If you are a fan of old-school role-playing games, but do not like to play alone, Nevergrind Online (PC) might be exactly the game you’ve been waiting for. We at MeinMMO summarize the most important things for you.
What is Nevergrind Online actually? Nevergrind is an old-school RPG in the style of Dragon Warrior or Wizardry. In first-person perspective, you can explore dungeons, solve quests, and more. You do not have to do all of this alone, as you can experience Nevergrind in co-op mode with up to four players. Additionally, Nevergrind promises the following features:
12 races and 14 classes
Attributes that you can distribute freely
12 different skills for each of the classes
A variety of different equipment sets
Procedurally generated dungeons
14 different areas
A hardcore mode with permadeath feature
How does the game work? Once you have created a character, you can explore the kingdom of Edenburg. There you will find various buildings with different functions. The most important one is the tavern, where you can find quests and leaderboards. There is also a guild hall to improve communication with your friends.
In the city, you equip yourself accordingly and also prepare for your quests that you can then experience together with other players.
In this video, the developer talks about the latest progress and shows gameplay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZx5211OyRs
When can you play it? Nevergrind Online is expected to launch on April 20, 2022, on Steam (via Steam). However, a closed alpha phase is already running. You can participate in this closed alpha by simply contacting the developer via Discord.
The co-op adventure is currently not finished and the closed alpha is not “feature complete”. Not all features that are supposed to be in the game at launch have been implemented yet. The game is also being developed by a single person, and the closed alpha will be one of the first opportunities to try out the game.
What do the players say? So far, according to the developer, only about 70 people have been able to try the game. The response on social media is therefore not particularly wide-reaching. However, the community that has already begun to form around the game is very excited about the title.
For example, the user ZKuerten writes (via Twitter): “Oh wow! I did not know there was already a playable version. I need to try it as soon as possible!”
In response to a screenshot, the user DRPGBook (via Twitter): “Wow, the ice zone looks incredibly good!”
The user dumeganz writes (via Twitter): “The textures look so good, you really think it goes much deeper into the dungeon”
We could not find any negative comments during our research. This suggests that the game could cover a niche that may not be large, but is friendly.
What do you think of Nevergrind Online? Is this old-school RPG something for you? Will you participate in the alpha? Let us know in the comments.
A BlizzCon clip made headlines. The woman shown now says: She didn’t find it that wild, the audience’s reaction back then was worse.
In recent weeks, there has been a lot of talk at Activision Blizzard about the sexism and discrimination scandal. Particularly, the development team of World of Warcraft is under criticism. Alongside serious allegations against the already dismissed Alex Afrasiabi, a video has also gained symbolic importance: A clip from BlizzCon 2010, where a woman asks a question about character design in WoW. The video went viral and serves as a prime example of everything that is going wrong with the developers of WoW.
What kind of video is it?The video comes from BlizzCon 2010. Even back then, there were “Q&A” panels where players could ask their questions directly to the developers. Particularly the passage with a woman has now uncomfortably stood out. She praised the developers for having so many strong female roles in World of Warcraft, but asked if they all had to look like they came out of a “Victoria’s Secret” catalog.
At first glance, there is audible applause from the women in the audience, but then the booing from the men takes the dominant role. The developers do not take it particularly seriously and ask “Which catalog should they come from?” Shortly after, it is clarified that they understand her and are trying to include many different types of women in the game.
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Since then, the video has nonetheless been taken as evidence that there is a “Bro Culture” at Blizzard.
What has happened now? The magazine Kotaku has tracked down the woman and conducted an interview with her. Xantia talked a lot about the current and past incidents and provided some interesting insights. She also clarified how she perceived the whole situation back then.
It’s really strange to see that this whole thing is being covered by the press concerning a question I asked 11 years ago.
When asked what she thought when the developers brushed her off so simply, Xantia replied:
I’ll tell you, it’s actually funny, I didn’t think too much about it back then because it’s so discouraging. You go up there, you’re nervous because you’re being filmed, you’re live-streamed, and you’re standing in front of an audience of several thousand people. It’s hard to clearly articulate your thoughts. And I managed to sum it up, came to the question, and they turn it into a joke.
I kind of like how I laugh there and then they just carry on. I thought, okay, I guess I’m not getting a chance at a follow-up question. Okay, I’m being sent away, wonderful.
She mentions that afterwards some women and a few men came up to her and said they liked her question and considered it important.
What stuck much more in Xantia’s mind was the audience’s reaction back then:
Honestly, the sound of so many guys booing me bothered me way more than being sent away. You had this initial cheer from the women in the crowd and then a huge wave of boos.
Despite everything, that didn’t weigh on Xantia as heavily as some portray today.
I didn’t think much about it because there has always been a certain amount of sexism in the games industry, and you just learn to roll your eyes and ignore it and enjoy the things [in the games] that you like.
Xantia criticizes ex-developer: However, Xantia criticizes Greg Street, whom many know as “Ghostcrawler”. He was once an important WoW developer but is now working on the LoL-MMO for Riot. He had commented on the incident in a series of tweets, later regretted the whole thing, and also explained that they didn’t perceive it that closely at the time because they couldn’t see the face of the questioner well due to the lighting. To this, Xantia said:
I believe Greg Street now knows who I am. Cool. Okay. Also, that wasn’t really an apology, but do what you gotta do. Whatever lets you sleep at night.
I joked about it with a friend when I saw it and everything he wrote: ‘Oh, I couldn’t see her reaction, I couldn’t see her face’ and how he’s now disappointed by it all. But hey, your ears worked just fine. Didn’t you hear the hundreds of people booing me? What would it have cost you to say: ‘Hey, guys, that’s really not cool?’ When you justify and explain yourself to that extent, it stops being an apology.
Xantia wanted to work at Blizzard: For many, it might be hard to imagine, but despite the incident, Xantia wanted to work at Blizzard and applied in 2012 for a position in the “Strategic Initiatives Department,” but ultimately was rejected. In the end, however, she is probably glad about it:
I was quite shaken [about the rejection] back then, but hey, you can have so much luck in failure. It feels like I just dodged a bullet.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Soon the 3rd Hyperbonus will start in Pokémon GO and it is still not known which Pokémon will be the focus of this event. MeinMMO author Franzi Korittke explains why she thinks it’s the right time for a release with Hoopa.
When does the 3rd Hyperbonus start? The 3rd Hyperbonus starts on August 20, 2021 at 10:00 AM and ends on August 31, 2021 at 8:00 PM local time.
What is the problem? At the Pokémon GO Fest 2021, participating trainers had the opportunity to solve global challenges and earn additional events. They succeeded, which is why the 1st Hyperbonus is currently taking place. This revolves around the theme of “time”.
Starting August 6, the 2nd Hyperbonus will begin, which focuses on the theme of “space”. For both events, the focus was communicated early and trainers could guess which legendary monsters would be waiting for them in the raids.
Unlike the first two Hyperbonus events, Niantic has not disclosed any information so far about the 3rd Hyperbonus. Everything is still strictly secret, leading to many speculations about this event. Alongside the creator Pokémon Arceus, some trainers suspect a release of Hoopa.
The ideal time to finally release Hoopa
I, Franzi from MeinMMO, have been playing Pokémon GO daily for almost two years and will show you why a release of Hoopa during the 3rd Hyperbonus would be the perfect timing from my perspective.
That’s why the event fits perfectly: There is currently only little information available about the 3rd Hyperbonus, which was earned during the GO Fest 2021. Since it is linked to the GO Fest, I could imagine that Niantic intends to release a monster that was also a theme of this event.
One Pokémon played a central role on that day, but could not be caught: the mysterious Pokémon Hoopa. Pokémon GO made repeated references to this event. For instance, it was responsible for the countless legendary raids on the second event day.
Additionally, after the first event day, Niantic adjusted the loading screen and integrated Hoopa into it. In the past, Pokémon that appeared in the loading screen were also released in the game shortly thereafter. This could be observed with Feelinara, for instance. So it could be an indication that Hoopa is finally coming to the game.
Does it thematically fit as well? Yes, thematically Hoopa can also be aligned with Dialga and Palkia. These two cause changes in the time and space phenomena during the 1st and 2nd Hyperbonus. And Hoopa also addresses the themes of time and space in a certain way. It can transport things from one place to another using its rings.
All of these criteria indicate that, in my view, the perfect time for a release of Hoopa would be the event for the 3rd Hyperbonus. Which Pokémon will actually be found in the last Hyperbonus remains to be seen. As soon as Niantic provides new information, you will find out here, on MeinMMO.
