Here are Predictions for Team of the Week 9 (TOTW 9) in FIFA 19. We show you forecasts of which players could receive Inform cards in Ultimate Team this week.
The TOTW release time in FUT 19: On November 14, the 9th Team of the Week in FIFA 19 will be released. From 7 PM onwards, you can pull the special cards from packs for one week until TOTW 10 takes over on November 21.
These are TOTW Predictions: Based on their performances in the games that actually took place, predictions are made regarding which players could be included in the upcoming Team of the Week of FIFA 19.
While these predictions are not always 100% correct, they provide a good overview of potential Team of the Week players. For example, this week Marco Reus could receive an Inform card as CAM.
Prediction TDW 8: fifauteam
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How to trade with TOTW Predictions: The Team of the Week can be used to earn a lot of coins. The value of TOTW players increases drastically when they are on Team of the Week. You can find out more in our guide to TOTW trading.
The 3.3 update for the alpha of Star Citizen has been deployed to the live servers, while the test server has already received patch 3.3.5. Players are mostly excited, especially since the performance has noticeably improved.
A range of new features are currently delighting Star Citizen players. Among them is improved performance and the ability to purchase spaceships directly in-game. The next update will include a large planet with a city.
Improved Performance and More
This is what update 3.3 brings: After version 3.3 was initially tested on the test server, now all other players of Star Citizen can experience the new features:
The object container streaming system allows for better performance
In Teach’s Ship Shop in Levski, it is possible to buy spaceships directly in-game with in-game currency
Contractor Recco Battaglia takes care of the resource management of the space station
At Security Post Kareah, you fight in shooter battles against AI opponents
The next updates are already on the horizon: Right now, update 3.3.5 is on the test server, bringing with it the planet Hurston.
Hurston offers diverse vegetation
On the planet, you will find the city of Lorville
The object container streaming system will be further improved, positively affecting performance
Update 3.3.5 is expected to be deployed to the live servers later this month. Following that, in December, update 3.4 will include the following content:
Lorville will receive a business district
The two spaceships Anvil Hawk and Origin 600i Touring will be introduced
The Freelancer and Reliant Kore ships will be revamped
2019 Will Be Interesting for Star Citizen
These things won’t make it into the game in 2018: Not everything that was planned for Star Citizen this year will make it into the game. Fans will have to wait longer:
Playable female characters have been postponed to 2019
The city planet ArcCorp with its moons will not arrive until next year
The flight control will be overhauled in 2019
It will be possible to collect scrap
The reputation and law system as well as refineries, guilds, repairs, and refueling of ships will also follow in 2019
This is how players react to the update: The new update is well-received by players, even though there is still some criticism regarding the prices of the ships. The noticeably improved performance is especially praised. For many, it is finally possible to play without major stutter. For the live version 3.3.5, there was a call for fewer bugs in the missions.
Cage Storm states in the official forum: “I love it. Congratulations to everyone involved!”
Arrathor explains: “You can definitely feel the performance improvements. Port Olisar finally doesn’t feel like you’re walking through mud anymore.”
ermgerd42 says: “As version 3.3 shows, half of the missions don’t work correctly. It’s frustrating since they are the only way to get new ships with in-game currency.”
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In early 2019, Sea of Thieves introduces a new game mode called “The Arena.” PvP is at the center of it. For fans of competitive naval battles, this might be an incentive to play more.
The pirate adventure Sea of Thieves aims to make PvP fans happy with a new game mode. The developers at Rare have now presented “The Arena” with a trailer, showing fans what to expect.
Here, the battles between players are in focus. These take place on the water with ships or on land with firearms and swords.
The Arena – Trailer for Sea of Thieves
What is it about? The Arena will be released in early 2019 as a fifth free content update for Sea of Thieves. It will be a new game mode available alongside the well-known Adventure mode. Players will choose between Adventure mode or The Arena in the lobby.
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Crews in The Arena fight for the same treasure maps and treasures on the map. This should lead to exciting battles.
Who is this mode for? The Arena is the typical PvP combat of Sea of Thieves, but highly concentrated. All players compete against each other to see who brings the most loot to the new faction of Sea Dogs.
How many players fit in The Arena? Rare has not yet specified a precise number of players. In the trailer, a maximum of 4-5 ships can be seen at the same time. Whether that is the limit of the map remains unclear.
What do fans say about The Arena?
Opinions about the new game mode are divided among fans. One side of the players is excited to finally receive a pure PvP mode. Others wonder if it is really good to split the community like this.
Voices for The Arena mode:
On YouTube, user MixelPlx writes: “YES! Consider me an excited PvP player. The seas have been very quiet lately. See you in 2019!
Hitbotc writes on YouTube: “This is what we’ve all been waiting for!”
Concerns about splitting the player base: User billabamzilla writes on Reddit: “Splitting the player base. I’m not a fan.”
In the Sea of Thieves forums, user Hudson RL writes: “Great trailer, but I’m not very impressed with the idea of splitting the community into two different modes,” but he would be open to any opportunity to change his mind positively. He also mentions that he is somewhat disappointed because Sea of Thieves has drifted so far from the original game.
User Thor from Blitz writes: “I’m absolutely not a fan of having a separate game mode. Sure, we need more information on it, but I don’t like it so far.”
Player KeetaLurk comments on the topic: “Great disappointment from Rare. Every time someone asked about PvE servers, the answer was no. They didn’t want to split the community. And now there’s a new game mode for PvP.”
Regarding this topic, Dutrah_Arcade writes on Reddit: “Splitting the player base with a free update? It sounds more like it would drive away old players and bring in new players. Those are great news for PvP players.”
Other users write that they would have preferred more PvE content. However, the developers also have plans for this area.
New PvE content is also planned
For fans of new adventures in Sea of Thieves, Mike Chapman, Design Director at Sea of Thieves, has good news.
On Twitter, he writes: “It’s so exciting to introduce The Arena and all the fun it brings. But there are also new features, tools, and opportunities for adventurers.” He is already looking forward to working on unannounced updates. “More surprises are coming,” he says.
In Pokémon GO, you will soon be able to trade Pokémon with the Let’s GO games for the Nintendo Switch. We will show you how to do it.
On November 16, the games Pokémon Let’s GO, Pikachu and Let’s GO, Evoli will be released for the Nintendo Switch. For players of Pokémon GO, these two new games are significant because you can trade Pokémon between Pokémon GO and the two Let’s Go games.
The Japanese site for the “Let’s GO” games has now published a guide on how to use these games and Pokémon GO together. We will show you how to connect the games and explain how to trade Pokémon.
How to Connect the Games
To be able to trade between the Let’s GO games and Pokémon GO, it is important to connect the games. You can do this in the settings of the games as follows.
How to Connect Pokémon GO with Let’s GO
Tap the Pokéball icon at the bottom center of the screen
Open your settings in Pokémon GO
Look for the “Nintendo Switch” field and click on it
Click on “Connect to Nintendo Switch”
How to Connect Let’s GO with Pokémon GO
Press X to open the pause menu and then press Y to open the settings
Click on “Pokémon GO”
The game will ask if you want to connect to Pokémon GO; click “Yes”
The game will show you the trainer name you want to connect with. If this is correct, press “Yes”
The games should now be connected
How to Trade Pokémon Between Both Games
To send Pokémon from Pokémon GO to the Let’s GO games, you must follow a few steps. We will show you what to do.
