Another Planetside fan here. One of my favorite games ever - I've played it off and on for years. The massive battles are something else.
But I doubt I'll log on again as it is too repetitive and old. I can't understand how SOE could just let this game go - If they spent some reasonable effort on continually upgrading this game, PS would absolutely rock with a completely dedicated large population of players. I know I would be there.
As it is though, PS is dying away - but at least I have the fond memories.
What a great game. I was one of the first few VS CR5's on our server. I remember Wind I think it was, was one of our main ones. The days of the 2 -3 Gal hot drops on a base, storming the door, covering each other down the hallways. So much fun. Then there was your frist CR5 OS, trying to place it perfectly for maximum kills. Or just burning an OS to take out an ANT as they were about to refill a base. I also remember sitting in a base waiting, knowing one of the other armies were coming, then just seeing a mass of vehicles and infantry coming over the hill. So many good times playing this.
Used to love this game back in 2003 but they ruined it with many things like removing the glow from the vanu force blade and the core combat expansion and then BFR's and "the bending" which was a total cheesy stupid idea. By that time everyone quit and the big battles just don't exist like they used to anymore so no point playing with sooo few people. They needed to change the bases so they looked different instead of fighting over the same old same old boring generic layout.
they did a "SoE money grab" on this one... "the bending" destroyed what was left of this ones good game.. not great but good ^^ "Mental retardation is a term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basic motor and language skills"
planetside was and is fun but i cant play it for more than a week now i usually just look at the site to see whats enw and its usually nothing special. the game needed to have a lot more done to it to prolong its fun factor... I'm surprised it still running and people are still paying the 15$/mo bill i find that ridiculous considering the population the game has and not to mention sony has been running ads in the game forever.. imo the game should have been made free a long time ago then and only then would it have the population it did in 2003 and become fun again. But as it stands right now every other fps out there offers servers with more ppl than you will find in 90% of battles fought in planetside.
all in all the game was fun lacked a lot gets way too repetitive and is just a never ending battle that you can't win not worth your 15$ spend it elsewhere imo. BTW i am cr 5 br 25 Emerald incase some people reading this disagree and think im some random noob talking crap about PS.
LOL L2's new advertisement is wonderful..... Take a step back in time and relive the original Lineage II experience as it was in the beginning. Create a classic hero from the original 5 races and 31 class options and jump into the nostalgic hardcore level grind where the rewards can outweigh the risks. It's your chance to experience the game the way it was when "hardcore" meant something!
... then when you get inside the base you will be fighting these same "vets", who think hiding behind a wall in third person view, being able to see you perfectly when you can't see them is "skillful". And of course these vets who strafe while tapping the crouch button to induce warping and exploit the Client side hit detection and will call that part of thier skill as well. oh and don't complain about any of these things because you will just be told you're a moron and need to "lern2play" or of course the usual "go back to playing RPGs". And with the populations the way they are now, you would get better fights in any free FPS (CoD4, TF2). As a former beta tester and LONG time player I wouldn't suggest planetside to my worse enemy.
As much I love Planetside. This is all mostly true. In fact, the one thing I would take out of the game if I were given the choice is that 3rd person view nonsense while on foot. I know a few years ago there was a long discussion on their forums with a dev explaining why it should be kept in. I never agreed with it. It's nothing more than giving a "defending" player an overwhelmingly unfair advantage by being able to look around a corner, see you before you see him, and jump out at the last second taking you completely by surprise.
The other things that people have said about the low populations are all true as well. You will get one nice fight thoughout all zones (possibly), maybe 2 if you are really, really lucky during peak hours, but it's just a dim shadow of its former glory. It's a shame considering all the fun I used to have with this game, and just can't anymore because there are simply no good fights going on due to lack of players.
I never liked the bending either. I think the zones should have been kept as "continents". When they became "planets" I was never able to follow the map properly. Warpgates just got all screwed up with the randomness of where they were linked to. Then Oshur (I think) broke up and became "battle islands", nothing was right.
I can't say many negative things about BFRs. I was one of the very few who actually liked them, though I absolutely hated the caves and cave battles you had to go through to get them. Towards the end of my time playing, even if you wanted to cert a BFR, it was extremely difficult because you needed to fight in the caves in order to cert a BFR, but there was never anyone there to fight. Core Combat is arguably the WORST expansion to ever come out for an MMO.
