In League of Legends, there are many combinations between champions. Many abilities simply work well together, and over time, new combos are discovered, whether with new items or new champs. A simple yet brilliant combo between two champs was shown on Twitter.
What kind of combo is this? On Twitter/X , LoL co-streamer Caedrel showcases a play between the champions Xerath and Kayn. Both ultimates have brilliant synergy.
In the video, you see Kayn ult the opposing Varus
After that, Xerath locks the camera onto Kayn through F2, who is in his opponent thanks to his ultimate
Xerath then ults himself, and due to the locked camera, he doesn’t have to aim with his mouse anymore, hitting Varus effortlessly
You can see the Twitter video here:
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Xerath’s ultimate is actually hard to hit, and this synergy makes aiming a breeze. Thus, it’s also a combo that any player can try out themselves.
In addition to LoL, TFT, and others, other games in the LoL universe are also expected to be released in the future. One of them is the crafting adventure Bandle Tale. You can see the trailer here:
Start video
Bandle Tale LoL Trailer
I will try this with my buddy
When you think about it, this combo is incredibly simple, neither Kayn nor Xerath has to pay attention to anything except the timing of their own ultimates. Under the tweet, users react positively and highlight the brilliance of this combo.
The player thatjimmytr finds: This is insane lol, these guys are geniuses
LasagneBryan comments: Both champs have been on the market for over 5 years, and this is the first time I’ve seen something like this.
FlashyVlady finds: Kayn Xerath combo now? I will try this with my buddy
Such combinations receive positive feedback in the community, especially when every player, regardless of their skill level, can try and play this synergy. These will also be easier to communicate in the future, as Riot is planning a new penalty for toxic players.
Do you know any good synergies or combinations of champions or items that are not so well-known? Then tell us in the comments. Due to the constant release of new champions, new combo ideas also emerge regularly.
Not everyone likes new champions. LoL pro BeryL expressed negative comments about this:
In Cyberpunk 2077 there are iconic weapons in addition to regular guns that you can acquire or craft for your collection. We will show you which ones they are and how you can find them.
What are iconic weapons? In the base game of Cyberpunk 2077, there are a total of 52 iconic weapons that you can obtain. Iconic weapons are special guns with distinctive appearances and effects. You can find them randomly in Night City, receive them through quests, or craft them.
While some examples can be easily found, there are many exceptions that you need to search for specifically in order to claim them as your own. We will now list all the treasures for you and also provide their locations.
[toc]
Important info about Phantom Liberty:With the upcoming DLC “Phantom Liberty”, more iconic weapons will likely be added. We will keep our list updated and list all new items that can be found after the release.
Start video
Idris Elba explains how to survive in Cyberpunk 2077 and takes up arms in the trailer himself
All iconic weapons from quests
Amnesty
Location: In the main mission “We Gotta Live Together” (Complete Cassidy’s Challenge).
Archangel
Location: In the side mission “A Like Supreme”.
Chaos
Location: In the main mission “The Pickup”.
Crash
Location: In the side mission “Following The River”.
Divided We Stand
Location: In the side mission “Stadium Love”.
Doom Doom
Location: In the side mission “Second Conflict”. Dropped by Dum Dum.
Dying Night
Location: In the side mission “The Gun”.
Genjiroh
Location: In the main mission “Play It Safe”.
Gold-Plated Baseball Bat
Location: In the side mission “Second Conflict”.
Hypercritical
Location: In the side mission “Gig: Concrete Cage Trap”.
Jinchu-Maru
Location: In the main quest “Play It Safe”. Dropped by Oda.
Malorian Arms 3516
Location: In the side quest “Chippin’ In”.
Mox
Location: In the side quest “Pyramid Song”.
Overwatch
Location: In the side quest “Riders on The Storm”.
Ozob’s Nose
Location: In the side quest “Send in the Clowns”.
Prejudice
Location: In the main quest “For Whom the Bell Tolls”.
Pride
Location: In the main mission “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door”.
Problem Solver
Location: In the side mission “Riders of The Storm”.
Prototype: Shingen Mark V
Location: In the main mission “Gimme Danger”.
Scalpel
Location: In the side quest “Big in Japan”.
Sir John Phallustiff
Location: In the side quest “Venus in Furus”.
Stinger
Location: In the side quest “I’ll Fly Away”.
Tinker Bell
Location: In the side quest “The Hunt”.
Tsumetogi
Location: In the side quest “Pisces”.
Widow Maker
Location: In the main quest “Ghost Town”. Dropped by Nash.
Can I buy all iconic weapons? According to players from the Cyberpunk community there is a hint in a loading screen that in Phantom Liberty there will be shops that can offer you iconic weapons you missed for purchase. These will be located in Dogtown, the new area of the DLC. Whether all weapons will be offered there or just a certain fraction remains to be seen.
The Night Elves in World of Warcraft are being overlooked. The most important quest is just mocking the traditions of the people.
In World of Warcraft, each race gradually gets a special quest line to unlock the so-called ‘Heritage Armor’. This quest usually revolves around the origin of the race and the history of how that race became what it is today. Blood Elves have a flashback to the Sunwell and the Scourge invasion, while Humans from Stormwind talk about dragon attacks and the Defias Brotherhood.
But Blizzard seems to have slacked off when it comes to the Night Elves. Because the quest is simply not what it should be. Sure, there’s the great Heritage Armor of the Night Elves at the end, but the quest just feels ‘wrong’ in the context of the Night Elves.
There’s no need to discuss that quests in World of Warcraft are a bit outdated in their design. At its core, it’s always ‘Go there, kill X or collect Y’.
At the end, there’s the stylish Heritage Armor.
The pure gameplay design of the quest line is also extremely simple: Together with Maiev and the two siblings Lysander and Arko’narin, we infiltrate the underground complex of Jaedanar, uncover the return of some demons, and thwart a ritual that is supposed to bring even more of them into our world.
Basically, it’s a classic Warcraft quest – so classic that it’s an exact gameplay repeat of the old missions from the Demon Forest.
That’s not particularly exciting, but certainly solid. It’s just a somewhat nostalgic nod to one of the better-known Classic quests.
In the current patch, the Night Elves are also worried about their future:
Start video
WoW: New cinematic shows why night elves have to worry about their home again
Legendary Heroes – Outshone by Children
The problem with this quest line is how World of Warcraft treats the Night Elves as a race, and specifically how it handles Maiev Shadowsong.
Maiev Shadowsong is one of the truly great personalities of the Night Elves. She is over ten thousand years old. She is a warden who is skilled in hunting demons, imprisoning demons, and knows all about Fel magic and its dangers. This is knowledge she has accumulated over many millennia. In this area, Maiev is a somewhat fanatical authority. She knows her stuff because it has defined her entire life.
But Maiev is more than that. She hates mages. She secretly kills mages whenever she gets the chance. From her perspective, arcane magic and Fel magic have led to the downfall of her people, and her entire life’s work is to combat it.
Maiev is one of the most significant Warcraft heroes of the Night Elves – unfortunately not as wise as Johnny McNineteenYears.
In contrast, we have Lysander. He is literally ‘just grown up’. In fact, during Classic, he was still a baby. He is so young that he has never consciously experienced the ‘immortality’ of the Night Elves. Additionally, he is a young mage – something that was frowned upon among Night Elves until Cataclysm and is now reintegrated into society.
And what does such a newly adult Night Elf mage do when he comes into contact with Fel magic on a large scale?
Exactly. He knows it perfectly, can dispel any magical Fel problem, and outshines the ancient and wise Maiev, who has done nothing else her entire life.
Honestly, I found that hard to bear. It was the same level of ‘unpleasant’ that only invincible wonder-child RP characters usually evoke in me.
