FPS General

Details as well as screenshots and footage of the Harasser buggy have surfaced from Sony Online Entertainment for  MMOFPS PlanetSide 2. New helmets have been added as well, with their own pile of screenshots.

Gallery: Harasser Buggy & Helmets

The speedy Harasser assault buggy is built for hit-and-run attacks with room for a dedicated driver, rumble seat which can hold any infantry class, and a top-mounted turret. The video above shows the armored vehicle in action!

What else is making appearance in Update 8? Join us after the jump to find out.

As you might have heard, players have the chance to pick up Station Cash cards at participating 7-Eleven retailers this weekend and redeem them for double Station Cash!

These cards are available at US 7-Eleven stores and must be redeemed between 12:01AM PDT April 27, 2013 and 11:59PM PDT April 28, 2013 to be eligible for the bonus.

Here are some ideas on how you can spend all of your extra Station Cash in PlanetSide 2!

Boost Your XP Gain

Boost Implants are like the gift that keeps on giving. If you're looking for more than just a quick fix, we definitely recommend spending some of your bonus SC this weekend on an Implant. If you've never bothered with them in the past, here's how they work: implants will boost the rate at which you earn experience or resources in PlanetSide 2.

Depending on how much SC you want to spend, the implant lasts anywhere from 1 hour to 7 days.

Sony Online Entertainment's in-house game engine is known as ForgeLight and it's a powerful specimen. You might be unfamiliar with the game engine, but that's to be understood as PlanetSide 2 is currently the only game making use of it.

ForgeLight will also be the powerhouse being the next EverQuest game, but as of right now it is exclusive to PlanetSide 2.

Here to give us something of a tech demo are PlanetSide 2 Senior Art Director Tramell Ray Isaac and Technical Director Ryan Elam. This demo comes as part of the latest Behind the Battle Lines episode, a series in which PlanetSide 2 developers share behind-the-scenes insight on the game.

In other PlanetSide 2 news, game update 5 has gone out and includes a couple worthy updates to PlanetSide 2, namely; rocket launchers and account wide unlocks. Basically, besides now being able to access Empire-specific rocket launchers, players can now use items purchased with Station Cash across all of the characters on their account.

SOE will also be releasing a PlanetSide 2 Play App on iOS and Android devices that will give players the ability to stay connected to the game, even when they can't be fighting for their faction directly.

Finally, this weekend will be Double XP and Double SC so make sure you get in on the bonuses and fire up PlanetSide 2 this weekend. 

PlanetSide 2 has officially added in support for Nvidia's hardware-accelerated PhysX system and as is the way with these things, a comparison trailer has been released. If Comparing Games With and Without PhysX was a game, I would buy it and all of the DLC expansion packs for it in a heartbeat.

It is almost a double edged blade in a way, because even mundane things like blowing up tanks looks so bland and unsatisfying when compared side by side with PhsyX enabled. It kind of looks like the game looks like pure crap without PhysX and, of course, this isn't true. PlanetSide 2 can more than stand on its own legs in terms of visual quality but the addition of PhsyX sure does look beautiful.

Check out the trailer above and make sure to check out the Nvidia booth at PAX for some free PlanetSide 2 loot.

Big news for PlanetSide 2 fans out there as Game Update 04 goes live today, bringing some huge updates to the game!

Perhaps the biggest feature included in today's update is the VR Training Area. Before you expend your resources on a weapon or vehicle that you've never actually used in battle, the VR Training Area will give you a chance to test these things out in a simulated combat environment. Not only can you test drive weapons and vehicles, but you can actually practice squad tactics and learn the mannerisms of different weapons without getting lit up on the actual battlefield.

Other updates include a revamped respawn screen, some new weaponry, membership enhancements and some balancing changes as well. 

The full changelog can be viewed in a post by Creative Director Matt Higby at http://forums.station.sony.com/.

Sony Online Entertainment has released a brand new video for PlanetSide 2, taking players back to the beginning of the development cycle for a session with composer Jeff Broadbent, audio director Rodney Gates and producer Assaf Rinde. This is the first in SOE's 'Behind the Battle Lines' series, which will take players behind the scenes on various aspects of PlanetSide 2 development at SOE.

We're suckers for video game music so it was fascinating to hear some insight into the writing process that went into the main theme for each faction. As Gates describes in the video below, each theme was crafted not only to be a great musical piece, but to reflect the culture of each faction. Composer Jeff Broadbent actually sat down with Rodney Gates to discuss PlanetSide 2 and get a proper feeling for the factions and what they represent. Using that conversation, he was able to compose the unique themes that we hear in the game every day.

Check out the video below!

Sony Online Entertainment has announced a really exciting PlanetSide 2 tournament, taking place later this week in Culver City, California. This is the first major PlanetSide 2 competition and SOE is pulling out all the stops to ensure that this is an event to remember. FPS General will be on hand at the event, and we're going to livestream the whole thing for you guys at http://www.own3d.tv/PlanetSide2. 