CR obital strikes I reckon they should have removed because now everyone has them and it's just spam all the time and really ruins battles + they have nothing to do with commanding.
I agree with this too. Since everyone seems to have them now, all you see are orbital strikes during good fights. It is most definitely no longer a nice tactical tool to sway the tide of a stalled battle. When just a small handful of people had them, they could break a nice stalemate. Now, to me, it seems like they break up a nice conventional battle that you may have going. OSes coming down so frequently just seem to disrupt the flow of a really fun fight on both sides.
CR obital strikes I reckon they should have removed because now everyone has them and it's just spam all the time and really ruins battles + they have nothing to do with commanding.
I agree with this too. Since everyone seems to have them now, all you see are orbital strikes during good fights. It is most definitely no longer a nice tactical tool to sway the tide of a stalled battle. When just a small handful of people had them, they could break a nice stalemate. Now, to me, it seems like they break up a nice conventional battle that you may have going. OSes coming down so frequently just seem to disrupt the flow of a really fun fight on both sides.
You have to be CR5 to order OS, so not EVERYBODY has them!
My only problem about PS is the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG wait for bases to hack! Nothing like being so bored that you start TKing just to liven things up. My Outfit Leader liked to OS all the camped people outside a base we were hacking when the action was slow! Then all the ADV MEDs would run around and revive them all.
Good Times!
Bartoni's Law definition: As an Internet discussion grows volatile, the probability of a comparison involving Donald Trump approaches 1.
does anyone else besides me think that mmorpg.com is being paid by companies to write articles about their game? i mean, who would dig up such an old thing like planetside... Also, all the time I see the same articles about the same stupid games over and over again, like lord of the rings online, warhammer, eve online, and conan. no coverage on aion at all even though it will be one of the biggest mmorpgs later this year. I am betting that mmorpg.com is getting paid by game companies to hype up new games (and dying old games) by putting more focus on them using front page articles.
Most memorable games: AoC(Tryanny PvP), RIFT, GW, GW2, Ragnarok Online, Aion, FFXI, FFXIV, Secret World, League of Legends (Silver II rank)
... then when you get inside the base you will be fighting these same "vets", who think hiding behind a wall in third person view, being able to see you perfectly when you can't see them is "skillful". And of course these vets who strafe while tapping the crouch button to induce warping and exploit the Client side hit detection and will call that part of thier skill as well. oh and don't complain about any of these things because you will just be told you're a moron and need to "lern2play" or of course the usual "go back to playing RPGs". And with the populations the way they are now, you would get better fights in any free FPS (CoD4, TF2). As a former beta tester and LONG time player I wouldn't suggest planetside to my worse enemy.
As much I love Planetside. This is all mostly true. In fact, the one thing I would take out of the game if I were given the choice is that 3rd person view nonsense while on foot. I know a few years ago there was a long discussion on their forums with a dev explaining why it should be kept in. I never agreed with it. It's nothing more than giving a "defending" player an overwhelmingly unfair advantage by being able to look around a corner, see you before you see him, and jump out at the last second taking you completely by surprise.
The other things that people have said about the low populations are all true as well. You will get one nice fight thoughout all zones (possibly), maybe 2 if you are really, really lucky during peak hours, but it's just a dim shadow of its former glory. It's a shame considering all the fun I used to have with this game, and just can't anymore because there are simply no good fights going on due to lack of players.
I never liked the bending either. I think the zones should have been kept as "continents". When they became "planets" I was never able to follow the map properly. Warpgates just got all screwed up with the randomness of where they were linked to. Then Oshur (I think) broke up and became "battle islands", nothing was right.
I can't say many negative things about BFRs. I was one of the very few who actually liked them, though I absolutely hated the caves and cave battles you had to go through to get them. Towards the end of my time playing, even if you wanted to cert a BFR, it was extremely difficult because you needed to fight in the caves in order to cert a BFR, but there was never anyone there to fight. Core Combat is arguably the WORST expansion to ever come out for an MMO.
bfr totaly ruined the game, ruiner the grunt experiance that was somewhat balanced even against vehicule before they introduced bfr's...
