Tribes Ascend Beta

[kumduh]

(edit Feb 22nd) Well the game is a ton of fun, for anyone just getting into it I suggest you read the thread and add some people to your friend's list.

[tenub]

Just paid the $29.99 and I must say I was slightly disappointed at first. I was expecting more energy and greater flying ability. However, I went ahead and spent 520 of my 3000 gold on the pathfinder and went on to play for about an hour. I changed the controls to be more like Tribes 1 and messed with the mouse sensitivity until it felt closer to the original game. I went around trying to place awesome disc shots like back in the old days and I gradually started to enjoy it more and more as I got used to the fact that you get a lot of your speed from downward ski momentum rather than tapping your jetpack or using it on an upward climb. One thing that's kind of weird is when you get going really fast skiing down a slope it feels less controllable than in either of the first two games and I kind of got a jittery feeling, kind of like the wind was throwing me around slightly and really fast. What sealed the deal was my first midair disc. It was at pretty close range but I felt really accomplished.

I still have yet to mess around with other classes, weapons, vehicles, etc. but I got to enjoy it a lot so far. Unfortunately it's 5:49 AM and I think I should sleep.

[kumduh]

Thanks for the feedback!

[tenub]

Update: I'm really getting into it. Rabbit is so fun. The only downfall is that once the flag carrier gets going it's very hard to stop him and the 30 points it takes to win is therefore way too little.

More recently I've been working hard to get all the speed upgrades for the pathfinder. So far I have the first two and it's getting more and more fun chasing down flag carriers and playing ld. Only thing I don't like is the larger energy drain resulting in various problems including limited cap routes and the two weapon limit. I mean it works for pathfinder sure, but a heavy should have at least three or four guns.

[Profyrion]

Hmm...

I haven't played it yet - I'm morally opposed to spending $30 to beta test a free-to-play game - but the consensus among Tribes veterans is that the game is an abomination. NDA still hasn't been lifted, but I expect the game to be panned unanimously by critics. HiRez doesn't seem to know WTF they're doing, or how to handle the Tribes IP. I've been watching from the sidelines and it doesn't look good.

[tenub]

Tribes veterans will always complain no matter what. It's a proven fact. I spent 7th grade (just after T1 was released) through about 11th grade playing Tribes 1 and Tribes 2 and played Vengeance for a bit as well. This new installment is not an abomination, Vengeance might be considered half of an abomination though. The only thing they need to fix is the energy depletion rate, number of weapons a player is able to carry, and possibly something to increase inventory station usage, maybe not spawning with your class/loadout.

[kumduh]

http://kotaku.com/5829694/a-hardcore...g-transcendent

That guy makes it sound like it's far from an abomination.

[Profyrion]

http://kotaku.com/5829694/a-hardcore...g-transcendent

That guy makes it sound like it's far from an abomination.

He doesn't exactly say it's perfect either.

The game has some major flaws, and HiRez seems reluctant to do anything about them because they're locked into a broken gameplay model designed around the free-to-play concept. There have been a lot of great suggestions by testers on what and how to fix it, but HiRez has their fingers firmly planted in their ears. It's like a slow-motion replay of the Global Agenda beta & launch.

Try the open beta whenever it gets around to that phase. If they haven't wizened up by then you'll see what I'm talking about. It's fun for the first couple of days, and then you start to see everything wrong with it -- not just cosmetic flaws, deep game-breaking problems.

It's not Tribes and it probably won't ever be. It could have been amazing though.

[anyx]

I've also played Tribes 1, Tribes 2, Tribes: Vengeance, and this newest version of Tribes is definitely the closest to the original as far as physics go. The control direction of downward skiing is definitely more limited. Pathfinder is the FASTEST possible, which still caps out around 185-190 km/h, much slower than the 800+ km/h you could achieve in Tribes 1. If you check out the Jumper class, they have a skill that increases their skiiing directional control, and their pack isn't passive like the Pathfinder's. You can press "C" to instantly drain your energy and give you a boost forward.. but this class caps around 160 km/h, so if you're going for some ridiculous fast caps, Pathfinder is the way to go, also, Jumper's main weapon is more of a grenade launcher from T1, rather than a disc launcer.

