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, and was 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 is available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, though Hi-Rez Studios.  Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are 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> 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. Three 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, and was released on April 12, 2012. <ref>[http://archives.theexiled.pwnageservers.com/HiRezBlog/03092012.html Hi-Rez Studios Announces Tribes: Ascend Release Date and Releases Parody Trailer]</ref>  It is available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, though Hi-Rez Studios.  Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are 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> 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. Three 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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{{Main|Tribes: Ascend Loadouts and Classes}}
{{Main|Tribes: Ascend Loadouts and Classes}}
[[File:Tribes Ascend Beta Loadouts.jpg|thumb|left|Tribes: Ascend Beta Loadouts]]
[[File:Tribes Ascend Beta Loadouts.jpg|thumb|left|Tribes: Ascend Beta Loadouts]]
Tribes: Ascend features 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.  There are currently nine loadouts to choose from.  Loadouts may be acquired either through an upfront payment, or through playing the game for an unspecified amount of time.<ref>[http://forum.hirezstudios.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=234&t=37698&start=0 Why Loadouts?]</ref>  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 three free loadouts, the Juggernaut, Pathfinder, and Soldier when they first start playing the game.  One armor from each class.
Tribes: Ascend features 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.  There are currently nine loadouts to choose from.  Loadouts may be acquired either through an upfront payment, or through playing the game for an unspecified amount of time.<ref>[http://archives.theexiled.pwnageservers.com/HiRezForum/37698.html Why Loadouts?]</ref>  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 three free loadouts, the Juggernaut, Pathfinder, and Soldier when they first start playing the game.  One armor from each class.


Hi-Rez will also sell cosmetic items such as player skins, along with boosters that allow players to gain credits 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.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ikaZJ-M3EE Tribes: Ascend Hands On Demo With Todd Harris - PAX Prime 2011]</ref>
Hi-Rez will also sell cosmetic items such as player skins, along with boosters that allow players to gain credits 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.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ikaZJ-M3EE Tribes: Ascend Hands On Demo With Todd Harris - PAX Prime 2011]</ref>

Revision as of 16:59, 5 April 2013

Tribes: Ascend

Developer(s) Hi-Rez Studios
Publisher(s) Hi-Rez Studios
Engine Unreal Engine 3 (modified)
Version 1.0.1055.0
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release date(s) April 12, 2012
Genre(s) First-person shooter
Mode(s) Multiplayer, single-player (training)
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
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, and was released on April 12, 2012. [2] It is available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, though Hi-Rez Studios. Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are featured in the game.[3] 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. Three 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 features 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. There are currently nine loadouts to choose from. Loadouts may be acquired either through an upfront payment, or through playing the game for an unspecified amount of time.[4] 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 three free loadouts, the Juggernaut, Pathfinder, and Soldier when they first start playing the game. One armor from each class.

Hi-Rez will also sell cosmetic items such as player skins, along with boosters that allow players to gain credits 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.[5]

Game modes and maps

Hi-Rez Studios are currently testing Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Rabbit, Arena, and Blitz game modes.[6] 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,[7] and a revamped version of Broadside called Crossfire. As of February 22, 2012, Rabbit mode has been removed from public games, 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.[8]

Flag Drag

As of version 1.0.1103.1[9], "flag drag" was introduced to limit the amount of speed a flag carrier can maintain at very high speeds. The drag is introduced at 300, 275, and 250 km/h for lights, mediums, and heavies, respectively. For custom servers, these speeds and the deceleration rate for when a player is over the top speed are customizable. Setting the value to 0 will turn off the feature.

Accolades/Badges

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

Ranks

As XP is earned, the player will gain rank levels that are identifiable with an insignia on the scoreboard.

Clan Tags

As of version 1.0.1055.0 clan tags can be purchased for 1500 XP or 40 Gold. They allow for the user to use a combination of letters and characters up to a maximum of four to be used as a clan tag. The desired tag will be placed in brackets.

Example: [TE]

As of version 1.0.1103.1[10], special characters may now be used, and the first character of the tag does not have to be a letter, which was previously disallowed due to poor programming.[11] If your in-game name is the maximum length and you use a clan tag with four characters, you will lose the last letter in your name.[12] Tags may only be bought from the main menu, not during a match.

Console Commands

These are special commands that players can activate through the console, which can be displayed via the ~ key (tilde key, next to the number 1). Replace <PlayerNickname> with the name of the player you want specified.

