Communication in MMORPGs should be essential, but anonymity and silence seem to be becoming more prevalent – for example, through automatic group searches in games like WoW. Here, Chronicles of Elyria aims to change that.
Often you don’t even know who you are playing with. Through Group-Finders like the LFG tool in World of Warcraft, players find each other for activities. But who are these people? Usually, communication is then limited in a dungeon to the essentials: What needs to be done, how does the group proceed, who does what… This happens through voice chats or text chats. Once the instance is completed, everyone goes their separate ways.
The developers support “in-character chat” and provide you with options to behave like your hero, to which others can then respond. This is meant to promote role-playing
Everything you say can be heard by players nearby. Of course, it’s possible to whisper or shout, which decreases or increases the distance at which others can “hear” you
With family members, you can communicate separately through a special connection. For instance, you can send a distress call to a family member when no one else can help you
When you meet other players for the first time, you won’t know their names, what guild they belong to, or what class they have. You need to find that out before it is displayed to you
You can also choose to remain anonymous if you don’t want others to recognize you. If you wear a hood in the game, other players will not be able to recognize you
It is still possible to disguise yourself and take on other identities. You can do this by dressing up or using fake documents. This way, you could act as a spy. However, there is always a chance that you will be discovered, which has consequences
Rumors can destroy kingdoms
Communication also plays an important role in another way. It is possible to provide NPCs with information that they then pass on to other players. This can be important information but also fake information. These will spread throughout the game world, leading to things like marriages breaking apart or entire kingdoms becoming unstable due to rumors.
Rumors also play a role in the crime system. Guards may keep a closer eye on you and search for evidence of a crime if they hear a corresponding rumor about you.
Thanks to the survival aspect of the game, cities have a special significance
Learn languages
Moreover, language is very important. You need to learn different languages in order to understand them. You start with the basics, which you continuously refine until you master the language well enough to even cause harm – such as through rumors.
If Fortnite (PC, PS4, iOS & Xbox One) were to have an eSports league, the matches should only be solo games. At least that’s what Ninja, the top streamer of the game on Twitch, believes.
What is it about? Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is a former Halo pro gamer and currently one of the best Fortnite players in the world. He is wildly popular as a streamer and has set multiple new records on Twitch – including with the help of rapper Drake.
The man clearly knows gaming and eSports. Therefore, he has a clear idea of how to set up exciting eSports battles in Fortnite.
Team play is too chaotic for viewers
Ninja only wants solo games in eSports. But how does the gamer come to this conclusion? At his last (unofficial) tournament in Las Vegas, it was played entirely solo. There were no teams. According to Ninja, this is the best way to represent Fortnite in eSports.
So far, there is no official eSports league in Fortnite and no official statements on whether something like this is coming and what the league would look like.
Why does Ninja only want solo rounds? According to Ninja, it would be difficult for a spectator of an eSports tournament to follow a group of 4 players properly. With solo players, it would be much easier. That’s how it went in Las Vegas, and it was very well received. Over 600,000 viewers were recorded.
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Therefore, Ninja has already contacted Epic to present them with his reasons for the solo format in eSports.
What will all the pro teams do if Fortnite goes solo in eSports?
Pro teams are already forming 4-player squads: If Epic Games really follows Ninja’s suggestion, it would be a problem for the pro teams who are already forming 4-player squads for Fortnite. So far, it was generally assumed that squads of four players would be the preferred mode in the yet-to-be-established Fortnite eSports league.
However, if Epic only allows the solo mode at tournaments, 3 players in a team would be unnecessary.
This is how you could still participate as a team in solo mode: However, it would still be possible to participate as a team in tournaments. Among other things, by having each team member compete in a separate round in solo mode. Then all players would be involved again, even if not as a team in one round.
Microsoft does not want to make a battle royale game just because it is currently trendy. This is what Xbox Chief Phil Spencer says. However, the company does not want to completely rule out the possibility: If a convincing, original idea is found, Microsoft would assign one of its development teams to it.
This is Microsoft’s stance on Battle Royale: Despite all the hype, Microsoft does not currently want to jump on the battle royale bandwagon. The company does not want to make a BR game just because many other developers are making one, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer said on Twitter.
The battle royale mode of Fortnite is massive, as is PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Microsoft would rather continue to support these and other games than create something of its own.
However, there would be an exception if one of the company’s first-party developers had a convincing, original idea for the battle royale genre.
Battle Royale for Halo 6?
Which Microsoft franchise could include BR? It seems that Microsoft currently does not have its own battle royale game in the works. But what about such a mode for an already established franchise? The company’s major IPs include Gears of War and Halo. It is assumed that a sixth part of Halo will be announced at this year’s E3 in June.
At least for Halo, a BR mode would be plausible. While the games in the Halo series have a campaign and tell a continuing story, the action ultimately takes place in multiplayer mode. In various modes, players can compete against each other competitively.
The prospect of a Halo: Battle Royale occupies players so much that on the Halo subreddit on April 1 of this year, they played a cruel joke. A post was created announcing a free-to-play Halo: Battle Royale with the associated Spartan Pass, just like Fortnite: Battle Royale does with its Battle Pass.
The moderators of the subreddit adapted the post to make it look like an official announcement from the developers of 343 Industries.
EA Wants to Make an Impact with Innovation
How do other studios see the BR hype? At EA, it seems they have embraced the battle royale phenomenon. CEO Andrew Wilson stated in January that games like PUBG and Fortnite have changed the way people think about shooters.
Given that they have some of the best shooters on the market, EA would also be thinking about new and innovative ways to play. However, this would not mean creating PUBG replicas within the Battlefield universe. Instead, they want to innovate every aspect of the game, including the core game and map design.
