Gears Of War 3 may have been delayed to make it a holiday release, but the team at Epic won't be resting on their laurels in the downtime. Epic announced at a recent press event that the game will be getting a multiplayer beta in early 2011. And it seems that Epic will be taking some lessons to heart for the final product, since the longer release schedule allows them to respond to player feedback.
The beta will show off the social match and host migration features. The final game will run on dedicated servers, so those will be tested in the beta as well. To that end, executive producer Rod Fergusson revealed that the team had been testing dedicated servers in Gears of War 2 with unwitting players. Check out our full preview for more details.
When I think about why I play Gears of War (either installment) with an on/off cycle, a few reasons come to mind. I hate hearing people fall back onto the crutch of complaining about host advantage (when one player hosts a match, and doesn't suffer from the same lag issues as the rest of the players) as a catch-all excuse for losing. Then again, I do think it's unfair when I actually lose a one-on-one shotgun duel against a host. Either way, I find myself stepping away from Gears multiplayer for weeks at a time. I'd eventually get over it, boot up the game, endure the occasional lag, and then find myself in another bind. "Where the hell are the best weapons on this map again?" Or, "Can someone refresh my memory: what does Annex mean again?"
Fortunately, all of my previous qualms are cast aside and then some with Gears of War 3's multiplayer. A few days ago, I sat in a conference room with Rod Fergusson, executive producer of the Gears franchise. He gave a generous dosage of information to soak in, and then I went hands-on with team deathmatch and king of the hill. Here are six reasons why this particular iteration has the best multiplayer experience by far.
No 1.) Matchmaking Improvements
Everyone can officially stop complaining about host advantage -- because Gears of War 3 features dedicated servers (which should go a long way towards improving previous matchmaking troubles). In fact, Fergusson mentioned that the development team tested forty servers in Gears of War 2 matchmaking with unknowing participants.
Additionally, parties now form up in the main menu screen; you can gather your friends together, and then decide which mode to play. If the party leader decides to leave, then host migration allows you to continue the fight without ending the entire match. Then again, if waiting to form a group irritates you, the new social match experience throws a player into a game right away -- with bots that eventually get replaced by other players.
Unfortunately, I did not experience social match or host migration for myself; I'll be finding out along with you when during Gears 3's multiplayer beta next year. No specific details were available on how to get in, but Fergusson did say that it should appear during the five extended months before the game's official release date. Whenever it launches, I'm hoping that all six new playable characters are available too: Jace Stratton (from the Gears of War comic), Sam Byrne (a female), Anya, Clayton Carmine, Chairman Prescott, and Queen Myrrah.
No 2.) New and Improved Weapons
Weapons are always the bread and butter of any shooter, and Gears 3 adds several improvements alongside all-new gear. The aiming reticule for each gun seems to be the most significant change: each serves as a quick visual reference of a gun's accuracy. For instance, pistols have a small circular reticule while shotguns have a wide rectangular area to signify how scattered and inaccurate they are.
Of course, this didn't stop me from pulling the trigger too soon on the Sawed Off Shotgun. This particular weapon only kills when there's little-to-no space between you and your victim, and takes frequent trial-and-error. Though, it turns out to be quite useful when fighting enemies hiding around corners; it's pretty powerful and some developers point out that it can kill more than one person if they're bunched together (alas, I never faced that situation). Then again, it has an uncomfortably long reload (enough that I frequently find myself spamming the dodge move until it finished). Regardless, I still enjoy it a lot more than the familiar Gnasher just because of its novelty; both of these shotguns are two of five starting weapons.
The other three primary weapons are probably familiar to Gears fans. In particular, fans who know their Gears lore will recognize the new Retro Lancer (the Lancer's predecessor). Instead of the familiar chainsaw, it sports a bayonet at the end -- along with plenty of kickback. Trying to use the bayonet charge can be fun (though it takes about four or five running steps for proper use), although I only pulled this off when I had a clear path to an unsuspecting camper. Since the charge puts you at full speed, don't expect to stab a locust with any sort of cover between the two of you, simply because it's hard to make your way around said cover.
If the Retro Lancer's bayonet has no appeal, you can opt for the traditional chainsaw Lancer. But this time around, there's a very small window for interrupting its use; the revving animation lasts a couple seconds, and if you shoot a person caught in that moment, then they can't use it. Though, I didn't use this weapon myself during my session.
Instead, I spent the majority of my matches falling in love with the Hammerburst. If you're like me, then you probably shunned it during Gears 2. I used it the most for Gears 3 because of its iron sight. This rifle feels extremely accurate when you're zoomed in, and with the big boost from using active reload, I would end up having the highest amount of downed players on my team. The new sniper rifle, the One Shot, also captured my interest, but I only saw that it was available on one map and everyone fought over it. From what I can tell, it's powerful enough to punch through a meat shield to kill someone, it has a laser sight, and requires a lock on your target (think Hammer of Dawn).
The Digger is another new favorite of mine. It does what it sounds like: you shoot it into the ground, and it digs through a linear path. Any nearby enemies then get exposed to its bouncing betty-inspired explosion. Or you can shoot it directly at a person, and watch it eat its way up the body before exploding at the neck. Those kills were the most satisfying to witness.
No. 3) Novice Friendly
If you have little-to-no achievements from previous titles, expect a handicap during your first few multiplayer sessions; it gives you automatic active reload and double the amount of health. But this "noob ride" doesn't last long -- it goes away after earning ten kills. Fergusson mentioned that after each of your first ten kills, the handicap gets waned.
If this doesn't seem newbie-friendly enough, consider the co-op Training Grounds mode, which seems similar to what Call of Duty: Black Ops offers. Whether by yourself or with friends, you can just fight some bots. Though, this mode was discussed rather than played.
