During a livestream, a streamer found a hidden button in the menu of the pirate MMO Atlas: It brings him back to another game by the developers, to ARK Survival Evolved. This adds fuel to the rumors. Atlas is said to be nothing but a “reskin”.
Even in the first hours, players saw the similarities between ARK, the dino MMO, and Atlas. Some even referred to it as a “reskin.”
A streamer has now found a hidden button in the menu that is causing quite a stir.
Atlas menu takes players to ARK settings
A clip from the streamer mukkayo is going viral in the gaming community. In the video, the streamer demonstrates that the Atlas menu has a hidden button.
He navigates through the Atlas menu and arrives at the supposedly last option “Exit”. Then he says: “Now press the button down one more time, there’s a hidden button there.” Clicking it, you find yourself in an ARK menu.
What can be found in the menu? There are settings for dino damage and many other server settings that originate from ARK.
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The comments on Reddit and YouTube show many angry players.
This is how players are reacting: User StrawS__ writes on Reddit: “The meme that Atlas is just a reskin of ARK is literally true. I mean, you could already see that from the graphics and gameplay. But now it’s just clear.”
The opinion that Atlas is “just a reskin of ARK” emerged shortly after the release on December 22nd. On Reddit, players explained that the similarities in visuals and gameplay are undeniable. They accuse the developers of simply copying a large part of ARK.
This discovery with the hidden menu is now causing many heated discussions around Atlas.
Here’s what people are discussing now: Some players on social media are taking it more lightly and writing: Are you surprised? These are the same developers. Of course, they take finished work from old projects so they don’t have to start from scratch.
But some players view it differently.
User decaboniized writes on Reddit: “It shocks me that people say ‘It uses the same engine as ARK – Did you not expect that?’ No, I did not expect the developers to use the same interface, the same textures, and basically the same everything, and just overlay an Atlas skin.”
This is a mod for ARK that the developers charge $30 for.”
This discovery with the hidden menu is now causing many heated discussions around Atlas.
In our section “State of Play”, we look at the status of the 5 major western MMORPGs. Where do the online role-playing games World of Warcraft (WoW), The Elder Scrolls Online (ESO), Guild Wars 2, Final Fantasy XIV, and Black Desert stand just before the transition into the year 2019?
This is the general situation: 2018 was certainly not the year of MMORPGs:
Here in the West, the gaming year 2018 belonged to online shooters such as Fortnite, Destiny, or Call of Duty. They rely on short, intense gaming sessions.
Also, large single-player games with long campaigns or epic atmospheric images like God of War or Red Dead Redemption 2 excelled.
This was the title image from State of Play 2015. Rip WildStar
The big question for all MMORPGs before 2019: How can they attract new players? How can they inspire the “Fortnite” generation for MMORPGs?
We look at the situation of the 5 major MMORPGs before the turn of the year to 2019 and where the games stand.
Black Desert – Side Paths and Future Promises
This is the situation of Black Desert: The MMORPG has always been a game with great future promises. Pearl Abyss is always tinkering with a feature that is supposed to make Black Desert an even better, more beautiful MMORPG in the future.
But no matter which feature they come up with, Black Desert ultimately remains the same game.
Black Desert is an MMORPG for a very limited target group. Because here in the West, most MMORPG fans miss dungeons, raids, and other traditional PvE content. The story is also often criticized.
The appeal of Black Desert lies mainly in the combat system, which is supposed to entice grinding because it is so much fun.
Additionally, it is immensely tempting to explore the world of Black Desert, trade, and immerse yourself in this fantasy world that promises so much freedom.
For the actual PC game, more zones and a graphical remaster, which has been promised for a long time, were introduced. However, not much else has happened around it.
Image source: ama8o8
Therefore, Black Desert also lost some air in the West in 2018. Always just new classes and new zones, while nice, do not provide significant impulse. Especially since we in the West had to wait a long time for new content – Korea is often half a year ahead.
The console ports for PlayStation 4 and Switch are still a long way off. The port to Xbox One is progressing, but at a slow pace. The first beta could not create big waves here.
Black Desert often clashes with its community. There is suspicion that too much is relying on Pay2Win. This regularly leads to negative headlines.
So Black Desert stands at the end of 2018: The company behind Black Desert is certainly doing well. But Pearl Abyss is slowly shifting the focus away from the MMORPG and wants to establish more games. With the mobile success, the Koreans are now eager.
However, there is also good news for PC players in the West: Pearl Abyss has announced big plans for Black Desert again and wants to push a global version, so players in the West do not have to wait so long for new content. Battle Royale is of course also coming.
Here in the West, Black Desert with its design will probably never be a hit for the masses, and much bad blood is circulating now. However, those who love the game will continue to love it and can look forward to an interesting future with attractive new features.
The prospects for Black Desert are good, albeit specific.
This will be important for Black Desert in 2019: It will be important for Black Desert to appear as an attractive and contemporary MMORPG that can retain new players and be successful on consoles.
With the revision of tutorials and the entry experience, they are on a good path.
Otherwise, it would be good to find a better connection to the community again. What gets out is rarely friendly. This can deter players looking for a new MMORPG.
The survival game SCUM on Steam is known for its focus on hardcore realism and the penises of its characters. The winter update brings all sorts of goodies, including cute costumes for the best piece of a man.
The update 0.1.22.11074 was released on December 20 and brings many new features: The new patch makes the map festive, brings barricades and locks for houses, and wraps the character’s penis nice and warm.
About the penises: SCUM has been quite fascinated by penises for a while, since they introduced a slider. Now they refer to a tradition from the Croatian mountains. Women there are said to have made their men “Willy Warmers” to provide warmth and safety in the cold winter.
The Croatian development team supports this with a Wikipedia entry. This is thus scientifically assured.
Those who have the supporter pack in SCUM receive an “elephant warmer” complete with eyes. It’s said that you can’t find it in the wild. This presumably means that the other two Johannes warmers are somewhere out there.
This is how SCUM celebrates Christmas: The update brings several more conventional typical Christmas improvements:
The SCUM map is covered in snow.
Players can shape snowballs, build a snowman, and give gifts to others.
A sleigh ride is also possible.
And there is a warm and cozy emote.
