Global Agenda - Now Subscription less, GW model.

[Mrbloodworth]

Few questions.
1.  Is there a way to select the type of PVP mission or is all random?
2.  Do I really need to go to the screen in the center of Dome and press U every time I want to queue?
3.  Is there a way to see what kind of game I'm in?  I get confused when I enter a game (though it becomes obvious soon after).  I guess I have to watch all of those "briefings".

1. Not yet. Soon.
2. No, press "M" anywhere.
3. Yes, briefings , and the icon at the top right of the loading screen when the match starts. It could be better IMO.

The heal grenade is love, as its a heal that does not use your power pool, and does an AOE heal, good for tossing on points or healing yourself. The poison one is perhaps more useful, and nasty.

You can join my agency.   (Click thing that says "(Request to join this agency)" )

[Mnemon]

One thing to toy with as a medic is getting rid of your main gun to free up points for more offhand weapons (right click on it in your equip window). You should mainly be using your healing gun anyway, so being able to equip more and higher level offhands can be a big advantage.

[Mrbloodworth]

As a medic, my playstyle requires my gun. But you are right, the customization options are really good, and there should be a flavor for everyone.

[Draegan]

Ok I put in an application.  I love how you can do that online.  That's pretty neat and about time it's done by the game dev.

--

My medic needs some sort of pistol, but I can see how those options are good.  I just need levels so I can start getting some more interesting toys.

[Morfiend]

For those playing a Medic.  How useful is the "heal grenade"?  It's the item I use the least.  Seems a waste.

I LOVE the heal grenade on my Medic. Not only does it heal everyone with out using power, it also puts a pretty good HoT on them. In fact I use it mostly for the hot. Its the offhand item I use the most. Great to drop on points while a bunch of attackers are trying to swarm.

[Draegan]

Looks like I'm retarded.  I'll have to get more experience in.  Or maybe find better players to play with.

[Mrbloodworth]

Ok I put in an application.  I love how you can do that online.  That's pretty neat and about time it's done by the game dev.

--

My medic needs some sort of pistol, but I can see how those options are good.  I just need levels so I can start getting some more interesting toys.

Holy shit, looks like they updated it. There is agency chat, and even VOIP from outside the game...... Not to mention all the Zone/hex stuff.


Also, some random video reviews. NSFW Spoken words.

Part 1
http://www.zam.com/bffreport.html?bffreport=17

Part 2
http://www.zam.com/bffreport.html?bffreport=18

[01101010]

Ok I put in an application.  I love how you can do that online.  That's pretty neat and about time it's done by the game dev.

--

My medic needs some sort of pistol, but I can see how those options are good.  I just need levels so I can start getting some more interesting toys.

Holy shit, looks like they updated it. There is agency chat, and even VOIP from outside the game...... Not to mention all the Zone/hex stuff.


Also, some random video reviews. NSFW Spoken words.

Part 1
http://www.zam.com/bffreport.html?bffreport=17

Part 2
http://www.zam.com/bffreport.html?bffreport=18

Those were pretty entertaining. I may have to go sell some plasma or bone marrow this weekend and pick it up.

edit: from that vid... The unofficial manual does indeed fill in a lot of questions.

[Hoax]

I am blocking this thread from now on. The more I read it, the more tempted I am to grab it. 

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I don't have the money or the time to play this, I really don't.  Thank god these fuckwads decided to go for a sub model which is keeping me safe from this game so far.

[Mrbloodworth]

I am blocking this thread from now on. The more I read it, the more tempted I am to grab it.  

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

I don't have the money or the time to play this, I really don't.  Thank god these fuckwads decided to go for a sub model which is keeping me safe from this game so far.

Good chunk of the game requires no subscription. The subscription part is also free until after march, and they have already said this my be extended depending on delays of new content.

[Mrbloodworth]

Ok I put in an application.  I love how you can do that online.  That's pretty neat and about time it's done by the game dev.

Seems that did not work, or I don't know what I am doing. In any case, hit up "Grimst" in game for an invite, I am sure I shall be on most of the evening.

[Draegan]

Ok I played for a bunch of hours last night with Bloodworth.  This is a fun game.

[01101010]

Good chunk of the game requires no subscription. The subscription part is also free until after march, and they have already said this my be extended depending on delays of new content.

