Ghost Recon Network

[River_Rat_459]

They are definitely taking a page out of the Battlelog/CoD Elite idea books.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrZFdzJqUeo


It appears Ubisoft is taking some cues from Activision and its successful Call of Duty franchise.

The video game publisher unveiled the Ghost Recon Network, a supplementary online service players can use to customize weapons, send and receive challenges as well as study heatmaps and other related information.

Players can access the network on a Web browser, or through smartphone and tablet apps.

The service will launch with the upcoming shooter Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, out May 22 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It also launches on the PC in June.

If the network sounds familiar, it borrows several components from the service Call of Duty Elite, tied to recent video games in Activision's Call of Duty roster.

What's different is Activision has tied future downloads to Elite, giving players the option of signing up for an annual paid subscription to snag early access.

Ubisoft did not specify in its press release whether it plans to execute a similar plan with downloads for Future Soldier.

Meanwhile, players can get a taste of the network and the next game through a multiplayer beta launching April 19.

It will feature 12-player matches and three classes: rifleman, engineer and scout. There are two match types: Conflict has two teams fighting for the most points by completing a series of objectives, while Saboteur features a battle over a bomb. The first to detonate at the opposing team's base wins.

Players can get into the beta through copies of Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, pre-orders of Future Soldier from Gamestop or a PlayStation Plus subscription.

The beta runs until May 2.

SOURCE: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2012/04/ghost-recon-network-announced-beta-in-april/1#.T38tEJmXRIk

[HAVOK]

Well they've already one-upped Activision by making it free....

[jxspyder]

Well they've already one-upped Activision by making it free....

Except they never stated it's free......

:p

"Ubisoft did not specify in its press release whether it plans to execute a similar plan with downloads for Future Soldier."

[Twizted875]

Looks amazing especially the gun-smith part of the app. Can't wait to see this in action.

[River_Rat_459]

Except they never stated it's free......

:p

"Ubisoft did not specify in its press release whether it plans to execute a similar plan with downloads for Future Soldier."

Free: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/168083/Ghost_Recon_Network_Ubisofts_free_take_on_Call_of_Duty_Elite.php

[River_Rat_459]

Found some more goodness direct from the Ghost Recon site:



This is not all. We have another big announcement for you today. We are thrilled to reveal Ghost Recon Network, a free companion service that will support all Ghost Recon titles moving forward. Accessible from smartphones, tablets, and web browsers, Ghost Recon Network will allow you to interact with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier & all upcoming Ghost Recon games anywhere at any time. The Ghost Recon Network site (www.ghostrecon.com/network ) and v1.0 iOS & Android apps will launch with Ghost Recon: Future Soldier on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on May 22nd. However, if you join the GRFS beta, you will get early access to the Ghost Recon Network and you will be able to test out its features. This beta version of the GRN will be available on the web and through the Android mobile app. Ghost Recon Network key features:Customize and share in-game weapons on the go

Use GunSmith mobile to customize weapons down to their inner parts in 3D and sync them to consoles
Publish weapons to the GunSmith Gallery and browse guns posted by the Ghost Recon Network community


Track player history and friends’ in-game status

Access personal player performance on Ghost Recon: Future Soldier & upcoming Ghost Recon games and compare stats on leaderboards
Receive challenges, friend activity reports and community updates via the website or push notifications on smartphones and tablets


Receive exclusive rewards

Download the free Ghost Recon Network app at launch to unlock additional attachment credits in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
Earn weapons and weapon skins in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier by playing other Ghost Recon games or interacting with other Ghost Recon experiences


Become a better player

Study detailed game information and heatmaps to prepare for the next battle
Build and manage your squad, add recruits and search for competing squads





Antoine Emond (http://www.twitter.com/ghostrecon) - Community Developer

[jxspyder]

Free: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/168083/Ghost_Recon_Network_Ubisofts_free_take_on_Call_of_Duty_Elite.php

Pretty cool.

On an unrelated note, I like how they implied in the article that Elite apparently invented the whole "social" aspect of gaming, and that Halo Waypoint is somehow in response to Elite.....when it's been out for 2 years longer than Elite, and was an in-game adaptation of Bungie.net...which has been around for years. The only thing that Elite has pioneered is failing to live up to promise at $50 a year.

[River_Rat_459]

Credit to Spyder for pointing this one out:


Ghost Recon Network Fuses Tactics and Social
Like Facebook with machine-guns instead of annoying people.
April 5, 2012

When the Ghost Recon: Future Soldier beta launches later this month, participants will be able to take part in a limited version of Ubisoft's upcoming Ghost Recon Network. Accessible via the Network website or iOS/Android app, the social network functions much like Battlelog or Elite. Ubisoft's bringing some additional interesting features to encourage and engage the Ghost Recon audience.

The Network feature plays into the release of Future Soldier, as it's Ubi's biggest Ghost property this year, but it also embraces additional Tom Clancy games to a certain degree. Long-time fans will benefit the most from the rewarding online system, indeed.

Splinter Cell: Conviction and Rainbow Six: Vegas vets can expect to earn exclusive related weaponry or camo skins for use in Future Soldier's adversarial multiplayer. In addition, Network will also benefit players of the upcoming Ghost Recon: Commander Facebook game and the free-to-play PC shooter Ghost Recon: Online, as well as viewers of the Ghost Recon: Alpha short film. Having a long list of Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter Achievements unlocked certainly wouldn't hurt, too. The bigger your Tom Clancy history, the better.

Network's thorough stat-tracking, heat maps, and character profiles bring extensive detail to the table for Squads, Future Soldier's clan equivalent. Heat maps display not only the most populated movement locations in each map, but can be broken down by which classes kill or die in specific spaces in various multiplayer modes.

Highlights of your career, such as earned items, show up in other players' Ghost Feed, an automated list where friends can leave comments. The better and more you play, the more detailed your Ghost Dossier becomes; the cumulative summary of your "tour of duty" contributes to each player's overall rank within the Network.


The purpose of Network isn't just to show, but to enable. The upcoming mobile app allows players to browse created weapons and customize their own, and then sync it to their preferred Future Soldier class. Players can also receive text-message tasks, such as competitive kill-based challenges friends, to earn additional experience points.

IGN's early look at the Network website showed a lot of familiar aspects, but Ubisoft's expansion of and dedication to Ghost Recon proves the publisher is positioning it as a huge release this year.

Look for the mobile app, website, and a basic representation of Ghost Recon Network's features to open up later in April.

SOURCE: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/122/1222406p1.html