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Global Agenda

Platform(s): PC
Genre: Online Multiplayer
Publisher: Iceberg Interactive
Developer: Hi-Rez Studios
Release Date: Feb. 1, 2010 (US), Sept. 10, 2010 (EU)

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'Global Agenda' Extends Free-Play Period for Conquest, Details Content Updates

by Rainier on Feb. 13, 2010 @ 4:02 a.m. PST

A departure from the traditional online settings of high fantasy, outer space, or military, Global Agenda, powered by the Unreal Engine 3, is set on 22nd century Earth. An invisible war is fought not with armies, but with elite teams of highly trained and well-equipped special agents, where technology is a race, knowledge is power, and everyone has an agenda.

In the wake of severe global disaster, the political face of 22nd century earth has changed. Player created factions scheme against each other for power while simultaneously opposing a totalitarian world government bent on domination. Traditional full-scale wars a thing of the past, factions must rely on covert agencies, teams of elite special operatives able to seize and defend key facilities. The future of humanity is their battleground, where knowledge is power, technology is a race, and everyone has an agenda.

The players are truly in control of Global Agenda, forging alliances with their peers and executing lightning strikes against their enemies. They determine which factions to aid and which to oppose, while the only thing that stands in their way is other agencies.

Players will be able to experience the major features of the game after a one time purchase via digital download or box sale, with no monthly subscription required.  An optional subscription package called  Global Agenda: Conquest will be available for those players who wish to participate in the persistent Alliance vs. Alliance territory control game-play.

Gamers that play Global Agenda may earn experience points, in-game credits, achievements, upgrades and loot through either player-vs-player (PvP) or player-vs-environment (PvE) missions. Reinforcing the game's team-based gameplay, PvE missions feature teams of four player agents infiltrating Commonwealth facilities and working cooperatively to defeat an end boss.

Players inside the virtual world of Global Agenda will be able to use features such as in-game voice chat to communicate with teammates during play and enjoy in-game news broadcasts describing key victories and events associated with Global Agenda's persistent territory control gameplay. In addition, monthly subscribers to the game will be able to use out-of-game player voice chat to talk with other Global Agenda players while playing other games or simply browsing the web. Players can use a variety of access methods including the Vivox Web Voice within the toolbar controls, Vivox Voice on Facebook, or calling into a specified chat channel from their phone.

Hi-Rez Studios are going to extend the free-play period for Global Agenda Conquest while continuing to deliver features and content enhancements. T his is the best way to prove to you the value of a Global Agenda Conquest subscription, while also ensuring that as many people as possible are exposed to our unique and innovative Conquest gameplay.

All players will continue to be able to play the Conquest features for the rest of February and March without a monthly subscription fee.

In the very near future, here are some additional enhancements and improvements you can expect:

BY THE END OF FEBRUARY -

Hi-Rez Studios will deliver a set of enhancements ASAP based on fairly unanimous community input, and they plan to have the following items in production by the end of February:

  • Friend List/Ignore List - Steam has a Friends List, and we offer Agency Management as an alternate way to find your friends, but an in-game Friends List (and Ignore List) was a high requested feature that is being added.
  • Player Choice on PvP Queues - For initial release we consolidated gametypes within a single PvP queue. With no guarantee around number of players we would have, our top priority was to ensure the players got into matches quickly and to make sure our matchmaking system had a sufficiently large population to balance out sides. That said, we’ve heard how much players want to specify, or eliminate, certain match types. And we do have the population to support this request. So, we will be implementing player selections per PvP gametype so you can exclude or include each type as you wish.
  • Repair Kits - Non-visual Upgrades (of the Armor or Weapon variety) do increase stats for your character. And by the time you collect 16 of them they make a big difference. They also take time to craft and/or buy and, after all that time invested, having them wear away without any recourse was frustrating. Repair Kits are a new item type that will be available in-game and restore your Upgrades to full durability.
  • Additional AvA zones and AvA Reporting - We are introducing new AvA zones to support play during hours more convenient for those in other locales. We are adding:
    • Zone 6 - Oceania/Australia - 19:00 to 21:30 in Sydney, 16:00 to 18:30p in Singapore (3a to 5:30a US Eastern, Midnight to 2:30 US Pacific) [NOTE: Initially, will run on servers hosted in the US but be geared toward an Oceanic audience, or for night owls on the US West Coast].
    • Zone 8 - Europe - 14:00 to 16:30 GMT (9a to 11:30a Eastern)

Hi-Rez Studios are also adding a few new Conquest screens to give Agencies reporting of historical combat events, and will continue to publish game stats externally via web APIs so community sites can access the data and develop custom reports. And deliver a variety of bug fixes and other improvements.

