Choosing a faction for new player

[Gelmorn]

What information will be given to new players when they first start the game to help them decide which faction to join?

[SKYeXile]

likely the general propaganda speaches.

also in PS1 it shows the weekly average population trend for each empire and any bonuses the empire's is getting because of been lower pop.

like on the login screen it may show:

NC:34%
TR:34%
VS:32% +25XP

thats what i looked like when i first joined anyway, i choose VS and never looked back. I sometimes wonder how it would have been if TR or NC were under pop that week.

[Gelmorn]

likely the general propaganda speaches.

also in PS1 it shows the weekly average population trend for each empire and any bonuses the empire's is getting because of been lower pop.

like on the login screen it may show:

NC:34%
TR:34%
VS:32% +25XP

thats what i looked like when i first joined anyway, i choose VS and never looked back. I sometimes wonder how it would have been if TR or NC were under pop that week.

I could see that being a big factor, as well as what ever faction your friends are playing, but I was wondering what kind of back story, info about the gameplay and vehicles of each faction, and if images of the armor, weapons, and vehicles the factions will be given to help new players decide which one to choose. Because for a lot of people, each of those factors will greatly impact their decision for long term faction loyalty.

[Tcakes]

most likely along the lines of what SKY said. for me it was who I was playing with. barely ever looked at the empire bonuses very first character ever was VS, I was totally digging the back story and the weapons. One day just switched to TR hit up with a few outfits and had a blast each time. the people I ran with sealed it for me and now I'm TR for life. hopefully the new folks get that same experience and find happiness in the choice they make. unless they choose to be a blue jackhammer jack off. then I hope they just get some happy flesh eating disease.

[Immigrant]

What information will be given to new players when they first start the game to help them decide which faction to join?

Each Empire has specific graphic design, philosophy, weapons etc. Start by watching the design videos here and reading the backstory here (http://planetside.station.sony.com/howto/manual_detail.vm?chapter=0). There's plenty of info on the faction on this forum and around the web. I bet you'll make a choice in less than a week.

Also I doubt there'll be any XP bonuses that SKY mentioned depending on the population of the Empire because of the f2p model. Number of player in f2p can't be correlated as easily with activity like it can be in monthly subscription model. Also XP boost will be available from cash shop so I doubt they'll be giving them away like before.

[SKYeXile]

Each Empire has specific graphic design, philosophy, weapons etc. Start by watching the design videos here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWtf8LaNHOU) and reading the backstory here (http://planetside.station.sony.com/howto/manual_detail.vm?chapter=0). There's plenty of info on the faction on this forum and around the web. I bet you'll make a choice in less than a week.

Also I doubt there'll be any XP bonuses that SKY mentioned depending on the population of the Empire because of the f2p model. Number of player in f2p can't be correlated as easily with activity like it can be in monthly subscription model. Also XP boost will be available from cash shop so I doubt they'll be giving them away like before.
they can do it by time online and if the character is earning XP. we have seen population bonus per continent, id expect there to be a global pop displayed again, but you maybe right, perhaps not a weekly average.

[Bags]

I will be disappointed if they give the bullshit backstory instead of how the faction actually plays.

[Gelmorn]

I will be disappointed if they give the bullshit backstory instead of how the faction actually plays.

I personally will let how the faction plays ultimately decide which faction I want to play the most, but you would be surprised how many people would let lore or looks be the main reason for deciding which faction to join.

[Alderego]

Hmm, I recall seeing a graph about speed of fire, accuracy, etc per faction on this forum yesterday or the day before.

It looked like a picture taken from a real life poster/projection. I'll see if I can't dig it up with my browsing history, though chances are one of the vets will instantly remember where it is and post it here :p

[MacXXcaM]

In PlanetSide 1 there was a brief tutorial to get you known to the mechanics and empires, I think...

Do you think something like this will be included again?

[Captain1nsaneo]

Hmm, I recall seeing a graph about speed of fire, accuracy, etc per faction on this forum yesterday or the day before.

It looked like a picture taken from a real life poster/projection. I'll see if I can't dig it up with my browsing history, though chances are one of the vets will instantly remember where it is and post it here :p

I saw something like that in the PC Gamer article. I think we're not allowed to post scans or anything of that though because they asked nicely.

As for what info will be given? In PS there was just a quick background description in a box. In PS2 there could be info on weapons, playstyles, population, faction biography, etc. However, this may make the choice intimidating.

I think I'm actually in favor of less information being available to the players on selection. People will sort down into what they most enjoy. It's strange but it's been shown that if you put too much into thinking about your answer in what is effectively a game of chance you are more prone to pick the wrong answer. This is why on game shows there's always "Is that your final answer?"


In PlanetSide 1 there was a brief tutorial to get you known to the mechanics and empires, I think...

Do you think something like this will be included again?

The offline tutorial became massively out of date in a relatively short time and was eventually removed. There were the help boxes for weapons but they only showed up once and people had a bad habit of clicking through them. The final tutorial was a hard to find tab in the character menu.

