Filed under: Global Agenda

Five tips on being a better agent in Global Agenda

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 8th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Tips and tricks, MMORTS, Global Agenda

When it comes to action-based shooters like Global Agenda, gear is good but skill is better. Way better. Even the most technologically endowed enemies can come crashing down with a little teamwork and creative ingenuity.

But if you're new to the game, new to action-based shooters, or just not doing so hot in your PvP matches, then you might need some help. That's where we come in.

After playing a huge amount of PvP, PvE, and a decent amount of AvA in Global Agenda, I've found that many players make a few common mistakes. So, while I know this article will result in more deaths for me, I want to help all of you avoid these common mistakes and play a better game.

First Impressions: Global Agenda

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 5th 2010 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMORTS, Global Agenda, Massively Hands-on, First Impressions

Global Agenda. This game has been successful in causing quite a stir on our website. It seems almost every single story we do on the game anymore turns into the inevitable "this isn't an MMO" debate. We've even tried to give the MMORTS part of it more of a perspective in past articles, but that's neither here nor there. This article isn't about the game or if it's an MMO -- it's about how this game plays.

So, is Global Agenda a worthy investment for the MMOer? Is it a worthy investiment for the FPS nut? Can a game that's a hybrid of so many genres work as well as its creators say it works? Those are all excellent questions and they're also questions that we're going to answer today.

Gallery: Global Agenda Gameplay Gallery

Global Agenda multiplayer Conquest Mode launches today

by Rubi Bayer Feb 2nd 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Launches, New titles, PvP, News items, Global Agenda

Global Agenda launched yesterday, to the delight of many fans -- including our very own Shawn and Sera. However, that was just the beginning of the launch week festivities.

Conquest mode launches today, offering all players free access until March 3rd of this year. This is a great opportunity to explore this massively multiplayer feature, take part in some Agency vs. Agency battles, and see if it's for you or not. The first zones opened today at 12pm US Eastern time, with two open zones (Obelisk and Echelon) in the UK and three (Sovereign, Citadel and Warlord) in the United States.

Because the workings of Conquest can feel a bit intimidating and overwhelming to new players, particularly with so much else to learn, Global Agenda is helping players make the most of their free time by offering the developer video diary we showed you earlier in the week with an overview of Conquest. Take a look at it to gain some helpful tips before you dive in, and be sure to check out the new exclusive AvA screenshots in our gallery!

Gallery: Hi-Rez Studios and Global Agenda Gallery

Unboxing the Global Agenda Collector's Edition

by Shawn Schuster Feb 1st 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Hands-on, Spy, Global Agenda, Massively Hands-on

Today's the day that Global Agenda has officially launched, and if you're still waiting for more information about this game before making that box purchase, we can help. Not only did we show you a round-up this morning of our complete coverage on the game, but now we want to show you what's in the physical retail box, also referred to as the Collector's Edition. That's assuming people remember how to go buy physical boxes in stores, right?

Follow along through the unboxing gallery below for a piece-by-piece tour of the Global Agenda Collector's Edition box contents.

Gallery: Global Agenda Collector's Edition unboxing

We have an agenda: Global Agenda launch day coverage and play with Massively event

by Seraphina Brennan Feb 1st 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Launches, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Global Agenda

The cat's out of the bag! Or perhaps the spies are out of their hexes? Either way, Global Agenda has gone into official launch mode today! We here at Massively can't help to celebrate by looking back at our past coverage of Global Agenda, as we watched the game go from a little team-based TPS to the MMORTS that it is today. If you like commanding, or if you just like shooting people with hi-tech guns, then this might be the game for you!

In any case, we promised you an event to go along with the launch! Tonight, jump in to Global Agenda at 8 PM EST to meet up with Shawn Schuster (Agent Name: Ampersand, Medic) and Seraphina Brennan (Agent Name: Seraphina, Recon!). Both editors will be commanding their own PvP strike teams and will be launching into the queues head first. By the way, don't forget your headset -- it makes team building so much easier. If you don't have one, no worries, just be ready to play.

So, without any further delay, let's take a trip down memory lane and look back at the best of our Global Agenda coverage...

Global Agenda video diary details AvA battles

by Rubi Bayer Jan 29th 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Video, PvP, News items, Global Agenda

Hi-Rez Studios released a new Global Agenda video developer diary today, and Senior Game Designer Scott Zier promises that it's the first in a series all about Conquest.

