Let’s remember the “good old days“: What made MMORPGs so special 15 or 20 years ago?
Although a whole range of new MMORPGs have been released in recent years, only very few of them have actually been able to establish themselves in the market. A whole range of them died just a few years, if not months, after release.
In the MMORPG community, there are always complaints that these new MMORPGs being released simply aren’t as good as the good old titles from the past. They just do too much wrong and cannot convey the wonderful gaming experience of earlier MMORPGs.
Even games that consider themselves “old school” and want to bring back the “old values” fail to ignite the gaming feeling or excitement that arose in games like Ultima Online, WoW, and Dark Age of Camelot.
But what exactly characterizes this gaming feeling? What is this special something that captivated you in the games and provided countless hours of gameplay?
We want to know from you what it is that you miss in modern MMORPGs. Can you explain what made the old games so special?
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5 old MMORPGs that are still actively played
Where is the survey tool? In this survey, we leave the stage to you. There can be as many answers to this question as there are grains of sand on the beach, so feel free to comment on what you feel is missing from new MMORPGs.
Has the gaming industry changed so much that it has sucked the fun out of the games? With all the microtransactions, pay-to-win, and NFTs, skinner-box designs for quick rewards, and the soulless mass production of MMORPGs that feel more like a gray mass than standalone games.
Or have perhaps the expectations of the player base changed? Are we perhaps asking too much of brand new MMORPGs? Unique concepts that stand out from all others and have never been used before, the leveling process shouldn’t be too fast or too slow, the endgame shouldn’t be too grindy but also shouldn’t end too quickly, and so on.
In League of Legends there is trouble. A Twitch streamer has been running a successful event in Spain since 2019, the “SoloQ Challenge.” In 2023, the event is taking place almost identically in France and has the support of Riot Games. The streamer is beside himself: Riot Games has simply stolen everything without asking him.
What kind of event is this? Since 2019, the Twitch streamer ElmillioR has been hosting an event in Spain: SoloQ Challenge. This is the largest event for League of Legends in the country.
In the event, professional players and content creators compete and try to reach the highest rank in SoloQ from scratch within 21 days.
This is the new development:
In 2023, the event “SoloQ Challenge” is now officially created for French, Belgian, and Swiss participants.
For this, 60 streamers and professionals have been invited.
The event is organized by the streamer “TraYtoN” together with Riot Games. There is a prize pool of €14,500. The event runs from April 1 to April 24.
Among the invited players, who are also known outside of France, are LEC professionals like Hans sama, Nisqy, and Targamas.
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How the Worst Troll from Twitch Became the Face of League of Legends
Spanish Twitch streamer feels robbed
Here’s why the streamer is so upset: The Spaniard accuses Riot Games of stealing his idea without asking him beforehand:
This has totally gone out of control. They stole the name of the project, copied the format, and took 100% of my website (front and back end). And all this, without asking me.
At the same time, he complains about the lack of support from Riot Games Spain, which he calls incompetent.
Riot Games says: the event is approved and completely fine by them
What does Riot Games say about this? The situation is quite strange. The French division of Riot Games merely states (via twitter):
In light of the claims made by a Spanish streamer regarding the SoloQ Challenge project, we want to assure you that Trayton’s project SoloQ Challenge France as well as his website are supported and approved by Riot Games, and that everything has been conducted according to the rules.
Thus, they ultimately only state: the event has their blessing, which no one has contested.
They go on to explain that the event in France is a collaboration with Spain. In fact, they had planned to hold two events in parallel, in France and Spain. Therefore, there are some similarities. They know that both communities in France and Spain love the competition but want a healthy competition.
However, regarding the allegations that they stole the event and did not contact the creator of the event, they do not comment at all.
What’s behind this? Apparently, the Spanish streamer considers his event to be “his property” – but Riot Games does not see it that way and regards the SoloQ Challenge as a successful event in their game that they would also like to try elsewhere. After all, it’s their game and they have all the rights to it.
One can probably understand both sides. However, it would have been at least nice if they had asked the Spaniard, who is clearly very upset because Riot Spain is not supporting his event as he wants, while he is being copied by Riot France.
The economic simulation “Big Ambitions” is a pleasant big surprise for many in spring 2023 on Steam. People love the game, praising in reviews the “realistic simulation” of the rise from supermarket cashier to millionaire. Our author Schuhmann says: You would have to pay me a lot of money to make me play it.
What kind of game is this?
Big Ambitions was released on March 10 on Steam and costs €23 (via steam). It is still in early access – is supposed to officially release at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.
In the game, you start as a young man (or young woman, there is a rudimentary character editor) in New York. However, you have a wealthy uncle who gets you your first apartment and makes the transition to “adult life” easier.
You can plan your rise in capitalism in New York, buy businesses, work your way up, and become rich. The apparent goal is to virtually treat yourself to your own yacht, which everyone yearns for in real life.
Why do people celebrate the game? On Steam, “Big Ambitions” has an impressive 95% positive reviews. Players are enthusiastic:
“Sims meets GTA meets Retail Tycoon. It’s addictive and still in early access. Can’t wait to see what else they have planned. Easily my favorite game of 2023 so far.”
“The business simulation we have all dreamed of,”
“Big Ambitions is a very interesting and varied economic simulation combined with a life simulation.”
