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[Hypertrooper]

Already posted? I hope not! Found this two screens at the official switzerland xbox blog.

 

[h3ro]

Ruins 2.0 looks sweet.

That underground Locust lair was gorgeous, I'm glad they are using more assets from that part of the game.

 

[cresto]

Ruins 2.0 looks sweet.

That underground Locust lair was gorgeous, I'm glad they are using more assets from that part of the game.

I hear you. Just hope its not as confined as Ruins is. That map has serious nade tagging issues

 

[kaizoku]

my one complaint that I have left with this game is how the playlists are set up. Its virtually impossible to play warzone, and the DLC playlists are total balls as well. I'm looking for a group of people who want to play warzone, pm or reply if you are interested.

I think it sucks that I can't search for a snowblind horde game because I dont have combustion map pack. its an achievement too

I've mostly been playing wingman lately, dunno why, started off hating it and thinking it would be impossible for me to ever get that achievement of 3 wins, but I really wanted the achievement and started liking it more n more.

I'm averaging one win a night so maybe tonight or tomorrow I can finally get my 3rd win.

 

[MadOdorMachine]

I'm slightly off topic here, but does anyone know if this game will make it to PC? I know EPIC said it wouldn't due to piracy, but certainly they could make it digital only to avoid that correct? I saw a couple of days ago that the series had sold around 11 million copies IIRC and I'm curious how many of those were on PC.

 

[RBH]

New Gears of War energy drink!:

New Gears 2 Add-on Content Revealed
We play a new map, and Epic talks future franchise plans. And yes, that means an energy drink.
by Nate Ahearn
IGN.com

May 16, 2009 - On July 28, Microsoft is set to release a retail collection of Gears of War 2 downloadable add-ons called All Fronts, a treasure trove of 19 multiplayer maps and a single-player campaign mission. This week, Microsoft and Epic Games held a fan event at downtown Seattle's Experience Music Project to show off a tiny slice of the new compilation, and IGN was on hand to give it a go.

But first, a complete run-down of the new content that will be included in All Fronts retail box. In addition to all the maps included in the Flashback, Snowblind, and Combustible, multiplayer map packs, All Fronts will also feature seven brand-new (or in some cases re-made) maps in a mini-collection called Dark Corners. As the name implies, these maps are set all over Sera in all different types of environments. If you want a detailed description of each, check out our All Fronts and Dark Corners announcement article.

But wait, there's more. In addition to the seven new multiplayer maps, there's also a single-player mission included in Dark Corners called Road to Ruin. Remember that moment in the Gears of War 2 campaign when Marcus asks a thoroughly pissed-off Dom how he'd like to proceed into the Locust hollow? Originally, the developers intended for there to be a real option for players: Go in guns blazing or sneak in stealithy, dressed as Theron Guards.

"The nature of game development is you can never get in everything you want to get in as a storyteller," said lead writer Josh Ortega, who appeared at the event alongside Epic Games President Michael Capps and Microsoft's Xbox Live guru Larry "Major Nelson" Hyrb. "With the Road to Ruin scene, it just wasn't ready."

Rather than push the scene out the door at launch, Ortega and Capps said Epic cut it out altogether and is releasing it in July as part of Dark Corners/All Fronts instead.

But the main draw for Dark Corners, which will also be released a separate download, is the new set of multiplayer maps. And Microsoft had one of those areas, a map called Nowhere, playable at the event. Nowhere takes you out of the intensely urban setting of most Gears multiplayer maps and out into the sun-drenched desert, where a collection of dilapidated buildings and vehicles mark the long-dead location of a once popular traveler's outpost.

In and around the shells of an old diner, gas station, mechanic and motel, you'll find countless ways to maneuver for advantage. The center of the map is largely open, save for Gears' signature burned-out cars. But around the edges are old storefronts that you can enter, usually from more than one side. The setup made for some pretty interesting fights, as you never really know who's coming up behind you. In the middle of Nowhere (see what I did there?) is a raised platform with two stair approaches that works well as a Horde holdout. Stick a couple snipers up top, block the stairways with shields, and a good team should be able to hold its own for a quite a few waves.

And just to make things interesting, Epic has added in a periodic desert wind that whips up unexpectedly from time to time, causing nasty brownouts just when you need them least. It won't hurt you like the razor hail on the Hail map, it'll just obscure your vision for a bit, making it harder to hit your mark.

