Sony Online Talks PlanetSide Next: 'Battles on a Scale No Other FPS Will Touch'

Newsflash! A large number of players does not equal instant fun!

Just concentrate on improving on the horrible netcode that planetside had.

The one real problem with planetside was the lack of satisfaction in the long term.

They need to provide a world that changes. Permenant effects must be caused by the actions of players, individually and as groups. Each battle should leave a scar, and have a purpose.

The number of players is what made Planetside so awesome to me. You were part of something bigger than yourself and your squad. Taking over gigantic bases, areas, and eventually whole continents is something that isn't available in 99% of the games out there.

I agree that it's no fun dying from some random bullet out of nowhere, but Planetside managed to make it work. Part of it is just changing how you move around in the level. In something like Battlefield you kill a squad of people, take the flag, and move on. It's a battle that lasts 5 minutes before the focus shifts to another part of the map. In Planetside, if the player numbers are high enough, the battle can last over an hour for a particular base. You slowly make your way towards your goal. In 20 minutes you might've only moved 20 yards closer. Taking over an entire continent took a whole night, and you felt good waking up in the morning and seeing that the siege that you started was successful even when you went to bed.

The game had issues, but they got a lot of things right considering it's one of the first games to do something like this. It seems like they learned a lot, and I hope they can fix some of bigger issues while retaining the features that makes Planetside unique. Consider me stoked.

Everyone who was paying attention to Planetside back before it's release knows that Star Wars Galaxies killed it. As soon as Sony got that license, management stopped giving a shit about anything else. If Smedley wants to try this again, I hope he's serious about it.

Please, please, please, please, please. This is an MMO I will play.

Well if they're blowing all FPS out of the water they've got their money cut out for them because MAG's boasting 256 people in one game so...yeah.

it will awesome to fight with your 4 dude squad versus another 4 dude squad while 100s of other people are fighting around you, just out of sight!*


* based on what I've seen of MAG, of course it could be totally awesome although I don't get why lots of people in one place = automatically awesome

I just want to fly or drive around with a copilot, that's probably one of the best ways to play the game. If they had some sort of gunship with a pilot and a gunner, that would probably be the best game in the universe

yep, no other FPS that has already found out the logistical problems to what they are doing will ever touch this!

mag.... arent they competing with themselves now?

Actually, why not. if they make it work, why not have some fun.

I just hope it works.

My dad used to call me "Shmedley" when I was a kid, and I'd do something bizarre.

The issue wasn't Sanctuary. It was the fact that it was a slideshow due to nasty horrible lag (not counting the BS cone damage).
Planetside had so many possibilities, it just was badly implemented and had horrible support during it's launch and first few months.

The answer isn't to add more players.