Online gaming often gets heated between opponents. Microsoft has now clarified in the community guidelines with examples how joking trash talk between Xbox players should look and how far one can go with insults.
Microsoft updates guidelines: Microsoft recently updated its community standards. It outlines the community guidelines and how players should behave to ensure Xbox remains a cheerful and safe place for everyone.
New examples are provided on how far players can take their trash talk.
Often, one hears about toxic players in online games who insult their teammates. The new guidelines on Xbox now specify what type of “insults” is still acceptable.
Microsoft gives examples: To clarify the guidelines, Microsoft even provides examples of what constitutes acceptable trash talk and what should be avoided.
Examples of accepted insults include:
Get rekt! I can’t believe you thought you were on my level!
You really had potato aim.
The only reason you left this game with a positive record is that you camped the whole time. Try again, kid.
That was a cheap win. Try again when you can drive without your car spinning out.
That was terrible. Get better and try again when your K/D is above 1.
It is said that particularly in shooters, confrontations between players occur frequently.
Trash talk of the following type is not accepted:
Get . I can’t believe you thought you were on my level!
Hey , that was really potato aim. Get rekt, scum!
The only reason you left this game with a positive record is that you camped the whole time. KYS, kid.
That was a cheap win. I wouldn’t have expected more from a .
You’re getting on my nerves. Get out of my country – maybe they’ll let you back in when your K/D is over 1.
This is what players are saying: In various subreddits, players are entertained by Microsoft’s new guidelines. Especially the examples are causing laughter.
The community standards, however, are generally well received. Particularly the clear formulations of what is allowed and what crosses the line seem to please players.
For instance, CENAWINSLOL on Reddit says: “The examples are quite funny. But this is a cool thing. I hope more services set such crystal-clear guidelines.”
The dungeon “The Shattered Throne” is one of the most popular activities in Destiny 2 among Guardians. Many fans would like to see more such content. Bungie has recently commented on this.
What is The Shattered Throne? The Shattered Throne is a challenging dungeon activity that was introduced with the Forsaken expansion. It is longer and more demanding than all missions and strikes in Destiny 2 but shorter than most raids.
Essentially, The Shattered Throne represents a kind of mini-raid for a fireteam of three Guardians. The team must fight through numerous challenging passages to ultimately face a tough boss.
Due to the Cursed of the Dreaming City, this endgame activity is only available once every three weeks. Additionally, the exotic bow “Wishender” can be obtained through this activity.
That’s why many Guardians wish for more dungeon activities like this: The Shattered Throne is very popular among many fans. It offers just the right length, has challenging encounters, is varied in design, and is visually impressive. The overall package of the activity simply feels right to many players.
Moreover, it’s significantly easier to form a 3-player team than to find six players for raids like Last Wish. Nowadays, many are also seeking the challenge of a solo run through this dungeon.
Since this top-tier activity went live in the fall of 2018, there have been regular posts on Reddit where fans demand more such dungeon activities from Bungie. Numerous Guardians repeatedly emphasize that The Shattered Throne is among the best and most fun activities in all of Destiny 2, and they finally want to see more of it.
What does Bungie say about this? Recently, Bungie commented on these wishes. And it looks like the fans’ demands will be met in the future.
On April 29, a Ride Along with Bungie took place in The Shattered Throne. The developers played this activity in a stream, and some selected guests chatted about the creation of this dungeon as well as other topics.
During this, some community questions were traditionally addressed and answered. One fan explicitly queried and wanted to know from Bungie: “Looking at the success and recognizing how well The Shattered Throne is received – Is this an activity that we will see more of in Destiny 2 in the future?”
When the guests present looked a bit puzzled and uncertain, the Community Manager DeeJ addressed this question and answered: “You never know what might happen in the world of Destiny. If none of you (the present developers) want to say it, I will. We currently have people upstairs working on new surprises for you. So we are certainly not done with this kind of content. Not by a long shot.”
When could this activity come? DeeJ doesn’t get very specific, but for many, it’s quite obvious that more activities like The Shattered Throne are on the way. Many fans interpret his statement as kind of a teaser. However, the Community Manager did not mention when to expect it.
It is possible that further activities of this format could come in Season 7, the Season of Opulence. Because besides a new 6-player activity that is not meant to be a raid, there are other unknown contents that Bungie has not revealed anything about yet. Some players speculate that it could be in the fall of 2019 when the first original content from Bungie is expected after the split from Activision.
In the last major update, the chem launcher skill in The Division 2 was supposed to be revised. Since then, console players have been complaining about the operation of the skill.
While PC players have no issues with the skill, many console players have complained about the operation since the patch.
Many criticize the changes and state that they have died because of the skill. For some, it is nearly unplayable.
Control Issues on Consoles
What was changed about the skill? While the effect of the chem launcher was not affected by the changes, the operation of the skill was mainly adjusted.
With the changes, the skill can be equipped like a weapon by pressing the corresponding button once.
This is what players criticize: In recent weeks, there have been numerous Reddit posts in the Subreddit of The Division. Many fans there complain about the control of the skill.
The problem for most players is not the change itself. Rather, the control simply does not work as it should.
The healer mod, which allows healing oneself and others, is the main issue of most complaints.
Ideally, one should be able to drop the healing charges at one’s feet with a double press of the skill button without having to unfold the launcher. However, at the moment that hardly works.