And as if that weren’t bad enough, by the end, Lysander even receives tattoos that are traditionally reserved for (female) sentinels.
Of course, I understand what the quest is trying to convey. It wants to express that the Night Elves are evolving. That old traditions are being broken. That the previously matriarchal structures of the Night Elves are disappearing and that mages are being accepted again. After all, the race is on the brink of extinction, and compromises must be made.
Still, everything feels wrong. It feels like putting the so-important character Maiev in a wheelchair and sending her off to a nursing home. It doesn’t help much that the second theme of the quest line is primarily ‘trauma management’, and Lysander’s views and tips can casually be summarized as ‘Just don’t be so negative and overcome your problems, lol’ – but applied to the whole race.
The quest line would be fine if Maiev weren’t present and it weren’t about the Heritage Armor. Because the quest related to it actually tries to capture the essence of what defines a race. And what was shown here just doesn’t represent the Night Elves.
A similar view is expressed by the YouTuber and WoW analyst Bellular. He released a video on this quest line a few hours ago and comes to some similar observations – he also finds the handling of the Night Elves’ tradition to be difficult.
That it can be done significantly better is surprisingly demonstrated by WoW in the same patch with the Undead. The quest line about the Forsaken is praised from all sides. It is interesting, pretty brutal, and essentially says: This is the Forsaken.
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For Bellular, the quest line is also a prime example that some races in World of Warcraft are becoming increasingly ‘watered down’ and evolving into ‘Humans 2.0’. In a fantasy world with different species, these should have different cultures and views. Sure, there can be compromises, but it’s precisely these differences between the races that make a story interesting.
Especially the grand quest lines revolving around the legacy armor of Orcs, Humans, and Undead show how well one can capture the essence of a race when one knows what defines the races in Warcraft.
On Steam a new PvPvE dungeon crawler was announced, which at first glance reminds many players of a game banned from the platform. However, it is not only receiving criticism for this. In the trailer, which announces the alpha playtest, there is now gameplay to see.
What kind of game is this? Project Crawl is a first-person dungeon crawler, which was announced on Steam. The game promises you everything you could expect from a good dungeon crawler.
Join trusted teammates and embark on a quest for treasures, explore dangerous dungeons, and face horrifying creatures in battle. Master these and other adventures to escape the darkness and greed before they completely consume you.
Start video
Project Crawl Trailer
What are the reactions? The reactions in the comments under the trailer (via YouTube) are mixed. It becomes clear that the game reminds many users of the title Dark & Darker, which was itself a surprise hit on Steam, but was then removed from the store.
However, the resemblance to Project Crawl is not only received negatively. There are both positive and negative opinions:
In EA Sports FC 24 you can use a new way to dribble. This is currently considered very strong. We show you how it works.
This is the dribbling: In EA Sports FC 24 there is a new gameplay mechanic called Controlled Sprint. It is a kind of intermediate form between normal running and full sprinting.
The big advantage of this mechanic is that it gives you a very good combination of speed and ball control. This results in a new type of dribbling that can extremely help you navigate through the opponent’s defense. With quick, controlled movements, it is possible to easily maneuver around opponents.
This technique is currently being newly discovered by many players and is already considered by some as a new OP mechanic that you should master.
How to use the dribbling: You activate the Controlled Sprint by pressing the R1/RB button while steering your running direction with the left stick.
Then it just takes some practice to get into the new movement pattern and really maneuver around opponents. However, there are a few details you can pay attention to.
In addition to the new controlled sprint, the gameplay brings even more innovations:
Start video
EA Sports FC 24 shows its gameplay in the Deep Dive
Getting the most out of the controlled sprint
Sudden change of direction: Basically, you can already make small movement adjustments by simply running slightly to the left or right with the left stick while holding R1/RB. However, if you want to make a quick turn to the side, such as at a 90-degree angle, use the right stick for that.
Then you activate the effort-dribbling touch, which allows you to incorporate sudden movements into your running path. How to do that is shown by EA Sports in the pitch notes (via ea.com):
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The right players: Basically, you can use the controlled sprint with all players in the game. However, some have this technique better than others. They need the PlayStyle or the PlayStyle+ called Technical.
The PlayStyle Technical provides higher speed with controlled sprints and allows for more precise turns while dribbling. The PlayStyle+ version increases both.
With this PlayStyle, players can even make up for some speed even when their pace is not that high.
So when you get new players, check if they possibly have this PlayStyle. Usually, these are players that come with high dribbling values and do not necessarily rely on strong skill moves – although that is not a complete exclusion criterion.
A good example of this is Bernardo Silva, who is one of the best options for the controlled sprint.
By incorporating the new sprint into your gameplay, you could gain an advantage against your opponents’ defense. Depending on which players you field in your team, the new dribbling is an extremely strong weapon in offensive play.
Are you looking for more good players for Ultimate Team? Maybe you can simply build them yourself because in FUT there is now the possibility to equip certain players with better stats – through the evolution feature. We show you strong options in FUT for the new evolutions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Role-playing is an important aspect for many fans of MMOs. However, not every game is equally suited for role-playing and has a community where one can express oneself and exchange ideas. Therefore, we present to you 7 MMOs that are particularly well-suited for role-playing.
What is role-playing? In role-playing, it’s about taking on the role of something else, whether it be a human, an animal, or a fictional character. In MMORPGs, the term role-playing is already included, referring more to the fact that your character takes on a specific role in the story and you can eventually equip them better over time.
However, some players take it a step further and create their own personalities that the game doesn’t actually provide for. Thus, players suddenly become full-time anglers, start families, or have disputes with neighbors. They do much of this without receiving any rewards in the game. They primarily enjoy themselves.
What is this list about? The role-playing that goes beyond the boundaries set by the game is not possible in every MMO:
In some games, content is lacking to allow players to fully immerse themselves in the game (immersion). Role-players usually want to be able to sit or use certain emotes. In certain games, however, there are contents that simply do not fit into the associated world and can even destroy immersion.
In other games, it’s complicated to interact with other players or even to meet friends deliberately.
Moreover, for good role-playing, it’s helpful to have a large number of players interested in it.
That’s why we have selected 7 games where you can find exactly such circumstances.
How were the games selected? The games were selected based on the editorial staff’s own experiences and some research in role-playing communities. There may indeed be MMOs that we have overlooked or where the communities are even larger. Feel free to recommend further role-playing titles to us in the comments.
The article originally appeared in September 2020 and was updated on September 24, 2023, with new links and information.
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GTA Online
Genre: Action-Adventure | Developer: Rockstar Games | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | Release Date: September 2013 | Model: Buy2Play
What kind of game is this?GTA Online is the multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto V. You create a character and enter the vast and open game world. Various missions await you, through which you can earn money to buy weapons, vehicles, and businesses.
One content is the “Heists”, a co-op activity where you solve PvE tasks with other players. But PvP against other players or races with cars, bikes, and boats are also part of the game world.
Start video
Everything you need to know about GTA Online – in 2 minutes
Why is it so well-suited for role-playing? GTA V features very intricate world-building and offers many options to slip into your own role.
The best role-playing occurs on private servers that players can host themselves. GTAlife is one of the most well-known communities. There, you must live a normal life, work, earn money, and use it to buy new cars.
A video from the YouTube channel Gamebot GTA shows how role-playing can unfold:
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What kind of game is this?Final Fantasy XIV is one of the most popular MMORPGs in the West and regularly receives content updates and expansions like Endwalker. The game resembles classic Japanese role-playing games, with a strong focus on the story. In the endgame, tricky dungeons and raids await.
