Last Updated
May 11th 2010

New Information Will Be Highlited Orange

With all of the stuff floating around the interent about Gears of War 3, it’s nice to have somthing all in one place. The majority of this content is coming straight from “Hooligunn’s” thread on the gearsofwar.com Forums as a reference. (Thank you Hooligunn) 

This post is designed to keep all of you Gears of War Addicts up to date with what is going on with Gears of War 3. Continue reading to read all of the details. Some of this Information may contain minor spoilers.  

Campaign Information

Features:

• Rod Ferguson confirmed 4 Player Co-Op, as well as Cliff Blezenski’s Twitter.
• Cliff confirms that at some points in the game you will play as an entirely different squad (that includes no Marcus and no Dom).
• Arcade mode is a new addition for the campaign mode. After beating the game, you can return with your co-op buddies to enter in a scored competitive version of the campaign. Pop-ups will appear throughout the game to show what your friends are achieving, challenging you to better them on the fly. Mutators can also be added to increase the fun in Arcade mode, including big head mode, changed sound effects and more. These mutators will be exclusive to Arcade mode, and will not be found in multiplayer.
• Casual difficulty has been made extremely easy. Rod describes it as being “borderline tourist mode” where you’ll rarely die and there is an auto-aim that will basically snap from enemy to enemy.

Story:

• The story is Set 18 months after Gears of War 2, and after the fourth Gears of War book
• Imulsion is infecting everything, not just the Locust.
• The Locust have not been seen in the time that has passed since the end of Gears 2
• The story is going to be written by Karen Traviss, the same person who wrote the Gears of War book series
• Game begins with Marcus waking up on Raven’s Nest after having nightmares
• Raven’s Nest is an aircraft carrier known as Sovereign that has been converted to a floating village. The Gears have tried to create a life for themselves here, and the article seems to indicate they are just trying to live rather than save the planet when the game begins. The Raven’s nest is worn down and heavily beaten up, and is a combination of Sovereign and several other smaller ships tied together.
• Coalition of Ordered Governments broke down months before beginning of Gears 3
• Rod describes the Gears now as a “family unit” rather than a squad.
• Chairman Prescott returns after going missing several weeks after the sinking of Jacinto. He passes Marcus a data disc that contains a recording from Adam Fenix, claiming he has a way to save the planet.
• The article describes it as giving Marcus “one last chance to save his father”. It sounds like this may be a very strong story theme and personal drive for Marcus, considering this is what got him put in prison for originally.
• The Queen and the Locust Horde are still surviving, though many Locust are becoming more primal in nature. Some of their weapon technology is actually going backwards, and some of the Locust have turned into savages (See the “Savage Grenadier” in the ENEMIES section for an example of this)
• There are two story arcs in the game from the perspective of two squads. The first squad begins with Marcus, Dom, Jace and Anya. Cole and Baird have a separate story arc in the game and do not begin on Raven’s Nest, instead fighting in ruined wastelands. The timelines of the two squads overlap until the finale where everything comes together. Their squad is still unknown, though we are promised “multiple playable female characters” which could indicate Bernadette Mataki from the Gears of War novels will be a possible squad member for this crew.

Cliff Blezenski  goes a little more in depth in a recent interview:

So, in Gears 2 we had the themes of Dom and Maria and in Gears 3, you’ll learn more about Marcus’ relationship with his father and Dom dealing with the aftermath of what he’s done [in Gears 2]       

Characters:

• Dom is now has a beard. This might be due to his problems dealing with the loss of his wife.
• Anya is the female COG soldier seen in the “Ashes to Ashes” trailer. We will learn more on her transition from pencil pusher to soldier throughout the books.
• Jace Stratton from the Gears of War comic series will be a new integral squad member. He is described as a “young soldier who cares more about the people than the war”

Enemies:

• All lambent that are close to dying will charge the nearest Gear in an attempt to deal explosive damage (almost like a Kamikaze run)
• New “crab-like” Lambent that explode when destroyed.
• Lambent Drudge: An imulsion controlled Locust Drone that mutates as you fight it. It can grow longer legs to get a shot on you over cover, forcing you to move from your position. It can grow longer arms to attack three people at a time to negate the group co-op advantage. Destroying the body of this enemy isn’t enough, as the lambent tentacles can still come after you after the inhabited body is destroyed. The article describes it as being like a “twisted snake”

Multiplayer Information

Matchmaking:

• Cliff confirmed they are taking on the bad matchmaking issues in Gears of War 3 in the Meristation TV interview.
• There will be a new feature that allows players to better stay together as a party. Not too much info as of now.

