Tribes: Ascend - Tartarus Patch

Major Highlights

• A new CTF map has been added, Tartarus.
• A new Arena map has been added,  Hinterlands.
• Users may now configure up to four pre-established loadouts per class. These can be used to more quickly switch between favored configurations for each class. Loadout slots are purchasable using XP or Gold.  
• Users may now QUICK SWITCH between classes and loadouts while in a match using the “NUMPAD ENTER” key (default). This is an alternate way to change classes/loadouts versus using the Class Select menu ("I" Screen) that does not require you to open the game menu and is much faster.
• Users will now be presented with a customized “DEAL OF THE DAY.” This is a deal tailored to the individual and presents special pricing on an item that the user does not already own. The timer for the deal of the day resets at the same time as the timer for the First Win of the Day.
• The gold packages have been changed. The $30 and $50 packages now give significantly more bonus gold than previous, but do not include an XP booster. Users continue to earn permanent VIP status (which increases XP gain by 50% after their first real-money purchase).
• IMPORTANT USABILITY NOTE: With this release, you always close the console window using the ESCAPE key. You can no longer close the console window using the same key that launches the console (default “tilde”).  This is necessary to solve issues when people rebind that key, as well as on some countries’ keyboard layouts.

Weapon/Balance Items

• Shrike price reduced on public servers to 4000.
• Beowulf price reduced on public servers to 2500.
• Gravcycle price reduced on public servers to 500.
• Reduced the amount of knockback the flag receives from explosions in air (reducing punting).
• New Accolades have been added:
  • Investor: Earned every 2 minutes that a Base Radar or Generator that you upgraded remains online.
  • Turret Support: Earned if a Base Turret you upgraded gets a kill.
  • Hot Air: Earned for getting a mid-air kill with the Plasma Gun. (Replaces Air-Mail).
• An exit speed cap of 200kph has been added to the Shrike.
• Fixed an issue in which the Pathfinder’s Thrust Pack could sometimes not correctly thrust the player.
• Fixed an issue in which the Pathfinder’s Light Assault Rifle was not always firing three rounds.

Custom Server Notes

• XP is now rewarded on password protected servers so long as at least 8 people participate in a match.
• Server owners can now choose between multiple spawn types. This includes Normal spawning, Naked Pathfinder, and Core spawning (Pathfinder, Soldier, and Juggernaut with unlocks).
• Fixed a bug in which configuration options would not be saved properly in some cases. This audio/video settings, custom servers, etc.
• Fixed a bug in which servers would go offline and require a manual restart after the overall game servers were restarted.
• Variety of other minor cleanups and fixes.

Additional Items

• Fixed an issue where the jet-only option for a keybind was jump jetting instead.
• Fixed an issue where the whiteout grenade could cause the permanent loss of IFF’s in certain situations.
• Deaths from hitting a player equipped with the Super Heavy perk will now play a splat sound.
• Fixed an issue where projectile explosion sounds and effects wouldn’t play in certain situations in close-quarter combat.
• Fixed an issue where inventory and vehicle stations weren’t properly updated when the generator went online or offline.
• Fixed an issue where meleeing while zoomed could cause the zoomed-in reticule to still be active after you released the zoom button.
• Fixed an issue where throwing a grenade while spawning a vehicle could leave the player without weapons.
• Fixed an issue where the firing sound would not properly stop on constant-fire weapons after a reload.
• Fixed an issue where de-cloaking with a call-in active would display the wrong active call-in information.
• Fixed an issue where reloading a weapon while zoomed would not properly resume zooming when the reload had finished.
• Vehicle stations have been added to Outskirts Capture and Hold.
• Fixed an issue where vehicle station markers were not displaying in Capture and Hold.
• Fixed an issue where player input wasn’t being properly reset at the end of a round in Arena.  
• Fixed a client crash when placing deployables (i.e. Doombringer’s Force Field, Technician’s Light Turret, etc) in certain areas when roaming.
• Fixed an issue where players weren’t able to place a deployable on certain areas of the flag stand of Katabatic.
• Fixed various UI presentation bugs.
• Performance optimizations done on Arx Novena aqueducts.
• Fixed an issue with the voting keybinds, they have now been restored to their previous values (F5 for no, F6 for yes).

So far I'm liking everything.  The new map is pretty sweet, the punt and shrike nerf will make competitive play a bit more interesting on maps like Crossfire and the fix on the whiteout grenades means they should get unbanned for tourneys now.  Haven't tried the loadout features yet, but hopefully you can rebind it since I play on a laptop that doesn't have a numpad, or at least not an easily usable one. 

