Arnold Schwarzenegger has had a busy acting career. He was so popular that he had to decline some roles due to a lack of time. However, there is one declined role that he particularly regrets, as Schwarzenegger loves the movie.
Which movie is it? Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to play the lead role in The Rock, which was released in 1996.
The British spy John Patrick Mason (Sean Connery) has stolen a secret film revealing the truth about the Kennedy assassination
He is imprisoned in Alcatraz and wants to escape
Francis X. Hummel (Ed Harris) takes hostages in Alcatraz and threatens to shell San Francisco with rockets if he does not receive 100 million dollars
The USA sends a team with Stanley Goodspeed (Nicolas Cage) to defuse the rockets
Mason and Goodspeed must join forces to stop the threat
The thing I regret the most is that I didn’t do The Rock. I love the movie, and it turned out well. When it was offered to me, there was only an 80-page script with many handwritten notes and scribbles, and it didn’t seem fully developed. But they obviously did a fantastic job.
The script contained scribbled notes like “This is nonsense” or “We are not doing this.” This led Schwarzenegger to suspect that the production process would be complete chaos, which is why he declined the role.
Schwarzenegger regrets the most having turned down this film. He would have been interested in working with the film’s director, Michael Bay, at least once. So far, he has never worked with him, but only with other directors like James Cameron for Terminator 2.
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Schwarzenegger’s Decline Helped Other Acting Colleagues
Who is seen in the film instead? In the lead roles of the film are now Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage. For Sean Connery, it was one of the last films he participated in during his career.
Thus, The Rock unfortunately does not fall under the films in which Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to participate. However, aside from that, he has been involved in many great films. You have told MeinMMO which your top 5 favorite films with Arnold Schwarzenegger are:
In Cyberpunk 2077, you can install various cyberware to enhance your performance. But how does this compare to our real world?
In the story of Cyberpunk 2077, cybernetic implants are widespread. In the game, the cyberware system is the best way to upgrade your character: As you can either become significantly stronger and more powerful or integrate advantages in hacking. Clothing plays (almost) no role anymore for the values.
But how does it compare to the real world? While we may not yet be integrating implants that allow us to see through walls or hack computers, we have made great strides in recent years.
Already, state-of-the-art prosthetics are being used, but primarily for medical reasons
Where are we in the real world? Today, powerful robotic prosthetics are being developed, some of which are even connected to the brain and can be controlled like organic limbs. With bionic prosthetics, the goal is primarily to replace lost body parts like arms and legs and to help injured individuals lead a normal life.
The majority of prosthetics are used for medical reasons to restore normal functional levels. For instance, a boy received a robotic hand made from a 3D printer so he wouldn’t have to hide his malformed hand anymore.
In Cyberpunk 2077, you install cyberware into your own body to achieve superhuman levels, to be stronger than your opponents, or to hack into computer systems.
Such functions do not exist for us, but the military has long been experimenting with large exoskeletons. They hope for improved endurance and more strength. Students have developed an exoskeleton to make walking easier and faster.
Research is not only interested in compensating for disabilities but also in providing advantages that users can benefit from in the long term.
And what about gaming? There could also be exciting “prosthetics” for gamers in the future. For example, a company has introduced a gaming mouse that you can only control with your thoughts. This allows you to click much faster and gain advantages in shooters:
However, players were puzzled: When starting a Squad Battles match, the start screen before the game still shows 6 minutes. There is no option to change the setting.
But that’s actually not necessary.
Incorrect display in Squad Battles, but the 4 minutes are correct
This is the solution: In fact, you don’t need to worry about the setting for the game time because the halves in Squad Battles already run for only 4 minutes, all automatically.
So you don’t need to set anything. The 6 minutes on the match start screen appear to simply be an incorrect representation.
What are Squad Battles? Here you play against the AI instead of real opponents. You can set the difficulty yourself. In the matches, you gather points to secure rewards on the weekend. Additionally, some objectives require you to play Squad Battles.
5 important improvements in the career mode of EA Sports FC 24
How can I check this? If you want to check how the half-length is on your end, just start a stopwatch at the kickoff. If you now pay attention to having no interruptions from cutscenes (e.g., during goals, throw-ins, fouls, etc.), you will come to exactly 4 minutes per half.
Why is the half-length important? Players have been calling for a streamlining of the Squad Battles matches for a long time, as many like to use them to get rewards. Especially when you play against the AI, such games can take a very long time.
This could be a thing of the past with the shorter half. Additionally, only 32 matches per week are counted towards the reward leaderboard, instead of 40 like before.
Coinciding with the start of the dark season, a new farming game will be released at the beginning of October on Steam, perfect for relaxing on rainy days. However, this new game brings a twist that also fits perfectly into the Spooky Season.
What kind of game is it? Harvest Island is a farming game by indie developer Yobob and is being released on October 10, 2023, on Steam.
With an interesting concept, Harvest Island stands out from the vast selection of farming simulators. Because here, you can expect a creepy twist. As the developer promises, it is by no means a copy of the popular title Stardew Valley, but a farming game that largely focuses on its story.
The various farming mechanics therefore take a more supportive role, as the focus in Harvest Island is on exploration.
We have embedded the release trailer here for you:
Start video
Harvest Island Trailer
What can you expect in Harvest Island? The game follows the story of two siblings living with their father on a remote island, where they carry out their farming tasks and sacrifice their harvests to the gods.
In addition to managing their daily tasks, the two siblings explore the island and leave their safe farm. But outside their farm, mysteries and secrets await them.
The game promises you classic features of a farming simulator:
If you are looking for more thrills, leave your farm and set out to explore the island:
Offer to the gods to receive mercy
Explore the island even at night to find new areas
Become friends with wild animals
The island constantly changes and reveals new paths
What does the trailer show? Harvest Island promises you a creepy experience as you set out to explore the island. The trailer shows you dark paths, bloody writings, dilapidated ruins, abandoned places, and mutilated animals.
Although the trailer initially resembles Stardew Valley with its charming pixel graphics, it visibly stands out with these images. The horror aspect is particularly evident here and could be a convincing point for anyone not wanting just another traditional farming experience.
