Tribes: Ascend

Tribes: Ascend
Developer(s)	Hi-Rez Studios
Publisher(s)	Hi-Rez Studios
Engine	Unreal Development Kit (UDK) - January 2011 Version
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

Tribes: Ascend is the latest game in the Tribes franchise, and was released on April 12, 2012. 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. Unlike the other games in the series, Tribes: Ascend is 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. 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. 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. 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.

On December 10, 2015, version 1.1 was released after four PTS releases. Version 1.1 made sweeping changes to the class system, reducing it to only three armors similar to previous Tribes games, and allows the player to now have three to four weapon slots. All of the changes can be read here.

On April 04, 2018, Hi-Rez took down the Tribes: Ascend website and began redirecting users to the game's Steam page. On November 20, 2018, Hi-Rez released an update for their launcher, which removed Tribes: Ascend, making the game only playable via Steam, even though Hi-Rez set it so that the game will not appear in Steam searches. Community users have posted instructions on Reddit, explaining how to launch Tribes: Ascend without the launcher.

All information has been updated for v1.4.

Gameplay

Loadouts and classes

Main article: Tribes: Ascend 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 can support up to four weapons, defending on which class is chosen, a melee weapon, 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 12 loadouts to choose from.

Hi-Rez also sells cosmetic items such as player skins and voice packs, which can be played using the VGS, 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. Custom servers may be purchased through Hi-Rez as well, though they are also hosted by Hi-Rez.

As of version 1.1, Perks have been integrated into the three armors, so the user no longer has to choose between just two perks to equip.

Game modes and maps

There are currently 5 game modes, Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Rabbit, Arena, and Blitz. 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.

Flag Drag

As of version 1.0.1103.1, "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

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Accolades

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Badges

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

Ranks

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/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, 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. 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. 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 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.

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:

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/SDK

Reception

Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	87.94% (17 reviews)
Metacritic	87/100 (28 reviews)
Review scores
Publication	Score
PC Gamer	88/100
EuroGamer	10/10
IGN	9/10
GameSpot	8/10
Edge Magazine	9/10

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

See also

• Tribes: Ascend Patch notes
• Tribes: Ascend Criticisms
• Tribes: Universe
• Tribes: Ascend/How to Play (How to launch T:A without Steam)

External links

• Official website