First of all - New Thread?
J-Rzez's thread has been used as a foundation. This new thread is aimed at newcomers and veterans who left MAG for various reasons. It has been reworked to provide extensive amount of easily accessible information and to serve as a starting point for any GAFer looking for MAG related data or 1st hand experience.





MAG – So what type of game is this?
MAG is an online only FPS which features up to 256-players in epic objective based battles. The game revolves around three PMC’s (SVER, Raven, Valor) whose prosperity you choose to fight for in tournaments called the “Shadow War”. The game features a MMO-like skill tree to help custom tailor your character to whatever play style you prefer. But to be a good squadmate you’ll want to create several loadouts to prepare for any need. If you want to heal or revive your teammates, invest in the medical tree. If you prefer to provide distanced support, build up your sniper skill set. Feel like decimating vehicles or battle installments like AA-guns or repairing crucial assets for defense? Want to dabble in a little here, a little there? MAG allows you to do all of that and more in giant battlefields where teamwork plays a bigger role than ever before. To help with that element, the game also features “leadership” positions to help guide the fight. These leaders provide vital “perks” to those around you and can call in powerful strikes that dramatically alter the tide of battle. Multiple insertion points via hard spawns, APCs, Helo drops, and parachute provide access to strategic areas. If you’re looking for a game where teamwork shines at the same level of your individual achievements then MAG is your final destination.





Is there a singleplayer component?
Aside from a short training that will give you a heads up on most of MAG's features, there is no dedicated singleplayer campaign.





Why should I choose to pick it up now?
Since launching back in January, MAG has been given an extraordinary amount of polish and content through various patches and DLC. During time, it has evolved from a hardcore niche shooter into something accessible to much more people. Bugs, exploits and glitches that kept everyone except the most hardcore Zipper fans away have now been fixed! So, why make a relaunch now? The answer is MAG 2.0 PATCH that is the biggest update the game has released since launch. A patch that fixes some of game's glaring issues, improves it's graphics engine and UI, but also adds Playstation MOVE support, thus allowing MAG to be named flagship shooter of Sony's new peripheral.
Although MAG got slammed by the critics back in January by earning 76 @ Metacritic, MAG has been thoroughly re-engineered. Basically every single element has received a huge overhaul. Framerate has been drastically improved, lighting engine has been enhanced, sound and gameplay improved. But, the biggest change has been implemented a few days ago, with the arrival of the economy system. MAG has always been big on customization, but the new system rivals those of the finest MMOs.


The new skill tree:



Skill tree sneak preview:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSzCzdxgcD4

Full preview of the skill tree and the supply depot:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3XJ8a5sYpo&feature=related





New economy system?
The previous system of purchasing skills and weapons has been completely dropped in favor of the new dual system. You purchase weapons & gear through the supply depot, a kind of an armory were you spend Currency Points earned during combat to purchase weapons, armor and gear. By progressing through ranking system, you will get access to better unlocks during the time, but you won't be seriously hampered in the beginning when compared to MAG veterans.





Downloadable Content
Since release, MAG has received 3 packs of DLC. Two of those have been free, while one, called INTREDICTION has been Pay-to-Play ($9.99). The second Pay-to-Play DLC named ESCALATION is coming later this year, and will introduce triple-faction play on single map. Additionally, you can purchase extra character slots at a price of $0.99 per month.





How can I acquire free DLC if my country doesn't have a PSN Store?
After major rioting that took place on the official forums, all free DLC packs have been included in the v1.06 update that is required for play.





Will I get slaughtered if I join the community today?
To eliminate this problem, Zipper has implemented the so-called Happy Hour, giving the player a 100% XP boost one play hour during each day. Additionally, joining a Directives game (where the game chooses to which front-line you'll get deployed to) will grant you an additional 50% XP boost. Interdiction also has a permanent 50% XP boost to encourage players to play the DLC. Every single of the listed options has been implemented to ease the introduction of new players. In just a few hours, you will be able to purchase very serious gear.





