Blizzard reveals in a “Making of” video what the Animated Shorts of Overwatch are all about.
The Animated Shorts are one of the few and important ways for Blizzard to bring the characters of the universe closer to the players. There is hardly any story within the game. If at all, small hints can be found within a map or in the short dialogues of the heroes.
However, Blizzard wants players to have an emotional connection to the heroes and therefore continues to release comics and the Animated Shorts – especially the latter cause a lot of attention.
Also showing the scientists of Overwatch
Blizzard has now released a making-of for “Winter Awakening”. Here, the developers talk about the goals and challenges in creating such cinematics.
According to Jeff Kaplan, the story of a character and their personality are just as important as the questions “how much damage the left-click of their weapon causes”.
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Winter Awakening is also one of the calmer cinematics, where there is little action. Much has been shown about the typical “soldier” characters, like Soldier: 76, Widowmaker, or Bastion – but little about the calmer heroes.
Mei is the perfect example here. A character who loses everything – friends, time, and any hope for rescue. How such a character can still become a hero is shown in the “Animated Short”.
Cortyn says: For me, the Animated Shorts are always the big highlights that I look forward to even more than a new hero or a new map. I also attribute “Pixar quality” to the videos and can’t get enough information about the heroes and the game world. A little insight into the creation process of these films was therefore very welcome.
How can I change my subclass in Destiny 2? How do I unlock all subclasses? Here’s how you get the focuses of the Titan, Hunter, and Warlock.
Every Guardian class in Destiny 2 has three subclasses (focuses). These subclasses are assigned to the elements Arc, Solar, and Void.
At the beginning of your Guardian journey, however, only one subclass is available to you:
If you start with the Titan, you are a Sentinel (Void)
If you start with the Warlock, you are a Dawnblade (Solar)
If you start with the Hunter, you are Arcstrider (Arc)
All other subclasses must be unlocked first. We will show you how to do that.
This is how you get all subclasses in Destiny 2 – Find Relics
Unlike the first subclass of a character, the second and third subclasses are not tied to the story. Instead, you need to find relics in the open world, through which you gain access to the subclasses. Each subclass has its own relic.
The relic for the Nightstalker
According to user reports, the first subclass relic can be found in the open world starting at character level 8. This relic grants you the subclasses from Vanilla Destiny: Striker, Gunslinger, or Voidwalker
The second subclass relic is said to drop starting from character level 15. This is how you gain access to the “Taken King” subclasses Sunbreaker, Nightstalker, or Stormcaller.
To obtain a relic in the open world, you must rely a bit on luck. According to user reports, relics can randomly be found in chests after public events, in “Lost Sector” chests, and other chests in the open world. It seems to not matter what world you search for chests in.
Charging relics and playing the relic mission
Once you possess a relic, you can inspect it in your inventory. There you can see the requirement you need to fulfill to unlock the subclass. You need to complete some public events until the relic reaches 100%. You can also view the progress in the milestone overview.
Once you have “charged” the relic, a new mission appears in the European Dead Zone:
In this mission, which can only be played solo, you embark on the fragment of the Traveler. On your way there, you will receive information about your subclass. Upon arrival at the fragment, you will be attacked by waves of enemies, which you can then defeat with your new subclass and new super.
Changing subclass
After the mission, you will have permanent access to the new subclass. Go to the character overview, where you can change your subclass in the top left:
By the way: The upgrade points you collect when you level up are not tied to a specific subclass. You can distribute the upgrade points as you wish among your subclasses.
Where did you discover the relics for your subclasses?
The game Wander (PC, PS4) was once considered the worst game for PS4. Now it is pretty much dead.
The US site Massivelyop dealt with “Wander”. It was an MMO from 2015 that was released for PS4 and PC. Wander was known as the “non-violent MMO.” There was no combat, players were meant to walk through the world and experience it.
28% on Metacritic – Wander was not a hit
The game was so incredibly buggy back then that it earned the title of “the worst game for PS4 of all time”. That’s what smaller sites about the game said that tested it. On Metacritic, Wander PS4 has a remarkable 28%.
People wondered how that even passed Sony’s certification.
The community manager later told the US site Kotaku how everything had gone terribly wrong and how she had to deal with the many outraged complaints. At that time, it was said that the team was working tirelessly to contain the disaster.
Apparently without success.
Sorry and goodbye – not even Free2Play works
The game hasn’t done much since its release. According to Massivelyop, the last patch was already in September 2015. The last Twitter message from the studio also came in 2015. There, the Twitter account apologized for the lack of updates. They claimed to have suffered from a gum infection and needed a break.
The developers said they were sorry. They would have liked to switch Wander to Free2Play, but because they use the CryEngine, that doesn’t work. The agreement with CryTek would prevent that. The statement ends with “Thank you to all Wanderers and sorry.”
