Tired of BF3? Try Tribes!

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spaceman

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
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I am telling you. It is the most skilled fps I have ever played. So much more dimension to it than BF3. Reminds me a lot of the original tribes. Now it ain't perfect, this is the internet, people will bitch. However, it seems to have actually been developed by gamers not corporate asshats with a formula. I love the skiing aspect. Having to constantly think of your movement, tactics and positioning on the fly is fun as shit. CTF is way more immersive than BF3. It's free too. Give it a go please I am telling you it is so much less bullshit than the bf3 fuckfest these days.

I have spent $10 to get the experience point thing doubled and that's it. 90% of my upgrades come from experience points. For $10 you get upgrades a lot faster so I would recommend doing that for the vip status. Game is well worth $10.

Tribes Ascend

https://account.hirezstudios.com/tribesascend/
 
I tried to like tribes, I really did - but the feeling it gave me was that all CTF is about is your sniper vs. the enemy team scout with the rest of the team just being background noise.

That and the crosshairs are just atrocious. No way to make them consistent across all guns and half of them are these half transparent 2 pixel wide dots that I can't see at all. What happened to UT where you could pick between 20+ crosshairs and make them any color you want? In a game where aiming is so critical not being able to see the crosshair is just terrible.

And don't even get me started on the horribly slow unlock speed. I realize it's F2P but even most F2P games let you unlock a weapon more often than once every 20 hours of playing - and that's with the 50% boost.

What really killed the game for me though is matchmaking. As soon as you hit rank 7 it lumps everyone together (there's two divisions, rank 0-6 and 7+). So you get beginners playing against experts in a team based game, and the skill cap in this game is so much higher than other shooters that it makes the game completely unfair. A new player is never going to get the flag off of the stand let alone out of the base while a pro is grabbing the flag at 400+ KM/h and chain capping in under 15 seconds.
 
I remember being much more into the original tribes 10 years ago.

I tried the F2P model that recently came out -- looked good but just didn't have much fun with it. Partially because I enjoy "realistic" shooters more, and the whole free to play model can make ANY game seem pretty assed out if you are going the free route.

I have more games than I know what to do with anyways, Still very much into BF3, especially with armored kill coming out soon. Just downloaded Sleeping Dogs, and I have yet to finish Max Payne 3 (I'm very close to the end though)
 
I heard people saying that it was trying to be all those things but suffered from some amazingly crappy design issues that just made it another pay2win FPS. The old tribes fans didn't seem to be thinking much of it.
 
I am as old school Tribes as they come and it reminds me more of the original than anything else. All I know is that it took me a few tries to get a hang of it and now I really enjoy pubbing it. Not seriously mind you, just as a fuck around. With BF3 competition being dead this new game has me curious about it's competitive scene. Over 125,000 viewed a recent championship match btw. Not too shabby.

They have constantly updated it and despite there being some OP weapons, I find the gameplay tends to balance that out. New maps are better than the originals imo too.

If it is pay to win then $10 will do that. I am always top three in the server and that is all I have spent so far. Hell, I have only used half of the gold I bought for $10.

Just give it a whirl and report in. Not saying if you don't like it you suck. However, if you don't try it, you don't know what you are missing and can't make an opinion with any merit.
 
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It's fun, but I've pretty much given up on it, Hi-Rez' design decisions just killed the game for me.

But between Dota 2 / Natural Selection 2 / CS:GO I'm pretty satisfied with my hardcore games.
 
I wish I could get a refund of the money I spent on BF3 and put it towards Tribes. I am done with modern warfare shooters. Call me when BF 2143 gets released.
 
How the team balance? Does the game make an attempt to balance teams through various means, or is it a case where premades can stack all day?

That is one of the biggest things that kills PvP games for me, and something that has really done it for me in BF3. I want a good fight. That means I don't want to get rolled, or to roll the enemy team. That'll happen sometimes, of course, but it shouldn't happen often.

How's Tribes in this regard?

