New PS patch

[Rywill]

Edited notes for the new PS patch:

----------------

[/b]Upcoming Patch (v.1.5)[/b]
1) The Skyguard anti-aircraft buggy is now available for use. Enjoy!

2) Hotspot algorithms have been improved. The Hotspots now scale up and down in size so that you can see the relative size of the battles in progress. Additionally, they are much more accurate (there is always a battle there now if you see a hotspot) and they refresh much more often. You should find them much more useful in finding battles now.

3) You can now respawn to a hacked building if you are a member of the owning Empire. Previously, once a building was hacked, the option to respawn there was unavailable. This is no longer the case.

4) The Advanced Hacking certification is now required in order to hack equipment terminals or vehicle terminals.

9) Command chat works properly again.

14) You can no longer see infiltration suits while your view is zoomed.

16) The exploit allowing folks to get the stealth effect to "stick" to an incorrect armor type has been sealed.

20) Fixed an exploit that allowed infiltration suits to equip rifle-sized objects.

22) You can no longer hack an enemy base if the friendly base connected to that base (on the lattice) is already hacked. In otherwords, if your base of operations is hacked, you can't use that base to link to other enemy bases. Therefore, you can't hack enemy bases until your own rear area is secure.

25) Pulsar was boosted in damage slightly per shot against soldiers. Also, the AP fire rate was increased to match that of Standard shots.

26) The VS MAX Quasar had its default ammo increased from 40 to 60 shots. It's AP damage is ever so slightly less to compensate, but its infantry damage is the same.

27) The population lock indicator has been changed to show how many slots are left for your Empire on that continent. In otherwords, it now shows a number instead of a percentage. The number caps out at 100, so if more than 100 slots remain on a continent, the indicator will say "100+".

----------------------

(The full text is available here (http://boards.station.sony.com/ubb/planetside/Forum8/HTML/001310.html)...I just quoted the stuff I thought was interesting.)

Good stuff. They're rolling out their proposed changes pretty fast. I'm psyched to check out the Skyguard, although it'll probably be under-useful until the Liberator and Lodestar are out as well. I'm glad hotspots are working better, that was always a pain (especially for instant action). The best change IMO is the change to the lattice--this will really force concentrated lines of engagement, rather than allowing people to hopscotch around each other. VS love is a good thing--they were the lowest pop on every server when I logged in yesterday. And lastly, I'm glad they're squashing the bugs with invisiblity. Looks good all around!

Can someone explain the point of spawning at a hacked base, though? Wouldn't you be unable to equip? Even if you could, won't the hacking team just camp the spawn room?

[Xemu]

Anyone interested in playing on the test server to check it out?

[Rob O'Boston]

Xemu I'll try and get in there later.

[Rywill]

On a mostly unrelated note, a word about inviting folks to the outfit: I have promoted every QT3'er (or at least everyone I know is from QT3) as high as the game will let me, but apparently some folks don't have invite privileges. I don't think there's anything I can do about that. The game only lets a certain number of people be the higher ranks, and right now the highest promotion I can give out is "Marine" IIRC.

[balut]

On a side note, as far as the Qt3 Outfit goes, unless we have multiple people already cert'ing it, I'm going to get Liberator ASAP, followed by Skyguard. If we already have a few Liberator people planned already, I'll do Skyguard first then.

[Ben Sones]

I'm probably going to cert skyguard immediately. Just FYI...

[Rywill]

I know Greg (Grisha) has saved certs for the Liberator. But I think A) it's more than fine to have a couple, even a few, people certified in Lib; and B) everyone should just play whatever they want to anyway.

Also, in case you're misreading the patch notes, there's no Liberator in this patch. Just Skyguard.

[Jason McMaster]

Ok, I'm for real gonna get this game this weekend. What should I start out with in certificates and on what server should I play. also: what army?

[Ben Sones]

Server: Johari
Empire: New Conglomerate

Make whatever sort of character you want--we have plenty of variety in the outfit, so don't feel obligated to take anything that you don't want to take. I can give you one piece of newbie advice, though: make sure you do the in-game training in the VR simulator, and do it before you choose your certifications. Not only do you get experience for each weapon and vehicle that you try out (you can reach BR3 before you step foot on the battlefield), it may give you a better idea what you want to play.

[Rywill]

If you want to play with the other QT3'ers, you need to play on the Johari server, fighting for the New Conglomerate. Send any of the regulars a /tell in-game and we'll get you an invite to the outfit if you're interested.