Microsoft is not alone in this opinion. Microsoft shares the view of Take-Two and Rockstar, who stated that they would prefer to chart their own course in the BR aspect rather than follow in others’ footsteps.
After a long time, the creators of Destiny 2 are actively opposing fan releases of the Music of the Spheres. The reason comes as a surprise to many: After more than 4 years under wraps and a lawsuit, Bungie now wants to finally release the original Destiny soundtrack.
What happened? In recent days, reports have increased that Bungie is taking action against sources for the Music of the Spheres. Relevant threads with links have been deleted on Reddit.
The composer of this symphony, Marty O’Donnell, urged fans on Twitter to quickly download the soundtrack somewhere, as Bungie and Activision apparently want to remove it from the public.
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The Music of the Spheres will be officially released soon
Surprising twist. It has now become known: Bungie wants to release the Music of the Spheres themselves, to the surprise of many.
In a Reddit thread where fans discussed the disappearance of the symphony, the community manager Cozmo spoke up. He revealed that Bungie is now planning to officially release the Music of the Spheres in the near future.
What is the Music of the Spheres?At the end of 2013, the then Bungie composer Marty O’Donnell completed his symphony, of which he was very proud. In collaboration with Michael Salvatori and Beatle Paul McCartney, he created the Music of the Spheres – a symphony in 8 movements that was to become the soundtrack for all parts of the Destiny franchise in the coming years.
But: Activision forbade him from releasing this symphony. This led to a dispute that dragged on for years.
Why was O’Donnell not allowed to release the compositions? Although O’Donnell had been working as a composer at Bungie for years and had already written the Halo music, Activision opted for music other than the Music of the Spheres for the Destiny E3 trailer in 2013. The publisher produced the trailer themselves and used their own music for it.
In the end, O’Donnell was ignominiously fired. The rights to the symphony still belong to Bungie, who decided not to release the work in its entirety. Instead, they only used pieces of the symphony repeatedly for promotional purposes. However, individual pieces can still be found in Destiny 1.
How are fans and the composer reacting to this news? The composer Marty O’Donnell expresses surprise but also joy. While he teased on Reddit whether someone would let him know, he also stated that this is good news.
While fans believe that this decision comes much too late, they are also pleased. The composer is finally receiving the recognition he deserves for his work, and fans are getting really great music.
What do you think of this step by Bungie? Are you excited about the official release of the Music of the Spheres?
A autistic fan has reconstructed the “Music of the Sphere” over the years, and at the end of 2017, this news came:
With Fractured, there is currently a very interesting new sandbox MMORPG in development that uses the wonder technology SpatialOS to create a believable game world.
Fractured aims to provide you with a dynamic gaming experience in three worlds, where your actions truly have consequences. The worlds change depending on what you do.
To enable such dynamic and simulated worlds, the currently seven-member development team uses the technology SpatialOS. It is specifically designed so that even small teams can develop vast, dynamic worlds. SpatialOS is no pipe dream – an investor valued the then-small startup enough to invest, which raised its company to 1 billion US dollars.
What is Fractured?
Fractured places you in a huge sandbox, where you can forge your own path
You explore large worlds – either alone as the lone wolf or together with other players
You gather resources to craft better items that you can also sell
You fight against hordes of monsters – alone or in a group with friends
Your actions are meant to dynamically influence the world – for example, by freezing a river and creating a bridge
You choose your hero from three races (humans, beastmen, and demons), each race lives in its own world
These worlds are divided into Tartarus (open PvP), Arboreus (cooperative gameplay), and Syndesia (a mix of PvE and PvP)
It is possible to travel between the worlds – but there are limitations
There may be immense wars between guilds – SpatialOS is supposed to enable these battles
It’s possible to build settlements and expand them into cities and kingdoms
Your skill is crucial in the game, not your level or equipment
The battles are action-packed, similar to hack ‘n slash games like Diablo
Gameplay is from an isometric perspective, like in Diablo
Kickstarter campaign to fund development
The developers of Fractured are currently planning a Kickstarter campaign to secure funding for the game. The crowdfunding campaign is set to start in June, and the team aims to raise at least $250,000. If all goes well, an alpha phase is scheduled for this year.
An initial pre-alpha video shows you a very early version of the MMO. Many details are being kept by the developers for the Kickstarter campaign, which will then introduce the MMO to you in more detail.
A Pokémon GO trainer met the CEO of Niantic during his flight. He allegedly spoke about the future of Pokémon GO. This includes Trainer vs Trainer battles (PvP), PokéStop submissions, new Pokémon from Gen 4, and other important features for the mobile game.
The hardcore Pokémon GO player Doctor PoGo has long completed his goal of Level 40. According to his statements, he now had the opportunity to speak with John Hanke. Hanke is the head of Niantic, the developers of Pokémon GO. During a flight, Doctor PoGo spoke with Hanke about future features such as Trainer vs Trainer battles and increased levels.
Keep in mind that this is a conversation between a Pokémon trainer and John Hanke. There is no timeframe for when the mentioned features will be implemented in the game.
Submitting PokéStops, Pokémon GO Fest 2.0, and Spoofers
The trainer Doctor PoGo posted the gathered information in a private Facebook group and also forwarded it to the YouTuber Reversal. He summarizes the following information from the conversation:
Hanke apparently confirmed that the submission of PokéStop suggestions is coming to the game. Hints for such a feature were already suggested in analyses such as the data mining of patch 0.101.0.
Our assessment of the PokéStop submissions: Such a feature would greatly enhance Pokémon GO. In rural areas, there are often problems due to a lack of stops and gyms. That Niantic is working on this feature brings more hope for players in the countryside.
