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Ghost Recon: Future Soldier asks if you Believe in Ghosts
We don't always believe in ghosts, but when we do, they don't carry high-powered sniper rifles, automatic weapons, or travel in packs. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier has begun its Believe in Ghosts series with the above video, where it compares real-life spec ops missions with in-game tactics.
EVE Evolved: Fitting the Gallente Talos
Among the hundreds of changes brought by EVE Online's recent Crucible expansion, the new tier 3 battlecruisers certainly rank as player favourites. Rather than giving each race a bigger, tougher battlecruiser, CCP gave the new ships the ability to fit battleship-class weapons but heavily limited their defensive capabilities. All four tier 3 battlecruisers are turret-based, letting them output massive damage with close-range guns or hit for solid damage at battleship sniping distances. As with all new ships, it can be difficult to figure out how to fit the new tier 3 battlecruisers to make full use of their unique combination of high damage output and high mobility. Last week I looked at three viable setups for the Caldari Naga, which proved to be an absolute monster with 1,000-1500 DPS when using close-range blaster setups and a terrifying 650 DPS when sniping at 100km-130km. This week I take a similar look at the Gallente Talos, a ship designed specifically for close-range combat. I explore a traditional armour-tanked blaster fitting with dual webs, a shield-based variant that packs a huge 1,500 DPS punch, and two long-range blaster fits that give the Naga a run for its money. In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore four solid PvP fittings for the Talos, with both shield and armour setups.
EVE Evolved: Fitting the Caldari Naga
While EVE Online's recent Crucible expansion brought us over a hundred small features, balance tweaks, and graphical updates, its headline feature was undoubtedly the four new tier 3 battlecruisers. It's been several years since a new combat ship was added to EVE, and combat had begun to get a little stale. Most of EVE's ships follow a logical design progression, with larger ships having more tank and higher damage output. CCP turned that concept on its head with the new tier 3 battlecruisers, which deal battleship-class damage but have both the agility and paper-thin tank of a tech 1 cruiser. The Caldari Naga is the very definition of a glass cannon, able to output more damage than a Megathron or Rokh but at the cost of having practically no tank. It can be sniper-fit to deal around 650 DPS at ranges of 100-130km, blaster-fit to output a raw 1,500 DPS at ranges below 10km, or even set up to fight effectively with blasters outside web range. Its high top speed and cruiser-like agility add new gameplay options to existing sniper and heavy damage-dealer fleet roles, providing battleship-class damage for roaming cruiser gangs. It's a potential game-changer for nullsec alliances engaging in hit-and-run style warfare, but as with all new ships it can be difficult to figure out an effective ship fitting. In this week's EVE Evolved, I explore three solid fittings for the Naga designed to fill common PvP roles.
SWTOR: So you want to play an Imperial Agent
Espionage! Subterfuge! Classy accents! Such is the life of Star Wars: The Old Republic's Imperial Agent. If a career full of clandestine operations and lots of assassination sounds like a good time to you, then the Agent is your class. Agents can fill one of two roles: ranged DPS and healing/melee DPS hybrid. Whether you prefer to keep your friends alive, shank an unsuspecting opponent, or put a blaster round in someone's head from a mile away, the Agent's got something for you. Did I mention the sexy accent? Mmm.
Snipers and biters: War of the Immortals opens up on Rangers and pets
Who doesn't like playing a Ranger, really? Deadly at a distance, this fantasy version of military snipers gives players the immense satisfaction of dealing pain in large quantities before one's enemy can even close the gap to fight back. War of the Immortals, which is currently in closed beta, has a deep, abiding love for Rangers and their long-distance love. Did you know that Rangers get to ride sonic tigers to work every day? Makes your Prius look like a brick now, doesn't it? Rangers do sound sweet, and if you want a better look at them, you can watch the class spotlight trailer after the jump. Perfect World Entertainment is not only dishing out the love for Rangers but also the game's pet system. This system is perhaps a step beyond the typical attack dogs we see in other MMOs. For instance, you can not only teach your pets skills, but with the right souls ripped out of monsters, you can upgrade them and even combine them to create a completely new animal. If your pet's stats are really terrific, you can "fuse" yourself to that pet to gain a stat bonus at the expense of losing that particular beast for combat use (don't worry, you can have an additional pet to serve in that role).