This is how to make your house safer:
The most gameplay-important feature is probably “Fortification.” This allows the prisoners to secure their home against intruders. Players can now lock the door; there are 3 different locks. Players can attach up to three locks to their door.
In addition, there is the possibility to break open a lock. After all, we are in SCUM – there are three different tools available for this, ranging from a screwdriver to an improvised burglary tool, up to a real one.
The windows can also be barricaded; otherwise, someone might come at night and steal your elephant warmer.
In our 4th Advent special about Pokémon GO it is all about Pikachu and what the friendship with its trainer Ash should teach us.
No Pokémon is as well-known as Pikachu. In every episode of the Pokémon anime, Ash’s companion appears and accompanies his trainer anew in each season.
No other bond between trainer and Pokémon is as strong as that between Ash and Pikachu. A friendship that has accompanied anime fans for decades.
The last Advent special in 2018 is meant to remind us once again of true friendship just before Christmas: We tell you the story of Ash and Pikachu.
How coercion turned into friendship
How Ash got Pikachu: Professor Oak distributed starter Pokémon to new Pokémon trainers. Charmander, Squirtle, and Bulbasaur were available as options. However, Ash overslept the distribution, so he arrived too late.
All the Pokémon were already gone, and Professor Oak could only give Ash one Pokémon: Pikachu.
Ash was initially not happy with Pikachu at all. It wouldn’t get caught and didn’t want to stay in the Pokéball. So Ash kept his Pikachu on a leash and walked off. The two did not get along, and Pikachu did not do what Ash wanted.
How the friendship was formed: When a Spearow attacked them, Pikachu began to defend itself. The Spearow then called for reinforcements, prompting Ash and Pikachu to flee. After the Spearow attacked again, Pikachu collapsed injured on the ground.
Ash picked Pikachu up and continued to flee from the Spearow, before eventually standing protectively in front of his Pokémon. Pikachu got back up and scared off the attackers with a powerful Thunder Shock, thus also protecting Ash. An eternal friendship began.
That’s why Pikachu never evolved: In all the episodes of the Pokémon anime, Pikachu never evolved into Raichu. Ash gave it the opportunity to evolve, but Pikachu refused. It wanted to prove to everyone that it is not stronger when it evolves into Raichu. It wanted to show that it is strong without evolving and did not evolve.
Pikachu never left Ash’s side during all that time. The two protected each other in numerous situations and experienced hundreds of adventures together. It is probably one of the closest friendships in anime.
Pikachu and Raichu in Pokémon GO
PokéDex entry: Whenever Pikachu encounters something new, it unleashes an electric shock. If you find a charred berry, this Pokémon has misjudged its electric charge.
Pikachu in Pokémon GO: Pikachu and Raichu are not of great significance in Pokémon GO. The stats of the Pokémon are weak. Raichu can reach a maximum of 2182 CP and can be used in the Super League, but it does not function as a solid attacker.
Pikachu as a Shiny: The first Community Day in January 2018 revolved around Pikachu. Even before that, you could find and catch Pikachu as a Shiny. Its evolution, Raichu, is of course also available in its shiny form.
Pikachu and its hat: In addition to the shiny Pikachus, since the first Christmas event in 2017, there have also been Pikachus with hats. Besides the Christmas hat, Pikachu can wear a party hat, a witch’s hat, Ash’s cap, a straw hat, and another cap.
The Alolan form of Raichu can also be caught in raids. Additionally, further hats for Raichu have been found in the code that are not yet available in the game.
What is the Advent Special? We at MeinMMO have provided you with a small story about a special Pokémon every Advent.
The last cutscene in the Dreaming City in Destiny 2 presents players with a riddle once again: Is it really just an unfortunate shadow cast, or is it the final farewell of an old friend?
Just a shadow or a secret message? Players are discussing on Reddit whether the last cutscene in the Dreaming City contains a hidden image and what this suggests about the possible new Hunter Vanguard.
Warning: We are discussing the cutscene that was added with the last weekly reset to Destiny 2. If you haven’t seen it yet and don’t want to know anything about it, you should not read on.
What is it about? A Guardian on Reddit pointed out that the latest scene might contain a hidden message. According to him, a silhouette can be seen in the shadows, which could be a final farewell from an old friend or a hint for the Hunter Vanguard.
The player claims to have seen the outline of Cayde-6’s head in the scene where the still dead Uldren Sov is laid out in the Dreaming City. In his opinion, it could be a nice reference to the still open position of the Hunter Vanguard.
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Why should this be a hint? After Uldren Sov was revived by his Ghost as a Guardian, many Guardians assume that he will become a Hunter. In the quest to retrieve the Ace of Spades, Cayde’s personal hand cannon, players learn who Cayde envisions as his successor: whoever is responsible for his death should become his successor in the Vanguard.
What do the other players see? Some players agree with the claim and can also recognize Cayde’s head in the shadow. Thus, the “table” on which Uldren lies could represent the shape of his head, while the elongated elevation could be his horn.
Other players believe that it is just a very strange angle that Bungie came up with for the shadow cast. Others see the elongated elevation as merely the shadow of Uldren’s feet, while some Guardians joke that Uldren’s rigor mortis is causing the strange shadow cast.
What do you say? Do you just see a normal shadow or do you see Cayde’s head? Or do you see something completely different?
Fans of Fallout 76 can be happy. Bethesda is distributing a free Classic Collection to every player who played Fallout 76 in 2018.
What is Bethesda distributing? Via Twitter, Bethesda spread the good news and gives Fallout players a pre-Christmas gift. Every player who was active in 2018 will receive the Classic Collection.
This is a collection of old Fallout classics that are now available for free to everyone.
We will tell you what is included in the Classic Collection and how to get the game collection.
This is the Classic Collection
What is included? In total, there are three game titles included in the collection. They are:
How to get the collection: To get the collection, you have to do nothing except play Fallout 76. Every player who was active in 2018 will receive the Classic Collection. It doesn’t matter if you played on PC or are a console player.
When will the Classic Collection be available? Bethesda did not specify when they will distribute the gift to players. On Twitter, they only announced that the Classic Collection can be expected in early January.
Most likely via a dedicated launcher from the developer and not via Steam, although this has not been officially confirmed.
