Cool and diverse areas are extremely important for MMOs and MMORPGs. They give the game world its character and have a huge impact on gameplay. Which areas in MMOs did you find particularly well done?
The importance of good zones in MMOs cannot be overstated. They provide us with the first impression of the aesthetics of a game, the enemies within it, and the overall atmosphere. Accordingly, development teams often put a lot of effort into areas to make them cool and interesting.
This works better at times than at others. Gaming as a medium has quite a bit of history by now, and in games, certain “standard zones” have been established that can be found in almost every game: deserts, swamps, dense forests, mountains.
But there are always outliers in areas within MMOs that truly blow us away. These are zones where, for example, you get a real sense of awe when you enter them for the first time. Or perhaps you only discover their advantages after spending a bit more time in them. In any case, they leave a strong impression on us.
Can you think of such areas in your favorite MMOs? I’ll kick things off:
Destiny 1 – The Hive Dreadnought: I loved that silly zone. It encapsulates for me everything that the Hive represented in D1, even after years. Dark, dirty, disgusting, disturbing, and creepy. I always enjoyed being there, whether for Strikes, the King’s Fall raid, or the Court of Oryx. It is one of my favorite areas in MMOs in terms of gameplay, design, and story.
Destiny 2 – Dreaming City:Even though I was not a big fan of Forsaken unlike many others, this area was definitely a highlight for me. The visuals combine elegant structures with the Taken corruption and are simply superb. The lore behind it was also very exciting.
Lost Ark – The Oceans: This is a slightly different kind of “area”, but the ocean map in Lost Ark simply blew me away. There are so many fun activities and secrets to discover. I will definitely not forget my first encounter with a ghost ship anytime soon.
Final Fantasy XI – Al Zhabi: That was tough. In FFXI, every single zone is tied to special memories for me. But Al Zhabi is still my favorite due to the city’s story and the Besieged mode. It was always a big event when the zone was overrun by monsters and players had to fend them off together. A huge lag fest that was still a lot of fun even in defeat.
Final Fantasy XIV – The Tempest / Amaurot: Everything is just right about this area. The reveal in the game was fantastic, the story behind it is top-notch, and the visuals are very cool. Even though there’s little to do in the area after completing all quests, I just love hanging out there to take screenshots.
From left to right: Hive Dreadnought, Dreaming City, Al Zahbi, Amaurot, and Oceans
And what about you? Which areas in the MMOs you have played have stuck with you or which ones do you still enjoy visiting? What makes these zones special? They can be cities, dungeons, or open areas. Let us know in the comments.
You can also post screenshots of the areas. For this, you can upload them to imgur.com and paste them in the comments. They will then be approved by us and automatically converted by the comment system.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
For the latest DLC of Dead by Daylight negative reviews are piling up. The reason: The new killer no longer speaks his ambiguous words.
Another outcry is going through the community of Dead by Daylight – at least part of it. Because the new killer Pinhead (“The Cenobite”) arrived differently in the live version than players knew from the test realm. Not only does he cause some player disconnects, but he also now has significantly less sexual ambiguity. This has led to many negative reviews on Reddit.
What happened? The Cenobite has been released and can now be played on the live servers. However, there was a change: His voice lines were removed. And this makes some players very angry, causing them to bombard the DLC with negative reviews on Steam. Only 43% of the ratings are positive, while 57% are negative (as of 09.09.2021, 00:00).
These are just a few of the negative reviews – many complain about the lack of voice line.
What does this have to do with sex? At first glance, very little. It mainly concerns the voice line that played when a survivor solved the box (“Lament Configuration”). This allows Pinhead to teleport directly to the survivor with the phrase: “The Box. You opened it. And I came.”
And because the internet is sometimes just the internet, it instantly became a meme in the Dead by Daylight community, as the “I came” was of course taken in a sexual context and delighted viewers in the Twitch chats of several streamers and on the game’s subreddit.
So it sounded in the PTR of the chapter:
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Why was this removed? The exact reason is not known. Dead by Daylight only states that they “can currently make no comment” on the matter. So we don’t know exactly what the reason is.
However, there are some speculations in the community. Some players suspect that there were issues with the license regarding the voice. This would explain why they removed the voice at the last moment. It is also speculated that the license holder did not want Pinhead to appear in such a “ridiculous” light, as was already the case on the PTR due to the voice line.
After all, most license holders have an interest in ensuring that their horror characters are authentic in other games and do not become a laughing stock.
This is, however, only speculation.
More news about Dead by Daylight can be found here:
This is how the community reacts: Quite disappointed. For not only is the line, which many had already come to love and which was an original quote from the films, absent, but also other sound effects from Pinhead have disappeared. His “pain sounds”, like when he is stunned by a pallet or makes a hit with his attack, are also missing.
A player wanted to take out a supposedly afk player in GTA Online and had to quickly learn a hard lesson. Ten thousand celebrate the clip on reddit and applaud. Watch the video here and what the community learned from it.
What does the clip show? In the video, you see a player standing on a property. He is interacting with the interaction menu of GTA Online. Meanwhile, a character is not moving.
An opposing player drives up in his car and wants to take out the motionless “afk” player. But he sees this exactly and turns the game around. To the delight of the reddit community, who are really celebrating the video.
Ten thousand celebrate the video of the afk lesson
Here’s how it happens: On reddit, Rastafire5 shares the video titled “Not all of us are afk”. The clip starts with Rastafire5’s character riding a chopper onto the sidewalk in front of the player’s estate.
Then the character is moved right up to the front door and parked there. Rastafire5 opens the interaction menu and buys ammunition for his weapons. Meanwhile, an opposing player approaches in his car. Rastafire5 notices this immediately – he was visible on the minimap and not really hiding on the road.
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Apparently, the opponent sees no reason to hide, as the motionless player looks like an afk. Although our protagonist notes his opponent, he does not move, luring him into the trap. And so it comes that the opponent gets out of his car and pulls his weapon. He wants to coldly take out the supposed afk player.
But Rastafire5 has been waiting for this, nearly simultaneously aims at his opponent and then shoots him down. The duel was close; nearly the clip creator would have gone down himself. But this way, he was still able to teach an afk lesson.
The learnings and reactions
How is the clip received? On reddit, the video is celebrated. Within 23 hours, it received more than 10,500 upvotes and nearly 500 comments.
What does the creator say? He now realizes that he might cause even more damage to the opponent with a different type of ammunition.
What does the community say? In the reddit thread, players write:
“They are so predictable”
“You forgot to blow his car up. Otherwise, nice”
“I don’t understand why people do this”
“You have to aim for the head”
“I love this. You waited until he pulled his weapon to shoot back”
“The jerk deserved every bullet”
What do you think of the action? Are you players who like to take out afk opponents or does that go against your principles? Let us know your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments.
The new champ in League of Legends is Vex, a grumpy Yordle mage. The special thing: Her ultimate is a ‘dash’, actually a skill for melee champions. Riot Games is now explaining what the hell they were thinking with this LoL champ.
The mage was introduced as someone who is “always annoyed by hyperactive champs”. It was said that these guys buzzing around her were so annoying that she started to “beat the life out of them.” Nice Yordle!
Originally, Vex was planned as an artillery mage, but in the end, she became a relatively classic sorceress.
Vex is now an emo mage who appears depressed and grumpy. She is accompanied by a “shadow” that looms over her. She also looks like an emo smurf, her sweatshirt is too long, and her sleeves dangle down when she moves.
Everything about her signals: “Leave me alone. I don’t want anything to do with you. And besides, I don’t care about anything anyway.”
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This is the special thing about Vex’s skill set: Vex is apparently clearly designed as an “anti-mobility” mage. One of her skills is meant to interrupt opponents’ “dashes”. She also marks anyone who jumps around in her vicinity via dash or blink. She really seems to hate “hyperactive champions”.
Her W works as a shield around her, distributing a shockwave to nearby enemies.
With her R, she throws her shadow forward and jumps to it when the shadow hits an enemy. Vex thus engages in melee combat herself as a mage. This is unusual. If the opponent dies during the action, she can reuse her ultimate.