Most of the time, the chem launcher is activated anyway, and in the heat of battle, it can quickly happen that healing charges are accidentally shot at enemies instead of being used with the weapon.
For many, this skill is currently nearly unplayable due to the problems, as it has become very unpredictable.
Some joke that the developer Massive must have tested the changes to the skill only on PC and assumed that it would work on consoles.
These skills are available to you in The Division 2.
Possible Solutions to the Problem
What are the fans demanding? There are various suggestions to solve the problem.
This one comes from user 2crazy98:
Perhaps we should switch back to a single button press to drop them [healing charges] at the feet. And like with a specialization weapon, let us hold the bumper to pull and fire it [the chem launcher] when wanting to heal an ally.
Others wish for the skill to work again as it did at the release of the game. Back then, a single tap was enough for self-healing, and if one wanted to aim, the button had to be held down.
Many suggest simply offering both control options. However, the current operation must be fixed first.
There are also some players who disagree with the complaints, like user Rexum420: “It’s just the mechanics that you need to learn to use correctly. That [the misfires] happens to me sometimes too, but I wouldn’t say it’s at the top of the list for a fix.” One just needs to train to use the skill correctly.
What do you think about it? Do you also have issues with the skill? How would you solve it?
A common suggestion from fans is a separate control solution for consoles, independent from PC. Many emphasize that this should have been necessary from the beginning.
Is a solution in sight? So far, developer Massive has not directly commented on the chem launcher. Therefore, we also do not know how significant the issue is for the creators.
Large battles play an important role in the MMORPG A:IR – Ascent Infinite Realm. These must of course take place quickly and without lag. According to a new video, it seems the developers have achieved this.
What was shown? A new video showcases a massive battle from the MMORPG A:IR – Ascent Infinite Realm. In this video, things are quite intense. Many players are fighting, with explosions and screen-filling effects everywhere.
In all the chaos of the video, no performance loss is evident. There are no lags and it does not stutter.
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What does this mean? Previously, testers reported performance issues in the MMORPG. It seems the developers have managed to get these under control. This is also important, as these large battles are indeed at the center of A:IR.
Why is skepticism warranted? It is unclear where the video comes from. Was it perhaps recorded internally by the developer, which is why there are no lags?
Furthermore, the MMORPG is still in its beta phase. The servers may not be fully loaded yet. If there is a rush of players at the release of the online game, performance could suffer.
The boss fight in the Sunsetville Outskirts is not exactly easy.
The players are still a bit skeptical
What does the community think? The community shows interest, but also maintains skepticism.
Hero writes on Reddit: “Okay, but I am still skeptical. The game is being developed by Bluehole. Everything could still fall apart just before release.”
Hell_Krasher explains: “I was able to test the game myself, and apart from server issues, it runs very well at maximum graphic quality.”
When is A:IR coming out? According to current information, the MMORPG is expected to launch in 2019.
To Fortnite: Battle Royale the new patch 8.51 has been released. It features shadow bombs and a cool new weapon for PvE.
This is included in the new update 8.51: The patch 8.51 is rather modest. It brings only one main highlight: a shadow bomb for PvP. You can find all other new features from the latest update for Fortnite in the following paragraphs.
The features of the patch 8.51 in PvP
New weapon – Shadow Bomb: This item is a portable version of the shadow stones from Season 6. You will become invisible, faster, and can perform double jumps with them.
Duration: 6 seconds
Rarity: Uncommon
Max charges: 6
When the effect of the bomb is active, you cannot attack, build or harvest resources. Towards the end of the effect duration, you will already be easier to recognize.
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Gameplay changes and bug fixes: Only one audio glitch with the jetpacks was fixed, which was louder than intended.
What changes in Creative Mode: In Creative Mode, alongside the new shadow bomb, there are now also pre-built objects for restaurants and diners.
The patch highlights of update 8.51 in PvE
New weapon – Duet: This cool new weapon in Save the World is a rifle with two barrels. It also has a drum magazine for extra firepower.
The Duet is available in the weekly shop from May 2 at 2:00 AM to May 9 at 2:00 AM our time.
There were likely no further changes in patch 8.51. However, some updates may have happened behind the scenes and there might soon be a new phase of the end-of-season event for Season 8 with the volcano and the mysterious bunker as well as the selection of returning items from the vault. New items in the shop should also be coming soon.
Yesterday, there was a lot of information about Borderlands 3. But how are the players reacting? We have gathered some reactions and opinions.
After yesterday’s (May 1, 2019) big gameplay reveal of Borderlands 3, most players have already formed an opinion about the new loot shooter from Gearbox. We want to illustrate how the community is reacting based on some opinions from potential gamers.
In general, the gameplay event can be considered a complete success. On social media like Reddit, fans are excited about what they saw and have mostly given positive comments and opinions. Criticism is only found in exceptional cases, and for every negative comment, there are ten positive ones.
There are already some memes from fans who can hardly wait any longer. The fact that they still have about 5 months to wait until the release is almost driving them to despair.
Some seem to even forgive the publisher for Borderlands 3 initially being exclusive to the Epic Games Store. For example, Holyhort said: “The developers have created a masterpiece.” He doesn’t care that the game is only coming out in the Epic Store and will still buy it after the presentation.
