Our review-in-progress for SOE's newly released MMOFPS, PlanetSide 2, continues today with part two. In this latest installment, we focus on the game's infantry experience.

Infantry are also essential to capturing enemy territory. You can bring all the airpower in the world but you’re not going to be able to bomb an enemy base over to your side’s control. You need boots on the ground to capture points and disable power generators that power the base’s various shields. In fact, the shields on the outer edge of an enemy base block vehicles (but not infantry) from entry, so if you even want ground vehicles to participate in the inner-base battle you’re going to need some grunts to take out the power generators in order to allow the armor to roll in.

Read more of Michael Bitton's PlanetSide 2: Review-in-Progress - Part 2: Infantry.

The more I played PS2 the more I missed the whole feel of PS1 - I came to the conclusion that it's fundamentally a more of mass shooter game that doesn't have much appeal to me.

I loved PS1, I find the sequel is meant for a very different audience. 

I think Light Assault is the only class without a really useful special.. Sure they can jetpack, but it's not really useful during a fight, and some spots you would have to unlock all the levels of it in order to reach.. Most rooftops have access from jump pads, and you have to unlock your C-4 to be able to do any damage to vehicles..

I think they should allow Light Assault troopers to capture points at a faster rate than other infantry types.. These should be looked at as the "spec ops" guys that go in ahead of the main force and secure it. (no not infiltrator, who is more like the sniper in an ops team, disables shields to let them in and supports them from afar)

I have a few questions.

1) How smooth is the gameplay?  How does it compare with the top FPS games?  I haven't really played FPS games since Unreal Tournament, Q3, Battlefield 1942 but if a shooter doesn't have great responsiveness then I quit really fast.

2) How big is the download?

3) I assume there are no "maps"?  It's just world PVP with bases?  Do people choose factions?

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Vyeth:
On a light you can spend points in hacking to capture stuff quicker.

Frodo:
It's an amazingly good engine when you consider how many players it handles, but you need a fairly good computer to play it.

16gb

There are 3 continents. Each is a zone not an instance with a fully persistent war constantly raging. The continents are huge, I would guess about 5 times the size of a WvW map.
Yeah you choose 1 of 3 factions. If you ever played daoc its a simmilar setup but with tanks and gunships and what have you rather than catapults and trebuchets.

OK.  TY for info.

16 gigs and needing a good computer will have me holding off for a bit I think.  I tend to lag in MMOs with a good number of players on the screen as it is.

Originally posted by Geminiv
Been playing a "infiltraitor" Sniper most of the time an haveing played BF3 when i pull off a pefectly timed head shot from player loading on my screen distance (another thing that bugs me haveing limited loading distance)  all i get is 100xp same as any jarhead with the Alot easyer to use (or just spray an pray) LMG or Carbine which i've tryed an rack up 3 or so kills before im tanken out to spawn meters away to jump back in an rack up more kills just feels like "skill" is not rewarded right now which is a shame cos im loveing the game.

First of all, don't use the term jarhead. Second, I play infiltrator a lot too and I find the xp rewarded for "skill" at 100 is fine considering that I am not on the front lines getting destroyed every 30 seconds. Lastly, you need to learn basic english contratcions, lol.

Originally posted by FrodoFragins

Originally posted by ShakyMo
Vyeth:
On a light you can spend points in hacking to capture stuff quicker.

Frodo:
It's an amazingly good engine when you consider how many players it handles, but you need a fairly good computer to play it.

16gb

There are 3 continents. Each is a zone not an instance with a fully persistent war constantly raging. The continents are huge, I would guess about 5 times the size of a WvW map.
Yeah you choose 1 of 3 factions. If you ever played daoc its a simmilar setup but with tanks and gunships and what have you rather than catapults and trebuchets.

OK.  TY for info.

 

16 gigs and needing a good computer will have me holding off for a bit I think.  I tend to lag in MMOs with a good number of players on the screen as it is.

Yea you will probably lag alot. think 30-100 players on a screen at a time. I just bought a new pc and its running smooth for me. some people with even better systems complain about lag and framerate issues so go figure /shrugs. Like shanky said there are 3 zones..... but seems to be even larger then he sais lol they are HUGE.

This means you actually get fewer points for actively healing players (since you are rewarded heal experience for the amount of time you’re healing a particular player) than you would if you just let them die, resurrected them, and healed up whatever damage is left over. I’ve done this by the way; it’s a pretty cynical way to play, but unfortunately it works.

I actually saw a Vanu medic like this the other day, I was on MAX equipped with dual gatlings in one of our base, I had an awesome spot on top of a tower with the Vanu infantry being directly under me and I noticed the medic only ressed the other two guys as I killed them.

I kept killing them for a while for some frags until the medic started to annoy me enough and wasted him too. Feel free to be an awesome team mate like this as long as you dont play as TR ;)

I'll have to disagree with the infantry being mostly useful more or less against tanks and aircraft, when I'm on my Prowler or Liberator the only infranty to pose any threat to me is the heavy assault. C4 is very rarely a threat against a tank unless in extremely difficult terrain or surroundings, and small arms fire basically just scrathes the paint off from air craft.