The event sounds great and will feature three hand-picked teams to guarantee some amazing battles. Team captains will be on hand in the form of YouTube icons Total Biscuit, SeaNanners and Level Cap. These three captains will be joined by both members of the PlanetSide 2 community as well as Sony Online Entertainment developers to form some pretty intense and competitive teams. Only the most powerful faction will survive.

In addition to the tournament, SOE has teased some exciting PlanetSide 2 announcements including information on their roadmap for the game throughout the next few months and some pretty interesting eSports initiatives. While we're down there, we'll be sure to do our best to grab some interviews with the team working on PlanetSide 2, so if you have any questions you'd like us to ask be sure to drop us a line in the comments below.

We'll post an update on Friday with more information on when we will be streaming so make sure you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for the latest updates.

Earlier this week, Sony Online Entertainment announced that they would have some exciting updates on PlanetSide 2 this week, teasing that they would have some eSports news and a content roadmap to share in the near future. Well, it looks like the near future is now and SOE has spilled the beans on both fronts. First, let's take a look at the eSports initiative.

SOE is teaming up with Major League Gaming (MLG) to work side by side in implementing competitive gaming features and settings into PlanetSide 2. MLG understands how to create successful eSports leagues and what it will take for PlanetSide 2 to develop a long-lasting competitive scene, and they're bringing that experience to SOE who is committing the time and resources into turning PlanetSide 2 into a major eSports player.

In addition to making PlanetSide 2 flourish in the competitive community, SOE and MLG will be creating original programming that will air on http://www.majorleaguegaming.com/. We're not sure what this programming entails just yet, but details and a programming schedule will be revealed in the near future.

The second announcement today was the interactive Roadmap for PlanetSide 2 updates. Never before has a studio unveiled this level of transparency and community interaction in the development process of a game like this. Here's how it work: players can visit http://www.planetside2.com/roadmap to check out a 6-month projection of what is in store for PlanetSide 2 development. Every single stop on the roadmap includes a place where players can discuss these specific changes and share their feedback on how it can be implemented more smoothly.

For example, this month SOE plans to introduce quite a few measures to protect players against spawn camping. One such addition will entail adding more windows and doors, so that you are more well concealed when you spawn. But maybe you think that SOE should not be affecting spawn camping? Simply hit the roadmap and let your thoughts be known.

Don't forget, today is the Ultimate Empire Showdown and FPS General has boots on the ground in Los Angeles. Tune in later today as we live stream the entire event for your viewing pleasure!

We're proud to bring you a brand new interview this morning with Sony Online Entertainment's Jason Good, who is currently serving as Senior Designer and Project Manager on the awesome free-to-play shooter PlanetSide 2. Jason is responsible for both managing the team working on PlanetSide 2 as well as acting as senior designer on the game, although he tells us that his work definitely focuses more on the management aspect.

This interview is the first in a series we will be releasing, in which we chat with folks working on PlanetSide 2 about various aspects of the game and the development process.

You can read Jason's answers to our first PlanetSide 2 Developer Q&A below. Enjoy!

Hey Jason, nice to speak with you today, so first off let's get you introduced to our readers. So, who are you and what do you do for SOE?

My name is Jason Good, and I’m Senior Designer that is currently masquerading as a Project Manager for PlanetSide 2.

If you don't mind, can you give us a little history of your work for SOE or PlanetSide 2 in general?

I’ve worked at SOE for almost 10 years (yeesh, that’s a crazy statement to write). Many of those years I was with the Quality Assurance department, working on games like EverQuest, EverQuest II, Champions of Norrath and Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom. Around the time I had worked my way toward the management end of the spectrum in QA, the opportunity to move into development opened up, and I took it.

Keep reading for from our discussion with Jason Good on all-things PlanetSide 2!

Sony Online Entertainment has released a few brand new trailer for their free to play shooter, PlanetSide 2. Each trailer is designed to showcase one of the three factions in the game; Vanu Sovereignty, Terran Republic and New Conglomerate.

Whichever faction you support, this is your chance to show off a little faction pride! In case you're unfamiliar with the game, here is a little bit of lore behind each faction:

Terran Republic – Like a militaristic government, the Terran Republic uses its Imperial authoritarian might to impel humanity to peaceful coexistence through any means necessary. 

New Conglomerate – A loosely connected group of rebel factions and idealistic freedom fighters. They fight against the hegemony of the Terran Republic and the fanatical alien influence of the Vanu Sovereignty. 

Vanu Sovereignty – A technocratic Empire that believes humanity can only evolve by rediscovering and tapping the lost technology of an ancient alien race.

At the top of this post, you can check out the Vanu Sovereignty trailer and after the break, you'll find the Terran Republic and New Conglomerate trailers respectively.

Show your pride by liking and adding your faction's trailer to your favorites on YouTube!