Why was I looking forward to the game? After reading the reviews, I was really looking forward to the game. For almost 30 years since the first Anstoss, I have been into economic simulations:
I played the original German simulation “Kaiser” on the C64
As a teenager, I played Anstoss on the Amiga at friends’ houses or at least got to watch others play it in small rooms filled with too many teenagers
I spent countless hours later on Sim City with my own PC
Instead of clicking through menus, you really have to walk in Big Ambitions
Here is the difference with Big Ambitions: Most simulations are abstract; you, like a godlike being, direct the fate of your employees or your world. But in Big Ambitions, you really play the character, the aspiring business magnate, and instead of clicking in a menu, you actually have to walk from A to B. In doing so, you must pay attention to, like in a survival game, to have eaten enough and gotten enough sleep.
The game does something in the first 50 minutes that is known in MMORPG terms as “backtracking”: You have to walk the same paths repeatedly.
In “Big Ambitions,” you start in a kind of tutorial and, like in “The Sims,” first set up your apartment anew. While in “The Sims” everything can be bought in a menu, “Big Ambitions” seriously expects me to walk down the street to buy groceries in a store.
No sooner have I trudged back to my apartment than the game sends me back to the store – I am supposed to complete my first shift “as a salesperson” there.
Where it was still “ultra-realistic” before, now comes the harsh break: The shift consists of me clicking on my workplace and then a timer counts down 8 hours, while nothing else happens. Right at the point where realism would be appropriate, and where a new gameplay element could be introduced, the simulation becomes totally abstract.
I watch a timer ticking down. Exciting.
If you think that the game then really begins, it sends you back home to sleep and the next morning again in the direction of the supermarket just one block away, to buy supplies for your first shop. But you don’t do that on foot anymore; you have to struggle through the dense traffic of New York in a car and find a parking space and park correctly – otherwise, a parking ticket will strain your limited budget.
After a while, you drive through New York in a car and have to find a parking space.
I don’t make any decisions, just walk the same route from A to B
This is my first impression: At this point, after about 20 minutes, I haven’t made a single exciting decision yet, but I have already walked the same route from my apartment to the supermarket or to the other store 4 times. The last time to buy receipts and a cash register, to carry packages to my car, and then to trundle with these business supplies to my shop and set them up there.
And after that, it continues just as before: The game sends me to some library, where I have to complete a “management course” to employ the first employees.
So I click on the study spot and again the timer runs. Because my character hasn’t eaten anything or is still tired beforehand, I manage to cram for the course, but afterwards, I faint and am taken to the hospital, where the game seriously expects me to walk all the way back to my house.
So with all the love and positive expectations. At this point, I requested my €23 back from Steam.
The big goal is probably the yacht – I will never reach it.
Big Ambitions is like setting up cones instead of buying players
This is my conclusion: If Anstoss 1 had been like “Big Ambitions” 30 years ago, I wouldn’t have assembled a roster or expanded my stadium, but I would have first set up cones in training for two hours, then massaged Thomas Müller’s left and right calves, and afterwards been allowed to drive home from the training ground through downtown Munich, stopping only for a moment to buy frozen groceries so I wouldn’t faint on the way to bed.
One might find this a totally realistic life simulation, after all, in real life you also walk the same routes all the time, but my love for simulations just doesn’t go that far.
I can explain the 95% positive reviews by the fact that Big Ambitions actually appeals very well to a certain target audience (probably the same nerds who spend 3 hours driving a bus in Bus Simulator) – and everyone else should leave it alone from the outset.
Maybe I’m doing the game wrong, and it becomes fantastic and open after the tutorial, but one probably needs a certain affinity for backtracking and a high tolerance for frustration to even get through the tutorial.
There is a new trend in e-sports: Those who want viewers simply leave out the e-sports athletes and rely on Twitch streamers who play at a high level. In Germany, the streamer team NNO proved this thesis in League of Legends in 2022, while in the USA, Disguised Toast is currently achieving this in the women’s division of Valorant.
This is the situation in Valorant:
In the USA, the Twitch streamer “Disguised Toast” has opened an e-sports team in Valorant and assembled a roster to shake up the “Game Changer” project: With the project, Riot Games aims to make it easier for women and members of marginalized groups to enter the e-sports scene.
However, the streamer stated that he didn’t have enough money and time for a “real team,” which is why he did not contract e-sports athletes but Twitch female streamers who play Valorant with ambition.
For this, he was sharply criticized on Twitter by a woman, stating that women gamers should be given a chance. Bringing Twitch female streamers into the team is like a slap in the face for all female e-sports players in Valorant. His behavior was “disrespectful.”
Disguised Toast reacted quite touched by this criticism. People would be excluded. He only contracted players who are suitable for e-sports. The criticism is not okay.
However, it was already noticeable that he took the criticism seriously and admitted that the team was more about generating attention than winning games and tournaments.
Start video
Valorant Champions Tour 2023 LOCK IN Cinematic Trailer
Team of Twitch Female Streamers Causes Viewer Boom at Valorant
This is now the turning point: The team of Twitch female streamers from Disguised Toast is now competing in their first tournament, and indeed the desired result is achieved: The viewership numbers at the tournament have tripled, writes a user:
Last year, the games peaked at about 8,500 viewers.
Now there are already 24,000.
One of the players on the team says that together across all channels they even reached 100,000 viewers.
Thus, Disguised Toast has apparently achieved his goal of drawing more attention to the “Game Changer” project.
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In German LoL, a Team of Twitch Streamers Sets Viewer Records
What’s happening with LoL? Here in Germany, we observed the exact same phenomenon among male players in 2022:
In the second German league of LoL, a team participated that consisted only of Twitch streamers. Among them was NoWay4U, one of the biggest Twitch streamers ever.
Many in the team were former professionals in LoL, who had ended their professional career in favor of streaming at an advanced age – but they were still good enough for the 2nd league.