Planetside was great right before the release of BFR's they ruined the game, the minor content patches have been good since them but all the major ones have kinda blown. especialy BFRs and blackops. SUPER SOLDIERS IN A FPS, IDIOTS oh yes and the introduction of the Chinese. iv played for 4 years now, i still enjoy the game, howver i cant bring myself to play for days onend like i used to, with diminishing pops, bad fights its hard to stay online for more than an hour at a time.
What I hate about BFRs now is that it's impossible for a new player to get one. You can't get enough cave fights to do it because the few players who are online these days never fight in the caves!
- Phos
AAH! A troll fire! Quick, pour some Kool-Aid on it!!!
The game is pretty close to dead.... (wish it wasnt but it had a good run)
I loved planetside, sure there was alot of stuff I didn't like , but NO game is perfect. I would probably play again if it was f2p via ads or something, but thats not likely.
So now I look for other mmofps like huxley, agency, or all points bulletin (maybe even planetside 2 eventually)
I've played Planetside since one of the first stable builds. I still am playing it. I still enjoy it.
The population is quite a bit less than it used to be, but everyone who pretends the game is a ghost town is lying outright - You should never have a hard time finding a fight, especially using the Instant Action (typing /ia into chat will do this) feature.
The game has relatively new and quite active developers, while they are inexperienced with the engine and it's capabilities, they are doing far better than most of the replacements that have worked on the game since the original team was pulled to SOE's other projects. They have implemented what the previous teams were too lazy to finish, they have created new content, and are dedicated to continuing the growth and expansion of the game with new game types and introducing new vehicles and certifications. They have fixed bugs that have existed for over 4 years.
Many people have a lot of negative things to say about this game, but take it from the subscribers who are still enjoying it - give it a try if you havent, there's trial keys to be had. Give it a try if you quit a number of years ago, you may enjoy yourself again.
I LOVED planetside. It was one of the best game. Even Core Combat didn't hurt it. I'm sorry BFR's are when the game went down hill. I don't care what other people who still play say. Use to a group of 2 snipers could actively harass a base. Not if there is a BFR don't even bother trying. There will NEVER be the 200vs 200 vs 200 fights over a bridge as long as BFR's still remain. Hell if they did a non BFR server I'd come back in a heart beat.
"Oh they are easy to take out"
I don't care how YOU people find it easy. You have an ANTI - BFR set up don't you. They nerfed Vanu's Max suits, Made tanks pointless with BFR's and broke the main point of how the game should run. How it was meant to be ran.
I'll try it again. But it'll just be more of the same crap I left.
Nothing like Alpha, beta, open beta, or the first 6-8 months of live.
Speaking of snipers and BFRs, two snipers can quickly cripple a BFR and destroy all it's ammunition, as well as disable all it's systems, slow it down, blind it, and damage it's weapons into uselessness.
As the reviewer said, the game has complexities so deep they can never all be taken into consideration by a single player. I'm sure the devs themselves are constantly forgetting functions and features - for example: the Lashers had their lash range set to activate after 5 feet of flight to avoid friendly fire that was continually occurring. Friendly fire was eventually entirely removed from the lash effect of Lashers, but the lash range was never put back to activation on exiting the barrel, leaving the Lasher in a reduced capability for close quarters combat.
For all the negative things being said, the game continues to see every facet exploited as all sorts of players and people repeatedly discover and rediscover new ways to play the game. With considerations such as damage degradation and weapon lethality in a given situation, ammunition availability, resource management, supply chains, base maintenance and upkeep, enemy influence detection range, electronic and counter-electronic warfare, and too many more things to post without creating a massive and long-winded list, there is a lot for strategists, commanders, and the regular G.I. to take in and process, allowing each player to contribute to the battle in ways that their enemies may not foresee.
A single person can change the entire flow of a battle by sneaking behind enemy lines and capturing facilities and vehicles, suddenly allowing their entire army to spawn in the center of a contested base. One well placed clip from a Beamer pistol on AP can slay a wounded MAX that has already taken 15 lives, or even in standard mode eliminate the engineer who is repairing that and several other MAX units that have created an impenetrable wall of firepower. In the big scheme of things the heroes are the little gears that make the war machine move and there are few MMOs, let alone FPS games, which rely so heavily on the individual rather than the masses.
