HiRez just posted a list of upcoming additions/changes to the game for this month on beyond.
MARCHING FORWARD
We view the release of Global Agenda as the start of the journey and we are already working hard to continue delivering improvements, new features, and new content based on your feedback.
To prove it to you, we are going to extend the free-play period for Global Agenda Conquest while continuing to deliver features and content enhancements.
We feel this is the best way to prove to you the value of a Global Agenda Conquest subscription, while also ensuring that as many people as possible are exposed to our unique and innovative Conquest gameplay.
All players will continue to be able to play the Conquest features for the rest of February and March without a monthly subscription fee.
BY THE END OF FEBRUARY -
We will deliver a set of enhancements ASAP based on fairly unanimous community input. We currently plan to have the following items in production by the end of February:
* Friend List/Ignore List - Steam has a Friends List, and we offer Agency Management as an alternate way to find your friends, but an in-game Friends List (and Ignore List) was a high requested feature that is being added.
* Player Choice on PvP Queues - For initial release we consolidated gametypes within a single PvP queue. With no guarantee around number of players we would have, our top priority was to ensure the players got into matches quickly and to make sure our matchmaking system had a sufficiently large population to balance out sides. That said, we've heard how much players want to specify, or eliminate, certain match types. And we do have the population to support this request. So, we will be implementing player selections per PvP gametype so you can exclude or include each type as you wish.
* Repair Kits - Non-visual Upgrades (of the Armor or Weapon variety) do increase stats for your character. And by the time you collect 16 of them they make a big difference. They also take time to craft and/or buy and, after all that time invested, having them wear away without any recourse was frustrating. Repair Kits are a new item type that will be available in-game and restore your Upgrades to full durability.
* Additional AvA zones and AvA Reporting - We are introducing new AvA zones to support play during hours more convenient for those in other locales. We are adding:
*o Zone 6 - Oceania/Australia - 19:00 to 21:30 in Sydney, 16:00 to 18:30p in Singapore (3a to 5:30a US Eastern, Midnight to 2:30 US Pacific) [NOTE: Initially, will run on servers hosted in the US but be geared toward an Oceanic audience, or for night owls on the US West Coast].
o Zone 8 - Europe - 14:00 to 16:30 GMT (9a to 11:30a Eastern)
BEYOND FEBRUARY -
Generally speaking, we intend to earn your subscription. Our entire Studio is focused on continued feature and content development for Conquest gameplay, including:
* More PvP Content - New maps around a 4v4 arena gamestyle as well as a 10v10 pre-made queue.
* More PvE Content - We've been pleased by the positive reception to our 'dungeon-crawl' style Infiltration PvE missions. That said, we want to offer additional variety both in setting and mission type. Imagine being able to step outside of the doors of Dome City and assist Bancroft by doing missions within a large open area, with additional loot available in that location. We are working toward delivering this content.
* More AvA Content - New facility types and new game-styles for Conquest. Specifically we are developing a new 'No Facility' map based on Control style, a new Defensive Facility that grants protection to adjacent territories, and Resource Raid Missions based on Payload style. We also recognize that some of the game-board rules need to be looked at; we will continue to monitor those to ensure that AvA maintains the right balance between accessibility and significance.
HiRez just posted a list of upcoming additions/changes to the game for this month on beyond.
MARCHING FORWARD We view the release of Global Agenda as the start of the journey and we are already working hard to continue delivering improvements, new features, and new content based on your feedback. To prove it to you, we are going to extend the free-play period for Global Agenda Conquest while continuing to deliver features and content enhancements. We feel this is the best way to prove to you the value of a Global Agenda Conquest subscription, while also ensuring that as many people as possible are exposed to our unique and innovative Conquest gameplay. All players will continue to be able to play the Conquest features for the rest of February and March without a monthly subscription fee. BY THE END OF FEBRUARY - We will deliver a set of enhancements ASAP based on fairly unanimous community input. We currently plan to have the following items in production by the end of February: * Friend List/Ignore List - Steam has a Friends List, and we offer Agency Management as an alternate way to find your friends, but an in-game Friends List (and Ignore List) was a high requested feature that is being added.
* Player Choice on PvP Queues - For initial release we consolidated gametypes within a single PvP queue. With no guarantee around number of players we would have, our top priority was to ensure the players got into matches quickly and to make sure our matchmaking system had a sufficiently large population to balance out sides. That said, we've heard how much players want to specify, or eliminate, certain match types. And we do have the population to support this request. So, we will be implementing player selections per PvP gametype so you can exclude or include each type as you wish.
* Repair Kits - Non-visual Upgrades (of the Armor or Weapon variety) do increase stats for your character. And by the time you collect 16 of them they make a big difference. They also take time to craft and/or buy and, after all that time invested, having them wear away without any recourse was frustrating. Repair Kits are a new item type that will be available in-game and restore your Upgrades to full durability.