I fail. Downloading from Steam currently, 7%. I guess it does actually pay to help neighbors shovel off their roofs - made $60 in 4 hours today. Blood this better be good. 

(yes roofs... People in Pittsburgh are freaking out about their shit collapsing under 10" of packed, melting snows)

[Mrbloodworth]

Good chunk of the game requires no subscription. The subscription part is also free until after march, and they have already said this my be extended depending on delays of new content.

I fail. Downloading from Steam currently, 7%. I guess it does actually pay to help neighbors shovel off their roofs - made $60 in 4 hours today. Blood this better be good. 

(yes roofs... People in Pittsburgh are freaking out about their shit collapsing under 10" of packed, melting snows)

Check your steam friend invites.

[brellium]

I'm playing a recon with KAAOS right now,

The most important lesson for a recon is target prioritization.

Generally mine are:

a.)  Beacons
b.)  Healing Stations
c.)  Turrets
d.)  Stealth Detectors
e.)  Whatever else is left.

This is regardless of my spec, bomber or sniper.

I would like to mention that the number of recons in a pvp group doesn't matter as the game does a good job balancing teams.

The primary factor for victories I've found is actually healers, if you have pain medics on your team, they'll do the most damage on your team and you will lose.



I've been on teams where recons do what they're supposed to and win, and where recons are the only one staying on the point. For that reason for pvp I'm sniper, for AvA I'm bomber.

[Cadaverine]

I had successfully resisted the urge to pick this up until watching the video review BW posted.   Blarg.

[brellium]

I had successfully resisted the urge to pick this up until watching the video review BW posted.   Blarg.

All the cool kids are doing it, don't you wanna be cool?

[Ixxit]

Picked this up late last night based on the discussion here.

good gameplay + persistent world/stats =  hella addictive 

[Draegan]

I've been playing this all day.  Got my medic to 18.   

[Triforcer]

Anyone know where you can find a list of all weapons, implants, devices, etc. in a character builder?  I'm having a hard time figuring out actual details about the classes' various toys. 

[Mrbloodworth]

Patch notes for test.

[Cadaverine]

Been playing since this afternoon.  So far, I have all four classes to level 8.

I am liking the Engineer Robotic and the Medic so far.  I pretty much suck at Recon and Assault. 

At least I have sense enough to stay in range of the medic, and behind the force field, on my assault.  Which is more than I can say for a lot of the people I've grouped with today.   

[Draegan]

Just hit level 20 on my medic before logging tonight.  If you're a medic I'd suggest rolling up through the Balance tree first.  You get a lot of protection and self preservation.

[caladein]

Yeah, if you're a primarily healing Medic the Balance tree is where it's at.  Damage Protection, Bigger Energy Pool, Better Energy Regen, and even the Boost Cost Reduction is really nice in PvE.

[Goumindong]

Please tell me that this game is impossible to run on a shitty PC/Laptop. Because those videos made me want to pick this game up.

Small scale persistent Tribes? Damn that looks fun.

Edit: Sweet, can't play it.

[Mrbloodworth]

I would highly recommend all of you join the agency. Medic does seem to be the best introductory class, its good to stick on an assault and learn the maps that way.

[Draegan]

My level 20 Medic is now a beast.  Once you start learning how to switch between grenades and melee and rifle and your healing gun you can really start turning the tide for your team.

I'm still 5 points (10 levels) shy of my full build.  I'm going for a melee build and it'll be awesome.

--

I'm not sure what the point is to level from 30 to 50.  You don't get any new abilities or skill points.  Maybe it's better upgrades.  Duno.  Maybe the content isn't there, or it's getting drops from PVE missions.

I would highly recommend all of you join the agency. Medic does seem to be the best introductory class, its good to stick on an assault and learn the maps that way.

The good thing about starting in this game is that you can skip the intro and get right into it starting at level 5.  Now from my experience you have to play the class you want, but ease of entry I'll rank class this way:

Assault
Medic
Recon
Robotics

Here's why:
Assault is basically point and shoot and pop shields and grenades.  Can't be more simple than that.  There really isn't any situational awareness other than making sure you pop your shields when your health is low or you're wading into a nasty group of bad guys.

