A new patch (version 1.03) for Zipper Interactive's PS3-exclusive shooter MAG will be released overnight at 3AM CST and includes a hefty list of changes, chiefly focused around weapon balance.

Zipper's Jeremy Dunham summarized the patch on the game's official website:

Our amendments are dramatic and they are many and we're confident that they make the game even better than it already was. Not only have we revamped the effectiveness of every weapon in the arsenal and tuned our ranged firing to be more realistic, but we've also sped up the weapon and gear swapping process, closed off exploits that gave some teams unfair advantages on certain maps, and have made it more obvious when it's too late to stop a charge from blowing up.

Patch v1.03

Available February 25, 2010 | 41MB (TPPS), 49MB (DLS)

Gameplay

• Overhauled tuning of multiple weapons of all types (see 'Weapon' section below)
• Improved speed of weapon and gear swapping by approximately 500 milliseconds.
• Fixed bug in SVER's Aralkum Mechanical Acquisition map and Absheron Refinery Domination map that allowed players to defuse a charge planted on a repaired gate or door.
• Added a 'solid tone' sound effect near the end of a charge's beeping detonation timer so that players know when the charge can no longer be defused and that they should vacate the area.
• 'Medium Improved' Armor now works as intended with the speed properties of Medium Armor and a defensive value greater than Medium, but less than Heavy Armor.
• Changed resuscitated player's camera orientation to match the last camera direction used while incapacitated instead of the pre-harm camera.
• Players no longer lose XP if a teammate is killed by an objective explosion caused by a charge they planted.
• Respec Point requirements in Barracks have been changed from 3K, 5K, 10K, 17K, 26K, and 26K-Repeat to 1K, 2K, 3K, and 3K-Repeat.
• Lowered the amount of damage necessary to kill an incapacitated enemy
• All fired projectiles (RPGs, Turret Rockets) have been given a steadier aim.
• Mines that haven't been triggered are no longer removed from the map when the dead player that deploys them respawns unless that player changes their Loadout (note: The maximum number of mines you can plant cannot exceed the number you initially spawn with).
• Fixed bug that prevented 'fully-resuscitated' players with more than 100 health points from receiving their full HP.
• Fixed bug that caused players to take unnecessary damage from both friendly and enemy vehicles when touching them.
• Players no longer lose leadership points after entering 'Veteran Mode.'

Weapons

• 'From the hip' firing for Light and Medium machine guns have stronger recoil and are less accurate when moving.
• Tuned weapon damage for all three factions.
• Modified all short-ranged weapons (pistols, PDWs, shotguns, SMGs) so that they're less effective at long distances.
• Made Battle Rifles more effective.
• Reduced accuracy bonus for using iron sights and reflex sights so that players can no longer snipe with weapons that aren't intended to do so.
• Increased damage values for all rockets to make them more effective (ex: three rockets can now destroy a DE turret).
• Shooting through thin materials (fences, tents, etc.) will be more consistent.
• Increased spread on shotguns.
• Improved animations for rocket launchers.

Graphics

• Fixed bug that caused the recoil animation to end early or stop animating if a player was firing their weapon for a long period of time.
• Changed detonation time on smoke and poison gas grenades to prevent them from exploding in mid-air to eliminate unintended FX issues.
• Added realistic fogging effects to sky-domes.

Technical

• Fixed most conditions that caused players to be caught in a 'respawn loop' which kept restarting the respawn queue when the countdown clock reached 0.
• Changed in-game conditions to make it less likely to experience in-game freezes.
• Improved client-side stability.