* Additional AvA zones and AvA Reporting - We are introducing new AvA zones to support play during hours more convenient for those in other locales. We are adding:
*o Zone 6 - Oceania/Australia - 19:00 to 21:30 in Sydney, 16:00 to 18:30p in Singapore (3a to 5:30a US Eastern, Midnight to 2:30 US Pacific) [NOTE: Initially, will run on servers hosted in the US but be geared toward an Oceanic audience, or for night owls on the US West Coast]. o Zone 8 - Europe - 14:00 to 16:30 GMT (9a to 11:30a Eastern)
BEYOND FEBRUARY - Generally speaking, we intend to earn your subscription. Our entire Studio is focused on continued feature and content development for Conquest gameplay, including: * More PvP Content - New maps around a 4v4 arena gamestyle as well as a 10v10 pre-made queue.
* More PvE Content - We've been pleased by the positive reception to our 'dungeon-crawl' style Infiltration PvE missions. That said, we want to offer additional variety both in setting and mission type. Imagine being able to step outside of the doors of Dome City and assist Bancroft by doing missions within a large open area, with additional loot available in that location. We are working toward delivering this content.
* More AvA Content - New facility types and new game-styles for Conquest. Specifically we are developing a new 'No Facility' map based on Control style, a new Defensive Facility that grants protection to adjacent territories, and Resource Raid Missions based on Payload style. We also recognize that some of the game-board rules need to be looked at; we will continue to monitor those to ensure that AvA maintains the right balance between accessibility and significance.
* Improved Crafting, Loot and Prestige Items
This is the most important for me ""Improved Crafting, Loot and Prestige Items" Right now its a really hard grind in pve to get resources when doing pve on medium for some reason,maybe is better when getting in higher level. But if you got crafting it should be fun to use in all levels not only top levels. Except for that i think the game is fun not sure if i wanna pay a sub for it though, the content is not enough to be worth it imo.
This game does not belong on MMORPG.com. That be like a development studio creating an FPS game and saying
"Our game does not have any of the following: Guns, a first person view, the ability to control a single person and pit yourself against other players, and the ability to host your own servers. If you consider any of these items to be must-haves within your FPS, we may not be the game for you."
Why should this game be considered an MMO if it does not even have a persistent world and I can play with MORE people in any regular FPS and have the same weapons and class depth as a typical battlefield game.
Why should I spend 15$ a month on this game when it offers nothing more than a typical battlefield game.
None of the actions I do on map 578436 will effect the players on map 35728 because there is no persistent world.
If this game is on MMORPG than I demand that counterstrike get added as well as the battles are bigger and its pretty much the same thing as global agenda with different guns.
I hope this isnt a continuing trend among developers. If the only thing massive about your game is the global chat room, its not an MMORPG.
This game does not belong on MMORPG.com. That be like a development studio creating an FPS game and saying "Our game does not have any of the following: Guns, a first person view, the ability to control a single person and pit yourself against other players, and the ability to host your own servers. If you consider any of these items to be must-haves within your FPS, we may not be the game for you." Why should this game be considered an MMO if it does not even have a persistent world and I can play with MORE people in any regular FPS and have the same weapons and class depth as a typical battlefield game. Why should I spend 15$ a month on this game when it offers nothing more than a typical battlefield game. None of the actions I do on map 578436 will effect the players on map 35728 because there is no persistent world. If this game is on MMORPG than I demand that counterstrike get added as well as the battles are bigger and its pretty much the same thing as global agenda with different guns. I hope this isnt a continuing trend among developers. If the only thing massive about your game is the global chat room, its not an MMORPG.
I guess you missed the whole conquest part of the game. What you do here does have an effect on what others are doing. If you are a small agency, as long as you are part of an alliance, you can seriously impact the hex map by taking key areas that are vulnerable. Arguments like yours will never be won because too many people differ on what they feel MMO means. You also seem to fail at convincing me that your definition of RPG must be to have a silent FANTASY at the beginning of the word. You say that everyone that plays the game should be able to fight in the same area, (which by the way means WOW is not an MMO as a few dozen people are the most you can have on a raid unless you are somehow seriously going to say you run through Thousand Needles with 100's of other players at a time). Everything anyone does, (who isn't a lonely noob), is instanced and completely devoid of not only other players but any impact what so ever on the rest of the world. How many times has Onyxia been killed? Every bg in WOW is capped and in GA there are around 244 hexes with upwards of 4000 fighting for control of the territory at once. I played BF2 and know what it doesn't have? in depth skill trees you unlock with levels. A persistant world map that changes based on what people win/lose. Any sort of cohesive large scale plans. OOO I just helped take Wake Island for the 15th time today. Wonder how that effects the morale of the other players on different maps? It doesn't. If, however you take a hex in GA anyone else planning on taking certain resource points now has a different fight on their hands to face.
"I hope this isnt a continuing trend among developers. If the only thing massive about your game is the global chat room, its not an MMORPG."
It has elements of an RPG and honestly, if I have to give up the wonderous glory that is Barrens chat in that all my time spent in game is instanced, hell yea I'll take it. I was on the fence on this one until I read that they are fixing the two main problems I have with the game. Not yet on the subscriber wagon but I'm definitely having fun with this one to the point that I canceled my wow account as I didn't see myself playing it for the next few months.
I don't know how many shooters you MMO people have played but GA plays like a substandard dated shooter. Nothing special about it and there is nothing massive about it.
Why am I not surprised people came in here saying this isn't a MMO, blah blah blah. Hush alright!? It's on the website, so get over it.
Anyways, back on topic. Great review and I agree with it wholeheartedly. Only problem I have with the game is the conquest part. It does seem to push the casual players and the smaller agency's aside, but what game doesn't?