That’s why it’s free: Bethesda wants to give players a gift with this collection. They want to thank the faithful players and therefore distribute a free game collection.
The Fallout fans get another opportunity to dive into games that are already over 20 years old with the Classic Collection, and to do so without paying a single euro.
What Bethesda outlines for Fallout 76 next year also announces the first update of 2019:
The development of the new MMORPG Crowfall is steadily progressing and the developers are letting fans participate in every step. Our author Benedict had the opportunity to play Crowfall and speak with the developers.
Crowfall has been in development for several years now. The Kickstarter goal was reached back in February 2015. Since then, the game has been steadily evolving and is not under any time pressure, as the studio ArtCraft Entertainment is producing and publishing it themselves.
Players were involved early on and are an important part of the development. They should test as early as possible and provide feedback to make the game into what they want it to be.
I also had the opportunity to take a closer look at Crowfall. I have invested nearly ten hours in the game and examined the current features more closely.
Additionally, I spoke with Creative Director J. Todd Coleman and Executive Producer Gordon Walton in an interview and looked at material for the now implemented campaigns. As someone who has been playing MMORPGs for over 15 years, I think: Crowfall looks really promising. And there are reasons for that.
Two fighters in full armor. Image exclusive to MeinMMO.
1. An innovative yet classic class design
Crowfall offers you the chance to choose from 11 classes, each of which can be developed into one of 3 ascendant classes. You therefore have a choice between 33 unique classes for each character.
The archetypes follow a similar pattern to what many MMORPG veterans and roleplaying fans will be familiar with. Choosing a class that fits your playstyle is relatively easy. There are:
Ranged fighters
Melee fighters
Magic users
Supporters
Hybrids
What makes classes special
However, the classes themselves are significantly different and more specialized than in most MMORPGs. There are special classes like Myrmidons, Duelists, and specialized Frost and Fire mages that distinguish themselves from traditional classes like Warriors and Mages. Additionally, there are only certain race/class combinations.
The class design brings a fresh wind to the genre without reinventing the genre itself. Rather than creating completely new classes with a new balancing, Crowfall chooses to add new nuances to familiar archetypes.
In particular, the ascendant classes allow players to choose their own focus for the class: more damage or perhaps healing? Safe distance or more risk in melee combat?
All of this makes the classes more special. Familiar playstyles are deepened and offer players the opportunity to find their own niche.
2. You have a role through skills
In Crowfall, not only does your character’s level increase, but also your account level. You have the opportunity to fulfill a specific role through passively rising skill points.
While you play or are offline, you earn points for passive skills. These are divided into:
Profession skills
Race skills
Class skills
You can earn points for these categories at any time. You simply choose a path to follow, accumulating points that you can spend in the various skill trees at any time.
Through the mechanics, you won’t fall behind other players and friends if you don’t play for a while. When you come back, you will have points for skills to distribute that apply to every character of the account.
The benefits of skills
The skills from the skill trees are passive skills that improve your characters. They provide you things like stronger attacks, higher success chances in crafting, or improved resource gathering.
By following a path, you choose a role. You determine whether you are a fighter, gatherer, or craftsman. You can specialize in these roles.
You can also choose to fulfill multiple roles, but then you will have to sacrifice expertise in each role. In Crowfall, all roles are always needed:
Crafters create equipment for fighters
Gatherers obtain resources for the crafters
Fighters protect gatherers on their runs
3. There is always something to do through campaigns
In a video, the campaigns from Crowfall were introduced to me. The first “unsanctioned” campaign has been playable since December 18 on the test servers of Crowfall. Starting in January 2019, there will be the first “sanctioned” campaign with special rewards for the best players on the leaderboard. Sanctioned campaigns will be a kind of “tournament”.
Campaigns are time-limited events in Crowfall where you visit randomly generated continents (worlds) and complete tasks. The focus is on gathering resources and fighting between factions. In the campaigns, the seasons even have an impact on the game.
There are different types of continents that offer various activities:
Adventures, where players can gather resources and engage in PvE
Sieges, where important locations of other factions are conquered
Free Cities, where players can trade.
There are also “Breachheads,” staging areas that serve as the stronghold for the respective faction. The appearance and offerings of the worlds are always random. Coleman:
Every new campaign feels like a round of Civilization. Everything is black, and you don’t know what there is to see until someone explores the world. Not even we know that. We hit “generate” and see what comes out.
A besieged wooden wall. Image exclusive to MeinMMO.
What makes campaigns special
As a campaign progresses, the “Hunger” spreads across the world until it completely consumes it. The Hunger is a form of winter that corrupts the environment and makes resources scarcer.
Since the Hunger spreads further, it limits each campaign to a certain time. Additionally, special rules may exist for campaigns. Coleman said:
When a new campaign starts, there are requirements for who can play. There could be campaigns only for level 1 characters, then I need to create a new one. Or it could only be for max-level characters, and only elves and dwarves are allowed in.
Then I have to go through my character list and see which character fits.
This makes each campaign a unique event and offers Crowfall the opportunity to create new rules, experiment with new things, and keep players engaged.
With the crafted equipment, you can participate in the sieges to lead your faction to victory and score on the leaderboard. Because Crowfall is an MMORPG you can win.
The best players, groups, and guilds receive rewards.
4. Creative freedom through “Eternal Kingdoms”
Crowfall not only offers campaigns where players can play against each other but also personal areas to build and get creative, called “Eternal Kingdoms”. The Eternal Kingdoms are the individual kingdoms of players.
The land is divided into lots to make it easier. This allows for easier creation of forests, cities, or other areas.
What you can do in Eternal Kingdoms
The kingdoms are not only there to express your creative side. You can also impose your own rules to create a sort of “private server”.
If you choose to create a pacifist kingdom, you turn off PvP and enjoy the tranquility with friends or strangers. Especially roleplayers will be pleased with this.
If you prefer combat, turn on PvP and host your own pit fights. On the test servers, there have already been some kingdoms that built arenas where players could fight for a title.
5. The game principle promises long-term motivation
With the unique game principle that Crowfall offers with its campaigns and class and talent system, it seeks to break away from the MMORPG genre. The features are all quite promising regarding long-term motivation.
