The large coalition’s initiative to pay more attention to eSports is not well received everywhere. DFB President Reinhard Grindel sharply criticizes eSports and virtual football. He probably can’t make much of FIFA 18 and PES. EA has long been steering FIFA towards eSports. Since the Weekend League, FUT Champions Cups, and the eWorld Cup, this has become increasingly clear.
Grindel’s position is clear. For him, football “belongs on the green grass and has nothing to do with other things that are computerized.” He does not see great competition for football clubs in other sports, but rather in virtual football simulations such as FIFA 18 or Pro Evolution Soccer (PES).
The experienced FIFA professional Kai “Deto” Wollin
Grindel sees nothing appealing in the coalition’s plan to provide computer games with an “olympic perspective”. The idea would be “absurd”. He hopes it does not come to that.
In general, he does not consider eSports to be a sport and sees the youth’s engagement with digital devices as an “absolute impoverishment”.
The President of the eSport-Bund-Deutschland (ESBD), Hans Jagnow, stands firmly against Grindel’s statements. In a Facebook post from the ESBD, Jagnow is quoted: “Shutting oneself off from digital innovation is rarely a good idea, and I can only warn against it.”
He speaks of reaching a young audience with values such as tolerance, respect, fair play, and teamwork through eSports. He sees the current developments as a great opportunity to complement traditional club sports with digital offerings.
eSports has already arrived in the Bundesliga
Despite prominent opponents like the DFB President, eSports has long found its place in the top German Bundesliga.
Seven Bundesliga clubs already have their own eSports departments. According to gameswirtschaft another eight teams, including Bayern Munich, are said to be looking into hiring professional FIFA players. Only BVB, SC Freiburg, and TSG Hoffenheim are distancing themselves from FIFA eSports.
Final Fantasy XIV players who have exploited a glitch to tackle the hardest battles in the game for months are now facing bans. The amazing part: the glitch involves a simple chat command.
Many Final Fantasy fans are familiar with the Limit Break. Typically, these extremely powerful abilities become available when characters take significant damage.
In Final Fantasy XIV, some players discovered the ability to abuse the NPC Limit Break known as “Ungarmax” via chat commands to conquer tough boss battles.
Now Square Enix is swinging the ban hammer.
Exploit massively increases damage output
Initially, the Ungarmax Limit Break was only supposed to be available in certain content. These so-called Command Missions, where you navigate dungeons alongside 3 NPCs, were intended as an alternative way to level solo.
However, players quickly figured out that the Ungarmax Limit Break could be used relatively easily outside of Command Missions through the chat command “/ac Ungarmax” and that with a massive effect.
In FFXIV, a full group of 8 players has a limit break bar that is divided into three parts and fills up slowly over the course of a battle.
The NPC Limit Break Ungarmax has several unique features:
The Command Missions can have a maximum of just two limit bars, with Ungarmax consuming only one of them upon activation.
This makes it quickly available in long boss fights and can be used multiple times.
It increases the group’s damage output by a whopping 50% for 15 seconds.
The duration of the effect can be extended to 25 seconds by the Astrologian job’s ability “Opposition”. For a single player, it can last up to 40 seconds.
This extreme DPS boost has been used by some players to conquer difficult content with high DPS requirements.
This includes the hardest battle in the game, “Endless Shadows of Bahamut”, and the latest epic raid “Omega: Sigmametrie”.
How this looks in action was demonstrated by the streamer “Feelstoastedman” and his raid group.
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The fight was immediately wiped afterwards as the glitch was used solely for demonstration purposes.
Investigations have been initiated
However, Square Enix’s response to the glitch comes a bit late. Several Reddit users claim they reported the “Ungarmax exploit” to the game masters at least 4 months ago.
When the story exploded in the FFXIV subreddit, the director and producer of FFXIV, Naoki Yoshida, personally addressed the issue in a forum post.
In it, he apologized for the delayed response and reported that the game master team is currently prioritizing the following points:
Determining whether the claim that the glitch was reported to the GMs early is indeed true.
If it is true, finding out why no appropriate actions were taken.
Identifying the characters that intentionally exploited this glitch.
The glitch itself was fixed on February 28 during an emergency maintenance of all servers.
First bans followed a week later
The first report regarding a ban associated with Ungarmax recently appeared on Reddit.
In an email, the thread creator was informed that their account was banned for 9 days. However, the following sentence is important: “Additionally, the service account will be investigated and considered for termination.”
The 9 days represent the maximum temporary ban duration imposed for severe rule violations. Based on experience, accounts that received a 9-day ban are often permanently banned.
According to the thread creator’s statement, another member of their group was also banned, who had likewise used the command “/ac Ungarmax”.
This raises the question of whether players who used the chat command “just for fun” to see what the glitch actually does will also be affected by the ban.
So far, it seems to only impact players who exploited the glitch before it was made public on Reddit.