I have to admit I am disappointed with GA. I'm not gonna say it's a terrible game, cuz it's not. It just doesn't take any genre or gameplay to the levels I have experienced in other, better games.
The gameplay feels crude in a way. Everything is painted with a broad brush.
The arena style play of GA is a matter of taste (or age) I suppose. But for me, the lack of options and strategy or any sense of longevity in any of the ongoing dynamics, diminshes the experience considerably. One could argue that this is also the case in a game like Team Fortress 2 I suppose, but TF2 has something GA doesn't, and that is superb humour and design and unique character roles. There's alot of things in GA that strikes you as something the developer didn't put too much thought into and maybe should have, whereas there is (or was) none of that in TF2.
The way the characters play also feels kinda clunky or simplistic. Some things works all too well, while other things doesn't seem to work at all. The lack of correspondence between what you expect to happen, and what in fact does happen, is quite frustrating. GA doesn't come anywhere near the superb play elegance of a game like Tribes2 in this regard. T2 had everything GA has and much more and provided you with a sense of finesse that GA doesn't come close to. The jetpack is there, but you don't fight with it and that alone removes an entire dimension from the game. To me, this seems like a step back and T2 is really old by now while GA is brand new. I had expected them to try and at least attain old glory in new wrapping and maybe even push the envelope a little. They really don't. GA's got more buttons to push, but it adds nothing to the gameplay. I'd rather say it subtracts from it.
The group dynamics and the AvA part has also been done alot more exciting in other games. I'm thinking specifically of Planetside. My memory fades, but I seem to remember the Planetside campaigns simply as more eventful, more varied and more fun. There is something about GA that kinda feels like it's not quite allowing the gameplay to breathe freely. The PvE is just a big yawn and the super simplistic PvE/crafting/trade deal, borders on feeling totally pointless. I have no idea why they even crammed PvE into this game in the first place. They would probably have made a much better game if they didn't try and bite off everything at once, but rather focused on say team based PvP alone. Maybe the game would have played better then.
I'm not gonna get into a discussion over a definition of MMORPG. Suffice to say that while the game may be able to defend half of the abbrevation on a purely technical level, the GA world has very little to do with MMORPGS. If you're a strict fan of that genre, GA is gonna feel like a slap in the face. I'm allready a team based FPS fan, so I'm ok with it. But a MMORPG it certainly is not, not by a long shot. The emperor really IS naked, in case you should have any doubts.
To sum up. If you buy this game and expect a decent FPS, you're probably not gonna be disgusted or anything. However, if you're looking for a game that refines the better games in this genre of past, you're most likely going to be dissapointed. Oh and PS: It's got nothing to do with MMORPG's. ;-)
Lol, nice to see the auction house in the bad points, its absolutely terrible. One good move they have made is that implants are no longer buyable from NPCs, so that aspect of the game is fully player crafted and controlled though this exposes how horrible the AH is at present. I do fear, however, that the subs wont be too high meaning crafters are sparse, driving up prices to even more ridiculous levels. They need to put in other craftable items outside of implants too.
Another ridiculous decision was that only subs can send mail - non subs can only recieve it. It makes trading impossible outside of a lot of messing around considering the game doesnt even have player to player trades in the first place...very silly decision, Hirez.
The UI is fairly ugly (improvements coming apparently) but the chat box is very good, its clear and easy to use and people actually use it, unlike the mess that was in HGL. You cant change font colour right now, so I hope thats something coming in the future.
Good points are that the gameplay is solid and addictive (though the basic rifles are horrible), the melee system and manual blocking is responsive, though the blocking damage could be reduced a little. Definately needs more maps in the rotation for pvp. The pve is good although repetitive and theres zero storyline inside the game itself, which is pretty odd. With some big raids the pve could be great fun.
Id give it a 7/8 out of 10 simply because its an enjoyable persistant mmotps thats not another solofest kill 10 rats type of MMO. I hope the game gets a chance to fully evolve.
. I can't fault a game for not having something it was never intended to have and instead I've got to base this review on what Hi-Rez Studios claims their game to be: an action-based shooter MMO.
Sure fire way to get a 10 from this reviewer is to say that your MMO isn't supposed to be good on the website. Didn't read the rest of the article, you lost me at Hello, you lost me at Hello.
Dear Editor, your job should consist of more than using spell check.
Why am I not surprised people came in here saying this isn't a MMO, blah blah blah. Hush alright!? It's on the website, so get over it.
Anyways, back on topic. Great review and I agree with it wholeheartedly. Only problem I have with the game is the conquest part. It does seem to push the casual players and the smaller agency's aside, but what game doesn't?
Probably because people come here to play a" genre of computer role-playing games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world."
Global agenda has neither large numbers of players interacting (barely larger than WoW arena matches), nor a virtual game world, just separate servers.
Its a shame too because shooter MMO's are very rare and fun to play. I was excited when I first heard about global agenda hoping for a spin off of planetside, it turns out all it is; is counterstrike with a warcraft 3 mod.
