InFortnite: Battle Royale a new item has recently been announced. It is the previously hinted Snowboard. But is a mobility item even sensible?
What’s the deal with the Snowboard? Anyone starting the game client of Fortnite will immediately notice the new “Driftboard” in the news. This is likely the “Snowboard” that was already seen in the first two teasers for Season 7.
What can the Driftboard do? Not much is known about that. From the description text, we know that the Driftboard is supposed to be a “one-person vehicle”. You can only ride it alone. The name Driftboard also suggests that you can slide around tight corners with it.
Whether the board only works on snow or is meant to be some kind of floating hoverboard is unclear. It would make more sense if you could ride it anywhere and it was one of the already known hoverboards from PvE mode.
When will the new item be released? Since it has already been announced in the game, the Driftboard should probably come with the upcoming update this week. That would typically be between December 18th and 19th, 2018.
Players are skeptical
How does the community react to the new item? Players are only partially excited so far. Some clearly praise that there can never be enough vehicles and mobility items. For them, the cool board is a good idea.
However, many players are starting to have enough. It’s simply not acceptable that Epic introduces a new potentially game-changing item every week. Players are already zipping through the foliage with zip lines and flying through the air with planes.
With a board, even more players would be racing around at breakneck speed, which is a bit too fast for some fans. Epic should rather fix the existing problems in the game instead of constantly patching in new items and potential sources of errors.
Especially now, after Epic recently showed some insight and both banned the sword and nerfed the planes, a new speed item is a red flag for many concerned players.
Sony has introduced a new feature for gamers and inadvertently made the player counts of many games on PlayStation 4 visible. This has sparked the interest of many people. On MeinMMO, you’ll find out how many players are playing The Elder Scrolls Online, Overwatch, and No Man’s Sky on PS4.
This is how many players are playing the games: The website gamstat.com provides the current player counts for many PS4 games. The data was collected from November 20 to December 3.
Overwatch: Rank 15 with 10,200,000 players
The Elder Scrolls Online: Rank 36 with 3,950,000 players
No Man’s Sky: Also Rank 36 with 3,950,000 players
The player counts are roughly rounded and not exact.
For the trophies, it is then shown how many players own that trophy. In the games themselves, one can find out the percentage of trophy owners.
From these two numbers, it can be calculated how many players have ever played ESO, Overwatch, or No Man’s Sky and linked it with their PS4 account.
The interest in the numbers
This is why people are interested: Most players just want to know the player counts to find out how popular their favorite games actually are. They don’t gain much more than the assurance of being on trend.
Other players compare the player counts out of pure curiosity with the populations of their countries. In a reddit thread, users are fascinated by the fact that nearly as many people play FIFA 18 as live in Canada.
However, most publishers would probably prefer that the numbers were not public. This allows competitors to see how popular their games are and how their own brands compare.
It’s also not particularly beneficial for the image. Especially for games whose player counts do not look strong, the situation is quite unpleasant.
Are the numbers reliable? An absolute ranking of the most popular and least popular games on PS4 cannot yet be created. Gamstat.com currently lacks some data for that.
For games like H1Z1, player counts are currently only known from the Europe and Australia regions. For others, rounding errors or outdated trophy counts may also play a role.
It is also clear that this refers to the total player counts, meaning all people who have ever acquired an account for the game. It is not the counts of active players who have logged into The Elder Scrolls Online, Overwatch, or No Man’s Sky in recent months or weeks.
This also includes trial accounts that have installed the game for free.
The method itself seems to be reliable. If the trophy numbers from Sony are correct, then the player counts are also likely to be accurate.
What interests you about knowing how many players are playing your favorite games?
Out of nowhere, the studio Snail Games has released a new zombie MMO called “Fear the Night.” We show you a first glimpse.
On Steam, the game developer Snail Games announced a new zombie MMO. Under the name “Fear the Night,” players take on the role of survivors of a zombie apocalypse.
We show you a first glimpse at the new MMO and tell you how to play the game.
This is what Fear the Night looks like
What is Fear the Night about? You play as the survivors of a zombie apocalypse and must fight your way through nature. In the survival MMO, you must not only fight against zombies but also against robots. They have turned against humanity as well.
The robots were deployed by the government to fight against the zombies, but they have now turned into killer robots that threaten humanity. Your task is to hack the robots and turn them back against the zombies.
A trailer shows you that you can team up with other players in a group and fight the undead together.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1sa41v23E
This is why you should fear the night: While you search for food and weapons during the day and set up a safe shelter, you must dread the undead at night. Only then will the zombies become active, and you must defend yourself properly. This is somewhat reminiscent of the PvE mode in Fortnite.
This is special about the game: The game features a 24-hour online system, so your character remains active even when you’re inactive. You must find a safe shelter before you log out of the game.
How do I get the game? The game was unexpectedly released in Early Access on Steam. Interested players can download it there. Currently, the game costs $11.24, but the price is expected to increase to $14.99.
What do you think of the new survival MMO “Fear the Night”?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The newly introduced action RPG MMO Pagan Online by Wargaming has released a gameplay trailer for the first time. In it, you can see the action battles, three classes, and the graphic style of the “Diablo MMO”.
https://youtu.be/OaR9nyIo8rc
What is Pagan Online?Pagan Online is an action RPG in the style of Diablo, primarily aimed at old-school fans of the genre. In the new gameplay trailer for the game, you can now see for the first time what all is included in the game.
