PlanetSide (Windows)

PlanetSide
Developer: Sony Online Entertainment Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment Platform: Windows Released in US: May 20, 2003 This game has unused areas. This game has unused code.

This game is defunct. Do note the game no longer works at all without modifications. This is most likely due to the game's servers being shut down. As a result, further official developments with the game are unlikely to happen.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

To do: The article has a decent amount of content aside from a few things that the community is aware of: - There exists a Debug Object menu that GMs had access to with items that were cut from the final game. - Need screenshots and videos of the MAX Factory. - There is a very large amount of pre-release differences. Some of it has been lost to time.

PlanetSide started as an ambitious PVPVE MMOFPS game that had to be scaled back due to networking limitations during the early 2000s. Published and developed by Sony Online Entertainment in 2003, Planetside featured multiple factions fighting for control over various planets with a range of weapons and vehicles.

After Sony Online Entertainment became Daybreak, the game's servers were transferred to Daybreak's HQ while accidentally disabling the sole expansion for the game for the rest of its life. It's worth noting that a Black Ops faction was also completely unused at the end of life for Planetside 1 because devs picked most Black Ops players for a period of time.

The game closed on July 1, 2016, after a declining population and hardware issues with the older server hosted at Daybreak's HQ.

Unused Code

Unfinished Expansions

During the rocky development of Planetside, up to three expansions were planned for the game by SOE after Core Combat was released. Inside the files exist placeholders for these expansions.

@TerminalErrorExpansion2=You cannot acquire this item without purchasing EXPANSION 2.

@TerminalErrorExpansion3=You cannot acquire this item without purchasing EXPANSION 3.

@TerminalErrorExpansion4=You cannot acquire this item without purchasing EXPANSION 4.

There also exists a void map named "@Zone_unknown" that was intended to be a placeholder for an Unnamed Continent for one of these expansions.

Shifters

The original concept of Planetside had the game's secondary focus be missions and PVE in which a hostile faction called the "Shifters" would react to players. Shifters would make bases on each continent and would slowly get more powerful as they were left alone. At a certain point, they would become fully hostile and begin to roam and attack players. Players would need to take the bases down to deal with them for some time.

In the final game, a large amount of leftover code is seen with how each creature would behave. There were three types referred to in the Shifter faction: Wardog, Burrower, and Avian. Pre-release images showed what these would have looked like.

102:< Data Name='wardogadult'/> 105:< Data Name='avianadult'/> 108:< Data Name='burroweradult'/>

Additionally, the idea was later revisited as an expansion but was later cut due to balance concerns. There exist strings from the Create Debug Object menu for shifters.

Metagames

Within the strings of Planetside 1 exists a very late cut custom arena feature known as "Metagames". Supposedly this went far as being tested on the test server for Planetside during its lifetime, but was cut for unknown reasons. Several maps were supposed to launch with this feature but were never fully released. One of these maps called Battle Dome was completely repurposed for Outfit vs Outfit events.

@GA_ToggleMetagamePane=Custom Games Window

@CMT_METAGAME=Metagame Management

@CMT_METAGAME_usage=usage: /metagame [ listzones ] | [ start <level> ] | [ stop <zone> ]

@CMT_METAGAME_help=Used to debug and manage metagames

@CMT_METAGAME_cmd=/metagame

@CMT_METAGAME_ack_start=\\#00FF00Level is starting on zone %1

@CMT_METAGAME_ack_stop=\\#00FF00Level zone %1 is shutting down

@CMT_METAGAME_err_permission=\\#FF4040You do not have permission to use this command.

@CMT_METAGAME_err_start=\\#FF4040The level failed to start

@CMT_METAGAME_err_invalidlevel=\\#FF4040Invalid level name

@CMT_METAGAME_err_nonlevelzone=\\#FF4040Zone is not instanced and cannot be shut down

@CMT_METAGAME_err_zoneinactive=\\#FF4040Zone is already stopped

@CMT_METAGAME_err_invalidzone=\\#FF4040Invalid zone name

These strings are just a small part of what is found within the game's files. This feature allowed players to create arena instances of different game modes that included: - CTF

- Rabbit Ball (A play-on of Halo's OddBall...with a rabbit.)

- Deathmatch

- Team Deathmatch

(Source: PSForever Discord)

Unused Areas

Orbital Station

In an unused and almost completed concept, the HART shuttles in each of the faction's sanctuaries were originally going to take you to a zone that would allow you to use a drop-pod to drop into hotspots in the map of your choosing. This idea was changed likely towards release due to the fact that it would force the player to sit through TWO loading screens for a quicker deployment option.

Inside the final game is a nearly completed model and a series of zones of which this model would have been decorated for their retrospective factions. The zones themselves are completely stripped of coding and are simply black boxes. However, it is possible to trick the game into loading this by forcing the game to load a different building model with the model of the station. Loading this station reveals that this model was nearly finished and complete with a skybox for where the HART shuttle would have landed from in a hanger bay.

orbital0 - trdrop

orbital1 - ncdrop

orbital2 - vsdrop

station1 - orbital_tr

station2 - orbital_nc

station3 - orbital_vs

There are also several pieces of music that were intended for these areas that were reused for ambiance music inside and around the bases of the retrospective factions. The tracks include NC Orbital Platform, VS Orbital Platform, and finally TR Orbital Platform.

The idea of an orbital station was later revisited in Planetside 2, as a social hub and a hub for buying unique items.

(Source: PSForever Discord)

MAX Factory

One of the few maps that were made for Metagames, MAX Factory was intended as an arena map for Deathmatch that took place within a garage of sunderers and a modified model of ANTs.

Some of the art ideas, including the modified ANT models, would later be brought over to Planetside 2 as the game's sunderer.

Virtual Combat Zone

In the base game, there are zones that allow the player(s) to test out vehicles and weapons for each faction. Hidden in the game's files is code for a third type of VR zone that allows players to practice against bots. This feature went completely unused in the final game.

tzshtr - map14 @tzshtr=VR Shooting Range

tzdrtr - map15 @tzdrtr=VR Vehicle Training Area

tzcotr - map16 Virtual Combat Zone

tzshnc - map14 @tzshnc=VR Shooting Range

tzdrnc - map15 @tzdrnc=VR Vehicle Training Area

tzconc - map16 Virtual Combat Zone

tzshvs - map14 @tzshvs=VR Shooting Range

tzdrvs - map15 @tzdrvs=VR Vehicle Training Area

(Source: PSForever Discord)