Gamers who just want to grab the 7 new maps will be able to download the Dark Corners pack for $19.99 (1,600 Microsoft Points). But for the same price, you can pick up the retail version of All Fronts, which contains all the downloadable Gears content released to date. Also included with All Fronts is a poster based on the art that appears on the steel case of the Gears of War 2 Collector's Edition and a booklet that contains game hints in addition to what Ortega calls some "new Gears of War lore." So if you're a truly hardcore fan, you'll probably want to opt for the retail box.

And while we're on the subject of Gears merchandise, get ready, because there's a lot more coming down the pipe. Ortega and Capps revealed that there are new collectible figures in the works, including Marcus and Dom in their Road to Ruin Theron Guard uniforms and a Lambent Locust that will only be available at Comic Con 2009. Need more? How about a new Gears of War t-shirt with "COG Life" written in gangster script along the bottom? Perhaps a new five-issue run of comics with covers by Jim Lee? All are in the works, along with the Gears of War film, coming in the near future from New Line Cinema and Legendary Pictures.

But perhaps the most significant milestone in the Gears franchising story was unveiled near the end of the event, when Capps, Ortega and Hyrb unveiled Imulsion, a new energy drink branded with the Gears of War logo. Although this correspondent did not partake of the ginger ale-colored beverage, it appeared harmless enough when imbibed by attendees. Imulsion, of course, is the mysterious energy source depicted in the Gears universe as having precipitated, via the Pendulum Wars, the downfall of human civilization.

Now in handy can form.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/983/983810p1.html

 

[Diablohead]

Right so as you probably know I not had live access since the exp patch was out but now I do, I patch the game and decide to dip online into some MP action, everyone votes warzone rules (which is ok) and such but lol at the way the game sets up the teams, I am level 1 along with 2 other people, a level 49 and a lv 22 or something, the opposing team is all level 25, 33, 41 etc and we get raped hard. I thought the point of the exp system was to pair us all up together with close ranking skill?

I had enough bull from this game online to not bother any more, I think I will just rent gears 3 for the single player and skip that gears 2 expansion coming out, a shame. At least I have fun with ut3 on the pc.

 

[B-Ri]

Right so as you probably know I not had live access since the exp patch was out but now I do, I patch the game and decide to dip online into some MP action, everyone votes warzone rules (which is ok) and such but lol at the way the game sets up the teams, I am level 1 along with 2 other people, a level 49 and a lv 22 or something, the opposing team is all level 25, 33, 41 etc and we get raped hard. I thought the point of the exp system was to pair us all up together with close ranking skill?

I had enough bull from this game online to not bother any more, I think I will just rent gears 3 for the single player and skip that gears 2 expansion coming out, a shame. At least I have fun with ut3 on the pc.

ranking and EXP levels are different from the true skill system. True Skill still exist in the game in the background.

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Right so as you probably know I not had live access since the exp patch was out but now I do, I patch the game and decide to dip online into some MP action, everyone votes warzone rules (which is ok) and such but lol at the way the game sets up the teams, I am level 1 along with 2 other people, a level 49 and a lv 22 or something, the opposing team is all level 25, 33, 41 etc and we get raped hard. I thought the point of the exp system was to pair us all up together with close ranking skill?

I had enough bull from this game online to not bother any more, I think I will just rent gears 3 for the single player and skip that gears 2 expansion coming out, a shame. At least I have fun with ut3 on the pc.

How exactly do you come to the conclusion that a linear XP is meant to be taken as a definition of skill?

 

[whitehawk]

How exactly do you come to the conclusion that a linear XP is meant to be taken as a definition of skill?

Honestly, usually it does mean you are better. When I'm playing COD5, the level 50s and 60s always own. I'm pretty low, and I'm not that great. Sure, sometimes a high level person sucks, and sometimes a level 7 is awesome, but usually High level = good skill.

And besides, we all know the trueskill in Gears is totally flawed. I'm pretty good at gears (I have the most kills in many games I play), and I never reached level 3 before the last update. I had a friend who beat Insane mode, and went from level 2 to 4 right away.

 

[Hootie]

Holy shit, I've been in another world this weekend. I've gotten over 1,000 kills in Horde just today :lol

Just finished a game of Horde, got to wave 37 with 3 other dudes in Public on Security, though one of them seemingly fell into a coma for about 15 rounds.

