capture the flag
Latest
DeepMind AI uses teamwork to defeat human 'Quake III' players
After developing an AI system that can beat Go and chess, Google-owned DeepMind started tackling a different class of games: multiplayer ones, which usually require teamwork. In a paper published by Science, a group of DeepMind researchers have detailed how they designed an AI system that was able to master capture the flag mode in Quake III. The system uses "AI agents" to represent its players in the game, which can play with or against human opponents. DeepMind trained those agents with 450,000 rounds of capture the flag, which total four years of gameplay completed over the span of a few weeks.
Star Citizen's Arena Commander gets new CTF mode
Cloud Imperium has added a new game mode to Star Citizen's Arena Commander dogfighting module. Capture the Core is a team-based mode that sees players tasked with -- you guessed it -- capping the core on the opposite side of the map. If that sounds a bit like classic capture-the-flag games, that's by design, though CIG's announcement post points out that there's an "additional challenge of operating in three dimensional space." The new mode is now available to all Arena Commander-eligible backers. [Thanks Cardboard!]
Capture the Flag returns to Titanfall after player feedback
Respawn is re-adding Capture the Flag to Titanfall on PC, even though "less than 1% of the player base was even trying to play CTF," a blog post reads. Respawn removed Capture the Flag and Pilot Hunter from playlists last week, meaning those modes were available via private matches and Variety Mode only. "Last week we made some changes to the Titanfall playlists on PC and since then many members of the community have expressed their disappointment with our decision," Respawn writes. "Capture the Flag has been a specific point of contention considering we had just made a significant change to how the mode worked (Titans cannot carry flags after the last patch). If you're just catching up, we made the decision to remove these modes because hardly anyone was playing them and matches were nearly impossible to find." To offset the lower player count in Capture the Flag, Respawn is reworking its matchmaking system to include wider region searches: "If you're searching for 5 minutes without starting a game, Stryder will eventually widen your search to include neighboring continents. This means you might end up in a game with a much higher ping than you're used to, but as players pointed out; playing is preferred to not playing at all!" Read Respawn's breakdown of how matchmaking works right here. [Image: Respawn]
Pilot Hunter, CTF removed from playlists for Titanfall on PC
Noticed there's been a bit of a wait to find other players before Capture the Flag and Pilot Hunter matches begin in the PC version of Titanfall? So has developer Respawn Entertainment, which pulled the modes from playlists yesterday, meaning that both are now available solely through private matches and Variety Mode. A followup post on Titanfall.com notes that the decision was made based on the sparse player base in either mode. Titan pilots are "predominantly playing Attrition and Hardpoints game modes," Respawn's post explains. "CTF and Pilot Hunter have not been widely used modes on the PC version. Players trying to access these modes had overlong wait times to find other users and it was making for a poor experience." The post added that, going forward, Respawn will continue monitoring unpopular playlists and adding new ones. Retracted modes won't be on the sidelines forever, either - Respawn says it will "still rotate Pilot Hunter and CTF in for future playlists" and add tweaks to other game types, which the studio is "currently working on." Even if you find yourself as the sole player of your favorite mode down the road, Respawn has no plans to pull support for playing modes in private matches. As long as you can fill a round's roster with friends or fellow enthusiasts, you should be all set for your preferred brand of Titan-fueled destruction. [Image: EA]
Capture new job creation tools in GTA Online this Friday
Rockstar will launch the capture jobs creation system in GTA Online this Friday, April 11 and is offering a rewards boost in select online missions until then. Starting Friday, Grand Theft Auto 5 players can use the GTA Online Creator Tool to build missions using one of four capture job variants: Contend, GTA, Hold or Raid. For those unfamiliar, Rockstar describes the capture jobs as a "GTA twist on classic capture the flag style confrontations." To get players accustomed to the job style's unique brand of action, the developer upped the reward levels for all official capture jobs in GTA Online. Until Friday, jobs like "GTA: All Abhorred" and "Raid: High Road" will earn players double the GTA$ and RP. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Guild Wars 2 cross-breeds a new PvP map
There's a new PvP map coming to the wild lands of the Norn in Guild Wars 2, and it's a smash-up of two popular zones to create a whole new flavor. Spirit Watch combines a capture-the-flag mechanic with a conquest template, all set against dizzying drops of cliffs and crags. There are three capture points in Spirit Watch that influence the score of the "flag" (in this case, a shiny orb) coming home to roost. Players running the orb have a movement penalty and must make a choice as to which capture point to head toward: Capture points that a team control offer up 30 points per orb, enemy and neutral capture points offer 15 points per orb, and enemy capture points that have an orb tossed into them will be converted to a neutral point. The Spirit Watch PvP map will come with the hefty update planned for later this month. You can get a quick eyeful of it with a video after the jump, however.