The top players who achieved World First kills in the challenging raids have demonstrably not made use of the glitch.
Another type of glitch has been affecting monsters in FFXIV for some time now. The result looks hilariously funny:
In Destiny 2 today, March 6th, is the Weekly Reset. With the weekly reset, the Iron Banner starts one last time in the 4vs4 format. But other fresh activities, like the Nightfall strike or the Flashpoint, are now live.
With the Weekly Reset, a new week begins in the Destiny universe. The Guardians can now tackle fresh tasks again.
Simultaneously with the weekly reset, Lord Saladin arrives in the Tower and calls upon the Guardians once again to prove their skills in the Crucible.
The Iron Banner is live – for the last time in the previously familiar 4vs4 format. In this mode, Conflict will be played. Until the next Weekly Reset, you have time to compete against other Guardians in the scope of this event, grab new rewards, and continue your hunt for Iron Banner ornaments.
Let’s see what else the current week brings.
Nightfall starting March 6th on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
This week isthe Nightfall “The Pyramidion”.
No modifiers are active in the normal Nightfall strike!
In Prestige mode, you must activate the modifiers via the challenge cards. These cards drop for DLC owners in both the normal and Prestige modes of the Nightfall strike.
The following challenges need to be mastered:
Unbroken: Complete the Nightfall with fewer than 3 deaths.
Siege Engine: Do not allow Brakion to be shielded for more than 40 seconds before defeating him.
First Aid is an eternal part of World of Warcraft. However, how useless the skill actually is has now been revealed.
In World of Warcraft, there are a handful of secondary professions that can be learned by all characters, regardless of their main professions. While Archaeology, Fishing, and Cooking at least have some recognized use, First Aid is looked down upon. It was actually supposed to allow players to heal themselves and others to compensate for missing healer performance. However, in the time of massive self-healing for all classes, the profession has lost significance. So much so that First Aid will likely be removed from the game with the new expansion Battle for Azeroth.
Survey on First Aid: Almost nobody finds it useful
The colleagues from mmo-champion repeatedly analyze the data from 2.3 million players in Europe and America. These data exclude secondary characters and twinks, and instead, the character with the highest value in First Aid has been selected.
The result is quite sobering and casts a bad light on the secondary profession.
6.1% of all players have not learned the profession at all
17.3% of all players have First Aid between rank 1 and 50 – meaning they learned the profession and then never used it again
In the later ranks, there are more players who at least made the effort to level First Aid accordingly.
15% of players have First Aid between 651 and 700
16.9% are between 701 and 750
at least 19.1% have First Aid between 751 and 800
Soon unemployed: The teachers for First Aid.
Additionally, mmo-champion conducted a survey in which more than 60,000 players participated and were asked how useful they found First Aid in Legion. The result is devastating:
91% of players saw no benefit from First Aid in Legion
6.6% of players found First Aid helpful in “rare cases”
A sad development that First Aid has taken in recent years. The last time it was truly useful was probably in The Burning Crusade and sporadically still in Wrath of the Lich King. Nowadays, almost nobody needs it anymore.
What is your attitude towards First Aid in World of Warcraft? Is the secondary profession even worth it? Did you only learn it for the achievements? Or is it a good thing that it is likely to disappear with Battle for Azeroth?
We are on a roller coaster ride with the Switch version of Diablo 3. Rumors have now provided a special ride.
Last week, the hearts of some loyal Diablo fans raced as a small Blizzard teaser indirectly called for speculation. Fans saw it as the announcement of a Switch version of Diablo 3. However, Blizzard quickly cleared up this speculation.
Now new rumors are emerging that say: Yes, Diablo 3 is coming for the Switch.
Now Eurogamer claims: Our source says that a Switch version of Diablo is definitely on the way. And it should be a port of Diablo 3.
Whether the DLCs “Reaper of Souls” and “Rise of the Necromancer” are included has not been confirmed. However, it would be surprising if these expansions are not part of the port.
That the teaser with the nightlight has such a significant impact on the community, the developers did not expect, says the anonymous source from Eurogamer. However, the actual announcement is said to be months away.
This information comes as a surprise, as Blizzard’s statement still said that the video with the nightlight meant nothing at all.
As mentioned, these are rumors. Take them with a grain of caution and do not treat them as official statements. Until Blizzard announces the Diablo 3 version for the Nintendo Switch themselves (or Nintendo does), it is not yet confirmed.
In The Division, in update 1.8, you have various opportunities to obtain Classified Gear through Global Events. We present the different methods for farming Classified Gear.
Recently, to celebrate the second anniversary of The Division, the Global Event “Outbreak” was active. Global Events provide players a convenient way to obtain secret set pieces. However, outside of events, these pieces are very rare. We show you various options to still acquire the coveted equipment.
How to farm Classified Gear?
Every named boss in the game has a certain probability of dropping a secret set piece. Additionally, there are specific containers, aside from bosses, that may contain set pieces. So where is the best place to start?
To obtain Classified pieces, you can
clear landmarks in the Dark Zone
run underground rounds on the “Challenging” difficulty
The easiest way to get loot in the Dark Zone is by killing elite bosses at the landmarks. With a good group and knowledge of the routes, you can quickly take down bosses in succession.
While this is one of the most effective methods, you do need some luck with the servers. If there are many rogue agents active, farming can become strenuous.
In that case, simply switch servers by
visiting a checkpoint
joining a group for the Dark Zone in the player search
leaving the group
This method has the advantage that you can also collect Division Tech along the way. Additionally, there is a small chance of obtaining a secret set piece from chests that you can open with DZ keys. Here you can find efficient ways to farm Division Tech.
Never forget the unpredictability of the Dark Zone. If it ruins your enjoyment, you need to consider other options.
The Underground
The Underground on the “Challenging” difficulty is a good option for killing bosses, both with a group and solo. Additionally, Hunters can appear once per phase. If you defeat them, you have another chance at secret and exotic loot.
A drawback is the time investment, as it can take up to 10 minutes to reach the boss in the phase. Thus, you will likely need more time per boss than in the Dark Zone. Nevertheless, it is a convenient option for PvE players. Moreover, exciting fights await you due to random Hunter attacks.
Keep in mind: The Underground is a DLC, so you must either purchase it separately or invest in the Season Pass.
Open World Bosses
Once you have completed all side missions in the respective parts of Manhattan, you will unlock 15 elite bosses that will subsequently roam the streets of Manhattan. Although they respawn after you defeat them, this only happens after four hours. Thus, you can get a lot of loot after one round, but you will have to wait afterward, which makes this method rather ineffective.
However, if you need a change from the other activities, this stroll through New York is a good idea.
With update 1.8, the Resistance mode made its way into The Division. A kind of horde mode where you must defeat waves of enemies solo or in a group that get increasingly difficult.
With every kill, you collect SHD Tech, the currency of this mode. You need this for opening doors, ammunition, med kits, and loot crates, which is the focus of this farming method.
How to quickly get your desired piece in The Division – Resistance Mode
To efficiently farm in Resistance, you should select Pier 93 as the map. The other areas are also suitable, but Pier offers good opportunities for cover and allows enemies to approach you.
The goal is to play until wave 10 and reach a room containing a loot box. To open this, you will need SHD Tech. The box has a high chance of containing Classified pieces and can also be opened multiple times. However, you should note that opening it becomes more expensive each time. Therefore, it is important to save all SHD Tech.
You need to follow a few steps to end up in the right room with the loot box:
Start Resistance at Pier 93
Open the first door
Go right, open the next door, and climb the ladder
Turn right again and open the next door immediately to your right
Under a staircase at the back left is the room with the loot box
In which order and which wave you do this, whether you move freely on the map or barricade yourself, is up to you. Important: Upon completing wave 10, you will receive a level 2 resistance container, which also has a chance of secret set pieces, so definitely complete it.
To approach farming as effectively as possible, you should
save SHD Tech and only use it for doors when possible
have a healing station with ammunition supply, as this is often scarce
use a build that keeps you alive (Nomad, D3-F3NC, Secret Stalker, pieces with health on kill)
The YouTuber Gladd shows you an example of how to approach this. This should serve as guidance for your start.
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If you follow this method, you will need an average of 20 minutes per pass and, with some luck, obtain several set pieces. With luck, four to six Classified pieces are possible.
Possible Builds for 1.8
We have already compiled some effective builds for 1.8, with which you will also have fun on various farming routes.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) there is a mysterious outfit known in the community primarily as the “Halo Skin.” But what is it all about and how can you get this piece?
Fortnite: Battle Royale is free-to-play and primarily funded through the purchase of skins and costumes. Particularly sought after were, among other things, the Valentine’s Day outfits or the Dino costume “Rex”.
Recently, however, an image of a new skin has surfaced, in which many fans suspect a reference to Halo.
The Skin “Rogue Agent”: Is it an ODST from Halo?
The skin in question is called “Rogue Agent” and depicts a kind of elite soldier with a golden visor and body armor. Fans of the Halo series clearly see references here. But not to the iconic hero of “Master Chief,” but to the equally tough ODSTs.
It stands for “Orbital Drop Shock Troopers,” an elite unit from the Halo universe and the stars of their own spin-off. The battle dress of an ODST actually resembles the style of the Rogue Agent skin from Fortnite.
Epic seems to be following a similar approach here as with the “Reaper” skin. It looks very much like the action hero John Wick. For legal reasons, Epic likely ensures that new skins resemble well-known film and game characters without copying them exactly.
How to Get the Halo Outfit?
