New Topics on GOW3 (20) *06/21/12*

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…



This #GearsWeekend event is Gnasher Guardian! Players will spawn with a Gnasher and Snub in this special Guardian playlist. There will be no other weapon spawns in the maps.

Players will also have a special Gnasher weapon skin, “The Baird.”

Don’t forget to give us your feedback about our “Gnasher Guardian” event in the comments below, or this weekend on twitter using the #GearsWeekend hashtags.  More #GearsWeekend events will be coming up so be sure to keep watching!

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Recently on the Epic forums, raczilla asked Epic Gamers to post their questions about Gears of War 3. The response has been great and we’ll try to get more of your questions answered. While we can’t answer them all, we’ll try to get a good cross section of questions answered.

This week, we had Epic Games Multiplayer Designer Quinn DelHoyo and Senior Gameplay Programmer, Pete Knepley answer the questions. Be sure to follow QuinnDelHoyo and PeteNub on Twitter.



Q: Are you going to continue to fine tune or change we­apons?

A: We feel that the changes we have made were good for the majority of players. While we could make some changes if necessary, we also want players to feel that they have a consistent experience with the weapons. We feel the weapons in the game are in a good state and we probably won’t be making many more changes, if any. We will however continue to have events and special playlists where the weapons will definitely have changes! Give us your feedback so we know which events are your favorites.

Q: What is the best way to find out if you do make changes?

A: There have been times when we have made some changes behind the scenes for testing purposes. No announcement was made because we wanted to get an honest reaction from players. If any further changes are made, we will announce them on the Epic Forums, Facebook and Twitter unless we are performing a short test.

Q:  Why does every weapon except for the sniper have an effective active reload?

A: In multiplayer, if you land an active reload with the Longshot, your damage will increase for body shots by 20%

Q: It would be cool if an active sniper could go through multiple enemies.

A: While we love this idea, this would be too much of a code change for the current game. Please keep providing us with feedback like this, as there is always a chance for something to be used in a future game or even an event playlist.

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Recently on the Epic forums, raczilla asked Epic Gamers to post their questions about Gears of War 3. The response has been great, and over the next few months, we’ll try to get some of the questions answered. While we can’t answer them all, we’ll try to get a good cross section of questions answered.

This week, we had Epic Games Multiplayer Designer Quinn DelHoyo and Senior Gameplay Programmer, Pete Knepley answer the questions. Be sure to follow QuinnDelHoyo and PeteNub on Twitter.



Q: Can you earn the achievements and the weapon skins Ivory and Fl4k in private matches?

A: There are some achievements and skins in Forces of Nature you will not be able to unlock because there is no private guardian.  If you see someone with these achievements and skins, you will know they did not get them from playing against bots.

Q: Why do some have issues with the consistency of the mantle kick?

A: We have found this is most prevalent when there are internet connection issues. We are continuing to investigate and collect data.

Q: Why can’t I unlock the “We Few, We Happy Few” achievement?

A: If you are having trouble unlocking any achievements, please post in the Gears of War 3 Issues forum so we can check into it.

Q: Why aren’t all of the medals available across all game modes?

A: By design, each gametype has its own medals. If you see someone with the Onyx Lancer Skin you will know they received it by getting 6,000 kills in multiplayer. That is quite an achievement. Commitment is rewarded.

Q: Are there any plans to change the way the medals work?

A: There are no plans to change the way the medals are distributed.


If you’d like to ask a question for our developers, be sure to post it on the Epic Forums. Thank you for your questions and comments. We love to hear from you!

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

We hope you’re excited about the March 27th release of “Forces of Nature”  for Gears of War 3.  In order to celebrate we’re giving early access to a few lucky members of our community.

Giveaways begins on Twitter at 3:00 p.m. Eastern!

Start using the hashtag #ForcesOfNature on Twitter at 3:00 p.m. Eastern today for a chance to win a code. We’ll award a select number of codes to lucky fans.

If you’re not around for the giveaways, we’ve got you covered.  You can also win right here on the Epic Games Community Site.  There are several ways to qualify and each one counts for an entry – so the more you complete the more chances to win.  Read on to learn more: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Many of you have been asking about the new weapon skins in DLC 4 and we have a sneak peak!  Five of the skins will be available as soon as you download the Forces of Nature DLC next week on March 27th. Two of the skins, Ivory and Fl4k, will need to be unlocked.



Go to the link to see more of the skins: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…



We are set to release Title Update 4 for Gears of War 3 tomorrow morning at 2:00 AM PT. Once the update is live you will automatically be prompted to download it if you are connected to Xbox LIVE. Read our full list of release notes and be sure to join us Wednesday night (3/21) for a live stream with Epic Games Director of Production Rod Fergusson.  Rod will be talking about the upcoming DLC, “Forces of Nature.” The stream will start at 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the Epic Games Twitch.TV page. Watch the stream HERE.

Here are the release notes of Title Update 4.

IMPROVEMENTS

• Savage Drone and Savage Grenadier can now “swat” turn in Beast mode

• Spectator mode now starts viewing a player instead of a battle camera

• Alternate control users in multiplayer will no longer look at DBNO characters when pressing R3

• The crosshair for the Longshot and Hammerburst will now show an X if a shot is obstructed.