Late game content
After the 2.0 update, the game's leveling system allows gaining up to 70 levels. When you manage to do that (playtime to achieve this is highly dependable on the dynamism of the selected modes and their attached XP boosters), you will be able to Veteran to another factions. This will give you a Golden Star next to your PSN nickname in the battlefield and on your soldier's card, as well as a permanent 10% XP boost. Zipper is also looking to implement additional Veteran Perks, but nothing has been officially announced.





Is there a clan system?
Yes, there is. Clan system allows for simultaneous deployment of up to 128 clan players, which basically allows for an entire clan to be deployed into a game of Domination.





Overview of features
- 64, 128, and 256 player team based FPS battles.
- Persistent battles where contracts are awarded to the best performing PMCs granting them additional perks and buffs.
- Character leveling and progression trees similar to other MMO’s allowing you to custom tune your soldier to your desired play style / role.
- Leadership roles for eligible players, granting perks to your teammates as well as devastating special abilities that can swing the tide of the battle.
- 15 maps available at launch ranging from 256 square meters to 1 square kilometer in size.
- 5 game modes available: Training, Suppression, Domination, Sabotage and Acquisition.
- Each PMC has their own unique customizable look, weaponry, vehicles, environments, user interface and music.
- Clan support along with party system available for you and your friends.
- Comprehensive stat tracking.
- Voice chat and in game messaging.
- Online only, requires PSN id and broadband internet service.
- Trophies, medals and ribbons to help you stand out from the masses, or get your OCD fix.




Price
MAG has been introduced as a Greatest Hit in the USA as of September 29, thus slashing MSRP to $29.99. Additionally, you may purchase it used at Gamefly for $17.99. With a large amount of multiplayer content and available DLC, MAG is proven value to anyone that is even remotely interested in tactical FPS games.
In the UK, Zavvi is currently pricing it @ £17.95.



Playstation MOVE
Since patch v2.0 MAG has received full Move compatibility. And it turns out be awesome.

MAG & Move review from TTP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFk0D5AxoHE

Recomended settings:

Player rotation - 70
Player pitch - 30
Gesture sensitivity - 100 (you need to thrust the Move forward to perform knife attack - don't worry this wont cause unintentional knifing)
Scope sensitivity - 100
Normal play - 60 / 40 / 80
Fixed iron sights - OFF (If you have this to On you are doing it wrong)
Iron sights - 0 / 10 / 40

Click to expand...

Screenshots








Gameplay videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6e-3aiu6h20 (Domination 2.0 with commentary)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMbhxDDumeM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHsiyQdsfvM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drmPRI_9V_U
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-command-mag/52372 (Command & Conquer Preview)





EXTRAS

The PMC’s:

Raven – Based in Vienna Austria, is a PMC on the cutting edge of technology. They feature some of the most high-tech weapons available, their gear is highly modernized, but they are lacking in real-life experience. Most of their training was done via VR simulations. Despite their lack of on-the-ground experience they know what it takes to get the job done.

Valor – Founded by former US Army officers and headquartered in the Alaskan wilderness, this PMC is based on tried and true principles. Their gear and weaponry was considered standard in the Third World War and is more that effective. They draw extensive first-hand combat experience from their ranks of former U.S., British, and Mexican Special Forces.

SVER – Based out of Grozny in the Chechen Republic, their gear and weaponry may be dated, but it’s proven its lethality over decades of use. They’re out for an adrenaline rush as well as getting paid of course, and consist of former soldiers as well as private citizens, some with rumored criminal backgrounds, who felt lost before joining SVER’s cause. Though disorganized at first glance, they have some of the better implemented defenses in map lay outs to make up for their lack of cutting edge equipment.

Click to expand...

