PlanetSide

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PlanetSide
Developer(s)	Sony Online Entertainment
Publisher(s)	Sony Online Entertainment
Platform(s)	Windows
Release date(s)	NA May 20, 2003 [1] PAL May 22, 2003 [1]
Genre(s)	MMOFPS
Mode(s)	Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 16+
System requirements	Minimum: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP Pentium III 1.0 GHz or greater 256 MB RAM Direct3D compliant video card with 32MB RAM DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card 56k + Internet connection 3.25 GB hard drive space DirectX 8.1 or greater Recommended: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP Pentium III 1.6 GHz or greater 512 MB RAM Direct3D compliant video card with 64MB+ RAM DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card Broadband Internet connection 3.5 GB hard drive space DirectX 8.1 or greater

PlanetSide is a computer game published by Sony Online Entertainment and released on May 19, 2003. In PlanetSide, three factions fight for territorial control over ten different worlds. Each player controls a soldier from one of the three factions. Players may specialize in a combination of various fields such as: Medical, sniping, heavy weaponry, and aircraft and/or ground vehicle access.

Contents 1 Back-story 2 Gameplay 2.1 Leveling and Experience 2.2 Vehicles 2.3 Weapons 2.4 Organization 3 Updates 3.1 Core Combat 3.2 The Bending 3.3 Aftershock 3.4 PlanetSide Reserves 3.5 The Black Ops 3.6 Gemini Server Merger 3.7 Death of Planetside 4 Planets 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Back-story

After exploring through a deep space wormhole, the "Terran Republic", a highly centralised oligarchic galactic government which had unconditionally ruled humanity for the past 1,112 years, discovered a single habitable planet. Not only was this planet suitable for the sustenance of life, but it also already possessed many native, highly developed, and staggeringly familiar flora. The Science Institute named this planet Auraxis. Taking a keen interest in this aberration, the Republic quickly sent expeditions through the wormhole to explore and colonise the planet. Shortly after arriving, the colonists discovered the remains and technology of a lost and ancient alien species - the Vanu (also called the Ancients, since their original name for themselves was not known). This technology, at first an enigma, proved to be so complex and powerful as to barely be conceivable to human minds, involving levels of energy previously thought to be physically unquantifiable. This allowed for the quick colonisation of the ten continents of Auraxis, the creation of power sources and vehicles for the use of the colonists and, most importantly, it facilitated the development of rebirthing technology. This nanotechnology allowed the Terrans to deconstruct and reconstruct their own bodies, allowing fast transportation across the world. Later on, it was discovered that dead workers could be brought back to life using the technology, revealing a startling new possibility: immortality. Needless to say, the incredible power (and value) of this technology was systemically acknowledged, and despite the enormity of the advances made due to the study of the technology, it was also recognised that humanity had not yet even scratched the surface of any future possibilities. Later on, the discovery that the planet itself had been an artificial construction of the Ancients further served to solidify the realisation that, if left unchecked, Vanu technology would forever and irrevocably change humanity and its future.

Shortly after the rebirthing technology was discovered, however, the wormhole collapsed, cutting the colony off from the Mother Republic and preventing the return of Vanu technology for proper examination. The Republic authorities took measures to hide this fact, while desperately exhausting all theoretical options for re-establishing the traversability of the wormhole. Meanwhile, as widespread usage of the technology grew, the Republic began to fear the potential repercussions of allowing so much power to be shifted so quickly into the hands of so many people. Namely, it feared that the rebirthing technology and the potential impunity to death, disease, and pain it afforded would cause massive philosophical shifts amongst the isolated population, thus pulling out one leg of the tripod that had sustained the Republic for a millennium: that of deterrence. More generally, the military feared that if utilisation of the technology continued to spread, that the other two bases might come away as well: a populace armed with practically god-like power would have very little need of a strong authoritarian body to provide structure and purpose to their lives. Based on these trepidations, the Republic began to restrict usage of the new technologies, and halted all further research and development involving the Ancient Tech.