Also how is it for people who aren't as good? I'm not a noob to FPS game by any means, but I'm not great. Age, RSI, and just general lack of skill add up to me being useful, but not one of the elite, really really good at something people. As an example my BF3 stats when I stopped were 1.41 KDR and 601 score per minute. Not bad, but not great.

Finally, how is it starting out? Is it a case where you just have to die all the time until you unlock stuff, or is it decent from the start?
 
Drakenfeng said:
I tried to like tribes, I really did - but the feeling it gave me was that all CTF is about is your sniper vs. the enemy team scout with the rest of the team just being background noise.
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Most recent patch addressed this issue by increasing the falloff for sniper rifles. No more sniping from half-way across the map for full damage, plus they increased the amount of time you remain dead if you are respawning as a Sentinel.

Drakenfeng said:
What really killed the game for me though is matchmaking. As soon as you hit rank 7 it lumps everyone together (there's two divisions, rank 0-6 and 7+). So you get beginners playing against experts in a team based game, and the skill cap in this game is so much higher than other shooters that it makes the game completely unfair. A new player is never going to get the flag off of the stand let alone out of the base while a pro is grabbing the flag at 400+ KM/h and chain capping in under 15 seconds.
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They also fixed the matchmaking a bit--you might still get matched with some folks lower/higher ranked than you, but it'll be a bit more balanced overall, and the game is a tiny bit more aggressive about auto-balancing when it's obvious there's a problem.

Also, nobody moves at 400 KM/h, LOL. 300-320 is close to the top end unless you're just showboating, and even then most games I play (I'm in the mid-20's for rank) see a guy MAYBE around 250-275 unless someone gets lucky hitting the right hills.
 
Drakenfeng said:
I tried to like tribes, I really did - but the feeling it gave me was that all CTF is about is your sniper vs. the enemy team scout with the rest of the team just being background noise.
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Chasing has been made quite a bit easier now. So it's not just sniper vs pathfinder. Snipers are also just about the easiest class to kill, never understand why people bitch about them so much.

That and the crosshairs are just atrocious. No way to make them consistent across all guns and half of them are these half transparent 2 pixel wide dots that I can't see at all. What happened to UT where you could pick between 20+ crosshairs and make them any color you want? In a game where aiming is so critical not being able to see the crosshair is just terrible.
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Yea, this could be improved more. They actually made the phase rifle scope usable. Before it was a sniper rifle with a horizontal line and small circles on it.

And don't even get me started on the horribly slow unlock speed. I realize it's F2P but even most F2P games let you unlock a weapon more often than once every 20 hours of playing - and that's with the 50% boost.
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Don't really have a problem with the XP generation with the 50% boost. Yea, it's slow at first. It's also a free game with dev hosted dedicated servers. F2P aren't meant as never having to pay money, they're meant as extended demo periods.

What really killed the game for me though is matchmaking. As soon as you hit rank 7 it lumps everyone together (there's two divisions, rank 0-6 and 7+). So you get beginners playing against experts in a team based game, and the skill cap in this game is so much higher than other shooters that it makes the game completely unfair. A new player is never going to get the flag off of the stand let alone out of the base while a pro is grabbing the flag at 400+ KM/h and chain capping in under 15 seconds.
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Match making was fixed a while ago. It's no longer 0-6 and 7+. I'm rank 25 and almost never see anyone below 20 anymore. If I join on a low level friend it's all ranks 8-12.
 
Sycraft said:
How the team balance? Does the game make an attempt to balance teams through various means, or is it a case where premades can stack all day?

That is one of the biggest things that kills PvP games for me, and something that has really done it for me in BF3. I want a good fight. That means I don't want to get rolled, or to roll the enemy team. That'll happen sometimes, of course, but it shouldn't happen often.

How's Tribes in this regard?

Also how is it for people who aren't as good? I'm not a noob to FPS game by any means, but I'm not great. Age, RSI, and just general lack of skill add up to me being useful, but not one of the elite, really really good at something people. As an example my BF3 stats when I stopped were 1.41 KDR and 601 score per minute. Not bad, but not great.