What do you think about a release of Hoopa? Will it happen during the 3rd Hyperbonus or do you hope for another Pokémon? Feel free to share your opinion on MeinMMO in the comments.
Gengar is a spooky Speedster in Pokémon Unite with a heavy attack combo and lots of damage. MeinMMO shows you how to master the Poltergeist with this build and guide.
What kind of Pokémon is Gengar? Gengar is the classic among Ghost-type Pokémon and has been part of the monster universe since the first generation. Its shape consists almost entirely of a wicked face and has surely caused quite a stir in the dreams of many Pokémon fans.
In Pokémon Unite, Gengar is a Speedster with high damage but very little synergy with other Pokémon. As Gengar, you prefer to do your own thing and use your combos to strike at the right moment. MeinMMO shows you in the guide how to benefit from the strong attacks of the spooky Speedster:
We have put together a quick overview of the strongest attacks and items:
Where does the guide come from? To create the guide, we looked at gameplay for Gengar and experienced the Speedster in-game. Author Maik Schneider also looks back on many thousands of matches in third-person MOBA SMITE and has already played a few dozen matches in Pokémon Unite.
What abilities should Gengar use? The attack mix of Sludge Bomb and HEX provides the best synergies in Gengar’s strongest role on the mid-lane.
Sludge Bomb is a “ranged” attack, dealing damage on impact and poisoning enemies. The poison makes the target a victim of HEX, a “dash” attack. If you attack the poisoned enemy with HEX, the damage increases, and the cooldown is significantly reduced. You can use HEX almost immediately again as either a escape or another attack. This works with other status changes too – to trigger the effect of HEX, the enemy does not necessarily have to be poisoned.
Attack Cooldown:
First Slot
Will-O-Wisp / Ranged – 5 Seconds
Shadow Ball / Ranged – 4.5 Seconds
Sludge Bomb / Area – 8 Seconds
Second Slot
Lick / Area – 7 Seconds
Dream Eater / Ranged – 8 Seconds
HEX / Dash – 7.5 Seconds
The other two attacks “Shadow Ball” and “Dream Eater” lack behind in damage. Although strong combos are possible when you cooperate with other players, the combo of Sludge Bomb and HEX is considerably better on the mid-lane.
What held items suit Gengar? Gengar’s held items should either increase its mobility or strengthen its special attack:
Float Stone (ATK/Speed): Increases movement speed when you are not in combat
Wise Glasses (SP-ATK): Increases your special attack value
Sp. Atk Specs (SP-ATK): Increases special attack value when you land points
Shell Bell (SP-ATK/Cooldown): If you hit with an attack, you will be healed
What battle items suit Gengar? Here you can think about whether you want more mobility or rather an attack boost:
X Attack: Increases the attack for a few seconds
Eject Button: Small jump in the desired direction
Gengar: A Speedster with high damage but little synergy
What makes Gengar strong? Gengar’s moveset brings you hard hits and a lot of force. Its biggest strength lies in the interplay of the attacks “HEX” with “Sludge Bomb”. While Sludge Bomb inflicts poison on your opponents, you can use the status change to strengthen HEX and almost completely bypass its cooldown.
Strong for a Speedster are also the passive skills. “Levitate” allows you to move faster outside of combat, and as a third basic attack, you have a small dash that shoots you a few meters towards your target.
It is also worth mentioning Gengar’s Unite attack. You become briefly invisible and gain increased movement speed. If you activate the Unite move a second time, you deal area damage around you and slow down enemies – also a fitting move for a Speedster.
What can Gengar not do well? Gengar is not the fastest among Speedsters and also does not have a fast-recharging dash that it could use for escape or movement. HEX is often too valuable, and the recharge takes long to just start the cooldown.
Additionally, Gengar only evolves at level 9. Before that, you are stuck with the weak Ghastly and evolve into Haunter at level 5. You still need to gain 4 levels to start the Gengar evolution. Many competitors with 3 evolutions reach their final form as early as level 7.
As a Speedster, you are also very “squishy”. That means you have relatively little health and defense. If another Speedster catches you and you have all skills on cooldown, you are quickly done for. This also applies if your attack goes awry or an unexpected enemy joins a fight. You must play Gengar very carefully because you can only take a few hits – Gengar offers high damage but also high risk.
Finally, Gengar is not a good team player. With good communication and/or a lot of experience with the synergies between the monsters in Pokémon Unite, Gengar can also enhance other Pokémon. But generally, you help yourself more and benefit from the skills of others. If you allow tanks or supporters to help you on a lane and level Gengar up faster, this can indeed be strong.
Pros and Cons of Gengar
Pro
Strong damage
Interaction of the skills HEX and Sludge Bomb
Suitable passive skills for a Speedster
Strong Unite move for a Speedster
Contra
Slower compared to other Speedsters
No real escape
Little synergy with other Pokémon
Late evolution to Gengar
Who should play Gengar? Role, Lane, Traits
Which lane is suitable for Gengar? Gengar’s main role as a Speedster is the jungle, that is, the mid-lane. As long as you are Ghastly, you should avoid player battles as much as possible and focus on jungle monsters. From level 5 onward, you can drop by the lanes as Haunter and help finish off enemy players. With level 7 and the HEX skill, you can really get to work.
Gengar can also score points as an offensive support for Pokémon with more defense. With “Lick”, you can pull enemies towards you early on, and “Will-O-Wisp” can deal solid damage to NPC opponents on the lane due to “burning” and can even hit multiple enemies.
However, the synergies with other Pokémon are limited, and the jungle/the mid-lane is the most suitable playground for Gengar.
Who is Gengar suitable for? The Ghost-type Pokémon is not for beginners. If you are not familiar with MOBAs or do not yet know how matches unfold in Pokémon Unite, it is better to leave Gengar in the Pokéball. Because you need a good feel for when you are needed in a match.
When the team fight inevitably comes with the appearance of Zapdos, you also need to hold back and should only land regular hits with Sludge Bomb. If you go into battle with HEX, it can end quickly.
A good mix of aggression and restraint is required with Gengar. A mix that most often has been acquired as an experienced player.
Details about Gengar:
Role: Speedster
Lane: Mid-lane
Type: Special Attack
Basic Attack: Melee
Third Attack: Dash towards enemy
Gengar Guide – How to play the spooky Speedster
As Ghastly up to level 5: First, activate the attack Will-O-Wisp with fire. While you’re still a small Ghastly, hold back. You can’t afford player fights because everything knocks you out. At the beginning, go into the jungle (mid-lane) and level up until level 5. Observe the fights on the lanes via the mini-map and assess which side has more trouble holding the lane. But stay in the background and farm jungle monsters.
As Haunter up to level 7: With your evolution to Haunter, you can choose Sludge Bomb and have a strong ranged attack. If a lane needs help, you can do a lot with the attack. However, do not go all out on offense; you are still very “squishy” and an easy target if you get too close to the enemy.
If the lanes are somewhat holding up, you should continue to collect levels while going through the jungle. Keep moving, kill jungle monsters, and help out without going down.
From level 7 as Haunter/Gengar: As soon as you have unlocked the attack HEX, you can get started. Your strong combo, for which Gengar is so cursed, is ready. Throw your Sludge Bomb at an enemy and then attack the poisoned enemy with HEX. Depending on the situation, either attack again with HEX or use the second HEX attack to escape towards your allies.
Continue hunting jungle monsters when the match dynamics allow it. But pay close attention to the lanes and possible enemies who are moving alone. From now on, you need to hone your instincts for lane fights and the paths of the enemies:
Am I helping a lane with a breakthrough?
Is the lane surviving the attack, or do I need to help?
Am I waiting at the edge of the lane for an enemy who is straying from the group?
Am I catching the enemy with low energy?
Am I continuing to kill many jungle monsters to gain an EXP advantage for the team?
Before the team fight occurs and all 10 players go after each other, the “jungler” on the mid-lane needs to be at the right place at the right time. This makes the role particularly difficult for beginners since you have to “read” the match to make the right decisions for your team.
As Gengar in team fights: Your strong combo also helps in team fights but can quickly backfire. Bombard the battlefield from the second row with your Sludge Bombs and wait for the right opportunities to take down enemies. If an enemy strays too far from the battlefield or many opponents have already used their attacks, jump in with HEX after a Sludge Bomb and escape with the second HEX.
