Subscription-free Planetside Access

Sony Online's Planetside is a big first-person shooter MMOG (or, "MMOFPS" as they like to call it.)  If you're into FPS games and you'd like to play in an MMO setting... this is a great intro to the concept for ya!  I haven't played in a long while, but it is a very fun game.  They're preparing a "Subscription Free" program that's summarized in this clip from an official Planetside forums post.

Subscription Free - "Fodder Program"
New Players will be able to create a new account and and play for free for a period of 12 months. The new account will have limitations on the BattleRank (+ or - BR8) and the CommandRank (+ or - CR2). Essentially, new players will be able to have access to any part of the game but they will be limited on the diversity of their arsenal. Time Frame – We are shooting for February 14th for Launch.

New Player Training
Simultaneously to be launched with the Subscription Free service, we will be changing the UI for all new characters. One of the complaints that we receive frequently is that when you enter the game, there isn’t an easy learning curve and transition into battle. We’re going to change that in hopes of getting new players/characters into battle within a couple minutes of entering the game at the same time teaching them how to play. You may or may have not noticed that we have implemented 2 new saved favorites just recently to equip new players with a load-out much quicker.

Blast into PlanetSide Promotion
I’m sure you have all noticed the increase of population the past week. The main reason is that we opened over 300,000 closed accounts and granted 30 days of free play if they log into the account before February 28, 2006. So contact your old squad members and find out what is holding them up if they’re dragging their feet.