Here on MeinMMO, there were also many comments about Borderlands. For instance, Sentcore said:
At first, I thought the €250 for the Diamond Chest Edition (PS4) might be too “premature” (no sooner than an hour later were they gone :D)
After seeing the gameplay from Leya and the guy from Gamestar, it was clear:
IT WAS NOT A BAD PURCHASE!!! HYPETRAIN INCOMING!!! LOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!
However, some people don’t like the general look of the Borderlands series. The comic-style cel-shading graphics or the often very dark humor is not for everyone. JimmeyDean writes:
First Person AND cel-shading are two criteria that I could overlook on their own… but the combination of both leads to the conclusion that, in the end, it’s not for me.
The basic interest in Borderlands 3 was gigantic. This even led to Borderlands 3 temporarily becoming the most popular game on Twitch, overtaking Fortnite and League of Legends.
Cortyn states: I can only join the many positive opinions. To me, Borderlands 3 looks at first glance like a pretty hefty DLC for Borderlands 2. The style has been maintained as well as most features.
Only minor things have been improved or adjusted – at least that’s my impression. But that’s not a big deal, since the predecessor Borderlands 2 was already almost the perfect game. I actually didn’t want to pre-order games anymore. A resolution that I will break for Borderlands 3.
What is your opinion on Borderlands 3? Did you enjoy the livestreams? What is your impression of the game so far? Has the gameplay convinced you or are you skeptical?
In Borderlands 3 there is trouble just 8 hours after the presentation. Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford announced: There will be no microtransactions. However, a gaming site points out that there are indeed some. Now Pitchford is on the barricades. He didn’t mean it that way.
We will bring some hefty campaign DLCs and many fun customization things like heads or skins. But we are not doing any Free2Play crap. There are no microtransactions. None of that nonsense.
Right after the sentence “There are no microtransactions”, cheers erupted in the audience.
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Pitchford is already on the barricades about the tweet.
This immediately called Randy Pitchford to action. He got upset about this portrayal under the tweet.
Pitchford feels portrayed as a liar
This is what Pitchford is upset about: Pitchford says he did say there are cosmetic items in Borderlands 3. What he meant by “no microtransactions” was actually that there are no loot boxes and no premium currency. These are not in Borderlands 3.
However, tempers calmed quickly after the editor-in-chief of Game Informer backed down.
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After this tweet from Game Informer editor Andy McNamara, the situation calmed down.
On his own Twitter account, Pitchford then explained his point of view a bit more calmly, after initially snapping at the people from Game Informer.
Pitchford apparently feels misrepresented. He did not lie.
Pitchford says: He expected applause for sticking to their standards in AAA monetization. Therefore, it hurt him that he was accused of dishonesty and that they had strayed from the path.
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At the end of his statements on Twitter, Pitchford seems to be somewhat more conciliatory already. Pitchford even admits that his statements left room for confusion to arise.
This is what’s behind it: There is a discrepancy here between what Pitchford said “literally” and what he meant:
He said: “There are no microtransactions.”
What he meant was: “There are no exaggerated, evil pay-to-win microtransactions – but only cosmetic ones.”
With the new Operation Spectre Rising, some completely new cosmetic types have been added to Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. And these are currently causing quite a stir among fans. But why?
These cosmetic items are about: The new Operation Spectre Rising brings numerous fresh content for almost all areas of Black Ops 4. Also included are two completely new categories of cosmetic items that aim to provide players with additional customization options.
the Death Effects
and the so-called Weapon Charms
Death Effects are alternative effects for the bullets you shoot. As a result, the regular blood splatter upon a kill is complemented by colorful confetti rain or fluttering dollar bills.
For each weapon individually: One of the new weapon charms
The Weapon Charms are essentially a type of pendant that allows players to further customize their weapons, thus standing out even more from the crowd.
What is the problem with these new cosmetics? Many fans are excited about these new cosmetic items. However, the way they are earned rubs many the wrong way.
Each of these items must be earned individually from Reserve crates – and for each weapon! So if you receive an effect or a charm, you cannot use it across all weapons.
The biggest criticism is: Since each of the numerous new items must be earned individually for each weapon, the loot pool of the Reserve crates and cases is now inflated so much that it has become much harder to actually pull one of the best and rarest items from the crates – which was already anything but easy before.
How are players reacting? Many fans are annoyed. As some players jokingly point out, not only has the game world of Blackout been flooded, there has also been a flood of Reserve crates and cases.
It is hardly possible to obtain your desired items, such as weapons from previous operations, just through regular play, as a lot of junk has been added. There is no duplicate protection. Additionally, it is very frustrating to keep earning essentially the same items – just for different weapons.
4x in a row essentially the same item – Frustrating for many
If you pull the confetti rain from the crates four or five times in a row, you eventually just lose interest. Many would have preferred that the effects could at least be used across weapons to help declutter the loot pool and alleviate the frustration factor.
Even well-known “Call of Duty” YouTube personalities like PrestigeIsKey have voiced their displeasure about the implementation of the new cosmetics.
For many players, this development is just another sign of greed on the part of the publisher Activision. With the way the Supply Drop System in Black Ops 4 works, they are trying to squeeze out the last penny from the fans.
The MMORPG Bless Online did not receive a good reception from players. However, this could change with Bless Unleashed. According to testers, the online role-playing game is really good.
What is Bless Unleashed? Neowiz is working on Bless Unleashed, an MMORPG for consoles that is based on the PC game Bless Online. It is not a port, but offers new mechanics and a different story.