You can also run into the group with your Unite move, cause damage, and exit with the HEX move. But always try to maintain a respectful distance from the fight. One wrong step and your Speedster will get taken out.
If you want to see some mid-lane gameplay of Gengar, we’ll embed a YouTube video here:
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Pokémon Unite focuses on the battle between monsters and lets you compete with the familiar characters from the vast Pokémon universe. For fans who enjoy the MOBA-like rules, Pokémon Unite could be a gaming gem that provides long-lasting motivation.
In light of the sexism scandal surrounding Activision Blizzard, a new development is emerging. According to a blog post from Blizzard, the president of Blizzard, J. Allen Brack, is leaving the company. Brack was previously an important figure in the MMORPG World of Warcraft.
Where does the information come from? Gaming journalist Jason Schreier tweeted the news at 2:15 PM German time.
He writes: “Blizzard president J. Allen Brack is leaving the company. Activision Blizzard just informed the employees of this. Jen Oneal and Mike Ybarra will take over as ‘Co-Leaders of Blizzard.'”.
How certain is this? This is very certain. Jason Schreier is regarded as a well-connected industry insider. He recently published internal emails that were circulating at Blizzard. Therefore, it is certain that he has sources at Activision Blizzard.
When such news is communicated to the entire Blizzard staff, it is plausible that someone would immediately pass this information to Schreier. Blizzard apparently leaks like a sieve.
Blizzard confirms rumor immediately
Update: The news is now official. In a blog post, Blizzard announces that J. Allen Brack is stepping down (via Blizzard).
He will be replaced by a new mixed leadership duo. The job description is referred to as “Co-Leader”:
Jen Oneal joined Blizzard in January 2021. Until then, she led the Activision studio Vicarious Visions. This merged into Blizzard to work on Diablo 2 Resurrected. So far, she has supported the “Diablo” and “Overwatch” brands at Blizzard as Executive Vice President of Development.
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Mike Ybarra has been with Blizzard since 2019, coming from Xbox, and is primarily responsible for technology and Battle.net. He was previously “Executive Vice President and General Manager of Platform and Technology.”
The focus of both leaders is to make Blizzard the “safest and most welcoming workplace for women and people of all genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, or backgrounds.”
It is clear: This change in leadership is clearly a response to the sexism scandal that has been occupying Blizzard for days.
Before him, one of Blizzard’s founders, Mike Morhaime, served for years as the “CEO” of the company. Observers had already seen Brack continuing only as “president” as a loss of power for Blizzard to Activision.
J. Allen Brack had positioned himself as an opponent of this macho culture at Blizzard in an internal statement. However, a video from a BlizzCon many years ago has turned against him. It casts a negative light on Brack:
New leadership duo reportedly signals a new beginning
What’s behind it: The new male/female leadership duo can now be seen as a sign that Blizzard wants to make a fresh start. Ybarra has only been with Blizzard for 2 years, and Oneal has been there for even less than half a year.
The “old guard” at Blizzard seems to be compromised by the events of the last few weeks. Many veterans from the old days no longer work at Blizzard anyway, as there has been an exodus of executives in recent years.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, on August 3rd, the Spotlight Hour with Magnemite starts in Pokémon GO. As a bonus, you will receive more Stardust during the event. We will show you all the information you need to know for the start today.
What is a Spotlight Hour? Those of you who are veterans are already familiar with the event. Every Tuesday evening, a Spotlight Hour runs in Pokémon GO. During this time, a selected Pokémon is the focus of the event for an hour. It spawns nearly everywhere in the wild and is also attracted by the incense module.
There is also a bonus that affects the amount of Stardust you receive today. Thus, the event is interesting for both beginners and veterans, as Stardust is always important in the game to strengthen your Pokémon.
Spotlight Hour with Magnemite – Start time and bonus
When does it start? As you already know from past events, the Spotlight Hour starts today again at 6:00 PM local time. The event will be active for one hour and ends around 7:00 PM local time. After that, the bonuses will expire, and the spawns in the wild will normalize again.
What bonus is there? Today, everything revolves around Stardust. Because for catching Pokémon, you will receive double the amount of Stardust during the event. So make good use of the small event today if you want to fill up your dust supply. If you want, you can also ignite a Star Piece to earn even more dust.
If you combine the event with incense, you can expect many Magnemite spawns and plenty of dust.
Is there Shiny Magnemite? Yes! If you’re lucky, you can encounter and catch shiny Magnemite during the Spotlight Hour. The shiny has been in the game for a long time, but was temporarily unavailable in Pokémon GO.
In the following graphic, you can see the Magnemite family in both its normal and shiny form:
You can see Magnemite, Magneton, and Magnezone in their normal and shiny forms in the picture.
Is the Spotlight Hour worth it today?
What it brings you: The Stardust bonus alone is likely to be the biggest motivation for most of you to participate in the event today. Whether trading Pokémon with friends or powering up your own Pokémon, you always need dust.
Additionally, collecting candy from Magnemite pays off. Because evolving into Magnezone makes it one of the strongest Electric attackers in Pokémon GO. Having a few strong specimens in your collection will greatly enhance your performance in raids.
Will you participate in the Spotlight Hour with Magnemite today or are you skipping the event this time? Let us know your opinion here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange thoughts with other trainers.
The shooterFortnite: Battle Royale is hosting another concert with a well-known artist. This time we are expecting a performance by Ariana Grande. You can find out how and when to participate here. You will also receive a keepsake after the event.
What can we expect?As leaks revealed weeks beforehand, there is again a concert event in Fortnite. Similar to what happened with Marshmello and Travis Scott before, but this time with the singer and actress Ariana Grande.
You will dive into different areas during the concert and experience them live while Ariana Grande performs her songs. There you will be able to hear her most popular tracks and see how the environment constantly changes.
As teased in Fortnite through a trailer, you will experience different areas during the concert similar to what happened with Travis Scott.
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Here is the teaser trailer for Ariana Grande’s concert.
Ariana Grande – Save the Date
When does the concert take place? The concerts will take place from August 7 to 9. In the list, you will find the times so you can see which time suits you.
Your options to participate in the event would be:
Show 1 – Saturday, August 7, 00:00 CEST
Show 2 – Saturday, August 7, 20:00 CEST
Show 3 – Sunday, August 8, 06:00 CEST
Show 4 – Sunday, August 8, 16:00 CEST
Show 5 – Monday, August 9, 00:00 CEST
The battle buses will be ready 30 minutes before the start, so be there an hour early. From past events, we have learned that server issues can occur due to overloads.
Tip: In the game, you have the option to select your desired day and always have the date and time in view as a reminder.
Rift Tour Challenges and Bonus Items
These items are available as bonuses: In order for all fans to participate, the Rift Tour will be split over three days, allowing everyone the opportunity to participate and obtain the exclusive glider “Fluffy Cloud Cuddler”. Additionally, the Rift Tour by Ariana Grande includes extra quests in which items can be earned. These are:
Fluffy Cloud Cuddler
The tasks are as follows:
Remember the date twice in the “Rift Tour” tab and play a match
Interact with the “Rift Tour” posters
Use an alien hologram area at the top of the party UFO
Keep in mind that interesting items related to the event will be offered in the in-game shop during the Rift Tour. This includes the iconic skin of Ariana Grande herself and her back bling “Piggy Smallz”.
What do you think of a new concert in Fortnite? Are you excited like Ariana Grande’s fans or do you just want to grab the free cosmetics? Let us know!
The new MMORPG New World from Amazon recently ended its two-week Closed Beta. We at MeinMMO took a look at the problems the game is still facing and what needs to be improved before release.
How did the beta go? The beta for New World started on July 20 and was immediately very popular. Up to 187,726 players were playing at the start of the beta, which propelled New World to 3rd place in the Steam charts, even before the actual release. Many streamers were also present on Twitch, bringing over 170,000 followers to the New World category.
However, the beta was also plagued by some technical issues. Especially at the beginning, Amazon’s servers were not very stable, and players were sometimes stuck in queues for up to seven hours to play on their chosen server.
Even when players managed to log in, there were crashes in some instances, a major debate about overheated graphics cards, and performance issues. Many of these problems are typical “beta ailments”, but there are also issues that are more deeply rooted in the game. Three of these are particularly important to the community.
Note: The following three headings are quotes from the reddit about New World (via reddit). They are intentionally exaggerated and will be explained in more detail in the text.
