OGRank - Planetside: Deployables are coming!

ADVANCED ENGINEERING

Advanced Engineering delivers two tactical additions to the Engineering profession. Engineers are given new options to expand their arsenal with this update. If a soldier already has the Combat Engineering certification, they can choose to add on either the Fortification or Assault Engineering. Or they can choose to advance in both as each one caters to assorted game play styles.

Also included are Merit/Awards for the new items added.

Here is a list of additions for each of the two new Engineering certifications in this update:

FORTIFICATION ENGINEERING

(Increased Deployable Units, Shadow Turrets, Cerberus Turrets, Field Deployment Unit (FDU), Tactical Resonance Area Protection (TRAP), Upgrading Wall Turrets, & Upgrading Aegis Shield Generators)

*INCREASED DEPLOYABLE UNITS - Spitfires have increased to 15; Mines to 25; Boomers to 25; and Motion Sensors to 25.

*SHADOW TURRETS - Shadow Turrets have the same capabilities as a regular spitfire turret with the benefit of being concealed to the enemy. The Shadow Turret will only reveal itself when firing and will become invisible again when the enemy has been killed or has found something to hide behind. It will be deployed using the standard ACE and accessed through the change ammo function. These spitfires can only be deployed within a friendly SOI and share the same interference range with the standard and newly added Cerberus turrets. The maximum amount that can be deployed is set to 5 and they count towards your total amount of Spitfires (now at 15).

*CERBERUS TURRETS - Cerberus turrets are designed to defend against the warriors from the sky. They look similar to the standard spitfire but have been modified to launch flak projectiles if air vehicles get within range. Do not expect them to take out Mosquitos or Reavers passing by, but if one decides to hover and camp out near a doorway, they will not be in the sky for very long. Damage towards infantry and ground vehicles is not as significant and the Cerberus will not fire upon a soldier unless provoked first. They will also be deployed using the standard ACE being accessed through the change ammo function and will share the same interference range with the standard and Shadow Turrets. The maximum amount that can be deployed is set to 5 and they count towards your total amount of Spitfires (now at 15). Cerberus turrets cannot be deployed within an enemy SOI.

*FIELD DEPLOYMENT UNIT (FDU) - The Field Deployment Unit (FDU) is the new device used to deploy the TRAP for Fortification Engineering and the Aegis Shield Generator and One-Manned Field Turrets for the Assault Engineering. The FDU is as large as the biggest weapons that you can carry in your inventory and can only be used once as it is consumed by the deployment process.

*TACTICAL RESONANCE AREA PROTECTION (TRAP) - Tactical Resonance Area Protection (TRAP) is a barrier that can be used to slow down an enemy's progress. It can be strategically placed to increase choke points and/or to decrease the enemy's mobility. TRAPs can be deployed using the new Field Deployable Unit (FDU). TRAPs require vast quantities of Nanites to be created and may take a few seconds to fully generate. It's possible for an infantry unit to slip between two TRAPs but anything larger is going to have some problems. Due to the amount of Nanites consumed, the TRAP has garnered a higher life expectancy. Don't expect these to be destroyed in one shot. And don't think they can be run over. Well, you can try but TRAPs are solid objects that will dish out more damage than you can deliver. Two TRAPs can be placed close together but you will not be able to place a third any where near it. It is much like the interference range of an AMS and shares the same interference range with the new Aegis Shield Generator and new One-Manned Field Turrets (Osprey, Avenger and Orion). Lastly on TRAPs, they can not be deployed within an enemy SOI.

*UPGRADING WALL TURRETS - A Fortification Engineer can now upgrade Wall Turrets at bases and towers. To upgrade, the Nano Dispenser is used with a new Upgrade Canister designed only to adapt the turret to the game condition desired. A turret must not be manned during the upgrade process and must be near full health in order to start. The turret can be upgraded to include Anti Air (AA) or Anti Vehicle (AV) shells along with the default firing method. If a turret has been upgraded to one of the two selections, it is possible to switch to the other upgrade by starting the same process over again. Please note that the upgrade will take a little bit of time to complete, so use your best stance to avoid getting sniped. Upgrades will last 30 minutes and can be repeated after reverting to its normal state. If a base changes ownership while a turret has been upgraded, the turret also will revert to a normal state. Lastly, if a turret has auto-fire capabilities due to empire benefits, only normal rounds will be used during the auto-fire function.