The Pokémon GO Fest 2.0 in Dortmund? This would definitely be cool for players in Germany and the surrounding area. Last year, many trainers were sad beforehand that the party for Pokémon GO’s birthday took place in America. However, the festival turned into a legendary mess. In Dortmund, they could make up for a lot.
The endless fight against spoofers is a topic that interests many in the community. We estimate that with the submission of stops in the countryside, the number of spoofers could also decrease. Players in rural areas would no longer have to resort to such methods to access stops or gyms without having to walk several kilometers.
More features in the works – Gen 4, maps, and max levels
Maps are to be made more raid-friendly
Niantic is reportedly working on Gen 4 and PvP battles
The maximum level is being increased
Improved maps from Niantic are important, because after the forced shutdown of many live maps players demand official maps from Niantic. These should improve the overview of raids.
PvP battles bring variety to the game and are highly anticipated by many trainers. It remains to be seen how Niantic will implement this.
An increase in levels is interesting for hardcore players. Some trainers have reached Level 40 a long time ago and are already looking forward to new goals that come with new levels.
Confirmation of the conversation between trainer and Hanke?
As proof that Doctor PoGo really spoke with John Hanke, he posted a video of himself and Niantic’s CEO on Twitter.
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Despite this proof, we ask you to take the information with caution. There is still no indication of a timeframe for when these mentioned features and improvements are to be released. And whether Hanke really had a long conversation with the trainer and involved him in Pokémon GO’s plans, we do not know for sure.
The Chinese MMORPG Moonlight Blade is actually a classic representative of the genre – and is now set to receive a battle royale mode. But will the MMO even be released in Europe?
Battle Royale is in vogue. This is evident not only from the extremely successful online shooters such as PUBG and Fortnite, but also from the fact that more and more developers want to incorporate this mode into their games. For example, in the MMORPG MapleStory 2 or even in the action RPG Path of Exile (albeit only as a playable April Fool’s joke).
The MMORPG Moonlight Blade will also receive such a game mode, even though it is actually a very classic online role-playing game.
What is Moonlight Blade?
Moonlight Blade is an MMO with a Wuxia setting similar to Age of Wulin
You learn various martial arts styles with which you beat your enemies
You explore a huge game world reminiscent of ancient China
By collecting inspiration points, you can become the mightiest warrior of China
You must always act tactically in battles, as inner peace allows you to perform special attacks
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Currently, Moonlight Blade is available in China and Korea. It is only known that English servers are planned for a release in the West. Nexon has taken over the distribution of the MMO in Korea, which further increases the chances that we will see the title here as well. Although there is still no official date, Nexon is a company that operates internationally and has now also released MapleStory 2 with us. Although with some delay compared to the version in Korea – but still.
It is therefore probably just a matter of time before Moonlight Blade is released in Europe and the USA. However, it may be the case that we have to wait a long time for the release – just as was the case with MapleStory 2.
In a few days, the Warmind expansion for Destiny 2 will be released. With it, many improvements for the game come – but not for the Trials of the Nine, which in the eyes of fans have long needed an overhaul. Voices are being raised to temporarily put this PvP mode on ice for reworking. According to Bungie, however, this is not possible.
Recently, some players demanded a revision of the Trials of the Nine and a closer alignment with the popular Trials of Osiris from the predecessor. Increasingly, voices are being raised urging Bungie to temporarily remove this mode from the game and then improve it from the ground up – as was the case with the group games.
Bungie cannot simply remove Trials of the Nine
Now Bungie has commented on this fan suggestion. Community Manager dmg04 made it clear on Twitter that Bungie will keep the Trials in the game.
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According to dmg04, the studio cannot simply remove this PvP mode, as it is tied to the game’s trophies and achievements.
However, they have been able to gather a lot of feedback and will revisit this topic as soon as they have concrete changes to discuss.
The developers apparently want to avoid a repeat of the fiasco that occurred with the “Curse of Osiris” DLC in December 2017. At that time, there was a great outcry from the community because some players were excluded from certain activities and thus could also no longer obtain all the base game’s trophies.
However, the developers have repeatedly emphasized that the Trials of the Nine are definitely on Bungie’s radar and that they will also improve this format. However, there is currently no specific time frame for this.
What do you think of this decision? Would it perhaps be better to temporarily put the Trials of the Nine on ice?
In Fortnite a 13-year-old player was recently signed by a professional eSports team. The boy is supported by his parents, but he can only play until 9 PM and also has to study for school.
What is it about? To have the best players in the team even before the start of an official eSport league in Fortnite, the eSports team Team Secret has scouted and signed some of the top Fortnite gamers in Europe. Among them is Kyle “Mongraal” Jackson from a suburb of London.
The boy is probably a natural talent: He has been playing since he was 8 years old. And at 11, he slowly noticed that he was probably better than most other players. He ranked high on the scoreboard in all games, often even above semi-pro players.
This is how Kyle approaches it: Another factor for his success is probably Kyle’s analytical approach. When he fails, he watches the replays and analyzes them. This prevents him from making the same mistakes over and over again.
“9 PM is curfew!”
This is how Kyle’s parents react: Since Kyle is still a minor, his parents had to grant him permission to become a pro gamer with Team Secret. But they support their son, albeit with conditions:
He must turn off the computer promptly at 9 PM
On certain days and times, he is not allowed to play at all
Additionally, Kyle must study regularly and prepare for school
For this, his father has already announced that he will accompany him to tournaments – even around the world
However, everything is fine there and Kyle is doing well in every subject. Therefore, the parents are not very worried and continue to support their son as much as possible.
By the way:Kyle is not earning money yet. However, he might earn a share of the prize money in future tournaments.
Royal Blood (Android) is a new AAA mobile game from South Korea. The game impresses with action gameplay that pleasantly deviates from the usual auto-grind orgies typical in mobile MMORPGs. Our author Jürgen is pleasantly surprised after a first test of what is happening on the phone.
