If you consider yourself the type of person who likes getting new video game features for free, then our next MAG patch — version 1.07, due in early August — is definitely something for you.

Yes friends, in just over a week from now, players will be treated to a number of features that you’ve been asking us for all summer in addition to a few surprises. Like what, you ask? Like these:

• A new “Happy Hour” Double XP bonus that’s applied to the first hour of any player’s gameplay session in a 24-hour period.
• Suppression will join Sabotage as a “Faction Neutral” gameplay mode, allowing any PMC to battle each other on any Suppression map.
• Faster download and patching code that allows us to update MAG with more content and bigger file sizes in a speedier way.
• Redesigned versions of the Flores Basin (Raven) and Alyeska Terminus (Valor) Domination maps that include new obstacles and repaired exploits.
• New lighting effects for more attractive and realistic environments.
• Various fixes to address bugs or glitches to improve MAG’s overall performance.

Of course, there are a number of other additions and fixes coming with MAG v1.07, but the points listed above should whet your appetites while you wait for the full list of changes closer to the update.

Jeremy Dunham, senior community manager for Zipper Interactive, has announced over on the US PS Blog the developer has added Faction Neutral to the Sabotage maps in MAG.

Faction Neutral went live on Thursday, and what this means is if you’ve wanted to play “against the Valor PMC as a member of the competing Raven Industries on a map that belonged to the third faction, SVER”, you can now do so.

All you have to do is log into the game, select Sabotage as the game mode with your PMC choice and then let loose.

If you’ve not played MAG in a while, are a fan, and have been worried about any altering of support to the servers – no worry needed. Ken Inagaku, staff producer at SCEA said there are still a number of log-ins each day.

“MAG continues to record a strong and steady number of player account logins each day and boasts a robust community that has up to this date logged 1.27 billion kills and a total of 1.11 million games played,” Inagaku told Kotaku.

“SCEA and Zipper are fully committed to supporting MAG indefinitely.

“Since launch, MAG has received seven patches that have been a direct result of community feedback. We continue to listen to our players and implement new features on a consistent basis [like] Sabotage maps going faction-neutral. Community support goes beyond new content and features with our Double XP and “Play with Zipper” events.

“Future DLC [is] coming this summer, including Clan Wars, more faction-neutral maps, additional character slots, the ability for all three factions to wage war in one map, and much more.

“Stay tuned for additional announcements as we continue to expand the Shadow War.”

So, there you have it. Faction Neutral, loads of people are still playing, more goodies are on the way.

Good to hear. Sounds like a great time to start playing again if you haven’t.

So as many have been waiting for, we spent E3 gathering intel for all of you guys and well instead of spoiling it for you, I just will let you start with Part 1 of our 2 part series for the E3 Debrief…

Audrey Cleo with Commander Fury and Shane Bell of Urgent Fury

Commander Fury and Kevin discover the pleasure of the Move

The Urgent Fury Crew with Travis Steiner

Today is the day that MAG fans have been waiting for as our first major DLC, “Interdiction,” is now available for purchase from the PlayStation Store for $9.99 US (prices in other regions may vary)!

If you missed our post detailing Interdiction a few weeks back, allow us to sum it up for you:

MAG Interdiction is a brand new game mode built for 128 players. In it, two rival attacking factions fight to gain control of three different command posts while using armored convoys for every squad on the map (that’s right, 16 APCs onscreen at once!). To earn the victory, teams must capture and hold as many objectives as possible to increase their score while simultaneously decreasing their opponents’ score across three all-new “faction neutral” maps (Iron Creek Quarry, Lake Bayano Spur, and Sovot Motorway).

In addition to the new maps and gametype, Interdiction will also include the most powerful protection in the game, the “Heavy Improved” armor set, as well as a number of new in-game ribbons, medals and trophies. Here’s a reminder of what you can expect:

Ribbons

• Jump Start – Capture 2 Command Posts in a round of Interdiction
• Mowing the Grass – Get 10 kills with a vehicle turret in one round
• Dashed Hopes – Destroy 2 mines with gunfire in one round
• Cannonball Rally – Become an MVP (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in a round of Interdiction

Medals

• Roadside Assistance – Capture 10 Interdiction control points over your career
• Landscape Architect – Get 50 kills with a vehicle turret over your career
• BOD – Destroy 20 mines with gunfire over your career
• Designated Driver – Earn 5 Interdiction MVPs over your career

