Recently, I was getting back into playing The Elder Scrolls Online a bit - which I haven't really played at all since the Beta Testing Phase of the game. I was also popping in to the Steam Forum for the game, helping out a few people and I ran into someone asking about 'how to logout of the game' - that is, how to Logout of their Account but not actually exit/quit the game itself. While this may seem easy with the Standalone/Web Version of TESO (you just click the "Back" link at the Character Selection screen, which takes you to the Login screen, with the Account information fields to fill in); with the Steam Version of TESO - when you have associated your Steam Account with TESO - this is not quite as easy, as hitting "Back" at the Character Selection merely takes you back to a screen that just says LOGIN, with no fields to fill in. An example of how this looks is just below:
Example of what the Login Screen looks like, when a Steam Account is directly associated with a TESO Account (Click to see Full Size)
So, I tried to figure out how to 'logout of the game' but not 'logout of Steam', as it were; being able to log out of TESO so that one could change to a different account if they wanted to (say, to let a family member login/play with their own account), but keep Steam and the game running, similar to what one could do when running the Standalone/Web version of the game...
Normally, this can be done with games that utilize Game Clients ("Launchers") by not starting up the Game Client, but instead going to the executable file for the game directly, running it to start the game up (which usually opens the game to a Login screen of some sort). In the case of the Steam Version of TESO, here are the steps I found to do this:
Open Steam
Right-Click on
TESO in the Library and choose Properties
Click on the Local
Files tab
Click on the
Browse Local Files button to show the directory/folder of the game
Navigate into THE
ELDER SCROLLS ONLINE > GAME > CLIENT folder
Double-Click on
"eso64.exe" to launch the game (or "eso.exe" if
running 32-bit Windows/Game)
That's it! Now you should be at the Login area that everyone with the Standalone/Web-sourced version of The Elder Scrolls Online sees: a screen with Data Fields that can be filled in with Account Information, to Login. An example of what it looks like, is below:
Example of what the Steam Version of TESO's Login Screen looks like, when launched directly from the Executable file, even though a Steam Account is associated with TESO (Click to see Full Size)
I wanted to share this here, to help others that might run into this 'problem'; wanting to 'logout of their TESO game account' or 'change TESO game accounts', while using a Steam Version of the game. While associating your Steam Account with your Elder Scrolls Online Account is somewhat convenient (as you don't have to type in your login information every time you start the game), hopefully this will assist with the issue that does arise then, when one wants to just Logout of the game and/or Login with a different TESO Account.
Just wanted to share something that came up, in answering a Question someone asked in the Official Steam Forum for Fallout 4 - in case anyone has a Settler in one of their bases that they really, really don't like...
A person asked in the Forum, how to 'get rid of' Jezebel', whom for those who do not know, is a Robo-Brain type automatron, from the Automatron Official DLC. Without getting into any Spoilers, I'll just say "she has an attitude"...
However, because she is a Resident of your Settlement, you cannot easily get rid of her, as attempting to just kill her will set all of the other Settlers gunning for your head in retaliation/defense.
Also, although she can be Assigned to the Task of, say running a Shop at the far end of Town and 'stay there', she is not of much use in that respect - because Robots cannot run Shops/Stores [sadly].
I thought of using her to start a Supply Line (so her Task/Job will take her out of town almost all of the time and you'll rarely ever have to see her) - and saw that another helpful Fallout 4 player thought of the same thing - and already posted it as a Reply in the Discussion...
Still, I could add (as a Tip perhaps); that you can 'send her away' even more so by first Moving her to a Settlement that you rarely go to (using the MOVE menu bar command, at the bottom of the Workshop Mode interface).
You could Move her to Oberon Station perhaps, or The Slog [those are where I normally send 'people I don't like' lol] - anywhere that you normally don't 'check up on' as much as you do your other Settlements...
