Tribes: Ascend: Difference between revisions

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* Mouse and Keyboard<ref>[http://hi-rez.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/269 What are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Tribes: Ascend?]</ref>
* Mouse and Keyboard<ref>[http://hi-rez.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/269 What are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Tribes: Ascend?]</ref>
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'''''Tribes: Ascend''''' is the latest game in the [[Tribes (series)|Tribes]] franchise.  It is currently being developed by Hi-Rez Studios and was announced on March 11, 2011 at PAX East with an expected release in early 2012.  It will be available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, though Hi-Rez Studios.  Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing will be featured in the game.<ref>[http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/11/shazbot-tribes-ascend-announced-multiplayer-only-coming-this-year-has-trailer/ Shazbot! Tribes: Ascend announced. Multiplayer-only, coming this year, has trailer]</ref> Currently, the game is available to play as a closed beta.<ref>[http://www.tribesascend.com/faq/ Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta Frequently Asked Questions]</ref> Unlike the other games in the series, Tribes: Ascend will be Free-to-Play, relying on micro-transactions as their business model. To accommodate this model, the game uses class loadouts with predefined armors and weapons. Two classes are available when the game is first activated, the others must be unlocked with experience or purchased with Gold. User customization of classes, skins, maps, and mods have not been scheduled in any future update.
'''''Tribes: Ascend''''' is the latest game in the [[Tribes (series)|Tribes]] franchise.  It is currently being developed by Hi-Rez Studios and was announced on March 09, 2012 that Tribes: Ascend will be released on April 12, 2012. <ref>[http://www.hirezstudios.com/hirezwp/?p=1825 Hi-Rez Studios Announces Tribes: Ascend Release Date and Releases Parody Trailer]</ref> It will be available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, though Hi-Rez Studios.  Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing will be featured in the game.<ref>[http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/03/11/shazbot-tribes-ascend-announced-multiplayer-only-coming-this-year-has-trailer/ Shazbot! Tribes: Ascend announced. Multiplayer-only, coming this year, has trailer]</ref> Currently, the game is available to play as a closed beta.<ref>[http://www.tribesascend.com/faq/ Tribes: Ascend Closed Beta Frequently Asked Questions]</ref> Unlike the other games in the series, Tribes: Ascend will be Free-to-Play, relying on micro-transactions as their business model. To accommodate this model, the game uses class loadouts with predefined armors and weapons. Two classes are available when the game is first activated, the others must be unlocked with experience or purchased with Gold. User customization of classes, skins, maps, and mods have not been scheduled in any future update.


==Gameplay==
==Gameplay==
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===Game modes and maps===
===Game modes and maps===
Hi-Rez Studios are currently testing Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, and Rabbit game modes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeEIFfMbas&feature=player_embedded}}</ref>  While some maps will retain the classic nature of the Tribes franchise with large open areas and base structures, others will have a more urban feel to them, featuring buildings and streets.  Katabatic, which originally appeared in [[Tribes 2]],<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeEIFfMbas Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011]</ref> and a revamped version of Broadside called Crossfire. As of February 22, 2012, Rabbit mode has been removed, and replaced with Arena mode. Arena mode gives each team 25 respawns, and the team that wins two matches, wins the game. Rabbit mode will be brought back later on for custom servers.<ref>[http://hi-rez.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/303 Tribes Beta Version 0.1.789.1 Patch Notes]</ref>
Hi-Rez Studios are currently testing Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Rabbit, and Arena game modes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeEIFfMbas&feature=player_embedded}}</ref>  While some maps will retain the classic nature of the Tribes franchise with large open areas and base structures, others will have a more urban feel to them, featuring buildings and streets.  Katabatic, which originally appeared in [[Tribes 2]],<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeEIFfMbas Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011]</ref> and a revamped version of Broadside called Crossfire. As of February 22, 2012, Rabbit mode has been removed, and replaced with Arena mode, which is unlocked at level 8. Arena mode gives each team 25 respawns, and the team that wins two matches, wins the game. Rabbit mode will be brought back later on for custom servers.<ref>[http://hi-rez.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/303 Tribes Beta Version 0.1.789.1 Patch Notes]</ref>


===Accolades===
===Accolades===

Revision as of 03:40, 11 March 2012

Tribes: Ascend

Developer(s) Hi-Rez Studios
Publisher(s) Hi-Rez Studios
Engine Unreal Engine 3 (modified)
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer, single-player (training)
Rating(s) ESRB: Rating Pending
Media/distribution Download
System requirements
  • Windows XP SP2/Vista/7
  • Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or Althon X2 2.7 GHz
  • 2GB RAM (XP)
  • 3GB RAM (Vista, Win7)
  • 10GB disk space
  • DirectX compatible sound card
  • ATI or Nvidia graphics card with 512MB video ram or better and Shader Model 3.0+ support
  • Mouse and Keyboard[1]

Tribes: Ascend is the latest game in the Tribes franchise. It is currently being developed by Hi-Rez Studios and was announced on March 09, 2012 that Tribes: Ascend will be released on April 12, 2012. [2] It will be available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, though Hi-Rez Studios. Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing will be featured in the game.[3] Currently, the game is available to play as a closed beta.[4] Unlike the other games in the series, Tribes: Ascend will be Free-to-Play, relying on micro-transactions as their business model. To accommodate this model, the game uses class loadouts with predefined armors and weapons. Two classes are available when the game is first activated, the others must be unlocked with experience or purchased with Gold. User customization of classes, skins, maps, and mods have not been scheduled in any future update.

