MAG

[patsu]

I'm in ! The 1.8+Gb update was painful though. Slow even from my corporate network, which probably means it's a beta server sizing issue.

Anyway...

It still baffles me that there's hardly any guidance as to what to do in this game. Also, it seems like the colored ticks that a little while to show up a couple of times, though maybe it's just my eyes -- in a game with friendly fire and quick deaths it's not a great combo. Reminded me a bit of the BF 'red name' bug.

It does take 1-2 seconds before the FoF tag shows up, but I fire first, talk later. Generally works well depending on where they point their guns.


So... what can I say about the game...

It feels a little like that Battlefield game I tried months ago, but less floaty (which is good). Still not as in-your-face as RFOM, but I like how my bullets are more accurate compared to other P2P shooters. My starting K/D ratio is actually not bad (read: average).

There is really no planning/briefing going on. I don't know who my commanders are. So it's one man for himself as far as I can see. I saw specialized soldiers like Engineers and Medics doing their work on the field, got run over by vehicles twice, toasted by air strikes a couple of times. The mission objectives came in from in-game radio, and also on-screen indicators. It's easy enough to follow if you're familiar with R2 and KZ2 setup.

Need to play more to see other aspects of the game. Right now, I can only shoot, lobe grenade and fire from turret, which is no different from other FPSes. The maps are pretty good, provides lot's of places to maneuver. Also easy to take out hidden enemies. Don't think you can camp in this game. It's too open. At least I haven't found a camping point yet.

[size=-2]What happened to my squad leaders and commanders ?[/size]

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Free for all MAG beta code here:
http://psnbeta.us.playstation.com/MAG/BetaVoucher.php

I got mine ! ^_^


EDIT: Source article is here: http://blog.mag.com/blog/2009/11/mag-beta-key-giveaway/

Got mine too, its still on ! Uh ! Have to update my ps3 first. I hope the beta download can be paused and resumed, 1.8 gb at a go won't be possible for me.

 

[Cornsnake]

[size=-2]What happened to my squad leaders and commanders ?[/size]

Well, all the stats have been reset again at the start of this phase of the beta. And while I don't mind unlocking everything again, it does come with the side-effect that you need to be level 15 to be able to apply for a squad leader position. So basically there are very few squad leaders out there right now. Platoon leaders and OIC's are even rarer.

This, and the fact that most people are still new to the game makes it a bit more chaotic then it should be.

 

[patsu]

Cornsnake, I have a few questions:

(1) How do I repair an objective ? I got assigned various repair work, but can a noob commando do it ? If not, why does the system assign the job to me ?

(2) How do I cure a comrade ? I pressed L2 for a "medical gun" (?) but I could only inject myself. I aimed at a friendly soldier but it's useless.

(3) What exactly can a leader do ?

 

[Cornsnake]

Hmm, should I be helping an enemy of Raven?

Cornsnake, I have a few questions:

(1) How do I repair an objective ? I got assigned various repair work, but can a noob commando do it ? If not, why does the system assign the job to me ?

Your squad leader can assign repair work to his squad. For repairs you'll need to use the repair kit. It comes standard with the third default loadout, but you can change all the loadouts as you see fit. So you can add it to all the loadouts if you want to.

(2) How do I cure a comrade ? I pressed L2 for a "medical gun" (?) but I could only inject myself. I aimed at a friendly soldier but it's useless.

The standard medical gun can only heal yourself. Healing others and resuscitating are separate upgrades. You'll need to spend the skill points you get from levelling up to buy them.

(3) What exactly can a leader do ?

Leaders have an extra voice channel to communicate with the other leaders. They can assign priority targets, which are then highlighted on your map, and you'll receive extra XP for completion. And they can call in airstrikes.

 

[patsu]

Hmm, should I be helping an enemy of Raven?

Bah... why did you choose Raven ? I thought Valor sounds more balanced.

Thanks for your answers. Now I know why you complained that the game doesn't offer much help for beginners.

 

[obonicus]

SVER look like they don't wash. With Raven you can create a pretty good Master Chief. Valor's clearly the only choice.

 

[Cornsnake]

Bah... why did you choose Raven ? I thought Valor sounds more balanced.

Thanks for your answers. Now I know why you complained that the game doesn't offer much help for beginners.

I prefer accurate guns, although the difference between the 3 PMC's isn't that big.

