SOE adding trial period for store weapons in PlanetSide 2

PlanetSide 2's intricate microtransaction shop provides optional weapon sidegrades at a single click for players seeking a fresh perspective of delivering curtains of lead death. What's missing is a try-before-you-buy demo of potential purchases—think Team Fortress 2's week-long tryout for certain shop items. A tweet sent today by SOE President John Smedley stated the developer will jump-jet a similar system for launch: a field-use trial period for shop guns.

We have listened to your feedback and we are implementing the ability to try weapons before you buy them - for launch.November 8, 2012

"These trials will likely be short, and we will limit the number of items you can try per day, but we have heard your feedback loud and clear," Smedley wrote in a separate tweet . "This won't be a VR range. That could come later, but no guarantees. You'll be using the weapons in combat."

Elsewhere, PlanetSide 2 Creative Director Matt Higby issued a briefing on the massive patch deploying this week and its numerous changes to base capture, continent layout, and domination bonuses. Specifically, the amount of players piling upon a capture node now modifies the capture rate, and you'll need to sweep up defender tickets before flipping a point.

Higby explains: "The ticket count is now zero-sum. This means that when a base is attacked, it starts off 100 percent owned by the defending empire, and the attackers must burn down the defender tickets as they increase their own capture tickets. If they wrestle control back from you, they'll have to burn down your progress as well."

Higby anticipates a reduction to spawn camping and defender potshots as a result from the quickened captures. Resources take less strain as well, as Higby said, "Between the control node reverting to the owner of the facility, and the tug-of-war mechanic, bases can be 're-secured' by defenders just by kicking the attackers out. The defenders will be able to leave immediately once the threat is removed, and the territory will naturally re-secure itself."

Station Cash and Cert prices for store items also appeared in Higby's post. Soldier and vehicle weapons range between 48 to 720 Cert points or 250 to 700 Station Cash. Cosmetics—camo patterns, armor attachments, and so on—cost 50 to 1200 Station Cash. Temporary resource or XP gain boosts are worth between 75 to 700 Station Cash.

Lock your visor's reticule onto PlanetSide 2's forums for the rest of Higby's post offering more details on improvements to map functionality and continent polish.

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?