As for certs, my theory has always been "Play whatever you want!" Pretty much all of the certs are useful for the team. The only exception, IMO, is adanced medic--don't bother with that. But anything else is definitely useful. If you're really desperate for some guidance or don't care what you play, I guess I would say the outfit is a little short on 1) transport drivers (meaning Galaxy/Sunderer/Deliverer certs); 2) combat engineers (engineering and combat engineering certs); 3) MAXes; and 4) anti-vehicle (phoenix, special weapons, or whatever the AV MAX is (Falcon?)). But really, we already have some of all of those and the outfit is doing really well and has good balance. So you should play whatever appeals to you.

Also, everyone in the outfit would have a better time in the game if they got TeamSpeak. Even if you don't have a mic, you can at least listen in (that's what Bellephoron does). The QT3 TS server is always on at 66.143.108.182, password "QT3".

Good luck!

[Jason McMaster]

Cool. I have TS as I'm in a ShadowBane guild called Kill Cult that requires it. We also like punching Mark's guild in the ass.

There's a sniper cert isn't there? I can't help it, every game I play, I'm a sniper. Other than that I'd like to drive things or go all commando assed on everything that moves. Those are my normal choices.

[Ben Sones]

There is a sniper cert, and the sniper rifle is pretty swanky. Two shots kills most infantry (there are no head shots, sadly).

[Xaroc]

There is a sniper cert, and the sniper rifle is pretty swanky. Two shots kills most infantry (there are no head shots, sadly).

What is cool though at BR6 you can pick up the advanced targetting implant to show you how much health your target has left and pick off wounded guys. The sniper rifle does 75% damage to any non-MAX units per shot.

-- Xaroc

[Rob O'Boston]

Sniper is an interesting cert in PS. They aren't like the traditional snipers in other games, because there are no one shot kills, but they are very effective when there is a big standoff, and the snipers line up and basically pick off anyone with a short range weapon trying to get closer. I usually wait for surge (an implant that makes you faster) to recharge before I even try and advance on a line of snipers. When you see a hill side filled with them it sort of reminds me of a line of Napoleonic musket troops.

[Jason McMaster]

That's what I'll play then. I always preferred the sneaky sniper in the window or laying down near a tree or on a hill somewhere, but that works.

[Met_K]

Why doesn't anyone mortar the hillside full of snip... er... sorry, I'm thinking of Tribes, a game that actually has real combat. :lol:

I'm actually rather interested in PS, and I wish I had the 1ghz minimum spec to run it. That and I wish I could afford $13 a fucking month to play it.

[Mark Asher]

Cool. I have TS as I'm in a ShadowBane guild called Kill Cult that requires it. We also like punching Mark's guild in the ass.

There's a sniper cert isn't there? I can't help it, every game I play, I'm a sniper. Other than that I'd like to drive things or go all commando assed on everything that moves. Those are my normal choices.

You're part of the evil Kill Cult! You guys are wicked.

Actually, I'm playing on a different server now with a mage assassin. I still have my Deception characters though.

[Rob O'Boston]

Mark, are you going to give PS a shot? Was beta enough for you?

[Jason McMaster]

You're part of the evil Kill Cult! You guys are wicked.

Actually, I'm playing on a different server now with a mage assassin. I still have my Deception characters though.

I joined Kill Cult a few weeks ago and was there for the destruction of GH and some of the other cities. I've cancelled my account due to extreme technical issues and loss of interest. It's still open for about 3 more weeks so I'll be playing some then. The wanderers moved to Death to be a PK guild for some fun.

I'm anti-excited about SWG and don't know if I'll get it even though I ordered it. Who am I kidding, I'll buy it. Oh hey, Mark, what server are you gonna be on. When you get set up let me know and I'll go play SWG with ya.

[Ben Sones]

Why doesn't anyone mortar the hillside full of snip... er... sorry, I'm thinking of Tribes, a game that actually has real combat. :lol:


They do. A little artillery bombardment (Vanguard and Sunderer guns can fire at extremely long range) can take care of snipers pretty quickly, if you can see where they are. Good snipers move frequently, though, and fire from positions (like ridgelines) that let them beat a quick retreat if they come under fire. The best way to combat snipers is to carry a few medkits and run like hell when you get hit (it's tough to hit a fast-moving target with the sniper rifle).

I thought Tribes (the first one, at least) was a decent game, if a bit ahead of its time. But no other game has battles like Planetside.

[Met_K]

Why doesn't anyone mortar the hillside full of snip... er... sorry, I'm thinking of Tribes, a game that actually has real combat. :lol:


They do. A little artillery bombardment (Vanguard and Sunderer guns can fire at extremely long range) can take care of snipers pretty quickly, if you can see where they are. Good snipers move frequently, though, and fire from positions (like ridgelines) that let them beat a quick retreat if they come under fire. The best way to combat snipers is to carry a few medkits and run like hell when you get hit (it's tough to hit a fast-moving target with the sniper rifle).