It may not immediately be so clear to a random onlooker who is gripped by a sense of doom, but when five BattleFrame Robotics come stomping over the horizon and begin laying down a hailstorm of death on a base, the two anonymous soldiers with Anti-Vehicular weaponry who resolutely stand firm against the wall of lead, aided by brave airmen in Reavers and Mosquitos overhead, and the not-so-sane but very skilled Fury bikers who rev forward and underfoot, all have an unsaid understanding that they will send those giant stomping machines home crying to their mamas. They will do it by working in concert with no communication what-so-ever, save the screaming rockets and crackling beams of light they let loose in their own storm of death. The BFR crews will be left wishing they never marched so boldly into sight.
No one in that base will know just who all was in that concert, but they will hear the crescendo of force and the thundering explosions as limbs are shorn away from those metal giants that many needlessly fear. Five people stand against the five machines of destruction and save the lives of hundreds.
Comments
Another Planetside fan here. One of my favorite games ever - I've played it off and on for years. The massive battles are something else.
But I doubt I'll log on again as it is too repetitive and old. I can't understand how SOE could just let this game go - If they spent some reasonable effort on continually upgrading this game, PS would absolutely rock with a completely dedicated large population of players. I know I would be there.
As it is though, PS is dying away - but at least I have the fond memories.
wow this is the biggest collection of fond memories of a game i've seen in a long time.
Fans ought to document and catalog the game mechanics so they're not lost in time and submit them as a proposal for additions to other games.
What a great game. I was one of the first few VS CR5's on our server. I remember Wind I think it was, was one of our main ones. The days of the 2 -3 Gal hot drops on a base, storming the door, covering each other down the hallways. So much fun. Then there was your frist CR5 OS, trying to place it perfectly for maximum kills. Or just burning an OS to take out an ANT as they were about to refill a base. I also remember sitting in a base waiting, knowing one of the other armies were coming, then just seeing a mass of vehicles and infantry coming over the hill. So many good times playing this.
they did a "SoE money grab" on this one... "the bending" destroyed what was left of this ones good game.. not great but good ^^ "Mental retardation is a term for a pattern of persistently slow learning of basic motor and language skills"
planetside was and is fun but i cant play it for more than a week now i usually just look at the site to see whats enw and its usually nothing special. the game needed to have a lot more done to it to prolong its fun factor... I'm surprised it still running and people are still paying the 15$/mo bill i find that ridiculous considering the population the game has and not to mention sony has been running ads in the game forever.. imo the game should have been made free a long time ago then and only then would it have the population it did in 2003 and become fun again. But as it stands right now every other fps out there offers servers with more ppl than you will find in 90% of battles fought in planetside.
all in all the game was fun lacked a lot gets way too repetitive and is just a never ending battle that you can't win not worth your 15$ spend it elsewhere imo. BTW i am cr 5 br 25 Emerald incase some people reading this disagree and think im some random noob talking crap about PS.
Take a step back in time and relive the original Lineage II experience as it was in the beginning. Create a classic hero from the original 5 races and 31 class options and jump into the nostalgic hardcore level grind where the rewards can outweigh the risks. It's your chance to experience the game the way it was when "hardcore" meant something!
;lol
The other things that people have said about the low populations are all true as well. You will get one nice fight thoughout all zones (possibly), maybe 2 if you are really, really lucky during peak hours, but it's just a dim shadow of its former glory. It's a shame considering all the fun I used to have with this game, and just can't anymore because there are simply no good fights going on due to lack of players.
I never liked the bending either. I think the zones should have been kept as "continents". When they became "planets" I was never able to follow the map properly. Warpgates just got all screwed up with the randomness of where they were linked to. Then Oshur (I think) broke up and became "battle islands", nothing was right.
I can't say many negative things about BFRs. I was one of the very few who actually liked them, though I absolutely hated the caves and cave battles you had to go through to get them. Towards the end of my time playing, even if you wanted to cert a BFR, it was extremely difficult because you needed to fight in the caves in order to cert a BFR, but there was never anyone there to fight. Core Combat is arguably the WORST expansion to ever come out for an MMO.
I agree with this too. Since everyone seems to have them now, all you see are orbital strikes during good fights. It is most definitely no longer a nice tactical tool to sway the tide of a stalled battle. When just a small handful of people had them, they could break a nice stalemate. Now, to me, it seems like they break up a nice conventional battle that you may have going. OSes coming down so frequently just seem to disrupt the flow of a really fun fight on both sides.
