We give SOE's giant MMOFPS that fresh Beta run-down, while asking Senior Art Director Tramell Ray Isaac about the mysteries of Forgelight.

In order to expand your Empire’s control of the continent, you need to move into enemy territory and capture bases. The map provides a clever way of highlighting where the action is, with every major outbreak of hostilities marked up like badges. Clicking on one usually brings up an “Instant Action” button, allowing you to jump straight in to the conflict. But don’t rush in – as that way lies almost certain death.

As a rookie, it’s this initial impression that left me cold. After spending time choosing a class, checking out weapons and getting into combat, your experience of shooting is likely to be incredibly brief. Although you can usually respawn in a nearby facility or even back at faction headquarters, the flow of action felt jarring. It seemed as though I spent much more time moving around than I did in the heat of battle. The error was in my approach to the game: PlanetSide 2 is much closer to Battlefield 3 than Team Fortress 2.

The Secret is Squads

PlanetSide 2 is a game that’s worth persisting with, particularly when you group up into squads. Capturing facilities from enemy factions requires coordination, as each capture point must be secured within a time limit in order to flip ownership. Invading such strongholds also requires logistics, with air transport and armored ground vehicles acting as both troop carriers and respawn points. To pull this off communication is essential, which is why integrated voice chat is very welcome. A range of voice channels are available, from proximity to squad-only, with the Vivox-based system being surprisingly clear.

It’s with squad or even faction-mate combat that PlanetSide 2 starts to click as a game. By planning even a little before setting off, you’re suddenly working together, covering each other in firefights and securing objectives as a team. While you can play as a lone gunman (and the Infiltrator class is great for snipers), it’s the sense of being part of something bigger – much bigger – that’s unique in how PlanetSide 2 feels. It also opens up combat, with support-focused classes such as Engineer and Medic playing a crucial role in keeping an army and its vehicles moving.

Is SOE pitching this toward the Team Fortress 2 crowd, or does it hope that World of Warcraft players will trade fireballs for laser guns? Isaac thinks it’ll be a bit of both. “I think there are statistics to say that people that play MMOs like World of Warcraft, the game that they play second is first person shooters. We think that we can grab the crowd from any other first person shooter out there and MMOs who want to play a casual game, who have the group experience that they’re used to and find the role that they’re used to playing. If you’re a healer in EverQuest, you can be a medic in PlanetSide 2. We’ve got something for everybody.”

You don’t have to remain stuck as a single class either, with terminals in almost every facility allowing you to swap things around. A certification system is also in development, allowing for further skills to be picked up. Alongside this is a planned store, where further weapons, temporary boosts and cosmetic features can be purchased, either using in-game money or Sony’s micro-transaction based Station Cash. And if you get tired of running around on foot, there’s always an armored tank or airborne gunship in the range of vehicles available.

There’s only one continent-map in PlanetSide 2 at this point in the beta, although we’re promised that more will be added before launch. As to when that launch will happen, Isaac and the team are focused on rounding out the game for now. Would he commit to a date? “Not yet, Not yet. We’re still in beta right now. It’s up and running and we’ll figure it out as we go along.”

Gareth “Gazimoff” Harmer, Staff Writer