Pokémon GO: These are the legendary Pokémon of the 4th generation

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 5 minutes

New legendary Pokémon are available in Pokémon GO in the 4th generation. We introduce them to you here.

14 new monsters: The 4th generation features a total of 14 legendary Pokémon. However, a distinction must be made between the 9 legendary Pokémon and the 5 mythical Pokémon.

What is the difference? Mythical Pokémon have not been introduced as regular Raid bosses in Pokémon GO so far. Mew and Celebi can only be obtained through special research, and Deoxys is currently only available as an EX Raid Boss.

In contrast, legendary Pokémon have always been caught only in raids or as research breakthroughs. This includes, for example, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos or Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. The latter is the research breakthrough in October.

Legendary Pokémon

We present the 9 legendary Pokémon to you. We show you how good they can become and compare them with similar legendary Pokémon.

Uxie, Mesprit & Azelf

Lake Trio Pokemon GO

Who are Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf? Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf make up the legendary Lake Trio. These three Pokémon could be caught on the console at three different lakes. Uxie was found at Lake of Wisdom, Mesprit at Lake of Emotion, and Azelf at Lake of Truth.

Uxie

Uxie Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 3210
  • Type: Psychic
  • Notable values: Its attack value is the best among the three Lake Pokémon. However, its other two values are weak.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: Among the Psychic legendaries, Uxie is among the best due to its attack value. Nevertheless, Pokémon like Mewtwo are stronger and outclass Uxie. Additionally, it does not come close to the CP of other legendary Pokémon.

Mesprit

Mesprit Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 2524
  • Type: Psychic
  • Notable values: Mesprit has the best defense value of the three Lake Pokémon. Its other values are weak again.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: So far, the defense value has not played a significant role in Pokémon GO. Legendary Pokémon cannot even be placed in gyms. However, balancing of the values is currently being worked on. So there’s hope that Mesprit will play a bigger role then. Otherwise, this Pokémon is rather unusable.

Azelf

Azelf Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 3058
  • Type: Psychic
  • Notable values: Azelf’s stats balance out the values of Mesprit and Uxie. It has a good attack and defense value, which are still below the respective values of the other Lake Pokémon.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: This Pokémon could become interesting after balancing. Its stats are above average, but its current CP is still not top-tier. If something changes there, Azelf could be a good attacker.
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Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina

Dimension Trio Pokemon GO

Who are Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina? These three Pokémon are known as the dimensional trio. They are also featured on the covers of the Nintendo DS games for the 4th generation: Diamond (Dialga), Pearl (Palkia), and Platinum (Giratina). In these games, these Pokémon were responsible for the space-time continuum. Dialga represents time while Palkia represents space. Giratina symbolizes antimatter and could escape the space-time continuum. It lived in what is called the Distortion World.

Dialga

Dialga Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 4029
  • Type: Dragon / Steel
  • Notable values: The values of Dialga are extremely good. Its attack value is nearly as high as Mewtwo’s. Its other values are also good.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: Dialga could become one of the best Pokémon in the entire game. Its enormous attack value could make Dialga an all-rounder. It could be effectively used against almost any Pokémon.

Palkia

Palkia Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 3981
  • Type: Dragon / Water
  • Notable values: Palkia’s values are also top-notch. Its attack value is even higher than Dialga’s, and its other values are also very good.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: Similar to Dialga, Palkia could also be among the best Pokémon. It could become a true all-rounder as well.

Giratina

Giratina has two forms: its Altered Forme and its Origin Forme.

Altered Forme

Giratina Altered Forme Pokémon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 3379
  • Type: Dragon / Ghost
  • Notable values: The best value of the Origin Forme is its HP. It also has a tremendous defense value.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: The Altered Forme is a really good defender. However, legendary Pokémon cannot be placed in gyms. We will have to wait and see if the Origin Forme becomes a solid attacker due to balancing.

Origin Forme

Giratina Origin Forme Pokémon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 4683
  • Type: Dragon / Ghost
  • Notable values: The best value of the Origin Forme is its HP. It also has an enormous attack value.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: The Origin Forme is a solid Dragon-type attacker, but there are better alternatives. With the right Ghost-type moves, Giratina could become the best Ghost-type attacker.

Giratina was already part of speculation for the 4th generation trailer.

Heatran

Heatran Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 3754
  • Type: Fire / Steel
  • Notable values: Its attack value is its best value, but its other values are also very good.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: Heatran is expected to be the best Fire-type attacker in the game. It has the highest attack value of all Fire Pokémon and also solid values in HP and defense.

Cresselia

Cresselia Pokemon GO
  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 2857
  • Type: Psychic
  • Notable values: Cresselia has above-average HP and defense values.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: Cresselia does not perform well in this aspect. As an attacker, Cresselia is not useful, and as a defender, it cannot be used, as it cannot be placed in gyms.

Regigigas

Regigigas Pokemon GO

Regigigas belongs to the line of Regis from the 3rd generation. In the console story, Regigigas could only be caught if you first caught Regirock, Registeel, and Regice.

  • Maximum CP according to the current formula: 4337
  • Type: Normal
  • Notable values: Regigigas has a very high attack value. Its other values are also significantly above average.
  • Comparison to other legendaries: Regigigas will be a true monster! It reaches the highest CP of all Pokémon, except for Slaking. Moreover, its attack value is enormous and can give any Pokémon a hard time.

Conclusion

In the 4th generation, trainers can expect various strong legendary Pokémon. Especially the dimensional trio and Regigigas have particularly strong values. It remains unclear whether these Pokémon will retain such strong values after the announced balancing.

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Mythical Pokémon

Besides the 9 legendary Pokémon, there are five mythical Pokémon.

Pokémon GO Gen 4 Mythical
  • Darkrai
  • Manaphy
  • Phione
  • Shaymin
  • Arceus

The graphics used in this article and the title image are sourced from PokeWiki.

Are you excited about the new legendary Pokémon? We also introduced the ghost Pokémon of the 4th generation.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Guardians are pondering: What is behind the tomb ship in Destiny 2?

Micha Deckert Micha Deckert Reading time 3 minutes

A bug in Destiny 2 currently shows Saturn and the Dreadnaught from Destiny 1. Many players would be happy to return to Oryx’s ship and are coming up with theories about what the Dreadnaught could be doing in the game right now.

We have already reported on the bug in Destiny 2 that shows Saturn and the Dreadnaught from Destiny 1 instead of Titan when approaching. The phenomenon was easily replicated by several players by joining friends who were currently completing the heroic adventure on Titan. Why are Saturn and Oryx’s ship appearing in Destiny 2 now?

Bug shows Saturn and Dreadnaught from Destiny 1

What kind of bug is this? Several players on the Destiny subreddit have reported that during the approach sequence, they see Saturn and the Dreadnaught when they try to join a friend on Titan. The music from The Taken King is also playing – the expansion in which the Dreadnaught was introduced.

destiny-titan-grabschiff

How can you see the Dreadnaught? Two guides have been presented on the Destiny subreddit that are said to reliably trigger the bug. Still, Saturn or the Dreadnaught do not appear during every approach. You will need a bit of luck as well. If you only approach Titan, you can still hear the music from the Dreadnaught there.

  • Method 1: Have a friend start and begin the heroic adventure. While you do this, fly to the Tower. When you arrive at the Tower, join your friend in the heroic adventure on Titan.
  • Method 2: Land on Titan and then go back to orbit. Your friend should now start and begin the heroic adventure. Now join your friend.

On Reddit, players are certain that the appearance of the Dreadnaught has to do with the fact that this week the Flashpoint and thus the heroic adventure are on Titan. If you want to experience the bug yourself, you should try it before the next reset!

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The Guardians have a lot of theories

After the Guardian AlanahNahNah opened a post on Reddit about the “Saturn bug”, more players quickly came forward who had experienced the same thing. Theories were also discussed about what the appearance of Saturn and the Dreadnaught could mean.

It’s just a bug: Some Guardians suggested that Destiny 2 is likely just built on the predecessor and therefore has many assets carried over. So it could simply be a bug.

Others counter that the asteroids, the Dreadnaught, and Saturn look much more detailed than they did in Destiny 1.