Testers like the MMORPG
What do the first testers think? People who can already play Bless Unleashed are pleasantly surprised. After the PC MMORPG, Bless Unleashed is said to play quite well.
The graphics are very pretty and detailed
Leveling up is fun and feels good. You always have the feeling of achieving something with each level-up.
Exploring the game world is varied. It’s not just about grinding; there is much to discover. For example, hidden treasure chests.
Crafting and gathering resources are enjoyable, but not overly complex
The UI is clear, and all text is very readable on a television
The in-game menu is easy to navigate
The quests introduce you well to the world, and the stories make you feel like a part of it
Here’s how players react: There is already intense discussion about the beta version of the game. Here are some reactions from testers:
ChickenChaserLP says on Reddit: “Aside from the lag, it plays very solidly. The combat needs to be faster, as the time between pressing the buttons feels a bit long.”
bolshlee writes on Reddit: “Yes, the combat still needs polishing, but you should expect that from a beta. Hats off to the developers who have put in so much hard work to bring this game to life.”
NewFaded also explains on Reddit: “It works quite well on console (aside from some crashes and performance issues). But I will hold off on a judgment until I see how they integrate microtransactions.”
What does this mean? Judging by the reactions of the beta testers, Neowiz seems to have learned from the problems of Bless Online. It seems that with Bless Unleashed, a surprisingly good MMORPG is expected. The release will show how well the online role-playing game is received and whether it can break free from the bad reputation of the PC version.
Kakao Games and Pearl Abyss are going their separate ways in Korea. The MMORPG Black Desert will be directly published by Pearl Abyss in the future. But what does this mean for us in Europe?
What has been announced? Pearl Abyss, the developer of the MMORPG Black Desert and the publisher Kakao Games have agreed that Pearl Abyss will take over the publishing of the MMORPG in South Korea in the future.
An unexpected change in distribution
What does this mean for the MMORPG? Starting from May 30, Pearl Abyss will fully take care of Black Desert by itself. This includes development, as well as distribution and customer support, just like it is the case in Russia, Taiwan, and Turkey.
Why are the companies separating? No reasons have been given. However, it is said that they have mutually agreed upon it.
Will the players’ data be transferred? All data will be transferred to Pearl Abyss so that players can continue playing with their usual accounts. Character transfers will take place throughout this month.
What about Europe?
What impact does this have for us in Europe? In Europe, Black Desert is also published by Kakao Games. It is currently unknown whether Pearl Abyss wants to take over the distribution of the MMORPG in Europe (and the USA) as well. It could be conceivable.
There is speculation on Reddit that Pearl Abyss might let the contract with Kakao Games expire and then take over the distribution of the game here as well.
The pros and cons of a change
What could this potential change mean for us? As a developer, Pearl Abyss could directly respond to player feedback. There would be no other company in between. The communication would then take place directly between players and developers. Updates could also be released faster.
In principle, the successful Black Desert could benefit from this. However, there is already discussion on Reddit that this has not gone well at all in Russia and Taiwan. Allegedly, customer inquiries and feedback are ignored.
https://youtu.be/_g6XCLNQl_w
Bolththrower writes on Reddit: “Pear Abyss is currently ignoring major problems in Southeast Asia and Russia.”
However, there are also players who would welcome a change. Because allegedly, not everything is going smoothly under Kakao Games either.
deadly_poison7 mentions on Reddit: “I hope Kakao loses the distribution rights in Europe and the USA because they are simply incompetent. In three years they have ruined the game because they simply work unprofessionally.”
Whether there will actually be a change in the distribution of Black Desert from Kakao Games to Pearl Abyss here is still uncertain.
Bungie has revealed how long fans will have to wait in Destiny 2 for a fix for the problematic Xur bounty and why there is no quicker solution.
This is what happened last week: Last Friday (April 26), there was a curiosity in Destiny 2. Bungie said “Hey, today a new Invitation of the Nine is starting” and simultaneously warned the Guardians “But it doesn’t work. You cannot complete it.”
Some Guardians were still skeptical, but then noted after Xur’s appearance – it really doesn’t work. Since then, fans have been waiting for a solution.
When will the issue be fixed? All those who hoped for a quick solution were disappointed. The bug is still not fixed and won’t be until Xur’s next appearance. But now Bungie at least named a specific date for a fix.
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So the problem with the broken seventh Invitation of the Nine is set to be fixed next week (likely Tuesday, May 7) with update 2.2.2.
Why does this fix take so long? This question was answered by Community Manager dmg04 in a prominent post on Reddit. There, some fans demanded that with a hotfix, the faulty part of the quest simply be marked as completed for all Guardians before Xur appears this week. If the problem cannot be fixed quickly, at least it should be bypassed, according to some players.
In response, dmg04 explained that an automatic completion of this step would not work so easily at the moment and that all players ultimately would have to wait for the proper fix.
As has been found, this problem affects more than just the Invitations of the Nine. If only the invitations were fixed, additional things in the game could break, and the actual cause of the problem would still not be resolved.
Therefore, the developers are focusing on fixing the actual cause to prevent such issues in other activities in the future.
What exactly was the problem with the Invitations of the Nine? Last Friday, Xur brought the now seventh Invitation of the Nine for many Guardians – a type of Xur bounty that is very story-driven and sheds light on the mysterious group “The Nine”.