Arcane Legends adds capture the flag
It's the popular sport of summer camps everywhere, and now capture the flag is coming to mobile devices. Spacetime Studios is introducing the game into Arcane Legends as the first step toward a larger PvP offering. Capture the flag takes place in a 4v4 arena and comes complete with achievements, titles, and leaderboards. Spacetime has plans to add more PvP modes and maps in the future. The studio said that Arcane Legends has been downloaded more than four million times to date. [Source: Spacetime Studios press release]
Tossing fireballs and bashing shields: Hands-on with the Forge Beta
Dark Vale's upcoming PvP-centric title, Forge, is an MMO like no other. The game has no PvE content to speak of, instead demanding that players earn their progress by killing one another in timed arena-style deathmatches or objective-based games. It's built in the Unreal Engine, features an over-the-shoulder third-person perspective, and depends heavily on strategy and reflexes as opposed to gear and level. There are no quests to complete, no mobs to grind, and no resources to gather. When Dark Vale says Forge is "Pure PvP," that's exactly what it means. While some may be skeptical of the appeal of a PvP-only MMO, others will note that there is vast potential here to fill a niche for gamers craving MMO-style combat without all the extra muss and fuss of grinding, gearing, and socializing. The only question is whether Forge will strike a chord with that pocket of players or will be just another "also-ran" in a sea of experimental MMOs. I took a peek at the Forge beta over the weekend, and what I found was an intense title with a lot of promise, but one that clearly has a lot of ground to cover before being ready for mass consumption.%Gallery-162207%
Hyperspace Beacon: All SWTOR classes are useful in Huttball, part 1
I'm excited about this week's topic. It's not often that I get to put Star Wars: The Old Republic's misconceptions to rest. As I said last week, my guild does recreational PvP, which is to say that we do it for the fun of it and not because we have to be the best of the best. This helps us enjoy the sport of it without having the pressure of maintaining a ranked-PvP score. Unfortunately, that also means we run into a lot of other players who don't know exactly what they are supposed to be doing in games like Huttball. Those same complaining players are also the ones who claim that their particular class is deficient in one way or another based on the PvP map. The biggest cringe in SWTOR comes from Huttball. Naysayers complain that one class or another does something different or better than they do. Today, I'm going to break down a couple of the classes to show you how each of them can be more effective. Let's dive in.
Hyperspace Beacon: How to smoke your opponents in SWTOR's Huttball
My guild does what I like to call "recreational PvP." Even though I guess all MMO PvP is technically recreational, we do it just for fun, not as some sort of competitive sport. For example, we love the PvP warzones in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I think we settled on Novare Coast as our favorite, but really it's hard to choose. But inevitably, at least one person will cringe in voice chat when we see that we are queued up for Huttball. I'll even do it, and I'm actually a huge fan of the zone. So why the Huttball hate? Even if half of the team is pre-made in random 16-man groups, it's difficult to coordinate, and in a game like Huttball where strategy is extremely important, a few uneducated players can break the team. I guess that's why I'm making this tiny guide: I'm tired of losing at Huttball. Perhaps if I pass out some tips on the game, the teams will at least be more evenly matched. After losing so many matches, I've picked up on some things that fool unprepared teams every time, and today I'm outlining them right here. Next time you're in a match, you can either use my tips yourself or not be fooled when another team employs these tricks.
Vindictus has the beatdown, and so do other players
Vindictus has long given players a variety of ways to smash enemy creatures into the ground, and it's had plenty of players. But remarkably, the game has been missing ways to smash those players into the ground, an oversight that the game's new PvP patch is addressing through obvious means. Having just hit the live servers, the new patch allows for a variety of skirmishes between players as well as offers the obligatory rewards for settling disputes like violent, heavily armed men with poor impulse control. The game offers two options for PvP. Capture the Relic is... well, replace "relic" with "flag" and you probably have a good idea. Monster Brawl, meanwhile, pits two teams against one another with each team fighting alongside a boss monster -- keep your monster alive while killing the other team's beast and you win. Players can also unlock powerful rewards in the form of buff items, a nice incentive for those not already motivated by the simple joy of smashing another player's face in.
The Firing Line: Why you should be playing Tribes: Ascend
Skiing! Jetpacks! Pew pew! Yes, kids, Tribes: Ascend is officially in open beta, and that means you no longer have an excuse. Hi-Rez Studios threw open the doors this morning, and despite the fact that the game's closed beta exceeded all expectations and hosted over 300,000 players since its November kickoff, there's always room for more.
Battlefield Heroes captures Capture the Flag today
There are few things in gaming more satisfying then the planting of an enemy's flag in a friendly home base. If you've been turned off of Battlefield Heroes' lack of abductable pennants, you should give the game a second look: Capture the Flag mode is now available.
