Plans are also in place for new game modes and more vehicle types. As development continues, the battles will be expanded to 1000 players in a single match. The latest installment in the PlanetSide franchise, ‘PlanetSide Arena’ is currently in Steam Early Access, and features more class based, battle royale gameplay and up to 500 player battles on two opposing teams. Besides that, the game also features an extensive character progression and leveling system that unlocks new equipment and upgrades. Speaking of battles, ‘PlanetSide 2’ allowed for upto 2000 players on a single server at launch, providing the most authentic battlefield combat gameplay experience of any multiplayer first person shooter ever.
Every faction has its own sets of strengths and weaknesses, so strategy is key in any ‘PlanetSide 2’ battle. ‘PlanetSide 2’ continued in this tradition and features asymmetric gameplay with three different factions to choose from.Įach faction features their own unique weapons, aircraft, vehicles and armor. The game’s claim to fame came was its pioneering gameplay and map design, which was way ahead of its time. In fact, none of the games have featured any sort of single player campaign thus far. PlanetSide Gameplayĭespite having a rich backstory and lore, the storyline is not the reason to play a PlanetSide game. All of these factions seek control of the resource rich planet, Auraxis, which also happens to be the only habitable planet in the vicinity. Finally, the Vanu Sovereignty is a highly advanced race of transhumans who worship ancient aliens and idolize technology. It mostly consists of outlaws, former military personnel, pirates and other colorful characters. The New Conglomerate is a ragtag group of rebels who seek to remove the suffocating yoke of the Terran Republic. They desire order and control and are prepared to go to war for it. The Terran Republic is a hardline traditionalist empire that likes to rule with an iron fist. The main plot of the game centers around three factions – the Terran Republic, the New Conglomerate and the Vanu Sovereignty, all of whom battle each other for control of the planet Auraxis. Now instead of hundreds of players, the game featured up to 2000 players on a single continent clashing against each other in gargantuan land and air battles in a variety of terrains including deserts, mountains, forests and swamps. It featured the same world and factions warring against each other during the same time period, but it amped up the scale to a whole new level. ‘PlanetSide 2’ released nine years later as a reimagining of the original game. The game was so impressive for its time that it spawned an entirely new genre of video games – the Massively-Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter (MMOFPS). At a time when gamers were used to tiny scuffles against small teams in the popular multiplayer FPS games of the time, ‘PlanetSide’ boasted sprawling battles across a huge map with hundreds of participants, all vying for control and domination. The original ‘PlanetSide’ game signaled a paradigm shift in the gaming industry when it released back in 2003.