Then, after that, Assign her to become a Provisioner and start up a Supply Line (using the SUPPLY LINE menu bar command, in Workshop Mode) between the starting place of where you sent her ("far away") and another place you rarely go to - that way, you will REALLY never have to see her again! [Actually, you may still run into her, as you run into your Provisioners if you journey into the paths between the Settlements you have Supply Lines set up for - but still, if you pick two remote places that you don't really visit often as her Supply Line nodes (start and end points), then you'll really rarely ever bump into her]
Either way, I hope these ideas help any of you 'get rid of someone' you don't like, from a Settlement (and you don't want to kill them or use cheats/commands to do it). Have fun in Fallout 4!
I had picked up Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 again over The Holidays during a sale at STEAMand I already saw some people in the Steam Forum ("Discussions") asking if there was a 'Sandbox Mode' - which is a way to play with either 'Unlimited Money' or 'Free Building' - so I wanted to quickly share a Quick Tip about playing RCT2 in a "Sandbox Mode", as in, 'Unlimited Money' and/or 'Free Building'...
While RCT2 has a 'hard limit' on buildings[128 rides as I understand - but I have not personally tested this], it does have a way to 'create a Sandbox Mode' - where you can build as much as you want, not limited by money - by making your own Scenario...
If you press on the "Game Tools" Toolbox at the Main Menu (initial startup menu, with the four large buttons to click on, at the bottom) and choose the "Scenario Editor" from the pull-down menu, you can create your own Scenario ("park level/map").
After setting up things like available Rides, Land and initial layout, you can choose for the Scenario to use "No Money" (a checkbox, later in the process), which is an option that effectively disables finances (and thus the need for money to build, etc), making everything 'free' when you go back and Play that Scenario.
There are also 'Trainers' you can run (which are small programs that run in the background of the game, that let you alter Money, let you bypass other normal limits of the game, etc.. [I haven't used these in a while, but have done so in the past - as always, I mention a quick caution about trying these out, as although there are many, many Trainers and programs out there that are designed by helpful people and even whole communities, there is always a non-zero chance that there might be malicious software thrown in the bunch]); if you don't feel comfortable doing that (downloading a file from somewhere unknown and running it), the above seems to be the closest RCT2 gets to a true 'Sandbox Mode' that I saw, at the moment.
Have fun with it!
Personal Version/Log
I had typed this up the other day and have recently been feeling like I have been 'fighting something' (an incoming cold/etc) so wanted to try finally finish it and quickly get it posted - so there are no Graphics/Screenshots at this time, sorry. I have taken a couple and may return here to add some in....Soon™ Edit: I have now added in the Screenshots, showing some of the steps for clarification, as well as a Header graphic. Enjoy!
Just a quick post to let others know that I am having issues logging in to Battle.Net - well, I don't mean 'just me', sorry, I mean "me too" - as in, lots of people have been having problems the last few days, as seen in places like:
The Battle.Net Launcher [agent.exe] just kept 'trying' to log in... forever.
Logging in... forever
Eventually it told me that I could only play Offline (error 3801 in my case). It also gave a link to the Battle.Net website for the error (a link is put in the Launcher after it can't connect) which directs you here:
This seems to be a 'generic' error of "we might be under maintenance but we don't really know"
Once I finally got logged in to the Launcher, it got stuck doing "updates"... Finally, after quite a while, it now seems to be able to function fully - I can open Hearthstone or World of Warcraft, for example - and play those now.
Just letting you know that if you are experiencing problems with Battle.Net, the Blizzard Launcher or their games over the weekend - It's Not Just You™... and once it gets working for you - See You In The Game!
[Update/Addendum 2016-12: I recently received PaintShop Pro X9 as a 'Christmas Eve Gift From Santa' and did a quick test of this again, to find that this 'FIX' also works for the Screen Capture "Stand-Alone" version that was recently released with PaintShop Pro X9! Thank you to everyone that is stating this 'still works' with VSPx10!]
I just wanted to share a Quick Tip for those having problems recording audio with the Corel ScreepCap utility, especially if you are seeing a "Prepare Record Failed!" Error/Popup, upon trying to begin recording. I experienced this myself at first, when trying ScreenCap, so began Troubleshooting to see what could be the cause. While I did not find out the exact reason for the error I did find a fix that worked and is repeatable, allowing me to record audio with Corel's Screencap utility from then on. Hopefully, this will work for you, too...