This is how Riot Games explains the champ: A developer from Riot Games has now explained the champion and why Vex goes into melee with her “R” and can use the ultimate multiple times. The developer RiotAxes admits that it is indeed “a bit weird” (via twitter).
He explains:
On one hand, they wanted to design Vex so that she works at close range because they found the idea of a mage in melee intriguing
On the other hand, she can reuse the ultimate multiple times because it corresponds to her personality. Because she loves dealing damage to people, but would never admit it because it is totally lame to care about anything. But when she does hit with the shadow, there is a kind of psychological pressure to do it again immediately.
Moreover, the ultimate is simply super cool. Even if it feels somehow wrong for a mage, they at Riot Games simply found the skill cool. To prevent it from becoming too powerful, they gave it an extra-long cooldown.
Vex is expected to arrive with patch 11.19 to League of Legends on September 23.
More about Vex’s skills and abilities can be read here:
Destiny 2 is dead? Not at all: on Steam, the action MMO is doing better than ever in Season 15. What is driving its increasing popularity and what is Bungie suddenly doing right?
Destiny 2 celebrated its 4th anniversary on September 6, 2021. Bungie’s action MMO has established itself as one of the most player-heavy games on Steam and is even more popular in the current Season 15.
The memes “Destiny 2 is dead!” and calls like “Is anyone still playing this?” can be safely ignored by Guardians because the numbers tell a clear story. It is striking that the despised season model is attracting more and more players – what is Bungie suddenly doing better?
Reasons often mentioned include that Bungie stretches the seasonal content endlessly, artificially prolonging it with time gates. Many also note that after the initial honeymoon phase with a fresh season, the excitement fades after just a few days. The new exotics are quickly obtained, and once the season pass reaches level 100, there is hardly anything left to do.
You would prefer to see big DLCs released more often, which then provide a mass of new content all at once, rather than having to wait again until the next weekly reset after just a few hours to explore new secrets.
How Destiny 2 gets new content:
About every one or two years, there is a big addon available for purchase (€30-40), which brings new locations and fundamental changes – in February 2022, it will be time again with the “Witch Queen” DLC. The last big DLC was Beyond Light at the end of 2020.
Every 3 months, a new season starts: These chapters bring new weapons, activities, a battle pass, and are structured like a TV series. Every week, there are a few minor tasks to complete, and a story arc unfolds over the course of the season. The season offers many free contents, but full access costs about €10.
Several times a year, there are also smaller events that are usually free for everyone. An exception is the 30th anniversary of Bungie in December 2021. This event has many paid contents but also brings significantly more content than other events.
The (Steam) numbers speak for Bungie
Since Destiny 2 moved to Steam, we can closely monitor the player population for PC. The exact numbers for PlayStation 5 and 4 as well as Xbox Series X/S and One are a mystery – but the most visited platform is rumored to be PlayStation. Unfortunately, the population cannot be analyzed as closely as with Steam.
This is what the player numbers on Steam look like:
177,734 played at peak during the start of the new Season of the Lost (Season 15) in August 2021.
157,679 simultaneous players participated at the start of the Splicer season (Season 14) in May 2021.
132,225 Guardians peaked during the launch of the Chosen season (Season 13) in February 2021.
You can see that more players are gathering on Steam season after season to play Destiny 2.
This is what the last year of Destiny 2 on Steam looked like – Source: Steam
There were strong outliers in the Steam numbers last year on two occasions:
241,843 users played concurrently during the release of the Beyond Light expansion in November 2020, even though it had a bumpy start.
Apart from these two event heavyweights, Destiny 2 has not been as popular since its move to Steam as it is now with Season 15. Another success report is that the player numbers on Steam are not declining quickly either. It is therefore not a short-term peak.
Destiny 2 is solidly positioned in the top 10 most played titles on Steam. At peaks, it even ranks among the top 5. Even two weeks after the release of the new season, Destiny 2 still recorded 133,000 simultaneous players on September 7, 2021, although this number is likely to decline over the weeks and is expected to stabilize between 90,000 and 60,000 players at peak.
As of the writing of this article (as of September 8, 5:00 PM), there are currently 82,711 players online in Destiny 2 on Steam. And neither in the USA nor Europe is it currently primetime.
Why is Destiny 2 growing season by season?
Destiny 2 has been free-to-play for almost exactly 2 years. Really anyone can try out the Guardian life across all systems. New players have hardly any barriers in their way. Destiny 2 increasingly relies on a mix of nostalgia from the “good old Destiny 1 days” and new content.
Moreover, Bungie constantly provides fresh content that is free. The latest dungeon and even the raid highlight “Vault of Glass” are free. Season after season, there is new gear and even exotics from the season pass for everyone without spending a single cent. Even many paid activities can be tried out once for free, allowing players to form their own opinion.
This is what attracts you every week: Destiny 2 has finally managed to implement the model of TV series correctly:
The seasonal story doesn’t just trudge along, but invites players week after week with new, cool twists.
Even though the fragmentation of content over several months is frustrating, Bungie has managed to consistently sprinkle in small highlights: At the moment, Guardians are on a quest with 53 steps. Each week, we get closer to an unknown exotic. Additionally, we look forward to real highlights in the seasons, such as missions on creepy ghost ships.
The seasonal model is likely to be further enhanced. In addition to the quests and story drops, real heavyweights such as raids and dungeons will soon join.
This unites all Guardians via Crossplay: An important factor for the success of the new Season 15 will be the new crossplay feature. Guardians can finally save the universe together across platforms.
Surprisingly, the interactions among PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Stadia work really well. Old friends, who were long separated by system barriers, have finally found each other again.
This is why Witch Queen is so important: Along with the launch of Season 15, Bungie also revealed the next expansion “Witch Queen” for the first time. The big DLC created massive hype in a showcase and catapulted Destiny 2 to the top of the Steam sales charts (via GameStar).
The current season prepares the story directly for the expansion and will surely benefit from the hype.
In “Witch Queen,” we have to face Savathûn, the sister of the famous Oryx.
Interestingly, it was the €100 edition of “Witch Queen” that was sharply pre-ordered. This edition contains the DLC and all new seasons from 2022, and the anniversary bundle on top contains – basically a comprehensive package for one year of Destiny 2 in the deluxe version.
Are you excited about Bungie’s success and now have the right response to silly questions like “Is anyone playing this?” What do you currently think about the seasonal model in Destiny 2? Have you enjoyed the chapters or would you rather have all the content at once? Or do you agree with the player numbers – let us know in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As if Call of Duty: Warzone didn’t already have enough problems with cheaters, new opportunities for hackers to make life difficult for other players have emerged. Even flying motorcycles.
What’s going on? The cheater problem in CoD: Warzone continues to be a hot topic. The issues with the shooter persist, and no matter how hard the developers try to combat hackers and cheats, new methods always emerge.
Now there are some particularly absurd variants of cheats circulating that even allow vehicles to fly. The player Aquilo3D “impressively” shows how he became a victim of such a hacker:
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You should brace yourselves for these cheats: Apparently, hackers are now selling cheats that specifically allow vehicles to fly. As seen in the video, players can get on a motorcycle and simply run over unsuspecting victims.
Because they are not only mobile but also quite fast. Aquilo3D initially doesn’t even realize what is happening before the KillCam shows what was actually going on.
And these are not the only cheats that have recently emerged. Players are already warning about new variants available for sale on shady cheat sites:
SuperSpeed allows players to rush across the map in a flash
SuperReload allows weapons to reload instantly
Super Weapon Swap allows weapons to be swapped without animation
A tweet shows what SuperSpeed looks like in action:
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Ironically, the vehicle cheat only appeared after this warning about cheats. The well-known streamer FaZe Kalei wrote in a tweet, which was obviously not meant seriously: “I want to see flying vehicles next.” (via Twitter). Some hackers seem to have taken this as a challenge, as such a cheat appeared just a few days later.
