global-agenda-sandstorm
Latest
Global Agenda: Year one retrospective and interview
What a difference a year makes, eh? Round about February of 2010, Hi-Rez Studios was an unknown indie developer gearing up to unleash a newfangled "spy-fi" shooter on an unsuspecting populace. Fast forward 12 months and Global Agenda has morphed from a relatively standard Team Fortress-style kill-'em-all to an actual MMO. Killing is still the order of the day, as few MMOs are so completely focused on fast-paced bloodletting, but Global Agenda has added an impressive amount of bulk over the past year, with more on the way. Hi-Rez also managed to successfully change the game's business model in 2010 and ultimately ended up molding Global Agenda into one of our favorite MMOs. Suit up, grab your crescent jetpacks, and fly past the cut for a few reasons why as well as a look at the game's evolution to date. There's even an interview with Hi-Rez's Todd Harris on page two!
Cross guns with Hi-Rez Studios in Global Agenda tonight, and here's how!
Tonight's the big night for all of you Global Agenda players in our readership! Twelve members of Hi-Rez Studios will be stepping into the game tonight, ready for some PvE and PvP action! As we promised you on Monday, we have the full instructions on how you can participate in this event! All you need is a copy or free trial of Global Agenda installed on your machine, and a copy of Steam. Once you've got that done, make sure to join the Massively Mob, our Steam Community group, and friend either Octal Black, ducttapedrummer or Netgoth. If you're chosen to participate in tonight's event, you will be IMed by either Beau Hindman (ducttapedrummer), myself (Octal Black), or Krystalle Voecks (Netgoth) via Steam Messenger. You can also keep up with what's going on in the event by joining our Steam Community chat room and keeping an eye out for GM messages in-game. From there you'll be paired up with a Hi-Rez Studios developer, and your party will venture off into the wonderful lands of the Sonoran Desert and Commonwealth Prime to lay waste to everything before you! Good luck, and we hope to see you tonight!
Play with the devs: Storm the dungeons and firefights of Global Agenda with Hi-Rez Studios
You asked for it, and we're doing it -- we're going back to Global Agenda! But this time we're not going into the game by ourselves. No, no, we're bringing out the big guns this time. We're bringing the creators, Hi-Rez Studios, along for the ride! So come join us this Wednesday, August 25th, at 7:00 p.m. EDT, to run some missions with some of the developers from Hi-Rez! All you need is a copy of Global Agenda (which can be grabbed from Steam) and a membership in our Steam Community, the Massively Mob (which is as cheap as free). Don't have a copy of the game, but still want to participate? Well lucky for you, as the game's free trial program just came back online! Why not give the game a whirl as you play alongside the creators? More information on our in-game meeting place and how we'll set things up will be available Wednesday morning here on Massively. Just keep an eye on our Steam Community, or Twitter page, or our front page for the full details!
Global Agenda's Todd Harris on the newly added open zones
Global Agenda has been making some changes of late. That almost goes without saying -- very few MMOs exist in a static state, after all -- but very few implement sweeping system changes and zone additions so quickly after launch. One of the largest additions with the newest phase of the Sandstorm patch is the Sonoran Desert, an open and persistent PvE zone for players to enjoy. In a new video developer blog, executive producer Todd Harris explains what the zone means for the game and how the systems within work. The desert, which is aimed at providing a complete experience for players between levels 5 to 15, will be familiar in many ways to long-time MMO players. It's not that the idea of quests picked up from an NPC is new, but it's certainly new within the context of the game. Take a look past the cut to see the zone demonstrated in depth, and if the look strikes your fancy, it would be fair to point out that Global Agenda is subscription free.
Global Agenda's Sandstorm patch arrives to test server tonight
The much-talked-about Sandstorm patch for Global Agenda, also known as patch 1.3 and the Big Patch of Awesome (tm Sera), is set to arrive on the test server late today. Fans of Global Agenda have been scouring the patch notes since they released, anticipating how things will change and looking forward to the day they can experience it firsthand. That day is here -- well, sort of. Patch 1.3 is now being released in four separate stages, which is reflected on the public test server as well. The first stage is scheduled to arrive on the public test server late today in US time. It will be focusing on low level progression and weaponry, so you'll be required to create a new character to work through the tutorial. Plan on the server's availability being a bit uncertain throughout the testing period as Hi-Rez makes changes and updates, but don't worry. The test will go until May 10th, so you will have plenty of time to play. If you'd like to participate, you can find the most current round of patch notes as well as instructions for joining the public test server over at the Global Agenda site. While you wait, watch for our in-depth analysis of the patch later today.
The Sandstorm cometh to Global Agenda
What is the Sandstorm? Well, it's the name for the upcoming Patch 1.3 for Global Agenda, which follows in the footsteps of the most recent patches in two ways. The first is that it's coming fast, with the whole thing tentatively scheduled for April. The second is that it's going to be quite large, containing several sweeping upgrades to the way the game plays. Even more so than one might expect, in fact -- one of the major features of the patch as announced today is a plan for large, open areas for players to move through and perform missions. If that sounds remarkably similar to outdoor environments in most MMOs, you're probably on to something. The zones planned are preliminarily going to include a PvE zone and a PvPvE area, allowing somewhere between 30-50 players concurrently in the map. There are also several new weapons and devices being added to facilitate the new "specialization" system. Each class will be able to select one of two specializations at level 30, opening up a range of new abilities and equipment. And that's only the tip of the iceberg, with several additions and upgrades being added to drops, crafting, and token rewards. Take a look at the full announcement for what's planned for patch 1.3, and get ready to experience even more of Global Agenda from a new perspective.