The entire horror aspect is emphasized by the recurring text I want to get away from Harvest Island, indicating that one is trying to escape the mysterious island.
What do you think of this concept? Could Harvest Island score with its twist, or would you prefer another relaxed farming game? Feel free to discuss.
Another farming game focuses on sustainability and community and aims to stand out:
Baldur’s Gate 3 as a funny sitcom? How well that works is proven by a user on X who has quickly created an intro for it.
The origin characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 have quickly won the hearts of most players. Whether you embody them yourself or have them as NPC companions in the group and try to start a romance with them – they have interesting stories and are simply entertaining personalities.
Some fans therefore find it easy to imagine the crew from Baldur’s Gate 3 in a completely different setting – for example, in a sitcom.
The X user Sho took the effort to overlay various sequences from Baldur’s Gate with the intro music of the sitcom “FRIENDS” – and it works surprisingly well:
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Even the makers of Larian like this idea. Michael Douse, the Director of Publishing at Larian Studios, reacted on X (formerly Twitter) and jokingly said about this Friends idea:
I can’t believe they datamined our original opening cinematic.
In another post he added “fantastic work”.
In fact, it is quite easy to imagine the colorful origin characters in a sitcom. After all, they are all quite different personalities, and it takes little imagination to picture Karlach bursting into a room in a clichéd way, or the arrogant Astarion, who always throws in his dark comments from the background.
Starfield offers a huge selection of various planets and moons where you can build an outpost. We show you 5of the best.
In Starfield, you can build an outpost and set up your own vacation home, place workbenches, and then manufacture various items or extract resources.
Building an outpost is indeed a worthwhile part of the gameplay in Starfield – so the choice of the planet where you want to establish your outpost is all the more important.
For our finalists, we traveled to most of the planets and moons in Starfield and examined them ourselves. The following made the cut:
Andraphon
Voss
Cassiopeia I
Porrima IV-d
Eridani II
We will now briefly show you all 5 planets and moons in detail and explain why they are so good.
Are you looking for a strong ship to travel to these planets? Then we have the right video for you:
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Starfield: How to get one of the best spaceships early!
What makes the planet so good? Andraphon is a moon of the planet Sumati in the Narion system and particularly suitable as a first outpost, as it provides three resources necessary for many structures.
When you build an outpost, you need especially a lot of aluminum and iron. Additionally, if you supply your extractors with power from a generator, having a supply of Helium-3 is advantageous.
On Andrapho, you have the chance to extract both Helium-3 and iron and aluminum. You can also find the valuable Europium there.
What makes the planet so good? Voss is also a very good location for an outpost at the beginning and an ideal complement to Andraphon. Voss is the moon of Olivas in the “Alpha Centauri” system, which you will frequently visit during the main story.
Voss is a recommended outpost location as it also offers a good selection of important resources that are not available on Andraphon. In addition to nickel, cobalt, and uranium, tungsten is also present on the moon. There are also vanadium and dysprosium, which you can sell for a relatively high price.
What makes the planet so good? Unlike Andraphon and Voss, we do not recommend Cassiopeia I because you can dig up useful resources there. Cassiopeia is particularly distinguished by its flora and fauna.
On the planet, you will find various living beings and plants and can walk on the planet’s surface without having to wear your helmet – perfect for your interstellar vacation home.
However, to ensure your outpost on Cassiopeia I is not just a useless holiday destination, you can also extract nickel, cobalt, and fluorine there.
What makes the planet so good? We recommend Porrima IV-d as a mining outpost where you can earn money, as you can extract the valuable resources carbonic acid, neon, and especially plutonium on the moon of Porrima IV-d.
On Porrima IV-d, you also don’t have to worry about extraterrestrial creatures attacking your outpost: there is no fauna.
What makes the planet so good? Eridani 2 is not only a beautiful planet with moderate flora and fauna, it combines the qualities of a decent vacation home with some useful resources.
In addition to iron, which is needed for building an outpost and manufacturing many resources, the planet offers copper, nickel, cobalt, and the relatively valuable gold in Starfield.
You can also explore the planet without a helmet and swim in clean water without worrying about your health.
Do you know of any other planets or moons that are worth establishing an outpost on? Then feel free to leave us a comment and let us know what makes them special.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
One of the most popular events in Pokémon GO is the monthly Community Day. Now the developers have revealed the next monster in this format. We at MeinMMO will show you which one it will be and what bonuses you can look forward to.
What event is it about? In Pokémon GO, a so-called Community Day is held every month, during which a specific monster can be found more frequently in the wild for several hours. The Shiny rate is also increased, and additional bonuses are active.
After the first announcement of the upcoming C-Day was accidentally made yesterday, on September 25, by the X-account of Pokémon GO India and quickly deleted, it is now official: The Community Day in October brings you Praktibalk. We have summarized the additional contents for you below.
When will the C-Day in October take place? The Community Day in October will take place on October 15, 2023, from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM.
Update from September 26 at 09:10 AM: The contents for the Community Day in October are now officially known, which is why we have revised the article for you accordingly.
All bonuses for the Community Day with Praktibalk
During the Community Day with Praktibalk, you can look forward not only to plenty of spawns of the small fighting Pokémon, but also to one or another bonus.
All bonuses that are active between 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM:
3x Stardust when catching
Double candy when catching
Double chance of XL candy when catching (from Level 31)
Incense and Lure Modules last 3 hours (except Adventure Incense)
Surprises from snapshots
Event field research with Praktibalk
Event stickers at PokéStops or from gifts
All bonuses you can use until 10:00 PM:
one additional special trade (up to 2 on that day)
half Stardust costs when trading
Exclusive move: As with every Community Day, there will also be an exclusive move in October. If you evolve Strepoli, the first evolution of Praktibalk, into Meistagrif, it will learn the Dark Charge Move Wirbler. This causes the following damage:
Trainer battles: 65
Raids and Gym battles: 65
Premium content: In addition to the free bonuses of the event, you can also secure additional content in the in-game shop. The following will be available there:
Ticket for the special research Muscle Memories with Praktibalk for about 1 Euro
Event stickers for the Community Day
Special Level 4 Raids
What are those raids: Following the C-Day, there will also be special Level 4 Raids where you can encounter Strepoli. However, unlike most others, these raids can only be played on-site. This way, you can not only secure the raid boss but also earn a spawn bonus.