What do players say about this? They swing between resignation, despair, and anger. While some can no longer get upset, others are just annoyed to the point of frustration:
“At this point, it’s just funny.” (MikeV27 via reddit)
“You spend 10 hours a day at your shitty job and come home just wanting to play a few matches, I don’t care if I win, I just want to play the game, and then this guy comes out of nowhere and lasers me from the hospital or hits me with a flying Bertha. It really makes it hard to try to play.” (Logan_240 via reddit)
“I hope that cheating increases until they are forced to do something about it, or everyone who doesn’t cheat gives up.” (SignatureHot1084 via reddit)
“Bro, I really don’t know why people support these actions. Why do they find it entertaining to use cheats to kill the whole lobby and ruin the fun for people just trying to get good at the game. But let’s hope the anti-cheat is good enough so we can shit on all the cheater bots” (@EndyOnYT_ via Twitter)
Until then, players will have to settle for ban waves and hope to be spared from cheaters in their matches. However, there are still numerous incidents.
The Lord of the Rings Online introduces a completely new class, the Brawler. It has already been tested and is now publicly available to everyone on the Bullroarer server. The first players are showering the new class with praise.
What is the class about? The Brawler is a melee fighter who primarily punches opponents with his fists. He is designed to deal significant damage or can be played as a tank.
The class is based on the legendary hero Helm Hammerhand, who is said to have defended the city of Helm’s Deep with his bare hands. Additionally, it is slated to be released for all playable races from the Beornings.
When will the class be released? It is currently unknown when exactly the Brawler will be introduced to the game. It’s also unclear how to obtain him. However, the last new classes required an extra payment.
The Beorning class was last released in 2014. Thus, the Brawler is the first new class in 7 years.
How can you test the class? Some content creators from LOTRO and members of the gaming press were allowed to test the new class in advance. Videos and articles about it went live on September 8.
Furthermore, the Brawler will be made available today on the public test server Bullroarer, allowing anyone interested to try it out.
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Testers and Viewers Praise New Class, Especially Its Animations and Sound
What are the positive aspects? The YouTuber Louey7 was one of the testers and examined the class in a 4-hour livestream. He praises:
The idea and basis of the class
The generally good gameplay
The animations, which are particularly well done and smooth in transition
Users in the comments also agree with these aspects. They describe the class as “Amazing” or as “fun and smooth class.”
The YouTuber Strimtom goes even further and titled his video “The Free Peoples’ Fist Could Become the Best Class in the Game.” He cites the successful animations and good sound as reasons for his excitement, even though he is not a fan of “Monk classes.”
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What criticism is there? Louey7 criticizes in his video the lack of icons and descriptions as well as generally the role as DPS. Here he fears that the class will scale poorly with critical damage and thus may not be very useful.
Strimtom, on the other hand, criticizes the order of some abilities in the skill tree. For instance, it should be possible to enhance “Heave Attacks” early on, but they are unlocked much later. He sees a need for improvement here.
In the forum and under the videos, there is also criticism that the Brawler does not belong in the world of Middle-earth and that there would be better classes. On YouTube, the user nerezza23 jokingly writes:
You have my sword And you have my bow And these hands!!!
What else is on the test server? In addition to the new class, a revision of the legendary items can also be tested. New items and a completely new system have been added to scale these to your level. You can find out more in the official forum (via LOTRO.com).
What do you think about the new class Brawler? Does it entice you enough to dust off The Lord of the Rings Online and play it again in 2021? Feel free to share it in the comments.
2021 is generally an interesting year for MMORPG fans. Already there have been several new expansions and releases. So if you’re looking for a completely new MMORPG, you will find it in this list:
In addition to All-Out Warfare and Portal, Battlefield 2042 will feature a major new mode called Hazard Zone. Here at MeinMMO, we summarize all known info and rumors so far.
This is what is currently known from official sources: EA and DICE have remained tight-lipped about Hazard Zone. On the official website for Battlefield 2042, the description currently states:
A completely new, risky, team-based game mode that offers a modern interpretation of the multiplayer experience. Hazard Zone is unmistakably Battlefield but differs significantly from All-Out Warfare.
Aside from that, there are no further details from official sources regarding the new game mode. However, since the alpha test, there have been some pieces of information in the form of leaks that have been brought to light by data miners.
Here’s a preliminary notice: The information is based on the alpha. This is not a final version of the game, so things may change before the release. Nonetheless, the revealed information gives a glimpse of what players might expect in Hazard Zone.
Hazard Zone reminiscent of Survival from The Division
The principle is reminiscent of the Dark Zone, particularly the Survival mode from The Division 1.
What was that about?
In Survival mode, players were dropped at random points on the edge of the map at the start of the match.
From there, they must fight their way to the center, to the Dark Zone, and retrieve data that must be extracted using a helicopter.
Along the way to the center, players collect loot, encounter NPC enemies, and other players who may attack or avoid you.
The rough flow of Hazard Zone reads almost identically so far.
Where are the parallels? Hazard Zone will likely mix PvE and PvP as well. Players are apparently dropped onto a map by helicopter at the beginning of a match. The goal is to collect important data and escape from a specific extraction point at the end of the match.
In doing so, they must fend off NPC enemies and other players and avoid dying. Additionally, the mode is expected to feature a significant portion of all Battlefield mechanics. Therefore, vehicles, planes, and a wide range of weapons will probably be available.
Insider Tom Henderson also draws a comparison to games like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown.
“Extraction Streaks” and Perks in Hazard Zone
This is how Extraction Streaks and Perks work: If you achieve a successful extraction, you get to keep the collected loot. This is another similarity to the Dark Zone in The Division. If you successfully complete multiple matches, you will receive so-called “Extraction Streaks.”
Streaks are needed to unlock perks for your character or discounts in the Hazard Zone’s black market. If the streak is lost, access to higher perks is consequently lost.
What kind of perks will those be? Apparently, you will unlock perks and other items. Among them:
Starting Equipment
Faster Healing
Equipment Insurance
Perks will have different rarity levels and ranks. The more streaks you achieve, the more perks you unlock.
For the black market, you can collect a “Hazard Zone” currency, “Dark Market Coins,” with which you can apparently purchase equipment from the Hazard menu. However, you can apparently lose your equipment during matches if you do not have insurance.
Whether there will be further upgrades and exactly how they will work remains unclear at this point. This will likely be explained in more detail with the official reveal of Hazard Zone.
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On which maps will the mode be playable? Currently, there are only speculations. The data miner could only associate the Orbital map with Hazard Zone so far. However, since his information comes from the alpha test, where that was the only playable map, not much can be concluded from it.
So far, insiders like Tom Henderson assume that all 7 maps from All-Out Warfare will be available in the mode. These would be the following maps:
Orbital
Hourglass
Kaleidoscope
Manifest
Discarded
Breakaway
Renewal
Previously, Henderson assumed that Hazard Zone would be set on custom-designed maps and would even feature story content. What ultimately comes to pass remains to be seen.
Hourglass
Orbital
Discarded
Breakaway
Manifest
Renewal
Kaleidoscope
Rumors suggest: Hazard Zone could be Free2Play
What are those rumors? According to industry insider Tom Henderson, the “Hazard Zone” mode could be free to play upon release.
Henderson writes:
I was told from the start that this game would have a F2P element, and Hazard Zone is the most likely candidate.
This would fit with the previous rumors that Battlefield 2042 would not offer a Battle Royale mode but would still have a similar feature. Competitors like Call of Duty: Warzone or Apex Legends have been quite successful because of this.
Whether the F2P rumor will ultimately prove true will be revealed with the unveiling of Hazard Zone. We may learn more about the open beta of Battlefield 2042, which is set to start in September.
When is it supposed to start? There is currently no exact date for the open beta. However, Tom Henderson assumes that the beta will start on September 22 for early access and will be playable for everyone on September 24.
When will Battlefield 2042 be released? The shooter is set to be released on October 22 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC (Steam and Epic Games Store).
Crowfall celebrated its long-awaited release on July 6, 2021, but the MMORPG has not made significant waves so far. A former employee has now reported layoffs at the company. We at MeinMMO take a look at the state of Crowfall 2 months after release.