I purchased VideoStudio x8 about a week ago [as of the time of this post] - and I have been having a blast learning it and exploring all of the great content that came with it. While I might do a "First Impressions/Review" article on the program, and maybe even some Tutorials eventually, for now I want to focus on this error/problem with the ScreenCap module, especially since experiencing it myself and then seeing it in the Corel User Forums, finding out that it is in fact an 'older' problem for many. To begin, I will present the steps I found to enable working audio recording with ScreenCap.
The "Prepare Record Failed" error from Corel's ScreenCap module that pops-up when this problem is encountered,,
captured within Windows 8.1, at the time (the solution below was done in Windows 10)
Here are the steps I took, that solved the problem with 'no audio' when recording with the ScreenCap utility, causing it to crash (and display the error message shown above):
[Note: These steps assume that the user is attempting to utilize the onboard (built-in) audio adapter of the mainboard - if you are using a differing device (eg. a sound card), then merely follow the steps replacing that device with the ones mentioned below. As well, I took screenshots of these steps in Windows 10, which is why my Desktop may appear slightly different than if you are running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 - the steps should work in the same manner, however]
There are a few ways to open the Sound Devices list in Windows, but one of them is to right-click the little speaker icon in the System Tray (the area in the lower-right corner with the date and time). In the sub-menu that pops up, click "Recording Devices".
In the Recording Tab of the Sound panel/window that comes up, let's make sure you can see Disabled and Hidden devices in the list. To do this, right-click somewhere in the white inner area (but not on a device in the list) and a pop-up menu should appear, saying "Show Disabled Devices" and "Show Disconnected Devices". If these do not have a checkmark beside them, click on each of them one at a time, to enable these options. Now, you should see all the recording devices currently attached to your system. Some will be 'greyed out' if they are not plugged in or nothing is plugged into them.
In the list of devices, right-click the "Stereo Mix" device and choose "Enable", to 'turn on' the recording capability of your onboard audio adapter (the built-in audio capability in many modern mainboards). If a green checkmark is on the icon representing the device, it is also the Default Device for Recording (that is, the one that a program will try to use first, for recording). If there is no green circle with a checkmark, right-click once again on the same device and choose "Set As Default Device", and now one should appear next to the "Stereo Mix" device. [if your system is already configured with the motherboard audio enabled and recording, this step may not be required]
Click OK to close the Sound panel/window and close the list of audio devices.
Start up Corel's ScreenCap utility by double-clicking the icon on the Desktop for it, or navigating to the Tile or Shortcut in the Start Menu, to launch it. [In my case, I had an icon on my desktop that said "Corel ScreenCap x8" and I used that] Once it opens, click on the word "Settings" near the bottom of the panel, to open up the options/settings for Screen Capture.
In the Audio Settings category/area, click on the Circle next to "System Audio" to Disable Screen Capture from attempting to record from there [this seems counter-intuitive, but this is what I tested in Troubleshooting and doing this 'workaround' allowed me to 'fix' the problem and get it working - it seems more of a 'workaround' with getting the program to work, than a true 'fix' however, but this is what can be done, for now].
Just above the "System Audio", click on the "I" next to "Voice" to Enable recording from that input [this seems counter-intuitive again, as we are not going to use a microphone in this example, but this is the second part of the 'workaround' to get Screen Capture to record audio, for now].
Now, we will tell Screen Capture to use a different device for recording sound (as input). Click on the "Sound Check" button, next to the "Voice" setting. This will open up the Sound Check window/panel.
Next to the "Input Device" setting, click on the pull-down menu and your device that we enabled earlier should show up in the list, as "Stereo Mix".
