Anyone playing this? I played the beta for a very short time but it began just as I started communting out of state for work every week, so I didn't have a chance to do much with it. Now the game has launched and I'm really enjoying it. It's free, so it's worth a try. The vibe is legitimately AAA, this isn't some free pay-to-win nonsense. You CAN pay for various benefits, but they're not gamechangers...mostly customization. You can get it on Steam or direct from its website.

If anyone is playing, I've started an Outfit (think clan or guild) under the Terran Republic faction. It'd be fun to coordinate some base takeovers with fellow NICONAUTS. Let me know your username and I'll invite you. "NICO" was taken for some bizarre reason, so the outfit is called The Golden Path. Oh, and it's on the "Helios" US West server. I'm playing as MinisterofDOOM, of course.

Anyway, back to the game...

What really sets this one apart is that there are no rounds or matches. There's no game-defined victory. The game takes place across three continents of a planet. You can seamlessly walk/drive/fly across a continent. Each continent contains key strategic points for its controlling faction. You basically fight over bases. It's like a gigantic, open-world capture-point match where the captures themselves are the "victories". The world is persistent so you can log off and log back in to find the world very different than you left it.

Key stuff includes BioLabs, Tech Plants, and Amp Stations. These enable specific game abilities (like health regen, spawning vehicles, or resources). You can attack or defend these (obviously). To spawn vehicles you need resources, which are gained by fighting, but also over time based on territorial control for your faction.

There are also lesser capture points like outposts, which enable spawning to that location, as well as supply access and potentially vehicle spawning. These make great forward command centers for assaults on more important strategic locations. Or they make great defensive outposts for protecting the same strategic points.

You can spawn into any location on the map you choose, including enemy territory if there's a spawnpoint available. This is where the game gets fun. It's very dynamic and battles tend to coalesce on their own. Coordinated assaults can form out of small groups of players in the same area.

The best part about the "open" setting of the game is that, regardless of where you're fighting or what you're fighting for, you have a lot of fun. There's no "losing" even if you fail to defend or capture a point. There's always another battle you can jump to and even unsuccessfull assaults or defenses yield XP and Cert Points.

XP and Cert Points are also where things get interesting. XP builds your Battle Rank (level) and rewards Cert Points every 250xp. Battle Rank is just bragging rights, for the most part. Titles you can display, with a couple equipment slot upgrades every 15 Ranks. Battle Rank also gives a little more info about who you just offed (or were offed by).
Cert Points, though, are used to customize your character's skills and weapons (and this includes skills and weapons for vehicles you spawn). These are where the customization system shines. It reminds me a little bit of MAG, though it's far less confining. MAG effectively locks you into one "class" for your character. Planetside still lets you play all 6 classes and divide points up as you want...but obviously you're choosing between being a jack of all trades or master of one. But putting all your points into Medic doesn't stop you spawning as a Heavy when you need to.

It's a lot of fun. It was clearly developed by people who understand how to make a finely-honed shooter. Controls are fantastic, feedback is superb, and when I die I feel like it's my fault, not the game's. BUT it's still super-approachable, in large part because of the open-world setup. Find a fight and help. Then, if you decide you're enjoying it, join a squad and coordinate to make a real impact.

Got it last night. Spent the first half an hour on the receiving end of base rape. Was not fun. Ill try it again tonight.

When that happens, just hit "M" to bring up your map, zoom out, and pick a different fight to spawn into. That way you don't get stuck not having fun in a fight you can't win.

Try just bouncing around a little to get a look at the different types of bases and stuff. Go to your faction's Warp Gate (un-capturable main base on your home continent) and grab an aircraft and go fly around looking for fights to pop into. The ability to bounce around means you never NEED to get burned out. Wherever you spawn first isn't where you have to stay. So if you find yourself getting frustrated with a bad fight, find a new one where you can have some fun.

Game looks amazing. The community from PS1 is also big.

I don't have the machine necessary to run it but it looks awesome. I'm a big CoD guy and capturing the same flags on the same maps over and over gets boring, but a game like this where there is ALWAYS something happening is super exciting for me. Also the night fighting looks gorgeous. Kinda mad I can't afford a better rig.

There are whispers of a PS3 version happening eventually (it IS a Sony-published product). So you may not be completely out of luck. If Sony was willing to support cross-platform play it would be even more amazing. And they did that with Portal 2, so it's not out of the question.

RCA wrote:I'm a big CoD guy and capturing the same flags on the same maps over and over gets boring, but a game like this where there is ALWAYS something happening is super exciting for me. Also the night fighting looks gorgeous. Kinda mad I can't afford a better rig.

EXACTLY. You guys know how picky and stubborn I get about my shooters. This one seems to hit all the sweet spots. I'm very impressed.

Double XP this weekend. Great time to get into the game if you've been hesitant. XP boosts and Premium Membership stack with the double XP, too.