Massively Exclusive: Lucent Heart unleashes guild vs. guild
With Lucent Heart's Scaena expansion fast on the way, the developers have yet to run out of new and exciting features to share with the game's players. This week, it's all about pitting guild against guild in mortal conflict. Who will rise? Who will fall? And most importantly of all, who will be pwned and who will be leet? It seems as though Gamania is angling this expansion toward as wide an array of player types as possible, with not only GvG combat satiating the PvP crowd, but Scaena's custom dancing tools pleasing the fluff nuts and new bosses and zones appealing to the PvE questers. Today we have several exclusive pictures showing off Lucent Heart's guild vs. guild combat, as well as an in-depth look into this system from the developers after the jump! %Gallery-130977%
Trion details RIFT, End of Nations, and Defiance plans for Gamescom
Trion is one of many MMO companies gearing up for a big showing at this month's Gamescom, and a new interview with Adam Gershowitz, David Luehmann, and Rob Hill lets fans in on what they can expect regarding the world of Telara. For starters, there will be a lot of lip service given to RIFT's "Endgame for All" initiative, specifically the new Chronicle instances coming with the 1.5 patch. Gershowitz also mentions the Hammerknell weekend warfront and says its a way for Trion to "spice up the normal warfront grind" via new gameplay and additional rewards. Said new gameplay takes the form of a new mode called escalation, which is essentially the Telaran equivalent of capture-the-flag. The interview also touches on Trion's End of Nations and Defiance titles, both of which will also be featured at Gamescom (though it's worth noting that Defiance will be restricted to industry previewers as Trion says the title "isn't quite ready for its player debut").
Massively Exclusive: Maplestory Age of Triumph trailer
Last week, Nexon announced the conclusion of the Chaos series in their free-to-play fantasy side-scroller MapleStory -- Age of Triumph. Today, the studio offers Massively an exclusive video trailer for a peek at the action that is scheduled to release on August 17th. The video highlights the three main features coming up in this patch: The new PvP game Capture the Flag; footage of the new Silent Crusade story line, a full-length quest for players level 37-110; and even the new Crusader Codex, a book highlighting the various monsters that roam Maple World which players can add to after defeating new monsters. Click past the cut for a look at these upcoming features in Age of Triumph.
Nexon concludes MapleStory's Chaos series with loads of new content
MapleStory's Chaos series of updates is ending with a bang with the Age of Triumph, which according to Nexon, is "a huge update that brings unique content exclusively to those players who traverse Maple World on Global MapleStory servers." So what does the final update have in store for Maple World? Well, for starters it brings an all-new storyline titled The Silent Crusade. The storyline quests are available for players in the incredibly broad level range of 37-110, and they introduce players to a force that specializes in the elimination of Master Monsters (a new faction of enemies). Alongside the new storyline, the update will also introduce PvPers to the new Capture the Flag mode. And lastly, players will find in their inventory a Crusader Codex, which is essentially an encyclopedia of the monsters of Maple World. Each page can be filled with Monster Cards, which drop from various enemies. Once a page is completed, the page will display the monster's information such as levels, locations, and item drops, and players will receive unique prizes such as medals. For some new screenshots of the upcoming update, check out the gallery below. %Gallery-16709%
RuneScape launches Clan Citadels
Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird... it's a plane... it's a... floating castle? If you're one of RuneScape's legions of players, you might be waking up to just that sight today. Jagex's golden child has released its Clan Citadel update, and with it the ability to move into one of these sky castles. Just pray that the anti-gravity generators don't fail. Clan Citadels are meant to be a pumped-up version of other MMOs' guild halls, a place where clans can congregate and party when not slaughtering everything in sight. There are four variants of castles, each of which can be customized to your heart's content and upgraded through seven tiers. These citadels aren't just for show, but for hardcore use: Each comes with a battleground editor that allows you and your clan to create a tailored combat scenario, including capture-the-flag, to compete with other clans. RuneScape VP Daniel Clough says that this will make the game the toast of the town: "We have been looking for a unique and innovative way to provide new multiplayer features to the game, and we are hugely excited to see what the community makes of this update."
Alter-Ego: Nine tips for PvP in DC Universe Online
First things first: I'm going to admit openly that I'm not even close to the world's best PvPer, as anyone who has ever faced off in PvP against me can tell you. Up until recently, I tended to be the ultra-carebear player who generally avoids PvP combat altogether (outside of EVE Online). However, by ignoring PvP in DC Universe Online, one also ignores a decent chunk of the game's content. Between the open-world Green Lantern ring wars, quests to take on heroes or villains of a certain level range, Arena matches, and Legends play, there's a lot to do -- not to mention the challenge of playing on a PvP server. Worse still, PvE players will find their quest logs become cluttered messes full of PvP-related quests that can't be dropped -- an annoying prospect at best. So with this in mind, I've compiled a handful of general tips for those PvE fans who don't tend to mess with PvP in DC Universe Online as well as players who have only dabbled in it. Are there I-win-button tips behind the break? Not really. However, it's good solid advice that's helped me improve my skills from utterly noobtastic insta-death to holding my own. If that sounds interesting to you, then join me behind the break for the list!
Massively revisits Bloodline Champions and gets pwned
The last time I visited Stunlock Studios' Bloodline Champions, I was impressed but not very turned on. Sure, it worked well, and despite its only semi-original art design, it looked good enough. It just wasn't really my game. I'm not a PvPer, and I'm certainly not an arena-combat type of guy. Yes, I enjoy a good romp in the pits once in a while, but arena-type games just seem repetitive. Well, that was back in the early release or beta of the game. Now that I have returned, I have found a much improved, smooth, and more full-featured game. I can even say that I had (gasp!) quite a bit of fun. Granted, I was not able to play many games, simply because during the day it seemed that only the European players had any games available -- and even those were generally locked out -- but I played a few that made me feel, well, kind of tough. Click past the cut and let me explain.