A PvP map is coming on the Dreadnaught: User Breshii spoke up and claimed that a Crucible map could soon follow on the Dreadnaught. He extracts the audio files from the game and claims to have come across the music of the Dreadnaught from Destiny 1 along with the PvP sounds.

destiny-kerker-dungeons

There were already two Crucible maps on the ship in Destiny 1: The Dungeons and Cathedral of Dusk.

Some Guardians now believe that with the upcoming Festival of the Lost, the Halloween event, a new Crucible map could be added on the Dreadnaught.

Saturn and Dreadnaught as DLC or expansion: Another theory is that Bungie is already preparing for the next DLC or expansion and is already adding some assets for upcoming content in Destiny 2. Guardians hold on to the idea that the post-credits scene of the base game of Destiny 2 indicates the order in which players will visit further locations.

After the awakening of the Traveler, its light fell on the following locations: Mercury, Mars, Reef, Saturn, and the Dreadnaught, as well as a distant part of the universe where the mysterious pyramid-shaped ships are waiting. We have already visited Mercury, Mars, and the Reef in exactly that order. So next, Saturn and Oryx’s Dreadnaught should await us.

destiny-2-grabschiff

While some players assume that we will see an expansion around the ship in year 3 of Destiny 2, others hope that one of the DLCs from the annual pass will take us back to this region. According to the developers, the contents of the pass will take place not on any new planets, but rather in smaller “location bubbles”.

Do you have a theory as well? Why are Saturn and Dreadnaught already present in Destiny 2?

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Source(s):
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 breaks sales records, does not provide numbers

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 3 minutes

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 had a good launch. But how does it compare to other Call of Duty titles? Activision manages to release success reports without mentioning sales numbers.

This year, Call of Duty is doing things differently. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 launched without a single-player campaign. Additionally, for the first time in the franchise’s history, there is a Battle Royale mode – Blackout.

Activision has now announced that Black Ops 4 sales have already set some new records.

Strongest digital Day-1 release at Activision

Call of duty black ops 4 beta 2

Black Ops launch sets records: Although the publisher has not provided actual sales numbers for its Call of Duty titles for years, it proudly announced that Black Ops 4 was the largest digital Day-1 release in the company’s history.

This means that more digital copies of Black Ops 4 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC were sold in a shorter time span than those of Destiny 2, Call of Duty: WW II, or other Activision titles.

Here are some other records that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has set:

  • Black Ops 4 became the best-selling “Full Game” on Day 1 in the PlayStation Store – worldwide
  • Black Ops 4 was the best-selling digital Activision title on Day 1 in the Xbox Store
  • The first Battle.net release of a Call of Duty increased digital Day-1 sales on PC by more than double compared to the previous year
  • The total number of players who were online to play Black Ops 4 has increased compared to last year’s Call of Duty release
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Viewer numbers on Twitch show the success of Black Ops 4: When looking at viewer numbers on Twitch as an indicator, it becomes clear that Black Ops 4 had a significantly stronger launch than Call of Duty: World War II.

While the maximum viewer count for WW II was around 148,000 in August 2018 (about 124,000 at release), Black Ops 4 already boasts a peak of 449,597 viewers at launch.

What do these records mean for Activision? However, this does not mean that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has sold better than all other Call of Duty installments. It is also unclear how the sales of the physical disc version of the game are doing.

Nonetheless, this is a significant success for the publisher, especially considering that Call of Duty: WW II overshadowed many previous titles in the series with its sales numbers.

blops blackout x4

What’s the catch?

What is really behind Activision’s statements? The publisher boasts of the records that Black Ops 4 has set. But as nice as all these reports may sound, none of this ultimately means that Black Ops 4 has sold better than Call of Duty: WW II in terms of total Day 1 sales.

There is no mention anywhere that total sales figures are higher than the previous year. Exact numbers and thus a transparent overview are missing.

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How does Black Ops 4 relate to its predecessors? Furthermore, there is also no information on how Black Ops 4 sales compare directly to Black Ops 3, Black Ops 2, and other earlier Call of Duty titles.

The only thing that can be said for certain now is that digital sales are higher this year at launch – a general trend in the video game industry. Thus, a complete picture of Black Ops 4 sales figures cannot really be derived.

However, with search interest on Google Trends, Black Ops 4 is significantly larger than its predecessor, as seen in the comparison of the relative number of search queries with Black Ops 3 from 2015.

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
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Darum fühlt sich Battle Royale in Black Ops 4 viel schneller als PUBG an

Jürgen Horn Jürgen Horn Reading time 2 minutes

Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 focuses on fluid gameplay and dynamic action in its Battle Royale mode Blackout. One standout movement feature, which also exists in a different form in the competitor PUBG, is Vaulting.

cod black ops 4 header

How does Vaulting work? “Vaulting”, the English term for leaping over, refers to a movement method where you simply vault over waist-high obstacles like windows or small walls, instead of circumventing them or awkwardly hopping over.

Black Ops 4 Level

An effective way of movement: Unlike a complete jump, your field of view remains constant when Vaulting, and you are not slowed down by the jump and landing. You simply glide effortlessly over obstacles, making you much more mobile.

Vaulting appears in Black Ops 4’s Battle Royale mode Blackout. But the major competitor PUBG also has Vaulting.

Vaulting in PUBG vs. Blackout – Who vaults better?

Vaulting in PUBG: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds also has a Vaulting mechanic, which was added about eight months after the release of the game via patch. The Vaulting noticeably improved the relatively slow movement. However, it often became a death trap.

PUBG Update Jump Climb

To this day, PUBG is a rather strategic game, where you don’t just rush around wildly. You plan every movement carefully. Therefore, Vaulting tends to be sluggish and can mean your death in a wild firefight.

Furthermore, it is often unclear in PUBG whether your character can get over a certain obstacle or not. Inexperienced players often find themselves helpless in front of a wall and get mowed down.

Vaulting in Blackout: Black Ops 4 takes a completely different approach in the Battle Royale mode Blackout. Instead of struggling realistically through the levels, your avatar vaults, jumps, and darts through the vegetation like a young god. The movement is extremely fluid and fast.

Your character climbs large stacks of boxes effortlessly or slips through windows like a greased lightning. If you encounter enemies in the meantime, wild shootouts and chases break out, as if from an action movie.

With this, the developers have created exactly the type of typical “Call of Duty Dynamics” in a Battle Royale game that they had always promised.

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
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MapleStory 2: Hit auf Steam – Das sagen die Spieler

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 3 minutes

On October 10th, the anime MMORPG MapleStory 2 officially launched and became a hit on Steam. But what are players saying about the MMO?

Over 42,000 players on Steam, that is a fantastic start for the MMORPG MapleStory 2. Additionally, reviews on Steam are “mostly positive” with 74%. The game appears to be well received.

A Good Start

maplestory 2 area

What is MapleStory 2? MapleStory 2 serves as a quasi-prequel to the immensely successful Asian MMO MapleStory. This time you explore a 3D world, experience quests, fight monsters, and can also participate in and create mini-games. Additionally, housing plays an important role, with no limits to your creativity.

How is the MMORPG received? It launched with over 42,000 players on Steam and the reviews are, as mentioned before, very positive. MapleStory 2 is currently well received by players. The title is also being discussed on Reddit.

  • The BindinofMyAss writes: “Honestly, this will probably be based only on the fact that it is a cute MMO, it has a lot of social things to do and mini-games, and because it is a sequel it can maintain a high population.”
  • S33k3R_Kions states: “The game is fun, I just think they need to change the limitation to 30 dungeons per week.”
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Reviews are mostly positive

How do the reviews look? On Steam, the mood towards the game is very positive.

  • RainbowCutty writes: “The most exhilarating MMORPG I’ve ever played. It’s like MapleStory and Phantasy Star Universe had a baby and Minecraft and Final Fantasy Worlds had a child too. These two then met and had MapleStory 2 as a child.”
  • -Yukkikaze- explains: “I unfortunately never experienced MapleStory 1 (I was a Runescaper), but after playing for about 15 hours so far, I can safely say that this is definitely a game worth investing hours into.”
  • [DE] Ranik believes: “I’m personally not an anime fan at all and the graphics initially put me off. I also never played the first part as I didn’t like its visuals at all. However, I finally decided to give MapleStory 2 a shot and wanted to see if I liked it or not… and was pleasantly surprised!”
  • Pyronimoe writes: “The game captivated me more than I expected. Initially I thought I’d play a few parts and take a look, but now I’ve dove in so deep that I can’t look away anymore.”
MapleStory 2 Housing

However, there are also a few negative voices. These mainly refer to technical issues such as disconnects, crashes, and mysterious error codes. Criticism is also directed at the limit of 30 dungeons per week and the item shop, which many find too expensive.