Trophy list (additional trophies are available with the purchase of DLC packs)

Bronze

* Angel of Mercy – 25 enemies killed in their in incapacitated state over a career
* Boom Town – Earn the Mortar Demolition, Total Blackout and AAA Demolition Ribbons
* Close Call — Earn three Bomb Squad Ribbons
* Clown Car – Awarded when a player destroys an APC or a Bunker, killing two players
* Commandon’t – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Commando
* Coughing Killer – Killed an enemy while affect by poison gas grenades
* Dropping Like Flies – Destroy five enemy helicopters
* Duteous Maximus – Be on the winning faction for 10 Directive matches
* Efficiency Engineer – Earn three Bunker Buster Ribbons
* I Drink Your Milkshake – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Field Support
* I Got 5 On It – Kill 5 enemies with a single Strategic Strike, excluding Poison Gas Barrage
* In Your Face – Earn five Combat Melee Ribbons
* Jack of One Trade – Awarded when a player reaches the bottom tier of a skill tree
* Junkyard Jockey – Earn three Mr. Badwrench Ribbons
* Lil Buddy – Earn two Purple Sidekick Ribbons
* Mia Culpa – Kill 50 enemies in a turret over a career
* Out of Scope – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Sniper
* Screeching Halt – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Rapid Assault
* Target Practice – Awarded when a player shoots down 25 paratroopers over a career
* The Harder They Fall – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Direct Action

Silver

* A Whole Lotta Hurt – Earn five Combat Machine Gun Ribbons and five Combat Fragger Ribbons
* Baby Need a Bandage? – Earn 5 Silver Cross Ribbons and 5 Golden Cross Ribbons
* Chest Candy – Awarded when a player has earned one of every ribbon
* Devil Dog – Earn 5 Combat Assault Ribbons and 5 Combat Sidearm Ribbons
* Double Trouble – Earn the Golden Cross Medal and the Grim Reaper Medal
* Hammer of the Gods – Called in 50 cluster bombs or mortar barrages
* Headhunter – Earn 5 Silver Bullet Ribbons, the Longshot Ribbon and the Sniper Master Specialist Medal
* Precious Cargo – Destroy 20 Escort Vehicles over a career
* Silent But Deadly – Awarded when a player kills 25 enemies with Poison Gas over a career
* Steamroller – Have a 3-to-1 Kill-to-Death Ratio in any match
* Take Me to Your Leader – Earn 1 win as a squad leader
* The Streaker – Earn the Streaker Medal
* Triple Threat – Earn 5 Silver Cross Ribbons, 5 Master Engineer Ribbons and the Grim Reaper Medal

Gold

* Commandant in Chief – Awarded when a player reaches level 60 with a Raven character
* Eager Beaver – Awarded when a player has earned one of each medal
* Prima Noyan – Awarded when a player reaches level 60 with a S.V.E.R. character
* Sergeant Major – Awarded when a player reaches level 60 with a Valor character

Platinum

* Massive Action Gamer – Won All Trophies

Click to expand...

Ports to check:

Das-J said:

All the ports below need to be open for outgoing connections:

80 Web
10020 TCP
10072 TCP
10073 UDP
10075 TCP
10078 TCP
10060 – 10061 TCP
10079 – 10090 TCP
50000 – 55000 UDP

Click to expand...

Official website:
http://www.mag.com/en_GB/mag.html?forumMode=null

Official MAG Blog:
http://blog.mag.com/blog/

Official Forums:
http://forums.mag.com/mag/

MAG GAF |OT| v1 by J-Rzez:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=385140

Huge thanks to everyone involved in the construction of |OT| v1 (BruceLeeRoy, Cagen, Click, Das-J, Bamelin's Open Beta Thread and of course J-Rzez!). This thread wouldn't be possible without you guys.

Nice.

I'm a level 6 noob, look out for me!

Is there a site that has the new skill tree/supply depot info online, and a list of what/how you earn cash from?

Friend and I just started playing this the other night, it would be handy to check out some of that stuff out of game and maybe get some suggestions for where to our invest our initial skill points.

Obvious early picks look like boosted health and full health revives for teammates?

Victrix said:

Is there a site that has the new skill tree/supply depot info online, and a list of what/how you earn cash from?

Click to expand...