The “Halo Outfit” will likely soon be available as a reward in the “Battle Royale Starter Pack”. This is supposed to be a package for $4.99 (the Euro price is likely the same) that you will presumably be able to buy soon under the “Shop” tab in the main menu. In the shop, you usually buy your V-Bucks.
The offer for the starter pack was recently revealed through a glitch. It was briefly visible but could not be purchased and was gone shortly thereafter. Fortunately, players took screenshots and shared them on Reddit.
Since the offer is somehow a game, it is expected to be unlocked soon. For $4.99 you will then receive:
600 V-Bucks
Rogue Agent Outfit
Catalyst Back Bling (a high-tech backpack)
This combination of a cool skin and a low price is causing so many to be excited about the “Halo Skin” in Fortnite. However, whether and when the Fortnite Battle Royale Starter Pack will actually be available in the game is still unknown.
The German publisher Gameforge is criticized for an IP block on its new anime MMO SoulWorker Online. An MMO site even speaks of shady business practices. Meanwhile, SoulWorker Online is now officially in soft launch. There will be no wipes in the open beta.
The German publisher Gameforge is distributing the Korean anime MMO SoulWorker Online in Europe and North America. Last week, the open beta started without much announcement. However, there is now trouble.
IP block after one week locks out players without warning
As reported by the Asia-MMO specialized site MMO Culture, SoulWorker suddenly has an IP block: all players who are not from North America or Europe can no longer play the game after one week.
This mainly affects players from Southeast Asia, who thought they could now play SoulWorker Online in English through the Gameforge version, as the game will probably not be released for their region.
The IP block was only announced when it was practically already implemented. Players from other regions had no prior warning. They are now very upset that they could download and play SoulWorker Online for a week and that this is now over.
MMO Culture even refers to a “shady” publisher. Gameforge had a year to announce this IP block, but they did not do so, instead making it known only after players from overseas had already invested time in the game.
Beta will have no wipes
Meanwhile, Gameforge announces that SoulWorker Online will have no wipes. Therefore, the characters will not be reset, and progress will be preserved.
This was not entirely clear before. Now it is, however, official and certain.
The leaks about Battlefield V, the supposed new installment of the shooter series, are now overwhelming. A co-op mode could become part of the new game, which is expected to be released in 2018.
Last week, an anonymous source stated that the new Battlefield installment will have a setting in World War II. Now, there is further information from this source. It concerns a special mode and a feature that some of you may know from Rainbow Six Siege.
Co-op and Laying Feature in Battlefield V
Regarding the single-player mode in Battlefield V, the source has now provided further information to Venturebeat. The structure of the campaign is said to be similar to the current Battlefield 1. There, you experience the lives of various soldiers and their stories. This is intended to give players the opportunity to see different perspectives and locations of World War II.
The anonymous source expresses itself somewhat unclear regarding a co-op mode. Apparently, a feature like this is being worked on for Battlefield V. It is intended to be available in a special mode that sends player squads through randomly generated Conquest missions. Whether this mode will also feature a split-screen is unclear.
A co-op mode with split-screen would indeed be a cool feature for the new installment of Battlefield.
Rainbow Six Siege Feature in Battlefield
Allegedly, a laying feature similar to that in Rainbow Six Siege will be available in the new Battlefield installment. This is supposed to allow players to lie on their backs instead of just on their bellies.
Various in-game situations could be improved by this. If you find yourself awkwardly positioned in front of obstacles, you simply lie on your back and do not have to reposition to crawl.
However, there is currently little official information about the Battlefield title from 2018. We know that the game is supposed to be released in the fall and will already be playable at the EA Play event.
So take these leaks with caution. There is no guarantee that these rumors are indeed true and that they will be incorporated into the game.
Brigitte looks exactly like Mercy. At least, that’s what some Overwatch fans think and hope that Blizzard will make adjustments here.
The newest hero in Overwatch, Brigitte, is currently on the PTR and is well-received by players. In terms of her abilities, she represents a new type of hybrid hero that fans have been longing for. On the other hand, there are significant criticisms concerning Brigitte – her appearance.
Part of the community believes that Brigitte is a spitting image of the healer Mercy. The general shape of the face, her eyebrows, nose, lips, and even the shape of the eyes are almost identical. On Reddit, a user Pillow_1 took the time to create a short video that clearly shows how identical the faces are. Since the short clip has received over 6800 upvotes, it seems that this issue bothers many players.
Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but Brigitte was presented differently in the cinematic “Glory and Honor.” There, she has fuller lips, thicker eyebrows, and freckles – none of which made it into the game.
Overwatch Has a Female Problem
The characters and their models – especially the female ones – are often a point of contention within parts of the community. Although Blizzard tries to create a diverse world with a wide range of different heroes, critics argue that they fail with the implementation for female characters. While the male characters exhibit massive differences in form and body size (compare Torbjörn, Roadhog, Reinhardt, and Lúcio), this is not the case with the females.