However, this Invitation of the Nine cannot be completed due to an impossible requirement. One is supposed to kill Vex in the Shattered Coast and gather data from them. But in the Shattered Coast itself, there are no Vex. The strike in the Prison of Elders, where there are Vex, unfortunately does not count towards quest progress.
Consequently, this step and thus the quest cannot be successfully completed.
Epic Games has acquired the developer studio Psyonix, which is responsible for the car soccer game Rocket League. Rocket League is set to come to the Epic Games Store “later in 2019”.
Epic acquires developer: The developer studio Psyonix announced yesterday in a blog post that they will soon be “part of the Epic family”. Epic Games has acquired the developer studio and aims to complete the deal by the end of May or early July.
Rocket League is also set to be released for the Epic Games Launcher “later in 2019”. The car soccer game is currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch, and even runs on macOS and Linux.
What does the deal mean for Steam? Epic Games has recently made headlines with exclusive deals that exclude the competing platform Steam.
There were quickly concerns that Rocket League would disappear from Steam after the deal with Epic. Psyonix has addressed these concerns but remained vague:
Rocket League is and will remain available on Steam. Anyone who owns Rocket League on Steam can continue to play and can look forward to further support.
Users who have already purchased Rocket League on Steam can continue to play the title. Furthermore, the game is expected to continue to receive support on Valve’s platform even after Epic’s acquisition. However, it has not been definitively answered whether the game will still be available for purchase there.
This is what the players say: The acquisition of Psyonix is being extensively discussed on Reddit in many subreddits. Apart from concerns about continued availability on Steam, Linux users in particular have worries. The Epic Games launcher does not support the operating system.
Moreover, there is discussion about what “further support” for Steam means. Players wonder whether this only includes bug fixes and quality-of-life changes or whether Rocket League will also continue to receive new content on Steam.
Rocket League is also among the best multiplayer games on the Switch:
New details about the Calypso Twins from Borderlands 3 show an absurd picture. The two villains are actually just click-hungry streamers.
Yesterday, on May 1, 2019, there was plenty of new information about Borderlands 3. At a large gameplay event, some streamers could already play parts of Borderlands 3 and share them with the world.
This also revealed some details about the story and the villains of the game. Because the “Children of the Vault,” whom Tyreen and Troy practically lead, are actually pretty crazy streamers. They stream their show to all bandits, and they happily follow the instructions of their favorites.
Players are expected to like, comment, and obey: While YouTubers like to end their videos with the words “Like, Comment and Subscribe,” Tyreen and Troy use a slightly modified formula: “Like, Comment and Obey.”
The last word “obey” is also what the twins repeatedly demand from their viewers. After all, most bandits charge at the players simply because the idols in the live stream wanted them to.
The player serves the twins: Generally, the idea of the “crazy influencer” in Borderlands 3 is taken to extremes, as it creates a vicious cycle.
The more the player kills and eliminates the bandits, the “better” content from these slaughters Tyreen and Troy can publish in their stream, leading to more fans. These fans then charge at the player again – a strange construct that is, however, quite logically thought out.
Tyreen thinks of us as a super fan: It’s funny that Tyreen doesn’t realize for a long time that we are a threat to her. Instead, she sees the player as a “super fan” who wants to emulate her and stalk her. No wonder, we provide her with exactly what she wants – good content and attention.
Parallels to reality are intentional: Sam Winkler, the co-writer of Borderlands 3, explained in an interview with Gamesradar:
(…) In Borderlands 3, the bandits are a large group, the Children of the Vault. So we look at what is currently happening on social media, what people cling to. And we asked ourselves: What happens when a social media star tells their 10 million followers, “Hey, kill this guy.” Someone would certainly do it!
Such references to reality, which can sometimes be quite socially critical, can also be found in Borderlands 3.
By the way, we were able to play Borderlands 3 in advance. What we think of it, you can read here:
What do you think of this villain concept of a crazy influencer duo? Is it cool to see such characters exaggerated and with insane motivation? Or is it just a lame hook for a villain duo?
Fortnite will receive a new update today, 02.05.2019 on all platforms (PC/Mac, Xbox One, PS4, Switch, iOS, Android). Is there server downtime? What will be included in the update? MeinMMO has all the info!
What will happen in Fortnite today? The weekly update rodent says hello again. Today, Fortnite will roll out a new version 8.51, which will include new content and likely some bug fixes.
In contrast to the last weeks, however, you will be spared from maintenance work. So you won’t have to take an involuntary break. Instead, you just need to download a patch at the scheduled time.
How large will the download be? For particularly large patches, Epic usually warns players via Twitter. This has not happened this week, so the update should be manageable.
When will the patch notes be released? Usually, the patch notes are released simultaneously with the update. As soon as they are available, you can read them here on MeinMMO as usual.
What does the 8.5.1 update bring for Battle Royale fans? As mentioned in the in-game message, Fortnite will introduce the new shadow grenade this week. The exact functionality is still unknown, but there are rumors about two different applications:
As a replacement for the shadow stones, which allowed for significantly higher jumps.
More likely is a brief invisibility that will allow players to approach enemies undetected. However, this must come with restrictions; otherwise, the item would be too powerful (for example, through sound).
What’s in the update for the Save the World faction? According to the roadmap that Epic released a few weeks ago, PvE players can look forward to a new steampunk-style assault rifle this week. No further content is known at this time.
What do you think? How will the new shadow grenade work?