What is included in the video? Among other things, we learn the following information from the video:
You always begin your adventures by crashing down from the heavens directly into the instance (Battle Arena). There you will slay monsters and gather loot.
Three classes are visible: a hefty warrior with a hammer, who is likely a tank. There’s also a mustached axe-wielder, probably a DPS class. A petite woman with a whip rounds out the selection. Due to her “Healing Symbol” above the portrait, she is likely a support class.
You likely have seven slots for skills and one for potions. The abilities are mapped to the three mouse buttons, as well as Shift, Space, and the keys E and F. Pagan Online will initially only be released for PC.
The graphics are bright and colorful, which slightly resembles the thematically similar Torchlight Frontiers.
For more information about the game, you can find our report and interview from the Wargaming Fest 2018 here.
The military MMO War Thunder has broken the sound barrier with the new giant update 1.85 Supersonic. Therefore, there are now supersonic aircraft with guided missiles. In addition, there are Italian tanks, more ships, and maps.
What’s included in update 1.85? The new update 1.85 “Supersonic” is both the last and biggest update that War Thunder will receive in 2018. It is packed with the following features:
Supersonic Aircraft: The latest planes are jets that can reliably break the sound barrier for the first time.
New Weapons: With the supersonic jets come early forms of guided missiles.
Italian Tanks: The Italians are now also active on the ground and have some extremely odd tanks with them.
New Ships: New cruisers and destroyers await you in the naval combat mode.
New Maps: The locations Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Tierra del Fuego are added.
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These are the new aircraft: Aircraft can now be researched up to rank VI. The new planes at this rank include supersonic aircraft, such as the American F-100D Super Sabre, the British Gloster Javelin Mk 9, and the Soviet MiG-19PT.
In battles at supersonic speed, the physics engine will show, among other things, the conical cloud disc effect that occurs when breaking the sound barrier. On the ground, you can even hear the characteristic sonic boom.
New Weapons for Aerial Combat: Aircraft at rank VI and helicopters in the game can now be equipped with infrared-guided air-to-air missiles. However, these are early versions that are not as maneuverable as modern projectiles. They can be avoided. Helicopters also have flares to fend off the heat seekers.
The Italian Tanks
These are the new tanks from Italy: Almost 30 new Italian vehicles and tanks from the 1930s to the end of the Cold War have come to the game with the update. These include vehicles like the Breda 501 and the fast tank destroyer B1 Centauro. The anti-aircraft tank OTOMATIC has a powerful 7.6 cm gun that can perforate both tanks and aircraft with the appropriate ammunition.
These additional vehicles are included in the update: The USSR finally receives the battle tank T-72A f, the US and Japan get the missile-equipped infantry fighting vehicles M3 Bradley and Type 89. Great Britain receives the Israeli Sho’t Kal Dalet, a modified version of the British battle tank Centurion. This tank was used in the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War.
The New Ships
These ships are included in the update: For naval battles, there are two new destroyers and four new cruisers USS Raleigh (USA), KMS Köln (Germany), HMS Dido (Great Britain), and Krasny Krym (Soviet Union). The British Royal Navy is now also available with more than two dozen warships for all players.
The Additional Locations
These maps are included in the update: Vietnam is a new location for tank drivers. Expect dense jungle in it. For aircraft, there is the mountainous map Afghanistan. Ship captains, on the other hand, will engage in naval battles at the archipelago “Tierra del Fuego” at the southernmost point of South America.
Recently, Sony launched the new “My PS4 Life” web tool. It allows players to share their gameplay information with others. However, it also apparently makes it possible to draw conclusions about the player counts and sales of all PS4 titles.
Sony may have revealed the player counts of all its titles. However, this is not a PSN hack or data theft. A new web tool from Sony apparently makes it possible to read the exact player counts. And this is how it works.
This is how My PS4 Life works: On the official homepage of Sony’s My PS4 Life PS4 players can create a personal video. The video captures which games have been played and which trophies have been earned.
Players can share the video with others and also view the videos of other players.
What exactly does My PS4 Life reveal? My PS4 Life reveals specific player counts for an achievement. For example, according to My PS4 Life, 33,764 players have earned the trophy “Photo Bomber” on the PS4. This is a trophy that exists in Fallout 76.
Now, you can check the trophy itself to see what percentage of all players have reached this achievement. In the case of Fallout 76, it is 8.3%.
From these two numbers, it can easily be inferred that a total of 406,795 players must have played Fallout 76 on the PS4.
What is the problem with this? If these numbers are even somewhat accurate, it is a big problem for Sony. Many companies want to keep their player or sales figures secret from the public and the competition at all costs.
In light of these numbers, Fallout 76 appears in a very poor light. 400,000 is a small number compared to how Red Dead Redemption has nearly 6 million or Black Ops 4 has 9 million, or even flops like Mass Effect Andromeda with 2.2 million players fared compared to that.
It is certainly not in Bethesda’s interest for such numbers to further strengthen the already harsh criticism of their latest Fallout installment and provide new points for attack.
Games with the most players on PS4 (Source: gamstat.com)
Check out the player counts yourself: After this connection was discovered, some enthusiasts set up a site that lists all the player counts discovered so far for PS4 games.
On the site gamstat.com, you can currently see 98 games along with their respective numbers. Leading the pack are GTA V (51,700,000 players) and FIFA 16-18 (28-32 million players).
How accurate is the data from My PS4 Life? That cannot be said for sure yet.
For games that have been released recently, such as in November, the data from the last weeks may not have been considered. There is no exact information on this.
