Questions about Planetside...

[ryum]

Out of any of you in the beta testing, has anyone tried being a sniper??



In many games I have enjoyed being a sniper, was wondering how it is in this game.



Other questions



What Class/Role do you guys enjoy the most and why?



What Class do you enjoy less but play because it is needed?



How do the servers work?, is it like EQ where you pick one or what?



How do the vehicles that have a weapon/turret that need 2 people, one for driving and other for shooting work?

Is it easy to find someone to shoot for you, or does everyone like to shoot and its hard finding a good driver...



What Teams do you guys like and why? Is there a real differance between the teams or is it closer to EQ and it really doesn't matter.



How do the levels work? or exp in general? I understand this game is a mix of FPS/RPG so in certain roles the faster "twitchy" player will be better off. But how does the player with more exp have an edge?



How do all these certificates work?? is it something like EQ where you go to a trainer or something else.



How are the graphics in general in the game?



How does money in general work in the game?



well thats about all I can think of. Thanks in advance


2 Ti 4:7



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub147.ezboard.com/bmonklybusiness43508.showUserPublicProfile?gid=ryu masters85264@monklybusiness43508>Ryumasters85264</A> at: 4/24/03 3:51:37 am

[Luwung]

Well am not really in beta , but all your questions can easely be answered by checking out www.planetside.com forums.Also for how the game looks like , check out www.planetside-universe.com



It has alot of ss and gaming videos in wich you can see how the action is.



This game will be a classic for sure hehe






</p>

[Hardwired13]

I've been running around on all the servers and just joined an outfit last night. All of 3 people in it <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> but we did get into battle and capture a base so it's getting better. I'll see what I can tell you about Planetside from the perspective of a complete newb.



There is no money in the game. You start with 4 certification points and you earn 1 more with each level you get from experience. Maximum is Battle Rank (BR) 20. You spend your certification points at a certification terminal to "buy" various certifications, called certs. At BR 20 you don't have any more hitpoints or armor than anyone else (I don't think?) but you have more certs so you can have better weapons and armor or you may be able to pilot 5 different vehicles at a cost of having the same armor you had at BR 1.



Each cert costs from 2 to 4 points, and you can't afford them all even at BR 20, so you have to focus on specific areas. You can get weapon and armor upgrades to be a better infantry member, or you can get a cert to fly or drive a variety of vehicles. Whatever vehicle you get a cert for, you can only fly/drive that single vehicle so choose wisely. (An exception is the ANT: anyone with a ground vehicle cert can also drive it to help replenish energy in a base.)



Some vehicles like the Galaxy are designed to transport up to 11 people, including 3 gunners. Others like the Wraith have no weapons but are extremely fast and only carry the driver. Vehicles carry a different number of people and have a tradeoff of speed and weapon power.



There are three support roles you can play as well. The hacker can open locked doors (anyone can do this except for MAX users, heavily-armored infantry), capture enemy vehicles, and most importantly, hack the command console in a base. This is how you get most of your experience points. It takes a chunk of time for a base to fully convert to your empire and you usually need to defend it during the countdown as the hack is announced to the entire continent. There are 2 levels of hacker, and I'm not really sure what the 2nd level does for you.



You can be an engineer. An eng can repair armor during battle, and repair destroyed consoles and generators. The advanced Combat Engineer can deploy gun turrets outside a base to harass incoming enemies, and lay down mines to destroy vehicles and infantry alike.



You can be a medic, which is basically the EQ-equivalent of a cleric. You can heal health, and an advanced medic can bring back the dead within a narrow window of time.



All three support disciplines require you to carry items specific to your role and they take up some of your limited inventory space. The engineer has 2 to carry, one for repairing body armor and one for repairing vehicle armor.



If you need gear, you just walk up to a terminal and get it. You have to choose what weapons, ammunition, grenades, medkits, or support devices to carry and get them to fit in your inventory space. Better armor gives you a bigger inventory, but you'll never have enough space to carry everything. However if you run out of something, just find a friendly terminal (can't use enemy terms or one in a base that's been hacked, unless a hacker unhacks it of course) and get more. It's all free, even the vehicles.