Here, you can choose from different classes (called jobs), between which you can switch at any time with a character. There’s also a deep crafting system and many side quests to keep you busy for a long time.
Everything you need to know about the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV – in 2 minutes
Why is it so well-suited for role-playing? The world of Final Fantasy is vast and rich in backstory. Additionally, you can shape your character as you wish and adapt based on the job at any time.
Role-playing is so popular in FFXIV that you almost always encounter a group of players. Various communities also regularly organize role-playing events.
If you want to join such an event, you can check the calendar of “Role-playing on Light”. This German community organizes activities almost daily.
Genre: MMORPG | Developer: | Platform: PC | Release Date: April 24, 2007 | Model: Free2Play
What kind of game is this? In LOTRO – or also HdRO – you venture into Middle-earth, where you gradually leave the tranquil starter zones to face the world threatened by Sauron’s grasp.
The MMORPG stands out for its wonderful atmosphere, the many contents, and regular new updates, even though the game is already 15 years old.
Players could participate in-game at this famous wedding, and many celebrated it in their own unique way.
Why is it so well-suited for role-playing? Tolkien’s world provides a wonderful framework to live out your own role-playing fantasies. After all, you encounter the well-known characters from the book and movie in the MMORPG.
This is complemented by a large role-playing community that explores Middle-earth together, takes on challenges, engages in stricter and more laid-back role-playing, or simply plays music, as shown in this video:
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In Europe, the server Laurelin is especially ideal for diving into the role-playing adventure. However, you should be proficient in English, as the largest community is there.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Since early September, you can solve the special research A Paldea Adventure in Pokémon GO. Now, some trainers have reached the 5th and thus final page. We from MeinMMO will show you what tasks and rewards await you here.
Which research is it about? With the start of the season Plenty of Adventure, the developers announced the release of the first monsters from the Paldea region. Accordingly, a special research under the name A Paldea Adventure was also included, where you had to choose one of the starter Pokémon. This way, you could choose your respective path.
However, the research is relatively time-consuming, which is why only tables 1 to 4 have been known so far. Now, however, the first trainers have reached the 5th and thus final page and show on Reddit what tasks you need to complete to finish the special research. Just like with the previous tables, the content will vary slightly based on the monster you choose.
Level Reward: If you have completed all the tasks of this table and collected the rewards, you will also receive a Lucky Egg and 900 XP.
A Paldea Adventure 5/5 with Krokel
Task
Reward
Explore 80 km
25 Ultra Balls
Catch 100 different species of Pokémon
2 Rocket Radars
Complete 150 field research tasks
5 silver Nanab Berries
Make 50 Power-Ups on Pokémon
50 Krokel Candies
Catch a Pokémon on 14 different days
9,000 Stardust
Level Reward: If you have completed all the tasks of this table and collected the rewards, you will also receive a Lucky Egg and 900 XP.
A Paldea Adventure 5/5 with Kwaks
Task
Reward
Explore 80 km
25 Ultra Balls
Catch 100 different species of Pokémon
2 Rocket Radars
Complete 150 field research tasks
5 silver Nanab Berries
Make 50 Power-Ups on Pokémon
50 Kwaks Candies
Catch a Pokémon on 14 different days
9,000 Stardust
Level Reward: If you have completed all the tasks of this table and collected the rewards, you will also receive a Lucky Egg and 900 XP.
Start video
Pokémon GO brings the first Paldea Pokémon
What you should consider when solving
Overall, the tasks of the last table are again relatively time-consuming. With the task Catch a Pokémon on 14 different days, a time limit is even set until you can finish the research at the earliest.
Just like with the PokéStops on the previous table, you do not have to catch the monsters on 14 consecutive days. So, there will be no broken series if you skip a day, as was the case with other quests in the past. For this reason, the task should not be difficult to complete.
For the Power-Ups, we recommend that you create a corresponding day where you can store monsters that you want to level up. This way, you don’t have to search through your collection every time. Additionally, combine this task with other quests like field research to save Candies and Stardust. Because for the remaining tasks, you mostly need one thing: plenty of patience.
How do you like the tasks of the last table? Do you find the rewards appropriate to the tasks? Or were you hoping for better content? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers about it.
With EA Sports FC 24 a new era begins, but does that also apply to the game’s career mode? We clarify what is changing and show you the most exciting innovations in the career.
In recent years, the career mode has not been known for its innovative updates, and fans have long desired a major revolution of the mode. For example, a cooperative online mode that has been on the fans’ wishlist for years.
Unfortunately, the online career will still have to remain a dream this year. Nevertheless, there are some innovations in the career mode, and 5 of them sound quite exciting. We will show them to you.
And everything you need to know about FIFA’s successor EA Sports FC 24 can be found here:
“Tactical Visions” is supposed to simplify tactics
This is “Tactical Visions”: Jürgen Klopp is known for his counter-pressing tactic, and Pep Guardiola has dizzying his opponents with the famous tiki-taka. In FC 24, you should now be able to easily select these and other football philosophies in the manager career, making it even easier to determine how your players act on the pitch.
A feature that is primarily designed for newcomers, for whom tactical fine-tuning can be a bit overwhelming.
There are said to be seven different “Tactical Visions” from which to choose freely.
Hiring your own coaches is supposed to improve players
This is new: Just like in real football, the coach does not act alone and has a coaching staff to improve and train the players. This is now also possible in the manager career of FC 24.
You can now hire your own coaches and use them to improve your players’ tactical understanding and generally make them better faster. How well this works and whether the additional coaches really provide added value remains to be seen.
Start video
5 important improvements in the career mode of EA Sports FC 24
Better preparations for the next match
With “Match Preparation”, EA Sports promises a comprehensive preparation for the next match. You will now be shown what the strengths and weaknesses of your next opponent are so that you can prepare your players accordingly.
For this, you will have special “Matchday Training” available, with which you can determine whether to exploit your opponent’s weaknesses or seek a solution for their strengths.
Additionally, this special training is said to allow you to give your players temporary “PlayStyles” that they did not have before.
Watch your team’s games like a real coach
Do you want to feel like a real coach? Then the “Tactical View” feature of FC 24 might be something for you. In the manager career of FC 24, you can now watch your team’s games in their entirety – just like a real coach.
You can choose from different camera perspectives and even select one that shows the game from the sidelines at the height of the coaching bench. Tactical changes can also be made if you are dissatisfied with your team’s performance.
However, it is not yet known whether you can also step in at any time and control the players yourself.
If you choose a player career and try to become an absolute superstar, then you now have an agent by your side in FC 24 to help you with that. According to EA, the agent is supposed to assist you with every step of your career and help you achieve goals.
There are supposed to be career path tasks that you need to complete to achieve certain transfer goals. However, EA still owes us some details here to gauge how useful this feature can really be.
What else is changing in career mode? In addition to these 5 major innovations, the career mode of FC 24 is also supposed to improve visually. EA speaks of new cutscenes during award ceremonies and in other parts of the game that are supposed to make the experience even more realistic.
What do you think of the changes in the career mode? Feel free to let us know in the comments!
If you are looking for the best talents for your EA FC 24 career, then take a look here:
Twitch streamer MontanaBlack has purchased a new gaming PC for his setup. He proudly showcases it in a video. A highlight for him is the integrated PS5 with liquid cooling.
Now MontanaBlack has introduced his new gaming PC. It’s quite a hefty device with a lot of accessories. However, he is particularly proud of the integrated PS5, which the manufacturer claims is “unique.”
Start video
Career and Life of MontanaBlack in 2 Minutes: What Makes Him Unique?
