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The Friday Livestream: Global Agenda [Updated]
It's another Friday, and that means it's another edition of the Friday Livestream! Tonight we have an agenda... a Global Agenda, in fact! We're going to be going through the various play modes of Global Agenda, live! So come join us as we get thrashed in PvP, tour the new Sonoran Desert open zone, and maybe even give PvE missions a go. But, PvP action is where we'll be at for most of the night, so I hope you all enjoy watching me die over and over again! As always, click the picture above or hit the button below to get to the video. If you're feeling social, you can also join us in the Livestream chat located at http://www.livestream.com/massivelytv! [Update: The stream is over, but the video lives on! Check it out after the break!]
Trick or treat or high-velocity death: Global Agenda takes on Halloween
In the future, nobody can hear you scream -- but that's mostly because everybody's shooting noisy pulse rifles all willy-nilly. Even though Global Agenda skews more toward sci-fi than horror, it doesn't mean that the two can't form a temporary alliance. To celebrate the holiday, Global Agenda is rolling out a specially-themed defense raid from October 27th through the 31st. Defense raids are 10-man missions that require a team to defend a point from waves of invaders. This particular Halloween raid -- available for players level 30 and above -- is notable for its quirky loot: 13 new Halloween masks are available as drops through this mission only, and any team that downs the final boss will receive an additional mask as a bonus. Unfamiliar with defense raids? Hi-Rez Studios created a quick two-minute dev blog of these special missions, which you can watch after the jump.
Global Agenda offering friends with benefits
Itching to get your frag on with someone you love (or at least, lust after?) Hi-Rez Studios has a deal for you in the form of its Friends with Benefits discount promotion for Global Agenda. If you've purchased the massively multiplayer third-person shooter, you now have a set of coupon codes that can be gifted to a friend, granting him or her 30% off the initial client cost. Your benefits accrue in the form of an in-game referral achievement score, which in turn grants reward items at specific levels (including a mini-warlord pet that resembles an angry Laurence Fishburne bobblehead doll). Todd Harris, Global Agenda's executive producer, outlines the new program on the game's official forums. "Referral achievements and new prestige items will be introduced and visible before the end of October in the 1.38 update. But we invite you to start recruiting now -- you'll earn credit for all referrals going forward as well as any referrals done prior to this campaign launch," he writes.
Global Agenda version 1.37 hits live servers
Gentlemen, start your patchers (and ladies too, for that matter), as Hi-Rez Studios is about to drop the hammer on version 1.37 of Global Agenda. As of today, the sci-fi MMOFPS is rolling out its latest patch, bringing with it an achievement system, the ability to fast-switch between weapon, armor, and skill tree profiles, new vanity items, and auction house tweaks. The auction house overhaul is fairly major, with a new "stock market" buy/sell model allowing players to see all items of a particular type and price on a single line. Buyers will see the lowest five prices for an item, and can purchase items by providing the bid price they're willing to pay. The revamped auction house will then reconcile the transaction with the listing seller(s) on a first-come first-serve basis. The auction house UI has also been redone, and 1.37 also brings a new preview function for displaying items on your avatar prior to purchase. Be sure and read up on all the incoming changes via the patch notes on the official website.
Life after APB: Global Agenda woos displaced players with special offer
It's been a sad week for APB fans, that's for sure, but Hi-Rez Studios wants to help take some of the sting out of APB's cancellation with a special offer. Citing MMO shooter brotherhood, executive producer Todd Harris offered sympathy by saying, "We honor their effort and innovation, and greatly mourn the game's closing." While APB's future fate -- and any possible resurrection -- looks bleak, Hi-Rez has a word of advice for that game's players: come over and give Global Agenda a try. To facilitate this, the studio is providing a decent discount on the purchase of Global Agenda through September 24th. GA will cost just $20.99 during this time period, and that fee covers both the cost of the MMO and unlimited play. Not too shabby, eh? Prospective purchasers will need to buy through Global Agenda's online store and use the code "LongLiveShooterMMOs" to take advantage of this special. Whether you see Hi-Rez as being merely opportunistic or splendidly gracious (or, hey, both), this deal may be too good for MMO shooter fans to resist. You can read the full letter and offer over at Global Agenda's site.