Finally, how is it starting out? Is it a case where you just have to die all the time until you unlock stuff, or is it decent from the start?
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The balancing is great now. I'm rank 25 and almost every game is at least competitive. Balancing is done by rank so if you're a low rank you play with other low ranks. You're not going to have the 300+ KM/Hr pathfinders do back to front 5s caps on those servers.
 
Also, CTF Blitz is a great game mode where the flag changes locations after each cap. Make it more difficult to get the last few caps. Whoever saying Hirez is making bad changes is out of their minds.
 
obs said:
The balancing is great now. I'm rank 25 and almost every game is at least competitive. Balancing is done by rank so if you're a low rank you play with other low ranks. You're not going to have the 300+ KM/Hr pathfinders do back to front 5s caps on those servers.
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Well that's nice. I'd like to see better balancing code than that, since just played time doesn't equal skill. I can tell you in BF3 I've encountered people with way higher ranks than me that suck. I guess it'll be worth trying.
 
Sycraft said:
Well that's nice. I'd like to see better balancing code than that, since just played time doesn't equal skill. I can tell you in BF3 I've encountered people with way higher ranks than me that suck. I guess it'll be worth trying.
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Yea, it's not the best, but it's rare I see blowouts anymore. Occasionally I'll join on a lower level friend which puts you in a low level game and the games are much easier, so the competition is definitely lower for the new players.
 
Jellylesg said:
I heard people saying that it was trying to be all those things but suffered from some amazingly crappy design issues that just made it another pay2win FPS. The old tribes fans didn't seem to be thinking much of it.
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during the beta it was definitely pay to win but i think they changed that model a few weeks after they released the final version of the game. but like everyone else i tried to like it, loved the original tribes games but those types of games aren't my cup of tea any more, if i wanted to play an arcade shooter i'd more likely play TF2 before playing tribes even though i hate TF2 just as much. i think i'll stick with playing BF3.
 
Also they have central servers now, so IMO pretty much everyone should start switching their preferred servers over to central. It would be better for the west coasters to be able to play against east on more even ping. I noticed that the central server option was way at the bottom and almost no one seems to know these were added so the central servers are currently pretty empty.
 
Do vehicles have a use in this game? Playing CTF as a low level and nobody uses them. Tried one out and they SUCK. Slow, cant turn fast enough and ya good luck hitting somebody moving. I am rank 3 or 4 so maybe high level games play different?
 
Vehicles rock, make sure you go into the options and turn the vehicle sensitivity way up thought, makes for alot less mouse movement.

The tank blows people away sit over the flag and defend it, or go clear their flag stand.

The shrike is used to chase people down, the big trick with the shrike is it takes some skill because you need to do alot of killing by running people over. But once you start to get it, its pretty insane.

Grav cycles have mixed uses with mixed useful ness. The most consistent use is just to move heavies around quickly. Alot of times I just buy one to rush the other teams base in a flag standoff, or just because I have a surplus. If you have some buddies you can do cool things like chase down shrikes with a passenger who has the Doombringer with saber launcher.

The main trick for vehicles is that 1 you have to make enough credits, 2 you have to invest a little time learning them in order to actually make it worth your credits. 3 some perks help alot, wheel deal and pilot. Cheaper vehicles, more health, less deaths. (auto eject).

It seems to me alot of low level players dont even know what credits are and often dont spend any by the end of the map. And if they have a bad experience with a vehicle they prefer just to spend their money on a strike. half of them are saving up for orbitals.

Finally something like the tank works alot better if you have some people to give you a hand and repair, and defend you etc..
 
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rudy said:
Vehicles rock, make sure you go into the options and turn the vehicle sensitivity way up thought, makes for alot less mouse movement.

The tank blows people away sit over the flag and defend it, or go clear their flag stand.

The shrike is used to chase people down, the big trick with the shrike is it takes some skill because you need to do alot of killing by running people over. But once you start to get it, its pretty insane.

