Global Agenda Version 1.37 introduces a number of enhancements, bug fixes and improvements -- including a new Achievement system, the ability to switch quickly between different Weapon/Armor/Skill Tree Profiles, major updates to the Auction House, new Vanity Items, Mission Queueing updates, and more.
Server downtime: The Global Agenda Servers are expected to be down on TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2010 from ~11:30 AM- 5:00 PM US Eastern (16:30 to 22:00 GMT) while the patch is deployed. Watch GAServerStatus on Twitter for the latest server availability information.
Players wishing to play the free trial for Global Agenda: Sandstorm can visit
http://www.globalagendagame.com/freetrial.
Major Highlights
* German Language Support: This release contains German Language support. To change to German, use the OPTIONS menu on the Global Agenda Launcher. If you find errors or oddities in the German translation, please report on the Version 1.37 Test Server forums.
* Achievements: A full achievement system has been added. Players can view achievements using the ACHIEVEMENTS tab on the Agent Profile screen. Some achievements will award helmets or other flair as they are achieved.
* Star Rankings from skills now fade in between variance 17-18.25. This prevents an issue where users sometimes saw their star ranking suddenly drop after an unusual match.
* Quick Swap Profiles: Players can now purchase multiple equipment profiles for each character from the PROFILES VENDOR at the Proteus Center for Neural Reprogramming in Dome City, using Tokens. Each profile allows you to set unique Skill Tree, Weapon, Appearance, and Armor choices. You can switch profiles from anywhere that you can equip your character. You can purchase up to a total of 4 additional profiles per character.
* Special Vanity Items: This release introduces two new special/rare items -- Magic Elf Goggles, which you wear during PvP matches and cause all enemies to appear to have elf heads (so you can have fun shooting them); and a Vanity Pet, which follows you in Dome City while also giving your character a 50% groundspeed boost while in Dome City. See below for more information.
* Auction House: The Auction House has undergone major improvements to make it easier for players to buy and sell. See below for more.
* 4v4 Arena Matches: 4v4 Arena matches now occur on a timer (similar to Raids). After the timer goes off, there is an extended queueing period in which players can join the queue (solo or in pre-made teams of up to 4 players). After a wait period, teams will be matched against one another based on skill level. Loot rewards on the Arena matches have been improved. The 4v4 queue now requires Level 30. Note that there is a 4v4 Arena Scrimmage queue that is available to play at all times, but does not have the same rewards as the 4v4 Arena queue.
* AvA Arena Scrimmages: A new Arena queue has been added called "AvA Scrimmage". This queue accepts only pre-made teams of 10 (NOTE: You have to be in a regular team, not a Strikeforce to join queue). The queue rotates maps that are also played in AvA. There are no rewards given for this queue, and no AvA equipment can be brought to the fights. (Note that the previously existing 10v10 Arena Queue has been removed).
* Double Agent Matches: Double Agent matches now occur on a timer (similar to Raids). Loot rewards on the Double Agent matchese have been improved.
* Mission Queuing: A variety of changes have occurred to Mission Queuing to make it easier to get matches across all server regions (North Amer, Europe, etc) and to improve backfilling. More details below.
* Tokens: You can now earn a maximum of 50,000 tokens in a week. Likewise, you may hold a maximum of 50,000 tokens in your bank. The daily limit on tokens has been removed (in favor of the weekly cap).
* Flair from Achievements: Flair will now be mailed instead of dropped directly into inventory.
* Boosters (formerly known as Token/XP Boosts): Purchased Boosters now double credits and double end-of-mission loot in addition to XP and Tokens. Players should now inspect the STATS screen on Agent Profile to see key information on their active Booster. Several bug fixes have also been made to the boost calculation. Note that the double loot bonus applies solely to loot at the end of a mission, not to mob loot.
* New PvE Consumables - Four new craftable PvE consumables have been added. More details below.