What is behind the layoffs? The former employee Valerie Massey worked for 5 years as a community manager for Crowfall before she switched to Novaquark, the developer of Dual Universe, in 2020.
She announced on Twitter that there have been layoffs at ArtCraft, the developer of Crowfall. She offered her help to former employees who could contact her directly.
In the Crowfall forum, some members have scoured LinkedIn profiles of employees, and there are reports of some individuals who may have switched companies (via MMORPG.com). However, the corresponding forum thread has since been deleted.
There is currently no official confirmation regarding the layoffs. We at MeinMMO have contacted ArtCraft, but they informed us that they do not wish to comment on the tweet and the topic of layoffs.
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This may also be related to the fact that many new MMORPGs were released in 2021 and more will be released, including Swords of Legends, Bless Unleashed, and New World, which celebrates its release on September 28.
However, Crowfall itself also has a number of problems that are now gradually being addressed.
The interest in the games Crowfall, New World, Bless Unleashed and Swords of Legends (listed here only as search terms and not directly as games) – via Google Trends.
Mega-servers and new hotspots are supposed to bring a turnaround
What problems does Crowfall have? At release, Crowfall struggled with several negative aspects that kept players away from the game:
Crowfall relies on a strong PvP focus and therefore only addresses a niche
It is a Buy2Play MMORPG and must be purchased for 40 euros
The tutorial poorly explained the game at release
The interface and the map are unconventional and cannot keep up with modern MMORPGs
Crowfall was poorly optimized at first and even now not everything runs smoothly
The lack of player numbers resulted in fewer large PvP battles, which were supposed to be the hallmark of Crowfall.
Crowfall was supposed to be the game for PvP fans who want to win an MMORPG.
What is Crowfall doing about it? With the new update 7.100 “Global Conquest,” the MMORPG introduced mega-servers. Instead of playing across different versions of a campaign, there is now only one version of each campaign.
Additionally, new hotspots have been introduced where players are supposed to gather to acquire good loot.
Both measures are primarily intended to lead to more PvP fights.
Furthermore, several fixes and gameplay adjustments, as well as performance improvements, have been implemented. This is meant to enhance the technical side.
What does the future of Crowfall look like? This is hard to say.
On both September 2 at 7:00 PM and September 8 at 6:00 PM, all mega-servers were marked with the note “Light.” The population does not seem to be excessively large.
Furthermore, Crowfall occupies a niche as it primarily appeals to PvP fans. However, they currently have alternatives in Bless Unleashed, Albion Online or especially the new Mortal Online 2, which – as things stand now – make a better impression.
The layoffs, if they indeed occurred, also cast a shadow over the situation.
The developers have already promised more content for the future, although it has not yet been revealed what specific updates are planned.
We at MeinMMO will continue to keep an eye on Crowfall. After all, several MMORPGs have made comebacks after a weak start, like some of these titles:
Razer introduces the successor to its popular gaming mouse. The new Basilisk aims to impress, especially with improved features.
Razer has unveiled the official successor to the Basilisk V2, the V3. With its 11 programmable buttons, the Basilisk V3 is primarily aimed at users looking for an allrounder mouse, appealing to those who are not committed to a single game.
Whether you want to play Battle Royale, fast MOBAs, or occasionally settle on an island, these mice should make it all possible.
The Basilisk V3 is the successor to the popular and successful wired Basilisk V2. Razer already has a wireless high-end mouse on the market with the Basilisk Ultimate. The strongest competitor is Logitech’s successful G502 (Hero), which is regarded as the best-selling gaming mouse among allrounders.
The Basilisk V3 features a newer sensor, improved mouse switches, and a new scroll wheel
What has Razer revised? Primarily the interior has been revised by Razer. The latest sensor from Razer, the Razer Focus+, is now utilized. The manufacturer itself describes it as the “most advanced and precise sensor in the world” currently available.
Additionally, Razer relies on its “2nd Generation Optical Mouse Switches.” Switches are located under the buttons and are responsible for registering clicks.
Another feature is the scroll wheel. Users could switch between tactile and free scrolling behavior even earlier. Thanks to the automatic Smart-Reel function, you will automatically switch between tactile and free scrolling behavior, depending on how fast you operate the scroll wheel. This strongly aligns with Logitech’s competitor, where a similar free-spinning scroll wheel is already offered.
Moreover, the V3 now offers 11 separately addressable RGB zones. A disadvantage is that the sniper button can no longer be removed. On the Basilisk V2, the sniper button was still removable and interchangeable.
The basic design and ergonomics have not changed according to Razer.
Various views of the Razer Basilisk V3
When is the mouse available? The mouse is available now from various retailers and directly from Razer for €79.99. This makes the V3 €10 cheaper than the V2 at its launch.
The predecessor is still quite a competitor for the successor, as the Basilisk V2 is currently available for around €55 and is thus €20 cheaper.
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Initial tests praise the improvements of the Basilisk V3
Initial magazines have already tested the mouse. In the first reviews, Razer’s new mouse is received quite positively.
For example, the tester from Gamers.at writes that Razer has meaningfully revised its mouse (via gamers.at). The previously good ergonomics remain intact, but you get an improved sensor and solid build quality. The mouse remains a “top choice for gamers,” at least for right-handed users, as the mouse is still not available for left-handed users.
Similarly positive is the tester from Gameswelt (via gameswelt.ch). The tester praises the successful ergonomics and states that the mouse can be used without problems in both gaming and office environments. The new scrolling mechanism is a nice gimmick, but whether this feature is really needed is another question.
The testers from Techradar praise the mouse primarily for its versatility (via techradar.com). The arrangement of the buttons may be somewhat challenging for small hands, but not uncomfortable. The size of the mouse is especially suitable for palm and claw grip users. If you are unsure what the grip types mean, MeinMMO explains the 3 most important grip types for gaming mice here.
YouTuber “The Techne” has also tested the gaming mouse. The tester explains that the mouse feels good in hand and offers good comfort in every situation, both for gaming and work. He criticizes mainly the underside of the mouse, where he wishes for another mouse foot on the left side, as the mouse slides significantly worse on the mouse pad here. We have embedded his test video here for you.
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Logitech G502 Hero remains the strongest competitor
What competition is there? Logitech’s G502 Hero remains the strongest competitor for the Basilisk series, and the Basilisk mouse is often referred to as a “G502 clone” (via computerbase.de). Both mice offer the same number of buttons, a high-end sensor, and cater to all common grip types among gamers.
In addition to the G502 Hero, the Rival 5 from SteelSeries is also an interesting alternative, primarily due to its low weight of less than 90 grams. Both the Basilisk and G502 Hero weigh over 100 grams.
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The G502 Hero also has a Lightspeed version, which is a wireless and lighter version of the popular Logitech mouse. You can already get the Lightspeed for around €80 and thus cheaper than the Basilisk Ultimate.
You can read how the Rival 5 and the Logitech G502 Hero perform in tests here on MeinMMO. We provide a detailed presentation of the two competitors for the Basilisk V3:
Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek has been staying away from GTA RP for quite some time. He believes that players on the world’s largest GTA Online RP server NoPixel behave like clowns — Shroud wants something serious.
A year ago, Shroud gave up GTA Online RP on the NoPixel server. However, he had not commented on this until now. Fans thought for a long time that he was secretly continuing to play. Some viewers claimed to have recognized him during a stream (via Dexerto.com). As the streamer proves now, that was not the real Shroud.
The real Shroud revealed in one of his recent streams why he left the NoPixel server and does not want to return for now. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with rules or bans.
Shroud sees NoPixel as a “clown show” where people do fake RP
Here’s why Shroud stays away from the server: During a Valorant stream, Shroud explained after months of silence that while he appreciates NoPixel, he sees significant problems with the GTA Online server:
I can’t deal with the players. I just don’t like it. I prefer to play something that feels more real than that (NoPixel). So that you protect your character better and think, I must not die, I have to follow the rules. Take it more seriously.
In the same stream, Shroud mentions that he has seen too many idiotic actions on the NoPixel server. Once, role players reportedly interrupted a police investigation with loud honking and trash talk.