Shit. If anyone's ever sold me on a game, it's what you just said, Ben. Now I just need to find a cheap 1ghz and I'm game. Sounds like the best online game there is. Er. That you have to pay for. Recurringly.

[Jason McMaster]

I have the above average processor for it and the rest is basically crap. I want to get my freaking radeon 9800 soon. Bastard assed IRS

[Ben Sones]

Yeah, the monthly fee is the easily the biggest "con" the game has going for it. OTOH, I don't play many games for more than a month anyway, so I usually spend a lot more than $13 on my monthly fix.

If you wrangle a computer than can run the game (I recommend 512+ MB of RAM, by the way), you can play a free 7-day trial if someone loans you their disc.

[Jason McMaster]

I have my beta discs still, does that count?

[Ben Sones]

Uhm... I don't know. You need a trial serial number, which only comes with the retail disc. If someone sends you one of those numbers, though, you may be able to log on and register with it using your beta discs. I know the game will patch to the most recent version from a beta install (because I've done it) if you have a valid registration code. I'm not sure if it would work with a trial reg. number, but it might be worth trying.

[Jason McMaster]

somebody send me a trial number. a SASSY trial number

[Ben Sones]

Drop me an email and I'll send mine.

[Rywill]

They do. A little artillery bombardment (Vanguard and Sunderer guns can fire at extremely long range) can take care of snipers pretty quickly, if you can see where they are.

Yeah, it's the finding them part that's hard, though. The game tells you what direction you got hit from, and all weapons have at least a 2x scope, so you can theoretically turn and find where the sniper is. The problem, though, is that while you're busily scanning that ridge or tower, the sniper will blow your ass to kingdom come. So I'm with Ben--if I take a sniper round (which is always easy to tell, since it takes 3/4 of your health), I hit my sprint implant and run for cover, whacking the "medkit" hotkey all the way.

[Xaroc]

They do. A little artillery bombardment (Vanguard and Sunderer guns can fire at extremely long range) can take care of snipers pretty quickly, if you can see where they are.

Yeah, it's the finding them part that's hard, though. The game tells you what direction you got hit from, and all weapons have at least a 2x scope, so you can theoretically turn and find where the sniper is. The problem, though, is that while you're busily scanning that ridge or tower, the sniper will blow your ass to kingdom come. So I'm with Ben--if I take a sniper round (which is always easy to tell, since it takes 3/4 of your health), I hit my sprint implant and run for cover, whacking the "medkit" hotkey all the way.

I have 2 favorite techniques for dealing with snipers. Get in my MAX and move to their flank and hammer them. That typically works well if they aren't supported. The other strategy is with my stealth engineer character. I sneak in behind them (so easy especially when they are zoomed in) and pop half a clip from my AMP into them. Or for real fun drop a spitfire turret right behind a few of them and watch the chaos ensue.

-- Xaroc

[Rywill]

Funny. There's no doubt that vehicles (or MAXes) are the rock to the sniper's scissors. Snipers just have no good way to deal with non-infantry. I like that stealth engineer idea even better, though.

And it brings up a good newbie tip: PS is definitely a game about roles. Every character is going to have some things they're good against and some that they aren't (even the high BR characters can't be good against everything, because of inventory restrictions). So know your role. For example, my character (reinforced armor, jackhammer, gauss) is a close-quarters battle specialist. I am decent against infantry at medium-to-long range, and I tear through infantry at short ranges (such as indoors).

But I am useless against vehicles, and I am at a serious disadvantage at extreme (sniper) range and against MAX suits. If I am outside and see an enemy combat vehicle, I run for cover. If I see a MAX, I run for cover unless I have serious backup. If I get hit by a sniper, I run for cover. That sort of thing is key to doing well in the game. It may seem like you should just fight everything, because even if you get killed, at least you did some damage. But it takes long enough to get re-equipped and back to the fight that, in my experience, you're better off running away until you find something you're at least evenly matched with.

[Michael Fortson]

Or for real fun drop a spitfire turret right behind a few of them and watch the chaos ensue.hehe... evil.

Something odd in the notes: who exactly is THIS for?
23) 3000x800 video resolution is now supported.

[Xemu]

Presumably widescreen monitors?

I switched my certs out of the infantry weapons (Phoenix, Jackhammer) and into MAXes (Falcon & Sparrow right now) and I'm enjoying the game a lot more with them. A good Sparrow run in a hotly contested area can easily take out 6-8 Reavers. Good times. The Falcon is just nice for overall capability, though it's not as good at killing vehicles as I'd hope. In general I think we could use more Phoenix toting folks.