In the thread on Steam, an employee reflected back on the development. He said: Wander was the only game of the indie studio. The developers had many memories of the project. For most, it was the first chance to develop a game. They have since embarked on new shores.
Wander is no longer available new on PC. However, according to MassivelyOP, those who have already purchased it can still download it from Stream again. It is still listed on the PS4 page.
The player-versus-player battles and a trading function have long been on the agenda of Pokémon GO. It has now become known that many more updates are expected.
When the first version of Pokémon GO was released in the summer of 2016, many new trainers quickly realized: Some features are still missing.
Niantic followed up and reassured players: More features are in the works and will be gradually integrated into Pokémon GO. These include raids, which have been available as a co-op feature in Pokémon GO since this summer. But that was just the beginning. According to statements from the Pokémon Company CEO, there is much more to come.
Pokémon GO is just at the beginning of its development
In an interview with Bloomberg, Pokémon Company CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara announced that the current features and functions in Pokémon GO are just a fraction of what is planned for the future.
“We have only achieved 10 percent of what Pokémon and Niantic are trying to implement in the game. In the future, we still need to implement fundamental Pokémon experiences such as a trading function, player-versus-player battles, and other possibilities.”
Improvements of the last months
Since the release of Pokémon GO, quite a lot has happened in the game:
In raid battles, you can team up as trainers against powerful raid bosses.
In the interview, the Pokémon CEO also spoke about the difficulties in designing. Which Pokémon types should be found where? “One view is to have cool Pokémon appear in cold climate zones. But this would also mean that players in the tropics have no chance of catching these monsters.”
“So we are always thinking about finding the right balance between game design, how Pokémon should exist, and how satisfied players are with their collections.”
“Anyone going to the coast now can catch water Pokémon there. If, for example, electric Pokémon like Pikachu appear near power plants, there are problems. Is that safe? And is that allowed everywhere?” The developers take the issue of spawn behavior of different Pokémon types seriously.
Advanced AR experience
However, Pokémon CEO Ishihara sounds particularly interested in augmented reality.
“With the current AR feature, you can say ‘There is a Pikachu’, but no one believes that. Reality is just a step further away. For example, you could then find a Pikachu, and it recognizes the table and jumps on it. Then you see its shadow on the table. The monster could then turn to the player and talk to them. We will witness the birth of this reality, which takes Pokémon GO a step further.”
So a big future lies ahead for Pokémon GO. What feature would you like to see next? Trading, PvP, or something completely different?
Destiny 2 is live and thousands of Guardians are setting out to take revenge on Ghaul and his Cabal. But which Guardian class did you choose? We wanted to know in a survey and here are the results.
Destiny 2 – Classes – Who is the most popular? Titan, Hunter, or Warlock?
The results of the survey were close. About 1,700 readers voted and the following results came out:
Hunter: The swift Hunters take first place. 581 of you – that’s a solid 35 percent of all voters – chose the nimble killers as their first class. Hunters are a fast and agile class in Destiny 2. Hunters can perform double jumps in the air and adeptly dodge. Also cool: As Arcstriders, they are true killing machines in close combat with their Arc staffs!
Warlock: The Warlocks take second place. 562 of you wanted to play a Warlock as the first character in Destiny 2. That corresponds to a percentage of 33% of all voters. But why should one play the Warlock when one could have the nimble Hunter? Maybe it’s because of the cool skills the Warlock has. You can always use a healing circle. Or maybe you prefer to float through the air instead of making double jumps? Or you simply like flame swords better than lightning staffs.
Titan: Close behind the Warlock is the Titan in third and sadly, last place in our survey. The strong frontline fighter was chosen by 559 of you as the first hero. That’s 32 percent of all voters. Titans are also cool heroes. Thanks to their shields, they can protect their group from damage, and in one of their subclasses, they even have a round shield in Captain America style. With their boosters, Titans can rocket vertically into the air.
So much for our survey results on the most popular first class in Destiny 2. Are you satisfied with your choice or would you have preferred a different class after a few hours in the game? Let us know in the comments!
Paladins (PC, PS4, Xbox One) receives the new VIP system in patch OB58. Since the VIP program was introduced, there has been confusion in the community and players are uncertain. There have been accusations that the system is Pay-to-Win (Pay2Win) and for some, it is unclear what the program is actually intended for. According to a Redditor, this may be due to the poorly chosen name.
Additionally, there is a VIP pack that costs $14.99 and the VIP membership costs 200 crystals, Paladins’ premium currency. Those who unlock a VIP membership or purchase the VIP pack will receive some benefits.
Studio Hi-Rez has a tradition of introducing new updates in a preview live stream. In the preview stream of patch OB58accusations arose in the Twitch chat that Paladins is now Pay-to-Win. This accusation was also expressed on various community platforms. Some feel that the VIP system is too vague.
Is Paladins’ VIP system a “Pay to Win” model?
