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first post of the section, woot
from the creators of the SOCOM series, MAG is a PS3 excusive that will feature an extremely unique and innovative server architecture, allowing for lag-less 256-player battles that ALSO virtually remove cheating in every form, from geometry exploits (getting inside objects by doing a series of actions, i.e. slashing at certain corners in Combat Arms will let you slowly slip inside) to people hotwiring their console to run hacks, to network glitches (tapping, geometry exploits by tapping, other misc cheating methods by network irregularities)
the rundown is as follows:
~Story takes place 20 years from now where resources are dwindling and PMCs (Private Military Contractors or Companies, basically groups of mercenaries) are used to fight proxy wars or fight for contracts themselves, the PMCvsPMCvsPMC situation has been dubbed the "Shadow War"
~although there will be 4 modes in total (two 64 standard-styled [TDM and conquest/territory-control], a 128 escort-esque mission are the others), obviously the star will be the 256-player Domination mode explained shortly
~when you start the game, you are assigned one PMC (each PMC has different weapons, looks, vehicles, etc.), chosen by you, although you willl have to stay with that PMC, the option to change will be in the future after it's release, there are 3 PMCs in total to chose from
~PMCs follow a system of prestige in which one PMC will be better than the other due to the outcome of the matches that take place, one PMC can overtake the other by winning more often than the PMC that's currently the most prestigious, it will be an ongoing battle that isnt just between two groups of gamers in a match, it is an internet war per-say
~in Domination mode the PMC with the most prestige at the time will be defending, the attacking team will be spawned to the north, south, east, and west, and attack a central outpost, gaining forward-spawnpoints as objectives are eliminated, the winning team will gain more prestige, to prevent one PMC from becoming unbelievably higher due to chance, there is a difference cap
~Full-customization is available and will will be somewhat taking the form of Metal Gear Online's customization scheme, being able to customize face, armor, voice, and others. there are no pre-defined kits, the weapon system will be similar to CoD4, with perks and customizable weapons
~from the screenshots i've seen, the character models could use just a bit of work, but the environment is beautiful and lighting just looks unreal, skybox is hot
~the game will follow the US Military's hierarchy of command, at the start, 4 platoons form the 128-player team and are given a direction to defend by the OIC (currently highest ranked player), each of the 4 platoons have 4 squads of 8 players, there are squad leaders, platoon leaders, and the OIC, after ranking up so far, you may apply to start your leadership career by becoming a squad leader, each platoon of the attacking team are given objectives to attack, and vice versa for the defending team. each leader will be able to use increasingly larger tactic formations and tactical commands, i.e. squad leaders can call in a UAV to gain intel about the area around them, the OIC can call in air strikes, precision strikes, bombardments, etc. Only after proving themselves extremely adequately can a squad leader be promoted. Obviously, if there are two people in a squad eligible to become squad leader, the one with highest rank will become the squad leader
~ribbons and medals can be earned for certian achievements, sort of like Battlefield 2
~there will be no ambient tracks played on the map (although there is music that can be turned on or off, the music that plays is PMC-exclusive too, each PMC has their own style). Many older war titles used sounds of bombs going off in the distance, gunfire, and smoke and explosions in the distance to make users feel like they're part of a larger battle, but every sound that takes place in MAG is user-caused, bombs going off and planes overhead are all from players, air raid sirens go off whenever a platoon advances, etc.