It seems that maggametools is out of date. You earn cash from points you score and ribbons you earn. Depending on the difficulty of the ribbon, you get more or less cash for earning it.

Victrix said:

Friend and I just started playing this the other night, it would be handy to check out some of that stuff out of game and maybe get some suggestions for where to our invest our initial skill points.

Click to expand...

Invest the skill points into medic skills. Healing + resurrection (get improved on BOTH asap) will award you with an insane amount of XP.

Victrix said:

Obvious early picks look like boosted health and full health revives for teammates?

Click to expand...

Yeah. After that, I'll suggest weapon skills and resistance skills (specifically, explosives resistance and extra health).

"...A patch that does not fix some of game's glaring issues..." ?

dofry said:

"...A patch that does not fix some of game's glaring issues..." ?

Click to expand...

Typo, now fixed.

Lagspike_exe said:

Typo, now fixed.

Click to expand...

I love the new skill tree. It's like a Final Fantasy X/XII/Dead Space sphere board (my favorite form of stats evolution).

Also: Move implementation is superb. Looking forward to iWaggle/TTP's video tonight.

2.0 is good but it needs to be patched... again.
All weapons are now insanely overpowered (again), especially the shotguns, sniper rifles, and LMGs.

I'm interested. Does this game still have a good community? I'd be coming in as a noob though.

Hmm okay, i bought the game at launch, kinda liked it but stepped away from it. Might give it another shot now.

Click said:

And what glaring issues may that be? Yeah, 2.0 has introduced new issues and made old problems pop up, all of which I have detailed in the original OT, but it has also fixed a lot of the game's "glaring issues" as well.

I've never seen you posting in the original OT, so this smells like a troll post to me.

Click to expand...

:lol

just loving the new 2.0, Zipper is really dedicated in their games, the new skill tree is way better than the old one

JB1981 said:

:lol

Click to expand...

:lol

I saw that too, dude has a hair trigger when it comes to mag apparently

Victrix said:

:lol

I saw that too, dude has a hair trigger when it comes to mag apparently

Click to expand...

I didn't see that it was a typo in the OP.
Sue me.

rexor0717 said:

I'm interested. Does this game still have a good community? I'd be coming in as a noob though.

Click to expand...

Yup. I can't guarantee you that you'll get Squad Leaders with mics in every game, but since having mic is actually included in the equations that award SL status, they most likely will.

Man, I should power up my PS3 and start patching. I haven't played since back in March. Went level 60 S.V.E.R. and stopped.

Is the PS3 Move version really cool? I have heard some good reports from within GAF. Wondering if it's worth the $100 investment...

P.S. you should pimp the new $29.99 price more in the OP! Bigger, bolder...

sk3tch said:

Man, I should power up my PS3 and start patching. I haven't played since back in March. Went level 60 S.V.E.R. and stopped.

Is the PS3 Move version really cool? I have heard some good reports from within GAF. Wondering if it's worth the $100 investment...

Click to expand...

People who don't normally do well with the DS3 controller in console shooters and are more proficient with a mouse/keyboard may really enjoy using a Move to play MAG with.

Supposedly, it's super accurate but takes a while to get used to. I personally still destroy everyone with a DS3.

Lagspike_exe said:

Yup. I can't guarantee you that you'll get Squad Leaders with mics in every game, but since having mic is actually included in the equations that award SL status, they most likely will.

Click to expand...

That's interesting, it tracks mic usage?

When we played last night, we ran very few people on our team with mics

We did get some hilarious proximity audio from the enemy team though, so that was kind of cool.

Few questions:

For player health, how much do the three (?) health upgrades increase your base health by?

How does armor interact with health? Does it increase health more, or reduce incoming damage?

Are headshots from snipers always lethal? I noticed when sniping with the newbie sniper rifle that I was apparently always killing people with one headshot. On the other end of things, it seemed that I always survived body shots with medium armor/no health upgrades, but always died to headshots.

So if I want to play this with Move do I have to set it up somehow?

How do you play it with Move?