Furthermore, in some cases, it is not possible to draw a conclusion about the direct sales figures. Some numbers may be misleading, as titles like Deus Ex or Destiny 2 have already been available for free to all subscribers in the context of PS Plus.
Also, used and resold games are not taken into account in these numbers.
However, for numerous games, there is indeed a direct correlation. And based on what is already known about the sales of various titles, it seems that these numbers and the calculation method are reliable.
It remains exciting to see how Sony and game publishers will respond to this.
Here we have the player counts of some games that we also cover on MeinMMO:
A The Elder Scrolls Online player has accidentally managed to play as the loot box cat Pacrooti. This sparked a desire among many players to also ride on loot boxes through Tamriel.
Players are asking ESO developer Zenimax for a loot box as a mount for Christmas. But what is this bizarre wish all about? The answer lies with the famous NPC Pacrooti.
Pacrooti, the Loot Box Cat
Who is Pacrooti? The Khajiit Pacrooti has had a steep career. Initially just one of the players’ helpers providing them with crafting materials, he is now responsible for the loot boxes in The Elder Scrolls Online. He sells and opens your Crown Boxes and gives you their contents as cards with item value. Most players appreciate Pacrooti very much.
Players are after Pacrooti’s box. Does the poor cat have to stand soon?
While he carries out his activities, he sits on a simple wooden box with a symbol on it. A “Crown Box,” as the loot boxes are called in ESO.
A player plays as Pacrooti: Due to a glitch, a player managed to take control of Pacrooti and steer him. In the video on Reddit, Pacrooti “slides” with his wooden box across Tamriel. What is amusing to watch has led some players to an idea: What if players could also travel across Tamriel on Crown Boxes?
“All I want for Christmas is a Crown Box mount”
The idea resonates with many players. The comment with the most upvotes on Reddit expresses what some wish for: A Crown Box mount for Christmas.
A player wants to see the feet of this spider mounted on Pacrooti’s box.
What should a loot box mount look like? But when it comes to implementation, opinions differ. Players have different ideas on how such a mount could be lore-friendly implemented:
A player suggests that Zenimax should simply give the box the legs of a Dwemer spider. The box would then be carried through the world by these little legs.
Another player generally likes the idea of the player simply sliding the box along the ground. However, the player should move their legs accordingly on the ground, as if they were moving on an office chair with wheels.
There would be enough Crown Boxes for all players.
Whether and in what way Zenimax will implement a loot box mount is still up in the air.
What do you think about a loot box mount? Great idea or totally ridiculous?
A strange NPC with a bunch of little kittens has appeared in a dungeon in World of Warcraft some time ago. Players wondered what the cat lady could be about. Now it’s clear: You need her for a mount.
This was the status: In August 2018, a new NPC appeared in the Legion dungeon Court of Stars, which players do not have to fight. The Nightborne Lady Chaton is a friendly NPC you can talk to.
Back then, Lady Chaton raised several questions. Players pondered for a long time what the elf could be about and suspected there was a puzzle behind it. They were right, at least in part.
Lady Chaton with kittens. Image source: wowhead.
Lady Chaton’s Kittens: Part of the Hive Mind
Who is Lady Chaton? The Nightborne Lady Chaton, whose name translates from French as “kitten”, is an NPC in the Court of Stars. She lives in a house near the second boss, Talixae Flamewreath.
She is surrounded by five little kittens:
Mauntz
Graupelz
Bella
Schatten
Frau Flauschibausch
The kittens can be petted. Every time you pet them, they receive a stack of the “Pet” buff.
Here you will find Lady Chaton. Image source: wowhead.
This is what the kittens are for: Lady Chaton, or more specifically her kittens, are part of a new puzzle in World of Warcraft. The buff they receive when petted is used to enter a code.
Players need this code to get an item for the scavenger hunt for the new mount “Hive Mind”. The Hive Mind is a mount that looks like a flying brain.
Similar to other puzzle mounts, the Hive Mind requires a long series of hidden tasks to be completed in a group. Recently, it’s been revealed what you all need to do.
What do you think about Lady Chaton being integrated into the Hive Mind? For more exciting news and interesting info about WoW, also visit our WoW page on Facebook.
The Twitch channel of streamer and former Overwatch pro Félix “xQc” Lengyel is once again making headlines. This time, however, it is not the scandalous streamer himself, but his mother who is causing reactions in the community.
This is what happened: The streamer xQc streamed some rounds of Bloodborne for his viewers on the weekend of December 16th. But the highlight of the stream turned out to be neither Bloodborne nor xQc’s famous outbursts.
Instead, the streamer’s mother was in the spotlight. She brought xQc food. To avoid being noticed, she crawled on all fours through the door into the room. Unfortunately, the camera was right on that door.
The action brought joy to the community. xQc himself reacted less calmly, rather somewhat resigned and annoyed, perhaps even embarrassed, when mom left again. The clip has now received over 160,000 views.
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Viewers clip “Part 2”: After xQc at least somewhat covered the situation and immersed himself further into Bloodborne, mom apparently did not understand the hint.
xQc continued his Bloodborne stream. A little later, “Sneaky-Mom” crept back into the room and presented her son with a plate of food. xQc’s chat definitely enjoyed that.
Dad Also Wants to be on TV: Sitting in front of a live camera seems to be a common preference in the Lengyel family.
On another occasion, xQc’s father wandered into his room and sat on his son’s bed. xQc’s reaction here is much more relaxed. Maybe also because he was just watching videos with his chat.
Somewhat confused, the streamer merely turned to his father and said: “Dad, I’m streaming. I mean, you can stay if you want, but this is exactly the angle of the camera. So, if you don’t want to be filmed.”
So, these brief interruptions don’t seem to have been that tragic. However, xQc also explained to his mother in February 2018 how Twitch works during a live stream.
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This is what’s currently happening with xQc: In November 2018, xQc confronted Overwatch and the community. He threw around wild insults and apparently hung up Overwatch both as a pro and as a streamer.
He has already been noticed several times for misconduct in the Overwatch League and was released by his team. His rather aggressive nature also frequently comes to the fore in the streams. xQc’s apology was then: “I’m a child of the Twitch chat.”
Whether the distance from Overwatch is doing him good remains to be seen. At least he hasn’t yelled at his parents and remained relatively calm. Unlike an Australian streamer who was reported for assault.
At the Wargaming Fan Fest 2018 in Moscow, alongside World of Tanks, the new game Pagan Online was also represented. There was some new information from the developer about this “Diablo-MMO”.
What is Pagan Online? Pagan Online is an unreleased action RPG MMO from Wargaming, the creators of World of Tanks. Pagan Online is themed around Slavic mythology and is primarily aimed at fans of classic action RPGs.
Who is Pagan Online for? The game is clearly aimed at Diablo fans who are frustrated with the current game development. So, it targets players who are not interested in mobile versions like Diablo Immortal and prefer the good old PC as a platform: the classic old-school gamers who really enjoyed Diablo 2 and similar games.
The Six Pillars of Pagan Online
At the press conference in Moscow for Wargaming Fest 2018, Wargaming’s Publishing Director Yaropolk Rash presented further information about Pagan Online.
Pagan Online is made up of the following: He also mentioned six fundamental principles that define a good action RPG.
Loot: Your loot should dictate the game style. However, in the end, skill should count more than pure gear power. There should be “endless” loot to satisfy every collecting instinct.
Challenge: The areas are called “Battle Arenas”, which are instances that should offer different challenges depending on the session. The goal is “strategic sessions of satisfying destruction”. The fights are meant to be dynamic and action-packed, drawing on MOBA and MMORPG elements.
Story: Pagan Online is based on pre-Christian Slavic mythology. The world of the gods of the ancient Slavic peoples has hardly been explored in games in the West and offers plenty of material for exciting and dark stories. For instance, the dark god Czernobog is supposed to play a role as the arch-nemesis.
Progress: In Pagan Online, you should not only level up one hero but build up a whole “family” of characters that you can play depending on the challenge.
Planning: The developers want to create a synergy system where the combination of effects, abilities, and characters will play a bigger role than their individual status values.
They also want to give players the opportunity to test various character combinations in raids and other content. All you need is “a PC and two hands.” A clear jab at Blizzard and their controversial mobile game Diablo Immortal.
Believable World: The developers want to create a living and constantly growing world in which every new battle and every day will be different from the last. They plan to use storytelling and instances with different choice options.
Interview with Wargaming
The basic concepts of Pagan Online sounded good on paper, but we wanted to know more. So we asked Yaropolk in the interview a few more things that were on our minds.
Yaropolk Rash, the Publishing Director at Wargaming.
MeinMMO: Pagan Online will not be an open-world game. How is the world then structured? Yaropolk: We have boundaries for the genre, we see no need for sandbox and open-world action RPGs. However, we have a dual concept of how to keep the world alive and evolving: changes to the environment and the monsters, as well as tactical leveling.
In Pagan Online, you are literally dropped from the sky into the “Battle Arena” (which are instances). In that, you have a task and you must go from A to B. What you experience along the way is different every time you enter the instance – even if it is the same instance.
In one run, you might encounter a goblin around the corner, and in another a big elite monster that one-hits you. It would then make sense to try a different class or gear. The map is the same in every arena, but the contents change.
MeinMMO: Are there quests?
Yaropolk: Yes, there are quests. There is also a main story line that guides you through the game.
MeinMMO: The game is called Pagan Online. How can one imagine the online features?
Yaropolk: Initially, it is a natural extension of your solo experience. You start off alone and are gradually introduced to the multiplayer part. Then there will be 2-player groups, then 3-player groups, and finally 4-player groups, which is the initial maximum.
There will be encounters that require this number of players and specific combinations of skills and classes. Just like in a raid in an MMORPG, where one needs to master DPS and tank rotations to win. There will be bosses and trash mobs.
We actually want to create a good experience for MMORPG players, with everything they know and love from the past. But in a shorter time. You don’t have to invest many hours every time if you have limited time.
Additionally, the combat system will resemble a MOBA with positioning and skill shots.
MeinMMO: How can one imagine the combat system? Yaropolk: I also like to compare it to the Berserker class in Everquest 2. You pull massive mobs and then smash them with AoE skills.
But the MOBA comparison fits as well, especially as everyone knows how a MOBA plays. We also have skill shots and you have to actively dodge and position yourself.
MeinMMO: What about classes?
Yaropolk: Yes, there are. A lot of them. But special classes, not your typical D&D classes. There will be six classes available at launch, including the classic Berserker and Paladin. But 4 of those classes will blow you away. They will do things quite differently.
You will then be able to further customize the gameplay of the class when you equip it with certain items. This way, you can also change your gameplay significantly. For instance, the Berserker can become a fire-damage or ice-Berserker. Ice would be a control hero, while fire would be more focused on DoT.