The campaigns encourage players to engage with new characters repeatedly and try new things. Leveling a new character to the maximum level should only take a weekend. This offers variety in gameplay.
For those who prefer to be creative, they can express themselves in their Eternal Kingdom and create new scenes or dedicate themselves to roleplaying. When other players open their kingdoms to outsiders, there is also much to discover here.
Leaderboards encourage diligent PvP players to keep fighting and strive for the best. Since Crowfall is primarily focused on PvP, most players should feel at home here.
However, PvP is not only limited to combat but also involves the economy. According to Coleman, there are entire kingdoms where players attempt to simply dominate the market with their goods.
They send NPC merchants with their goods into the city and try to hold a monopoly on the best weapons and armor. An economic battle will also be part of Crowfall.
Who is Crowfall suitable for?
I also asked J. Todd Coleman and Gordon Walton for whom Crowfall is best suited. The answer was quite clear. Coleman:
Hardcore gamers, min/maxers, and PvP enthusiasts are our main target group. But many people immediately think of battles when they hear PvP. Many of our players are hardcore PvP crafters. They just want to create the best goods and make the most money. That’s why I think competitive players are our area.
Particularly in the area of crafting, Gordon Walton added: “No equipment drops as loot with us.” Instead, the best equipment comes only from (player) crafters.
However, the focus of Crowfall is heavily placed on the PvP aspect.
Can I play Crowfall alone?
I also asked this question. Coleman’s answer:
There is definitely a single-player experience. We even have some single-players with us. But they play it “for a higher purpose.” You can play as a crafter who specializes in swords or a scout who offers his services.
Additionally, Crowfall has ensured there is a PvP aspect for single players. In addition to large battles for strongholds, there are also camps and watchtowers that can be taken by skilled players alone.
In general, single players will likely thrive in Crowfall primarily in a role as a mercenary or venture out together with other single players as adventurers. Work is still ongoing on this content.
Do you want an alternative to the powerful IKELOS shotgun in the kinetic slot? Then you should take a closer look at the new raid shotgun in Destiny 2. It might be worth it for you.
The IKELOS shotgun from the Escalation Protocol is still considered one of the best, if not the best shotgun in Destiny 2 in Year 2.
Even after the nerf of its special perk Barrel Shroud, which temporarily increases damage after a melee hit, there’s no way around this pump shotgun in many situations.
Now there is an interesting alternative for this weapon.
Threat Level – An Alternative to the IKELOS Shotgun
In the new raid Scourge of the Past, all owners of the Annual Pass have the opportunity to earn the new raid shotgun Threat Level. It currently embodies one of the few real alternatives to the proven Escalation Protocol pump.
The famous IKELOS shotgun
What is Threat Level? This is a legendary shotgun for the kinetic slot with a lightweight frame. Since it is a Year 2 weapon, it can also be equipped with the new mods.
It has 7 shots in the magazine by default (8 with IKELOS) and slightly higher stability, handling, and reload speed compared to the IKELOS shotgun, but somewhat less range.
How do you get Threat Level? You can only get this new shotgun in the new raid.
But the good thing is: You don’t even have to get very far. You can grab this pump gun in the first encounter of Scourge of the Past if you master it successfully.
Threat Level with curated rolls (Source: Houndish)
What makes Threat Level special? This weapon can drop with random rolls during the first raid encounter, but can also come as a curated roll for you. Curated roll means that the weapon comes with fixed perks and already as a masterpiece of level 10.
The special thing about it: The random roll version of this shotgun can drop with the same perk that makes the IKELOS shotgun so unique – Barrel Shroud.
The perk currently works as follows: If you land a successful melee hit, the weapon receives increased damage, improved handling, and faster reload speed for a short time. If the time runs out, the effect resets after three shots fired and must be triggered again.
On the curated version, Barrel Shroud is even fixed on the weapon. Additionally, the weapon can be equipped with mods, which is not possible with the IKELOS.
The Threat Level can be complemented with numerous mods (Source: Houndish)
This is how you get the IKELOS alternative with a personal touch: Through random rolls in combination with mods, you not only have a good alternative to the IKELOS shotgun, but Threat Level can even surpass the Escalation Protocol weapon in some cases.
On one hand, this shotgun is carried in the kinetic slot, which allows you to be more flexible in your weapon choice and switch between IKELOS and Threat Level depending on the situation. Also, kinetic weapons deal slightly more damage to enemies without shields compared to energy weapons.
Furthermore, Threat Level can roll with better perks – among others, with Origin. When you destroy an enemy’s shield with it, the magazine automatically reloads from the weapon’s reserves. This allows you to effectively take out protected enemies.
But also Grave Robber or “Danger recognized, danger averted” can prove to be useful.
If you additionally equip the weapon with mods like Backup Mag, Boss or Major Spec, you get an excellent barrel-shrouded shotgun for the kinetic slot that often stands toe-to-toe with or even surpasses the IKELOS pump in certain aspects.
IKELOS shotgun and Threat Level in direct comparison: In this video from Drewsky’s channel, you can see a detailed comparison of both weapons.
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Ashes of Creation is once again an MMORPG from the western world after a long time. Our author Alexander Leitsch believes in its success, as the game returns to the core values of an MMORPG.
What I miss in many MMORPGs today: A large game world, many hundreds or thousands of players, and a true sense of community are what Massive Multiplayer Online Games are generally known for.
In doing so, other aspects of the genre are also lost: the classic role-playing game, for example. Groups do gather occasionally to play roles within their circle. With a bit of imagination, a unique game within the game can then be created.
But wouldn’t it be much nicer if you could become the innkeeper or the mayor of a town through the game itself?
Social interactions are the focus
Ashes of Creation aims to bring more roles: In Ashes of Creation, this should be possible. Each area in the game has a node, which can be controlled and expanded through activities in the area. In this node, cities grow that are managed by a mayor.
This mayor is elected democratically depending on the city; they can buy their way in with gold or emerge through a duel.
They make decisions on behalf of the community. This includes the expansion of the node, what buildings are constructed, and relationships with other players and cities.
The housing in Ashes of Creation: Through the special housing system, players have not only their homes and apartments but also so-called freeholds. These are functional buildings such as blacksmiths, farms, or taverns.