In the end, their matches had many more viewers than the top games of the 1st league. The games of NNO reached 100,000 viewers. The games in the 1st league had around 30,000. Here too, the numbers of the streamers were 3 times larger.
Content Creators Discover a Struggling E-Sport and Generate Much Attention
Why this is so important: Currently, e-sports is struggling. Many teams have to cut their expenses or even close their business entirely.
However, it can be seen that projects led by popular Twitch streamers simultaneously bring in the viewership and attention that e-sports teams so desperately desire.
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Everything you need to know about the LoL team Eintracht Spandau – in 4 minutes
The successful e-sports teams have known this for a long time and work closely with content creators: Large organizations like FaZe or 100 Thieves specialize in strengthening their brands through content creators on YouTube and Twitch and selling fashion products.
In Germany, YouTuber “HandofBlood” founded his own LoL team. In France and Spain, popular content creators have followed suit.
In all 3 countries, this has breathed new life into the scene and resulted in increased presence on social media.
For the “competitive side” of e-sports, this could be rather negative, but for commercial success, there seems to be no way around content creators.
As is common nowadays, a well-known Twitch streamer has received not just kind messages in his inbox. The largest streamer in Germany, EkiasN97, has taken revenge on some individuals who recently insulted him via social media.
Who is it about? Elias Nerlich is a 25-year-old streamer, content creator, and former FIFA pro, known mainly by the names EliasN97 or “Eligella”.
Streamer gives hope for a win and then takes it back
How does he take revenge? Elias Nerlich is currently raffling off a car, to be precise a Porsche worth 170,000 euros. With the raffle, he wants to give something back to his community, as a “thank you” for the support, the streamer writes on Instagram.
On Twitter, Nerlich posted some screenshots of chat conversations where he was insulted by the respective conversation partner for making a joke about the result of the football match between FC Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg.
Nerlich told the individuals who previously insulted him baselessly that they are in the running for the Porsche raffle and should contact him briefly. The “fans” then reacted with statements like “You are the best” and “I’m there in every stream”.
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Subsequently, Nerlich referred to the insults in the chats and made it clear to the individuals that they will not receive the car.
The streamer initially gave them hope for winning a 170,000 euro car as revenge for the insults and then took it back.
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Twitch streamer wants to change the perception of gaming as Miss Germany: “One should not demonize it, but also not glorify it”
Even though Nerlich had a brilliant response to the insults, harassment on social media is still a problem. Recently, a voice actress withdrew because she faced a wave of hate.
Frederik “NoWay” Hinteregger is one of the biggest German streamers on Twitch and is completely dedicated to the MOBA League of Legends. In a stream, he talked about the most lucrative offer he has received so far and explained why he is glad he did not accept it.
What was the offer? In a stream in mid-March, NoWay explained that the crypto exchange FTX had offered him 2 million euros for a one-year advertising deal. However, he can count himself lucky for not having accepted it back then.
Why can he count himself lucky? The streamer brought up the topic when he read a headline: YouTubers who had advertised for FTX were sued in a class action for 1 billion dollars in damages (via Twitter).
NoWay has been playing LoL since Season 1 and can rightly call himself a true veteran. Can you?
What is FTX all about? FTX was a crypto exchange founded in 2019 by Sam Bankman-Fried. It quickly became a huge success, and Bankman-Fried was regarded as a star of the crypto scene, a brilliant businessman who casually played LoL in meetings.
FTX spent huge sums to secure advertising partners: American football star Tom Brady appeared in a commercial for them. The esports organization “Team Solo Mid” rebranded to “TSM FTX” for 210 million dollars.
However, in 2022, the house of cards collapsed: FTX had to file for bankruptcy. Bankman-Fried is now under house arrest at his parents’ home and is not allowed to play LoL anymore.
Why did NoWay decline the deal? A viewer of the streamer writes that he admires his attitude. But with 2 million euros, one could easily be tempted. However, NoWay sees it differently and advises against entering into deals for which one lacks background knowledge.
You have to stay strong. If you don’t understand crypto – and there are so many scams in the crypto area – you have to stay strong. You never know how many lives you ruin just so that you feel a little better. I’m already doing well, you know.
The deal with FTX was the biggest offer that had been presented to him so far. There was also an offer from a casino when gambling was so big on Twitch. Even that could not compare to FTX.
Besides moral concerns, there is another reason why NoWay turned down the offers from FTX and the casino: they were very uncertain offers. Whether he would actually have received the money in the end, he considers “very unlikely.”
You can watch a video recording of the stream here:
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How is it received? Extremely positive. In the comments on YouTube, NoWay is praised for his integrity and reasonable attitude towards money. YouTube user Zino sums it up: “Just a cool dude.” (via YouTube)
NoWay can obviously live well with his decision to have turned down the million deal. Others cannot say the same. The streamer Sodapoppin’ still regrets a dubious deal worth 10 million dollars that he turned down in 2019.
A YouTuber has discovered a hidden change in Counter-Strike 2 that helps you hit your opponents.
Which function is it about? Every shooter on the market has one thing in common: the hitbox is the most important function of the game. Everything stands and falls with the hitbox – not just your opponents. Counter-Strike is no exception.
A hit zone that is problematic or does not work as intended significantly affects the fun of the game. For example, it creates frustration when a hitbox does not align with the character model and does not register a shot where it hit – like a headshot that supposedly missed or a missed shot from your opponent that was counted as a hit.
If a shooter has a hitbox that does everything right and satisfies players, it is rarely adjusted. This distinguishes hit zones from other gameplay elements such as weapons, gadgets, and maps, which occasionally receive balancing updates.