For disruptive actions like this, there should immediately be a permanent ban, Shroud believes. After all, no one would behave like that with the police in the real world.
I hate it, I hate it so much. Everyone acts as if they are in a clown show. It’s crazy.
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Does Shroud take role-playing in GTA Online too seriously?
Kevin says: Should players really be banned immediately if they do not behave on a GTA Online RP server as they would in the real world? No, certainly not, because no matter how seriously role-playing is viewed, players are still stepping into a role.
In the real world, none of the NoPixel players would rob a bank or take hostages — let alone speed through the Hollywood Hills in a Lamborghini at 300.
GTA RP is a portal through which players connect their personality with an action-packed and exciting daily life. It is not meant to be a mirror world for one’s own life.
Of course, it is up to Shroud whether he wants to be part of this kind of role-playing or not. However, the demand to take role-playing more seriously is misplaced.
What is your opinion? What do you think about role-playing in GTA Online and can you understand Shroud’s frustration? Should trolls and clowns really be dealt with harshly or do you think the Twitch star is overreacting? Share your thoughts in the comments, we are curious.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The sexism scandal at Activision Blizzard has further consequences for the MMORPG World of Warcraft. After difficult NPCs have already been removed from the game, Blizzard is now targeting two achievements in patch 9.1.5. They contained frivolous references in the English version that Blizzard apparently no longer finds funny.
This is a change regarding the achievements in WoW:
During the Christmas season, WoW features the achievement “Bros. Before Ho Ho Ho’s”. The achievement involves using a mistletoe on 8 Alliance NPCs that have “Brother” in their name.
This is a double entendre:
On one hand, “Ho Ho Ho” is the famous exclamation of Santa Claus, alerting everyone to the presence of a 120-kilo giant in red with a white beard.
On the other hand, there is the saying “Bros before Hoes” in English, which means that “male friendships are more important than fleeting relationships” or simply “Brother before whore”. ‘Hoes’ is a derogatory term for women.
Apparently, Blizzard no longer finds the derogatory reference “Ho’s” amusing. The achievement has now been renamed to “Holiday Bromance” in patch 9.1.5. In German, the achievement was already called “Brüderliche Weihnacht”.
The achievement had been in the game since 2008.
This is the other change: In WoW, the NPC “Haris Pilton” has existed in Shattrath since 2007, a reference to Paris Hilton.
Pilton was a bit cheeky in WoW and awarded the achievement “My Sack is Gigantique”. You received this when equipping a handbag that had 24 slots. That was absolutely huge for its time.
The word “sack” functions in English as it does in German, referring both to a bag and colloquially to testicles. Thus, the achievement can also be interpreted as a macho saying “I have gigantic eggs,” if one wanted to. This is no longer possible.
The achievement has been renamed in English to “My Storage is Gigantique”. In German, the achievement was already called “Meine Tasche ist von Dolche & Giganta,” a reference without sexual connotation.
Blizzard cleans up after the sexism scandal in WoW
Male employees would come to the office drunk and sleep off their hangover while letting women do their work. Additionally, derogatory comments were made about women.
Blizzard announced on July 27 that it would introduce new internal work guidelines to “protect members of marginalized groups and hold accountable those who threaten them.” They also wanted to take immediate measures to remove references to the real world that they no longer consider appropriate.
Apparently, these are the effects of this new policy.
A major change had already come to WoW at the end of July 2021:
According to a leaker, Sony is reportedly working on an improved version of the PS5. The leaker has mentioned potential prices as well as a timeframe for a release.
Many users suspect that Sony is already secretly working on a more powerful model of the PlayStation 5. Various sources claim that Sony is working on the PlayStation 5 Pro, which will be a higher and higher quality version of the existing console.
What it’s about: The YouTuber “Moore’s Law Is Dead” has presented his leaks regarding the PlayStation 5 Pro in more detail.
The new console is said to include a new AMD chip that is expected to provide more performance. Therefore, it is quite likely that a faster console will also target a smaller customer base and that Sony wants to position itself in the high-end sector.
How reliable is the leak? The YouTuber “Moore’s Law Is Dead” has previously predicted various correct things when it comes to consoles. In his leak, he not only mentions hints about the PS5 Pro but also discusses Sony’s official showcase on Thursday evening. However, you should view the leaks with a healthy dose of skepticism.
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PS5 Pro leaker mentions possible release for 2023/2024
The leaker has mentioned the following things:
The PS5 Pro is expected to be released at the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024, aligning with the release period of the PS5, which also launched in winter.
The PS5 Pro is said to cost between 600 and 700 US dollars (roughly 500-600 euros). In Germany, however, there will be additional taxes that are not included in the price.
With the PS5 Pro, Sony allegedly aims to target gamers who want to play in 4K or 8K.
When will there be official info? The leaker clearly stated in his video that there would be no further information regarding the PS5 Pro during the PlayStation showcase event. A year after the PS5 release, there are still too few consoles and next-gen games, and many hope that the showcase can at least present some proper games now.
The console is also said to be far from market introduction. However, not much more is known about it.
During the design reveal of the PS5, it was known that Sony would probably actually release two models of the PS5, but the second model would not be a more powerful device but a PS5 model without a disc drive. Now some users still hope that Sony might be working on a faster model.
What might we expect? Even though there are currently no specifications for the console, it is still to be expected that a Pro version could offer a significant performance boost. After all, the transition from the regular PS4 to the PS4 Pro already provided a noticeable performance boost: the PS4 Pro offers more than double the power on paper compared to the regular PS4 model.
PS4
PS4 Pro
CPU
AMD Jaguar, 8 cores at 1.6 GHz
AMD Jaguar, 8 cores at 2.1 GHz
Graphics
1.84 TFLOPS, 18 CUs, 800 MHz
4.2 TFLOPS, 36 CUs, 911 MHz
Difference between PS4 and PS4 Pro
So far, not everyone interested has received a PS5
However, there is also criticism regarding the possible plans for a PlayStation 5 Pro. At this point in time, not all interested gamers have received a PlayStation 5 and are trying to obtain a console through various PS5 trackers.
Now, investing the limited resources into a new model is not appealing to every user. Currently, resources remain scarce, as semiconductors required for PS5 and Xbox are still in short supply. Nevertheless, there is at least hope that the hardware market could stabilize by 2023/2024.
The survival game Fallout 76 will soon receive a new feature called Fallout Worlds, where you can let loose. In an event, the developers gave us a closer look at what can actually be done.
This is the new feature: Fallout Worlds are somewhat like a sandbox or developer mode, where you can have fun. Similar to modding tools for the series’ single-player titles, you can make a variety of settings. You can change:
During a “Round Table” where the development team invited journalists for a Q&A session, Design Director Mark Tucker and Fallout Worlds Lead Bo Buchanan explained what makes the Worlds so special.
The trailer for the Worlds.
Hardcore mode, role-playing games, and superpowers
What can I do in the Worlds? With the various features of the Fallout Worlds, you can essentially create your own game modes. For example, it is possible to set your own and the strength of the enemies so high that every hit is an instant kill. A true hardcore mode.
It is even possible that you can transform into a superhero with the right settings. Buchanan shares a little anecdote that has become one of his favorites:
There is probably nothing that really stands out. Except for that one guy who basically turned into One-Punch-Man. He uses just his fists, employs endless V.A.T.S. and high jumps. Then he jumps up, aims with V.A.T.S., teleports into close combat and one-shots everything. He zips through the world like some strange anime character.
According to Buchanan, this was something he absolutely did not expect. “I didn’t even know that was possible – and he just did it,” he says in the conversation. “And now that’s exactly what I want to play.”
Is it all about fighting? Even though many of the sliders revolve around strength and weapons, the Worlds apparently also offer plenty of freedom for other ways to play. With higher jumps, for example, you can explore Appalachia better and find hidden places.
Role-playing is also an important aspect of Fallout 76. Some groups come together to take on roles of policemen and helpers or nasty raiders. In the Worlds, you can create your own rules specifically for such events. Anyone who is eager can also dedicate a whole server to the sacred pipe.
