As you may know, Global Agenda has recently received a content update and also became fully free-to-play. This sort of transition from one business model to another can be a challenging process for most games. However, the guys at HiRez already have shown that they are not afraid to take risks and modify their game to match a new direction they have chosen. Plus, the structure of Global Agenda itself, with its lobby-type system and instance-based gameplay has somewhat eased this process.
It was slightly disappointing to see that, despite the injection of fresh blood from new players rushing in to check out the free-to-play update, the queue waiting times still remained relatively long. You would think with more people queuing for matches, the system would allocate teams faster. But, sadly, that is not the case. This seems to be an issue from the developer’s side, and I hope they address this problem in the near future.
The update brought a couple of new maps, a new dome defense raid, as well as class tree changes. Going by the official patch notes and my own merc experiences, the developers’ aim was to balance out certain deadlock scenarios that occurred during matches and put a bump in the otherwise fairly stream-lined gameplay. An example of this would be the changes done to the Medic’s Paingun. Originally, with the -50% speed debuff from the weapon, a good assault and medic combo could pretty much tear up any target they laid their hungry eyes upon. With the new patch, the speed debuff is only 30%, but the target also receives -20% less healing. This gives your victim an actual chance to escape and, at the same time, grants the Paingun additional utility. Yes, I say that having a Medic as my main. Still, it is way too early to tell how the revised specializations will affect gameplay in the long-term, so let’s just wait and see how things pan out.
The new Dome Defense Raid, or DDR as some like to call it (not to be confused with Dance Dance Revolution), is probably the most exciting addition to the game. Not only does it give us cool targets to pew-pew at, but it also adds a layer of immersion to the setting of Global Agenda. With the introduction of the new raid, Dome City no longer seems to be just a glorified lobby. When you see it being invaded, you can’t help but feel that it is an actual place of habitat, set in the middle of a desert and surrounded by enemies.
As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Then a video must be worth a few thousand at least, and that’s why I’m including a video of a Dome Defense Raid I did with a random group of fellow agents. Watch us badly screw-up, get blown to pieces, and my robo trying to get a better look at the action, instead of minding his nest.
Click through to watch.
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