Rockstar Newswire

Less than one week after duking it out in the São Paulo favelas and Hoboken rooftops of Max Payne 3, our live-streaming Social Club Multiplayer Events series is heading back to Liberty City for a Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition session on both PlayStation Network and Xbox LIVE.

We'll kick it off on Thursday, September 27 at 11am EST/4pm BST in GTAIV and will move on to both Episodes from Liberty City, giving everyone a chance to take part regardless of which copy of the game they own. To keep updated on which game modes our squad of Rockstar Games staff players are in, simply follow the live chat over at the Social Club Multiplayer Events page, where we'll also have the customary double live-stream of all the action along with a sweepstakes to win one of five GTAIV prize packs that include the Liberty City license plate, t-shirt and stickers.

Here are the dev accounts that will be taking part:

• PlayRockstar (PSN)
• PlayRockstar11 (PSN)
• GwRockstar2 (Xbox LIVE)
• GwRockstar3 (Xbox LIVE & streamed on our Twitch TV channel)

Only add one PlayStation Network ID/Gamertag to your friends list to play. We will clear each account's friend list at the start of the event and accept as many invites as we can. Please bear in mind that spamming the chat room asking for a game invite is a good way to not receive one.

FINDING US IN-GAME
Where's Rockstar? Pay attention to the live chat on the Social Club Multiplayer Events page. We'll announce where we're at in there. We'll begin in Grand Theft Auto IV in GTA Race, and later progress to the two episodes. Use the in-game cellphone to select the mode we're playing during the event.

NEED A PARTNER?
For team-based modes such as Team Deathmatch, gather your friends using Party Mode. You can also hit up the chat during the event or just post your PSN ID/Gamertag in the Comments section below.

ABOUT PARTY MODE
Party Mode is an easy way to get your group together and find matches.  Here are the three quick and easy steps to get you up and running:

1. Save your current game. To get started, fire up the in-game mobile phone by pressing "Up" on the d-pad. Select Multiplayer > Party Mode > Yes.
2. Next, open up your phone again and select the Friends option to invite at least one person into your Party Mode game.
3. Once your team is ready to roll, open up the in-game phone again and select Games > GTA Race.

 
Take on all comers and successfully plant bombs in Gang Wars to earn this week's Pyromaniac Payne Threshold.

There's no need to go into XP withdrawal just because our Triple XP weekend has come to an end. This week's all-new set of Payne Thresholds are the key to racking up large amounts of Max Payne 3 experience while having a good ol' time seeing if you have what it takes to rise to these three new challenges. This particular set will reward those who are masters of stealth as well as anybody with a healthy appetite for destruction. 

As our fall calendar continues touring treacherous destinations from Blackwater to Bohan to Brazil, we thank all of those who joined us for our recent wild western stop in the Red Dead Redemption Social Club Multiplayer Event held on Friday September 13th across both PSN and Xbox LIVE. With our resident RedDeadDevs 3 to 6 playing across all modes in the Game of the Year Edition (that is all the original modes plus all DLC modes as well), along with a double live-stream on the Rockstar Social Club and a third live stream on our Twitch TV channel, there was frontier bloodshed near and far.

In the event sweepstakes, congrats to prize winners GTAIV_King, DoE-BLaCK-413, Thunder_Passion, Greatn3ss87 and RestNP1eces86, each receiving a t-shirt, deck of Red Dead playing cards and stickers.

We started things off in Free Roam, and after inviting Social Club members who had posted their PSN IDs in the live chat, RedDeadDev6 wasted no time in claiming The Armadillo Saloon and lay in wait with the Cattleman Revolver. However, Instanbul Turk (PSN) burst in to beat our dev player down and claim the land, kick-starting an intense contest which saw the saloon changing hands multiple times before brieffrogs34283 staked the final claim. Dev6's entire session was recorded by Social Club Multiplayer Event stalwart ShenmueSaga and can be viewed below so you can re-live the action.

Hit the jump for more video, screens and a full list of participants from the day.

 
The Rooftop of the Moderno - with its open areas and numerous elevated platforms - is a great place to get to work on this week's Dive Bomber Payne Threshold.

Whether you're working towards a new weapon unlock or have the next Legend status in your sights, this week's Payne Thresholds challenges are now live in Max Payne 3 to help you gain massive XP rewards for covering ground, guarding bomb sites and spectacular Shootdodge™ kills. As with previous challenges, XP bonuses are unlocked at Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers, with custom Titles up for grabs should you pull off the Platinum score. You can keep track of your best scores and compare them against Friends, Crew members and the rest of the world at the Rockstar Social Club. Here's a quick rundown of this week's challenges, which expire at midnight on September 23rd:

Stay tuned for more next week. Let us know how you fare with them and feel free to share any strategies or specific Loadouts that help you reach the coveted Platinum threshold in the comments section...
 

Perhaps the most fast-paced of the Gang Wars' objectives in Max Payne 3 multiplayer, Delivery tasks both teams with transporting bags to drop off locations, earning points for each successful drop. As the location of both bags and drop off locations change throughout the round, and the carrier is only able to use a single one-handed weapon whenever the bag is in their possession, this round requires teamwork, good environmental awareness and of course a solid Loadout strategy.

As in our recent tips article where we demonstrated sound strategy for planting the bomb in "Short Fuse", we've laid out three roles that can be shared around your Crew to ensure that all bases are covered. Again, one of the keys to this strategy - employed by some of the deadliest players on the multiplayer development team - is the idea of complementary Bursts. In the Loadouts we've listed below, try and resist the urge to use Big Dog and Grounded until you've built your adrenaline to at least Level 2. It will be worth the wait, as the benefit will be shared throughout your team.

Bag Lady

The Crew member responsible for carrying bags is obviously the prime target for the opposition, so they need to be well protected but still light enough to get around the map quickly. Whenever you're in possession of the bag you'll only have one hand free, so the DE .50 packs enough punch to take out individual pursuers. What many don't realize is that at Levels 2 and 3, Sneaky Burst makes you appear as a friendly bag-carrier on your opponents' minimap, which can help you slip by unnoticed, providing you don't enter their line of vision. With a little Loadout weight left to play with, we've also equipped the Gorilla Mask, purely because our dev players like the idea of a bag transporting primate double act (more on that in a little bit).

Single Handed Weapon Slot: DE .50
Burst Slot: Sneaky
Item Head Slot: Gorilla Mask
Item Chest Slot: Heavy Body Armor
Item Gear Slot: Walkie Talkie
Item Gear Slot: Quick Holster

Baggyguard

The Bag Lady is a prime target whenever in possession of the contraband, so it's a good idea to employ some muscle to protect them from the other team. The key is to stay close to the carrier throughout, watching their back, and where needed, telling them via voice chat to take cover so that you and the other escort can attract and neutralize the heat. As stated above, we recommend saving your Big Dog Burst until Level 2, and then using it whenever your carrier is under fire and needs a health kick to make it to the drop off - just remember that you will need to have them in sight to share the health benefits at level 2.

Single Handed Weapon Slot: PT92 (with Gas Block)
Two Handed Weapon Slot: MD-97L (With Barrel Upgrade/Extended Mag)
Projectile Slot: Grenade
Burst Slot: Big Dog
Item Chest Slot: Medium Body Armor
Item Gear Slot: Vampire Fangs
Item Gear Slot: Quick Holster

Bag Thief

Like the evil alter-ego of our Bag Lady, the Bag Thief is there to sabotage the opposing team's efforts by intercepting their bags and, whenever possible, activating Grounded Burst at Level 2 or 3 to disrupt their intel. The Booby Trap item ensures that even their fallen corpse has a trick up its sleeve.

Single Handed Weapon Slot: M10
Projectile Slot: Tin Can
Burst Slot: Grounded
Item Head Slot: Gorilla Mask
Item Chest Slot: Heavy Body Armor
Item Gear Slot: Booby Trap
Item Gear Slot: Sneakers
Item Gear Slot: Autoinjector

If you've got any other tactics or techniques you've used to get the upper hand in Delivery, share them with us in the comments.

Update: The events have ended. Thanks to everyone that joined us.

This Thursday, August 30th, we're turning the last Social Club Multiplayer Event of the summer calendar (fall calendar to be announced very soon) into an epic double-header with a twin bill of events across all three platforms (Xbox 360, PS3 and PC) - with Rockstar Games developers, special invited guest players and you all shooting it out on the live-stream across Liberty City, Hoboken and the favelas of São Paulo.