It was too late, however, and their concerns began to materialise earlier than they had expected. As research diminished, so too did hopes of reopening the wormhole. As news of this began to escape the scientific community, general dissension set in. Amongst the populace, a great resultant of the loss of faith in the capability of the Republic (which had always presented itself as infallible) was a split in their loyalties. Two distinct groups emerged: the loyalists and the separatists. The separatists argued that the recent behaviour of the Republic was full of obvious knee-jerk moves and over-reactive mistakes. Claiming that the Republic knew its end was at hand, the separatists advocated breaking away and forming a new society, now that their would-be "oppressors" were isolated and without aid. The loyalists countered that the Republic had never been abusive (a claim hotly debated) and had always looked out for its own, and that the Terran people at least owed them continued loyalty on that point alone. Meanwhile, in the intellectual circles and among the scientific establishment, there had long been the feeling that the Republic was ill at-ease with the possibilities of the New Science, and a movement had begun to sequester and conceal as many of the Vanu artifacts as could be feasibly obtained without overt notice.

As the Terran demographic continued to polarise, these movements finally came to fruition as the predecessors of the "Vanu Sovereignty" made their exodus and took with them the research and artifacts they had managed to stockpile over the Auraxian years. Encouraged by this, the separatists seceded, seizing a number of military stockpiles and procuring a small arsenal of military assets: they called themselves the "New Conglomerate". In a backlash to this, the Republic declared these two factions outlawed, announcing their intentions to reunify with them at all costs. Shortly after this, war broke out amongst the Terrans of Auraxis. As an inhabitant of this world, you must choose to fight for one of the three factions:

• The Terran Republic (TR), a conservative, authoritarian, collectivist nation who strive to regain contact with the homeworld and reunite the warring factions. Their leadership is a public oligarchy known as the Overwatch, composed of various representative officials and their associated Ministries, who regulate allotted portions of society in accordance with their own expertise and the collective will towards favourable outcomes. They believe that authority is the bastion that protects humanity and that in a truly free society, with no Big Brother to guide and watch over citizens, misery and suffering would quickly be visited to all. Furthermore, they regard the Vanu technology as dangerous and disruptive, a chaotic force threatening the stability of their righteous order, and only begrudgingly do they utilise it in warfare. Their vision of the future is one of peace restored through their benevolent rule, and humanity reunited by the reopening of the wormhole. They stand by the view that the Vanu went extinct by meddling with power on the orders of magnitude which was to be found in their artifacts and technologies, and they fear groups such as the Sovereignty will drive humanity to a similar fate, causing as much damage to reality as possible along the way. Their ordinance is characterised by its high rate of fire and correspondingly great ammunition consumption.

• The New Conglomerate (NC), a separatist faction determined to remain free of the controlling and domineering Republic, as well as to liberate the rest of humanity from the Republic, whether or not they share the Conglomerate's theories. Unlike the authoritarian and technocratic TR and VS governments, the NC are fighting for democracy, freedom, and human rights. As a rebel group, their leadership lies with the Revolutionary Command, a visible co-operative of military experts and leaders who direct the liberation efforts as a whole. They feel that any form of control is oppression and that a miserable free man is better off than a contented slave. Consequently, they view the Vanu technology as a potential tool of control, and the Vanu Sovereignty as technocratic tyrants, would-be dictators like the Republic, only under the banner of science and probably much worse. Their view of the future is one of freedom and self-government, where every man elects his own path and flourishes in what ways he sees fit. They rely on ponderous vehicles and slow-firing heavy weaponry, foregoing mobility and tactical flexibility for heavy armour and superior firepower. The NC's democratic philosophy is often their achilles heel militarily, as they lack the iron-fisted leadership structure of the TR and VS. From the New Conglomerate's point of view, however, theirs is the only moral and just cause.

