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Close this windowGlobal Agenda Assault Class Q&A - Page 2
Ten Ton Hammer: You bring up Team Fortress 2, and the TV spot highlighting the Assault class definitely bring to mind TF2. Would you say that the Heavy, the Demoman, and the Soldier were really the touchstones for the Assault class?
Todd: I would say that the explosive nature of the combat was definitely an inspiration. We're trying to allow the players to exaggerate these archetypes more, come up with more hybrids, and also we added devices which really allow players to do a lot more. Unlike Team Fortress 2, we have a selection of instant offhand abilities. A couple of my favorite ones for the Assault class would be spider grenades (which deploy into swarms of spiders which chase down opponents) and concussion grenades (used to knock opponents off of the control point, off of a high tower, or away from a turret). These are just a handful of the offhands that are only available to the Assault class. So yes, the TF2 characters were initial inspiration and then we think we've expanded player options quite a bit.
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Big without being scary, the female Assault model (right) is attractively Amazonian. |
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Ten Ton Hammer: We saw the female class models for the first time at PAX. The silhouette of the Assault class model is pretty huge, so was it challenging to create a female Assault model that wasn't... scary?
Todd: Assault characters are larger than the other classes, and we did make males and females the same size - it is a PvP game, and we know that players will optimize for smaller hitboxes if they can. It is true that the females are large, but the suits are definitely attractive. As far as how scary and intimidating they are, it's really up to the player as far as face customization, hair customization, and what they do with suits and dyes. But the basic suit is pretty attractive.
I do have to admit, though, that one of our level designers, John, created a female face that is quite scary. And when she walks through the city, our playtesters scream and run the other way. On the other hand, my Assault female is drop dead gorgeous.
Ten Ton Hammer: It's good to know we'll have some scary female Assault options come next Halloween. (laughter) So talking a little bit about how the Assault class soaks up damage, what are the different ways an Assault class can improve their ability to take a punch?
Todd: With the talent tree system, it's really how you improve your ability to soak up damage by increasing your resistance to different damage types. Like all the classes, there's an aesthetic choice you can make with the suit - it's purely visual. As you accomplish things in game, we use a combination of the achievements system to unlock the ability to purchase things like suits from the vendors, so that suits are a visible indication of your prowess. But they don't have stats. Stats from the devices you equip, the allocation of skills into the talent trees, and also upgrades (which are persistent buffs you loot and can apply to your character). So the Assault class has a lot of abilities packed into their talent trees to increase resistance and make choices about whether they want to be more resistant to, say, melee or ranged or area-of-effect, and specialize their damage absorption that way.
Genre: Science Fiction
Status: Published
Release Date: February 1st, 2010
Fee: P2P
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