Zipper dev diary reveals the three factions of MAG

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 30th 2009 at 10:00PM }

Out of all of humanity's social needs and desires, we all love the feeling of belonging the most. People just can't get along without the comfort and support that can be provided by bowling leagues, church groups, family circles or bloodthirsty para-military contractors.

The latest developer diary for Zipper Interactive's 256-man melee, MAG, reveals the three PMCs featured in the multi-multi-multiplayer shooter. You'll get to choose between the traditional military forces of Valor, the high-tech armada of Raven or the brutal, low-tech armies of S.V.E.R. (pronounced "sever"). Check out the three outfits in the video above, and let us know who you're thinking about enlisting with.

Tags: dev-diary, factions, fps, mag, pmc, raven, sver, valor, zipper-interactive

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

lawlersauce @ Jun 30th 2009 10:06PM

Wait....are there going to be three teams/PMCs per game map?

Fun DMC @ Jun 30th 2009 10:10PM

128 vs. 128 was confirmed a while ago, so I'm assuming that means only two teams.

I'm picking Raven fo sho

Sancor @ Jul 1st 2009 11:07PM

If you are planning to join a S.V.E.R. clan, you should try WSS, is the dominant SVER clan in the psboards.

Thread:
http://boardsus.playstation.com/playstation/board/message?board.id=mag&message.id=17110&query.id=212050#M17110

Xvnine @ Jun 30th 2009 10:23PM

Wait didn't everyone leave during KZ2?

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Jun 30th 2009 10:36PM

How the hell do you people have a clan for a game that isn't even out? Do you guys just simulate tea bagging like its a text adventure?

Sancor @ Jun 30th 2009 10:56PM

@Xvine

At first we were like lets open the doors to everyone to our clan, without any requirements or background log check, that was cool and popular but lead to many drama situations and lot of fights, we needed to demote a lot of people, and we decided to reborn like 3 months ago. Now with a new way of recruiting still different from the rest

@THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime)
We think playing a game is a lot more than just going into the matches.
I am inviting you to spend some time reading our thread to fully understand our philosophy of gaming, we are taking a different approach from other clans.
We even did 4 issues of a weekly virtual magazine, we are indeed, different, we are WSS, and we are playing to expand our ideas to MAG, S.V.E.R. represents that Utopian idea, as we always said from the very beginning....

"We have S.V.E.R in our blood"

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Jun 30th 2009 11:04PM

Sure I will give it a whirl.

Longhorn of Myon [PSN: MariusElijah] @ Jun 30th 2009 11:06PM

oh can I join, I might buy MAG if it gets good reviews

Saihna @ Jun 30th 2009 11:44PM

I'd like to join! :D
(Psn: SinAwsm)

Gopheur @ Jun 30th 2009 11:48PM

Wow. They named their clan "Why So Serious" and have the Nolan Joker plastered all over their site? What a bunch of dorks.

Alistair Azimuth PSN: johnnynumber5 @ Jun 30th 2009 11:59PM

Gopheur

It goes with the style of the faction themselves. They kind of remind me of the dudes from Army Of Two in an asthetic sense. If you think thats sort of dorky or geeky you need to remind yourself this a gaming website where most people are enthusiast.

Look At This Suit @ Jun 30th 2009 10:08PM

EOTech=INSTANT ME ON VALOR.

-Vexx- @ Jun 30th 2009 10:09PM

Hmm

256/3

Equals

85.333333333333333333333>>>>>>

Uhh....

Sancor @ Jun 30th 2009 10:11PM

Most battles will be played with two factions at a time.
So 128 vs 128.

-Vexx- @ Jun 30th 2009 10:35PM

Fair enough then

mvp576 @ Jun 30th 2009 10:25PM

I might go S.V.E.R due to the fact that rusty ak's and spray paint skulls on face just looks sick!

sc00by_y00 @ Jul 1st 2009 1:33AM

im thinking the same,

I hope the best players select sver so the rest get their asses handed to them ..

I am feeling this game

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Jun 30th 2009 10:30PM

Enjoy, I think I will still be playing In Soap McTavish's faction...MW2!

THE WICKER MAN (BWF) (GT: Dalek Prime) @ Jun 30th 2009 11:07PM

Sorry but I can not resist being a dick..." I have some military in my background"..till they found out and you were kicked out? ZING. TOPICAL JOKE=FAIL. Sorry...

Unplugged @ Jun 30th 2009 10:31PM

I was thinking about SVER until I thought about how many people would join it and then talk about how they chose the gangsta faction.

Then I thought about going with Valor and thought that it sounded too... cliche.

Then I thought about joining Raven and thought everyone who joins this is either going to be looking for an actual tactical experience using the tech that will be available, or complete morons using the tech to try and blow everything up.

So I choose to make my faction called Valvenver, who wants to join?

Unplugged @ Jun 30th 2009 10:37PM

*my own faction

damn the lack of an edit button on this site

Iroquois @ Jun 30th 2009 10:57PM

If I join your faction, can I ride in to battle on a giraffe while wearing ancient viking armor and firing a bazooka all over?

Unplugged @ Jun 30th 2009 11:01PM

Yes, and I will see your giraffe and bazooka and raise you a purple 3 headed giraffe with built in rocket launchers, this nifty little gnome that rides around on your shoulder, and I will replace your arms with a mortar launcher and the BFG.