Our first stop is Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition (playing multiplayer modes from the original GTAIV release and the Episodes, so you don't need to own the Complete Edition specifically to play) between 12-3pm ET / 5-8pm BST and then, after a very short break, we'll be jumping into Max Payne 3 between 4-7pm ET / 9pm-midnight BST. Both events will include a double live-stream and Rockstar hosted chat. With Max Payne 3, this is your first chance to play in a multiplayer event in the Hoboken Rooftops map of the brand new FREE Disorganized Crime Pack, plus be sure to keep watch of the event leaderboards over at the Social Club Multiplayer Events page.

We'll also have some special invited guests joining us at the Rockstar Rooftop that day for some Max Payne 3 multiplayer, a few NYC-area notable players that we're friends with on Twitter and here at the Social Club - including the inimitable Hard8Times. You'll be able to catch the Rooftop action live-stream on our Twitch page. We'll also have a pair of Sweepstakes, with two opportunities to win one of ten total Rockstar Prize Packs with collectibles and gear.

GTAIV: COMPLETE EDITION
Participating Gamertags/Online IDs for the event will be:

• PlayRockstar (PS3)
• GwRockstar2 (Xbox 360)
• GwRockstar3 (Xbox 360)
• GwRockstar4 (PC)

HOW TO FIND US
We'll begin the event in original Grand Theft Auto IV multiplayer. To join, start the in-game Party Mode using the cellphone. Make sure that your in-game Party Mode team size is at least two people. Once ready, head to the chat to find out the mode we're beginning with, and type your Gamertag into the chat. Another way is just to send over a friend request to the Gamertags/Online IDs above. We'll do our best to get you in for a few rounds. More info on using Party Mode is listed below.

NEED A PARTNER?
Hit up the chatbox during the event or just post your Gamertag/Online ID in the Comments section below.

ABOUT PARTY MODE
Grand Theft Auto IV's in-game Party Mode is an easy way to get your group together and find matches. Here are the three quick and easy steps to get you up and running:

1. Save your current game. To get started, fire up the in-game mobile phone by pressing "Up" on the D-pad.  Select Multiplayer > Party Mode > Yes.
2. From here, open up your phone again and select the Friends option to invite your friends (you need at least one friend to play with Rockstar). 
3. Once your team is ready to roll, open up the in-game phone again and select a mode to find us in-game.

MAX PAYNE 3
Participating Gamertags/Online IDs for the event will be:

• MaxPayneDev1 (PC)
• MaxPayneDev2 (Xbox 360)
• MaxPayneDev3 (PSN)
• MaxPayneDev4 (Xbox 360)

HOW TO FIND US
Enter Max Payne 3 multiplayer and select the 'Social Club Multiplayer Event' playlist.

And if you want even more chances to play with us, follow us on our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Steam (for PC) pages to get the word when we're starting up an impromptu multiplayer session, just like these...

Recently in our Rockstar Game Tips series for Max Payne 3, we've presented several Loadouts used by expert players from the game's Multiplayer dev team to help illustrate which weapon, Burst and Item combinations are best suited for various game types and scenarios. But of course when it comes to ensuring your Loadout is ideal for your individual play style and preferences, one size never fits all and this is where the unique feature of Social Club Arsenals can be of crucial assist.

The Arsenal feature is one of the newer features available at the Rockstar Games Social Club for the game and can be found under the Multiplayer tab at your Max Payne 3 game stats hub. Arsenal lets you break down your personal stats by weapon, Burst and Item, giving you direct access to the Kill/Death Ratio (KDR), rate of accuracy and other helpful statistics for each of the components that make up a successful Loadout. To show you how it works, we've taken our own MaxPayneDev1's play data and analyzed how a tweak to the setup can make for an even more lethal performance.

MaxPayneDev1 already has an enviable KDR, win percentage and average lifespan, but with some insight from the Arsenals page, a tweak could be made to preferred Loadouts to push that KDR into 3+ territory. Looking at the list of most-used weapons, we can see that MaxPayneDev1 favors the MD-97LC overall, but can also wield the Sawn Off with devastating results. However, accuracy is actually tops with the FAL and, as the FAL is the lighter of the two, switching that may just improve KDR and free up a little Loadout weight for more attachments.

