If you'd like to support our preservation efforts (and this wasn't cheap), please consider donating or supporting us on Patreon. Thank you!
User:Snakey125/Planetside 1
|
|
| Planetside |
|---|
|
Developer:
Sony Online Entertainment
|
 | 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: This article barely goes into detail of what has been found by the community of fans. Likely going to need to re-write this and have an entire subpage made for all the unused strings. There's an test client and a beta-test client that has an offline mode as well. Someone had video of the MAX Factory and deleted it. We don't know how exactly functional Metagames got to by final and if it's just strings that are left. There's also a supposedly MORE code |
Planetside started out as an ambitious Player-verus-Player-versus-Everything MMOFPS game that had to scaled back due to networking limitations at the time. Despite this, It was hailed as one of the first MMOFPS games in 2003. Published and developed by Sony Online Entertainment, Planetside featured multiple factions fighting control over multiple 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 it's life. The game closed on July 1, 2016 after declining population and hardware issues with the older servers being hosted at Daybreak's HQ.
Contents
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 exists 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 intented 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. The idea was later revisited as an expansion but was later cut due to balance concerns. Shifters would make bases on each continent and would slowly get more powerful as they were left alone. At an certain point they would become fully hostile and begin to roam and attack players. Players would need to take the bases down in order to deal with them for a period of time.
In the final game, a large amount of leftover code is seen with how each creature would behave. There was 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'/> |
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 it's 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 gamemodes that included - CTF
- Rabbit Ball (A play-on of Halo's OddBall...with a rabbit.)
- Deathmatch
- Team Deathmatch
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 an 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 of landed from in a hanger bay.
orbital0 - trdrop
orbital1 - ncdrop
orbital2 - vsdrop
station1 - orbital_tr
station2 - orbital_nc
station3 - orbital_vs
There is also several pieces of music that were intended for these areas that were reused for ambiance music inside and around 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 an hub for buying unique items.
MAX Factory
One of the few maps that were made for Metagames, MAX Factory was intented as an arena map for Deathmath 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 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 allowed 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