The building budget for C.A.M.P.s has also been increased, allowing you to build more and have a larger construction area. Restrictions like energy or collisions can even be disabled. This way, existing places can be expanded or new ones created. If you want, you can build a base for the Steel Brotherhood or expand their headquarters.
A small glimpse into the possible settings.
Not everything is free
What do the Worlds cost? Basically, anyone who is interested can play in the Worlds. There are public worlds, some created by the team, into which you can simply dive. To enter friends’ worlds, you also do not need any prerequisites.
However, if you want to create your own worlds, you need a Fallout 1st subscription. It costs €120 per year and brings additional benefits, but it is definitely required to create worlds and open them for others.
Are there further restrictions? Despite all the freedoms in the Worlds, you cannot access items that you do not already own. Skins from the shop still need to be purchased, and blueprints must be known by the respective character.
Achievements are only partially transferred between modes (Worlds and adventure). In Worlds, you level up characters or your legendary perks separately. Adventure progress is not altered in the process. However, when you enter one of the special worlds, the higher value of the character always applies in case of a difference.
The Worlds will be a separate selection in the menu.
However, it is not possible to level up the battle pass or gather junk to use in adventure mode. “What happens in the Worlds stays in the Worlds,” the devs say.
The Fallout Worlds will launch on Wednesday, September 8, 2021. The new feature appeals to both old and new players – for example, you can also introduce friends who are new to the game better to the matter. Fallout 76 is also excellent as a survival starting point:
In Career Mode of FIFA 22, you can create your own club with “Create a Club” and lead it to the top of the world. Here you can learn about what the mode has to offer and how the club creation process works.
EA fulfills a long-standing dream for fans of Career Mode: finally you can create your own club, customize it according to your wishes, and take over as manager. In the previous FIFA titles, you always had to choose an existing club in Career Mode.
Here you can learn about the options that “Create a Club” offers and what you can customize and personalize.
This is how you create your club: The new Create-Your-Club feature offers everything you would expect from starting a club. You begin with the following steps:
You select the name of your new club.
You choose a nickname (This will be used by the commentators).
Then you choose which league the club will play in. There you replace a club.
And you determine your rival club.
After that, you can take care of your players’ home and away kits in an editor. You choose from preset kit designs and adjust the colors. You can customize the kits at the beginning of each new season.
The stadium editor, which players will already know from FUT 21, has also made its way into the Career Mode of FIFA 22. Here you create your own stadium and additionally customize the following points:
The color of the stadium
The seat color
Field patterns
Net patterns
Goal songs
Fan chants
Club anthem
This is how you acquire your team: To fill the newly formed club with players, you have access to the team-building assistant. First, you determine the average age of your team as well as the star rating. Then you can set your transfer budget.
You can choose to start with little money and focus on inexpensive talents. Or you let your club bathe in money and immediately strengthen it with the big stars. Finally, you must select the board’s priorities, which determine your club goals. Once you have completed all this, your team will be equipped with randomly created players, and you can get started.
Are you looking forward to “Create Your Club” in FIFA 22? Will you create your own club? Let us know in the comments!
But not only the manager career will be exciting, in the following article, our author Max Handwerk explains why the player career in FIFA 22 could be interesting again:
Space, the final frontier of humanity and certainly the biggest challenge for the British developer Hello Games. Their game No Man’s Sky has shot directly from the deepest abysses into the hearts of the players who hated it at first. But how did lead developer Sean Murray and his team manage this?
This is the backstory of No Man’s Sky: No Man’s Sky was first announced at VGX 2013. Here, developer Hello Games showcased a first trailer (via YouTube.com) that seemed unbelievable. The audience was ecstatic: A sandbox made of 18 trillion planets, created by a novel algorithm and of such quality — stunning.
However, from the first announcement, the developer did not play with open cards: Sean Murray, lead developer and founder of Hello Games, had embellished his description of No Man’s Sky significantly. First with the trailer, whose beautiful planets and creatures were handcrafted. Players found this out as they discovered the showcase planets in the game files some time after release.
Murray often emphasized in interviews how big his game is and how many possibilities the player has to leave his footprint. He did not shy away from promising content that did not even exist at release.
Blinded by hype, no one doubted back then that it could be too much for a six-person development team to keep all the promises:
Multiplayer
Base building
Landing and harvesting comets
Animals interacting with each other and being part of a food chain
Space battles
Desert planets and worms like in Dune
a lot more
Spoiler: None of these features made it into the “finished” game at release in August 2016.
The question is justified: How did Sean Murray and Hello Games manage to fix this mess so that it currently stands at “Mostly Positive” on Steam?
Steam reviews are positive for the first time in years (Source: Steam)
No Man’s Sky became a disaster – What was the reason?
No Man’s Sky was actually supposed to be released in June 2016. However, the Hello Games team decided to postpone the release by two months to August. For a better polished version of the game, it was said back then. But then came the shock…
A PlayStation 4 copy of No Man’s Sky ended up on eBay and was auctioned off for an insane €1100. The buyer, under the alias “Daymeeuhm,” posted video footage of the leaked version online. What the user showed in his videos looked far from finished. Daymeeuhm expressed hope that a Day-One patch would surely follow (via YouTube.com).
No Man’s Sky was this bad at release: After a long wait, No Man’s Sky was released in 2016 and did not disappoint in disappointing fans. The open-world space adventure that looked so promising turned out to be a flop. Other than mining resources, traveling to other planets, and expanding personal tools, all features were cut.
The user score on Metacritic at release was 3.5 out of 10, and the press ratings were 61 out of 100. These ratings came about because players uncovered some blatant lies from the developer. Especially the broken promise of a multiplayer feature upset players and critics alike.
Shortly before, Murray announced via Twitter that No Man’s Sky was not for fans of multiplayer. The chance of finding each other was very unlikely due to the vast distances between players, he said. However, the complete absence of multiplayer was discovered by two players who landed on the same planet on the very first day, walked to the same location, and did not see each other.
Aside from missing features, No Man’s Sky suffered from countless bugs and glitches that remained unrefined for a long time. These problems ultimately caused the player count on Steam to drop from an initial 212,000 concurrent players to a mere 3,000 within a few weeks.
The peak at the beginning shows the maximum of 212,000 players (Source: SteamDB)
Hello Games turns on the update machine: Players love it
Users sent death threats to lead developer Sean Murray, hacked the Hello Games Twitter account, and even drove to the developer’s office. It looked suspiciously empty, and so many thought Hello Games had run off with the money.
This suspicion was reinforced by the fact that the team around Murray withdrew. For months, there was no tweet, no video, no statement.
In reality, Hello Games was working under the radar on the first improvements to No Man’s Sky. Three months after release, in November 2016, Sean Murray broke the silence for the first time and presented the free Foundation Update.
Foundation brought base building, new game modes like Permadeath, food cultivation, and freighter ships. In the same package, the developers also included numerous improvements and bug fixes.
However, for many, that was not enough, and the criticisms still remained in the negative range. In March 2017, the Pathfinder Update followed. This gifted players with new spaceship types, a photo mode, mod support, and ground vehicles.
Again, some months passed, and the Atlas Rising Update arrived, bringing countless new features and bug fixes. To date, 18 major updates for No Man’s Sky have been released, each received better by the community.
Latest Update Frontiers causes a flood of positive reviews
A few days ago, the free Frontiers update was released, fulfilling players’ long-held wish: City-building is now one of the late-game tasks in No Man’s Sky. The tasks of a mayor are diverse: You must resolve disputes between residents, continuously expand the city, provide it with resources, and defend it against enemies. Once you have expanded your city to a certain point, it generates resources for you.
Additional content from the Frontier Update
250 new base building parts
Base building system revised
Monstrous pets
Space fog
New visual effects
Steam reviews jump to “Very Positive”: How difficult was that
This is what the reviews look like today: The overall rating of No Man’s Sky is “mostly positive.” The latest ratings are even “very positive.” Players celebrate in their reviews on Steam (via Steam.Store) especially the large number of updates and the many new content.