The Division 2 may not have the best campaign. However, the game world offers numerous stories that one can encounter while exploring. This one is particularly sad.
This is the story: During his exploration, a player came across an abandoned hospital in a contaminated area.
Inside, there were several collectibles that revealed more about the events at this location. There he found particularly sad recordings.
Throughout the game, agents have to deal with civilians.
A Sad Family Story
What are the recordings about? The first recording is titled “Fever.” The description reads: “A man takes care of his wife and daughter who are sick.”
In it, the parents talk about their child Julie. She has a fever and is apparently infected with the dollar flu. The father tries to calm the mother, who seems to be affected as well. End of the recording.
In a hospital room further up is the next recording. It is called “Delirium.” On this recording, the woman can be heard crying and talking about Julie. The despair of both is unmistakable; they first laugh, but then cry more and more throughout the recording.
The description of the recording also states: “A man takes care of his sick wife.” Not a word about the daughter. It seems that Julie has died.
On the wall in the room, there are children’s drawings. In the middle stands an empty hospital bed that would have only fit a child.
What exactly happened is unclear. But another recording, outside on a porch below the hospital room, at least provides further clues. This one is called “Dedication.” The description reads: “A man takes care of his dying wife.”
As his wife lies dying, her husband does not want to live on without her and their child. His wife tries to convince him otherwise and makes him promise not to say such things again. He promises.
But right next to the recording, one finds the body of a man. Apparently, the father could not bear to live on after his wife’s death and committed suicide.
Where can you find the transmissions?
The hospital is located in a contaminated zone in the West End district.
This district is west of the Campus settlement.
There, you just need to enter the building. On the upper floor, you will find the collectible.
Previously, you can discover an echo that also shows how terrible the conditions were.
Good Storytelling – Despite the Depressing Story
This is how the community reacts: The Reddit user JustAGuyWriting recently posted this scene. This recording particularly affected him: “Okay Massive, well played. This hit a nerve directly. […] You empathize twice when you are a parent.”
The post has over 1,000 upvotes now, and many people agree with him. They especially praise the storytelling through the game world, which developer Massive does particularly well.
Others find it a shame that the campaign does not have the same quality as the game world and its way of telling stories.
There are also more such sad stories that many have not yet discovered. Other players report their own findings and how the intense stories affect them.
In this video, you can check it out:
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A fan-funded multiplayer mod for the role-playing game The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim may never be released, as the developers of the mod “owe nothing to the fans.” What is going on?
This mod is about: The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim is primarily a single-player title. However, with the extensive mod support of the game, it should soon be possible to explore the province of Skyrim together with friends.
The ambitious project “Skyrim Together” – a multiplayer mod for Skyrim – aimed to achieve this.
Current status of the mod: After a beta phase in early 2019, there has been little progress on the mod. Communication from the mod developers has also decreased.
When a fan in a Reddit post titled “Is something going to happen?” inquired about the current state of affairs and future plans, there was a blunt response from the mod developers.
Why might the mod never be released? Although the post has since been deleted, the comments made by the thread creator and several others apparently deeply affected the developers.
MaxGriot, a member of the mod team and the lead developer behind Skyrim Together, responded in this thread: “We owe the community nothing at all.”
Just that statement alone caused a lot of upset among the fans.
He then added that updates would only be posted when the team feels like it.
Additionally, it was mentioned: “The team is not doing this for the community.”
The community had been so toxic that the team even considered saying ‘Screw it’ and then either stopping or continuing, but not releasing anything for the waiting masses.
It’s further stated: “We do this for ourselves because we think it’s a fun project and we learn a lot from it.
The fact that people (fans) are leaving is our least concern. Because they will come back once the mod is released. We are not trying to build a community. Let’s just be ourselves and do things the way we want.”
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Why all the fuss? Previously, fans and supporters of the project were unhappy with the progress and communication from the developers. However, the recent comments were the last straw. In a Reddit post with over 10,000 upvotes, fans vented their frustration with the developers.
The crucial point is: The community that has formed around the mod and “to whom nothing is owed” continues to support the development of this project with over $18,000 a month via the Patreon platform. A few months ago, that was over $24,000, at peak times nearly $34,000. So it’s understandable that such statements are not well received by fans.
The reasons for the standstill are also said not to be due to the toxicity of the community and the developers’ casual attitude, but rather due to the use of external code. That was apparently also the reason why the beta ended so abruptly.
It is said that they improperly used the code from the Skyrim Script Extenders, from which significant parts of the project apparently depend – with up to 25% of the mod being referenced. The developers claim to be trying to remove this code. Only then should there be access to it again.
All in all, many fans seem to have lost faith in the project. Often it is said that it is a shame how the so ambitious and promising mod has ultimately developed.
Update 2.5: Support for the mod through Patreon has now dropped to $15,418 a month. The incident has likely cost the team considerable support.
The longest known hardcore run in Minecraft has come to an end. Player and streamer Philza has passed away after 5 years in hardcore mode. And this happened in a situation where he could have still survived.
This is the most important rule for a hardcore run: The simplest and yet most important rule states: If you die, your character is gone.
Therefore, it is also so extraordinary that Philza’s hardcore run in Minecraft lasted over 5 years.
This is how Philza died: Philza was deep underground in hardcore mode of Minecraft, gathering materials. In an underground cave, he encountered zombies, baby zombies, and spiders.