MontanaBlack has a gaming PC with integrated PS5
What’s inside the gaming PC? MontanaBlack and Mifcom have jointly presented the new PC:
Processor: Intel Core i9 13900KS
Graphics Card: RTX 4090 (24 GB)
Mainboard: ASUS Z790 Maximus Hero
Memory: 96 GB DDR5-RAM
Integrated PS5 with custom liquid cooling
Elgato Capture: 4K 60 Pro MK II
Additionally, there are 4 4K monitors from Gigabyte, all capable of 144 Hz.
What else can the device do? The employee from Mifcom explained in the video that the system is set up so that he can easily connect other devices like a PS3 or a Nintendo Switch and then showcase them on the stream. The hardware is configured so that he can use everything seamlessly.
MontanaBlack, who is a streamer and creator, needs various hardware for his work. Therefore, the acquisition cost could pay off in the long run.
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For many players, there are better and more reasonable options for a gaming PC
Is it worth it? For most players, such an extensive setup isn’t really worth it. Many users do not need 96 GB of RAM, and a capture card may also be unnecessary for many. Four 4K monitors may not be that interesting for many players either. The 4 monitors alone each cost 500 Euros. According to Steam, most players are using Full HD or WQHD anyway.
The installed i9 13900KS is considered the fastest processor from Intel, but as colleagues from ComputerBase explain, there is the Core i9-13900K, which offers nearly the same performance but costs significantly less.
Additionally, there are better options for players: The AMD 5800X3D, AMD’s best processor for the AM4 socket, with 32 GB of memory and B550 motherboard, can now be had for around 600 Euros – the Core i9-13900K alone costs about 750 Euros. And that doesn’t even include the motherboard and RAM.
The MMO Star Citizen has now raised 605 million $ through crowdfunding. Last week, the SF epic launched into Alpha 3.20: The game is now more beautiful than ever, but suffers from many bugs. Head and video game visionary Chris Roberts comments on the status of his project.
This is what’s currently happening in Star Citizen:
Star Citizen received a new update last Thursday, the Alpha 3.20. The patch was advertised as an update that “brings the most action so far.”
The head of the game, Chris Roberts, explains current stability issues as a result of a database change six months ago, but promises improvements. Star Citizen should soon greatly benefit from the work on Squadron 42.
A trailer showcasing the update can be seen here:
Start video
Star Citizen shows the new content of Alpha 3.20 in the trailer
Much frustration and praise in the Star Citizen community
What’s the mood like currently? The mood after the update is divided. On one hand, players are posting pictures and videos on reddit and YouTube showcasing Star Citizen in all its glory.
There are screenshots of ships in space, close-ups of improvements in physics, or praise for a new mission type (via reddit)
But there is also a lot of criticism of the current state of the game, as patch 3.20 is plagued by many bugs: bodies are grotesquely deformed.
The post sparked discussion: A player wrote a long post in the forum on Sunday about what “Quality of Life” improvements he feels are lacking in Star Citizen: things like shortcuts, keybinds, or better reporting functions.
Among other things, he is concerned that Star Citizen becomes more “readable” and makes it more pleasant for the player to operate in the universe.
The detailed post with numerous points has already received 470 upvotes and resonates with many in the community.
Chris Roberts raves about what players make of his game
This is what Roberts says: The head of the game, Chris Roberts, has also commented on the post (via rsi). He praises the constructive feedback – something like this is extremely helpful. Roberts wants everyone to know that he closely follows the feedback from the community. He also tracks various content creators about Star Citizen and listens to what they have to say about Star Citizen.
Even in Roberts’ words, the state of the game is reflected. On one hand, Roberts thinks it’s great how people play his game and says he could never have imagined 10 years ago what kind of dynamic and beautiful images Star Citizen would eventually create and what players would build in his big sandbox.
On the other hand, Roberts also admits that 2023 has been a particularly difficult year in terms of stability and comfort functions, which is due to update 3.18, which introduced persistent streaming into the game in March 2023.
Roberts explains why Star Citizen has been so unstable for 6 months
Due to the update, it was necessary to change the database in the backend: Because of 3.18 in March 2023, it was necessary to switch from an SQL Database to a “Graph Database”.
Although they switched to a technically excellent database, it has led to numerous problems such as endlessly spinning inventory windows, disappearing items, or poor game performance. This is frustrating because the software should actually run rock solid.
They are now letting the top technicians from the database company work on the problem and will resolve the issue very soon to return to the stability level of 3.17.
Roberts says literally (machine translated):
This year has been particularly challenging regarding stability and quality of life due to the introduction of Persistent Entity Streaming (PES) in 3.18. The entire manner in which we track and record the state of the universe has changed dramatically, which has also altered the way we process data in the backend in the cloud. Due to the way we record the state with PES, we had to switch to a different type of backend database, from a SQL database (relational) to a Graph database.
Unfortunately, the graph database we selected, although one of the best-rated and designed for enterprise use, has had significant issues with load, causing the database to lock up and all queries from the game servers to stall. This occurred during the launch of version 3.18, during which we struggled to stabilize it, including some technical measures on our side to reduce the load on the database.
We thought we had solved the problem, but the latest version of the database software was a regression, and we had additional locks on loading, which occurred shortly after the launch of 3.20 on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and briefly on Saturday. Last night, we reverted to an older version and disabled some of the features we suspect are contributing to instability (ironically, we believe that the replication on mirror databases for full redundancy is one reason for the database locks). This seems to have stabilized things.
When the backend database gets into a bad state, it manifests itself in various ways such as endlessly rotating inventory windows, missing items, and reduced game performance. We opted for a standard database to ensure stability and reliability since there is already a lot of new technology in Star Citizen – hence it’s frustrating that the software, which should be rock solid, is the biggest culprit making the Star Citizen experience even less reliable. We have the top engineers from the database company working on it, and we are also considering other databases we could switch to if the unreliability of the current solution persists.
Roberts promises improvement through Squadron 42
What’s next? Roberts announces that the quality of Star Citizen will improve immensely when they bring the “great technology and features” of Squadron 42 to Star Citizen. This would implement many of the desired improvements in the areas of “readability” and “comfort”.
Although Roberts does not state when the single-player game Squadron 42 will be released, he announces that he is very much looking forward to Citizen Con. It will take place on October 21 and 22, 2023.
How is this being discussed? Essentially, one reads Chris Roberts’ statement as: “We trusted a large company, relied on their product, and were disappointed.” One user states: Star Citizen already gets enough trouble and criticism for its own mistakes, it must feel terrible to now be held accountable for the mistakes of others.
However, it is argued that it is still the company’s fault for choosing the wrong product.
The promise from Roberts that players of Star Citizen will soon benefit from Squadron 42 is met with skepticism on reddit: timelines should always be taken with caution in Star Citizen.
With update 2.0, CD Projekt Red has revised several systems in Cyberpunk 2077 – including the cyberware system. To ensure you are always best equipped, we provide you with an overview of all adjustments. The best part: clothing is now (almost) unnecessary.
What has changed? With Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, your armor value, the armor, is now only partially determined by your outfit. Although clothing like bulletproof vests still offers some extra protection, most of your armor will now come from your cyberware. You can now actually roam the streets of Night City naked without losing any security.
The cyberware limit is also new: Each piece of installed cyberware costs you points. Once you reach your point limit, you can no longer add or upgrade cyberware. Before the update, you could equip yourself with as much chrome as you wanted – completely without consequences.
On the left, you see your cyberware limit, on the right your current armor. Cyberware now also gives you more hit points. Additionally, it can also affect your stamina and mobility.
Moreover, the cyberware offered to you is no longer tied to your street cred. This means you will always see all the items currently available for purchase and do not need to unlock them over time by gaining more notoriety.