Ok, so you've spent your cert points and you're ready to hook up with some others in a squad and go kill shite. What do you do? This is the chaotic part that can be very frustrating.



You wander out into the main area of your Empire's sanctuary and you start looking for a squad, or if you already know others who are playing you wander around wondering where the hell they are. You can use the LFS tool (figure out the acronym yourself <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)"> or just get close to someone and invite them to start your own squad.



Sometimes you'll end up with players who know what they're doing and you'll hit a warpgate in some vehicle to go where the action is. Most of the time you'll end up with players who have no idea what is going on and you'll never see any action because they'll crash the plane and kill everyone, or shoot each other, or stand around wondering what to do until everyone leaves the squad and looks for another one. This part will get better over time as more folks figure out what the game is about.



The best alternative is to visit the Planetside beta forums and look for an outfit. An outfit is the EQ-equivalent of a guild. It is a persistant group of people that allows you to get together with other players and do stuff together instead of taking random squadmates. Or you can do both, depending on how you like to play. Look over the outfit advertisements and pick a handful that are in your timezone and have common goals and then look for those folks online to see if they play when you do. Use the /who command. Annoyingly, /w is NOT a shorcut for /who in PS, so you have to type the complete word every time.



The object of the game is to go to an area your empire doesn't control and take over bases, killing anyone who tries to stop you. You get xp for killing but the biggest xp comes from hacking the control console (CC) of a base and converting it to your empire. I got 124 points for a kill, and 3500 points for helping capture a base. You figure it out.



I'm sure I've missed the finer points, but I've only been playing for like 4 days and have maybe 6 kills total and I've been killed too many times to count. All I can say is even dying every 5 minutes, I still can't wait to log into this game.


<span style="font-family:verdana;">Totzilla</span> (http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=592079)

<span style="font-family:verdana;">Hottentot</span> (http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=68315)</p>

[ryum]

thanks for the info, let me know about the sniper stuff if you ever check it out


2 Ti 4:7



</p>

[Estral LC]

1. Sniping is ok, but you can't go to a prone position so sooner or later, when you've irritated people enough, someone will hunt you down... more than likely with an aircraft.



2. I like the Infiltrator/Combat Engineer role myself. On the offensive you can sneak right up on peeps (if you're careful) and unload on them. During/after the hack you can set up motion sensors, turrets and mines. If a MAX bothers your squad you can set up a claymore or 2 on it in just a few seconds for some major damage.



3. Galaxy Pilot



4. I'm sure they'll have more once the game streets but right now there are 3 servers you can play on, and they are stress testing a sever or two nightly. Yes, it's like EQ where you pick which sever to play on, and your characters are specific to that server.



5. The 2+ person vehicles work great - better than I expected, really. When you stand close to one of these you'll see markers on the ground that tell you where to stand to "mount up" as a particular position. If you stand on the one that looks like a pistol and hit the Use key you will mount as gunner. And, you are just that... no control over the vehicle but you have a weps screen just as if you were on your own with a weapon.



6. For the most part the classes are well spread out. Even when you can't find a big transport driver most eveyone has their own small vehicle certification. While using personal vehicles isn't the optimal mode of Squad movement it sure is faster than walking. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/wink.gif ALT=";)">



7. I would say classes matter more in PS than in EQ. For instance, if you run an assault on a base with only light infantry and a Hacker what are you going to do if an opposing faction shows up with aircraft or mech? If the enemy destroys the equipment terminals or generator and you don't have an Engineer, how exactly do you plan on rearming/respawning/resupplying even if you capture the base? This is just one example. There's no set plan for squads... not like the old "Trinity" in EQ. My favorite Squad is Hacker, Combat Engineer, AA MAX, AV MAX, AI MAX, Galaxy Pilot, and the rest would be medium or heavy infantry.