“One must be really dumb to not complete a quest”
What is the problem? The headline is a bit harsh, I admit. But the mission and quest design is one of the biggest problems of the upcoming MMORPG: The quests in New World feel unfinished.
This could be attributed to the original concept of the game. Most PvE content found its way into the game only over the past year. Many tasks simply follow the same pattern, with running being the key word.
You run to a quest giver
Then you run to the enemies you need to kill or the items you need to collect. Other quests are a rarity
Then you run back to the quest giver
The highlight of this design are the quests that literally just make you run. For example, from one town to another to deliver something, and then back again.
The quests are monotonous, if not boring, and almost never serve a deeper purpose than to be a quest and grant experience points. This is not only disappointing but is also a critical point for players who focus on solo PvE content when deciding whether or not to buy the game.
The quest texts in New World are also a bit too generic.
Why it needs to be fixed: If the quests in a game do not work, a large part of the PvE content is automatically eliminated. New World offers many different ways to level up, but for players who prefer a classic route and want to level up through quests, the current situation is critical.
Especially in a new game with current standards, one almost expects quests that go deeper than “kill 10 wolves” or “collect 20 berries”. New World clearly falls short of expectations, which causes disappointment among the player base.
How likely is it to be fixed by release? The quest issue is a problem that runs deeper than just changing a few numbers for balancing. Since the release is less than a month away, it is unlikely that this problem will be addressed before launch.
However, it is conceivable that Amazon will make adjustments later on and improve the quests in the medium to long term. This would be especially important to provide new players with a better experience. It is important for New World to attract new players in the long term and to retain them even after the hype.
This is the status: Amazon should be aware of the problem with the quests. It will likely be fixed or at least improved at some point, but we do not expect much to happen before September 28.
“The combat system is a spam fest where you just hit whatever is ready”
What is the problem? The combat system in New World has undergone a lot of changes and revisions. At the moment, it is okay, but okay is not enough to keep players engaged for long.
It is controversial to really count the combat system as a problem since it also has some fans. Nevertheless, it faces a lot of criticism. The core features of the combat system are as follows:
Two weapons that you can switch between
Each weapon has three different skills
It is important to dodge and block, but it takes relatively long
Even normal attacks put you in an animation lock
Animation lock occurs when you start an attack and are then “stuck” in the animation until the attack is over, regardless of what happens. In a game where blocking and dodging are important, this is a fatal mistake for many players.
However, many fans appreciate the combat system precisely because individual actions take a relatively long time. Some believe it makes for more thoughtful gameplay, requiring players to make careful decisions about attacks, memorize attack patterns, and be more tactical.
The opposing faction believes that due to the ability to switch weapons and the long time it takes for the character to block, players are more likely to just press all the buttons until the enemy falls over. (via reddit)
Why it needs to be fixed: Even though many players like the combat system of New World, it is not very helpful for a new game if the other half of the player base finds such an essential part of the game unsatisfying.
This also plays a role in PvP. New World offers many modes in PvP, where many players are supposed to meet. Dying here because you simply cannot hit your opponent even when you are right in front of them is frustrating.
Amazon would need to make some adjustments to the combat system to make it more appealing to new players and those who do not want to memorize their opponents. Simply put: In an MMORPG where you spend half of your time fighting, combat should be enjoyable for everyone.
Just because the bear is big and right in front of you doesn’t mean you will hit it in New World.
How likely is it to be fixed by release? One month is little time to make such profound changes to a game. However, Amazon has been working on the combat system for quite some time and has already revised it multiple times. It is conceivable that some adjustments will be made before the game ultimately releases.
This is the status: The combat system is not necessarily beginner-friendly. The biggest criticisms of combat could be resolved by adjusting some numbers. We cannot say for certain whether Amazon will address this, but it’s definitely a point that can be changed more easily than the quest design.
“Traveling through the world becomes just tedious at a certain point”
What is the problem? The ‘New World’ is beautiful to look at and large. In the first few hours of play, the island is still impressive, and even later on, players often stop to simply take in the scenery. However, after playing the game for several hours, players quickly become accustomed to the environment, and the issue arises.
There are not enough fast travel points. Most of your time is spent simply walking. There are no mounts, and the fast travel points are not particularly generously distributed.
There are also hardly any spontaneous events like in Guild Wars 2 or the upcoming Lost Ark. So, you spend a large part of your time just walking.
As a result, what should be a highlight of New World, namely the world itself, eventually becomes a tedious aspect of the game, especially in terms of gameplay. This is particularly problematic for players who intend to play New World for a long time.
Why it needs to be fixed: Traveling through the world must be enjoyable, and it should be quick when you need to rush to help a friend. It’s not good for an open-world game if moving through that open world is not fun.
Compared to the other two problems, this is something that still frustrates long-term players and does not get any better in the endgame or with more experience. Here, Amazon must urgently improve.
The map of New World is huge, and you need to cover a lot of it on foot.
How likely is it to be fixed by release? Setting fast travel points in the world or adjusting walking speed or stamina is fortunately not rocket science. It is conceivable that Amazon will take player feedback from the beta and is already working on this issue in order to have it resolved by launch.
In the longer term, mounts could be a possibility, but Amazon has already confirmed that they will not be present at launch. (via Gamestar)
This is the status: The problem of traveling in the world of New World is present and varies in severity, but in our view, it is not too difficult to resolve. We hope that Amazon will improve this before release.
When is New World coming out? The game from Amazon is set to release on September 28, 2021, and will hopefully have implemented much of the feedback from the beta. How much exactly will be improved is still unclear at this point, however, New World is an important release for Amazon.
What still needs to be fixed? In addition to the three major points mentioned, there are many minor issues that New World should take from the beta and improve. These are quality-of-life issues, such as allowing the inventory to be used while running.
Furthermore, Amazon needs to work on the game’s performance as there were recurring issues during the beta. We can assume that many of these minor issues can be resolved before release.
What do you think about New World? Do you see any other problems that the studio needs to address? Let us know in the comments.
Streamer Asmongold, who has mixed feelings about the game, also described it as “trash” while still saying it’s a “good game”.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Twitch streamer Asmongold is actually known for his content about World of Warcraft. However, for over a month now, he has been playing almost exclusively another MMORPG: Final Fantasy XIV. Apparently successfully: he is the biggest streamer on Twitch in the last month.
Who is the streamer? Asmongold, also known by the names “Zack” or “Zackrawrr”, is a well-known Twitch streamer. For years, he was the largest WoW streamer in the world and could regularly attract tens of thousands of viewers with his content.
His way of interacting with the community and sometimes speaking critically about WoW and Blizzard is highly polarizing. Many people either love or hate him.
Asmongold in a more serious video, where he appears simply as “Zack”.
How is Asmongold doing on Twitch: In the last 30 days, Asmongold has been the biggest streamer on Twitch based on viewer hours – ahead of stars like xQc or the Brazilian loud_coringa (via sullygnome.com; as of August 2, 2021):
In July, Asmongold had 14,571,728 viewer hours.
With his second channel “Zackrawrr”, another 1,555,359 hours are added.
In comparison: in June he still had 7,655,019 hours on the main channel.
The hours have roughly doubled, and the average viewers increased from 52,702 to 86,479.
In July, Asmongold also set a new sub-record with 40,000 subs. He had never had so many before (via Twitter).
Rank 2 in July was Félix “xQc” Lengyel with 14,033,450 hours.
Viewer hours are the summed time that viewers spend with a streamer. If about 10 people watch for 2 hours, that’s 20 viewer hours. The value gives a pretty accurate indication of how popular a streamer is, as it reflects the actual time watched.
What is Asmongold showing now? Throughout Asmongold’s gameplay broadcasts in July, you can still see some WoW streams at the beginning, but from July 8th on, only Final Fantasy, Just Chatting, and a few evenings of Dungeons & Dragons, a pen and paper game, are shown.
On his second channel, he also shows almost exclusively and daily the new MMO New World, even if he regularly complains about it. However, nearly half of the time on the main channel went to FFXIV.
Final Fantasy might be treating Asmongold too well …
Why is Asmongold playing FFXIV now? Asmongold has repeatedly had issues with World of Warcraft and at times stopped creating content or streaming altogether. At the beginning of July, in search of alternatives, he played FFXIV for the first time and was immediately impressed by it.
Is he returning to WoW? It is not the first time Asmongold has taken a break from WoW or even streaming altogether. He has repeatedly had differences with the game, but he has always come back.