Love the game but to me its just another shooter hence the reason I am not going to pay monthly for it. I'm not big into the AvA matches as there are insanely huge alliance that just take over and have so many people to attack and defend at the same time. But worth the $50 stand alone? Hell yes, it is a very solid shooter and very well developed. Hopefully Hi-Rez does a little more then just AvA in the future maybe we could get some free roaming landscapes in instance form.
If you want a solid shooter with minor RPG elements go buy global agenda it is awesome. Then if you are even more satisifed and wish to pay the minor $12.99 sub then go ahead you get crafting although it doesn't effect the outcomes of matches by much at all. Remember it's a "skill" based shooter meaning everything you wear or have most of the time isn't going to up in "stats" it will be there for cosmetic purposes.
I'v been playing since Feb 1st launch and it's a total blast with my lv.28 Robo.
The PvP part is very addictive once you win and lose, the winning lures you to win more, the loses lights up rage of revenge on the next match.
Seeing poeple complaining about the performance, I seriously doubt that there is a problem.
Playing the game on a laptop and connecting to the US server from Taiwan, I rarely get any problems enjoy the game(at least my force sheild always sets up in time to block the damn muscular Assults')
The only down part is people tend to not cooporate on PvP battles(step on the frikkin catch point for the love a god!)
If there is a 20 vs 20 match I can't imagin if we're fighting with, let's say 10 recons, it will be a nightmare full of snipes and invisible guys running around to perfrom backstabbing stunts.
Overall the game is good for the price, the class and content are truely enjoable to play, and thank god there will be a Oceanic Server up, I coudn't join any AvA battles since the start time is 5 in the morning in Asia time.
Each person can only hold enough knowledge to add one small rung to the ladder, but together we can climb to the moon.
I'm still looking for a system that is capable of combining the two in a way that doesn't feel like it is 'forced'. More importantly, when a game feels like it has sacrificed some great points of either the MMO or FPS style game, then you're left with a muddied mess somewhere in the middle.
Personally, you don't get quite the punch from an attack that you would in a FPS game. This game still feels like it's not human vs human. Feels more like powered armor vs powered armor (which is essentially the case here). But there almost needs to be a hardcore mode with more punch. If you're shot... you're shot and you die. I'm sorry, but a sniper shot to the head should f*ck*ng kill you. It shouldn't take 2-3 shots to do so. YOU WERE SHOT IN THE FREAKIN HEAD... DIE ALREADY!
And the melee in the game is laughable at best (FPS melee has always been pretty much sh*t anyway). Look how awesome it is to try to strafe and run in/out of range while you do the same type of swing repeatedly/wildly. Weeeee! Amazing. I'm not expecting some John Woo style fighting to take place when it's 1 v 1 or melee pvp, but c'mon... needs to be more to this than what it currently is, imho.
The game is very limited (from what I've seen) in overall exploration or even modes that you can play in. (You are stuck in a city with only the ability to run dungeons, battlegrounds, or maybe a skirmish.) I can't go back out into the city? I can't just to to the street level and run around and farm crafting materials or explore? If I can... my fault, I missed the 'open world' feature. If not... wtf? Over.
Being able to alter your avatars looks to taste is important, but only where it makes sense. Here you are in a uniform, you are not a lone wolf, so stop wanting your own bandanna.
I think I may take a look 6 months down the line after they have put a few patches in.
great that people like it. Not for me though. I like building a unique(ish) character and prefer pvp with bigger teams than 4 + 6 random. Also not a fan of the latest disturbing trend to call things MMO's when actually they arnt. At least Guildwars never claimed as such.
Guild Wars also never had a persistent campaign where guilds fought over territory so they could build facilities in order to mine, research and craft items. It kinda helps if you've played Global Agenda before making comparisons.
From what iv read here and there. This game seems nothing more than a Guild wars / Call of Duty. That you have to pay to play. With a slight lean towards sonys Planet Side. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Okay, I will. You are wrong.
The game is free to play after purchase, just like any other shooter. The only thing you are required to pay for is AvA conquest in which you fight for resources on a map locale, called hexes. So you have to pay for the world domination part of the game, not the COD style part of the game.
Being able to alter your avatars looks to taste is important, but only where it makes sense. Here you are in a uniform, you are not a lone wolf, so stop wanting your own bandanna. I think I may take a look 6 months down the line after they have put a few patches in.