Grav cycles have mixed uses with mixed useful ness. The most consistent use is just to move heavies around quickly. Alot of times I just buy one to rush the other teams base in a flag standoff, or just because I have a surplus. If you have some buddies you can do cool things like chase down shrikes with a passenger who has the Doombringer with saber launcher.

The main trick for vehicles is that 1 you have to make enough credits, 2 you have to invest a little time learning them in order to actually make it worth your credits. 3 some perks help alot, wheel deal and pilot. Cheaper vehicles, more health, less deaths. (auto eject).

It seems to me alot of low level players dont even know what credits are and often dont spend any by the end of the map. And if they have a bad experience with a vehicle they prefer just to spend their money on a strike. half of them are saving up for orbitals.

Finally something like the tank works alot better if you have some people to give you a hand and repair, and defend you etc..
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Thanks for the tips. Ill increase my vehicle sensitivity and try vehicles again. Can you carry the flag with the grav cycles? Ha running people over with the shrike, sounds like fun.
 
You cannot but a passenger can, so you can give the flag capper a ride. Good deal to run away from chasers as you can turn faster.
 
Well I have to say the game seem amusing, but balance is for shit. I have yet to play a match that wasn't a 5-0 blowout.

I dunno how long I'm going to stick with it, if this is how it goes.

Also it appears the lack of balance goes further with regards to levels. I was happily playing in the 1-5 bracket then suddenly the next bracket is 6-50. I went from doing reasonably well to being useless because suddenly everyone is high level.

I'm going to say probably give the game a miss. If you do play it, don't make the mistake I did and buy anything before you get up to at least level 6. I figured I'd pick up some gold and get a boost. Why not? Game seemed fun. Well it changes, for the worse, as soon as you are out of the "noob" league. Suddenly you have to go up against people with all kinds of unlocks when you don't have that.

Sigh. I would have hoped as an "mmo" style game they'd fix balance issues but it would appear not.
 
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Weird. I dont notice ranks much but i think i am 15 and am top 3 in every match but don't think i am playing levels way above me.
 
The game has a decent skill curve very unlike most games now days so its not surprising that it is very shocking when you come out of the lowest level bracket. But TBHI played BF3 long enough to tell you the team stacking is just as bad there. The problem IMO is that now days any game that requires unlocks rewards you with XP for winning and because of that players want to stack the winning team to get XP faster. The problems were horrible in BF3, I prefer the way TF2 runs things where its just random or winning is not a factor.
 
I love the new tribes, but it just seems hard to make friends there. I have a few RL friends that play with me, and it is awesome at lans if you all get on the same team.

Something that I don't like about it is that you cannot create your own server. You have to rent one if you want to play by yourself with friends. That is really my only big gripe. I also wish they had more vehicles, but I rarely use them anyways...
 
rudy said:
The game has a decent skill curve very unlike most games now days so its not surprising that it is very shocking when you come out of the lowest level bracket. But TBHI played BF3 long enough to tell you the team stacking is just as bad there. The problem IMO is that now days any game that requires unlocks rewards you with XP for winning and because of that players want to stack the winning team to get XP faster. The problems were horrible in BF3, I prefer the way TF2 runs things where its just random or winning is not a factor.
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Nah, people just like to win. Difference in XP between winning and losing isn't all that large.
 
Actually it is large its 25% or more, so thats half of what people are paying to get VIP. The lowest player on the winning team gets more bonus XP for winning than the best player on the losing team. Throw in boost and its a ton of XP over time. Think about it this way if a player consistently stacks teams he can have 25% more weapons than a guy that tries to help the losing team over a couple months. That can be alot of weapons.

I agree people just want to win, that applies to X percent of the players, but then there are other people who like the challenge of going to the losing team like myself. But when I am trying to get an unlock I will often switch over because its not worth me spending a whole extra day getting an unlock just trying to help the losers.

I saw this in BF3 too, the XP gain for winning was killer you could just look at the scoreboard and see how much more XP was always in the winning team. On the other hang a game like TF2 that does not award winning with drops sees less team stacking. Thats my anecdotal observation from over 6 months of playing all 3 games.
 