In the current situation around Blizzard, the major sexism scandal and his general dissatisfaction with WoW, it could take longer this time. He announced some time ago that he wants to change his content and try out things “away from WoW” by experimenting with other things.
Asmongold said: “I would rather kill my stream than watch WoW die.” You can read more about this here on MeinMMO:
The last league match in the American League of Legends by Team Solo Mid turned into a fun spectacle. Neither of the LoL teams had anything to play for, so everyone just played around. In the end, there were 47 kills and a loss for TSM, the best team in the USA.
Why was the game so strange? It was the last game of the regular season in LoL between Team Solo Mid and Dignitas. For both teams, the game had absolutely no significance, as the outcome had no impact on the standings:
Team Solo Mid was firmly in first place in the LCS – they could not be displaced from the top spot
Dignitas was firmly in sixth place in the LCS – whether they won or lost was completely irrelevant
A Clown Fiesta refers to such a strange spectacle where no one really knows what’s going on: In LoL, it represents a game that “gets out of hand” or that “apparently no one takes seriously anymore”.
All pros played a role they don’t usually play
This was the result: All 10 players in the match played a role they usually do not play. It’s about as if Bayern Munich started with Lewandowski in goal and Neuer as striker:
TSM Top Laner Huni suddenly played in the jungle
The German Midlaner PowerOfEvil played as Support Rakan
This is how the game ended: Dignitas was able to decide the match in just 26 minutes with 30 to 17 kills. The 47 kills are almost double the league average of 25 this year.
The probably best player of the match was Dignitas’ ADC, Neo, who played in the jungle as Gragas and secured 18 assists.
Sony has announced the new games that PS Plus subscribers will receive for free in August. As always, there are 3 games for PS4 and PS5. These are now available for free download in the PS Store. We at MeinMMO will introduce them to you.
Here are the 3 new PS Plus games for August 2021: If you have an active subscription to PlayStation Plus or plan to get one soon, you can expect the following lineup of monthly free games in August:
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville (PS4)
Tennis World Tour 2 (PS4)
Hunter’s Arena: Legends (PS4 and PS5)
In August, you can download all 3 Plus games regardless of your platform. Hunter’s Arena: Legends will be available for Plus users in both versions.
When and where can you download the new PS Plus games? The 3 new free titles are available to subscribers starting now (August 3) for download at no additional cost in the PlayStation Store.
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
What is Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville? The game is a third-person shooter based on the popular strategy game Plants vs. Zombies. You take on the role of a plant or a zombie and engage in action-packed battles on the fields of Neighborville, either in single-player or multiplayer, including local split-screen.
You have the choice of up to 23 different classes with unique abilities, categorized into Attacker, Supporter, Defender, or Swarm. With these classes, you can compete in competitive PvP modes like Turf Takeover or Deathmatch against others. Alternatively, you can explore the open zones of Neighborville in PvE, collect items, and complete quests.
You should check out Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborvilleif you are up for colorful and chaotic shooter fun with friends. The game is suitable for both newcomers and fans of the series who have already proven themselves in the Garden Warfare games.
What is Tennis World Tour 2? With Tennis World Tour 2, the name says it all. In this sports game, you take control of a tennis player who must compete in tournaments against others. The tournaments take place all over the world in real stadiums, and you will face international tennis stars like Rafael Nadal or Ashleigh Barty.
The game also offers various modes where you can swing your tennis racket. From the short “Tie-Break Tens” competition, where the winner is decided after just 10 points, to the longer career mode that involves managing the season, staff, equipment, and sponsors.
You should check out Tennis World Tour 2 if you are in the mood for some relaxed rounds of tennis with a touch of management. In this sports game, you can create your own champion.
Hunter’s Arena: Legends
What is Hunter’s Arena: Legends? Unlike many others in the genre, this battle royale focuses on melee combat, which is fought with swords, spears, or even just fists. To be victorious at the end of a match, you must wisely use your combos, parry effectively, and counter when necessary. You can choose from 17 different characters, each with their own skills and features. There is also a leveling system with unlockable abilities.
Hunter’s Arena: Legends also emphasizes PvPvE gameplay. This means that in a match, you will not only compete against other players but also against monsters and bosses located on the map. There are dungeons and a type of raids that you can undertake during matches.
You should check out Hunter’s Arena: Legends if you only have 30 minutes to spare and still want to engage in cool and action-packed battles with dungeons and raids. Hunter’s Arena: Legends packages elements that you are usually familiar with from MMOs into fast-paced rounds that conclude in just 30 minutes.
This is what you need: The only requirement is an active membership with PlayStation Plus, meaning a PS Plus subscription. For a 12-month subscription, you will typically pay €59.99, but there are also numerous sales where you can get it cheaper. Keep in mind: The annual costs become higher with a shorter subscription duration.
As a subscriber, you will receive 2 selected free PS Plus games for PlayStation 4 and one free title for PS5 every month. The games will be available for digital download in the PS Store for specific periods and will not cost you anything additional (aside from the regular subscription fees). Once you have added these games to your library, you can play them without limitations as long as you maintain an active membership—even if it has expired in the meantime.
Here are more advantages of PlayStation Plus at a glance: In addition to the monthly games, subscribers to PS Plus enjoy several additional benefits, including:
Access to free trials, where you can try full games for free
How about you? What do you think of the new PS Plus lineup for August 2021? Is there any title that particularly catches your interest or one you’re especially looking forward to? Or does Sony’s current selection of games leave you cold? Share your opinion with us and other users of MeinMMO in the comments.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Pokémon Unite will receive a new update on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. This is mainly about balance adjustments and modifies several Pokémon.
When will the update be released? The “Pokémon Unite” update will be available at 09:00 AM on August 4, 2021. To activate it, you just need to restart the software once at that time.
To do this, close the game if it is still open by pressing the X button in the Switch main menu. After that, you can simply click on the game to restart it. By the way: If you are just starting with the game, you can find tips for getting started in Pokémon Unite here.
What does the update include? The patch notes mention bug fixes and text fixes – errors will be corrected here. Additionally, there will be a test run for an “observation” feature between August 4 and 6.
Furthermore, there are a lot of adjustments for various Pokémon.
These monsters in Pokémon Unite are adjusted by the update
What changes? Basically, the patch notes mention 14 monsters that will be adjusted. Unfortunately, exact numbers for the changes have not been provided yet.
For example, there are mentions of reduced cooldowns or enhanced effects – how exactly these will impact the game is still uncertain. It remains to be seen how significantly or subtly some of the changes will be felt in the game.
Since the game is currently not available in German and the moves in Pokémon Unite are also only shown by their English names, we will keep the English names of the moves for now.
Here we show you all the changes that are currently known.
Charizard
Flamethrower
Cooldown reduced
Effects on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Fire Punch:
Effects on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Fire Blast
Cooldown reduced
Effects on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Talonflame
Acrobatics
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Aerial Ace:
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Aerial Ace +:
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Fly
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Venusaur
Sludge Bomb
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Effect on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Petal Dance
Move upgrade (no further information available)
Solar Beam:
Cooldown reduced
Unite Move: Verdant Anger
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Absol
Basic Attack
Bug fixes
Night Slash
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Sucker Punch
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Wigglytuff
Defense, Special Defense, and HP increased
Double Slap
Damage to enemy Pokémon increased
Effect on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Sing
Effect on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Dazzling Gleam
Bug fixes
Eldegoss
Cotton Guard
Cooldown extended
HP restoration weakened
Cotton Spore
Cooldown reduced
Effect on opposing Pokémon enhanced
Defense and Special Defense increase of the move has been enhanced
McDonald’s Australia has designed its own PS5 controller in a fast food style. Originally, 50 units of the controllers for the PlayStation 5 were supposed to be given away for the birthday to streamers and gamers. However, shortly after the announcement, McDonald’s had to remove them from the promo: apparently, McDonald’s forgot to ask Sony for permission at all.
What kind of controller is this? The McDonald’s controller is a “Custom Controller”, meaning it looks different from the regular DualSense for the PlayStation 5 that you can usually find in stores.
Instead of plain black or white, the controller would have been decorated with fries and burgers, would have had a small McDonald’s logo printed on it, and would otherwise have come in the cheerful red and white of the fast food giant.
However, regular functions would have been hidden underneath. So it is a “normal” DualSense in a prettier look. The special thing, besides the appearance: McDonald’s only wanted to give away 50 units worldwide. So it’s a true collector’s item:
What was the effort for? The McDonald’s controller was planned as a promotional action for the 50th birthday of McDonald’s Australia. There, the “Stream Week” was supposed to start on Sunday, August 1.