But there are additional newbie-accessibility changes that even experienced fans may appreciate. For instance, it's extremely easy to notice enemies in my periphery. Depending on whom I fought (locust are red, humans blue), I notice that they glow intensely if they are near the edge of your screen. Another player sitting near me said it was intrusive, but I rather appreciate immediately knowing where the next person I have to kill is located.
And that's also why I thoroughly enjoy the enemy spotting system, akin to Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Points are earned with spot assists, but they only put a marker above a foe's head for about three seconds. The finger yoga is slightly less difficult to perform in Gears, which requires the push of the Y button. One aspect I hope Epic will be tuning is how tight and precise you have to be for spotting; plenty of moments arose where I had to stand outside of cover and take damage while mark someone afar. One particular frustrating moment arose when I saw a Locust's arm extend beyond cover and that wasn't enough to spot them.
At least I can get a general sense of where the action is taking place regardless with the improved "Tac/Com" system. Not only do I know where my teammates are again (like in Gears 2), but I also have a visual on where the weapon spawns are as well.
No. 4) More Abilities
For proficient Gears aficionados, these are some of the more noticeable game changers -- the kind of things that change your tactical tendencies. For instance, smoke grenades now stun foes, and make them drop power weapons (Hammer of Dawn, Boomshot, etc.). I use them a lot to stop the annoying guy from using the Mulcher all the time. In addition, self revival is available in all modes now. These sorts of changes excite me as much as the meatshield did for Gears 2. Speaking of which, your captive can now be used as an explosive device: Just stick them with a grenade and shove them into a crowd. While it takes a few attempts to get a feel for this move's range, it's great for times like when the opposing team is trying to capture a location in King of the Hill.
The mantle kick is also useful in that mode. Ever find yourself in a situation where you and an enemy took cover at the same spot, but neither of you choose to pop out first? Now you don't have to risk going out on a limb to get that kill. The mantle kick leaps you over cover, and knocks them in front of you. It's times like these where I wish I used the Lancer to see if I'd have enough time to use the chainsaw while they stumbled. My teammate and I actually were knocked back during a match, so it's safe to assume that it works on up to two players.
My overall favorite ability though has to be the Snub Pistol's execution, where you stand over your victim, and spam the Y button for a prolonged face punching. At the moment, Epic is limiting the amount of time of this beatdown to about twenty seconds. I was tagged with a grenade the first time I tried to pull off the entire thing, but it was well worth it.
No. 5) Longevity
In-game multiplayer event calendars are becoming a trend for shooters, and Gears of War 3 joins that growing list. The calendar is available from the main menu so now you won't have to search online for those XP weekends anymore.
On top of this, unlocks such as character costumes, weapon skins, and executions, boast a much larger role in the amount of time people invest in the game. The only alternate costume announced so far is Cole's "Thrasherball" uniform. If you don't recall, he used to play that sport before the Locust arrived and essentially identical to a football player. I only hope more ridiculous costumes are provided because of my cynical personality. Marcus in a ballerina outfit, please.
Oh, and look forward to earning medals, ribbons and titles. These three are very similar to Battlefield and Modern Warfare 2's reward system. Ribbons are distributed on a game by game basis (get most kills, etc) -- Fergusson even pointed out that there's ribbon for doing absolutely nothing in a match. Medals provide more of an indication of lifetime performance, and get leveled up. And titles reflect gameplay style, and can be changed at the player's discretion.
Moreover, Gears of War 3 features Mutators (gameplay modifiers from Unreal Tournament) for the first time. The only one I can confirm is a modification that makes everyone appear as little kids. These only work in Arcade, Beast and Horde mode for now but I'm hoping that the event calendar reveals other Mutators available for deathmatch. If a friend unlocks a Mutator you don't possess, invite them to your party to use during a gameplay session.
No. 6) Refined Modes and Maps
The Epic team definitely reflected on strengths and weaknesses of each multiplayer mode from previous Gears to enhance their latest title. While they combined and tailored various modes, don't worry, they left Execution and Warzone intact. I can't really vouch for each improved mode, but if Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill are any indication, then you won't mind changes and can safely look forward to having fun.
Team Deathmatch combines deathmatch and Warzone. Each team gets a limited amount of respawns, and once they run out, it' becomes a matter of eliminating the last few standing. The matches are best of three, and the worst players on each team have a longer spawn process. King of the Hill, on the other hand, shares similarities with Annex. The team has to capture a territory to collect points, but don't have to stay in the area once it's in their grasp. And now the score summary on the screen is reflected with percentages -- especially helpful for the players that didn't know how many points they had to score in order to win.
Guardian and Submission are brought together to form Capture the Leader. There's no ring, the matches are time based, and the leader of each team is essentially the human flag. The leader also has special abilities, such as seeing the location of opponents. Oh, and Wingman gets reduced to four teams instead of five, because Epic believes it'll provide a better experience.
Of the maps I played (I believe there were five: Trenches, Overpass, Mercy, Checkout, and Thrashball), I'll have to say that Overpass is my absolute favorite so far. It boasts some cool environmental changes that are more cosmetic than anything else (it won't affect the game's outcome): Sporadic earthquakes slowly make the map sink into a cave, and cause water to flood the streets. And I felt that the maps overall weren't too difficult to maneuver around or memorize so far -- the "Tac/Com" feature probably helps out more than I expected.
Even with "just" playing Team Deathmatch and King of the Hill, it's nice to see that most of my misgivings about Gears of War multiplayer have been eliminated. If Epic continues this momentum across all the modes, then Gears of War 3 will become my primary gaming staple when it ships next fall.
Subject: Gears Of War 3 Multiplayer Beta next year 
Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:58 am