I was ON FIRE. My sniping was insane and by the end of the game I had ~340 kills, which is nearly 10 per round. The closest guy behind me had about 140 kills. Not to mention I didn't even die once until we lost as a team in 37. I wish I could play like that all the time. I was clowning on locust like there was no tomorrow :lol

I know it takes a lot less skill than actual PvP matches, but I've never played a round of multi so for me this was epic.

 

[whitehawk]

Ok seriously, Epic needs to put in separate playlists for every game type. Every single time I just Annex/KOTH, Annex ALWAYS wins. Same with Guardian/Submission, Guardian wins EVERY time

I want to play KOTH and Submission, but I can't. If you aren't going to give us dedicated servers or good net code, at least let us play the games we want to.

 

[ZROCOOL]

wtf @ the energy drink..

ill still buy it

 

[RSTEIN]

wtf @ the energy drink..

ill still buy it

You're back!

 

[ZROCOOL]

You're back!

lol yep! hopefully I can stay out of trouble in the OT

 

[Hootie]

I'm a little LTTP but does anyone have/know where I could find a spare code for the gold hammerburst? I already have the gold lancer and I just want to complete the collection :lol

And if any kind soul actually happens to have a code they're willing to give me, please PM me because if you post it in the thread some lurker will be bound to steal it

 

[mernst23]

So, how much did you guys level up in double XP weekend?

Went from a 27 to a 40 over the past 3 days. Not a bad jump for someone who hasn't played in a month. I mean, eventually I'm going to shoot for a legit level 100, but for now I'm just going to keep playing my other games with Gears being my fallback game (or when more double xp weekends come along)

 

[FiRez]

Holy shit, I've been in another world this weekend. I've gotten over 1,000 kills in Horde just today :lol

Just finished a game of Horde, got to wave 37 with 3 other dudes in Public on Security, though one of them seemingly fell into a coma for about 15 rounds.

I was ON FIRE. My sniping was insane and by the end of the game I had ~340 kills, which is nearly 10 per round. The closest guy behind me had about 140 kills. Not to mention I didn't even die once until we lost as a team in 37. I wish I could play like that all the time. I was clowning on locust like there was no tomorrow :lol

I know it takes a lot less skill than actual PvP matches, but I've never played a round of multi so for me this was epic.

Horde >>>>>>> the rest of the mp modes

is the only thing I play now, my highest game was 41 on the vertical map with lasers and the AI voice (I don't know how is it called in english) I was the last one to die but it seems impposible to go further than that :lol

 

[-PXG-]

I'm gonna buy cases of that energy drink, just so I can say "Look at all dat juice".

 

[Hootie]

Horde >>>>>>> the rest of the mp modes

is the only thing I play now, my highest game was 41 on the vertical map with lasers and the AI voice (I don't know how is it called in english) I was the last one to die but it seems impposible to go further than that :lol

Yeah I usually do good on that level (its called Security), but the best that I've done was on River when me and two other guys got to Wave 47...it was hell. We pretty much died instantly once we got that far, too :lol

 

[Domino Theory]

So, how much did you guys level up in double XP weekend?

Went from a 27 to a 40 over the past 3 days. Not a bad jump for someone who hasn't played in a month. I mean, eventually I'm going to shoot for a legit level 100, but for now I'm just going to keep playing my other games with Gears being my fallback game (or when more double xp weekends come along)

From 39 to 40 (didn't play much).

 

[chriskun]

So, how much did you guys level up in double XP weekend?

Went from a 27 to a 40 over the past 3 days. Not a bad jump for someone who hasn't played in a month. I mean, eventually I'm going to shoot for a legit level 100, but for now I'm just going to keep playing my other games with Gears being my fallback game (or when more double xp weekends come along)

36 to 37. Was the game incredibly laggy for anyone else this weekend. I only played last night, but the game was marred with ball busting lag, and people kept on lagging out while going from the search lobby to the game setup. I really don't understand. Played Halo 3 a little last week and every match went relatively smooth, really made me realize how bad the lag is in Gears. How in Christ's cock did they fuck this shit up so bad.

 

[sixteen-bit]

I'm gonna buy cases of that energy drink, just so I can say "Look at all dat juice".

Instead of "Emulsion" they should have just called it "Dat Juice"

 

[USD]

Jesus, this game has some horrible matchmaking. How hard is it it match players of at least somewhat similar skill?

 

[Llyranor]

I've been holding off getting all the new maps until now. 20 bucks for all of them + 7 new ones + singleplayer/co-op content seems like a good deal.

