Seraphina Brennan over at Massively.com wrote a couple of great articles about Global Agenda last week

First, his thoughts on Global Agenda: Conquest:

Global Agenda: Conquest mode is the game’s take on a real-time strategy game versus an FPS. Your alliance of agencies can take ownership of the Global Agenda world and lay claim to valuable resources to build agent modifications, weapons of mass destruction, and even more fun little tools. But you must guard your territory carefully, as other alliances will have the option to siege your land, forcing you into battles for domination of the map.

Read the whole article here!

Also, his take on how Global Agenda’s squad-based combat still creates a massive experience when you overlay the game’s unique framework for territory control:

Why is there so much ado about the nature of an MMO? Why are so many fixated on the 10 vs 10 nature of Global Agenda and not the bigger picture of what the game has to offer? Why do we scoff at the idea of 100 person instances when it was designed to give the player more flexibility?

Today, I want to play the devil’s advocate, as I do in so many of my opinion columns. I want to take on the defense of Global Agenda as an MMO title, and I think I have enough evidence to prove that it’s massive — just not in the way you normally consider MMOs to be massive. And, personally, I think this is only good news for the industry at large.

Check out Brennan’s full take on it here.

Check out the latest Global Agenda trailer!

The Older Gamers send Reoh into Global Agenda’s Beta all the way from Australia. Curious about the ping time from down under?

“The results of my gameplay experience were quite surprising, I experience little lag related issues while playing the game in both PvE and PvP! I don’t know what they’ve done with the code but somehow it really didn’t matter that I was on the other side of the world.”

Read the full review here!

GamesRadar talks about what makes Global Agenda a different kind of MMO.

At first sight it plays like an MMO. You pick your character class (Assault, Medic, Recon, Robotics), choose a look, and then make your first picks from the skill trees. The interface continues the theme: a traditional MMO tray of icons, health and power bars and unlimited ammo. So then you try the first PvE mission – perhaps you’re a sniping Recon, attempting to take out an evil robot, and you’re dying. Many times. Until the moment it clicks, your perspective zooms out, and you realize this is actually a third-person action game you’re playing. You need to run, dodge, hide, cloak, throw bombs and dive for cover.

Read the full article here

Time Magazine featured the lovely gals of Global Agenda in their Techland blog:

Since both men and women are available as player-characters shooting guns, the developers thought it was silly to have cleavage-baring ladies with no protection. “It’s a little easier in fantasy games as it could be explained away with magic, or her ability to finesse around the other characters,” explained lead character artist Sean McBride. “It’s a little different when you put guns into the mix and think about someone not wearing body armor around their heart.”

Read more here!

TenTonHammer talked to Todd and got some details about PvP gameplay.

“The promise of Global Agenda is an MMOG that has both the story and comfort level to convert shooter-averse MMORPG fans into territory conquering PvPers, yet has enough grit to appeal to hardcore shooter fans. While the maps mission types may seem familiar, interesting twists such as jetpacks and movable, destructible… respawn beacons may change the contours of now conventional online shooter gameplay. That Global Agenda ties all this and more into a full, persistent, large-scale PvP oriented package makes this title one to watch in early 2010.”

Read the whole article here

Environment Artist Rick Ruiz on his past experience as an architect, previous games he worked on, and some clever use of Lego’s.

Rick, tell us a little about what you do at Hi-Rez Studios.

I am an Environment Artist.  I model and texture many of the architectural sets as well as many props and key objective structures.

How did you get into the gaming industry? How did you get to Hi-Rez Studios?

I have been in the industry for nearly ten years.  I majored in architecture when I was in college and in my free time taught myself 3D Studio Max and Photoshop.  I decided architecture was not the route I wanted to go, so I decided to pursue my hobby as a career.  I went to a school in Santa Monica, California to study computer graphics and 3D modeling, and through the school was offered and internship to work on one of the Spyro the Dragon games.  After working on a few big name titles over the years I stumbled upon Hi-Rez Studios (which was then, hiring a new team to develop an online game) while looking for a job in my hometown of Atlanta.  Turned out that one of my co-workers in California was friends with a former art lead at Hi-Rez and the rest was history.

Describe your video game experience; when did you start playing/making games?

I was pretty much raised on video games.  I remember first playing games on my Atari 2600 when I was just a few years old.  As I got older, I remember spending many late nights with my brother and cousins trying to master the latest game on the NES.  Over the years, my brother and I owned almost every console when they came out.  With the amount of time I spent playing video games as a kid it was only fitting that my career would be to make them.

What is your favorite class/character to play in Global Agenda?

Assault. I have mastered the art of using tracking rocket launcher as a sniping weapon much to the dismay of others during our internal play test. Nothing more satisfying than blasting someone from the opposite end of the map.  Sometimes I’ll switch to Recon to mix it up a bit.

