PlanetSide 2 News

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[h2]Sunderer Rework Update[/h2]
The Sunderer has been updated with new modules! Learn about the new changes to the Sunderer including new powerful modules, certification changes and more. Read about our vision and plans for the new sunderer experience in our December Dev Letter here.

[h2]Changes/Updates[/h2]
[h3]General[/h3]

• All descriptions have been rewritten for clarity and to update stats/functionality
  
• The Havoc status effect has been improved
  
• The duration of grenades, mines, ESF Missiles, and launcher has been increased from 6 to 8 seconds
  
• The duration of Haywire ammo has been increased from 4 to 5 seconds
  
• The full, level 3, stat boosts from both the previous performance certs (Rival Combat and Racer High Speed Chassis) are now rolled into the base stats rather than level 2 from each
  

[h3]Deploy[/h3]
Deploy dome

• When deployed the dome now starts with a low amount of health and must charge to full
  
• It takes around 34 seconds to completely charge depending on level
  
• The size and shape of the dome now much more closely matches that of the Sunderer, making it much less likely to undesirably protrude through geometry
  
• The dome visuals have been updated to make them easier to see
  

Point Defense

• Many of the point defense modifiers were not being correctly applied, leading to the cert performing far better than intended
  
• These modifiers have been fixed, and also the bonuses reduced, bringing it more in-line with its intended power and use
  

[h3]Armor[/h3]
Enhanced Plating

• The mitigation bonus of Enhanced Plating has been reduced at the top end from 40% to 30% and the range between levels narrowed
  

Nanite

• Passive repair amount has been slightly reduced at the top end and its overall range tightened. The passive repair should now correctly persist through damage
  
• The burst repair now works correctly and should heal for the stated amount
  
• The passive and active repair now use a shared cooldown
  
• The burst heal amount has also been slightly increased to compensate for the increased passive cooldown
  

Reactive armor

• Reactive armor was interacting incorrectly with some damage types, causing it to be provide far more protection than intended
  
• The armor now behaves as intended, activating and blocking the listed damage types and ignoring all others completely
  

[h3]Cargo[/h3]

• The maximum number of simultaneous cargo deployables has been reduced to 1
  
• Cargo deployables now have their own notification strings
  
• Cargo deployables now have collision and can receive vehicle damage.
  
• Cargo deployables can now be disabled by EMP
  
• Cargo deployables can now be hacked
  
• Cargo deployables will now show how damaged they are via VFX
  
• Cargo deployables can now be spotted, each with its own icon
  

Repair Station

• A much weaker, passive version of the proximity repair has been added to the certification
  
• While the repair module is undeployed the sunderer will repair a very small amount around itself in a small radius
  
• This is intended to be comparatively weak and does not repair other sunderers, useful only for very minor, slow, damage
  
• The deployed version has been slightly buffed, its repair amount and range have been increased. Sunderers now receive reduced repair amounts from the station
  
• The repair from multiple repair stations will no longer stack, with the highest repair value being selected
  

Proximity/Scout Radar

• The Proximity Radar has been renamed to Scout Radar to more accurately describe its functionality
  
• A passive, version has been added with a small range that is active when the sunderer is mounted and no RADAR is deployed
  
• The deployed RADAR has been buffed with increased range
  

Ammo Tower

• The ammo tower range has been increased when deployed
  

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• Some projectiles, such as from the Spitfire and Scorpion launcher, can pierce the Deploy Dome
  
• Cargo deployable audio is not correctly playing for players that enter the range after it is deployed
  
• Spotted cargo does not always show up correctly on screen or on the map
  
• The Stealth Module is not as competitive with its alternatives as it should be, we are looking into ways to make this certification more desirable
  

[h3]Sales Events[/h3]
Independence Day Sales Event!

• The Stars and Stripes Contrails bundle, and the Liberation Bundle are available for a limited time in the depot.
  
• Enjoy contrail and Liberator cosmetics!
  

New and Returning Items arrive to the Depot:

• July's MEMBERS ONLY bundle hits the depot for the low price of 10 Certs! If you previously missed out on Prime Gaming rewards then here's your chance to grab them with your Daybreak Membership!
  
• Because this is offered for Certs, this will only affect the character you purchase the bundle on. If you would like this bundle to be accessed on other characters, you will need to purchase the bundle for those characters as well.
  