• The Vanu Sovereignty (VS), a loose transhumanist cult of academics, intellectuals, and technology worshippers who believe that human destiny lies in the further development and exploitation of the alien technology. Their leadership is the clandestine Sovereignty Council, the composition of which is unknown without itself and the existence of which is obscured to those outside the Sovereignty. They see the Republic as pedantic and outmoded, a used-up idea and restriction on the continuing ascendancy of the species through the synthesis of man and machine. They also see the New Conglomerate as a savage, ochlocratic band of thugs who have repackaged old mistakes in new dressings and are desperately afraid of new concepts which they cannot grasp, and the future these promise to the far-sighted. Their view of the future is one of scientific perfection and purity: they believe that the Vanu used the power of their advanced technologies to transcend their physical limitations and the mundane world, ascending to a superior state of being, and ultimately, a higher plane of existence. Scientists and intellectuals through-and-through, they see this path as an enlightened ascension and hold the Ancients up as a shining example for mankind to follow. Hopefully and eagerly they envision humanity imitating this metamorphosis, firstly through the enhancement of the human condition via "hypertech" (foreseeable technological breakthroughs which have not yet quite arrived), and eventually, by the replacement of human beings altogether; from there, not even they can imagine yet. They are most reliant on alien science and technology, and often more than compensate for their shortcomings through the superiority of their engineering, utilising mind-bending physics, high-energy arrays, and other exotic weaponry to defend themselves.

[edit] Gameplay

At any one time, both of the PlanetSide servers hosts potentially thousands of players in a variety of landscapes, from the war on foot to the air, across desert, mountains, forests and swamps. The goal is simple: each faction must attempt to capture as many facilities as possible on the surface of the planet while denying them to their enemies. There are many strategies and opportunities that skilled players can utilize in order to direct combat operations. The player controls his or her chosen character from a first-person perspective. This gives combat a more direct role and emphasizes skill.

[edit] Leveling and Experience

While a first person shooter at heart, PlanetSide does have an experience/leveling system. Earned experience is divided into three categories: Battle Experience, Support Experience, and Command Experience. Battle Experience is gained from elimination of enemy soldiers, the capture of base facilities, and exploring and interacting with the game world. Support Experience is earned through "Assist" kills: after aiding another player, the first player gains a percentage of experience the other player gains through kills. Command Experience is gained from leading a squad or platoon in a successful base capture. Functionally, Battle Experience and Support Experience are identical, both contributing towards Battle Rank, which leads to benefits such as the ability to use different equipment, implants, or appearance upgrades. Accumulated Command Experience lets the player use several team-oriented abilities. Currently, the maximum Battle Rank is set to 25, while the maximum Command Rank is set to 5.

Each Battle Rank gives you a certification, while each Command Rank unlocks a special ability accessed via an item called a "Command Uplink Device (CUD)". Certifications can be used to unlock new weapons or vehicles you can use on the battlefield, thus enhancing a character's flexibility.

[edit] Vehicles

PlanetSide contains 38 vehicles, ranging from interceptor aircraft to battle tanks to Battle Frames (introduced with PlanetSide: Aftershock). It is extremely rare for any one player to be able to access all 38 vehicles, as most of them are empire-specific, meaning that only members of a certain empire can normally acquire them. Some staple and basic vehicles are available as Common Pool vehicles, meaning that any soldier can acquire them, assuming they have the proper certification to do so. Vehicles play a vital role in PlanetSide, and an experienced pilot or gunner of even one strategic vehicle can often turn the tide of a battle.

[edit] Weapons

As of 7.16.08, there are approximately 28 weapons available in Planetside. Weapons are grouped and accessed the same way as vehicles are - using the empire-specific and common pool accessibility to keep gameplay balanced. Below is a list of all Planetside weapons, their function, and empire grouped by certification requirements.

