What’s up guys? Today we have a one-two punch in MAG news as we offer up our latest developer tips along with the specifics of the our next downloadable patch that will hit servers tomorrow, February 17.
First, the patch.
MAG, v1.02 has a consistent theme — Medical Support. After taking your feedback into consideration and playing countless games ourselves, we’ve made a number of Field Support adjustments that should help you steer through the battlefield more effectively. These fixes will also clean things up for players of other classes who don’t have a need to see who is hurt and who isn’t.
To be specific, we’ve eliminated the onscreen medic icon from anyone who has a Medical Kit and have instead changed it so that only those who have the Resuscitation Kit sport the cross. Moreover, we’ve also hidden “incapacitated” icons for downed players from everyone but those who can help them — cleaning up the screen quite considerably — and have added in some distance counters so that you know how far you have to travel before arriving at the injured.
The patch will automatically download on February 17, 2010 at 1am Pacific/ 4am Eastern/ 9am GMT and weigh in at about 40MB for the initial patch installer, with an additional 55MB for the patch itself. For complete patch details that include everything included in the download, be sure visit the official MAG Blog at https://blog.mag.com.
Today’s developer tips come from Zipper artist and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin stunt double, Keith Bachman – a man who knows how to play the “Commando” class, and a man who is going to share that knowledge with you now.
But first, a video to explain what the Commando is, immediately followed by Keith’s tips below:
Hey, this is Keith with some advice how to get in there for some close quarters combat!
Basic Tips:
- The Commando is the exact opposite of the Sniper. It’s all about popping up in the middle of the enemy and wrecking havoc at close range. Heck, Commandos are the modern day berserkers… a highly skilled fighter to take on a squad at 5m, and completely crazy for doing it.
- The holy trifecta of your loadout is your weapons. The shotgun is perfect for one shot take downs, but it makes a lot of noise — so it’s best used when backup is nearby since everyone and their uncle is going to hear you. The SMG with a silencer is perfect for getting in there with little or no support because of its high fire rate with the added bonus of keeping you off the enemy’s mini-maps. Finally, don’t forget to grab the “Knives: Improved Swipe Speed” and “Knives: Expanded Reach” skills. Nothing says “Commando” better than rushing in with a med kit and a knife, dropping everyone and never making a sound!
- Seriously consider Improved Stealth and Health for survivability.
- Stay out of open areas and stick to cover and flanks so that you can safely rush your opponents when the time is right.
Advanced Tips:
- The Motion Sensor can keep you alive. Equip it and you can see your enemies on the mini-map every time they twitch. Know what’s around that corner BEFORE you get there.
- Shadows are your friend. Don’t make a noise and hold still and most of the time they will run right by you! Remember: you have to get to your objective alive and undetected.
That’s it for Keith’s Commando tips. We’ll be back again tomorrow with Jay Embry’s helpful hints for the Direct Action Class. Don’t miss it!
Smart idea. The medic icon thing was what I was confused about in the beta and I’m glad it is fixed finally to suit those that can help. I can’t wait to get this game! …I just need the cash. :)
Can I buy the full game from PSN?
I have to see this patch is penny wise, pound foolish.
Perhaps you folks can walk and chew gum at the same time, but this fixes in this patch are an extremely minor issue to the balance issues in the game.
So the question is, why are you polishing the fenders while the engine doesn’t run right?
Maybe you have different “teams” working on different patches, and issues with the game, but if that’s the case then they should all be pulled away from the small stuff to work on getting the game balanced before little houskeeping chores like fixing the medic icons.
Well since you asked nicely…
Seriously, though, like I\’ve said before, balancing is something that we\’re always looking at and will continue to look at over time. As we introduce new things (patches, add-ons, or whatever) it changes the game on its own, as does specific maps, PMC weapon types, etc. There\’s a lot to follow and look after, and adjusting things to be as balanced as possible for all sides isn\’t as simple as snapping your fingers; especially as people invent new tactics, find new exploits, etc.
As we\’ve said before, though, we\’re committed to this in the long run and will continue to monitor and adjust the game where it needs it for a good long while.