PlanetSide 2 News

Hello everyone,

Let me start by saying THANK YOU for your patience and support over the past 4 weeks as we’ve been preparing the Escalation update for launch!

As you know, this will be one of the biggest PlanetSide 2 updates we’ve done since launch back in 2012. Not only do we feel an obligation to live up to the immense level of hype surrounding Escalation, but as the newly formed Rogue Planet Games studio, we want to set the tone in terms of quality for all future updates. Which is why we have been MUCH more aggressive playtesting this update on the Public Test Server (PTS) than you may have been accustomed to in the past. 

That being said, with any update for a game of this scale, it’s practically impossible to catch every bug, or perfectly tune gameplay on a Test environment. There are just too many variables that cannot be accounted for until the update hits Live. But we believe the extra time we’ve taken, along with the amazing level of community support and feedback in our playtests, has created a much stronger foundation for this update that will allow us to immediately shift our focus to finetuning/balancing, rather than scrambling to hotfix critical issues. The past couple of playtests have given us the confidence to announce a new launch date of Wednesday, March 11 (less than a week from today!).

With the Escalation now officially set to launch, a portion of the team has already started work on our next update. Escalation is just the beginning of what we have planned for PlanetSide 2 in 2020 - after launch, we’ll schedule our next dev livestream for late March/early April to unveil the details of our next update.   

A few other topics to cover…

[h2]EMERALD SERVER UPGRADES[/h2]
The Daybreak TechOps team has confirmed that they will perform the final round of PlanetSide 2 server hardware/software upgrades for our NA East Coast data center (Emerald) on Wednesday, March 18. For those keeping track, all of the other regions received their upgrades several weeks ago. The exact downtimes will be announced once we’re a bit closer. But it should be under 6 hours, and we will make every effort to perform the maintenance during off-peak hours for NA East players.

[h2]LEADERLESS OUTFITS[/h2]
With Escalation so heavily focused on Outfits, the topic of “leaderless Outfits” has surfaced among the community. First, to clarify our use of this term; we have thousands of Outfits in PlanetSide 2. Over the years, some of those Outfit leaders stopped playing the game, leaving their otherwise active Outfits effectively “leaderless.” To address this potential issue, we are planning to implement a simple, efficient process to promote new Outfit leadership in-game.

Beginning on Wednesday, March 11 (Escalation launch day), players can submit a Customer Service ticket requesting that Outfit leadership be reassigned due to current leader inactivity. If the Outfit leader has been inactive (not logged into PS2) in the past 180 days (6 months), CS will assign Outfit leadership to the next highest ranking recently active Outfit member with the longest service in the Outfit.

To ensure past Outfit leaders have an opportunity to return post-update within a reasonable amount of time, all Outfit leaders that have their leadership reassigned due to inactivity will have 30 days from March 11 to return and submit a Customer Service ticket to regain their “Leader” ranking. 

This process should address a majority of these issues, but we’ll continue to monitor going forward.

[h2]EU DATA CENTER MIGRATION[/h2]
Finally, Daybreak is in the process of moving all EU regional servers to a new data center. This will require a physical hardware relocation, and they’ve dispatched their entire TechOps team to perform the move first-hand, to ensure that it’s done as quickly and efficiently as possible. The PlanetSide 2 EU server moves (Miller and Cobalt) are scheduled to overlap with our Escalation update, and will require bringing EU servers down for 12 hours prior to our game update on the morning of March 11.  More details will be posted closer to the date, but we want to give our EU players a heads-up this is coming. The new server location is in close proximity and there will be no change in connection quality.

Thank you all for being part of the Rogue Planet Games family!   


Andy “IronSites” Sites

Head of Rogue Planet Games
Executive Producer, PlanetSide 2

[MARCH 4 EDIT: The schedule below has been updated to include today's playtests at 11AM PST and 4PM PST]

The Escalation Game Update is nearly upon us! Join us on the Public Test Server (PTS) this week for one *final* series of playtests during the times below and help us ready this massive update to roll out on Live servers:  

• Tuesday, March 4: 11:00 AM PST - 1:00 PM PST (7:00 PM - 9:00 PM GMT)
  
• Wednesday, March 4: 4:00 PM PST - 6:00 PM PST (12:00 AM - 2:00 AM GMT)
  

As a thank you for your participation, we're bringing back the Analyst Helmet (good for all VS/NC/TR characters) for everyone who logins during either playtest*! We need concentrated bodies to truly Test at scale - that means you! - and will grant the reward to participating accounts shortly after both playtests conclude.

If you're downloading the Public Test Server (PTS) for the first time, check out our Test server policies and how to patch here. We'll see you planetside soon, soldier!

*Note: Be sure to login to Test using the same account as you login to Live (aka the main game) as that account will be granted the item. You'll get access to the helmet for all characters (VS/NC/TR) on Live regardless of what faction you play on Test.