Trophies

• King of the Hills (Bronze) – Earn the Roadside Assistance medal while playing Interdiction
• Red Ball Express (Silver) – Earn the Designated Driver medal while playing Interdiction
• Road Runner (Gold) – Capture 3 Interdiction control points in a single round

As a special “thank you” to everyone who’s playing MAG this week, we’re also bringing back our popular “Double XP” promotion over the weekend. That means that whether you purchase our new Interdiction DLC or not, you can expect to grab twice as much experience for your battlefield efforts starting Friday, June 25 at 12:01am Pacific Time (3:01am Eastern, 7:01am GMT). Just be sure to finish any game you start in order to benefit from the additional XP, as folks who leave a game early won’t receive the bonus. Our Double XP Weekend ends on Sunday, June 27 at 11:59pm Pacific Time (2:59am Eastern, 6:59am GMT).

Oh, and one final note: All MAG players will have to download a small “Interdiction Activation Patch” starting today. It’s only 4MB in size and prepares your copy of MAG to be compatible with the Interdiction game mode. Again, Interdiction itself can be downloaded later today from the PlayStation Store for $9.99 US and weighs in at 440MB.

Thanks to all our fans for keeping us going these past five months – see you on the Sovot!

Update: Video Added.

As hinted at by a Sony survey distributed last month (and then a rash of recent unintentional Trophy unlocks), the world of MAG will soon expand rather drastically with the June 22 release of the Interdiction DLC pack. The bundle, which will cost $9.99, includes the titular Interdiction gametype, where two factions storm one of three brand new, completely neutral maps, vying to control three command posts. Each post your team holds adds to your score while depleting your enemy’s, which could lead to some lengthy tug-of-war encounters.

In addition to the new gametype and maps, the pack includes a “Heavy Improved” armor set for each faction, which promises to turn an ordinary soldier into a “walking tank.” (Hardly sounds fair, does it?) Players will also be able to unlock a selection of new medals and Trophies — if they haven’t done so already.
Ribbons

• Jump Start – Capture 2 Command Posts in a round of Interdiction
• Mowing the Grass – Get 10 kills with a vehicle turret in one round
• Dashed Hopes – Destroy 2 mines with gunfire in one round
• Cannonball Rally – Become an MVP (1st, 2nd, or 3rd) in a round of Interdiction

Medals

• Roadside Assistance – Capture 10 Interdiction control points over your career
• Landscape Architect – Get 50 kills with a vehicle turret over your career
• BOD – Destroy 20 mines with gunfire over your career
• Designated Driver – Earn 5 Interdiction MVPs over your career

Trophies

• King of the Hills (Bronze) – Earn the Roadside Assistance medal while playing Interdiction
• Red Ball Express (Silver) – Earn the Designated Driver medal while playing Interdiction
• Road Runner (Gold) – Capture 3 Interdiction control points in a single round

Zipper Interactive community manager Jeremy Dunham has said the developer will be releasing information on the next MAG patch very soon.

Posting on the game’s official forums, he had this to say:

“Info on our next patch will be coming next week (but not all of it — it’s so large that it will take multiple updates to tell you about it) and info on our bigger DLC will be after that (before E3).”

SOCOM 4’s announcement caused uproar in March, with fans concerned Zipper would no longer support the 250-man shooter.

Zipper has always denied that it will stop updating MAG, saying it will continue to support the game for the foreseeable future.

MAG was released late last year.

Zipper Interactive unzips its second free downloadable content for massive multiplayer shooter MAG next week, with a trio of special edition sniper rifles ready to make life more difficult for players with a love for wide-open spaces.

The second dose of free MAG DLC is known as the Fast Attack Gear Pack, focusing on players who prefer to shoot, move, and shoot again. Raven’s HM 90 SE, SVER’s SASR M, and Valor’s MK 14 Mod 1 EBR special edition sniper rifles include a number of performance adjustments and visual tweaks to help the stylish sniping bastard stay on top of his or her game.

Each faction also gets a set of Improved Light Armor, providing 400 in-game credits’ worth of low-profile protection.

The MAG Fast Attack Gear Pack will be available free on the PlayStation Network on April 29. Seek cover now.

Posted by Jeremy Dunham // Sr. Community Manager, Zipper Interactive

 On behalf of everyone here at Zipper Interactive, I’m pleased to announce that beginning March 25, our first official MAG downloadable add-on will be made available to players worldwide absolutely free of charge!