The big weakness to MAXes though is you need a Tower or Base to get them at... those AMSes (portable respawns) don't let you kit out with the heavy iron.

[Michael Fortson]

PS: after reading that moron-fest they call a forum, I'm (again) swearing off public gaming forums. People are illiterate nauseating twits with a binary possibility of being completely stupid or merely pedantic. Bleh, and these are "today's gamers". Disgusting.

[XPav]

Guys, please stop talking about this game. You're making me want to buy it.

[Xaroc]

Guys, please stop talking about this game. You're making me want to buy it.

It is hopeless to resist you will be assimilated.

-- Xaroc

[balut]

Right now, I'm a jack-of-all-trades with some vehicle specialization. Enforcer, AMS, Engineering, and Anti-Vehicle weapons right now. I'm probably going to trade out AMS for Galaxy, and when they're out, Liberator and Skyguard. Engineering is always useful to fix up whatever vehicle you're driving around.

Oh, and Phoenix Missiles (anti-vehicle NC weapon) are just a complete blast when I'm running around in my AMS. I find a relatively secure area to deploy the AMS, load up on Phoenix Missiles, and launch guided missile death from a remote location onto the enemy. Great against turrets, unsuspecting snipers, MAXes, tanks, pretty much anything that doesn't expect a guided missile to fly out from nowhere and smack them upside the head. And their main drawback (physically big ammo == hard to carry more than a few reloads) is offset by the fact that I can reload my missiles from my AMS. Of course, some care has to be taken to guide the missiles in from a different angle, so that an observant enemy doesn't pinpoint the AMS location from them.

[Rywill]

Sounds cool, balut. I recently picked up AMS as well. It can be super-helpful, but I still kind of suck at it--half the time I get pinpointed right away and the thing gets blown sky-high right after I deploy it.

I'm an AI specialist--heavy armor, JH, gauss. I also have Harasser and AMS. Probably going to go for infiltrator next (great change of pace or for soloing), and basic engineering after that.

[Ben Sones]

I am this--> <--far from getting BR12 and my second implant. And it is so going to be Darklight Vision, so I can stop getting pwn3d by those sneaky infiltrators. I got nailed three times in a row by the same guy tonight. Embarassing.

[Xaroc]

I am this--> <--far from getting BR12 and my second implant. And it is so going to be Darklight Vision, so I can stop getting pwn3d by those sneaky infiltrators. I got nailed three times in a row by the same guy tonight. Embarassing.

Ben you know you can swap out implants at will right? I had been using the advanced targeting implant to see enemies health and the zoom one (12x zoom with a MAX is actually somewhat useful) but I switched to darklight because of stealthers.

-- Xaroc

[Ben Sones]

Yeah, I know. But I refuse to go without Surge, which is by far the most useful implant for infantry types. Once I reach BR12, I won't have to choose between them anyway.

[Nathan Phoenix]

must....resist....urge....to....buy!

[Ben Sones]

Why would you want to do that?

[Dave Weinstein]

Join us...

JOIN US!

[Rywill]

Surge + Jackhammer = PWNAGE


Unless you suck, like me.

[Jason Cross]

Do you have to have Medium Assault in order to get Heavy Assault? Because I've been itching to grab a Jackhammer but at BR11 I only have one cert free. I might drop medium and pick up heavy - I'm not that effective at long range with my mediums anyway, I usually get close to the fight and do heals and reconstruction.

I'm probably going to dump my Sparrow MAX and pick up AV weapons so I can use the Phoenix rocket. That Sparrow is just a big 'ol bullseye for every guy with a rocket or grenade or vehicle, and though it totally wipes all the reavers from the sky, it's a pain in the ass indoors. Too much friendly fire damage, and it's simply too weak against infantry - some good infantry players who are able to move well can take me out at very close range.

Last night was some really good battles, just huge stuff. But the NC got totally owned. 17.8% for the night...OUCH.

[Nathan Phoenix]

I must resist the urge to buy, becase my fiance gets annoyed when I play different games then her (we're currently playing AO, mostly). She REALLY did not like the PS beta so I don't know how I will get her into the game. She really likes support roles in online games, and she was not happy with her effectiveness as a medic during the beta.

[Rywill]

You do need Medium to take Heavy, and you can't even ditch Medium after you get heavy (I tried that once). That's why I have no sympathy for people whining that the JH is too powerful--at 7 certs, it had better be.