Maps:

• Cliff confirmed in the MeriStation TV  interview that Gears of War 3 will include some old Gears of War 1 maps that we didn’t see in Gears of War 2
• Thrashball arena: Symmetrical map with a scoreboard in the middle. This can be shot down to produce a change to the middle of the arena with the metallic remnants left behind from the explosion. Visual identifiers (such as downed helicopters) have been used to help identify where you are on the map
• Overpass: Set in Jacinto as the city began to sink. After flooding for a while, the map dynamically changes its surroundings by beginning to sink into the Hollow. This map also contains the “multi-turret”

Balancing Shotgun:

• Lee Perry(Senior Gameplay Designer at Epic Games) expands on the balancing of the shotgun and rifles.

 
” Honestly that was the biggest takeaway from this thread that made it happen. Alaska’s comments about the shotty getting so many kills not because it’s overpowered, but simply because there aren’t other real options in that range bracket were really formative.

If you lay out the shotties and rifles in terms of variety based on ranges, it looks something like this:

Sawn off -> Shotgun -> Pendulum Lancer -> Lancer -> Hammerburst.

Even the Pendulum Lancer (”Retro Lancer” to many) eats into the Gnasher’s “longer” range distances (nearly a halfbreed between a rifle and shotty). I just want to see more options in the close quarters game than just melee and shotties and chainsaws. People who are great with a shotgun are still going to be great with a shotgun.

I’ve probably said too much even with that, but hopefully it’ll give you some insight into where we’re looking.”

Starting Weapons According to Map:

• Lee Perry also talks about how in Gears 3, you should pick your starting weapons carefully based on the chosen map

 One drive is to make the decision to pick a specific weapon meaningful and not just a static player preference. Right now I don’t believe people pick different loadouts based on something like a map or planned tactic, they simply pick the rifle they “like” best. We want to see people noting what map is coming up next, and changing their loadout accordingly because weapons have a real role to them and are more appropriate for the circumstance. Quinn DelHoyo is a newer Level Designer here who really pushed for this philosophy and it turned out to really clarify the weapons.

Loadouts:

• In response to a question about Loadouts, Lee Perry seems to confirm that you can now choose your starting rifle (Lancer / Pendulum Lancer / Hammerburst) and your starting shotgun (Sawn Off / Gnasher).

“I think we’re all dancing around the same fire here. What you describe is what I might call “picking your loadout”, it’s just mincing terms. We know we don’t want 50 rifles and such to invalidate weapon pickups.”

Stopping Power Returns: 

•  Stopping power stays according to Cliff’s Twitter. 

Game Modes:

• Gears of War 3 will exceed the multiplayer mode offerings of Gears of War 2

Weapons Information:

 
New Weapon Information:

• The Pendulum Lancer is in Gears of War 3
• A Double Barrelled Shotgun was spotted in the Ashes to Ashes trailer. Majornelson pointed that one out.
• Cliff confirms in the MeriStation TV interview, that the new shotgun does more damage but has a lower range and slower reload time.
• The Lancer, Hammerburst and Gnasher shotgun have been confirmed to be returning.
• It also confirmed from the GI article that the Pendulum Lancer is extremely powerful at closer ranges.
• The GI article says the DBS reticule fills half the screen and can kill multiple enemies at once!
• The Digger Launcher fires a locust “Piranha-like” creature into the ground, which then emerges and explodes
• New heavy weapon known as the One Shot is a recoilless rifle that can take down almost any enemy in the game with, as the name says, one shot.
• The “multi-turret” is a new fixed weapon that can have its four weapon slots traded for almost any weapon you currently hold. By standard, it holds four Pendulum Lancers.
• A grenade known as the Incendiary will join the new group of weapons.
• The Hammerburst has an extended zoom thanks to the new scope, and can headshot enemies.
• Smoke, Frag and Ink Grenades have all been confirmed to be returning 