Choose that device from the pull-down list and if you want to check to make sure it is receiving sound, you can click on the "Record" button. Once you click on this button, it will automatically record for ten seconds. If you quickly start a sound file, song or game, it should record exactly what you hear. Then, it will play the short test recording back for you, automatically. [this should verify that ScreenCap can now record audio through that device]
Click the "X" in the upper-right corner, to close the Sound Check panel/window.
That's it!
Now you should be able to hit the big red circle button at the top of the Screen Capture panel to begin recording - and it should now capture everything that you can hear through your speakers/headphones...
The ScreenCap utility does not seem to like 7.1 (8-channel) or 5.1 (6-channel) or even Quadrophonic (4-channel) audio as of the time of this post - you may still get the "Prepare Record Failed" Error if you do not change your system's audio adapter to Stereo (2-channel) Mode.
The above steps are the ones I took to enable these devices - and although it is mainly for users who have a similar type of audio device that I have at the time of this posting (a "Realtek High Definition" audio adapter/chip in their system (on their motherboard)), other devices may be slightly different in the naming if you are using a different audio device (the hardware and name listed for it, eg. "VIA HD Audio" or "SoundBlaster Z", etc) - but the steps should still be quite similar (the windows to open up, what to click on, etc). These are the exact steps I took, and they enabled me to record audio through the Screen Capture utility; and so I wanted to share them in the hope that they will work for you, too.
[I may return to this post and add a tutorial video showing visually how to do the steps in Windows in the near future - if I do, it will be located here]
Enjoy - and See You In The Games!
[Editor's Log: Just a note about my Wallpaper in the images within... For fun, I had created a background (desktop wallpaper) and a logo (shown in the above material) about The Blog, done in the style of the AMD Badge Logo and AMD Background Pattern - as I am currently enjoying an AMD GPU - but I do not have a preference between AMD GPUs and NVIDIA GPUs, I have owned both in the past and will use both in the future. I am not endorsed or affiliated with either AMD or NVIDIA in any commercial manner. Just letting my precious readers know I am impartial and like both of them!]
Since the most popular answer on the ongoing poll I have running here at the blog ("what type of posts would you like to see more of in 2014" [top right, it will run until the middle of the year]) is "Tips And Tricks Of Video Capturing And Editing", I thought I would start more of these types of requested posts by sharing this fix for a problem that seems to pop up intermittently with Sony's Vegas line of products.
Whether you have just re-installed it or whether it has been on your system for a while, 'something' is causing the EULA (End User License Agreement) to pop up and require you to agree to it, even if you have already done so and/or Registered the program. This question comes up once in a while on the Sony Creative Software Official Forums and I have seen it elsewhere. I was recently reminded of it again because it is also something that just happened to me on my system! I didn't re-install Vegas or make any large changes related to Vegas, yet this little guy started popping-up every time I started up Vegas Movie Studio HD**:
The popup that comes up for some people, every time they start Vegas
The fix is a simple one, originally suggested by a Sony Forum Moderator and quoted/forwarded frequently on the official forums, to those who come and ask the question there. Although it seems more like a 'workaround' than a 'fix [in my opinion], it works just fine and since it is officially supported by Sony and I just tested it for verification myself [that it does indeed solve the problem], so now I share it here with you:
To stop the EULA popping up every time you start Sony Vegas, simply open Windows Explorer and navigate to the folder where you installed it on your system.
Then, find the file that is titled, simply, "eula". There will be no Extension showing, even if you have the Windows option to 'Hide Extensions For Known File Types' turned off.
Rename (or delete) the file. That's it!
Now the EULA cannot pop up anymore and won't, every time you start up Vegas to edit your game captures.
**Although this example shows steps for the Movie Studio version of Sony's Vegas Video editing line, the EULA 'fix' is the same steps for Vegas Pro, Vegas Edit or other versions of Vegas
Enjoy popup-free video editing once again - and See You In The Games!
Messing around trying another Speedrun, this time booting up some good'ol Hitman: Blood Money, "A Vintage Year" level.