Of course, there’s more to the Trooper Gear Pack than Flashbangs. We’ll also be including new special edition Light Machine Guns for each PMC. Raven’s APEX 100SE, SVER’s RTK-74 Vla, and Valor’s Mk 46 Mod 1 weapons will provide both a new look for your favorite LMGs and a number of performance adjustments as well.

The last element of the pack will be two additional uniforms – “Trooper Dark” and “Trooper Light.” Available to all three PMCs, these uniforms are specifically designed for urban and interior combat situations and give you two more aesthetic options to diversify your character with.

The best part of the Trooper Gear Pack? It’s just the beginning of our ongoing commitment to MAG. In the coming months, you can expect to see plenty of other add-ons and goodies that we can’t quite tell you about yet (but know you’ll enjoy).

But that’s not all. To commemorate the release of our DLC, we want to throw in a little extra. And so, as a thank you to all of our fans, we’re offering Double XP to any and all MAG players starting March 25. Simply log in at 12am Pacific/ 3am Eastern/ 8am GMT and play MAG as you normally would. Every time you complete a game your experience doubles, and yes, this bonus stacks for Veterans who already have an XP bonus to begin with! Just make sure you actually complete the games you play – if you quit early, your bonus won’t apply.

Expect the Double XP promotion to run until 11:59pm Pacific time on Sunday, March 28. Be sure to take advantage of it as much as you possibly can until then.

For more MAG-related news, don’t forget to visit the Official MAG Blog on a regular basis, or check out our Official Zipper Interactive Twitter and Facebook pages. Enjoy your weekend everybody!

Jeremy Dunham has today revealed that MAG is set to receive a small patch, of 300Kb, tomorrow morning. You will, as per usual, be prompted to download it upon booting up the game.

Its main purpose is to mend issues that players may have been noticing with the skies in-game, and will provide a little more ‘visual fidelity’ when looking upward.

Alongside this, a number of maintenance fixes will be made within the servers meaning that players may experience some downtime between the usual window of 1am Pacific/ 4am Eastern/ 9am GMT and 3am Pacific/ 6am Eastern/ 11pm GMT.

Patch details are as follows;

MAG Patch v1.01a

Graphics

* Resolved issue that caused banding and/or artifacts in the sky.

Server

* Server performance enhancements with a focus on reducing lag issues.
* Lowered chances of encountering 5:5 errors
* Added additional statistics-focused servers
* Added additional servers for Japan.
* Reduces the amount of time after a game finishes before stats post to account.

Posted by Jeremy Dunham // Sr. Community Manager, Zipper Interactive

Ah yes, Trophies! We know you love ‘em. How do we know? Because you guys have been relentless in asking us about which trophies MAG will have over the last several months! And so, we give up – you’ve gotten it out of us! Listed below are all 38 PlayStation trophies you can expect to unlock when MAG ships out on January 26. Will you be the first to get them all?

Bronze

• Angel of Mercy – 25 enemies killed in their in incapacitated state over a career
• Boom Town – Earn the Mortar Demolition, Total Blackout and AAA Demolition Ribbons
• Close Call — Earn three Bomb Squad Ribbons
• Clown Car – Awarded when a player destroys an APC or a Bunker, killing two players
• Commandon’t – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Commando
• Coughing Killer – Killed an enemy while affect by poison gas grenades
• Dropping Like Flies – Destroy five enemy helicopters
• Duteous Maximus – Be on the winning faction for 10 Directive matches
• Efficiency Engineer – Earn three Bunker Buster Ribbons
• I Drink Your Milkshake – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Field Support
• I Got 5 On It – Kill 5 enemies with a single Strategic Strike, excluding Poison Gas Barrage
• In Your Face – Earn five Combat Melee Ribbons
• Jack of One Trade – Awarded when a player reaches the bottom tier of a skill tree
• Junkyard Jockey – Earn three Mr. Badwrench Ribbons
• Lil Buddy – Earn two Purple Sidekick Ribbons
• Mia Culpa – Kill 50 enemies in a turret over a career
• Out of Scope – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Sniper
• Screeching Halt – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Rapid Assault
• Target Practice – Awarded when a player shoots down 25 paratroopers over a career
• The Harder They Fall – Awarded when a player kills 50 of a certain specialty: Direct Action