These can be placed in a town, and the player themselves takes care of these functional buildings. So you can become an innkeeper and serve beer without relying solely on imagination.
But this is just a small part of the social interaction in the game. The city itself interacts with other cities as well. Alliances can be forged, trade agreements made, or wars planned.
Open-world PvP, but orderly please!
Does Ashes of Creation have PvP? Cities can fight and destroy each other. This is good and important in an open world that encourages your own design. However, certain rules should also be followed to ensure that everyone has fun.
Ashes of Creation focuses on scenarios for open-world PvP, such as attacks on a city or raids on caravans. This allows factions to fight and compete for resources.
Is griefing allowed? Outside of the scenarios, PvP is not welcomed. Those who attack other players will be flagged for PvP. If the attacked player does not respond, the attacker collects corruption points.
If a player with many corruption points is killed, they may lose their equipment. The originally attacked PvE player loses nothing except a bit of running time.
“PvE creates our world, PvP changes it,” says Steven Sharif, the founder and owner of Intrepid Studios. It is important to him that the game offers a lot to those who are not interested in the scenarios.
Moreover, further PvE content such as dungeons or raids is planned for the game world. These should also contribute to advancing a node. The overall goal is to change the world, whether by destroying it as a PvPer or by shaping it as a PvEler.
The classes in Ashes of Creation: During character creation, a player chooses one of eight primary classes. These are:
Mage
Summoner
Cleric
Bard
Fighter
Tank
Ranger
Rogue
After that, a secondary class can be chosen for each primary class. For instance, as a Fighter, you may take on the Mage and become a melee Mage. Primary classes cannot be changed anymore, but secondary ones can. There will be no class/race restrictions.
Combat system and character development: In terms of combat systems, the developers of Ashes of Creation prefer a classic approach. The combat system relies on tab-targeting. However, there will also be an action mode for players who prefer a more modern and dynamic experience.
Character development emphasizes progression in equipment and skills. Currently, a skill tree for passive character improvement is not planned.
The founder’s commitment
What impresses me most about the MMORPG: What is particularly impressive about Ashes of Creation is the behavior of founder Steve Sharif. He invests millions in the development and takes care of much of the surrounding details. He participates in the official livestreams and moderates the game’s subreddit.
Late into the night, Steve also posts in the official Discord for the MMORPG, providing players with little tidbits and leaks. He often says, “Make MMORPG great once more”.
The catch?
Is there a reason to doubt? Despite all the excitement and interesting systems, there is currently some criticism of the game. This is partly coming from fans of Ashes of Creation. The reason is the blending of Apocalypse and the actual MMO.
It is criticized that the alpha players paid for a different game than what is currently being released.
Why Ashes of Creation will still be successful
That’s why I believe in its success: Despite the criticism, I’m confident that Ashes of Creation can succeed. The combination of tried-and-true and modern systems will be, in my opinion, the reason why the game will prevail.
The world will constantly change and feel alive. No area will be the same as another.
The reason for this is the construction and destruction of cities. From the start, the developers are working to alleviate frustrating moments. They are implementing storage systems to ensure that you do not lose your furniture and the exact decoration of your home.
They aim to restrict open-world PvP to scenarios in which PvE players need not participate. At the same time, one should act in a large community, work together to expand a node, and then also defend it until the end.
The mixture of a large community and individual freedom, of large attacks and calm gathering activities, of PvE and PvP sounds, at least on paper, like a really good MMORPG.
The new MMO Atlas was supposed to launch on Friday evening. Now it has been postponed for the third time. However, the release today on Saturday, December 22, now looks secure.
This was planned: The new MMO Atlas was originally supposed to launch on December 13. This was then changed at short notice to December 19 – but the studio did not meet this date either, postponing the Early Access launch to December 21.
Even this third date slipped on Friday evening around 9:30 PM. The new date is Saturday, December 22, at 9 PM German time.
Will the launch of Atlas work today? Today the date still looks difficult. Because streamers were supposed to already be in Atlas and playing since 6:00 AM German time.
But this date could not be kept. At 6:42 AM this morning, the news came via Twitter that they are still working on the build and need at least 5 more hours. There are no further updates yet.
Update: Since about 2:21 PM, streamers are now live at least. The team says they are still working on the Early Access candidate.
Update 9:21 PM: It looks like the launch in Early Access today might still work out. The game should be available for purchase on Steam from 9:15 PM. The studio announced this via Twitter.
This is how fans react: Just yesterday, there were numerous reactions on Twitter to the now third delay. Potential players of Atlas are obviously losing their patience.
The interest in Atlas is high, but the nerves of the players are slowly wearing thin.
A tweet transformed the promo logo of the game to “We will never set sail!”.
Source: twitter
Dewey from “Malcolm in the Middle” had to serve as a meme: “I expected nothing and was still disappointed.”
Many other users express their disappointment with various gifs and emotes.
Some try to hit the developers in the wallet and say: “I actually planned to give you my money, but now I’m hesitating.”
Some also remember the last game of the team “ARK Survival Evolved.”
Frequently one reads frustrated: “Stop naming new dates. You are making yourselves ridiculous. Just say when you are really ready.”
What’s next? We will keep you updated on MeinMMO and inform you if and when Atlas ultimately launches.
More about the background of Atlas and why the series of delays is not entirely unexpected will be covered in this article:
Christmas is coming soon! We are giving away 5000 codes for the special “Winter Wonderland” package for Bless Online that you can win immediately.
What’s happening? Like many other MMOs, Bless is currently celebrating the Christmas season. During the Winter Festival, players have access to new quests and dailies that provide rewards such as fireworks and consumables.
What’s included in the package? The gift package includes boost items and a special outfit for your characters:
“Milky Way” costume
Dungeon Point Strengthener Lucky Dip Chest
Companion Growth Potion x3 (Duration: one hour)
What are the conditions for participation? To participate in the raffle, you need to perform two actions in the window below. Winners will see their codes displayed immediately in the tool window. The raffle will continue until there are no codes left. Legal recourse is excluded as always. Good luck!
How to redeem the code? To receive the gift package, you need to redeem the code normally on Steam. After that, the items will appear in your account mailbox in Bless.