As he was killing some zombies, he fell into the cave and was immediately attacked by a baby zombie. These babies are already faster and deadlier than normal zombies. But this baby was also wearing enchanted golden armor.
With a resigned, “I knew it,” Philza confronted the baby and struck it with a burning sword. The flame sword additionally set the baby zombie on fire: as a result, the baby was able to inflict further fire damage on streamer Philza.
As Philza attempted to flee from the baby, he was surprised by some spiders and met his end.
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This is how he could have prevented his death: Philza was not wearing a chest plate during his expedition, but “elytra,” wings that allow players to glide. Due to the use of the wings, no chest armor can be equipped, which provides important protection.
In the corresponding reddit thread some players point out that Philza could have survived even without his chest armor:
He could have used a shield. The players wonder why he has none.
Philza has both an enchanted golden apple and a water bucket with him.
He could have placed the water bucket in front of him to push the enemies away.
While the enemies are distracted, he could have eaten the apple, which heals him almost completely and makes him invulnerable.
He could have used his totem of undying.
A totem of undying (Totem of Undying). Image source: imgur.
In his stream, Philza explains that he knew that something like this would happen and why he did not prevent his death:
I knew it, of all things it would be something stupid that I would die from. I knew I was done for and still reached for the golden apple. I should have used the totem.
I told you, didn’t I? I said I would never use a totem of undying. I’m too stubborn. I didn’t want to admit that I was so close to dying.
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What is the hardcore mode? In the hardcore mode of Minecraft, there is the so-called “permadeath” mechanic. If you die, you are permanently dead on this server:
in single-player, the world is deleted
in multiplayer, you can only watch the world, not interact with it anymore
Moreover, the hardcore mode is always played on the highest difficulty, which is why most players tend to play more defensively.
Now that the 5-year run is over, the current ongoing survival record, according to users on reddit, is just “a few weeks.”
What do you think of this frustrating death?
Are you still looking for the best survival MMO of 2019?
In Borderlands 3 your Operations Base will be a spaceship that allows you to visit other worlds. Here’s what to expect on Sanctuary 3.
This is your HUB: During the world premiere of Borderlands 3, some details about the upcoming loot shooter were revealed. This includes the new HUB, where players will find refuge time and again.
This is a spaceship called Sanctuary 3. The name is inspired by the flying city from Borderlands 2, which was also a HUB for players back then. Here’s what to expect in Sanctuary 3.
Sanctuary 3 – HUB and Ship at the Same Time
This is your new HUB: In Sanctuary 3, you will find everything a Vault Hunter’s heart desires. Here are the various shops, for example for weapons.
Sanctuary 3 is not just a small town, but also your gateway to outer space.
With the spaceship, you can leave the Pandora system and explore new worlds, like the “Promethean System.” This will apparently be the only one available at the beginning.
From the hangar, you will start your missions.
Sanctuary 3 – Your New Home
What is there? On the ship, you interact with NPCs, take on missions, can style yourself, sort your stuff, and do what you do in a loot shooter with over a billion weapons.
Moreover, some familiar faces from the predecessors live on Sanctuary 3 with you, like the weapon dealer Marcus. There is also once again a tavern, which is run by Moxxi. She is one of the most popular characters from the Borderlands universe.
The slot machines also return. Here you can spend your money hoping for juicy prizes. New is a machine that collects loot you lose on your missions.
The weapon dealer Marcus is a familiar face.
Of course, you also have your own room. This visually partially adapts to the choice of your character, but you can also customize it.
You can mount weapons on the walls like trophies.
You can watch a tour of Sanctuary 3 in this video:
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Borderlands 3 was first playable on April 30 in Los Angeles at a major gameplay reveal event. Our author Leya was there and found 7 things from gameplay and features that make the game much better than its predecessors.
Borderlands 3 stays true to its roots and will not change the loot shooter at its core. There will again be a classic season pass and several DLCs that expand the base game.
However, there will be some modernizations and quality-of-life improvements that will definitely enhance Borderlands 3. Overall, I was able to play the loot shooter for 180 minutes, and the following improvements stood out to me.
Borderlands 3 vs Borderlands 2: What’s new, what are the differences?
Our character has more personality
The character now has many more voice lines. What is said adapts to the respective situation in the story or when we encounter NPCs.
I played among others the Siren Amara and encountered the Siren Lilith. In Borderlands, Sirens are mysterious women with special powers and glowing tattoos. My Amara and Lilith talked about their tattoos during our encounter.
This means that when I play as Amara, she will react differently to Lilith than the other three characters, Moze, Zane, and FL4K.
In the predecessor titles, the character could already speak. However, in Borderlands 3, there are more voice lines that fit the character and the events around them. This subtle change helps to immerse oneself deeper in the game because the conversations feel more real.
When I speak as Siren Amara with Siren Lilith, they talk about their cool Siren tattoos. The character’s voice now gives our vault hunter more personality.
There are 3 skill trees with switchable action skills
Each character has three skill trees with different abilities. In Borderlands 2, you unlock a first skill with each character, and then there is a specialization with the skill trees.
In Borderlands 3, there are now three action skills for each character that they unlock at level 3. The three action skills can be switched at any time, with one being equipped.
Here is a part of Zane’s skill tree along with the tutorial for the skills
The exception is the character Zane. He can have two action skills active at the same time, but will then lose his grenade slot. Later on, there are also passive abilities and modifications to the skills in the skill tree.