Silver

• A Whole Lotta Hurt – Earn five Combat Machine Gun Ribbons and five Combat Fragger Ribbons
• Baby Need a Bandage? – Earn 5 Silver Cross Ribbons and 5 Golden Cross Ribbons
• Chest Candy – Awarded when a player has earned one of every ribbon
• Devil Dog – Earn 5 Combat Assault Ribbons and 5 Combat Sidearm Ribbons
• Double Trouble – Earn the Golden Cross Medal and the Grim Reaper Medal
• Hammer of the Gods – Called in 50 cluster bombs or mortar barrages
• Headhunter – Earn 5 Silver Bullet Ribbons, the Longshot Ribbon and the Sniper Master Specialist Medal
• Precious Cargo – Destroy 20 Escort Vehicles over a career
• Silent But Deadly – Awarded when a player kills 25 enemies with Poison Gas over a career
• Steamroller – Have a 3-to-1 Kill-to-Death Ratio in any match
• Take Me to Your Leader – Earn 1 win as a squad leader
• The Streaker – Earn the Streaker Medal
• Triple Threat – Earn 5 Silver Cross Ribbons, 5 Master Engineer Ribbons and the Grim Reaper Medal

Gold

• Commandant in Chief – Awarded when a player reaches level 60 with a Raven character
• Eager Beaver – Awarded when a player has earned one of each medal
• Prima Noyan – Awarded when a player reaches level 60 with a S.V.E.R. character
• Sergeant Major – Awarded when a player reaches level 60 with a Valor character

Platinum

• Massive Action Gamer – Won All Trophies

SCEE has just confirmed the European dates for MAG.

The massively multiplayer Zipper shooter releases in Europe on January 27, Australia and New Zealand on January 28 and January 29 in the UK.

The dates were previously reported before Christmas, but it’s now official.

Posted by Jeremy Dunham // Sr. Community Manager, Zipper Interactive

Keep in mind, we’re limiting entry to the event to only the first 100 people, so don’t think you can just waltz right in and take all of our hors d’oeuvres buddy! If you want to go, be sure to visit this link on the PlayStation Facebook Fan Page and RSVP. If you don’t let us know you’re coming via Facebook, then we won’t let you in at the event – so don’t forget this important step. Here are the details you need:

Who: You and 99 other diehard MAG fans
When: Thursday, January 7 from 4:00 to 7:00pm
Where: The Aria Hotel at CityCenter in Las Vegas, Nevada

Requirements:
· You must be 18 years-old or older – ID *will* be checked by burly men!
· You must RSVP via the Facebook event page.
· Don’t hang out in the main lobby! Line up outside Juniper rooms 2 & 3.

And there you have it. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Posted by Jeremy Dunham // Sr. Community Manager, Zipper Interactive

 There are only a few days left before our MAG beta comes to an end this Saturday at Midnight, but we don’t want our heavily-armed, highly-aggressive fat lady to sing until you’ve had a chance to give our game a go for yourself. That’s why we’ve decided to put together a little challenge to any and all MAG beta testers: We dare you to beat Zipper at our own game!

This Friday evening on December 4, multiple Zipper squads will be waiting for you on the MAG servers representing all three of the game’s PMC Factions (Raven, S.V.E.R., and Valor). All you have to do is log on when the time is right, join a queue, and look for players with the distinguishable Zipper clan moniker to see if you have what it takes to beat us — it’s that simple.

If you aren’t a member of the MAG beta quite yet, don’t worry — just head on over to our MAG Beta sign-up page to get a key of your very own so that you too can have an early glimpse at what 256-player mayhem is all about. Sign up for your free key now, and you’re guaranteed some extra practice before the Zipper Challenge begins.

Speaking of the challenge, here’s the schedule for you in multiple time zones for Friday:

• Pacific: 6pm-8pm
• Mountain: 7pm-9pm
• Central: 8pm-10pm
• Eastern: 9pm-11pm
• Hawaii: 4pm-6pm
• Alaska: 5pm-7pm

For more information leading up to Friday, keep your eyes on the official MAG Blog for the scoop. We hope to see you there and when we return again, this time with the final game at retail, on January 26.

Click the image

Vouchers available while supplies last.