No, not by the strict definition. “Pay to Win” means that one can buy a gameplay advantage. This would be the case if there were exclusive cards in the VIP store that strengthen champions. In Paladins’ VIP store, only cosmetic items are available.
Players can unlock things like exclusive skins, voice packs, or icons with VIP points.
It is even possible to earn VIP points without a VIP pack or membership. However, those who spend money on the various VIP packs will get significantly more out of the system.
This is what the price-performance ratio of the VIP system looks like:
200 crystals cost €4.99 in Paladins’ shop.
It costs 70 crystals to unlock 10,000 VIP points directly. That can be 10,000 free VIP points every two weeks if you spend your “Weekly Login Reward” on it.
Epic skins cost 30,000 VIP points in the VIP store. This means players have the option to buy an exclusive epic skin for 210 crystals directly. Most epic skins cost 400 crystals in the standard shop.
If one decides to buy the VIP pack for $15, they will receive: An epic skin (with weapon and body) and enough VIP points to unlock a legendary and another epic skin. Additionally, there are 25 radiant chests, 5 VIP memberships, and boosters for the VIP points earned.
So yes, there are more benefits if you purchase the VIP offers for real money. But these are merely cosmetic items. No one gets a gameplay advantage by purchasing a VIP membership.
Paladins is completely free to play and the VIP system is supposed to be a way to financially support the development of the hero shooter. At the same time, players should receive something special for their support.
Kers points out that the name “VIP system” sounds as if one must spend money to gain any benefit and purchase advantages. It evokes the feeling of a paid membership that offers boosts or similar.
This misunderstanding could seriously damage Paladins’ reputation, according to the Redditor. Kers_ described the following situation: Imagine someone is looking for a new game and hears that it has a VIP system. The first thought for the newcomer would surely not be to examine the system in detail and understand it. They hear VIP and think of Pay2Win boosts and spread that idea.
Objectively, the name is simply poorly chosen.
The Redditor would suggest to Studio Hi-Rez to adjust the name and rename it to something like “Loyalty System” or “Prestige System.” This would better represent what the system is intended to be.
Everything you need to know about the VIP system can be found here:
A topic has no end in WoW, not even in Patch 7.3: Why is flying not allowed on Argus?
As of today (09/06/2017), players have the opportunity to explore the last zone of Argus in World of Warcraft – Mac’Aree. Accordingly, many players are once again expressing their displeasure in the official forum. Air is also the topic, as players cannot soar into it. After all, flying is prohibited on Argus. As a result, threads are piling up in the forums with the sentiment “Without flying, I have no interest in Argus”.
Argus is not supposed to be “safe”
The Community Manager Ornyx has engaged once again in the discussion and explained why flying is not allowed on Argus – and why, from his perspective, that is a good thing.
While he understands the frustration of players who have just “earned” flying on the Broken Isles, he explains that Argus is simply not the Broken Isles.
Besides, the flying ban on the “patch islands” has always been the case – even on the island of Quel’Danas from Patch 2.4 in The Burning Crusade, flying was not permitted.
Some players also demand more “consistency” – if you can fly in one place, then you should be able to fly in all places. Here, Ornyx disagrees. Just because a mechanic exists in the game doesn’t mean it has to apply everywhere.
In conclusion, Ornyx says:
“Argus is not supposed to be a friendly, inviting place (…). If you have trouble finding the right path and must dodge deadly dangers, then Argus works exactly as intended.”
Cortyn says: At first, I was a bit frustrated that I couldn’t even find the time to grab something from the fridge on Argus because my Draenei would definitely have 5 demons hanging on her hooves, horns, and tail again. However, I quickly came to terms with it and agree with the sentiment: Argus is a hostile world. I should not be safe. Therefore, I am actually satisfied that there is real safety only at the Vindikaar. The ability to fly would undermine this sense of threat.
Destiny 2 has a fresh weapon system. What are the features of the new weapon slots and what do the energy elements bring?
One of the biggest innovations in Destiny 2 is the revamped weapon system. Instead of the weapon slots from Destiny 1 “Primary, Secondary, and Heavy Weapon,” Destiny 2 has a new classification of weapons: Kinetic Weapon, Energy Weapon, and Power Weapon.
Your character can equip one Kinetic Weapon, one Energy Weapon, and one Power Weapon at a time. During combat, you can quickly switch between these slots with the press of a button. If you want to equip other weapons in the slots, you have to do so through the character menu. This is not recommended in the heat of battle.
Each of the three weapon slots requires its own ammunition – Kinetic ammunition is white, Energy ammunition is green, and Power ammunition is purple.
Kinetic Weapons in Destiny 2 – This is what sets them apart
The Kinetic Weapons are your “primary weapons,” with which you will shoot the most in Destiny 2 – primarily because you will find the most ammunition for them. The types of Kinetic Weapons include Hand Cannon, Scout Rifle, Pulse Rifle, Auto Rifle, Sidearm, and Submachine Gun.