I bought it on launch day and had too high expectations… 5 years later, the developers brought so many updates that my expectations were exceeded.
Arcionas (325 hrs) – Written on September 2, 2021
A great example of what developers who love their job looks like!
DIAMOND (31.7 hrs) – Written on September 2, 2021
Two aspects for which No Man’s Sky will always be remembered: 1. How overhyped the game was and how bad it was at launch. 2. The developers did everything they could to save the game despite a bad start.
Blitz (24 hrs) – Written on August 31, 2021
Every time I say: “Okay, No Man’s Sky has all its content, I don’t need to play it anymore,” I start again and discover something new and get lost in the infinite world.
SmackDaFrog (1,048 hrs) – Written on September 5, 2021
This is what the developers say about the ratings: Pushing Steam reviews from extremely negative to mostly positive is harder than many think, explains Head of Publishing Tim Woodley. To rise from 20% to 21% positive reviews requires hundreds of reviews. To rise from 69% to 70%, however, requires more than 10,000 reviews. Accordingly, it is not surprising that some games never manage to make the leap.
Conclusion – No Man’s Sky had to fail in order to become this good
Sean Murray and Hello Games took on too much with No Man’s Sky. Surely it wasn’t planned for the hastily put together trailer for VGX 2013 to trigger such a wave of hype. The team was only able to disappoint the waiting fans — which is not their fault.
However, if this wave had not occurred, and the players had not pre-ordered it a hundred thousand times, it would have been financially impossible to deliver the experience of No Man’s Sky that players love today.
No Man’s Sky had a very bad start. But what started as a prime example of excessive promises and too much hype became one of the greatest and most enjoyable adventures in modern gaming due to the hard work of the developers.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Lmao, the developers heard that people want Survivors to have more secondary objectives because generators are finished so quickly and they just flipped 180° and added more for the Killer to take care of. I can’t deal with these people.
JackBoxcarBear sarcastically expressed:
I’m really glad they are adding this. One problem I’ve always noticed when playing Killer was all the downtime I had during a match. Generators are repaired so slowly and I can easily pressure all 4 Survivors at once, I can practically control the map before there is even a threat of Survivors escaping.
More secondary objectives for Killers, please! It makes things interesting. Also, I love searching for bones. It’s way more fun than chasing or anything else! /s
What do you think of this new feature? A cool idea that could be exciting? Or pretty dumb and just something that shouldn’t make it into the game?
Killers will have a harder time in Dead by Daylight. They will soon need to search for Totems to weaken the Survivors.
The release of the new “Hellraiser” chapter in Dead by Daylight has been overshadowed by some issues. In addition to the lack of Pinhead’s voicelines and some annoying bugs, players have found new information about upcoming content in the game’s tutorial section. It seems that Killers will also need to search for and destroy Totems soon. Time they actually don’t have.
What was discovered? Shortly after the latest patch was released, players discovered a new description for Totems in the information. In addition to the normal and “Hex-Totems”, which contain Killer perks, there will soon also be “Boon-Totems” for Survivors. These Totems grant Survivors certain buffs, likely defined more precisely through perks – just like in the case of the Killer. The Killer can search for and deactivate this Totem by destroying it.
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Is this already in the game? No. Currently, there is only the tutorial entry that allows Survivors to transform Totems into a “Boon-Totem”. However, since the information is already in the game, it is assumed that the next patch will bring a Survivor who possesses this ability.
Why is this a problem? The issue is that Killers already have enough to do during the match. They must simultaneously slow down four Survivors while keeping an eye on the status of the generators and trying to slow down their progress as much as possible. This alone requires the full attention of the Killer, who is facing four Survivors alone.
For the Survivors, it does not weigh as heavily if a player has to deal with Totems. It only marginally reduces the group’s effectiveness. However, the Killer must devote their full attention to one thing, which is why the four Survivors have free rein to create progress during that time.
More on Dead by Daylight on MeinMMO can be found here:
Community reacts with dismay: The news was received quite poorly in the Dead by Daylight community. Shortly after the information was discovered in the game’s tutorial, it spread like wildfire in the game’s subreddit. For most, it is inconceivable that developers Behaviour want to add even more tasks for Killer players.
Bravely_Default writes:
I swear, Behaviour is trying everything to make Killers stop playing this game.
Zestyclose_Limit8282 is quite angry:
Lmao, the developers heard that people want Survivors to have more secondary objectives because generators are finished so quickly and they just flipped 180° and added more for the Killer to take care of. I can’t deal with these people.
JackBoxcarBear sarcastically expressed:
I’m really glad they are adding this. One problem I’ve always noticed when playing Killer was all the downtime I had during a match. Generators are repaired so slowly and I can easily pressure all 4 Survivors at once, I can practically control the map before there is even a threat of Survivors escaping.
More secondary objectives for Killers, please! It makes things interesting. Also, I love searching for bones. It’s way more fun than chasing or anything else! /s
What do you think of this new feature? A cool idea that could be exciting? Or pretty dumb and just something that shouldn’t make it into the game?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MeinMMO author Maik Schneider had a good feeling about Call of Duty: Vanguard even before the big multiplayer reveal. But after his first longer session in the multiplayer of the new World War shooter, he can hardly wait for the release.
Call of Duty releases a new full-price title every year and knows how to generate hype among its players; so did I. However, the two CoDs from the past years – Cold War and Modern Warfare – could hardly evoke any real enthusiasm in me before release. Other experiences left painful memories that ruined the release of some predecessors.
With this years of trained CoD skepticism, I also took a look at the developments around the new Call of Duty: Vanguard in recent months, and I must say: Away with the doubts, bring on the release – I don’t care what happened before.
About the author Maik: For MeinMMO, I have already accompanied 2 major releases of CoD premium titles and still remember my thoughts before the last releases. Modern Warfare was nothing more than a sensible reboot, which, however, was fun for a couple of seasons. But Cold War fell off after a short hype. Great setting, but little content – a frustrating mix.
Now we are heading towards my third release, and finally, I feel a deep desire to push the release date forward to tomorrow. 16 6vs6 maps, World War setting including a large campaign, killstreaks, combat pacing, Warzone upgrade – I have no idea how I am supposed to hold out until November 5th.
What was played: For MeinMMO, I was allowed to test parts of the beta and snoop around in the game for about 3 hours, of which 2 hours were pure gameplay. The organizers told us when to enter which mode, and so we played Domination, Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed, and the new mode Patrol on 4 different maps in 6vs6.
Why is Vanguard more like CoD MW? The new Vanguard uses a polished graphics engine from CoD MW, and you can really tell. Gunplay and movement strongly resemble CoD from 2019, also because tactical sprint and weapon mounting are back in the game.
Why is this a reason for hype? On one hand, because I really enjoyed the gameplay of CoD MW. On the other hand, because Warzone uses the same engine. And if you ask me what the best CoD of recent years is, I will answer “Warzone”.
I was looking for the right battle royale for a long time and finally found a home in Warzone. So much fits, though by no means everything. Especially the cheating situation weighs on my mind, as does the slow content flow in the first year after release.
But in terms of gameplay, there’s hardly anything I can complain about, even MeinMMO author Jürgen Horn had to admit this recently. I like the feel of the weapons that are not hard to control and that I can bring my own loadout into the match. But also the little things, like the respawn duel in the Gulag, as well as the cash and contract system.
That the new premium CoD is oriented towards this gameplay feel makes me smile. My first matches in Vanguard have confirmed this gameplay feel and pushed my anticipation further.
Combat Pacing – I didn’t know I wanted this
What is Combat Pacing? Vanguard introduces this new match option and lets me set how many players I want in my match. There are a total of 3 options for this:
Tactical: Classic CoD experience with 6vs6 players
Assault: Between 20 – 28 players can be found on one map
Blitz: Between 28 and 48 players can go wild on one map
Why is this a reason for hype? The standard maps for normal 6vs6 matches have gotten larger in recent years. This means there has been more time between spawn and combat, but CoD is a fast shooter for me with constant firefights. Start the game, search for a match, start shooting.