8. Exp is gained by using things or visiting places for the first time, helping to hack or hacking abase, and blowing stuff/people up. As you gain levels you gain Certification Points that allow you to use new items and weapons. You also gain an implant slot every 6 levels (maximum of 3 implants). The person with higher levels may have an implant such as "Darlight" that let's them see people in Infiltration suits (even when they hold still). Kind of hard to be Mister Stealth when peeps can see you plain as day. lol They also may have many certs/abilities... you whack them in a Reinfirced Armor suit and the next time you see them just a few minutes later they're ripping you apart with an AI MAX.



9. Certificates are purchased using your earned Cert Points at any Certification Terminal under your faction's control. They're all over tha place.



10. The graphics are pretty good. Best I've seen in a networkable FPS.



11. There is no money. Having a certification in something gives you the ability to just walk up and get that item from equipment and vehicle terminals.


Say NO to overly-broad EULAs. Your computer is YOURS and so is the content on it. If you do not protect and defend your own privacy then expect it to be violated.



Estral [RETIRED until SOE rescinds or corrects the 02/2003 EULA changes]

High Elven Cleric

Lucid Chimera</p>

[Turential]

The sniper role is not for everyone in this game, as been said many times in the beta forums.. along with everyone yelling about how much snipers suck. The pro's and con's of sniping are kind of hard to say concidering I only really played around with sniping for 2 days before i unlearned the certification for a more support type role (heavy weapons).



Sniping is exactly what it is irl, not like other games where the maps are small and the places to snipe are usually taken and or usually looked at.. this world is FILLED with places to snipe from, and the possibilities are limitless. The player maps are extreemly big, and the best way to get around is to fly as a sniper, land your vehicle, get in a spot.. and NEVER MOVE YOUR CROSSHAIR. Why never move your crosshair, because you CAN NOT track people in this game, the cone of fire jumps too big the second you move it, and this is a reason people are bitching on the beta boards. Personally, i've been mowed down by some smart ass snipers before. For instance 2 nights ago while capturing a base where the Control Console was on the top, and we were sitting out on the vehicle pads up top, I get hit out of nowhere for around 75

% of my life, right then and there I knew it was a sniper, and I knew where it was comming from, but it was such a large distance, and I couldnt quite get into my reaver since we still had about 7 minutes left on the hack, i go back inside go back to the hacked terminal and suit up to regain my armor, go outside and he hits me twice and I die. Okay so the medic comes out (which is what he wanted) and revives me, and 3 of my teamates come out, and our AA max goes searching the hillside. He takes me out again, and kills one of my teamates... WHILE the medic was reviving us he takes out the medic and a galaxy comes down, and around 3 infantry, and a max hot drop (jump out of the Galaxy) on the landing pad and take out our MAX inside, while our other AA max is on the hillside, they re-hacked the base and completely screwed us over. Needless to say, some snipers are smart, and it's not a role for everyone.



-Tur


</p>

[Aarthebs]

Sniping is fine, in my opinion. SoE intentionally put heavy restrictions on the sniper rifle to prevent the L337 S//|P3R from taking out entire squads just because he picked up a weapon... As you can see from Turential's story, being a sniper in PS means brains and patience. Most of the whiners on the Beta boards are just whiners from other FPS's who are pissed that their one-trick style got the shaft. Every suit of armor, with the exception of the "armorless" infiltration suit, can take at least 2 shots from a sniper rifle before dying (at full health). Thus a sniper falls into their role as a long-range supporter and not a one-man army. This makes good snipers very similar to their real-world counterparts in that they are both rare and feared. Instead of commonplace and irritating. Turential's story is a very good example of how a Smart Sniper paired with a Smart Squad can make for a devastating combonation.



I would say that they've done a very good job at balancing powers so far. Everything is kept very simple and most of the "specialized" field abilities like Medic and Hacking can be done with limited or even no training at all - those who train are just MUCH faster and more efficient with their work, as well as get some unique abilities. But the CORE powers behind the abilities (healing a friend, hacking a tower) are open to just about everyone. I think there definitely needs some tweaking to the main system, but SoE does seem to be listening and I expect this game to be great when it releases.