What bonus is that? After defeating Strepoli, you will receive additional Praktibalk spawns around the gym for 30 minutes. The shiny rate for these is just as high as on the actual Community Day.
When do the raids take place? The raids will take place on October 15 from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
Is Praktibalk strong? Yes, a Community Day with Praktibalk is likely to please many trainers since it has a strong evolution in Meistagrif. With a moveset consisting of Counter and Wuchtschlag, Meistagrif is one of the best fighting attackers in Pokémon GO.
Is there Shiny Praktibalk? Yes, with a bit of luck, you may encounter a shiny Praktibalk on that day. Based on experience, the chance is particularly high. In the following image, you can see what the shinies look like.
Praktibalk, Strepoli, and Meistagrif normal (top) and as shiny (bottom)
How do you like the content from the Community Day in October? Which bonus are you particularly looking forward to? Feel free to let us know here at MeinMMO in the comments and discuss with other trainers.
Today Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty is released. The expansion to Cyberpunk 2077 invites you to the new district Dog Town, brings new quests, and unlocks the Relic skill tree. Here you can read everything about the new features and the release.
When is Phantom Liberty released? The expansion for Cyberpunk 2077 was unlocked on the night of September 26:
PS5 and Xbox Series X|S versions live since 00:00.
PC version live since 01:00.
The update will not be released for PS4 and Xbox One.
Start video
Idris Elba explains how to survive in Cyberpunk 2077 and takes up arms in the trailer himself
How do I access the content of Phantom Liberty? You unlock access to the new area and new content with the new main quest. This starts when you have completed the quests M’ap Tann Pelen, I walk the Line to Transmissions. You will then receive a call that beckons you to the gate of Dog Town.
Cyberpunk 2077 Phantom Liberty – Here’s what’s in it
New quests, tasks, and missions: The 13 new main missions take you on a journey through the new district Dog Town. They are triggered by a call from the mysterious Songbird – a netrunner on behalf of the government: The president’s plane of the NUSA has crashed in Dog Down and you are to rescue her.
With the quest line, you will meet some new characters. Among them, Songbird and Solomon Reed, portrayed by Idris Elba. Anyone who completes the main story in Dog Town can look forward to a completely new ending for their character.
Besides the main quest, 17 new side quests await you: New fixer jobs, new courier missions, and also for the first time parachute drops.
The new district Dog Town: The new city area is located in the southeast of Night City. Previously closed off, Dog Town is now accessible to you for the first time. Colonel Kurt Hansen rules here as the leader of a local military dictatorship.
Johnny Silverhand has many quotes for Dog Town. Overall, you can look forward to more from him in Phantom Liberty.
New Relic skills: The new Relic skill tree is unlocked by Songbird in the first mission. These are the previously unavailable skills of the biochip that the main character V has been carrying in their head since the end of the first act of the base game.
At the beginning, you have three Relic points and three different main abilities to choose from. To gain additional Relic points, you can contact the Militech machine in Dog Town and unlock them.
The new Relic skill tree unlocks several new advantages that you can select with Relic points – you can also revert these with a mouse wheel click.
Additionally, you can look forward to…
New weapons
New cyberware
New cars
New clothes
Vehicle modifications like rocket launchers
New level cap 60
One of the new cars in Phantom Liberty. The fixer Mr. Hands gives it to you as a kind of welcome gift. He is based in Dog Town but doesn’t want to meet you personally just yet.
Are you already out and about in Phantom Liberty? How do you like the add-on so far? Feel free to write it in the comments. Just a few days ago, CD Projekt Red released the free Patch 2.0 for Cyberpunk 2077. We have summarized the features of the update for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Pokémon GO the Spotlight Hour with Fukano takes place today, September 26th. We are showing you all the information about the Shiny, the start, and the bonus of the event.
What kind of event is this? Every Tuesday in Pokémon GO, a so-called Spotlight Hour takes place. For you as players, this means that from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM, a selected Pokémon will be activated along with a bonus. You will see the Pokémon much more frequently during this time, and the bonus, consisting of more stardust, candies, or experience points, provides an additional incentive.
In today’s event, you will encounter a Pokémon from the first generation. We will show you everything you need to know in the overview.
Spotlight Hour on September 26th – Start, Bonuses, Shiny
When does it start? As you may know from these events, the Spotlight Hour also starts today at 6:00 PM local time. It is active for one hour and ends at 7:00 PM.
What bonuses are active? In the wild, you will encounter Fukano very frequently. If you want, you can also ignite a incense to attract even more specimens.
During the event, you will receive double the amount of stardust for catching Pokémon. Even if you don’t necessarily need Fukano in your collection, you can still fill your dust resources.
Here you can see an outlook on the events next month:
Can you catch Shiny Fukano? Yes, the shiny version of the Pokémon has been active in Pokémon GO for a long time and can be caught by you with some luck. However, keep in mind that the chances are not increased during a Spotlight Hour.
Is today’s Spotlight Hour worth it? As attackers in raids or PvP, Fukano and its evolution Arcanine don’t play a major role. However, stardust is an important resource to strengthen all Pokémon. You can never have “too much” of it. So, make use of the event to catch a lot of stardust. Remember that the catch bonus applies not only to Fukano catches but also to all catches.
How do you like today’s Spotlight Hour? Is this an event to your taste or will you only participate again next month?
In Baldur’s Gate 3, there is an option to recruit Halsin into your group. However, some players are disappointed with him, wishing for a deeper exploration of his character and more companions.
Warning Spoiler: The article contains spoilers about Halsin, a character from Act 1 of the game, but also touches on content from Act 2 and Act 3.
However, some players argue that Halsin’s character development could have been much more than it actually was.
Start video
5 helpful tips for Baldur’s Gate 3
Players are disappointed with Halsin, wishing for more character depth and other companions
What do the players say? Reddit user TheEndOfShartache posted on Reddit expressing the view that Halsin should never have become part of the group.
