planetside-next
Latest
Beta and bucks: John Smedley discusses PlanetSide 2's future
In an interview with Chinese site 17173.com, SOE's John Smedley shared some revealing details about PlanetSide 2, including the fact that the upcoming MMO shooter will be free. MMOsite carried the English version of the story early this morning, but there were a few points that were lost in translation. So we contacted Smedley for clarification, and he said that while he had previously mentioned that the game will be "some form of free-to-play," SOE is not prepared to announce specifics just yet, but we should "expect something that will be very player friendly." He mentioned that a Blizzard-style auction house won't be a part of that plan but that he was fond of what League of Legends had done with its system. It's also his opinion that Star Wars: The Old Republic will be the last large-scale MMO with a subscription fee. "The game looks great," Smedley commented, "and I will be playing myself. BioWare is doing an awesome job." Smedley also made mention of PlanetSide 2's beta schedule. SOE is aiming to begin wider testing of the title later this year or early next year in North America, but the company doesn't know for sure just yet. PlanetSide 2 is aiming to be bigger and better than the original, with battlefields holding up to 2,000 players at the same time, a flexible skill system that allows players to fine-tune their troops and engage in crafting, and a struggle to control territory between three factions. Interestingly enough, Smedley said that the factions might not always be at each other's throats; the PlanetSide 2 team has plans to launch PvE world events such as alien invasions where all players will put aside their differences to combat a shared threat.
PlanetSide 2 mashes up MMO and FPS once again
Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide Next didn't make it out in the first half of the year, and it's no longer called PlanetSide Next, but it's still coming. During its Fan Faire event, SOE officially took the wraps off of PlanetSide 2, the sequel to its MMO FPS Players in one of three empires (the Terran Republic, the New Conglomerate, or the Vanue Sovereignty) will be able to customize their fighter, vehicle, and weaponry, and build up the character with "ranks, unlockable traits, and skill sets." Creative director Matt Higby talked up the "massive scale of PlanetSide battles" in the announcement. The new game is being built in SOE's new Forgelight engine, and will feature Nvidia's PhysX tech for in-game physics. Check out a new trailer above, and some new screens in our gallery, and then get right back to waiting -- SOE tellingly declined to provide a date, saying only that it's "currently in development" for PC.%Gallery-128006%
The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire survival guide
It's hard to believe, but in just a couple of weeks, Fan Faire will once again be upon us. What started as a simple fan celebration eight years ago has become a massive showcase of Sony Online Entertainment games, fan spirit, and of course, amazing costumes. There's a lot going on, and the weekend really flies by quickly. Whether you're going for the first time or you're a multi-year vet, this week's Tattered Notebook offers up several handy tips to help you make the most of Fan Faire. Read on for all the details!
PlanetSide Next to be unveiled at SOE Fan Faire
Even eight years after its launch, Sony Online Entertainment's PlanetSide still retains a healthy (and borderline fanatical) playerbase. This is almost certainly owed largely to the fact that PlanetSide remains one of the scant few MMOFPS games on the market. PlanetSide players, though, have been thirsting for more for quite some time. Thankfully, it appears the wait will soon be over. Rumors have been flying for what seems like ages alongside a few sparse screenshots, but PlanetSide Next will soon be officially unveiled at the upcoming SOE Fan Faire this July. John Smedley, President of SOE, announced on his Twitter, "For all you PlanetSide Next fans, stay tuned for a big announcement at our upcoming Fan Faire in Vegas!" You heard the man! Keep your weapons in their holsters for just a while longer and keep an eye on Massively because we'll be sure to have all the freshest information as soon as it's out.
Rise and Shiny recap: PlanetSide
The only thing I can tell you for sure about the gameplay in PlanetSide is that it seems to be a battle that is constantly on recycle. You take over a base, and the enemy takes over another. You shoot a dozen enemies, and they shoot a dozen of yours. You get shot out of the sky, then you mount a gun and blow someone else out of the air. It's never-ending, an endless war over territory and pride. This is all the technical stuff. Why are we fighting? I have no idea. I'm sure there is plenty of lore on the website or wiki, some fantastic explanation for what exactly my motive is in getting myself murdered over and over, but honestly I don't care. I have played PlanetSide off and on over the past several years, and I just needed to play it at this time. The week prior was a rough one, filled with glitchy games and articles that did not come out exactly how I wanted them to. It was, for a stay-at-home writer, a rough week. I needed PlanetSide to give me some fun. Some real, tangible, tasty, blow-'em-up fun. Click past the cut and I'll tell you what I found.