How to Trade Pokémon from Pokémon GO to the Let’s GO Games
Go to your Pokémon list
Tap the Nintendo Switch icon in the upper right corner
Press and hold the Pokémon you want to send
After selecting the Pokémon, the game will ask you “Do you want to send this Pokémon?”; click “Yes”
You will be asked again if you are sure. Also click “Yes”
You will receive a message that your Pokémon has been sent, and you will receive a candy of the Pokémon for sending it
How to Receive Pokémon in the Let’s GO Games from Pokémon GO
Go to the Pokémon GO Park and talk to the woman at the reception
Select “Bring Pokémon”
Select an area where you want to send a Pokémon
Click on “Receive Pokémon”
You will be asked if you want to receive a Pokémon; click “Yes”
You will be told that you have received a Pokémon
These Pokémon Cannot Be Traded: Some Pokémon from Pokémon GO cannot be traded with the two new games. These include the following Pokémon:
With the release of the Forsaken expansion, a total of 9 new Supers arrived in Destiny 2, which are mostly well-received by the fans. However, one of them performs particularly poorly in the eyes of numerous Guardians and needs a buff. Now Bungie has explained how they intend to strengthen this Super.
First top, then flop: When the new Supers were detailed before the launch of Forsaken, the new ultimate attack of the Void Hunter, the Spectral Blades, was particularly well-received by fans – they generated the highest anticipation in a survey on MeinMMO among the Spectral Blades.
But what looked promising and interesting before the release quickly turned out to be the weakest of all new Supers in practice. On Reddit and in other forums, there are numerous posts calling for a rework of the Spectral Blades. Now Bungie responds to player feedback and wants to improve.
This is how the Hunter’s Spectral Blades are being reworked
What is the problem with the Spectral Blades? With this Void Super, Hunters are supposed to cloak themselves in a veil of shadows to then reappear with deadly daggers behind their foes. However, it didn’t really work as smoothly and elegantly in-game as during the presentation.
Many criticize the range of the Super as too short, and the stealth factor that is supposed to be crucial for the Super is hardly relevant, as players can be seen very easily and energy is consumed too quickly in stealth mode. The damage of the Super is also under scrutiny.
In PvE, it is hardly possible to kill a thrall without already using 25% of its Super energy for that purpose. Moreover, the hit detection is absolutely horrendous. Particularly in PvP, numerous fans see it as a real challenge to take out multiple opponents with this Super.
The class abilities outside of the Super, however, are well-received by players.
This is how Bungie plans to improve the Spectral Blades: As Bungie has now announced, the Spectral Blades will be significantly adjusted in an upcoming update. The focus will particularly be on the reliability of melee attacks in PvP as well as the effectiveness of stealth abilities. Here’s how they plan to achieve this:
The range of the melee lunge will be increased for all attacks. Your Void Hunter will thus be able to make a larger leap forward
The Super energy costs for light melee attacks will be reduced
Accelerating the attack rate will require more consecutive hits
The base attack speed will be reduced. According to the developers, this is not a nerf. On the contrary: this is intended to increase hit registration on intended targets. Furthermore, this should trigger the attack speed increase most often when players focus on a single target
Melee targeting has been reworked. Now, player input (i.e., where the stick and camera are pointing) will play a bigger role. This should reduce the likelihood of hitting an unintended enemy with the Spectral Blades’ melee attack
The benefits of the stealth mechanic will be enhanced. In stealth mode, players will gain additional damage resistance. Furthermore, Super energy will not be consumed as quickly when in stealth mode
The studio emphasizes that these changes are not set in stone and that work is still ongoing.
When will these changes come to the game? Bungie did not specify a specific date. However, it is conceivable that these adjustments could be made as part of the upcoming Season 5 update.
Although there is no exact date yet for this update either, the Season 4 ends on November 27, 2018. It is likely that Season 5 will start immediately afterwards – including the corresponding update.
By the way – the Warlock Super Chaos Reach is also being revised: For Chaos Reach, the energy costs for prematurely deactivating the Super will be adjusted. It should become more worthwhile to skillfully deactivate this Super and thus save valuable Super energy.
Specifically, this means: It will be less rewarding to deactivate the Chaos Reach Super extremely early. However, if done later in the Super’s duration, the penalty will be less significant.
The Shaman is receiving some changes in Patch 8.1 of World of Warcraft. We’ll reveal what Blizzard has planned.
The Shaman has a tough time in World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. His playstyle is not enjoyable, and often his performance in dungeons is a few percentage points worse than other classes. This negative reputation has led many Shamans to struggle finding a group and losing enjoyment in their class.
Many talents revised: With Patch 8.1 Tides of Vengeance, Blizzard aims to change that and make a series of adjustments to the talents to make the Shaman more attractive and versatile again.
Which talents that will be, Blizzard has now revealed:
The bonus damage of Stone Fist will be increased to 35% (previously 20%)
Lightning Shield no longer generates additional Maelstrom when the shield overloads.
The proc chance of Earthquake has been increased to 40% (previously 20%).
Powerful Winds now only increases damage by 80% per stack (previously 100%).
The totem of the Storms of the talent Totem Mastery increases the damage of Stormstrike by 10% (previously 5%).
The damage of Hailstorm has been increased by 50%.
Overload now only generates a cooldown of 9 seconds on Lightning Strike (previously 12 seconds).
The damage of Wrath of the Air has been increased by 40%.
The damage of Maelstrom Storm has been increased by 40%.
Aside from that, the damage of all abilities of the Enhancement Shaman will increase by 5%.
What are the changes supposed to achieve? For the Enhancement Shaman, there is a more significant need for the “perfect” talent selection than in any other class. Blizzard is trying to balance all talents roughly equally so that players have a broader selection.
Community reacts mixed: The reactions from Shaman players are varied. Some fans are looking forward to the changes and say that this is “the love that Shamans needed”. Other fans consider it to be “the laziest rework of all time” and do not believe that the fundamental problems of the Shaman will be addressed.
The changes are being tested on the PTR. Whether they will actually go live with Patch 8.1 in December remains to be seen.
Do you think the changes are good enough to make the Shaman attractive again? Or does it need more adjustments or larger overhauls?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The beta of Fallout 76 has ended, but streamer FrenchTomahawk actually managed to reach the endgame and fire an atomic missile in the last phase. This is what happens when a nuke strikes.
On the night of November 8 to 9, the last phase of the Fallout 76 beta took place. Although the beta was only available in several phases that lasted a few hours, streamer FrenchTomahawk made it to the endgame.
In doing so, he reached a high level and even managed to gather enough codes for firing an atomic missile. He was assisted by friends and the Twitch chat.
Atomic bomb strikes – This is what happens next
This is the effect of the impact: After the big explosion, the area darkens, and the light turns dark orange. Lightning flashes across the sky, creating a gloomy atmosphere.