Australian fans would have had the chance to win such a controller from several Twitch streamers. However, the event had to be postponed shortly before the start, and the prizes had to be changed.
McDonald’s plans birthday event apparently without Sony
This is why McDonald’s had to backtrack: In a statement, McDonald’s Australia revealed that Sony PlayStation had objections. It states: “Sony PlayStation has not authorized the use of the controller in promotional material in conjunction with the proposed Stream Week, and we apologize for the inconvenience” (via Press-Start.com.au).
According to research by IGN, the image is an “internal concept” that should never have been published because it never left the planning phase (via IGN.com; the title image also comes from there). The image has mistakenly leaked to the media, and there is no commercial partnership between McDonald’s Australia and Sony PlayStation.
The Stream Week itself has been postponed to an unknown date, and the prizes have been adjusted. Now there are hoodies and a subscription for the respective streamers to be won. However, the controllers have been removed from the prize pool.
Such custom controllers are usually seen more often, as some companies work with console manufacturers to create special collector’s items for promotional purposes. Here, it was apparently overlooked to ask for permission beforehand.
On Twitter, a user commented (via Twitter.com): “Considering that Sony is blocking this promotion, they should [McDonald’s] do the same thing but with Xbox controllers. I’m sure Microsoft cares infinitely less.”
Sony has also allowed such special controllers before and even produced them themselves, but only for very special purposes:
The shooter series Destiny has been running for 7 years now. The current installment “Destiny 2” was released in 2017 and is expected to remain relevant for several more years. However, the glory days of the shooter are already several years behind us. Our author Schuhmann looks at the three major mistakes Bungie is making with the franchise. Why couldn’t Destiny become the “game for 10 years” that was promised to us?
Even at the first E3 presentations in 2013, Bungie painted a picture of a grand science-fiction adventure where players could explore a fascinating world and have fun with their friends. Everything appeared mysterious and alien, full of secrets waiting to be uncovered. The world felt huge and was supposed to keep on growing.
Even today, many players still have the sentence in their ears: “Destiny is supposed to be a game for 10 years!”
The Wish and the Promise: Destiny – the Game for 10 Years
Even in the years that followed, Bungie hinted that the Destiny universe could grow so much further and larger: More and more weapons, locations, raids, bosses, and enemies could be added to the game. There was always a new, distant threat lurking in the depths of space that needed to be defeated. Soon, new features would surely come that would transform Destiny from a lobby shooter into a living world.
However, the biggest wish of Destiny fans was to be continuously entertained by the game with new, exciting content, to experience milestone expansions like “The Taken King” or “Forsaken”, to be surprised by Bungie with secret quests, and to constantly discover new exciting weapons like the legendary Gjallarhorn or the incredibly stylish “The Last Word”.
And Bungie also said that these dreams would come true. As early as July 2015, Bungie promised us: Players would never have to create a new Guardian. That Guardian would always be there for them. Bungie would keep bringing more content to the game.
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Considered the highlight of Destiny so far: The Taken King (2015).
Error 1: Activision Completely Underestimates How Much Work a MMO Shooter Requires
The fundamental mistakes were made even before the release. As we know today, Activision Blizzard had forged a “10-year plan” with Bungie at the time, aiming to deliver an unbelievable amount of content in a very short time to Destiny.
A master plan was established:
Destiny was to receive one major release per year (2014 Game – 2015 Major Expansion – 2016 Destiny 2 – 2017 Major Expansion)
Additionally, 2 large purchase DLCs were to be released each year (Winter 2014 Darkness Awaits – Spring 2015 House of Wolves)
Indeed, this master plan was supposed to stretch over 10 years.
However, Bungie barely managed to hold onto this plan for one year before it completely fell apart. Before the release, Bungie had time for pre-production. As it was later revealed, Luke Smith’s team was already working on the big 2015 expansion “The Taken King” while players were just daring to enter the Glass Chamber at the release of Destiny.
But this “pre-production” quickly fell apart for Destiny:
Neither the studio Bungie nor the game’s technology were designed to sustain such a content output.
Bungie would have needed 4 teams working simultaneously on the live game, preparing the next 2 DLCs and the major release. In practice, the plan collapsed if even one team encountered problems and fell behind schedule. Naively, there was no “live team” at the release – that had to be built first.
Activision took years to recognize the problem and then sent “support” studios to assist Bungie
Internally, Bungie had to restructure itself, shifting from a large tanker to a more flexible development model
The technical problems of the engine seem to remain unresolved to this day
“Reboots” of Destiny 1 and Destiny 2 and the replacement of their respective creative leaders also cost much time and resources
Error 2: Destiny 2
A remnant of the “great 10-year plan” with Activision Blizzard was the necessity to create a “Destiny 2”. However, Bungie lost the gameplay and content advancements that they had so hard earned with Destiny 1 over the 3 years.
Bungie itself could hardly justify this in 2017, as they had actually been preparing for the last few years to continue working on Destiny and to improve the game. However, the contract with Activision Blizzard stipulated a “Destiny 2”.
In a podcast, visionary Luke Smith mentioned at the time that the advantage of Destiny 2 was that a big “2” could be written on the box, as a kind of sign: “It’s starting anew, come on board now.”
However, Destiny 2 didn’t quite feel like a “sequel”; for many, it was a step backward.
The PvP in Destiny 2 never really got off the ground and has been struggling for 4 years.
Furthermore, players felt deceived that their cosmetic items purchased in Destiny 1 could not be transferred to Destiny 2. This surely lowered the motivation to shop in Destiny 2’s cash shop.
The experience of “losing all items in an alien raid” was nullified when many weapons later returned in one way or another.
The necessity to develop Destiny 2 stemmed from Activision Blizzard’s “Call of Duty” philosophy: Having a new game in stores every year selling for $60.
But this “sequel” mindset did not fit a games-as-a-service model like Destiny. This created conflicts with players and evidently also between the contracting parties Bungie and Activision Blizzard.
The “vanilla version” of Destiny 2 was, in any case, a disaster that alienated many regular players. The period from the release of Destiny 2 until mid-2018 is still regarded as the absolute low point for Destiny. At that time, there was a dip in player numbers and mood from which Destiny has yet to fully recover.
Luke Smith became the central figure in Destiny 2.
Error 3: The Separation from Activision Blizzard
No one knows exactly why, but it could be the conflict between “sequel” and “We continue Destiny” that led to the separation from Activision Blizzard.
The separation came at a time when Destiny in 2019, 5 years after the original release, was finally on the right path to fulfill players’ wishes:
With Destiny 2 Forsaken, the shooter received a great expansion.
Finally, the support studios from Activision Blizzard had arrived, doing really good work. It was now within reach to implement the crazy content plans that had been forged years earlier.
The team seemed to be at full operating temperature; the new mechanisms worked, and with Luke Smith on board, they had a leader with clear visions of shaping Destiny into an action MMO.
However, just when all the puzzle pieces seemed to be in place, the break with Activision Blizzard occurred, who were apparently disappointed with the sales of Forsaken and likely pushed behind the scenes for a restart with Destiny 3.
2019, which should have been a great year for Destiny 2, turned into a “filler year” with little action happening.
After the separation from Activision Blizzard and the loss of the support studios, Bungie announced a “new era” and promised to develop Destiny 2 according to their vision without compromises.
However, in reality, the studio had lost significant resources and had to reorganize itself completely. The fans were later told that they could probably never achieve anything as big as “Forsaken” again. Since then, the visions and dreams for Destiny 2 have significantly diminished, just like the game world from which content is now rotating out.
Luke Smith (left) and Mark Noseworthy (right) promised us a new “new Destiny” in 2019.
Destiny is likely to be a game for 10 years, but not as planned back then
Destiny 2 is now trying to entertain fans primarily with grind and seasons stretched with time-gated content.
What many fans wish for: More and more content and an ever-expanding world seems no longer possible.
Bungie also seems to be moving away from the idea of making Destiny 2 the fantastic adventure they promised us in 2013. The studio’s desire to venture into new worlds is growing louder, departing from “One game for 10 years that is our Destiny.”
But this “sequel” mindset did not fit a games-as-a-service model like Destiny. This created conflicts with players and evidently also between the contracting parties Bungie and Activision Blizzard.
