This year gamers from all over the world unite together for a very strong cause. Children in hospitals need our help. We are excited to announce that we are launching our Extra Life Team to help give back to those in our community in greatest need.
The PlanetSide 2 Extra Life Team is working towards a goal of surpassing $10,000 in donations to support Rady Childrenās Hospital, our local Childrenās Miracle Network Hospital in San Diego, CA. The studio is donating an initial $5,000 to kick off our fundraising, and we hope that you will consider joining or supporting our team to meet that goal together!
About Rady Children's Hospital
Rady Childrenās Hospital is:
The largest childrenās hospital in California and the 6thĀ largest in the country (based on admissions)
The only hospital in San Diego dedicated exclusively to pediatric healthcare
Rady Childrenās treats:
92% of the regionās kids
Nearly 250,000 kids per year
Every year at Rady Childrenās we:
Use about 880,000 diapers
Give out about 280,000 bandages
Hand out more than 29,000 popsicles to patients
Go through more than 9,900 packs of crayons
Provide more than 2,900 crutches for our patients
The Rady Childrenās team consists of:
Nearly 900 physicians
More than 1,400 nurses
40 dogs that are on campus 5 days per week through the PetSmart Paws For Hope canine therapy program
Learn more about Rady Childrenās Hospital and find out how you can join the effort and make a difference in a childās life.
How can l help?
Join our team! Itās a minimal commitment to sign up ā you simply promise to play games (any games!) for a total of 24 hours over the course of the month or anytime until Dec. 31st. Youāre welcome to join our team from any location and play for Rady Childrenās Hospital. Or, if you canāt spare the time to participate, help out by donating or sharing the news! Every little bit helps.
To Join our Team: To join the PlanetSide 2 team, join via Extra Lifeās website (https://www.extra-life.org/) or click "Join our team" here.
When you join as a team member, you can set your own goals, milestones, and incentives. Just set up your account, join our team and follow the links on your profile page for further instructions.
To Donate: If you choose to just donate instead or donate while being a team member (this can be anonymously as well), click the "Donate" button from our page and follow the instructions there.
After selecting the Donate button from the team page choose any of the team members listed. Even though some team members may have reached their personal goal, you can still donate to that team member which will contribute to the PlanetSide 2 team goal of $10k.
Enlist today for the kids, soldier!
š¢ July 23, 2024 - PC Hotfix š¢
Servers are coming down at 6AM PT / 3PM CEST tomorrow for a hotfix that will address the following below. Estimated downtime may be up to 3 hours.
Cert Refund Status
We are considering all technical solutions for the cert reimbursement over past Sunderer module upgrades. As soon as an acceptable option is found, we will immediately inform you.
Bug Fixes
Sunderer mobility and speed balance pass.
Fixed a doubled up sound effect when the M12 Goblin SP for the Colossus is firing in third person.
Fixed a sound issue where the following weapon sound effects would be really quiet or disappear when changing from first to third person camera modes:
M20 Kestrel
L-24R Spur
M18 Locust
Antares LC
Saron Laser Cannon
DV-22 Raycaster
DV-21 Lotus
Fixed a bug where soft currencies such as ISOā4 and A7 do not show visually on the user interface when received as a reward or obtained through other methods.
š¢ July 17, 2024 - PC Hotfix š¢
Servers are coming down at 6AM PT / 3PM CEST tomorrow for a hotfix that will address the following below. Estimated downtime may be up to 3 hours.
Sunderer Update Follow Up
We are happy to see players explore the new modules added to the Sunderer this week. We've been reading your feedback across social media, the forums, reddit, discord, steam, youtube and twitch. We agree with the census that the Sunderer could use some rebalancing. We are working on an update that will hopefully make proper balance adjustments to the Sunderer's capabilities. We'll post more information about that update later.
Bug Fixes
Fixed an audio bug where audio is faint or disappears when changing camera view when firing the following weapons:
M20 Basilisk,
G40 Ranger,
CT-102 Satyr
M20 Drake
M202 Wyrm
M18 Palisade
A30 Walker
Lightning Skyguard
Sunderer cargo units will no longer remove ownership of the Sunderer itself from the player.
Sunderer Ammo Tower cargo unit now has the correct cooldown in the descriptions for each tier on its cert tree.
Fixed Sunderer's Deploy Dome to allow its top mounted weapons to not collide with the shield.
