Originally Posted by Bolivar
MAG is definitely an evolution. Lots of shooters have had a large player count in the past like Battlefield and Planetside, even on the Playstation 3 with Resistance games (60ppl) and Killzone 2 (32 ppl).
But what none of those games have is the tiered leadership structure that is present in this game. In some Battlefield games the Squad leader can point out objectives, but the comparison stops there. MAG espouses leadership in 3 ways. The most obvious is setting FRAGO's (Fragmentary Objectives), which are more than just "take that base!". You're constantly repairing structures and vehicles, gates, defending locations, and holding off choke points. The places you FRAGO are more than just locations, it could be the Mortar Battery that enables your airstrikes or the Sensor Array that allows Officers to broadcast enemy locations on the radar. Setting these objectives also coordinates and funnels battles in an unprecedented way because it allows for double points, players want to level up, and to do so they need to kill enemies, assist teammates, and complete objectives all in that vicinity. Second, the leaders broadcast buffs to all allies around them. For example, being near your Squad Leader allows for longer bleedout time, faster running, faster reloading, and decreased damage from poison gas. Platoon Leaders have a whole other set, like automatically repairing vehicles they're in, so you can ride around with a nearly impenetrable APC as a mobile spawn point and turret. There's tons of strategy possible with the buffs alone, but it all boils down to getting the officers out there to coordinate and cooperate with their squad leaders to enhance team gameplay. Finally, they have special abilities, usually air strikes and UAV's, but the Officer in Charge (OIC) of the company gets several game-changing abilities, like slowing the respawn time of the enemy team or jamming the enemy communication network so they can't talk on their headsets. There's just a massive potential on all fronts for the strategy, but the best part is that it encourages team play.
The level design also stands out to me as one of the strongest aspects of the game, and coming from SOCOM it really isn't surprising that Zipper arguably has the best level design out there for competitive FPS. When you stop to think about it, look around you, you'll notice each and every part of the map has been expertly tailored to facilitate an awesome firefight. For example, in the Valor Sabotage map (the smallest game mode), there's a small base with tents and sandbags for cover around each objective that makes it a self contained fight. But not far off from one is a trainyard. Next to the other is a small town where players could set up ambushes and fight it out to get down the road. Then there's the cemetary where the attackers will parachute in on which could provide great fights as well. Finally is a large log cabin where the final objective is, and it's there that the differnet pathways, hallways, staircases, and the control room itself hosts awesome battles where players are setting up bottlenecks, laying traps, reviving their teammates, and overall, improvising. The fact that all of these locations are on just ONE MAP, the smallest there is, is truly mindblowing.
The ultimate triumph of MAG - it's incredible scope and scale, is also it's ultimate failure. The game isn't as "visceral" as other shooters. The movement and shooting won't feel as good as it does in Killzone or Call of Duty. But they polished it up just enough I feel for the final release so those who've played the BETAs might want to rent it, hop into the training mode and play a couple rounds. Believe me, it'll at least be worth the rental fee.
But mostly this will initially turn off players who come to expect certain things from FPS's, like it seems some of you have been. What's really crucial for this game to succeed is its user base, and it will only be supplemented if players can get into the team-based gameplay early on, with Squad Leaders showing them how to go for constantly changing objectives, helping eachother out, and letting the teamwork aspect truly shine.
On the other hand, it may be beneficial because I know a lot of people are turned off by the FPS-domination today. It's like its own club of players who do nothing but play online all day and to get a high score against them is nearly impossible. If you're one of those people - MAG is for you. MAG is for anyone turned off by the camping culture of Killeath Ratio obsessed Professional Gamers. In this game, the medics come out with the highest scores in the Platoon, and they're the ones leading the team to battle. The repairmen (and women) are the ones treated as VIP's and get escorted around the map and protected as their getting important structures back up. This game rewards you for playing how you want to play with its use of objectives and FRAGO's, and I think a lot of people looking for something different will appreciate it. Of course, if you want to be an expert sniper, heavy gunner, or rifle commando, You have an equally important role to play as well, and you'll be rewarded for your actions as well.
I can't stop playing this game. In Call of Duty, all you do is kill people, kill people, kill people, with the objectives in other game modes serving as filler. It gets old way too fast. But in MAG every battle is dramatically different, every Squad you're in will have a different dynamic than the last one, and the story gets told on the massive battlefield you guys traverse will be new and exciting for it.
It may not be for everyone, but I know it's for me, it was built for players who want something different and who are interested in the core mechanics it has to offer.
