sandstorm-global-agenda
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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!
Phase 2 of the Sandstorm hits Global Agenda today
After a great deal of testing, Global Agenda players can look forward to a treat today -- the second phase of the immense Sandstorm update is going live. Part of a large-scale update that rewrites several core components of the game, the first phase was rolled out about two months ago, and this continuation drops in most of the features left out of the first. The largest addition is the persistent PvE zone in the Sonoran Desert, designed for players between levels 5 to 15. The desert will allow players to take a series of missions from area NPCs to help advance a story arc, learning more about the Desert Dweller and Recursive Colony factions as they gain both loot and experience. Players can also look forward to the addition of consumable items and the option to salvage unwanted pieces of equipment for parts, something that plays well with the updated systems that came into play during the first phase of the patch. There are also new defense raids for players past level 30 to take part in, standing tall in a difficult battle against Recursive Colony attacks. And even with the recent shift in business models for Global Agenda, the Sandstorm update is remaining free for all current and future players -- a welcome addition to the game that should provide several points of interest, as well as set the stage for future expansions to the game.
