Planetside 2's been getting a lot of attention lately, through the sources of media I consume. Seems like a lot of people are really hyped about this game. I spent some time with it and I didn't really get it. So i've got some questions:

• I get the draw is that there's a massively persistent online battle/turf war. Am I experiencing it wrong going in solo?
• Do I need to pay for shit? I've heard people say that a lot of things are unlockable but as it stands I'm having issues acquiring the points necessary to purchase or upgrade shit. Am I doing something wrong?

The game looks gorgeous and feels like it controls well... I just can't seem to immerse myself in it.

Thoughts?

Yep! You need to grind for currency or buy the weapons with real life dosh.

It is a cool concept but it falls apart when you realize you've just spent a whole day fighting for stuff that is gone 2 minutes after you log off and you probably didn't raise nearly enough in-game currency/cert points to unlock even a small attachment to your weapon.

You accumulate certs pretty slowly, I think. Thankfully, some of the most important ones (like the mobile spawn thing for Sunderers) are relatively cheap. Yeah, don't play because you like progression. It's much too slow. Not that I think that's a particularly good reason to play even if it were swift.

It sucks solo. I honestly can't see how anyone would enjoy it like that. The best moments are when you organize an attack or defense with your squad/outfit.

And overall, I can't say I love the game. It really annoys me in a few important ways. Most of all, I hate how continental population is handled. It seems every time I check the population in a particular continent, it's hilariously lopsided (at least on Jaeger). One faction will have 60+% of the population, with the other two factions splitting the remaining 40%. It just leads to this nonstop cycle of either stomping or being stomped.

Secondly, I hate the base design. Not only are they rather bland and samey, but the spawns are horribly positioned in a lot of cases. You'll have spawns that can be tank camped on both sides, basically serving up the defenders on a silver platter. There are a few places with indoor spawns. Biolabs, for instance, are my favorite place to fight in because the spawns are indoors in one of the more interesting layouts. I actually feel like I have a fighting chance as a defender in those places, and the back and forth struggle is much more tense and fun for me. So I wish there was more of that in the game. Maybe put spawns underground? Something needs to change.

I've just started playing it, but yeah playing solo is the worst. Part of the reason I bumped a thread recently to see if any dudes on here had anything going.

If you are playing solo, it's just far too unfocused. I appreciate the persistent idea but it just lacks any focus if you are going in solo.

I also just started playing it, as a Vanu on Jaeger, and while I think the game is pretty fun, there are some issues with spawn/teleporter rooms and the territory control system. In particular, taking territories feels meaningless not so much because they just get taken back later, but because they get taken back by a couple of guys sneaking around on an atv. There just doesn't seem to be enough people on some of servers for there to be any sort of active defense on all the continents, so it's usually just a bunch of fighting around the Crown and central biolab in Indar while the other two continents get captured while no one is looking.

That said, when you group up with a bunch of folks, or if you get even a couple friends on with you, the game becomes much more fun. But as it is the turf war aspect doesn't matter most of the time.

I've tried to get my local friends into this, but they are too busy messing with League of Legends. Hence, I can relate to the whole "lone wolfing it is boring" argument. I would play with people on here, but my voice chat doesn't always work when I play this game for some reason.

Don't lone wolf in this game. It totally neuters the experience. Always be in a well organized squad/platoon/outfit. It makes a world of difference.

And yes, certs accumulate at a snail's pace. Intentional design to make you frustrated enough to pony up cash.

@Brackstone said:

I also just started playing it, as a Vanu on Jaeger, and while I think the game is pretty fun, there are some issues with spawn/teleporter rooms and the territory control system. In particular, taking territories feels meaningless not so much because they just get taken back later, but because they get taken back by a couple of guys sneaking around on an atv. There just doesn't seem to be enough people on some of servers for there to be any sort of active defense on all the continents, so it's usually just a bunch of fighting around the Crown and central biolab in Indar while the other two continents get captured while no one is looking.

That said, when you group up with a bunch of folks, or if you get even a couple friends on with you, the game becomes much more fun. But as it is the turf war aspect doesn't matter most of the time.

Hey, I'm also a Vanu on Jaeger. Keep up the good fight.

@Cerevisiae: Are you having a similar experience as I am? I know Jaeger's not the biggest server, but it's not dead either, which is why I find the lack of decent battles anywhere but Indar to be a little surprising. Maybe I'm just looking in all the wrong places, or at the wrong times.

@Brackstone said:

@Cerevisiae: Are you having a similar experience as I am? I know Jaeger's not the biggest server, but it's not dead either, which is why I find the lack of decent battles anywhere but Indar to be a little surprising. Maybe I'm just looking in all the wrong places, or at the wrong times.

Can't say. I've not been playing as much (mostly due to me and some friends getting into Dota 2 at the same time). I am gonna log on tonight just because the discussion and things I've read in the Roadmapmade me interested again. It did seem before that Indar saw the most traffic before, though. But as for what it's like now, I can't say.

Is it still like it was before, where the fight pretty much stays between Vanu and TR? NC just never seems to factor in, for whatever reason, even when their population is decent.

@Cerevisiae: Sort of. TR seems to have the most solid control of Indar, but it's still somewhat evenly split. The other 2 continents swap around all three factions almost daily though. Overall, I'd say it's pretty evenly split, but the vanu usually have the lowest population, not by too much however.

Hopefully they get rid of some of the lower pop servers in the coming months and force you to merge with the more popular ones (Mattherson/Waterson on the east coast). I bet they do this when they add the next continent Hossin.

I'm still really enjoying it.

Ditto