Known Issues:
Some players may have purchased the "Directive Bundle: Tides of Summer 2023" from the members only section. The icon for this bundle wasn't ready and was accidentally sent live. Although everything else in the bundle was correct (and for those who have purchased it, yes you may keep it!) However since the cat is out of the bag, we plan on making previous Event Directive rewards available to purchase with Daybreak Cash (Account wide purchase) or A7 (character only purchase) if you are a Daybreak Member. We weren't planning to go live with this until later this year as we have been heavily focused (art wise especially) on upcoming content, rewards, and Depot items.
We have seen feedback regarding Member Only Bundles and that players would like to preview them before considering purchasing a membership (totally understandable!). In a future patch we will make previewing available to all players (we just have to get it all through QA first).
š¢ July 11, 2024 - PC Hotfix š¢
Servers are coming down at 4:30 PM PDT / 1:30am CEST today for a hotfix that will address the following below. Estimated downtime may be up to 3 hours.
Module Removal
The following previously unlockable modules will no longer be equipable on the sunderer.
Returning to PlanetSide 2? Check out the new sunderer redesign here with a video preview here, and our latest update for it here.
Blockade Armor
Deployment Shield
Fire Suppression System
Gate Shield Diffuser
Nanite Auto Repair System
Mine Guard
Proximity Repair System
Proximity Radar
Rival Combat Chassis
Racer High Speed Chassis
Smoke Screen
Vehicle Ammo Dispenser
July 9, 2024 - Sunderer Rework Update
Sunderer Rework Update
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.
Changes/Updates
General
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
Deploy
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
Armor
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
Cargo
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
Known Issues
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
Sales Events
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
Directives
Summer Event Directives
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
New long term Directives under the Strategic category have been added:
Conquest - Hossin
Conquest - Indar
Conquest - Amerish
Conquest - Esamir
Conquest - Hossin Directive Rewards
Tier 1 Basic Implant Pack
Tier 2 Hossin Postcard Banner
Tier 3 Deluxe Implant Pack
Tier 4 Hossin Stamp Decal Title: of Hossin (suffix)
Conquest - Amerish Directive Rewards
Tier 1 Basic Implant Pack
Tier 2 Amerish Postcard Banner
Tier 3 Deluxe Implant Pack
Tier 4 Amerish Stamp Decal Title: of Amerish (suffix)
Conquest - Indar Directive Rewards
Tier 1 Basic Implant Pack
Tier 2 Indar Postcard Banner
Tier 3 Deluxe Implant Pack
Tier 4 Indar Stamp Decal Title: of Indar (suffix)
Conquest - Esamir Directive Rewards
Tier 1 Basic Implant Pack
Tier 2 Esamir Postcard Banner
Tier 3 Deluxe Implant Pack
Tier 4 Esamir Stamp Decal Title: of Esamir (suffix)
Balancing
Increased the effect time of the Havoc grenade from 6 to 8 seconds
Bug Fixes
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
Known Issues
The Directive "Point Control" on the "Objectives" Directive Tree updates "Oshur Point Control" on "Conquest - Oshur" Directive Tree
July 4th Sale
šHoliday Bundles Available Now!š āļøStars and Stripes Contrails Bundle āļøLiberation Bundle Check the depot for more details.
Members Double EXP Weekend [ JUNE 28 - 30 ]
š¹Members Double XP is Live!š¹ The Members Double XP event runs today through June 30. šLearn more about All-Access: https://www.daybreakgames.com/allaccess
Making Audio for PlanetSide 2 - June 24 2024
Behind the Scenes: Making Audio for PlanetSide 2
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.Ā
Starting as a new audio team on such an established franchise has been very exciting, while at the same time thereās 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.Ā
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.Ā
Bug fixes and optimizationĀ
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.Ā
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.Ā
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.Ā
Music updatesĀ
We take part in working on the regular updates with the rest of the team, so weāve 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.Ā
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!Ā
In the coming period, we are working on getting our new soundtracks up on YouTube, with the first example being the PlanetSide Anniversary Remake:Ā
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.Ā
A modern homage to the early daysĀ
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.Ā
We have done some initial research, and in the future we hope to make certain elements sound more like they did several years ago.Ā
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.Ā
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.Ā
General improvementsĀ
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.
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.
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.
Conclusion and surveyĀ
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!Ā
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.Ā