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!

Update: The stream is going live in under one hour! Join us right here at FPS General or visit http://www.own3d.tv/Planetside2 to check out the action.

We absolutely loved PlanetSide 2 in beta testing and we can't wait to pick up the game again tomorrow when it officially launches worldwide, and we're inviting you to join us!

PlanetSide 2 is a free to play massively multiplayer shooter, but if you haven't had a chance to play it before, it might be a bit confusing. The game features multiple continents to battle on, with completely unique terrain, weather and play styles. Some continents are clearly more vehicle-based while others support infantry combat on the ground, with less area to cover between control points on the map.

The game is all about territory control, with three factions battling it out for domination across a tremendous amount of control points across every continent. The Vanu Sovereignty, New Conglomerate and Terran Republic are all fighting for their beliefs, for their lives and for the future that they envision for Auraxis. Each faction has something unique to offer, and we encourage you to do your research before joining a side in this epic war.

Tomorrow, November 20th, 2012, we will be streaming the action from Auraxis live from the moment that the game is available to play, presumably around 10:00 AM. You can join us online at http://www.own3d.tv/Planetside2 and right here on FPS General. Jonni will be handling the streaming duties, so make sure you're following him on Twitter if there is anything specific you want to see during the stream.

Make sure you're following us on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates on all of our streams, giveaways and events!

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) is officially closing the beta test phase of their massively multiplayer first-person shooter, PlanetSide 2, today. The game has been in beta testing for the last few months, all leading up to the launch on November 20th.

With the closed beta ending, SOE now has a chance to take a few days to hammer out any remaining bugs and implement any final tweaks to the game before they officially release PlanetSide 2 into the wild on November 20th. Tonight, at 11:59 PT, the PlanetSide 2 beta will wrap up and servers will be taken down in preparation for the global launch next week.

PlanetSide 2 is going to be free to play, so make sure that you visit http://www.planetside2.com/ and get your account set up. If you weren't in the PlanetSide 2 beta, you'll want to make sure you have an active Station ID so that you can get the client downloaded and start playing right away this Tuesday.

If you're unsure about PlanetSide 2, make sure you visit the PlanetSide 2 Wiki at http://www.ps2wiki.net/ for more information on what the game is like and what types of weapons and vehicles you can look forward to using come launch day.

In the meantime, check out the video above in which the legendary 666th Devil Dogs of the New Conglomerate battle for their lives, defending their turf and showing their strength.

Long-time PlanetSide fans will remember the BFR - BattleFrame Robotics - from the original PlanetSide. Whether or not you remember it fondly is a different story. Either way, the BFR is making a comeback in PlanetSide 2...but not like you might expect.

In the video above, James shows us exactly how to find the BFR easter egg on Indar in PlanetSide 2. If you're not interested in spoilers (can there be spoilers in a multiplayer-only game?), you may want to stop reading at this point in time.

As James points out, the BFR was pretty much overpowered in PlanetSide and it seems like SOE decided to simply move on in PlanetSide 2 without the mech along for the ride. But, if you've been feeling nostalgic lately and want to see the BFR for yourself, it's not too hard to reach this easter egg.

The BFR is hidden away inside a building that you technically can't even get inside of. There are no official entrances to speak of, but James was able to glitch his way inside with a little effort. Once inside, there's really not much you can do but it's awesome to see the semi-return of the BFR in PlanetSide 2.

Check out the video above for full instructions on where you can find the BFR and how to get inside once you get there. 

Sony Online Entertainment has announced a partnership with Twitch.tv that will allow PlanetSide 2 players to stream their gameplay live with the push of a single button.

One-click streaming has long been hailed by Twitch as the future of live streaming and PlanetSide 2 will be the first game to make use of that technology. As PlanetSide 2 is in beta testing still, so is the one-click streaming capability. Twitch and SOE have announced that this technology will be ready to go when PlanetSide 2 launches on November 20th.

Check out http://www.planetside2.com/ for more information on the game. We're expecting additional details on one-click streaming as we get closer to the release date later this month.

Hot off the presses here in Las Vegas, Nevada for SOE Live, Sony Online Entertainment has released a brand new trailer for PlanetSide 2. With Esamir officially announced and released for the game, it's time to focus on the next map in the release scheduled; Amerish.

As you can see in the video, Amerish is a lush, verdant map with an abundance of trees and rolling hills. Contrary in its nature to Indar, the land on Amerish is vibrant. We don't have any information right now on what the combat and play style will be like on Amerish, or how many outposts the map plays host to in comparison to the previously released continents of Indar and Esamir.

We do know, from previous discussions with Tramell Isaac (Senior Art Director on PlanetSide 2), that each continent was expressly chosen for its stark contrast to the other continents.

Take a look at Amerish in action in the trailer above and stay tuned all weekend as we bring you the news straight from SOE Live in Las Vegas.

We're on hand in Las Vegas, Nevada for SOE Live - the annual gathering of Sony Online Entertainment developers, executives and, most importantly, fans. While there are a host of great games on display here, we're spending most of our time with the PlanetSide 2 fans and developers.

During our time here on the show floor, we were able to grab Margaret Krohn for an interview. In the video above, we discuss PlanetSide 2 which was announced this morning to be launching on November 20th of this year.

Check out our interview above and be sure to subscribe to our channel on YouTube for more exclusive first-person shooter content.