Firewire said:

So if I want to play this with Move do I have to set it up somehow?
How do you play it with Move?

Click to expand...

Like any other Move game. PS Eye camera under TV observes Move.

You point and aim with your Move controller (you rest your wrist on your lap or armchair), like PC mouse controls kinda.
In your other hand you hold a Nav/DS3 controller which you move with (analog stick).

Someone should really change the thread title to include that fact that MAG supports MOVE now. A lot of otherwise interested people are going to skip over the thread without realizing.

Victrix said:

That's interesting, it tracks mic usage?

When we played last night, we ran very few people on our team with mics

We did get some hilarious proximity audio from the enemy team though, so that was kind of cool.

Few questions:

For player health, how much do the three (?) health upgrades increase your base health by?

How does armor interact with health? Does it increase health more, or reduce incoming damage?

Are headshots from snipers always lethal? I noticed when sniping with the newbie sniper rifle that I was apparently always killing people with one headshot. On the other end of things, it seemed that I always survived body shots with medium armor/no health upgrades, but always died to headshots.

Click to expand...

- Play with a clan. You'll have a lot more fun, will win a lot more often (unless your entire clan sucks and don't use communication / teamwork), and you'll be able to chat with them.

- I don't know how much health each level gives, because I always max out my health. Max health is 120. Everyone should put full points into the health and explosive resistance skills.

- All you need to know about armor is that they actually matter now. Always wear Medium or better armor and have 120 health if you don't want to be 1-shot by the T3 Sniper Rifles and get blown up by 1 claymore.

- Yes, a headshot from any Sniper Rifle will always 1-shot you. I believe it's also an instant bleed-out.

Firewire said:

So if I want to play this with Move do I have to set it up somehow?

How do you play it with Move?

Click to expand...

Wait only a couple more hours and TTP's video will reveal all.

Firewire said:

So if I want to play this with Move do I have to set it up somehow?

How do you play it with Move?

Click to expand...

The dude over at iWaggle3d has some great videos showing it

From the Beta (beta, beta, from the beta, beta, beta, beta, not 2.0)

Training: http://www.youtube.com/user/Waggle3D#p/u/4/Lb8XB8lPPP8

Online: http://www.youtube.com/user/Waggle3D#p/u/5/yYvJ2JRgDVI

I believe that in 2.0 ironsights pop to the Move crosshair, and there's probably a bunch of other changes.

He's uploading a new video for 2.0 right now, should be online in the next hour or so, I'll post it when it pops up.

I stumbled across this guy when I was looking around for Move videos of MAG on youtube, and his delightful accent captivated my attention :lol

sk3tch said:

Man, I should power up my PS3 and start patching. I haven't played since back in March. Went level 60 S.V.E.R. and stopped.

Is the PS3 Move version really cool? I have heard some good reports from within GAF. Wondering if it's worth the $100 investment...

P.S. you should pimp the new $29.99 price more in the OP! Bigger, bolder...

Click to expand...

I haven't tried out the Move control scheme, but it's supposedly very cool.

Price has been highlighted!

Victrix said:

That's interesting, it tracks mic usage?

When we played last night, we ran very few people on our team with mics

We did get some hilarious proximity audio from the enemy team though, so that was kind of cool.

Few questions:

For player health, how much do the three (?) health upgrades increase your base health by?

How does armor interact with health? Does it increase health more, or reduce incoming damage?

Are headshots from snipers always lethal? I noticed when sniping with the newbie sniper rifle that I was apparently always killing people with one headshot. On the other end of things, it seemed that I always survived body shots with medium armor/no health upgrades, but always died to headshots.

Click to expand...

Using a mic greatly increases the chance of getting selected for a leading (SL/PL/OIC) duty. It does not mean you will certainly get it, but it definitely improves your odds.

Three health upgrades get you 120 health.

Armor reduces incoming damage.

Headshots damage is greater than damage to other body parts.

Firewire said:

So if I want to play this with Move do I have to set it up somehow?

How do you play it with Move?