The “vanilla version” of Destiny 2 was, in any case, a disaster that alienated many regular players. The period from the release of Destiny 2 until mid-2018 is still regarded as the absolute low point for Destiny. At that time, there was a dip in player numbers and mood from which Destiny has yet to fully recover.
Luke Smith became the central figure in Destiny 2.
Error 3: The Separation from Activision Blizzard
No one knows exactly why, but it could be the conflict between “sequel” and “We continue Destiny” that led to the separation from Activision Blizzard.
The separation came at a time when Destiny in 2019, 5 years after the original release, was finally on the right path to fulfill players’ wishes:
With Destiny 2 Forsaken, the shooter received a great expansion.
Finally, the support studios from Activision Blizzard had arrived, doing really good work. It was now within reach to implement the crazy content plans that had been forged years earlier.
The team seemed to be at full operating temperature; the new mechanisms worked, and with Luke Smith on board, they had a leader with clear visions of shaping Destiny into an action MMO.
However, just when all the puzzle pieces seemed to be in place, the break with Activision Blizzard occurred, who were apparently disappointed with the sales of Forsaken and likely pushed behind the scenes for a restart with Destiny 3.
2019, which should have been a great year for Destiny 2, turned into a “filler year” with little action happening.
After the separation from Activision Blizzard and the loss of the support studios, Bungie announced a “new era” and promised to develop Destiny 2 according to their vision without compromises.
However, in reality, the studio had lost significant resources and had to reorganize itself completely. The fans were later told that they could probably never achieve anything as big as “Forsaken” again. Since then, the visions and dreams for Destiny 2 have significantly diminished, just like the game world from which content is now rotating out.
Luke Smith (left) and Mark Noseworthy (right) promised us a new “new Destiny” in 2019.
Destiny is likely to be a game for 10 years, but not as planned back then
Destiny 2 is now trying to entertain fans primarily with grind and seasons stretched with time-gated content.
What many fans wish for: More and more content and an ever-expanding world seems no longer possible.
Bungie also seems to be moving away from the idea of making Destiny 2 the fantastic adventure they promised us in 2013. The studio’s desire to venture into new worlds is growing louder, departing from “One game for 10 years that is our Destiny.”
A Twitch streamer makes a statement and deletes all his characters in World of Warcraft. He wants to play games that he enjoys again.
In recent days, there has been a lot of protest in and around World of Warcraft. Many content creators are turning away from Blizzard and World of Warcraft in light of the current discrimination and sexism scandal. Other streamers, like Asmongold, have already switched to Final Fantasy XIV. Others are now making drastic statements and deleting all their beloved WoW characters.
What happened? The streamer imQuazii has enjoyed playing World of Warcraft on Twitch for years. However, over the past few years, his interest has diminished as he was dissatisfied with the game. Shadowlands was no improvement for him, and the current sexism scandal surrounding Blizzard ultimately led to a drastic decision.
In his stream titled “The last WoW stream? THE LAST ON A LONG ROAD. It was 10 great years,” imQuazii decided to delete all his characters in World of Warcraft one by one. Only the last 3 characters, which are not at max level anyway, remain as he cannot delete them from the main menu without logging in again. Characters with mail in their inbox cannot be deleted.
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While he deletes all the characters, he displays a list on the screen of issues he currently sees in World of Warcraft and in the recent past. This includes the controversial covenant system, the domination shards, as well as the maw or the media in the covenant sanctum along with the limited energy to change them.
Twitch streamer has missed many games during his time with WoW
What does imQuazii want to do now? He wants to focus on other games that he truly enjoys. He says that he has missed many other games because of World of Warcraft and has also somewhat closed his eyes to all the great games that have been released in recent years. Without World of Warcraft as a permanent game, he now has time to catch up on all of that:
I will play games that I enjoy. I will play games that make me feel like a child again.
There is a lot of agreement on this, as one of the most popular comments under the clip on Reddit states:
Finally stopping playing WoW made me realize how many fantastic single-player games I have missed; I completely agree with the guy [imQuazii].
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
What is being criticized about the video? For most viewers, the video seems to have a symbolic character. In World of Warcraft, even after months or years, it is possible to simply restore deleted characters – this can be done quite easily through the menu and doesn’t even require support assistance. Therefore, some criticize that imQuazii should have requested Blizzard to delete his entire Battle.net account – only then are the characters truly irretrievably lost.
What do you think of this action? A good way to make a statement? Or excessive activism?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
One of the most important currencies in Pokémon GO is experience points. A trainer has managed to earn 400,000 XP in half an hour. We looked into how he did it and explain it to you.
What is it about? Those who want to reach level 50 in Pokémon GO need to gather a corresponding amount of experience points (XP). Trainers can earn these through various ways, such as catching Pokémon or winning a raid. Another option is spinning at a PokéStop.
The trainer DarthPika-3 has found a way to collect 400,000 XP in 30 minutes and reports this to the community on reddit (via reddit.com). We looked into how he succeeded and explain it to you.
How a trainer managed to collect 400,000 XP in 30 minutes
Due to the removal of some Corona bonuses, Niantic has started a testing phase for new exploration bonuses in the USA and New Zealand. One of these bonuses gives trainers 10 times the XP for spinning a PokéStop for the first time.
DarthPika-3 took advantage of this bonus. He traveled to an area where he had never played before but had many PokéStops. This made all the stops new for him, and he had never spun them before. However, he did not just wander around and spin at these PokéStops; he also used a lucky egg.
With this, he earned double the XP for a duration of 30 minutes. As he writes on reddit, he earns 4,200 XP for each first-time spin through the bonus and the lucky egg (via reddit.com). According to his own statements, he was able to earn 400,000 XP in this way with a lucky egg.
What the community says about this tip
Some trainers on reddit are excited about this tip and want to try it themselves. Some players, like Mareykan, are already calculating in the comments how many XP they need for the next level and how many new stops they would need to spin with this trick (via reddit.com).
However, there is also criticism from players who have been around in Pokémon GO for a while. Spirit_Bloom writes: “Most long-term players do not have access to enough ‘new’ PokéStops to make this worthwhile” (via reddit.com).
This is also agreed upon by reddit user Fullofhate01, who gives other trainers a tip in his post. He writes: “PokéStops you haven’t visited in over 2 years will revert to unvisited stops. But yes, it can be challenging for long-term players to find new ones” (via reddit.com).
Can you use this trick too?
Currently, the exploration bonuses are only being tested in New Zealand and the USA. This means that the 10 times XP for spinning a new stop is only available there. If the testing phase is successful there and convinces Niantic, then these bonuses will likely be introduced in Germany.
However, it is not yet known if and when this will happen. If there is an official announcement from Niantic regarding this, we will inform you here on MeinMMO.
What do you think of this idea from DarthPika-3 for collecting XP? Do you have any other tips on how trainers can quickly earn a lot of XP? Share your thoughts in the comments and exchange ideas with other players.
Additionally: A trainer shows how you can save your raid passes when completing research tasks. We looked into how this works and summarized all the information for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the new “Los Santos Tuners” update of GTA Online, it’s currently trendy to run AFK in circles. If you see such players at the Car Meet, there’s a reason for that.
Why do players run in circles? Anyone who has played GTA Online knows that glitches and exploits are an important topic. For years, players have been trying everything to trick the game. “AFK farming” has long been a popular method that is blooming again with the new update.
Because by running in circles for hours, players unlock content without having to do much. Even if it takes a terribly long time.
Tuners run around confused in circles, but there is a tactic to it
Here’s the background: Now the “running in circles” tactic is hotly debated again. Because in the new LS Car Meet of GTA Online, players earn experience points just by being in the tuning hall. However, since doing nothing would result in being kicked from the session, players now run in circles for hours. A prime example of this is shown in the video by Dirty_Worka on Twitter:
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The “Car Meets” in GTA Online are essentially multiplayer lobbies where players can show off their tuned cars and look at the cars of other players. You can also start races there. However, just being present already earns experience points. Okay, they aren’t many XP, but you get them for free. And with that, the reputation level increases. It can be increased much faster by racing, but apparently some players do not want that.
Players want to increase their reputation level to unlock tuning items for their cars. Additionally, this grants discounts for the new cars from Los Santos Tuners, allowing them to be purchased at the base price. The Rep level caps at level 1,000 and is tied to a significant grind. Most items are already unlocked by the time you reach around level 100 (via Kotaku.com). But even that takes a long time.
