Tribes: Ascend

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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, through 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 to all players for free, the others must be unlocked with experience or purchased with Gold. On July 12, 2013, Todd, the COO of Hi-Rez, announced that they had stopped development of Tribes: Ascend and that it would be more likely that they would begin development of Tribes: Ascend 2 than release a major update for Ascend.[4] The very next day a discussion was started about having the community creating an SDK for the game. On July 16, 2013 in an interview with Todd he announced that Hi-Rez was looking into releasing mod tools and map tools, but no date was confirmed.[5] On August 05, 2013, Hi-Rez announced that they would be closing the official forums down due to an increase in the use of social media outlets.[6] Some Reddit users believe that the closure has more to do with Hi-Rez's inability to resolve the SQL errors on the forum, as removing the official forums will do more harm to the community with, no way to provide feedback or report bugs related to the game.

Gameplay

Loadouts and classes

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 only support two weapons, a melee object, a pack, and a belt item. Players can select which loadout to use by pressing a number on the numberpad to choose which armor you want and then choose the loadout. 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.[7] 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 also sells cosmetic items such as player skins and voice packs, 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, call-ins, and base upgrades.[8]

Game modes and maps

There are currently 5 game modes, Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Rabbit, Arena, and Blitz.[9] Ascend features classic maps such as Katabatic, Raindance, Dangerous Crossing, and Canyon Crusade, it also has new maps featuring various landscapes from the arctic tundra to the barren desert. As of February 22, 2012, Rabbit mode has been removed from public games, and replaced with Arena mode, which is unlocked at level 8. Rabbit mode is only available on custom servers.[10]

Flag Drag

As of version 1.0.1103.1[11], "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 1,500 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[12], 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.[13] 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.[14] 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

As of July 2013, mod tools and map tools are now being looked into as a possibility. The community has stepped up and began creating their own SDK; it requires the developer build of the game, but allows for custom mods and maps to be used. It is possible to host your own dedicated and listening server, but it is not possible for anyone to join it.

See also: Tribes: Ascend/FileSpecs/TextureCache

See also: Tribes: Ascend/File Extraction


When Hi-Rez announced that there would be no more updates, the community started working on an SDK. Below are guides on mapping for Ascend:

See also: SDK Guide to Mapping

See also: SDK Mapping for the Lazy

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.

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. Open letter to hirez response
  5. Behind the Blue Plate #52 - Interview with HiRezTodd
  6. Official forums will close within 24 hours
  7. Why Loadouts?
  8. Tribes: Ascend Hands On Demo With Todd Harris - PAX Prime 2011
  9. "Tribes Ascend - Interview vidéo avec Todd Harris - Gamescom 2011". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXeEIFfMbas&feature=player_embedded. 
  10. Tribes Beta Version 0.1.789.1 Patch Notes
  11. Tribes: Ascend Update: Marksman (Version 1.0.1103)
  12. Tribes: Ascend Update: Marksman (Version 1.0.1103)
  13. This Clan Tag Cannot Be Used
  14. Clan tags reduce the character limit for the entire name
  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

External links