The Perfect Ten: Sequelitis
As a long-time movie buff, I've always been fascinated by sequels. I know, they have a terrible reputation and everyone gets this face like he's digesting a porcupine when discussing them, but there's something fun about them as well. I think we always want a good story to continue, to see what happens next, and to answer the question, "What would the first film be like if it were put in the hands of a complete boob?" It would be an entertaining trainwreck, that's what. Even though the MMORPG genre is in its toddler stage, it's seen a number of sequels, prequels and spin-offs, just the same as other types of entertainment. Video game sequels for hit titles are safer financial investments than striking out into new territory, so it makes sense that MMO studios would follow this pattern as well. Right now there are loads of MMO sequels and spin-offs in the works -- including EverQuest Next, PlanetSide Next, Guild Wars 2, Mabinogi 2, MapleStory 2, Phantasy Star Online 2, Dust 514, and even a possible Ultima Online sequel -- so it's safe to say that the trend won't be dying down anytime soon. However, today I want to look at 10 sequels that already made it to release and briefly examine how they stacked up to their predecessors. Oh yes, there will be blood after the jump -- and I will drink your milkshake!
PlanetSide Next producer's letter hints at dev team expansion
News of PlanetSide Next has been scarcer than we'd like of late, so it was with marked interest that we devoured the preview of a new producer letter from Sony Online Entertainment's Andrew Sites. PlanetSide Universe has the early scoop on the document, which alludes to an expansion of the PlanetSide sequel's development roster to include "several team members from the original PlanetSide art, design, and code team." While Sites doesn't name names or offer much in the way of additional details, he does tease the fact that future producer letters will introduce both team members and game features, beginning with the next update.
PlanetSide Next delayed, receiving resources from The Agency cancellation
Speaking to PlanetSide Universe, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley confirmed that the upcoming PlanetSide MMO, codenamed "PlanetSide Next," would not be making its intended first-half of the year launch. SOE is "pulling out all the stops to make it great" when it's released "later in the year." PlanetSide Next will be the beneficiary of "additional resources" from the cancellation of The Agency. The update on PlanetSide Next is directly tied to last week's mass layoffs within SOE. The company eliminated 205 jobs, shut down The Agency and closed three studios.
SOE layoffs affect timetable for PlanetSide Next [Updated]
Last week we got the bad news that Sony Online Entertainment laid off 205 employees and shuttered the Denver, Seattle, and Tucson studios. The announcement was coupled with the news that that The Agency, the long-anticipated "spy-fi" MMO, was also being canceled. The intent, SOE said, was to focus on its upcoming MMOs based on its extant IPs: PlanetSide Next and EverQuest Next. However, in the wake of all the layoffs, there will also apparently be a delay in the development time-frame for PlanetSide Next. According to a statement by John Smedley, President of Sony Online Entertainment, the game "will be out a little later in the year" but the team is focused on "pulling out all the stops to make it great." It's sad news, but we're certain that a lot of PlanetSide fans would rather have a great, polished game over a game pushed out quickly to meet a now-unrealistic development schedule. Update: SOE's John Smedley has posted several reassuring comments to the PlanetSide Universe forums: Recently (a few weeks ago actually) we made the call to update the game to a new internally developed engine. Doing that meant delaying the game, but we thought it was in the best interests of PlanetSide Next. It also means delaying releasing further info for a little while. I will let you all know more when we firm up the schedule. The likely next step is a larger scale release of information and the beta signups going up. As I've said previously current Planetside subs will be included automatically. Normally when we do game announcements we do a much bigger concerted information push all at once and these kind of one off posts don't happen. In this case I feel like the PlanetSide audience has hung in with us for a long time and I really want to involve you all more in advance of the official info. However what happens is everything gets carried across the net and the actual info gets changed. I'm sorry for that happening. We will do our best to keep you informed early. But that necessarily means that sometimes when things change you have to be ready for that too. (Thanks to Matt for the tip!)
The Game Archaeologist goes PlanetSide: The fansite
Famous PvPer George S. Patton once said that "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other n00b die for his." We here at Game Archaeologist University applaud that line of thinking, especially when we want to be entertained. This perhaps explains the long-lasting appeal of PlanetSide. Another working theory is that Sony Online Entertainment is into witchcraft. For an MMO I never gave much of a thought past "Huh, that's still around?" PlanetSide's surprised me with such a loyal -- and literate -- playerbase. Ever since starting this column, I've never received so many emails about an MMO. Memories and fearless love run strong in this community, and that intrigues me. What have I overlooked? Has PlanetSide proven that our ancestors' DNA contained the hybrid FPS/MMO gene, a gene that was passed down to a select group of winners? In my quest to unwrap the formula of cult success, I first paid a visit to the folks over at PlanetSide Universe, one of the most established PlanetSide fan sites on the web. Hit the jump to have your mind blown -- and your internal organs donated against your will by a rocket launcher!
