beta.

The secret to defending yourself against the NC Jackhammer is to engage the other player while maintaining your distance.

Fodder is right

[notea42]

Battle rank 6 gets you practically nothing, even with the shifts last year to make starting players more powerful. I was beginning to hold my own by rank 12, before my outfit collapsed and I lost interest. If they can get people to play this, it will only result in more kills for the real players. It's ridiculous the ammount of carnage one small, experienced team can exact against a horde of zerglings. Almost makes me want to restart my combat engineer for the sheer joy of laying minefields and autoturrets.

Re:Fodder is right

[fvdham]

Indeed, Combat Engineers can create carnage as well.
And you can be one at BR2.

Re:Fodder is right

[NecroBones]

Fodder is _NOT_ quite right. You'll hear the term "FodderSide" quite a bit, but it's not that simple. As others have stated, this game is not as simple as you might think. Once you start to learn your way around the game, there is depth and subtlety and nuance.

Unlike most other MMOGs, PS allows newbies to contribute and play right along side hardnened veterans, and do so in a meaningful way. At rank 6, you will have 11 certification points to spend on equipment and vehicles. This is enough to pick a role you enjoy, and specialize in it. Aircraft Pilot? Tank Driver? Combat Medic? Deployer Engineer? Cloaking Assassin/Sabateur? You can do those things within rank 6. The higher ranks will earn you new uniforms (cosmetic only), additional implants (up to 3, but you get your first at rank 6, and they provide mildly useful enhancements), and of course more certification points. The later ranks mostly provide you with additional flexibility in the field, without having to recertify to change roles (which is easily done anyway at a certification terminal).

If you can aim straight and learn the nuances of your weapons and your enemies, you can hold your own even at rank 6. And heck, a couple of n00bs can still take down a 2-year vet if they can shoot straight.

It's definitely worth a try. I've been playing off and on since the beta 3 years ago, and I've decided to resubscribe for a year's worth. It's truly a unique (and sometimes frustrating) experience. Some of the most fun I've had since Tribes 2.

Re:Fodder is right

[RobinH]

Here are some great combinations you could have with 11 cert points (BR6):

Heavy Trooper:
- Reinforced eXosuit (3), Medium Assault (2), Heavy Assault (4), Misc (2)

Grenadier/Support:
- Reinforced eXosuit (3), Medium Assault (2), Special Assault (3), Engineering (3)

Sniper:
- Medium Assault (2), Sniper (3), Misc (6)

Pilot:
- Air Cavalry Scout (3), Air Cavalry Assault (2), Air support (3), Misc (3)

Armor Driver:
- Armored Assault 1 & 2 (3), Ground Transport (2), Engineering (3), Flail (artillery) (1), Misc (2)

Combat Medic:
- Advanced Medic (5), Engineering (3), Medium Assault (2), Misc (1)

Special Ops:
- Combat Engineering (5), Infiltration suit (2), ATV (1), Misc(3) *I admit that this role really requires BR8 so you can get advanced hacking to be 100% effective*

Multi-role:
- Air Cavalry Scout (3), Uni-MAX (6), Medium Assault (2)

Battleframe Robotics Pilot:
- Armored Assault 1 & 2 (3), BFR (4), BFR AA (1), BFR AI (1), Misc (2)

There are a LOT of possibilities. Check this out: (a cert point calculator).

Re:Fodder is right

[The_Mr_Flibble]

I think I might give it another go It was a fun game.
I haven't played it for over a year now.

I used to be our outfits air commander.
Although I did almost loose that title when I flew our entire squad into the side of a mountain range.
Hmm this means I'll probably have to join another outfit doesn't it ?
And work my way up again.

Planetside is underrated

[Flentil]

I've recently reactived my account and have been having a blast. It's a massive FPS with a full range of futuristic vehicles and weapons. In my outfit we have a tank division, air corps, infantry, special ops, etc. When the whole outfit gets together weekly it's an amazing experience with all the different divisions working together as a combined force. Picture 15 tanks rolling out of sanctuary with 20 or 30 aircraft flying above escorting several galaxy transports loaded with infantry and half a dozen battlemechs running alongside. As far as I know you can only do this sort of thing in Planetside. I hope the fodder program brings lots of new players into the game.

1 mb download

[Anonymous Coward]

Alternatively use the 1 mb installer.

http://www.greyfalcon.net/psinstall.zip

2 months learning curve

[fvdham]

It will take you 2 months to become a veteran though.

PlanetSide, Full Year Trial is easy to download:

[GreyFlcn]

Well, I've done my best to polish up my installer over the weekend.
Put in about every detail I can think of for the trial.

It's a 1MB web installer.

Completely simple, compatable, and just about perfect in every way :)
http://www.greyfalcon.net/psinstall.zip


I'm also the guy who ran the installer last year when we had only 7 day trial keys.
http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=05/01/05/ 1713229
Got about 7,000 downloads off that marketing push

As for the Devs, we've got a new Producer, really capable guy.
Last two patches have been fantastic.
And the next one looks pretty sweet as well.

Join the Fight :)

backpack

[fvdham]

You have limited space in your backpack.
You cant carry all toys at the same time.
Higher Battle Rank just means more choice, not more power.

Re:PlanetSide, Full Year Trial is easy to download

[GreyFlcn]

Doh!

Click link:
http://www.greyfalcon.net/psinstall.zip

Ok.. so how do we get an account key?

[castiron999]

A little confused.. I dl'd the client.. and when I try to log in.. it tells me I need to active an account with an account key? what gives...

How to use the 1meg install

[castiron999]

got it to work

Install the game.. but you have to change your shortcut

For your current shortcut for Planetside you need to do the following.
Right click the shortcut.
Click on properties.
Then on the target add this line.
"C:\Program Files\Sony\Station\LaunchPad\LaunchPad.exe" /game:planetside /batch:2007908 /plan:426
Start in should show.
"C:\Program Files\Sony\Planetside"

Re:How to use the 1meg install

[Erik_Kahl]

Yeah, SOE likes to give you little puzzles to solve before you can play. Next week you'll be asked to name which planet Andvari is on.

I'll be playing in about an hour. If you post on www.PlanetsideSyndicate.com what server and username you'll be using I'll be happy to give you a hand learning.

Good point castiron999

[GreyFlcn]

Before it was only booted up in trial account creation mode the first run. I just changed it so that it boots in the trial account creation mode for all the shortcuts. Since they could just make a trial account, then upgrade it to paying 2 seconds later. Good catch.

Re:PlanetSide, Full Year Trial is easy to download

[Anonymous Coward]

Hi there Greyfalcon, hopefully you'll see this and reply.

I used the installer you linked, and created a new account when prompted.
Is there any way to tell if the characters created with this account are limited to rank 6?
The Account details just say that it's active for 1 full year.
I did get a Reserves related browser window open after I closed the client, but that might happen no matter what type of account you login with.

I can track your replies here in the thread. Thanks much!