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Author: BishopWraith
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The GreenHorn's Guide to Planetside Module 1
User Interface and Key Commands
I. User Interface (UI)
A. Soldier Vitals Display
You will see that there are 3 colored meters on your screen Red, Green, Blue (from top to bottom). Each of these represents a different Vital System to your character. The red bar represents your character's health. When it reaches ZERO, you die. This bar averages at 100, but will change according to the overall population of your empire in comparison to the other two empires. The Medical Cert allows you to heal damage at the basic level and even revive fallen soldiers at the advanced level. The second bar is green. It represents your character's stamina. You will always have a maximum of 100 stamina points. Stamina points are used for physical activity and cybernetic implants. Jumping, for instance, takes 10 points per jump. Several Implants drain stamina as they are being used. The final bar is blue. It represents your armor. You start with 50 armor points using Standard Armor, but are given the certification immediately to wear Agile Armor. Agile Armor slows your movement minimally while increasing your armor to 100 points. Even heavier armor is available in advanced certifications. The Engineering Cert allows you to repair armor to perfect condition.
B. Chat Window
Your chat window is an interface that allows you to send commands through typing to a variety of channels. You can select who you want to see a particular message by typing a simple command before each line typed.
1. /L Local- allows everyone in your vicinity to hear you.
2. /B Broadcast- Sends the message to all friendlies within the SOI of a friendly base.
3. /O Outfit- Sends the message to everyone within your outfit.
4. /S Squad- Sends the message to everyone within your squad.
5. /P Platoon- Sends the message to everyone within your platoon.
6. /PL PlatoonLeader- Sends the message to all squadleaders in your platoon. This can only be used by squadleaders.
7. /T (name) Tell- Use this with the person's name following the /T to send them a private message.
8. /R Reply- Sends a reply private message to the last person to /tell you.
C. HotKey Row
To the right of your Vital Display are square boxes labelled F1-F8. Each one of these will perform an action you designate when one the corresponding Function keys are pressed. You will notice immediately to the left of this row are an UP and DOWN arrow. This allows you to store several rows of hotkeys into memory. Your default setting for hotkeys, from LEFT to RIGHT, is:
F1. Medpack- This heals 25 points of damage if it is in your backpack.
F2. First Implant- Activate/Deactivate first implant (BR6)
F3. Second Implant- Activate/Deactivate second implant (BR12)
F4. Third Implant- Activate/Deactivate third implant (BR18)
You can create your own hotkeys to fill in the rest of the row by using a macro command.
Example: /macro GAL /o You have 3 minutes to RECALL to NW Sanct, gearup, and load the GALAXY at WP1
/macro = gives the command to the UI to create a macro hotkey
GAL = allows up to a 3-digit tag to identify your hotkey with
/o = sends the following message to all outfit members
text= the message
A small comic book style icon for speaking is created with the 3digit ID printed within the bubble. You may now left-click once on any of the 8 hotkeys to select that hotkey to display your macro when pressed.
It will come out like this:
BishopWraith(Outfit): You have 3 minutes to RECALL to NW Sanct, gearup, and load the GALAXY at WP1.
You can also change the color of any text within your chat window by using a # command. For example,
#2
Turns all text after the command a soft blue color, while...
#3
Turns all the text into a bright yellow color.
To join an outfit squad type 'LFS' in the /o chat. This will tell outfit SLs to send you an invite to their squad. A small window will pop up asking if you want to join their squad. Click 'YES'. Ta da! You're in a squad. Many of us use little catch phrases to capture the attention of the SLs so they dont miss our request in the heat of battle. These can become very colorful and humorous.
My personal LFS message says:
Who wants to dance with a dead priest? LFS LFS LFS
C. Radar
There is a contour map in the corner of your screen. This is your radar. Enemies will show up as RED while friendlies show up as GREEN. The range of this radar can be adjusted in the keymapping options in game but at default magnifies in as you enter the vicinity of a base or tower. While inside a building your radar will actually show a map of the level of the building you are in.
D. Vehicle Status
While in a vehicle a small picture of your vehicle will appear on your screen. As the vehicle takes damage, it turns red from bottom to top. When the entire picture is red your vehicle is destroyed, killing you if you were in or near the vehicle. Sometimes a blue glowing field will appear around your vehicle, this represents a shield protecting your vehicle. A meter designating this shield's levels will appear at the bottom of your display as well.
