Thanks to a leak, we might already know what Sony will present at the E3 2018. Maybe alongside Bloodborne 2 and Devil May Cry 5, PUBG is finally coming to the PS4!
Sony’s press conference for E3 will take place on June 12, 2018. However, thanks to a user on the platform 4chan, it is already known what is likely to be showcased. If we are to believe the leak, there should be a surprise or two.
Sony’s E3 Program: Bloodborne 2, Devil May Cry 5, and PUBG!
The 4chan article features a photo of a list of various games that Sony plans to showcase at E3 2018. The clearly labeled “for internal use only” paper lists the following titles:
On 4chan, there is currently a heated debate, in the usual “nice” tone of the site, about whether the leak is fake or true. However, if it turns out to be true, it means that PUBG will finally be available on Sony’s console.
So far, PUBG has only been available on PC and Xbox One. The PS4 launch was not ruled out, but was never specifically described. The developer Bluehole may now want to tap into further markets for the game.
Meanwhile, the player count of PUBG is declining on PC, and the major competitor Fortnite is very successful on both PC and consoles and is outperforming PUBG.
By June 12, 2018, we will know more when Sony’s press conference starts. Until then, these presumed information should be taken with appropriate caution. These details are not officially confirmed. The truthfulness of the leak cannot be verified.
In Devstream 112, the new Warframe was introduced. It will be number 36 and is currently still named “Vlad.” It is supposed to be a type of vampire made from fragments of the Eidolons and haunted by Sentient energy.
Why is Vlad compared to a vampire? “Vlad” came from the Eidolons, the massive Sentient machines that roam the plains of Eidolon at night. He was infected with the Sentient power of the Eidolons. He now uses this to control his enemies and make them his slaves. Similar to a human who was bitten by a vampire and returns with mystical powers as a vampire.
Vlad is infused with the blue glowing Sentient energy that gives him the power to infect enemies.
Vlad’s abilities are supposed to infect enemies and enslave them
The currently planned skills are based on life stealing and control over enemies. When Vlad infects enemies with Sentient energy, they will follow him like slaves and draw attacks onto themselves. Infected enemies can also further “infect” others with Sentient energy. His passive skill includes a life steal that is based on Vlad’s energy amount.
Furthermore, enemies that are completely infected will explode and give Vlad energy as soon as they die.
Vlad is supposed to dissolve into fog and put enemies to sleep: When Vlad passes through enemies as a fog cloud, they will also be infected and he steals their life and shield. As his ultimate skill, Vlad creates an area attack that puts enemies to sleep.
Fans want more Eidolon than vampire for Vlad
Digital Extremes has clearly emphasized that the Warframe is still in early development: The name “Vlad” is only a working title for now. However, it is typical for the developers to present their work to fans at an early stage. The Warframe will also receive further reworks.
The Eidolon theme is more interesting than vampire in the community. There have been initial voices that find the combination of Warframe and Eidolon exciting. Players wish that “Vlad” leans more in this direction. There have also been criticisms that the skills currently chosen for Vlad are actually a mix of existing Warframes.
Vlad is still being worked on
Lead developer Steve Sinclair saw “Vlad” in the stream for the first time himself. He also wants more Eidolon in Vlad: As community director Rebbeca Ford states on her Twitter, lead designer Steve agrees with the fans. He also wants to take a stronger Eidolon direction and especially the ultimate ability that puts enemies to sleep should be adjusted. Additionally, there should be more lasers!
Rebbeca also explained in her tweet that vampire is not meant literally for this Warframe. It is more about the fact that “Vlad” can infect enemies and has gained his powers from another species.
“Vlad” with his alternative helm.
When the new Warframe No. 36 will be released is still uncertain. The last Warframe that entered the game is the cat lady Khora.
What do you think about the new Warframe “Vlad”?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The exclusive Nightfall rewards in Destiny 2 are currently bugged. The hunt for this week’s reward – the hand cannon T.V.O. – has become a waste of time for many fans. No hotfix is expected before the reset.
Nightfall rewards bugged: Since the launch of the Warmind expansion, numerous bugs have been making life difficult for the Guardians. Although update 1.2.1 should have resolved most of the known bugs, Bungie had to admit shortly after the update’s release that another major issue had occurred. The exclusive Nightfall strike rewards in the base game and the “Curse of Osiris” DLC are not dropping.
Players farmed in vain: Many players are now upset – both about the bug and the late response from Bungie. Numerous fans have invested significant amounts of time to farm the current exclusive reward – over 40 strike runs were not uncommon. Because since the last reset, the T.V.O. was supposed to be the special reward. This is a coveted legendary hand cannon that ranks among the best hand cannons in Destiny 2.
No more hopes for the T.V.O. before the reset
Problem will not be solved in time: As Bungie admitted earlier last week, all the effort was in vain. The exclusive Nightfall loot was bugged.
The fans were waiting for a prompt solution from the developers so that there would at least be a chance to earn the weapon before the reset on June 5. Many hoped that after all the wasted time, they could possibly go hunting for the rare hand cannon over the weekend or at least early in the week.