It is all the more unusual when the hitbox of a game is revised and changed. However, CS:GO players now have to brace themselves for this, as with CS2, Valve is making changes to the hit zone of the cult shooter for the first time since 2018.
An overview of the most important changes in CS2 can be seen in the video:
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Counter-Strike 2 heralds a new era – The most important changes in the video
CS2 gives you a bigger head
How does Counter-Strike 2 change the hitbox? YouTuber “Ansimist” has found that the hitbox of CS2 has been slightly adjusted compared to CS:GO (via Twitter).
According to Ansimist, all hitboxes are now in a capsule shape, while hands and feet were previously really in the shape of a box. Furthermore, all character models are now supposed to have the same hitbox size. For this purpose, the size of the hit zone has been changed in some areas.
The head hitbox is now supposed to be between 3.94% and 19.73% larger for the various models, while the neck is between 13.52% and 28.55% smaller. The hitbox at the hands and ankles has also been reduced.
How does this affect the game? Especially the enlarged hitbox on the head can have a significant impact on the game because, in games like Counter-Strike, players primarily shoot for the head.
With headshots, you can eliminate your opponents the fastest, and due to the change, you find it easier to hit your opponents in CS2 when aiming at the head.
Currently, CS2 is only playable for selected testers, but when the coveted update is released for everyone in the summer, it will come with not only the adjusted hitbox but also further adjustments.
Some of these changes, such as the new smoke grenades and the revamped maps, Valve has announced grandly. However, some adjustments have not gone unnoticed by everyone.
For Diablo 4, Seasons and how Blizzard has developed them in its new hack & slash are important. Some condemn the system, while others appreciate it. We show you whether Diablo 4 really needs Seasons.
What are Seasons in Diablo? Seasons were implemented in Diablo 3 and are considered endgame content. Each Season lasts 3 months and offers new mechanics or legendaries depending on the theme, enabling new builds. Rewards include cosmetic items like pets, portraits, and other things. To participate in Seasons, you must create a Season hero and level them up to their max level again (via diablo3.blizzard.com).
Many fans of Diablo celebrate the system behind Seasons, but there are also players who cannot stand it. There is currently a heated debate about whether Diablo 4 needs the same system or could live without it.
Start video
Diablo 4 features huge bosses like an MMO – And they drop really good loot
Players know: Without Seasons, Diablo would be at the end
Why are Seasons so cool? While some players do not understand the system behind Seasons, longtime Diablo 3 fans know what they are there for – they ensure that Diablo does not die out. Reddit user rustang2 aptly describes the intent behind the Seasons:
Don’t you realize, season haters, that many players destroy the content and then leave the game, Seasons bring them back and keep player numbers high. Without that, the support for the game would be much lower, and fewer contents would be released for everyone.
Basically, Seasons bring fresh air into the meta during the three months they appear. Every player starts from scratch and can then work their way up to the top of the leaderboard. Despite this, some fans cannot warm up to the mechanics behind it.
They prefer to continue playing with their first hero, with whom they started, and still try out new content, rather than having to create a new hero every few months. According to comments on Reddit, however, Diablo 4 needs Seasons to survive.
How will Seasons look in Diablo 4? Seasons should have the same duration and system as in Diablo 3. Every three months, a new theme or mechanic will be released to provide fresh air. In addition, to participate in the Season, you must create a Season hero.
This time, however, there are also Season Passes that players can purchase to unlock cosmetic items for their classes. However, how the Season Pass is tied to the actual Season and whether you must play a Season to make progress for it is not yet known.
What do you think of the Seasons in Diablo 4? Would you prefer them to be completely removed, and Blizzard brings more content through their Season Pass, or can you not imagine Diablo without Seasons at all? Let us know in the comments!
Civilization VI is currently available on Steam at a 90% discount. This saves you more than €50 compared to the original price. The strategy game is rated very positively with 85% and causes sleepless nights for some players.
Civilization VI is the latest installment in the well-known city-building series and is one of the most played titles in the strategy genre on Steam (via SteamDB). The game also made it to MeinMMO’s list of the best strategy games for PC with multiplayer.
In Civilization VI, you found your own civilization and expand it continuously to eventually rise to a world empire. The game uses a turn-based system where you compete with your own people against other civilizations and take turns executing actions. You can play the game solo as well as in multiplayer.
Here you can see a trailer for Civilization VI:
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CIVILIZATION VI – Launch Trailer
Game and bundles are currently on special offer
How much does Civilization VI cost on Steam? Currently, you can get the strategy game at a 90% discount. Instead of €59.99, you now pay only €5.99 (via Steam, as of April 5, 2023). The offer ends on April 17, 2023.
You can also save on bundles right now. The “Sid Meier’s Civilization VI Anthology” includes the base game Civilization VI as well as 18 DLCs. Instead of €209.85, you now pay €29.62 with an 86% discount.
The Platinum Edition is reduced by 91% and includes the base game and 8 DLCs. You pay €15 instead of €167.91.
How do players rate Civilization VI? The game is very positively rated on Steam. Of a total of 187,733 reviews, 85% are positive (as of April 5, 2023).
Players praise Civilization VI as a great turn-based strategy game, where “just one more turn” can quickly turn into several hours:
kretzsche: “Set an alarm, or you’ll never get to bed.”.
Bazzer: “Civilization VI is an excellent building game that offers a wealth of possibilities to lead a civilization from antiquity to modern times. The game is not just a pure strategy game but also requires the management of resources, economy, technology, and culture to foster the growth and development of your civilization […]”.