  • Yona Vermillion states: “Unfortunately, I’ve decided to rate the game negatively now. A Halloween costume has been introduced that costs 76 style tokens to purchase. One token costs 3 dollars. This means that you have to pay 228 dollars for this costume. I’ve never seen an online game where a cosmetic costume is so expensive.”

Overall, however, MapleStory 2 is currently very well received by players, even if it still has some issues with gold spam.

Have you played it yet? What do you think of MapleStory 2?

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This is why you should keep an eye on For Honor again

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

With Marching Fire, Ubisoft’s action epic For Honor receives its biggest update yet. As fans, you should definitely check it out, as the game will also be graphically refreshed.

New textures and lighting effects create even more spectacular battles in the online game For Honor with Marching Fire. But that’s not all the update brings.

For Honor Marching Fire Before After

Prettier Battles

This is how For Honor gets a graphic upgrade: Ubisoft’s battle epic is not an ugly game. After all, it was only released in February 2017. But with the upcoming update, the developers want to showcase what is visually possible in For Honor with the current technologies.

  • All textures in the game will be overhauled and look even more detailed
  • The entire lighting system will be improved, changing the atmosphere on the maps
  • Dark areas will be darker, and the sun will reflect more realistically off surfaces
  • Colors are to be portrayed more intensively
  • The graphic improvements will also ensure that For Honor consumes less performance. For example, the new textures take up less disk space
  • The skybox will now appear visually correct, making the sky look more realistic
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A New Faction and Additional Game Modes

This is also included in the update: The large Marching Fire update not only improves the graphics of the game. There are also several other interesting features:

  • The new heroes Shaolin, Tiandi, Jiang Jun, Nuxia for the new Wu-Lin faction
  • The game mode “Storm”, in which you conduct a siege, including siege weapons of a fortress, to capture it. The defenders try to prevent this by all means. Games will take place in 4v4 battles
  • The Arcade mode, in which you fight endless battles alone or in cooperative mode to improve your hero and unlock equipment. You will then take the heroes into the online mode
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When does Marching Fire come out? The expansion will be released on October 16. Those who already own For Honor will be able to download the major update for free. However, the Arcade mode is not included. There are also two other editions:

  • Marching Fire Expansion Digital – For 30 euros, you get immediate access to all four new heroes in addition to the regular contents of the update that you would otherwise have to unlock
  • For Honor Marching Fire Edition – For 60 euros, you receive the base game with 16 heroes plus the Marching Fire expansion with the new heroes
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Red Dead Redemption 2: Story length is known, 5 hours missing

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

RockStar has cut 5 hours of story from Red Dead Redemption 2. The dimensions of the game are huge, which affects the gameplay duration: Red Dead Redemption 2 is said to have about 65 hours of content.

The gameplay duration of Red Dead Redemption 2 is known: In an interview with Vulture, the approximate gameplay duration of Red Dead Redemption 2 was discussed for the first time.

The game is said to offer 65 hours of content – although this can certainly vary depending on play style.

The information comes from an interview with Dan Houser, one of the founders of RockStar, with the site Vulture. It is not specifically stated what the 65 hours refer to. However, the whole game is described as being that long – one can assume that the “story material” referred to consists of scripted story, the campaign, and side missions.

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Red Dead Online – robust as GTA Online

This is what they say about Red Dead Online: After the story, it should continue with Red Dead Online. A beta is expected to start in November. The interview states, “Red Dead Online should be as robust as Grand Theft Auto Online once it has creatively found its footing.”

RockStar is currently working on Red Dead Online. Some scenes are still being written and recorded in the motion capture studio.

Red Dead Redemption 3? If Red Dead Redemption 2 becomes a success, RockStar might consider making another game. Houser believes they still have exciting stories to tell.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Arthur Kutsche

Red Dead Redemption 2 is huge: The interview mentions further numbers regarding the production of the game.

  • The game has 300,000 animations
  • and 500,000 lines of dialogue
  • The finished script for the main story is said to have comprised 2000 pages
  • RockStar is said to have had 1200 actors perform motion capture – 700 of whom also had speaking roles
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This leads to gigantic file sizes:

For the PC, RDR2 has not been announced yet, causing some frustration.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Outlook

Some cut

Why are 5 hours missing in the campaign? Several reasons are mentioned in the interview for cutting material from the finished game:

  • The protagonist Arthur Morgan was supposed to have two romantic options, according to the interview. However, one of the two did not work.
  • Additionally, entire missions were removed from Red Dead Redemption 2. They either did not technically work, felt not smooth enough, or were simply unnecessary.

One mission took place on a train, and you had to deal with bounty hunters. It felt good at the beginning, but in the end it was not.

When you cut hours, it always leads to tough negotiations, Dan Houser reveals in the interview with Vulture. Everyone loses a piece of the game they love.

Stay updated on Red Dead Redemption 2: If you do not want to miss any news about the game, then follow our special Facebook page with 100% news, guides, and specials about Red Dead Redemption 2.

More about Red Dead Redemption 2:

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CoD: Black Ops 4 deceives you into thinking you are better than you are

Robert Albrecht Robert Albrecht Reading time 2 minutes

You wonder why you show significantly better statistics in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 than in its predecessor? The developer Treyarch has accomplished this with a trick that has also been seen in Destiny 2.

You have mysteriously become a CoD pro? If you play significantly better in Black Ops 4 than in the predecessors (without abusing gestures), you have to be disappointed now. Because it is not because you suddenly got significantly better, but how Treyarch calculates K/D.

K/D – Kill to Death Rate: Shows your kills in relation to your own deaths. The value “1” is generally defined as average (for every kill achieved, you die once). The value is calculated with the formula kills divided by deaths.
 

Assists are now kills: As Polygon writes, the calculation formula for K/D in Black Ops 4 has been changed. Now assists also count as “kills”. To improve your statistics, you just need to hit opponents, it doesn’t matter who lands the last shot.

If you had problems reaching a K/D of 1.0 before, this should now be significantly easier.

Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Ballern Waffe Titel

Role model Destiny 2? Also Destiny 2 has introduced this system, although it does not call it K/D, but efficiency. Just like in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, efficiency is calculated with (kills + assists) / deaths. We are not talking about K/D here, but KA/D.

Why did Treyarch change the system? The magical number 1.0 has always been regarded as the yardstick for an average player in terms of K/D. Those who play significantly below this value can quickly become frustrated. The feeling of finishing games with a K/D of 0.3 can be quite demoralizing.

Call-of-Duty-Pyro

It is primarily a motivational boost for players who have had difficulty being competitive in the past.

The problem is: the new calculation method will ensure that the understanding of what constitutes an “average player” will shift upwards. Instead of 1.0, a “K/D” of 1.3 or 1.5 could then be considered the new standard.

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What do you think of this system? Do you find the change meaningful?

Already seen? CoD: Black Ops 4 even has a splitscreen mode (also for Blackout)!

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

The improved Iron Banner starts in Destiny 2 – Here’s what’s new

Micha Deckert Micha Deckert Reading time 2 minutes

The next Iron Banner is coming to Destiny 2. Bungie has responded to player feedback and made some changes – especially to the rewards.

From Tuesday, October 16, to Tuesday, October 23, the Iron Banner will return in Destiny 2. After criticism from the Guardians, Bungie intervened and made some changes to the PvP event. The requirements for bounties have been lowered and the rewards have been increased.

Iron Banner should be worthwhile again

What did the players complain about? The weapons and gear that players received randomly through bounties and after matches were often items below the power level. Furthermore, the bounties were too “grindy” and yielded hardly any good rewards.

destiny-2-eisenbanner

It was particularly criticized that the larger bounties, such as completing 30 Iron Banner matches during the week, only provided normal legendary gear. Players had hoped for more powerful items for their efforts, with which they could advance in power level.

A player on Reddit suggested that all Iron Banner bounties should drop powerful gear.

