MAG is a Multiplayer, First Person Shooters dream. The reason is simple. Group tactics mean something.
Zipper Interactive (of SOCOM fame) launched MAG with the intention of building a multi-player game that had the largest number of players on at once. But in doing so they realized there were limitations to how effective the game could be with that many people playing at once. No one really wants to just spawn into chaos and dodge bullets flying everywhere. So they came up with an ingenious system of objectives and command structure. We will get into this command structure a bit more when we get into the various game-types.
As of right now there are only 3 factions or PMC's as they're called. Raven, Valor, and SVER.
Raven
Raven is of European descent but have most of their resources in Central and South America. Their maps are of a "Jungle" feel with lots of foliage to provide cover. Their weapons have a higher Fire Rate, higher magazine capacity, and higher accuracy, however the trade off is that their bullets do less damage per round.Valor
Valor is of North American descent and look similar to the US army in terms of both uniform and weaponry. Their maps are mostly located in the Alaskan region and are appropriately designed. Lots of rock outcroppings, sparse foliage, and cool clear air to see your opponents quite easily from great distances. Their weapons provide normative firepower, normative fire rates, medium level magazine capacities, and average accuracy. They are essentially the "Vanilla" choice. Their appearance combined with this medium level of weaponry makes them a very easy fit for beginners. So much so in fact that Valor had the imbalance of players for quite some time when the game first came out. Since then balance has shifted to the SVER faction.SVER
Don't ask me what SVER stands for because I'm too lazy to look it up, but essentially they are outcast Russians and Northern Asians. SVER's maps are very dusty and should remind you of a very dirty Balkan's type of landscape. Very sparse vegetation and lots of industrialization. This dusty landscape makes for tougher identification at longer ranges. Their weaponry is what you would consider "Rebel" type, AK 74s, RPG's, and the like. They even have tape holding some weapons together (not kidding). Overall the firepower is higher with SVER, but the magazine capacity, accuracy, and fire rate suffer.Shaddow War
In the future, according to the game, countries of the world no longer have the money to fund their own in house military's so hence the need for Private Military Contractors (PMC's). With capitalism comes competition. For MAG competition comes in the form of the Shaddow War. Three PMC's all fighting over the same resources to fund their military operations. Each battle produces a certain amount of resources gained to the PMC. Once a PMC accumulates enough resources they are awarded two contracts, while the second place PMC is awarded one contract. With the awarding of a contract the PMC as a whole gets certain perks. Some of these are more xp per game, faster cool down times for airstrikes, and other perks.Game Modes
Suppression (No Time Limit but appx 5 min each)
Suppression is simply an exploration of the game for beginners (however vetteran players of any level can currently join in a match). It pits 4 squads of 8 players on one PMC against 4 squads of 8 players from another PMC in a simple "Death Match" style of gameplay. The objective is to simply kill as many of the opponent as possible until the other side runs out of re-spawns.There are no other objectives than this and really requires little in the way of command structure. There is still a Platoon leader and squad leader, but the communications are intentionally broke between squads which prevents you from having any real organization of your team.
For players who are used to the Call Of Duty, KillZone, and other FPS gamestyles this should make you feel right at home.
Sabotage (20 min/64 players)
Sabotage is your first real experience with objectives and teamwork. The attacking PMC must first hold two objectives simultaneously. This requires that some stand at a console for about 5 seconds while holding the O button down. After the console activated it can still be deactivated by an opposition player before it is considered "controlled". The delay between activating the console and controlling the objective is approximately 20 seconds.After both the A and B objectives have been held simultaneously a 3rd objective (C objective) becomes available for capture. Capturing C requires someone to set charges at a terminal (of sorts) which takes 5 seconds. Then after the charges are set it takes about 30 seconds for the blast to go off (slightly longer time than it takes for A and B).
Acquisition (20 Min/128 players)
Acquisition is made up of 4 Platoon's total. 2 defending and 2 attacking. There are two bays where special vehicles are being held with "advanced technology". The attackers are trying to capture 2 of these vehicles from the defenders. This means that not only must the attackers make their way back to the vehicles, but they must also drive them out back to a special location for pickup. This makes for a much more dynamic style of game-play where strategy and tactics are key. Once a vehicle is captured, there is no guarantee of victory. It can be blown up while trying to escape.There are forward spawning positions for the defenders in the form of "Bunkers". These bunkers have highly powerful turrets that shoot miniguns and rockets making for very potent forward spawns. If a squads bunker is blown up (by attackers planting charges on a special console), then the defenders must spawn from all the way at the rear end of the map. At any time a player with a repair kit can repair a bunker but this takes a lot of time. Multiple players repairing the same bunker reduces the time it takes.