EVE Evolved: Gallente and hybrid balance
It's been another week filled with announcements and positive news for EVE Online, with CCP showing off EVE's new nebulae and revealing the Amarr and Caldari tier 3 battlecruisers. For Gallente pilots, no news was celebrated more than the rebalancing of hybrid weapons and ships that specialise in their use. Short-range blasters can technically deliver the highest damage output of any turret, but their extremely short optimal range means they deal a smaller fraction of their maximum damage in most fights than other ships. Blaster ships have to spend valuable travel time closing into weapons range, and once up close, targets are hard to track. Although railguns were designed by the Caldari, they're hybrid weapons just like blasters, and so they are the long-range weapon of choice for Gallente sniping and mission-running ships. They have good range and tracking speed but have always suffered from slightly worse damage output and alpha strike than beam lasers and artillery cannons of the same size. Countless suggestions for fixes to blasters and railguns have appeared on the forum over the years, but until now they've remained unchanged. As a Gallente pilot and avid Thorax and Dominix fan, I'm very excited by the hybrid balance changes coming this winter. In this week's EVE Evolved, I take a break from the new player experience experiment to take a look at the impact of the upcoming hybrid balance patch and why the announced changes are needed.
Gold Capped: Dealing with Neutral Auction House sniping
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aims to show you how to make money on the auction house. Email Basil with your questions, comments, or hate mail! Neutral auction house sniping is the practice of lurking at the neutral auction house (which is usable by both factions) until someone tries to use it to move items from one of their characters to another across factions, and then stealing it. Unlike someone who ninjas a mount in a PUG, this type of theft is totally OK with Blizzard -- all the sniper is doing is buying a posted auction.
The Perfect Ten: Why Elves are the scourge of MMOs
Astute readers of Massively or my personal blog Bio Break are probably quite familiar with my blatant prejudice against all things Elf. I hate Elves and everything for which they stand. And nowhere does this hatred blossom more brightly than in the fertile fields of MMOs. As the axiom goes, where there is fantasy, there are Elves. Blame J.R.R. Tolkien for popularizing a race of what used to be cookie and Santa helpers. Almost overnight Elves became in vogue in geek culture, and efforts to root them out with flamethrowers have been in vain. Any fantasy MMO that is announced is required, by some arcane law that can only be broken with the blood of a virgin god, to include Elves as a racial choice -- or, if the developers are feeling particularly sadistic, more than one choice. Wood, night, blood, dark, light, mystical -- take your pick. There are plenty of Elves for everyone! Well, I'm not having it. Elves don't get a free pass on my watch, and I'm not afraid to stand up to the powerful Pro-Elf lobby and nail my 10 theses as to why Elves suck on the doors of this blog. Consider your pointy ears on notice, you woodland freaks -- the jig is up!
Trion unveils new RIFT Rogue trailer
It's been a while since we've seen a class video from Trion, but today the drought is over thanks to the spiffy new RIFT Rogue trailer. The two-minute clip mixes in-game footage with title screens showing the various permutations of the Rogue's soul system, giving would-be rascals a cursory glance at RIFT's take on one of the fantasy genre's most beloved archetypes. Because of RIFT's build-your-own-class mechanics, Rogues in the world of Telara stand out from their contemporaries due to a good bit of versatility. The trailer shows us three incarnations of the class: a death-dealer, a sniper, and a support specialist. In addition to those roles, you may even see a RIFT Rogue playing a lute, teleporting, or possibly tanking a mob. Check out the clip after the cut for more details.
Wasteland Diaries: Bosses and battles
This week in Fallen Earth has been, for me, a good mix of PvP and PvE action. I've gotten plenty of both. I literally wished that I had more time to play. Alas, real life was standing in the way again. I haven't played any other games all week. Unless you consider the Fallen Earth forums a game (which I sometimes do). Between protecting territory that rightfully belongs to the CHOTA and cracking the skulls of world bosses for their precious volatile chemicals, I've found myself pretty busy. I know that everyone feels that Sector 4 is long overdue; it's probably the reason most people haven't come back to Fallen Earth. If you are on the fence about re-subbing or are waiting for Sector 4, there is still plenty to do, especially if you left before Deadfall Point and Deadfall were released. Even if you left in the past couple of months, things have changed, and new content has been added. There is plenty of PvP action if you know where to look, and new faces are joining the fray every day. After the cut, I'll give you some examples of what I've experienced this week, and it may help you decide to come back... or to keep holding out for Sector 4.