*UPGRADE AEGIS SHIELD GENERATORS - Aegis Shield Generators are new cloaking shields that can be deployed by an Assault Engineer. Once deployed, the Shield Generator has an invisible cloaking effect but has no protection on the shield. A Fortification Engineer can upgrade the cloaking shield of the Aegis Shield Generator using a Nano Dispenser giving the shield extra defensive capabilities. The upgrade will occur automatically with a normal canister and has priority over all other upgrades that can be performed on the Aegis. The effect given with the upgrade will be similar to that of a shield surrounding a base when it has a shield module benefit, of course any projectile will reduce the health of an upgraded shield, however, the projectiles and ammunition will be stopped from passing through. Enemy infantry can pass through to attack or to be attacked by other units but vehicles will be stopped. When the health of a shield reaches zero, the generator will overload and will be destroyed. Be careful as both enemy and friendly fire can reduce the health of the shield. If a shield's charge is less than 100%, it can be recharged at the Aegis Shield Generator and if you have both Fortification and Assault Engineering, recharging the shield will always take priority over an Ammo Supply Upgrade. If you enjoy playing the supporting role and seek out the location of an Aegis to upgrade, you can click on the Aegis map icon to see all of the benefits added or needed.

ASSAULT ENGINEERING

(Deploy Spitfires in Enemy SOI, Field Deployment Unit (FDU), Aegis Shield Generator, Upgrade Shield Generator with Ammunition, One-Manned Field Gun Turret & Disrupter Mines)

*DEPLOY SPITFIRES IN ENEMY SOI - Assault Engineers are given the capabilities to deploy standard spitfires within the sphere of influence (SOI) of their enemy. This tactic can greatly increase your fire power when trying to push your way into a base or tower. These same interference ranges apply between spitfires.

*AEGIS SHIELD GENERATOR - The Aegis Shield Generator gives a similar effect to that of the shield from an AMS, giving an invisible shelter against your enemy. The Aegis can only be deployed by an Assault Engineer using the FDU. The Aegis is equipped with low to moderate health but additional health benefits can be obtained through an upgrade by a Fortification Engineer. Only one Aegis can be deployed at a time per Assault Engineer. If you have an existing Aegis deployed and attempt to deploy a second one, the first Aegis will be destroyed while your new Aegis is constructed. Be careful though, as your empire may be seeking refuge within your first one. A tool that may help to decide whether or not to deploy a second Aegis is to click on the Aegis map icon to see if it has been upgraded or not. You can view the Aegis health, shield health and ammunition upgrade benefits. An Aegis that you can quickly create and upgrade with an Ammunition Supply or Shield health is better than one that has no added benefit at all. The interference range is similar to that of an AMS - you cannot place them close together and they share the same interference ranges with TRAPs and One-Manned Field Turrets. More upgrades will be possible in future releases from numerous professions.

*ONE-MANNED FIELD TURRETS (OMFT) - One-Manned Field Turrets (OMFT) are for field use only. It is designed to offer suppression fire against infantry units while packing a bigger punch against ground and air vehicles. OMFTs have been customized for each empire and have similar firing characteristics of an Anti Infantry Max. The Osprey has been created for the New Conglomerate; the Avenger for the Terran Republic; and the Orion for the Vanu Sovereignty. They have enough fire power to get the job done and have a shield generation that increases upon deployment, essentially doubling the health. This is very similar to a vehicle shield benefit. A downside to an OMFT is that it can be jacked while occupied! So beware of the infiltrator. Again, these share the same interference range to that of a TRAP and an Aegis but have an additional benefit allowing you to place OMFTs slightly closer together than you could with the other new deployable units.

*DISRUPTER MINES - Disrupter Mines are similar to that of a standard HE Mine with a slightly different appearance and behavior. Disrupter Mines are packed with a jamming effect rather than an explosion. So if a standard HE Mine doesn't bring an enemy to it's eventual demise, a Disrupter will render an enemy useless for a few seconds to turn the tables. The Disrupter Mine is deployed using a standard ACE by using the change ammo function. Disrupter Mines count towards the maximum number of mines that you are able to deploy and share the same interference range with standard HE mines.

*UPGRADE AEGIS SHIELD GENERATOR WITH AMMUNITION - An Assault Engineer will be able to upgrade an Aegis Shield Generator with the benefit of an ammunition supply. Upgrading will be done using a Nano Dispenser with a standard canister. The process will take a few seconds and upon completion, only ammunition for Infantry and Max Units will be available. Ammunition will not be available for vehicles nor will grenades and support items be at your disposal. If an engineer has both Fortification and Assault Engineering, recharging the shield will always take priority over an ammunition upgrade.

Due to this update having a requirement to change certifications, we have given everyone the option to use a free recertification option if you want to start new. This is an option and it is not required.