Global Agenda looks back at its first six months
It's been a whirlwind six months for Hi-Rez Studios. In that time frame the studio released its MMOFPS Global Agenda, converted the game to a "buy it once and play it forever" model similar to Guild Wars, released a major expansion named Sandstorm, and finally released the game in boxed format. Now, the devs have taken a moment to breathe, reflect, and answer some questions for the folks over at IGN as to what they set out to do, what lessons they've learned, and what players can expect in the upcoming months. The interview focuses on discussing the shift of payment options, what it's like to create and continue running an MMOFPS hybrid, and whether or not others may be looking in that same general direction. While short, it offers an interesting peek into the minds behind the ever-evolving Global Agenda and offers some wide-ranging discussion on the games market in general.
Doubling season comes to Global Agenda
With Global Agenda's switch to a subscription-free format earlier this year, the game was put on track to begin launching content updates and small additions to replace the subscription fees. Up until now, the team at Hi-Rez Studios has been focused on the long-running Sandstorm series of updates, but the game has now begun selling boost packs as the first added service. And what do these packs do? They double your enjoyment -- assuming that you enjoy gaining experience and tokens. The packs -- available in 10-day, 30-day, and 90-day flavors -- double all experience and tokens earned for the duration for all characters on an account. Not coincidentally, the 30-day boost costs just under $15, the same price as a monthly subscription in most subscription-based games. Each boost runs for the specified length of time and is activated immediately upon purchase, which makes the benefits and drawbacks rather transparently obvious. Players of Global Agenda can purchase packs on the official site, with a small guide available for the new feature. [Thanks to Caleb Goh for the tip!]
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.
One Shots: Way more silliness to come, we're sure
What's got this Global Agenda player looking spooked? Well, perhaps it's the scheduled invasion of the Massively Mob tonight? It could be the knowledge that devs will be playing along with our readers -- and devs generally tend to have nifty weapons. Maybe it's that guy with the glowy, colorful gear in the background, who is clearly labeled as a threat. We can't be sure, but we do know one thing for certain -- that goofy bag mask is pretty funny to look at! This One Shots comes to us from reader Canucck, who writes in: "[Here's a picture of the] new 'diplomat flair' being given out to specific players by Hi-Rez for being helpful. 'Scared Bag is Scared' is the item's description in game." Have you gotten an interesting reward in your favorite game that you'd like to show off? One Shots is all about the player's-eye-view of MMOs, so whether it's a silly mask or new goodies gained from raiding, we welcome your images. All you have to do if you'd like to take part is to email your images to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here for everyone to check out and give you the credit. %Gallery-85937%
Global Agenda's latest Sandstorm patch hits today
Hi-Rez Studios brings us word of the latest round of Sandstorm changes coming today to Global Agenda. The sci-fi MMOFPS is rolling out Sandstorm Version 1.36 to the live servers, and with it a plethora of improvements to the Agency-vs-Agency (AvA) system. Seasons will now last for two weeks, and each major geographic region (North America, Europe, etc.) will feature one open zone from Monday through Thursday. Another zone will open up on Saturday and Sunday, and each will be open for six hours per day. In addition to the timing tweaks, AvA rewards have been adjusted, token daily limits have been raised, and consumables have been removed from PvP. Be sure to view the full list of changes via the patch notes on the official Global Agenda website.
Global Agenda's Todd Harris talks player loyalty and the future
Global Agenda is fairly unique in the massive genre, not only for its blend of sci-fi setting and shooter mechanics but also for the fact that the development team at Hi-Rez Studios is renowned for actually listening to its playerbase. Producer Todd Harris recently sat down with Lorehound for an interesting interview that shows the Atlanta-based game-makers still have their finger on the pulse of Global Agenda's communal desires. Harris touches on crafting additions, endgame raid content, and new PvP maps as specific community ideas actively being kicked around in the dev cave, and also goes into a bit of detail regarding the team's appreciation for the loyalty shown by Global Agenda's early adopters. "The folks playing AvA are our most dedicated and accomplished players, and we've changed the rules on them a lot! I know that has led to some player burnout or frustration," he says. Harris goes on to illustrate how the title's evolving endgame wouldn't be possible without player feedback, and concludes by dropping a hint regarding the game's forthcoming achievement system. Be sure and check out the full interview over at Lorehound.
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.
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.
Global Agenda's newest video diary details Defense Raids
Global Agenda 's Sandstorm patch is pretty sizeable, and the Hi-Rez team recently produced a video developer blog that provided an overview. The newest video follows in that same vein, but is a bit more specific. Executive Producer Todd Harris and Lead Artist Chuk Vinson sit down to explain Defense Raids, 10-man raids in which you are tasked with the protection of your dome city. Every now and again, the city's alarms will go off to indicate that an attack by robots is imminent. High-level players can work together to prevent it from happening by trying to keep the enemy from breaching the defenses and destroying the power core. If you succeed, you get a big boss fight and big loot at the end. Follow along after the jump to see the video firsthand.