What has been changed? Bungie listened to the feedback and made adjustments to the bounties. Guardians will now receive truly powerful rewards from all Iron Banner bounties.

destiny-2-eisenbanner

Additionally, some changes have been made to the requirements of the bounties:

  • Light Bearer: The required number of Super kills has been reduced from 25 to 20
  • Iron in the Blood: The required number of match completions has been reduced from 30 to 15.
  • Shine On: The required number of created orbs has been reduced from 100 to 50.
  • Iron Victory: The required number of match wins has been reduced from 10 to 7.
  • To be precise: The required number of precision kills has been reduced from 100 to 50.
  • A Week’s Work: The required number of kills has been reduced from 250 to 150.

Furthermore, with each bounty completion, an item with selected perk rolls will be unlocked for direct purchase in Lord Saladin’s inventory. According to Bungie, this week Foxes and Wolves will fight for a spot in your arsenal.

destiny-2-eisenbanner-fuchs-wolf

You can also earn more valor:

  • From October 16 to October 19, there will be double valor
  • From October 19 to October 23, there will be triple valor

By the way: In addition to the Iron Banner, the Festival of the Lost will also start on October 16:

More on the topic
The Festival of the Lost is coming in Destiny 2 – All information about the event
von Sven Galitzki

What do you think of the changes? Will the prospect of more loot entice you into the Crucible?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Bungie
  2. Reddit

Twitch streamer Asmongold sharply criticizes the new RNG temptation in WoW

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 4 minutes

One of the biggest WoW streamers talks about the current state of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. He mentions many points of criticism. Above all, he is bothered that players can no longer work towards loot, but that everything depends on RNG.

If you take a look at Reddit or the official forums, the World of Warcraft community is currently “underwater”. There is a flood of criticism and accusations. Now even the streamer Asmongold joins in and discusses in a half-hour video all the things that he believes are going wrong.

Who is Asmongold? Asmongold is a streamer and YouTuber who has made a name for himself in the scene. He has been playing World of Warcraft for years and entertains viewers with interesting stories from his gamer life or hosts fun events, such as the community completion of numerous achievements. His opinion holds high value in the community.

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“Warforged” destroys true joy

This is Asmongold’s criticism of the loot system: No one would remember that they got “this great warforged weapon 5 with socket” in Warlords of Draenor. But when a player finally got that one weapon from a boss in Classic, The Burning Crusade, or Wrath of the Lich King, that is a memory that sticks.

The reason for this is that additional layers of randomness have been introduced. There was randomness before as well; for example, a weapon had a drop chance of 8% – but then it was also exactly the weapon that players wanted.

WoW Legion warrior furor

Today, a weapon may also have a drop chance of 8%. But then it can also be warforged, and the chance that it has the optimal item level, a socket, and the desired tertiary stat is far below 0.1%.

And that destroys the true joy that one felt back then when receiving a desired item. Today, the joy lasts only a short time, as the thought soon arises: “Couldn’t the weapon have had a few item levels higher?”

More on the topic
Only with Patch 8.1 is WoW: Battle for Azeroth a finished game
von Cortyn

The developers are not listening

This is Asmongold’s criticism of the developers: Another point of criticism from Asmongold is that the developers have long stopped listening to the community.

WOW GameMaster Laughing title

It is not about blindly implementing every wish of the community, but about individual requests that have been criticized by a large number of players.
For example, the change to the Global Cooldown has been completely decided against the player base. WoW feels slower and more sluggish since then.

PvP fans have been demanding for years that they get a vendor for armor back. They want to earn tokens or currency and then be able to choose exactly which item they receive. But here too, pro PvP players are largely dependent on RNG.

It’s all about playtime now

This is what Asmongold criticizes about the general direction of WoW: In summary, Asmongold believes that everything boils down to the fact that the development of World of Warcraft is no longer about the players having fun, but about making them play as long as possible. All systems require long farming, and most of them have extreme luck components (farming Azerite gear, items, rewards from island expeditions).

WoW Undead Pointing GameMaster

Blizzard falls into the typical cycle of gradually loosening these things when they become too much for the players. But this time, that moment has come sooner, as the protests on Reddit and in the forums are louder than ever before.

For Asmongold, it seems that Blizzard determines the game content through statistics and calculations, not whether it is really fun for the players.

WoW Battle for Azeroth blood elf question title

In his video, Asmongold mentions many other aspects, such as the Azerite system, which he believes has failed, or the “boringly” necklace (Heart of Azeroth), which “cannot even be right-clicked”. Anyone proficient in English should definitely watch the whole video.

Not everything is bad – but a lot is: In the end, Asmongold emphasizes that despite everything, he likes some aspects of the expansion and still has fun.

However, he believes that he could have much more fun if the developers finally sought an open dialogue and would address the community’s feedback.

Do you share Asmongold’s opinion? Or is WoW without major faults for you, and has Blizzard taken the right path?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

In Fortnite könnt Ihr wohl bald Skins aus dem Shop verschenken

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

In Fortnite, a dataminer has likely discovered the next feature. A leak suggests that players will soon be able to gift skins in the Fortnite shop. So, it’s time to be good.

This is the new feature: Essentially, it’s just a gifting option in the game’s shop. When a player buys a new item, such as a skin, in the Fortnite cash shop, they can then decide:

  • am I buying the item normally for myself
  • or do I want to gift the item to a friend I am connected to via the Epic launcher

This is what it looks like:

Fortnite-Schenke

Then, you can write a personal message, such as: “Here is the cuddle agent for you, because you are an incredibly cuddly cuddly bear, dear Jürgen!”

Is this official? No, this is not official yet. A dataminer, The1Jaren, managed to unlock this system in their version of the game. This suggests that the “gifting system” may be close to release.

Kuschelbaer-Fortnite

The gifting feature has been discovered for Fortnite before, in June 2018. However, it did not come at that time.

When could the gifting feature go live? A possible date was set for October 21. Screenshots were taken on October 13, showing that friends in the list can receive the gifts eight days later.

No one knows yet if it will indeed happen. That would be a Sunday, which is rather unusual for Epic.

However, it can be assumed that Epic will implement the gifting system in Fortnite before Christmas 2018, as it would ring the cash register significantly.

Fortnite-Schenken

This is what lies behind the system: It’s a logical consideration. Epic makes money when skins are sold. When players gift each other skins, Epic earns more money.

It’s actually rather surprising that such a system is not yet in the game:

Pro tip: You might want to be nicer to your gaming friends in the coming days than usual. This increases the chance that you will receive a nice skin from them as a gift at Christmas.

The next patch has already announced this monstrosity in Fortnite:

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Fortnite builders will hate the new Quad Rams
von Jürgen Horn
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

That’s why the new horde mode on Tuesday is so important for Destiny 2

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 5 minutes

A Halloween event called Festival of the Lost starts on Tuesday in Destiny 2. With the event, a new Horde mode comes to the shooter. This could actually determine whether Destiny 2 takes a new direction or continues as before, says our author Schuhmann.

The original problem of Destiny: Since 2014, Destiny has suffered from a major issue, content drought. There simply isn’t enough to do to keep Guardians engaged over time.

The Destiny year goes as follows:

  • In September, the main attraction of the year is released
  • In December, the first major expansion
  • In the spring of the following year, the next and final push of new content
Destiny-Fire

With each of these content releases comes a balance update that changes the weapons and starts a new “season”. Otherwise, not much happens in a year of Destiny: apart from minor quality-of-life improvements or bug fixes, which often take a while, like the nerf of the Sleeper Simulant.

This leads to long content droughts in Destiny:

  • From late October to early December
  • From January to May – this varies
  • And then from July to August

This is what Bungie says about content droughts: Ever since 2015, Bungie has promised that these content droughts would come to an end and things would get better. Already in February 2015, Eric Hirshberg from Activision spoke of a “robust pipeline” of new content. Since then, Guardians have been waiting for this pipeline to flow.

For Destiny 2, Activision promised something similar in different words. But so far, Bungie has never really been able to deliver on that.

Destiny Artwork Defeat

That’s why Destiny always experiences such long content droughts

This is why Bungie cannot solve the problem: Apparently, Bungie vastly underestimated how much effort it takes to develop a game the size of Destiny live.