Click to expand...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_CJ3g0pFrA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT0lLI6ZKHY

Bare in mind - this is the beta version of controls (in the patch beta testing). Apparently, it has been greatly improved in the retail 2.0 and is now considered the best motion controlled FPS in existence.

weekend_warrior said:

Someone should really change the thread title to include that fact that MAG supports MOVE now. A lot of otherwise interested people are going to skip over the thread without realizing.

Click to expand...

Good suggestion, I'll PM a mod about this.

I've always been interested, and Move support is selling me on it. I plan on buying the game pretty soon.

gonna be getting this and pairing it with Move....pretty excited to play.

I'm tempted to get this, but I hear new players are at an extreme disadvantage and get slaughtered. Is this true?

Ok, I'll wait for TTP's video to be posted. I'll try and give it a shot tonight.

Thanx guys.

Chris_C said:

I'm tempted to get this, but I hear new players are at an extreme disadvantage and get slaughtered. Is this true?

Click to expand...

Will I get slaughtered if I join the community today?
To eliminate this problem, Zipper has implemented the so-called Happy Hour, giving the player a 100% XP boost one play hour during each day. Additionally, joining a Directives game (where the game chooses to which front-line you'll get deployed to) will grant you an additional 50% XP boost. Interdiction also has a permanent 50% XP boost to encourage players to play the DLC. Every single of the listed options has been implemented to ease the introduction of new players. In just a few hours, you will be able to purchase very serious gear.

Click to expand...

.


I will update the OP with relevant Move info when TTP's videos get posted.

Thanks Lagspike, shoulda read more closely.

Chris_C said:

I'm tempted to get this, but I hear new players are at an extreme disadvantage and get slaughtered. Is this true?

Click to expand...

I read some comments that indicated that and it sounded pretty unappealing, but playing this as a total newbie last night with a friend, we didn't have any significant issues

Or let me rephrase, no significant issues that we could actually notice. That is, it felt like we were dying horribly to not knowing the maps/weapons/controls/etcetc, rather than dying because someone was using UberGun05

Neither of us had much luck killing enemies at longer distances with the basic assault rifle, but the sniper seemed perfectly lethal, and up close, it was more about who got the drop on who. At medium ranges, a bit of gunfire followed up by a grenade when they ducked in cover seemed to work ok as well.

There was definitely a lot of gametime spent just running around though. Maps are large, and nearby teammates didn't always revive, even if we stayed down for the full bleedout time.

Some quick tips as a total newbie, I'm sure vets could give more concrete advice:

1) You show up on the minimap if you sprint, and firing your weapon gives you away as well (I can't tell if firing makes a red dot appear, or makes the 'gunfire' hud elements pop up, but either way, don't shoot if you know enemies nearby are looking for you)

2) Stick with your team. Revives are an early unlock, so as long as you don't get instakilled, a teammate can revive you if you go down.

3) Objective areas are horrible killzones where you will be slaughtered like cattle.

We have yet to play any of the more advanced game modes yet though, so we may feel the pain more when we get into the other modes with vehicles etc, I don't know yet. We'll find out tonight!

Chris_C said:

I'm tempted to get this, but I hear new players are at an extreme disadvantage and get slaughtered. Is this true?

Click to expand...

Yup. MAG is definitely not newb-friendly. It's like a MMO in that you have 70 levels of skill points you must earn to become a "complete" player. MAG has extremely large maps that takes weeks, if not months, to learn and memorize them all. The playerbase has been playing this game for 9-10 months now, so you'll have to deal with many clans that will constantly steamroll random players, newbies, and n00bs. My advice when going up against good clans: Quit. Don't waste your time and be frustrated with the game if your team sucks and are up against a dominant clan or multiple clans.

