Gameplay
The game features a third-person camera view, although some weapons allow scoping in a first-person view using a mouse action. Characters have jetpacks, as well as various weapon types, including melee. ''Global Agenda'' features a large degree of variability in player appearance with unique achievement-based flair items; almost all player items can be re-colored using dyes for additional personalization. ''Global Agenda''s lore and gameplay center around Dome City, which acts as an open world lobby. Players can explore and shop, and boosted players can use their jetpacks, but weapons and skills are disabled. Most of the game revolves around mercenary matches (PvP) or instances (PvE). There are two playable open world zones, the Sonoran Desert and North Sonora. Players can also take part in Agency vs Agency (AvA) which is ''Global Agenda''sMercenary Mode
For more casual games, players can enter the Mercenary queue. The game attempts to make two 10-player, skill-balanced teams based on each player's star rating. Players are then entered into a match whose mode is determined by that player's filters, if they have any. ''Global Agenda'' supports the following modes: *Breach - One team defends three points, in succession, while the other attempts to capture them, in order. The attacking team wins if they capture all three points. The defending team wins if time runs out. Additional time is given after each capture. *Scramble - A control point is placed on a random point on the map after each capture and both teams attempt to capture it first. Three captures (or the higher number in case of a deadlock) wins. *Control - three control points are open on the map simultaneously. Whichever team has the majority of control points in control slowly gains match points. The first to reach 800 points wins. *Payload - The attacking team attempts to push a bomb to the end of the track. The defending team attempts to halt or reverse their progress. The attacking team wins if the payload reaches the final point on the track. The defending team wins when time runs out. *Acquisition - This is a tweak onSpecial Ops
For cooperative games, players can queue for Special Ops. Teams of 1-4 players can attempt to clear instances of enemy non-player characters. Players have 20 minutes to reach the instance boss, and then get at least four minutes to defeat it. There are four difficulties: *Medium Security - The easiest difficulty available, these missions are canonically the first to have been undertaken by the Armed Revolutionary Militia and focus on the clearing of immediate threats to Dome City. Maps feature either Bandit bases or Recursive hives. *High Security - This is the first mode where players fight the Commonwealth. It features high-tech labs and weapons manufacturing facilities. Players occasionally encounter enemy Elite Agents, which mirror the playable classes. Helots mirror Assaults, Assassins mirror Recons, Alchemists mirror Medics, and Techros mirror Robotics. Bosses are more difficult. *Maximum Security - Patrol scanners start appearing in this difficulty. Their alarms spawn enemy reinforcements the first time they are tripped. Hunter Spiders, who can pull Agents from safety, start appearing. Additionally, there are more enemies, more Elite Agents, and more enemies spawn in the boss room. *Ultra-Max Security - In the highest difficulty, minion Androids are replaced by more dangerous Minion Ballistae and Minion Sentinels. Enemy density is increased. There are larger groups of Elite Agents. Alarms summon reinforcements every time they are tripped, rather than only once. Guardians start appearing. The boss room starts with a significant number of Elite Agents and enemies.Agency vs Agency
In Agency vs Agency (AvA), agencies compete for terrain on hex-based zones. There are three geographic regions supported, North America (NA), Europe (EU), and Pacific (PAC). Each geographic region has two zones, one for a weekday season and one for a weekend season. Weekday seasons have ten total days in the season, whereas weekend seasons have four. AvA is open in a zone during that geographic region's primetime hours. Facilities can be bought or produced by agencies to be put onto each hex. Labs produce blueprints which are consumed when they are used. Mines produce materials needed by blueprints. Factories combine materials and blueprints to make usable items. Whenever something is produced, an agency gains Networth. After two weeks, the agency with the highest Networth wins the season. Agencies in the top three positions get rewards on top of what was produced during the season, such as the Black Lance Vandal and Dark Steel Vindicator. Players also receive holographic armor and dyes for coming in the top three or first for several seasons.Plot
''Global Agenda'' mixes a science fiction setting with a secret agent backdrop, leading the developers to refer to the game genre as spy-fi. The game is set in 2155, in the wake of a severe global disaster. AnDevelopment and release
Pricing for the North American version of ''Global Agenda'' was announced on October 20, 2009. The pricing model was said to reflect the games' positioning as a hybrid between a multiplayer, hub-based shooter and a larger-scale persistent world online shooter MMO. Pricing was initially planned to include an optional "Global Agenda: Conquest" subscription package. As of June 25, 2010, ''Global Agenda'' announced that it was going subscription-free and all content that previously required a monthly subscription fee is available to all players who have purchased the game. Trial accounts do not receive these benefits. Global Agenda's trial accounts are for an unlimited amount of time but can only advance to a limited level. On April 7, 2011, Hi-Rez Studios stated that the upcoming update would bring the game's subscription model to free-to-play.Expansions
''Sandstorm''
In Q2 2010, Hi-Rez released a ''Global Agenda'' expansion entitled ''Sandstorm''. ''Sandstorm'' was released in two major phases: Phase One (1.3) included changes to weapons and armor, loot drops and an HA overhauled crafting system. and Phase Two (1.35) included the introduction of a new "Sonoran Desert" Open Zone, additional mission styles, including 10-person defense raids and Special Ops missions, Consumables and Salvage and an overhaul to the in-game credit and token system.''Free Agent''
In April 2011, Hi-Rez released ''Free Agent'' highlighting a move to free-to-play, balance changes and the introduction of new end-game raid content, Dome Defense. ''Free Agent'' included the overhaul of skill trees to encourage role specialization. The Dome Defense raid pits teams of ten players against a more powerful threat to the Dome.Reception
''Global Agenda'' achieved a 70% average from critics onSequel
On October 2, 2012, Hi-Rez announced on its forums that development had started on ''Global Agenda 2''. According to the post, the sequel will focus more on PvP and use a lot of assets from the original ''Global Agenda''. It will add maps, game modes, class weapons, and be built on Hi-Rez's newest platform. Beta testing was expected to begin in mid-2013. In an interview with