[h3]DEVELOPER UPDATE: Tuesday, March 3 (Patch Notes)[/h3]

Just a reminder that we are running a playtest today at 4PM PST the Public Test Server (PTS). The build is scheduled to publish to PTS at 12PM PST and will unlock once completed. Below are the changes going into today's new build:

Bastion

• Bastion attack waypoints no longer persist after the Bastion is destroyed.
  
• Fixed an issue where multiple Bastions from the same faction could be present at the same time.
  
• Added a transitional screen effect when launching from the Bastion into an Interceptor.
  
• Added more descriptive names to Interceptor ESF variants.
  
• Weakpoint explosions should now be easier to see on low graphical settings.
  
• Bastion vehicle stats now have the expected information on the My Profile screen.
  

War Assets

• Orbital Strikes now have updated visuals.
  
• Adjusted sorting of Waypoint right-click menu.
  
• ANVILs now use faction-specific colors.
  
• New Outfit members now properly see the status of War Asset crafting that was in progress when they joined the Outfit.
  

Misc.

• Fixed a UI issue that could cause periodic framerate hitches for some players.
  
• Test-server-only bundle for free outfit resources has been added back to the Sanctuary resource vendor.
  
• Audio stingers no longer mute Sanctuary’s environment music when they’re done playing.
  
• Fixed Sanctuary description on the World Map screen.
  
• The Flail now uses the correct icon.
  
• Fixed blue squares incorrectly appearing on the map and minimap for multiple Amp Stations across all continents.
  
• Drop Pods now properly display visuals and audio for remote clients.
  

Depending on today's results, we may prepare another build for tomorrow's playtest at 11 AM PST / 7 PM GMT for our EU region players to participate. Also, all participants will receive the Analyst Helmet for joining at the specified times. They will be granted within a few days after the playtests.

I know I've said this many times, but THANK YOU SO MUCH for your patience and help continuing to refine the Escalation update.

-Andy

Hey everyone,

I want to provide a quick update on the current state of the Escalation launch.

Based on community feedback from our playtests this week on the Public Test Server (PTS), we've identified a small handful of issues we feel are critical to address before launch. While we've been making good progress fixing critical bugs and improving performance and client/server stability, the Escalation launch date is still a day-to-day decision. Once we are able to conduct multiple playtests on PTS at scale, and confirm the issues above have been resolved, we will greenlight the update to Live servers. 

Your participation in these playtests is and has been critical - I can't tell you how much we appreciate your willingness to jump in on short notice and help us. In the interest of full transparency, we'll continue to regularly update this page until we go Live so that everyone in the community is fully aware of the launch status and timing.

Thanks,

Andy Sites
Executive Producer, PlanetSide 2

[h3]UPDATE - February 28, 2020[/h3]
The team just completed the publish of a new build to the Public Test Server (PTS) and servers have been unlocked. Please patch up and report any critical issues that you may encounter.

We will be monitoring feedback over the weekend and publishing any necessary fixes to PTS on Monday or early Tuesday. If the build is looking solid by early next week, we plan to conduct two larger-scale public playtests by mid-week to confirm whether or not its ready to go Live.

Today's changes below:

[h3]Bastion[/h3]

• Deployables (such as Turrets) can no longer be placed on Bastion weakpoints
  
• Flak Cannon rounds now damage Bastions
  
• Increased amount of damage Orbital Strike does to Bastions
  
• Fixed a rare client crash that could occur when a Bastion that a player is controlling is turning
  

[h3]Sanctuary[/h3]

• Optimized spotlights in Sanctuary for performance
  
• Adjusted how sections of Sanctuary for performance
  
• Sanctuary resource vendors no longer incorrectly preview a gun model if the user has nothing to trade
  

[h3]Misc[/h3]

• Fixed an issue that caused the last Orbital Strike in your Armory to occasionally be a dud
  
• Increased the maximum flight height on Indar by 10%
  
• Fixed Desolation world map using the wrong icon and description
  
• Outfit War time and date is now displayed correctly
  
• Added feedback to Black Market vendor purchases, which should prevent accidental repeat purchases
  
• Empire Strength scoring is no longer shown when a Meltdown Alert is active
  
• Fixed numerous minor UI issues
  
• Fixed a physics crash that was occurring for some players
  

Members, your double XP weekend starts today!

And stay frosty next week: Escalation is coming to PC on Wednesday, February 26! We'll be celebrating this massive game update with more goodies to come...stay tuned!

The Public Test Server (PTS) will be taken offline on Friday, February 21 at 2:30 PM PST (10:30 PM GMT) to bring you the newest Test update. Estimated downtime is 2 hours.



(See here for more information about the upcoming Escalation game update, which launches on live PC servers next Wednesday, February 26)

• Mid-continent events (Aerial Anomalies, Maximum Pressure, etc,) have been removed.
  
• Territory control of 41% now awards 5 Empire Strength.
  
• Territory control of 44% provides an additional 5 Empire Strength, and this effect also occurs at 48%, 52%, 56% and 60% territory.
  
• While a Bastion Fleet Carrier is hovering over contested territory, the faction will earn progress toward unlocking 15 Empire Strength. This process takes roughly 17 minutes to complete, and progress made toward this objective is not depleted when the Bastion is destroyed.
  