On Twitter, user SomeCallMeTurky explains how slowly you earn XP with AFK farming. He used the “trick” himself (via Twitter.com): “I’m rank 107. Last night I let my console run for 9 hours. During that time, I went from rank 102 to rank 107. In terms of the console’s lifespan, it’s really not worth it to let it run that long. Triple [bonuses on the] reputation races are the only way I grind. [Rank] 250 is the goal.”
If you stay “AFK” in GTA Online for a long time and do absolutely nothing, you will be kicked from the game after fifteen minutes. You avoid this kick by doing something. Driving, completing missions, participating in heists, shooting around – typical GTA activities. Sitting on your sofa in one of your properties while watching television can also prevent the kick (this method has apparently been patched recently). Or you can move your character.
How do players run AFK in circles?
These are the tricks: As PCGamer reports (via PCGamer.com), players use rubber bands or even batteries (via reddit.com) to send permanent input signals to the game. User ElsonDaSushiChef places a battery on his W-key on the keyboard. It is just heavy enough to keep the key pressed down.
User th3d0wnfa11, on the other hand, uses two controllers, as you can see in the following image. He connects both analog sticks with a hair tie, causing both to pull left and ensuring the characters continuously run in circles. Just like it looks in the Twitter video by Dirty_Worka.
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A simpler method that requires less effort, players get stuck in a menu of the LS Car Meet and do not select any of the options (via reddit.com). This makes AFK farming even easier.
Should you do this now? We advise against farming XP with this method. Keeping your PC or console switched on for many hours, possibly even overnight, is not worth it. The meager XP earnings are really not motivating.
What reputation level have you already reached in the new “Los Santos Tuners” update? Is this content you want to grind quickly in GTA Online, or do you do it on the side without much emphasis on speed? Share your experiences with us here on MeinMMO in the comments.
For some time now, used graphics cards that were originally used by miners to mine cryptocurrencies have been appearing more frequently on eBay. Now the manufacturer Palit Microsystems warns against purchasing such mining cards.
What Palit Microsystems says: The PC hardware manufacturer, based in Taiwan, is one of the largest producers of graphics cards worldwide and has significant market shares in countries like Russia or Ukraine. In a statement to the Polish site benchmark.pl, they commented on the current flood of used GPUs that were originally used by miners for mining cryptocurrencies.
“Independent tests” commissioned by Palit showed that mining affects the performance of graphics cards. After a year of use, the GPUs lost 10% of their performance and delivered worse results than identical models that were new.
This means that even if the used cards still look good and are available for the original price, it could happen that they only offer you part of the maximum performance.
A YouTuber also noted a similar loss of performance. Our colleagues from GameStar reported on this (via GameStar.de).
Buying Mining GPUs – A Game of Chance?
The situation regarding used GPUs is as follows: While China was originally considered the country where the most cryptocurrency was mined, this changed abruptly after the government’s ban. Accordingly, many miners are now trying to minimize their losses by offering their hardware at attractive prices on sites like eBay.
As there continues to be a shortage in the hardware sector and new graphics cards are either sold out or offered at astronomical prices, the used GPUs seem to be a good alternative. According to the manufacturer Palit Microsystems, you have to expect that the acquired hardware will provide weaker performance due to the wear and tear from mining.
Of course, one should not immediately condemn all graphics cards that were used for mining. Smart miners do not run their hardware at full capacity continuously, but “undervolt” their GPUs. This means they intentionally lower the supply voltage to reduce the load on the hardware and save power. This also extends the lifespan of the graphics cards and makes them interesting as used goods.
However, it is impossible to assess whether the used GPU listed in the ad worked under good conditions and was treated gently. It also happens that graphics cards were pushed to the limit during mining and exposed to high temperatures for months on end. The manufacturer Palit warns of such cases.
Moreover, you cannot rely on the fact that the graphics card still has a warranty. Palit admits that they have no way of determining whether a GPU was used for mining. However, there are indications, according to the manufacturer:
Certain types of damage can be attributed to crypto mining
All cards have a serial number, and it is easy to determine from which region the hardware originally came, which can also provide a clue
Visible modifications and alterations on the graphics cards such as replaced cooling. In such cases, the warranty is voided immediately as the cards have been tampered with
As a manufacturer of graphics cards, Palit is not impartial. The sale of used cards does not bring the company any profit, which is why it is in their interest that their customers prefer to buy new GPUs. Nevertheless, it is important to consider the possible background of a used graphics card when purchasing.
What do you think about buying used mining cards? Do you stay away from them or do you see no problem? How do you assess the risk of getting a lousy used card on eBay? Let us know in the comments on MeinMMO.
A Paladin leads the entire Ardenweald in World of Warcraft – the enemies are quite astonished as an NPC avalanche simply rolls over them.
In a game the size of World of Warcraft, there are always minor bugs and exploits that can be exploited by creative players. However, hardly anyone showcases these errors as beautifully as the Paladin Rextroy. In his latest video, he assembles an army of 300 strong NPCs to raid the Horde – which dies in a fraction of a second.
What has the player done? In his latest video, player Rextroy demonstrates another crazy performance. Once again, he targets innocent Horde players – but does not take them down himself. Instead, an army of over one hundred Sylvar takes on this job and overwhelms the opponents.
The massacre is pretty brutal and typically lasts only a few fractions of a second. Once the Sylvar have locked onto a player, it usually happens extremely quickly – a single attack from all Sylvar is enough to send most players to the ground.
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Later, Rextroy tries to let two armies battle each other with a friend – but this fails as the enraged Sylvar immediately pounce on each other.
How does it work? The trick behind this army is a bonus objective in Ardenweald. In “The Fallen Tree”, players can free Sylvar from cages as a mission objective, who then support the player for a few minutes. The catch: If the player is in a raid group when opening the cage, it neither counts towards the quest progress nor does the cage get “used up”. This allows players to open a cage every 2 seconds and add another Sylvar to their army.
More news about World of Warcraft can be found here:
Is this forbidden? Yes, generally such actions are forbidden and fall under unfair exploitation of game mechanics. However, it is expected that the bug will be fixed in the coming hours or may already be by the time you read this article.
In general, Rextroy reports his discovered exploits directly to Blizzard, giving developers enough time to fix these bugs so they are not exploited across all realms. This way, Rextroy always has enough time to create a cool video with his find, without harming the gaming experience of World of Warcraft for the masses.
What do you think of this clip?A cool idea that one must first come up with? Or quite unfair and embarrassing that such a thing is even possible?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Today, Tuesday, August 3rd, the Fortnite servers will be down on all platforms (PC/Mac, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, Android). During this time, the new update 17.30 will be deployed. What’s in the new patch?
What is happening today in Fortnite? The update 17.30 was announced by Fortnite Status on Twitter and is scheduled to be deployed today (via Twitter.com). The patch seems to revolve around UFOs and their technology that you can hold in your hands.
This aligns with a leak that data miners presented days ago. What kind of device will it be?
Fortnite servers will be shut down – when and for how long?
Downtime starts in the morning: The downtime for the update started at around 07:30 AM German time. At about 6:30 AM, you could join a new match for the last time, after which the servers were shut down and Fortnite went down.
How long will the maintenance take? Based on the experiences of the last weeks and months, the work should be completed around the morning hours. A downtime of about 3 hours is expected.
Technical problems or other delays could lead to an extension of the maintenance work. If that is the case, you will find out right here on MeinMMO from us.
When will the patch notes be released? Based on the experience from recent updates in the new chapter of Fortnite, it is likely that there will be no or only superficial patch notes released for the battle royale mode.
However, if significant, important changes are deployed, we will gather these for you and create a form of German patch notes. We will then publish these patch notes here on MeinMMO for you.
What new content does update 17.30 bring?
This is what Epic says: Just before the server downtime, the Fortnite team tweeted about “A UFO in your hands” (via Twitter.com). It’s about alien equipment that presumably can interact with walls, cars, rocks, and even bushes.
What kind of item is this? It is speculated that Epic is talking about the Grab-Itron item with this announcement. Data miner HYPEX showed the item on his Twitter channel on July 22:
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In the description of the Grab-Itron, it states that you can “grab things and throw them against other things.” Furthermore, you can rotate the grabbed objects with the reload button.
Whether this is indeed the item we are talking about will only become clear once the servers are active again.
But the description “A UFO in your hands” certainly matches the appearance and the supernatural powers.
What content are you hoping for besides the Grab-Itron in the new update 17.30 in Fortnite? Share your hopes and wishes for the latest patch here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange with other players in the community about it.