E. Targeting Reticle
In the center of your screen you will see a set of crosshairs. This is your targeting reticle. Point this at an enemy and that is where your bullets will go when you squeeze the trigger. Notice if you move, the reticle changes sizes. The larger the reticle, the less accurate your weapon will be. Planetside has worked hard to create a game engine that is against the grain and does not award 'twitch players'. Each weapon in Planetside has a Cone of Fire (CoF). No matter how still you sit, each weapon has a varying degree of inaccuracy. The longer you pull the trigger, the more random the shots become. However, each weapon also has a maximum degree of inaccuracy. The CoF comes into effect as you shoot, no matter how long you wait between shots, there is no gaurantee that your first shot in your burst will hit your target EXACTLY where you are aiming. This negates the 'twitch' effect that many games incorporate, such as CounterStrike where your ability to spin your weapon around and click the mouse button quickly and accurately determines your ability in battle. In Planetside, your ability to work with others to create a field of fire and crossfires is encouraged by the CoF. Working in your favor along with the CoF are Hit Locations. Planetside does NOT have hit locations. If you hit a soldier in the foot, its the same as hitting them in the head. Planetside is a TEAM game and does not focus on your ability to point a mouse cursor to a pixel. When you hit an enemy soldier a dull yellow circle will show up on your targeting reticle, the more successive hits you get, the bigger the circle. This allows you to know if you are hitting your target or if you need to lead off your shots a bit. When YOU take damage from an enemy a short red bar will appear around your reticle. If it is above your reticle, the shot came from in front of you. If below your reticle, it came from behind. If left or right, it came from your sides and everything between these points is an average between the nearest two points (much like a compass). When in a vehicle with a rotating turret, a white line similar to the red one will be present. As you turn your gun around the vehicle, the line will circle around your vehicle. Whereever that line is, represents which direction your weapon is pointing in relation to the front of the vehicle.
F. Squad/Platoon Bar
Your squad/platoon members will show up at the top of your screen. Each one is assigned a color and number according to the squad they are in. These numbers will show up on your map and radar to let you know where your fellow soldiers are at. You can use the keystroke Alt+# (the # being which soldier you want to send a tell to) to cue up /T (name) in your chat window. This only works between squadmembers. Each platoon member will have a red and blue bar associated to their name and number. This represents their health and armor levels. If the red bar is empty, they are dead.
G. Map
Hitting M will bring up your map. It starts in whatever planet you are on. You can go to the menu at the top to choose 'Intergalatic Map' to get a view of ALL the planets and their links. Details on how to read a map will come in a future guide.
H. Character Window
Hitting O will bring up your character window. This window shows your current Battle Rank and how much xp to go before your next BR as well as your Command Rank, your Implants (and how long until they initialize), your Certifications and how many unspent Cert Points you have.
I. Outfit Window
Hitting Shift+O brings up your Outfit Window. Here you will find the TeamSpeak info and password for our server as well as a full outfit roster. The roster includes Name, Rank, OutfitPoints, and how many days since theyve last logged in. Those marked ONLINE are currently playing. You can sort the roster by any of these statistics by clicking on that stat at the top of the window.
J. People Window
Hitting P brings up your People Window. Here you can monitor your squad members, vehicle passengers and keep a friend's list.
K. In-game key commands
W= walk forward
S= walk backward
A= strafe left
D= strafe right
Q= autorun
R= reload weapon
Z= xoom in
X= change ammo type
C= crouch/uncrouch toggle
T= firstperson/thirdperson view toggle
G= 'Use' key. To use terminals within a base or to enter and exit vehicles.
Alt+G= bail out of the vehicle you are in. This causes ground vehicles to slow down to let you jump out.
Alt+R= auto-levels your reticle when flying an air vehicle. This centers the reticle and levels the craft.
Tab= toggles between mouse and keyboard interface
Enter= Brings up chat text line Enter again sends the typed text.
SpaceBar= Jump when on foot. Brakes when in a ground vehicle. Afterburners when in an aircraft.
Up Arrow(while in the text bar)= scrolls up to your last message sent. Continue to hit up to retrieve earlier messages.
1= Toggles Holster/Unholster your first pistol slot
2= Toggles Holster/Unholster your first rifle slot
3= Toggles Holster/Unholster your second pistol slot
4= Toggles Holster/Unholster your second rifle slot.
5= Toggles Holster/Unholster your Combat Knife.
LeftClick= Fires your weapon
RightClick= Toggles firing modes on your weapon.
***This concludes the first module to The GreenHorn's Guide to Planetside***
Gen.BishopWraith
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