* AvA Rewards: Players will receive Achievements for AvA zone victories, with special rewards tied to the Achievements. See below for more information on AvA rewards.
* Modifications -- You may now add a modification to a particular weapon or armor piece using the "wrench" underneath the weapon or armor on the Agent Profile screen (verus having to use the Modification Implant kiosk in Dome City). When you press the wrench, you will be prompted whether to Repair the Item (using a repair kit), or Mod the Item (using a Mod).
* Repair Kits -- In addition to being crafted, repair kits can now be purchased at a the Armor Vendor in Dome City for tokens (50/100/200 tokens for uncommon/rare/epic). The number of kits produced by crafters in one craft has been increased to 10 from 7.
* Timer in Special Ops PvE Missions -- If you initially enter the Boss Room with less than 4 minutes remaining in a Special Ops mission, the timer will be reset to 4 minutes (giving you additional time for the boss fight).
* Inspect -- Inspect now occurs using the "X" key by default (instead of left-mouse click). This can be changed using the CONTROLS menu. You may now inspect players inside the Open Zone.
* "Perfect Stat" Devices - The HHH and DDD devices sold at the Class Vendors in Dome City have had base damage/healing buffed by approximately 3%.
* Loot - Rare and Epic drops have been increased in Mercenary PvP and in some PvE missions.
* Armor - You may now purchase Rare Armor for CREDITS (instead of Tokens) at the Armor Vendor inside Dome City.
* Healing Boost - Now stacks its effect with other HOTs (previously it replaced them). Neutralize Wave will no longer remove the healing boost, though it still removes any other HOTs.
* Neutralize Wave - Neutralise wave no longer deals damage for each effect removed. It also provides a poison effect comparable to Poison Aura. Radius changed from 45 to 35.
* Sealed Systems - Sealed systems now heals a small amount for each negative effect removed from the Recon.
* User Files - Player's user config files will now be stored in the MY GAMES folder
* Other:
*
o Melee devices no longer give backtsab buff when backstabbing a turret.
o Healthbars no longer display in Dome City.
o A bug with scanners in PvE has been fixed to close an exploit.
o Combat Rating: Now display skill number in addition to Stars.
o Agency-Bound Items: When you leave an Agency, any Agency bound items in your personal inventory will be deleted.
Auction House
* STOCK MARKET MODEL: Most items sold on the Auction House will now use a "stock market" buy/sell model. Under this model, the seller provides a price for the item that is being sold (the "ask" price). Buyers then see all items of that type and at that same price grouped into a single line on the auction house screen. Buyers see the lowest 5 selling prices for any given item. Buyers can purchase one or more of the same item from different sellers by simply providing a price (the "bid" price) at which they are willing to purchase. The auction house will automatically reconcile the transaction with all the different sellers (on a first-in-first-out basis) who sold their merchandise when any single buyer completes a purchase. Some specialized and unique items will continue to be sold using the standard auction model of incremental bids over time. The auction house makes the decision about which model to use (stock market or standard auction) based on the item type.
* NEW SIMPLIFIED SELLING SCREEN: The Auction House UI has undergone significant changes. When you select an item for sale, the panel automatically populates the quantity for sale with the total you have in inventory (of course you can change that) and with the current market price for this item (the lowest ask price, also something you can change).
* ITEM CATEGORIES: There are now just a hand full of item categories on the left side of the auction screen and no confusing sub-types.
* PREVIEW: You may now preview Auction House items on your character prior to buying.
* OTHER FIXES: Various defects addressed related to expanding and collapsing menus.
Mission Queueing
* SERVER REGIONS: There is no longer a drop-down to select your server region on the Mission screen. Instead, your default server region (North America, Europe, etc.) is chosen automatically when you login, based on your IP address. You can modify your default server region on the SETTINGS menu. When you queue for a mission, you will be paired in matches with others from your default server region, unless no match can be made within a reasonable waiting period, at which point, you may be matched onto another server region. If you do not wish to ever be matched into a match on another server region, you may uncheck the flag to "Match on other Regions".