Battlefield 3 trailer sneaks across rooftops, avoids giant bullets
Maybe you weren't aware, but sniper rifles fire really, really large bullets. The latest Battlefield 3 trailer plays on that truth, showcasing a squad of US soldiers avoiding "an effing 50." That's alotta metal!
The Game Archaeologist goes PlanetSide: Your journeys
While war itself is a hellish, nasty activity that we'd be better off without, there's always been something compelling about playing war as both kids and adults. When you strip war of death and suffering, the play version can become downright compelling as we get engrossed in tales of heroics, deep strategies, risky gambits, and clear-cut victories. It's why we invest so much time in simulating war throughout our lives -- in snowball fights, toy soldiers, laser tag, and MMOs. For the soldiers of PlanetSide, the war has been raging for over eight years now with no end in sight, and that's just fine with everyone involved. The game was designed to be a perpetual struggle between military forces -- not due to politics or prejudice but simply for the love of the fight. In the year or so I've been writing this column, I've never seen so many people come forward when asked to share their experiences with an MMO as have done for PlanetSide. There's definitely something compelling and unique about this MMOFPS that's become a dear part of many gamers' memories, and I'm pleased to be sharing those stories with you today. Hit the jump for the glory, trooper!
Spy the SWTOR Imperial Agent!
When BioWare gives out so much information about one class, where do you start? We now have confirmation of the Sniper DPS sub-class and the support/healing Operative class for the Imperial Agent. Also, we know more about the Chiss' origins, the Agent's starship, and the Agent class' combat role in Star Wars: The Old Republic. The Chiss hail from the the unknown regions of galactic space, and their advanced Ascendancy evolved independently from the Republic and the Sith Empire. Despite having a grand army these blue-skinned humanoids prefer to handle war through negotiation and espionage. So when the Sith Empire brought its fleet to conquer Chiss Space, instead of being met by brute force as in other systems, the Empire was met by diplomatic messages. These negotiations allowed for the Chiss to become the only true ally of the Sith Empire. As with any spy for the Empire, the Agent needs the most advanced starship one can find. In this case, we are talking about the X70B-Phantom-class Prototype. The superior technology of this starship prevents it from being mass-produced, so it is only given to the best operatives. The shape and haul keep the craft off most radars, and the navigation system will not be seen on any other ship for the next couple of decades. Generally, the training for an Imperial Agent will go one of two ways. Secrecy and stealth are the weapons of the Agent, and much like its Republic counterpart, the Smuggler Scoundrel, the Operative can specialize in medical technology as well. However, unlike the Smuggler Gunslinger DPS class, the Sniper's advantage is the distance and precision of rifles instead of the Gunslinger's rapid-fire dual short-ranged pistols. Be sure to check out the gallery of concept art and screenshots below, and don't miss the Agent's teaser video after the break. %Gallery-106262%
Rise and Shiny recap: Global Agenda
PvP is a funny thing. Essentially, it is a glorified game of tag. There are variations on the theme, of course: freeze tag, Marco Polo, or Hide-and-Seek. Most of us have had the pleasure of spending a summer evening playing it with our friends. I know that when we played it, we added the dimension of The Woods (as they were known) and all that hiding in those woods on a dark summer evening implies. It was intense, I remember. Once, I hid under a pile of leaves for 40 minutes, scared out of my mind, while my buddy tried to find me. Good PvP can be like that, but bad PvP can ruin your evening. Bad PvP, like a rainstorm during a campout, usually ends with one or more participants taking the event way too seriously. But when you spend a few hours in good PvP, running around shooting at strangers, throwing mines at each other and getting shot down by automated turrets, your heart will race and you will realize that you have had a smile on your face most of the time. Global Agenda has that effect on me, like a good game of tag.