The best method is probably a human talking to you through it. I was never that good at it though, I like to be far too specific. I'm thinking the best method might just to use the buddy method and have them stick with a veteran while in the field.

[MacXXcaM]

The offline tutorial became massively out of date in a relatively short time and was eventually removed.

It did? Too bad. I really liked it back then.

[DDSHADE]

I did too, it would be cool to have a sort of instanced "online tutorial" that could have you spawn vehicles and practice on targets and capture hexes for your team. I'm sure whatever tutorial system they will have in place will be effective though!

[stordito]

FACT: choosing an empire is not going to change the tons of fun you will have.

Most of us became loyal to the first choice they made and could not even conceive to be at the enemy's service.
I would not say to choose for the weapons or just the look: choose the overall "feel", the vibe you get.That feeling is also very personal...
to me TR was the faction with the strongest camaraderie of them all, so i applied.

So it's just you choosing what you would like to appear, as usual.
And not always works that way..
I mean...NC soldiers thinks they are a beacon of democracy for us all,but it's clear they are just terrorist...rebel scum.


:D

[Captain1nsaneo]

It did? Too bad. I really liked it back then.

One part of the training was that you had to get out of and then deploy an AMS without getting back in. You cannot physically do this.

On the other hand it also had the only Harasser that had no gun.

[RedKnights]

My friend got me into Planetside, and so he sold it to me this way:

NC = Shotguns and Easymode
TR = Moar Bullets and Normalmode
VS = Lasers, flying tanks, and all the coders are VS, Coding is cool. :rolleyes:

[Rare Raisin]

I really don't know which faction I'll side with yet. Something i'm pretty sure of, is that in the night fights seeing crazy amounts of laser beams being shot in my general direction is going to be pretty intimidating. :lol:

[Memeotis]

As it stands right now, I'm leaning towards TR for several reasons. I've never played planetside, so I have decided to try and play them in order of least favorite -> favorite and see if my opinion changes along the way. In other words, I'll start at VS, then try out NC and then TR.

[tdopz]

I could see that being a big factor, as well as what ever faction your friends are playing, but I was wondering what kind of back story, info about the gameplay and vehicles of each faction, and if images of the armor, weapons, and vehicles the factions will be given to help new players decide which one to choose. Because for a lot of people, each of those factors will greatly impact their decision for long term faction loyalty.

http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/game/599/view/features

Exactly what you are looking for are in the interviews for each faction found at that link.

[maskedskull]

I'm still trying to decide but it will most likely be NC, however as someone who kind of wants to be a pilot the VS has the maneuverability that I would like

[Chowley]

Unfortunately I just cannot make my mind up about what faction to go for :p Months later still stumped.

I cannot help comparing the factions planes in PS2 to attack helicopters in BF2, I dont know why. The NC seems to remind me functionally of the Havoc in BF2, the VS reminds me of the Cobra and the TR aircraft reminds me of the Chinese WZ-10, which is my favourite, but I am strangely put off by TR. Gah!
The aircraft will probably become my main focus in PS2 outside of groundpounding.

Im cracking up :groovy:
For some reason I am drawn to NC but then looking at the streams for some reason I hated the voiceovers, cant put my finger on why. VS might just be a comfortable compromise, although I really only like the Scythe out of that faction, aesthetically anyway. Well beta (soon? got my key) may decide for me anyway hopefully.



Oh and sorry, I know all the vets on here are sick of Battlefield references, I cant help it

[TeaLeaf]

I've decided to go with TR. Mostly because:

1) They look the nicest to me. NC look okay but bright blue makes them seem more like toys, and the Vanu are just... eww.

2) The TR's dark side isn't as bad as the other two factions for me. The NC leadership is corrupt and self-interested while the Vanu are religious zealots. The TR may not be perfect but they seem like they have the greatest potential to transform into a faction actually worth considering "good".

3) Their standard assault rifle has 100 rounds per clip.

4) MINIGUNS!

[AirFell]

Hmm, I recall seeing a graph about speed of fire, accuracy, etc per faction on this forum yesterday or the day before.

It looked like a picture taken from a real life poster/projection. I'll see if I can't dig it up with my browsing history, though chances are one of the vets will instantly remember where it is and post it here :p

This?

http://i857.photobucket.com/albums/ab135/AirFell/Planetside2FactionDifferences.jpg

[GhettoPrince]

You could just make a guy on each one and try out all the weapons/see if you find an outfit you really like.

Hey, as long as were talking about factions, how do you set your faction flag in the top right corner of your posts?

[Baneblade]

One part of the training was that you had to get out of and then deploy an AMS without getting back in. You cannot physically do this.

You used to deploy the AMS by getting out and accessing what is now the matrix panel.

[Whalenator]

I sometimes wonder how it would have been if TR or NC were under pop that week.

You would be having alot more fun.

[Morphic]

Vanu is where it's at. I started Vanu back in PS1 and never looked back to any other factions. Loved them. Very cool looking and sleek style. Love da purples!

[Vanu Techpriest]

I'm planning on VS since I figured they would be the underdogs but I'm seeing a lot of Vanu love on these forums. Almost seems like NC will be the new underdog.