Having said that, if you don't run around (don't press R3) everywhere without the Sensor Jammer (level 40 purchasable equipment) and 120 health upgrades, and don't play this game like TDM-based shooters, you'll still be able to have fun and kill people. Like I said, all weapons are extremely powerful and accurate now, so if you're half-decent at online shooters, can aim, and aren't a retarded gamer that rushes the same paths blindly, you'll be fine. Like a MMO, it actually takes time, patience, and a lot of quick thinking to do well in MAG. You can't expect to play as well as the veterans of this game right off the bat.

There is something to do for all types of players. You can be a good medic, healing / reviving everyone on your team and earning massive XP for doing so (you just gotta survive long enough and play smart if you want to be a good medic). You can be a good Engineer and repair the various blown up objective assets and help your team keep everything up and running. You can now be a "vehicular specialist," driving around everywhere, running people over, shooting people in the turrets, or driving your squad around, keeping the APC alive so people have a constant, moving spawn point. Point is, you don't have to be an uber "killer" to have fun in MAG.

Chris_C said:

I'm tempted to get this, but I hear new players are at an extreme disadvantage and get slaughtered. Is this true?

Click to expand...

I wouldn't say it's extreme. You go down faster, and obviously not knowing the maps and the general flow of battle through them is a big deal, but the nature of the game helps a lot - if you stick closely with squadmates you'll be guided to where you need to go, you receive and provide covering fire and healing, you get a feel for the combat, and so on.

Unless they're jerks, of course, but that's the standard online game disclaimer.

I must say, I'm LOVING the changes, like a brand new game for me!

I wonder if non-Move players will be at a disadvantage now?

I'm sure the hardcore MAG players (and it sounds like if you are playing since the beginning you're probably pretty hardcore about it) would be pretty pissed if that were the case.

MikeE21286 said:

I wonder if non-Move players will be at a disadvantage now?

I'm sure the hardcore MAG players (and it sounds like if you are playing since the beginning you're probably pretty hardcore about it) would be pretty pissed if that were the case.

Click to expand...

Trust me, the good players still own everyone, regardless of the controllers they use.
They just die more often now because every weapon kills people much faster and easier... and they can't run around and stab everyone with the Katana-like knife pre-2.0.

Have any sites re-reviewed the game after the 2.0 patch? Also, are you locked into one PMC per account?

Click said:

Trust me, the good players still own everyone, regardless of the controllers they use.
They just die more often now because every weapon kills people much faster and easier... and they can't run around and knife everyone in the back with the Katana-like knife pre-2.0.

Click to expand...

I like the weapons buff. I prefer quick kills in games to tank-like health.

electroshockwave said:

Have any sites re-reviewed the game after the 2.0 patch? Also, are you locked into one PMC per account?

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, no.

You're not locked to one PMC per account, but if you want extra character slots, you'll have to rent each one for a price of $0.99 per month.

Sniping is shit with Move. The transition from normal to scoped view, that is. If you weren't aiming exactly in the center of the screen your aim is gonna drift off target as soon as you zoom in. Too bad I spent my first 3 points in the sniper skill tree.

Anyway, not my type of shooter. Perfect case of "Less is more" for me.

Lagspike_exe said:

I like the weapons buff. I prefer quick kills in games to tank-like health.

Click to expand...

I like it too. But some weapons are just too powerful, have too much (unrealistic) accuracy, fire way too fast (with skill upgrades), and have too much range (shotguns).

I believe all of these tweaks were made so that new players can kill people so they won't quit the game due to the fact that veterans / great players almost never die to newbies and n00bs pre-2.0. However, when you give the veterans and great players these overpowered weapons, it's really not fair to the newbs and n00bs anyway because they'll still get destroyed. I guess at least they have a fighting chance this way...

I'm not advocating for Zipper to nerf the shit out of the weapons again because I hate it when developers over-nerf weapons, skills, or maps in games. But it's retarded that they made such drastic changes to the shooting mechanics and weapon damage / fire rate 9 months after this game came out. I just want balanced weapons that are able to kill people efficiently but not unfairly. After playing Zipper's games since SOCOM II, my hope for this happening isn't all that high.