I was also definitely sold with my first mid-air shot.. which turned into 2, then 3 in the same game, the second 2 being a double kill, one after another

Capping routes are a lot more limited due to boundaries, whereas Tribes 1 just had the map repeat, and you could go as far out as you want to gain speed.

My only gripe thus far is the turrets.. the placeable turrets do far too much damage. Each player can only place one, and it only takes 2 discs to kill.. but if theres 2 or 3 turrets near a flag, even if you're going 185 km/h, they'll kill your face right off.

Any posts about fraps'd capping routes would be appreciated. Unfortunately you cannot create your own game to just mess around with them, so it's hard to tell what could work, or what's just not working due to the defense you're currently fighting.

[anyx]

I also wish there was an Arena option, but then again, it is still beta :P

---------- Post added 2011-11-06 at 11:34 PM ----------

I've also played Tribes 1, Tribes 2, Tribes: Vengeance, and this newest version of Tribes is definitely the closest to the original as far as physics go. The control direction of downward skiing is definitely more limited. Pathfinder is the FASTEST possible, which still caps out around 185-190 km/h, much slower than the 800+ km/h you could achieve in Tribes 1. If you check out the Jumper class, they have a skill that increases their skiiing directional control, and their pack isn't passive like the Pathfinder's. You can press "C" to instantly drain your energy and give you a boost forward.. but this class caps around 160 km/h, so if you're going for some ridiculous fast caps, Pathfinder is the way to go, also, Jumper's main weapon is more of a grenade launcher from T1, rather than a disc launcer.

I was also definitely sold with my first mid-air shot.. which turned into 2, then 3 in the same game, the second 2 being a double kill, one after another

Capping routes are a lot more limited due to boundaries, whereas Tribes 1 just had the map repeat, and you could go as far out as you want to gain speed.

My only gripe thus far is the turrets.. the placeable turrets do far too much damage. Each player can only place one, and it only takes 2 discs to kill.. but if theres 2 or 3 turrets near a flag, even if you're going 185 km/h, they'll kill your face right off.

Any posts about fraps'd capping routes would be appreciated. Unfortunately you cannot create your own game to just mess around with them, so it's hard to tell what could work, or what's just not working due to the defense you're currently fighting.

[kumduh]

I gave in and prepurchased for the beta access.

I'm immensely enjoying it, but maybe that's because I have no prior Tribes experience, so I can't cling to any nostalgia and point out any flaws.

I think the jumper is a lot more fun than the pathfinder, but the pathfinder's energy pool/regen make it better for flag caps hands down.
Regarding the turrets: The technician was the first class I bought since I couldn't shoot someone with a disk to save my life, and technicians seemed to take no skill. I was surprised to find out that with a very low amount of xp they can drop not 1, but 2 turrets... I played a game where I swear we had at least 8-10 technician turrets down, and it was just dumb. Anyone that went anywhere remotely close to the flag or generator got pulverized.

After running flag caps for a few hours I've come to both hate and respect the base turret's tracking. The fact that they can keep up with and hit you dead on when you're sailing through the air with incredible speed is both discouraging and awesome at the same time. They're pretty easy to juke when you're watching them, but if you're just worried about maintaining your momentum and looking at the flag stand, they turn into your worst nightmare.

[Edge-]

He doesn't exactly say it's perfect either.

The game has some major flaws, and HiRez seems reluctant to do anything about them because they're locked into a broken gameplay model designed around the free-to-play concept. There have been a lot of great suggestions by testers on what and how to fix it, but HiRez has their fingers firmly planted in their ears. It's like a slow-motion replay of the Global Agenda beta & launch.

Try the open beta whenever it gets around to that phase. If they haven't wizened up by then you'll see what I'm talking about. It's fun for the first couple of days, and then you start to see everything wrong with it -- not just cosmetic flaws, deep game-breaking problems.

It's not Tribes and it probably won't ever be. It could have been amazing though.

Just out of curiosity, would you care to give some examples? And these examples are all second hand, since you said earlier that you haven't played it yet, correct?