Hitman is a wonderfully crafted, enjoyable game. In my opinion, every single installment in this series has been. People have enjoyed the 'puzzle-play' aspects of it, people have enjoyed the gunplay, the stealth. Players have also enjoyed trying to run as-fast-as-they-can through levels that were probably not designed with this intention. Now, Hitman: Blood Money may not win any awards for "realism" in some areas of gameplay, but I personally have something against the concept that an Assassin, wearing a nice suit, most likely a millionaire, is carrying around twenty dollars in pocket change. Heck, I am sometimes annoyed at the jingle in my own pocket of a couple of quarters when I come across them. Thus, my personal aim with this level: to do a Suit-Only, Targets-Only, Silent Assassin, 'No Coins' Speedrun (on Professional Difficulty). I am probably not the fastest at this sort of thing, I have only done a couple of intentional Speedruns in the past; but it was still fun to make and I figured it was 'decently fast', so I wanted to share. Enjoy!
Recorded game: Hitman-Blood Money, First/Third Person Shooter/Stealth/Action
Recorded with: Bandicam (Registered Version) @ 1080p
Recording codec: MPEG-1 @ 80% Quality (Default Setting), 30fps
This was actually not as hard as I thought it would be - after finding out that Delgado.Sr is snipe-able up out on his balcony. It was his Son that gave me trouble (as it seems to do with everyone, after a few forum finds on the subject). I started just pushing him down the stairs and also setting up the Barrels to fall on him; but eventually I settled on just a good-old-fashioned-assassin-stand-by: the single bullet to the head. This felt 'right', after sniping dear-ol'Dad, anyway. Instead of pushing the Guards at the bottom into the water, I just walked non-chalantly by them, as they didn't seem to care anyway.
[On the actual Playthrough, I seem to get some guards' attention, but I assumed this was for going into the areas I wasn't supposed to, not for being witnessed killing anyone]
I also wanted to do things like 'leave nothing behind', such as 'just dropping weapons' (like the Sniper Rifle) to save time. This sort of stems from the multitude-of-coins thing... Don't get me wrong by the way, I appreciate the time so many have taken to figure out their own ways to complete Hitman levels by using distractions. I just for some reason [OCD?lol] find it hard to extend my fantasy thinking within the game 'that far' - to where a so-called Silent-Assassin-slash-Hitman is always carrying around and actually utilizes enough laundry money to make the homeless cry on every mission. [I didn't actually mean to rant here, hah] I just think if an assassin wanted to throw anything around to distract guards, it could more realistically at least be a found weapon of some sort, as opposed to a ton of coinage everywhere (pebbles could even make more sense).
At any rate, whether you use coins (a mechanic that is indeed offered directly within the game) or you don't, there you have it; not the fastest run [or the most 'Silent' lol], but hopefully an enjoyable little watch, nonetheless.
I finally picked up the latest iteration of the Hitman Series, Hitman: Absolution, starring Agent 47 as the main anti-hero, id est killing the bad guys but never quite [arguably] becoming one of them. Differing from the last couple of Hitman publications, Absolution has an overarching story, connections being made in a chronological manner throughout the various stages and settings. Characters are introduced and developed via cutscenes, as the plot is pushed further by your completing the next mission for a feeling of engagement in the storyline.
I personally liked this approach, as opposed to the last couple of Hitman games, which seemed like mostly 'replays' of old missions from previous games (which in and of itself, isn't a bad thing). While there were similar settings, such as a Chinese Market Square, they were sufficiently changed enough - especially with the graphical improvements and new gameplay interface - to seem varied enough to be enjoyable. There were even updated versions of [personal] 'old favorites' that I waited excitedly for (such as a 'Hotel' stage). Slightly more varied than the old versions, if you include the new "Instinct" game mechanic, these levels felt 'fresh', even if they weren't new.