What are you most excited for in Global Agenda?

I’m most excited about the release of Global Agenda after working on the game for the past few years. Also excited about the environments and how they are shaping up.

What experiences do you draw from when creating content for the game?

I draw a lot of my inspiration from architecture around the world.  Also much of my inspiration comes from film and art, especially science fiction.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into gaming?

Master one facet of the industry whether it is art, animation or programming.  Always be ready to learn new techniques and grow your skill set. Be willing to keep up with the latest technology.  As an artist, having a killer demo reel would be a great asset.

Favorite game(s)?

Many of the NES classics like Legend of Zelda, Metroid, and Kid Icarus.  Newer favorites include the Sim City series, Team Fortress 2, Rock Band, and World of Warcraft.

What do you do in your free time?

Aside from video games, I like to get creative.  I enjoy painting, but my medium of choice is Lego.  I build a lot of Lego structures in my free time.  I’m not talking about your kid’s Lego set they got for Christmas, but building realistic larger-scale structures with Lego.  I have a large collection of buildings I have made from the past 8 years which are inspired by real-world architecture including several skyscraper models that are several feet tall.

I also enjoy spending time with my wonderful wife Macy, traveling, watching football and hanging out with friends and family.

What is on your iPod/MP3player?

Everything from more popular bands like U2, Coldplay, and Moby to more obscure stuff like The Echoing Green and the Benjamin Gate.  I also have a lot of soundtracks, classical, Techno, 80’s and 90’s rock, and video game music as well.

Personal art from Rick Ruiz:

LEGO CREATIONS

If you can imagine a world in which World of Warcraft and Team Fortress 2 had a baby (though WoW always wondered if Planetside had actually been the father instead) and then they slapped a jetpack on that baby’s back, then you’ve clearly got an overactive imagination - but you’ve also got something similar to the ambitious Global Agenda.

Award-winning team-based shooter-MMO available for pre-purchase today

ATLANTA, Dec. 15, 2009 — Hi-Rez Studios announced today that Global Agenda, the award winning team-based shooter-MMO, will launch on Monday, February 1, 2010. The game will be available for pre-purchase through the Global Agenda website, Steam and the Amazon.com Marketplace starting today. Players that pre-purchase will receive beta access, in-game items, and other incentives.

Global Agenda players will experience both co-op and competitive multiplayer shooter features after a one-time purchase with no subscription needed.  An optional subscription package, called "Global Agenda: Conquest" will be available for players who wish to participate in a massive-scale game of territory control on a persistent world map.  

As a special agent playing only the non-subscription features, you may fully level up to eight different agent characters, participating in both player-vs-player and cooperative player-vs-environment missions, as you fight to overturn the totalitarian one-world government, The Commonwealth, and establish yourself inside the game world.

Players in Global Agenda: Conquest form their own groups, called Agencies.  These Agencies conquer territory, construct facilities, manufacture vehicles, raid bases, and engage in formal and informal alliances and betrayals on their way toward world domination.  The Conquest gameplay will revolve around player-driven politics and emergent gameplay with each battle being resolved via squad-based combat. 

A comparison of the features included in the non-subscription and subscription ("Conquest") portions of the game, as well as additional pre-order information, is available at: http://www.globalagendagame.com/preorder.html

A Limited Edition Game Box is available for purchase direct from Hi-Rez Studios on the Global Agenda website and Amazon.com Marketplace.  This Game Box includes a poster and a Commonwealth Art Book, in addition to the other incentives offered to those that pre-order (listed below).  The art book explores the historical events leading to the creation of the single, totalitarian world government called Commonwealth, as well as the emerging resistance to the Commonwealth, and the current competition for limited resources and scarce inhabitable land that exists in the year 2155 when the player enters the world.

Players who pre-purchase Global Agenda today receive the following special benefits:

• Gain access to Beta – Players that pre-order will gain access to Global Agenda beta events in January. Note that the beta servers are available for play only during specific play test windows, and that tests may be limited to only certain game features. To participate in the Global Agenda beta, you must register your Product Key online at the Global Agenda website following your pre-purchase. Registered beta participants will receive specific test instructions prior to each Closed Beta test event, as the events are announced.
• In-game Items – Players that activate their Product Key on the Global Agenda website prior to February 1, 2010, will receive a special in-game helmet captured from the Commonwealth, as well as head flair honoring the Global Agenda "No Elves" marketing campaign.
• Reserve Your Player Name and Agency Name - Gain access to Global Agenda’s pre-launch “Name Reserve” event, in which players are given the opportunity to reserve their in-game name ahead of launch day (exact dates for the Name Reserve event to be announced). Players will also be able to reserve an Agency name during the game’s official launch.