LEGEND (Empires, Function)

• Empires:
  • VS: Vanu Sovereignty
  • NC: New Conglomerate
  • TR: Terran Republic
  • CP: Common Pool

• Functions:
  • AI: Anti-Infantry
  • AV: Anti-Vehicle
  • AA: Anti-Aircraft
  • SP: Special

Knife

• Mag-Cutter (NC, AI)
• Chainblade (TR, AI)
• Force-Blade (VS, AI)

Ranged

• Standard Assault
  • Rifles
    • Suppressor (CP, AI)
  • Pistols
    • Beamer (VS, AI)
    • Automatic Machine Pistol / AMP (CP, AI)
    • Repeater (TR, AI)
    • Mag-Scatter (NC, AI)
  • Grenades
    • Frag Grenade (CP, AI)
    • Plasma Grenade (CP, AI)
    • Jammer Grenade (CP, SP)
• Medium Assault
  • Rifles
    • Pulsar (VS, AI)
    • Gauss Rifle (NC, AI)
    • Cycler (TR, AI)
    • Punisher (CP, AI)
    • Sweeper (CP, AI)
  • Pistols
    • Eraser (VS, AI)
    • Spear (NC, AI)
    • Stinger (TR, AI)

   Note: All of these pistols are essentially the same with just different names.

• Heavy Assault
  • Rifles
    • Lasher (VS, AI)
    • Mini-Chaingun (TR, AI)
    • Jackhammer (NC, AI)
• Special Assault
  • Rifles
    • Thumper (CP, AI)
    • Rocklet Rifle (CP, AI/AA)
• Anti-Vehicular
  • Rifles
    • Lancer (VS, AV)
    • Striker (TR, AV)
    • Phoenix (NC, AV)
    • Decimator (CP, AV)
• Sniping
  • Rifles
    • Bolt-Driver (CP, AI)
    • Heavy Scout Rifle (CP, AI)
• Elite Assault
  • Rifles
    • Dragon (CP, AI)
    • Scorpion (CP, AI)

The weapons listed below are only available with the Core Combat expansion or with the Aftershock installation.

Ranged

• Medium Assault
  • Pistols
    • Spiker (CP, AI)
• Heavy Assault
  • Rifles
    • Maelstrom (CP, AI)
• Special Assault
  • Rifles
    • Radiator (CP, AI)

[edit] Organization

While a player can experience the game solo, the best way to succeed in PlanetSide is to join a squad. A squad is an ad hoc group of up to ten players led by a squad leader. Two or three squads can form a platoon, for a maximum group of thirty players. Benefits of being in a squad include the sharing of experience (resulting in a speedy rise in Battle Rank) and the results gained from working as a team.

Like most online games, a player can create or join a clan, which is called an Outfit in Planetside. Whereas a squad is a temporary group, an outfit persists even if all members are off-line. Outfits are managed through a panel in-game, allowing players to be promoted/demoted. Outfits have eight possible ranks, with the top four being officer ranks, allowing members to invite and kick players to and from the outfit. Outfits can range in membership from two (the minimum number required to form an outfit is ten players) to an infinite number, the largest outfits have over 400 members, generally through inviting random players giving them bad reputations, the largest outfits in the history of the game have approached and sometimes exceeded 1000 members. In 2006 an 'Outfit Wars' event was launched for competition solely between outfits on each server.

[edit] Updates

As of 2007, the game is actively supported by Sony Online Entertainment, although due to a reduced development staff the release of new content is less frequent compared to 2003-2004. New content and patches are released once every 3-4 months and are usually focused around an in-game community event. The number of active Planetside subscriptions worldwide is not provided by Sony Online Entertainment, but is estimated to be around 20,000 players compared to late 2003, when subscriptions peaked at around 75,000 players.^[2]

[edit] Core Combat

On October 27, 2003, SOE released Core Combat, the first and only true expansion for PlanetSide.

• Six new massive underground war zones ranging from volcanic lava flows to ice caverns.
• New Ancient-technology vehicles and weapons which can be used by all Empires
• Head-to-Head Urban style combat in subterranean cities
• Unique alien complexes to explore and conquer
• Ancient technology can be used by all Empires to upgrade existing surface level facilities
• A new Module Benefit System, granting special abilities to the player's faction

[edit] The Bending

On August 14, 2004, possibly due to experiments with Ancient Technology, the planet Auraxis has undergone a process known as The Bending, and has been reconstructed as a system of smaller planets scattered throughout the cosmos. These planets are still linked by the original warpgate system. One of the main islands of Auraxis, Oshur, has been destroyed and replaced by a series of small 'Battle Islands'.

[edit] Aftershock

On October 18, 2004 SOE released "PlanetSide: Aftershock", PlanetSide bundled with Core Combat using a new build of the game. Aftershock introduced Battle Frame Robotics (BFRs), large, heavily armed walking vehicles similar to those found in BattleTech.

[edit] PlanetSide Reserves

From March 24, 2006 to March 24, 2007 SOE launched the PlanetSide Reserves program. The program allowed anyone to download the game and play for free. All characters in the Reserves were limited to Battle Rank 6 and Command Rank 2, as well as other restrictions. Players were able to convert to a paying account at any time. As of August 1, 2007 the game developers are discussing whether or not to bring back the PlanetSide Reserves program to renew interest in their game.

At the 2007 SOE Fan Fair, the game developers announced that they are bringing back 'PlanetSide Reserves'.

As part of the launch of PlanetSide Reserves, all paying accounts were upgraded to include all Aftershock content.

[edit] The Black Ops

The Black Ops, released around Halloween 2007, are a separate organization on Auraxis not affiliated with any of the three empires. Members of The Black Ops are selected from the forums for the moment, but a more random selection will be in-game by 2008. Once in Black Ops, players' health is raised to 1000, their stamina is raised to 500, and they are allowed to use any weapon in the game, including a special melee weapon the "Fusion Blade". Members are restricted to standard or reinforced armor and cannot communicate or team with any other faction. Black Ops are always assimilated on "old" Oshur (see below), with all bases neutral, indicating Black Ops controlled bases. To avoid confusion, The Black Ops are not an entirely playable empire, but rather part of an event to sustain interest.

[edit] Gemini Server Merger

SOE announced in April 2008 that the two North American servers, Emerald and Markov, will be merged on May 20, 2008 to create one server that will be called Gemini. This announcement was greeted with equal enthusiasm and dislike from players of all three servers, some saying the merge would help fix the population problems of PlanetSide, others saying the merge would simply cover up the underlying problem as well as leaving Werner empty (due to players moving over to Gemini). Previously, the servers Johari and Markov had merged as well as Konried and Emerald.

[edit] Death of Planetside

As of September 2008 all three of the remaining planetside servers are regularly completely empty, marking the end of the life of a truly unique and once promising MMO. Shame everyone at Sony, especially the original group from Red Eye Interactive (John Smedley et.al.), all historically have had their heads up their asses.

[edit] Planets

PlanetSide currently contains 10 planets and 6 caverns that can be fought over by the 3 empires.

Ceryshen

Ceryshen is a cold, arctic planet with tall mountains and high elevations. Ceryshen was home to the Terran Republic, though it is now the home continent of the Vanu Sovereignty. Due to the many cliffs and chasms, Ceryshen can be a tricky continent to navigate on foot or in a vehicle. The continent has a large valley with a long bridge which is a tactical chokepoint that is a site for many major battles. The majority of the base names on Ceryshen come from Inuit mythology (i.e. Pinga, Tootega, Anguta, etc including Adlivun, a cavern intended to partner Ceryshen when the Core Combat expansion was released).

Amerish

Amerish is a temperate continent, it has considerable woodland areas full of tall, auraxian trees that are generally seen on other temperate continents, once home to the Vanu Sovereignty it is now the home of the New Conglomerate. Amerish is notable for the long-lasting bridge battles that often occur on the eastern side of the continent on either side of Mekala, a Tech Plant situated on a small island.

Cyssor

Cyssor is an earth-quake shattered planet, and it is also one of the largest planets in PlanetSide. Because of its large size, conflicts can take a while, giving the planet the nickname of "CyssorSide" by players. It is also one of the most common planets on which to have a conflict, because it features easy warpgate access to all three home continents. Cyssor, like Amerish, also regularly sees long-lasting bridge fights that often end in stale-mate, these situations are worsened by the fact that all three empires generally have access to a Technology Plant which allows the construction of heavy and advanced vehicles giving very little incentive to aggressively assault another empire to gain this base type. This continent is feared by the commanders of the game for the long drawn out conflicts that occur, meaning that most players will get bogged down in the action and refuse to abandon the fight to defend more tactical and useful areas.