Not a huge fan of the game, to be honest. I love FPS games. I love MMORPG's. I'm still looking for a system that is capable of combining the two in a way that doesn't feel like it is 'forced'. More importantly, when a game feels like it has sacrificed some great points of either the MMO or FPS style game, then you're left with a muddied mess somewhere in the middle. Personally, you don't get quite the punch from an attack that you would in a FPS game. This game still feels like it's not human vs human. Feels more like powered armor vs powered armor (which is essentially the case here). But there almost needs to be a hardcore mode with more punch. If you're shot... you're shot and you die. I'm sorry, but a sniper shot to the head should f*ck*ng kill you. It shouldn't take 2-3 shots to do so. YOU WERE SHOT IN THE FREAKIN HEAD... DIE ALREADY! Tell me what FPS shooters feel human. Hi-Rez took preventive measures to ensure that the sniper recon weapon would not dominate games, but make it good enough for people to want to use. I see a TON of recons and they typically kill in 3-4 shots without damage buffs active. There may be more realistic sniper damage in other games, but unloading a full clip on someone and having them not die is prevalent in those games as well. And the melee in the game is laughable at best (FPS melee has always been pretty much sh*t anyway). Look how awesome it is to try to strafe and run in/out of range while you do the same type of swing repeatedly/wildly. Weeeee! Amazing. I'm not expecting some John Woo style fighting to take place when it's 1 v 1 or melee pvp, but c'mon... needs to be more to this than what it currently is, imho. You compliment your weapons with abilities. Melee is fun and fast paced. You can do extra damage if you catch someone unsuspecting in the back as well. What are you looking for? This isn't a true MMO remember? There's no auto attack. This isn't WoW. This game is based mostly on player skill, just like other FPS games. It's not based on who has the best upgrades or who is the highest level. The game is very limited (from what I've seen) in overall exploration or even modes that you can play in. (You are stuck in a city with only the ability to run dungeons, battlegrounds, or maybe a skirmish.) I can't go back out into the city? I can't just to to the street level and run around and farm crafting materials or explore? If I can... my fault, I missed the 'open world' feature. If not... wtf? Over. I'm just going to assume that you didn't read the FAQ on the Global Agenda website. Nor did you read this review or some of the posts in this thread. If you did, you would have figured out that Hi-Rez already stated that there will be no exploring. There is no seamless open world. The game is what they said it was, a mix of MMO and RPG, but an action packed FPS at it's core. Stop comparing it to other games, they aren't trying to compete. There is an open arena to improve your skills as well as PvE, PvP, and AvA. If you don't believe it is fun, then don't play.. that's my advice to you. I'd tell you to come back after a while and see if you like the changes, but there will never be open world PvP or PvE. There won't be any exploring. And there won't be any elves. Maybe you need to stick to WoW or LoTR.
I have a hard time calling this game an MMORPG. It is more accurately described as an MMO-FPS with character progression. There really is no storyline or character development in a role playing sense. I mean, you can role play the agencies and what not on the political side, but there really is not a strong connection between you and your character or the sense that you are playing in a complete world. But that is just my two cents.
All in all a good review for a good game. It isn't great as I personally feel it is a little shallow and as it stands I wouldn't ever consider paying the monthly fee for the AvA content as it really is nothing more than glorified FPS Clan Matches with some added elements. Will I still recommend the $40 for the base game and playing the instanced matches? Sure. It is a solid FPS and who doesn't love character progression in your games?
From what iv read here and there. This game seems nothing more than a Guild wars / Call of Duty. That you have to pay to play. With a slight lean towards sonys Planet Side. Correct me if I'm wrong.
I'd like to correct you....
A: who's F**KING POST ARE YOU READING TO GET THIS INFO?!.....
B: the "COD" part you referanced, is not P2P. Only conquest is. All your PvP other than that is free.
C: COD is one of the highest rated and most played games, this is better in my opinion, Matches made a difference.
the "Guild wars" part is where it makes a difference. it has that RPG style,
F: don't judge games based on trolls and people who haven't played it.
Let me know when it's like every other instanced (read server/game hosts) FPS out there (which is all of them) and just charges a box fee, then I'll play it. The fact that I can play CoD MW2, HALO, CS:S, TF2, etc etc etc and have more options in my game play style and have more people to play with all without paying a monthly fee, makes me wonder why anyone would go another route. In fact I even stopped playing the HALO series just because every few months they'd force you to buy a map pack to keep playing multi-player.
Let me know when it's like every other instanced (read server/game hosts) FPS out there (which is all of them) and just charges a box fee, then I'll play it. The fact that I can play CoD MW2, HALO, CS:S, TF2, etc etc etc and have more options in my game play style and have more people to play with all without paying a monthly fee, makes me wonder why anyone would go another route. In fact I even stopped playing the HALO series just because every few months they'd force you to buy a map pack to keep playing multi-player.
I like my FPS games fee free.
This is more than an FPS, it's an MMO as well. and it's ranked, you level and get better. The battles count on a long term scale. Have fun with your random matches that don't matter at all.
Comments
HiRez just posted a list of upcoming additions/changes to the game for this month on beyond.
MARCHING FORWARD
We view the release of Global Agenda as the start of the journey and we are already working hard to continue delivering improvements, new features, and new content based on your feedback.
To prove it to you, we are going to extend the free-play period for Global Agenda Conquest while continuing to deliver features and content enhancements.
We feel this is the best way to prove to you the value of a Global Agenda Conquest subscription, while also ensuring that as many people as possible are exposed to our unique and innovative Conquest gameplay.
All players will continue to be able to play the Conquest features for the rest of February and March without a monthly subscription fee.
BY THE END OF FEBRUARY -
We will deliver a set of enhancements ASAP based on fairly unanimous community input. We currently plan to have the following items in production by the end of February:
* Friend List/Ignore List - Steam has a Friends List, and we offer Agency Management as an alternate way to find your friends, but an in-game Friends List (and Ignore List) was a high requested feature that is being added.
* Player Choice on PvP Queues - For initial release we consolidated gametypes within a single PvP queue. With no guarantee around number of players we would have, our top priority was to ensure the players got into matches quickly and to make sure our matchmaking system had a sufficiently large population to balance out sides. That said, we've heard how much players want to specify, or eliminate, certain match types. And we do have the population to support this request. So, we will be implementing player selections per PvP gametype so you can exclude or include each type as you wish.