Independence Day Holiday Items return for a limited time:

• NC Patriot Flare Gun
  
• TR Patriot Flare Gun
  
• VS Patriot Flare Gun
  
• NS Patriot Flare Gun
  
• NC Triumph Flare Gun
  
• TR Triumph Flare Gun
  
• VS Triumph Flare Gun
  
• Patriot Camo
  
• Stars and Stripes Contrails Bundle
  
• Liberation Bundle
  
• Nomad-I Light Assault Armor
  

Summer holiday items and Bundles return for a limited time:

• Mega Soldier Soaker (Ballistic Blue)
  
• Mega Soldier Soaker (Imperial Purple)
  
• Mega Soldier Soaker (Riot Red)
  
• Mega Soldier Soaker (Electric Sky)
  
• Mega Soldier Soaker XP100
  
• Ares Helmet
  
• NSX-P Tanto
  
• Summer Fun Decal
  
• Summer Splash Bundle
  
• Amphibious Bundle
  

New Items

• Frogman Helmets arrive on the depot. These helmets are tailored to each factions aesthetic
  
• Heavy Assault Class banner, frame and decal are on the depot for 10 Certs each
  
• NS-44: "Primed Diamond" Commissioner. The final instalment of the "Primed Crystal" series of Commissioners
  

[h2]Directives[/h2]
[h3]Summer Event Directives[/h3]

• Tides of Summer Alpha Event Directive: 9th July - 6th August 2024
  
• Tides of Summer Bravo Event Directive: 7th August - 6th September 2024
  

Tides of Summer Alpha 2024 (Operation: Lightseeker) Directive Rewards Tier 1
250 Certs
Title: Corsair
True North Decal

Tier 2
500 ISO-4
True North Banner
True North Banner Frame

Tier 3
500 A7
Starscape Camo
Basic Implant Pack

Tier 4
True North Contrails (Galaxy)
Deluxe Implant Pack

Tides of Summer Bravo 2024 (Operation: Groundbreaker) Directive Rewards Tier 1
250 Certs
Title: Nascent Envoy
Nascent Expeditions Decal

Tier 2
500 ISO-4
Nascent Expeditions Banner
Nascent Expeditions Banner Frame

Tier 3
500 A7
Nascent Expedition Camo
Basic Implant Pack

Tier 4
Sky Whale Intake (Galaxy)
Sky Whale Exterior (Galaxy)
Deluxe Implant Pack

[h3]Long Term Directives[/h3]
New long term Directives under the Strategic category have been added:

• Conquest - Hossin
  
• Conquest - Indar
  
• Conquest - Amerish
  
• Conquest - Esamir
  

[h3]Conquest - Hossin Directive Rewards[/h3]
Tier 1
Basic Implant Pack

Tier 2
Hossin Postcard Banner

Tier 3
Deluxe Implant Pack

Tier 4
Hossin Stamp Decal
Title: of Hossin (suffix)

[h3]Conquest - Amerish Directive Rewards[/h3]
Tier 1
Basic Implant Pack

Tier 2
Amerish Postcard Banner

Tier 3
Deluxe Implant Pack

Tier 4
Amerish Stamp Decal
Title: of Amerish (suffix)

[h3]Conquest - Indar Directive Rewards[/h3]
Tier 1
Basic Implant Pack

Tier 2
Indar Postcard Banner

Tier 3
Deluxe Implant Pack

Tier 4
Indar Stamp Decal
Title: of Indar (suffix)

[h3]Conquest - Esamir Directive Rewards[/h3]
Tier 1
Basic Implant Pack

Tier 2
Esamir Postcard Banner

Tier 3
Deluxe Implant Pack

Tier 4
Esamir Stamp Decal
Title: of Esamir (suffix)

[h2]Balancing[/h2]

• Increased the effect time of the Havoc grenade from 6 to 8 seconds
  

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• Fix an issue where NSO tank turrets had no reload sound
  
• Fixed a bug with the Chimera's Cyclops where sometimes shots in first person were muffled
  
• Fixed a bug with the Chimera's CT-102 Satyr, where you would hear an extra shot but no extra shot was fired
  
• Fixes made to the mute/ignore in chat and voice communication systems
  
• Fixed an issue where you could accidentally add someone to your friends list multiple times due to spam clicking multiple friend requests
  
• Fixed an issue with the M20 Basilisk's disappearing sound when changing a view while shooting
  
• Fixed Sunderer and Prowler M18 Palisade-S issue with disappearing sound when changing view whilst shooting
  
• Fixed an unnecessary fade when changing the camera with Palisade weapons
  
• Fixed an odd sound when tapping the Galaxy's A30 Walker's fire button and disappearing sound when changing view and as well as Tail gun audio reworks
  
• Updated the weapon audio for the Valkyrie's G20 Hellion
  
• Lightning Skyguard audio has been redone. It no longer sounds like someone beating on sheet metal with a spoon
  
• Fixed an issue with G40-F Ranger for the Harasser, Ant, Sunderer and Prowler where sound disappeared when changing view while shooting
  
• Quality of life fixes for key tooltips for abilities
  

[h2]Known Issues[/h2]

• The Directive "Point Control" on the "Objectives" Directive Tree updates "Oshur Point Control" on "Conquest - Oshur" Directive Tree
  

🎇Holiday Bundles Available Now!🎇
⭐️Stars and Stripes Contrails Bundle
⭐️Liberation Bundle
Check the depot for more details.