Solsar

Solsar is a dry, desert planet and is a home continent to the Terran Republic, it is extremely close to its star and because of this its oceans are slowly being boiled away. The lattice structure on Solsar is designed around a nearly unavoidable progression of bases along the western side of the continent.

Ishundar

Ishundar is a dry, rocky, and mountainous planet that rivals Cyssor in size. The environment is similar to that of Oshur (before it was destroyed in The Bending). FPS fans may draw similarities to the outdoor section of Halo: Combat Evolved's final level, as the environment and landscape is rather similar. Driving ground-vehicles on Ishundar is often an exercise in frustration due to the extremely rocky terrain.

Searhus

Searhus mainly consists of a temperate climate around the perimeter of the continent, however it becomes increasingly desert-like as one reaches the top of the massive dormant volcano in the center. Whether the volcano is truly dormant is arguable, as there are several bubbling lava pools in the volcano's caldera. It is also the only world with neutral warpgates.

Oshur/Battle Islands

Originally, Oshur was a continent with terrain similar to Ishundar or Solsar. It also contained a giant avian skeleton, prompting discussions of the Ancients who might have been there. With the Bending event, Oshur was replaced with 4 islands, or the "Battle Islands", each one with a climate of each type in the game. The names of these isles are Ascension, Desolation, Extinction, and Nexus. Oshur is notable in that no Heavy Assault weapons are allowed and most heavy vehicles are forbidden as well, such as Tanks, Reavers, and Liberators. Due to the special rules for fighting on Oshur, players with MAX Unit certifications often dominate in close-quarters combat and Anti-Air MAX's are especially devastating outdoors in the Reaver-free environment. However, "old" Oshur is still used when a Customer Service Representative assimilates chosen players into Black Ops soldiers. The surrounding bases are always neutral, indicating Black Ops control. All bases are kept at 0% NTU as to not allow players to freely roam the continent.

Forseral

Forseral is a mild, temperate Vanu Sovereignty home continent, there are large, rolling hills that provide good vantage points for AA MAXes and snipers meaning that this continent is generally home to vehicle battles.

Hossin

Hossin is a swamp-ridden temperate climate, the atmosphere is inhospitable to human life and troops are recommended to wear respirators. The ground is shrouded in a dense, humid fog significantly reducing the viewing distance, there are tropical rainforests and the continent has the largest forested area of any other, this leads to vast infantry battles in the wooded, swampy areas where the swamp waters can be deep enough to cover a tank. The continent is divided in two by a huge river vertically through the centre, leaving Hossin's capital base, Voltan, on an island. Since Voltan is an Interlink on an island with an easily-defended Tech Plant nearby, and since it is a Capital base in which Orbital Strikes are forbidden, it is commonly recognized as the most easily-defended base in the world. Atar on Nexus comes in at a close second. Hossin is one of the Home Continents of the Terran Republic.

Esamir

Esamir is an arctic planet similar to Ceryshen, but is significantly larger it rivals Cyssor in size. It is a New Conglomerate Home Continent. The terrain is generally flat with few hills and ridges leading to large vehicle battles and copious amounts of aircraft.

Caverns

Accessible via geowarps, only 2 caves are open at a time. The names of the six caverns are: Adlivun, Annwn, Byblos, Drugaskan, Hunhau, and Supai. Each is characterised with different climates and designs. There is a core at the center of every cavern that may be accessed by zip lines. The central cores allow modules to be charged, and then be installed into a main base on another planet. Cores also allow a player to become 'imprinted' and hence be able to obtain the Battle Frame Robotics certification.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The official PlanetSide website
• PlanetSide Syndicate
• PlanetSide Universe