[anyx]

Kumduh, I believe I've seen you in game before.. I play as "Lightside", as that was my name in Tribes 1. I had a capping partner Darkside.. thats the name situation.. Anyx is my wow name. Hope to see you on the field of battle again.

[tenub]

It's not Tribes and it probably won't ever be. It could have been amazing though.

You're right, it's not Tribes 1 or Tribes 2, it's something very close to both. Most of the complaints are from Tribes vets looking for a clone of T1/T2 which will and should never happen. There do need to be some tweaks, but it's not like it's a huge disappointment or disaster at the moment. It's still definitely a Tribes game and definitely very enjoyable to play, especially once you level up some and upgrade your skills.

Here are the flaws as I see them:
http://forum.hirezstudios.com/phpbb/...587132#p587132

[kumduh]

I play as "Lightside", as that was my name in Tribes 1. I had a capping partner Darkside.. thats the name situation..

That sounds remarkably familiar, I'll be sure to remember that!

I tried out the Jumper vs Pathfinder again over the course of a few more games, and even with the +friction skill on my jumper it still caps out at only 130... Granted the boost pushes you well over that, but that still seems very low. It also feels like the jumper absolutely chews through energy since boost basically takes the entire bar, even with 6% reduction and 100 energy you're only left with 15, so once you boost you only have a very tiny amount of jet you can use.

[Profyrion]

You're right, it's not Tribes 1 or Tribes 2, it's something very close to both. Most of the complaints are from Tribes vets looking for a clone of T1/T2 which will and should never happen. There do need to be some tweaks, but it's not like it's a huge disappointment or disaster at the moment. It's still definitely a Tribes game and definitely very enjoyable to play, especially once you level up some and upgrade your skills.

Here are the flaws as I see them:
http://forum.hirezstudios.com/phpbb/...587132#p587132

You are not authorised to read this forum.

I am logged in. /shrug

The complaints from vets are valid. Some people would like a T1 make-over and call it a day, but they are the minority. You do yourself a disservice waving off the opinions of the vets. Most of them have played Tribes for 10 years or more and they know what a Tribes game should look and feel like. I'm one of them. But I haven't seen or heard anything from the insiders testing it now (since alpha) that makes me want to play it, let alone drop $30 to be a tester. If you like it, that's fine. Just don't act like you know better because the vets disagree with you. Nobody's getting all high and mighty in here, neither should you.

I'll post the issues as I see them, but the list is long. It'll take me a while to gather and organize. What are the rules on NDA stuff in this forum?

[Edge-]

I'll post the issues as I see them, but the list is long. It'll take me a while to gather and organize. What are the rules on NDA stuff in this forum?

The same as everywhere else, don't break it.

[kumduh]

What are the rules on NDA stuff in this forum?

As far as I know there's not an NDA for the beta, but I could be wrong. There's plenty of youtube videos showing gameplay.

I can understand why a lot of the vets are upset, and I really do hope HiRez considers their opinions. I'm new to the game, and I can already tell that things like the speed cap are complete rubbish. Loadouts are also annoying really lame. I spent all 3000 gold coins and then bought another 700 just to try to find a loadout that would fit my playstyle, and it would have been so much easier to just purchase individual weapons.

The beta has only been going on for a few days, so lets hope there's lots of changes made to improve things.

[skoobiedoo]

Played in the weekend... Ah brings back so many memories of Tribes 1 & 2... They've done a great job so far! Granted they have dumbed down Skiiing for the nubs Look forward to more maps as currently there is only 2. Was interested to find that obtaining vechicles in each map you require credits that you earn whilst playing which makes you go hell no I'm not getting off my bike/tank! Another thing I found was awww technicians only start off with being able to deploy one turret!

Shame we can't plant mines in the air like you used to be able to do in Tribes 1... Was fun seeing people skiing in to grab your flag and blowing up on entry/exit

[kumduh]

Look forward to more maps as currently there is only 2.

There's actually 4 in game already; check under the practice options. I'm not sure why the additional 2 weren't added to the play queue yet.