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According to some fans, too many women in Overwatch have the typical “hourglass” figure like Mercy, Symmetra, and Moira. Some exceptions like Zarya and Mei deviate slightly but still appear young.
The fans’ demand is clear: Blizzard should revisit Brigitte’s model and revise it to resemble her portrayal in the cinematics and comics more closely, creating a stronger visual distinction from Mercy.
What do you think about this matter? Do you also believe that Brigitte should be visually reworked? Or do you think she looks just right as she currently does?
Update 22Legacy of the Necromancer is released today for the MMORPG The Lord of the Rings Online and continues the story after the War of the Ring.
The Ring is destroyed, Sauron is defeated. But that does not mean that peace reigns in the world of Middle-earth. Especially in the Mirkwood, which now bears the name Eryn Lasgalen, something seems to be brewing. And there is also some trouble in the newly established Sea Town. Your heroes will have a lot to do again.
What is happening in Mirkwood?
The title Legacy of the Necromancer already suggests that you are going to explore the dark fortress of Dol Guldur. There, the dark lord Sauron once hid to gather his powers. Back then, he disguised himself as a necromancer. Although Mirkwood has been freed, something strange is still going on here. And you must find out what. In addition, you will pay a visit to the Sea Town and visit the town of Dale at the foot of the Lonely Mountain.
Legacy of the Necromancer offers you the following:
The Wood Elves have reclaimed Mirkwood, but something is not right in the depths of the forest.
Explore Dol Guldur.
Meet the Elven King Thranduil.
Visit the Men of Dale, the Sea Town, and the town of Dale.
Lay of Rust and Rime represent a series of episodic quests set in the fortresses of the North. The quests begin on March 14.
Lots of bug fixes and optimizations.
The adventure is not over yet
If you have ever wondered how the story in The Lord of the Rings Online continues after the War of the Ring, you will learn that now with Update 22.
In Fortnite: Battle Royale (PC, PS4 & Xbox One) there is a skin that looks like John Wick. Additionally, there is a secret challenge that allows you to obtain the “High-Octane” glider styled after John Wick’s car.
The highlight of the current Season 3 Battle Pass at Tier 100 is an outfit called “Reaper.” With this, you become John Wick, a character who looks a lot like John Wick. For those unfamiliar with the name: John Wick is the anti-hero of the film series of the same name.
He is a tough former killer embarking on a ruthless revenge campaign against the Russian mafia after they steal his car and kill his dog.
The dog is missing so far, but the car is actually available in the game!
How to get the High Octane Glider in Mustang style
Besides his deceased wife and his little dog, John Wick loves nothing more than his impressive car: a 1969 Mustang! Somehow, the car seems essential if you want the full John Wick package.
Source: YouTube channel of DooM ShelbyRenae
Therefore, the developers have included a secret challenge in the game. This allows you to get a glider in the style of Wick’s car. It’s black and has cool brake lights!
However, you must have already reached Tier 100 in the Battle Pass. Then you need to complete the following challenges:
Loot 7 chests in a single (!) match
Play 10 matches with at least one elimination (that’s still doable)
Deal 1,000 damage in a single match
Knock out an enemy with the pickaxe (easy)
Finish a match with 3 eliminations
Land in the Top 10 in Solo
Land in the Top 3 in Squad mode
Who is supposed to achieve this?
Some of these challenges are quite tough. 1,000 damage and 7 chests should only be achievable by players with a lot of luck and skill. Fortunately, you don’t have to complete them all in the same match. And you don’t have to complete all 7 challenges, just 5!
Some of the challenges aren’t really that hard.
10 kills in 10 matches should be achievable for everyone eventually, ideally dropping at Tilted Towers and shooting wildly.
You should also be able to get a pickaxe kill soon. Just drop early and try to injure an unarmed enemy and then finish them off with the axe.
If you camp long enough, you will eventually place in the Top 10 and Top 3 in the respective modes.
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After the PC version of For Honor received Dedicated Servers at the end of February, it is now the turn of players on PS4 and Xbox One.
Dedicated Servers are expected to improve the gaming experience in PvP battles, provide more stable and better connections, and also optimize matchmaking. In general, this should lead to a more enjoyable gaming experience. Until now, the peer-to-peer connections were not very stable and caused frustration among players due to frequent disconnections. The dedicated servers will be available today after maintenance at 3 PM.
Numerous Improvements
Since the PC version of dedicated servers has already been tested, consoles will benefit from this. The servers offer the following improvements:
The resynchronization and host migration during game rounds have been completely removed.
The match completion rates in PvP mode have been improved.
Major bugs have already been fixed for PC. These have been introduced to improve the game on the servers. Console players will enjoy these optimizations that are being implemented directly.