How do you get your new cyberware? You still have to visit a Ripperdoc to install, adjust, or change your cyberware. Ripperdocs are doctors focused on cyberware medicine. You can find them scattered throughout Night City.
If you start update 2.0 with an old save game and the Phantom Liberty DLC, you will receive a quest that sends you to a Ripperdoc of your choice. There you will get an initial overview and can make adjustments.
How do I increase my cyberware limit? The limit for cyberware automatically increases with each level-up. However, there are also items that increase the limit or allow you to exceed it up to a certain point. It is therefore worthwhile to schedule regular checks of your current upgrade options in your sessions.
With Edgerunner carry more cyberware faster: With the perk Edgerunner, you can exceed your cyberware limit by up to 50 points. You unlock the perk in the newly updated skill tree by putting 20 attribute points into your technical skills.
By the way, we have compiled the three best 2.0 builds for you – including a build for “Edgerunner”:
Edgerunner not only allows you to exceed your cyberware limit. You also deal more damage with the perk.
Important: To unlock it, you must also have at least eleven perk points. Edgerunner is only unlocked with attribute level four and can only be selected after some other perks.
Minthara is a companion in Baldur’s Gate 3, which you need to unlock first. By recruiting her, you can gain a lot, but also lose much. MeinMMO will reveal what it entails.
Spoiler Warning: Minthara is an NPC from Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3. This article also refers to some elements of Act 2. You have been warned.
Who is Minthara?
Minthara is a Drow Paladin, a dark elf with sinister intentions.
You first meet her in the Ruined Sanctum in the Goblin camp.
Her inclination fits best with evil runs.
The player PikeOrShield has created an overview showing you what you gain and what you lose when you recruit the dark Drow.
Start video
3 Tips to Reduce Your Carrying Weight in Baldur’s Gate 3
Recruiting Minthara – Two different paths and their impacts
PikeOrShield shows you on Reddit two different paths on how to recruit Minthara. He explains the pros and cons of both decisions.
We have summarized his overview here:
Commonalities of both paths: There are two different paths on how you can recruit Minthara, a neutral one and a evil one. In both paths, you can recruit Minthara at the Towers of Moonrise in Act 2. Additionally, you can date her at the end of Act 2. Mol dies, but you can still buy her Act 3 goods.
What do you lose in both paths? You cannot recruit Halsin and also cannot break the Shadow Curse. Additionally, you lose all Tieflings and Karlach’s personal quest, Dammon’s exclusive goods, Mattis’s exclusive goods, Alfira’s rewards, and Rolan’s quest.
What paths are there and how do they differ?
Path 1 – Recruit Minthara through evil deeds: To recruit Minthara, you can act murderously. This means you must join the Goblins and slaughter the druid grove and the refugees. Only then will Minthara come to a feast in your camp.
What you gain:
A sex scene with Minthara
Hints for the Kar’niss quest
What you lose:
Wyll and Karlach leave your group and cannot be recruited.
You need to convince Gale to stay in the group.
Path 2 – Stay neutral: Alternatively, you can also stay out of the conflict and keep your hands clean. With this method, you can still resolve the Kagha conflict. But do not kill the Goblin leaders. In the end, it comes down to the same thing, as the Goblins win by default against the druid grove.
What you gain:
Wyll, Karlach, and Gale stay in the group/in the camp.
Arabella survives.
What you lose:
If you choose the neutral path, you cannot have sex with Minthara.
In conclusion, the decision to recruit Minthara in Baldur’s Gate 3 plays a significant role in the course of your game. Depending on the chosen path – whether through evil deeds or a neutral stance – different consequences arise for your group and your story.
Ultimately, the choice is yours whether to include the dark Drow in your group and what moral sacrifices you are willing to make for it.
Ubisoft announced a third installment to the “The Division” series last week in a blog post. There were no real details regarding gameplay or release, but many fans of the series are still happy about the announcement.
In a rather unremarkable blog post, Ubisoft announced Julian Gerighty as Executive Producer for the The-Division brand, and within the post, The Division 3 is also announced. Gerighty is currently working on Star Wars Outlaws and is the Creative Director on the Star Wars-Open World.
Accordingly, we will have to wait a long time for The Division 3. However, fans do not seem to mind, as many on reddit are excited about the announcement and are happy that Ubisoft wants to grant the brand a new installment.
Soon you will be able to dive into a new The-Division adventure on your mobile phone:
Start video
The Division Resurgence – CGI Trailer shows the new free-to-play third-person shooter role-playing game for mobile devices
I can hardly wait for The Division 3
How is the community reacting? In a reddit post about the announcement with over 900 upvotes, many players are looking forward to the game.
DrkNight365: I still love this […] game and keep coming back. I can hardly wait for The Division 3.
Agent-Canadian: Honestly, a big thing since Ubi is ready to drop any brand at any time! Great job by the Division 2 team!!
KaptainKuceng: That’s kind of crazy and very surprising. I thought Ubisoft had already given up on making a real sequel and was just focusing on Heartland and Resurgence.
On reddit, the voices seem to be really positive, and many players are happy that the brand will receive a major installment in the future alongside the smaller projects. However, not all players are completely thrilled. Under our news about the announcement of The Division 3, there are also skeptical voices who do not trust Ubisoft.
Zavarius: Ubisoft’s concept. AC, FC, TD, GR… 90% of the titles are based on that, and it will be no different with TD3. They had their chance for almost 10 years.
Higi: Part 1 was okay. Part 2 flopped, and 3 will be a mega flop. If they really want to raise quality standards again, they could or should have done that long ago with Division 2.
Robin: Parts 1 and 2 had content issues and were plagued by cheaters. Honestly, I see no hope unless Ubisoft makes radical changes.
Alongside the pleasant announcement, one should nonetheless bring a certain amount of skepticism. In the past, Ubisoft has often had problems with many of their old and new brands. Many games take longer than expected or are canceled outright. Earlier this year, the CEO explained the reasons for many issues:
The universe of Star Wars now includes numerous video games, series, and movies, making it difficult for newcomers to keep up. There could have even been one more movie that Star Wars fans could have seen. However, the project has since been canceled.
What kind of movie would that have been? David S. Goyer, who was to work as a screenwriter on the film, revealed the project in an interview (via sites.libsyn.com). The work on it was kept secret for years, but it never progressed beyond the concept art and design phase.
By now, Guillermo del Toro has also commented on the project, as he was supposed to be involved in the film as well. According to the statements of both, the work took place about 4-6 years ago. So, the work coincided with the development of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Unfortunately, no further details are known about the film. Guillermo del Toro at least gave fans three letters as a hint about the movie on his X account: The project would have been associated with the letters “J” and “BB”.
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What could be behind the letters? In the comments, fans are guessing three characters from Star Wars that could fit the description:
Jar Jar Binks
Jabba the Hutt
BB-8
About three years before the start of the work, del Toro revealed in an interview that he would have been interested in a film featuring Jabba (via yahoo.com). He could have imagined making a movie in the style of “The Godfather,” focusing on the Star Wars antagonist.
In the films, Jabba’s backstory is not explored in detail, so del Toro would have had to adhere to the comic source material. However, with Hellboy, he has already proven that he could succeed in such an endeavor.
Are you familiar with Pan’s Labyrinth? It’s also a film by del Toro:
Start video
Pan’s Labyrinth – Trailer (English)
Who would have worked on the film? In the film, Guillermo del Toro was to act as director, while David S. Goyer would have served as screenwriter. Accordingly, an expert in detailed worlds in the horror and fantasy genre and a superhero veteran could have worked on the Star Wars film.
Guillermo del Toro is known for the following works:
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Cronos
Hellboy
Pacific Rim
Pans Labyrinth
The Shape of Water (won the Oscar for Best Picture in 2017)
David S. Goyer, on the other hand, is known for his work on Batman Begins and Man of Steel. The combination of the two could have resulted in an exciting film.