Release and Expectations
When is Pagan Online coming out? No exact date was given, but it was mentioned that the game will be released in 2019. However, one can expect playable versions by the first quarter of 2019.
https://youtu.be/OaR9nyIo8rc
What are the chances of success for Pagan Online? Fundamentally, Pagan Online could resonate well with old-school Diablo fans and friends of hack and slay. With numerous jabs at Blizzard during the presentation, Wargaming clearly has this type of player in mind. However, for this audience, there is already the highly praised Path of Exile.
It remains to be seen whether Wargaming can establish its own niche with its game. We will definitely keep an eye on the game and follow its further development.
The online mode of Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Online, is plagued by griefers. Rockstar has now announced that they will take action against this. However, only in 2019, then further updates are planned.
This is how Red Dead Online will continue in 2019: The studio Rockstar has announced that they have thoroughly reviewed the suggestions and feedback from players in the Red Dead Online beta.
They are currently working on updates that should come early in 2019. These updates are supposed to:
implement many of the key points in player feedback
further improve balance in gameplay
and introduce new anti-griefing measures that are currently in the works
This is the problem with griefers: Currently, “griefers” are arguably the biggest topic in the Red Dead Online community. The problem is that there is practically no protection against them and they can impose PvP on anyone.
Players fear that Red Dead Online will end up like GTA Online: which is known for its trolls and toxic community. Hardly anyone can play in peace without being bothered.
What countermeasures do fans want? Players have a number of suggestions for how Rockstar should take action against griefers:
A bounty system that places rewards on PvP players, so they think twice before attacking innocents
A “passive” mode that protects players from unwanted PvP
Or at least making players no longer visible to others on the map
Whether Rockstar will choose one of these measures or plans something completely different, we will likely only find out in 2019. The previous updates of Red Dead Online were mostly about bug fixes.
However, microtransactions have now become a new aspect of the game, although they are controversial:
Just in time for Christmas, the children in a French hospital received an unexpected gift from the local police. A happy coincidence played into the hands of the officers.
Actually, the hospital Centre Hospitalier Sud Francilien de Corbeil-Essonnes was in a predicament. After their partnership with a toy store abruptly ended, the Christmas gifts for the children in the ward looked bleak. Therefore, the hospital launched a fundraising campaign, which by a happy coincidence, the French police could participate in.
What happened? During a search at the home of a suspicious man, the officers of the French police discovered four brand new stolen PS4 consoles. There was, however, no report of theft and the police could not identify the owners of the devices. Accordingly, the responsible prosecutor decided that the devices should actually be destroyed.
But things turned out differently. Instead of destroying the still-packaged devices, the officers decided to donate them to the hospital and bring joy to the kids there. “It’s the first time we redistribute stolen goods,” said one of the police officers.
What does the hospital staff say? Despite the common prejudices against video games, the hospital staff was happy about the donation from the police. The director, Thierry Schmidt, said: “We have children here who would all rather be somewhere else and play with other kids. The topic of toys is therefore very important, but we do not have the budget to buy them.”
Department head Sebastien Rouget also shares this opinion. The video games provide the children with a way to escape the sad everyday life in the hospital. They distract the kids and make the often painful treatments more bearable. It is a recognized analgesic method, Rouget said.
The kids have no objection to this somewhat early Christmas gift, even though for now they can only play free-to-play games from the PSN store.
In the gamer community, there are also other nice stories:
A bus full of Pokémon GO players is going from raid to raid while raising $25,000 for a good cause.
In San Antonio, a major city in the USA, a bus regularly makes rounds. The bus is filled with Pokémon GO players who are on a raid tour.
The players on this raid tour pay a certain fee for participation. The proceeds are collected and donated to a good cause.
The Raid Bus on Tour
This is how the raid tour works: If you want to raid in San Antonio with Pokémon GO, you can’t miss the big tour bus that regularly drives through the streets, bringing players from raid to raid.
Those who want to join must purchase a ticket. Then the bus departs, and the participants guide the bus driver to one raid after another. Until every player has completed enough raids.
Those who purchase a ticket not only secure a seat on the bus but are also supplied with food and drinks throughout the day.
Additionally, the organizers host a Pokémon raffle on the bus. There, you can win all kinds of Pokémon gadgets.
However, the focus in this raid bus is on something entirely different: the proceeds from this raid tour are donated.
How Pokémon GO Players Raised Money
This is how the organizers raised money: Once the costs were covered, every additional dollar went into the donation pot. The organizers did not pocket any money but diligently collected the proceeds.
This initiative started in August 2017, and so far, the organizers of the raid tour have raised a total of $25,000.
This is where the donations went: The donations went to numerous organizations. Helping children and animals in need, but also assisting victims of a hurricane through the donations.
The focus was on donating and not on supporting a specific organization.
And what’s next? The raid bus continues its journey. The organizers are still diligently raising money, and the legendary Pokémon in San Antonio will continue to be defeated.
InFortnite: Battle Royale the airplane is a source of great trouble for many players. Therefore, Epic wants to implement a significant nerf. But is that enough?
What is going to change about the airplane? The controversial X-4 Stormwing airplane is supposed to deal more damage to its occupants when it explodes. Due to an initial nerf, this damage has already been increased to 25, but fans demanded 50.
Epic initially proposed a compromise and promised an increase to 35 damage points. However, the developers have now taken the feedback to heart and actually want to patch the demanded 50 damage points into the game.
When will the airplane nerf come? The nerf for the airplane is expected for the next update, which should probably come on December 18 or 19.
Is the nerf enough or is the airplane still too strong?
Why is the airplane too strong? The airplane is one of the extremely controversial items that were recently added to the game. After the turret and the Infinity Blade, the airplane is now the current hot topic in the community.
Many players are annoyed by the following advantages that airplane users have:
The airplane is a flying combat platform, as all passengers can shoot happily from there. The pilot also has a powerful machine gun with unlimited ammo.
Airplanes can easily crash through buildings, rendering fortifications useless.
Players can easily keep their distance from intense battles with the airplane and cause a lot of chaos in the endgame.
Even if the pilot completely messes up and crashes, they have nothing to fear as long as the airplane doesn’t explode.
Anyone who jumps out of the airplane can reuse their glider in any mode and thereby safely reach almost any location on the map.
What does the community say about the nerf? 50 guaranteed damage points upon the explosion of the airplane are a good start for many players, as injured passengers and pilots might quickly die if someone manages to shoot down an airplane.
However, this does not change the crazy stunts that can be performed with the airplane, and builders will still complain with a great deal of annoyance when yet another daring pilot comes crashing through their painstakingly constructed fortifications.
However, Epic is likely listening more to its players right now and may provide additional nerfs, as the infamous sword has mysteriously disappeared overnight:
Here are predictions for the upcoming Team of the Week 14 (TOTW 14) in FIFA 19. We show you forecasts on which players could receive a new Inform card in Ultimate Team this week.
The TOTW time in FUT 19: On December 19, the 14th Team of the Week will be released in FIFA 19. From 7 PM you can draw the special cards from packs for one week, until TOTW 15 takes over on December 26.
These are TOTW predictions: Based on their performances in the matches that have actually taken place, predictions are made about which players could be in the next Team of the Week in FIFA 19.
Predictions are never really 100% accurate, but they provide a good overview of likely Team of the Week players.
Prediction TDW 14: fifauteam
https://youtu.be/e2lSgK97azA
Starting XI:
Goalkeeper
GK: Yann Sommer (Borussia M.Gladbach)
GK: Alfred Gomis (SPAL 2013)
Defenders
RB: Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern)
CB: Borner (Arminia Bielefeld)
LB: Kieran Gibbs (West Bromwich Albion)
LB: Ricca (Malaga)
CB: Kaan Ayhan (Fortuna Duesseldorf)
CB: Daley Blind (Ajax)
Midfielders
RM: Bohar (Zaglebie Lubin)
LM: Guanca (Al-Ettifaq)
CM: Immers (ADO Den Haag)
RM: Hakim Ziyech (Ajax)
RM: Xherdan Shaqiri (Liverpool)
CM: Dennis Praet (Sampdoria)
CM: Ndiaye (Moreirense)
Forwards
ST: Gabriel Jesus (Manchester City)
ST: Sousa (Sporting Braga)
ST: Antoine Griezmann (Atletico Madrid)
ST: Deulofeu (Watford)
ST: Mario Gomez (VfB Stuttgart)
ST: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
ST: Ings (Southampton)
RF: Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona)
How to benefit from TOTW predictions: You can use the Team of the Week to earn a lot of coins. The value of TOTW players increases when they are in the Team of the Week. You can find more details in our GUIDE to TOTW Trading.
Dataminers have found hints of loot boxes in the code of Fallout 76 – and some of it sounds a bit like Pay2Win items.
Another shitstorm seems to be brewing over the online game Fallout 76 – should the dataminers’ information regarding Pay2Win loot boxes prove true.
Are loot boxes coming?
What happened? Dataminers have dissected the code of Fallout 76 in the new version 1.0.3.1. In it, there were hints of so-called “lunchboxes.”
These are supposed to be loot boxes that may soon be introduced into the online game.
What do the loot boxes bring? According to the code, it should be possible to purchase EXP and damage boosts as well as higher resistance to radiation and a higher carry capacity with the lunchboxes.
This sounds like possible Pay2Win to some players.
It remains to be seen how exactly these elements would affect the game. Does the damage bonus apply to PvP or “only” to PvE? How high is it? How much more can you carry with the boost? All of this is still unclear.
How do you acquire the lunchboxes? According to the dataminers, there are hints in the game’s code that you can only buy the loot boxes for real money.
Whether you might also receive the boxes as rewards for completing missions is unclear. It is also unclear whether you can buy the lunchboxes only for real money or also with in-game acquired atoms.
How reliable is this information? Since the code for the lunchboxes was introduced with the current update, this suggests that Bethesda intends to introduce loot boxes soon. However, it could also be that this is just some kind of test.
Additionally, lunchboxes are already integrated into Fallout Shelter. There, they give players cards with weapons, pets, outfits, resources, and more. The lunchboxes in Fallout Shelter can be purchased for money, but you can also earn them as rewards within the game.
Loot boxes for Fallout 76 have not yet been confirmed by the developers. Therefore, it is said to wait and see what happens.
https://youtu.be/M9FGaan35s0
How are players reacting? When it comes to loot boxes and Pay2Win, gaming communities usually boil over. Fans are now concerned that some of the features could be Pay2Win elements.
Additionally, so far there has only been talk of microtransactions for cosmetic items. If items like damage boosters were to be introduced, it could lead to trouble.
What is it about? Rockstar has recently introduced microtransactions for Red Dead Online, where the premium currency gold bars can also be purchased with real money. Gold bars could previously only be earned through significant grinding in the game itself.
