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| PlanetSide Analyzed PC review | |
| developer | Sony Online Entertainment |
| publisher | Sony Online Entertainment |
| author | Marcin |
| date | Jun. 18, 2003 |
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| gameplay | |
| reviewer's toast | |
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Chromehounds
NA Review by Marcin
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PC Quicktake by walTer
Comic Quick Takes January 25, 2006
Feature by Mike
Note:Since I have detailed a lot of the game's mechanics and concepts in my Initial Preview and Post-lattice Preview, I will focus this write-up on findings and musings from the final release of the game. In addition, as all MMO games, PlanetSide will continue to evolve from its current state - we plan to only cover the game on an as-is basis here. As PlanetSide is a pay-to-play game as well, I am leaving the value assessment off; there is simply no way to gauge this.
In ye olden days of PlanetSide...
PlanetSide was originally going to be a Multiplayer First Person Shooter where you, the Mercenary, were going to offer up your services to corporations fighting for planetary domination. In return for your services you would earn cash, which you could use to purchase equipment (weapons, armor, vehicles) for future missions or to upgrade yourself with new skills learned. These corporations were interested in grabbing chunks of a new planet opened up for exploration, and competition was fierce, each established base being a new vulnerability to attack and exploit. You could pick and choose from many missions at all times, coordinate your attack with those of other mercenaries, rise and fall in demand (and thus your payrate) depending on your performance, and even rise to high levels of reputation, allowing you to hire your own mercenaries to do lesser deeds for you.
It sounds somewhat like Tribes on steroids - the mission-based play (maps), the ability to buy your weapons and vehicles (equipment and vehicle terminals - your character is not tied to a fixed role) is already there. Add some persistence to the world (your stats remain from game to game, and you continue to accrue - or lose - funds and reputation) and you roughly have it. However, at some point, the concept of Massive was brought into Multiplayer Online FPS, and PlanetSide became what it is - a true "go anywhere at anytime, however you like." The concept of economy was discarded as too cumbersome, and goals were streamlined to provide the player with as little downtime as possible on a huge, unlimited world - not just a set of stages as originally pondered.
Some aspects have suffered. As corporations morphed into empires and mercenaries became soldiers, individual flexibility lessened (you no longer had free access to all technologies - only what your Empire used). The monetary reward system had to be replaced with some sort of RPG-like experience system to improve longevity and feeling of personal accomplishment - the system is still under revisement by Sony and probably will be tweaked continuously. Incentives had to be created to make players want to spontaneously gather to make battle. As the battlefield expanded, compromises had to be made to the damage models to minimize lag. In all of this, Sony's succeeded admirably, despite the heavy changes made to the original design document and despite skepticism from both the RPG and the FPS factions (well if both sides are complaining equally, something's done right!).
Patches? We don't need no stinkin'...oh wait, yes we do
Throughout the beta I had my doubts as to whether this constant warfare would prove to have any staying power without serious alterations to the system of personal reward. As the battles raged on (in beta), it was obvious that fighters would reach their top rank (BattleRank 20) in a fairly short time (a few weeks, possibly a couple of months for the more standard player) and that seasoned fighters would have dealt with almost all types of scenarios presented by the game. As all MMO (Massive, Multiplayer, Online) games, PlanetSide promises continued development and free additions provided as downloadable patches. Here's where it gets interesting.
Unlike MMORPGS, where changes usually take form of new items, enemies or lands (that once you've obtained, fought or explored hold little of interest), PlanetSide's enhancements will be global in scope, providing a significant longevity boost as tactics and gameplay have to adapt to the new elements. For example, the latest updates promise an anti-aircraft vehicle (heretofore nonexistent) and a multi-crew bomber craft (again, a niche yet unfilled) - both of these will have a large impact on almost everyone playing the game, instantly. If that's not longevity, I'm not sure what is.
In the end, you're still fighting the same enemy in the same goal-less environment (unless Sony's keeping something huge under tight wraps, a distinct possibility). The repetition of combat situation, while tempered by the huge amount of enemies and no fixed spawn points (you never know where a huge squad of enemies can come from, unlike most FPS games), will still occasionally give you a twinge of deja vu. However, being able to find your teammates online at all times and play as part of a team almost constantly (something very difficult to do in most other games, even if you're in a clan); in other words, being able to constantly teamplay has its own allure that hundreds of thousands of dedicated CounterStrike, Unreal Tournament or BattleField1942 players can attest to. My hat (and my subscription fee) is off to Sony for a job well done, and best wishes for future development.