Forums → Games → Tribes: Ascend

So, anybody else playing this game?

Myself, two of my friends and Totalbiscuit are (The link provided is to a YouTube video of Totalbiscuit's and is over 6 months old - key concepts of this game and some information based on it will be well provided, not much more).

it is a (free) game on steam

For those who are worried (for whatever reason), it's not available on only Steam and has only recently just gotten on it.

There are very few hitscan weapons, i only know of 2.

One being a sniper rifle that does more damage the longer you are zoomed in - a counter to 'quick scoping' as it's known and furthermore just a way the game ought to go considering how difficult it really is to aim against the literally faced paced players.

The main mechanics of getting to the high speeds are your Jetpack, and making yourself friction-less (they call it "skiing&quot.

Using the Spinfusor - what is the most common weapon of all in Tribes that explodes on contact (with either terrain or players) some will shoot it behind them in order to propel them in the opposite direction (which would be forward) as well. The Pathfinder - the class that is in Capture the Flag used to either chasing or capturing flags is the fastest class (if least defended) and can also use "Thrust" which must be unlocked that will also launch them forward at the cost of some energy (which replenishes rapidly and passively, always).

The jetpack also uses Energy and will prevent energy rejuvenation as it is being used. Skiing will not use energy or prevent energy regeneration.

and require a completely different type of gun skill than any other game I've played.

We don't know you so that's kind of difficult to understand.

It's not like Quake - it involves faster speeds and far larger terrain.
It's not like Call of Duty - fast speeds, large maps, teamplay (in CTF especially) with ways of morphing the areas around you (mines, forcefields, turrets) and gunplay are all different.
It's not like Battlefield - gunplay is still different as Spinfusor projectiles travel faster if you are moving faster, as well as not falling but only going towards where you aim. Maps are different in that there are no urban environments with the exception of where you will find the Generator (the building infrastructure that powers the Radar Sensor, Base Turrets, Engineers' Turrets and Forcefields -- do I need to explain these? xD ).

The controls are extremely well done,

Allowing you to change your hotkeys is very beneficial - I've always played FPSs with a certain set of hotkeys for certain things and I've been able to achieve the same style well because I've been able to change it. Tribes is easy to learn and hard to master.

There isn't anything (that i know of) that is exclusive to money payers,

Skins. There are a few different skins that have been introduced in bundles to players that are purely cosmetic and don't actually give an objective advantage (but the camouflage iis intimidating ).

and it doesn't take forever to unlock most things by just playing enough,

I have to disagree. Weapons can cost around 75,000 to 100,000 points. If you have the Match Win of the Day -bonus- that is once per day you can get up to 2,500 points in Capture the Flag which can last up to a half hour. After that expect to get no more than 1,300 points per game -- it takes so long and is quite a hinderance to casual players. That being said -- you could just support the developers which I completely agree with.

the game mechanics is that there is no microphone capabilities

Microphone capabilities in the vast majority of games go bust anyway because things like Ventrilo and TeamSpeak are favoured instead. I appreciate their non-move of not incorporating the capabilities as there is no need to and is probably just a waste of finances as it is.

the game is way too fast paced to be able to form a strategy over typing so it's really just alot of one man armies having primitive coordination with each other.

Not necessarily - in Class Select you can see how many people of each class there are on your team which can let you quite accurately decide which class would best suit. The game is made with CTF in mind - it's the most competitive and easily the most balanced of all game modes.

You know you need one Doombringer to block the flag of your team so someone can't pick it up (minimum).
You need one Pathfinder to actually capture their flag of their team.
You need at least one Infiltrator (and it's suggested only one) to commit to infiltration and sabotage against base defences (specifically, their Generator).
You probably need at least 2 Technicians to set up Turrets around the Flag and Mines (that illuminate Infiltrators) around Generators. It's debateable.
You're recommended at least one Raider to assault base defences like Towers reliably and efficiently, as well as being a very effective combatant anyway.

Juggernaughts can also besiege bases. In the game there's a large amount of variety and I'm not entirely sure of what setup you may want to use -- the ones I listed there are really just common sense, you'll find. :>

The one thing I didn't like about skiing is it's really the only thing you can do to travel on the ground,

And? xD

walking is almost completly out of question except for one you are in really close quarter combat with someone else.

You should be using your jetpack / jump to avoid explosions of their attacks and be more evasive in general, anyway.

