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What, you think the Joystiq Biomass, MAG's premier, S.V.E.R.-aligned clan will accept any greenhorn off the street to join its ranks? No, no -- we're only looking for cold-blooded, military-minded killing machines. If you're hoping to join our prestigious organization, you might want to give PlayStation.Blog's recently concluded MAG Developer Tips series a look-see. It provides helpful information on how to play each archetype, how to fill each leadership role, and to not get destroyed in the various gametypes.

You'll find links to all of these lessons posted after the jump. Study up, and we might just reconsider your application.

After a three-week run, we’ve come to our final installment of our MAG Developer Tip series. To close it out Zipper’s training, vehicle and environment designer Ben Jones walks us through the biggest responsibility in the game: being the OIC. As always, we open with a video:

Howdy, Ben Jones here! With all the great tips that have come from other Zippers over the week (particularly all of the leadership-oriented bits that have come out over the last few days), I’m going to impart this small list of tried and true techniques that build upon earlier strategies and maximize your effectiveness as an OIC. Some are obvious, some aren’t, but all are helpful.

Basic Tips:

Your OIC abilities can be accessed by using the TCM through the D-Pad or the CNI by pressing SELECT. These abilities are best used while trying to make a push as either an attacker or defender, so try and time their use with changes in the battle! If attackers have opened up their forward spawns try blockading them to give your team time to regroup. Communicating with the Squad and Platoon leaders below you is essential. Maneuver through the comms channels by using the D-Pad and guide your team to victory.

Advanced Tips:

If most of your platoons have fallen back from their frontline defenses, consider using “Signal Jamming” to keep the enemies from using their own CNI effectively, while also using the “Blockade” ability to decrease their spawn times. Finally, use “Rapid Redeploy” to increase your own spawn time and finish the job. Speaking of Blockade and Rapid Redeploy, if Blockade is used on you, you can use Rapid Redeploy in return to move the timer to normal. “Tactical Strike” is essential for full-on attacks. With it, you can eliminate immediate wait times on any and all cooldown bars for command abilities within your entire army. Team Broadcast is one of your available comms channels on the D-Pad. Use it sparingly to bolster the morale of your troops and praise them for decisive actions!

Thank you very much, Ben. More importantly, though, thank you to each and every one of our fans who has helped make MAG a big success for us. We hope you enjoyed our tip series and invite you check back again with us in the coming weeks for even more news from 2025.

Welcome to another installment of our ongoing MAG tactics and strategies posts! Today, we’ve got tag team action from Software Manager Mike Nicolino and Designer Marc Janas. Their mission? To give aspiring Platoon Leaders everything they need to find success. What this video below first and then catch their tips after the close.

Hello everyone, this is Marc and Mike, and these are the keys to being a good Platoon Leader.

Basic Tips:

Platoon Broadcast Chat: Use this chat channel (selected from the D-pad) to broadcast any speech to the entire platoon. It’s useful to help organize everyone to focus on one particular route or objective. Platoon Chat: Use this (also selected from the D-pad) to chat directly with only the squad leaders in your platoon. This channel isn’t heard by any non-officer players, so it is best used to direct squad leaders on where to send their individual squads in battle. When attacking, use your Strafing Run ability to call in planes to pound a specific area on the battlefield with large explosions. It is by far the most powerful strike the attackers have, but with a long cool down it needs to be used wisely. Note: The defenders’ AAA battery needs to be disabled before calling in this strike so your planes won’t get shot down. Another useful attack is the Precision Strike: This is best used to isolate one of the enemy’s objectives and take it out in a single swoop. Anything from a bunker, to the mortar batteries are viable targets for the precision strike. The enemy’s AAA battery must be disabled in order to call in the strike too, or your bomber will be shot down. If you’re defending, the Gas Bombardment ability causes an explosion followed by large cloud of poisonous gas. This is a great strike to use to either block off an attacker route, or to protect a valuable asset. Note: You must have your mortar battery up and running in order to use this ability. The Sensor Sweep is a useful defensive-minded ability that detects incoming hostile forces. The sweep allows for everyone in your platoon to see all enemies on their radar in the swept area. Like the Gas Bombardment ability, you’ll need to have your AAA battery up to use this.