The "Instinct" game mechanic seems like an effort to simplify the game, making it easier for newcomers and those who had trouble with the complexity and scope of the previous Hitman games. Indeed, I remember reading a lot over the years of people saying the Hitman games were "too big" or "too complex" and that it didn't help the player much at all, as far as where to go and what to do. It "plopped you down in a large area with just a map", they felt. Of course, that was the draw for all of the other people, the complexity and seeming openness of the game was enjoyed, where you had to figure out everything yourself. You could decide what to skip and what to do and could decide for yourself how to do it. The new "Instinct" mechanic of Absolution doesn't take too much away from this (you can turn it 'off' if desired) and it actually adds to the cinematic feel of the game by taking the 'player out of playing', so to speak, which results in more of a feeling that you are 'playing Agent 47', guiding him (and using his innate abilities) through the game, as opposed to 'actually being Agent 47' and figuring everything out yourself heavy-handedly. I suspect this more objective approach has already been a point of contention since the game was released.
An example of Hitman: Absolution's new 'Hitman Instinct' game mechanic, showing how Agent47 can 'sense' enemies in and around the nearby area and estimates where they may be heading.
When utilizing Agent 47's 'Instinct', the game shows where 47 'senses' there are enemies and where they are and shows you on the screen with outlined shapes. It even shows where 47 'calculates' enemies will be moving to, showing you their intended path with a line of flame and where they will stand still with a larger lick of fire. This is where the adrenalin-dipped decision making and primal 'danger' awareness kicks in during the game, as a player can choose to set up an engagement with an enemy, or stealthily avoid these paths and points.
For those who do not like or want the new game mechanic at all, it can be turned off, mainly by choosing a higher difficulty level. There are five to choose from and higher difficulties result in more 'sensitive' or 'aware' enemies, tougher enemies (wearing more body armor one assumes) and more of them. For those who are new to the game or having trouble with it, the difficulty can be lowered as well, with less enemies, enemies with less skill (not as good at aiming) and less awareness (having a bit more 'tunnel-vision') allowing you to sneak around them easier. The option to have this game mechanic off or on, at the players choice, is nice and was no doubt included to appease those who would not like it's hints and guidance. New players (those talking about the games' difficulty in the past) can have it on and still enjoy the action and storyline as well. It feels like an 'attempt to please everybody' - and I assume it will work well in that regard. (I haven't read any Reviews of the game (to avoid exposure to the material within) before I purchased it, but I assume that once I indulge in others' opinions, I will see much disagreement on that last sentence).
View of a hotel cleaning supply room from an air ventilation shaft. Click to see Full Size
The game itself felt atmospheric and cinematic. The music changed as action waxed and waned. Enemies ignored or chased you around winding levels that you had to discover and remember. The graphics were spectacular, with detailed textures, dark and gritty lighting and shading. The core Hitman gameplay was there - even if it wasn't there for very long. This game felt very short to me. Perhaps it was the somewhat simple Television Movie Special plot, perhaps it was the number of missions (although they were split up into sections). Perhaps it was merely enjoying it so much that I wanted more, but just during the course of writing this article off and on, I have completed the game in it's storyline entirety (not counting Challenges and Item Collection) in just over 20 hours. That doesn't seem very long, but I suppose it is to be expected in a game that is more like "Max Payne" and less like "Skyrim" (more Action and less RPG). You could keep playing after finishing the main story, select past levels and retry them, doing them 'cleaner' for a better score or achievement, or look around and discover new weapons and pathways, or just redo any level you wanted to for fun.
An example of how the levels are split up into sections and how you can select past levels to replay them.
An example of the updated game engine, with higher-detailed character models, textures and environments.
Click to see Full Size
Other than the copy-pasted 'general population' mannequin-people utilized in larger crowds (used understandably to keep memory/resource usage of the game down of course - all of the 'main' NPCs have good detail to them), I personally liked the attention paid to smaller details, such as the amount of debris scattered around the levels - things like cups, papers and garbage, all part of the gritty 'lived-in-ness' of the environment, adding to the realism. It's nice to see games that pay more attention to the surroundings/settings these days, as opposed to the stark, clean-floor environments in games of yesteryear.
