Global Agenda
has been out now for three months and patch 1.3 is being released in
phases. This patch has the community buzzing with anticipation so we
here at Ten Ton Hammer thought we'd catch up to Executive Producer,
Todd Harris, to find out what he had to say. style="font-weight: bold;"> Todd was not only
happy to share his thoughts on patch 1.3 but also on the current state
of the game.

Ten Ton Hammer: Now that Global
Agenda has been live for 3 months, is the game
(especially AvA) where you thought it would be? What were your biggest
surprises post-launch?



Todd Harris:
Yes.  We wanted a passionate, steadily
growing community and now, 3 months after launch, we're still the top
selling MMO on Steam despite some strong competitive offerings, so
we've been very pleased with the sustained interest in style="font-style: italic;">Global Agenda.



One
pleasant surprise is how well the core PvP class balance has held up -
we've had to make very few post-launch adjustments in that area.



Specific
to AvA we are making some significant changes based on post-launch
feedback however.    The concept of
group-based
territory control is solid and something we remain very committed to -
but at the same time our players have asked for more schedule
flexibility with regard to protecting that claimed territory. 
So,
with the next expansion we are working to make AvA more accessible and
allow groups to declare their own open hours for their territory -
within some minimum requirements.    

Ten Ton Hammer: Does the
popularity of PvE continue to surprise you, as it does me? 
Will
the new maps resemble any match formats we've played thus far?
style="font-weight: bold;">


Todd: That
has been a surprise; and I probably play just as much style="font-style: italic;">Global Agenda PvE
than PvP myself these days.  The four-person Co-op PvE,
especially
at the higher difficulty levels, has proven to be extremely fun and
popular and so we're continuing to add content to that
format.   We are also developing new Defense Missions
that
allow 10 players to defend outposts of  Dome City against
robotic
scouts and elites from the nearby Recursive Colony.  Finally,
with
the introduction of Open Zones players will see more solo and
quest-driven content.  So, in PvE players will see more of the
current format and a few entirely different formats.  



Ten Ton Hammer: Two
types of new currency - conquest and mercenary tokens - are coming to
the game. Why two types, how are they different, and what sorts of
items will players be able to buy with these tokens?
style="font-weight: bold;">

Todd: Yes -
The new
token types are being introduced in conjunction with armor variations,
weapon variations,  and entirely new weapons. 
 



Mercenary
Tokens will allow players to purchase better quality versions of the
weapons they are currently familiar with - an Epic version of the
Rocket Turret for example - but with additional, variable
stats. 
These device variations can alternately be acquired via loot drops.



Conquest
Tokens allow players to purchase weapons that are entirely new with
this expansion.  For example, we are introducing Dual Wielding
Swords for the Recon class and this is a high level weapon only
available via Conquest Tokens.   



These new armor and weapon items can also be enhanced further thru Mods
produced by crafters.



Ten Ton Hammer: We
noticed that no class changes seem to be scheduled for 1.3, are you
pretty happy with how classes are balanced at present?
style="font-weight: bold;">


Todd: Yes. 
The core classes and devices have held up well.  With 1.3 we
just
give all classes a few more weapon toys to play with!  



One of
the more controversial items is the Combat Jetpack.  Since
initial
Alpha testing we've received many player requests to be able to fly and
shoot at the same time.  With the Combat Jetpack players have
an
option to do that but it does consume quite a bit of power so we feel
overall game balance will be preserved.  If you want to try
one
out save up those Conquest tokens!



Ten Ton Hammer: 
The European release is
scheduled for September. Has it been tough as an indie to negotiate the
labyrinth of licensing requirements required to take a game global?
style="font-weight: bold;">


Todd: With
Iceberg Interactive we found a great partner to help take Global Agenda
truly global!  We plan to include the Sandstorm enhancements
in
that boxed version which should make for a big European release this
fall.



Ten Ton Hammer: A lucky
few got Global Agenda
Collector's Editions in the
US, but since the European release will be available at retail, are
there any plans to go retail in the US at that time?
style="font-weight: bold;">


Todd: Based
on our
success via digital download we are in discussions about a retail
release but nothing to announce at this time.  



Ten Ton Hammer: Is there
anything more you can tell us about the Sandstorm expansion at present?
style="font-weight: bold;">


Todd: It's
BIG!  The scope of changes is significant enough that we plan
on
phasing the changes across multiple updates rather than doing a single
big-bang change.  We believe that is best way to keep quality
high
and let the community process all the new stuff.

 

Phase I
should hit the public test server within a week, and it introduces the
variable stat weapons and armor, about 30 brand new weapons, the token
reward system, alternate jetpacks, new dome city shops, some updated
User Interface elements, and more.  After that we have three
additional major updates planned so plenty of good stuff ahead!