operatives
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China reportedly spread COVID-19 misinformation
A report by The New York Times claims Chinese operatives helped spread false COVID-19 information via text and social media across the US.
E308: Operatives and the in-game economy in The Agency
As part of our long talk with Matt Wilson from SOE Seattle at E3, we got more information on operatives and the plans for the player-based economy coming in The Agency. As you may recall, there was a lot of confusion on just what type of a role operatives would play, based on the talk of RMT. As such, we were glad to get a chance to get some further information on just what the plans were for the in-game economy as well as a bit more on operatives.Will there be some type of a player-based economy?Yes. The economy is money and items, and alternately operatives. The way all these MMOs evolve it's the rare currency, whatever that rare currency is -- like 30 iron keys in Asheron's Call -- that ends up being the thing that players find important. Money ends up usually not being the factor when it comes to in-game economies. And so operatives are what is going to drive the economy in The Agency, because that is the rare system of collection. Once I have the Black Mamba card, and you want the Black Mamba card, then that's where the value in it is for a player. It's all about getting the fun and unique items that will help you play the game better.
Two new videos of The Agency show more action
The more of The Agency we see, the more interested we get. G4's X-Play recently showed off two new videos featuring more in-depth looks at gameplay than we've gotten to see previously. In speaking with Director of Development Matt Wilson and Designer Hal Milton, we get to see glimpses of various elements, such as cool spy gadgets a la James Bond's Q, and how the Operatives can help you in your missions.We've got both videos after the jump, and you'll find them in larger resolutions on G4's site.[Thanks, Steven!]
ION 08: The Agency update and RMT confusion
While attending the SOE open house event last night after all the ION 08 panels were finished, we got the chance to sit down with The Agency's lead designer Hal Milton. He talked about the game at length, which of course meant our ears and eyes were firmly directed in his direction. The first thing we feel is important to mention before getting into some new juicy details, is the recent news about downloadable content for the spy-fueled action MMO. You see there's been some confusion and in speaking to Hal he expressed his desire to clear things up. Players will in fact be able to purchase things with their hard earned money in The Agency, however, these items will not be weapons or equipment. To be clear: From what Hal told us, nothing that gives one player an instant leg-up over another will be for sale. With that out of the way, lets get on to the new information.%Gallery-22924%
Q&A with The Agency's Hal Milton: Part two
In the second installment of The Agency Q&A with Lead Designer Hal Milton, we learn a bit more about operatives and how they will work. If you missed the first part of this Q&A from last month, you can find it here. Also be sure to read all of our continuing coverage of SOE's upcoming spy MMO.The Agency's operatives seem to be the largest RTS or micromanagement angle of the game. You can collect them, upgrade/level them and send them out to do their own specialized dirty work for you. This includes everything from stealthy assassinations to investigative reporting to filing paperwork. There will also be an item-based aspect of the operatives where you can gain the rarer ones after especially extensive quests. Hal even touches on the possibilities with operative-based PvP, which could essentially be very comparable to Guild Wars' Hero Battles.
Operatives and PvP in The Agency
A new preview for SOE's The Agency has popped up in the wild. It's a quick look at the upcoming spy-inspired MMO, but there are a couple very interesting subjects that it covers. One of these subjects is on the PvP element and how the developers want it to be optional, but still something players will try out. Their hope is that once cautious players have tried The Agency's PvP and seen that it's not a punishing experience, they will decide to take part in the activities. A lofty goal, trying to create a friendly PvP enviornment -- but one that we think is admirable. If they manage to pull it off, then we'll be right there to experience some of that ego-friendly gameplay.