<span style="font-size:x-small;">Aartheb</span> (http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=425754)

Grandmaster of Quellious

Human, Honorary Gnome

Nihil (http://www.nihilguild.com) - Bertoxxulous

</p>

[ryum]

"Why never move your crosshair, because you CAN NOT track people in this game, the cone of fire jumps too big the second you move it, and this is a reason people are bitching on the beta boards."





ummm cone of fire? so if you move your crosshairs someone can do more damage to you per shot?


2 Ti 4:7



</p>

you should be able to move the rifle slightly and still have at least a small chance of hitting the target, right now it's impossible it seems


</p>

[ryum]

Ohh you % of hitting a target is lowered to 0 when you move, ehh that makes since. How long does it take for it to get back to the highest %



also does the chance of hitting someone lower while you are moving or just moving the crosshairs



also another question, If a sniper is a pretty good distance away, fairly well hidin. Can you shoot someone and they pretty much have no idea where you are? or when you hit someone does it give an arrow or something showing them where the damage came from.



are there any Penalties for death?



Last thing what empire do you all like and why?

side question what empire do you think would be best for someone that wants to play a sniper.


2 Ti 4:7



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub147.ezboard.com/bmonklybusiness43508.showUserPublicProfile?gid=ryu masters85264@monklybusiness43508>Ryumasters85264</A> at: 4/24/03 10:29:38 pm

[Aarthebs]

The "cone of fire" is an interesting take on accuracy. You have crosshairs in front of you at all times, and when you have a weapon drawn you see 4 white lines at each cardinal point of the crosshairs. These lines represent the area that your shot will go to when fired. When you move around, the lines get farther away from the crosshairs, if you draw an imaginary line in a circle connecting those lines, then you will see the area in which your shot will go. Its random as to just where your shot will travel in a large cone, so obviously its best to stop when shooting so you are much more accurate. Also, crouching lowers the cone by quite a bit, so its very advantages to stop and crouch before shooting. Have you ever played Deus Ex? Its very similar to the aiming system used in that game. I'm sorry if it all sounds confusing, it really isn't once you see it for yourself.



The Sniper Rifle seems to suffer from a penalty where if you are crouching and aiming and move the gun just a little bit, then the Cone of fire gets huge in a big hurry. This makes it very hard to "lead off" a moving target. I think today's patch may have helped that a bit, but this problem was unique to the Sniper Rifle because no other gun gets so innacurate so fast when crouching and moving.



The Sniper rifle fires a rather large, white/blue'ish projectile that has to travel to its target. If you're looking, then you can almost always determine the direction the shot came from. The Sniper rifle is also LOUD so using it in close quarters will usually alert everyone to your presence in a big hurry. It has the unique benefit to zoom really close to its target, closer than any other weapon obviously, so its best used from really far away to lessen the chances that someone will see you or hear you. Its not a close assault weapon at all. First guy I killed in the game was some idiot running around in a base with one. Tried to cap me with it at about 5 feet away and ended up sending his shot about 10 feet to my left. Funny, but it does drive home the fact that a Sniper needs the cooperation of his squad as well as a lot of patience to execute his proper job.



There are virtualy no penalties for death, except you have to re-spawn and are usually out of the action for a while. Death is something everyone will go through a LOT but it is made to be as pain-free (bad pun) as possible. This game features multiple respawn locations. If you control the base you died in then you can respawn in the base's tubes if they are functional. Also there are lesser bases called "towers" that are usually within' a short walking distance of a base that you can opt to respawn at. You almost always have 2 options on a continent, sometimes more depending on how much preparation you underatake by binding at spawn locations. There are also mobile re-spawn and supply vehicles that you can bind at if someone brings one along. Also if you choose NOT to respawn after death then a medic can revive your corpse right where you died. But once you choose to respawn your corpse disappears and your gear becomes available to loot. You can also always choose to re-spawn back at your sanctuary, sometimes the only choice you'll have.