It resembles the storms in Fallout 4 that can appear repeatedly and raise the radiation level. Otherwise, not much changes; the impact has no physical effects on the game world.
You can see that FrenchTomahawk is already beyond level 50 (you only receive skill points up to level 50). This is impressive as none of the beta stages were really available for long. Whether he could have used any exploits to achieve this is not known.
You can watch the missile strike in this video.
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This is what atomic missiles are good for in Fallout 76
Nukes are part of the endgame in Fallout 76 and are actually not that easy to launch.
What is the purpose of these nukes? If you fire an atomic missile at an area, it will be temporarily highly irradiated. During this time, particularly tough enemies spawn, and there are rare resources to collect and better loot to find. Players feared beforehand that it would rain atomic missiles, but that should not be the case.
This is what you need to do to fire an atomic missile: There are several missile silos in the game world that are locked with codes. You need to collect and decode these codes. Some enemies that you randomly encounter in the game world carry these code fragments with them.
It is quite possible that this atomic missile may not be the only one fired during the beta. Whether this was intended by Bethesda at such an early stage remains open.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
MMOs and games-as-a-service are great, says our author Schuhmann. But there are now many more losers among the games than before: Destiny 2 is now one of them. Ironically, in 2014, the ideas were introduced that are now helping Fortnite soar.
This was the situation in 2014: When Destiny was released in September 2014, the game dominated the headlines for a month. At that time, there was hardly anything else that gamers talked about, at least in the mainstream.
This new thing from Activision – it was everywhere. Whether you liked it or not: The spotlight of the media world belonged to Destiny.
Xur, in October 2014
The Special Thing About Destiny in 2014: The “Calendar”
That’s why Destiny was a pioneer in 2014: Yes, of course the gunplay was fantastic, the graphics super, and Bungie had a huge name among gamers. But the success was actually due to something else: the “Calendar” that Bungie suddenly introduced.
With a mysterious vendor like Xur and regularly changing activities, Destiny 2014 brought something new for many players on PS4 and Xbox One: A game that changed from day to day, week to week, and stayed fresh.
Destiny – the first “lifestyle” game in the mainstream
This is what made Destiny different back then: Destiny borrowed some ideas from MMORPGs like World of Warcraft:
weekly and daily resets
vendors with changing inventory
events
lockouts for raids and special strikes
bonus events that were only available during specific times like the Iron Banner or later the “Trials of Osiris”
This created a “calendar” for the players, a schedule they could follow.
The Guardian then knew: “On Tuesday, I do the Nightfall, on Friday Xur comes, on the weekend I go into the raid or the Trials – and once a month is Iron Banner.”
The big deal about Destiny was: This was new for players at the time. Later, journalists said that Destiny had become a “lifestyle game”. A game that belongs to the everyday lives of the players.
Although there were already such games before: MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or Everquest. However, they were more niche and only available on PC. Destiny brought these lifestyle games to the “mainstream” on consoles.
The motto: Let’s give people a reason to check back into the game daily or weekly.
Iron Banner armors, October 2014
Did it work? The concept worked wonderfully for Destiny time and again. For the first months of 2014, then again occasionally in 2015 with new expansions and the DLCs. However, the plan did not work out permanently. These systems often ran empty:
Eventually, only professionals played the Trials and everyone else stayed away.
Eventually, everyone was at the highest power level and there was no incentive to go into the Nightfall, the raid, or the Iron Banner.
It was actually planned that substantial new content for Destiny would be released every four months to feed the systems and keep the wheels turning behind the scenes.
But this schedule fell apart completely in year 2.
These were the consequences of the mistakes: The vibrant community scene with popular streamers and fan sites was sustainably damaged by Forsaken – some were even lost irretrievably. Destiny was no longer a topic for many for long stretches. It was simply gone.
Additionally, Destiny gained a negative reputation by repeatedly promising “better times” but failing to deliver on those promises for a long time. Players became upset as they were constantly asked to pay for DLCs, new expansions, or even a new game.
During that time, Destiny completely lost its lead and new games emerged.
The Special Thing About Fortnite in 2018: The “Calendar”
Fortnite benefits from the fact that they copied ideas from Destiny in 2014. They too rely on a “calendar” that entices players to play Fortnite every day.
Every week, Fortnite creates headlines with patches, balance changes, and challenges. The cash shop changes its offerings daily – new skins are constantly added.
Even though Fortnite only offers one map, constant changes, events, new items, and special modes provide variety in the player experience.
A lively streamer scene also contributes to keeping Fortnite constantly in the headlines.
Even more lifestyle, even more mainstream: Fortnite is also a lifestyle game. However, they have pushed the concept from Destiny much further. Fortnite is free, targets youth and children – and it’s available on almost all platforms now.
Destiny was the model for Fortnite and its systems
This is what Fortnite has in common with Destiny: When Epic presented the game Fortnite – at that time still the PvE part – to journalists, the developers specifically named Destiny as a model.
In order to be a “robust, living game,” they had adopted these systems. Even then, Epic’s Creative Director, Donald Mustard, told the site Polygon:
“When you look at Destiny. It’s not a free-to-play game, but it’s designed like one. This robustness of events and how it’s a living product that keeps evolving. There is this rhythm, this cadence that is much livelier than with games that are traditionally expanded. Our systems are even more robust than theirs.”
That’s about a year and a half ago. A lot has happened since then.
Star streamer Ninja is associated with the rise of Fortnite
Fortnite at the top – Destiny not
This is the result:
Fortnite’s approach in 2018 has led to new heights.
In contrast, Destiny had a rude awakening for Activision. The mixed Destiny 2 has destroyed a lot of trust. Destiny 2 has fallen short of Activision’s high expectations and was singled out as a problem child in an earning call.
The two major problems of Destiny 2
This is Destiny’s problem: The resurrection with Forsaken has succeeded for Destiny 2 – but far fewer players notice this today than would have in 2014.
On the one hand, many players have already formed their opinion about Destiny and are not willing to reconsider it. They feel that they have been disappointed too many times between 2016 and 2018. Additionally, they do not want to spend more money on another Destiny item.
On the other hand, there are many more competitors in gaming now than in 2014.
More competition in the showcase
This is what changed in 2018: 2018, the world of gamers looks different. Because games don’t just go away anymore. Games-as-a-service games aim to be developed further over the years. And new games are constantly present.
While Destiny singularly held the spotlight in 2014, the gaming world in 2018 is suddenly full of “new games” vying for attention:
There are the old heavyweights that are still swimming at the top or planning a comeback – like Fortnite, LoL, WoW, GTA Online and other service games. These games keep their fans engaged and continuously set highlights.
There are regular franchises that pick up their players every year: like FIFA, Call of Duty, Battlefield or soon The Division 2. Even for them, it has become difficult to capture attention every year as they did in previous years.
And there are new franchises and games that are pushing forward – like now Red Dead Redemption 2 or soon Anthem.
Is there still room for Battlefield 5?
Games don’t just go away anymore
These are the goals of the publishers: Anyone who is a publisher or studio without a solid “Games-as-a-service” game is planning one: Like BioWare with Anthem or Gearbox with Borderlands 3.