Advanced tips:

When the AAA goes down in a different platoon than yours, you can call in strikes over there. Use the CNI by pressing select to watch the other platoon areas and see which ones you can help out with your strikes. When the AAA goes down in your platoon, quickly call in a precision strike to either eliminate a remaining bunker, or to disable the enemy’s mortar battery. This will help you keep the pressure on defenders, and hopefully move towards your final objectives faster. Use platoon chat and platoon broadcast to overload specific bunkers and punch through the enemy lines quicker (example: “Alpha and Bravo squad, I want you both attacking that far left bunker — Charlie and Delta, I want you guys to double up on the far right one). Use the platoon broadcast to let everyone know when and where you’re calling in a strafing run. The blast area is big for this strike, so you’ll prevent a lot of friendly casualties by giving everyone the heads up when it’s incoming! When it looks like your frontline is falling, call in a gas bombardment on top of your AAA battery to impede any attackers who are trying to disable it. Use the platoon broadcast to keep everyone notified on any changes with the primary objectives. So often, in a large battle, players are very involved with specific tasks like repairing a bunker, or protecting the mortar battery that they may not notice a transport vehicle is coming out, or that the rest of their team needs help at the main objective (“Hey guys, there’s only 2 minutes left in the game and they’re pushing hard at the objectives, everyone fall back from whatever you’re doing and make sure we protect the primaries at all costs!”). Coordinate with your squad leaders using platoon chat to team up your sensor sweeps with their mortar strikes to maximize their damage. Let them know you’re calling in a sweep, and that one of them should call in a mortar strike once all of the attacking targets are discovered on the radar.

That’s all we have for today. We’ll be again tomorrow with our final installment of our ongoing MAG Developer Tips – Being an OIC. Expect Designer Ben Jones to bring the thunder.

We've gotten pretty into MAG here at Joystiq HQ, but it's had the unintended side effect of causing us all to get really excited about incredibly minute things in patch notes. Take for example the recently-detailed 1.03 patch for the game, due tomorrow. We know for a fact that at least one Joystiq staffer sent a co-worker an instant message reading "'Changed resuscitated player's camera orientation to match the last camera direction used while incapacitated instead of the pre-harm camera.' YES." See? Super nerdy.

Sure, there are some bigger, easier-to-understand balancing changes in there, too, but if you're a MAG fan, we imagine you'll be inclined as we are to ravenously dissect all the nuts and bolts.

Now that you’ve learned some general leadership techniques in MAG from the folks here at Zipper, it’s time to specialize. Your instructor for today is Zipper Interactive’s very own Audio Manager, Mary Olson. Watch this background video first and then check for Mary’s strategies immediately below.

Hi, this is Mary and today we’re going to take a closer look at the Squad Leader role – which is the first and most active of all leadership positions in MAG.

As an SL, you’re primary focus should be good Communication with your Squad and Platoon, strategic use of Waypoints and the Fragmentary Order system (FRAGOs), and using your Command Assets wisely.

Basic Tips

If you don’t already, you should start playing with a headset. It will make communicating with your team much faster and more effective. Regardless of how you play, though, stay in close contact with your team – assign your squad to objectives, and coordinate. Don’t let them wonder what to do. Use of Fragmentary orders is a huge part of the Squad Leader role. Learn to FRAGO strategically, and your whole squad will benefit. Plus, bonus XP is awarded to anyone in your squad performing any action within a 20-meter radius of the FRAGO’d objective. Don’t worry about marking the default objective, though, it’s automatically FRAGO’s without you having to give the order and you still get the bonus! If you’re new to the Squad Leader role, start out in the simpler gametypes where there is less to FRAGO, and less going on. If you’re in a game with no SL, you can assume the role mid game, and try it out. Also, if you’re in over your head as a new SL, you can back out of the role without quitting the game. If you switch your spawn point as a Squad Leader, the rest of your squad also switches to that spawn point. If you’re stuck as a squad, this is a great way to try a new angle and bring your squad along with you.