That there are occasionally discrepancies between trainers in Pokémon GO is nothing new. However, an elderly lady is currently causing serious trouble while collecting coins. We have summarized what this is all about here on MeinMMO.
Which coins are we talking about? In Pokémon GO, there is a separate in-game currency called Poké Coins. You can earn these by occupying gyms or buy them with real money and then spend them in the shop for in-game items.
However, a retiree is currently driving the trainers in her town to frustration and not allowing them to collect coins anymore. What she is doing and how the players are reacting, we have summarized for you below.
Old lady prevents trainers from collecting coins
What did the lady do? On Reddit, the user No-Pilot-1252 shares a cry for help, because they have barely been able to collect coins for some time. An elderly lady is said to be responsible, who is harassing the players.
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He explains in his post that a retiree claims all the gyms in her town for herself and immediately throws out other players as soon as they have entered, which makes it impossible for them to earn the 50 coins per day. Furthermore, she is said to follow the players throughout the town. He writes:
An elderly lady takes over all the gyms in the town and does not allow others to get their coins for the day. She basically drives around all day throwing others out of any gym that doesn’t “belong” to her. This has been going on for a while and has prevented others from playing. She has already been reported, and even the police were called due to harassment. What can we do?
Edit: To clarify: I was not the one who called the police. Additionally, she was following people around the town step by step, even into their houses. She also sat in front of their houses.
The behavior of the woman has caused such a stir in the area that, according to No-Pilot-1252, there have been several reports. Now he is asking the community for tips on what they can still do.
Why is this a problem? The coins in Pokémon GO repeatedly cause problems between trainers. They are particularly important for many players to purchase items, stickers, or even expansions for their item and Pokémon storage. Those who want to secure such content without using real money are thus dependent on the coins from the gyms.
Trainers give tips: In the community, many can understand the frustration of the players. Some have also had experiences with such trainers in the past and give tips on what No-Pilot-1252 and his friends could do (via reddit.com):
ElementoDeus: There are two options: leave her in for weeks and then throw them all out on the same day (maximum 50 coins). Or you form a group, find out which gyms she owns, split up, and take the gyms at the same time. Make sure that every gym she wants to reclaim is focused on until she has no Pokémon, potions, revives, and coins left.
Barber_Guy: Or you can talk to the lady and explain to her that she is ruining your fun in the game.
Chicken_X: Here is what I did: Get a good gym defender (Heiteira, Woingenau, etc.) and level it up. Then take an afternoon to annoy the opponent. Hang around near the gym for hours. […] Have a good time, but bring a power bank. Collect golden raspberries beforehand. Invite other trainers to join you. […] Just sit there and feed your Pokémon every time. After 10 golden raspberries, you will eventually have to stop. BUT as soon as she puts hers in, you fight against it and start over. The idea is to waste their time and resources. If it’s a solo player, they will probably give up faster than you think, especially if they hit multiple areas.
However, there are also a number of players who find it excessive to call the police over a mobile game. Many trainers who do this are, in their opinion, only after the gold medal at the respective gyms, which is why they believe the problem will solve itself sooner or later.
Criticism of the coin system: Especially the current coin system is repeatedly criticized due to such reports. While in some areas trainers are voluntarily thrown out of gyms, players in rural regions often have to wait for weeks for the return of Pokémon. For this reason, many players have long been wishing for a change.
Reddit user coolcarters14 is also convinced that something needs to happen and writes:
I feel like the gym system in general is just bad and can be easily exploited. Do you live in a rural area? Your Pokémon get stuck in purgatory. Do you live in a crowded area? Your Pokémon get kicked out before they accomplish anything. And then there are situations like this. If there were coins for battling in gyms, or if you could automatically kick your Pokémon out after 8 hours, it might be a bit more pleasant.
Whether there will be changes here and if trainers will potentially be able to rejoice over a new coin system remains to be seen.
What are your experiences with other players? Have you also had difficulties getting your daily coins? And what have you done against trainers who constantly threw you out of gyms? Feel free to let us know here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers.
A small option in Baldur’s Gate 3 makes multiplayer much better – but you have to activate it first. MeinMMO shows you how to do it.
The multiplayer of Baldur’s Gate 3 is great. Wandering through the acts of the game with friends is a lot of fun. But there are a few small details that can spoil the gaming experience. One of the most annoying details that you have surely experienced is the fact that cutscenes sometimes do not start for all players at the same time.
Why is this a problem? If Character 1 starts a dialogue and your fellow players are doing something else or are momentarily distracted, they might miss parts of the dialogue.
The consequence: One always has to briefly say in voice, “Shh, dialogue!” or “Cutscene – are you with me?” to ensure that everyone is following the current conversation. Alternatively, one has to say every time: “I’m addressing XYZ now,” so that everyone knows they need to click on the “Listen” button – which often goes unnoticed between all the loot, menus, and inventories until the conversation is almost over.
Start video
Baldur’s Gate 3 is coming to PS5 – Trailer prepares for console release
This can be really annoying, especially when it has drastic effects on the game. For example, in the first act, one player might talk to the druids who warn against entering the grove. If another player does not listen to the dialogue and instead takes a step into the grove, chaos immediately ensues, and the druids perceive it as a border violation and proceed to attack – and this happens even though the “offender” did not receive the warning because they never saw the dialogue.
What’s new now? Since the Patch 3 of Baldur’s Gate 3, this problem belongs to the past. With a new setting, you can ensure that in multiplayer, all players are immediately drawn into the dialogue and no cutscene is missed.
The new option is somewhat oddly called “Listening” – it lets you automatically join conversations.
Where can you find the setting? The option is a bit hidden. Open the options menu, then the “Game Details” tab and scroll all the way down. There you will find the options named “Listening” (In English “Eavesdrop”). Check here.
If you have done everything correctly, you will automatically be drawn into dialogues started by your fellow players.
Note that there are a few exceptions. Certain “Private Moments” can be blocked for viewing by all players. These are usually parts of romances. However, if all players have activated the “Share Private Moments” option, viewing will automatically occur here too.
From our own experience, we can say that the “Listening” option has significantly improved the multiplayer mode. Not having to ask every time whether everyone is really in the conversation or sometimes reminding fellow players to stay quiet when they “interrupt the dialogues” makes the experience much smoother.
The new EA Sports FC 24 is now available in early access. But what is really new, apart from the name? MeinMMO author Max Handwerk was able to take a first look.
Well: EA Sports FC is still FIFA. In the first hours I’ve been able to spend with the game, it became quite evident. There are indeed changes, such as the new animations, new camera settings, more realism in the presentation, in the movements, in the ball physics.
There are also cutscenes that now run in the loading screens, such as during halftime and after the match. Or dynamic graphics that are displayed on the field. The menu has also been completely redesigned. You can already tell in the details that new things are being used here,
But when you jump into a match, the foundation, the basic structure of the game feels familiar. You know the modes, you know the matches. Anyone who has played FIFA will feel right at home in EA Sports FC 24.
The big revolution – that remains absent. For comparison: The complete jump to the NextGen, which was made with FIFA 22 and HyperMotion, felt larger at the time than the jump from FIFA to EA Sports FC.
But at least for me, three things stand out that differentiate EA Sports FC from its predecessor.
Start video
EA Sports FC 24 shows its gameplay in the Deep Dive
The inclusion of female players in FUT
This is probably the biggest change that EA Sports FC 24 has to offer – and one that immediately stands out when you open the FUT mode. Current female players as well as new hero and icon cards from women’s football are now available in FUT and are included in the packs.