• KOTH – ring locators are now visible in spectator mode

• KOTH – some hill locations have been adjusted

BUG FIXES

• The Onyx Guard decoy in Horde will not drop his rifle after exhausting the Vulcan ammo

• Clients will no longer be stuck with a “Waiting For Players” message up if the host quits Horde during the progression screen

• Chainsaw audio loop will now persist for listeners who leave the audible range and re-enter it

• Fixed some instances where special event ribbons would not be properly awarded

• COG pistol firing rate has been adjusted to be equal on host and clients

• The Flaming Retro Lancer is now available for attendees of the first special event

• Fixed some issues fixed related to the destruction of meatbags

• The Slab start up screen no longer has debug text

• After a host migration in Horde, the waves will no longer go past 50

• Cover near the elevator on Hotel no longer allows players to lean outside of the visible area

• Grenade throwers that are killed mid-throw will receive credit for any kills that grenade causes

• Silverback will be disabled if hit by a smoke grenade when the driver is in the middle of the exit animation

• Team Deathmatch time limit no longer resets to 3 minutes when both teams are out of respawns

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…



Epic Games has just released new screenshots of the Gears of War 3 DLC “Forces of Nature.” There are three brand new maps, Cove, Aftermath and Artillery. Two old fan favorites will be making a return, Jacinto and Raven Down.

Fog, snowstorms and tsunamis will make playing these maps quite an adventure. Fans will also be treated to four character models and seven new weapon skins. Two of the weapon skins, which were designed based on community feedback, will need to be unlocked. There is also 250 gamerscore points added with this DLC. We listen closely to your suggestions and feedback and we’re happy to announce that the game mode Guardian will be making a return with the “Forces of Nature” DLC.

Check out this gameplay trailer from Gametrailers. You can also view a preview of the maps HERE.



Go here to see more screenshots of the DLC: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…



All of the new maps in the just-announced Gears of War 3 DLC “Forces of Nature” take place during or after a natural disaster. There are three brand new maps, Cove, Aftermath and Artillery. Two old fan favorites will be making a return, Jacinto and Raven Down. Fog, snowstorms and tsunamis will make playing these maps quite an adventure.

There are also special weapons hidden in the maps during Horde and Beast mode called “Elemental Cleavers.” The cleavers do different types of damage, like an imulsion cleaver that explodes on impact. Fans will also be treated to four character models and seven new weapon skins. Two of the weapon skins, which were designed based on community feedback, will need to be unlocked. There is also 250 gamerscore points added with this DLC.

We listen closely to your suggestions and feedback and we’re happy to announce that the game mode Guardian will be making a return with the “Forces of Nature” DLC.

GT.TV’s Geoff Keighley talked with Epic Games Producer Rod Fergusson about the DLC on last night’s episode of GT.TV. You can view the video in it’s entirety HERE. The Forces of Nature DLC will be 800 MS Points and  Gears of War 3 Season Pass holders will get the content free when it launches on March 27.



Go to the link to see more images of the DLC: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Taken from EpicGamesCommunity: epicgames.com/community/2012/0…

Hey there Gears fans – it’s Hooligunn from Team Epic Gamers. Many of you are already enjoying the Fenix Rising map pack that released on January 17th, but if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably always wondered how these new map packs are actually put together! I took the opportunity to talk with Multiplayer Level Designer Quinn DelHoyo at Epic Games to find out just what goes into making a new set of maps for a DLC add-on.



What’s the hardest part of making a good map?

The hardest part of making a “good” map is designing it so that it supports all play styles available in the game.  It’s tough because it requires the designer to know the game really well.  If done correctly, the map will have a long lifespan and be very popular because of the variety of play styles it supports.

How does your approach differ with creating DLC based maps than with maps on the disc?

Sometimes we try new ideas with a DLC map but mainly we try to improve upon our formula using lessons learned with the maps that launched with the game.  The Fenix Rising map pack is a good example of this.  One map is a remake that stayed true to what it was in Gears of War.  The other four maps utilize more flank routes and choices for the players.  We wanted to foster a feeling of freedom instead of restricting players like some of the original Gears 3 maps do.



Fenix Rising features a remake of the Gears of War map “Escalation”. How do you approach a remake from a map designer’s perspective?

We handle remakes by trying to keep them as close to the original as possible but with a fresh coat of visual paint.  At the same time, we don’t feel bound when remaking a map and you may see us take some risks with “remakes” in the future.

How much have these maps changed and evolved since they were first built? Can you share any interesting differences?

Sure.  Academy used to be called Oracle.  When it came closer to release we decided that Oracle was an ambiguous name for the setting so we changed it to Academy.  If you look closely you can see the name of the academy is Oracle.



What’s your favorite Fenix Rising map and why?

This is a tough one.  I really enjoy playing on Academy, The Slab, Anvil, and Depths.  I think they are all well designed maps but if I had to choose one, it would be Anvil.  I like the size of it, the flanking routes are great, the variances in height, and that it isn’t saturated with power weapons.

Can you share some tips on how to best approach each map in Fenix Rising?

Depths:  Push the grenades on the opening rush and throw them into the Digger/Torque Bow location.  I’ve found that success lies with the team that best controls the grenades.

Anvil:  A risky maneuver for the opening rush is to go under the bridge right outside your spawn and then do the quick “in n’ out” flank through the artillery room.  Meaning, take the entrance to the artillery room on your side and then immediately exit on the opponents’ side.  If you’re lucky, you can get a really quick flank on opponents fighting over the Boomshot/Torque Bow area.



Academy:  Hold what I call the garden or “tree” area by the auditorium.  It houses the Torque Bow/Longshot and has overwatch on the grenades.

The Slab:  You should try to allocate some players to the laundry area on Boomshot rounds while trying to control “Death Row”.  Your sight lines from the grenade platform are ideal to spot enemy movement and support your teammates.

Escalation:  I hope you’re good with the Gnasher b/c the best strategy is to keep moving and be the aggressor.  There is a lot of cover that will help you bounce around and dominate your opponent.  Also a good Horde and Beast map.