He emphasizes that Halsin’s original conception seemed to suggest that he would be better off as a background companion (in the camp) or as a secondary companion. He is a cool character, but the spot of the party druid is already occupied by Jaheira.
He additionally adds:
It seems a bit strange to have two druid companions but no bard, monk, or wizard. I can imagine that this was Halsin’s original intent until he became a fan favorite during Early Access along with Minthara (who at least is a different class than all the others). I really like Halsin’s character, but I wish we had at least one more other companion to provide some variety.
He emphasizes that Halsin is a cool character. However, he thinks that Halsin deserved more for Act 3 than just being creepy, hitting on someone, and maybe being captured.
In this context, he underscores:
[…] Obviously, he was supposed to be a summoning [an ally] for the final fight, but instead, they made him a mediocre companion.[…]
Other players have posted the following comments under his Reddit post:
sonic260 writes: That he is a group member is not the problem, he needs to be more fleshed out as a character.[…]
soledad630 emphasizes: He was basically made into a potential group member because people were craving him during Early Access. […] His dialogue options are not great compared to others. At this point, I would say they need to add more content focused on him instead.
Icy_Outside2687 believes that Alfira should have been a companion: Halsin is fine. He should have been granted more shine, just like Minthara.[…] Alfira should have also been a party member and is a strange waste of a unique design and a missed opportunity to implement an unused class for the main team.[…]
In summary, the discussion about Halsin highlights the differing opinions within the player community. Some argue that his original conception as a background companion/secondary character would have made more sense, given that the druid Jaheira is already present.
Other players stress the need to better develop Halsin’s character and create more content surrounding him. Some see the missed opportunity to introduce Alfira as a companion as a lost chance for more variety in the game.
Riot released skins in League of Legends in recent years, as well as packages, battle passes, and similar items. For the upcoming Worlds 2023, Riot is launching a digital and physical Collector’s Edition of LoL. However, players are not happy about this.
What is this Collector’s Edition? Under the name WM Unlocked: The Grind, The Glory Riot offers two Collector’s Editions for League of Legends that you can purchase through their store. The digital version includes the following:
World Championship Skin and exclusive Chroma
World Championship Event Pass
Renekton Champion Shard
Emotes and an icon
The physical version additionally contains:
An exclusive Tibbers plush toy
An exclusive Teemo figure
An exclusive cap
An exclusive pin
The digital version costs 65 €, while the physical version with the additional goodies costs even 125 €. However, especially the digital version seems to leave players with a bitter aftertaste, reminding them of the controversy surrounding Riot’s 200€ skin:
League of Legends Briar – Animated Video about the new Jungler
The price-performance ratio is disgraceful
In a reddit post, the user Kordben complains about the new digital Collector’s Edition. It does not seem worth it in terms of price-performance when considering the content. 65 € for a 15-€ event pass and a few cosmetics are clearly too much.
Kordben also criticizes the decision to make the digital package limited. In some places, the digital version is already sold out. From a marketing perspective, that might be cool, but the price is disgraceful.
Several other users agree with him:
radiatione: “Digital Pass” and “Sold Out” is so ridiculous that it’s somehow funny
HulklingsBoyfriend: Artificial scarcity. That should be illegal.
BrutalizerFrFr: What I particularly liked was the part where they created a 200-dollar Jhin Chroma because “League needs exclusive skins,” only to no longer make one of the most exclusive skins in the game exclusive.
Especially the artificial scarcity of the digital content leads to disappointed players, and combined with things like the 200€ Jhin Chroma, players are skeptical of the new monetization strategies.
“So stupid that it’s funny again”
What is so absurd about it? For tangible, physical products, of which only a certain number are produced, a limitation is understandable: Such as with the Collector’s Edition of Baldur’s Gate 3, which sold out quickly when it became clear how good the game was.
However, a digital good is fundamentally available in unlimited quantities; it cannot really be limited. If it is still limited, as in the case of LoL, it is “artificial depletion.”
An sold out digital edition is actually absurd and is described by users on reddit as “so stupid that it’s funny again.”
What do you think about the new Collector’s boxes and their contents? How do you feel about the new monetization strategies of Riot Games? Let us know in the comments.
However, players are currently also dissatisfied within the game. The new champion Briar was too weak, resulting in dissatisfied players:
Destiny 2 fans are almost at the end of their patience, as Bungie’s top shooter has been plagued by connection issues and strange enemy behaviors for a week now. Some players say that being “broken” would actually be an improvement for the game right now.
These are the current problems with Destiny 2: First, the shooter experienced its biggest weapon exploit in a long time, as players crafted overpowered weapons that not only crushed everything but also achieved some in-game triumphs.
While Bungie announced that they would fix the exploit as soon as possible, further massive problems arose. In Destiny 2, there were “error code hiccups”, which players initially attributed to the exploit. However, that was not the case. Bungie announced on September 20 that it was actually a hacker attack (DDoS) on the Destiny 2 servers.
It has been a week now, and the servers do not seem to have calmed down significantly since then. As Ken Allsop from PCGamesN notes, Destiny 2 is now one of the most broken cases of an FPS game he has seen so far.
Right now, with the new DLC “The Final Form” featuring new super abilities, so close, this is not a good sign:
Start video
Destiny 2 lets the Titan spin axes in 2024 in the DLC “The Final Form”
“40 seconds without an error code must be a world record”
The hacker attack is likely still to blame: Bungie has not commented further on the errors, so it can be assumed that they are still due to the DDoS attack.
The attackers of such attacks aim to overwhelm the network bandwidth or the resources of server systems so much that players can no longer play and give up.
When one does not know what is happening, one thinks the game is broken, which exacerbates the damage. So exactly what such attacks aim to achieve.
Bungie is certainly not idle in this regard, but apart from the initial announcement, has remained silent. Other than a scheduled background maintenance, players have not been further informed about the situation, likely also to avoid confirming the attackers.
Additionally, the solutions often only work until the attackers switch to another “technique”. Then it starts all over again.
Alongside the error codes, the hostile AI in the game is also affected. Numerous Destiny 2 players are sharing clips online of enemies that no longer react to the Guardians at all, simply wandering around or standing still as if there were no targets nearby.