They simply couldn’t manage to work on the next expansion, maintain the ongoing game, and then also “on the side” develop content.

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Destiny will statt Shooter ein Hobby sein
von Schuhmann

Structures to ensure that had to be painstakingly created:

  • By the end of 2015, they had built a “live team” – that was supposed to support the ongoing game – which was heavily promoted in December 2015 with a “We’ll do it live” Vidoc.
  • At the same time, Activision had assured that “partner studios” would assist with Destiny: the High Moon Studios or Vicarious Visions
  • Additionally, Bungie has also constantly expanded its own staff – they are said to have over 700 employees
    Destiny-Taken-King-Suros-Scout-Rifle-In-Game.jpg.optimal

Destiny had a very ambitious plan for years, meaning that there was always a “large content expansion” in the works that was delayed or had issues and required more resources than originally planned.

The main team at Bungie always worked on the big expansion, while the “live team” could only organize smaller events and content updates for which no new content was created.

It’s said that creating new content in Destiny is notoriously cumbersome, as highlighted in a report by Kotaku.

There, an insider reportedly described how cumbersome Bungie’s editor is. You have to load a map for 8 hours overnight, and it takes another 20 minutes to open it. Moving a simple node a few meters takes only a few seconds, but then everything still needs to be compiled for another 20 minutes.

destiny-2-osiris-face

This is how free updates have been so far: This has led to hardly any notable content being released outside the paid DLCs. They then resorted to “recycling events.” This contributed to Destiny earning a reputation as the “recycling champion.”

The three largest of these free content updates were:

destiy-sparrow-guardians

The special thing is: All these “larger free content updates” actually only came in situations where no DLCs were planned.

This time, everything is supposed to be “really” different

New plan: With the “new” Destiny 2 Forsaken, things are supposed to be different. Bungie has once again promised to give Guardians something to do every month.

More on the topic
Destiny 2 promises a Year 2 without content drought – this time really
von Tom Rothstein

With the first event for Forsaken, “Festival of the Lost”, Bungie actually wants to bring new content on Tuesday, October 16:

titan-destiny-2

New direction or Déjà vu – Where is Destiny 2 headed?

The exciting part: Until now, events in Destiny have actually only been opportunities to promote the cash shop. On Tuesday we will find out if that really has changed and whether Bungie can finally fulfill its promise to provide players with substantial content throughout the entire year in 2018.

These could then also stay in the game permanently and bring variety.

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Destiny 2 with 2 major updates in one month – Here’s what it includes
von Schuhmann

One should probably not expect too much, but one may be curious whether Forsaken really signifies a lasting change in Bungie’s philosophy.

Much will depend on whether Bungie has succeeded in improving its production processes behind the scenes and possibly using new partner studios effectively to release fresh content more easily.

destiny-2-ogre-monstrosity

The question is:

  • Can Bungie really expand and keep Destiny 2 fresh with free updates in 2018?
  • Or will the event remain below expectations and be interesting for only a few hours?

I am certainly excited to see how the long story of Destiny will unfold next Tuesday.

More on the topic
Destiny: Highlights and Lowlights – 13 Moments from 3 Years of Destiny
von Schuhmann
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Only with Patch 8.1 is WoW: Battle for Azeroth a finished game

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth will only be a complete game with Patch 8.1. At least, that is the view of Cortyn.

The new WoW expansion Battle for Azeroth has been released for almost two months now, and numerous hotfixes have fixed the “teething problems” as well as larger bugs. Nevertheless, the expansion still does not feel complete. This will only be achieved by the upcoming Patch 8.1 Tides of Vengeance.

Important features are still missing

What bothered me the most is the absence of – for me personally – important features like the Paragon rewards when farming reputation or the “Incursions,” where Alliance and Horde attack the coasts of the enemy island, just like the Legion did at the Broken Shore.

WoW Human Alliance Guard

The argument of some players is that both features were only introduced late in the lifecycle of Legion, so it is normal that they will also arrive late in Battle for Azeroth.

That is true to some extent, but that is not my point or expectation of a Blizzard game.

If a feature worked well in Legion, I expect it to be available immediately with the next addon. After all, the developers are not starting “from scratch” and do not have to gather the same experiences again.

Some may find it presumptuous or think my expectations are too high, but if I have come to know and love a feature in Legion, then I expect it to be included with the next expansion and not added later in a subsequent patch.

wow legion screenshot warden emissary weltquest
Paragon rewards lured players in Legion with special items.

And that is precisely what I expect from an expansion: Old features that worked well should be expanded and carried over while new features are added. I do not want old features to be continually brought back “anew”.

One warfront was not enough

WoW BfA Stromgarde Storming The Keep Warfront

Another point is the “warfronts” – even though the feature at release should have been called “warfront” since there was only one. This had the negative connotation that you can only play it roughly every two weeks, then it is the other faction’s turn.

It will be significantly better with Patch 8.1 when the Darkshore becomes a warfront as well. Because then two warfronts will work in tandem, so the Horde will attack the Darkshore while the Alliance is battling for Stromgarde Keep in the Arathi Highlands. This way, there will be something to do every week, and more warfronts in future patches will improve it even further.

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WoW Chief reveals why you cannot play warfronts as a raid
von Cortyn

Three more months would have done WoW: BfA good

And that closes the circle of my argumentation as well. Patch 8.1 is set to release roughly three months after the launch of Battle for Azeroth, plus or minus a week or two. That is exactly the three months of additional development that the game needed to be truly “ready”.

WoW Patch 8.1 Overview title

I am still having a lot of fun in Azeroth and most major flaws have been fixed promptly through hotfixes. However, I hope that Blizzard takes a few more months for the next expansion in about two years. I would gladly struggle through a hellfire citadel or the siege of Orgrimmar for 12 weeks longer to have a truly “polished” expansion at launch.

Patch 8.1 Tides of Vengeance will significantly improve World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth. It may not be perfect then either, but the current expansion will be a “real game” for me, which can be called complete.

But that is just my opinion. What do you think? Are you looking forward to Patch 8.1? Or are you completely satisfied with the current state of World of Warcraft?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New MMORPG Blade and Soul Revolution is launching soon in Korea

Irina Moritz Irina Moritz Reading time 2 minutes

The developer Netmarble plans to release the mobile game Blade and Soul: Revolution and shows plenty of video material. The game is set to go online on December 6 in South Korea. 

What is Blade and Soul: Revolution? B&S: Revolution is a spin-off of the Korean MMORPG by NCsoft. The story of the mobile game follows in the footsteps of Blade and Soul. Players will experience the conflict over Jinsoyun and the legendary sword “Twilight’s Blade” on their smartphones.

After their previous game Lineage 2: Revolution became a huge success, Netmarble wants to build on this experience and further enhance B&S: Revolution. The developer has also announced that the game will utilize Unreal Engine 4.

You can watch the official trailer for the game here:

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What does the gameplay look like? According to Netmarble, many key elements from the PC version of Blade and Soul will also be present in the mobile version. These include:

  • Five “massive zones” that players can explore
  • Sprinting and gliding
  • Over 150 cinematic videos that will be fully synchronized to convey a better storytelling experience
  • 500 vs. 500 clan battles with turrets and watchtowers that are meant to bring more strategy into the game

What races and classes will be available? All four known races from the MMORPG will be playable in the mobile version. However, the selection of playable classes will initially be limited to the following at launch.

  • Jin: Blade Master and Kung Fu Master
  • Gon: Destroyer
  • Yun: Blade Master and Kung Fu Master
  • Lyn: Machinist (or Force Master)

Will Blade and Soul: Revolution also come to the West? No official announcement from Netmarble regarding the Western release has been made yet. However, it is certain that their previous mobile game Lineage 2: Revolution also released in the West. So Blade and Soul: Revolution has a good chance of appearing in Europe as well.

You can watch a trailer for the story here:

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Additionally, there is a preview of the abilities of individual classes:

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Meanwhile, the mobile MMORPG Lineage 2: Revolution continues to receive updates:

In Lineage 2 Revolution, Batman will soon meet orcs – What?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MMOCulture

CoD: Black Ops 4 is likely planning a battle pass and seasons like Fortnite

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

There are clear indications that Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is likely adopting a battle pass system similar to its competitor Fortnite. In Black Ops 4, this is referred to as the “Supply Stream.”