What is it about? Royal Blood is not only the name of a British rock duo but also the latest AAA mobile MMORPG from South Korea. More than 100 developers at Gamevil are working solely on Royal Blood.
Your goal: To establish a full MMORPG experience like on PC on mobile.
Royal Blood faces tough competition from the already released Lineage 2 Revolution. It’s been available in this country since 15.11. 2017, while Royal Blood is only just in its first beta in the West. The race for the first major mobile MMORPG has already been lost. Therefore, it is even more important that Royal Blood stands out from the competition in its MMORPG approach.
That’s why I played the beta of Royal Blood and can already say: “Yes, Royal Blood really is something different!”
Only at first glance a typical Asia auto-grinder!
All mobile MMOs are the same, right? Shortly after the launch of Royal Blood, I was a bit disappointed. The game’s interface layout and initial gameplay reminded me strongly of Lineage 2 Revolution and its auto-grind.
Auto-grind is a feature in which the character fights enemies independently while the player watches. Lineage 2 Revolution excels in this. We called L2R a “MMORPG manager.”
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At the beginning of Royal Blood, my hero was auto-grinding through some monsters attacking the home castle.
Sure, the graphics and effects of Royal Blood are superior to those of the competition from Netmarble thanks to the award-winning Unity engine, but in the first minutes, one does not notice much that Gamevil wants to provide a “real PC MMORPG experience” here. However, that quickly changes with the first boss!
More like WildStar than Lineage 2 Revolution
What makes Royal Blood different from Lineage 2 Revolution: In Lineage 2 Revolution, it takes a long time before the enemies are strong enough that you occasionally have to look at the screen to avoid taking too much damage.
In Royal Blood, however, I would have died at the first boss in the tutorial!
Because the demon servant at the end of the first level could not be simply beaten in autopilot mode.
Rather, the creature frequently unleashed special boss moves that appeared in red telegraphs. Since I initially didn’t want to dodge, I took massive damage, and my health bar shrank significantly!
Interrupting bosses at the right moment prevents their most powerful attacks.
“Wow, this is just like in WildStar!” came to my mind, as I had to actively dance around the boss with my hands on the touchpad to dodge its attacks. With a little practice, this works quite well because each hero has a unique dodge skill that moves you out of the line of fire at the push of a button. But since this skill has a cooldown, you still have to pay attention.
Simple skill system
How does the combat and skill system work? Like in Lineage 2 Revolution, you have three skills and a special support skill at the lower right corner of the screen. This is usually the dodge, but it can also be a buff or something similar.
The three active skills can be triggered at the push of a button and require a cooldown before they are active again. Skills do not have their own energy resource. However, if you take down enemies, you get energy orbs and can immediately use skills again even if the cooldown is still active.
Combat system rewards you for not using auto-grind
This is how the auto-grind works in Royal Blood: Like in mobile games usual, you can let Royal Blood run in autopilot mode. Then your avatar automatically grinds through enemies, optionally only with standard attacks or by using skills.
But while auto-grind is essential in Lineage 2 Revolution, it is rather a workaround in Royal Blood when you don’t want to pay full attention or just want to do mindless grinding.
In the many more challenging fights against bosses or in events, you have to take action yourself. This is important not only to avoid taking too much damage but also to achieve optimal DPS. Because only by doing so can you secure the coveted first place in the event and the best loot.
Tactical depth through stances
What about the stances? Another argument against autopilot mode is the stances. Your hero has two different stances that you can switch at any time. Each stance has unique skills. For the magician, this is an AoE DPS path that deals massive damage with fire magic to many enemies.
Alternatively, you switch to the second stance and then have ice magic. This deals less damage but is optimal for controlling enemies. You slow down your enemies and freeze them.
Dynamic quest gameplay like in Guild Wars 2
This is how questing works in Royal Blood: While you follow the quite exciting main story – you are a dethroned heir and must reclaim your kingdom – you roam through a lovely fantasy world where there is always something happening.
The better you perform, the more loot you get.
There are dynamic events: Besides the standard grind quests that you can indeed do with a good conscience in autopilot mode, there are constantly dynamic events like in Guild Wars 2 or WildStar. The events take place alongside on the map. If you want, you can interrupt your grind and join other players in completing a small event or take down a boss.
Especially lucrative loot awaits if you perform well during the event.
There are even raid bosses!
These are the raids in Royal Blood: Early in the game, you can participate in raids and face a gigantic boss. In my case, it was a massive dragon! The creature took an immense amount of damage and required real MMORPG teamwork.
The holy trinity is also present: The tank had to hold the aggro while I and another damage dealer attacked fiercely. We were supported by a bard with buffs. However, from time to time, the tank made mistakes, and my poor mage perished in seconds from the dragon’s fire breath.
Although I could respawn after a short time and continue, it costs valuable time and potentially the reward.
Fun PvP like in Battlerite
Is PvP fun? Besides all the PvE action, Royal Blood has a strong PvP focus. It mainly relies on massive 70vs70 battles, which I have not played in the beta yet. However, early on, 3vs3 arena matches are already available.
These duels were surprisingly fun and strongly reminded me of the arena brawler Battlerite. In PvP, it is particularly important to master your class well, dodge optimally, and switch between skill sets at the right moment.
Thus, I was able to take down an entire group of enemies because I first slowed them down with ice magic and then hit them hard with my fire AoE skill. Thankfully, my teammates took advantage of this tactical advantage, and we were able to win quickly.
Jürgen’s conclusion – This is how a mobile MMORPG should look!
I admit that I initially had absolutely no desire for Royal Blood. I thought Lineage 2 Revolution was good, but over time, the auto-grind and “MMO hero manager” did not motivate me. I expected the same from Royal Blood, just in green.