Medic is pretty easy to get into but as more options unfold to you, you have more things to do and the more awareness you have.  To play a good medic you have to be aware of where of your own health and your teams.  So there is a bit more situational awareness to keep track of.  Also you can switch between your healing gun and your two offensive tools if you want too.

Recon are very easy to play but if you're not competent you're useless to your team.  Brellium said it best.  If you're not out there searching for spawn points and other Robotic stations then you're doing it wrong.  Most recons you see run around taking out guys in the middle of no where or sniping people from a secluded spot.  This isn't helping at all.

(In case you didn't realize you can place your teams spawn point where ever you want allowing your team to spawn near a hotspot.  If you destroy the beacon then the team has to run to wherever the contested point is.)

Robotics are tough because they start off weak.  All your damage and abilities take time to spawn and you have to set everything up and keep it up with your Robo gun.  A well set up Robo with a nest of toys is extremely tough to take down and a huge asset to your team.  A stupidly or hastily placed gun station is a waste where a well placed one turns the tides of battle.

--

Heh that was long winded but just another perspective.

[01101010]

Here's why:
Assault is basically point and shoot and pop shields and grenades.  Can't be more simple than that.  There really isn't any situational awareness other than making sure you pop your shields when your health is low or you're wading into a nasty group of bad guys.

Medic is pretty easy to get into but as more options unfold to you, you have more things to do and the more awareness you have.  To play a good medic you have to be aware of where of your own health and your teams.  So there is a bit more situational awareness to keep track of.  Also you can switch between your healing gun and your two offensive tools if you want too.

Recon are very easy to play but if you're not competent you're useless to your team.  Brellium said it best.  If you're not out there searching for spawn points and other Robotic stations then you're doing it wrong.  Most recons you see run around taking out guys in the middle of no where or sniping people from a secluded spot.  This isn't helping at all.

(In case you didn't realize you can place your teams spawn point where ever you want allowing your team to spawn near a hotspot.  If you destroy the beacon then the team has to run to wherever the contested point is.)

Robotics are tough because they start off weak.  All your damage and abilities take time to spawn and you have to set everything up and keep it up with your Robo gun.  A well set up Robo with a nest of toys is extremely tough to take down and a huge asset to your team.  A stupidly or hastily placed gun station is a waste where a well placed one turns the tides of battle.

--

Heh that was long winded but just another perspective.

That is pretty close to my opinion - though I would say robos are much better geared for longer fights in PvE and way more useful overall in PvP then PvE for now (pre-15 as I am). Setting up a point, defending an area/chokepoint... robos shine. I would say they are much stronger on the PvP side of the box. I have fun on my robo - once you get the med crate, you can set up a nice little shop - too bad in PvE, the fight is already down the hall by the time you get shit set.

Assault is my spray and pray character. Power hungry goliaths. With a medic in tow, can really hold and advance pretty well. When I play my medic I tend to stick with one assault (the one that seems to know wtf he/she is doing) and heal whoever comes in range.

Medic is more focus on the group and if everything is ok, plink some shit. I go full heals so I normally am riding the smart person on my team. Its fun to be the reason you win or lose.

Recon... hate to say it - but this is my shittiest class. Feels very weak out of the box and stealth seems useless when you get somewhere and don't have the firepower to end things. That said, I am probably going to play this class outright. My self-loathing has no bounds and I love the challenge.

I'd say its a good purchase for what it is. This coming from someone who did off and on PvE all weekend. I will get into PvP more once I get some me time (read: sleeping pills to slip to the gf).

[tazelbain]

Any scrubs having fun with this game?

[Morfiend]

Any scrubs having fun with this game?

Huh?

[Draegan]

I think he means people who usually suck at FPSs and arn't twitchy players.

Yes.  I'm not scrub, but I'm far from a pro and this game is fun.  It doesn't require pinpoint mouse accuracy like CoD and everyone has a ton of hps so you rarely die in 1-3 shots.  So it's forgiving.

[Mrbloodworth]

Here's why:
Assault is basically point and shoot and pop shields and grenades.  Can't be more simple than that.  There really isn't any situational awareness other than making sure you pop your shields when your health is low or you're wading into a nasty group of bad guys.