Posted by Seth Luisi // Director of Development, SCEA

Some of the patch highlights are:

• Framerate improvements in all environments
• Vote/ Kick implemented
• Art and lighting updates to all levels
• Art updates to weapons, vehicles and objects
• Animation improvement and updates
• Client patching improvements
• Design tuning on all environments (attacker/defender, out of bounds, sightlines, routing…)
• Tuned all skills (skill point expense, skill trees, skill effects)
• Tuning pass on experience rewarded for all actions (resuscitate, heal other, destroy turret, destroy motor pool….)
• Tuning pass on player & leadership experience progressions
• Full audio tuning pass
• Bunker, APC, and Spawn camera adjustments
• Lowered initial spawn times for attackers and defenders for all gametypes
• Update Major/Minor victory and loss percentages and conditions for all gametypes
• Updated Domination gametype scoring values
• Improved weapon feel and hit feedback

A lot of the changes are based directly on feedback from the MAG Public Beta community. Please keep this feedback coming, it really helps us improve the title.

If you are not yet a part of the MAG Public Beta there is still time. If you pre-order MAG at GameStop in the US or EB Games in Canada you receive access to the MAG Public Beta. And remember, from November 9th until November 20th the only way to access the MAG Public Beta in North America is to pre-order MAG.

We look forward to seeing you in battle.

Posted by Seth Luisi // Director of Development, SCEA

Today a whole new group of operatives joined the Shadow War. October 12 marks the start of the GameStop and EB Games pre-order MAG Public Beta period. At 10:00 AM this morning, all those who pre-ordered MAG from GameStop or EB Games in Canada received access to the MAG Public Beta and joined existing Public Beta users. Be prepared to choose your side – Raven, Valor, and S.V.E.R. are once again locked in battle.

The hours for this phase of the MAG Public Beta are:

Monday – Friday:
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM EDT
8:00 PM – 12:00 AM EDT

12:00 PM – 3:00 PM CDT
7:00 PM – 11:00 PM CDT

11:00 AM – 2:00 PM MDT
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM MDT

10:00 AM – 1:00 PM PDT
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM PDT

Later this week or early next, we will be releasing a new version of the MAG Public Beta client. This will be a major update to the MAG Public Beta client and server set.

Remember, in North America the MAG Public Beta access from November 9 to November 20 will be available exclusively to people who pre-order MAG from GameStop or EB Games (in Canada). If you live in North America and you want to continue playing MAG you will need to get your pre-order in to GameStop or EB Games and get your MAG Public Beta voucher code. This will also be the first time the MAG Public Beta will be available 24/7 with unlimited server hours (with the exception of server maintenance).

In conjunction with the next phase of the MAG Public Beta, we are also introducing a ton of new features for our Web site, MAG.com. The updated site will include a community section with access to the MAG forums, RSS feeds, and new media and downloads for fans, including wallpapers, AIM icons, and XMB themes for each of the PMCs. You can also read more background on each of the PMCs and enlist in your favorite private army. Check it out now at MAG.com. The Shadow War is coming 1.26.10.

Source: Playstation Blog

Posted by Chris Munson // Product Marketing Manager, SCEA

Hey MAG fans –

We have some exciting news to announce. Starting this month, you can head to your local 7-Eleven and reserve your copy of MAG to receive an exclusive MAG recruitment kit and poster. What’s in this uber-exclusive recruitment kit? Expect to find a brief history of the Shadow War and learn about the three leading private military corporations (PMCs) – their skill sets, their reputation, and their purpose. And then decide where your loyalties will lie. Will you be attracted to the aggressive nature of S.V.E.R.; will the high-tech expertise of RAVEN be your calling, or will the honor of VALOR be your deciding factor? The choice will be yours.

Head to 7-Eleven today, but please note that this offer is in the U.S. only and at select 7-Eleven stores that carry the MAG game. To find your local 7-Eleven, click here.

Source: Playstation Blog

Yesterday, Zipper Interactive prepped for an influx of new beta participants as the closed MAG beta opened up to Qore annual subscribers, SCEE lottery winners, frequent forum posters, and select media.  They also launched a new patch that essentially was comprised of the entire game, so they could further test MAG’s higher player count matches.  The PlayStation community had counted down to this day since it was announced late last month.

However, a quick look at Sony’s track record of launching online multiplayer games and anyone could see that launching a massive 3GB patch while admitting thousands of new players would be a recipe for disaster and disappointment. Those who were supposed to receive their beta codes today will be forced to wait it out until Monday.  Even worse off,  members who were inducted previously are encountering some critical issues downloading the new 3GB patch, which cause the download to restart at zero if the connection is lost.  As previously scheduled, MAG servers will come down over the weekend, which should allow Zipper enough time to sort things out on their end.

While many are likely to be a little ticked at this news, this IS what a beta is for.  Hopefully, servers will be a non-issue when the game hits retail in January.

Beta Testers will hopefully be able to get online before then.