PTS Update - 9/14

The PlanetSide 2 Public Test Server will come down this evening for an update.

These notes continue to build on the Critical Mass update and Combined Arms Initiative as discussed in previous patch notes and dev articles.

• Critical Mass: https://www.planetside2.com/news/ps2-critical-mass-development-update-2017
• Combined Arms Initiative: https://www.planetside2.com/news/dev-diary-combined-arms-ps2-2017

Meta

• Additional polish and improvements to faction points dropdown.
• All “normal” (old) continent alerts have been disabled.
• We’re currently working to make the territory scoring statistics update more quickly on the main map header.

Population controls have been enabled on PTS.
The highest populated faction is now balanced against the runner-up, instead of the lowest populated faction, and overpopulated factions will funnel players into VR, where they can queue for a slot on an active continent.
Faction queue only activates when there are more than 75 players on a continent (and more than 150 players on all continents combined.)


Infantry Adjustments
Nanoweave Armor

• Removed archer resist type benefit as that resistance type no longer exists.
• Rank 5 now reduces non-headshot melee damage by 20%.
• Rank 5 Nanoweave Armored targets now show a resist icon upon impact.

Safeguard Implant

• Rank 5 benefit now instantly restores 200 shield health upon being revived as infantry or 500 health upon being revived as a MAX unit, instead of reducing melee damage.

Underbarrel Grenade Launcher

• Direct damage from 800 to 500

Underbarrel Smoke Launcher

• Direct damage from 800 to 250

Nano-Repair Grenade

• Repair Grenades now stick to generators and terminals.

NS-45 Pilot

• Minor audio adjustment.

NSX Daimyo

• Modified firing audio.

MAX Adjustments
Kinetic Armor
MAX Kinetic Armor now reduces different resist types by 20%, based on rank, similar to Nanoweave Armor.

• Rank 1: Reduces small arms damage by 20%.
• Rank 2: Reduces small arms and heavy machine gun damage by 20%.
• Rank 3: Reduces small arms, heavy machine gun, and gatling damage by 20%.
• Rank 4: Reduces small arms, heavy machine gun, gatling, and soft-point machine guns, damage by 20%.
• Rank 5: Reduces small arms, heavy machine gun, gatling, soft-point machine guns, and melee damage by 20%.

Flak Armor
MAX FLAK Armor has been renamed Ordnance Armor.
This armor now reduces different resistance types based on rank, instead of increasing resistance percentage each rank.

• Rank 1: Reduces common explosion damage by 50%.
• Rank 2: Reduces common explosion damage by 50%, and infantry rocket damage by 20%.
• Rank 3: Reduces common explosion, tank mine, and C4 damage by 50%; and infantry rocket damage by 20%.
• Rank 4: Reduces common explosion, tank mine, and C4 damage by 50%; and infantry rocket and tank shell damage by 20%.
• Rank 5: Reduces common explosion, tank mine, and C4 damage by 50%; and infantry rocket, tank shell, light AV, and A2G explosive damage by 20%.

Vehicle Resistances
Dev note: Resistances continue to be streamlined. Please report any stand-out irregularities. The Sunderer and ANT changes are reversions to their desired PTS state post-CAI. Prior to this update, these changes had been reverted in order to fix a Live issue, which left the vehicles in a weakened state on PTS.

ANT

• Resist type 28 (Gatling Gun) from 63 to 75
• Resist type 7 (Tank Cannons) from 17.5 to 0
• Resist type 5 (Light AV) from -50 to 0

Sunderer

• Resist type 28 (Gatling Gun) from 63 to 75
• Resist type 7 (Tank Cannons) from 17.5 to 0
• Resist type 5 (Light AV) from -50 to 0

ESF

• Resist type 4 (Heavy Machine Gun) from 60 to 75
• Resist type 28 (Gatling Gun) from 67 to 75

Valkyrie

• Resist type 28 (Gatling Gun) from 67 to 75

Liberator

• Resist type 4 (Heavy Machine Gun) from 70 to 75
• Resist type 28 (Gatling Gun) from 67 to 75

Galaxy

• Resist type 4 (Heavy Machine Gun) from 85 to 67

Vehicle Adjustments
Marauder (TR Harasser and Prowler)

• Reverted Marauder sound effect to original “fury-style” sound, with minor modification.

Spear Phalanx Turrets

• VS Spear Phalanx turrets should now show teal tracers in first and third person.
• TR Spear Phalanx turrets, Lightnings, and Prowler main cannons should now show red tracers in first and third person.

ANT

• Default cortium storage capacity from 5000 to 8000.
• Cortium Storage cert line now increases storage capacity by 1000/1250/1500/1750/2000.
• Cortium Shield now increases armor of the vehicle by 20% on all sides except the bottom, instead of draining cortium on damage taken.
• Cortium Shield now has a 200 cortium activation cost.
• Cortium Shield stacks with Reinforced Armor and Mineguard.
• Speculative fix to spot checks showing above cloaked ANTs.

Liberator
Dev Note: The following changes move Liberator toward a more survivable air support platform while reducing the vehicle's burst damage.

Misc.

• All noseguns can now pivot while aiming down sights. (This feature is not available on PS4.)
• Bottom armor from 0% to 50%.

Tankbuster

• Damage from 334-143 to 175-100

Vektor

• Damage from 375-225 to 300 at all ranges

Spur

• Damage from 225-150 to 225-100
• Min damage range from 300m to 200m
• Now has 100 blast damage in 0.5m, and falls off to 25 blast damage at 2.5m

Misc. Changes, Fixes, and Additions

• Slightly increased the brightness of Amerish's darkest hours.
• Resist Shield now uses the correct duration (this is a PTS-only issue.)
• Rank 5 Safe Fall implant now uses a more accurate description.
• Warp Gate terminal at the end of the tutorial should no longer crash the client.
• Fixed an issue where some NS optics could be completely covered in camo.
• The NSX Amaterasu knife can now be trialed.
• BioLab domes will now render the full dome at long distances.
• Corrected “Horn of Liberty” description text on certain vehicles.
• Reduced the camera shake area of effect and intensity on a handful of explosion types.