Woo-Hoo! Starsiege: Tribes is coming to InstantAction!

Cao Cao

Cao Cao

CAGiversary!
Source and Screenshots

InstantAction is a service for browser-based games from GarageGames, which is made up of former Dynamix (Developer of Tribes and other Sierra games) staff members; they already have a Tribes "spiritual successor" on IA called Fallen Empire: Legions. Today, GG announced on the InstantAction that they now have the IP for the entire Starseige series, including Tribes. Now they're going to kick things off by putting the first game in the Tribes series, Starseige: Tribes, on InstantAction. They're going to have it at next week's GDC.

http://www.instantaction.com/

EDIT: An update to the IA blog post:
I've got some information straight from the lead on the project:

* GarageGames purchased the ownership of the Tribes IP (all Tribes games) from Activision/Vivendi late last year.
* We do have the source code to the game, and the build has been updated with bug fixes
* The build will be distributed through the website, but still playable as a standalone game.
* The game will use the existing Master Server system that the original game used. We will provide a new master server address with the release.
* The game is not compatible with version 1.11 but you should be able to play the same demos as recorded on previous versions
* Mods and configs used in 1.11 will not be directly compatible, without at least minor changes, as the base game scripts have been cleaned up considerably by Andrew
* The game does NOT have updated graphics, this was a PR misunderstanding. The game does support modern file formats (PNG textures, Zip files)

-Dr Wiley
Click to expand...

EDIT 2: They interview one of the staff on their podcast:
http://blog.instantaction.com/2009/03/ia-podcast-36-shazbot.html
 
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Yes yes yes yes yes and more yes. This was the best FPS EVER! to grace my PC.

EDIT: Marble Blast and Think Tanks are also on that site, two solid freebie titles.
 
I believe they turned Starsiege:Tribes into freeware. I tried it for 3 hours; strongly disliked it. I don't know why.

Also, reminds me of Quake Live a bit, with the whole browser-based shindig.
 
I loved the original Starsiege: Tribes... but I'm more interested in their acquisition of the IP for the entire series. The possibility for them to do something with Tribes 2... I'm nearly giddy at the thought.
 
[quote name='AnotherStereotype']I loved the original Starsiege: Tribes... but I'm more interested in their acquisition of the IP for the entire series. The possibility for them to do something with Tribes 2... I'm nearly giddy at the thought.[/QUOTE]

You should be interested in this update to their IA blog post:
I've got some information straight from the lead on the project:

* GarageGames purchased the ownership of the Tribes IP (all Tribes games) from Activision/Vivendi late last year.
* We do have the source code to the game, and the build has been updated with bug fixes
* The build will be distributed through the website, but still playable as a standalone game.
* The game will use the existing Master Server system that the original game used. We will provide a new master server address with the release.
* The game is not compatible with version 1.11 but you should be able to play the same demos as recorded on previous versions
* Mods and configs used in 1.11 will not be directly compatible, without at least minor changes, as the base game scripts have been cleaned up considerably by Andrew
* The game does NOT have updated graphics, this was a PR misunderstanding. The game does support modern file formats (PNG textures, Zip files)

-Dr Wiley
Click to expand...
 
Tribes 1 was basically free anyway, there was no CD Key and it got passed around like most of the early games you were able to install and not need the CD for.

Which is probably part of the reason it was so popular.
 
[quote name='lordwow']Tribes 1 was basically free anyway, there was no CD Key and it got passed around like most of the early games you were able to install and not need the CD for.

Which is probably part of the reason it was so popular.[/QUOTE]

It was released as freeware, that's why it was so popular
 
[quote name='lordwow']Originally? It was not. I definitely payed $20-$30 for it when I first bought it in 1999[/QUOTE]

Originally it was not but it became freeware in 01-03, sometime there. I used to get it off Download.com and they don't support pirated versions of anything so it was legit.

EDIT: From wikipedia:

Release date(s) November 30, 1998
2004 (freeware)
Click to expand...
 
Useless history:
In 2004, as a promotion for Tribes: Vengeance, VU Games announced that they were releasing the original Tribes as freeware at GameSpy's FilePlanet service; they also gave away Tribes 2 CD-Keys on FilePlanet for a limited time. (Also, by then, Tribes: Aerial Assault for the PS2 had dropped in price, making it very easy to get your hands on Tribes)

Of course, Tribes: Vengeance (Developed by Irrational instead of Dynamix/GarageGames), despite being well-received by critics, was ultimately a flop in the marketplace. While it had a strong single-player campaign, the multiplayer, the core of the Tribes series, was poorly-received by veterans. The maps were small, vehicle stations were replaced by respawning vehicles (I remember the phrase "Halo with jetpacks" being tossed around when the demo first came out), bugs and exploits were problematic, and the biggest addition, the grappling beam, made things extremely unbalanced (From what I can tell, it could latch onto vehicles, which meant that any semblance of strategy devolved into both sides getting as many heavies as possible to latch onto transports and rush the enemy).

As for attracting newcomers, I think that Vivendi had bungled that up. This should speak for itself:
Tribes: Vengeance - Released on October 12th, 2004
HALF-LIFE 2 (Also published by VU Games)
- Released on November 16th, 2004

At the time, if a newblood had a choice between Tribes: Vengeance or the latter game, they were likely anticipating the latter game so much that T:V wouldn't even be given a cursory glance, especially with only a month's difference.

Personal comment:
I am glad to hear that GG has the IP for the entire series, much like some of you, Tribes 2 was my favorite of the bunch. I enjoyed the huge battlefields, the high player-limits (32-64 players meant big battles), and I liked the improved GUI. Still, I know that the original game holds a place in many a Tribes fan's heart (And it has many of the positives I mentioned in the previous sentence), and it will be exciting to play it again in active servers.
 
For it's age, Tribes is better than Halo!
This game featured:
3 different 'characters',
dozens of weapons including
deploy-able inventory stations
turrets, and also
VEHICLES!
 
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