All Kinetic Weapons deal Kinetic Damage. This is the “standard damage” without additional effects. You shoot at an enemy. They take damage. Done.
Energy Weapons in Destiny 2 – Which elements against certain shields?
The Energy Weapons consist of the same weapon types as the Kinetic Weapons, namely Hand Cannon, Scout Rifle, Pulse Rifle, Auto Rifle, Sidearm, and Submachine Gun.
The big difference is: They have different elements. In the Destiny universe, there are the elements Arc (blue), Solar (red), and Void (purple), which you will encounter not only with Energy Weapons but also with enemy shields and Guardian subclasses.
How do I see the element of my weapon? In the character menu, you can hover your cursor over the respective weapon. Then the corresponding symbol for Arc (blue), Solar (red), and Void (purple) will be displayed. Alternatively, you can press L2 in the character menu (PS4), and then you will see the elements of all weapons. In combat, the element will be displayed to the left of the ammunition:
How do I recognize enemy shields? Only some enemies have shields. Only once the shield is down can you deal damage directly to the enemy. You recognize enemy shields by a colored aura around them.
Energy Weapons generally deal slightly less damage to enemies than Kinetic Weapons of the same weapon archetype, but they provide three advantages in combat.
Energy Weapons deal increased damage to enemy shields – PvE
Each Energy Weapon is good at quickly eliminating enemy shields. They deal increased damage to shields. The rule is: Each element deals equal damage to every enemy shield. For example, if a Cabal Centurion approaches you with a Solar shield, it doesn’t matter whether you shoot him with a Solar, Arc, or Void weapon – all Energy Weapons deal increased damage, regardless of the element.
What happens with matching elements? – PvE
With matching elements – for example, if you shoot a Solar weapon at a Solar enemy shield – there is the bonus effect that the shield explodes upon destruction and deals additional damage to the shield holder as well as to nearby enemies. The shield holder is staggered for a short time by the explosion.
Energy Weapons in PvP
Energy Weapons deal additional damage in PvP when the opposing Guardian has an active Super. For example, you can stop a charging Striker Titan. The respective elemental damages do not need to match. Each elemental damage deals the same increased damage against every Super.
Power Weapons in Destiny 2 – The most powerful weapons
The Power Weapons have always been described by Bungie as weapons that can defeat other Guardians in PvP with just one shot. Power Weapons include Grenade Launchers, Rocket Launchers, Shotguns, Sniper Rifles, Fusion Rifles, and Swords.
They are the most powerful weapons in the game, but they can only be used rarely:
In PvP you have to pick up Power ammunition from ammo boxes, which only spawn occasionally. It will show which Guardian picked up this ammunition for which weapon.
In PvE enemies drop Power ammunition rarely. Only Majors, the named enemies or those with yellow health bars, are guaranteed to drop Power ammunition.
Power Weapons have different elements like Energy Weapons.
Hand Cannon: One shot is fired per button press. Generally recommended for short to medium range.
Pulse Rifle: A salvo of shots is fired per button press.
Auto Rifle: The weapon fires as long as you hold down the fire button or until the magazine is empty.
Scout Rifle: One shot is fired per button press. Generally recommended for medium to long range.
Sidearm: One shot is fired per button press. Only usable at close range.
Submachine Gun: The weapon fires as long as you hold down the fire button or until the magazine is empty. Only usable at close range.
The Power Weapons:
Shotgun: One round is fired per button press. Deadly at close range.
Sniper Rifle: One shot is fired per button press. Deadly at medium and long range.
Fusion Rifle: After a charge time, energy projectiles are shot at the enemy. Short to medium range.
Grenade Launcher: One shot is fired per button press, dealing area damage.
Rocket Launcher: One shot is fired per button press, dealing heavy area damage.
Sword: Only effective in melee.
Mods, Shader, Infusion – more information on the weapons
Weapons come in various quality levels, indicated by the colors white, green, blue, purple, and yellow. In the endgame, the purple legendary weapons and the yellow exotic weapons are crucial.
Weapons can be customized with mods and shaders through the detail view. This allows for personalization. Shaders change the appearance, mods change the stats such as stability or reload speed. There are also mods that allow you to change the element of Energy Weapons. Exotic Weapons cannot change their element.
The perks of the weapons are fixed; they are not randomly generated.
Legendary and Exotic quality weapons are infusion capable. You need weapons of the same category that have a higher power level.
Can the same weapon drop as a Kinetic or Energy version? No, the weapons are predetermined for the slots. Weapon A will always drop for the Kinetic slot and Weapon B will always drop for the Energy slot.
The players of Overwatch are frustrated. Are they being teased with loot? Or is there an annoying bug?
Those who want to collect as many loot boxes as possible in Overwatch to always have the latest cosmetic upgrades for a character must play a lot. Because every time you reach a level, a new box awaits. A few bonus boxes are awarded for certain actions in the game – such as for the first 9 wins in the arcade per week (3 boxes). Another box is given when you step out of your comfort zone and try out a new game mode – like Deathmatch or Team Deathmatch.