/mute <PlayerNickname> - Mutes the player specified.
/report <PlayerNickname> <Reason> - Reports the specified player for the specified reason.
/sendctrlrequest join queue ### - If the user is whitelisted, allows them to join a specific queue.
/stat fps - Shows the Frames Per Second
/votekick <PlayerNickname> - Starts a vote to kick the player specified.


Example:

/report Jerk This person is a total jerk.

This will report the player "Jerk" for the reason "This person is a total jerk."

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[13], 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. It may be possible to modify in-game textures by extracting them and then repacking them, but HiRez has previously shown[14] that they would rather see this stopped than encouraged.

See also: Tribes: Ascend/FileSpecs/TextureCache

See also: Tribes: Ascend/File Extraction

Assumed backstory

Lore has not been released, though an unofficial backstory is being written by the community, 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.

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. Newer generators no longer require a pit. 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.

Reception

 Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator Score
GameRankings 87.94% (17 reviews) [15]
Metacritic 87/100 (28 reviews) [16]
Review scores
Publication Score
PC Gamer 88/100[17]
EuroGamer 10/10[18]
IGN 9/10[19]
GameSpot 8/10[20]
Edge Magazine 9/10[21]

Tribes Ascend was met with critical acclaim from most major reviewers. IGN gave the game a 9/10 rating.[19]

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. As of patch 1.0.1055.0, Ascend currently has 7 Sub Machine Guns, 7 Pistols, 5 Shotguns, 4 Assault Rifles, 3 Thumpers, Claymores, a Whiteout Grenade (Flash bang), and melee/knives, these are essentially found in every Call of Duty game. Hi-Rez tried to compensate for this by adding in 11 different Spinfusors, 3 mortars, and 2 plasma weapons. 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.

Bullet based projecticle weaponry was rarely seen in the Tribes series, yet it has a major presence in Ascend. 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 heavy 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. The inability of the Technician's repair tool to heal players, would also suggest a regression in technology, along with HUDs that have a limited zoom and weapons that have ammo readouts instead of being directly linked to the HUD.

Hi-Rez has currently misused at least two pieces of lore. The first is the term Firetruce, which is an event like our Olypmics, yet they are making it sound like a treaty. HiRezSean says, "[Diamond Sword] is going to break the Firetruce and attack the Blood Eagle."[22] 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.

While an SDK has been mentioned for later down the road, to avoid "dividing" the community[23], there are no public plans for allowing scripts, custom skins, or custom mods. All other Tribes games supported mods and user-generated content.

Unlike previous Tribes games, Ascend is unable to handle high pings. Players with pings over 100ms will suffer from increasing amounts of lag.

See also

References

  1. What are the minimum and recommended system requirements for Tribes: Ascend?
  2. Hi-Rez Studios Announces Tribes: Ascend Release Date and Releases Parody Trailer
  3. Shazbot! Tribes: Ascend announced. Multiplayer-only, coming this year, has trailer
  4. Why Loadouts?
  5. Tribes: Ascend Hands On Demo With Todd Harris - PAX Prime 2011
  6. "Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeEIFfMbas&feature=player_embedded. 
  7. Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011
  8. Tribes Beta Version 0.1.789.1 Patch Notes
  9. Tribes: Ascend Update: Marksman (Version 1.0.1103)
  10. Tribes: Ascend Update: Marksman (Version 1.0.1103)
  11. This Clan Tag Cannot Be Used
  12. Clan tags reduce the character limit for the entire name
  13. Unreal Development Kit
  14. HiRez Studios sends Cease and Desist letter
  15. "Tribes: Ascend". http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/624324-tribes-ascend/index.html. Retrieved 2012-06-19. 
  16. "Tribes: Ascend". http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/tribes-ascend. Retrieved 2012-06-19. 
  17. Lahti, Evan (2012-04-12). "Tribes: Ascend review". http://www.pcgamer.com/review/tribes-ascend-review-2/. Retrieved 2014-04-14. 
  18. Stanton, Rich (2012-04-12). "Tribes Ascend Review". http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-04-16-tribes-ascend-review. Retrieved 2012-04-14. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 Stanton, Rich (2012-04-19). "Tribes Ascend Review". http://pc.ign.com/articles/122/1223384p1.html. Retrieved 2012-04-19. 
  20. Stanton, Rich (2012-04-19). "Tribes Ascend Review". http://www.gamespot.com/tribes-ascend/reviews/tribes-ascend-review-6372435/. Retrieved 2012-04-19. 
  21. Stanton, Rich (2012-04-19). "Tribes Ascend Review". http://www.edge-online.com/reviews/tribes-ascend-review/. Retrieved 2012-04-19. 
  22. Shazpod
  23. NoFrag

External links