StarDestroyer.Net BBS

This has been an exciting week for MAG, and we’re continuing that momentum today with a closer look at the improved character customization that’s debuting in our new MAG Beta program starting August 24.

To begin with, the MAG Beta will support up to three different character slots per PSN ID so that players can try their hand at any PMC without having to start over again. Please note that when you boot up the beta for the first time your existing MAG character will be auto-copied to “Slot A.” However, this copied character is now completely independent of your original character and he exists solely in the beta universe. In other words, whatever happens to the beta character after the copy process does not affect your character in the retail game.

Another new feature premiering in the MAG Beta is the increase in level cap. Whereas your character stopped advancing at level 60 in the retail version, the beta now allows him to keep going until level 70. Pretty sweet, we know.

Of course, the biggest difference you’ll find in the new MAG Beta versus the retail game is the progression system. Broken into two main parts, the improved progression offers both an in-game economy and an enhanced skill tree. Combined, they allow players to create and upgrade their alter egos in ways that weren’t possible in MAG before.

MAG’s in-game economy works just like a storefront; Currency Points (CP) are earned by netting kills and completing objectives and are then used to make in-game purchases which outfit and equip your character. Especially important is the fact that weapons and gear are no longer unlocked via the skill tree, because they are now unlocked via your character’s level and Currency Points. Once characters have achieved the level necessary to unlock a weapon or gear item, that item is then made available for purchase in the “Supply Depot.”

The Supply Depot is a new menu item where all Currency Point purchases are made. Here, items that are currently available for procurement are shown with their CP cost highlighted next to them, while items not yet accessible are shown grayed out. Items that can be bought here include everything from most weapons and gear (divided into classes for easy navigation) to wearable goodies like hats, uniforms, and glasses. Plus, as an added benefit for players who may not like their choices as much as they’d first hoped, all items can be “returned” to the store for a percentage of their original cost. Oh, and don’t worry if you don’t have enough CP to buy what you need just right off the bat — CP doesn’t max out, so you can continue to earn the points even after you hit the level 70 cap and buy what you want when you can afford it.

Because of the beta’s new CP setup, the means of upgrading your character has been enhanced to support it. For example, players no longer have to save skill points to unlock skills since all skills now cost only 1 Skill Point to unlock (or more specifically, you can add one new upgrade with every “level up”). Sure, each individual upgrade may be smaller but now you can control your pace and end more specialized and powerful in the end.

In addition, we’ve also introduced a number of extra skills to the tree. “Improved Repair Speeds, Health Kit Recharge Rates” and “Sprint Speed” are just a few of the abilities you can expect to see for the very first time. Plus, we’ve categorized skills into classes for better navigation. In fact, here are the meta-categories you have at your disposal:

* Assault
* Marksman
* Close Quarters
* Spec Ops
* Medical
* Engineering
* Athleticism
* Vehicles
* Resistances

Alert! Here’s a “thanks for reading this far bonus!”
As our little message above says, as a thank you for reading the entire article so far (or for skipping ahead, whatever!), we’re including one last bit of bonus info in this post — namely, the additional weapons that the MAG Beta is going to let you test out. Totaling nine in all, the bonus guns come in sets of three for each PMC (one Assault Rifle, one Machine Gun, and one Sniper Rifle). The following checklist tells you what they are, and you can click on each one to see what they look like.

Raven: Gotha Elite (Assault Rifle) | KP21 (Machine Gun) | Kinmark SRS (Sniper Rifle)
SVER: Tamsen MK2 (Assault Rifle) | Ariet SFW (Machine Gun) | Rubakho SVR (Sniper Rifle)
Valor: M31 CIR (Assault Rifle) | M245 (Machine Gun) | Sentinel M421 (Sniper Rifle)

Obviously, there are number of other elements to our improved character customization system that we didn’t cover here, but we have to leave something for you to discover on your own. Even so, we’re confident that this updated setup makes MAG the most immersive and customizable shooter available for PlayStation 3 and we’re anxious to let you try it out. August 24 can’t get here soon enough!

Stark wrote:Hey, they realised locking each ID to a faction was fucking stupid!

JointStrikeFighter wrote:Sentinel looks like some kinda fubared Mk14 EBR

General Schatten wrote:They already has...

Tasoth wrote:I'm not sure if that is still the problem, but I have started noticing more lag recently and gameplay was a bit choppy for me at points last night while playing Dom on Alyeska Terminus. Never happened to me before.

JointStrikeFighter wrote:
Sentinel looks like some kinda fubared Mk14 EBR

CaptHawkeye wrote:Looks like the Chey Tac Intervention.

Edward Yee wrote:Agreed with Schatten (I thought you were Raven?!)

Edward Yee wrote:So much for Raven being the "bastard" team supposedly full of no-teamwork kids who picked it because of the high-tech look, between SVER and Valor's grudging respect for each other, or Raven's supposed accuracy advantage in weapons being supposedly outdone by SVER's power advantage (in damage per shot). I still dislike the size of the Reflex Sight for Raven, so I've found that I've actually been skipping it and just running a "vanilla" APEX100SE... don't like the iron sights, but I still surprising success with them; would of course prefer better recoil reduction than the Foregrip (does it work? Really?) or even the Bipod for sustained fire. Although... it seems like it takes a lot of bullets to kill anyone short of a lucky headshot... or knifing.

P.S. I've heard that one-hit kills by knifing at full health only happen if you're wearing light or improved light armor, and that medium or better armor will protect you from this (though you can be shot and then knifed)... any evidence for or against that you've found?

Edward Yee wrote:Why not the "ATAC 2000" instead, unless the 20 extra rounds per magazine really make a difference that outweighs the lesser accuracy and damage (according to the bars)? Wonder whether the machine pistol should be suppressed or not. My current loadouts (all except for the repair loadout have frag grenade, all have pistols and medkits):
1. Basic "fighting" loadout, APEX 100SE with reflex sight, medium armor
2. Sniper loadout, Jana SWS with suppressor and bipod, improved light armor (alternately, H M 90SE with suppressor and foregrip)
3. Anti-armor loadout, APEX 100SE, P-600G (supposedly guided launcher), medium armor
4. Repair loadout, F90 with reflex sight, repair kit, P-600G, light armor
5. Stealth loadout, F90 with reflex sight and suppressor, sensor jammer, medium armor

Haven't tried the stealth loadout... the fights have been too damn "go loud" for stealth to work thusfar.

Tasoth wrote:Apparently when the Raven and Valor players were saying their maps were broken, it was true.

As for the Beta I got to play like 10 min of a Dom match in which we blitz the SVER defense and had their letters open in under five minutes.

I got to use the KP21 and I liked it, it's ROF is significantly lower than the other MGs but that makes the recoil a lot more manageable than the KP45 which means I can actually make use of the greater damage.

MAG Blog wrote:From August 31 forward, two additional slots will appear on the character log-in screen with links to the PlayStation Store. For $0.99 (US) per additional slot, you can click the space of your choice and unlock the extra character. Your new subscription will last for 30 days from the day you purchased it, giving you a full month to try out your extra warrior. And don’t worry if you don’t renew one month, and decide to come back later – even if you don’t use your additional characters from month to month, he is never actually deleted – just asleep until you come back to claim him again in a future subscription.

Edward, the ATAC and other Raven guns do feel like you are shooting foam darts, but you can spray down a target easily with auto fire and not miss most of the shots over short ranges and sometimes at longer ones.