 

[goldenpp72]

so I just got back into this after quitting back in like.. january. It seems a bit better but wtf is up with the ranking? I just kicked the shit out of a full team and I lost experience for an incomplete match? We finished to round 5 :/

 

[Mr. Enigma]

Jesus, this game has some horrible matchmaking. How hard is it it match players of at least somewhat similar skill?

You could have the most precise system, but the insane host advantage (that Cliffy B promised would be gone) is always going to throw it off.

 

[chriskun]

so I just got back into this after quitting back in like.. january. It seems a bit better but wtf is up with the ranking? I just kicked the shit out of a full team and I lost experience for an incomplete match? We finished to round 5 :/

if you lost experience then that means that you quit out

 

[USD]

You could have the most precise system, but the insane host advantage (that Cliffy B promised would be gone) is always going to throw it off.

In the short time I've played multiplayer (just started yesterday, after putting in some 50 hours into Horde months ago), host advantage hasn't bothered me, probably because I don't have the eye for it yet. I just want to play against people who aren't way better than me.

And god, the quitting. While the poor matchmaking is partially to blame, it's pretty frustrating to finish the game being the last human player on my side. Guess I should just stick to playing with friends, it seems like the only way to play a somewhat legit match.

 

[JB1981]

if you lost experience then that means that you quit out

No it means a TEAMMATE fucking quit and the buggy fucking piece of shit game PENALIZES you because it thinks YOU quit when in actuality you stuck it out like a man. Really annoying bug.

 

[Tomcat]

Originally Posted by CliffyB
We have the option of disabling the ragdoll concussive effect entirely or replacing it with a brief cringe. We can remove it entirely or simply have "stun free saturdays." We're going to do a few test days where we see how people feel about the reduction and/or removal and then adjust accordingly.

Stay tuned.

p.s. I do love you all.

good riddance
now remove and the frags walltagging as well

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=681195

 

[sixteen-bit]

Is the Emulsion drink generally available anywhere?

 

[Mr. Enigma]

good riddance
now remove and the frags walltagging as well

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=681195

THANK GOD. I may actually enjoy this game again.

 

[Domino Theory]

good riddance
now remove and the frags walltagging as well

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=681195

REALLY happy about this news, but at some small points, I do need the smoke grenade. Like when 2-3 guys are running towards me or when someone is coming up to me with a meatshield because Lord knows that once someone with a meatshield is near you and melees you, it's over.

 

[bumpkin]

THANK GOD. I may actually enjoy this game again.

You know, as much as they annoyed the shit out of me, smokes not having a concussive effect anymore is going to make KOTH and Annex a lot tougher; although on the flipside, at least the strategy won't always be spawn, rush the scoring zone, chuck smokes over and over.

 

[Hootie]

good riddance
now remove and the frags walltagging as well

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=681195

 

[-PXG-]

good riddance
now remove and the frags walltagging as well

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=681195

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! :O This is huge!

If they just:

1) Decrease blast radius of all explosions
2) Increase detonation time length of wall planted 'nades (or just get rid of it entirely)
3) Improve the net code (yet again... :/)
4) Make it so I can shoot out of a roadie run
5) Make it so I can "shake off" a melee and punish those who attempt to two piece

then this game will PERFECT. I appreciate Epic's support of this game, but Gears 2 still has a long way to go, until it's where it should be.

 

[Future PhaZe]

If they also remove wall tagging I'll be back for sure.

 

[-PXG-]

If they also remove wall tagging I'll be back for sure.

Not just you, EVERYONE would come back. This, new maps, campaign add-on and TU4? Ah sheeeeeeeeeit!

 

[smik]

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!! :O This is huge!

If they just:

1) Decrease blast radius of all explosions
2) Increase detonation time length of wall planted 'nades (or just get rid of it entirely)
3) Improve the net code (yet again... :/)
4) Make it so I can shoot out of a roadie run
5) Make it so I can "shake off" a melee and punish those who attempt to two piece

then this game will PERFECT. I appreciate Epic's support of this game, but Gears 2 still has a long way to go, until it's where it should be.

if your list happens i will be back for sure but until then no, its a very good start that they are going to remove the stun hopefully completely. but i fthey could remove walltags, enable shoot out of run and more importantly player matches i will be back to stay forever.

 

[-PXG-]

if your list happens i will be back for sure but until then no, its a very good start that they are going to remove the stun hopefully completely. but i fthey could remove walltags, enable shoot out of run and more importantly player matches i will be back to stay forever.