💹Members Double XP is Live!💹
The Members Double XP event runs today through June 30.
👉Learn more about All-Access: https://www.daybreakgames.com/allaccess

[h2]Behind the Scenes: Making Audio for PlanetSide 2[/h2]
For this month's dev letter, we wanted to give you a peek into what goes on when making new audio updates to the game, both when it comes to sound effects and music. 

Starting as a new audio team on such an established franchise has been very exciting, while at the same time there’s been a lot for us to get into. Initially, we spent a lot of time playing the game and reading through player feedback on the forums and Reddit. 


This turned out to be very helpful in both establishing what we would value ourselves, while also learning what you, the players, would like to see happening to the game. At the end of this dev letter, we have also provided a survey which if answered would help us to work even more toward what our player base wants. 

[h2]Bug fixes and optimization [/h2]
Our focus so far has mainly been on bug fixes and carefully updating existing sounds. This has resulted in updates like fixing audio/animation desynchronization issues, and a larger fix for weapons that would spam multiple sound cues when tapping quickly. 

Our most recent submission is a potential fix for the big audio dropout issue. This has been on our radar since the beginning, but since the issue has no clear reproduction steps and the only place we seem to encounter it is on a large and populated live server, this has been especially complex to debug and test. 

So far we have increased the channel limit, which allows for more sounds to play simultaneously, and we just made a system that resets the sound system on every loading screen. Hopefully this will help, but if not, we will continue trying what we can to solve it in future updates. 
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Music updates [/h2]
We take part in working on the regular updates with the rest of the team, so we’ve had our hands on every new weapon or skin that gets added with new sounds. But one of the inspiring elements for us is adding new music to the game. 

Our latest work was for the franchise anniversary, but we have also tested the waters with various Sanctuary themes, including the updated Halloween and Auraximas versions you might have heard of in the last 6 months. Next, we are also trying to produce something nice for the November anniversary! 

In the coming period, we are working on getting our new soundtracks up on YouTube, with the first example being the PlanetSide Anniversary Remake: 
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

One additional area we are considering looking into is the NC music, also potentially tweaking some in game tracks. There is more to come in this area, and depending on your feedback on the matter, we have a few different paths ahead we might choose. 

[h2]A modern homage to the early days [/h2]
One of our philosophies on this project is to look back with respect while taking advantage of modern technology and techniques. One element we really like from the early days of PS2 audio was some of the unique sounds of weapon firing and vehicles for each faction. 

We have done some initial research, and in the future we hope to make certain elements sound more like they did several years ago. 

The modern aspect we want to make use of here is more complex with immersive acoustic technology and mixing techniques. Making busy combat scenarios sound a bit cleaner, while giving the player some more strategic elements for navigating the world through sounds. 

This will of course not be made in a hurry and is quite complex to dig into, so expect minor updates to begin while we monitor your response on the matter. Our goal is to improve your experience while maintaining that great PlanetSide feeling many of us enjoy. 

[h2]General improvements [/h2]
Besides the points above, our day-to-day also consists of many general improvements. When working on these, we choose an area and try to work on it systematically. The first step is to break it down into categories, start testing and make a list of improvements containing both creative and technical fixes.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

After doing this with weapons for a long time, submitting various updates you might have seen in patch notes, we have just started to move our focus over to vehicles.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
If you have any thoughts on areas that could benefit from projects like this, never hesitate to let us know on the forums - we try to account for as much data as possible when we make these decisions.

[h2]Conclusion and survey [/h2]
As we learn more, both from our own experiences and hearing what you, the players, write and how you react to our updates, we hope to be able to provide some great updates that will make your experience on Auraxis as good as possible. Below you can find the mentioned survey, and it would be very helpful to us if we could get your input submitted in this! 

The first part of this journey has been very exciting for us, and we thank you for continuing to be engaged in the game, both on the battlefield and with keeping the community active. 

PLANETSIDE 2 AUDIO SURVEY 

- PlanetSide 2 Team

📈Double XP For All Weekend📈
⭐️Enjoy the Double XP for All event happening now through Sunday!

Missed out on this month's Dev Letter?
Check it out here: https://www.planetside2.com/news/dev-letter-jun-2024