With the next content update 4.5 “Requiem for Heroes,” Final Fantasy XIV will introduce new mini-games for the Gold Saucer casino. Mahjong and Air Force One will also be available for players with trial accounts.
What’s new in FFXIV? With patch 4.5 on January 8, new content will come to Final Fantasy XIV. In addition to new story, raids, dungeons, and other content, there will be two new mini-games in the Gold Saucer casino:
How does Doma Mahjong work? The mini-game is designed for four players. Players can normally register for a match via the content search, just like other instanced content. One can either play with random people or register directly with three friends.
The game rules function like those of classic Japanese Mahjong. If you have no idea about Mahjong, it’s not a problem. There will be training games. They will explain the rules in detail.
Each player will also receive a Mahjong rating. It starts at 1500 points and will increase or decrease depending on the outcome of a competitive match. You start with the rank “Novice” and work your way up.
It will also be possible to play against NPCs. There will be three different difficulty levels for NPCs, for beginners, experienced players, and pros.
The Mahjong tiles will have two different designs: classic Mahjong and tiles with images of characters from Doma.
The mini-game is a small fun project by the developers of FFXIV. They have worked on it as a hobby over a long period and enjoy playing it during breaks.
How does Air Force One work? The second new mini-game is a rail shooter. In Air Force One, the player character flies in a sort of “gondola” through the Gold Saucer and can shoot various targets.
Depending on the target, you receive different amounts of points, and halfway through there is a bonus round. But players have to be careful not to attack bomber targets, or they will lose points.
There will be different tracks for Air Force One through the Gold Saucer. Which one you get is random. You can check out how it looks in action here:
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To entice players to try the new activities in the Gold Saucer, new rewards will also come to the MGP shop of the casino. One of these was already demonstrated by director Yoshida in the last live stream:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqG3QB2H_Uw
Some of the new rewards will cost more than the currently most expensive items in the MGP shop.
Our author Schuhmann has resisted Fortnite: Battle Royale for over a year, but a new mode has finally convinced him.
This is why I resisted for so long: I played Fortnite before it was cool.
When Epic started with “Save the World” in the summer of 2017, we took a trip to explore the new game in the editorial office.
Others quickly quit, but I stayed. I spent the entire summer of 2017 saving the world of Fortnite.
The mix of mobile RPG progression with a touch of shooter and “Dungeon Keeper” somehow appealed to me. While Fortnite: Save the World was objectively not a great game, it hit a specific point for me, and I enjoyed playing it.
Unfortunately, it quickly became clear that Save the World wouldn’t be a hit. Epic then developed it in a strange direction and I logged in less and less.
When the hype around “Battle Royale” started, I was a bit defiant: They should make my game cool now, instead of just copying PUBG, I thought back then.
While Jürgen, Robert, and the rest of the world quickly got excited about Battle Royale, I only hesitated.
So went my first attempt: I actually spent an afternoon with the game in spring 2018, but I found it too stressful.
No sooner had I landed than someone with a shotgun was jumping around me like a Duracell bunny on speed, shot me down, and I was back in the lobby.
I also watched streams of guys building obscure pyramids at record speed, headshotting someone from 300 meters away, and having reflexes like a top ice hockey goalie.
For that crap, I was definitely too old.
But even then, I understood why so many were crazy about the game: Fortnite has a pull effect.
Each round is a bit different. Every time I died, I thought: If only I had played a bit differently, I would have had a chance.
But something else scared me off: I already noticed how absorbing Fortnite is. The afternoon passed, and I barely knew what I had actually done. It was like that five years prior with League of Legends.
My new attempt at Christmas: Now at Christmas, I played Fortnite again, and Epic actually got me. I knew that crazy new modes would come with the Christmas event “14 Days of Fortnite”.
I actually wanted to try the new mode “Blind Flying” for an article.
This mode is based on Call of Duty “Hardcore” and hides almost all HUD elements – you can’t even see properly who is on your team.
However, the mode is clearly intended for fixed teams with voice chat and experienced Fortnite veterans. As a newbie, I had no chance at all and logged out disappointed after one game.
The mode excited me so much: Out of curiosity, I tried the mode next to “Blind Flying,” and it kept me busy for 3 hours.
The new mode that excited me is now active for a few days at Christmas and is called “Team Scare”:
You don’t play solo here, but with teams in 32vs32
The map is divided, and there is a longer quiet phase in every match until it starts and you encounter opponents
There is more ammo than usual, more resources, and more loot
You can also wonderfully farm PvE opponents, the “Don’t call them Zombies” zombies, who drop loot, are dumber than straw and you can really farm a lot on them
Initially, the mode was available for Halloween – as part of the “14 Days of Fortnite,” it is back now.
This is why I am excited about the new mode: For me, it’s the ideal mode because you can prepare for minutes until the first enemy contact and farm good equipment on the zombies.
Since you are not fighting alone, but moving in a crowd, I can also come into or out of fights as a beginner without feeling like a fool every time because I get shot down with a shotgun in the first loot phase.
In “Team Scare”, it’s also not that important to know exactly every spot where a chest, a plane, or a quadram waits.
Moreover, Fortnite now offers a lot of variety with balloons, vehicles, and numerous different weapons. In addition, the challenges and constant rewards from the new Battle Pass somehow trigger my loot and collector instinct.
I must admit: Even though I resisted for a long time, I can make friends with this Fortnite. And maybe they’ll make Fortnite: Save the World cool with all the money, that people spend on skins.
The pirate MMO Atlas can now be tested for the first time by streamers. Thousands of viewers are following the streams on Twitch – however, criticism is also emerging.
What is happening? After Studio Wildcard has delayed the launch of Atlas for the third time, the first streamers can now test the pirate MMO on Twitch. Some streamers have over 80,000 viewers on their streams.
After players have seen a few minutes of gameplay, many believe that it is a reskin of ARK: Survival Evolved, the predecessor game from Studio Wildcard. Others do not want to draw hasty conclusions from a few minutes of gameplay. The discussions are extensive.
This is what the streams show
Especially the stream by Forsen is well-attended. Over 80,000 viewers followed the stream simultaneously at times. The interest in the game is currently high, which surely has to do with the postponed releases.
The streamers can already test all the actions that will later be possible in the game. Forsen mainly shows gameplay on a small island, but sailing and fighting are also already possible.
