Versus match

Battlefield 3 vs. Planetside 2

Hello there! Please forgive my absence during this past week but I have discovered a new game that has kept me really busy. The name of that game is Planetside 2. I am a very traditional gnome and as such I tend to stick with one game for quite some time when playing. Since I was already playing Battlefield 3 and was truly enjoying it, I became confused. What game should I stick with for a while? Well in order to find out I am going to compare the two games with each other and see which one comes out as the winner!

Let us start with the similarities between the two games:

• They are both FPS games and have a very strong focus on multiplayer. Planetside 2 does not even contain a single player campaign.
• Both games feature class systems where the player chooses a class to play as during each spawn.
• Both games feature RPG mechanics where the players gather experience and uses that experience to unlock weapons and/or customisations.
• Both BF3 and PS2 contain several different vehicles that play a large part along with classical infantry fighting.

Battlefield 3 is developed by DICE. Planetside 2 is developed by Sony Online Entertainment.

At first glance these two games might appear almost identical, causing many to utter the words "Planetside 2 is just an up scaled BF3 with worse graphics and a free to play model". It is true that both games are similar as a natural consequence of sharing the same genre. However, they differ substantially in three aspects. Those aspects are pacing, scale and team play. I am going to compare the games in these three aspects to see how they differ and how that affects the game play.

Pacing

Battlefield 3

In Battlefield 3 you are never more than a minute from a fight. Distances are short, combatants are often within 50 metres from each other when they start shooting at each other. The short distances combined with the rather low health in relation to weapon damage means that player get fast rewards for taking an enemy out and are punished quickly when being shot themselves. Example: An assault rifle does 25 damage up to  8 metres and fires 800 rounds per minute. This gives an effective DPS of 333. A player has 100 health in normal mode. This means that a player can potentially be killed in 0,3 seconds if all bullets are on target.

Respawn timers are set to 15 seconds by default and as such a player is never out of the game for long. It is possible to spawn on all squad members, this has given rise to the term "squad bombing" where one person suddenly becomes four persons. Players also carry enough ammunition to last for quite some time, provided the player does not go around shooting at walls and health regenerates after not taking damage for a few seconds.

Maps are rather small to accommodate the need to fast paced action and as such players seldom need vehicles to move around in an efficient manner. The control points that the players battle for control over are usually placed close to each other and in the center of the level. This funnels most players into the middle of the level, further increasing the intensity of the battle.

Planetside 2

Logistics are central to Planetside 2. The control territories player battle for are far apart from each other and it is not unusual to have a shoot out with another player several hundred metres away (damn those pesky snipers). This means that players need vehicles to get around the map in a timely fashion and for supplies to reach the front lines. 

Ammunition is sparse and health does not regenerate over time, meaning that the players will periodically need to go find a way to replenish these resources in the middle of a battle. This substantially reduces the game's pacing.

Weapons have more recoil than in BF3 (making it harder to stay on target during long bursts) and all players are equipped with a shield. The shield regenerates quickly after not taking damage after a few seconds, health does not. This makes it possible for a player to retreat when the shield is down in order to regenerate it. The shield regenerates quicker than health in BF3, from zero to full in just a few seconds, ensuring that the player can get back into the fight quicker and makes it more difficult to finish a player off.

Players can only spawn in territory they own, similar to spawning on control points in BF3. However, to further complicate spawning in PS2 it is not possible to spawn on squad members. This means that a player spawn away from the fighting and will need to hustle to the front line.

Territories are spread across continents in PS2, and it is important to hold all of them since they give resources that are used to purchase vehicles and equipment. No resources means no tanks or grenades. This leads to fighting taking part all over the continent, not just in the middle of the level as is the case in BF3.

Scale

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 supports up to 64 players per server, 32 per side. Each side has a number of tickets that gradually decrease as players are killed or control points are held. The side that first reach zero tickets lose. When a side lose the round is over and the map is reset for another round.

Squads have a an upper limit of four members.

BF3 uses the traditional FPS system of having a server rotation of maps. Maps are changed after rounds and players get to play on several different levels in quick succession. The number of maps are limited however and as such there is a risk of repetition setting in quickly. Environment destruction somewhat remedy this problem by adding another layer of complexity to the level design.