I'd love to get Phoenix myself. Last night I spotted an enemy AMS over a ridge, but I couldn't do a damn thing about it. If I'd had a Phoenix, I could have sat behind the ridge and blown the thing away at my leisure. Ah well. Like Jason, I am only so-so with medium assault weapons (the Gauss being the only one I use). I really think Phoenix/JH would be a better combo than Gauss/JH. The Gauss is good for suppression fire, but I rarely kill anybody with it.

Definitely amazing battle last night, and it was cool that we won in the end (5K base cap!). I desperately need more RAM, though--huge battles are becoming more and more common, and it's only going to get more like that once the hotspots are more accurate.

[Rob O'Boston]

Ben, you are absolutely right about surge, especially for the NC because we have the snub nosed jackhammer to work with. Personally I think surge works even better with the chaingun, which is why i'm constantly pilfering them (or trying).

I hit br12 last night, and although I've thought about other implants, I'll be getting darklight too. Its just so satisfying to get those sneaky bastards. I've been hunted down by packs of cloakers lately, so I'm ready to dole out some what-for.

I really like my sunderer cert, although 75% of the time I think I use it wrong. Although its tempting to try and run people down with it, the thing is too slow to catch the wary. And when I'm locked on by missiles, my temptation is to evade, but the thing is too lumbering for that to make a difference. I think, even though it seems pretty passive, the best way to use a sunderer (besides basic transport) is to keep it at a distance and use it as arty. I'm going to untrain hacking and pick up engineering so I can repair it while my gunners are still firing. I'll leave it to the enforcers and vanguards to mix it up. I only wish the sund, and the gal for that matter, had an equip terminal.

[Rywill]

I generally agree about the Sunderer, although you can take it reasonably close to a battle because it's so tough. It's a lot easier for your gunners to hit targets if you're closer--at standoff range, it's really only good for suppression. We f'ed up some tanks and that one AMS last night, and I thought that was totally worth it. You don't want to be in the midst of enemy troops, but being 30 meters from them is pretty swell.

It's also good to get in close for assaults--I remember a few nights ago, loading one up wtih troops and a MAX and driving right up to a well-defended TR tower. The Sunderer keeps us healthy (even if it gets blown away once we bail out) and we do some damage with the guns on the way in.

[Rob O'Boston]

Another thing is, a couple of sunderers together are a force to be reckoned with. Those cannons have a great ROF, and 4 or 6 of them (2 or 3 sunderers) popping along can devestate a choke point.

[Ben Sones]

Like Jason, I am only so-so with medium assault weapons (the Gauss being the only one I use). I really think Phoenix/JH would be a better combo than Gauss/JH.

I only use the Gauss (of the mediums) too, but I find it to be a pretty damn effective weapon. I probably get more infantry kills with the Gauss than I get with anything else. Then again, I'm a BAR guy in BF1942--both weapons have similar strengths. The Gauss is very accurate even at the medium to long end of its maximum range, and that's where I use it. Crouch and fire off single shots in quick succession and you'll hit with most of them. I can typically kill TR infantry, and usually VS infantry too, before they can close to a range at which their rifles become effective.

I use the Phoenix/JH combo sometimes, but it has a huge Achilles heel--any infantry more than thirty feet away from you will kick your ass and take your name. The Phoenix and the Jackhammer work against each other with this combo; you want to use the Phoenix at range (standing blind and immobile in the middle of a firefight while you guide a missile = unwise), but you want to use the JH at point blank range. With the Phoenix/JH combo, any enemy that spots you can usually pick you off before you can close to JH range. Sure, you can run and take cover, but with the Gauss you can actually return fire.

I'm still experimenting, but I think I'm going to go with two seperate loadouts--one close combat loadout (Gauss/JH, with both regular and AP ammo for the JH), and one AV loadout (Gauss/Phoenix, all regular ammo for the Gauss), and switch between them as needed.

The Phoenix is hella fun, though. I love blind firing it into base fights--find someplace out of the way (like the backside of a nearby ridge), fire the missile up into the air, then direct it into the base courtyard from above and select a target on your way in. They won't know what hit them. My biggest beef with the Phoenix is that the Reavers and MAXs have gotten a lot better at dodging them. Reaver pilots (the good ones) often make sudden and unexpected course alterations, which makes them really tough to hit. I still think the Phoenix needs to do more damage, but it's a fun weapon either way.

Related note--the dodging thing is something of a balancing factor with the MAXs. It's much easier to kill TR MAXs with Phoenix missiles (especially when they are anchored) than it is to kill VS ones. I think the VS MAX is a lot better than the morons on the official forums make it out to be. It doesn't have the same caliber of firepower, but it still deals more damage than regular infantry, has just as much armor as the TR MAX, and is much more agile. The jumpjets are extremely useful.