Release of Atlas planned for today
When will Atlas be available to everyone? Currently, only selected streamers can play the MMO. The wider audience still has to be patient. The game developers announced the release for today, December 22nd, at 9 PM German time. However, there is a likelihood that this release date could still be postponed.
This brings hope: Now that streamers can finally play, it seems like everyone might be able to play soon. The gameplay of the streamers runs smoothly, there are no major bugs. If server stability is ensured for 40,000 players, it won’t be long before everyone can finally play.
This is what viewers say about the gameplay
Some see in the Atlas streams a reskin of ARK: Survival Evolved. Others do not want to make conclusions after just a few minutes of gameplay and are waiting for the release.
This is what critics say: On Reddit, many negative critiques are accumulating. “rorninggo” writes: “If no one had told me it was Atlas, I would have thought it was ARK.”
The outcry over an ARK reskin seems to be substantial at the moment.
Is it really a reskin? To really claim that this is a reskin of ARK, much more of the game must be seen, argue counter-voices. The user “irsean” writes on Reddit: “Everyone screams ARK 2.0, but they haven’t seen 99.9% of the game yet.”
Another user addresses the game mechanics and writes: “All these negative voices about the game, but have you seen the sailing mechanics? My friends and I are so excited!”
40,000 players on one server and that from the makers of ARK? We dealt with this question:
We show you 7 things that have been forgotten or are only known to a few in World of Warcraft. Did you know them already?
World of Warcraft has delighted players for more than a decade, and over the years, a lot of useless knowledge has accumulated that we are eager to share with the world. That’s why we have gathered seven facts here that only a few WoW veterans still know.
[toc]
Discovering Magic
Did you know that mages used to have a spell called “Detect Magic”? That was the only way to see active buffs on an enemy, as only debuffs were displayed on enemies back then. “Detect Magic” originated from the Pen&Paper game “Dungeons&Dragons”, on which many magic effects in World of Warcraft are based.
Ragnaros could melt weapons
Ragnaros, the Firelord and final boss from Molten Core, had a particularly nasty ability. As a passive effect, he could melt the weapons of melee fighters, causing them to lose durability much faster. Because of this, some players even had multiple weapons in their inventory to swap out during combat when one of them had no durability left.
Tirion hates the corrupted Ashbringer
In Classic, players could obtain the weapon “Corrupted Ashbringer” from Naxxramas. It was the first weapon to speak to players and is now considered a relic that only very few players still possess. Even in Wrath of the Lich King, Blizzard remembered this weapon and included an Easter Egg. When wearing the weapon, all Argent Dawn members became hostile – even within the Icecrown Citadel raid! This allowed players to fight against Tirion Fordring, as shown in this video:
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Anyone entering the city of Stormwind must pass by five statues dedicated to the great heroes of the Alliance. These are Khadgar, Alleria Windrunner, Danath Trollbane, Kurdran Wildhammer, and Turalyon. In WoW: Classic, all these characters were declared dead, as they were considered missing and it seemed unlikely that they had survived.
By the end of Legion, however, it is clear that all five characters are still alive and well. The builders of the statues seemed to have acted a bit prematurely.
Gnomes have no city because of the trolls
Actually, it was planned in Classic that the Gnomes would have their own capital city Gnomeregan. It was conceived as a capital and was supposed to offer everything that other capitals in World of Warcraft could also offer. However, due to a need for faction balance, and since the trolls also had no capital, the story of the gnomes was rewritten. Thus, the trolls are indirectly to blame for Gnomeregan being contaminated today.
Mages could unlock locks
Mages had different abilities in a beta version, also inspired by Pen&Paper. There was the spell “Khadgar’s Unlocking” that allowed players to unlock lockboxes and other locks. However, this never made it to the live servers and was reserved for rogues instead. Having portals, water, and bread would have been too many useful things for a class.
Shamans had a particularly hard time
Respeccing was an expensive thing in Classic, but for Horde shamans, it was a double problem. If an enhancement shaman decided to redistribute their talent points, they lost all weapon skills for two-handed axes and maces. To use such weapons, they needed the corresponding talent. With the loss of the talent, their weapon progress was also reset.
Which of these things did you not know yet? Do you have some WoW facts up your sleeve that hardly anyone knows?
In Fortnite, players are currently paying even closer attention to the shop. After everyone has been waiting for the Gingerbread Skin, they are finally back in the Fortnite shop today, December 22.
What everyone is waiting for this Christmas: The fans in Fortnite are currently most concerned with the question of when the skin “Merry Marauder” will return.
This is the Gingerbread Skin, which features a strangely angry-looking figure made of gingerbread. It has become quite a cult.
Adventsagitator (Episch – Weihnachten)
Ginger Gunner (Episch – Weihnachten)
What is so special about this skin? According to Fortnite Skins, the Merry Marauder Skin has been in the shop 6 times. However, that was in January 2018. It hasn’t been in the game for 11 months.
A female version of the skin, the “Ginger Gunner”, was last seen in January as well. Overall, it could be purchased 4 times in the shop.
Back then, Fortnite wasn’t nearly as big as it is today. The rise of Fortnite only began in January 2018. Apparently, many players want these Gingerbread Skins back for Christmas 2018 to buy them with saved V-Bucks.
Hint in the Battle Pass regarding the Gingerbread Skin. Source: Reddit
Are there hints that the Gingerbread Skin will come back to the shop? Yes, there are some hints. And people are actively looking for these hints:
A few days ago, players noticed that the “Gingerbread Skin” is now part of a new set. The Gingerbread Set.
Additionally, there was a hint hidden in the Battle Pass of Season 7.
And the concept art circulating in the title image is seen by many as a teaser for the return of the Gingerbread Man. It is speculated that the Gingerbread Skin could return burnt. (via reddit)
But until the Gingerbread Skin is really back in the shop, players will probably open Fortnite each night a bit more curiously than usual to take a look at the shop.
In an interview, a developer recently spoke about the gameplay of Anthem. Singleplayer fans should also have their fun, but the online shooter is said to truly shine when played together with other players.
In Anthem, everything is supposed to revolve around exploring the world with other players. While teammates are not a requirement, the game might feel less rewarding in singleplayer, according to a developer.