Deal?

alienterrorist @ Jul 2nd 2009 10:37AM

this sounds cool, can i join?

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 30th 2009 10:37PM

The greyish-green guys,the blue and gray guys and the brownish grey guys.

As for the S.V.E.R. they kind of looks like the Reapers from InFamous in fact they could be the very same guys they were so many of them they could have formed an actual army.

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 30th 2009 10:38PM

*look

Yeah the lack of an edit button does suck.

Sancor @ Jun 30th 2009 10:58PM

Indeed, SVER looks a lot like the guys from the first island of Infamous.
However they are totally different in concepts.

Hedgeson @ Jul 1st 2009 1:16AM

These probably don't barf all over the place. They problably grunt and mumble, though.

Twinturbo120 @ Jun 30th 2009 10:40PM

Your a little late joystiq =)

Unplugged @ Jun 30th 2009 11:03PM

Beter late than never ;)

Unplugged @ Jun 30th 2009 11:03PM

*better

Why can't I spell tonight?

Tyler @ Jun 30th 2009 10:40PM

So you have your Killzone, Ghost Recon, and Mercenaries factions?

Cheesus(Crust) @ Jul 1st 2009 12:15AM

You summed it up pretty neatly! Nice one.

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 30th 2009 10:47PM

Since everyone is discussing the classes from my FPS experience I can tell how this is going to play out:

Valor is the generic class mostly played by newcomers and COD fans

Raven is going to be the most played class by n00bs and idiots if A)They have a shadowrun like unfair advantage or B) they can spam rockets.

S.V.E.R is going to be hated by one and all because they won’t have the best toys and from the look of the map neither the best snipping positions.

As for snipping I spot a bit of abuse of the light effects to make Snipers the most played class unless there is a class that allows the player to spam rockets or call air raids every nanosecond.

Unplugged @ Jun 30th 2009 10:59PM

The only problem with everyone playing a sniper is that no objectives would get completed, no one would get to play with explosives, no one would get to use the machine guns in the pill boxes, and the defending team would always win making the game no fun.

So I think most people are gonna wise up and be the grunts just so they can play with the big guns. Hopefully Zipper hasn't made spammable rockets available, and I believe air raids can only be accessed by completing certain objectives, can only be called in by higher ranking soldiers, and have some kind of recharge time which would pretty much negate the spamming of artillery/air strikes.

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 30th 2009 11:52PM

"The only problem with everyone playing a sniper is that no objectives would get completed, no one would get to play with explosives, no one would get to use the machine guns in the pill boxes, and the defending team would always win making the game no fun".

Hello fellow Battlefield Veteran.

One problem with stationary guns is that they are always placed in the worst places.In Battlefield they are always at the sight of every sniper, Artillery range, Demomen proximity and I would even go as far as say the assault class might not even die against one.

I dream with the day grenade spam and rocket whores all burn in hell but until that day I can only hope Zipper is going to be wise enough to check the balance before launching the game or patches the game every week like TF2.

dTondro @ Jul 1st 2009 11:53PM

It would be so easy to fix too... You could create an artificial ceiling that would keep people limited to a specific range on their throws or rocket launches.

I don't advocate clipping the grenades into non-existence but maybe artificially slowing the grenade down after it reaches a specific height. I also don't think that tthe Uncharted or MGS4 method is very productive for any kind of FPS...

There has to be a less frustrating way to keep the grenades but not kill the realizm of the game.

Angel Mass @ Jun 30th 2009 11:05PM

Call them whatever you want and explain them all you want.

At the end it all get reduce to move, point, and click.

Wardo @ Jun 30th 2009 11:25PM

I'm leaning towards S.V.E.R. 'cause I like it rough.......

not in that way.

AvA (ice~) @ Jun 30th 2009 11:52PM

Not to sound nit-picky, because I am REALLY looking forward to this game, but I really don't like the way the hands and arms look in the first person view...it's just...gross...

Alistair Azimuth PSN: johnnynumber5 @ Jul 1st 2009 12:01AM

From that little dev diary I'm leaning towards the more guerilla tactics of SEVR.

Cheesus(Crust) @ Jul 1st 2009 12:17AM

Im leaning toward Raven

Paul @ Jul 1st 2009 12:22AM

this game is good in theory but think about this...you play KZ2 with 32 and 4 people have mics and 3 of those people are little kids yelling at their moms and the 4th person is always some dude that just curses constantly.

now multiply that by 8

that's a lot of muting

Alistair Azimuth PSN: johnnynumber5 @ Jul 1st 2009 12:57AM

AFAIK it's similar to Killzone 2 n that you can choose to only communicate with your individual squad.

Hedgeson @ Jul 1st 2009 1:30AM

I have a mic but I'm kinda too shy to speak. English isn't my main language, and while I can read it perfectly and write it very well, I don't speak it often enough to be fluent. I'm quite sure my accent is horrible.
I'm unsure if the others even understand me when I say something, or if my outbound is too high. There's feedback; sometimes I can hear myself speaking from someone else's mic.

I wonder why Team Fortress 2 / Steam voice chat feels so much better.

I recently bought Socom: Confrontation. I really suck at it, while I'm good at usual FPSes, so I don't play much. However, it's weird to see 99% of the players with a voice-enabled icon.