First PlanetSide Next character model revealed
He's tough, he's gruff, and he ain't going down without a fight: This is the Terran Republic Soldier in PlanetSide Next. While we've seen a number of vehicle models for the upcoming MMOFPS, this is the first PlanetSide Next character model to grace the public domain. SOE has been using fansite PlanetSide Universe to promote the game by passing along exclusive pictures, although the studio has remained tight-lipped about the project as a whole (and has yet to release a PlanetSide Next website). The character model here -- a grim, dark-eyed soldier with a buzz cut -- shows a much higher level of detail and resolution than PlanetSide's current avatars. The red, black and grey color scheme puts the Terran Republic in somewhat of a sinister light. You can catch up on all of the revealed pictures of PlanetSide Next in the gallery below. %Gallery-115730%
Planetside Next is abuzz about the Mosquito
How close is this game to release? Planetside Next is dropping images, images, and more images. Now, Sony Online Entertainment released yet another exclusive image to the Planetside Universe fan site. However, we are just teased again. Fans scarcely have any information on what seems to be the next release from SOE, but there is some hope. Planetside Universe promises to have another exclusive on the Auraxis Global Network tomorrow, February 12th, at 8 p.m. EST. One thing can be said about this teaser: this is definitely the Mosquito. Some fans questioned if last Friday's reveal of the Reaver may have been the Planetside Next answer to the the original Planetside hover-copter. Now players will be sure to know what vehicle just blasted through their armor. It is always a comfort to know exactly what shot you before you die. Buzz on over to the official forums or make a note in the comments below to speak your mind about the next evolution of this game. [Thank you Kyle for the tip!]
The Game Archaeologist goes PlanetSide: The highlights
Unlike fantasy, the sci-fi genre has had a rocky relationship with MMORPGs. While studios have tried just as hard to make and promote them, there seems to be a curse that hovers over most of these games. From the canceled (Earth & Beyond, The Matrix Online, Tabula Rasa) to the radically retinkered (Star Wars Galaxies) to the relatively niche (Anarchy Online, Star Trek Online), sci-fi struggles to be seen as relevant and embraced as its bigger brother. That isn't to say that these games or the genre is worthless, just that it's a harder sell to both investors and players to throw players into the future than the mythical past. Fortunately, the industry hasn't given up on these games, and some of these titles -- such as EVE Online -- have proven that they're worth pursuing. And if science fiction is a difficult sell, first-person shooters are doubly difficult in the MMO space. After all, it's not as though the world is suffering a shortage of FPS titles that can be played without a monthly subscription. To convince players to part with a monthly payment, the studio has to make a powerful, compelling case as to why its MMOFPS is worthy of that premium price. Enter PlanetSide, circa 2003. While sci-fi MMOs, multi-faction PvP and online shooters had been done separately at that point, PlanetSide stepped up to the plate to combine all three into a persistent war on an alien planet. Due to popular demand, this month we'll be setting our sights to the far reaches of the galaxy and beyond as we explore one of the more unique MMOs in existence. Today let's take a look at what made PlanetSide a unique twinkle in SOE's eyes by counting down the highlights of this futuristic war.