MisterThreemanTwitchTV: “Me 16:30: Just one last turn, then I’ll take a break. Me 03:00: Wtf?”
PlayStation announced the free games for the PS Plus subscription in April on March 29, 2023. Among them was a title that some reddit users are particularly excited about.
What games are available in April for PS Plus? These 3 game titles will be available to you from PlayStation this month. You can play them on both PS4 and PS5:
Meet Your Maker
Tails of Iron
Sackboy: A Big Adventure
Here you can see the trailer for the 3rd game title:
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Sackboy: A Big Adventure – Story Trailer
The reddit users rave
What do the reddit users say? Especially regarding Sackboy: A Big Adventure, the reddit users of a thread respond with great enthusiasm:
Many write that it is the perfect game if you have children. However, several adults also have fun with the game:
Gbrush3pwood: ‘Don’t miss Sackboy, especially if you have kids. Couch co-op with 4 players is a blast.’
Majestic_Salad_I1: ‘I am male, 42 years old, and Sackboy is one of the funniest and most unique games out there. It is incredibly well-designed, the graphics are amazing, the music is great, and I have no complaints about it. And as you said, you can play it with up to 4 players, so it’s great if you have kids or if your nephews come over.’
flowella: ‘The best soundtrack of all time in this game. Incredible.’
What type of game is Sackboy: A Big Adventure? In this 3D platformer, you play as a small, fuzzy hero embarking on a big adventure. You must master various colorful 3D levels and demonstrate your platforming skills.
How long are the PS Plus games available? PlayStation Plus subscribers can play the games since April 4, 2023. They are available in the PS Plus subscription until May 1, 2023.
The upcoming MMORPG Blue Protocol from developer Bandai Namco recently invited some players for a test. Twitch streamer Asmongold also wanted to participate, but the developers banned him immediately.
What kind of tests are these? From March 31 to April 2, Blue Protocol conducted a network test. Participating were allowed to try out the MMORPG and play content up to level 20. This was something the well-known Twitch streamer Asmongold also wanted to do.
During a stream on his secondary account “Zackrawrr”, Asmongold, the most famous MMORPG streamer on Twitch, mentioned that he had tried to participate in the tests.
However, Bandai Namco had stated from the beginning that no one outside Japan would be allowed to participate.
Asmongold still made an attempt
During his stream, viewers informed him that Blue Protocol allegedly immediately bans testers from other countries. Asmongold can confirm this: “That’s something that happened to me too.”
Although the streamer lives in Texas, he made an attempt to try out the MMORPG. “The account I used was banned,” he told his viewers.
For Asmongold, this is not a big deal. He knew that the developers would ban everyone outside of Japan. He is among them. He is not angry about it, Asmongold says (via Youtube).
Bandai Namco would surely have gained a lot of attention through an exception for the largest MMORPG streamer on Twitch. Asmongold has 3.4 million followers on Twitch.
Here you can see the gameplay trailer of Blue Protocol:
Start video
Blue Protocol: Gameplay Trailer
Testers from Japan praise the MMORPG
Those living in Japan were allowed to try out Blue Protocol without being banned. The MMORPG mostly received praise from the Japanese testers. Compared to the last test, which took place in 2020, Blue Protocol is said to have developed significantly.
The combat system was particularly praised. Jumping and a dodge roll make it feel dynamic. Furthermore, the character’s abilities change by pressing additional keys. Thus, your character has more skills than testers initially assumed, as auto-attacks can be varied by pressing W-A-S-D.
Players viewed the strong grind of leveling the adventure rank and the side quests, which are said to feel very generic, as negative.
What do you think about Bandai Namco not wanting to make an exception for the largest MMORPG streamer? Do you think that’s right, or should they have let him participate in the tests?
To find out the current status of a global beta, you can find out here:
Destiny 2 has a new bug that equally amuses and confuses the community: bosses that suddenly kill themselves. The reason for this is an unusually toxic bug occurring in conjunction with the exotic weapon Osteo Striga.
What bug has been discovered? Normally, bosses in Destiny 2 present a challenge to players and require good strategy and coordination to be defeated. However, recently there has been a new trend in all activities: bosses now die on their own.
The culprit is a now-known toxic bug from Season 20, which occurs in combination with the exotic submachine gun Osteo Striga, the Strang subclass, and the perk “Vorpal Weapon”. It causes the toxic damage-over-time effect to persist nearly indefinitely.
Start video
Destiny 2 shows new insights into Strand in its trailer – The focus in Lightfall
Destiny 2 has never been this toxic
How does the bug occur? In his latest video, YouTuber and Destiny 2 player CheeseForever goes into detail about the effect and shows its deadly impact on various enemies in Destiny 2.
Equipped with the Osteo Striga, he triggers the perk “Toxic Overload” through precision skills, which releases a burst that also poisons nearby targets
He then uses his Warlock melee “Arcane Needle”
Now he just needs to switch to a weapon with the Vorpal perk and occasionally deal damage to maintain the poison ticks
The bug now ensures that the effects continue indefinitely, and the poison tick from the exotic Witch Queen weapon does almost 50% more damage than normal.
This allows players to easily kill the various Destiny bosses, including raid bosses, as seen in the video:
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Poison, chill, kill – The new bug is quite mean to all foes
The bug seems to have existed for a while: After the bug became known, some players noted that they had already wondered why some activities in combination with the Osteo Striga were so easy to play since Lightfall. They didn’t want to believe it was a bug in the game and wished it had never come to light.
Basically, you only need to trigger the issue once and you can then cozy up in a corner while the bug does the rest. Specifically, the Warlock’s melee spawns infinite needle projectiles, which in turn infect nearby enemies.