* Repair Kits - Non-visual Upgrades (of the Armor or Weapon variety) do increase stats for your character. And by the time you collect 16 of them they make a big difference. They also take time to craft and/or buy and, after all that time invested, having them wear away without any recourse was frustrating. Repair Kits are a new item type that will be available in-game and restore your Upgrades to full durability.
* Additional AvA zones and AvA Reporting - We are introducing new AvA zones to support play during hours more convenient for those in other locales. We are adding:
*o Zone 6 - Oceania/Australia - 19:00 to 21:30 in Sydney, 16:00 to 18:30p in Singapore (3a to 5:30a US Eastern, Midnight to 2:30 US Pacific) [NOTE: Initially, will run on servers hosted in the US but be geared toward an Oceanic audience, or for night owls on the US West Coast].
o Zone 8 - Europe - 14:00 to 16:30 GMT (9a to 11:30a Eastern)
BEYOND FEBRUARY -
Generally speaking, we intend to earn your subscription. Our entire Studio is focused on continued feature and content development for Conquest gameplay, including:
* More PvP Content - New maps around a 4v4 arena gamestyle as well as a 10v10 pre-made queue.
* More PvE Content - We've been pleased by the positive reception to our 'dungeon-crawl' style Infiltration PvE missions. That said, we want to offer additional variety both in setting and mission type. Imagine being able to step outside of the doors of Dome City and assist Bancroft by doing missions within a large open area, with additional loot available in that location. We are working toward delivering this content.
* More AvA Content - New facility types and new game-styles for Conquest. Specifically we are developing a new 'No Facility' map based on Control style, a new Defensive Facility that grants protection to adjacent territories, and Resource Raid Missions based on Payload style. We also recognize that some of the game-board rules need to be looked at; we will continue to monitor those to ensure that AvA maintains the right balance between accessibility and significance.
* Improved Crafting, Loot and Prestige Items
-Semper ubi sub ubi!
always wear underwear
This game does not belong on MMORPG.com. That be like a development studio creating an FPS game and saying
"Our game does not have any of the following: Guns, a first person view, the ability to control a single person and pit yourself against other players, and the ability to host your own servers. If you consider any of these items to be must-haves within your FPS, we may not be the game for you."
Why should this game be considered an MMO if it does not even have a persistent world and I can play with MORE people in any regular FPS and have the same weapons and class depth as a typical battlefield game.
Why should I spend 15$ a month on this game when it offers nothing more than a typical battlefield game.
None of the actions I do on map 578436 will effect the players on map 35728 because there is no persistent world.
If this game is on MMORPG than I demand that counterstrike get added as well as the battles are bigger and its pretty much the same thing as global agenda with different guns.
I hope this isnt a continuing trend among developers. If the only thing massive about your game is the global chat room, its not an MMORPG.
Global agenda, where is the globe?
I guess you missed the whole conquest part of the game. What you do here does have an effect on what others are doing. If you are a small agency, as long as you are part of an alliance, you can seriously impact the hex map by taking key areas that are vulnerable. Arguments like yours will never be won because too many people differ on what they feel MMO means. You also seem to fail at convincing me that your definition of RPG must be to have a silent FANTASY at the beginning of the word. You say that everyone that plays the game should be able to fight in the same area, (which by the way means WOW is not an MMO as a few dozen people are the most you can have on a raid unless you are somehow seriously going to say you run through Thousand Needles with 100's of other players at a time). Everything anyone does, (who isn't a lonely noob), is instanced and completely devoid of not only other players but any impact what so ever on the rest of the world. How many times has Onyxia been killed? Every bg in WOW is capped and in GA there are around 244 hexes with upwards of 4000 fighting for control of the territory at once. I played BF2 and know what it doesn't have? in depth skill trees you unlock with levels. A persistant world map that changes based on what people win/lose. Any sort of cohesive large scale plans. OOO I just helped take Wake Island for the 15th time today. Wonder how that effects the morale of the other players on different maps? It doesn't. If, however you take a hex in GA anyone else planning on taking certain resource points now has a different fight on their hands to face.
"I hope this isnt a continuing trend among developers. If the only thing massive about your game is the global chat room, its not an MMORPG."
It has elements of an RPG and honestly, if I have to give up the wonderous glory that is Barrens chat in that all my time spent in game is instanced, hell yea I'll take it. I was on the fence on this one until I read that they are fixing the two main problems I have with the game. Not yet on the subscriber wagon but I'm definitely having fun with this one to the point that I canceled my wow account as I didn't see myself playing it for the next few months.
I don't know how many shooters you MMO people have played but GA plays like a substandard dated shooter. Nothing special about it and there is nothing massive about it.
Why am I not surprised people came in here saying this isn't a MMO, blah blah blah. Hush alright!? It's on the website, so get over it.
Anyways, back on topic. Great review and I agree with it wholeheartedly. Only problem I have with the game is the conquest part. It does seem to push the casual players and the smaller agency's aside, but what game doesn't?
Everyone has opinions, but does that make them the universal truth??? NO!
I really need to give this a try after Bad Company 2 gets boring.
I have to admit I am disappointed with GA. I'm not gonna say it's a terrible game, cuz it's not. It just doesn't take any genre or gameplay to the levels I have experienced in other, better games.