Five ways to survive the future: Global Agenda has a new video
Haven't had a chance to look over Global Agenda's Sandstorm patch? Hi-Rez has an overview for you in its latest video. The video contains exclusive footage from Sandstorm, and highlights several different features from the game: skills, weaponry, grouping, combat, and territory. Each segment shows gameplay footage of everything from character creation to PvP, and the video wraps up with a nod to Global Agenda's new no-monthly-fee pricing structure. The current patch notes for Sandstorm are available on the game's developer blog, so check them out and follow along after the jump for a look at the newest video from Global Agenda.
Global Agenda rolls out the next phase of Sandstorm to the test servers
To call the huge 1.3 patch to Global Agenda ambitious would almost be an understatement, considering how much of the game's basic structure was rewritten. It was so ambitious, in fact, that there were several features that wound up being slightly delayed from the initial release. And while the focus of late has been on the game's shift in subscription model (namely to the complete absence of one), several of the remaining features have just been deployed to the game's test servers in time for the holiday weekend. One of the bigger additions is the persistent PvE zone being added, the Sonoran Desert, aimed at players between level 5 and 15. On top of that, the team is adding in the option to Salvage unwanted equipment for parts, a persistent defense raid for players past level 30, and the addition of consumable items. While the holiday weekend is set to be the first testing weekend of several, it's the ideal time to get a feel for the next major addition to the game. Global Agenda players are encouraged to check the changes out, and new players would be well-served to remember that the game is on sale right through July 4th on Steam.
Global Agenda going subscription free
Yes, you read that correctly. Members of the Global Agenda community received a survey recently that hinted at a change to the business model, and it looks like a decision has been made. Hi-Rez founder and CEO Erez Goren tweeted the news just a short time ago: "Global Agenda going subscriptions free," and the information was followed up quickly with a forum post that began "Hi-Rez Studios announced today that Global Agenda is now 100% subscription free. Purchasers of Global Agenda can enjoy the game's full current content, including all current Player-vs-Player combat, Player-vs-Environment solo and co-op content, and Agency-vs- Agency seasons, without a monthly subscription payment now or in the future. Future content updates will be delivered via optional paid expansions." You can view the full post on the official Global Agenda forums.
E3 2010: Erez Goren talks to Massively about Global Agenda's future, part 2
It seems some people are worried that Global Agenda has low player activity and may be on its last legs. When asked about that, Erez gave some useful statistics from the deployment of Sandstorm Phase 1 that suggest they're definitely on the right track. "We're only starting our marketing now," Erez told us, adding that "It was better to start early, work through with our user base about what people want to see and how and then market it and push it out." Not deterred by doom-sayers, he suggested that "as long as there's enough people to play with, it's OK" and affirmed his belief that Global Agenda couldn't drop below that level.
E3 2010: Erez Goren talks to Massively about Global Agenda's future
Sci-fi MMOFPS Global Agenda took last year's E3 Expo by storm, securing awards and impressing attendees. Launching earlier this year, the game has been rapidly updated and evolved based on player feedback. The Sandstorm Phase 1 patch recently overhauled huge areas of gameplay and delivered a lot of new content. The Global Agenda team are back at E3 this year, hoping to impress with a look at their up-coming Sandstorm Phase 2 patch. We sent our very own E3 reporter Sera Brennan to get the details from Erez Goren, founder and CEO of Hi-Rez Studios. In this bumper two-part feature, we get to grips with Global Agenda's new open zones, warzones and game-mode updates. We tackle the issues you asked for as we quiz Erez Goren on whether the game may be on its last legs, the game's shift in focus to PvE and what new game mechanics the team have up their sleeves.
Global Agenda's Sandstorm goes live with phase one
It's time for some changes over in Global Agenda... big, persistent ones. Hi-Rez Studios has been hard at work on their latest large content addition for the game, and its been in testing for nearly a month. Now the much-awaited event -- phase one of the Sandstorm patch -- drops to the live servers today. It's quite the overhaul, changing everything from the setup of weapons in the game to the persistence of the world map. For those feeling a bit overwhelmed by the scope, we've written our share of coverage including an analysis of the upcoming changes and a chat with Todd Harris about the patch. In brief, the changes are aimed at making Global Agenda closer in scope and feel to a classic MMO while retaining its skill-based and energetic combat system. How they'll actually play out remains to be seen, but thus far the developers seem to know what they're doing. Brush up on the changes and the scope, or just jump in game and start exploring them for yourself.