I've only played the Vanu empire so far, haven't had a chance to check out the others. They are not TOO different. All have the same core weapons and technologies and vehicle types. The main difference between empires is the types of advanced weapons they mount. Really I think you could choose any empire at random and be happy there. The sniper rifle is universal for all sides, I think.



Ok so there's some stuff I don't know, but I do enjoy writing my little books... <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/smile.gif ALT=":)">


<span style="font-size:x-small;">Aartheb</span> (http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=425754)

Grandmaster of Quellious

Human, Honorary Gnome

Nihil (http://www.nihilguild.com) - Bertoxxulous

</p>

[ryum]

hmmm the whole not being able to shoot a moving target with a sniper rifle while crouching is a little dishearting. If anything while crouching/stuck in a stationary position a sniper should be very accurate.



I however do agree if you are running the rifle should be about as usefull as a bat, heh.



I was kind of bummed to find out there is no regional shooting, as in if I shoot someone in the head it does more damaged. But for lag reasons it does make since.



I kind of like that the sniper rifle makes a loud sound... kind of lets the people know what to fear, heh and would give them some idea of where the sniper is, but the tracer bullet sounds a bit silly.



Then again I really don't know how much damage these snipers are doing. If 2 snipers are coordinated and dropping people fairly quickly and then killing the medics that come out to heal them ect

Then these penalties do sound justified.


2 Ti 4:7



</p>

[ryum]

here is a video that shows and helps to explain the cone of fire...



It was close to what I was thinking



Enjoy (http://www.planetside.info/nuke/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=getit&lid=13)



heh, been posting questions and such on plantside server and just realized it shows when you registered your user name



ryumasters

Station Member

Registered: Jul 2000



I feel like an old guy askin questions, I have yet to see someone with a registered date older than mine in the planetside forum...





Well I think I have a general plan up for how I want to spend the 20 certs



2 Medium Assult preffered weapon Cycler



3 Sniping Bolt Driver



3 Reinforced Suit so I can carry both rifles and be a little more versatile, hopefully



2 Wraith I like the idea of being able to get the hell out a situation fast, esp if I am sniping



3 Assult Tank for the prowler mostly. So I will have some more versatility in what I can do, and also give me something to do when I don't want to snipe



Havn't decided which Aircraft I want to pilot more the Mosquito, or the Reaver



thus leaving me 8 points to explore with



pretty sure I will almost always leave 3 open in case I need to grab a certain kind of MAX



as for Implants I want



Advanced Targeting

Allows you to see the name and health of enemy characters under your reticule. It also reveals the names of enemies within a vehicle, as well as revealing enemy deployables at a greater range.



for tacticle reasons and to help with sniping



Range Magnifier

Used instead of a weapon's normal zoom function, but has much greater capacity. Zoom levels are 4x, 8x, and 12x.



for scouting, sniping, and its usually a pretty good thing to be able to see whats coming at you.



for the 3rd one I am not sure, so many of them are situational and I am not sure if implants are the only or main way to use stanima, but if it is I would want to pick something that does use the stamina. No need for a useless always filled bar, heh.


2 Ti 4:7



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub147.ezboard.com/bmonklybusiness43508.showUserPublicProfile?gid=ryu masters85264@monklybusiness43508>Ryumasters85264</A> at: 4/25/03 6:10:13 am

The latest PS patch enhances the accuracy of the sniper rifle quite a bit it sounds like. I haven't tested it yet but I will tonight!





BC


</p>

[Turential]

lol ryu, I just found my pw to when i beta'd EQ, seems i beat ya by a few months =D



foxrunner

Station Member

Registered: Apr 1999



and just incase u may not believe me

boards.station.sony.com/u...07022.html (http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/planetside/Forum2/HTML/007022.html)



not trying to prove anything, just happy i found my old account. =)



-Tur



EDIT**



I've tried most of the implants, and so far the most usefull (to me) has been advanced targeting. Being able to know when to run away and when to keep fighting seems more important to me. And since almost everyone has DarkLight, I don't need to worry about it much. I'm just hoping that the Regeneration of Stamina in Vehicles is equal to crouching, because before you wouldnt regain any stamina while piloting a vehicle (which is the reason I took out advanced targeting for shield).