Advanced Tips

Use chat channels to coordinate with other Squad Leaders and Platoon Leader (Press the directional pad “Up”). FRAGO outside bunkers first and work your way across the line — this way you’re only taking fire from one side. Guided artillery only damages vehicles so don’t call it in on a bunch of guys running around. Conversely, your mortar barrage does not affect vehicles, so make sure to use guided artillery if vehicles are your target. If attacking, use Satellite UAV first. You’ll then be able to wisely use your cluster bombs and lessen friendly kills. “Platoon Leader Pause” – Once the AAA goes down, wait for the Platoon Leader to call in a strafing run or Precision Strike before calling in your own ability. Their command abilities have more impact, and you don’t want to start the cooldown timer and make them wait by calling in your assets first.

Thanks Mary, that’s some great advice. Speaking of great advice, we’ll be back again tomorrow with tips on how to become an effective Platoon Leader with Software Manager Mike Nicolino and designer Marc Janas. Over and out.

Do you have what it takes to lead your soldiers into battle? If the answer is yes then today’s MAG Developer Tips post is the one for you. Audio Lead Keith Sjoquist is using our platform here to introduce everyone to the world of combat management, and as always, we’re opening things up with a video:

Hi there, this is Keith from Zipper and today we’re looking at some general MAG leadership tips.

Leadership is important because MAG is just as much a tactical game as it is run-and-gun. A savvy leader can herd a bunch of noobs and steamroll a platoon full of high-level lone wolves more often than not. If you decide to opt in for leadership, that’s great – just make sure you’re ready for the responsibility.

Basic Tips:

Remember your responsibility! It’s all too easy to get in the habit of opting for leadership at the queue screen but then forget that there are a bunch of grunts looking at you for direction. Long story short: if you’re a leader, be prepared to give directions. Wallflowers need not apply. Have a plan and a back-up plan so that you can change tactics if your original strategy isn’t working. If you find yourself in a map you don’t know well or a situation in which you feel that you’re over your head, remember you can opt out of your leadership position (just press start and demote yourself from the leadership menu). No one likes a quitter but no one likes charging headlong into turret fire for 30 minutes either. Be prepared to be promoted at any time! If someone does demote themselves in-game and you applied for a leadership spot beforehand, you may be the one automatically bumped up with they quit.

Advanced Tips:

Communicate! I know that doesn’t seem advanced but it’s important. Coordinating your command abilities effectively can be devastating to the opposition. Squad leaders can drop cluster bombs and then have them available again immediately if the OIC follows up with an asset recharge. Different command abilities can be combined in different ways all depending on how well you communicate. FRAGO! FRAGO! FRAGO! So you want to take out that AA, but why not set a staging area in that abandoned building just outside the perimeter? You can set waypoints and targets as often as you like – just make sure everyone is concentrating they’re efforts correctly. Don’t spend all your time prone in the bushes staring at the CNI. This can be perfectly legitimate strategy from time to time, but remember your teammates get bonuses when in your vicinity (faster reload, better XP, etc.), so go where you are most needed and there’s always the need for another active gun out there.

Thanks Keith, that’s a good primer. Tomorrow we’ll be back with more specific tips on how to be an effective Squad Leader from Audio Manager, Mary Olson. Check back then.

People who play as snipers love it. People who are killed by snipers hate them. But regardless of which end of the spectrum you’re currently on, anyone can become an expert at the Zoom-in of Death with this excellent tips provided by UI Manager Steve Harris and Lead Designer of MAG, CJ Heine. But first, a video.

What’s up? This is Steve and it’s important that you know that Snipers are usually the guys supporting the rest of the team by clearing objective areas or preventing the opposing team from reaching their objectives from long range. Being an effective sniper and contributing to your squad is extremely rewarding when it’s done correctly. Here are a few tips to help you become a better MAG Sniper.

Basic Tips

Keep moving! The biggest mistake that snipers make is that they stay camped in one spot. The action in MAG moves very quickly, and even if you are able to take a few targets down, it’s just a matter of time until someone finds you. Dropping down, taking a few quick shots and moving again will spare you from the dreaded knife in the back. Keep moving, Part 2! The second biggest mistake when sniping is laying prone, firing away at opposing players while watching the rest of your squad failing to flip an objective. Unless you are directly preventing opposing players from reaching the objective or are actively firing at enemies in the objective itself, you are not making enough of a contribution to your squad. Run in with your squad using your pistol, PDW or knife and get that objective flipped. BYOH (Bring Your Own Healing). Especially if you’re the type of sniper that likes to get off of the main routes, don’t expect people to go out of their way to heal you when you’re injured. Don’t waste time by scanning for players through a scope. Stay zoomed out until you see distant movement, and then zoom in. Take a few shots, zoom back out, and repeat. If you have a bipod on your rifle, only deploy it after you’ve spotted a target, as you will automatically zoom in when the bipod is deployed.