BEYOND FEBRUARY -

Generally speaking, Hi-Rez Studios intend to earn your subscription as it is focused on continued feature and content development for Conquest gameplay, including:

  • More PvP Content - New maps around a 4v4 arena gamestyle as well as a 10v10 pre-made queue.
  • More PvE Content - We’ve been pleased by the positive reception to our ‘dungeon-crawl’ style Infiltration PvE missions. That said, we want to offer additional variety both in setting and mission type. Imagine being able to step outside of the doors of Dome City and assist Bancroft by doing missions within a large open area, with additional loot available in that location. We are working toward delivering this content.
  • More AvA Content - New facility types and new game-styles for Conquest. Specifically we are developing a new ‘No Facility’ map based on Control style, a new Defensive Facility that grants protection to adjacent territories, and Resource Raid Missions based on Payload style. We also recognize that some of the game-board rules need to be looked at; we will continue to monitor those to ensure that AvA maintains the right balance between accessibility and significance.
  • Improved Crafting, Loot and Prestige Items

Features :

  • Develop your agent – Create, extensively customize, and improve your agent character over the course of your career, complimenting your FPS skills with RPG-style progression and high-tech gear.
  • Join with other agents – Engage in cooperative PvE missions to develop and refine your individual and team tactics
  • Advance your agency – Join a player-created agency, compete in technology races for advanced equipment, and capture critical locations to increase your influence in the world.
  • Compete in fast-paced PvP combat – Work with your allies to raid or capture enemy controlled facilities during objective-based missions. Equip yourself from a powerful array of weapons, armor, and strategic devices like triggered explosives, deployable turrets, stealth suits, holographic decoys, and remote control robots.
  • Experience a dynamic, player-driven world – Agency leaders navigate through a global conflict of other player-run groups, striving to reach their goals first. Territory, resources, technology, and influence are all valuable commodities, with agencies engaging in politics, intrigue, and outright deception to control them.

A comparison of the features included in the non-subscription and subscription ("Conquest") portions of the game, as well as additional pre-order information is available on the official website.

A Limited Edition Game Box is available for purchase direct from Hi-Rez Studios on the Global Agenda website and Amazon.com Marketplace. This Game Box includes a poster and a Commonwealth Art Book, in addition to the other incentives offered to those that pre-order (listed below). The art book explores the historical events leading to the creation of the single, totalitarian world government called Commonwealth, as well as the emerging resistance to the Commonwealth, and the current competition for limited resources and scarce inhabitable land that exists in the year 2155 when the player enters the world.

Players who pre-purchase Global Agenda today receive the following special benefits:

  • Gain access to Beta – Players that pre-order will gain access to Global Agenda beta events in January. Note that the beta servers are available for play only during specific play test windows, and that tests may be limited to only certain game features. To participate in the Global Agenda beta, you must register your Product Key online at the Global Agenda website following your pre-purchase. Registered beta participants will receive specific test instructions prior to each Closed Beta test event, as the events are announced.
  • In-game Items – Players that activate their Product Key on the Global Agenda website prior to February 1, 2010, will receive a special in-game helmet captured from the Commonwealth, as well as head flair honoring the Global Agenda "No Elves" marketing campaign.
  • Reserve Your Player Name and Agency Name - Gain access to Global Agenda’s pre-launch “Name Reserve” event, in which players are given the opportunity to reserve their in-game name ahead of launch day (exact dates for the Name Reserve event to be announced). Players will also be able to reserve an Agency name during the game's official launch.

In addition, all players that purchase Global Agenda have the ability to sign up for one free month of Global Agenda: Conquest at registration (credit card required, can be canceled at any time).


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