~using a new matchmaking system, there will no-longer be a long wait between matches
~bonuses are awarded for being the most prestigious PMC at the moment
~the weapon system is as follows: "Each soldier can carry one primary weapon, sidarm, melee weapon, and three gear perks. Common perks include smokes, frags, rocket launchers, and medkits. Players can create and save three different load-outs in the armory and switch freely between them as they respawn, giving players the flexibility to respond to a shifting battle dynamic." One would assume that the rocket launcher is ineffective against players, and that assumption is right, it's only really effective for blowing up AA placements, radar stations, etc.
now, onto the delicious screenshots
from the creators of the SOCOM series, MAG is a PS3 excusive that will feature an extremely unique and innovative server architecture, allowing for lag-less 256-player battles that ALSO virtually remove cheating in every form, from geometry exploits (getting inside objects by doing a series of actions, i.e. slashing at certain corners in Combat Arms will let you slowly slip inside) to people hotwiring their console to run hacks, to network glitches (tapping, geometry exploits by tapping, other misc cheating methods by network irregularities)
the rundown is as follows:
~Story takes place 20 years from now where resources are dwindling and PMCs (Private Military Contractors or Companies, basically groups of mercenaries) are used to fight proxy wars or fight for contracts themselves, the PMCvsPMCvsPMC situation has been dubbed the "Shadow War"
~although there will be 4 modes in total (two 64 standard-styled [TDM and conquest/territory-control], a 128 escort-esque mission are the others), obviously the star will be the 256-player Domination mode explained shortly
~when you start the game, you are assigned one PMC (each PMC has different weapons, looks, vehicles, etc.), chosen by you, although you willl have to stay with that PMC, the option to change will be in the future after it's release, there are 3 PMCs in total to chose from
~PMCs follow a system of prestige in which one PMC will be better than the other due to the outcome of the matches that take place, one PMC can overtake the other by winning more often than the PMC that's currently the most prestigious, it will be an ongoing battle that isnt just between two groups of gamers in a match, it is an internet war per-say
~in Domination mode the PMC with the most prestige at the time will be defending, the attacking team will be spawned to the north, south, east, and west, and attack a central outpost, gaining forward-spawnpoints as objectives are eliminated, the winning team will gain more prestige, to prevent one PMC from becoming unbelievably higher due to chance, there is a difference cap
~Full-customization is available and will will be somewhat taking the form of Metal Gear Online's customization scheme, being able to customize face, armor, voice, and others. there are no pre-defined kits, the weapon system will be similar to CoD4, with perks and customizable weapons
~from the screenshots i've seen, the character models could use just a bit of work, but the environment is beautiful and lighting just looks unreal, skybox is hot
~the game will follow the US Military's hierarchy of command, at the start, 4 platoons form the 128-player team and are given a direction to defend by the OIC (currently highest ranked player), each of the 4 platoons have 4 squads of 8 players, there are squad leaders, platoon leaders, and the OIC, after ranking up so far, you may apply to start your leadership career by becoming a squad leader, each platoon of the attacking team are given objectives to attack, and vice versa for the defending team. each leader will be able to use increasingly larger tactic formations and tactical commands, i.e. squad leaders can call in a UAV to gain intel about the area around them, the OIC can call in air strikes, precision strikes, bombardments, etc. Only after proving themselves extremely adequately can a squad leader be promoted. Obviously, if there are two people in a squad eligible to become squad leader, the one with highest rank will become the squad leader
~ribbons and medals can be earned for certian achievements, sort of like Battlefield 2
~there will be no ambient tracks played on the map (although there is music that can be turned on or off, the music that plays is PMC-exclusive too, each PMC has their own style). Many older war titles used sounds of bombs going off in the distance, gunfire, and smoke and explosions in the distance to make users feel like they're part of a larger battle, but every sound that takes place in MAG is user-caused, bombs going off and planes overhead are all from players, air raid sirens go off whenever a platoon advances, etc.
~using a new matchmaking system, there will no-longer be a long wait between matches
~bonuses are awarded for being the most prestigious PMC at the moment
~the weapon system is as follows: "Each soldier can carry one primary weapon, sidarm, melee weapon, and three gear perks. Common perks include smokes, frags, rocket launchers, and medkits. Players can create and save three different load-outs in the armory and switch freely between them as they respawn, giving players the flexibility to respond to a shifting battle dynamic." One would assume that the rocket launcher is ineffective against players, and that assumption is right, it's only really effective for blowing up AA placements, radar stations, etc.
now, onto the delicious screenshots