How could I forget Player Match? I guess being without it for so long, I completely forgot about it :lol.

 

[Tomcat]

More good news:
you are going to gain xp through horde and dizzy is alive!

 

[carbonbased]

i've wanted the brief frozen-in-place/cringe animation that happens when a friendly mortar hits you to be the smoke grenade effect since i first saw my character fly down a set of stairs like it were a slip n slide. smokes would still fill the role of being a meatshield and boomshield counter without defining how every fucking round plays out.

if they can do something with the netcode and host bridging then the game will be a whole new experience.

 

[Skilotonn]

Been a while since I've been in here, been playing every night consistently though - went up from 49 to 51 or 52 during double XP weekend so that was a good haul...

The Imulsion drink is perfect - now you too can say "Look at all that juice" - and drink it too! :lol

You're combining different groups into a single Frankenstein monster you can easily attack. I know when you want to defend something, the fastest thing is to just sort everyone not with your opinion into a big cluster and throw stuff at it, but maybe that's not the best COA.

The people who "retired" [as an aside you kind of fixate on this (with the pro quotation marks for added snark!) because its a pretty dramatic and inflammatory statement, but I think that wordage was used... once, and not by the people who actually stopped playing, but by the dramatic 14 year old who idolizes them] and the people complaining about the map prices and the people having real problems connecting to quality matches (but still play, because darn it Gears is too good not to play!) and the people who have no problems but just like to complain for the hell of it when this thread is active, and the people who miraculously have no issues with this game and want to call everyone who does full of bullshit are all separate groups.

And sorry that I didn't come back in time to respond to your post bro, especially since it looks like you're banned for who knows how long, but I know you're out there somewhere reading this - here goes:

I did say retired because someone did actually start using that word, and people began to follow whoever started it with their "retirement" (I admit that the quotes are a bit snarky, but hey - I found it funny that they called it that in the first place! :lol ) and I was fine with that no matter how funny it was, but then they're back again saying the same stuff again a few days later!

I guess it'd be fine if they'd confess their love for Gears 2's gameplay in the middle of their dumping on the game, which like you said must be the case since they keep coming back to the goodness - but since it was always a pure bitch-fest, I guess it just kept annoying to me, that's all...

And I also apologize for sounding like a person who has zero problems and bitches myself about the bitching - in the end, all I want is the nag-fest to stop - criticism doesn't have to disappear, but just not so damn one-sided the whole time...

good riddance
now remove and the frags walltagging as well

http://gearsforums.epicgames.com/showthread.php?t=681195

I gotta say that I am loving this approach to changes in the game - although I don't really agree with changing the smoke system, there are a few matches where the smokes can REALLY go flying and then it actually does get annoying - but this is really going to shake up the way Annex is going to be played - can't wait to test it out whenever this goes down...

Gaining XP through Horde sounds like a brilliant pay off for the peeps that love Horde, but I just hope that they take what happened in that hot mess of a game called Rainbow Six Vegas where people could easily boost XP in a level, and not have it get out of hand like that, although it definitely isn't anywhere near that easy in Horde to repeat round kills over & over like RB:V...

Good to hear that Dizzy is alive!

 

[Future PhaZe]

Not just you, EVERYONE would come back. This, new maps, campaign add-on and TU4? Ah sheeeeeeeeeit!

If I had to choose one or the other I would MUCH rather prefer they take out wall tagging. The smoke grenades are an annoyance but I could live with it so long as I didn't have to worry about running into pockets of shit.

Even if none of this happens I feel a lot better about Gears 3. The thought of Gears 3 wasn't like a "do not want" situation for me after dealing with the Gears 2 bs but I definitely lost any hype. Knowing now that there may be a strong possibility of the game shipping without the bullshit along with adding new features I might slowly be regaining some of my hype for that game. I'll never be back to my pre Gears 2 release hype though because Epic has betrayed my trust far too many times.

 

[Tomcat]

yeah they will need a beta for gears 3 to gain our trust back

 

[-PXG-]

yeah they will need a beta for gears 3 to gain our trust back

Damn straight.

 

[ZROCOOL]

yeah they will need a beta for gears 3 to gain our trust back

I would say so..


BTW- the news sounds nice.

 

[Diablohead]

yeah they will need a beta for gears 3 and dedicated servers to gain our trust back

Fixed for what most of us would love to have.

 

[-PXG-]

yeah they will need a beta for gears 3, player match and dedicated servers to gain our trust back

fixed again