Sycraft said:
Well I have to say the game seem amusing, but balance is for shit. I have yet to play a match that wasn't a 5-0 blowout.

[n]Also it appears the lack of balance goes further with regards to levels. I was happily playing in the 1-5 bracket then suddenly the next bracket is 6-50. I went from doing reasonably well to being useless because suddenly everyone is high level.[/b]
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This was an issue a few months ago, but not anymore. At some point they added a leveling balancing system that threw you into matches with players mostly +/- 5 your rank. I don't know how it is at lower ranks anymore, but that's how it was pretty much all the way from rank 7 to my current rank 19 now. Though there are a few oddballs here and there. I even once got thrown into a match with players all ranked at least 10 below me. But I just decided to fool around with a class I never played much before instead of just going for the easy (and boring) flag captures.

But before that change, I do remember that being quite bad. I almost quit over it.
 
I don't get what the crying is about. I played all my lower levels before they changed the match making, and never had a problem. You get better by playing better people, and rolling a server full of noobs isn't fun anyway.

I typically always join B.E., but if the other team is getting smoked I'll switch and help. I'll typically get 2-3 times more kills on the losing team, since all the good players are fighting for kills, and I just rape them all.
 
Whats the deal with the match maker putting me into empty games, or games with few players? Talk about boring when each team has 1 player on it. Is this a problem with low level brackets?
 
rudy said:
what region? What mode?
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CTF. Last few days been playing west coast region and was getting good games. Tried central and it put me into an empty game. Tried west today and got put into a 1vs1 game.
 
The central is not surprising, I do not ever play west but the deal with servers is kinda crappy. Basically everyone played on the east coast because the most clans are from the east and HiRez is from the east. We asked for central servers and finally just received them in the latest update. Unfortunately most players have not adjusted their region preference, and then it becomes a bad feedback loop. People dont play on central, so people dont change their region to central, there for people dont play on central. Since we just recieved those servers I guess we will need to give it time and hope they pick up.

It is very similar to the problem people have getting a server popular in any game. I hope that enough people will take the time to try and join central servers to kick start them even if it is empty for a bit.
 
Wow an East coast biased game? I am in VA and also notice that I seem to play with the same guys a lot. Interesting.

Oh and my player name is spacedmanspliff if you want a friend. I don't use voice atm though sorry.
 
Sycraft said:
Well I have to say the game seem amusing, but balance is for shit. I have yet to play a match that wasn't a 5-0 blowout.

I dunno how long I'm going to stick with it, if this is how it goes.

Also it appears the lack of balance goes further with regards to levels. I was happily playing in the 1-5 bracket then suddenly the next bracket is 6-50. I went from doing reasonably well to being useless because suddenly everyone is high level.

I'm going to say probably give the game a miss. If you do play it, don't make the mistake I did and buy anything before you get up to at least level 6. I figured I'd pick up some gold and get a boost. Why not? Game seemed fun. Well it changes, for the worse, as soon as you are out of the "noob" league. Suddenly you have to go up against people with all kinds of unlocks when you don't have that.

Sigh. I would have hoped as an "mmo" style game they'd fix balance issues but it would appear not.
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Incorrect.
 
Ya having played it more, I would for sure not recommend it to anyone tired of BF3 because of balance issues. The game is good if you are tired of BF3 due to gameplay. The gameplay is quite different thanks to the skiing, jetpacks, and weapons. Also the normal game mode is CTF, which of course BF3 doesn't have. So if you are sick of BF3's gameplay, then maybe look at it. While it is still a shooty, of course, it is quite different in the basic mechanics and thus a different experience.

However if balance is the problem for you, well then look elsewhere. The game has no real balance code to speak of. People can choose their teams so they stack just like in BF3. Rare that I play a match that isn't 5-0. Your team always seems to either dominate or get rolled, nothing in between. Perhaps 1% of the matches are actually good, close, games. Auto balance is like BF3 in that it is for number of players only, and seems to do newest joiner, so it doesn't actually do any real balancing.
 
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