[Rob O'Boston]

I think those load outs pretty perfect. I'm dropping hacking altogether, and then I'll have:

med
heavy
AV

so I can go with the gauss/JH inside, and the gauss/phon outside

then my squad friendly certs will be:

sunderer
engineer

Implants: surge and darksight.

Man, wish I was playing right now.

[Rywill]

Man, wish I was playing right now.
LOL. Me too. Ben, I disagree re: the Gauss. If enemy infantry stayed out of cover, I would get lots of kills. The problem with the Gauss is that it does so little damage per hit that your enemy invariably runs to cover before you get a kill (or at least, mine do). I get rare Gauss kills with enemies that are low on health to begin with, stupid, or way out in the open, but that's it. Usually I get 5-10 hits on someone and then they bug out. I've probably winged 2,000 people with the Gauss. Great for suppression and disruption of enemy plans/formations, but really not good for kills.

The Jack, by contrast, does so much damage that I can usually run down a kill with it (assuming I don't get killed first).

So how do you get Gauss kills? I really like the Gauss conceptually and I'd like to be better with it.

Oh, and re: Phoenix, you know you can hit "fire" to detonate the missile on a near-miss, right? That might help with those dodgy air units.

[Rywill]

I think the VS MAX is a lot better than the morons on the official forums make it out to be. It doesn't have the same caliber of firepower, but it still deals more damage than regular infantry, has just as much armor as the TR MAX, and is much more agile. The jumpjets are extremely useful.
Totally agree. I've been avoiding the official forums just because so many people are idiots. But from what I've seen, the VS overall have less firepower than either other empire, but are more versatile. Their infantry weapons alt-fire in AP mode, which is a big bonus. The super-mobile MAXes are also a big benefit outdoors. And the Lasher is better than people say, too--it's not as good one-on-one, but the fact that it does AOE damage and can hit around corners and over obstacles is pretty huge.

Re: infantry loadouts, maybe I'll get Special Weapons and try JH/Rocket Rifle. That might work well.

[Xaroc]

I swapped out my heavy armor (2 rifle slots) for the JackHammer last night. Seems pretty good but I really miss my Phoenix/Punisher combo it is definitely more versatile. Phoenix/Jackhammer would be pretty awesome as well but would require I pickup 3 more cert points or ditch my MAX. For the medium weapons I like the Punisher the best because you can load up on plasma grenades and spam people with them. With the Phoenix and 10 rockets, 100 rounds of AP ammo, and about 12 plasma grenades I can take on almost anything and have a better than average chance to win. If you drop a plasma on a foot soldier then switch to bullets you can own them up close. MAXes and Vehicles get the Phoenix. At longer ranges against infantry is the one weak spot but I like using the grenade launcher as a mortar into concentrations of enemy troops from a distance. If nothing else it pisses them off and distracts them so your teammates can get to them better.

So I think I will end up back with the heavy armor tonight leaving me with Falcon, Med, Anti-Vehicle, and Heavy Armor with one cert point left over at BR9. I will probably grab AMS at 10 and might swap out for JackHammer at 12.

My other guy is Inf Suit and both Engineers at BR5. I will probably buy a vehicle at some point with him.

-- Xaroc

[XPav]

I give up. I'll buy the game, but only when its on sale. (Can't give the impression that I totally caved). Someone tell me where to get PS cheap.

[Jason McMaster]

So I found my Beta discs and Ben sent me his code so I'm patching now, for about 3 hours. Is anyone going to be on later tonight? around 10:00 + central. I have a practical cooking final tonight thats gonna suck so I'll be in the mood to kill later.

Wish me luck on making the Gateau St-Honore

[Linoleum]

I give up. I'll buy the game, but only when its on sale. (Can't give the impression that I totally caved). Someone tell me where to get PS cheap.

It'll go on sale at Best Buy for $39.99 starting Sunday.

[Xaroc]

I give up. I'll buy the game, but only when its on sale. (Can't give the impression that I totally caved). Someone tell me where to get PS cheap.

I think GoGamer has it for 42.99, go through the QT3 link to hook up Mark and Tom. Then Tom can afford a new beret.

-- Xaroc

[Michael Fortson]

Isn't there a referral thingy as well? Something like a month free for referring someone, or some such. Could effectively get it for half-price for you and a pal that way, unless I'm just misremembering something from a really weird dream.

[Nathan Phoenix]

Damn you all, installing now. And figures, I just got it at Best Buy for $50. Isn't there some law that lets you take the receipt back and get the difference if it goes on sale within two weeks or something?