However, these hopes have now been dashed. As Bungie announced on Twitter, they are indeed working on a hotfix, but it will not be ready before the reset. Further information is expected later this week.
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A large part of the community is disappointed that they now have to wait weeks until the corresponding strike comes around again.
A timely fix would have been at least a conciliatory solution in the eyes of the fans. Some Guardians even demand that Bungie repeat the strike “Tree of Probabilities” as a Nightfall strike so that the Guardians have a fair chance to earn the weapon.
One is never too young to play. This is probably what these proud parents thought when their little daughter topped the DPS chart in a dungeon in World of Warcraft.
“There are only kids playing World of Warcraft!” is something you read over and over again. While that’s certainly not true, you do encounter them occasionally. A young couple plays together with their 4-year-old daughter and is happy that she is outdoing all other players in the damage meter in Shadowfang Keep.
WoW romance with gaming offspring: On Reddit, the mother “folkster” shares that she and her husband met ten years ago while playing WoW. Since then, they have had children, and their 4-year-old daughter is slowly being introduced to World of Warcraft. Naturally, the parents were proud when their daughter dealt the most damage in Shadowfang Keep with her hunter.
Playing a Hunter is just child’s play: Some commentators on Reddit even concluded that this only reinforces the stereotype that “playing Hunters is just child’s play” – quite literally. Nevertheless, the mood in the thread remained cheerful and positive, and the parents continued to joke around.
They recounted that during their first run in the Firelands, they heard their daughter call out, “Mom, Dad, there are more monsters! Wait, I’ll bring them to us!” The “Hunter gene” seems to be strong in the little one, as pulling additional monsters is also a specialty of Hunters.
3 skills, many pets: For fairness, it must be said that characters at level 20 do not have that many abilities. According to the parents, their daughter has only three abilities on her action bar and has filled the rest entirely with numerous pets (which she has all named), mounts, and “the toy that transforms you into a crab.”
If you don’t have a M+-group, make one: The thread is full of more jokes and innuendos. “Can’t find a good Mythic+ group? Then just create your own!” The parents remain amused by this and joke along. “Our goal was always to have kids so they can farm gold for us.”
No chat for the daughter: At four, the internet can still be a pretty harsh place, even if you can’t read yet. To expose the daughter to as few toxic players as possible, a few safety measures are in place: The chat is disabled, as are guild invitations and trade offers. However, since the family always plays together, the watchful eye is always there.
What the little one actually understands: Some users also wanted to know how much the girl understands of what is happening on the screen, as a few comments noted that she might be too young to grasp the context. However, the reality seems to be different, as she understands a lot:
“She understands teamwork. She understands that sometimes you fail, but should keep trying. She understands that she is working towards a goal. Her big goal was level 20 so she could finally ride all the horses she wants. And now the goal is level 60 so she can fly anywhere she wants and not just to the places the “shoe flyer” (the shoe symbol with the wing for the griffon master) takes her.”
In Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4, iOS & Xbox One), there is now an option for streamers to hide their names. This is intended to protect against the notorious stream snipers. However, players who want to relish in kills of famous players find this very frustrating!
What are stream snipers? Stream snipers are a nuisance that has arisen in the ever-expanding streaming culture in online games. These are unscrupulous players who stalk well-known streamers and try to get into the same match.
They then watch the stream to see where their victim is located and go on the hunt. Their goal: To treacherously ambush, troll, and ruin the stream of the poor streamer.
Anonymized Player Names Against Stream Sniping
Stream sniping is indeed a real issue, that’s why there’s the following solution: The developers have introduced an option in the latest update that allows streamers to anonymize their names. They are simply assigned a random name. No one will then know whether they may have just eliminated the famous streamer Ninja. This should significantly ruin the fun for stream snipers, as they will no longer know where their victims are located.
Streamers, including Ninja, think this is great! More than stream delays, this measure is expected to reduce interactions with these annoying trolls.
“If I can no longer see who I’ve killed, the game is pointless for me!”
However, not everyone is happy with the anonymity feature: Besides the stream snipers, who likely find this quite silly, honest players are also complaining. For many gamers, it is an enormous thrill when they catch a famous player like Ninja or Drake in the game and defeat them in a more or less fair fight.
No more chance for fame? For these players, it is a gigantic achievement that can lead some to fame and glory as streamers. This happened with the small streamer Tfue, who first became famous when he took out Ninja and gained a few thousand viewers as a result.
If no one knows anymore that they eliminated a VIP player, this effect is lost. “That completely ruins the game for me,” complains the forum user “TheHungerGame”, likely resonating with many of his fellow players.
What do you think? Do you prefer to protect streamers or do you feel a part of the thrill is missing when you no longer know who you’ve really taken down?
A short video shows the beauty of the Overwatch maps … and their absurdity. Because sometimes entire textures are missing or there are logical errors.
Overwatch is a beautiful game and the developers have made every effort to design the various maps to be visually appealing and diverse. Often, you can still see many little details in the distance that make a map truly pretty.
The YouTuber Noobinabox has teamed up with some friends to explore the limits of the existing maps. He often succeeds in leaving the actual maps and gaining a glimpse of the map development outside of the usual gameplay.