What connects these different games? Even though all these games look different and target different audiences, they are all: Games-as-a-service games that just don’t want to go away.
The Highlander problem: For many players, it’s clear that one of these “lifestyle” games is enough for them. There’s barely room for a second game alongside it.
Especially since other leisure alternatives like Netflix are huge time thieves that compete for gamers’ time.
Your giant brand against my giant brand
This is the impact it has: In a business report from Activision, it states that publishers will face a brand battle. The strongest brands from Activision like Destiny, Call of Duty, Overwatch, or WoW compete against the strongest brands of other publishers to assert themselves in the market. Against brands from Ubisoft, EA or other giants.
Therefore, games are now more likely to be “more than just games”: With movies, TV series, toys, spin-offs, event tournaments, and everything else.
But the gaming market is getting tighter. Because “old” games don’t just go away anymore – like before. And Destiny made the mistake of going away for a few years.
This leads to:
Fortnite, a game from 2017, is still huge in November 2018 and claims the spotlight for itself.
Activision and Destiny 2 are having a hard time making it clear that Destiny 2 is still worth it in 2018.
The old brands must fight for their players. Because the binding power of “successful games” is high.
Today, a “new Destiny installment” no longer automatically means it has the full attention of the media and players. Today, Destiny must share the spotlight.
This means that a productive improvement with Forsaken does not always lead to all players returning.
Destiny 2 must not just disappear for 2 years
This is important for Destiny: For Destiny, it will be crucial how the next content updates and months play out. Because today the competition is much tougher than in 2014. Anyone who does not deliver regularly and takes long breaks may find themselves not just temporarily in a bad position in the “new world of video games” – as it is now.
The lead Destiny once had has long been lost. In 2018, other games are doing the same as Destiny did in 2014, and they are doing it just as well or better.
Content breaks and missteps are no longer an option for Destiny. It will be extremely important that the next DLCs deliver and keep the game alive and in the headlines. Destiny 2 must not disappear, as Destiny 1 did for two years.
Fortnite must stay different and lively
This is important for Fortnite: But for Fortnite, the current high doesn’t mean that it will continue like this. There have already been signs that the peak has been reached. Players are showing signs of fatigue with Fortnite. Here, Epic must not make the mistake of standing still for too long.
The cube event dragged on for a long time – too long for many. The constant map changes are nice, but they are slowly exhausting themselves. Another map would bring new life to the game.
Fortnite must achieve the feat of continuing to surprise players and avoid the danger of its systems running dry.
A particular challenge for a game at the top is continually outdoing itself. A challenge that Destiny seems to have failed at – at least for now. But perhaps a comeback is still in the cards.
Recently, Destiny 2 has indeed seen a resurgence. How they achieved this is described in this article:
The open beta of the MMORPG Lost Ark started a few days ago in Korea. Although western players were formally excluded from the test, some managed to bypass the developer Smilegate’s blockades and shared their gaming experiences.
What is Lost Ark? The free-to-play MMORPG was announced almost 4 years ago. The isometric perspective and the action-rich combat system can best be compared to Diablo 3. The four classes of Lost Ark each have three sub-classes and are gender-locked.
However, Lost Ark can also boast almost all features of a modern MMORPG. These include, for example:
Raids and Dungeons
Mass battles with bosses in the open world
PvP in an arena with ranking and large sieges
Crafting and resource gathering
Housing
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While relatively few pieces of information about Lost Ark have trickled into the West over the past few years, one could still get a rough idea of the MMORPG. With the start of the open beta, the game is considered practically released in Korea, and Lost Ark beta testers are now reporting on their gaming experiences.
Micro-Transactions: A major topic in Lost Ark as well
Cash shop before the release? The excessive monetization in many Asian MMOs is drawing criticism not only from us in the West. Even in Korea, some players seem to be tired of most games being little more than colorful slot machines. When an in-game shop was discovered in Lost Ark during the open beta, some of them were understandably not pleased.
The offered Founder Packs came, as usual, in several different price categories and included various equipment, cosmetics, and consumables to ease players’ entry into the MMORPG. This fact caused dissatisfaction among players because Smilegate had previously claimed that their game would be “different” from the rest. A Korean player wrote:
“They said the game would be revolutionary, but in reality, they are only interested in how to sell more cash items.”
How significant are the advantages of the cash shop? However, there were also conciliatory voices. Upon closer inspection of the contents of the Founder Packs, it becomes apparent that the items within are all obtainable in one way or another through gameplay. The armors of the packs have the same status values as those that can be crafted in the game itself but differ in their appearance. Other contents like playing cards for mini-games or gifts for NPCs have no relevance for the endgame.
Crystals, which serve as currency in the cash shop, can be earned through various activities in the game. To illustrate with an example:
A mount can be bought in the shop for about 750 and a complete outfit for 3000 crystals
Completing the map of an area grants up to 50 crystals
Normal fetch quests yield between 20 and 30 crystals
The system is therefore more akin to the “pay-to-skip” model rather than “pay-to-win”.
If Diablo 3 were an MMORPG
What is the gameplay of Lost Ark like? It is not surprising that beta players frequently drew comparisons between Lost Ark and Diablo 3. The hack-and-slash gameplay and the isometric perspective lend themselves to this comparison. One tester said:
“It strongly reminds me of Diablo 3. The story is very similar, the monsters are very similar. I don’t know if I’m playing Lost Ark or Diablo 4 right now.”
The classes possess enough unique identity and abilities to feel different. However, some players expressed concerns that the action felt more monotonous with certain classes than with others.
How do the abilities work? Each class has eight different base abilities and a “super skill” that needs to be charged first. Players receive more various options for modification and customization while leveling up and can combine them freely to create their own builds, similar to Diablo 3.
As is the case with many MMORPGs, the ability system is designed to be rotated. The normal physical attack is virtually useless. This means that players must time their ability cooldowns so that they can always be used directly in succession. Otherwise, they may find themselves waiting for a while. Some testers considered this a negative aspect of the combat system.
What is the flow of the game like? According to the beta testers, the beginning of Lost Ark is quite slow, as is often the case with MMORPGs. Up to level 10, enjoyment of the game was somewhat limited for some of them. This concerns the tutorial area that each class must play through before the actual game begins. The developer could have likely handled this better.
However, starting from level 11, things pick up significantly. Once players were out of the tutorial area, most features of the MMORPG were available to them, and they could truly explore the game world.
Majestic castle
Particularly popular among beta testers are the quest lines of the “Wall of Glory,” which become accessible from level 20. What exactly they are about was not revealed in the comments. The players unanimously agreed that it was exceptionally good content. One player wrote:
“The game becomes really exciting as soon as you start with the quests from the ‘Wall of Glory’, and the quests from the ‘King’s Tomb’ are truly out of this world!”
Solid MMORPG, but not a pioneer of innovation
Basically, the feedback for the open beta of Lost Ark is predominantly positive. Both Korean and Western players emphasize how exceptionally polished the MMORPG is. It is already considered a solid game in the open beta that clearly knows what it wants to be.
However, Lost Ark does not attempt to reinvent the wheel. It combines the features already considered standard for MMORPGs and executes them well. However, those expecting something groundbreaking or unprecedented from Lost Ark will likely be disappointed.