A Better Gaming Experience
With the Dedicated Servers of the online action game For Honor, PvP battles should now be significantly more enjoyable and better to play. Additionally, the current update “Year of the Wolf” also brings improvements to combat, a new event, and later new training modes.
A beetle is currently exciting players of the space online game No Man’s Sky.
The zoology community of the space game No Man’s Sky has taken it upon themselves to catalog all creatures in the vast galaxy. Player 7101334 declared some time ago that he wanted to search for a giant beetle that has a mushroom growing on its back.
Whether such a creature ever existed, the player did not know. However, based on how No Man’s Sky creates worlds and creatures, he was firmly convinced that such a creature must exist.
A beetle with a mushroom on its back
And indeed: Six months after he spoke about it, the beetle was found. Not by him, but that does not diminish the joy. The player Jeremiah discovered a giant beetle with a mushroom on its back, posted a screenshot of it on Reddit, and named the creature the Giant Shiitake Beetle.
There, 7101334 saw it, who was not disappointed that he did not find the beetle himself. Instead, he is happy that his theory has been confirmed.
There are still many undiscovered creatures in the game
But the hunt does not end there. 7101334 believes that there must be even bigger beetles with mushrooms on their backs. Moreover, he wants to find the T-Rex-like dinosaur Caesarus. This creature somehow disappeared from the game after the Atlas Rises Update. 7101334 believes that he can at least find a creature in No Man’s Sky that is on par with Caesarus.
We shed light on two recent situations in Destiny 2, where the game was on the verge of another shitstorm but narrowly avoided it.
The atmosphere in Destiny 2 has calmed down in recent weeks. But in December and January, it would have taken just a spark to ignite another shitstorm – so another to add to the ones that were already brewing.
We look back at two incidents that we had not reported on at the time, where Destiny 2 came close to another explosion.
Shitstorm I – the Grimoire Cards Story
Just before Christmas, a statement drove the lore fans of Destiny and Destiny 2 crazy. The sacred Grimoire cards from the original Destiny were to be no longer considered “canon.” What happened?
On December 20, a tweet caused a stir. One of the comic authors of Destiny 2 was asked: “Is your comic really real? Is it part of the game’s canon? Should we take it seriously?”
And the response from Margaret Stohl was: “Yes, it’s all canon. […] But the Grimoire cards are folklore. Even the inhabitants of the Destiny universe see the stories there as true, as far as they know.”
Alarm bells rang among the lore fans of Destiny. They interpreted the statement as “Bungie just wiped out everything we loved about Destiny 1 with a stroke of a pen.”
A similar stunt had been pulled by Star Wars. With a single stroke, large parts of the Star Wars universe were declared “non-canon.” Thus, they were not binding for the further development of the series. Had Bungie just done the same?
Destiny fans cried out: This is a trick by Bungie. They can now rewrite the entire story of Destiny 1 as they please.
But game director Christopher Barrett was able to calm the situation. He basically said: Guys, this is nothing new. Calm down. The Grimoire cards are important for the background and the world.
The Grimoire is an important foundation to the lore and world building of Destiny. We need many more stories and tales like it. That’s where we are headed – https://t.co/Fzt7EI66PXz
What really happened? To look at it soberly: “Folklore” here simply meant that the Grimoire cards are literature within Bungie’s universe and reflect the perspective of the authors. However, this does not have to be objectively true. Comics, on the other hand, depict what “really” happened – from an objective viewpoint. Therefore, they have a different function and perspective than Grimoire cards.
Shitstorm averted – also, probably, because not as many people freak out over lore topics as they do over others.
Shitstorm II – Luke Smith is stirring the pot again, or not?
The second “almost” shitstorm came from Luke Smith, the “Throwing Money Against the Monitor” godfather of shitstorms at Bungie – again over Twitter.
On February 1, he said: “Good things are coming from the Destiny 2 team. Keep giving us feedback. Don’t be foolish.”
And this “Don’t be foolish” was taken the wrong way by some. They got quite upset about how Smith could speak to the fans like that. The criticism was indeed justified, and Bungie must face it. From Bungie came only a gigantic “Fuck You” and now the responsible party had the nerve to stand up and insult the fans.
People were already pulling out their torches and pitchforks. Smith then calmed things down with: “A certain degree of mutual human respect is not too much to ask for,” and tempers slowly cooled down.
What really happened? Smith had actually just wanted to say in his flippant way: Guys, remember that there are people on our side too. Try to express the criticism constructively.
Maybe two little things that show how tense the mood was between Bungie and their fans between December and February. A spark could have been enough for it to explode again.
In the PvE mode “Save the World” in Fortnite(PC, PS4 & Xbox One), there are now hoverboards. Some creative players have built spectacular race tracks. Now, there’s hope for official support from Epic for this feature.
While Fortnite is dominated by the immensely successful Battle Royale mode, the PvE mode “Save the World” still has a few things to offer that aren’t in PvP. Especially the hoverboards, introduced on February 22, 2018, can only be found in the coop mode.