Did you know that beneath the desert of the Temple of Anubis there is another desert, and beneath that one, another? Or that the cars from Oasis never reach a destination but instead plunge straight into an abyss? You will see this and more in the little excursion to the limits of Overwatch.
In Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor Martyr, you can face hordes of heretics and aliens on alien planets. A new gameplay trailer from Neocore Games showcases the features of the action RPG.
Isometric shooting in the Warhammer universe: In Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor Martyr, you take on the role of an Inquisitor and complete missions for the Inquisition. With one of three classes (Assassin, Crusader, or Psyker), you blast your enemies away and uphold the faith in the Emperor!
Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor Martyr offers a Diablo-like look and a more traditional cover shooter gameplay. The features include:
Blood and carnage
a destructible environment
bosses
vehicles
a story campaign
randomly generated missions
a loot and crafting system
a skill system for all three classes
Check out all the features in the new video. Warhammer 40,000 Inquisitor Martyr will be released on June 5. Remember: There is only war!
A special chicken in Battle for Azeroth will only accompany you if you are wealthy. Because Francois does not spend time with the poor people in WoW.
World of Warcraft is full of strange pets and companions that players can only obtain with great effort. Battle for Azeroth will also contain some secrets, such as the little chicken Francois. He will only join the player if they can muster at least 1,000,000 gold pieces. A proud sum for most players, which is anything but easy to earn even with BfA.
Where can you find Francois? This somewhat conceited chicken can be found at the Norwington Estate in the north of Tiragardesund, where the annual hunting festival takes place. Francois is located to the right of the entrance of the house, next to a small hay cart.
The little Francois is easily overlooked. He often hides in the hedge.
The gold only needs to be in your possession: The special thing about Francois is that you do not have to hand over the 1,000,000 gold pieces to him. Instead, it is enough for a player to have the amount in their pocket. Then the arrogant chicken has a new dialog option, and with a click on it, the Fabergé egg will be transferred to the player’s possession. No gold is deducted from the player – you just need to have the amount when you talk to Francois.
Gold loan as a sign of trust: Many players may not be able to raise the million gold and thus will not manage to convince Francois on their own. It will therefore be necessary to borrow the missing money from a friendly fellow player – after all, the gold can be returned after obtaining the pet. Will you lend your fellow players so much gold? Or is the risk too great that you will never get it back?
While average players in League of Legends (LoL) are just at level 100, this gamer has already surpassed level 1000. Hats off!
A LoL player has now become the first to bring his account over level 1000. He is the first player to reach this milestone after Riot Games removed the level cap of 30 in 2017.
How significant is his lead? The second highest account in League of Legends is approximately at level 913. After that, the numbers drop rapidly. The player in 10th place has “only” summoner level 411.
“He must have played without a break”
After Riot removed the level cap in September 2017, players can now raise their accounts higher than level 30. Players earn experience points after each match in LoL. As a result, the summoner level gradually increases.
On Reddit, a video was posted showing the account of the Chinese player. He is still diligently leveling up. In the following screenshot, he is already level 1011.
The Reddit community is impressed by the Chinese player who is already over level 1000. “Damn. I would say I play a lot and just reached level 100 this week,” writes Rare_Pupper_Warwick.
The achievement of the Chinese player, whose name translates to “Big, Big, Big Watermelon,” is recognized by players. “He must have played without a break,” they speculate. Because the race for the top rankings is being closely watched in the LoL community.
Actually, the favorite was a EU player
In the Reddit thread, people also ask what the competition is doing. In the past few months, the player “Toucan Celeste” has been in the spotlight. He plays on the EUW servers and was considered the favorite to reach rank 1000 first. As of the time this article is written, he is in 2nd place with level 913 – as seen on the leaderboard from Lolnames.gg. The Chinese server, where the level 1000 player can be found, is not displayed there.
Soon, Bungie will share its plans for the second year of Destiny 2 with fans. Many Guardians are expecting further details about the major fall expansion. We want to know from you which features are crucial for you to stay involved this fall.
The last few days have been turbulent for Destiny fans. Bungie announced a new partnership with the Chinese company NetEase. They want to create and maintain additional worlds beyond Destiny – a completely new franchise.
Many Guardians are now uncertain about the future of Destiny 2 and what this step means for the Destiny series.
Bungie reassures: The studio assures that this development will not affect Destiny 2. They continue to work with Activision on this franchise. And they have exciting plans that they will reveal in the coming days and weeks.
The start will be on Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Bungie will hold a live stream at 6:00 PM, during which they want to unveil their future plans for the second year of Destiny 2.
The responsible Project Lead Mark Noseworthy assures: Between this reveal and the upcoming E3, fans will see that Bungie is more committed to Destiny than ever before.
Clearly, the studio has big plans for the game. This is urgently needed right now. Because Destiny 2 is still at a crossroads.
Fall Expansion Decides the Future of Destiny 2
For many fans, the fate of Destiny 2 is decided with the fall add-on. Although Bungie has been trying since early 2018 to gradually adjust the game to the wishes of the fans, the anticipated successes have yet to materialize.