• Eisa Tech Plant (Esamir) Empire Strength benefit from 30 to 25.
  
• The Ascent (Amerish) Empire Strength benefit from 15 to 25.
  
• The Crown (Indar) Empire Strength benefit from 15 to 25.
  

Dev Note: This is a first pass at the new continent progression, and we will be making adjustments and doing some UI cleanup here in the future. Bastion power projection will earn Empire Strength more quickly and in smaller chunks, instead of the lump sum we're sending to PTS, in a later update. There will also likely need to be more tuning done post-launch to ensure continents don't feel like they're rotating too quickly, or inversely, feel like they're relying on a Bastion to appear every continent.

• When a Meltdown alert triggers, the faction that started the alert will receive an immediate 5x tick of resources from bases they own.
  
• When a Meltdown alert ends, the faction that won the alert will receive an immediate 5x tick of resources from bases they own.
  
• Unstable Meltdown alerts do the same, but with only a 2x tick of resources from bases owned.
  
• At the end of the alert, all outfit ownership is wiped.
  

Dev Note: These notes were removed from the previous PTS update as the system seemed bugged. These effects should be properly working now though, please report any issues you find.



Movement

• Bastion will now rotate in place towards its movement waypoint and won’t move forward until it is facing that direction.
  
• Rotation speed has been increased a few degrees per second.
  
• Flying too close to the mountain range of The Ascent on Amerish will now push the Bastion away from it.
  
• Bastion no longer pitches up and down while ascending or descending, and instead remains level.
  
• Movement waypoints will now be rejected if placed too close to Bastion's current position.
  
• Fixed various movement related issues and exploits.
  

Weapons, Softpoints, Response Fighters

• Weakpoints now have much more health, and have been given a shield bar that regenerates up to 25% of their total health pool while out of combat.
  
• Weakpoints should now always properly despawn when the Bastion does.
  
• Mauler (waypoint controlled) turrets are now much more powerful, and deal damage in a larger area.
  
• Mauler (waypoint controlled) turrets should now always correctly face the direction of their shots.
  
• Turrets now have new cameras that showcase the weapons more, and turret angles have been increased.
  
• Response Fighters (Interceptors) are now specialty ESF loadouts, fitted with an ejection seat, rank 1 composite armor, rank 1 decoy flares, quick-recharge fuel tanks, and default nosegun variants with higher magazine size.
  
• NSO characters will now eject themselves into the Interceptors of their currently assigned faction.
  
• We're leaving the door open to do more with these Interceptor variants in the future (including the possibility of customizing them personally).
  

Misc. Bastion Changes

• Fixed an issue where Bastion could get into a bad state when the user summons a different vehicle as the Bastion spawns.
  
• Bastion Terminals can no longer be interacted with while continents are Unstable.
  
• Bastion icon no longer pops in and out when it is on the edge of the minimap.
  
• Captains have received new first and third person Bastion cameras.
  
• Going out of bounds with a Bastion will now destroy it.
  
• Removed extraneous collision from the Bastion model.
  

Environment

• Fixed numerous geometry, visibility, and texture issues in Sanctuary.
  
• Work continues on the outer ring of Sanctuary.
  
• Skybox has received significant visual changes.
  

Vendor Changes

• Nascent Expeditions Rep. now properly deducts resources you trade to her, and we've added a TEST SERVER ONLY item that will instantly restock all outfit resources when purchased.
  
• Expedition Coordinator will notify players when "the boys are on expedition" if the player has no completed expeditions available for debrief.
  
• Nascent Expeditions Rep. and Expedition Coordinator now reject players who aren't in an outfit or don't have Expedition Asset Use permissions.
  

• Upon completion of the Outfit War alert, the continent is now locked to the victorious faction, and players are booted 30 seconds after.
  
• Placeholder particle effects have been added on continent lock at every obelisk location. In the future these will be more thematic, and better showcase an outfit's victory.
  
• The victorious outfit now receives a free Bastion Fleet Carrier if they do not have one already stocked.
  
• Fixed significant graphical issues in Desolation, particularly in the Command Centers.
  

• Merit balance now updates dynamically on Vendor screens.
  
• Players will no longer become stuck if in the rumble seat of a Flash XS-1 as it despawns
  
• The Flash XS-1 can now be driven out of the Warpgate area if initially summoned there.
  
• Unlock button now changes to “Unlocked” after user reaches the inventory cap on Flash XS-1.
  
• You can no longer start crafting Bastion components if you already have a Bastion Fleet Carrier stocked or under construction.
  
• Expeditions can now only be crafted one at a time.
  
• Biolab snowy visuals have been reverted.
  
• War Assets now use "realistic" values more akin to how they'll be on Live, and the timers remain low for TEST SERVER ONLY.
  

• Bastion can get into a state where it’s collision or location in the world appears differently for separate players.
  
• A.N.V.I.L. collision may stay in place if players are atop it, and will disappear only when they leave.
  
• Sanctuary's framerate issues are still being looked into.