Will Lost Ark also come to us? So far, developer Smilegate has only vaguely indicated that there might be a Western release. They are considering it and keeping an eye on the western market, it was stated in an interview.
However, it has been officially confirmed that the devs are currently working on an English language patch, which will likely go live during the open beta. While it still isn’t an official, watertight confirmation, it is a good sign for the fans.
If you are currently looking for an MMORPG to play, then we have something for you:
Do you want your horse to automatically ride to a set destination in Red Dead Redemption 2? No problem! This is how you activate the autopilot, and the horse will find its way on its own..
A large part of the gameplay in Red Dead Redemption 2 involves riding from one point to another. However, you don’t have to steer the horse yourself if you don’t want to; you can sit back and enjoy the surroundings.
Horses with automatic running: Together with the cinematic camera, you activate the option for your horse to run automatically. We will show you how easy it is to trigger this function.
Automatic Running for Horses in RDR 2
Simultaneously observing the surroundings and steering your horse can become difficult over time. After all, there are cute animals and detailed landscapes to discover along the way. It’s easy to get distracted and accidentally ride into a rock or an oncoming character.
You can travel in Red Dead Redemption 2 more relaxed if you let your horse take the reins. You only need to focus on events happening along the way. Your attention will be needed when, for example, bandits appear.
Which paths will the horse run along? After setting a destination marker, the horse will run along roads and paths – but not cross-country.
You will then see a route that will be drawn in red on the map. Your horse will follow this path
Now ride off normally and adjust with A (Xbox) or X (PS4) how fast the horse should run
Once you have reached the desired travel speed, hold A or X. Just as if you were riding at the speed of companions
While holding A or X, also hold down the button for the camera perspective
You will see in the lower right corner that you are activating the cinematic camera
Once it is activated, your horse will follow the predetermined route – you don’t have to do anything else and can release both buttons
Steering During the Autopilot: While the horse follows the path, you can keep accelerating with A or X and brake with RB (on Xbox) or R1 (on PS4). By pressing the right analog stick, you can change the angle of the cinematic camera.
Deactivating the Autopilot: Use the analog sticks to regain control of the horse. Press the camera button again to end the cinematic camera.
Disadvantages of the Autopilot in RDR 2
Due to the various camera angles, you might notice events at the side of the road late or even too late and be unprepared for them.
Additionally, you will be surprised by villains who ambush you and will have little time to prepare for a shootout.
So always keep your guns at the ready when traveling with autopilot.
Update: As our readers pointed out on MeinMMO, there are some situations where the autopilot doesn’t work exactly as planned. Sometimes the horse takes the wrong paths or runs into other NPCs. So be careful.
The new hero Ashe has been playable on the Overwatch PTR for a while now. Some fans have already delved into her and developed strategies to optimize gameplay with her.
This is how Ashe becomes stronger: Many players have already tried Ashe on the Overwatch PTR since she became available. In doing so, they discovered tricks to maximize Ashe’s damage output.
This trick will make Ashe stronger
The order is important: Ashe has two firing modes with her main weapon Viper. The standard attack fires Viper rapidly from the hip. The alternate attack allows Ashe to aim down sights.
The Reddit user AllOdds found that Ashe can deal the most damage in the shortest time if you first perform a normal attack and then immediately follow up with a targeted attack from the alternate firing mode.
If you do it the other way around and aim down sights first and then add a normal shot, you will be slower. Your effective damage will not be higher, only the time in which the damage is dealt will be shorter.
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How can this happen? The reason for this is Ashe’s alternate fire mechanic. Aiming down sights allows Ashe to fire more accurately and powerfully, but significantly slower.
What’s important for the sequence of shots is what type of shot Ashe fired previously:
If she shoots down sights, the shot will follow a bit later. It has a longer recovery time.
However, if Ashe fires from the hip, the following shot comes as quickly as if it had also been fired from the hip. This applies even when Ashe aims down sights instead of firing from the hip.
Why is this important? In shooters, the “time to kill” (TTK) is one of the decisive elements for a fight. The lower the TTK, the faster a fight can be resolved and the stronger a hero is.
Ashe has some particularities: She can call a seventh hero into the team and she is the first hero who can aim down sights. All other heroes can only shoot from the hip or use a scope. Unlike with scopes, Ashe does not lose her peripheral vision while doing this.
With this tactic, Ashe’s TTK is significantly reduced. However, her accuracy suffers, especially when targets are moving. Those who practice Ashe and her abilities can, however, maximize her potential with such tricks.
Will you play Ashe and train yourself in these tactics? Discuss the new hero or find new teammates in our Overwatch group and visit us on Facebook for more info about the game.
The Community Day with Cyndaquil in Pokémon GO is over, and for our author Noah, it was the best one yet. He shows you how his Community Day went and what made the event so special.
The Community Day in November focused on Cyndaquil. In addition to the Fire starter, there were double experience points and four times the Stardust. Also, the lure modules lasted three hours again, and a shiny form of Cyndaquil could be caught.
That’s why it was the best Community Day for me
Community Days have always been significant. For me, these days, which take place once a month, are a great addition to Pokémon GO. You get the chance at good Pokémon, like Larvitar, and there are also good bonuses.
Stardust in focus: This time, however, it wasn’t the special Pokémon that was in focus, but rather the Stardust that you could collect over the three hours. With the Star Piece, there was six times the amount of Stardust for every Pokémon caught. This has never happened before in Pokémon GO!
Catching trick helped enormously: I hunted Pokémon like a world champion in the three hours and managed to collect nearly 500,000 Stardust using the catching trick. I caught over 700 Pokémon during the three hours and also hatched a handful of eggs. You could never earn this much Stardust so quickly!
XP collection made easy: In addition to the massive amounts of Stardust, I also quickly gathered new experience points. Although I’m already level 40 for a long time, I still enjoy collecting more XP. During the three hours, I generated over half a million experience points on my way to the 100 million mark.
That’s why Stardust is so important
True to the motto “I want to be the very best,” it is the goal of every Pokémon trainer to make their monsters as strong as possible. This can only be done with Stardust.
Stardust is the most important resource in the game: Without Stardust, you cannot strengthen any monsters. To really impress in a battle, you need strong Pokémon.
Stardust is hard to collect: Without events and bonuses, you only get 100 Stardust for a caught Pokémon. If you want to strengthen a Pokémon to level 40, you usually need 250,000 Dust or more. You would have to catch 2500 “normal” Pokémon to strengthen one Pokémon to its maximum level. And even with tricks, collecting Stardust takes a lot of time.
My conclusion about the Community Day
You could never collect Stardust as quickly as on this Community Day. The bonuses from the previous Community Days were all good as well, but a bonus like four times the Stardust stands out significantly.
These trainers were out together on a Community Day in Pokémon GO
Community supported: I played my first Community Day in my new hometown and was amazed at how many Pokémon players I met in the city that morning. The trainer community is an enormous support, especially on Community Days, and it always motivates me to keep going.
With this Community Day, Niantic hit the mark in my opinion. I’m now looking forward to spending my new Stardust and hope that such a Community Day will come back again soon. I will definitely be there!
