Gameplay

Gameplay Details

We can infer a little about how PlanetSide 2 will play from the details we have been given so far. Clearly this is all speculation at this stage, but we can at least do some extrapolation.

Ground Combat

Although no details of weapons and infantry classes have been given, analysis of the gameplay trailer can give us some clues as to how ground combat will pan out.

We can see an emphasis on bullet weapons, notably some assault rifles, a pistol of some kind and a sniper rifle[2]. There will also be iron-sight aiming, which will have an impact on the feel of the minute-to-minute gunplay.

It has also been confirmed that the game will feature locational hit boxes - namely headshots. This will have a subtle but critical effect on infantry combat, particularly with regards to sniping. There will be different headshot damage bonuses for different weapons - for example, a sniper rifle may have a 200% damage bonus to headshots, but a chaingun may get nothing.[3]

Given the emphasis on the extensive skill tree, this could indicate that a highly skilled, specialised sniper will be a deadly foe.

There will be no random element to damage dealt by weapons.

Vehicle Combat

Very little has been revealed about the vehicles and vehicle combat. We do know that physics are handled with PhysX, a third-party physics middleware by Nvidia. This should make vehicle handling a lot more realistic.

In the video we can see projectiles arcing. This suggests that a more realistic ballistics system will be in place.

Environments

SOE Creative Director Matt Higby has suggested that there will be a split of 50:50 or maybe 60:40 between indoors and outdoor combat. He has also talked about extensive urban environments mixing up the gameplay:[1]

"…you can have the main roads that all the vehicles are playing on and then you have all the side alleys and sort of little cutaways where you go around a corner and suddenly you’re face to face with another player and its kill or be killed. Its quick little moments that happen. Maybe you go around the corner and you’re staring down the barrel of a tank. That’s really cool."

Missions

Missions will add a significant new gameplay element. Instead of continuous facility sieges, there will now be more ways to influence the war. We don't know exactly what the missions will be, but we can guess that they will involve taking out strategic targets, gathering Nanite or similar resources, or defending chokepoints.

Territory and the Metagame

As detailed on the main territory page, the battle for territorial control is going to play a huge part in the overall metagame. With some regions holding vital resources, tactically job terrain and potentially important buildings, the battlefronts in PlanetSide 2 are going to be ever-changing and varied. This will create a much more involved and important metagame.
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With the leadership structure feeding into this as well, we can expect a much more coherent and focused gameplay experience.

References
2. 2coolforyou (PSU Forum) - Analysis of PS 2 Teaser Trailer
3. Planetside Universe - Clarification on Headshots