On the pitch, the new cards perform strongly at first glance. Some of the ladies bring very high ratings, and a loan version of Alexandra Popp is probably the best striker card I have placed on the pitch in EA Sports FC 24 so far. Based on my experience, the women’s cards work quite well, especially offensively. In terms of team-building or drafts, the cards are likely to provide variety.
The counterargument would be that FUT has been a fantasy mode for years, where stadiums look like they are from a comic and players receive special cards that only loosely relate to their real-life counterparts. Towards the end of FIFA 23, for instance, Petr Cech, as an iconic goalkeeper, suddenly became one of the most feared strikers.
The gameplay in offense
Overall, EA Sports FC 24 feels similar to its predecessor, but there are some exciting improvements in detail. Among the top features are the new precision passes and the corresponding runs your players can make.
In the first matches, I’ve seen offensive plays in EAFC that I hadn’t encountered in FIFA before. Using the precision passes, the offensive play feels less supported and more manual and, in fact, more realistic.
Especially in conjunction with the dynamic run feature that was introduced a few years ago, you can skillfully execute offensive actions that get you quickly behind the opponent’s defense. As a side note: the new precision shots reward manual aiming and shooting. Overall, the game feels simply more versatile offensively.
This is also contributed to by the fact that the gameplay is somewhat slower and more realistic at the start than at the end of FIFA 23. Whether this will persist or change through patches and increased values in Ultimate Team remains to be seen.
The evolutions in FUT are a new feature, but one with tremendous potential. It gives you the ability to upgrade players from your club and possibly adjust them to the power curve typically determined by special cards in Ultimate Team.
The first evolutions theoretically allow you to transform a bronze card into a usable gold card that can keep up well in the first weeks. EA Sports has already announced that more evolutions will follow.
Especially for fans of clubs that may not be among the top 5 in their respective leagues, this could become quite a cool feature. It depends on what evolutions will ultimately be available – but ideally, it would be conceivable that you could use your favorite players for a long time instead of having to eventually get rid of them because they simply can’t keep up anymore.
However, how this feature develops remains to be seen and will reveal itself in the coming weeks in EA Sports FC 24.
Conclusion
Overall, a similar conclusion can be drawn for EA Sports FC 24 as for previous FIFA releases – a step forward, but without a major revolution. It feels less like a completely new game and more like an upgrade of the previous version. Just as you would ultimately expect from FIFA.
Nevertheless, the game brings some interesting innovations that should be on your radar. An overview of all information about EA Sports FC 24 can be found here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
All spotlight hours in September 2023 at Pokémon GO in overview. We show you all Pokémon, bonuses and times and explain which shinies you can find and whether the events are worth it.
What kind of events are these? In Pokémon GO, spotlight hours start every Tuesday evening. They run from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM. At the beginning of each month, the Niantic team determines which combination of Pokémon and bonuses will be active on the upcoming dates.
In our overview, we show you all Pokémon and bonuses that can be found during the spotlight hours in September.
All dates of the spotlight hours in September 2023
Which Pokémon? During the first spotlight hour in September, you will encounter Felino from the second generation. Its evolution is Morlord. It also has the regional form Paldea-Felino, which is still not unlocked in Pokémon GO.
What bonuses are active? For evolving Pokémon, you will receive double the amount of experience points.
Who is it worth it for? Morlord plays in PvP in the Super League in the upper midfield and can be a dangerous attacker there. So far, there are no other worthwhile uses for the Pokémon. If you want, you can use the evolution bonus to earn additional XP.
Can you catch Shiny Felino? Yes, the shiny version of Felino is already active in Pokémon GO and can be caught by you.
Spotlight hour on September 12
Which Pokémon? In the second spotlight hour in September, the Pokémon Menki from the first generation is in focus. It can evolve into Rasaff. Since the ninth generation, it can evolve into Epitaff, but this form is not yet active in Pokémon GO.
What bonuses are active? For catching Pokémon, you will receive double the amount of candies.
Who is it worth it for? Rasaff plays at most in the upper midfield in PvP. There are therefore many stronger alternatives that you can rely on. Many trainers use the bonus with double candies to get more candies from raid bosses after raids.
Can you catch Shiny Menki? Yes, the shiny version of Menki is already active in Pokémon GO and can be caught by you with luck.
Spotlight hour on September 19
Which Pokémon? For the third spotlight hour in September, you will encounter the Pokémon Girafarig from the second generation. It belongs to the Normal and Psychic types.
What bonuses are active? For catching Pokémon, you will receive double the amount of experience points.
Who is it worth it for? Girafarig is relatively worthless as an attacker and barely plays a role in PvP or raids. There are significantly stronger attackers.
Can you catch Shiny Girafarig? Yes, the shiny version of Girafarig is already active in Pokémon GO and can be caught by you.
Which Pokémon? In the last spotlight hour in September, you will encounter the Pokémon Fukano. It is from the first generation and can evolve into Arkani. It also has a Hisui form: Hisui-Fukano.
What bonuses are active? For catching Pokémon, you will receive double the amount of stardust.
Who is it worth it for? Neither Fukano nor Arkani are particularly valuable as attackers in PvP or raids. The spotlight hour is mainly worth it for the stardust bonus for you.
Can you catch Shiny Fukano? Yes, the shiny version of Fukano is already available in Pokémon GO and can be caught by you.
In the last 7 years, dozens of new MMORPGs have been released, but very few have been able to convince in the long term. MeinMMO editor Alexander Leitsch is still mourning three games that sounded really good on paper but unfortunately never appeared.
New MMORPGs are regularly hitting the market. Already this year, 5 new games have been released. However, most of them are only heard about for a short time. This is because they either lack innovation or contain the wrong innovations, or simply because they are technically weaker than what is already playable.
Good examples are Swords of Legends and Elyon, which were released in 2021. Both are not fundamentally bad games, but they simply do not do anything better that I cannot also experience in other MMORPGs.
The MMORPGs currently lack innovation and major features. And that’s exactly why I mourn three games that had a new vision but unfortunately never made it to release.
This article was originally published on May 22, 2022, and was last updated with new information and links on September 23, 2023.
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EverQuest Next
What kind of game was it? EverQuest Next was planned as the third part of the MMORPG series but was supposed to do many things differently than its two predecessors. The focus was on the idea of a gigantic sandbox that players could participate in.
Players were supposed to be able to change the world similar to Minecraft and build their own structures. At the same time, the NPCs were to respond to this customized world using a special technology and not just remain as dumb AI standing in place. This was intended to make the otherwise often rigid MMORPG world more dynamic.
Much emphasis was also placed on freedom and dynamism in the classes. You were supposed to choose only a rough framework at the beginning and then assemble your skills yourself. Each player could only put a certain number of skills in the action bar, similar to Guild Wars 1. The skills depended on the weapon but also on keywords such as damage, damage over time, or healing, which you could set yourself.
Graphically, EverQuest Next aimed for a colorful but stylistically beautiful world that made a good impression even before the alpha.
Here you see a trailer for EverQuest Next:
The big innovation was the addition of EverQuest Landmark, a separate game where players gained access to developer tools and could create content. This could then be quickly transferred into the main game EverQuest Next by Daybreak Games, effectively making the players developers themselves.
Games like Skyrim show that players enjoy creating their own mods and can create seemingly endless content. That would have been much faster possible with Landmark.
With dynamic NPCs, player-generated content, and a big brand like EverQuest in the background, much pointed to a small revolution in MMORPGs. Landmark was even released as a standalone game, but in 2016 the cancellation of EverQuest Next was announced.
Dave Georgeson, the former head of the project, was sure that EverQuest Next would have been possible under Sony, but they sold the studio during development to Daybreak Games.