However, the Warlock exotic “Necrotic Grip” works correctly and cannot be combined with the bug to cause even higher damage.
Usable for all classes: However, the bug is not limited to the Warlock. The other classes can also take advantage of it if they use the Grasp melee attack combo of Strang. This should make it clear that it is an extreme gameplay error if players in Destiny 2 are easily completing all activities solo.
Has Bungie commented on this yet? So far, there has been no response from Bungie. It remains to be seen if and how Bungie will respond to this bug. However, there is no doubt that it will happen, and this error will be fixed in the near future. We will update the article with more information as soon as it becomes available.
How about you? Have you noticed and secretly taken advantage of the bug? Or did you not notice it at all? Feel free to leave us a comment, as we are curious about your unique perspective on this toxic error.
Those interested in the current player numbers in Destiny 2 should definitely check out our latest article:
With Creative 2.0 in Fortnite, the creativity of players knows no bounds anymore. Or does it? A fan created many CoD maps for multiplayer and zombie modes, but they have now been taken offline for good reason.
What is Creative 2.0? Epic Games released a new feature for Fortnite on March 23, 2023, which many players had been waiting for. The Unreal Editor for Fortnite, or UEFN, is a system that players can use to create better and more diverse maps in Creative mode.
This allows maps to be created that resemble parts of GTA 5 or even areas from CoD. As cool as that sounds, it’s not that easy because Epic Games has set limitations for the players, showing them what they are allowed to create and what not.
Many creators, however, disregard Epic Games’ warnings and must now deal with the consequences. Just like the creator Mist Jawa, who had to delete all his CoD maps.
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Unreal Editor for Fortnite Release Trailer
Player Copies Most Famous Map from CoD – Now Faces Trouble
What has the player created? Mist Jawa is a content creator who created the famous CoD map “Rust” in Fortnite since the release of Creative 2.0. Additionally, there were also some zombie maps for survivalists. These could then be visited and played for free as soon as you had the map code.
The problem, however, is that Epic Games views such maps as violations of copyright regulations (via youtube.com). Now, Jawa had to delete all his CoD maps, along with all videos on his social accounts (via twitter.com).
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Why did he have to delete the maps? Creative 2.0 offers crazy possibilities to implement things from other games into Fortnite. As cool as that may sound, it unfortunately violates copyright regulations that Epic Games has established.
Basically, these are blatant copies of content that belong to Activision. When creators copy CoD maps 1:1 and even name them the same, they will be removed by Epic Games. Additionally, there are penalties such as a permanent ban from Fortnite, even for maps that have not been commercialized yet.
It’s a delicate topic, and even though the idea is cool to walk around with Fortnite skins in GTA 5, you should not risk a ban.
What do you think about Creative 2.0? Do you think it’s a big flop or a cool feature? Let us know in the comments!
Call of Duty has been working on its anti-cheat system RICOCHET for years and has now celebrated a major milestone. Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 now detect unauthorized third-party hardware. MeinMMO editor Maik Schneider believes this is good for all online shooters.
With CoD MW 2019 and Call of Duty: Warzone 2020, the rise of cheaters in the largest shooter franchise began. Cheaters had long been a problem in CoD. Even on consoles, lobbies were filled with hacked accounts that boasted about their undeserved max level.
But with the free-to-play Warzone, the cheaters stepped up their game. This is because the anti-cheat systems of Call of Duty were not prepared for how professionally the provider landscape had become by now.
Warzone was unplayable in some parts of the world for a time. In many lobbies – especially at higher gameplay levels – at least one cheater was around. It was a tough situation for all fair players.
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CoD MW2 & Warzone 2: Mid-Season 2 – Trailer
At the end of 2021, RICOCHET came and the tide slowly turned
At that time, 72% of cheaters were banned before they could play
Active cheaters were detected on average after 5 matches
The problem with these numbers: they were almost exclusively software cheaters. People with wall hacks, aimbots, or items that are not actually in the game.
However, hardware cheaters had become the big problem.
Such cheaters use specialized devices to gain an advantage. For example, one can manipulate the output of a controller so that the device compensates for all the recoil.
I have always considered this type of cheating to be a much bigger plague than software cheaters. This also led to distrust among players and creators.
Who is really good? Who uses such devices? Who can you still trust?
It cannot yet be said that all of this is over at once. But the announcement that RICOCHET will detect hardware cheaters feels like a liberation. For a long time, there were doubts about whether such a thing is even possible.
Now the world’s largest shooter franchise has set a new standard in combating cheaters. Others will have to follow suit. Already, players of Apex Legends are demanding on Reddit that they also definitely need this (via reddit.com).
How is this going now? Not everything is sunshine yet. They have now “laid the groundwork for detection” and are continuing to carry out updates to fight against hardware cheaters.
If you would like to inform yourself more deeply, then take a look at the English blog of the CoD security team (via callofduty.com).
If such devices are detected, affected players will first receive a warning in the main menu. If they continue to play, it can lead to an account ban that is valid across all CoD titles.
It remains to be seen how effective the measures actually are. But no one can spoil my good mood today.
Monster Energy wants to prohibit a developer with a small horror game on Steam from using the word “Monster” in their games. However, they seem to have taken on the wrong person. Because that person is not willing to accept this.
What kind of drink is it? Monster Energy is a brand of energy drinks that targets gamers. After all, they are known to need a lot of energy to game through the night. However, the brand, which now belongs to Coca-Cola, also has a reputation for being quite litigious.