What is it about? In an interview with the official PlayStation Magazine, Anthem developer Thomas Singleton from BioWare recently discussed the gameplay of the shooter. The team is very proud to connect connectivity and co-op gameplay with storytelling, which is rarely done this way.
We drive the team dynamics forward, that’s where the game really convinces. Anthem particularly shines in a squad. You play as a unit together to complete various missions. If someone wants to experience it solo, which is also an option, it probably won’t be as rewarding because you simply don’t have that team dynamic. The game scales whether you’re playing alone or with three other players.
How is it played solo? A while ago, BioWare stated that solo play in Anthem truly means playing alone. Unlike other titles from the studio, players in singleplayer are not supported by AI companions.
Some players criticize the decision not to replace a missing squad of real players with AI companions. One reason is the fear that the story might suffer due to multiplayer and that one can’t focus as much on the narrative.
If a few dozen zombies are not enough for you, then you should check this out. The Black Masses sets the bar high for real zombie hordes.
What is The Black Masses? In The Black Masses, you land alone or in co-op on an island of approximately 16 km² and face a lot of problems in the form of possessed ones. They behave like clichéd zombies, shambling and running towards the player upon approach. In addition to various weapons, such as swords and axes, there are also various types of enemies. Not only weak zombies roam around, but also possessed knights and even demons with particularly nasty attacks.
Violence and dismemberment are very evident: What immediately stands out is the high degree of brutality, as the possessed not only lose liters of blood but can also be specifically dismembered. Arms and legs often fly across the screen, which is sure to be a pleasure for all splatter fans.
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The high masses of enemies, which is unique for first-person games, is based on the same engine that was also used for the “Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator,” where players could recreate massive battles. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration to see 1000 or more zombies on the screen simultaneously.
More than just masses and brutality? Whether The Black Masses can convince in other areas remains to be seen. So far, the demo material from the pre-alpha looks impressive mainly due to the large number of simultaneously present enemies. Otherwise, the gameplay still seems immature, the enemies boring, and the rest of the gameplay rather “meh.” But maybe The Black Masses still has other aspects that can excite later…
When will The Black Masses be released? Currently, the title is listed on Steam with a release date of “Spring 2019” – that is, within the next 4-6 months.
Are you looking forward to slicing through true hordes of enemies? Or does it all look far too monotonous?
Blizzard is going through a cost-cutting phase. The company needs to become more efficient and that requires financial sacrifices.
In recent days and weeks, reports about internal changes at Blizzard have increased. Just recently, we reported that 100 European employees in the support team will leave by 2019. This was about an offer where employees receive money if they voluntarily resign.
Now Kotaku has reported that many more measures are being taken to save costs at Blizzard and work more efficiently in the coming years.
Severance offers for other departments: Initially, the possibility for a paid exit was only intended for customer service employees, but in recent months, this offer has been extended to other departments as well. Now, IT and QA employees can also take advantage of this offer and effectively receive a severance payment.
Blizzard wants to cut costs: Several Blizzard employees are in contact with colleagues from Kotaku and report that finances now play a significant role. In the past, the finance department operated more “behind the scenes” and had no say in matters. As developers, they hardly saw them. Now, the finance department is present in many meetings.
It is said:
“Many decisions are now made by business, marketing, and finance people. There are real conflicts between the developers and the business people. Strategic decisions are driven by the finance department.”
“Reducing costs” is preached monthly: Employees are constantly reminded that costs need to be reduced and efficiency increased. This is addressed monthly and is much more than just an empty phrase. Many employees feel that there is seriousness behind this statement. Internally, there are already murmurs about many layoffs for 2019.
Games are safe, everything else is not: It has been repeatedly reported that cuts are not being made in the actual development of games – with the exception of Heroes of the Storm. The development teams remain in a good financial position and in some cases even receive new hires to advance the development of multiple games simultaneously.
Is everything just becoming more efficient? It is also possible that all these changes within Blizzard could lead to improvements in the long run. Even if Blizzard is moving away from many values they once stood for. It is probably too early to judge whether these changes are positive or negative for the players.
What do you think of all the changes and reports surrounding Blizzard? Is a sign of change a good thing and optimistic? Or is it just another step down the spiral?
In Trainer Battles of Pokémon GO, players also receive rewards. We show you what these are like.
What are Trainer Battles? Since early December, you can engage in direct combat against other players in a direct battle. A total of three Pokémon can be sent into battle, and whoever can defeat all of the opponent’s Pokémon wins the match.
Both winners and losers receive a reward. This is the same regardless of whether you win or lose. But what rewards can you get?
What you receive as a reward from PvP
Similar to Adventure Sync packages of rewards are also given here. However, these are significantly smaller.
The rewards from Trainer Battles
This is how the distribution of rewards works: Upon finishing a battle against a friend, you can receive one to two packages. Each package can contain the following:
1 Sinnoh Stone
500 Stardust
1 Rare Candy
1 Fast TM
1 Charged TM
It should be noted that the Sinnoh Stone is a relatively rare reward. It’s even rarer to receive two packages. Therefore, the standard reward is 500 Stardust.
This is how many rewards you get per day: You can claim three rewards from PvP each day. After three successful battles, you won’t receive any more rewards.
The rewards from Team Leader Battles
This is how the distribution of rewards works: Those who battle Team Leaders receive similar rewards to those from Trainer Battles. You can also receive one or two packages of rewards. Here, the Stardust rewards are slightly lower. Per package, you can receive the following:
300 Stardust
400 Stardust
500 Stardust (only for battles in the Master League)
1 Sinnoh Stone
1 Rare Candy
1 Fast TM
1 Charged TM
This is how many rewards you get per day: In battles against Team Leaders, you only receive a reward from the first battle each day. Together with Trainer Battles, you will thus receive a total of four rewards.
How rare is the Sinnoh Stone? Some players have yet to receive a Sinnoh Stone from Trainer Battles. The Sinnoh Stone is definitely a rare item from Trainer Battles. On Reddit, some players report a probability of 1 in 8. However, this has not yet been evaluated and confirmed.
Do you have any questions about PvP or want to know details? Then check out our comprehensive guide to Trainer Battles:
