Gears of War 3 Update Spectator Mode

Outside of offering one of the best co-operative video games available and concluding the trilogy on the high note, what makes us love Gears of War 3 is the constant support it gets from Epic. From fan simple fan services like the save/kill Carmine campaign to weekly events that mix up the standard multiplayer modes and frequent updates, Gears of War 3 is always evolving to better fit the community.

While we await the release of the third Gears of War 3 DLC pack, 'Fenix Rising,' we have another update in the meantime which makes a bunch of improvements to gameplay and addresses a few of the bugs.

Check out the complete change list for the Gears of War 3 title update #3. To see the previous update details, read the title update #2 release notes.

Improvements

  • All unlockable and non-purchasable characters are unlocked for System Link play. Online play still limits players to characters that they have unlocked or have purchased through DLC.
  • “Classic” stalemates are now enabled on the Execution and Warzone playlist. An option exists in private Execution to disable classic stalemates and re-enable the man-up rule.
  • The ghost camera can be raised and lowered using the Xbox controller d-pad.
  • “Must Active Reload” mutator has been made more restrictive. Issues with the Torque Bow and OneShot have been fixed.
  • “Retribution” ribbon is now compatible with dedicated servers.
  • Holding the “Y” button before being in range of a DBNO player and then walking into activation range will start the execution sequence. This is similar to holding “X” to queue up a weapon pickup sequence when walking into range of a dropped weapon.

Exploit Fixes

  • Removed Hammerburst and Longshot exploits with using the iron-sights/scope on Mercy where a player could shoot from a concealed position near the Sanctuary bells. Damage will not register when players are using the scope or iron-sights from that concealed position.
  • Fixed the OneShot exploit on Drydock. Players will be pulled out of the OneShot mounted pose when in certain positions.

General Fixes

  • A second player signing in on the loading screen before entering the pre-game lobby will no longer cause profile issues.
  • The transition from spectator player view to ghost camera view will no longer force the ghost camera view to point upwards.
  • The map cycle in QuickMatch is now randomly ordered.
  • DLC that is not owned by the current player will no longer stop the player from using DLC they do own.
  • Horde will no longer use the Versus weapon swaps. Horde players will have Hammer of Dawn and Mortar spawns on Overpass again.
  • Fixed the lens flare on a scoped Longshot not appearing for a player facing left.
  • Xbox system notifications have been moved out of the way of kill messages in competitive multiplayer. They now show up in the top center of the screen.

Some of the highlights we like outside of the necessary exploit/bug fixes are the local LAN play allowing for all of the unlocks, the improved camera options (which have always been wonky) and the annoying Xbox notifications being moved. With the vast improvements Gears 3 made over its predecessor and the consistent tweaks since then, Epic Games has a very strong foundation for another installment, whether that be Gears of War 4, a prequel or some sort of spin-off.

What additional changes would you like to see made for Gears of War 3 and what do you want from the next game in the series?

The Fenix Rising DLC for Gears of War 3 will be available January 17, 2012, for 800 Microsoft Points. Alternatively, players can purchase the Gears of War 3 Season Pass for 2400 Microsoft Points, enabling access to all available Gears of War 3 DLC and one future, yet-to-be-announced DLC pack.

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Source: Epic Games