Vehicles:

• The Silverback is a new COG mech suit that was originally a “Loader” of sorts which has been modified to include weapons. The default weapons are a rocket launcher on the left arm and a gatling gun on the right. In mobile mode, it can also run at high speeds and even curb stomp enemies on top of using the attached weapons. In stationary mode, the body expands to create cover for allies whilst still allowing weapon usage.

Executions:

• Almost every weapon in the game has its own finishing execution.
• Executions must now be earned through a task related to it. Once unlocked, you can then freely use it to show off to your friends.
• The Scorcher: Jammed into the enemies’ torso, the Scorcher is then fired, causing flames to come out of the body through the eyes and mouth.
• The Shotgun: The reloading catch is unhinged, wrapped around the neck of the enemy and then used to snap the enemies’ neck.
• Pendulum Lancer: Enemy is slashed open with the bayonet   

Hammerburst Now Has a Scope:

• Lee Perry explains.. the Hammerburst now has a scope on it..

“To some degree. Take into account that the goal is to make lots of tactics effective and viable, not biased to one particular tactic. Things like the new scope that people have noticed on the HB plays into that. If things are more effective up close, they will be more effective from afar as well.”

The Pendulum Lancer in Gears of War 3:

• Lee Perry describes how it plays..

“Think primative very powerful AK that bucks like a mule and you’re on a closer track. Not something you’ll be using across a map, but definitely something that can stop a clumsy rush.”

Information on Gnasher:

• Some information on the Gnasher from Lee Perry..

“I’ve definitely never said the gnasher was less powerful, that’s your words  The Gnasher is very likely still the weapon of choice for most good shotty players; not being at the far end of the “specific range role” spectrum, it’s a much more general purpose weapon.”

Horde Information

• No Info Yet…
• Will be updated as the info develops

Misc. Information

Avatar Gear:

• Avatar clothing items will be released for Gears of War 3 on April 20th 2010. Some of these items will be based on the new armor shown in the trailers.

MeriStation TV interview:

• In the MeriStation TV interview, Cliff says there will be a ton of new executions in the game this time round and there will be an incentive for using them in multiplayer.
• In the MeriStation TV interview, Cliff confirms you can kick someone as your vault over cover.

Graphics:

• The graphics have clearly improved incredibly thanks to a new “global illumination system” that creates some amazing lighting and shadowing effects.
• The article describes a flag blowing in the breeze, possibly indicating a wind mechanic or at least a simulated graphical effect of wind on certain objects.
• Cover still can be chipped away at like Gears of War 2, but more cover is now fully destructible.
• The AI path finding has been improved to recognised fully destroyed cover, allowing it to walk right over a spot where cover used to be.

Videos

• Ashes to Ashes Trailer
• Meristation.com Interview Part 1 | Part 2

Screens

• Screenshots from xbox360achievments.org
• Screenshots from IGN

If you have any information on Gears of War 3 before we do.. Feel free to post a comment, and We’ll get it posted.

The Horde Challenge didnt turn out quite like we had hoped.. Some people failed to show up or was too late once again.. So we decided to just play some horde with the people that were here. I have decided to reward the people that showed up and wanted to play.. with a rank up! So everyone on this list below each get a rank up.. Congrats

PWNISH3R’s Team

• xGWAx PWNiSH3R
• Wildcody123 = Sergeant
• xGWAx JAYHAWK = Corporal
• xGWAx EdieKaye = Lieutenant

N00BiNATR’s Team

• xGWAx N00BiNATR
• xGWAx KAMiKAZE
• CurdledLizard = Lambent Drone
• xGWAx SLAY3R = Sergeant
• xGWAx GenerlPig = Lambent Drone

Yes it looks like XP is making its way to the horde gametype. If you pause the “Dark Corners” preview video on the front page at 2:49, you will see an “Experience Earned indicator”, and yes it has been confirmed by Joe Graf:

Originally Posted by joeGraf 

We planned/added it before your thread existed.