Many players are depending on the upcoming major expansion to decide whether they will remain loyal to the game, return, or finally turn their backs on it. Because substantial changes are supposed to come to the game this fall that aim to address and eliminate the core problems of Destiny 2.
If the changes and new features are convincing, it could bring the long-awaited breakthrough for Bungie and mark the turning point for the beleaguered game.
If the fall add-on does not meet the expectations and hopes of the fans, it will be extremely difficult for Bungie, if not impossible, to excite the fans for future paid Destiny 2 content. This would be akin to the final nail in the coffin.
Survey: What is Most Important for You for the Fall Expansion?
Before the reveal stream, we want to know from you what your wishes and hopes for the fall add-on are. What is the single most important feature for you? What should Bungie specifically address in the stream?
In this context, we have prepared a survey here. Each of you can select only one response:
If you have any additional features, wishes, hopes, or comments, let us know in the comment section.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Fortnite, a secret story about loading screens and map changes is being told. The blockbuster loading screen in week 6 gives the story of Fortnite a new, crazy twist.
Spoiler Warning: The article shows loading screens from the current week 5 and the upcoming week 6.
Fortnite tells a story: Normally, a battle royale game is all about the action and gameplay. But Fortnite has been telling a story for about three months involving meteors from space, supervillains, and superheroes.
Blockbuster Screens: Each week, players who complete all challenges receive a special loading screen that features a scene from the current ongoing “Blockbuster” storyline. So far, there have been five such interim screens. They convey how a meteor crashes into a prison. This way, the supervillain “Omega” can escape and build his cyborg army while a group of superheroes hunts him down.
Week 5 brings the epic battle
New screen of week 5: In the current week 5, the new blockbuster screen shows an epic battle between the fighting parties. Five pairs are fighting against each other and are impressively staged.
Week 6 – just a movie?
Screen of week 6 turns everything upside down: The data miners “DieBuddies” have already found the loading screen for next week. Here, it becomes clear: this battle was just part of a film set. During a break in filming, villains and heroes chat casually, with a greenscreen and film sets visible in the background. The fight and the superheroes are apparently just meant to be special effects, as the screen seems to suggest.
Film within a film: The confusing part is that in the first loading screen, such a “film set” was already visible. Evidently, a sci-fi film was being shot there while a meteor crashed into the prison, initiating the story of the villain Omega. After loading screen 6, this sci-fi film would thus only have been a “film within a film.”
Fits the name: The development aligns with the name of the event, “Blockbuster.” This is what successful and mass-appeal films are called in English – like a superhero film. The idea could be that the “fictional” film alludes to the “real” events in Fortnite: Someone had the idea to use the meteorite impact as the basis for a superhero film.
But why the map change? However, some questions remain unanswered. If this storyline was just a movie, why are there then actually in the “real” world of Fortnite, where players are active, superhero hideouts? And why were the real trucks that loaded meteor pieces marked with the logos of the fictional supervillain? And what is hiding under the hatch?
Loading screens contain a gimmick: For those who don’t know yet, each of these blockbuster loading screens contains a little gimmick. There is always a bonus star hidden there. Whoever finds it receives valuable points for their battle pass. You can find everything about it here:
The developers of Defiance 2050 presented the various classes of the MMO shooter in a new video. The remake of the game from 2013 is set to be released this summer for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
A new video on Defiance 2050 highlighted the four classes of the game. At the beginning, players can choose one of the classes, but can unlock the others by playing or by purchasing a founder’s pack.
Defiance 2050 will feature four base classes: Assassin, Guardian, Combat Medic, and Assault:
The Assassin relies on critical attacks and can become invisible,
while the Guardian is a tank who supports his teammates with barriers.
The Combat Medic heals and buffs his teammates and has a healing bot.
Assault is a balanced class that has both offensive and defensive abilities.
Defiance 2050 is scheduled to be released this summer for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 and will be free-to-play. More information about the shooter is expected at the upcoming E3.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Fallout fans are currently a bit confused about Fallout 76. It is supposed to offer online features. But a US journalist reassures: It is still a proper Fallout game. Sources have told him that.
Fallout community uneasy: The US journalist Jason Schreier has recently stirred the Fallout community with his tweets and articles. Following the announcement of the new game “Fallout 76” by Bethesda, Schreier revealed that it is supposed to be an online survival RPG. Sources have informed him about this. Fans of Fallout reacted quite uneasily and skeptically. Many apparently wished for a classic Fallout with a story and single-player focus.
Journalist tries to calm the situation: Schreier has now addressed the Fallout community on reddit directly in another post. There he says he has heard a lot of good things about Fallout 76. It is an interesting and cool game, and he is optimistic.
Fallout 76 still Fallout: The new game has multiplayer and base building, but it is still a proper Fallout game from Bethesda with a focus on the story. Although he does not want to hype a game he has not played yet, he does not want fans of “classic Fallout” to approach the new game with prejudices.