Medic is pretty easy to get into but as more options unfold to you, you have more things to do and the more awareness you have.  To play a good medic you have to be aware of where of your own health and your teams.  So there is a bit more situational awareness to keep track of.  Also you can switch between your healing gun and your two offensive tools if you want too.

Recon are very easy to play but if you're not competent you're useless to your team.  Brellium said it best.  If you're not out there searching for spawn points and other Robotic stations then you're doing it wrong.  Most recons you see run around taking out guys in the middle of no where or sniping people from a secluded spot.  This isn't helping at all.

(In case you didn't realize you can place your teams spawn point where ever you want allowing your team to spawn near a hotspot.  If you destroy the beacon then the team has to run to wherever the contested point is.)

Robotics are tough because they start off weak.  All your damage and abilities take time to spawn and you have to set everything up and keep it up with your Robo gun.  A well set up Robo with a nest of toys is extremely tough to take down and a huge asset to your team.  A stupidly or hastily placed gun station is a waste where a well placed one turns the tides of battle.

--

Heh that was long winded but just another perspective.

That is pretty close to my opinion - though I would say robos are much better geared for longer fights in PvE and way more useful overall in PvP then PvE for now (pre-15 as I am). Setting up a point, defending an area/chokepoint... robos shine. I would say they are much stronger on the PvP side of the box. I have fun on my robo - once you get the med crate, you can set up a nice little shop - too bad in PvE, the fight is already down the hall by the time you get shit set.

Assault is my spray and pray character. Power hungry goliaths. With a medic in tow, can really hold and advance pretty well. When I play my medic I tend to stick with one assault (the one that seems to know wtf he/she is doing) and heal whoever comes in range.

Medic is more focus on the group and if everything is ok, plink some shit. I go full heals so I normally am riding the smart person on my team. Its fun to be the reason you win or lose.

Recon... hate to say it - but this is my shittiest class. Feels very weak out of the box and stealth seems useless when you get somewhere and don't have the firepower to end things. That said, I am probably going to play this class outright. My self-loathing has no bounds and I love the challenge.

I'd say its a good purchase for what it is. This coming from someone who did off and on PvE all weekend. I will get into PvP more once I get some me time (read: sleeping pills to slip to the gf).

Robos get the drones and tread thingys (mobile turrets really) at later levels that make them more mobile. The main reason I said medic is a good introductory class is because they are team useful from the get go, and as long as you stick to an assault, you get to learn the maps as you do. The other classes grow into usefulness, and do somewhat require some map knowledge.

Recons are quite powerful in the right hands, but I feel they require a good deal of understanding of others classes, and map layouts, they also need to use a good deal of stick and move tactics, know when to run and all that. Robos need map knowledge too in PvP to a degree, knowing how far your stuff will reach and where is a good choke point to lock down with toys.

Like all good FPS though, there is a lot to think about as far as how to play a class/map/gametype, so there really isn't a wrong answer, well, other than facing your turret into a wall  .

Currently I have a medic at 22, an assault at 21, a recon at around 9 or so and a Robo at 10 I think, sampling all the classes is allays a good idea. Having them all use the same name is also quite nice. Means you can bring whatever you want to the party.

[Mrbloodworth]

Any scrubs having fun with this game?

The combat style is solid, mobility is good, and there is just of an arcade feel to add in the fun, instead of the dolphin diving of such games as battlefield series. Cover matters (Not to the point of gears of war though...), mobility matters, TEAMWORK matters. Like plantside there is quite a lot that those who are not twitch happy freaks to do, so much so, that my girlfriend wants a copy and to play with us (she likes the healer and Engi) so I got her one. She doesn't play FPS's. But she is attracted tot he PvE, the RPG elements, the Team work, and the fact she can be useful with having little to no FPS skills. When we logged off due to the server being down, she said, and I quote "This game is fun!".

Others can attest, she makes a dam fine medic/support, she has even been dabbling in the poison pistol (Something that requires more aim that the heal beam).

[01101010]

I began Planetside as an Infiltrator and it seems I shall be again. Its funny because the more I read about recons, the more they sound like they fit - focus is not so much on direct engagement and not so much on the body count but on flipping towers and slipping in through the back door actual recon and tech disposal. Now to actually play one to 10. 

[Draegan]

Yeah I played with Bloodworth and his gf over the weekend.  If she's not good at video games and/or shooters it didn't show at all.