The community is divided over the microtransactions: one camp is outraged by the prices while the others find it perfectly acceptable to either reach into their wallets for in-game items or “work hard” for them.
However, both groups are concerned that prices could skyrocket, as has already happened with GTA Online.
There is nothing worthwhile to buy
What are microtransactions for? According to Forbes, the introduction of microtransactions currently seems absurd, as there is nothing worthwhile in RDO that can be purchased with real money.
Thus, the MTX would really only be used to shorten the grind for their favorite items, which would simultaneously undermine the purpose of the game.
Players prefer to save for items that are yet to come
How do players spend their money? This seems to be the current opinion of Red Dead Online players as well.
Meanwhile, a story about a poor guy is making the rounds in the subreddit for Red Dead Redemption 2: A player spent 100 gold bars on a fast travel signpost for his camp.
After the purchase, however, he realized that he still had to spend in-game dollars for fast travel, even from his camp.
In the traditional multiplayer of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, there is currently a problem that takes away any fun from the game for many fans. And this problem is called Zero – the new specialist from the last update. What exactly is going on?
On December 11, the Operation Absolute Zero launched for Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 on PS4, the second season of the game. As part of this, Black Ops 4 received a new specialist, the female hacker Zero. However, although many were initially excited about the new character, Zero quickly caused enormous frustration and anger among players.
Zero is too powerful and turns the multiplayer of Black Ops 4 upside down
This is what Zero can do: This new specialist specializes in hacking. She can throw an EMP grenade that disables enemy equipment within a certain radius or even completely destroys it, interfering with the enemy HUD for some time.
Additionally, she can hack enemy special abilities and scorestreaks like mines, attack helicopters, or sentry guns with her special ability Ice Pick.
This is the problem with Zero: As her special ability currently works, Zero is by far the most powerful character in the traditional multiplayer part of Black Ops 4, overshadowing all other specialists. When used correctly, she can counter the entire enemy team by herself.
Her special ability Ice Pick not only hacks a specific scorestreak or special ability of an individual opponent – it hacks the entire enemy team. With proper timing, she can take over multiple scorestreaks and abilities simultaneously.
Not only is this an excellent counter that disables enemy equipment, but with Zero’s Ice Pick, all these scorestreaks and special abilities turn against their original owners. A strong team that is currently leading and has several scorestreaks running can be completely dismantled in seconds – with their own weapons.
Moreover, her special ability does not need to be earned like a scorestreak through hard work and without dying. You can even stay right at the spawn point and just get a few kills or shoot down scorestreaks like drones. Once Ice Pick is charged, you just have to wait for the right moment and then can really clean up.
Sure, the other team can also have a Zero and turn the game around, but that doesn’t make it less frustrating. In short: With one or even two Zeros on the team, the multiplayer experience changes significantly – for veterans as well as for beginners. Zero is currently too powerful overall and overshadows everything else.
This is bitter for many players and takes away any fun from the game for many.
This is what the fans say: The Black Ops 4 sub-Reddit is full of posts complaining about Zero. In her current state, the new specialist ruins the multiplayer experience – many players agree on this.
In addition to calls to completely remove Zero or overhaul her drastically, possibly with a new super, there are already concrete proposals for a quick solution. For example, it has been suggested that Zero should only be able to hack one player or should only disable scorestreaks and abilities rather than take them over.
This is how the developers react: As announced by Treyarch this morning, there will be a patch next Tuesday, December 18, that will weaken Zero. Among other things, her hack time for scorestreaks will be doubled and quadrupled for the attack helicopter. Additionally, further adjustments are to be made.
The patch will apparently arrive in conjunction with the release of Zero on Xbox One and PC, where the Operation Absolute Zero starts on December 18. Therefore, the problems with Zero should not occur there anymore – at least not in the same form and intensity as in the last 6 days on PS4.
For eleven years, there has been a personality in World of Warcraft that has often been debated for its usefulness. A troll from The Burning Crusade has always sold us strange goods. Now, his “Talisman of True Treasure Seeking” is finally needed.
Who is the troll? We are talking about Gaunah (in English: Griftah), who once sold “useful” equipment to players in Shattrath.
The troll, who is certainly not accidentally a troll, offers goods of questionable usefulness.
Trolls trolling.
The most famous talisman of World of Warcraft
This is what Gaunah sells: Gaunah has a small stand in the Lower Quarter of Shattrath. In his inventory, players find all sorts of stuff.
Most of it has no obvious usefulness. It was relatively expensive back then.
The description of most items corresponds to abilities that players already have, such as:
Rebirth with the spirit at the corpse
Swimming
Healing through food
However, there is one item in Gaunah’s inventory that has repeatedly been the source of jokes, discussions, and memes for a long time.
Gaunah in Shattrath.
The most important item: The most mysterious item from Gaunah has always been the “Talisman of True Treasure Hunting.”
An item that states: “If you wear this talisman, you may find the rarest treasures in the most unusual places with some luck.”
The item was sold by Gaunah for a lot of gold back in the “Burning Crusade” days. And some rogues have put it in the auction house for horrendous sums in recent years to trick newcomers who hoped for more loot luck with the item (via Blizzard Forum).
But for 11 years, the talisman has actually only been an Easter egg. It was often said in jest: “Try the talisman” when an item wouldn’t drop or was hard to find. But until today, this little gem was useless.
Gaunah’s inventory.
Now the talisman is important: Recently, Gaunah and the “Talisman of True Treasure Hunting” have become useful and even essential for current content.