Gamescom 2010: BioWare reveals 10 new advanced classes for TOR
We've known for a while now that Star Wars: The Old Republic is planning to offer players two different specializations for each class, but up until now we've only heard of a couple of them. Today at Gamescom, however, BioWare unloaded the names and loose descriptions of ten advanced classes. The best part? No Bothans died for this information. Darth Hater reports that imperial agent characters will have the choice between specializing as snipers (long-range DPS) or operatives (who use stealth and short-range weapons to get up close and personal). If a bounty hunter is more to your liking, then the choice between a powertech and a mercenary should get your imagination racing. Over on the Republic side, troopers will sign up for either commando or vanguard training. Commandos are the tanking line, although we don't know much about vanguards yet. SWTOR-Station spied a Zabrak trooper at the BioWare booth, indicating another possible race for the class. Force-users are also in store for powerful upgrades. The villainous Sith inquisitors choose their path between a more Force-happy sorcerer or the twin lightsaber-using assassin. Their counterpart, the Jedi consular, has a similar decision to make: that of a shadow, who can use double-bladed lightsabers, or a wizard, who uses a single lightsaber but can heal. Are Star Wars fans ready for wizards and sorcerers in their MMO? Somehow, we think so.
Preview: Sniper: Ghost Warrior
Sniper: Ghost Warrior is the first Xbox 360 game to be published by City Interactive. It's a first-person military shooter being released on a platform absolutely inundated with similar games. At first glance, it would be easy to discount the title and assume it's nothing more than an attempt to capitalize on a very popular genre. Thankfully, the game does a few things to set it apart from the Modern Warfares and the Battlefields, namely an emphasis on stealth and sniping finesse. %Gallery-87697%
E3 2010: The Agency blows up in our faces... and it's a good thing
After seeing the new trailer yesterday for SOE's The Agency, we thought nothing could get us more revved up about this upcoming title. We were wrong. DEAD wrong. Ahem. Sorry. For aspiring Mr. and Ms. Kiss-Kiss-Bang-Bangs out there, The Agency is promising all of the hot, high-tech spy action that you can handle. Step into the shoes of James Bond, Jason Bourne, Inspector Gadget or Maxwell Smart, grab your favorite weapon, and throw yourself into one of many exciting locales where you and other players will compete for all the secrets and bragging rights. At E3, Massively got the chance to sit down with The Agency's Senior Producer Josh Hackney and check in on how this title is progressing. Hit the jump to read about specialized roles, PvP and why mindlessly spraying hot lead in all directions is completely passé.
DARPA putting scopes that 'see' wind turbulence into the hands of snipers
It's been years since DARPA put out its original RFI for a "one shot" sniper system, and if you're the type that prefers to kill at extremely long ranges we have some great news for you. The program, which is developing laser scopes that detect and compensate for wind, seems to be somewhat on track (which must really freak DARPA out). It was hoped that the technology would let shooters take down targets at 2,000 meters while enduring forty mile-per-hour crosswinds. Currently, we're looking at something like 1,100 meters and eighteen mile-per-hour winds -- still no mean feat. The next step? To get fifteen field-testable prototypes into the hands of soldiers by next year, to the tune of $7 million.
Sniper: Ghost Warrior media bangs a few heads
We're not a hard blog to please. Send us some screens and some video, perhaps a trailer that has a badass guitar solo screeching throughout, and you've won us over. That's exactly what's going on in the Sniper: Ghost Warrior multiplayer trailer above. Sure, there's a whole bunch of sniping to check out but, man, those licks! We just hope that music doesn't play in-game, because we probably won't be able to kill anyone while we're busy headbanging with our leather bracelet and denim vest on. Accompanying the finger-melting trailer after the break is a bounty of new screens, so if you like your action a bit more still -- but just as violent -- hit up the gallery below. %Gallery-93064%
MAG's free 'Fast Attack Pack' DLC coming next week
Once again, MAG developer Zipper Interactive plans to release another free chunk of content to its hugely huge multiplayer FPS. Fans of long-range weaponry and loose-fitting clothing will be delighted to learn the "Fast Attack Pack" DLC, which will hit the PSN next Thursday, April 29, includes new "Special Edition Sniper Rifles" and "Improved Light Armor" for all three of the game's factions. Then again, fans of shotguns, medical kits, light machine guns and repair tools probably won't be thrilled to learn that snipers will soon be faster and more accurate. Oh well! You win some, you get shot in the brain from 300 meters away ... some.