In addition, all players that purchase Global Agenda have the ability to sign up for one free month of Global Agenda: Conquest at registration (credit card required, can be canceled at any time).

About Hi-Rez Studios

Hi-Rez Studios, Inc. was established in 2005 to create exceptional online interactive entertainment. It is located just outside of Atlanta, GA. For more information, visit www.hirezstudios.com.

Global Agenda, the Hi-Rez Studios debut title, is a fast-paced, action-oriented, massive multiplayer online game set in the Earth’s near future - a spy-fi world of advanced technology and player-driven conflict. To learn more visit: www.globalagendagame.com

Sr. Character Artist Ben Knapp on his love for digital art, his past experiences with gaming, and even some personal art from his collection.

Ben, tell us a little about what you do at Hi-Rez Studios.

I am a Senior Character Artist/Concept Artist at Hi-Rez Studios.  I create in game assets dealing with characters, weapons, and devices.  I also do allot of concepts for the character team, usually to just to give a jump start on a model to get it going in a direction as well as come up with design solutions if people are having trouble with ideas.

How did you get into the gaming industry? How did you get to Hi-Rez Studios?

I have been in the game industry for about 5 years.  I started doing freelance in 2004 after graduating from The Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  Eventually I landed a gig in studio at Tripwire Interactive LLC working on Red Orchestra Ostfront.  After doing some WWII I really wanted to put some of creativity and conceptual skills to use so I synched up with Hi Rez and its been magic every since.

Describe your video game experience; when did you start playing/making games?

I remember getting an NES way back in the day, though I really couldn’t get into Mario Bros., I guess something about playing as a plumber wasn’t a big turn on for me.  But once some good titles started coming out, Mega Man, Contra, Punch Out, Castlevania, Double Dragon, Star Tropics, TMNT II: The Arcade Game…. man… it was on.  I was hooked.  It was more of a leisurely thing at first, I didn’t look at it as a career.  What I wanted to do was be a Comic Book artist.  I’m a big comic and 80’s cartoon nerd.  I eventually realized that the market for comics has dried up substantially, so I figured next best thing to get into would be the game industry.  So I applied at AIP and learned the game artisan craft.

What is your favorite class/character to play in Global Agenda?

Assault. Period.  I like to get in the mix and get my adrenaline pumping when I play.  For me assault is the obvious choice, plus its the most similar to other shooter, aim and shoot.  I rock the Sticky Launcher though, and pretty much support the team and fight on the objective utilizing AOE damage.

What are you most excited for in Global Agenda?

Well I cant wait for it to be released.  Other than that, I love the characters and robots.  There are so many cool designs, great eye candy.

What experiences do you draw from when creating content for the game?

I get inspiration from pretty much everything, especially Movies, Comics, and Games.  Also I check allot of other game artists work to get the creative juices flowing.  Polycount, Zbrush Central, and Game Artisans FTW.

What advice do you have for someone who wants to break into gaming?

Hard Work and Dedication.  Nothing will get you a better shot at breaking into the industry.  Check allot of game art forums and study others work, wireframes, textures, color theory, design.  Also knowledge of anatomy, especially as a character artist saves the day.  Aside from the knowledge you got to have passion.  This industry is ever changing, and you got to be ready to change with it.  The mentality I had when I was starting out was that I had to be good enough to get a job that other professionals could be applying for that have had many more years of experience than me.  Always power up and keep getting better.

Favorite game(s)?

RESIDENT EVIL, FINAL FANTASY VII, METAL GEAR SOLID, DEAD SPACE, ASSASSINS CREED, WARCRAFT, MARVEL VS CAPCOM 2

I look at games as a story telling medium.  Its like a book or a movie, but interactive.  I love games with great stories and these games always had neat stuff to offer story wise for me.  Marvel vs Capcom 2 is just a classic, and it has all those comic characters.. mmmmmmmm.

What do you do in your free time?

I fight crime. After, I do allot studying about game art.  Trying to always get better.  I also do a good amount of freelance, for the same reason. That and I find it keeps me fresh. Dealing with different subject matters lets you try out new stuff and makes you more flexible, being able to do a variety of things.  I also love playing basketball, exercising, and hanging with peeps.  Oh yea and video games… lots and lots of video games.  Beer too.

What is on your iPod/MP3player?

Rise Against, Atmosphere, Zebrahead, Asher Roth,  Aesop Rock, Cobra Starship, Muse, Binary Star, Fort Minor, Talib Kweli, Common, Gym Class Heroes, Cartel, Weezer, Counting Crows, Tom Petty, Rocky Soundtracks, AFI, Deltron, and allot of classic rock and game music.

Personal art from Ben Knapp: