MAG

[KnackChap]

Developer: Zipper

Publisher: Sony

Platform: ps3

Player: 1-256

release: 09? 10?

 

256 players

air drops, halo insertions, LARGE scale battles

8 players squads led by leaders, you'r only a small part of the big war

character advancement

online and ongoing campaigns

 

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/usermov...aylist=featured

 

____________________________________________

 

256!!

two hundred fifty six!!

[TheDribbler]

MASSACARE !!!!!

[jackhammer06]

Bring it on!!Bring it on!!!!

[KnackChap]

developer interview

 

http://www.gamespot.com/video/950933/6194223/mag-interview-1

[SchizoidFreud]

MAG wish list

 

Sony revealed it’s new online game by Zipper at E3 earlier this week and it’s gotten us pretty excited. So far we know this,

 

* Online battles support 256 real people

* All people divided into groups of 8

* Each squad will have a leader determined through the game ranking system

 

So they are the main facts. what we would like to see though are these,

 

* When communicating with people, there should be an option for a box to pop up in the top right that will display their image through PS eye. This will make chatting seem more fun. If speaking to multiple people at the same time, you should be able to toggle which PS eye you watch.

* There should be squad awards and trophies that go along with this. If your squad comes makes the most kills or completes the most objectives you should be rewarded for this. By doing this and having trophies that support it squads may become a lot more organised.

* Squad names. Many people are fond of ‘clans’ so this is a good game for this function to be implemented. You should be able to have an option to select your squad via friends list. You should also be able to name your squad. Clans would be more recognised in battles of this scale, making it more fun.

* We noticed that there was vehicles on the trailer. How about in game music played through the vehicle radio? Imagine having a squad in the back of your vehicle allowing them to listen to the music you selected through your XMB.

* Emotions. Now we are not talking emotions as happy as home. There should be wave emotions and such like that, but it would be better with emotions more along the lines of Unreal Tournament 3. You just make a kill then dance over their body. Sounds fun!

* Dogs tags would be a good thing to include. The way we imagine it is that you just make a kill and say you killed ‘Greyhound23′. You would receive a dog tag with his name on. Now every kill you make you get a dog tag with the players name on it. If you kill them more than once then you receive a number next to it. I.e. ‘Greyhound23 (2)’. I don’t think this has ever been done before but sounds great. By the end of your time playing the game you would have a Kill list with thousands of Dog tags.

* Character customisation is a must. You can not have 256 soldiers running wild all identical. Everybody needs their own customisation’s weather it be war paint or a flask. It makes you feel and look better when you are different.

[TRMNTR]

256 Players...

 

I don't know but I have a feeling that this game won't be any good!

[MarketTantrik]

Sony revealed it’s new online game by Zipper at E3 earlier this week and it’s gotten us pretty excited. So far we know this,

 

* Online battles support 256 real people

* All people divided into groups of 8

* Each squad will have a leader determined through the game ranking system

Oh No !! I cant imagine playing in a squad which had Homfaga or Filly as its leader

[SchizoidFreud]

Why Me? :cry5:

[MarketTantrik]

You will be busy with your own thang and will forget all about the team. Good that you dont have a PS3

[SchizoidFreud]

I dont even talk

[Infinity091]

If this game turns out good i will probably buy a ps3.

[Somebody]

Insider Describes the World of Sony's MAG

 

 

It’s not hard to imagine that Sony knew Microsoft would choose E3 to make its curtain-call announcement of Final Fantasy XIII for the 360. It’s likewise reasonable to believe they searched their catalog of works under development for the best candidate to generate any buzz. What we got was a mixed bag — the trailer of an incredibly expansive shooter, but it didn’t even have a title. It was just MAG: Massive Action Game. It sounded tempting, but very incomplete.

 

In fact it was shown to a focus group less than a month before E3. One among that group, after seeing the MAG E3 debut, reached out to me, under a promise of anonymity, to describe what was shown and asked of the group. Put simply, MAG — whatever title it comes out under — will be a mercenary combat MMO. We're told that it will more than likely carry SOCOM branding, as Zipper Interactive is behind it. And if so, it could be called SOCOM: Shadow War or SOCOM: Zero. Though Sony did stress it was a brand new IP at the press conference.

