Posts Tagged ‘Playthrough’

Global Agenda Fiction – In Your Nearest Dome City

5 May 2011 | No Comments » | Ronix

EVE Online, probably the most visible sci-fi/futuristic MMO out there, has always benefited from the attention of gaming journalists and bloggers that are attracted to the various shenanigans going on in space. Needless to say, the actions of players are supported and granted additional meaning when you consider the cold, harsh universe that EVE has developed thanks to a successful combination of lore and game mechanics. This is further extended with the recent re-introduction of live events that rely on the same mix of lore and gameplay in order to engage players on a deeper level.

So, it is quite sad to see that other games in the genre, such as Global Agenda and Perpetuum, haven’t had the opportunity to devote resources for proper storytelling just yet. The lore of these games is largely static and only serves as a backdrop for the actions of users. The situation is somewhat remedied when you consider the various fiction submitted by fans. Set in the same world that players know and inhabit, these stories help develop the universe of a beloved game further.

Today, I’d like to give you a teaser for a story I wrote back in the beta days of Global Agenda. It was a competition created by fans for fans, and most of us were eager to participate. My entry started off as a short story that followed the template given to us – the Commonwealth has designed a powerful mech, the construction of which could endanger the livelihood of nearby agencies. However, the narrative quickly went off in a direction I never planned for it. The end-result was quite different to what I originally expected. Continue Reading

Global Agenda: Dome 49 is Going Down

18 April 2011 | 1 Comment » | Ronix

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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Launch Battlestar Galactica Online? – Y/N

11 April 2011 | 4 Comments » | Ronix

Fans of MMOGs set in space can (sort of) rejoice – yet another contender for their time and attention has entered the ring. Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser-based MMOG, currently in open beta, set in an alternative universe of a popular IP of the same name. Brought to life by Bigpoint, in conjunction with Artplant, the game was developed using the Unity Engine. Is BigPoint’s new title a relevant entry in the increasingly popular space setting and does it do justice to the IP it is based on? Read on to get some initial impressions.

The first thing you notice is that the title looks great for a browser game. You can witness some really nice art assets, as well as imaginative and vivid portrayals of space. Gameplay systems present in BGO are pretty standard for an MMOG. You get your quests from NPCs located inside the stations scattered throughout the game world.  The main storyline arc is driven through special missions, but players can opt to skip them altogether and dive straight into gameplay and exploration. However, once the main line of quests is over, you are left to grind only a handful of daily missions. Doing this can quickly get repetitive, so skipping the main narrative isn’t recommended.

However, PvE isn’t the only experience that BGO has to offer.

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