The gameplay feels crude in a way. Everything is painted with a broad brush.
The arena style play of GA is a matter of taste (or age) I suppose. But for me, the lack of options and strategy or any sense of longevity in any of the ongoing dynamics, diminshes the experience considerably. One could argue that this is also the case in a game like Team Fortress 2 I suppose, but TF2 has something GA doesn't, and that is superb humour and design and unique character roles. There's alot of things in GA that strikes you as something the developer didn't put too much thought into and maybe should have, whereas there is (or was) none of that in TF2.
The way the characters play also feels kinda clunky or simplistic. Some things works all too well, while other things doesn't seem to work at all. The lack of correspondence between what you expect to happen, and what in fact does happen, is quite frustrating. GA doesn't come anywhere near the superb play elegance of a game like Tribes2 in this regard. T2 had everything GA has and much more and provided you with a sense of finesse that GA doesn't come close to. The jetpack is there, but you don't fight with it and that alone removes an entire dimension from the game. To me, this seems like a step back and T2 is really old by now while GA is brand new. I had expected them to try and at least attain old glory in new wrapping and maybe even push the envelope a little. They really don't. GA's got more buttons to push, but it adds nothing to the gameplay. I'd rather say it subtracts from it.
The group dynamics and the AvA part has also been done alot more exciting in other games. I'm thinking specifically of Planetside. My memory fades, but I seem to remember the Planetside campaigns simply as more eventful, more varied and more fun. There is something about GA that kinda feels like it's not quite allowing the gameplay to breathe freely. The PvE is just a big yawn and the super simplistic PvE/crafting/trade deal, borders on feeling totally pointless. I have no idea why they even crammed PvE into this game in the first place. They would probably have made a much better game if they didn't try and bite off everything at once, but rather focused on say team based PvP alone. Maybe the game would have played better then.
I'm not gonna get into a discussion over a definition of MMORPG. Suffice to say that while the game may be able to defend half of the abbrevation on a purely technical level, the GA world has very little to do with MMORPGS. If you're a strict fan of that genre, GA is gonna feel like a slap in the face. I'm allready a team based FPS fan, so I'm ok with it. But a MMORPG it certainly is not, not by a long shot. The emperor really IS naked, in case you should have any doubts.
To sum up. If you buy this game and expect a decent FPS, you're probably not gonna be disgusted or anything. However, if you're looking for a game that refines the better games in this genre of past, you're most likely going to be dissapointed. Oh and PS: It's got nothing to do with MMORPG's. ;-)
Lol, nice to see the auction house in the bad points, its absolutely terrible. One good move they have made is that implants are no longer buyable from NPCs, so that aspect of the game is fully player crafted and controlled though this exposes how horrible the AH is at present. I do fear, however, that the subs wont be too high meaning crafters are sparse, driving up prices to even more ridiculous levels. They need to put in other craftable items outside of implants too.
Another ridiculous decision was that only subs can send mail - non subs can only recieve it. It makes trading impossible outside of a lot of messing around considering the game doesnt even have player to player trades in the first place...very silly decision, Hirez.
The UI is fairly ugly (improvements coming apparently) but the chat box is very good, its clear and easy to use and people actually use it, unlike the mess that was in HGL. You cant change font colour right now, so I hope thats something coming in the future.
Good points are that the gameplay is solid and addictive (though the basic rifles are horrible), the melee system and manual blocking is responsive, though the blocking damage could be reduced a little. Definately needs more maps in the rotation for pvp. The pve is good although repetitive and theres zero storyline inside the game itself, which is pretty odd. With some big raids the pve could be great fun.
Id give it a 7/8 out of 10 simply because its an enjoyable persistant mmotps thats not another solofest kill 10 rats type of MMO. I hope the game gets a chance to fully evolve.
. I can't fault a game for not having something it was never intended to have and instead I've got to base this review on what Hi-Rez Studios claims their game to be: an action-based shooter MMO.
Sure fire way to get a 10 from this reviewer is to say that your MMO isn't supposed to be good on the website. Didn't read the rest of the article, you lost me at Hello, you lost me at Hello.
Dear Editor, your job should consist of more than using spell check.
Probably because people come here to play a" genre of computer role-playing games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mmorpg
Global agenda has neither large numbers of players interacting (barely larger than WoW arena matches), nor a virtual game world, just separate servers.
Its a shame too because shooter MMO's are very rare and fun to play. I was excited when I first heard about global agenda hoping for a spin off of planetside, it turns out all it is; is counterstrike with a warcraft 3 mod.
Love the game but to me its just another shooter hence the reason I am not going to pay monthly for it. I'm not big into the AvA matches as there are insanely huge alliance that just take over and have so many people to attack and defend at the same time. But worth the $50 stand alone? Hell yes, it is a very solid shooter and very well developed. Hopefully Hi-Rez does a little more then just AvA in the future maybe we could get some free roaming landscapes in instance form.
If you want a solid shooter with minor RPG elements go buy global agenda it is awesome. Then if you are even more satisifed and wish to pay the minor $12.99 sub then go ahead you get crafting although it doesn't effect the outcomes of matches by much at all. Remember it's a "skill" based shooter meaning everything you wear or have most of the time isn't going to up in "stats" it will be there for cosmetic purposes.