 

For purposes of identity protection, my source, who has experience in other video game focus groups, will be called Orange. Being identified could cost Orange, and others, future work.

 

“They gave us six options for taglines at the end,” said Orange, who could only remember four: MAG: Shadow War; MAG: Zero; MAG: Global Assault and MAG: Final Hour. Orange said the group liked Shadow War and Zero. Orange reasoned that Zipper Interactive's involvement means all signs would point to a repurposing of SOCOM IP for this one, rather than creating a new title outright. Indeed, when providing me visual examples of certain factions that he observed, Orange used images from SOCOM 3.

 

“We were all deliberating what sort of game it was similar to, and for the most part, SOCOM and Planetside (another Sony title) were the only names that came out, based on what we have heard and seen,” Orange said. The group members saw, or was described, gameplay but could not perform it themselves, which indicated it was in a far less complete stage than other games for which Orange had been in a focus group. All the group saw was a “touched up” version of the trailer that ran at E3, Orange said. Then they were asked questions, mostly regarding the game’s story and the scope of its battles.

 

SOCOM and Planetside were the closest cousins, Orange said, because the game involves “troop like gameplay with a 3rd person view. The game is set following catstrophic events in the near future — “2015 to 2020, around there,” said Orange — in which mercenaries, aligned with certain factions, are engaged in relentless secret wars for control of resources.

 

Orange saw three factions — Americans, based in Alaska (“I can assume a snow level,” Orange joked) Europeans and a Middle East faction. Orange provided two .jpgs from SOCOM 3 that were close analogues to the MAG Europe and Middle East factions. If Sony chooses to go forward like this, the obvious Middle East motif could cause some PR problems (although, “It was a black American soldier they showed us, if that makes up for it.”) To Anglo players, that kind of garb clearly says “terrorist,” and not mercenaries, especially considering the regular fatigues and high-tech suits worn by Americans and Europeans, respectively.

 

 

Orange said the presenters focused on two topics: Whether the story justifying the state of current events in the game was believable enough for gamers, and whether the scale of combat was appealing. MAG is promising multiplayer battles of up to 256 participants, broken down into 8-member units aligned to one of two sides. There will be no third-party intercessions on any battles, Orange said.

 

“For MAG they were all about scale,” Orange said. “That was the word they were going for. Massive (as in the scale of the level). With 256 players, they don’t want it to be a clusterf**k of deathmatch. They want vast levels where troops can approach from all angles.”

 

At that scale, you can be an independent operator assigned to one unit, knowing none of the others on your side, or you can gather up to seven of your friends and jump in as a squad, with other participants added in if your unit totals less than eight. Obviously, it’s not obligating you to find 127 of your closest friends if you want to see the largest scale of combat MAG will offer.

 

That said, mission objectives for these battles will definitely be in the hands of a few human players. We’ve reported on the concept of ranks in MAG, where players accumulate experience and ascend a shot-calling ladder within the game, such that they are either grunts, lieutenants, or generals in charge of the whole operation. You’ll ascend in rank according to a points accrual system that Orange was able to describe loosely.

 

“When they were describing it, it kept reminding me of Alterac Valley from World of Warcraft, if you are familiar,” Orange said. “What happens is: You get points for contributing with your troop/overall team. If you happen to win or do better than the rest of your team, you get more points. So the more you play, or the more points you get, the higher your rank goes.”

 

Some speculated/wished that at high command levels, the game moved back into some sort of top-down/RTS interface. That sort of happens. “Everyone is in the field,” Orange said, “but the person in charge is capable of looking at the map and commanding the overall group or individual troops. He is also capable of things like airstrikes and parachute drops. He could either control and babysit from far back, or jump right into the action [with a weapon himself.]”

 

Orange didn’t like the fact another human player could set all the mission parameters. “Why would I want someone telling me how to play the game?” Orange said. “Perhaps I know more about the certain terrain than they do, should they have the ability to penalize me if I don’t listen? Granted, penalizing and kicking were not mentioned but they’re always a possiblity.

 

While Orange did not see individual character classes or their abilities demonstrated, Orange came away with the understanding that all units could be comprised of a single class if they desired. Also, once a character achieved a certain point ranking, certain options became customizable, such as appearance and equipment/weaponry upgrades.