There is also a Anti-Aircraft Artillary (or Triple A/AAA) which prevents the attackers from calling in any air strikes. However, if the attackers are able to blow the AAA up then they can call in air strikes and UAV's. Again the AAA can be repaired with hand held repair guns.
There are also mortar batteries for the defenders as well as a sensor array. The combination of these two gives each Squad leader the ability to call in mortar strikes on a position or sensor barrage which destroys enemy vehicles.
The attackers are equiped at first with two APC's per platoon. Only two of the 4 squads are able to spawn from these APC's but they are essential to an attack. This allows for two squads to have a mobile spawn point that can advance on the defenders. These APC's can be blown up with RPG's and turret rockets, or even a sensor barrage.
If the attackers successfully blow up the AAA battery then they will be allowed to either parachute in, or helicopters will advance to a forward spawning point about midway up the map.
At any given time this means the attackers may be entirely behind the defenders forward line making the AAA a very valued objective to both destroy and keep up.
Domination (30 Min/256 players)
Domination consists of 8 platoons in total. 4 attacking and 4 defending. Each quarter of the map has a 2 burn off towers, 2 cooling towers, and 2 pumping stations. Ultimately the goal of the attackers is to hold both burn off towers simultaneously, then both cooling towers simultaneously, and then the pumping stations for as long as possible (don't have to be simultaneously held).The defenders have similar defenses to that of Acquisition. They have forward spawn points in the form of a bunker. Then if their bunker is blown up they must spawn back at the middle of the map. In this case the middle of the map is as far from the front line as you can be unless you run in the wrong direction and end up going to the opposite side of the map.
The attackers have similar attacking abilities as in Acquisition with 2 APC's per platoon. If they are able to disable the AAA battery then they can either parachute or helicopter in for their forward spawn. This forward spawn point of the attackers is behind the defenders bunker line making the defenders job more difficult.
What makes MAG so much more unique of a game play is not the graphics (although IMO quite good), but the feeling of being part of a bigger picture. You are acutely aware of your importance both big and small to the match. You can single handedly disarm a bunker charge and save your squad (and likely your entire platoon) from loosing it's front line of defense. But you can also be just another nameless face that gets put down everywhere you run.
You don't even have to shoot anyone to be effective. Many players run around with med kits and repair kits just repairing and picking people up.
I also think that Snipers are more effective in MAG than in most other FPS's. You can purchase (after earning enough credit points) a .50 caliber sniper rifle that is primarily a 1 shot kill weapon. Some people may feel this is over powering, however finding a good sniping position is difficult and your opportunities as a sniper are limited. I believe this is precisely how a sniper should be. Only limited line of sights but if you make an accurate shot it should put them down. It should be noted that this high powered sniper rifle does not have a suppressor on it making you an easily identifiable mark for the enemy. There are lower ended sniper rifles that you can attach a suppressor to but require 2 or 3 shots (unless it's a headshot).
Command Structure
Squad Leader
A squad leader is able to set objectives called "Frago's". If a player on that squad performs any action worth XP (such as killing an enemy, capturing the console, or healing a teammate) they receive double the points. This makes it a powerful incentive for players to work towards the goal that the squad leader has set. To the contrary of popular thinking, the Frago and waypoint system still allows the squad leader to be an effective leader without a microphone (although it is more difficult). It is really up to the individual player to decide whether or not he/she wants to work towards the objective the squad leader sets.As a defending squad leader you are able to call in various air strikes. These have a "cool down" time and you share them between each of the squad leaders on your platoon. This limitation is quite necessary since you wouldn't want defenders to be able to continuously drop air strikes on the attackers without a break.
Attacking squad leaders do not have the ability to call in the air strikes until the defensive AAA battery is destroyed.
Platoon Leader
A platoon leader has the ability to call in various air strikes as well, but does not have the ability to set Frago's. This makes his/her vocal communication much more important than a squad leaders. The Platoon leader is able to communicate to just the squad leaders, or to the entire platoon over team chat. This makes the platoon leader the quintessential tactician. They can tell an entire platoon where to go and when to go via com chat.Officer In Charge
The Officer In Charge is a position only available in Domination mode. The OIC has the ability to communicate with the entire 128 army over com chat. They can also call in air strikes, and tactical perks such as a barricade (makes the enemy spawn time longer between spawns). The OIC has the ability to shape the battle a little but frankly not as directly as the platoon leader. There is simply too much going on for one person to be that autocratic.Overall
If you are tired of the same old FPS, MAG is a one of a kind game but with the same FPS visual feel as any other. It makes it easy to jump into and command the controls, but difficult to master the tactical side. Clans are a growing part of the game since the release of 2.0 which has opened a new world of team work.Make no mistake, the game is TOUGH for beginners. But if you persevere and learn how to become a better role player, your ability to command an entire match will give you a tremendous sense of enjoyment.
Be prepared to spend HUNDREDS of hours learning. That's how long it took me.