Tribes: Ascend

Tribes: Ascend
Developer(s)	Hi-Rez Studios
Publisher(s)	Hi-Rez Studios
Engine	Unreal Development Kit (UDK) - January 2011 Version
Version	1.0.1055.0
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	April 12, 2012
Genre(s)	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer, single-player (training)
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T)
Media/distribution	Download

Tribes: Ascend is the fourth game in the Tribes franchise, and was released on April 12, 2012. It is available as a digital download for Microsoft Windows, through Hi-Rez Studios. Iconic aspects from previous Tribes games such as jetpacks and skiing are featured in the game. Unlike the other games in the series, Tribes: Ascend is Free-to-Play, relying on micro-transactions as their business model. To accommodate this model, the game uses class loadouts with predefined armors and weapons. Three classes are available to all players for free, the others must be unlocked with experience or purchased with Gold.

On July 12, 2013, Todd, the COO of Hi-Rez, announced that they had stopped development of Tribes: Ascend and that it would be more likely that they would begin development of Tribes: Ascend 2 than release a major update for Ascend. The very next day a discussion was started about having the community creating an SDK for the game. On July 16, 2013 in an interview with Todd he announced that Hi-Rez was looking into releasing mod tools and map tools, but no date was confirmed. On August 05, 2013, Hi-Rez announced that they would be closing the official forums down due to an increase in the use of social media outlets. Some Reddit users believe that the closure has more to do with Hi-Rez's inability to resolve the SQL errors on the forum, as removing the official forums will do more harm to the community with, no way to provide feedback or report bugs related to the game.

On December 10, 2015, version 1.1 was released after four PTS releases. Version 1.1 made sweeping changes to the class system, reducing it to only three armors similar to previous Tribes games, and allows the player to now have three to four weapon slots. All of the changes can be read here.

On April 04, 2018, Hi-Rez took down the Tribes: Ascend website and began redirecting users to the game's Steam page. On November 20, 2018, Hi-Rez released an update for their launcher, which removed Tribes: Ascend, making the game only playable via Steam, even though Hi-Rez set it so that the game will not appear in Steam searches. Community users have posted instructions on Reddit, explaining how to launch Tribes: Ascend without the launcher.

How to Play in 2024

Although the official Tribes: Ascend game servers were shut down in 2018 and the game listing removed from Steam, the community has several ways to still install and play the game. Dodges Domain has a guide to download and install the game through Steam, with a customized launcher and map packs. There is also a post on Reddit to install Ketaui, an unofficial Tribes: Ascend standalone installer.

Gameplay

Loadouts and classes

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Loadouts and Classes

Tribes: Ascend features a class-based loadout system. Each loadout specifies what type of armor you have, along with what weapons and items you can carry. Loadouts can support up to four weapons, defending on which class is chosen, a melee weapon, a pack, and a belt item. Players can select which loadout to use by pressing a number on the numberpad to choose which armor you want and then choose the loadout. There are currently 12 loadouts to choose from.

Hi-Rez also sells cosmetic items such as player skins and voice packs, which can be played using the VGS, along with boosters that allow players to gain credits and experience at a faster rate. Players earn in-game credits during matches for killing enemies, repairing structures, or capturing objectives. Credits are then used to buy vehicles, call-ins, and base upgrades. Custom servers may be purchased through Hi-Rez as well, though they are also hosted by Hi-Rez.

As of version 1.1, Perks have been integrated into the three armors, so the user no longer has to choose between just two perks to equip.

Game modes and maps

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Maps

There are currently 5 game modes, Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, Rabbit, Arena, and Blitz. Ascend features classic maps such as Katabatic, Raindance, Dangerous Crossing, and Canyon Crusade, it also has new maps featuring various landscapes from the arctic tundra to the barren desert. As of February 22, 2012, Rabbit mode has been removed from public games, and replaced with Arena mode, which is unlocked at level 8. Rabbit mode is only available on custom servers.

Flag Drag

As of version 1.0.1103.1, "flag drag" was introduced to limit the amount of speed a flag carrier can maintain at very high speeds. The drag is introduced at 300, 275, and 250 km/h for lights, mediums, and heavies, respectively. For custom servers, these speeds and the deceleration rate for when a player is over the top speed are customizable. Setting the value to 0 will turn off the feature.

Accolades/Badges

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Accolades

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Badges

To encourage diverse gameplay, various accolades and badges are awarded for accomplishing objectives or protecting assets.

Ranks

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Ranks

As XP is earned, the player will gain rank levels that are identifiable with an insignia on the scoreboard.

Clan Tags

As of version 1.0.1055.0 clan tags can be purchased for 1,500 XP or 40 Gold. They allow for the user to use a combination of letters and characters up to a maximum of four to be used as a clan tag. The desired tag will be placed in brackets.

Example: [TE]

As of version 1.0.1103.1, special characters may now be used, and the first character of the tag does not have to be a letter, which was previously disallowed due to poor programming. If your in-game name is the maximum length and you use a clan tag with four characters, you will lose the last letter in your name. Tags may only be bought from the main menu, not during a match.