No actual post today

Studying for a neurobiology exam that's tonight, so I'll just leave you with a random Tribes: Ascend video instead.  Enjoy.

Tribes: Ascend - The Raider

The Raider is the class that I currently play most often and has two main goals: destroying base assets and disrupting the flag stand.  The raider is equipped with numerous weapons and packs to help him achieve these goals.

Primary Weapons:

• ARX Buster - A sticky grenade launcher and the default primary weapon for the Raider.  Three shots before you have to reload, each shot deals about 600 damage.  The arc on the shots makes it a fantastic weapon for dishing out long range damage.  There are however, two major flaws with the ARX Buster.  First, the shots are blatantly obvious to see.  The ARX Buster fires big red balls that are quite easy to see and combined with their pitiful explosion radius, it can make landing hits with the weapon quite difficult.  The second flaw is that the shots stick.  While this might seem like an advantage, in some cases, such as the small corridors of the bases, being unable to fire around corners or down an elevator can have a huge impact.

• Grenade Launcher - 42k experience to unlock, the grenade launcher is a fairly standard affair and does exactly as expected.  It shoots grenades.  Each grenade only does 550 damage on a solid hit compared to the 600 of the ARX Buster, but the GL has a five round magazine, allowing for more shots before reloading is necessary.  The GL is overall, a better weapon than the ARX Buster, with a large explosion radius, larger knock back, and the ability to bounce shots.

• Plasma Gun - 100k experience to unlock, the recently added Plasma Gun is a dueling powerhouse that is incredibly devastating, if not completely overpowered, in the proper hands.  Dealing 500 damage on a direct hit, the Plasma Gun features a fast rate of fire, ten round magazine, and a large projectile.  When first introduced, the hi tbox for the Plasma Gun's projectile was absolutely enormous and has since been nerfed to a still quite easy to hit with, but not elephant sized, hit box.  While a great weapon for dueling and pissing people off, I personally prefer to stick with the grenade launcher.  The Plasma Gun has very little knock back on its hits, and when your flag capper is coming in fast, you need that heavy off the flag now, not in five seconds when the plasma gun might kill him.

Secondary Weapons:

• NJ4 Sub Machine Gun - The NJ4 is the default secondary weapon for the Raider.  Featuring a very high rate of fire, a 36 round magazine, and 80 damage a hit, it's probably one of the best default secondary weapons 

•  NJ5-B Sub Machine Gun- 75000 experience to unlock, the newly added NJ5-B SMG is a nicely balanced side grade to the NJ4.  The NJ5-B features an increase in accuracy, a scope, and a damage bump to 140 a hit, at the cost of rate of fire.  Neither weapon is particularly better and the choice is yours as to which you prefer.  I personally use the NJ5-B as I like the scope and higher damage while shooting at flag carriers or coming in on the flag stand.  A great example of how the unlockable equipment should be balanced and not a pure upgrade over the default.

Packs:

• Shield Pack - My personal preference, activated at the click of a button, the shield pack activates a shield that absorbs damage at the cost of your jet pack energy.  The shield pack adds quite a bit of meat to the Raider, allowing him to take a few hits as he flies face first into the enemy flag stand attempting to clear the area.  An interesting trade off of gaining immediate protection when you know you're going to be hit  while losing the jet pack mobility that might help you dodge the next shot.

• Jammer Pack - Haven't unlocked it myself, but I've seen other Raiders use it and it doesn't impress me.  Pseudo cloaks your character, making you invisible to radar and base defenses, but still quite visible to the naked eye.  Useful for getting in if the other team is stacking technicians, but otherwise leaves you vulnerable to simply being shot without a shield to boost your health.

Grenades:

• EMP Grenades - Only grenade I have unlocked at the moment.  Quite powerful if it hits, 1100 damage or so, going up to over 2000 against base defenses, the EMP's main flaw is the Raider's sissy throwing arm.  Poor guy is spoiled by grenade launchers for guns and can't throw a grenade to save his life.  Combined with a short detonation timer, you have to be quite close to attempt to hit anything with these.

• Whiteout Grenades - Essentially flash bangs, the Whiteout grenade blinds anyone who gets hit by it for a few seconds.  A couple of these on the flag stand will leave the defense in disarray and unable to prepare for the incoming flag grab.  The next item on my "to buy" list.