Fans call “liar” and Bethesda puts journalists on the blacklist
Backlash for the messenger: Schreier specializes in leaks and insider information. His sources in the industry have often chirped about things. Evidently, this does not make him many friends. Schreier has, according to his own statements, a mixed relationship with the Fallout community, although he is a big fan of the series:
Schreier says that when he revealed in 2013 that a “Fallout 4” was in development, the community called him a liar for two years.
When the game actually came out in 2015, he was accused of ruining the surprise.
At Bethesda, Schreier and the site he works for, Kotaku, are not well-liked anyway. For five years now, he claims to have been on the blacklist and not received any information, Schreier states in a comment.
Many still do not believe it now: According to Schreier, many Fallout fans are once again in “denial mode” and do not believe his information. This should change on June 10, as Fallout 76 will be presented to the public. Then it will be seen whether Schreier is right.
The 4vs1 survival game Evolve is coming to an end. The servers will shut down in a few months.
The remaining player base had feared this for a long time, and now the step has been announced: Evolve will close its dedicated servers and the 4vs1 monster game will officially be buried.
When are the lights going out for Evolve? On September 3, 2018, the servers for Evolve will be officially shut down. This means that some game modes and features will no longer be available from then on. Already a few months earlier, starting July 2, 2018, it will no longer be possible to purchase the game’s virtual currency with real money. However, the shop to spend the currency will remain until the server closures.
Which modes are affected? With the server closures, the ranked Hunt mode will no longer be available. The leaderboards, the player profile data, the newsfeed, and player badges will disappear along with the in-game store.
Which modes are still functional? Even after the servers are turned off, players can still play with each other via peer-to-peer connection. Quick Play, Evacuation, and Custom Games will still be accessible. The single-player modes will also remain available.
Development hasn’t continued for a long time. The news of Evolve’s end is not particularly surprising, as the game’s development was already halted a long time ago, on October 26, 2016. Since then, only the most necessary functions, such as the game servers, have been kept alive.
Cortyn says: Writing this news makes me incredibly sad, as Evolve was one of my favorite games. Few other games captivated me as intensely, and I never felt more like a “monster” than in this game.
But to be honest, Evolve has only led a shadowy existence in recent years. Perhaps it’s better to let a beloved game die, hoping that Turtle Rock will do better next time.
Some mounts in World of Warcraft are only obtainable through achievements that require a lot of work or time. The streamer Asmongold has taken on the project “achieve-along” to help with that. He was surprised by the outcome: A wonderful moment in World of Warcraft emerged.
Asmongold helps with the Drake of the Eastwind: The Drake of the Eastwind is one of the most sought-after mounts from Cataclysm. To obtain it, the achievement “Glory of the Cataclysm Raider” must be completed.
The achievement requires that the Cataclysm raids be completed on Heroic difficulty, as well as additional achievements that must be fulfilled in the raids.
“Glory of the Cataclysm Raider” in under an hour
The streamer Asmongold showed in his stream last Thursday how to get the Drake of the Eastwind in one hour. The special part: He demonstrated how the “Glory of the Cataclysm Raider” can also be done solo in that time.
Image source: wowhead
The community joins in: The stream was also a guide for others to follow, and Asmongold invited viewers to join him directly. Dozens of viewers then joined Asmongold on his journey and completed the necessary achievements simultaneously.
Asmongold then named the project “achieve-along”, meaning something like “join the achievements”. Asmongold provided live instructions that viewers could follow in-game to easily obtain the dragon with guidance.
The start of the “achieve-along”
The community’s reaction is immense: At the end of his stream, Asmongold waited at the destination of his route with the new dragon for those who joined in. Slowly, people gathered in front of the Caverns of Time.
In the end, it turned out that many more viewers participated than expected. So many players arrived in front of the Caverns of Time that Asmongold even lost his voice.
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What do you think of the action? Do you find something like this cool and would you perhaps join in yourself? Or do you prefer to read such guides? Let us know in a comment!
In Destiny 2, a strange bug has led to frustration. It shows how much players long for a certain Destiny – but Bungie just doesn’t seem to want to give it to them. At least not so far. But that could change.
Destiny players and Bungie – a misunderstanding: The developers of Destiny had envisioned such a beautiful world in 2014, with adventures, planets, strikes, and raids. But players lined up in front of a cave and shot the simplest enemies there. They enjoyed it and occasionally picked up the loot. This was the Loot Cave of Destiny 1. Guardians liked to use it. But Bungie would spend months finally closing it down. Players were supposed to play Destiny as intended.
Players simply do not play as they should
Grinding was a pillar of Destiny 1: This desire of players for strange activities and Bungie’s attempt to take them away runs through the history of Destiny. For a while, it was possible to find legendary weapons with specific perk combinations. Especially weapons that could only drop from a certain strike boss, and only at a specific time, were particularly popular.
The object of desire in Destiny 1: The Imago Loop
Fakebringer – desperately sought: Thus, players chased weapons like the “Fakebringer” in Destiny 1, an Imago Loop with the same perk combination as the Fatebringer, or certain pulse rifles. What did Bungie do? They eliminated overpowered perk combinations. For Destiny 2, random rolls were completely removed.