Advanced Tips

The marksman rifle in the default loadout is a fantastic weapon and often overlooked. By upgrading Reload Speed, Steady Aim and adding the Foregrip and Suppressor, the weapon is transformed into the ultimate offensive sniper rifle, allowing the snipers to play aggressively on objectives and moving with the rest of the squad. With this loadout, the Sniper can fire off 3-4 shots very quickly, which is enough to take down most targets, as well as zoom in and hit targets at range when needed. Just remember to finish off your target when it is incapacitated, as this weapon does less damage than the other sniper rifles. The Improved Sniper Rifle in tier 4 of the Marksman skill tree deals more damage to vehicles and turrets than most other weapons, which can help your squad deal with bunker turrets, helicopters, APCs and defending vehicles. It will also kill most players with just one shot, unless they’re in heavy armor or have extra health. This is the ideal weapon for killing players as they are parachuting in, making it possible to get three or four parachute kills in just one drop. Keep an eye out for sniping positions which give you sightlines on resupply points and objectives. The resupply points and objectives in MAG require a player to stand still for a few moments while interacting with the object, giving the sniper plenty of time to zoom in and get a headshot. With such a big experience reward attached to resuscitation, it is common to see players sprinting around the battlefield, resuscitating other players. Take advantage of this by watching the incapacitated player and killing players as they run up to revive them. Skilled Snipers can try waiting an extra moment for the player to be revived before quickly killing both of targets.

What a great way to wrap up our class tips, thanks guys. Of course, we still have more to teach you. Tomorrow and throughout the week, we’ll be closing our MAG tip series with help for the game’s various leadership roles. Come back here tomorrow as we kick things off with Audio Lead Keith Sjoquist and his general overlord tips.

Medics, it's been a long, hard road in MAG -- hopefully until now. The PlayStation Blog reports that a new patch -- version 1.02, the first of many coming down the pipe -- will be available for download on your console war station tonight at 1 a.m. PST / 4 a.m. EST. The central theme is medical improvements -- specifically, the elimination of the onscreen medic icon from anyone who has a Medical Kit. Now, only those who have the Resuscitation Kit will have the cross.

Also, the only soldiers who will see icons over downed players waiting for a resuscitation are those that can actually resuscitate them, which should help get some of that clutter off the screen. Finally, Zipper has added distance counters for those fallen comrades, giving medics a better idea of how far away those in need are.

If you're looking for more intel on starting out (or just some general tips on being a badass), hit up the PS Blog.

The folks at Zipper Interactive have been in an unenviable position for the past eighteen months. Ever since the studio's flagship PS3 title MAG was revealed during Sony's E3 2008 press conference, the gaming populace's collective expectation (or, alternatively, apprehension) for the title set an impossibly high bar for the developer to clear.

We first spoke to the game's producer, Alan Van Slyke, during PAX 2009, when he explained a bit of the techno-wizardry which powers the game's internal servers. Yesterday, we got a chance to speak with Van Slyke once more -- this time about the pressures associated with developing a game of this (forgive the pun) magnitude, whether the game's rigorous beta testing paid off, and how one of MAG's three factions has evolved into an unstoppable victory machine.

Joystiq: When did Zipper Interactive decide on making a multiplayer game with 256 players? None of your studio's earlier games are nearly that large in scope - what kind of factors led to that decision?

Alan Van Slyke: Well, I think that specific number actually came more from design than it was just an arbitrary number -- but definitely the early thinking was we want to build something big.

We recently got a chance to speak with Zipper Interactive's Alan Van Slyke, who produced the company's recently released multi-multi-multiplayer FPS, MAG. When asked about ongoing support for the title, Van Slyke responded that the developer won't let the game go stale -- in fact, he explained that Zipper sees MAG as a platform on which new content can be added in the future.