However, this is precisely where a problem keeps occurring. Because there should actually be a loot box for playing the mode “Deathmatch” for the first time. In many cases, this does not happen – players simply do not receive it.
A victory also does not bring a loot box
Some have speculated that you not only have to place in the top 4 for this loot box, but actually need to finish in 1st place to get it. This has further fueled player frustration as they desperately tried to come out on top after 10-20 matches. But that is also not the case. The additional loot box is simply unavailable to many players – a clear bug.
Blizzard has since spoken out in the official forum and stated that they want to look into this problem and thanked for the numerous reports.
So a little tip for everyone: Don’t try to get the bonus box advertised in the Deathmatch menu. It will probably take a few days before Blizzard fixes this issue.
At Gamescom, we met the producer and head writer of Final Fantasy XIV. They revealed in the interview how the process of writing the story of the MMORPG looks. Gameplay and player experience are the top priority. The story is meant to wrap around the game and support the content. There is no guarantee of a happy ending in Final Fantasy XIV.
Naoki Yoshida is the producer and director of FFXIV and Natsuko Ishikawa is the head writer of the MMORPG. The two were available for an interview at Gamescom 2017, explaining what role the story of Final Fantasy XIV plays for them and what processes are involved in telling stories in an MMORPG.
They also provided insight into what makes a good story for them.
The story is important for the entire player experience – it supports the content
In Final Fantasy XIV, fans repeatedly rave about the brilliant and touching story. It is lovingly crafted in every detail, and the connections between individual plot lines are coherent. For example, some characters that players had missed in FF XIV for years reappeared in the Stormblood expansion without feeling out of place.
One might think that an MMORPG known for its breathtaking story would also focus on it. However, the truth is different.
Yoshida emphasized that gameplay and player experience always come first in FFXIV, and the story comes afterward. The story is a means to highlight and make the content unique. Yoshida explained this process using the new swimming feature.
The game designers realized that swimming should be unlocked at level 63 and somehow tied to a boss fight. Once these details were worked out, Ishikawa and her team came into play.
The designers asked the writers how to make swimming as a new feature more interesting.
The scenario team devised a part of the main quest that unlocks swimming for the players. To settle an ancient feud between two underwater races, the player is gifted the ability to breathe underwater. Swimming is thus not simply unlocked by reaching level 63, but players must earn it through an underwater quest.
The scenario was written around swimming.
Ishikawa connects the scenarios of the writing groups and ensures a flow
The writers are divided into several groups that focus on different areas of the story. As the head writer, Ishikawa’s job is to create a seamless transition between scenarios.
There is a quest team that is divided into two groups. One group primarily focuses on writing, while the other considers how to best implement this in the game. Ishikawa oversees both groups for quality and sets the pace. She creates the connections between individual scenarios and must especially ensure that there are no overlaps or illogical links.
For the scenarios, there are different areas divided among the writers. There are job quests, raid quests, or gathering quests. The writing team is always asked who wants to work on which category. If someone raises their hand for a particular storytelling project, they take responsibility for it and bring it to fruition.
Therefore, as Ishikawa says, a writer for such a complex MMORPG needs more than just skill and writing experience. The ability to work in a team is paramount, as every cog must fit together.
A good story must reflect reality – even in a fantasy world
The entire team of FFXIV has created one of the best stories in the MMORPG with its methods. Many experts and fans agree on this.
What, then, makes a good story for the two leading minds, Yoshida and Ishikawa?
Producer Yoshida: “I think a lot about what justice is. What is good? What is evil? Looking at reality, injustice is still very present. People grow up with different backgrounds. Education, religion, values, and experiences influence the actions of individuals. Everyone has a different point of view. One must show the good and the evil of a person and bring those elements together. When I ask someone to write a story for me, or I write one myself, I always want all aspects of a person to be illuminated.
In games, it is often the case that you defeat the final boss and everything then is “happily ever after”. But that is not the truth. If the world were that simple, there would be no wars and injustices. But that is still the reality for us. We do not want to run away from this fact, but choose to represent reality.”
Head writer Ishikawa: “We want to face the conflicts of people. Everyone thinks differently, and there is more than black and white. It doesn’t always have to end with a “happy ending”. Sometimes there are conflicts where we do not reach mutual understanding, and that is the reality. In the world of Final Fantasy, we want to show that light and shadow belong together.”
A new live-action trailer for Destiny 2 has been released! The Guardians are celebrating with a dance party.
Destiny 2 is now live in all regions of the world. After the servers for New Zealand were activated in the early afternoon of September 5th, the other time zones followed one after the other. At midnight, Central Europe, including Germany, was next, followed a few hours later by America.