Announcement or Leak? It is somewhat difficult to say how official this is. A blog post on the official Call of Duty site seems to have gone live, but it has since been deleted.

Fan sites, however, have discovered and recorded the post (via CharlieIntel). The post introduced a new feature called “Supply Stream.” In English, this translates to something like “Supply Line”: a way for supplies to reach the front.

Charlie-Intel-Leak

This is how the Supply Stream of Call of Duty works: It is said that the “brand new system” guarantees players new equipment as they progress through various tiers.

  • Regular players must reach each tier on their own.
  • Buyers of a “Black Ops Pass” receive 10 tiers for free each season.

This means that players [with Season Pass] will receive the latest outfits, weapon variants, and emotes faster than others.

Black Ops 4 Season Pass

This could be behind the leak: The blog post was apparently written to additionally promote the “Season Pass” of Black Ops 4, which is already available commercially.

Then someone at Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 noticed that the Supply Stream had not yet been presented  – and therefore deleted the blog post. That might be how it happened.

Black Ops 4 Blackout

This is the Black Ops Pass: The “Black Ops Pass” of Call of Duty is the season pass for the game. It is sold for about €50.

What does this mean? A lot can be inferred from the short section:

  • Seasons in Black Ops 4 are probably planned, meaning game periods that will also bring new cosmetic items and change regularly.
  • A “Ranking” system is apparently also planned, where players can progress and level up over time.
  • It is not clear whether the “Supply Stream” will be available for free or if access must be purchased.
More on the topic
Fortnite vs Black Ops 4 Blackout vs PUBG – Here are the differences
von Jürgen Horn

How does it work in Fortnite? In Fortnite, the seasons last 10 weeks – that’s how long a battle pass is valid. The “Battle Pass” costs €10 there, and players need about 75 to 150 hours to complete such a pass.

As a reward, there are mainly skins, emotes, and other cosmetic gimmicks. The latest battle pass included 7 skins and 100 cosmetic items.

Call of duty black ops 4 specialists 1

In Fortnite, it has become customary for each season to include two special skins, which are further developed and are particularly stylish and sought after.

What is the catch of such a battle pass? The basic idea is that players buy a pass for a specific fixed amount. However, they still have to unlock individual tiers in this pass themselves and then receive cosmetic rewards for each new tier they climb.

The advantages of such a system for the studio:

  • Players are bound to a game and must actively play during a season to obtain all rewards included in the pass.
  • This also ensures that each “new” season generates attention, attracts new players, or brings back veterans.

The advantages of the system for players:

  • For players, it is an attractive offer because they receive relatively many cosmetic items for relatively little money.
  • Many players also enjoy the feeling of leveling up and receiving new rewards – it has that “loot and level” effect.

We asked before the release whether Black Ops 4 understands that this “constant evolution” of the game is key to Fortnite’s success. Apparently, they understood this:

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Has Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 understood why Fortnite is such a hit?
von Schuhmann
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Twitch star Ninja finds a woman to play Fortnite with

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 3 minutes

The most popular streamer on Twitch, Ninja, does not play with women to avoid gossip. But he makes an exception: He plays Fortnite with a woman, TV star Ellen DeGeneres.

That’s why Ninja does not play with women: In August 2018, a statement by Twitch star Ninja caused a stir. He said he only plays Fortnite with other male streamers and not with women.

This is due to the way the community on Twitch behaves. As soon as a well-known streamer plays or collaborates with women, rumors arise that the person is involved with the woman. As soon as he plays with a female gamer and the slightest hint of flirtation arises, this topic would forever appear in the comments on his videos and in clickbait videos by others.

This is the case for streamer Myth and streamer Pokimane, who are rumored to have an affair because they collaborate frequently.

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The only way to completely avoid such rumors is to not engage with female gamers, Ninja said at the time.

This brought him significant criticism in the US media. He was accused of sexism. The consensus was that anyone who self-censors out of fear of Twitch does no favors to women or equality.

Ninja holds a special position as the biggest streamer in the world with over 10 million followers on Twitch and is particularly closely watched.

Fortnite Ninja Title

Ninja presents Fortnite on a TV show

Now he plays with a woman after all: However, Ninja has made an exception. He appeared on Ellen DeGeneres’s TV show and played Fortnite there. DeGeneres has been hosting a US talk show in various forms since 2003, which is especially popular among women and bears her name “Ellen”.

Ninja shared how he met his current wife (through gaming and Facebook) and that he plays Fortnite about 10 to 12 hours a day while his wife manages him, constantly buzzing around in the app Slack and maintaining business contacts.

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Then a clip played showing Ninja and Ellen playing a little Fortnite together and Ellen amused herself about the breasts and butt of Calamity, the new frontwoman of Fortnite in Season 6.

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However, the highlight of the video is a dance sequence early in the video. A dancer performs the “Orange Justice” dance excellently. This was supposedly the trigger for the idea to present Fortnite on the Ellen show.

When Ninja plays Fortnite with women, he is criticized for it

Ellen is probably safe “as a partner”: Ninja probably has nothing to fear regarding sex rumors if he makes an exception and plays Fortnite with a woman:

  • it wasn’t on Twitch
  • then Ellen DeGeneres is more than double Ninja’s age
  • and Ellen came out in 1997. DeGeneres has been in a relationship with actress Portia de Rossi since 2004
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ROyZFB7Is

That’s why Ninja is now criticized: On the US site “Venturebeat”, Ninja is nevertheless sharply criticized. He is evidently breaking his own rule of not playing with women when it benefits him. Besides the Ellen show, Ninja is also accused of a commercial for the “Samsung Galaxy” phone.

There, a young black woman dreams of making it big in Fortnite. In her dream, Ninja invites her to play for the US national team in Fortnite.

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In her show, celebrities and non-celebrities who have something to share talk about all sorts of topics.

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von Jürgen Horn

What did Ninja do on the show? In the Ellen show, Ninja mainly engaged in small talk and introduced “Fortnite” to an audience that typically does not have much to do with gaming.

Ninja shared how he met his current wife (through gaming and Facebook) and that he plays Fortnite about 10 to 12 hours a day while his wife manages him, constantly buzzing around in the app Slack and maintaining business contacts.

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Then a clip played showing Ninja and Ellen playing a little Fortnite together and Ellen amused herself about the breasts and butt of Calamity, the new frontwoman of Fortnite in Season 6.

More on the topic
Fortnite will stabilize the wobbling breasts of its latest heroine
von Schuhmann

However, the highlight of the video is a dance sequence early in the video. A dancer performs the “Orange Justice” dance excellently. This was supposedly the trigger for the idea to present Fortnite on the Ellen show.

When Ninja plays Fortnite with women, he is criticized for it

Ellen is probably safe “as a partner”: Ninja probably has nothing to fear regarding sex rumors if he makes an exception and plays Fortnite with a woman:

  • it wasn’t on Twitch
  • then Ellen DeGeneres is more than double Ninja’s age
  • and Ellen came out in 1997. DeGeneres has been in a relationship with actress Portia de Rossi since 2004
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ROyZFB7Is

That’s why Ninja is now criticized: On the US site “Venturebeat”, Ninja is nevertheless sharply criticized. He is evidently breaking his own rule of not playing with women when it benefits him. Besides the Ellen show, Ninja is also accused of a commercial for the “Samsung Galaxy” phone.

There, a young black woman dreams of making it big in Fortnite. In her dream, Ninja invites her to play for the US national team in Fortnite.

More on the topic
Fortnite: Streamer talks about what Ninja and he earn monthly
von Cortyn
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Why the 17-year-old MMORPG RuneScape still fascinates

Leya Jankowski Leya Jankowski Reading time 8 minutes

The MMORPG RuneScape was first released in 2001. The special retro version “Old School”, which is modeled after RuneScape from 17 years ago, continues to grow. Our Leya wondered why this is the case and has followed the traces of the MMORPG.

RuneScape is one of the oldest MMORPGs in the world and comes from the British developer Jagex. For many players aged 25 to 35, this cheerful game was their first encounter with an MMORPG. It was released in 2001 as a free browser game and has been set in the pseudo-medieval fantasy world of Gielinor since then.