Five by five: PlanetSide Next reveals the Reaver
For a new MMO that's supposedly launching this year, we've heard precious little about the tentatively titled PlanetSide Next so far. Today, our knowledge grows by an inch as PlanetSide Universe got its hands on an exclusive picture of one of the new ships of the game, the Reaver. Like the ships in other screenshots we've seen, this is a model and not necessarily representative of the actual vehicle in-game. Still, it definitely looks like it means business, and evokes the image of modern attack helicopters minus the rotor blades. SOE's John Smedley has talked up this MMO sequel as having "massive battles on a scale no other FPS will touch." The studio is looking at late Q1/early Q2 2011 for a release window for the game. The first beta testers will be current PlanetSide players, so if you want to get a look at the future, it may behoove you to jump on board the present. %Gallery-115730%
Massively's exclusive look at Line of Defense, a new MMOFPS
We all enjoy a good shooter, don't we? It's even more fun if we can play it with dozens (if not hundreds) of our closest friends, so we were excited to hear about the new MMOFPS that 3000AD and Derek Smart are making and will publishing through Quest Online. It sounds like there will be some cool twists and unique innovations in this new title, a game called Line of Defense, so we were happy to ask someone at the source. Mr. Smart, President of QOL, was kind enough to give us the scoop on this upcoming game. Grab a comfortable seat, because this interview has a lot of information for you to digest. Check it out after the cut! [Update: We've added some additional exclusive screenshots to the gallery, courtesy of Derek Smart. We also corrected the information about the proper publisher and creator of the game.] %Gallery-115480%
Smedley tweets PlanetSide Galaxy transport image
Oh John Smedley, you coy devil! The enterprising Sony Online Entertainment bossman has dropped another PlanetSide Next tease bomb on the frothing faithful, this time in the form of a new concept model from the upcoming massively multiplayer shooter. Fans of the original PlanetSide will no doubt remember the Galaxy heavy troop transport, and an updated version of the model is now viewable along with the previously released image of what appears to be a New Conglomerate tank. The Galaxy ship was a gargantuan heavy hauler, capable of stuffing nine infantry and two MAX (Mechanized Armored Exo-Suit) units into its ample cargo hold. Fan website PlanetSide Universe notes that this is a preliminary model and not an in-game asset, and the site also managed to get a tiny bit of additional info from Smedley regarding the reveal. "The Galaxy plays an even more pivotal role in the new game," he told the website, while his Twitter announcement is a decidedly more cryptic "I love me some Galaxy!" [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Smedley entices us with the first image from PlanetSide Next
John Smedley, the President of Sony Online Entertainment, is a big tease. Players are clamoring for information about all the new games SOE is releasing this year: DC Universe Online just released, but fans already want to know more about the promised monthly updates. We're all looking forward to The Agency, which has been quiet for about nine months and is rumored to come out this year. Then there's PlanetSide Next, which seems to be on the tip of Smedley's tongue, too. His hints about beta testing suggest the game will launch this year as well. Imagine the speculation that erupted when Smedley tweeted, "NC ftw!" then a link to the picture above. What does it mean? We suspect "NC" stands for "New Conglomerate" from PlanetSide. Is that a New Conglomerate tank? It has to be; Rock, Paper, Shotgun agrees. Is Smedley teasing us with the idea that we can battle in tanks in PlanetSide Next? We can only hope so. It looks like SOE's got some exciting things planned for us in the coming year!
Free Realms PS3 due 'sometime early Feb.,' Planetside Next in Q1 or Q2
Sony Online Entertainment just did the impossible and launched an MMO on a console ... and it's got several more on the way in the near future. According to SOE president John Smedley, the long-awaited PS3 release of Free Realms has been submitted to Sony and will be out soon. "If I was a betting man," Smedley told Eurogamer, "I'm betting sometime early February it gets launched on the PS3 in SCEA. And probably, and this is a guess, sometime in March for SCEE. And that will use a free-to-play business model on PS3." And that's not all! The Planetside sequel currently code-named Planetside Next is on the way to unspecified platforms. "We're looking at late first-quarter, early second-quarter [2011]," Smedley said. He even reaffirmed plans to release The Agency in the second half of 2011. "We're not giving out a specific date yet because we don't know it," he said. In addition to those, "There are [unannounced projects]," Smedley said. "Can't even disclose a number, but a lot."
SOE's Smedley says MMO copycats incoming, drops hints on PlanetSide Next release
Big things are happening at SOE these days, and whether you're talking about the newly minted DC Universe Online or the company's PlanetSide followup and spy-centric The Agency, it's an exciting time to be a fan. Eurogamer brings us a bit of info regarding potential release windows for both PlanetSide Next and The Agency, and the former looks to be gracing our desktops much sooner than we expected given the general lack of information to date. "We're looking at late first quarter, early second quarter [2011]," says SOE head honcho John Smedley in regard to the long-awaited PlanetSide sequel. Players will have to wait a bit longer to get their espionage fix, as The Agency is still slated to arrive "late this year." Why so long? It boils down to SOE's desire to differentiate itself from the competition. "There's some stuff coming out in the next two or three months, MMO-wise, and a lot of it is generic copycats of other games," Smedley tells Eurogamer. He also talks a bit about the impending arrival of Free Realms on the Playstation 3, intimating that the free-to-play title will spread its console wings in early February.
Smedley talks DCUO launch and Planetside Next beta
Those of you pining away for a new Planetside MMO might want to perk up your ears and mark those calendars. SOE president John Smedley dropped a hint on his personal blog that 2011 will bring the announcement that MMO shooter fans the world over have been craving: Planetside Next beta. Smedley stays coy in terms of details but does put in a plug for re-upping your Planetside sub if you haven't already. "I can say this -- it's coming along awesome. I can also say that the first beta testers are going to be current Planetside subscribers," he writes. The blog also mentions SOE's forthcoming DC Universe Online, and Smedley says that a launch date is coming "in the very near future."