A tweet from DestinyTracker on Twitter/X aptly summarizes the sentiment.
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Even in PvP things were weird: Almost every round in the normal Crucible was sometimes an undecided round after another. Mechanics, like the zones in the mode Control, no longer worked at times.
Additionally, the Destiny 2 player Matthew Thomas Leshinsky remarked: Broken would be an improvement.
This is what players say about the situation: While there is hope for a quick resolution to these problems, the mood in the Destiny 2 community remains divided. Some are patient and hope for improvement, while others have already lost their patience.
The Guardian Mochá says: “Yes, these DDoS attacks have totally messed up the game. I can’t even play it without constantly getting error codes and so on.”
The player Dominic speculates: “All because of the DDoS attackers. I bet they were paid by those dissatisfied with the removal of the exploit weapons.”
Rooti on the other hand says: “At this point, I will just not play Destiny until they fix this mess.”
ImYunno even goes a step further: At this point, I have canceled my pre-order for “The Final Form” [the upcoming DLC in February 2024].
The future of Destiny 2 now depends on Bungie’s efforts to restore the stability and quality of the game and to meet player expectations.
Have you experienced similar problems as described in our article? And what do you think of the latest developments in Destiny 2? Do you trust Bungie to get the problem under control? Then feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Stellaris by Paradox Interactive is considered a complex strategy game where many fail right at the start. With 88% positive reviews, it is a top sci-fi game on Steam. Our author Schuhmann says: If you play Stellaris as a Terminator, you can skip many complex mechanics and find an ideal entry point. Those who have previously bounced off Stellaris can find their way into the game this way.
Why is Stellaris so complex?
Stellaris is a real-time strategy game from 2016, which has received 18 DLCs so far. The latest expansion was released in May 2023.
The game is a 4x strategy game from Paradox Interactive. Like Europa Universalis, Victoria, or Crusader Kings, these games have a reputation for being daunting for beginners: Many find it difficult to get into the games. The games are generally under-explained and have numerous, nested mechanics but weak tutorials.
In Stellaris, the sheer variety of races and sliders available before the game starts can be overwhelming. Additionally, the game features countless resources and mechanics that need to be considered. As reports indicate, many players struggle to find their entry point in the game.
With Star Trek Infinite a spin-off of Stellaris in the Star Trek universe is released on October 12:
Start video
Star Trek Infinite – Game features and pre-sale bonuses
Killer Robots Make Entry into Stellaris Easier
This makes it significantly easier to get into the game: Stellaris offers you a total of 27 different pre-made species choices. You can even create your own species.
If you choose the XT-489 Eliminator, Stellaris becomes immediately simpler. Because the robots eliminate not just every living being they encounter, but many of the more complex mechanics in Stellaris as well.
The Eliminators are a race of robots: The AI has gained self-awareness and wiped out the species that originally created it.
The robots have set themselves the goal of eliminating all life in the universe. They were probably compared to “toasters” too many times.
Significantly simplifies entry into the game.
Killer Robots Eliminate Flesh Creatures and Game Mechanics
This is why Stellaris becomes simpler this way: The killer robots eliminate some game mechanics in Stellaris:
Thus, you don’t have to worry about food and “consumables” – both resources are important for living beings but irrelevant to the robot. The only resources that matter are energy, metal, and minerals. This makes the building part of the game significantly easier. You can focus on just a few types of buildings when planning your space empire.
Moreover, you don’t have to bother with diplomacy: You don’t need justifications for war or claims against opponents but have the option to declare war on all organic beings at any time to exterminate them.
Furthermore, the management of conquered planets is eliminated: Normally, you have to painstakingly integrate subjugated species to avoid uprisings: The robots “cleanse” the planet: If you ever take over a densely populated world where a few rebellious flesh creatures survive for more than a few days, the rebellion will not last long.
Also, the political part of the game concerning factions and political movements is omitted: You have nothing to do with any interstellar associations.
Your leaders are practically immortal and don’t need to be replaced unless a rare malfunction occurs.
Stellaris Focuses on Growing, Researching, Killing
These are the robots’ advantages: Stellaris becomes significantly leaner because many components of the game that normally complicate it are removed. You can focus on the essentials and advance the two progress trees, Research and Society:
A strong start primarily involves establishing “simulation centers” on every planet to secure early advantages in exploration and expansion.
An early attack on an isolated opponent and the takeover of their worlds can give the Eliminators a head start.
These are the drawbacks of the race: Especially at the beginning, you are vulnerable to coalitions of flesh creatures. It may be necessary to initially hunker down with strong fortifications by building robust bastions at every entry point into your space.
If you expand too quickly, you become a crisis yourself: The races of the universe band together, and all flesh races unite against the threat, which is you.
The war can then only end with the total annihilation of all life. This can be bothersome.
A half a universe can quickly be conquered, even if it resists.
What’s behind this: The robots in Stellaris are like the Vikings in Crusader Kings 3: They bypass many complex nuances of strategy games and are purely focused on “devastation and destruction”.
This makes it an ideal entry point to get acquainted with the game: Those who can handle more complexity can switch to another species.
If you’ve always wanted to play one of Paradox’s complex strategy games but have repeatedly bounced off the complexity and illegibility of the games, the Eliminators might be an entry into the wonderful world of Swedish 4x games.
A sweeter alternative to Stellaris and this strategy:
The MMORPG Lost Ark has once again reached the top of the most played online role-playing games on Steam in September 2023. Developer Smilegate says that the number of new players has increased by 225% in the past week, and the number of returning users by even 321%. It is believed that a new update is behind the surge in player numbers.
How is the player count of Lost Ark developing?
Lost Ark was released in February 2022 on Steam and had a peak of 1.3 million concurrent players as a free-to-play title at launch.
The number remained relatively high for an MMORPG until December 2022, with up to 350,000 concurrent active players. However, Lost Ark was under constant suspicion of being plagued by bots. Therefore, the high player counts on Steam should be viewed with caution.