With this, creative players do all sorts of cool stuff.
Huge Death Race Tracks
In Fortnite: Save the World, there’s a map you can fill with permanent buildings to your heart’s content: your home base. Many players have gathered enormous amounts of materials and built epic race tracks from them.
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With tunnels, ramps, jumps, and acceleration pads, as well as huge towers, they have constructed massive race tracks that would make Tony Hawk and Super Mario green with envy. In numerous YouTube videos, the proud hoverboard racers showcase their tracks.
“Please Epic, make an official racing feature!”
Many hoverboard racing enthusiasts now hope that Epic will heed their pleas and add official features for hoverboard racing in the game. They would very much appreciate a start and finish marker that counts when someone completes the race.
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“First Battle Royale, then a skating game? Enough is enough!”
However, not everyone is happy about the many creative outputs from the Fortnite community. A visibly annoyed player commented in the Fortnite forum:
https://youtu.be/Rtkg6BntKys
“Fortnite is slowly evolving from the promised great PvE experience into a Battle Royale game nobody asked for, and now it’s becoming a Tony Hawk kids’ skate game? Aaaaall right!”
Ubisoft will take a tougher stance on community “toxicity” starting next week with a new system in Rainbow Six: Siege. Players can expect multi-day or even permanent bans for frequent insults.
Ubisoft plans to launch a new system for Rainbow Six: Siege next week, allowing developers to more effectively combat insults and hateful language. The frequency of violations against the code of conduct will be tracked for individual players, with corresponding penalties applied on a case-by-case basis.
The more toxic the player, the heavier the penalties are to be expected. Currently, Ubisoft outlines the following timeouts for disobedient users:
two days
seven days
15 days
permanent
Players will be informed directly in-game about their ban due to toxic behavior. Additionally, the global messaging system will announce, similar to how it is done for cheaters, which players must take a timeout from the game due to insults.
The new system only applies to the PC version
The new system is primarily aimed at language deemed illegal, dangerous, threatening, insulting, derogatory, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, racist, sexist, ethically objectionable, or harassing according to the terms of service.
However, the new ban system only applies to the PC version of Rainbow Six: Siege. Players on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 consoles remain subject to the terms of service of Microsoft and Sony and will be penalized by the respective enforcement teams of those companies for any violations.
Community demands tougher action
The community of Rainbow Six: Siege has long been raising awareness about the toxicity problem in the game’s forums, on Steam, and on Reddit, demanding harsher penalties for particularly toxic players. Just last month, users on Reddit discussed potential preventive measures, as they feel toxic players ruin the tactical first-person shooter.
In light of the upcoming Operation Outbreak, players expressed a desire for a system that curbs toxic gameplay behavior, ensuring that new players do not lose interest in Rainbow Six: Siege due to disruptive users.
Our journey through Japan continues: In Ikebukuro we visited the largest Poké store in Japan. How does the Land of the Rising Sun deal with its most famous franchise?
Gaming and nerd culture are taken seriously in Japan. At least in some places. Cardboard cutouts or anime-style promotional figures can be found at every corner, and even some gaming brands are used for franchises and advertising.
One of the brands that has been booming in Japan for years is Pokémon. Our author Benedict visited the largest Poké store in Japan, the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo in Ikebukuro.
A bottle of juice in Pokémon style. Also available in Pikachu, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and Snorlax flavors.
Pokéballs on the Ceiling – A Poké Store in the Trendiest Shopping Mall
Pokémon is one of the most popular franchises in Japan. In my almost 6 months in the country, I haven’t noticed another brand that was more represented. It was only overshadowed when special events from other popular anime series or games were currently happening.
The Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo is a store in the Sunshine Center in Ikebukuro, one of the trendiest shopping malls in Tokyo. Accordingly, it attracts a lot of visitors, and it is quite crowded as well. Even the path to the shop in the center is marked with Pokéballs on the ceiling.
The center was founded in 1998 and is thus the first in the world. The reopening in Ikebukuro, however, took place only three years ago, after the original store had grown so much that a better location was needed.
Lots of Pokémon Merchandise in Little Space
“Grown” does not mean that the premises are large. As is often the case with all stores in Tokyo, the Pokémon Store is packed tightly to fit as many products as possible into a small space.
In terms of area, it is probably as big as two classrooms. However, it took me almost 2 hours to see everything and get a clear picture.
Lots of selection and well sorted.
With the number of products there, hardly any had more than five items on the shelf. The selection is huge, and as soon as something is sold out, it is immediately restocked. Even in the early evening, when not much is going on anymore, five employees were still bustling through the aisles checking to see if everything was in stock.
Toys, Sweets, Clothing … Nothing That Doesn’t Exist
The range of items is overwhelming. I probably still can’t grasp and describe everything that was there. And that, despite the fact that I literally took a picture of every shelf. By the end of the photo series, I had forgotten what was in the middle.