• Cluster Grenades - The final item added in the most recent "Raid and Pillage" patch, the cluster grenades explode into many tinier grenades which explode again.  Used as an area denial tool, the cluster grenades can force someone to move off the flag stand for a few seconds.  Not that great of grenades though, as they take a long time to work, having to explode twice, and are un predictable in their spread.

Perks:

• Not much to say here as I only have a few perks unlocked, none of which are really any good for Raider.  Check out survivalist to gain health back on ammo packs, strikes me as the most useful one.

Whew that was a lot of typing.  Hope everyone enjoys the write up.  Expect a similar post for the Doombringer class for some "Heavy on Flag" goodness in the near future.
 

Tribes: Ascend - Classes

Tribes: Ascend has nine classes in the game currently: Pathfinder, Sentinel, Infiltrator, Soldier, Raider, Technician, Juggernaut, Doombringer, and Brute.

Pathfinder:  The fastest class, great at chasing the enemy flag carrier and at grabbing the flags themselves.

Sentinel:  The sniper class.  The sniper rifles are the only primary weapons that are hit scan that I know of at least, I have not used all the weapons yet.  Great on defense for calling out and shooting the enemy flag carriers.

Infiltrator:  A stealthy class, can turn invisible for brief periods of time.  Great at wrecking havoc with the enemy defenses or destroying their generator

Soldier:  An all around class, great at defense or offense, but not being the best at either.

Raider: The class I play the most currently.  Great at destroying enemy defenses and clearing the flag stand, giving your Pathfinders room to come in and grab the flag without being killed.

Technician:  Can repair base defenses faster than anyone else and deploy turrets that will fire at any nearby enemies.  Great base defender.

Juggernaut:  Heavy offense class, has a mortar that can be used to shell the enemy flag stand and keep it clear.

Doombringer:  Heavy defense class.  Can deploy force fields and mines to kill incoming enemy Pathfinders.  Has a chain gun to spray and pray with, as well as a missile launcher to shoot air borne targets or vehicles.

Brute:  Not super familiar with this class as I haven't unlocked it, but serves somewhat as a close up Heavy Offense class with a strong spinfusor, and the area denial Disco Fractal grenades.

From time to time, I'll probably write more in depth class pages, beginning with the Raider and Doombringer as I play them the most, so look forward to those.

As always, if you're interested in trying Tribes out, it is free to play, so feel free to sign up using my referral code and hop into a match with me.  I nearly always play in public CTF games.

What is Tribes: Ascend

On the first comment on my last post, the person said they'd never heard of Tribes: Ascend, so I thought I'd make a quick intro post just to explain the game.

Tribes: Ascend is a free to play first person shooter developed by Hi-Rez Studios to continue the legacy of the Tribes games: Starsiege: Tribes, Tribes 2, and Tribes: Vengeance.  So what makes this game different from other FPS's you might ask?  Two main factors differentiate Tribes from other games: movement and shooting.

Unlike most popular FPS's like Call of Duty or Battlefield where walking is your main transportation mode, Tribes utilizes a combination of  "skiing" and the use of a jet pack to move around the maps.  By holding the space bar in Tribes, you begin to "ski," meaning that your character becomes frictionless, allowing you to slide down slopes to gain speed and slide across flat ground.  By jet packing up slopes and skiing down them, players pick up enormous amounts of speed, where even flying across the map at 150km/hr is considered slow.

The other aspect of Tribes that makes it so different is its use of projectile weaponry over hit scan.  In many games, if you hold your cross hairs over a target and click, you get a hit.  This is hit scan, there's no projectile involved, it's just a hit if your cross hair is over them.  While Tribes maintains some hit scan weapons like the sniper rifle and shotguns, most weapons shoot projectiles that have to actually travel to their destination.  Because projectile weapons inherit some of your momentum, aiming while moving suddenly becomes much more difficult.  When chasing an enemy flag carrier while both of you are moving over 200km/hr, taking a shot that hopes to hit involves factoring in your speed, your direction, their speed, their direction, the speed of the projectile you're firing, whether or not the weapon has fall off or fires in a straight line, etc.  All of these factors make Tribes a much more skill based shooter than other games, and pure awesome when you land a crazy shot.

That's enough typing for now, but I'll probably continue this weekend with posts about the different game modes and classes so stay tuned for that.  If you're interested in playing the game, it is free to play with microtransactions to speed up the unlocks of new items so feel free to give it a shot.  Sign up at https://account.hirezstudios.com/tribesascend/?referral=1557216 if you want to use my referral code, or just drop the referral part if you don't.  In game name Ballis for anyone who already plays and wants to hop into a match with me.