This “rolling midnight launch” went relatively smoothly compared to other Destiny launches. Most Guardians were spared from error codes. However, many players struggled with a login queue. Bungie is currently investigating an issue that may cause a game crash on PS4.
Otherwise, the successful launch is being celebrated! A new live-action trailer for Destiny 2, which was released on the Japanese PlayStation YouTube channel, shows how it’s done properly. In it, the Guardians shake a leg:
https://youtu.be/vII1AGyantY
“Freestyle Playground”
The trailer begins with a Warlock eliminating a Cabal unit with his sniper. But then something strange comes into view: a lone Hunter-Guardian dancing. Together with his Titan colleague, the Warlock approaches the Hunter and sees what it’s all about.
What follows is an amusing, cool, and silly dance video, where the Ghost serves as a music system.
Gameplay footage is then shown, where the Guardians are also dancing together. Presumably, this trailer conveys the message: “Hey, Destiny 2 is not just about saving humanity, but also about having fun!” The social component is emphasized by the shared dance.
Bungie message about the launch
There is another video about the launch from the PlayStation YouTube channel where no dancing takes place. Instead, the community manager DeeJ addresses the Guardians:
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DeeJ shares that the launch of Destiny 2 is extremely exciting for the Bungie studio and that this marks the next step they are taking together with the community. He hopes you will be there.
The records of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds won’t stop. Meanwhile, the battle royale shooter has already sold 10 million copies, even though it is still in Early Access.
You jump out of a plane, glide to the ground with a parachute, collect gear and weapons, and fight for survival. The gameplay of battle royale shooters is already known from previous titles. However, PUBG attracts massive amounts of players to its survival game.
This is now again confirmed by the official sales figures: they have surpassed the next hurdle.
The survival shooter is doing well
Since PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds launched in Early Access in March 2017, it has sold over 10 million copies. This amounts to an average of 60,606 daily sales over the last 165 days. For a game that started as a mod and is still not finished, a great success.
The newly awakened survival hype even radiated onto other games that want a piece of the pie. GTA Online launches the Motor Wars mode – a survival mode with explosive weapons and tuned cars.
Over 970,000 players played simultaneously
According to a press release, PUBG has set a new record for simultaneous players. After Gamescom, there was a strong demand for the survival shooter, with over 970,000 players reportedly playing at the same time.
The website Steam-Spy reports similar numbers. On September 3, there were about 963,000 players playing PUBG on Steam at the same time.
Improvements on the way
The developers at Bluehole are not resting on the success of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds but want to continue improving the game. Soon, you can expect refined animations for diving and climbing. There is already a work-in-progress video as a preview.
The preparations for the Overwatch League are in full swing. Many teams have already been confirmed (like the Seoul team recently), and even more are expected to follow soon. There is a lot to see behind the scenes.
Sinatraa for NRG – with $100,000 over minimum
Just recently, the well-known Overwatch professional and DPS player Jay “sinatraa” Won was signed by NRG Esports. After winning against Germany with his team for the USA in the World Cup Qualifiers, he will compete for the title at Blizzcon in November and soon participate in the Overwatch League.
The special thing about his contract: He did not sign it himself. Sinatraa is only 17 years old, and U.S. law requires that his guardian sign contracts on his behalf. In his case, his mother’s signature was required, which she gladly gave. It has been known for some time that she is very supportive of her son’s career.
https://youtu.be/uFd6rDdtv9c
Recently, the former coach of Team Selfless, Brad Rajani, was confirmed as the new coach and manager. This means sinatraa will encounter his former coach from the times he played with Selfless until the team disbanded in July of this year.
Team NRG for San Francisco
The founder of NRG Esports, Andy Miller, secured the San Francisco team for the Overwatch League in July. Thus, it is not surprising that this team will primarily represent the players for the city at the event.
The other known cities so far are Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Shanghai, and Seoul.
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Noteworthy is also that sinatraa, with $150,000 per year, is far above the minimum of $50,000 set by Blizzard. The reason for this are negotiations by Cloud9 and NRG for the contract with the pro, which pushed it to such heights.
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It should always be kept in mind that this is only the base salary that players receive from the team. Professionals also have additional earnings from prize money, sponsorship deals, and more, which usually constitutes the larger part of their income.
What do you think? Are the salaries reasonable for athletes? Should such figures be compared to those of other sports like soccer, or should they generally be reduced?
In Destiny 2, a secret has been discovered and solved on the Farm. It has to do with “Sentry 4 required” and the Scout Patrol.
The first major secret in Destiny 2 has already been unveiled. It is located in the Farm, the new social space. If you execute the following steps in the correct order, you can participate in a “mini-game”, the Scout Patrol, which gives you significantly greater mobility.
Here’s how to do it!
Sentry 4 required – How to activate the campfire
When you fly to the Farm, on the left from the spawn point there is a campfire (see our title image). As you approach this fire pit, the message “Sentry 4 required” appears. You cannot interact with the campfire yet.
