GameStreet – Global Agenda News

Dev Blog: Very First Beta Testers

Our exclusive Global Agenda developer blog has received a new entry, where Michal Adam of Hi-Rez Studios tell us about the first few Beta testers in their sci-fi shooter.

Global Agenda’s very first beta testers just leveled up.

Inside the Studio, Thursdays are typically New Tester Day (OK, internally we call it ‘N00b’ day), when we invite new people in to the studio to test Global Agenda.

Today, our NooBs got a special treat. While Global Agenda’s Closed Beta does not officially begin until tomorrow (July 24), we allowed the tester’s to login early and be the first on our Beta Servers. So, if you are one of our Closed Beta testers and you login right at the start tomorrow and see a few players already tooling around 10 levels ahead of you – you know they were probably among the group that was at Hi-Rez today.

Read more here

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Combat ion Videos

A pair of Global Agenda videos are now available at GameTrailers.

The first video gives us a detailed look at what we can expect from the character creation system of Global Agenda. The second video runs through some in-game PvP combat footage.

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Closed Beta Phase One Begins July 24th

Earlier in the month we reported that Hi-Rez Studios had nailed down July as a timeframe for when we could expect the game to enter Closed Beta.

The developers are now ready to set a more solid date. The first phase of beta will begin on July 24th, 2009. The beta process will follow in a similar vein to that of the Aion beta, with each phase spanning a single weekend.

Get more details on the beta at the Global Agenda Answer Center.

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Closed Beta This July

The Answer Center on the official Global Agenda website has been updated with a date for the first phase of Global Agenda’s closed beta program.

The closed beta program will begin this July, so if you’ve not signed up yet, get to it!

For more information, check out the Answer Center here

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10 New Shots

Get a close look at all of the classes as they duke it out in these latest shots. Also, there are jetpacks. Jetpacks.

Take a look at all of the shots here

For our full Global Agenda gallery, go here

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Meet the Team: Mick Larkins

The "Meet the Team" series of interviews continues on the official Global Agenda blog. In this latest entry, we meet Mick Larkins, Lead Technical Artist on Global Agenda.

What do you do at Hi-rez Studios? ( List your title or give a few sentences about your job and duties. )

I am the Lead Technical Artist on Global Agenda. My job is to be a bridge between artists and programmers. I am responsible for programming the animation system and am a “generalist” for a lot of features (typically character related) that need programming support for a very visual result. I also create and maintain tools for artists and audio designers.

To learn more about Mick Larkins and Global Agenda, read the full interview here

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Hands-On Preview Interview

At E3 2009, MMORPG.com had a chance to sit down and play Global Agenda. The MMOFPS from Hi-Rez Studios in Atlanta makes great use of the Unreal 3 Engine and compares favorably with some classic shooters. Plus, it’s an MMO. We also talked to Executive Producer Todd Harris on camera about the game.

Global Agenda pulls off hands-to-hand combat beautifully.

My Assault character had this absurd electric battle axe. It looked awesome and at first, it seemed pretty useless. But as I got more comfortable with the game, it became an amazing tool, powered by the tight maps.

In one area, we were having a firefight back and forth on a walkway, with one solid wall and one side open to the air. At first, both sides dug in and just lobbed rockets and bullets back and forth. It was a stalemate.

At least, until I broke out the battle axe.

Read the preview here

Watch the interview here

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Elves vs. Recon Trailer

Hi-Rez Studios begins their "No Elves" campaign in this latest trailer for Global Agenda. In this newest trailer, you’ll find out what happens when you pit an Elven mage against a Recon.

Check out the trailer here

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Features Revealed at E3

Hi-Rez Studios has revealed a number of new features as fans had the opportunity to give the game a try at E3.

June 3, 2009. New features and content for the upcoming action MMO Global Agenda were unveiled and enthusiastically received today by attendees of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Players lined up to sample new character creation, Co-Op Player vs. Environment missions, and intense Player vs. Player missions.

This public showing of the game, that is available for hands-on preview throughout the expo, includes a first glimpse into the Global Agenda backstory via the "Inception Mission" that follows character creation, a chance to explore "Dome City", a social hub area set within the Sonoran Desert, new PvE mission content against Commonwealth androids and bosses, and new PvP areas within arctic and jungle settings. The skill-trees for each of Global Agenda’s four agent character classes were also debuted for players to experiment with.

Read more here

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Meet the Team: Chris Larson

Hi-Rez Studios has posted an internal interview with Chris Larson, Sr. Programmer for Global Agenda.