Engineer turret should have AT-rounds upgrade available and light assault maybe AT-grenades or something. If there's no heavy assaults on the enemy side (there always is) I could roll around all day on my Prowler farming XP. That's why I dont stay as infantry for very long times since my hands are tied against armor because I dont like the straight forward style of heavy assault and never play as one.

Originally posted by mCalvert
I disagree about being effective against armor or air. It takes a ton of certs to even unlock the anti vehicle weapons, and then they dont do much dmg, and you cant carry many rounds. Maybe this is just balance, and maybe it just reinforces ream play, but Im still afraid of armor and air as a heavy assault. One hit and youre dead. 4 hits on a tank and maybe you kill it. Air just flares and runs away.

The RPG for the HA is the default RPG you get for free.  You don't have to spend any certs or money to get it.  You can upgrade it with certs or money though.  About four rounds to the rear of a tank will take it out.  You carry more than four rounds.  It takes more to shoot it in the front armor but that's not very smart.  Tanks, in game and in reality, have more armor up front.  Infantry killing tanks can be done solo if you are able to use cover well and the tank doesn't have supporting infantry (which is surprisingly realistic in modern infantry tactics terms because tanks should never travel without supporting infantry by US Army doctrine).  These aren't really meant to be used solo though.  Just like in the real military, Infantry AT works in teams to destroy tanks.  You aren't a hero in PS2, you are just another grunt on the battlefield.  You have to work as a team to accomplish things.  This isn't CoD where it's a bunch of individuals running around trying to rack up kills.

BTW, I have always hated FPSs because they were mostly about who could push the buttons fastest.  There was very little team work and very little tactics above the squad/individual level.  I was an Infantry officer for 9 years and really love combined arms tactics at the brigade/battalion/company level.  I know a bit about real tactics at the small unit level but am not an expert by any means.  Although not perfect, PS2 forces you to use real world tactics to be most effective.  I'm really awed, and pissed when it's the other factions, by the groups that can organize their teams and take a base using the combined arms the game provides.  It's the first FPS game that I have really enjoyed.  It has its flaws but, so far, I'm really enjoying it. 

The biggest flaw from a tactical stand point, imo, is how ineffective AAA fire is.  Aircraft should not be able to ignore AAA fire.  Taking out the AAA batteries should be the first objective of any assault, after the recon of course.  Usually it's done with specialized aircraft, using ecm to approach or those radar seeking missiles, or with ground based artillery.  The lack of artillery is another flaw that hurts the combined arms realism.  They really should find a way to implement some type of artillery/mortars.  There is also no indirect fire ability at the squad level to hit enemy in defilade.  A good M203 type indirect fire individual weapon would increase the tactical play of the game (yes, I know they have grenades but it's not the same).  Being able to lob a grenade over someone's cover from decent range is very effective.  Lastly, I wish they would implement scouting in the game to mean more.  Hitting Q to identify enemy is a good start but I would like to see them take it further.  To do this they would also need to make it more lucrative to defend bases.  Right now there is no reward, besides the kills you get, for defending a base.

Anyway, this is all the opinion of someone who doesn't normally like FPS games, mainly plays MMOs, but really likes combined arms tactics on the modern battlefield.  Take it for what it's worth ie not much.

3 worlds, 3 factions,  each faction has different weapons, tanks and aircraft, differences are about 5% spread, so no real benifit to either faction, mostly just prefrences to uniforms and looks

Originally posted by ElirionLoth

Originally posted by mCalvert
I disagree about being effective against armor or air. It takes a ton of certs to even unlock the anti vehicle weapons, and then they dont do much dmg, and you cant carry many rounds. Maybe this is just balance, and maybe it just reinforces ream play, but Im still afraid of armor and air as a heavy assault. One hit and youre dead. 4 hits on a tank and maybe you kill it. Air just flares and runs away.

The RPG for the HA is the default RPG you get for free.  You don't have to spend any certs or money to get it.  You can upgrade it with certs or money though.  About four rounds to the rear of a tank will take it out.  You carry more than four rounds.  It takes more to shoot it in the front armor but that's not very smart.  Tanks, in game and in reality, have more armor up front.  Infantry killing tanks can be done solo if you are able to use cover well and the tank doesn't have supporting infantry (which is surprisingly realistic in modern infantry tactics terms because tanks should never travel without supporting infantry by US Army doctrine).  These aren't really meant to be used solo though.  Just like in the real military, Infantry AT works in teams to destroy tanks.  You aren't a hero in PS2, you are just another grunt on the battlefield.  You have to work as a team to accomplish things.  This isn't CoD where it's a bunch of individuals running around trying to rack up kills.

 

 

I was just opposing the comment in the op about not fearing armor.

Well for a game that drops newbies right into the thick of the action after some crazy speech about defending your faction it does grow on you.

I was lost for the first few days trying to work out certs and what weapons to buy and heck even working out how to equip things properly was an effort but i am enjoying it now i half understand what the hell is going on.

They really need to introduce a proper tutorial if they want to grow the game. Its a fun game once you get into it thou.