Man, I was wondering if anyone was playing this game and keeping quiet at the same time because I wasn't sure if the NDA was up.
Anyways, the game is extremely fun, but the netcode needs work and there are other small bugs (like sound) that need to be worked out.
I would compare it to a true FPS that is more versatile as BF1942 (with the vehicles) with RPG traits in the form of persistent and perpetual elements such as skills/rank/stat tracking and weapon selection. In terms of gameplay, people compare it to tribes 2 (never played it), but its flexibility and massiveness reminds me of BF1942 on a much larger scale. There are also squad/tactical elements similar to games like SoF2 infiltration and CS, where you have objectives or targets to secure to gain BEP (battle experience points). The perpetual universe and planetary assault engine reminds me of a game that never made it out of Beta, MultiPlayer BattleTech (MPBT) 3025. Great game as well, this game is the only one I've played that has stirred similar emotions.
The game is truly warfare on a massive scale. I've NEVER played anything similar where there has been such chaos all caused by real human beings in such a concentrated area. You can literally have hundreds of real, unique players concentrated in a small area storming a base. Throw in any type of support/assault/ vehicles as well as stationary defenses, and you get battles that are truly epic. Even infantry have a large variety. MechWarrior fans will most certainly favor mechanized assault armored units called MAX. Each faction has 3 different types of MAX armor. They are basically walking mini-tanks (there are real tanks too) that are best suited for assaulting or holding a base. They can deal and take massive amounts of damage, but have many limitations that require standard infantry to support them. The best thing is that most players can obtain them relatively quickly (Battle Rank 2 I believe) so that they aren't one of those unobtainable features for the hardcore or insane.
The squad and outfit interactions are also very cool. You can have up to 10 players in your squad, and any effective squad will be well-rounded with all of the available character classes. A squad of 10 MAX will never be able to capture a base alone, b/c you'll need at least a novice hacker (everyone is at BR1) to gain entrance to a facility and hack it. To gain use of support terminals like med stations and equipment terminals, you'll need an intermediate hack. If you want to do some reconnaissance, having a fast moving scout on a Wraith in an Infiltration suit (invisible) will come in handy. Engineers to repair damaged consoles and armor, and medics to heal also help out. And don't forget, unlike other games, any character can carry any weapon he/she chooses if they have the certs (certifications) for it.
This game will tax your resources however, it
can use a full gig of RAM if you have it. Game runs great on my rig, but its still obvious they need to tweak the netcode. Otherwise, this game is truly epic, and insanely addicting.
Any of you in NC look me up. I go by Chizow there as well, BR11 with FMax, SMax, Gal pilot, Reinf Inf., med assault, and special assault certs. Needless to say, I've been playing a lot since I got in Saturday (and coming into work late a lot

). Hopefully servers are up tonite so I can get BR12 and my new uniform. :beer:
Chiz