So they apparently have it in their heads that they hold the exclusive rights to the word “Monster.” Ubisoft seems to have already felt this with their action RPG “Gods and Monsters.” However, Ubisoft officially states that they renamed the game to “Immortals: Fenyx Rising” of their own accord (via eurogamer).
Now, however, it seems that Monster Energy has taken on the wrong person, as an indie developer does not intend to simply give in.
The people behind Monster Hunter seem to have been spared so far.
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Monster Hunter World Trailer
“They must own the colors green and white”
Who has Monster Energy targeted? Coca-Cola and Monster Energy have set their sights on the indie studio Glowstick Entertainment. Because their horror multiplayer Dark Deception: Mortals and Monsters uses, you guessed it, the word “Monster.”
Moreover, they are apparently bothered by the design of the logo: it gives the impression that it is a product of the Monster Energy brand.
How does Monster Energy proceed? As reported by PC Gamer, Monster has already offered the developer a settlement. This would allow the studio to use the name, but only under a series of conditions:
The word “Monster” or variations like “monstrous” and “monstrosity” may never be used in a game title again.
Glowstick Entertainment may never again use a green-and-white logo on a black background.
The latter is commented on by the developer with a sarcastic: “They must own the colors green and white.”
Developer wants to show the “true face” of Monster Energy
How is the developer fighting back: Vincent Livings, founder and CEO of Glowstick Entertainment, reported on Twitter about the legal threats from the energy drink. He refers to Monster Energy as a “trademark troll.” This usually refers to individuals who register a trademark solely to threaten and sue others for use.
It is well known that Monster Energy is a notorious trademark troll. Unfortunately, they are at it again. For a company that likes to market its drinks to gamers, they also like to bully game studios with lengthy and expensive litigation, driving them into bankruptcy.
Livings also mentions that Monster Energy’s lawyers are currently after the studio because Dark Deception: Monsters & Mortals is “confusingly similar” to the energy drink.
But Livings does not intend to give in. Instead, he plans to fight Monster Energy in court. Additionally, he wants to publish everything he has received from the brand, so that other game developers can gain insight into their methods.
The proposed settlement has already been made public by Livings, who said:
Dishonest companies like Monster Energy rely on being able to carry out their harassment in secret while presenting a clean image to their base (athletes and gamers). Publicly revealing their true face is the only way to stop them.
How does Livings plan to cover the costs? The developer has come up with a particularly nice plan: In a livestream, he wants to play games that all have the word “Monster” in the title to raise money for the legal dispute.
We have requested a statement from Monster Energy regarding the case and will add it here as soon as we receive it.
Whether it will ever come to that and the matter will be taken to court is still uncertain. By the way, Dark Deception: Mortals and Monsters is available for €3.99 on Steam.
The indie favorite Dark & Darker is also currently in a legal dispute with a larger corporation, but in this case, the matter is unlikely to be resolved with an apology on social media. A fundraising campaign should help cover the costs:
In New World on April 4, the latest patch was released. This brought new story content, a new dungeon, and the first season pass. However, there is also a new critical bug that simply deleted the entire equipment of some players.
What happened there? Shortly after the release of the new update, a thread was published in the forum where players shared screenshots of their characters (via New World). In these pictures, the characters are naked, lacking armor, weapons, bags, potions, and buff food. Only the gathering tools and the general inventory remained intact.
The exact cause of the bug is still unclear. However, since the equipment slots affected are related to the new storage system of the update, the bug was likely triggered by this. It mainly affects players who had logged out while they were dead.
Interestingly, the update was already postponed from March 28 to April 4 due to a critical bug.
Is there already a solution – Update 11:50 AM? Sort of. The developers announced at 10:30 AM that there will be maintenance today at 2:00 PM which will partially fix the bug (via New World Forum). This means that players who died before the update and have not yet logged in will no longer lose their equipment from then on.
However, players who lost their items will still have to wait. A second patch is supposed to come eventually to restore the items. As compensation, the affected players will receive 50,000 luck tokens, which is about 42 euros in real money. This is enough for about two complete season passes.
Here you can find information about the new patch:
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New World – Video for Season 1
New World is notorious for bizarre bugs
Is this the first major bug that New World has experienced? No, quite the contrary. It has become a meme on the internet that new updates always come with a larger bug. Here is an overview of the biggest problems:
How is the future looking for New World? Amazon is currently planning to release a major update every quarter. Additionally, the first expansion is planned for the fall, which fans are eagerly looking forward to. You can find all the details here:
Supposedly, Sony is developing a handheld for the PlayStation. At least, this is what a well-known insider claims.
Under the codename Q Lite, a gaming handheld is said to be in development at Sony. This is at least reported by Tom Henderson, owner of Insider Gaming, who is known for often reliable insider information. The model is expected to feature the known attributes of the PS5, such as adaptive triggers and haptic feedback.
Insider Gaming assumes that it is meant to be a proper handheld device, similar to what we know from Valve or Logitech. Beyond that, little is known: it is unclear how the device will look, what the model will cost, or when it will be released.
Here too, the source only speculates that “the Q Lite is in the QA phase and is to be released before the PlayStation 5 Pro and after the Detachable Disc Drive PS5.”
Reserved reactions to a potential handheld for the PS5
The reactions are reserved and partly very negative. LCD display, no “real” gaming, but only “Remote Play” and a mandatory, constant online connection are considered outdated by many.
The criticism is particularly great because Sony had already offered gaming handhelds on the market with the PS Vita or the PSP that provided “real” gaming compared to just “Remote Play.”
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Some also explain: Why should I buy such an (presumably) overpriced device when I could use my phone for “Remote Play,” where I have a better display and better battery life?