I agree with this too. Since everyone seems to have them now, all you see are orbital strikes during good fights. It is most definitely no longer a nice tactical tool to sway the tide of a stalled battle. When just a small handful of people had them, they could break a nice stalemate. Now, to me, it seems like they break up a nice conventional battle that you may have going. OSes coming down so frequently just seem to disrupt the flow of a really fun fight on both sides.
You have to be CR5 to order OS, so not EVERYBODY has them!My only problem about PS is the LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG wait for bases to hack! Nothing like being so bored that you start TKing just to liven things up. My Outfit Leader liked to OS all the camped people outside a base we were hacking when the action was slow!
Then all the ADV MEDs would run around and revive them all.
Good Times!
Bartoni's Law definition: As an Internet discussion grows volatile, the probability of a comparison involving Donald Trump approaches 1.
does anyone else besides me think that mmorpg.com is being paid by companies to write articles about their game? i mean, who would dig up such an old thing like planetside... Also, all the time I see the same articles about the same stupid games over and over again, like lord of the rings online, warhammer, eve online, and conan. no coverage on aion at all even though it will be one of the biggest mmorpgs later this year. I am betting that mmorpg.com is getting paid by game companies to hype up new games (and dying old games) by putting more focus on them using front page articles.
Most memorable games: AoC(Tryanny PvP), RIFT, GW, GW2, Ragnarok Online, Aion, FFXI, FFXIV, Secret World, League of Legends (Silver II rank)
The other things that people have said about the low populations are all true as well. You will get one nice fight thoughout all zones (possibly), maybe 2 if you are really, really lucky during peak hours, but it's just a dim shadow of its former glory. It's a shame considering all the fun I used to have with this game, and just can't anymore because there are simply no good fights going on due to lack of players.
I never liked the bending either. I think the zones should have been kept as "continents". When they became "planets" I was never able to follow the map properly. Warpgates just got all screwed up with the randomness of where they were linked to. Then Oshur (I think) broke up and became "battle islands", nothing was right.
I can't say many negative things about BFRs. I was one of the very few who actually liked them, though I absolutely hated the caves and cave battles you had to go through to get them. Towards the end of my time playing, even if you wanted to cert a BFR, it was extremely difficult because you needed to fight in the caves in order to cert a BFR, but there was never anyone there to fight. Core Combat is arguably the WORST expansion to ever come out for an MMO.
bfr totaly ruined the game, ruiner the grunt experiance that was somewhat balanced even against vehicule before they introduced bfr's...Planetside was great right before the release of BFR's they ruined the game, the minor content patches have been good since them but all the major ones have kinda blown. especialy BFRs and blackops. SUPER SOLDIERS IN A FPS, IDIOTS oh yes and the introduction of the Chinese. iv played for 4 years now, i still enjoy the game, howver i cant bring myself to play for days onend like i used to, with diminishing pops, bad fights its hard to stay online for more than an hour at a time.
SKYeXile
TRF - GM - GW2, PS2, WAR, AION, Rift, WoW, WOT....etc...
Future Crew - High Council. Planetside 1 & 2.
What I hate about BFRs now is that it's impossible for a new player to get one. You can't get enough cave fights to do it because the few players who are online these days never fight in the caves!
- Phos
OKay i played PS the day it came out, and have some good chars still... is it worth coming back too? is the pop. really that low now?
Why the hell is he reviewing planetside? lol
The game is pretty close to dead.... (wish it wasnt but it had a good run)
I loved planetside, sure there was alot of stuff I didn't like , but NO game is perfect. I would probably play again if it was f2p via ads or something, but thats not likely.
So now I look for other mmofps like huxley, agency, or all points bulletin (maybe even planetside 2 eventually)
Own, Mine, Defend, Attack, 24/7
I don't understand why everyone complains about BFRs, they are the easiest vehicles to take down. I usually find them to be a joke.
Eh...
Fun times...
Pulling forces off of one planet by taking a sqaud of 5 to another and holding it until more people show up...
The random suicide runs with sundys through bases just blasting randomly...
Holding a tower with one other person and killing a BFR that goes by with a sniper.. (that one was amusing).
Been a while though..
I only play when they give the month free every year to old players. I forget when that is though.....i'll have to look.
I still have my Alpha development logs.
I've played Planetside since one of the first stable builds. I still am playing it. I still enjoy it.
The population is quite a bit less than it used to be, but everyone who pretends the game is a ghost town is lying outright - You should never have a hard time finding a fight, especially using the Instant Action (typing /ia into chat will do this) feature.
The game has relatively new and quite active developers, while they are inexperienced with the engine and it's capabilities, they are doing far better than most of the replacements that have worked on the game since the original team was pulled to SOE's other projects. They have implemented what the previous teams were too lazy to finish, they have created new content, and are dedicated to continuing the growth and expansion of the game with new game types and introducing new vehicles and certifications. They have fixed bugs that have existed for over 4 years.
Many people have a lot of negative things to say about this game, but take it from the subscribers who are still enjoying it - give it a try if you havent, there's trial keys to be had. Give it a try if you quit a number of years ago, you may enjoy yourself again.
I LOVED planetside. It was one of the best game. Even Core Combat didn't hurt it. I'm sorry BFR's are when the game went down hill. I don't care what other people who still play say. Use to a group of 2 snipers could actively harass a base. Not if there is a BFR don't even bother trying. There will NEVER be the 200vs 200 vs 200 fights over a bridge as long as BFR's still remain. Hell if they did a non BFR server I'd come back in a heart beat.
"Oh they are easy to take out"
I don't care how YOU people find it easy. You have an ANTI - BFR set up don't you. They nerfed Vanu's Max suits, Made tanks pointless with BFR's and broke the main point of how the game should run. How it was meant to be ran.
I'll try it again. But it'll just be more of the same crap I left.
Nothing like Alpha, beta, open beta, or the first 6-8 months of live.
Speaking of snipers and BFRs, two snipers can quickly cripple a BFR and destroy all it's ammunition, as well as disable all it's systems, slow it down, blind it, and damage it's weapons into uselessness.
As the reviewer said, the game has complexities so deep they can never all be taken into consideration by a single player. I'm sure the devs themselves are constantly forgetting functions and features - for example: the Lashers had their lash range set to activate after 5 feet of flight to avoid friendly fire that was continually occurring. Friendly fire was eventually entirely removed from the lash effect of Lashers, but the lash range was never put back to activation on exiting the barrel, leaving the Lasher in a reduced capability for close quarters combat.
For all the negative things being said, the game continues to see every facet exploited as all sorts of players and people repeatedly discover and rediscover new ways to play the game. With considerations such as damage degradation and weapon lethality in a given situation, ammunition availability, resource management, supply chains, base maintenance and upkeep, enemy influence detection range, electronic and counter-electronic warfare, and too many more things to post without creating a massive and long-winded list, there is a lot for strategists, commanders, and the regular G.I. to take in and process, allowing each player to contribute to the battle in ways that their enemies may not foresee.
A single person can change the entire flow of a battle by sneaking behind enemy lines and capturing facilities and vehicles, suddenly allowing their entire army to spawn in the center of a contested base. One well placed clip from a Beamer pistol on AP can slay a wounded MAX that has already taken 15 lives, or even in standard mode eliminate the engineer who is repairing that and several other MAX units that have created an impenetrable wall of firepower. In the big scheme of things the heroes are the little gears that make the war machine move and there are few MMOs, let alone FPS games, which rely so heavily on the individual rather than the masses.
It may not immediately be so clear to a random onlooker who is gripped by a sense of doom, but when five BattleFrame Robotics come stomping over the horizon and begin laying down a hailstorm of death on a base, the two anonymous soldiers with Anti-Vehicular weaponry who resolutely stand firm against the wall of lead, aided by brave airmen in Reavers and Mosquitos overhead, and the not-so-sane but very skilled Fury bikers who rev forward and underfoot, all have an unsaid understanding that they will send those giant stomping machines home crying to their mamas. They will do it by working in concert with no communication what-so-ever, save the screaming rockets and crackling beams of light they let loose in their own storm of death. The BFR crews will be left wishing they never marched so boldly into sight.
No one in that base will know just who all was in that concert, but they will hear the crescendo of force and the thundering explosions as limbs are shorn away from those metal giants that many needlessly fear. Five people stand against the five machines of destruction and save the lives of hundreds.
That's quality game play.
(Edit: Reduced font size.)