Console Commands

These are special commands that players can activate through the console, which can be displayed via the ~ key (tilde key, next to the number 1). Replace <PlayerNickname> with the name of the player you want specified.

/mute <PlayerNickname> - Mutes the player specified.
/report <PlayerNickname> <Reason> - Reports the specified player for the specified reason.
/sendctrlrequest join queue ### - If the user is whitelisted, allows them to join a specific queue.
/stat fps - Shows the Frames Per Second
/votekick <PlayerNickname> - Starts a vote to kick the player specified.

Example:

/report Jerk This person is a total jerk.

This will report the player "Jerk" for the reason "This person is a total jerk."

User generated content

As of July 2013, mod tools and map tools are now being looked into as a possibility. The community stepped up and began creating their own SDK; it requires the developer build of the game, but allows for custom mods and maps to be used.

See also: Tribes: Ascend/FileSpecs/TextureCache

See also: File Extraction

When Hi-Rez announced that there would be no more updates, the community started working on an SDK. Below are guides on mapping for Ascend:

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/SDK

Credits

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Credits

During matches the players can earn credits to spend on Call-Ins, Vehicles or upgrading such as Base Turrents, Radar Sensor and Generator. Credits are earned based on damage dealt to enemy Players and Accolades. At the end of the match players will be shown a Summary screen with their score and accolade accumulation during that match and a performance comparable to other players in the match.

Vehicles

Main article: Tribes: Ascend/Vehicles

• Tribes: Ascend/Beowulf
• Tribes: Ascend/Grav Cycle
• Tribes: Ascend/Shrike

Voice Game System

Main Article: Voice Game System

One of the most popular ways to communicate in the game is through the VGS, a system of voice commands. Pressing the "V" key brings up a list of commands to send a voice message to your team and/or the enemy. This is similar to the system used by games like Planetside, Unreal Tournament and the original Tribes games. In addition the User may also press "T" in game to type in their own message to all players on server, or "Y" to talk only to people on your team.

Screenshots

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Reception

Tribes Ascend was met with critical acclaim from most major reviewers. IGN gave the game a 9/10 rating.

History

The game entered open beta on February 22, 2012 (with some modes disabled such as Rabbit) and was officially released on April 12, 2012. In February 2013, Hi-Rez released a Game of the Year Edition, which unlocked all classes, weapons, equipment, and perks in a single package. In July 2013, Hi-Rez halted further development on Tribes: Ascend to focus on Smite, citing lackluster financial returns from Tribes: Ascend and Global Agenda. Despite the previous statement, a small team resumed development in August 2015. In December 2015, Hi-Rez Studios announced a patch, called Out Of The Blue, for the game which introduced major changes. Due to the nature of the patch, the company reverted all previous in-game purchases. The final update, dubbed Parting Gifts, was released on September 29, 2016. Sean McBride, creative director of Tribes: Ascend, likened the game's history to be “death by a thousand cuts”.

Game modes and maps

• Capture the Flag: Both teams have a base that contains a flag; teams must steal their opponent's flag and capture it to score points.
• Team Deathmatch: Teams must kill each other to score points, whichever team hits the specified score limit wins
• Rabbit: One player holds a flag (the "rabbit") and passively earns points while doing so. All of the other players must try and kill them to hold the flag themselves and earn points until a limit is reached. The player with the most points ends.
• Arena: A variant of Team Deathmatch, where each team has a limited amount of spawns. The team that runs out of spawns first (or has less when the timer ends) loses.
• Capture & Hold: Each team attempts to capture and control points to earn score throughout the match. The team with the most score at the end wins.

The map Katabatic, which originally appeared in Tribes 2, has been remade in Tribes: Ascend along with some other maps appearing in previous games in the series.

Ranking system

The ranking system is a vanity reward for players but used to be an element for the removed in-game queue system. Each level of a rank has a unique rank title and insignia. Players begin as a rank 1 ("Recruit") and earn ranks as they play the game. Each players' current rank insignia is displayed next to their name on the in-game scoreboard. Rank title and insignia are shown to an enemy player that the player has recently killed (displayed on the kill-cam screen). A summary report of rank experience earned is displayed on the post-match scoreboard screen at the end of each map. An experience bar is also present.

Console port

A port to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 were originally planned but scrapped due to the game's free-to-play business model.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	86/100

Review scores

Publication	Score
Edge	9/10
Eurogamer	10/10
GameSpot	8/10
IGN	9/10
PC Gamer (US)	88/100

Tribes: Ascend was met with positive reception, with IGN giving the game a 9/10. It has a Metacritic rating of 86.

See also

• Tribes: Ascend Patch notes
• Tribes: Ascend Criticisms
• Tribes: Universe
• Tribes: Ascend/How to Play (How to launch T:A without Steam)

External links

• Official website
• Announcement trailer
• Gameplay video