This first video serves as an introduction to the concept of Conquest and Agency vs. Agency battles. Zier narrates the video, giving an overview of how things work all the way from the basics of zone open hours to simple battle strategy. He continues by giving a play-by-play of sorts of a battle between two neighboring Agencies in order to demonstrate how it all comes together. While the series will presumably become more detailed and cover specific topics as things progress, this serves as a great first look at how Conquest works in the world of Global Agenda.

We've included the video after the cut, so follow along and take a look for yourself. Thanks to Scott and the rest of the Global Agenda team, and we look forward to the next one!

Spy with the best: Join Massively for Global Agenda's launch! [Updated]

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 29th 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Launches, MMORTS, Global Agenda

Readers, we're contacting you through an encrypted channel right now to deliver some very important information. Agent Schuster and Agent Brennan will be on deck for the launch of Global Agenda, ready to fight the Commonwealth at your side.

Come Monday, log into Global Agenda and team up with Sera and Shawn to fight the good fight in both PvP and PvE strike teams. The dossier is still sealed on this mission, but keep an eye on this post and the encrypted T-Feed (@massively on Twitter) for the full information on how to link up with Apoc and Archangel on the day of the launch.

We'll announce our play times and character names come Monday by updating this post, so just place a bookmark here and get your game all patched up. Take advantage of the early start while you're at it and get your characters leveled up for launch. This way our enemies will never know what hit them.

Massively Speaking Episode 86: Global Agenda pre-launch interview

by Shawn Schuster Jan 27th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Podcasts, Culture, New titles, News items, Opinion, Spy, Global Agenda, Massively Speaking

Massively Speaking Episode 86 returns this week with special guests Erez Goren and Todd Harris from Hi-Rez Studios. Shawn and Seraphina discuss the pre-launch status of Hi-Rez's Global Agenda, set to launch early next week.

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot us an email to podcast AT massively DOT com. Maybe we'll read your letter on the air!

Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to Massively Speaking directly in iTunes.
[Zune] Subscribe to Massively Speaking via the Zune service.
[RSS] Add Massively Speaking to your RSS aggregator.
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly.
Listen here on the page:

Read below the cut for the full show notes.

Global Agenda announces launch schedule

by Rubi Bayer Jan 26th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, in-game, Launches, New titles, News items, Global Agenda

We're less than a week away from the launch of Global Agenda, but Hi-Rez is as anxious to get things going as the fans are. Last night they gave a list of launch activities for the week leading up to the big day, and it looks like it's going to be a busy few days.

Today is the last day of beta, and the Hi-Rez team will make it interesting by randomly entering certain PvP missions and spawning bots that don't usually show up there. If you're interested in a little extra challenge, keep your eyes peeled for these.

Wednesday, you'll want to keep a close eye on this Twitter feed. Global Agenda is expected to be available for download on Steam by the end of the day, and that's where you'll find the announcement. Name reserve begins as well, so take a close look at the instructions on the GA site.

Early start begins Friday the 29th, and the servers will be open for limited content until Sunday afternoon.

And finally, Monday, February first: launch day.

The last few days before launch are typically the ones that find us as players at our most impatient, but in this case, GA fans are likely to be way too busy for that. Check out all the details in the announcement, and have fun!

Global Agenda tier one and tier two blueprints revealed

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 23rd 2010 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Crafting, MMOFPS, Global Agenda

Craftable loot is always important business, and in Global Agenda it's no different. There are always some neat surprises waiting for those who are willing to gather some items, do some research, and get to work in the fabrication chambers.

Xzaph over at the HexAgenda fansite has put together a pretty comprehensive screenshot list of Global Agenda's tier one and tier two blueprint offerings, confirming that there are a few more tricks in those crafting recipes than people have believed. Did you know that you can craft yourself a small squadron of androids to watch your back as pets, or put together a mini-nuke to completely wipe away any resistance within 200 feet?

Beyond being able to build those types of tricks in battle, it seems that there's also an item that must be crafted before your agency can take over a specific region -- the Sovereign Forge -- which may lead to us seeing more "key" items appearing down the road in Alliance vs. Alliance, should the Forge work out.

The Elven Agenda: What Hi-Rez doesn't want you to know

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 22nd 2010 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Culture, MMO industry, MMOFPS, Global Agenda, Humor

"In Global Agenda, there are no elves."