How wrong I was! Royal Blood only superficially resembles Lineage 2 Revolution and Co. The gameplay is clearly much closer to a “real” PC MMORPG than other mobile MMOs. Just through the fun and engaging action combat system, I actually don’t want to play any other mobile MMO.
And then there are the exciting raids, events, and PvP features. Even the story motivates me. I really want to explore this world further and reclaim my kingdom! I am really looking forward to the release of Royal Blood, which hopefully takes place soon in 2018.
Just over a year after the 7.00 update, it seems that DOTA 2 is losing players. In April of the year, the MOBA reached a new low in terms of active player numbers.
Since the enormous peak of 14 million active players in January 2017, DOTA 2 has been showing a steady downward trend. According to a report from Superdatasearch, the number of active players has now dropped to 10.6 million this month.
Source: Superdata
Superdata is not the only site showing this downward trend. Steamcharts also clearly shows a downward curve in recent months.
The possible reasons for this are varied:
Meta unchanged: Long drought periods between updates cause the meta to stagnate
Newcomer friendliness: It’s hard for new players to get into DOTA 2. A new start is often associated with frustration
Waiting for updates: Veterans are playing other games until the next update
The rapidly increasing popularity of battle royale games like PUBG has likely affected the DOTA player base as well.
Even though these numbers do not mean that the game is dead or dying, they represent a trend that developer Valve wants to stop.
Valve reacts to the decline
To counter the loss of players, Valve has made two announcements:
Especially the Plus subscription is supposed to generate more revenue for Valve.
In the past, a portion of the revenue from the sale of Battle Passes was allocated to the prize pool of large DOTA tournaments, enabling astronomical amounts of money to be played for.
If the same applies to the Plus subscription, the prize pools of Valve’s tournaments will reflect the revenue from the subscription.
How are other MOBAs doing?
For comparison, here are the player numbers of other MOBA games on the market:
Heroes of the Storm: 6.5 million
Smite: 2 million
League of Legends: around 100 million
These numbers come from Superdata.
Especially with LoL, there seems to be no end in sight. Riot is optimistic. According to Riot co-founder Marc “Tryndamere” Merrill, LoL has not yet reached its peak.
Whether the DOTA Plus model will help Valve offset the player loss is not yet clear.
Fortnite is extremely popular among children and teenagers. Some clever kids from Holland took advantage of this during the last King’s Day and earned some extra euros.
What is it about? In the Netherlands, “King’s Day” is celebrated on April 27. A national holiday where the country celebrates the birthday of the monarch Willem Alexander. Many wear the national color orange, celebrate in the streets, or hold the popular flea markets in even larger numbers than usual.
It is common for children and teenagers to offer fun games like ring tossing, throwing cans, or apple biting. During the Fortnite hype year of 2018, a few kids tried something new.
Play Fortnite for 1 Euro, win 10 Euros
What did the kids from Holland do? At a flea market in Amsterdam, the parents of one child were selling all sorts of stuff in front of their house. However, the boy surpassed his parents in business acumen. He offered his own business.
https://twitter.com/ow/status/989822303436443648
Instead of selling lemonade or offering typical fairground games, he set up a MacBook Air with a monitor and keyboard. On a huge sign above it, it said:
“Fortnite: 1 Euro to play – You get 10 Euros if you win!”
Extra pocket money thanks to Fortnite
How did the boy’s business go? According to the website Business Insider, the boy and his three friends were likely successful with their business model.
The journalist Owen Williams, who observed the happenings, said: He himself couldn’t play because a lot of people were crowding around the stand, especially other kids. The kids’ business model seemed to have worked out. While Williams watched, many played, but none won at the Fortnite stand.
To win in Fortnite, you have to outclass 99 other players. This is rarely achieved.
Ideas like this show how popular and well-known the battle royale game by Epic has become. Fortnite is increasingly becoming part of everyday life. By the way, the idea isn’t new either. In an English pub, you can win free beer if you win in Fortnite: Battle Royale on-site.
Just before the launch of the Warmind DLC, the Destiny 2- product page of the Playstation Store also received an update and has recently listed the upcoming 2nd expansion. In the accompanying visuals, fans have found hints about the return of a popular exotic weapon from Destiny 1, the return of the Sleeper Simulant. What’s the truth?
The release of DLC II, Warmind, is approaching quickly. More and more details about features of the Warmind expansion are becoming known. Fans are analyzing every little piece of information in hopes of more clues about potential content. Now the community has discovered something interesting. Is another popular exotic weapon from Destiny 1 making its return in the 2nd DLC?
Does the Playstation Store show the Sleeper Simulant?
In the new visuals on the product page of the official Playstation Store for the Warmind expansion, fans have discovered a detail that is currently causing hot discussions among the Guardians.
The character on the left in the background is holding a weapon that, upon closer inspection, resembles the Sleeper Simulant from Destiny 1.
The Sleeper Simulant is a fusion rifle for the heavy weapon slot in Destiny 1. Similar to the linear fusion rifles in Destiny 2, the Sleeper fires a single, bundled laser beam after a short charge. This deals enormous damage, can penetrate multiple enemies, and additionally ricochets off walls. The Sleeper was among the most popular heavy weapons in Destiny 1.
Now many fans are sure – the Sleeper Simulant is coming back. Several factors support this. Most obviously is the appearance of the shown weapon. The resemblance to the Sleeper cannot be denied.
Furthermore, the muzzle of the weapon glows blue, which in the Crucible is an indicator that it is a linear fusion rifle. This weapon class is considered to be power weapons in Destiny 2, which would also include the Sleeper in a potential return.
The function of linear fusion rifles in Destiny 2 is mostly similar to the firing behavior of the Sleeper Simulant, which supports the idea that they would likely belong to the same weapon type. Since there is currently no exotic representative of this weapon class in Destiny 2, it is quite conceivable that Bungie is now providing replenishment in the form of the Sleeper.
Further hints at the return of the Sleeper Simulant
Further hints about a possible return of this weapon come from Bungie itself. Chris Barrett, the Game Director of Destiny 2, posted some mysterious lines in the stream chat during a recent stream of the popular “Destiny Down Under” podcast.
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These code lines apparently come from a sub-routine of Rasputin from Warmind and show some similarities to the code structure in the Grimoire card of the Sleeper Simulant. The interesting thing is the designation POLARIS.
When players searched for a possible meaning of this term, they immediately came across another possible hint at the Sleeper. Because Polaris is not only a code fragment from Rasputin.
POLARIS also stands for Petawatt Optical Laser Amplifier for Radiation Intensive ExperimentS. This is the world’s only fully diode-pumped high-performance laser system, with which the Physics-Astronomy Faculty of the University of Jena and the Helmholtz Institute conduct experiments on laser-particle acceleration.
This hint also argues in favor of a likely return of the Sleeper Simulant in the eyes of the community.
What do you think? Will the Sleeper Simulant actually return? Would you be happy about a return of the weapon?
On May 2, the major update will be released, which will prepare for the start of the new test phase and brings plenty of changes and innovations. These will especially affect how you progress in Dauntless.
New Progression in the Game World
Among the changes is how you progress in the game. The entire progression system of Dauntless will be revamped:
Reputation is something your hero needs urgently. By completing missions, your reputation increases. This also raises the rewards you receive for a hunt.
You complete missions on the Slayer, Alchemist, and Weaponmaster paths, for which you need to speak with various NPCs.
Quests also advance the game’s story.
The higher your reputation, the better weapons, equipment, and cells you receive, allowing you to tackle the more difficult assignments that in turn offer better rewards.
You complete “patrols” in specific zones, but you cannot choose which behemoths you hunt.
You participate in “expeditions,” where you can set the island you explore, but not which behemoths you fight.
In a hunt, however, you are after a specific monster that you need to take down.
The Evergame is Coming
After completing the story, you will enter the so-called Evergame, which you can try out with the new update:
In the Evergame, you’ll face even more dangerous monsters, including Firebrand Charrogg, Razorwing Kharabak, Frostback Pangar, Bloodfire Embermane, and reworked Moonreaver Shrike and Deadeye Quillshot.
Storms will affect hunting, making it more dangerous. You will need to adapt quickly by changing your gear and adjusting your tactics.
You will gain access to new exotic weapons, armors, and items.
Transmog stones allow you to transfer stats from popular items to ones that look cooler.
Many More Changes
Additionally, based on the testers’ feedback, there will be adjustments to many other systems:
The cell system will be completely revamped.
There will be more variety in equipment.
You will receive new bonuses for armors.
It will be possible to re-socket cells.
You will accept varied quests.
The floating islands in the game world will change their positions, altering the activities you can complete.
The developers will provide more details about these changes at a later date.
When the “Seeking the Horizon” update is released on May 2, there will be a wipe to test the new features of the update fresh. Then, a second wipe will occur shortly before the start of the open beta on May 22.
This way, Dauntless is making great strides towards its release.
In the space sandbox Elite: Dangerous, a player painted the game’s logo on the galaxy map. He traveled for a month and covered over 36,000 light years!
What is it about? Elite: Dangerous is a huge space sandbox game. In it, you can freely explore our galaxy and do whatever you want. Players engage in all sorts of fun activities alongside the official missions and quests.
There is a kind of space AAA, the “Fuel Rats.” Crash derbies with the free starter ships take place. Or a convoy travels to the edge of the galaxy to fulfill a dying person’s last wish.
Hardcore fan spends a month of real-time drawing Elite logo
What happened now? There are fans, and then there are hardcore super fans like Commander Malibu. The player loves Elite so much that he wanted to immortalize the game’s logo on the galaxy map.
This logo was painted on the map of Elite.
In the game, you can visually represent your traveled distance. Malibu did this by transferring the game’s logo into a coordinate system. He then entered the X and Z coordinates into the game.
At over 240 waypoints, he flew the route to “draw” the logo on the map.
No pit stops allowed, space roadside assistance needed!
How did this devil do it? Since all the coordinates from Commander Malibu’s logo project are not official points somewhere in space, he couldn’t just stop at a station and refuel his ship.
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So, to avoid lying somewhere in the void between stars, he had to call upon the “Fuel Rats,” the highly regarded space roadside service, to regularly bring him fuel and supplies.
After a month of real-time (!) and 375,000 light years traveled in 6,500 jumps, the logo was finally completed!
The new expansion Victory is Life for Star Trek Online is here, and we at Mein MMO have some ships for the PC version for you. Participate in our giveaway and get a “Tactical Escort Ship” and a “Cloaked Fighter.”
To experience the new expansion in style, we have two ships here that you can win for the PC version of Star Trek Online.
Your own USS Defiant
What can you win? For our giveaway, we have two powerful starships for you. The Tactical Escort Ship (Refit) is a new warship designed for combating the Borg and later used in the Dominion War. The Starfleet has equipped the ship with the latest technology of the early 25th century, including a cloaking device. You can win 25 of these ships here. Tactical Escort Ship for Star Trek Online
In addition, there are 100 so-called “Cloaked Fighters” to win. The Cloaked Fighter is lightly armed, fast, and agile. Its energy signature is very low, making it difficult to detect.
What are the conditions? To win, you only need to perform three actions from the embedded windows here. Your prize code will then be displayed immediately. The giveaway ends on August 31, 2018, or when all codes have been redeemed. Legal recourse is excluded. Good luck!
How to redeem your code
If you have won, you can redeem your code as follows:
Go to startrekonline.com and install and start Arc if you haven’t done so already.
Click on the gear icon in the top right corner.
Select “Activate Product” and enter your code.
Click on the “Library icon” in the bottom left and select Star Trek Online to start the game.
In the game, visit the C-Store and claim your rewards under the “Promotions” tab.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the popular shooter Fortnite, developer Epic Games continues the lawsuit against a 14-year-old cheater. The boy’s mother protested sharply with an open letter.
What happened? Epic filed a lawsuit in October 2017 against several players who developed or promoted cheats for Fortnite. One of the defendants turned out to be a 14-year-old boy. Epic was not aware of this when they filed the lawsuit.
What did the boy do? The 14-year-old allegedly operated at least two YouTube channels where he presented, promoted, and distributed cheat software for Fortnite. The boy himself was banned more than 12 times. The lawsuit arose after Epic Games wanted to remove a video from YouTube, against which the boy filed a complaint. According to Epic, they had no choice but to file a lawsuit if they wanted to take the video down.
Mother defends 14-year-old Fortnite cheater
How did the mother defend him? The mother of the defendant raised four points in a letter to the court to counter the lawsuit. Essentially, she argues that her son is only 14 and is being made a scapegoat. Epic also did not obtain the mother’s consent for the 14-year-old to play Fortnite at all. Furthermore, she claims that cheating did not cause any damage.
How did the court respond? The court interpreted the mother’s letter as a motion to dismiss. This necessitated a response from Epic.
How does Epic view this? Epic was forced to respond to the mother’s letter. This has now happened (the full text is available via Torrentfreak). In a statement, they contradict the mother. One argument is: “A minor cannot benefit from a contract and then terminate it by saying that he was too young to enter into it.” By continuing to play Fortnite, the boy cannot escape the contract.
Boy fights back against Epic, finds hacking to be “legally okay”
What does Epic want to achieve with the lawsuit? It seems that Epic is not aiming to profit from the lawsuits but to deter and make a statement. The other lawsuits against cheaters went relatively quietly – the mother of the accused did not file a motion to dismiss. Perhaps the mother did her son a disservice by seeking publicity.
However, it seems the son is not necessarily interested in a quiet resolution either. He could have accepted the removal of his videos. Even then, he reportedly appealed in videos. As Epic explains, the 14-year-old argued that his hacking was okay under “Fair Use.” Epic sees it differently.
The Classic Server of the MMORPG Echo of Soul is shutting down. This was announced by Aeria Games/Gamigo on the official website. What will happen to the Steam version of Echo of Soul?
We reported that the major Phoenix update of the MMO Echo of Soul did not have the desired effect and that the Steam version is struggling with a drastic decline in players. This is partly because the Steam version did not receive the Phoenix update, but Echo of Soul runs in the Phoenix version on its own server.
So those playing on Steam will see the Classic version. And this is now supposed to be completely shut down.
The End of the Classic Server
On the official website of Echo of Soul, Aeria Games explains that the gates of the EU and US servers of the Classic version will close on May 23.
The reasons include the difficult technical support of this older version and also the financial situation. Since so few players play Echo of Soul in the Classic version, it is no longer worthwhile to maintain the servers. Therefore, the operators advise players to switch to the Phoenix servers. Those who do will be able to look forward to a nice Welcome Package.
If you are among the affected players, then switch to the Phoenix servers Edun, Levina, or Aesir.
Most community members show little concern about this switch, as hardly anyone plays on the Classic servers anymore. Many have already switched to the new Phoenix servers. So far, there have been no reactions in the forum regarding the switch. If the numbers on Steamcharts are an indicator of how many people are playing Echo of Soul Classic, then this handful of players will likely be little bothered, but rather pleased to finally meet larger groups of players on the Phoenix servers.
What Will Happen to the Steam Version?
It is still somewhat unclear what will happen to the Steam version. This is based on the Classic version, which will be shut down on May 23. This will also make it impossible to play via Steam. Whether the Phoenix version will then find its way onto Steam is currently unknown.
With update 3.4, vending machines have been added to Fortnite: Battle Royale. At these machines, you can exchange resources for items. We will show you where you can find these machines all over the map, so a map of the spots, and which items you should buy.
Epic expands the map of Fortnite: Battle Royale with additional gameplay elements. You can now find vending machines that exchange a weapon or item for a certain amount of resources.
What you find in the vending machines is random and changes from round to round. The resource costs depend on the rarity of the item. You can purchase three items at each machine, one each with wood, stone, or metal:
Common items and weapons (gray) cost 100 resources
Uncommon items and weapons (green) cost 200 resources
Rare items and weapons (blue) cost 300 resources
Epic items and weapons (purple) cost 400 resources, and
legendary items (orange) will cost you 500 resources
Interesting: If you hit a machine with the pickaxe, it offers you the next item from its inventory.
There are a variety of machines to be found on the map – each has a different inventory. On the following map, you will find all currently known vending machines marked:
If you want to land specifically at a vending machine, you should choose locations that promise a lot of resources nearby. This way, you will find five machines around Wailing Woods that you can easily feed with wood from the forest.
Junk Junction is also a good target. After resource extraction, you will find three more machines around Pleasant Park where you can spend your metal from Junk Junction.
Avoid investing in white or green weapons. The material requirement is not proportional to the benefit of the items. Healing items can always be purchased if needed – reserve shield potions and medkits are always a good investment.
However, you should feel free to grab the rare weapons and the shotguns. A golden SCAR? Definitely take it, the chance is very low that you will find one during the game.