After December 2022, player numbers consistently declined for 7 months, until in July 2023 only about 24,300 average players were online. In the last 2 months, this number has slightly increased: from 24,390 it has now gone up to 32,401.
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Lost Ark showcases its latest boss darkly and impressively in the cinematic trailer
Lost Ark celebrates rising player numbers
What Smilegate says: The developers stated on September 22 that they saw an increase of 225% in new players and a rise of 321% in returning players. (via game.mk).
Lost Ark believes it’s due to the “The Eclipse” update, which was released on September 13. Smilegate says that with the patch came also reliefs for players to reach item level 1580. It is believed that this change significantly contributed to the increase in player numbers.
The remarkable increase in player count was measured in the week after the update.
While Steam Charts show the upswing, they also reveal that the player numbers are rising at relatively low levels:
Lost Ark rises again on Twitch
What else stands out? On Twitch, Lost Ark was able to achieve a strong value of over 191,000 concurrent viewers at the start of the patch, on September 13 and 14, which has not been seen in months.
What’s behind it: With the rise, Lost Ark has once again positioned itself on Steam ahead of Mir4 (Number 2) and Black Desert (Number 3 on Steam).
It should be noted that Lost Ark is also so large on Steam because it only runs on Steam, while MMORPGs like Final Fantasy XIV (4th place) or The Elder Scrolls Online (6th place) also function on other platforms and different launchers. The also Steam-exclusive New World is currently ranked 5th among the MMORPGs on Steam.
Despite the rise in the last 2 months, Lost Ark is still far from the “heydays” at launch.
Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has been the hope for fans of PvE MMORPGs for 9 years, hoping that a Western team would build something like Everquest or Vanguard again. However, after 9 years in development, the graphics appeared severely outdated. They want to change that. The team shows its new graphics in a new trailer. The reactions are only lukewarm.
This is the idea of Pantheon:
The MMORPG Pantheon was the brainchild of Brad McQuaid, a game developer who worked on Everquest and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes. The game was announced in 2014 and has been in pre-alpha since December 2017.
Pantheon was meant to bring the spirit of Everquest into a new era: To be a tough PvE MMORPG where you have to proceed strategically and in a group, not just rush through like in modern WoW. The game promises an open world where you can climb almost any surface. It should also be possible to find details and clues in the world through the “Perception system” and even change the world with unique skills.
This is the plan of the developers: The team has identified the graphics and art style as a weakness of the MMORPG. The style of the graphics and the overall appearance of the MMORPG have seemed outdated and unappealing to many observers. Therefore, Visionary Realms decided to change the graphic style.
In the Producer letter from August, which we reported on MeinMMO, this decision was introduced. Now, in September 2023, they show the changes in a 5-minute video on YouTube.
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Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen shows the art update in the trailer
Graphic style should be timeless and look fresh for years
The Creative Director, Chris Perkins, explains the considerations behind the new graphics:
Originally, Pantheon relied heavily on assets from Unity; there was hardly any opportunity to think about what the game should look like, but was then on that path.
Now they have taken the time to carefully consider how Pantheon should look and set goals that the game should look as realistic and good as the established competition, while also running smoothly. As a result, they ended up with a “hand-drawn style”.
New graphic style accelerates development already
The Director Benjamin Dean adds: Pantheon should have its own identity, but one that is timeless and can last for years. With the new style, they can ensure that even a small team can build an entire world. Since choosing the new style, development has progressed significantly faster.
The team believes that with the new art style, they can address more players from different demographics.
Fans seem rather disillusioned and disappointed after such a long time
What are the reactions? Pantheon suffers from the same problem as many indie MMORPGs: The games are created without external investors and must try early on to gain a community: they should then finance and promote the game. For Pantheon, crowdfunding failed in 2014, and they were then reliant on an investor to start development.
Studios that do crowdfunding present MMORPGs to the public that are decades away from release. At the time of presentation, these projects only exist on paper and in the minds of the developers.
For players, it then seems as if the MMORPGs are eternally in development and not much is happening. During the development time, players are fed concept art and lofty visions of what the MMORPG is supposed to become.
In these years, fans often imagine what a fantastic MMORPG it will be, one that will blow away all existing MMORPGs like ESO or WoW when it finally releases.
However, when developers finally reach out after 8 years with something “tangible”, showing a first trailer or gameplay images, many are disappointed at how little progress has been made and that it is not as great as imagined.
Ultimately, Pantheon is an indie MMORPG developed by a small team. Those expecting a new WoW will likely be disappointed.
Under the video, fans are rather critical. They say: After such a long time, they have simply expected more.
A comment on YouTube summarizes the voice of these fans well (via youtube):
I have been waiting for the game for almost a decade now (was a hardcore Everquest player back then), but it is really hard to watch this. Unfortunately, I don’t think the game will come out in the near future and when it does, it won’t be anywhere close to what we envisioned years ago.
The dream of Pantheon truly burst in March 2023. The reaction to the first gameplay made the graphical overhaul apparently necessary:
20 years old and yet some cannot let go. WoW Classic HC excites – and the players often do not even know why they play.
Most games are relatively short-lived. You play them for a few months and then set them aside. Maybe you pick them up again after 10 years in a fit of nostalgia and have a brief fun with them. Yet World of Warcraft in its “Hardcore” variant seems to be different.
Even in the WoW Classic subreddit the question arises. Here, the user centcentcent asked himself why he actually enjoys the game so much – because all rational considerations speak against it:
It is 2023, I am 38 years old and playing a level 17 priest in WoW Classic Hardcore. Why am I playing this? The gameplay is slow, questing is exhausting, it takes forever to get somewhere and my rotation is simple and repetitive. Why is this the only game I have been thinking about lately? Hours go by and all I have done is kill Old Trübauge and gather Condor flesh.
This is the most fun I have had with a video game in a long time. Why? I put hours into something that could be ruined by a simple disconnect. I love it. There are people everywhere, the world feels alive. Everything has weight, it has a sense of danger and progress. Soon the Death Mines. And when I die… I always wanted to try a dwarf warrior.
The post was well received by the community and has now received over 1,500 upvotes. Some players have ideas as to why WoW Classic Hardcore still works well 20 years after the release of the base game.