ATM i'm br 11

Reinforced Exo Suit-3- (Extra slots are the main reason to get this, the added 50 armor doesnt help all that much against the big gunners, also note you CANNOT ride in any vehicles other than open topped vehicles while wearing reinforced)



Medium Assault-2- (Pre-Requisite)



Heavy Assault-4- (Chain gun is by far the best assault weapon, closest to MAX type weapons, and the cone of fire is really small makes it easy to cover fire for teamates)



Reaver-4- (This is probably my favorite, being able to get to point A to B w/o having to worry about the terrain is the best. Rockets are kinda weak, 5 shots normally will kill infantry, maxes usually take 15-20 rockets.



Probably going for... engineering after this, laying mines and fixing my reaver will be a nice addition to my already leading assault type role.



-Tur


</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub147.ezboard.com/bmonklybusiness43508.showUserPublicProfile?gid=tur ential>Turential</A> at: 4/25/03 10:24:45 am

[ryum]

innocently looks back at the thread ya posted... heh



anyhow, Yeah i forgot about



also note you CANNOT ride in any vehicles other than open topped vehicles while wearing reinforced



that, but thats cool. Will do the drivering in those vehicles when i plan to just use my cycler



Plus I really think I will be using a wraith more than anything else... given they are as fast as the site says they are.

I think I am going to be playing a scoutish position most the time.



In other games scouts are rarely needed, and only usually picked cause they have the fastest run speed.

In this game you can actually do some important recon for your squad








2 Ti 4:7



</p>

[Turential]

While recon is extreemly important, you may want to think about a few things with getting a wraith. SOME (not all) maps have extreemly rough terrain, making it nearly impossible NOT to be in the middle of battle just to get somewhere. I personally like the mosq for recon, it gets you there fast, and when your under 50% speed your virtually invisible (can't be seen on radar). Also with the Mosq you bypass all terrain difficulties. Now the one good thing about the wraith is it is fast for a ground vehicle, and it can be stealthed, i'm not sure what speed you have to be going in order to be completely stealthed.. probably under 30%... none the less a great thing to have.



Hackers/Ghosts are definately an important thing to have in squads... recon missions are extreemly fun, nothing quite like hot dropping on an enemy base, and running to the cc w/o an infiltration suit, WHILE theres people walking around. Kind of a splinter cell type enviroment, it's extreemly entertaining =). But yeah, for recon most people use mosq's for their speed and agility, sleakness and versatility. You can hot drop over a base at 400M altitude (highest you can go), land on the roof.. hack the doors and sneak to the CC. I havent yet tried the advanced sight implant, but i'm sure you'd definately like that.



-Tur


</p>

[Lenardo]

i snipe with my lightning :P setup on a hillside and heh heh eh tops of towers are toast - take oout the 2 guns and wreak havoc on anyone trying to get a tactical advantage


Brother Lenardo Draconis

65th Transcendant of the Celestial Fists

The First Seal

The Nameless

Magelo ('http://www.magelo.com/eq_view_profile.html?num=329805')

Monk Website ('http://www.monkly-business.com')
</p>

[ryum]

hmmm sniping with a tank... Never even thought about that, heh. What kind of range do the tanks have?



Also do the shells/energy particles/ect fly pretty slow where you have to lead your shots way ahead of a target?



yeah I think you are right about the mosq, from my understanding it is like the wraith but for the air, heh.



Plus I can see the uncovering the enemies being pretty important for recon.








2 Ti 4:7



</p>Edited by: <A HREF=http://pub147.ezboard.com/bmonklybusiness43508.showUserPublicProfile?gid=ryu masters85264@monklybusiness43508>Ryumasters85264</A> at: 4/26/03 2:32:16 pm