Red Dead Redemption 2 gives you a lot of freedom, whether you handle situations in a nice or evil way. Today we want to know from you whether you play as a good cowboy or as a bad cowboy.
In the Wild West, there is a lot to do and countless characters to meet. The game largely gives you freedom in how you deal with tasks or conflicts. Do you behave honorably away from your gang’s plans or help NPCs on the roadside with their problems or do you take the opportunity and rob them? How do you play Red Dead Redemption 2?
Good or Evil: Both Have Their Advantages
The benefits of being good: Honorary behavior is said to have a positive effect on your cash flow. If you manage to get through the campaign without a bounty being placed on you, the merchants are said to offer you better prices. Additionally, people sometimes do you a favor when you help them.
The benefits of being bad: “Bad” cowboys find opportunities everywhere to get money or items. Why help NPCs on the roadside when you can just as easily rob them? You can steal horses everywhere instead of having to tame them painstakingly.
You are an outlaw, so let loose and rob a train or grab a stagecoach and take it to the fence. But don’t get caught, because a bounty can seriously eat into your profit.
How the Editorial Team Plays
Patrick is the epitome of a good, upright cowboy. He greets all the characters that cross his path and helps every damsel in distress. He also has no problem helping poor NPCs with snakebites and often brings home those characters who are allegedly lost. Even if he has to expect to be cheated himself.
Tarek also plays a good one – but only as long as no one is watching. If the opportunity arises, he unleashes the outlaw. A little five-finger discount has never hurt his game.
Micha is an outlaw for life and behaves accordingly in RDR 2: She steals, robs innocent citizens, and even steals entire trains. Witnesses have to fear for their lives, and the bounty on her Arthur is so high that she really shouldn’t show her face anywhere anymore. However, she is reluctant to pay her bounty: “You will never get me alive!”
Now it’s your turn: How do you play in Red Dead Redemption 2? As always, you only have one answer option.
Do you have a special story that relates to how you play your game? Then feel free to let us know in the comments. However, please watch out for spoilers!
In Fortnite, a clip is making the rounds. It shows the most obvious cheater one could imagine. With an aimbot and seemingly other aids, he is unabashedly going all out, making no effort to hide it.
That is how the cheater was discovered: The content creator “SquattingDog” is known in Fortnite for creating guides every Thursday on how players can solve the weekly challenges. He is also a streamer who is regularly active.
As reported by Dotesports, he came across the most obvious cheater in the history of Fortnite last night.
After SquattingDog was eliminated, he watched the player “Twitch.AimBotsOn”. At that moment, he had 26 kills with still six players left in the match.
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This is what the cheater did: The clip starts with the aimbot user hitting impossible shots. He shoots an opponent from a huge distance out of his makeshift fort, even though he can’t see him.
Then the cheater builds a ramp up and automatically aims at the sliding player. This targeting ability feels “unnatural and robotic,” as dotesports notes. The sliding player is taken apart in mid-air. A second opponent is also caught in the air. He gets completely dismantled.
After that, the aimbot user apparently glides randomly around, lands under a tree, and takes out another opponent hiding in the treetop with perfect hits. He should have been invisible to the player.
That is so unusual: Normally, cheaters in Fortnite are a bit more skilled. Since players automatically follow the one who eliminated them, it is visible whether they play “normally” or resort to such means.
Fortnite has a robust reporting system that allows victims of cheating to inform the studio Epic about such players.
Such cheating players will surely be quickly removed from Fortnite and their accounts banned, but apparently, this player does not care.
What can Epic do against cheaters? The question for Epic is how to permanently tackle cheaters in a “Free2Play” game when they can constantly create new accounts for free. It’s like fighting against a windmill park.
The idea seems to be to go after the source of the cheats. This can bring success, but it will likely take time. Blizzard, for example, litigated against a bot operator from Zwickau until he ran out of financial means and customers left.
Epic is also trying to set examples and is taking legal action. In the past, Epic has already sued a YouTuber who advertised “magic powers” in videos and then sold them via a website:
Those who visit Destiny 2 this week will get some exciting details from the Awoken Queen Mara Sov. Could these be further hints about how the story of Destiny 2 might continue?
Spoiler Warning: We analyze game scenes in the current Destiny 2 to speculate on possible story twists in the further course of the franchise.
Exciting details from the Awoken Queen: In Destiny 2, players have the opportunity in the third cycle week of the Cursed of the Taken to complete a bounty from Petra, granting them an audience in the Queen’s Court.
Because now there is another development that may reveal more about the future of Destiny 2.
The Awoken Queen is visited by an Emissary of the Nine
What happens in the Queen’s Court? As soon as you complete the corresponding bounty this week and enter the King’s court, you will witness an exciting scene. Queen Mara Sov is speaking with a hovering figure who, as it later turns out, is an emissary of the Nine.
During this, the queen says to the emissary: “If that is the case, I accept your terms. Move the unit behind the grave of the first fleet. And remind them: I have shown more than enough patience.” After that, the emissary disappears.
The Nine are a mysterious group in the Destiny universe, about which little is known. Their intentions are anything but transparent.
Learn more in this video from AndyEdition:
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What is Mara Sov planning? The queen is allied with the Nine. It seems she is currently making deals with the mysterious group again in Forsaken. However, her goals remain unclear. Because at the same time, she warns us not to fall for the machinations of the Nine.
It remains unclear whether Mara intends to exploit the Nine, possibly seek revenge against them, or fight alongside them against a common enemy.
But it’s not just the visit from the emissary that is exciting. Rather, another statement from Mara is particularly interesting and could reveal more about the further story of Destiny 2. At the end of the scene, the queen says to us: “Go now. My next visit might find the presence of a chosen of the Traveler as disrespectful.”
Who is the next visitor? There aren’t many who would consider the presence of a Guardian disrespectful. Could the Awoken Queen possibly make a deal with Darkness? Many fans believe this is the most likely solution.
Recently, Guardians discovered projections of the pyramid ships in her court, which have been associated with Darkness since their first appearance.
Given the queen’s recent statement, it is likely that the visitor also has something to do with Darkness. The Nine themselves are not it; she has already spoken to them before. The Cabal can also be practically ruled out. The Vex wouldn’t care; the Barons and the Scorn are defeated.
Only the Fallen and the Hive seem likely, with the Hive being closely connected to Darkness. So it will presumably be a high-ranking representative of Darkness. Could it possibly be Savathûn, who has long been hinted at as a potential adversary? Or an unknown figure from Darkness?
Even though the story is currently being continued more in the background based on these fragments – it is becoming increasingly exciting, and the hints are building up that something big might be on the horizon for Destiny 2.
And as it seems, the battle against Darkness might come back into focus. Because it appears Bungie does not want the mysterious ships and Darkness to fade from the Guardians’ memories and is keeping this theme relevant.
Whether this potential storyline will continue in the upcoming DLC “The Witch Queen” or only in one of the later DLCs or even the next major expansion remains unclear. But it will definitely be interesting.