That's what we've been told for over a year now. Hi-Rez's Spy-Fi shooter has almost staked it's entire existence on the removal of Elven kind from the gaming scene, which has certainly earned them a nasty reputation with the Sylvaen-American equal rights camps.

But we here at Massively have confirmed, through a diligent study of Global Agenda, that Hi-Rez may be deceiving its own player base. While the company may take a hardline stance against elves, their actions speak very differently.

Take, for example, the Recon class... or should we say the Elven class? Follow along readers, for we have evidence to back up our claims!

Global Agenda early start and preorder bonuses detailed

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 22nd 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Launches, New titles, News items, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Global Agenda

You've gotten all the news and updates, and you've even gotten a handy guide to conquest mode for Global Agenda. If you're ever going to be ready for Hi-Rez Studio's high-action game, it's now. So it's no coincidence that we've gotten news on the game's pre-purchase options, as well as the early start details for all players and the chance to reserve your character name prior to the February 1st launch date. After all, if you've gotten the game via Steam, don't you want to just download and start playing right away? That little grayed-out name is mocking you.

The latest newsletter details the early start, which will allow players to reach Level 10, reserve their character name, and unlock special pre-order items. It's also the only chance that pre-order players will have to claim their No Elves Flair and Commonwealth Helmet. Luckily, it's easy to hop in between January 28th and January 31st, and take a little time to start playing the game and forming Agencies. Beta players will also get the option to keep their character name during the transition to Live, although not their levels or data. Good news all around for Global Agenda fans.

Anti-Aliased: One massive agenda

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 15th 2010 at 1:00PM

Filed under: Betas, Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Opinion, Global Agenda, Anti-Aliased

So, I'll be honest, I had a completely different idea for a column this week. But reading over the comments on yesterday's launch trailer for Global Agenda got me thinking: Why is there so much ado about the nature of an MMO? Why are so many fixated on the 10 vs 10 nature of Global Agenda and not the bigger picture of what the game has to offer? Why do we scoff at the idea of 100 person instances when it was designed to give the player more flexibility?

Today, I want to play the devil's advocate, as I do in so many of my opinion columns. I want to take on the defense of Global Agenda as an MMO title, and I think I have enough evidence to prove that it's massive -- just not in the way you normally consider MMOs to be massive. And, personally, I think this is only good news for the industry at large.

If you guys wish to comment on this edition of Anti-Aliased, please comment of page 2 of the article, as always! Your comments are always well received!

FAQ That: All about Global Agenda's Conquest mode

by Seraphina Brennan Jan 14th 2010 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Game mechanics, Guides, Tips and tricks, Hands-on, MMOFPS, MMORTS, Global Agenda, FAQ That

So what exactly makes Global Agenda cross the border from persistent FPS to full on MMO? Conquest, my friends! Conquest. And now that the NDA has been lifted, we're free to tell you all about this agency only mode.

Global Agenda: Conquest mode is the game's take on a real-time strategy game versus an FPS. Your alliance of agencies can take ownership of the Global Agenda world and lay claim to valuable resources to build agent modifications, weapons of mass destruction, and even more fun little tools. But you must guard your territory carefully, as other alliances will have the option to siege your land, forcing you into battles for domination of the map.

But how does Conquest mode work? What do you need to do to take advantage of this feature of the spy-fi shooter? Glad you asked! It's time for you to FAQ That!

Global Agenda launch trailer released

by Rubi Bayer Jan 14th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, New titles, News items, Global Agenda

"They always warned us that if we weren't careful, our technology would outrun our humanity. Way I see it, it's finally getting interesting." So begins the latest Global Agenda offering from Hi-Rez Studios: the launch trailer.

With the launch of Global Agenda just a few short weeks away, fans and developers alike are enjoying the excitement that comes as a game's release date approaches. The team at Hi-Rez has been keeping the hype machine going with interviews, pre-order goodies, screenshots, and all other manner of goodies designed to keep us anxious for February 1st.

The new launch trailer is a flashy, fast-paced look at the world of Global Agenda complete with laser battles, jetpacks, giant robots, and women most definitely not wearing skimpy armor. It should serve as either a nice distraction while you wait, or make you even more impatient. Either way, follow along after the cut to look for yourself, and enjoy!