Next Planetside 2 update detailed – XP changes incoming

SOE are back after the holidays and dropped a huge information update regarding the next patch which is due out on 30 January.

As well as more bug fixes there is a big change to the XP system which is now going “dynamic”. Battle hardened players will gain more XP than new players which seems like pretty logical progression for the game. Quite simply put they have taken along hard look at the XP system, read players feedback and are now implementing the changes.

• General performance increases, particularly for lower end GPUs
• Experience (XP) system enhancements:
  • Dynamic XP system for player kills, players who have more kills are worth more XP. Freshly spawned players will be worth a fraction of the current kill reward.
  • Partial damage XP for dealing damage to vehicles that you don’t end up killing
  • Population XP / Resource bonus moved over to continent population instead of global
  • Better display of XP sources for things like defensive bonuses & population bonuses
  • Rebalancing of XP rewards to help support tasks
• Server transfer token available in Depot
• UI changes to emphasize score per minute as a primary metric of player comparison
• Sortable columns on outfit management & addition of “last online” column
• New weapon type for all empires: SMG
• Short period of invulnerability will be added to freshly spawned / revived players – breaks upon game actions such as entering a vehicle or using a weapon.
• Dynamic / player configurable colors for minimap & overhead indicators for enemies, friendlies, and squads within a platoon
• New Hot Spot system that displays where active fights are occurring on the map
• New spawn buildings with more exits, protected balconies and easy roof access to make them less campable.
• Tunnel systems for amp and tech facilities to give access from spawn rooms to interior of bases and base walls without having to go above ground.
• Making MAXes render more reliably at long distances for players in vehicles
• AA improvements, notably flak changes for turrets and skyguards, giving them some better ability to aim, although not drastically impacting their DPS.
• Fixes to missiles so that they more reliably detonate and actually blow stuff up
• Air vehicle weapon tweaks
• Increases to reload speed for certain HE ground vehicle weapons

Check out the full update from Matt Higby on the Planetside 2 forums.