progression-system
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Evolve's progression systems dole out perks, boosts, new characters
Evolve players will hunt character perks and general experience in addition to monstrous game, as detailed in a recent update on Evolve's official site. Progress is earned in two ways: Character Progression, which relates to a player's efficiency with a specific character's arsenal, and Player Progression, which is tied to a player's general account rather than one particular class type. Aptitude with a hunter's (or monster's) weapons and abilities is rated on a three-star scale, and a "permanent perk" is granted with each earned star. For example, you'll need to deal a set amount of damage with Markov's assault rifle to earn a two percent accuracy boost (tied to the first star), while distributing enough pain via headshot will grant a 10 percent accuracy boost and an elite-tier weapon, as well as the rifle's third star. Player Progression won't be in the Halloween weekend alpha, but when it does show up, it'll dish out medals, awards and levels, with that last element capping off at 40. The update notes that this tier of rewards is "generally earned through time spent playing" and unlocks perks like armor regeneration, jump bonuses and a quicker jetpack recharge. New characters can also be unlocked by earning stars for their respective class type. If you plan on prowling through Evolve's alpha however, just know that any earned progress will not carry over beyond the event's weekend. Alphas are all about the thrill of an early hunt though, right? [Image: 2K Games]
Firefall revamps progression system... again
Red 5 Studios has not been shy about making sweeping changes to its in-beta massively multiplayer shooter Firefall. Entire game systems have been retooled, revamped, and sometimes removed entirely as part of the developers' efforts to improve the game. The latest Firefall devblog has revealed that the game's progression system is back on the operating table for the second time, and it's going to get some more nips and tucks in the March 22nd milestone patch. Senior Game Designer Cameron Winston states that when the studio first overhauled the game's progression system (replacing the game's more traditional leveling system with battleframe-specific tech trees), the result was certainly for the best, but the change "came with some problems of its own," such as being "hard to understand... [with] arbitrary limitations that prevented players from exploring how they could customize their frames." To fix these issues, the studio will ensure that players will now have "far more flat access to the frames," meaning that there will still be different battleframe classes such as Assault and Recon, "but each battleframe will now have its own unique progression tree," which the developers hope will give more flexibility and customization options to players. Of course, the specifics of an entire system overhaul can't be adequately described in 300 words or less, so if you want all the fine details, head on over to Firefall's official site.