[Nathan Phoenix]

Ok... can i get an invite to the unit? NC johari right? Some bastard took my name already so I am LokustQT3

[Rywill]

Send a /tell to any of the regulars in-game. I'm not going to be on tonight, unfortunately (probably tomorrow tho). But you should be able to get an invite from:

Grisha
Ben
Jason
Xemu
Balut
DavidCPA
Cip
Robbo

There are many more of us (we just hit 50 members! Woot!) but I think those are all the people with invite capability (the game hard-limits the number of "officers" we can have--LAME). Good luck!

[Ben Sones]

I'll keep an eye out for you when I'm on Lokust. In the meantime, mess around with the VR training. It'll get you to BR3 pretty quickly.

[Jason Cross]

Just as a reminder for the new players:

we all use TeamSpeak to chat when we play. The perpetual server (thanks James!) is up at 66.143.108.182 password: qt3

even if you don't have a mic, it's worth joining the TS server just to hear the chatter.

Recommended settings: CELP 5.1kbit codec or CELP Windows 5.2kbit (but play around if you want), and use push-to-talk. You can even bind PTT to a mouse button if you like, which is great since the game really only needs left and right mouse button.

[Jason Cross]

oh yeah, and a tip for people making new characters:

pick a boring, short name that lets us know who you are. Good examples are Rywill (Ryan Williams) and Robbo (Rob O'Boston). A bad example is Bellerophon (sorry!).

Time is at a premium and when you're trying to do a /tell to someone with a long name, it's a pain. Plus, a name that everyone can pronounce on TeamSpeak and identify you easily with is a good idea.

Hopping in the game in like 15 minutes...

[Ben Sones]

You can even bind PTT to a mouse button if you like, which is great since the game really only needs left and right mouse button.

It may only need L&R mouse buttons, but I find it very useful to keep Zoom bound to the mouse wheel, and my implant(s) bound to the side keys. Of course if you have an Intellimouse Explorer, that leaves you with one free button, which I use for Teamspeak PTT.

[Rywill]

Seconded: please get TeamSpeak (otherwise you won't be able to follow what's going on--it's a tiny download, and it's free) and please set it to push-to-talk instead of voice-activated.

Big thanks to James for running the server!!

[Nathan Phoenix]

I tried connecting to teamspeak last night but had no luck. I think I may have the wrong version...where can I get whatever you guys are using?

[Xaroc]

Send a /tell to any of the regulars in-game. I'm not going to be on tonight, unfortunately (probably tomorrow tho). But you should be able to get an invite from:

Grisha
Ben
Jason
Xemu
Balut
DavidCPA
Cip
Robbo

There are many more of us (we just hit 50 members! Woot!) but I think those are all the people with invite capability (the game hard-limits the number of "officers" we can have--LAME). Good luck!

I am on the invite list as well and am around pretty much every night. Although you may want to give that ability to someone else since I am going on vacation for a week starting Sunday.

-- Xaroc

[Rob O'Boston]

And I'm not around on weekends, but I'm around most weeknights.

Great bridge scene last night. I had the sund stacked up behind 5 of our tanks, all of which were stalled out because I think the first one was getting pummelled and trying to clear mines. As someone said (Jason?), if the bombers were in the game then we would have been toast. As it was the reavers were having a field day, and by the time I got close to the other end of the bridge there were smouldering hulks all over the place. Very cool.

It seems to me that people are starting to get far more strategical about destroying terminals. If we're about to take a base then I think the otherside is smashing the place. What is annoying is that we can't repair the stuff until the hack is complete (I think), which is doubly annoying because I have 5 certs in hacking and its useless if the terms are destroyed. We should be able to repair stuff when the hack is on, whether its generators, terms, or whatever.

[Jason Cross]

I tried connecting to teamspeak last night but had no luck. I think I may have the wrong version...where can I get whatever you guys are using?

Just go here (http://www.teamspeak.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index) and grab the Win32 client. If you're behind a router or something you might need to open up a port or whatever, I'm not sure. But basically you just go to the "connect" menu and enter in the IP and the password in the appropriate boxes, and that's it. Simple.

[Jason Cross]

Oh wow, looks like 1.5 just went up this morning.

JOY! (http://planetside.station.sony.com/game_updates/recent_updates.jsp)

[Michael Fortson]

oh yeah, and a tip for people making new characters:

pick a boring, short name that lets us know who you are. Good examples are Rywill (Ryan Williams) and Robbo (Rob O'Boston). A bad example is Bellerophon (sorry!).

Time is at a premium and when you're trying to do a /tell to someone with a long name, it's a pain. Plus, a name that everyone can pronounce on TeamSpeak and identify you easily with is a good idea.