Weapon hunting boring but fulfilling: This hunt for special weapons in Destiny was never particularly exciting. It consists of running the same strike over and over again, following the same pattern, to get the perfectly configured weapon that you are searching for. This is called “grinding.”
Destiny – an ideal grinding game?
Destiny is particularly well-suited for grinding:
It has great gunplay, the simple gameplay of Destiny is just fun – it feels great to shoot at enemies, throw a grenade, take cover to reload, and then start over. In 2015, Bungie explained how proud the employees are of the core gameplay – and they could still be in 2018.
It is also social, you chat with friends – Luke Smith once called Destiny a game “where you shoot aliens in the face while talking with friends about the Oscars.”
And it feels incredibly satisfying to finally get what you want after a long time.
Destiny 2 was supposed to be different: But Bungie has always been against this kind of engagement. They wanted players to engage in a variety of activities, not just chase a single weapon, but to have a collection of guns ready. In the Guardian’s arsenal, there should be the right weapon for every occasion. Players should engage as diversely as possible and use many different weapons.
Bungie wants to suppress the urge: That’s why Bungie has constantly tried in Destiny 1 to suppress this particular urge of the Guardians, which leads them to repeatedly do the same thing enthusiastically. In Destiny 2, they even succeeded. In trying to make the game as accessible as possible, they virtually eliminated all grinding elements.
T.V.O. brings back the old feeling – 9 hours for a weapon
The feeling was back with Destiny 2: But last week, this desire for the hunt for “the one” weapon was suddenly present. Because in the Nightfall strike, a new weapon was supposed to be obtainable: the Hand Cannon “T.V.O.” Only in this strike was it supposed to be available, only this week – but players simply could not find it.
The rarer the more coveted: In forums, players shared their stories about the dozens of attempts they had made to get this weapon. They spent 9 hours or more in the strike hunting for the T.V.O. The feeling of old was back: If the weapon was so incredibly rare, it had to be especially valuable.
Bungie grades the biggest problem of Destiny 2: Ultimately, the bug surrounding the new weapon shows the same thing that the Loot Cave from 4 years ago showed: The biggest problem with Destiny seems to be developer Bungie itself. The studio desperately wants players to play Destiny as they envisioned. But many players seem to want something different: Even though Bungie wants to fight that urge, it’s still there.
Bungie knows better: Bungie has a tendency to dictate players how they should play Destiny. Thus, Bungie prefers to change things that core players have never complained about:
Random rolls on weapons
particularly strong exotic items
The item collections
All things that Destiny 1 had, which Bungie eliminated and that Destiny 2 has since brought back or wants to bring back in September.
What is this “hobby” Destiny 2 is supposed to become?
Bungie wants to work on exactly that: All these problems Bungie has recognized, admitted the errors, and wants to work on these issues at the latest in the expansion “Destiny Comet.” However, they never name the issues directly, but speak in codes.
The code word for “grinding” and “MMO” elements at Bungie is “hobby.”
And people who like “grinding” are called by Bungie: “Our most loyal and dedicated players.”
With the expansion “Warmind” and a stricter grind to max level, they already catered to them.
Core players want a different Destiny 2 than Bungie: Last week’s incident shows how much a certain player base longs for the “Destiny as a hobby” concept and how far Destiny 2 is from this idea – the incident also shows how easily this idea could be implemented: You just need to make the rewards beautifully rare.
Will we get Destiny as a hobby? In a few days, Bungie plans to unveil the new concept for Destiny 2. Maybe it will be a Destiny 2 again where people run for 9 hours in a strike to get a specific weapon. And if they really find it after 9 hours, they will probably be happy. The question remains why it takes 4 years to get back to the point where they started.
Although there is already a successor with Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars 1 continues to run happily. Even a server explosion in 2017 did not stop Guild Wars 1, thanks to the efforts of two developers from ArenaNet who dedicate their free time to improve the game.
Guild Wars 1 was released in 2005, making it 13 years old. In 2013, ArenaNet officially ended support for the game. Although Guild Wars 1 continues to run, it hasn’t had an actual team since then. But there is still a little bit, as two developers have taken on Guild Wars 1. And thanks to their help, a server literally exploded.
This was the initial situation: The hardware of the previous Guild Wars 1 server was running on an outdated platform. ArenaNet therefore wanted to migrate the servers to the cloud computing provider Amazon Web Services (AWS). The studio’s Technical Director and long-time Guild Wars fan, Stephen Clarke-Willson, was tasked with this.
This is what happened: Clarke-Willson was in the process of transferring the data to AWS when the uninterruptible power supply exploded.
2 developers help Guild Wars 1
The explosion caused considerable damage, so Clarke-Willson called for reinforcements. The programmer Bill Freist was brought in to assist with the repairs. Like Clarke-Willson, Freist began his career with Guild Wars 1.
Further problem discovered: While both developers were trying to transfer the servers, they found a bug. A similar one already existed in Guild Wars 2, and it caused some players to suffer from a very high ping. For Clarke-Willson, this was the reason to do more for Guild Wars 1 than just transferring the server.
Community excited: So he reluctantly opened a thread on Reddit. He did this with some hesitation, as from the team’s perspective, subreddits should only be led by the community.