So writes Erva420:
It is a good video game, made with love for gaming, rather than being a platform that should sell you microtransactions and investor metrics. It is simply a good video game.
Also, artevelde8 sees the problem more in the newer game generation:
Nowadays, games just let you grind until the endgame content, so you are trapped in a cycle where it is only about keeping up with the latest updates. Not to mention that games currently try to get you to complete daily, tedious, and repetitive tasks to keep playing.
What makes Hardcore appealing? To describe the exact appeal of Hardcore WoW in words is probably quite difficult. Many find it incomprehensible how the “1-life” mechanic can bring fun and how hundreds of hours of gameplay can be wiped out by a single mistake. Yet that seems to be what keeps many engaged, as Barbz182 summarizes:
Feeling of progress. Feeling of success. Feeling of community. Feeling of adventure.
All this is only heightened by the shared danger of sudden digital death.
Have you been captivated by WoW Classic Hardcore too? Or can you not relate to it at all?
The TikToker and Twitch streamer Dilara sparked a heated discussion on social media when she received an unexpected cancellation from her influencer friend Theresa for an invitation to Wiesn while live in front of her viewers. The community is divided on whether Theresa’s honesty is a sign of true friendship or if she disrespected Dilara.
On TikTok, she produces dance videos, answers fan questions, and keeps up with the latest trends.
In August 2023, she expanded her presence on Twitch and started with a bang, reaching over 5,000 viewers in her first stream. Thus, she immediately rose as one of the biggest German Twitch streamers.
In her streams, she often plays various games with her streamer colleague “Stegi” and shares her highlights on TikTok. Dilara’s unmistakable green streaks in her hair and her constant smile have become her trademarks.
Here you can find more successful streamers:
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Whether on Madeira or at the mixing console – These are 5 of the biggest German Twitch streamers
Why did Theresa cancel on her? The incident occurred during one of her Twitch live streams when Dilara spontaneously called her influencer friend Theresa Kirchner. Dilara had invited her to go to the Munich Oktoberfest, the “Wiesn” together.
But instead of an expected agreement, Dilara received an unexpected cancellation. Theresa explained: “I can think of a few people I would rather go to the Wiesn with than you.” She expressed concern that the event could turn into a gathering of Dilara’s fans and that they both would not be able to enjoy the Wiesn in peace.
In addition, Theresa revealed that she is generally not a fan of the Oktoberfest. Dilara was visibly shocked and disappointed by the unexpected response. She commented on the situation with the words: “My own friends are mocking me.”
What does the community say about it? The incident between Dilara and Theresa has sparked a lively discussion on social media. The question arises as to what should take priority in a friendship: honesty or the well-being of the other.
One side sharply criticizes Theresa. They accuse her of not being a true friend and having treated Dilara disrespectfully.
The other side, however, defends Theresa, arguing that she merely expressed her concerns honestly. Theresa would rather meet Dilara privately, without the attention of her followers. She does not want to take the opportunity to boost her reach.
What do other influencers say about it? Not only fans but also other influencers have commented on this incident. The well-known TikToker missgeorgiacavallo expressed her support for Theresa, stating that she can empathize with her concerns.
She emphasized that the assumption that Theresa is not a true friend is wrong. She herself has experienced that it is uncomfortable for her friends when they are overwhelmed by fans during their shared activities. Therefore, she prefers private meetings with friends.
She concluded her TikTok statement with the words: “And now attacking Theresa for saying, I would rather spend time with my friend this way, that’s silly, man. Shut it!”.
Dilara commented on this post with the words: “100% Theresa and I are such good friends and we know exactly how to handle each other.” Missgeorgiacavallo replied: “Sure, I also don’t understand why people immediately think it’s not okay because you guys aren’t like others.”
Just recently, one of Dilara’s friendships became a topic of conversation. The friendly influencer Anna revealed in an interview that she often feels like a ‘sidekick’. She also highlighted the downsides that come with the friendship to Dilara. Nevertheless, she emphasized that she genuinely wishes her well-deserved success.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Linus Tech Tips is one of the most well-known tech experts on YouTube. However, numbers show that he lost more than 30 million monthly viewers in September 2023. What happened?
Linus Sebastian, with his YouTube channel “Linus Tech Tips,” is among the most recognized tech channels. The “Linus Media Group” now includes several companies such as “Creator Warehouse” and “Floatplane Media”, and not just the YouTube channel with its sub-channels.
However, compared to the last few months, the viewer numbers have surprisingly dropped significantly. This likely has various reasons.
Linus Tech Tips has 30 million fewer video views than in August
What do the current numbers look like? So far, Linus has about 57 million views in September compared to 93 million in August. September is not over yet, but by the end, about 30 million views are likely to be missing compared to the previous month. The Socialblade statistics show a massive decline in monthly viewer numbers, leading to viewer figures in September being far below those of previous months. The numbers, by the way, are from Socialblade.com:
What is the reason for this? The YouTube channel no longer uploads a video daily as it used to. This inevitably leads to the channel being able to gather fewer video views. There is also an extensive discussion behind this.
The major issues in August likely also play a role when looking at the dropped numbers.
What issues are we talking about? Linus Tech Tips was accused of sloppy work and unethical behavior in mid-August: The well-known channel “Gamers Nexus” pointed out some quality errors and other issues with Linus Tech Tips. Instead of focusing on quality, they preferred to deliver a video every day.
In connection with this controversy, Linus Tech Tips lost more than 200,000 subscribers. A little later, Linus Sebastian, however, somewhat contrite, explained that they stood by the mistakes and wanted to reinvent the tech channel. This is also a reason why videos no longer appear daily on the channel.
And for those who haven’t heard yet: Linus Sebastian has not been the head of “his” company since July 1. However, Linus remains with the channel and explained the move as a way to get more time for video content:
In EA FC 24 it is important to have a stable defense to succeed in Ultimate Team, especially in Division Rivals and soon also in Weekend League. Often, it’s just small adjustments that can help you defend better. We will show you with tips and tricks how you can definitely concede fewer goals in your next match.
What are the key aspects of defending? Defensive work is much about patience, organization, and timing. For an attacker, there is nothing easier than a wild, rushing defender or a leaky, disorganized defensive line.
