Global Agenda
Encyclopedia
Global Agenda is an online team-based game
by Hi-Rez Studios developed using Unreal Engine 3
. The game went live on February 1, 2010. April, 2011, Global Agenda was re-released as a free-to-play game, introducing Elite and Free Agents in addition to an in-game cash shop featuring Agenda Points.
.
The game is set on 22nd-century (2155) Earth in the wake of severe global disaster. An Orwellian
government called the Commonwealth tyrannically rules Earth with an army of artificially intelligent drones. Earth's population is under one billion people and suffers from a shortage of habitable land. Advanced technology allows limited regions of Earth to be environmentally cleansed and habitable. As land becomes available there is intense competition to colonize the area and control that region's technology. This competition sets the stage for much of the game's campaign action.
The developer has released several pieces of fiction to establish the back-story as well as a timeline for what occurred in the Global Agenda universe before the game begins: Pre-Commonwealth and Post-Commonwealth.
The game features a third-person
camera view, although some weapons allow scoping in a first-person view using a mouse action. Characters have jetpacks, as well as various weapon types, including melee. Global Agenda features a large degree of variability in player appearance with unique achievement based flair items; almost all player items can be re-colored using dyes for additional personalization.
The game features four classes: Assault, Recon, Medic, and Robotics. All have customizable skill trees and their own weapons.
As of June 25, 2010, Global Agenda announced that it was going subscription-free and all content that previously required a monthly subscription fee is now available to all players who have simply purchased the game. Trial accounts still do not receive these benefits. Global Agenda's trial accounts are for an unlimited amount of time but can only advance to a limited level.
On April 7, 2011 Hi-Rez Studios stated that the upcoming update would bring the games's subscription model to free-to-play.
The open beta was later delayed until 3 pm PST, January 7, 2010. The network issues continued to cause delays after 3 pm further delaying open beta. By 6 pm on the same day, the servers were put online and players were able to join. After this small delay the game has been running normally since.
As of January 13, the Non-disclosure agreement
for players of the beta was lifted, allowing Beta testers to share information regarding the game.
, with comments ranging from IGN's mentioning that the game “hits the top notes in many areas. The crisp graphics and fast paced, high intensity team-based combat are definitely the game’s strongest points” while also noting that players are best off finding an Agency (guild) to “suit your play style and personality, as it’s all about teamwork and the people you play with.”, to EuroGamer's “a shooter without eloquence or crunch, an MMO without content or personality, and as an experimental combination of the two it's missing ambition.”
Multiplayer online game
A Multiplayer Online Game is a multiplayer video game which can be played via a game server over the internet, with other players around the world...
by Hi-Rez Studios developed using Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3 is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9/10/11 personal computers , the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Android and OpenGL-based operating systems such as iOS and Mac OS X...
. The game went live on February 1, 2010. April, 2011, Global Agenda was re-released as a free-to-play game, introducing Elite and Free Agents in addition to an in-game cash shop featuring Agenda Points.
Synopsis
Global Agenda mixes a science-fiction setting with a secret agent backdrop, leading the developers to refer to the game genre as spy-fiSpy-fi
-Definition and characteristics:It often uses a secret agent or superspy whose mission is a showcase of science fiction elements such as technology and ideas used for extortion, plots for world domination or world destruction, futuristic weapons, gadgets and fast vehicles that can travel on land,...
.
The game is set on 22nd-century (2155) Earth in the wake of severe global disaster. An Orwellian
Orwellian
"Orwellian" describes the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free society...
government called the Commonwealth tyrannically rules Earth with an army of artificially intelligent drones. Earth's population is under one billion people and suffers from a shortage of habitable land. Advanced technology allows limited regions of Earth to be environmentally cleansed and habitable. As land becomes available there is intense competition to colonize the area and control that region's technology. This competition sets the stage for much of the game's campaign action.
The developer has released several pieces of fiction to establish the back-story as well as a timeline for what occurred in the Global Agenda universe before the game begins: Pre-Commonwealth and Post-Commonwealth.
The game features a third-person
Virtual camera system
A virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in videogames where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; more generally, they are used in 3D virtual worlds when a third person view...
camera view, although some weapons allow scoping in a first-person view using a mouse action. Characters have jetpacks, as well as various weapon types, including melee. Global Agenda features a large degree of variability in player appearance with unique achievement based flair items; almost all player items can be re-colored using dyes for additional personalization.
The game features four classes: Assault, Recon, Medic, and Robotics. All have customizable skill trees and their own weapons.
Subscription information
Pricing for the North American version of Global Agenda was announced on October 20, 2009. The pricing model was said to reflect the games' positioning as a hybrid between a multi-player, hub-based shooter and a larger-scale persistent world online shooter MMO. Pricing was initially planned to include an optional "Global Agenda: Conquest" subscription package.As of June 25, 2010, Global Agenda announced that it was going subscription-free and all content that previously required a monthly subscription fee is now available to all players who have simply purchased the game. Trial accounts still do not receive these benefits. Global Agenda's trial accounts are for an unlimited amount of time but can only advance to a limited level.
On April 7, 2011 Hi-Rez Studios stated that the upcoming update would bring the games's subscription model to free-to-play.
Expansion: Sandstorm
In the Summer of 2010, Hi-Rez released a Global Agenda expansion entitled Sandstorm to add new content to Global Agenda. Sandstorm was released in two major phases: Phase One (1.3) included changes to weapons and armor, loot drops and an HA overhauled crafting system. and Phase Two (1.35) included the introduction of a new "Sonoran Desert" Open Zone, additional mission styles, including 10-person defense raids and Special Ops missions, Consumables and Salvage and an overhaul to the in-game credit and token system.Expansion: Free Agent
April 2011, Hi-Rez released Global Agenda: Free Agent highlighting a move to free-to-play, balance changes and the introduction of new end-game raid content, Dome Defense. Patch 1.4, Free Agent, included the overhaul of skill trees to encourage role specialization. The Dome Defense raid pits 10 man player teams against a new, more powerful threat to the Dome.Open beta
Open beta was scheduled to start at 10 am PST on January 7, 2010, but was delayed due to network issues. Some players were able to connect to the server for the first 10 minutes but were then kicked from the server and were unable to reconnect. Players trying to get onto the game forums were also unable to connect.The open beta was later delayed until 3 pm PST, January 7, 2010. The network issues continued to cause delays after 3 pm further delaying open beta. By 6 pm on the same day, the servers were put online and players were able to join. After this small delay the game has been running normally since.
As of January 13, the Non-disclosure agreement
Non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement , also known as a confidentiality agreement , confidential disclosure agreement , proprietary information agreement , or secrecy agreement, is a legal contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties...
for players of the beta was lifted, allowing Beta testers to share information regarding the game.
Reception
Global Agenda achieved a 70% average from critics and 82% from players on MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, with comments ranging from IGN's mentioning that the game “hits the top notes in many areas. The crisp graphics and fast paced, high intensity team-based combat are definitely the game’s strongest points” while also noting that players are best off finding an Agency (guild) to “suit your play style and personality, as it’s all about teamwork and the people you play with.”, to EuroGamer's “a shooter without eloquence or crunch, an MMO without content or personality, and as an experimental combination of the two it's missing ambition.”