This was ultimately said to be the death knell for the ambitious project. Development on EverQuest Next was officially halted on March 11, 2016.
However, a sequel is now supposed to be announced:
Ultima X Odyssey was to become a new successor to Ultima Online, after the actual second part was canceled in 2001. The basic idea of Odyssey, announced in 2003, relies on a third-person perspective and a virtue system.
Instead of constantly defeating the next big evil, players were to complete actions and quests to demonstrate virtues such as compassion, honesty, humility, and self-sacrifice. Through these, new skills were to be unlocked and the character’s direction determined.
According to EA, you were supposed to constantly make decisions and thereby change the outcome of quests. Would you spare the thief caught in the act because he was starving and saw no other option, or would you administer his just punishment?
Here you see the official trailer for the game from 2003:
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Ultima X Odyssey offered a choice of 12 different classes and was supposed to utilize a dynamic combat system involving blocking and dodging. The game also took some new approaches regarding equipment, as players were supposed to equip items that leveled with them and could be improved through crafting.
In the endgame, PvP was supposed to play a major role, with battles taking place only in special areas and being linked to a ladder.
It likely would have been difficult for the game to compete with WoW and EverQuest 2 if it had been released in 2004. However, much still sounds like a really good idea on paper that EA had in 2003, especially with all the choices in quests.
However, the game was canceled before it could even compete with the other two titles. Reasons given included that part of the team was pulled away for a new expansion of Ultima Online and another part did not want to move from EA’s Austin office in Texas to California.
Titan
Project Titan is an MMORPG from Blizzard that never saw the light of day. In it, you were to take on the role of a super soldier who goes about a normal life during the day while carrying out important missions to protect humanity at night.
The MMORPG was supposed to take place in a near-future Earth and include many realistic elements. One goal of the game was presumably for players to build a kind of second life.
However, Blizzard was never much more specific. Development was already halted in 2014 and the remnants of the game were partially used to create Overwatch.
According to then-Blizzard chief Mike Morhaime, the game was a logical evolution from WoW but consisted only of ideas and never of true passion.
Sword Art Online is a story from Japan that is told in novellas, mangas, and animes. It is about an MMORPG in virtual reality, where players experience all sensory perceptions that occur in the game through special hardware.
In fact, there are already MMORPGs that bear the name Sword Art Online, but they only scratch the surface of what the actual idea of the game is. So far, there is no title that comes close to such an immersive world.
With Zenith – The Last City, a VR MMORPG was released on Steam in early 2022, which, however, has a lot of room for improvement both graphically and in terms of content. Nevertheless, the interest in it was already huge:
A new WoW needs big ideas – and a big name can help
A more dynamic world, player-generated content, building a second life, and virtual reality – these are the major innovations that the titles mentioned here have involved and to which the games of the future must aspire to bring fresh air to the genre.
The fascination of the upcoming MMORPG Ashes of Creation, for example, lies in the nodes. The areas in the game are supposed to develop further and depend on the players’ progress. Cities grow, new quests are unlocked, and world bosses, dungeons, or dynamic events occur.
It is one of the few upcoming MMORPGs that I also consider innovative, even though the PvP focus might be a hindrance for some and thus could diminish success. Here’s what the current situation of the game is:
It is also striking that a big name helps to generate attention and, of course, to have the necessary funds for implementation. MMORPGs are an expensive and risky genre, as all these canceled games prove.
Which MMORPG were you most looking forward to? And what do you think the MMORPG of the future needs?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The free shooter “Synced”on Steam convinced me with nanotechnology-driven AI allies in a dystopian world. However, the game also has its downsides and will likely only excite you for now if you don’t mind extensive grinding.
What kind of game is Synced? Synced is a science-fiction action-adventure developed by NExT Studios and published by Level Infinite, which officially released for PC on September 8. PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are expected to follow soon.
In this third-person shooter, you can compete against futuristic zombies or other players in both PvE and PvP, blending established shooter recipes from Outriders, Apex Legends, Destiny 2, or Warframe.
The game is definitely graphically successful and allows for precise movements and fast gunplay for your characters.
After a tutorial, you arrive at Haven, from where you then start conquering the Meridian.
If you kill a so-called “Nano-Prime” in a mission, you can “absorb” or “hack” it and create your own “Nano-Buddy” from it.
This “Prime” is now your strongest active and passive player ability in Synced, which you can even transform into a surfboard or a giant fist if needed.
With this buddy, you can play PvE as a solo player with matchmaking, as well as shake up PvP. And all of this with up to three friends.
In this trailer, you can see what the gameplay of Synced has to offer:
Start video
In the Free2Play shooter Synced, you turn Nano enemies into your weapon
Solid shooter mechanics, but quickly becomes monotonous
This is how the nano-shooter plays: We played Tencent’s third-person shooter in its beta back in December 2022 and found the idea of fighting against a zombie apocalypse with an AI ally cool.
Now, in the official version of the game, we could once again be impressed by the dystopian world and the successful graphics with their immersive atmosphere. Also, because much has improved positively. For example, the request for more story from beta players’ feedback has been implemented.
In the gameplay, there are some combinations between the 4 Nano companions and the various runners for you to try out. As is often the case, an optimal combination of different characters is ideal here.
The controls are also precise, and the variety of available weapons and abilities offers many tactical possibilities. However, the biggest problem of Synced for us is the grind mechanics.
In each run, you can secure new advantages at the terminals
Laborious progress that requires a lot of time: Progress in the game is complex and often feels laborious and time-consuming.
Unlocking weapons, equipment, and abilities simply requires a considerable amount of time and dedication. Those who want to see everything must engage with the game for a long time, and those who are not willing to invest that in “Synced” will quickly lose patience to stick around.
This happens because the missions all feel very similar and become no longer challenging after a while. It doesn’t engage you when you have to fight through similar waves of nanos in similar areas repeatedly to improve your equipment.
There is hardly any time for discoveries and secrets – each mission needs to go quickly, and there is no real open world where you can look around freely and without time pressure.
Moreover, the various heroes with fixed roles and faces suffer the individuality. Identifying with the character becomes difficult, even with skins.
Eventually, I got stuck in PvP because it offers more entertaining challenges in the 3vs3 scenarios. Especially when you synchronize with your nano and send it into battle.
5 runners from Synced: Deadcut, Glory, Dr. Stone, Ragna, and Park
Unfortunately, the hope for a grand sci-fi story in the main campaign is also disappointed, as its narrative remains well-crafted but quite flat. Although more story and lore are already provided based on player feedback from the beta.
This pattern is also followed by the characters, who for me have a bit too little personality and monotonous dialogues. The latter may only bother me, as I am used to such grand shooter stories as in Destiny 2. However, free seasonal content is supposed to come to the game, which will highlight a runner over several months, reminiscent of the live-service model of Destiny 2.
Can you have fun in this shooter? Definitely. At least you won’t go wrong giving the game a chance. Especially not if you are looking for a new action shooter.
Synced may not have reinvented the proven shooter recipe. But especially your AI buddies bring a certain finesse to the game. Even if they sometimes like to walk right into the line of fire.
However, the game is perfect for anyone who is attracted to hard grinding and who doesn’t mind returning to areas they have already completed. Of course, it is not excluded that this will still be expanded in upcoming updates.
It should also be mentioned that Synced offers microtransactions in the game, but does not overly emphasize them. You have to actively go to the merchant to see what packages, skins, currencies, and other items are for sale. So it won’t be waved in front of your face directly.
Which aspects of “Synced” appeal to you personally? And what do you think is the most important factor that determines whether a free-to-play game resonates with you or not? Feel free to let us know directly in the comments.