Originally Posted by joeGraf 

Yes. Glad that’s out there, because I’ve wanted to talk about it for a while. It’s not done the same way as versus mp, but you will get XP for playing horde

This is the thread he was reffering to: Here

Our first Horde mode challenge is over and boy was it an interesting. After a rocky start due to about 5 people failing show up to play. We spent about 20 – 30 minutes trying to sort out who was playing with who, shuffling teams and tearing our hair out. In the end, everything ended up OK. We ended up with 2 teams of 3 & one team of 4. Team XHolyschnikiesX & Team xXWhoDeyXx85 each had 3 members while Team Hughes03 had 4 members. All teams were drawn at random by a computerized randoming program. As a handicap, the Hughes03 team didn’t start until about 5 minutes after the other teams and Team Hughes03 also gave the other teams an extra 5 minutes at the end. This brings the grand total of handicap to 10 minutes. Based on rankings, kills, stats, etc. the teams were pretty balanced, especially with the 10 minute handicap for the 3 man teams.

Finally, the most important part…who won…Check out the results below to see who was on each team and who made it the farthest.

Note: We played to 50 rounds or until 1:00AM, at which time the ruling was based on which team made it the farthest in the Horde rounds.

1st Place:

Team Hughes03 – LVL. 36
Hughes03 – Team Leader
CurdledLizard
pikminlink
Slade Kechara

2nd Place:

Team xXWhoDeyXx85 – LVL. 35
xXWhoDeyXx85 – Team Leader
Snugtasslehoff
XxL0B0T0M1Z3DxX

3rd Place:

Team XHolyschnikiesX – LVL. 30
XHolyschnikiesX - Team Leader
DinoKiller999
WildCody123

We also decided to rank up some members based on their performance in the Horde mode challenge. The members who rank up are those who had the most kills on their team, except for the chairman. The players who rank up are: CurdledLizard, WildCody123, Snugtasslehoff & XxLoBoToM1ZeDxX. Two people were ranked up from Team xXWhoDeyXx85 based on a technicality. Congrats to everyone who ranked up!

We’d also like to thank everyone who participated in the Horde mode challenge. It was a lot of fun and we’ll definitely have to do it again. As a last minute note, Slade Kechara is the member who suggested a Horde mode challenge. Slade, we’re ranking you up too! Thanks for the suggestion!

Thanks everyone! Keep an eye on the website for the next challenge / tournament.

Be sure to check out the member of the week!

Gears of War Addict Member of The Week, Week 5

Game Type: Horde
Total Rounds: 50
Map: Jacinto
Difficulty: Normal
Friendly Fire: Off

*If we don’t hear from you, we will assume you are not participating!*

This Horde mode challenges will feature teams of 5, all hosted by a Gears of War Addict Chairman or General. Each team will play with the exact same game type specifications and the matches will begin at the exact same time. The teams will race to see who can complete the goal number of rounds first. The hosting Chairman or General will report to the others when their team has finished all rounds. The times will be recorded and reported by the official. The decisions of the Gears of War Addict Chairmen & Generals are final and non-disputable.

The tournament will be open to Gears of War Addict clan members and their friends. Anyone who chooses to participate in this Challenge, leave a reply to this post letting us know you’re in and if you’re bringing a friend. If you are bringing a friend, leave their GT so we can place them in the roster. The deadline to enter is Friday, May 1st @ 11:59 P.M.  After we figure out how many players we have, we’ll set the teams. The Horde Challenge will be held Saturday, May 2nd, 2009 @ 10:00pm EST.

*If we don’t hear from you, we will assume you are not participating!*