BF3 focuses on fast paced action in urban areas. This is an example from the map Strike at Karkand. I am standing on a rooftop overlooking a central flag.

Planetside 2

Planetside 2 supports up to 2000 players per server. Players are divided into three factions that constantly battle for territories in a persistent world. There are no tickets or rounds in PS2, the battle is never over. 

Squads have an upper limit of 12 members. In addition squads can form into platoons consisting of two to four squads.

PS2 is a persistent world MMO. There are three continents that players can battle across and each continent contains a multitude of territories. Each territory is about the same size as the largest BF3 maps, meaning that PS2 is bloody huge.

The large scale of Planetside 2 combined with the scarcity of ammunition means that logistics is important. Simply dying and respawning for more ammunition is not recommended since it takes several minutes to get back to the fight.

Massive scale calls for massive environments. You can go anywhere you see. Battles rage everywhere. This is one of the smaller outposts on the desert continent of Indar.

 

Team play

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 features four classes: Assault, support, engineer and recon. Each of these classes have their own weapons and equipment. Classes are largely self-sufficient, carrying plenty of ammunition and regenerating health between fights. Each class brings something unique to the table though, whether that is supplying ammunition, motion sensors or being able to resurrect comrades.

A player can easily make her own mark on battles in BF3 due to the small scale of the battles. A successful flanking maneuver where you take out five people can turn the tide of a battle.

The small scale combined with self-sufficient classes leads to BF3 being a highly individualistic game. The fast pacing means that players are usually never in the same place even if they share a squad since it is easy to respawn at a control point and advance on your own.

Planetside 2

Planetside 2 feature six classes: Infiltrator, light assault, combat medic, engineer, heavy assault and MAX. Similar to BF3 each of these classes have their own weapons and equipment but also their own certification tree that is used to upgrade the class. The certification system is a classical RPG mechanic akin to a traditional level system. In addition to having their unique equipment that allow them to support each other as in BF3 each class also has a class ability. No class in PS2 is self-sufficient, you will always lack either health or ammunition when playing alone.

Class abilities are central to the class and really makes the classes different from each other. The infiltrator can turn invisible, light assaulters come with a jet pack, combat medics can heal themselves, engineers place turrets, heavy assaulters have a stronger energy shield and MAX units can dash quickly.

The different classes combined with large scale, logistics and slower pace means that teamwork is much more important in PS2. The players in PS2 need to work together if they are to win a fight since there is no way a single soldier is going to defeat enough enemies to break their line. 

Sony implemented several mechanics into PS2 in order to further accentuate team play. There is built in proximity VOIP for communication, support for video capture and upload to youtube, friends and outfits (clan). Squads can form into platoons and there is a separate commander VOIP channel that players can access by specialising into the squad leader certification tree.

Summary

As we can see both Battlefield 3 and Planetside 2 are traditional FPS games where you run around and shoot stuff. They differ significantly in the areas I highlighted though, meaning that they are suited to different types of playstyles.

If you want a fast paced, visceral and rapidly rewarding FPS BF3 is probably your cup of tea. It does not require a large time investment to have fun, rounds are over quickly and you get constant rewards from just about anything you do in the game. Add in great graphics and awesome audio and you have a high quality game that is sure to keep you entertained.

Planetside 2 is strategic, tactical and slow paced. It rewards the thinking player. Rewards come slowly in PS2, it takes a long time to unlock certifications and territories are not conquered easily. When you do succeed however the sense of achievement is substantial. The scale and focus on teamwork give a sense of belonging to something larger than yourself, PS2 fosters a loyalty to your faction and allies that I have not experienced in another FPS.

Since I am rather old, slow and an academic I prefer Planetside 2. At least for the foreseeable future. I have had some truly awesome experiences with Battlefield 3 and it is still among my favorite games. Hopefully this analysis can help you put these games into perspective against each other. They are very similar in the core shooting mechanics with BF3 being slightly more polished and balanced. There is absolutely nothing that keeps you to playing only one of these games though, I would personally play BF3 during the lunch hour and PS2 in the evenings.

I could continue to write forever but Auraxis beckons. Loyalty until death, strength in unity. For the Terran Republic!