Tribes: Ascend May Get User-Generated Content Tools
Tribes: Ascend may rely on user-generated content to stay alive.
Tribes: Ascend users will probably be a little upset to hear that development updates for the free-to-play game are slowing down. Currently, Hi-Rez Studio's focus is on its other lineup of games, including MOBA SMITE and Global Agenda 2. It's much more likely for Hi-Rez to bring Tribes 2 over new updates.
However, to soften this blow of bad news, Hi-Rez is considering bringing mod tools and level editors to the community, allowing there to continually be new content generated for the game. "The main community request we’re hearing, which was always a part of Tribes, is for some way for the community to create their own maps," stated Hi-Rez co-founder Tod Harris. "So, over the next six months, as far as what’s next for Tribes, that’s really the area we’re going to be exploring. We don’t really have any details on that, but that’s what we’re hearing mainly from the community. They’d like a way, independent of our own map schedule, which is obviously slowing down, to be able to update their own maps. We’re going to be exploring that."
Considering the lack of content coming for Tribes, bringing user generated content to the game is probably the best way to keep the remnants of the community interested in the game. However, Harris states that this is currently a possibility that the developer is exploring, but nothing is set in stone. "I don’t have any other specifics I can give other than the intent we’re going to support it," he explained.
Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
-
omega21xx They aren't slowing down, they completely stopped supporting the game outside of MAYBE a map (and the bug fixes for the map) coming in the future and helping with LAN tournaments. There are a lot of things wrong with tribes that aren't being fixed, the only redeeming thing is the mods that might come IF they allow it (something that was asked for since the beginning that was usually declined).Reply
Tribes Ascend had a lot of potential, but with HiRez, it won't go far and is slowly dying.
On a side note, there is another issue with HiRez's patch program that runs in the background from start up that is supposedly monitoring your computer even when you aren't playing, breaking the agreement you accept to play the game stating that it only monitors when the game is in play (to find hackers). -
NuclearShadow This is one of the large issues with investing into F2P games and this is terrible news for those who invested in it. I don't mean to gloat but I saw this coming a mile away with this game. The developers who are a small studio took on several projects when they likely could only handle one and there is a-lot of F2P competition out there. I think this game was doomed the moment Planetside 2 came out as this game failed to be as good as Tribes 2 and couldn't even give us 64 players like that did 12 years ago. A shame really I've been a longtime Tribes player and I really wanted this game succeed.Reply -
Evan20x Had some of the best moments in my gaming life in early Tribes games TAA and T2 mainly.Reply
edit: sry about the other comment -
IndignantSkeptic This game fell off the top 100 Steam games list long ago sadly so it's going to be overlooked. Perhaps Valve should extend that list.Reply -
cats_Paw Hmm, this game is great but it takes a decent amount of time to learn its dynamics and that lower the player pool.Reply
Its sad cus its one of the hardest games that ever existed ( Broodwar/quake 3/unreal tournament/cs/tribes ascend would be my top picks ). -
bogdylan User generated mods would be amazing. I've played Tribes since Starsiege: Tribes in 1999, and I can definitely say that T:A is fantastic. It would be glorious if they had mods, though. Despite claims that the updates are slowing down, the community is certainly still alive and kickin'. I don't know if anyone remembers this, but back in the T1 days, there used to be a mod called Annihilation. It was made by a guy named Plasmatic. The dude is still playing T:A, I saw him online a couple of times!Reply
At the end of the day, mods or no mods, T:A is so wonderful to play. There is no other game that gives me the satisfaction I derive from the mid-air disc, or from simply having a jetpack.