You should also always take rocket launchers of any rarity. If you enjoy playing with sniper rifles, you should grab those as well. However, you should not overdo it – two legendary rocket launchers may seem tempting, but if you run out of materials in the endgame, you have a serious problem. Because two rocket launchers won’t help you against a well-built fortress if you are standing there without protection.
No fortress without resources!
So only take what you really need, senseless resource waste will come back to haunt you in the endgame.
How do you find the vending machines? Have you already found a rare weapon?
The first closed PC beta of the new Free2Play MMO shooter Defiance 2050 has taken place. Among the testers was our author Leya, who could find little to appreciate in the remake of the MMO shooter.
Defiance was in 2013 the MMO shooter prior to Destiny, but it quickly vanished from the spotlight and ultimately lived a niche existence. A small group of players remained loyal to Defiance, but the game barely connected with mainstream gaming.
This was partly due to the fact that Defiance was released only on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Trion Worlds missed out on the next console generation and thus a broad audience. Shortly after the release of Defiance, Destiny took off on PS4 and Xbox One, since then Trion Worlds has likely been feeling: “We were ahead of our time.”
Defiance 2050 is now a remake of the futuristic MMO shooter and will also be released on PS4 and Xbox One. Last weekend (April 20 – 22), Trion Worlds held a closed PC beta for Defiance 2050, which I participated in. To be clear, I approached this beta untainted, as I never played the original Defiance.
Defiance 2050 clearly shows its age
Defiance 2050 is not a full sequel like Destiny 2. The remake mainly offers graphical improvements and some revisions to gameplay mechanics, such as the level system. So, anyone who has played Defiance will find little new here, but rather encounter a polish.
I could already tell in the tutorial that Defiance 2050 shows its age and I could see little of a modernized graphic. Defiance 2050 visually resembles typical Free2Play shooters like Warface or Ironsight. I had expected more after the announcement for a complete overhaul of the graphics and was disappointed by what I saw.
Sometimes a detailed mist cloud came toward me, revealing hints of better graphics. But in the next moment, I found myself again in front of a big splash of color that was supposed to represent a puddle.
As I never played the original Defiance, I couldn’t draw a comparison from personal experience and asked the internet. On Reddit, user “imathrowback” created a graphical comparison of the new and old Defiance. It shows that the graphical overhaul is barely noticeable. The characters may have gained slightly finer facial features, but overall, it still looks like the “old” Defiance. Several beta testers shared this opinion.
Here is (on the left) Defiance 2050 and (on the right) Defiance, the original.
However, the weird running animations were particularly noticeable, in which the characters squatted and seemed to simply throw their knees upwards.
Gameplay and abilities are standard
I can gladly overlook outdated graphics if at least the gameplay or story is engaging. In Defiance 2050, I play as an Ark Hunter, who possesses special abilities through an alien technology called EGO.
I have a skill tree that I can expand through my EGO level. The skills and improvements available to me here are standard. For example, there’s increased movement speed, improved shield and health regeneration, stealth, or increased firepower. The certain flair and innovation are lacking here.
The weapons can be improved and customized through modifications. Here, there are various options to add or remove mod slots. However, I must admit that I have not completely grasped the system here after my first playthrough.
The AI is dumb and consists of sponge-like targets
Even though the weapons and skills meet the standard, the gunplay and gameplay feel solid. The hit feedback seems right, and the hitboxes appear realistic. However, the sound of firearms was quite tinny and sounded anything but realistic.
Unfortunately, Defiance 2050 quickly became monotonous, especially due to the stupid sponge-like enemies. The enemies virtually soak up the bullets, and it can happen that an entire magazine is fired at one enemy. The AI feels more like a form of therapy, as it is predictable and does not offer interesting mechanics.
I was of course still at the beginning of the beta and cannot say if this changes significantly throughout the game.
A cool MMO feeling arises especially through live events, but …
Defiance 2050 is a shooter with a strong multiplayer focus, offering raids through Arkfall events. Red markers appear on the map in between, indicating a time-limited live event.
During these spontaneous events, all present players fight random enemies and receive extra loot for it. Players receive a vehicle early in the game, allowing them to quickly reach the events.
My hope was that at least these events would provide a change and create a cool MMO dynamic.
A red marker indicates live events where random enemies appear.
Indeed, during the events, I found a lot of players despite the closed beta, and the MMO feeling immediately emerged. But here, too, my problem with the AI re-emerged. More than just mindlessly shooting magazines into sponge-like enemies happened here.
Thus, both the campaign and events quickly bored me. A nice plus is that the campaign can also be played in co-op multiplayer right after the tutorial.
Defiance 2050 – Can it become something?
After spending a few hours in the beta of Defiance 2050, I quickly lost interest in the game. It simply appears outdated and lacking innovation in too many places. As a new player, the beta on PC did not convince me.
The changes advertised by Trion Worlds in Defiance 2050 seem to be limited, according to mmorpg.com even for fans of the original. It is said that the progression and inventory system have been noticeably adjusted. Instead of the EGO rank system, there is now a skill tree. Overall, progression and loot in Defiance 2050 are said to be more coherent than in the original. This aligns with the statements I found in various forums.
Players of the original Defiance will lose their character and inventory in Defiance 2050. However, since the content largely remains unchanged, these players will have to start from scratch and go through the same campaign again.
Defiance 2050 seems to be aimed primarily at new players of the current console generation on PS4 and Xbox One, for which the title has been optimized. The game is Free2Play, and there is hardly anything comparable in the sector. The MMO aspect already invites players to dive into raids together.
However, to keep players motivated in the long term, the enemies would need another overhaul. Because continually shooting at sponge-like targets will quickly become boring in the long run.
Did you also try the beta? I would be happy if you share your impressions of Defiance 2050 in the comments. Of course, I am also interested in what non-beta testers think.