You can only do this once you follow these steps:
Behind the building where Tyra Karn is located, there is a water wheel. Climb onto this wheel and walk on it for a few seconds until the message appears, “Sentry Ranks x2”
Now jump onto the roof next door. Bottom left on the screen, the message “Wheel Boost completed” will blink.
Now walk over the black cables to the roof with the sphere.
From this roof, walk over the cables to the roof of the building where Lord Shaxx stands.
Once you are on the second roof, the message “Vertigo completed” will appear.
On the right, you see the roof where you complete “Vertigo”
Now run back to the campfire where “Start Scout Patrol” is written.
The Scout Patrol – A race against time
The Scout Patrol is a kind of mini-game. Once you activate it, your guardian glows red (he can jump higher and further) and “Light Towers” appear one after the other on the Farm, which you should run to. These objectives send you across the Farm and end at the dock next to the campfire. Your time will then be displayed at the bottom left of the screen.
In this video, you can see it all in motion:
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The launch of the online game Mirage: Arcane Warfare was anything but successful. Now a free promotion is set to bring in more players.
Mirage: Arcane Warfare was intended to be a sort of fantasy Overwatch. However, hardly anyone wants to play it. At the time this news was written, there was only one player online according to Steamcharts. The peak number of concurrent players in the past 24 hours was eight. Numbers like these cannot sustain an online game, especially not one that is a competitive team brawler.
Free promotion aims to attract players
The developers are aware that they have a massive problem. One developer mentioned that the sales figures for Mirage are very poor, and that sucks.
To attract more players, a free promotion starts today, September 6th. You can purchase the title for free for 24 hours and keep it even after the time expires.
Is the competition too strong? – Flop despite decent Metacritic score
The game’s ratings on Steam are currently plummeting, which is not particularly conducive to enticing new players to Mirage. It should actually be fun and offer exciting team fights. Why there is currently no interest cannot be said.
Some players believe that it simply doesn’t offer enough variety and cannot compete with the “big players” in the market such as Overwatch or Paragon. It may also be that the predecessor Chivalry: Medieval Warfare is an issue, which is actually doing quite well. Why would players want to play two very similar games from the same developer studio?
The surprising thing is that major gaming magazines were quite satisfied with Mirage: Arcane Warfare. The game has a respectable 74% on Metacritic.
The promotion starts today at 7 PM on Steam and runs until tomorrow at 7 PM. During this time, anyone who wants can grab a copy for free. After the end of the 24-hour window, the price of Mirage: Arcane Warfare will be permanently reduced from around 28€ to 10€.
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A collector exaggerates in World of Warcraft. He has actually unlocked every hidden artifact weapon skin!
Crazy achievements happen among players of World of Warcraft from time to time. About two weeks ago, we introduced a player who completed all 36 challenges of the Mage Tower. Each of these was a particularly difficult quest per specialization that required gear beyond item level 910 and a solid understanding of each specialization.
As the colleagues from Buffed report, a player has now achieved a similarly impressive success. On Reddit, the player Drahkmar stated that he has unlocked all 36 hidden artifact weapon skins – at least the base template for every class and specialization in the game.
Although with patch 7.3 the drop chance for many of the hidden skins was drastically increased, this achievement is still remarkable. Drahkmar not only had to play 12 different classes (meaning: all) at level 110, but also complete the 2-4 questlines for the various artifact weapons with each of them. Additionally, he had to complete corresponding missions to unlock, for example, the locations of the skins – such as the training of the withered army.
Other players in the thread congratulate Drahkmar, but some also complain. Some are still waiting for the hidden skin of their primary specialization – and are fed up with the scenario of the withered army.
How many hidden artifact weapon skins have you unlocked? Are you trying to unlock as many as possible on your alts? Or is it enough for you if the main character is fully equipped?
Destiny 2 had just launched, and the community had already found something to be upset about: an item in the cash shop with supposed effects on player strength. For some, this microtransaction was enough to cry “Pay2Win”.
Gothalion quickly sparked the first mini shitstorm that crept into the press, on PcGamesn.
Microtransaction: What people are currently upset about in Destiny 2
Gothalion discovered the contents of the Destiny 2 cash shop, the Eververse, and found “Bright Engrams” that players can purchase for silver, the premium currency.
The prices are not entirely clear yet, but it seems you get about 5 Bright Engrams for 8 to 10€, depending on what pack you buy.
These Bright Engrams are the “loot boxes” in Destiny 2.
Now the mini-scandal: Some items from these “Bright Engrams” can be used to customize the Guardian’s equipment. When decrypted, they yield, among other things, modifiers:
An armor mod to reduce the cooldown of a skill
An armor mod to improve a character stat
A weapon mod to enhance a stat on a weapon
And a weapon mod to change the element of an energy or power weapon
The reason for the outrage is that nothing should be sold in the Destiny 2 cash shop that affects gameplay. That’s why there was mild annoyance.