Nevertheless, the two developers decided to host an “Ask Me Anything”. During this, players could ask the developers all sorts of questions. The team expected 5-10 questions, but there were 380.
Guild Wars still popular – developers want to improve the game
Contact with the community motivated Clarke-Willson to do more than he originally planned. He wanted to further improve the player experience in Guild Wars 1.
Extensive graphic update: In 2005, Guild Wars had numerous technical limitations. However, today’s computers are many times more powerful. Therefore, the small team wanted to lift some restrictions and was able to significantly enhance the graphics of Guild Wars 1.
Working in their free time: What the two-person team did had little to do with their official jobs at the studio. Although ArenaNet supported them in some areas, the programmer Freist also invested his own free time. He needed over 30 hours to fix the bug that had caused the high ping. Freist told the US site Kotaku that many ArenaNet employees personally thanked them. Many at ArenaNet still loved the first Guild Wars 1 and its community.
No new content, but plans for the future
However, new content for Guild Wars 1 is not to be expected. Two developers are simply too few. There are also issues with the developer tools. Nevertheless, Clarke-Willson and Freist have some plans for the future.
Combating bots and spam: In particular, bots are a nuisance for the team. However, they are already working on a possible solution. The “Click to Move” control should become slightly less precise over longer distances. From Clarke-Willson’s perspective, this does not pose a problem for players. However, the bots cannot handle this. They rely on absolute precision. Thus, a small team can solve large problems.
Keeping the game alive: Clarke-Willson and Freist want to keep Guild Wars alive for as long as possible. According to Feist, Guild Wars is designed to run forever.
What do you think? Should MMOs be developed to last forever? Or is it perhaps better if old games die to make way for something new?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Recently, Bungie caused an uproar when they tied the new Iron Banner emote exclusively to Eververse. Now, faction emotes have been discovered in the game data of Destiny 2. Has the studio learned its lesson?
There has just been trouble: The excitement was huge when it became clear during the first Iron Banner of Season 3 that the coveted emote “Lords’ Salute” was only available through the in-game shop and only for real money. Parts of the community expressed their displeasure.
Many fans considered this step to be one of the dumbest things Bungie could do in its current situation.
Other players defended Bungie: they have to make money too, and it’s up to each individual whether to buy the emote or not.
Faction Emotes Available Through Eververse
Now, the scandal threatens to repeat itself: After the release of update 1.2.1 on May 29, faction emotes were found in the data of Destiny 2. These are apparently just as tied to thematic and time-limited offer packages of Eververse, as was the case with the Iron Banner emote.
Has Bungie learned its lesson? It is, however, unclear whether the cash shop is the only source for these emotes. Fans hope that Bungie has learned from the shitstorm surrounding the “Lords’ Salute” emote and that the faction emotes can now also be obtained from other sources.
Ideally, this character animation should be available during the event itself or at least through glimmer engrams or as a glimmer dust purchase in Eververse – such are the hopes of the fans.
The community is skeptical: However, many fans fear that the new faction emotes will face the same fate as the Iron Banner emote, which is only available for real money. Because the emotes are not found in the inventory of faction vendors. And that they can drop as rewards is something most guardians consider highly unlikely.
At the latest by the coming Tuesday, June 5, clarity should prevail. Then the group fights will return from their long enforced break. At the same time, the corresponding Eververse offer will likely go live.
In an exclusive interview, our author Leya spoke with one of the main writers of the Warframe comics. Ryan Cady provided us with a deeper insight into the work of a game comic writer and why he needs to dive into the community while working on Warframe.
On May 30, the 5th web comic of Warframe was released. The comics are considered official lore in Warframe, adding more depth and background to the universe. Ryan Cady is one of the main writers of the story, along with Matt Hawkins.
Ryan has been working as a comic author for six years and is at home in the genres of science fiction and horror. He is also known for the comics Magdalena and X-Files.
Mein MMO: I know that you play Warframe yourself. How does playing the game help you when developing the story for the comics?
Ryan Cady: I believe that I need a certain authenticity when telling a story. The simplest way to achieve this authenticity in Warframe is to gather gameplay experience myself. When I write a script in which the Warframe Excalibur appears, I can create more than just something generic and general. If Excalibur kills someone, I can write that he used his weapon Lato-Prime or describe an Excalibur-typical move.
Mein MMO: So you get a better feel for the characters that are already in the game?
Ryan Cady: Yes, and I also gather knowledge about the lore from the game directly. But there’s more to it. I also follow the Warframe subreddit to get a better feel for the community. There, I sometimes find insider jokes that I incorporate into the comic.
Writing lore for a game comic comes with high pressure from players
Mein MMO: Is there a difference when you write for a “normal” comic or for a comic based on a game like Warframe?
Ryan Cady: In a game, the influence of fans is much greater than in a regular DC or Marvel comic. Players have certain expectations, which are also based on their personal gaming experience. Warframe is even an important game on an emotional level for many.