I second that. And please, whatever you do, don't get clever and use a number in place of a letter in response to the authentic name you wanted not being available. I've just about reached the point where if I can't type the name correctly in a couple of attempts at inviting, I'm not going to try more :P

cip

[Ben Sones]

And don't use the name "FrodoFraggins." Because it's taken (though not, sadly, by me).

I'm glad they fixed that Infiltration suit bug. It's a recent one, so not many people had figured it out yet. But the ones that had... I got killed by a stealth MAX the other night. Nasty.

And orbital strikes are in. Heaven help us. Or kill us, as the case may be.

[Rywill]

YAY FOR 1.5!! I'll be on tonight, but it might be late because of work. Hope to see you guys there.

[Rob O'Boston]

I'm psyched to see the skyguard, and I really want to get shot with the orbital cannon just to see what its like :). I'll be on 7-9ish ET before splitting until sunday. Hey, who can call in Qt3's orbital gun? We have a lot of outfit points, but do we have the CR???

[Nathan Phoenix]

speaking of names that are taken, some bastard who plays TR on Johari has Lokust, He and I killed each other numerous times over the course of the evening. I was most annoyed. I've had this handle since I started BBS'ing in '93.

Last night was a freaking blast though. I loved the bridge battles. I parked my AMS on our side of the bridge so our casualties could easily get back to the action, and then proceeded to hitch a ride. Once halfway across the bridge I pulled out my AV rockets, sat behind our tanks, and fired them up into the air and steered them into enemy maxes and tanks. I can't wait until I have both AV and jackhammer and maybe a hacking cert.

[Rob O'Boston]

You know you can /tell the enemy players. Maybe you can work out a deal for the name. Tell him you'll give him jackhammers to put in his locker if he'll delete the char. I can envision a black market on PS for enemy weaps.

[Rywill]

I'm psyched to see the skyguard, and I really want to get shot with the orbital cannon just to see what its like :). I'll be on 7-9ish ET before splitting until sunday. Hey, who can call in Qt3's orbital gun? We have a lot of outfit points, but do we have the CR???

I think Grisha is CR 3, is that high enough? Who else is going for CR? I am CR 1 right now, but decided to hold off getting further CR until I hit BR 13--I want a second implant, armor upgrade, and an AV weapon first.

EDIT: Never mind, strikes require CR 4. However, CR 3 can use EMP blasts, which are also in with this patch. That's going to be pretty huge--what a gigantic bonus when assaulting a defended position. It takes out spitfires, mines, and disables enemy vehicles! (Temporarily.)

[Ben Sones]

The new patch broke hotspots altogether, by the way. They don't show up on the map at all. Hopefully they'll have that fixed by tonight.

[Michael Fortson]

The new patch broke hotspots altogether, by the way. They don't show up on the map at all. Hopefully they'll have that fixed by tonight.

Yeah, instant action is out of commision as a result :? rats.


I'm CR2 btw. Working on getting higher.

[Nathan Phoenix]

You know you can /tell the enemy players. Maybe you can work out a deal for the name.
I tried sending tells but he never responded. I'm guessing he did not know how to reply or something.

Also, the devs said the hotspot/instant action bug will be fixed via a server-side update at 3AM tonite

[Rob O'Boston]

Apologies to xaroc, I was logging out when you came in, and my mic is broke. Catch you Sunday or Monday.

Couple of patch notes: the skyguard is all that and a bag of chips, at least in style (cool dragster) and versus mosquitos. I hacked a skyguard and then blew a mosq away while he was hiding behind a bridge. The shell bursts are powerful I guess.

The hot spots are still gone. Kind of a pain.

Lastly, the salamander outfit logo is awesome. Very recognizable. But, I still haven't seen it on uniforms. I'll have to look closer next time.

[Rywill]

Lastly, the salamander outfit logo is awesome. Very recognizable. But, I still haven't seen it on uniforms. I'll have to look closer next time.
It's very small. IIRC it appears on the right chest.

[DavidCPA]

Damn you all, installing now. And figures, I just got it at Best Buy for $50. Isn't there some law that lets you take the receipt back and get the difference if it goes on sale within two weeks or something?

Yes. I bought mine for $50 at Best Buy and it went on sale for $45 a few days later. I took my receipt to BB and got the difference back.

-DavidCPA

[Nathan Phoenix]

Sorry about the static I added to TeamSpeak tonite. I think the mic on my GameVoice finally gave up and died. Maybe I can snag a decent plantronics headset this weekend. Drives me nuts to have to type back. especially when I'm driving :)

[Ben Sones]

Take it from me, it's far more troubling for your passengers...

:o

[Nathan Phoenix]

cmon. you never died as my passenger, and we only almost flipped once. :)