What do you do at Hi-Rez Studios?

Well, I would say that I’m kind of the jack of all trades (master of none?) around the programming department. I’m officially in charge of our game configuration tools, database and interfaces. As far as game code goes, I work with the inventory and item systems. I am also deeply involved in our device and effect code and have a general working knowledge of everything else (except our networking code… eeeewwww).

To summarize I’m the unofficial programming lead.
How long have you worked in Gaming, and what did you do before Global Agenda?

Global Agenda is the first game I’ve worked on. Prior to Hi-Rez, I worked on engineering systems for General Electric and later in my career I worked for the Founder/CEO of Hi-Rez (Erez Goren) at his previous company as a programming lead for retail workforce management systems… Yes sounds boring but I found it challenging and fun. Well, testing the software I currently work on is much more fun!

Read more here

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Dev Blog Debuts

Global Agenda, the upcoming sci-fi spy MMO, is the latest to join the ranks of developer blogs on MMORPG.com. In their debut, Producer Todd Harris talks about "A Minute To Learn, A Lifetime To Master."

In early 2005, when we first opened the doors of Hi-Rez Studios, we were asked to describe our team’s philosophy in making games. Our answer was "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master".

Erez (our company founder & Lead Designer) and I grew up in the coin-op arcade era, where if the game did not grab your attention and give you a taste of victory within the first 5 minutes it wouldn’t earn another quarter from you. Yet the best games also managed to engage & challenge the best players for hours, and sometimes on that same quarter!

Check it out here

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Meet the Team: Jeff Voeltner

Hi-Rez Studios has posted an internal interview with Jeff Voeltner, Senior Environment Artist for Global Agenda.

What do you do at Hi-Rez Studios?

I’m a Senior Environment Artist. I design and build the areas or "sets" that the players run around in. Most of my time working on Global Agenda has been on designing and developing the social spaces for the game (cities, agency headquarters, etc.).

How long have you worked in Gaming, and what did you do before Global Agenda?

I’ve been working in the industry for about seven years now. The first game that I worked on was Call of Duty: Finest Hour. I also worked on the games Legendary and Turning Point: Fall of Liberty during the beginning stages.

Prior to working on games, I’ve had the fortunate opportunities of working within feature film, advertising, and in comic books where I began my career as a color artist with Image Comics in the 90s.

Read more here

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Fiction: The Utopian

Hi-Rez Studios has released this new piece of fiction based on their upcoming MMORPG, Global Agenda. The Utopian is written by Nathan Knaack.

Steven made a conscious effort to awaken several minutes before his alarm sounded every morning, creeping out of bed as quietly as he could to peer out the window at the street a few stories below. The immaculately cleaned road had never suffered an automobile on its surface, as most of the traffic in Commonwealth Prime was airborne, clogging the skies above the incredible city in a perpetual jam of personal vehicles, public transportation, and security patrols. Ground level was reserved for pedestrians, with narrow walkways punctuated by neatly trimmed gardens and every imaginable shape of abstract sculpture. Thick nationalist banners hung from so high up on each towering skyscraper that the morning haze would obstruct their origins, making it appear that they hung from the clouds themselves, unfurling to broadcast their message of loyalty and pride. Steven wasn’t interested in any of that, not the cleanliness and beauty of the metropolis, or the eerie complacency and ruthless efficiency of each passersby. All he cared to see was the single hovering garbage collection drone that would visit the intersection just below his window every morning, a few minutes before his assigned duties began.

Read Fiction: The Utopian

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Fan Video Contest

Hi-Rez Studios has announced that they’re holding a video contest, challenging players to create the best or funniest video using assets from their new fan video kit. The video submission deadline is May 10th.

Today, Hi-Rez Studios posted a new Fan Video Kit that includes various clips of Global Agenda game play footage, launching The Eyes of the World Are Upon You! contest. This kit supplements the previously released Fan Site Kit, which includes a bunch of great art and music assets.

Hi-Rez is encouraging fans to use these materials — as well as other publicly available game assets and original fan-created content — to create videos that promote Global Agenda and then post them to the special Global Agenda Fan Videos Group on YouTube.

Read more here

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Gameplay and Teaser Videos

Hi-Rez Studios has released a new trailer featuring in game footage from their upcoming spi-fi MMORPG, Global Agenda.

Watch Gameplay Video

Hi-Rez Studios has released a new teaser trailer for their upcoming spi-fi MMORPG, Global Agenda.

Watch the Teaser Trailer

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