* BACKFILLING: If the "Volunteer me for late backfills" checkbox is checked on your SETTINGS menu ("on" by default), you will be aggressively backfilled into existing matches if a team is short players. Players that are backfilled into matches will receive the full reward for the match, as if they were in the match from the beginning.
* TIME TO NEXT TIMER-DRIVEN MISSION: For those missions queues that are only available at timed intervals (such as Raids), the Mission screen now displays the time until the next mission availability.
* MISSION ACCEPT DIALOG: You no have 30 seconds to accept a Mission (used to be 60 seconds). The Mission Accept dialogue will show a countdown of how many seconds you have remaining to accept the mission.
Special Vanity Items
There are two new special, craftable "Vanity" items in the 1.37 release. Magic Elf Goggles, which you wear during PvP matches and cause all enemies to appear to have elf heads (so you can have fun shooting them); and a Vanity Pet, which follows you in Dome City while also giving your character a 50% groundspeed boost while in Dome City.
To craft these items, you must possess a special blueprint. Only a very limited number of blueprints for these items will be placed on the Auction House for bidding. One you win this blueprint, you can craft unlimited items with it.
One or more of the components for the special items must be purchased from Carter's Accessory store, using tokens. This is to limit the number that can be crafted per day, as well as increase the value and rarity of the items.
Craftable PvE Consumables
There are four new craftable PvE Consumables in Version 1.37:
* Lasting Damage (Rare) - Provides 10% damage boost for either 15 minutes or until you die, leave the mission instance or re-equip. Stacks with all damage buffs.
* Lasting Energy (Rare) - Provides 30% power recharge for either 15 minutes or until you die, leave the mission instance or re-equip.
* Lasting Regeneration (Rare) - Slow regeneration for 15 minutes or until you die, leave the mission instance or re-equip.
* Repo Android (Epic) - Deploys a powerful Repurposed Android.
Each consumable is craftable, and the items should be available for crafting them either through salvage or a new vendor in dome city. Note that the item for crafting the Repo Android comes only from salvaging Epic items. This is a new component item.
You must level your crafting along the Consumable path to craft Rare and Epic items.
AvA Rewards
The following rewards will be implemented for AvA in Version 1.37:
1. Token Reward: All participating AvA players are awarded 1 token for every 2 Networth their Agency gains, up to a maximum of 15,000 tokens. This award is at the end of the season.
2. Achievements and Holographic Helms: Individual player Achievements are awarded for participating in an Agency that wins an AvA season once ("A New Champion"), three times ("Rising Legend"), five times ("Supreme Focus"), and ten times ("Eternal Glory"). Additional, individual player Achievements are awarded for participating in an Agency that places in the Top 3 for an AvA season once ("Top Men"), three times ("Held the Line") , five times ("Consistent Domination"), and ten times ("We are Legion"). Each Achievement awards the player an increasingly awesome holographic helm. These helms are all brand new for 1.37. Note that players who change agencies in the last week of a season may not be awarded the achievements. Players who do not participate in AvA battles for the season (with their Agency) will also not be awarded the Achievements. Achievements will be awarded going forward (that is, no recognition of AvA wins prior to Ver 1.37 as those had their own rewards).
3. Item Rewards: Agencies that win an AvA season are awarded special weapons and devices not currently available anywhere else in the game. A limited number of these items are awarded for each win, deposited in the Agency's Inventory. These items will bind once equipped. Example: Archer's Folly - A unique Standard Mine variant that, in addition to having the OC damage upgrade, also increases the maximum number of mines that can be deployed at once, and reduces the time to deploy mines by half. The Top 10 participating Agencies will also be awarded some number of unique AvA devices, such as Black Lance Vandals or Dark Steel Vindicators. As we continue to add additional items, devices, and AvA vehicles to the game, these rewards will change over time.
Author
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