Since the closure of Classic RuneScape, there are now two versions of the game: 

  • RuneScape 3: This is the “normal” version, which regularly receives graphical updates and has gameplay changes added.
  • Old School RuneScape: This version is modeled after the 17-year-old RuneScape from its origins and was released in 2013 at the request of fans. The game still features the old graphics that we would probably label as ugly from today’s perspective. The old, clunky mechanics of the MMORPG classic can also be found here.
old-school-runescape-mobile-2
Old School RuneScape still looks just like the free browser game from 2001.

Old School RuneScape still has surprisingly many players and more are joining

Retro version has more players: For years, forum posts have repeatedly emerged asking why Old School RuneScape is still so actively played. It goes so far that many fans prefer the old version to the “normal” RuneScape 3.

About 60,000 concurrent players in 2018:  Old School RuneScape manages to gather an average of around 50,000 to 60,000 players online at the same time daily. Since its release in 2013, a strong upward trend has been observed, as shown by the blue line in the graphic below.

Popular on Twitch: Even on Twitch, no one seems to be bothered by the pixelated graphics and old gameplay. The Twitch page for Old School RuneScape has 179,304 followers and 9,707 viewers (September 9, 6:00 PM). The eSports PvP mode “Deadman”, which takes place in seasons, is particularly popular.

The graphic is from misplaceditems.com. The website retrieves the number of players online from RuneScape’s website every 5 minutes. The script has been running since 2013 to this day. Last updated: September 9, 5:00 PM

Why? Anyone looking at Old School RuneScape must inevitably ask the question of why. Why would so many players prefer this old MMORPG when there are other, more modern, prettier alternatives like World of Warcraft, The Elder Scrolls Online, or even a modern RuneScape.

I looked into this question and visited the Runefest 2018, a large fan festival where players and developers come together to celebrate their game. This year, for the first time, the Runefest had to move to a larger venue than before due to the large number of fans attending – also a sign of growth.

For veterans, nostalgia plays a role

Interview to find an answer: At Runefest 2018, I had the opportunity to talk to Mathew Kemp, the Senior Product Manager for Old School RuneScape. I asked him for a deeper insight into the phenomenon.

I was particularly interested in why so many players preferred the retro version over the modern version.

Senior Product Manager Mathew Kemp believes in nostalgia: “I can definitely tell you why so many people play it. I can’t say for sure why some players prefer one over the other. I’ve always looked at it this way: Back in the day, Old School RuneScape was the relevant game of its time (2005-2007), which was 12 to 14 years ago. The players were 12 to 14 years old back then and are now in their late twenties to early thirties.“

Matthew-Kemp
Matthew Kemp is also known to players as Mod Mat K and is Senior Product Manager at Jagex.

“These players have […] the memories they had back when they played RuneScape. They simply want to play it again and relive those memories.

That moment when you play an MMORPG for the first time is a special moment for a person. You’ll never get that moment back. You only have that one chance to experience the first time. That’s a reason many still stick with [Old School] RuneScape.”

Players actually feel comfortable in their first MMORPG, according to Kemp. Others feel the same: That’s why no MMORPG will ever be as great as World of Warcraft

There are also new players: It’s not just nostalgia

Declining player base as a problem: If most players are veterans, one might think that this could eventually become a problem. A game needs “fresh blood” to continue running in the long run.

RuneScape-Old-School
Official artwork of Old School RuneScape shows the mystical tone of the game.

Young players are joining: However, Kemp assured me that Old School RuneScape has a steady influx of new players of all ages. There are teenagers and also players who have long surpassed 60. This was also reflected at Runefest, where all age groups were represented. However, most visitors were in their twenties.

Old School RuneScape is so simple that it reduces stress

This statement that there are still quite a few new players did not completely align with Kemp’s reasoning that players found their way to Old School RuneScape purely out of nostalgia. This made me suspicious, and I pressed for more clarity.

MeinMMO: Why do you think new players even start Old School RuneScape? You see the graphics and think it’s just an old game. Why don’t they start something modern like WoW or Elder Scrolls Online?

Mathew Kemp: “I also find that fascinating. When we ask our players why they play our game, which we do quite often, we consistently receive a key answer. That is, it’s simple to play.

You understand [Old School RuneScape] immediately, and it’s not as overloaded as other games with high-end graphics. When I hold a sword in my hand, it is a sword. There are no flashy or sparkling effects. This simplicity is exactly what our players appreciate.”

RuneScape-Schwert

A safety net of relaxation

Players use Old School RuneScape to relax: Kemp further stated that Jagex often has intense conversations with players: “We asked them how they feel when playing Old School RuneScape, and the word relaxation came up time and time again,” Kemp said, “These players have said that when they play League of Legends and become stressed, they simply return to Old School RuneScape because it calms them down.“

With a thoughtful look, Kemp continued: “It is part of their life to relax with Old School RuneScape. It’s almost like it’s their safety net. With Old School RuneScape, they have something […] that doesn’t put them under pressure.“

Old graphics as support: Kemp believes that the pixelated graphics also support that simplicity that players long for. In several surveys by Jagex, it was found that players definitely do not wish for a revision of the graphics.

RuneScape should remain simple and familiar: Most want Old School RuneScape to simply remain as it is. This applies to both old and new Old School RuneScape players. Kemp emphasized that Jagex places great importance on marketing the game just as it is. Therefore, the artwork used for advertising Old School RuneScape is kept simple like the game itself.

Old-School-RuneScape
Jagex deliberately keeps the artwork for Old School RuneScape simple so that players immediately know what they are getting into.

Old School RuneScape is not played for its looks

At RuneFest 2018, I found confirmation of what Senior Product Manager Mathew Kemp told me. I strolled through the festival and talked to the players themselves. There were only a few Old School players there. Most of those present were “modern” RuneScape players.

However, I found one Old School player who sat down for a chat with me.

Players are attracted by mechanics: The festival-goer, who preferred to remain anonymous, jokingly mentioned at the outset that there were probably hardly any Old School players at the festival because they were too busy playing. After all, Old School RuneScape also means Old School Grind.

Players invest massive amounts of time and resources to reach specific goals in the game. In “modern” RuneScape 3, there are some features that make grinding easier and shorten the process. However, these old systems are appreciated by Old School players.

Runefest1
At RuneFest, it is tradition to recreate the in-game world of Gielinor. Here, players can embark on quests leading them to the developers, with fun tasks along the way.

The festival-goer explained why he prefers Old School RuneScape over the modern one: “You know, I get asked this question quite often. I don’t have a real answer for it. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I don’t think that’s all there is to it.

Old School RuneScape simply allows for more room for imagination. Do you know the phenomenon of the “Uncanny Valley”? When things want to look real but aren’t, which gives you a weird feeling?

“Modern” RuneScape gives me that feeling. When I look at it, it tries really hard to look good, but it actually isn’t that great. That’s why I like Old School. I play the game mainly because of the system, the way it works, not really for the looks.”

OSRSvsRS3

Old School RuneScape: The lovely neighbor next door

In response to the question of why Old School RuneScape is still so relevant and why it continues to grow, there is probably not just one true answer. From my conversations at RuneFest, I can only think of the analogy of the lovely neighbor.

No exciting beauty, but charmingly lovable: She may not be as flashy and sexy as the young thing that looked at you mischievously from the bar. Old School RuneScape is that one friend next door where we feel comfortable right away. Both have their charm. However, our lovely neighbor opens the door to us in her shabby pajamas with disheveled hair, already offering us a hot cup of coffee.

Here we throw ourselves onto the old couch we have sat on so many times before and just let ourselves fall. We accept her quirks just as she accepts ours. That’s exactly why we love her, exactly why she is particularly charming and in her way a real beauty.

Old School RuneScape for Mobile: On October 30, Old School RuneScape will be released for iOS and Android. The modern version is still a bit away. However, beta tests for it have already started.

According to Senior Product Manager Kemp, expanding the platforms for Old School RuneScape is an important means to continue growing. Jagex aims to expand further beyond mobile in the future.

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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

New game from Blizzard? Head of Heroes of the Storm changes job

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 3 minutes

The Game Director of Heroes of the Storm is stepping down. He is taking on a new position at Blizzard – is he working on a new game?