Another thing is when you ae bad at skiing there is alot of oppertunity to screw up and lose all your speed, then you have to walk all the way up a hill to gain your speed back.

Then don't be bad at skiing? xD It's not difficult, if you're going down you ski and when you're going up you maintain your current speed by using a jetpack whilst still being frictionless -- you're essentially just skiing uphill with the cost of energy. On flat terrain you will maintain your speed through just skiing.

You can usually get sufficient speed from just jetpacking for a little bit and then skiing from there - Jetpacks are faster than running speed so you should be okay from there on.

The fighting really takes getting used to since it requires quite alot of accuracy in a very fast moving environment,

Battlefield 3 is radically different and is the only thing remotely close to what I've played that would help in Tribes. I picked it up in my first game and I came first place (of all players) in Team Deathmatch.

Recommend you first go Pathfinder to see how the projectiles you'll mostly be using works, although the Soldier and Juggernaught are still great.

there is no recoil at all so where you aim the bullet is gonna go, so spraying and praying will not really work.

Mislead, and not really your fault. The Infiltrator SMG has poor accuracy after shooting for more than a second on medium distances -- although you should be using it in close range only anyway.
The Doombringer's Chain Gun you'll notice has terrible accuracy at longer ranges even if there is nil recoil - you can't control where the bullets will go with certainty, but that's okay. The Doombringer is the best brawler in the game from what I've seen, due to being a Heavy Unit (can't really go fast, but so much HP and very strong weapons) and the Chain Gun.

Also, being as this game is from Hi-Rez Studios and they are company you should give a shot -- because it's free and I think anyone with a brain cell would say is good, you ought to know of the new game they're coming out with which is MOBA-style (like LoL, HoN or of course the original DOTA) but with a couple of innovations that really forces a disparity in awesomeness. Along with some really kickass lore to go along with it.

I'll just give you the video of Totalbiscuit with SMITE.

- H

there is no microphone capabilities and the game is way too fast paced to be able to form a strategy over typing so it's really just alot of one man armies having primitive coordination with each other.

I was also kind of annoyed at the lack of mics. The lines that you can say with the V menu are a little difficult to navigate and aren't easy to use for coordination.

The one thing I didn't like about skiing is it's really the only thing you can do to travel on the ground, walking is almost completly out of question except for one you are in really close quarter combat with someone else.

It would be impossible to hit someone with most guns if they could ski in the air.

Another thing is when you ae bad at skiing there is alot of oppertunity to screw up and lose all your speed, then you have to walk all the way up a hill to gain your speed back.

Lack of skill isn't really a criticism of a game. Also, you can jetpack back up fairly fast.

I've fought with tanks but haven't used them, them seem pretty balenced from what I saw while fightng with them since they are slow but one hit will pretty much kill you.

I actually think they are a bit underpowered. Whenever i use a beowulf or shreik I find it extremely difficult to get a kill and very easy to get killed. It's easier to ram a shreik into someone than it is to shoot them with it (i've used this strategy when i am doing really well and have way to many credits).

For those who are worried (for whatever reason), it's not available on only Steam and has only recently just gotten on it.

Steam is the only reason i heard about it, but it has been out since April.

We don't know you so that's kind of difficult to understand.

Gunskill throughout most shooters is pretty much the same. The ability to quickly target somebody (usually the head) and keep on them. That type of gunskill doesn't apply in this game, and it is all predicting enemy locations.

Allowing you to change your hotkeys is very beneficial - I've always played FPSs with a certain set of hotkeys for certain things and I've been able to achieve the same style well because I've been able to change it. Tribes is easy to learn and hard to master.

Customization is always very nice. Conduit (a Wii shooter) was a pretty crappy game, but the fully customizable HUD was a great feature.

Skins. There are a few different skins that have been introduced in bundles to players that are purely cosmetic and don't actually give an objective advantage (but the camouflage iis intimidating ).

Well, as long as they don't count for anything.

I have to disagree. Weapons can cost around 75,000 to 100,000 points. If you have the Match Win of the Day -bonus- that is once per day you can get up to 2,500 points in Capture the Flag which can last up to a half hour. After that expect to get no more than 1,300 points per game -- it takes so long and is quite a hinderance to casual players. That being said -- you could just support the developers which I completely agree with.

Not that many things seem to cost that high. Most things seem to be below 20,000. Also, you can achieve double XP permanently if you spend money on anything.