Overall, there will thus be more options for builds and experiments than in previous installments. This gives Borderlands 3 more depth in gameplay.
There are now passive abilities that can radically change skills.
The map is three-dimensional and that’s just great!
This adjustment may seem small at first, but it is a true blessing for orientation-challenged birds like me. The map of Borderlands 3 is now three-dimensional and can be viewed from any perspective.
In the predecessor, it often happened that I followed the quest marker but still couldn’t find my way. The objective is sometimes above or below me, and I just don’t notice it. This is no longer a problem with the new map.
The map can be rotated and shows the exact “floors”:
The map of Borderlands 3 can be viewed from all sides and is three-dimensional.
Loot can no longer be lost
There is again a home base like in every Borderlands. This is now called Sanctuary 3 and is a complete spaceship that takes you to different planets. That’s already a cool novelty in itself.
What I particularly liked here is that there is a box where all the loot can be found. Everything you might have overlooked in previous encounters jumps out of this box. This way, you won’t miss out on any epic weapons anymore.
Especially a loot shooter like Borderlands thrives on its special items. The “lost-and-found box” is therefore a practical addition.
Bosses like the floating brain Gigamind drop the best loot. You will now always find this in a box at your home base. Nothing gets lost.
However, the improvement in sounds does not stop here. While playing, I had the impression that overall more sound nuances were introduced. There are no more metallic sounds. Even picking up money was even more enjoyable than usual because the cashing sound just sounds richer.
Anyone watching gameplay material should pay attention to the sounds.
The different weapons can now also be better recognized by their sounds.
The controls are smoother – driving is now easier
During our hands-on, we played on a PC, but an Xbox controller was connected. At least with this, a noticeable improvement in controls can be felt.
This applies to the use of weapons, but especially with vehicles it is noticeable. In Borderlands 2, driving is a challenge in itself, as the vehicles react quite sluggishly and clumsily. How often I got stuck there and fell off cliffs was sometimes quite frustrating for me.
In Borderlands 3, driving has become much smoother, and I’ve heard the same from other testers.
The Catch-A-Ride is now much easier to control, making the ride much more enjoyable.
NPCs can now revive you
It has always been common for other players to revive you in Borderlands. In Borderlands 3, even NPCs have this ability.
When you are traveling with characters that are relevant to the story and accompany you on the mission, they help in combat. Just as we, as players, can also revive the NPCs.
Borderlands 3 is an absolute co-op game, but some players also enjoy experiencing the campaign for themselves. This feature is particularly practical for solo players.
It’s also not like it makes Borderlands 3 easier. The NPCs do not revive you every time, and I have also died a few times.
NPCs like Zero help you in combat and can now revive you in Borderlands 3.
Borderlands 3 is even smoother than its predecessors: These 7 changes stood out to me particularly while playing. Other testers might have made a different selection. But especially the subtle adjustments, such as the sound or that the character now speaks more and “intelligently”, make the difference for me.
Another adjustment is the shared loot, and this is also an improvement:
All 3 Pokémon have different strengths. They are also useful in different ways.
Here’s how you can get the lake trio: The three Pokémon are regional. Here in Germany, only Mesprit can be caught. Azelf is found in Asia and Oceania, while Uxie is found in America.
If you are not traveling, then you can currently only catch Mesprit here. However, the other Pokémon may appear here soon through an event and rotation.
While Uxie is the Pokémon with the high attack value, Azelf is the Pokémon with the high defense value. Mesprit is the balanced Pokémon. It has both solid attack and defense values.
The promotional image for the Christmas event also features the lake trio.
Why are they called the lake trio? In the console games, you could catch the three Pokémon at three different lakes. They lived in different caves there. Therefore, fitting to the lakes, they were called the lake trio.
This is Uxie
Maximale WP: 3210
Angriffswert: 270
Verteidigungswert: 151
KP-Wert: 181
How useful is Uxie: It is the best of the three legendaries. Since you can only attack, not defend with legendary Pokémon, the attack value is crucial. With an attack value of 270, Uxie is one of the best attackers in the game. It has good Psychic moves, which makes it even stronger.
It doesn’t reach the strength of Mewtwo, but it is still good to have a solid Uxie in your team.
This is Azelf
Maximale WP: 2524
Angriffswert: 156
Verteidigungswert: 270
KP-Wert: 181
How useful is Azelf: Azelf is probably the weakest of the three Pokémon. It not only has the fewest battle points, but its attack value is also poor. Due to its low CP, Azelf might be a candidate for the Ultra League. However, a Uxie at a lower level would likely perform better.
As a defender, this Pokémon wouldn’t be bad, but you currently cannot place legendary Pokémon in gyms. If that doesn’t change, Azelf will be quite useless.
This is Mesprit
Maximale WP: 3058
Angriffswert: 212
Verteidigungswert: 212
KP-Wert: 190
How useful is Mesprit: As Mesprit is a mix of Azelf and Uxie, it is neither a strong defender (regardless of the fact you cannot place it in gyms), nor a very good attacker. It is a solid attacker and can likely withstand more damage than Uxie, but there is huge competition among Psychic Pokémon.
So far, only Mesprit is available in Germany. While it is inferior to Uxie, it is still a solid Pokémon. As a Psychic attacker, Mesprit has a lot of competition, so it should rather be used as a substitute.
Are you excited for the new field research in May?