Overall, Hitman: Absolution was very enjoyable. It was great fun to figure out steps and schemes for the various areas and carry them out with cold calculation. I laughed out loud a few times and grit my teeth in anger at the more difficult parts, playing them over and over again, trying to figure out new ways to accomplish the objectives and complete the contracts. Despite feeling shorter (perhaps just because it was so enjoyable) and despite some changes that others might not entirely like, I still suggest trying it (especially if you are a fan of the previous games in the Hitman series). I personally had a lot of fun with the game - and isn't that the most important thing?
Have fun with Absolution and See You In The Games!
For those who don't know, Planetside 2 is a fantastic MMOFPS with a huge scope of things to do and it is out of Beta and available on Steam, Free-To-Play. A First Impressions article is on the way Someday™ with loads of info and screenshots that I have been collecting; but for now here are some quick tips for people new to the game to help you out with your first days playing.
A quick summary of the differences between the three factions is below, then some helpful tips [that aren't immediately obvious or perhaps not explained in the tutorial videos very well]:
The Vanu Sovreignity is a cultish, technology-worshipping faction of transhumanists that use ancient alien technology and look to find more and exploit it further. They use 'futuristic' alien-influenced looking armor and weapons and enjoy listening to euro-techno (it plays in menus and when you die, take a base, etc). Compared to the other factions, their weapons do middle-of-the-road damage, but are the fastest reloading and have no drop-off due to the fact they are laser-based (tank projectiles have some). Vanu don't ask for ammo, they yell "Do you have any batteries?" (which also means if you aren't Vanu and you hear this, you know where some Vanu are).
The New Congolmerate are a group of separatists and rebels that think any ruling group will be oppressive and are out fighting all other factions in the henhouse. Their weapons are somewhat 'low-tech' when compared to the others, with the slowest firing rate and longest reload time (they have the only snipers that start out with slower bolt-action rifles), but they put the 'big-block-engines' in 'em and they have the highest damage out of all the factions. In their spare time (the menu, when they die, level up, etc) they like to listen to some gut-busting home-grown rock 'n' roll.
The Terran Republic is a militaristic nation that seeks to unite the warring factions through expression of arms and authoritative rule. Their weapons do slightly lower damage when compared to the other two factions, but don't worry you can still clean out a room as a TR soldier as they have the highest firing rate and largest ammo capacity, shooting longer than anyone before they have to reload. As befitting their 'glorious nation', they go all out and hire a full orchestra to play whenever you are viewing menus, taking a base, or give your life to The Republic in battle.
As of the time of this post, when you first load into the game, no matter what faction you choose, you will be a Light Assault soldier and be dropped directly into a heated battle zone. Be ready to fight (even though you don't know what you are doing yet - as with most things in life, just follow where other people are going for the moment). You'll probably die quickly (don't get too upset about it, it's part of the game and will happen a lot) and then when you do, you can choose your Class from the list and even if you want to move somewhere else. (Spawning at your main Warp Gate and using the terminal with the Globe on it to go to your faction's VR [Virtual Reality] room to practice moving and shooting, driving vehicles and flying is a good idea. Noone can even teamkill you there. If you need to find your main Warp Gate to spawn from, you can find it on the Map (default key 'M') or the large buttons on the bottom of the menu screen - you may have to first click REDEPLOY to be able to pick other spawn points)
The map of each of the three continents is huge and it can take a long time to run and sometimes even drive where you want to go. Use the DEPLOY buttons to respawn closer to the action - unless you actually want to drive around, enjoy the scenery and take screenshots, of course!
To get in and out of Vehicles and access Terminals, when you walk up to them a pop-up will remind you what key you have set to use them (Default key is 'E').
Vehicles are accessed via Terminals that have Tanks or Aircraft on the display (a picture of one, in your faction's color) and use Resources that each empire gives out periodically, more if you control more regions and less if you lose them.
To deploy a Sunderer (an Armored Personnel Carrier that can become a Mobile Spawn Point for you and your teammates), you have to certify your soldier with the ability (training/talent tree) using Certification points. Then, under the Abilities for the vehicles, go into the Sunderer and add it under Utility Equipment. After that, when you are the driver in one that you spawned, and have driven and arrived at where you want to deploy, press 'B' (by default). Now other Soldiers on your team can spawn from your Sundy and you get XP for it!