I'v been playing since Feb 1st launch and it's a total blast with my lv.28 Robo.
The PvP part is very addictive once you win and lose, the winning lures you to win more, the loses lights up rage of revenge on the next match.
Seeing poeple complaining about the performance, I seriously doubt that there is a problem.
Playing the game on a laptop and connecting to the US server from Taiwan, I rarely get any problems enjoy the game(at least my force sheild always sets up in time to block the damn muscular Assults')
The only down part is people tend to not cooporate on PvP battles(step on the frikkin catch point for the love a god!)
If there is a 20 vs 20 match I can't imagin if we're fighting with, let's say 10 recons, it will be a nightmare full of snipes and invisible guys running around to perfrom backstabbing stunts.
Overall the game is good for the price, the class and content are truely enjoable to play, and thank god there will be a Oceanic Server up, I coudn't join any AvA battles since the start time is 5 in the morning in Asia time.
Each person can only
hold enough knowledge to add one small rung to the
ladder, but together we can climb to the moon.
Not a huge fan of the game, to be honest.
I love FPS games.
I love MMORPG's.
I'm still looking for a system that is capable of combining the two in a way that doesn't feel like it is 'forced'. More importantly, when a game feels like it has sacrificed some great points of either the MMO or FPS style game, then you're left with a muddied mess somewhere in the middle.
Personally, you don't get quite the punch from an attack that you would in a FPS game. This game still feels like it's not human vs human. Feels more like powered armor vs powered armor (which is essentially the case here). But there almost needs to be a hardcore mode with more punch. If you're shot... you're shot and you die. I'm sorry, but a sniper shot to the head should f*ck*ng kill you. It shouldn't take 2-3 shots to do so. YOU WERE SHOT IN THE FREAKIN HEAD... DIE ALREADY!
And the melee in the game is laughable at best (FPS melee has always been pretty much sh*t anyway). Look how awesome it is to try to strafe and run in/out of range while you do the same type of swing repeatedly/wildly. Weeeee! Amazing. I'm not expecting some John Woo style fighting to take place when it's 1 v 1 or melee pvp, but c'mon... needs to be more to this than what it currently is, imho.
The game is very limited (from what I've seen) in overall exploration or even modes that you can play in. (You are stuck in a city with only the ability to run dungeons, battlegrounds, or maybe a skirmish.) I can't go back out into the city? I can't just to to the street level and run around and farm crafting materials or explore? If I can... my fault, I missed the 'open world' feature. If not... wtf? Over.
From what iv read here and there.
This game seems nothing more than a Guild wars / Call of Duty.
That you have to pay to play.
With a slight lean towards sonys Planet Side.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
Being able to alter your avatars looks to taste is important, but only where it makes sense. Here you are in a uniform, you are not a lone wolf, so stop wanting your own bandanna.
I think I may take a look 6 months down the line after they have put a few patches in.
great that people like it.
Not for me though. I like building a unique(ish) character and prefer pvp with bigger teams than 4 + 6 random.
Also not a fan of the latest disturbing trend to call things MMO's when actually they arnt. At least Guildwars never claimed as such.
Guild Wars also never had a persistent campaign where guilds fought over territory so they could build facilities in order to mine, research and craft items. It kinda helps if you've played Global Agenda before making comparisons.
Okay, I will. You are wrong.
The game is free to play after purchase, just like any other shooter. The only thing you are required to pay for is AvA conquest in which you fight for resources on a map locale, called hexes. So you have to pay for the world domination part of the game, not the COD style part of the game.
You're going to miss a lot of fun while you wait.
I have a hard time calling this game an MMORPG. It is more accurately described as an MMO-FPS with character progression. There really is no storyline or character development in a role playing sense. I mean, you can role play the agencies and what not on the political side, but there really is not a strong connection between you and your character or the sense that you are playing in a complete world. But that is just my two cents.
All in all a good review for a good game. It isn't great as I personally feel it is a little shallow and as it stands I wouldn't ever consider paying the monthly fee for the AvA content as it really is nothing more than glorified FPS Clan Matches with some added elements. Will I still recommend the $40 for the base game and playing the instanced matches? Sure. It is a solid FPS and who doesn't love character progression in your games?
I'd like to correct you....
A: who's F**KING POST ARE YOU READING TO GET THIS INFO?!.....
B: the "COD" part you referanced, is not P2P. Only conquest is. All your PvP other than that is free.
C: COD is one of the highest rated and most played games, this is better in my opinion, Matches made a difference.
F: don't judge games based on trolls and people who haven't played it.
So this game does have a monthly fee right?
Let me know when it's like every other instanced (read server/game hosts) FPS out there (which is all of them) and just charges a box fee, then I'll play it. The fact that I can play CoD MW2, HALO, CS:S, TF2, etc etc etc and have more options in my game play style and have more people to play with all without paying a monthly fee, makes me wonder why anyone would go another route. In fact I even stopped playing the HALO series just because every few months they'd force you to buy a map pack to keep playing multi-player.
I like my FPS games fee free.
This is more than an FPS, it's an MMO as well. and it's ranked, you level and get better. The battles count on a long term scale. Have fun with your random matches that don't matter at all.