Players who want to obtain the brain mount “Swarm Consciousness” must buy the Talisman of True Treasure Hunting from Gaunah. Only with this can they solve the new puzzles.
The talisman is needed for most parts of the treasure hunt since without it required items cannot be picked up.
Gaunah – the story of an NPC who became a meme
Gaunah in World of Warcraft: In Patch 2.2 of the Burning Crusade, players could encounter Gaunah for the first time. Since then, Gaunah has appeared more and more often.
Players encounter Gaunah in many expansions and at many locations:
In Mists of Pandaria, he can be found at Kun-Lai Summit.
Since Cataclysm, he has also been selling his amulets at the Darkmoon Faire.
In Legion, rogues could buy his stuff in their class hall.
Also, in Battle for Azeroth, Gaunah has found a new place. In Dazar’alor, he currently stands near the Great Seal and offers his wares there. Here, however, he sells somewhat different hocus-pocus, totems, and potions with questionable effects.
Gaunah even exists in Hearthstone now.
The Gaunah meme: For years, Gaunah has been a kind of running gag in the community. When people need certain items, it’s often said: “Maybe Gaunah has that on offer.”
Even if players are affected by a loot streak and never get the item they want, some suggest: “Maybe try Gaunah’s Amulet of True Treasure Seeking.”
This is how Gaunah became a meme in the WoW community.
Recently, there has been quite a calm around Conan Exiles, even here at MeinMMO. However, the survival MMO is actually doing great and on a good path to becoming even better. Many fans see it this way: The ratings are improving.
This is what’s happening in Conan Exiles: In a statement, Funcom recently announced that Conan Exiles will not have a Christmas event. Instead, the developers are continuing to work on new features and bug fixes that are more urgent.
In addition, there is a new Japan-themed DLC for all Samurai fans.
Conan Exiles is really cool right now
New features since release: Since the launch of Conan Exiles in May 2018, numerous new features and contents have been implemented:
The innovations cover a wide range of activities that are well-received by most players. Especially the companion system was something that was desired early on and was missing for players compared to the competitor Ark: Survival Evolved.
However, what is particularly important about the features is that they represent endgame challenges. If you don’t just want to survive, craft, or build, you constantly have new things to do in Conan Exiles.
What is there to do? For those who don’t know Conan Exiles or have no idea about survival games, the gameplay might be a bit overwhelming. Sandbox MMOs like Conan Exiles offer a lot of freedom.
The goal of the game is first and foremost to survive. However, that is not so easy in the inhospitable and dangerous world of Conan.
The most important features in Conan Exiles are:
Combat
Crafting and building
Story
Unlike many genre representatives, Conan Exiles has a story that players can experience. By following the tasks of the journey, they are guided through the story and can even “complete” the game.
However, for those who do not want to leave the wasteland, they can explore the vast map of the world, which has already been expanded to include a swamp and an icy north. It is advisable to expand and fortify a solid base – your own fortress.
Conan Exiles – a game for every taste?
This is how Conan Exiles plays best: Whether you play solo or in a group is entirely up to you. Conan Exiles can be played in both ways, even as a pure singleplayer.
In groups, the opportunity arises to form clans and fight against others in PvP, conquer their lands, or steal their resources. If you prefer to play peacefully, you can also conquer the many dungeons and bosses with a strong team.
Playing solo makes the Conan experience significantly harder. You constantly have to search for food and water while being careful not to get slaughtered by the next skeleton or player. If you play solo, you should like difficulty and pain.
In general, there is a suitable server for every taste. There are PvP and PvE servers and some that only allow specific PvP activities. There are servers for solo and duo players and for groups.
On private servers, there are mods and sometimes even role-playing communities. If you can’t find a public or private server that you like, you can rent your own server. Or you can play in a local game that you always have access to and that you design yourself.
Who is Conan Exiles suitable for? If you like challenges and enjoy biting into tougher opponents and tasks, you will surely be happy with Conan Exiles.
Conan Exiles is likely one of the toughest and most brutal survival games on the market. It is aimed at an adult audience that is not put off by blood and nudity and can also tolerate a bit of rough humor.
Some features can be adjusted to a certain extent. Nudity and blood can be reduced through settings. However, the harsh world of Conan the Barbarian remains just that: harsh.
As there are currently no events in Conan Exiles, particularly new players can now take their time to look at everything. They can experience the world without being distracted by events.
DLCs enhance the experience: For those who do not just want to fight for survival in a dreary desert with toxic spiders and bloodthirsty hyenas, they can now do so in style. Conan Exiles now offers four DLCs.
All DLCs contain purely cosmetic upgrades for weapons and armor, buildings, war paints, and even for companions. Players can choose from numerous styles:
Especially in the last DLC, skins for the new Katana weapons are available. Katanas are a new category of swords with faster attacks and more agile movements. This way, the combat styles can also be better adapted to player tastes.
Better ratings – fewer players
This is how the community finds Conan Exiles: The ratings on Steam have significantly improved recently. From just “mixed” ratings (68% positive, as of December 16 at 6:30 PM) for all reviews, they became “very positive” ratings (86%) in the last 30 days.
Players particularly praise the development that goes into Conan Exiles. Funcom takes care of continuously generating new content and giving players something to do. The frequently criticized bugs are being gradually eliminated.
From nearly 50,000 players in May, only around 8,000 players remain in December. Future updates could bring a resurgence. It would certainly be a blessing for the survival game.