Last night at SOE Live, the team at Sony Online Entertainment announced that PlanetSide 2 would be launching on November 20th. The game is currently in closed beta testing.

Matt Higby, Creative Director of PlanetSide 2

We are thrilled to have reached a point where we can set an official release date for PlanetSide 2. External beta has been a fantastic learning experience, one where we have been constantly iterating and incorporating player feedback, tweaking and refining features to ensure an explosive, quality game at launch.

External beta has been an amazing way to directly connect with the player community on both an individual and large-scale basis and has further proven that we truly offer gameplay for every type of player. I’ve participated in battles against huge outfits that employ exhaustive base capture strategies, and I’ve marveled at the skill of some of our most adept combat pilots.

It is definitely the most unique gaming experience SOE has ever created.

In addition to the announcement that the game will be exiting closed beta next month, SOE released some impressive statistics from the ongoing beta test. The closed beta test for PlanetSide 2 began on August 3, 2012. Since that time:

• 83.8 billion points of damage done to players
• 2.87 billion projectiles fired
• 32  million infantry kills
• 7.3 million vehicles destroyed
• 1.4 million facilities captured
• 16.7 million rockets launched
• 4.3 million grenades thrown
• Empire allegiance breakdown (by playtime):
• New Conglomerate: 35.6%
• Terran Republic:  32.8%
• Vanu Sovereignty: 31.6%

PlanetSide 2, as you know, will be going live as a free-to-play title but if desired, players can opt to sign up for a Premium account. These accounts will run you $14.99 per month and will include "scalable gains for resources, XP and passive cert points."

Premium users also receive priority queue preference and early access to cosmetic items. They will also receive a monthly Station Cash bonus. The longer you remain a premium member, the better your rewards will get.

We're on hand all weekend at SOE Live, so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates from the show floor.

Day Three: Today is the last day of the Auraxis Showdown - the Finals Round! Starting at 1:30PM, we're going to be streaming live from the show floor here in Las Vegas, Nevada at SOE Live. One way or another, SOE is going to be crowning a champion this evening and we'll be on hand when they do.

Enjoy the stream embedded above or visit OWN3D.TV to stream today's event.

Day Two: Our live stream is going to get underway at roughly 9:45AM Pacific Time, with the matches set to begin at 10:00AM PT. Tune in at http://www.own3d.tv/CurseTV/live/340229 or simply enjoy the embedded stream at the top of this page. 

We're on hand in Las Vegas, Nevada for Sony Online Entertainment's annual gathering, SOE Live. The event is packed with amazing developers, industry professionals and some of the hottest games - not the least of which is PlanetSide 2.

The free to play shooter is hitting SOE Live hard with the Auraxis Showdown, and FPS General has you covered for show floor streaming. We're going to be roaming the floor all weekend long (starting tonight) as the Auraxis Showdown moves through the preliminary rounds to the finals, bringing you as close to the action as you can get without a plane ticket to Las Vegas.

Joining us during the event will be Sony Online Entertainment developers, including the likes of Matt Higby, Creative Director on PlanetSide 2 and Tramell Isaac, Senior Art Director on the game.

Just what is the Auraxis Showdown, you ask?

As SOE describes it, the Auraxis Showdown will let players "take on the challenge for the glory of your empire! All troops will start fresh with standard issue gear and certifications and compete in qualifying rounds on Thursday and Friday. The top eighteen players from the qualifying rounds will compete in an 18-man Finals match on Saturday to win the first place grand prize.

There will also be prizes awarded to the top 9 finalists in the Finals with first, second and third place finalists taking home larger pieces of the total prize." The full schedule can be found here.

Welcome back, PlanetSide 2 Mythbusters! Where have you been? The answer to that is that we have been spending time collecting feedback from the community, checking into some of the more popular myths and putting them through the ringer in PlanetSide 2.

Well, don't worry anymore, we're back and we have a brand new episode for you today.

In PlanetSide 2 Mythbusters #3, we're taking a look at some more of the most common PlanetSide 2 myths, including an age-old question that men have been asking since the dawn of civilization; 'Can you transport a Magrider using nothing more than a Galaxy?'

Tune into the video above to find out the answer to that as well as some more of PlanetSide 2's most pressing questions.

PlanetSide 2 Quick Tips is a brand new series we're debuting this week that aims to give our readers some expert knowledge to help you improve your game in Sony Online Entertainment's MMOFPS PlanetSide 2.

PlanetSide 2 can be a challenge if you've never played an MMOFPS before but our team has been playing the game since the early stages of beta and we've built a pretty solid understanding of PlanetSide 2's mechanics and how to get the most out of the vehicles, weapons and equipment in the game.

Check out the latest episode of our PlanetSide 2 Quick Tips series!

Today, we're taking a look at the Heavy Assault class. From Sony Online Entertainment:

Their armor and shields can take more punishment than most other soldiers can, allowing them to dominate in direct close-quarters conflict where their heavy weapons are most effective. In addition to the survivability provided by the Reinforced Exosuit’s defenses, Heavy Assault soldiers also have access to prototype Nanite Mesh Generators that temporarily reduce the velocity of incoming projectiles, decreasing their kinetic impact on the user.

Though the experimental technology currently requires the user to remain momentarily stationary while the mesh is being formed, NMGs have shown themselves to be an integral component to the Heavy Assault’s continued presence on the field.

For more great PlanetSide 2 content, check out http://www.youtube.com/fpsgeneral!