Players have their own vision of “their game” and want to see this reflected in the comic. The pressure when writing a game comic is definitely higher for me because I want to do justice to the players. But it’s positive stress because it allows me to dive deep into the topic and the community.
Mein MMO: The lore of the comics and the game belong together like a puzzle. Is it also possible to understand the comics if I don’t play Warframe?
Ryan Cady: We try to write the comics in a way that they are understandable for everyone. But I believe that the experience is not the same if you have never played Warframe.
The Warframe universe is so unique and has strong influences on the comics. Presumably, there are also confusing aspects in the comics if you have never touched the game. However, I can imagine that reading the comics might inspire someone to give Warframe a try.
Digital Extremes has the final word on the comics
Mein MMO: How do you as writers actually work with Digital Extremes, the developers?
Ryan Cady: The scripts are sent back and forth and edited by lead designer Steve Sinclair. Ultimately, he always has the final word and decides on the final story of a comic. I have often had to toss out an entire script and rewrite it because Steve was not satisfied. Additionally, Steve tells us where the story of Warframe is supposed to go in the future, so we can factor that in while writing.
Mein MMO: Has anything ever been cut from the comic by Digital Extremes that made you sad?
Ryan Cady: Yes, but that was a long time ago. We once had the idea of placing Ordis in a small sentinel body and making him the narrator of the story. But Digital Extremes said that it absolutely wouldn’t fit into the lore. I was really sad because I thought the idea of a little narrator robot was so cool and funny.
For clarification: Cephalon Ordis is an artificial intelligence that helps the player and manages the ship’s communication. He is primarily known for his sarcasm and bad jokes. He is one of the secret stars in Warframe.
Warframe’s story consists of puzzle pieces that are put together in the comic
Mein MMO: From a storyteller’s perspective: What aspects of the Warframe universe fascinate you the most?
Ryan Cady: You mentioned earlier that Warframe’s story is like a puzzle, and that fits quite well. You can take each one of these puzzle pieces and play with them. Warframe has these many diverse story fragments that also work outside the sci-fi genre. I’m a huge horror fan, and there’s a creepy quest called “Chains of Harrow” that I like to delve into. Expanding these puzzle pieces and putting them together into a whole is incredibly fun for me.
Mein MMO: Could you give us a brief summary of what has happened so far in the comics and what readers can expect there?
Ryan Cady: Sure! We are on Earth. The Grineer are attacking the villages of the Orokin under Captain Vor’s leadership. They are looking for something special, the nature of which we do not yet know. Only the girl Mitsuki survived the attack. Suddenly, an Excalibur Warframe appears and protects Mitsuki from a complete Grineer army.
Excalibur is then captured. It becomes clear that Lotus has been monitoring the Grineer’s actions all along. She sends out a Mag Warframe to clear the battlefield. The story currently revolves around the characters trying to figure out what the Grineer are actually looking for and why they are destroying the villages.
Along the way, we follow the Mag Warframe, the surviving and blind Orokin girl Mitsuki, and Little Duck, a worker from Solaris United.
Mein-MMO:Why did Mag become the main character and lead-frame in the comics?
Ryan Cady: We wanted to have one of the three starter Warframes [Mag, Excalibur, or Volt] as the lead-frame. That’s also why Excalibur appears as the first Warframe in the comic. He is simply an icon. Mag, on the other hand, is my personal favorite that I love to play. She was also my first Warframe that I chose out of the three starters. Additionally, I find her abilities visually strong.
Mein-MMO: Thank you for your time and the interview, Ryan.
Note: We conducted the conversation via Skype. Some answers from the writer have been shortened for better understanding – the content reflects everything as it was said.
However, the comics are currently only available in English. In the interview, Ryan mentioned that there is a high probability they will one day be translated into German and other languages.
What do you think about part of the story being told in the comics?
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC, PS4, Xbox One) has accidentally received a controversial tracking program with the last patch, which some already consider spyware. Lead developer Matt Firor apologized for this. The controversial tool is set to be removed soon.
What is it about? Red Shell is a tracking program that finds out where users of certain games come from. It is often used for marketing purposes, so providers can better tailor their advertising offers to the target audience.
However, Red Shell should not have been at work in The Elder Scrolls Online. But due to an oversight, it happened anyway.
Red Shell was never intended – the boss apologizes
What happened now? At Zenimax, they wanted to experiment with new methods to optimize advertising. They wanted to find out where the new players are coming from. Red Shell was apparently also in the conversation. However, due to an oversight, the tool was immediately patched into the current live build.
Oh no! Am I being spied on? According to lead developer Matt Firor, who explained the matter in a statement, Red Shell accidentally slipped into the client as a baseline technology. The tool was never active. So you were not being spied on.
Still annoying! When will it be gone again? Red Shell will be removed from the client with the next patch on Monday. Furthermore, only the PC and Mac versions of The Elder Scrolls Online were affected. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions never contained the controversial tool.
Zenimax will be more careful in the future.
Matt Firor publicly apologized for the accidental implementation of the tracking tool. They will learn from this mistake. Additionally, they want to further evaluate the matter with Red Shell.
If at a later point they still want to use this tool, they will announce it in advance and explain it thoroughly.