Things are currently in motion at Blizzard when looking at the various positions within the company. After J. Allen Brack became the new president of Blizzard and Mike Morhaime stepped down, there is now another change. The Game Director of Heroes of the Storm, Alan Dabiri, is also changing his position.

Who is Alan Dabiri? Dabiri has been working at Blizzard for over 20 years and has been particularly responsible for Heroes of the Storm in recent years. In a forum post, he explains how proud he is to have witnessed the development of HotS. After all, Heroes of the Storm began as a mod for StarCraft 2 and then evolved into a standalone game.

He thanks his dedicated team, who have released some “of the best heroes of all time” this year, including Yrel, Whitemane, and Mephisto.

hots-game-director-alan-dabiri
Alan Dabiri

Blizzard has been working on new projects for at least 2 years

What’s interesting: Since 2016, many of the high-ranking Blizzard personnel have shifted from their previous jobs to “unannounced projects”.

Dabiri’s predecessor as head of Heroes of the Storm was Dustin Browder. He switched to a “new unannounced project” in 2016.  Additionally, Tom Chilton from World of Warcraft and Eric Dodds from Hearthstone also transitioned from their previous leadership roles in Blizzard games to such “new projects”.

Blizzard is currently in an “incubation phase”, with several projects simmering, none of which have yet been revealed. This is expected to happen at BlizzCon 2018. Fans are expecting at least a new Diablo here.

hots-ex-game-director-dustin-browder
Dustin Browder, Dabiri’s predecessor also switched to a new job

Who will succeed Dabiri? Who the next Game Director of Heroes of the Storm will be and thus set the tone and direction for Blizzard’s Moba is still unknown and does not clearly emerge from Dabiri’s farewell post.

Fans speculate that it could be Kaeo Milker, who is currently still working as Production Director of HotS.

HotS Sally Whitemane title

What is Dabiri going to do now? Where the former Game Director of HotS is headed now is still uncertain. It is only clear that he is taking on a new position within Blizzard. So there is a possibility that he will be working on a brand new title in the future.

What kind of new title could that be? Speculation is still ongoing about this. However, it is certain that Blizzard is working on a new Diablo installment that we will probably see at BlizzCon in a few weeks. In discussion is “Diablo 4: Reign of Terror”. But also a mobile title and an action game from a first-person perspective are being discussed and are part of many speculations that arise from job postings at Blizzard.

This announcement has made BlizzCon a little bit more exciting. However, whether we will already experience the effects of these job shifts there is questionable.

Soon there will be a new hero in Heroes of the Storm – the Dreadlord Mal’ganis.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmorpg.com
  2. us.forums.blizzard.com

Not well known, but this is how you can play Black Ops 4 in splitscreen, including Blackout

Sven Galitzki Sven Galitzki Reading time 3 minutes

Do you want to play Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 together on the couch? You can! Because Black Ops 4 offers split-screen – but only on PS4 and Xbox One.

What many players do not know: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 has a split-screen feature – and that for all included multiplayer modes.

Prior to the release of the current Call of Duty title, the developers at Treyarch did not make a big deal about it. But now that the game is out, players have discovered the split-screen function.

Play Black Ops 4 in split-screen together from the couch

This is what the split-screen feature for Black Ops 4 offers: On PS4 and Xbox One, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 offers split-screen.

Black Ops 4 Blackout Splitscreen
You can play Blackout together on the couch!

With two players, you can set in the options whether you want to split the screen horizontally or vertically. In competitive multiplayer, all players must be logged in with their own PSN account. At least one must have an active PS Plus subscription or a valid Xbox Live membership.

Blackout also has split-screen: Although split-screen also works in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s proprietary battle royale mode, performance in Blackout leaves much to be desired. The frame rate is noticeably lower, there are graphics issues at times, and the game feels generally very sluggish compared to the regular experience.

By the way: All important information about Blackout can be found here:

No split-screen for PC: To the surprise of some fans, this feature is missing on the platform that could probably handle the split-screen mode best – on PC. Why Treyarch has decided against split-screen on PC is unknown.

In Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, the split-screen feature was still available on PC and presented an important buying argument for many fans, as comments on Reddit testify. On PC, players could even split the multiplayer across two monitors.

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How to enter split-screen mode in Black Ops 4

The split-screen mode in Black Ops 4 is very easy to start: When you are in the main menu of Black Ops 4, you will see an overview of the active players in the upper right corner.

Call of Duty®: Black Ops 4_20181016121437
Simply follow this on-screen instruction to start the split-screen mode

Press the indicated button with another controller (up to 4 depending on the mode) and log in with the appropriate profile. Then you automatically join the group. Depending on the number of players and mode, the screen will then be split automatically.

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Black Ops 4 in Review – What do the first reviews on Metacritic say?
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This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. Eurogamer
  2. Reddit

Pokémon GO introduces the first Pokémon of the 4th generation

Noah Struthoff Noah Struthoff Reading time 3 minutes

On Twitter, Pokémon GO shared two images showing the first Pokémon of Generation 4.

Mysterious Tweets: Pokémon GO released two posts on Twitter in the last two days, reporting on Pokémon that were sighted for the first time in the Sinnoh Region.

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The Starters: The tweets describe a Water and a Fire Pokémon. These are Piplup and Chimchar, two of the three starters from Generation 4.

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Have you heard about the Baby Pokémon of Generation 4 in Pokémon GO?

The Community reacts – Theories about the Release

The community has come up with some theories about Niantic’s tweets. Users on Reddit have actively discussed the tweets.

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Countdown for Release: Some trainers believe that Pokémon GO introduces a new starter each day and will then release the first Pokémon of Generation 4 the following day. After the tweet about Piplup was published on Friday, the tweet about Chimchar followed on Saturday. If a tweet about Turtwig, the last starter, follows today, then a release could be expected on Monday. At least that is the speculation of some trainers.

The Reddit user Spotty2012 also believes in this theory: “The release on Monday now seems very likely.”

PokémonGO Gen 4 Title

Release not a big effort: According to this theory, a release next week seems plausible. Niantic announced the 4th generation some time ago, and the Pokémon have already been found in the code. Releasing the Pokémon is therefore not a huge effort anymore.

However, Niantic stated that they want to re-balance the values of the Pokémon in preparation for Generation 4. So it is still unclear if we can really expect a countdown ending on Monday.

What the new starters can do

Besides Piplup and Chimchar, there is also the Grass starter Pokémon Turtwig. We will show you what the final evolutions of the starter Pokémon can do and compare them to other starters from previous generations.

No certain values yet: In an announcement, Niantic made it clear that they want to adjust the values of many Pokémon . This means that the formula used to calculate the Pokémon’s values so far will soon no longer be valid. Therefore, the mentioned values are only benchmarks and highly likely not the exact values of the Pokémon.

Piplup, Prinplup and Empoleon

Piplup Pokemon GO 2
Source: Redbull

The Water family will not attract too much interest. Empoleon’s values are quite decent, but it has major competition among Water Pokémon.

  • Max CP according to current formula: 2900
  • Notable values: Its attack value is the best of all Water starters, but its HP value is below average.
  • Comparison to other starters: Empoleon will likely be among the best Water starters. Blastoise will overshadow it like every other starter. The other Water starters are about equally strong.

Chimchar, Monferno and Infernape

Chimchar Pokemon GO 2
Source: Redbull

The Fire family is unfortunately the weakest of the new starters. Infernape faces too much competition among Fire Pokémon.

  • Max CP according to current formula: 2683
  • Notable values: Its attack value is decent, while its other values are below average.
  • Comparison to other starters: Infernape will likely be the worst Fire starter. Its CP is the lowest, and its combat values are worse than those of the other starters.
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Turtwig, Grotle and Torterra

Turtwig Pokemon GO
Source: Redbull

The Grass family is probably the best starter family of Generation 4. Torterra could become one of the best Grass Pokémon in the game.

  • Max CP according to current formula: 2934
  • Notable values: All values are solid. Its attack value is above average, and it also scores well with its very good HP value.
  • Comparison to other starters: Torterra could indeed take the first place. Sceptile has a higher attack value, but it also has about 200 CP less. Furthermore, Torterra stands out with its high HP value. It therefore deals well and takes quite a bit of damage.

What do you think of the new starter Pokémon? Or are you more fans of the Ghost Pokémon from Gen 4?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.