The Most Used Weapons stats also illustrate the effectiveness of equipping your Loadouts with multiple weapons so that you're packing the right tools to deal with a number of situations. Those who've joined us for a play session online or watched our event streams may know that MaxPayneDev1 is rarely without a Sawn Off in reach, and has the speed of thought to draw it whenever an opponent dares to come within range. Meanwhile, the M10 is a useful back-up at mid-to-close range and for when ammmunition is getting scarce after sizeable killstreaks.

You can check these stats for all of the weapons, Bursts and items you've used throughout your time in Max Payne 3 multiplayer at the Rockstar Games Social Club. Take a close look and you might find that your favorite Loadout isn't necessarily your most potent.

If you've got your game stats shared publicly to everyone, feel free to shoot us a mouthoff with your Arsenal stats page link and we're happy to have a look to see if we can make any recommendations for you - or share them in comments with others to see what your rivals may have to say...

Previously:
Max Payne 3 Pro Loadouts Part Three – Payne Killer
Rockstar Game Tips: Max Payne 3 Pro Loadouts Part Two - Deathmatch Variants
Rockstar Game Tips: Max Payne 3 Pro Loadouts Part One - Gang Wars

Wednesday, August 1st, our crack quartet of Rockstar devs took to PSN to exchange lead on PSN in Max Payne 3 multiplayer. We fought for three furious hours against some of the best players in the Social Club community many of whom stood toe to toe at the top of the event leaderboards with MaxPayneDev3 and MaxPayneDev2 finishing seventh and ninth respectively but bested by several elite players.

The event started with our two live-stream players, MaxPayneDev1 and MaxPayneDev2, paired together on the same team for a Gang Wars in the favelas of Nova Esparanҫa. Our devs got off to a difficult start, their team losing the first two rounds and coming up against another deadly duo in matthew700 and Kara-Kartal38. But they rallied their team and took the next round of 'Passage', with Dev2 activating a timely Level 3 Sneaky Burst to mop up all enemies surrounding the checkpoints while teammate smittie224 (of the Pyschopathic Rydaz Crew) worked tirelessly to capture them. It all came down to 'Survivor' and both teams fought a good match that came down to seven against one, with Dev1 playing the part of the mouse against seven hungry UFE cats. Our dev was picked off quickly by new nemesis, Kara-Kartal38 (PSN ID).

While MaxPayneDev4 was taking on all comers in Free Aim and Hardcore playlists, Dev1 and Dev2 headed into Docks, this time teaming up with with Kara-Kartal38, who finished with enviable stats of 36 kills and 14 deaths. As you might imagine, the trio lead their team to a comprehensive win.

As the event continued, our dev players separated to try and make their presence known in as many game modes as possible and Dev3 racked up the most impressive score with 69 kills for 28 deaths in Team Deathmatch, using a preferred Loadout of MD-97L, 608 Bull, Sawn-off and Sneaky Burst; and Items Quick Holster, Autoinjector and Sneakers.

For the final match, as has become customary in our Max Payne 3 Social Club Multiplayer Events, our four dev players Crewed up and equipped their game faces for a final Gang Wars in the Favelas. It began with a round of 'Last Man Standing' and Dev2 quickly fell to a headshot from dondormeo (PSN ID). It came down to Dev4 and Combe209 - with senses clearly sharpened from playing Hardcore mode earlier, Dev4 broke from cover to dispatch the opponent with a volley of shotgun shells. The next two rounds saw our devs comfortably win in 'Turf Grab' and 'Passage', and then it took Dev3 all of a minute to plant the bomb on the train tracks and send the team into 'Survivor' with a clean sweep of wins. They finished the match on top with Dev1 taking out bdkrevenge (PSN ID) for the final kill.

Extra special gratitude goes out to YouTube user and Social Club Multiplayer Event regular, ShenmueSaga, who once again captured the action and whose video you can see above.

The Grand Prize for this event included a Limited Edition Max Payne statue, Hawaiian shirt, bullet keychain and stickers - congrats to our lucky winner dingus76. Runners-up N9ne0sBaby, Mattx0x, sensationstation, Shockwave9 and treedee71 will receive a t-shirt, bullet keychain and stickers.

Hit the jump for the full roll call of everyone who joined us and make sure you check back in on the multiplayer events page for several more action-packed dates this month - including sessions for Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV (including the Episodes modes).