Yes, that is a spatula. No, I don’t know why.
However, there were some particularly crazy items that remained in my memory even without pictures. Besides the usual merchandise like plush toys, keychains, clothing, and stationery, there were also dishes, cups, chopsticks (Hashi) for children and adults, plates, and baking molds for Pikachu cakes.
But it really gets crazy on the way to the checkout. Conveniently placed for whiny and now excited children, there are entire shelves full of sweets right in front of the checkout: Cookies, gummy Pokémon, candies, and Yōkan, a jelly made from red bean paste. Why? Just because.
By the Way, Pokémon is Also a Game
Of course, the current Pokémon games X and Y and trading cards can also be purchased. In addition, there are matching handheld consoles in Pokémon style, sometimes bundled with the corresponding games.
For those who prefer Pokémon GO, which is also widespread in Japan, there are also accessories for their smartphones. Phone cases for the iPhone with Pokémon motifs or even directly in the shape of Pikachu for the Poké safari on the streets.
For fans of analog games, there are also board games, most of which I didn’t really understand. Although there is at least one version of Pokémon Monopoly, there are also frisbees and something that looks like a claw machine for home.
Enough Shopping? Then Time to Play or Look at Figures!
The Pokémon Center invites you to stay even when you have already spent enough time spending your money. At every corner of the store stand the newest or most famous Pokémon as huge figures (estimated 1.5-2m tall).
If that’s not enough, you can take a photo with the star Pokémon of the latest generation for a fee right at the entrance of the store. A small panorama is set up for this, where two employees give short instructions and point to the markings on the ground that the photographer and the photographed should stand on for the best results.
When you have had enough of looking, you can also do something active. Next to the entrance are several gaming machines where Pokken Tournament can be played. They were mostly well occupied.
Too Much of a Good Thing?
Although the store was well visited and packed with goodies, I didn’t feel overwhelmed. Not even from Pokémon did I seem to be getting a “drug overdose”, despite the continuously repeating commercials and jingles from small monitors.
It behaves in the Pokémon Center Mega Store like in other merchandise stores for other franchises in Japan: Everything revolves around one theme, but it is illuminated from so many angles that nothing gets repetitive.
Whether Fate, Monster Hunter, One Piece, or Pokémon, the fan stores manage to exploit their brand – in a positive sense. While some items may seem cheesy, I only saw a few that made me shake my head and think, “Who needs that?” So definitely recommendable for fans. You want more interesting articles about Pokémon? Visit our Pokémon GO group on Facebook!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PC, Xbox One) hands were a good protection against bullets since a new update to the damage system. This is to be fixed.
In PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) you normally protect yourself with the coveted vests and helmets against bullets. But since an update of the damage system, you can also block bullets with bare hands!
But that is to change soon.
Bullet Defense in Wonder Woman Style
The new damage system from version 1.0 of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds divides the body into different zones. Especially the head is important for headshots. However, if a bullet has to go through other body regions, it inflicts less damage on the zones behind.
However, this seems to have been greatly exaggerated for the hands. If you shoot at someone holding a gun in their hands, it is quite likely that you will hit the arms first and only inflict little damage to the torso.
All of this somewhat reminds you of the superhero Wonder Woman, who can block bullets with her arms.
Bullet penetration should solve the problem
The damage reduction by hands and arms was certainly not intended by the developers. Therefore, a part of the current test server update of PUBG is also an adjustment of the system. Bullets should now be slowed down less by limbs. Details were not yet disclosed by the developer.
In addition, there are a few more interesting innovations that they want to try out firstly on the PTS of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds:
An in-game friend list independent of Steam
Voice chat support in the menu
A penetration system that allows bullets to penetrate vehicles better and injure the occupants
The hack ‘n slash Grim Dawn is getting a new expansion called Forgotten Gods. This will lead you to new lands where further challenges await you. Additionally, the developers have talked about the Xbox One version.
The adventures in Diablo-like action RPG Grim Dawn continue. The addon Forgotten Gods will take you to a new land. There you will face a danger that pushes your hero to his limits.
If you want to play the hack ‘n slash on Xbox One, you can also rejoice. The developers stated that they are working hard on the implementation. A release date has not yet been set, but it is supposed to happen as soon as possible.
New Lands and Dangers
With the addon Forgotten Gods, some innovations await you:
New play areas beyond the known lands
Deserts, oases, volcanic landscapes, and the sun-bleached ruins of an ancient city await to be explored by you
New powers
Unique items
More enemies
“Quality of life features”
A new game mode
Addon to be released later this year
Further details about the addon Forgotten Gods are to follow. The launch of the expansion is planned for the second half of 2018. An exact date does not yet exist. In the meantime, you can try your hand at the roguelike dungeon Ancient Grove to bridge the gap.