Mr.Green said:

Sniping is shit with Move. The transition from normal to scoped view, that is. If you weren't aiming exactly in the center of the screen your aim is gonna drift off target as soon as you zoom in. Too bad I spent my first 3 points in the sniper skill tree.

Anyway, not my type of shooter. Perfect case of "Less is more" for me.

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Zooming in and actually sniping are 2 different things. TTP gave some advice about not having your iron site bounding box smaller than your run-and-gun, so maybe that would help.

Either way, being able to cover/snipe multiple positions without moving your body is invaluable... I'm not sure how you can say it's shit. If you're running then jumping into a sniper position I think most would say you're doing it wrong.

Great idea to have a new OT. MAG does seem to be evolving more than I ever thought it would.

I'm fairly to the game (lvl32) and i have to say, this is the first console fps that i really love playing. Nice to see that very objective heavy fps games are still being made and since DICE has totally dropped the ball on BF series, MAG really is the best objective based shooter out there. Oh, and 2.0 really improved the game. People are actually shooting guns and not only running close to you and knifing

A couple of things that annoy me: Terribad framerate on domination maps coupled with constant screenshake/distortion, makes my head hurt. Also im really tired of the whole leveling/unlocking scheme in my shooters. I mean really, just make a good game and i play it for fun of it. I wish more games had the CS approach to equipment where you/your team gained access to better eq within the single match depending on how well you/team does, no persistence needed.

Will the greatest hits 2.0 release of mag have most of the latest patches installed or am I going to be stuck downloading for hours if I pick that up?

Nice OP. I didn't play much after going over to SVER from Valor after hitting 60, but I'm definitely going to check it out again in the next week or two. Nice to see Zipper really working hard to keep this game awesome. I loved it even before most of these changes.

BattleMonkey said:

Will the greatest hits 2.0 release of mag have most of the latest patches installed or am I going to be stuck downloading for hours if I pick that up?

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I think you'll have to DL and install the patches.

Bought the game yesterday through the Gamefly sale. Can't wait for it to arrive. I had a blast with the game when I was in the old beta last year, but never picked it up due to initial $60 price tag. Now that it's dirt cheap, how can I say no?

Darkkn said:

I'm fairly to the game (lvl32) and i have to say, this is the first console fps that i really love playing. Nice to see that very objective heavy fps games are still being made and since DICE has totally dropped the ball on BF series, MAG really is the best objective based shooter out there. Oh, and 2.0 really improved the game. People are actually shooting guns and not only running close to you and knifing

A couple of things that annoy me: Terribad framerate on domination maps coupled with constant screenshake/distortion, makes my head hurt. Also im really tired of the whole leveling/unlocking scheme in my shooters. I mean really, just make a good game and i play it for fun of it. I wish more games had the CS approach to equipment where you/your team gained access to better eq within the single match depending on how well you/team does, no persistence needed.

Click to expand...

I loved Battlefield 2 too but sadly, no game on either PC or consoles have come close to recreating it's objective-based gameplay, sense of being in a massive battle, and being able to do so many things other than kill people... until MAG came out. MAG may not be the prettiest-looking shooter, it may have a lot of flaws all throughout it's 9 month history, and it's not exactly a newb-friendly game. However, there's just no game like it and there's no "modern-day" shooter that can compare to the fun and excitement this game can give IF you play with AND against other competent players. Plus, Zipper has been very dedicated in constantly TRYING to improve MAG, even though most of their development team is focused on SOCOM 4.

As for Domination, I used to love playing it. But because of lag (now somewhat fixed) and the PS3 freezing issues, I have stopped playing this game mode. Framerate will always suffer in Domination, especially when the battle moves to the letters at the center of the map, because the game has to support up to 256 players around the same area at the same time, with airstrikes, gunfire, and explosions going off everywhere. It can be annoying and almost unplayable when this happens, but if you can find a nice area to camp, without too many players around you, the framerate gets better.


BTW, the Escalation DLC is coming out very soon. This will be a fun game mode once people learn how to properly play it. I just hope it doesn't kill the playercount for the other game modes when it comes out.