By the way: Another detail that speaks for Darkness is a recent leak from the well-known Redditor AnonTheNine. He has revealed supposed first details about Destiny 3. There, Darkness is said to play a larger role again. In the third part of the Destiny series, Guardians allegedly will be able to use Darkness.
In the following video, you can watch the respective visit to the queen:
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The black market of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is under criticism. Many players find the effort for cosmetic items to be disproportionate. However, the tedious grind can be bypassed with real money. How much you need to spend has now been tested by a YouTuber.
Recently, microtransactions were introduced in Black Ops 4. Their introduction in the form of Call of Duty Points (COD Points) was not unexpected, but the implementation drove many fans to protest. A YouTuber has now tested how much money one has to spend if they want to get everything from the black market.
Here’s how much you need to pay if you want to get everything from the black market
What did the YouTuber do? The player MatMicMar spent a significant amount of money and went on a shopping spree on the black market of Black Ops 4.
With the COD Points, he bought additional ranks until he had all the cosmetic items that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has to offer in the currently ongoing operation (season).
The result: In total, MatMicMar spent around $1,000 – just for the cosmetic content of a single season! He received his last missing item at black market rank 936. The YouTuber shared this on Twitter. Corresponding videos are to follow shortly on his YouTube channel.
At tier 936, an in-game message indicated to him that he had exhausted all reserves of the black market and that there would be new content for him in the next operation. There was nothing special, like a unique item, for this “achievement.”
Now he could look for new special orders. These represent smaller shipments for the black market with their own cosmetic items, themed around a particular subject, motif, or game character.
MatMicMar mentioned that he could still progress in the black market ranks, so there seems to be no end in sight. However, with each additional rank up, one will only be rewarded with duplicates. His personal goal now is rank 1,000 – simply because it is cool.
For comparison: According to player calculations, it currently takes around 250 hours to reach rank 200 starting from scratch. From there, there are no set rewards anymore, just random cosmetic loot. Depending on “loot luck,” one may have all items by level 500. Or they may only reach nearly rank 1000.
By the way: The YouTuber who now owns all available cosmetic items states that apparently there is only one signature weapon among the cosmetics – the so-called Boombox. It is simply a special cosmetic variation of the SG12 shotgun with no gameplay advantages.
Many players had expected much more. Many have fought through the ranks in the hope that there are more of such cool weapon cosmetics – and as we can see now, apparently in vain.
Test provides additional fodder for black market criticism
What is the black market? The black market is a type of in-game shop where content can be earned through increasing game progress in multiplayer and blackout or can now also be purchased with real currency.
What is the problem with the black market? This is what players say: The black market faces some strong criticism in its current form.
Instead of adjusting the much-criticized, excessive grind for black market content, one can now purchase progress with real money. Many fans complain that the current progress system of the black market almost forces one to resort to real money.
For most players, it won’t be possible to reach level 200 in time through playing within the limited availability of the currently active smuggler’s goods stream – let alone rank 936. Due to the slow progress and time factor, one is almost forced to resort to microtransactions.
Even though the content of the black market is entirely cosmetic, the cosmetic items simultaneously represent the greatest incentive for further progress for many and make up a large part of character customization.
The fact that this artificially prolonged progress can now be compensated for with nearly $1,000 adds a whole new dimension to the debate.
Are these contents really worth this money? Is this even legal? What is the difference from loot boxes, when so many cosmetics in the game still depend on luck? These are just a few questions that fans are now asking on Reddit, YouTube, and Twitter. There are even claims of blatant extortion. It remains to be seen how and if Treyarch will react to these new insights.
What do you think about this? Has Black Ops 4 overstepped the mark and should overhaul its black market progress? Or is it not relevant in your eyes since it’s purely cosmetic content?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The stats of the new Pokémon Meltan and Melmetal have been leaked. This allows us to say how strong the two will be in Pokémon GO.
Meltan and Melmetal are the two new Pokémon that Nintendo will release in “Let´s GO, Pikachu” and “Let´s GO, Evoli”. The stats that the two will achieve in Let’s GO have been leaked. This means we can now calculate what combat stats the two will have in Pokémon GO.
We will tell you how strong the two new Pokémon will be and how you can most likely get them.
Melmetal will be a strong Steel attacker
How do you get the stats? On Twitter, the user “PDWinnall” published an image of the stats of the two Pokémon that they will have in the Let’s GO games. From this, one can also calculate how strong Meltan and Melmetal will be in Pokémon GO using a simple formula.
Melmetal will be nerfed: Like every other Pokémon that can exceed 4000 CP, Melmetal will likely be nerfed. This means that 9% will be deducted from each stat. Without this nerf, Melmetal would have a max CP of 4265.
Melmetal is a Steel type. Therefore, we compare it with other Steel Pokémon.
Metagross is better: The current best Steel attacker, Metagross, remains at the top. It achieves more CP than Melmetal and has a significantly higher attack value of 257. Especially the Meteor Mash makes Metagross significantly stronger.
Weak attack value: The attack value of Melmetal is significantly weaker than that of other Steel Pokémon. It is still below the attack value of Magneton and only slightly above that of Stoutland. Therefore, Melmetal will not be an option for attacking.
Move Iron Fists: Possibly, the move Iron Fists could enhance Melmetal. This move can only be learned exclusively by Melmetal. So far, it is unknown how strong this move will be, and thus no conclusions can be drawn about its effects on Melmetal.
Possibly as a defender: Melmetal has the highest HP stat of all Steel Pokémon and would therefore be ideal as a defender. However, it is classified as a mythical Pokémon. This includes Pokémon like Mew or Celebi. These cannot be used in gyms. It remains to be seen whether Melmetal cannot be used in gyms as well.
This is how you get Meltan and Melmetal
The Let´s GO games will be released on November 16. It is not confirmed, but the community suspects that Meltan and Melmetal will also appear on that day.
Through special research: As Nintendo has already announced, Meltan will be obtainable through special research in Pokémon GO. This will likely be comparable to the special research of Mew and Celebi.
Melmetal through evolution: Meltan needs 400 candies to evolve into Melmetal. This is also the case for the evolution of Magikarp into Gyarados.
More Meltan through Let´s GO games: Meltan can probably only be caught through a Mystery Box. This is obtained once upon completion of the special research or during each trade of Pokémon between Pokémon GO and the Let´s GO games. So, if you want to catch more Meltan, you will need to get a Nintendo Switch and trade Pokémon.
What do you think of Meltan and Melmetal?
Are you diligently collecting Stardust? With these tricks it goes faster!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Cortyn has little interest in mobile games, but thinks the “danger” associated with them is exaggerated. There are good reasons why PC gaming remains as it is.
The apocalyptic vision: In just a few years, there will be no cool titles left on PC or consoles.
However, I consider that to be complete nonsense. There are several aspects that mobile gaming cannot replace at this current time and likely not in the future either.
The lack of immersion
The biggest factor for me is the lack of immersion in mobile games. No matter how atmospheric a game may be in theory, when I see it on a phone screen, it loses its value immediately.
For these games, I need a large screen and a headset. Only that allows me to fully immerse myself in the game and block out my surroundings for a few hours.
I want to flinch when a killer suddenly stands before me. I want the epic music to blast in my ears during a boss fight, and the adrenaline to drive me to experience a cool sequence as a character in a game world.