Gameplay

Loadouts and classes

Tribes: Ascend Beta Loadouts

Tribes: Ascend will feature a class-based loadout system. Each loadout specifies what type of armor you have, along with what weapons and items you can carry. Loadouts will only support two weapons, a melee object, a pack, and either grenades or mines. Players can select which loadout to use when either respawning or at an inventory station. Hi-Rez Studios has yet to reveal how many loadouts will be available at launch, though they did state that there will be at least 15 available during the closed and open beta,[5] 12 are currently available. Loadouts may be acquired either through an upfront payment, or through playing the game for an unspecified amount of time.[6] Paid-for loadouts will be available to the user instantly and permanently, while those who choose to unlock them through playing will have a much longer wait. Players will be given two free loadouts, the Soldier and Ranger when they first start playing the game. They are both part of the medium armor class. The Soldier features a Spinfusor, Eagle Pistol, Energy Pack, and a grenade. The Ranger features an assault rifle, single grenade launcher, Energy Pack, and a grenade.[7]

Hi-Rez will also sell cosmetic items such as player skins, along with boosters that allow players to gain tokens and experience at a faster rate. Players earn in-game credits during matches for killing enemies, repairing structures or capturing objectives. Credits are then used to buy vehicles, supply drops and base upgrades.[8]

Game modes and maps

Hi-Rez Studios are currently testing Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Rabbit, and Arena game modes.[9] While some maps will retain the classic nature of the Tribes franchise with large open areas and base structures, others will have a more urban feel to them, featuring buildings and streets. Katabatic, which originally appeared in Tribes 2,[10] and a revamped version of Broadside called Crossfire. As of February 22, 2012, Rabbit mode has been removed, and replaced with Arena mode, which is unlocked at level 8. Arena mode gives each team 25 respawns, and the team that wins two matches, wins the game. Rabbit mode will be brought back later on for custom servers.[11]

Accolades

To encourage diverse gameplay, various accolades and badges are awarded for accomplishing objectives or protecting assets.

User generated content

Unlike the other games in the Tribes series, Tribes: Ascend will not feature the ability to create custom mods or maps. HiRez has not ruled out the possibility, but these abilities are not on their development roadmap. The Unreal 3 engine allows users to create these through the use of the Unreal Development Kit[12], so it is not a limitation of the engine. This is most likely due to their free-to-play monetization model, which would be adversely affected if mods could unlock all classes without paying for them.

Assumed backstory

Lore has not been released, so the following is based on how the game has been designed and implemented.

In 3480, when the use of HERCs on the battlefield came in to question, smaller powered armors were developed. Due to the novelty of armors, it was not possible for soldiers to be able to alter their loadouts while on the battlefield. If a weapon ran out of ammunition, they had to find more ammo or switch to their secondary weapon. The ability to have highly configurable powered armors did not come about until 3508 when powered armors were mainstream on the battlefield.

Shield technology was only in its early phases and could only be created in planar forms and required large amounts of power. Portable force fields were developed, but these still required a direct connection to the core generator. Their weight also forced them to be moved about by only the heaviest of the armors, the Doombringer.

Advances were made in power generation and a single device could now generate enough power to keep a building and its defenses online. However, there were still problems with its design and required that the device be suspended over a large empty chamber. In the event of a critical meltdown, the reactor would be dropped into the pit and it would be flooded with a chemical bath that decomposes the reactor and neutralizes the ongoing reaction. Scientists are still working on a means to obtain power safely, but this is the only way to keep up with the power demands required of war. The size of the generator, while fairly small, has reached a wall in development. Scientists are unable to make it any smaller, which has caused deployable turrets to require direct feeds to the generator.

With the advent of the powered armors, weaponry had to be redesigned so that it was lightweight, but still powerful. Due to the limited amounts of power that could be generated by the armors, energy weapons were largely abandoned and projectile weapons were re-invented. These weapons were less powerful than their HERC counterparts, but as more tribes shifted to powered armors, they did not create a disadvantage.

Criticsim

Tribes: Ascend is frequently called Call of Duty: Ascend due to the high amount of weapons that lean more towards Call of Duty rather than Tribes. Ascend currently has 3 Sub Machine Guns, 3 Pistols, 3 Shotguns, an Assault Rifle, a Thumper, Claymores, a Whiteout Grenade (Flash bang), and melee, these are essentially found in every Call of Duty game. Hi-Rez tried to compensate for this by adding in 4 different Spinfusors. If you were to put jetpacks into Call of Duty, it would be very similar to Tribes: Ascend. It is also sometimes referred to as Global Agenda 2.0 since Hi-Rez also develops this game.

After a species has evolved to the point of energy based weaponry, it would be rather odd from them to regress back to the point of projecticle based weaponry. This development makes it hard to place into the timeline. By having the powered armor suits, it must take place during or after the Tribes 1 timeline, yet the use of projectile based weaponry would suggest that it is pre-Metaltech: Battledrone. There are also no floating bases, which were very prominent in Tribes 1, implying that the technology is not available, placing it back before Tribes 1. The use of HERCs also places the game in the pre-Tribes timeline as well.

While an SDK has been mentioned for later down the road, to avoid "dividing" the community[13], there are no public plans for allowing scripts, custom skins, or custom mods. All other Tribes games supported mods and user-generated content.

Hi-Rez has currently misused at least two pieces of lore. The first is the term Firetruce, which is an event like our Olpymics, yet they are making it sound like a treaty. HiRezSean says, "[Diamond Sword] is going to break the Firetruce and attack the Blood Eagle."[14] Unless the Diamond Sword attacked the Blood Eagle at the Firetruce, this does not make sense. The second piece of lore that is misused, is the HERC. In previous games, the HERC is a bipedal mech, which was abandoned due to the impossible task of maintaining them. The planned HERCs in Ascend will be tanks, not bipedal mechs, even though in 6 of the previously released, and one cancelled game, were all bipedal mechs.

See also

References

External links