But due to the large maps and also the addition of more levels on the maps (keyword verticality), a lot of speed has been lost. Sometimes there were whole minutes in a team deathmatch without even seeing an enemy. That’s not how I imagine my quick firefight for in between.
And this is where Combat Pacing comes in. It’s a very simple solution to one of the biggest problems I’ve had with CoD in recent years. Because I can decide how many players I want to play the maps and modes that were actually designed for the classic 6vs6 matches.
Even with CoD MW, I was happy about every mode in the playlist, that just brought in more players to the normal matches. Now I can always and anytime decide how many opponents and team members I want to approach in a match, and it feels a bit like “Shipment” or “Nuketown”.
Team Deathmatch with 50 people – Where can I sign up?
Finally Killstreaks again – A bit sad about the score system
What are Streaks? Call of Duty is known for its killstreak system, which rewards me for getting many kills in a row without dying. It raises the pulse, causes frustration when you go down, but also brings a nice dose of happiness hormones when your chopper mows down half a dozen enemies over the area.
Why is this a reason for hype? The current Cold War relies on a scorestreak system, with which I collect points instead of kills. The idea behind it was actually good, so that players who wouldn’t normally rack up big killstreaks can also benefit from the bonuses. However, the implementation led to less excitement and thus also less fun.
Although many kills in a row are still important with the score system because they bring more points and thus faster the strong support machines. However, you miss that kick when you look at your streak bar and think: “Just one more kill, then I’ve got it”.
This slowly filling bar on the side didn’t grab me; the first glide bomb at 5 kills in Vanguard multiplayer, however, did right away.
Top bonus: Warzone announcement drops my jaw
This doesn’t quite fit with Vanguard’s multiplayer, but in the big reveal stream, there was also information about Warzone, and as a fan of battle royale, I was pretty excited.
It was already clear that there would be a new map with Vanguard and that the new anti-cheat system had also been announced. But when the first images of the new map flashed across the screen, I needed a moment to grasp what was happening. The new Pacific map looks mouthwatering.
A first look at the coastline of “Warzone Pacific”.
In almost a side note, Associate Creative Director Amos Hodge added that Warzone would use the technology and engine of Vanguard and that this would all come relatively soon after the Vanguard release on November 5th.
The announcement for Warzone lasted only about 2 minutes but felt like a blockbuster to me – hopefully also with a happy ending at release.
Call of Duty delivered, at least regarding the announcements and my first impression. I haven’t been this hyped about a CoD in a long time, and please, please let the complete game be good. I currently have no worries – although I think that’s normal for a “screaming teenager”.
I also like reading your opinions on the topic. Did the first impressions grab you? Do you also feel some kind of hype or does Vanguard leave you cold?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, on September 8, 2021, a Raid Hour featuring Lugia takes place again in Pokémon GO. We at MeinMMO have looked into whether this short event is worth it and show you the best counters against the legendary monster.
What is a Raid Hour? A Raid Hour is a short event that takes place every Wednesday in Pokémon GO. During this event, Level 5 raids featuring a legendary Pokémon as the Raid Boss appear in almost all gyms. This week, it features Lugia again.
Raid Hour with Lugia – Info and Counters
When does the Raid Hour start? Like every Wednesday, it starts today at 6:00 PM local time and lasts 60 minutes. Before it starts, you can already see the typical dark eggs of the Level 5 raids above the gyms that will hatch during the event. Around 7:00 PM, the raids will start to decrease again.
Which counters are best against Lugia? The legendary Pokémon is of the Psychic and Flying types. It is therefore particularly weak against the attacks of Ice, Electric, Rock, Ghost, and Dark types. Use this weakness in battle and best use the following counters against Lugia:
Pokémon
Moveset
(Crypto-) Raikou
Thunder Shock and Charge Beam
(Crypto-) Electivire
Thunder Shock and Charge Beam
(Crypto-) Snibunna
Last Resort and Avalanche
(Crypto-) Magnezone
Spark and Charge Beam
(Crypto-) Zapdos
Thunder Shock and Thunderbolt
(Crypto-) Mamoswine
Powder Snow and Avalanche
(Crypto-) Tyranitar
Catapult and Stone Edge
(Crypto-) Mewtwo
Psycho Cut and Shadow Ball
Zekrom
Charge Beam and Thunder Shock
Voltolos (Tiergeistform)
Volt Switch and Thunderbolt
Darkrai
Last Resort and Shadow Ball
Additionally, the following Mega Evolutions are also suitable counters against Lugia:
Mega Gengar with Lick and Shadow Ball
Mega Ampharos with Last Resort and Charge Beam
Mega Houndoom with Last Resort and Foul Play
Mega Gyarados with Bite and Crunch
How many trainers do you need? To defeat Lugia, you should have at least four players. If you look for a few more players to support you, the battle will be a bit easier.
Is there Shiny Lugia? Yes, Lugia is available as Shiny in Pokémon GO. You can recognize it, as shown in the following image, by its red belly and dorsal crest.
Lugia normal (left) and as Shiny (right)
Is the Raid Hour worth it?
The legendary Pokémon Lugia especially shines with its defense stats. Its attack and stamina are only average. Therefore, according to PvPoke, it is one of the best candidates for use in the PvP League (via pvpoke.com). In raids, it is solid, but you should rather rely on other monsters that can perform better.
So, if you still need a strong Lugia for your PvP battles, take advantage of the Raid Hour today. Shiny hunters can also try their luck at today’s short event.
What’s next? Lugia will also be available to you as a raid boss after today’s Raid Hour until September 14, 2021, at 10:00 AM. After that, it will disappear from raids for a while. So you still have one or two opportunities to get a Lugia. Also, currently, the Psychic Spectacle with 2 new monsters is taking place in Pokémon GO.
What do you think of the Raid Hour with Lugia? Have you already been able to catch a Shiny specimen? Or are you skipping this raid boss? We’d love to hear your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Fans of Star Citizen can still financially support the game by spending money on ships that don’t even exist (yet). This really annoys a user who considers this practice “lies” and has therefore reported the developers to a British regulatory body. They actually found a breach. You can find out how the whole thing turned out here on MeinMMO.
What bothers the user? Reddit user Mazty has been dissatisfied with the marketing of Star Citizen for a long time. But after the recent email urging him to quickly participate in the sale of a Gatrac Railen ship, he had had enough.
He immediately wrote a complaint letter to the “Advertising Standards Authority” (ASA), accusing the developers of misleading advertising.
What is the ASA? Here, an independent organization of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom acts. The ASA implements the applicable rules for advertising – even though it cannot enforce laws – and its code of advertising practices roughly corresponds to British laws on advertising.
According to Mazty, all of this is “lies” and he has “had enough”. The ships that are offered there are just concepts, and it’s not certain that they will ever exist.
By the way, he is not alone in this; even employees criticize that there seems to be more marketing than gameplay in Star Citizen.
What is Star Citizen and how is it funded? The space game Star Citizen was funded in 2012 through a Kickstarter campaign with $2 million and has since raised over $350 million.
The game has not been released yet and only exists as an alpha, but one can still spend money on ships that currently only exist as concepts, and it is not certain whether these ships will really be available in the announced form.
Regulatory body criticizes Star Citizen, but they are still allowed to sell non-existent ships
How did the ASA respond? According to Mazty, after a few weeks there was indeed a response from the ASA. The advertising for the concept ships is indeed misleading and violates the advertising code. They asked the developers to change that.
What has changed now? However, those who hoped that the developers would no longer sell concept ships have been mistaken. Instead, a gigantic disclaimer now appears under the text in the current form of the offer, explaining exactly why the ships are NOT yet in the game.
This disclaimer is now attached to the offers for Star Citizen.
For this, you get a loan spaceship that is already in the alpha version of the game, and you can use it until the purchased ship eventually appears.
What does the user say about it? For Mazty, the matter is still not settled, as this disclaimer is still no explanation for what he sees as the fraudulent actions of the developers:
However, when you read the disclaimer, you see that the wording is still extremely misleading, as it claims that the ships WILL be playable. Come on Chris, stop making promises you can’t keep!