Van Slyke explained, "we made a big investment, we had a lot of learning, we built a lot of tech, and we have this awesome multiplayer platform that we can build upon and add new gametypes to." He later added, "the possibilities are endless for us, and in many ways, even though we just released the game, looking forward for us is super exciting, knowing what we can do with the engine we have today."

The producer also addressed concerns many players have had with balancing issues -- particularly that the ragtag S.V.E.R. faction is far too overpowered. "It's something we're definitely aware of, and we've already got a number of fixes in the pipe. We're definitely committed to making sure all the maps, factions and gear is perfectly balanced." For more information on MAG's past, present and future, check out our full interview with Van Slyke when it goes live tomorrow afternoon.

Does this PS3 shooter deliver massive fun, or massive headaches?

Planes, tanks and guns, oh my!

When C4 has been planted, move out of the way--Explosives do not need moral support.

The opposition gets mowed down all over the Valor's Suppression map battleground.

See just how intense a 256-player match can get.

All your base are belong to us in this MAG gameplay full of rivalry!

Raven's sly forces hone their skills before heading to the front lines.

MAG is one of the most ambitious, innovative games I've played over the course of the past year -- and considering the past year has seen the introduction of a disc-jockey simulator and a game you play exclusively with your feet, I think that's a braggable claim. If you're coming over to MAG straight from an extended tour of service in Modern Warfare 2, the transition is going to be a rough one. While the former rewards mad skillz and high K/D ratioz, Zipper Interactive's 256-player battles ultimately aren't affected by your personal performance. No one player can pull his team to victory -- and, alternatively, no one player can be blamed for his team's loss, which really takes the pressure off of mediocre soldiers like me. Instead, battles are won with communication, teamwork and leadership. When all three are present in your squad, MAG is one of the most enjoyable multiplayer shooters you'll ever play. When just one of them is absent, it's a total nightmare.

Is it MAGnificent or MAGediocre? We don't know yet!

Zipper Interactive's massive first-person shooter delivers revolutionary online battles with a squad-based command system and a persistent world.

256 men went to mow down everyone in a near-future meadow.

The massive multiplayer shooter deploys to the market on PlayStation 3.

Which are you picking up this Tuesday?

Plus: release date announced.

The last beta phase for Zipper Interactive's pseudo-MMOFPS MAG has ended, and the developer has compiled some facts and figures you may find fascinating. According to a recent post on the studio's blog, over one million people downloaded the MAG beta client worldwide. Of that group, around 619,000 people gained at least one point of experience, 52,846 became eligible for Squad Leader status, 10,249 became Platoon Leaders, 3,181 hit the rank of Officer in Charge, and only 143 players reached the level 60 experience cap. Zipper also broke down the populations of the three factions: Raven and Valor each netted about 38 percent of the game's player base, while SVER only picked up 24 percent. However, despite its smaller size, SVER ended up winning out overall for the Sabotage gametype. Well, now we know which private military contractor is the plucky underdog.

If you were looking for the more punishing end of the "Trophy Difficulty Spectrum," you've found it: PlayStation.Blog recently revealed the full list of Trophies for Zipper Interactive's MAG, which will require completionists to get a character to the level cap for each of the title's three factions. Based on our time with the demo, we estimate that process will take you about until MAG 2: Now With 257-Player Battles comes out. Click past the jump to see the rest of the game's unlockable accomplishments.

Though Americans have known for some time when they'd be getting their hands on Zipper Interactive's 256-soldier battlefest, MAG, would-be troopers living in other countries haven't been so fortunate. Luckily for these poor souls, a SCEE community manager recently confirmed the game's release dates for a few territories: According to a forum thread created by the Sony rep, the game's coming to Europe on January 27, Australia and New Zealand on January 28 and finally, to the U.K., on January 29. We don't think it's very fair to give the rest of Europe a two-day head start on the U.K., but we really can't complain -- by that point, our characters will have become three-day-old murder machines.

Choose your side in the Global Shadow War and climb the ranks in the PlayStation 3 exclusive shooter MAG.

Draw your weapon and rain down a hail of bullets upon your many foes in this massively huge online shooter. Knives work well, too.

Stay with your squad and survive, stray and it's only a matter of time before you are dead.