Now that they are basically using the beta as a demo, they could be hurting the game more then they are helping it. Without the training mission most people will probably quite before they figure out how the game works.

 

[patsu]

I agree. Zipper at least need to clarify to folks that the slow 1.8Gb is only a stop-gap measure.

Then they also need to show the gameplay differences in squad leadership very quickly. Wiping out old beta players' stats is a mistake from this perspective.

Finally, they need an in-game guide to tell newbies where to get key resources (like a useful medical gun).

 

[obonicus]

They need to unlock the 'training' thing, which has always been locked AFAICT.

 

[patsu]

YES !! I kept clicking on the "Training" icon for the first 15 seconds.

Also the long time to form a 256 player game is detrimental to the experience. They need to have a fallback, or at least say something about the production experience (e.g., estimate for a successful match).

Outside these complains, the game has some potential (but it's not very clear yet). I supposed I need to gain more level to drive a vehicle also.

 

[obonicus]

I don't think you're even playing in 256 player games yet. Those are unlocked later on. Which is another stupid thing -- from the earlier beta, people were all saying that the best part of the game was exactly when you got to 256 players and things got super chaotic.

 

[patsu]

Ha ! So why did I have to wait so long for a game ?

Would be best if I can join a 256 player game mid-way.


I definitely like the "chaotic" part of the game. I also like to leopard crawl and pick people off the field.

 

[Cornsnake]

The gamemodes available now are Sabotage (64 players), and Domination (256 players). They need to bring back Acquisition (128 players). IMO it's by far the best modes because the battle keeps spread out over the entire map. Domination always end up a mess when all platoons are advancing on the same building. And the constant airstrikes raining down on you start to get annoying. The maps might also need some balancing, especially the SVER ones, they seem to favour defence.

 

[patsu]

Yeah, Domination is what I play so far. So it's full 256 player now right ?

I haven't noticed any mayhem in one building (a la KZ2 objective room) yet.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Damn, i thought one could create multiple soldiers. I chose SVER and I don't like them at all ! Should I delete my save game?

 

[Cornsnake]

Domination is the only mode that supports the full 256 players.

Well it is a pretty large building with 8 targets, so the platoons are spread out over them. But because your always attacking/defending the same target, which could easily be for 20 minutes, it's get a little repetitive near the end. Do Valor and SVER get to deal with incoming airstrikes on their final spawn points? I haven't really noticed that happening, but that might be because most squad leaders don't know how to call them in. Or Raven base get practically hammered into the ground by them. Most of the roofs between the central spawn points and the 8 targets are completely open. You can easily get killed right outside the spawn point. The camera before you respawn shows a small overview of the map near the spawn point. I've seen as much as 4 green smoke signals on it, signalling incoming airstrikes.

Domination was rarely available until this phase in the beta. So it probably needs the most balancing and fine tuning. Suppression has always been locked as far as I know.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Also the long time to form a 256 player game is detrimental to the experience. They need to have a fallback, or at least say something about the production experience (e.g., estimate for a successful match).

That's true of pretty much every online game and real restriction on their appeal IMO. We tried to play 4 vs 4 Booty last week, but waiting around for random people to show, and then leave when they get tired of waiting, is Not Much Fun. U2 is equally boring with its waits. Fat Princess is perhaps the best solution, padding with bots and allowing drop-in/out. This elliminates wait. Even if the game isn't great with lots of bots, it's infintely better than sat watching a static "Searching for players" screen! Either that or do it the Warhawk way where you don't wait to fill a game before it starts. That again can be a bit dull with a few people in an empty arena, but at least you can practice you skills.

How are games created? Are they server only? If so, and there are lots of players, games should fill quickly. That said, what happens if you are number 257 to start MAG? You'll have a long wait.

 

[RenegadeRocks]

Damnit ! It threw me out of a game which had just begun after a long wait and now there's a new UPDATE to be done !

 

[Cornsnake]

How are games created? Are they server only? If so, and there are lots of players, games should fill quickly. That said, what happens if you are number 257 to start MAG? You'll have a long wait.

MAG is hosted on servers. You can join a queue for every gamemode, and as far as I know, everyone join the same queue and the game start as soon as it fills up. There is also the option to join the queue for every gamemode, using that will join you in the next game that starts. Domination has the longest wait because it needs 256 players, Sabotage start much faster because it needs only 64 players. I think once the game is released waiting for games start should no longer be a issue with much more people playing the game.