Certification Points are the 'talent points' of the game, that allow you to unlock abilities and weapons and vehicles. You earn a Cert Point every 250 Experience Points (and seem to earn them slowly offline as well, one every hour or less). You earn Experience Points by doing [what I call] 'interactive actions' within the game, such as killing an enemy, healing a teammate, fixing a tank or turret, sabotaging a generator, and so on. Sitting still in an area of battle does not get you XP, so get in there and help your team!
If you use Certification Points and purchase Suit abilities or Weapon scopes, you have to go to a Terminal and access your soldier's Loadout and click on your weapon/suit and click Change Attachments and add it to the gun/suit in there. Vehicle upgrades also have to be added to your Loadout via the menu to be warped in with your vehicle. Then, simply click Resupply and you have everything you purchased ready to go when you spawn, resupplied everytime.
The Class Abilities (Medic AOE Healing, Heavy Assault Shield, etc) default key is 'F' [I prefer mine to be 'E']. For Light Assault, you use Jump (Space Bar) and you just hold it down to use your Jetpack.
The guns have recoil/spread but you can still fire long bursts if you compensate by dragging the mouse down/etc slowly as you fire. Practice on a wall at different ranges to see your bullet spread hits and which way you will have to drag your mouse to counter that weapons' recoil. It should be noted here, that the game engine still 'inserts recoil', so even with compensating by dragging your mouse in the opposing direction of the recoil (which works in most games with guns as weapons), there will still be some recoil effect.
Friendly-Fire is ALWAYS ON, which is more realistic but may take a bit to get used to at first if you haven't been playing games where you can damage your teammates. Be careful to not run in front of people shooting out doors, down hallways, etc and be careful not to shoot your teammates, as after a couple warnings, all of your weapons will be locked down for a while and you will be unable to shoot anything at all. If you are a pedestrian, keep wary of tanks and vehicles to not get your teammates penalized by accident (and also avoid having to respawn again from being run over).
You do not have to fight in the thick of combat on the front lines all the time. Bases and Outposts that are in nearby regions can be sabotaged - generators and shields can be shut down, terminals can be hacked (by Infiltrators) to spawn vehicles for your faction instead of the enemy, all of which will make the base easier to take when your allies arrive - and of course, defenses against all of these things are needed behind the front lines of combat. If you want some breathing room for a minute after taking a base, hang back and play defense, repairing and getting ready for when the other guys respawn/regroup and come up to try take the base back.
There are tons of things you can do to help out your faction in the large scope of this game. Change it up whenever you feel like it.
I saw some of these questions being asked a lot in-game and wanted to throw out some tips as well, to help anyone who didn't know these yet, especially first-timers. Have Fun!
By the way, the game seems to have a lot of aliasing (in my opinion), even at 1080p or higher resolutions. If you want to enable AA, you can do so by forcing it in your videocard's Control Panel.
FXAA (NVIDIA) and MLAA (Morphological, AMD/ATi) are both versions of post-processing that should work and be visible in the game. Note that these may not be able to be captured in screenshots and game recordings (Fraps, Bandicam, Dxtory, Playclaw, etc) although they will be visible while playing the game.
Another way to enable some Anti-Aliasing, is to open the UserOptions.ini file in the Planetside 2 directory (which by default, seems to be C:\Users\Public\Sony Online Entertainment\Installed Games\PlanetSide 2 .
In the UserOptions.ini file, in the first [Display] section, there is a setting called RenderQuality. By setting this to a larger number (such as 1.200000 or 1.400000), the game renders in the background at a slightly higher resolution, then displays at whatever resolution you have set in the game. This 'downsizing' upon display is a form of SuperSampling AntiAliasing, and will help get rid of the jaggies - at a performance hit/cost. Do some tests to see if the tradeoff is worth it for your system.
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