We will explain to you how you can appear more stable and compact in defense even with small changes.
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EA Sports FC 24 Ultimate Team Deep Dive Trailer
5 Tips and Tricks for EA FC 24 to Defend Better
1. Set “Tactical Defending” in the Game Settings
Before we focus on defense on the field, a preset makes defending in FC 24 easier, which many of you may need to adjust manually.
How do I activate “Tactical Defending”? Go to the “Game Settings” under “Gameplay” in the subcategory “Defense”. There you will find the preset “Advanced Defending” next to the term Defensive.
Advanced defending differs from normal tactical defending that you already know from previous FIFA installments. Instead of a contextual tackle animation like in tactical defending, you can choose between shoulder barges and tackles with legs in advanced defending.
As the name suggests, you should only use advanced defending if you are already familiar with the gameplay, as it may otherwise overwhelm you.
Therefore, we would advise you to initially use normal tactical defending. This is how it should look in your game settings.
2. Opt for Fast, Tall, and Robust Players in Central Defense
What should I pay attention to when selecting my center-backs? EA has shifted the focus towards speed with the expansion of the three acceleration types (controlled, explosive, and sustained) in FC 24. Regardless of which acceleration type your center-back has, make sure they come with a certain base speed.
With the new evolution feature, you can even give certain defenders a decent speed boost.
However, it’s not just speed that should play an important role in your choice for center-backs. Two other aspects are equally essential, which may be mentally sidelined due to a new feature in FC 24.
With the inclusion of women in FC 24, some well-rated female defenders have also been added to the Ultimate Team player pool. The ratings look quite solid in some cases, but the players have a significant disadvantage.
They are smaller than their male counterparts. In central defense, however, you will have to compete in many aerial duels. Generally, taller players also win more headers.
Combined with the reduced size, a further deficiency appears with female players. Their player model is not as robust and wide as that of their tall male colleagues. This becomes especially evident in duels and blocking attempts.
So, if you are still unsure in defense, initially choose center-backs who have at least 70 pace and are at least 1.85 m tall. These will ensure more stability and compactness without your intervention.
If your defender also possesses defensive playstyles, you will have at least fulfilled the basic requirements to defend better.
3. Use Tactical Instructions for Covering
What is meant by covering? There is only one thing worse than poorly defending, namely not being able to defend at all because you have no players left in defense. Especially after losing the ball, the missing instructions can quickly become fatal for you.
Conversely, you should always ensure that you have a residual defense.
For this, we recommend in the tactical instructions which you can set for each position before the match, to give both outside defenders the instruction “Stay back while attacking”.
This way, the back four will always remain in their formation, and you will be prepared for potential counterattacks from the opponent.
4. Let the Opponent Come – Use Sidesteps to Challenge the Attacker
Why you shouldn’t defend too aggressively: As mentioned before, you become an easy target if you rush towards your opponent. Turn the table and stay in a passive observer role. As long as you let the attacker come to you, they first have to think of something to get past you.
In the game, this specifically means, only try to take the ball from the opponent when you are really sure you can do so. Try to match the opponent’s running paths and movement changes. The best way to do this is by following the opponent’s steps with sidesteps (jockey movement).
This is how defending with side steps works: To execute this defensive stance, hold down the L2 button on PlayStation or the LT button on Xbox. Additionally, you can also press the sprint button if you notice that your opponent wants to increase the pace in the duel. Your defender will then execute the lateral steps more quickly.
Finally, we have one tip that seems very trivial at first glance but is still very important.
5. Switch Between Players to Maintain Your Compactness
To prevent your defenders from breaking apart the defensive line, pass the attackers of your opponent to the colleagues who are better positioned.
This is how you switch your players: If the opponent launches an attack from the left, your right defender will engage with the attacking player. You select this player using the L1 button on PlayStation or the LB button on Xbox to position yourself.
If the ball is passed into the center, or the opponent runs with the ball towards the center, then use the player switch button to select a better positioned, ball-near player in the center. With this player, you can then receive the opponent again.
At the same time, the AI ensures that the right defender keeps their position in the defensive line.
With this simple trick, you maintain your compactness and make it difficult for your opponent to find the gap in your defensive unit. Press the player switch button one more time rather than too few.
With these tips and tricks, we promise you more stability in defense. If not everything should work perfectly at the beginning, that is completely normal.
With just the tactical instructions and the choice of robust center-backs, safety should already be felt in the first match.
The AI assistant Copilot from Microsoft will be introduced with the next update in Windows 11. This will replace Cortana as a productivity assistant. With its support, you can complete tasks faster and more easily.
Microsoft hops on the AI train and brings its version of ChatGPT for all users of Windows 11. Unlike its prominent relative, Copilot is not just supposed to answer questions and summarize texts from websites. Like its predecessor Cortana, Copilot aims to make your daily life easier and assist with tasks. To achieve this, the AI utilizes your apps and files on the computer.
In a short video, Microsoft shows you the possibilities that you can utilize with Copilot. To make it easier for you to say goodbye to the predecessor Cortana, the new AI assistant will be available by the end of September.
Cortana’s days are numbered, new AI companion Copilot for more productivity
When is Cortana being discontinued? Microsoft is serious and is removing Cortana as a task assistant by the end of the year from its Windows 11 operating system. With the update on September 26, 2023, however, the software developer is already providing you with the successor Copilot, which is supposed to do everything better. With many new features, it can improve your productivity in the workday.
What is the difference compared to its predecessor? Unlike Cortana, Copilot can not only answer simple questions but also take over specific tasks on your computer. For this purpose, it communicates internally with the programs you have installed and uses the files you need for this purpose.
Copilot in Windows allows you to create things faster and complete tasks more easily – making once complicated tasks much simpler and quicker to resolve. We have ensured that you can seamlessly access the power of Copilot.
Microsoft on the product page for Copilot
How can you use Copilot? Access occurs after the update either directly via a corresponding icon on the desktop in the taskbar or with the keyboard shortcut “Win+C”. Commands are then received in a sidebar via text or voice input from Copilot.