That cannot happen with a smartphone.
Not only is the size of the display a disaster for me, but also the fact that I constantly see my fingers and have to tap “on the play area”. This is just manageable in Hearthstone, but there I don’t need any immersion.
For completeness’ sake: I couldn’t do that even back in the day with mobile games on the GameBoy. Even though I secretly played Pokémon Red under the covers, I never felt as “in the game” as I did with Final Fantasy IX on the PlayStation.
The social and relaxing component
The second point concerns all games or game content where immersion is not the main focus. A large part of my gaming time is “meditative relaxation” – it can be farming herbs or fishing in WoW, turn-based combat in “The Darkest Dungeon”, or a few cozy rounds of Hearthstone. Dungeon visits with friends also fall into this category.
During this time, I often hang out on Discord with friends and acquaintances, chatting casually, talking about succubi and the world, sharing memes and the latest ridiculous YouTube trends. I can do all of this while looking at a second monitor.
Or I browse through Reddit on a second screen, listen to the news, tune into a podcast, or watch an image editing tutorial.
Neither of these is possible with a smartphone, neither meets my needs. I can’t “just jump” to a second screen – at least not easily. The handling on a small display is cumbersome and simply not suited for many tasks simultaneously.
My eyes already hurt
Admittedly: This is more of a typical “old people” argument that could stand alongside “You’ll get square eyes from the GameBoy”, but for me, it is a decisive factor: My eyes.
The longer I stare at a small display, the more my eyes hurt. When I play Hearthstone on my smartphone for an hour during a train ride, it becomes really uncomfortable.
Maybe it’s just because I have been used to large screens like the PC or console for years, but I keep noticing it.
Gaming on a smartphone already creates discomfort after a short time that I can’t shake off. While I can easily do a 24-hour gaming session for a WoW release on a PC screen, I would likely reach for my smartphone after a maximum of three hours.
Moreover, constant staring at small, close screens can have health consequences anyway. There are good reasons why in Asia, 95% of youths are nearsighted (via SWR) and the numbers are also growing to over 50% in our region.
The market isn’t going away
The last important argument for me is that the market for console and PC games is not disappearing. While the mobile market is growing rapidly and attracting new players who would never have come to gaming otherwise, the PC users are not disappearing magically.
Even if Blizzard, EA, NCSoft or any other big publisher were to say: “We are only making mobile games now” (which I consider extremely unrealistic), the demand for games on PC and console is still there. Gamers are not disappearing, and at least in my environment, no one has said, “Hmm, I now have a smartphone, I guess I no longer need a PC.”
If some major developers disappear from this market, others will emerge who would be all too eager to fill that gap.
In summary, gaming on a smartphone can never replace what I consider the “real” gaming on PC or on the couch in a cozy, relaxed atmosphere.
The online shooter Destiny 2 received a reprimand during Activision’s latest earnings call. They are disappointed with how Destiny 2 is performing. Game Director Luke Smith speaks out, stating he is not disappointed. At Bungie, they love Forsaken.
What Luke Smith says: In a tweet, the Game Director of Destiny states:
“We are not disappointed with Forsaken. We set out to create a game that Destiny players would love. And we at Bungie love it too.
Our goal remains to build a Destiny for our players who love it as we move forward.”
A player then supports Smith, saying Forsaken is excellent. It’s fun to raid again and joke around with friends.
Smith replied: My friends and I feel the same way. It’s good to be home again.
Luke Smith, Game Director
Activision praises Forsaken but criticizes results
Here’s the backstory: During an earnings call, the publisher of Destiny 2, Activision-Blizzard, described the results as “not as good as we would like”. International media reported that Activision is “not happy” with Destiny 2.
Although exact numbers were not mentioned, Activision representative Cody Johnson explicitly highlighted Destiny as one of the franchises that are not performing as hoped. This is rare in a financial report.
Cody further stated: Forsaken has not fully brought players back. Many are still in “wait and see” mode.
As a reason, Activision sees the entry barrier for Destiny 2 as high, as players must own the base game first. However, Activision also considers Forsaken to be the highest quality content that Destiny has ever produced.
Activision hopes to bring players back by releasing new content more quickly. They apparently also want to adjust monetization.
Fans think: Destiny 3 will now be full RPG
What does this say about the future of Destiny 2? On Reddit, some interpreted Luke Smith’s statement as Bungie no longer making “casual Destiny” like Destiny 2, but rather continuing the path that Forsaken took.
There were rumors regarding Destiny 3, suggesting that Bungie might tailor the game even more towards “core gamers” and emphasize RPG elements. These rumors are seen as confirmed by Smith’s statement that they want to continue on the path they’ve taken.
It seems to some fans like a conflict of direction:
Activision wants to keep the game “casual” and appeal to as many people as possible
Bungie wants to make it for the “core gamers” and incorporate many RPG elements
Who is Luke Smith? Smith was responsible for the raid “The Vault of Glass”, the expansion “Destiny: The Taken King”, and for the base game of Destiny 2.
This is what it’s about: It’s one of the great mysteries of Destiny how Luke Smith can be the chief creative behind both “The Taken King” and “Vanilla Destiny 2”. Both games show a completely different approach:
“Destiny 2” removed almost all of these elements and toned them down
When the Game Director now says about “Forsaken” that he feels at home again, it is surprising because his name was associated with Destiny 2, where he apparently did not feel at home.
Smith previously expressed subtle criticism of his own game in a podcast after the launch of Destiny 2, but he has never directly commented on it.
Starting next week, it will be possible to play Fortnite on Xbox One with mouse and keyboard. More games are set to follow. A total of 14 games will make up the first push, including Warframe, War Thunder, and Warface.
Yesterday, a major Xbox event took place, the X018. One of Microsoft’s announcements was that Xbox One would finally support mouse and keyboard for some games. One of the first games to pioneer this is Epic’s Free2Play shooter Fortnite.
Warframe was a trailblazer: Although the announcement had been in the air for a long time, it took a while for the support for Xbox One to become tangible.
When is Fortnite coming? Starting next week, specifically on November 14, Fortnite is set to be supported. Microsoft has now announced this.
“Mouse and Keyboard” players play Fortnite against PC gamers
Isn’t that unfair? Fortnite has introduced a “controller-based matchmaking”. Those playing on Xbox One with mouse and keyboard compete against other players with mouse and keyboard – including PC players.
This has been implemented by Epic to ensure a fair playing field when people turn to control emulators like Xim. Therefore, nothing should change.
Cooperation with Razer planned: As Microsoft announces, they also plan to develop a mouse and keyboard with Razer specifically for Xbox One. They are expected to be wireless.
Controversial issue: For years, there has been a discussion about whether players can use mouse and keyboard on Xbox One. Until it became possible, players who really wanted to play this way resorted to emulators like Xim.
This, however, led to accusations of “cheating” because controller players felt disadvantaged. This is an old debate:
Playing with a controller is associated with the couch and relaxed play
Playing with mouse and keyboard is associated with a desk and a forward-leaning posture
Many console players believe that those who want to play with mouse and keyboard should do so on PC.