 

In all, Orange described an appealing game, and it’s a logical progression from MMOs set in fantasy contexts. After all, there are, at least for narrative purposes, kingdoms and heads of state in those worlds too, and adventurers set off on individual quests and find combat there. Given a good enough story to set it up, what should preclude that kind of experience in the modern world?

 

Don't forget that since this is all coming out of a focus test it could be very pie-in-the-sky stuff, though certainly ideas that are tickling Sony's collective grey matter.

[KnackChap]

from the psblog

 

Recently we had the incredible opportunity to share with you a first look for the MAG project at the SCEA E3 Press Conference. We’re thrilled with the early responses from everyone and have been amazed at all the creative speculation about the game. If you haven’t seen the news, MAG is a new online shooter coming in 2009 where up to 256 players wage battles as 8-person squads in a new and unique World. You can watch the press event here or download it from the PLAYSTATION Store.

 

Though it’s early to talk in depth about MAG, we can definitely quell some fears we’ve already heard from you about how MAG will need to compromise on gameplay to support its size. Well, it may be massive but it is an action shooter at its core. You can run around and shoot enemies, throw grenades, and drive vehicles just like any other shooter except with MAG you’ll do it with up to 256 players. The team at Zipper was one of the pioneers of online gaming on consoles with the SOCOM franchise and they’ve used this knowledge to create a brand new server architecture to make an original game like MAG possible.

 

Here’s a sneak peak from one of our internal play sessions:

 

first ingame screenshot

 

[MarketTantrik]

^^ Parachute drops ??

[Hot-Drake-Pixel]

First in-game MAG screenshot analyzed

 

Although it's fairly early on in the development cycle, if MAG can produce graphics on par with those displayed in the screenshot below whilst providing a stable connection for up to 256 players, that would be beyond amazing. Fortunately, Zipper seems up to the challenge. I present the first real-time screenshot from Massive Action Game.

 

So here's what this screenshot reveals about MAG. As hinted on in the CG trailer, players will be able to drop out aircrafts and parachute to safety. Obviously, they can be shot down while doing so, as the opposing squad here is attempting to do. The screen also leads me to believe that there won't be a cover system. If you take a look at the guy on the right, he doesn't quite seem 'attached' to the wall. This is just a guess though - I'll try to niggle some official details on that from Zipper soon.

 

Tech-wise, the lighting and shadowing systems look spot on. If you again glance on the combatant of the right side of the screenshot, his shadow looks soft yet accurate on the wall beside him. In the background, the building seems to reflect the hazy color of the vivid sky.

 

MAG is scheduled for release exclusively for the PlayStation 3 sometime in 2009.

 

Check post#13 for the screen shot.

 

Source

[supersim]

this game is going to be HUGE!!!!

whos laughing now u xbox360fanboys?

 

 

:dance2:

[rAgHaV]

Developer : Zipper Interactive

Publisher : Sony Computer Entertainment

Platform : PlayStation 3

Release date : TBA 2009[1]

Mode :MMO Shooter

Genre : Online Shooter

Online Play : 256 Versus

 

MAG: Massive Action Game is the tentative name for an upcoming MMO shooter exclusively for the PlayStation 3 in development by Zipper Interactive. The game was announced at Sony's E3 2008 press conference, and will be released sometime in 2009.

 

A PS3 exclusive, the game will utilize a new server architecture to support online battles with up to 256 players, with users divided into 8-player squads. Each squad will be led by a player who has advanced through the game's ranking system. Character statistics and development will also increase with frequent gameplay. The players most advanced in rank will be able to either direct the battle or participate directly in combat.

 

Basic battles will take place within ongoing, faction-based campaigns to encourage the player to actively play, with at least three factions being considered for inclusion; including American, European and Middle Eastern factions.

 

The game's E3 unveiling trailer featured large landscapes, tactics such as air strikes and parachuting, and a variety of vehicles, from tanks and APCs to airplanes. The game will boast numerous classes for players to specialize in; including medics, commandos and field demolition specialists. It has not been announced if the game will be a third person shooter, like Zipper's previous SOCOM games, or a first person shooter.

 

[TRMNTR]

I am pretty sure such a thread already exists!

[SchizoidFreud]

thread exists, kc had opened it a long time back

[Somebody]

similar thread exists.

 

Please refer to > Every Game Thread In One before creating new game threads