A similar streaming device was also introduced by Logitech a few months ago. Here too, gaming works either remotely or via the cloud. The device is not yet available in Germany. And the company Razer has now also introduced a gaming handheld:
Rapper and Twitch streamer Snoop Dogg (50) was on the board of directors of the e-sports company FaZe Clan for a year. However, he has now stepped down.
The e-sports organization FaZe Clan is more successful on social media than any other team in this field. However, the clan has established a controversial reputation in the past with dubious stories. Nevertheless, last year they had big plans to go public and break into new dimensions. For this, they brought in a well-known figure:
In March 2022, rapper and Twitch streamer Snoop Dogg became part of FaZe Clan. He was listed as a content creator and board member.
Here you can read everything about Snoop Dogg’s entry and FaZe’s plans:
After about a year, Snoop Dogg leaves FaZe Clan again
FaZe Clan recently released financial overviews and provided insights into the current status of the e-sports organization.
In a SEC filing, Snoop Dogg’s exit is announced: “On March 29, 2023, Calvin ‘Snoop Dogg’ Broadus, Jr. informed FaZe Holdings Inc. (the “Company”) that he is resigning from the board of directors (the “Board”) of the Company, effective immediately.”
It is also emphasized: “Mr. Broadus’ resignation was not the result of any disagreement with the Company or any of its subsidiaries.”
What are the reasons for Snoop Dogg’s resignation? No specific reasons are given for why Snoop Dogg is stepping away from FaZe Clan.
However, it is speculated whether the rapper’s resignation is related to the Company’s current financial situation. Because things are not going well for the e-sports company at the moment.
The IPO was a huge flop for the e-sports organization and the financial reports also show that 2022 was not a good year for FaZe Clan: The company incurred losses of approximately $53.2 million, and the value of their stock has fallen rapidly:
In World of Warcraft the “great” Murloc holiday takes place. We will tell you what you need to do during the March of the Tadpoles.
In World of Warcraft there are many holidays, and the smaller ones are often unknown because they are only active for a single day. One of these holidays is the “March of the Tadpoles”. Here you can fulfill great wishes for a baby Murloc and will then be daily rewarded with “rewards”.
What kind of event is this? The March of the Tadpoles takes place on April 5th – and only on this day. When the event is active, the little baby Murlocs create chaos and take over their parents’ village. This is not only quite chaotic but also very dangerous for the little ones. Therefore, it takes “great heroes” to help the Murloc tadpoles.
What do you have to do during the event? Travel to the Borean Tundra on the continent of Northrend to the coordinates 43 / 13. There you will find a village of neutral Murlocs and should immediately see the chaos – baby Murlocs are running around everywhere, causing mayhem.
Talk to King Mrgl-Mrgl, who will then assign you the task of watching over one of the tadpoles. You can choose from 30 different baby Murlocs, but your choice has no lasting effects. Just pick the Murloc with the cutest name or the prettiest appearance, as he or she will accompany you for the rest of the quest series.
The little baby Murlocs are causing chaos. You must protect them from themselves.
The quest line is quite short afterward. First, you need to collect 10 shells, which you can find underwater right in front of the village. Then a large orca needs to be defeated, which the Murlocs are rightly afraid of. The orca scales with your level; at level 70, it has just over a million HP but is not particularly strong.
What rewards are there? Those expecting a really big or permanent reward may be disappointed by the event. However, if you participate in the event, you will receive a daily quest from your chosen baby Murloc every day. In this, the little tadpole rewards you with “great treasures” they have found – out of gratitude for your help.
The treasures are technically just “gray junk” that you can sell to the vendor for a little money. But that would be pretty heartless, considering how hard the little Murloc worked to find a piece of driftwood that looks like you…
However, in April 2023, there are some travel points that will grant vendor currencies when you help a little Murloc. So it’s worth a visit if you still lack rewards from the trading post!
If you want to do something “good”, check out the baby Murlocs in the Borean Tundra. It’s a nice little event that makes World of Warcraft a bit more colorful and gurgling.
The Elder Scrolls Online has finally installed new server hardware for Europe and PC. This aims to solve one of the biggest problems of the MMORPG: weak performance. The first impressions are positive, but that doesn’t say much yet.
What is new? On April 4th, there was a long server maintenance in Europe. Players could not log in from 2:00 AM until around 8:00 PM. The reason was the migration of ESO to new server hardware.
This hardware is important to get the performance issues under control. These have been discussed for years:
First players are optimistic, but the big prime time is yet to come
What is the first impression of the new servers? In the ESO forum, there are first statements about the performance from last night, and they are mostly positive:
The user Zeraw86 writes: “I have to say it runs great in Cyrodiil on Graue Schar (PC/EU), once in a while there is a stutter, but it is nothing compared to before.”
Even xMauiWaui is satisfied: “At least I haven’t had such good performance since 2014 as last night. Even though it wasn’t perfect.”
However, some players complain that the freeing feels a bit strange, which has also been criticized for a year in America. Additionally, some players apparently experienced ping issues, which were resolved during the evening (via ESO Forum).
However, for proper feedback, it seems generally a bit too early, some players point out. The servers only came back online after 8 PM and were correspondingly less populated – also because some had already given up hope of being able to play that day. The maintenance was originally supposed to end at 4 PM but was then extended by 4 hours.
The real stress test will probably take place only on the weekend when many want to log in simultaneously in the evening and explore Cyrodiil together.
Are you looking forward to the new servers in Europe? And how much have the performance issues annoyed you? Feel free to write it in the comments.
Lastly, ESO received two new dungeons in March. One of them has a really interesting mechanic:
