Noob questions. I see a free to play planetside 2 on Steam that will be available 20 Nov. I've played other free to play games (LoTRO, for one), and they are ok to start with, but are seriously gimped for the long run. Even so, free is hard to beat if you just want to try the game out.
So, is there a benefit, starting out, to buying the game, or is the free to play viable, with the expectation of upgrading down the road?
Not having played Planetside 1, or in the Planetside 2 Beta, this might be an option to learn how to play the game at no cost, and gives the fence sitters something to play with while they decide which side of the fence the want to jump.
You will be viable as F2P but it will require more time invested, a premium will more then likely have a higher exp or cert gain, and possibly access to premium gear.