Gaming News - March 2007

Austin, TX (March 5, 2007) - NCsoft today announced the release of the fourth free content expansion of Auto Assault.

From NCsoft:

The auction house is one of the most important additions to Auto Assault since its release, adding depth to the game while making it easier to profit from the game’s voluminous loot drops. The auction house, for example, will enable lower level players to obtain currency by selling material to higher level players who can then craft more powerful weapons. Additionally, an email system will allow players, who are in the same faction, to send messages regarding items up for auction as well as sending items via email.

“Auto Assault is about collecting massive amounts of loot, and this auction house and mail delivery system will make it easier to profit from collecting loot,” said Andrew Wagner, NCsoft’s producer for Auto Assault. “The auction house and mail system will add a much needed additional layer of interactivity and item accessibility for all players and allow players to progress faster and build bigger, nastier vehicles.”
The additional profits made from the auction house will help Auto Assault players to attain another feature from the update, two powerful, new epic vehicle chassis. The new chassis, available at the INC vehicle stores include the Switter, a medium-sized chassis available for all classes and the Backup, a small chassis usable by any scout class.

Rounding out the features are sweeping changes to the skills systems. Balance between races will be improved so success in player-versus-player combat will be based on skill rather than faction-based advantages. Additionally, skill building is now easier to manage and understand, allowing new players to create more powerful and useable skill sets.

“Skills will now be more standardized, which will let players understand better the cost of each skill and how to better select the right skill for the right level,” Wagner said. “This will bring more balance to the game while making skill sets more fun and powerful.”

Also, responding to player feedback, tournaments have a new schedule and reward system built in. The new tournament schedule system is timed to work for players regardless of their time-zone location. The tournaments have been level-balanced so all players can enjoy arena carnage. With additional loot and bigger rewards, arena action will be more profitable for all participants.

Auto Assault, developed by NetDevil, is the first multiplayer online (MMO) game featuring vehicle combat, set in a post-apocalyptic world with fully destructible environments. Auto Assault is available at retailers in North America and Europe as well as at the NCsoft online store at www.plaync.com. The game includes the first month of online game play. After the first month, players will be charged a monthly subscription fee of US$14.99.
For more information on Auto Assault go to: www.autoassault.com.