Bungie had presented the Bright Engrams differently
These Engrams did not come out of nowhere; they were discovered during the playtesting. It was also known that the cash shop Tess would probably sell them, as she is the one who decrypts these Bright Engrams.
It was also roughly known that the Engrams are loot boxes like in Overwatch. It was stated that Bungie considers the contents of the Engrams to be “purely cosmetic”. Items within give players the opportunity to customize their heroes.
One would have thought that only shaders, ghost shells, and similar items could emerge from the “white Engrams”.
And that is indeed the case: There are gestures, sparrows, ships, but also these mods.
Therefore, the Bright Engrams are probably not a huge reason for concern
That would indeed be a valid reason to be upset about the cash shop and to write about Pay2Win.
However: The “Bright Engrams” are not only available in the cash shop but also from other sources. Guardians are supposed to receive one every time the EXP bar is full after level 20. There are also other sources for receiving them.
It could be quite possible that soon players will be flooded with these white Engrams, just as it was with light particles in Destiny 1.
Delay the shitstorm for now
The current questions are:
What is the demand for these Bright Engrams?
How much do you really need the modifiers for a gameplay advantage?
And how easily can you obtain the Bright Engrams?
How often is there really a modifier in such a Bright Engram?
Until we have answers to these questions, it would be wise to postpone the Pay2Win shitstorm for now.
Sensitive topic
Mein MMO thinks: This is such a typical thing of our time. On the NeoGAF forum, pitchforks were immediately pulled out and bonfires were lit. Players are rightly very sensitive when it comes to cash shops in games and what can be bought there.
It remains to be seen how it will play out in practice and how it will affect the gameplay. Earning and buying loot boxes is generally okay – as long as they are really “100% cosmetic.” However, things like “You can change the element of your weapon” – should actually not be in loot boxes. That Bungie is withholding such information in advance is not very classy.
Aftertaste of “No more random rolls on weapons”
But: It’s really not that clean. And it puts a lot of things in a different light.
Now there’s an aftertaste that Luke Smith didn’t want to talk about how Bungie intended to compensate for the missing random rolls on weapons . At the time, it was said that they had an idea, but didn’t want to introduce it yet because they weren’t sure if it would make it into the game. Now it looks as if: They didn’t want to introduce it because it had to do with the cash shop in Destiny 2 and microtransactions.
New information about the Safari Zone events in Pokémon GO is available. Shiny Magikarp and Pikachu are waiting for you. Rare Pokémon like Chansey, Larvitar, Kangaskhan, and Unown can also be caught by players who do not have an event ticket.
After weeks of limited information regarding the Safari events in Pokémon GO, the developers are now providing us with new details. It is now clear that not only participants who have purchased tickets for the events can catch the rare Pokémon.
Even trainers outside the event areas can find the rare monsters if they are at least in the same city.
What to expect on September 16, you can find out here.
Safari Events in Europe, Even Without a Ticket
In a few days, the Safari event at CentrO in Oberhausen will start. On September 16, these events will take place in Germany, France, and Spain. The fact that there are only 4000 tickets for the event in Germany worried many trainers. However, it is now clear: Rare Pokémon like Kangaskhan, Chansey, Larvitar, or Unown can also be caught without tickets.
Soon you will be able to reserve free tickets for the Pokémon GO Safari events. These are non-transferable. To receive a QR code that is mandatory for attending an event, the person making the reservation must be over 13 years old and must carry a valid photo ID.
Trainers who cannot secure tickets for the events in the shopping centers will have the opportunity to discover and catch the rare monsters of the Safari Zone event in the respective cities of the events. Good news for trainers hunting for rare Pokémon who have little interest in the other bonuses of the event.
Safari Zone Bonuses – What to Expect?
You will receive an in-game medal and special 2km eggs from the various PokéStops in the shopping centers at each Safari Zone event.
Additionally, throughout the event, lure modules will be active all day at the shopping center stops, allowing you to catch Pokémon such as Kangaskhan, Chansey, Larvitar, and many more together.
Trainers in the area can even encounter Shiny Pikachu, Shiny Magikarp, and various forms of Unown!
There will be no gym and raid battles in the shopping centers during the events. Niantic wants “all trainers to have as much fun as possible there.”
In team lounges, you can meet and interact with other trainers from the same team during the events. Your participation in the activities will be rewarded with trainer kits, which Niantic has not yet explained in detail.
ForThe Elder Scrolls Online will see the next DLC expansion Clockwork City in a few months. This DLC revolves around exploring a complete mechanical city. Additionally, the Orsinium story will continue in a mini-raid.
The Elder Scrolls Online will receive another DLC add-on in the fourth quarter of 2017. After the Horns of the Reach primarily satisfied fans of dungeons, there will again be something for fans of exploration, story and raids in the fourth quarter of 2017. The DLC package Clockwork City is supposed to offer all of this.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Asylum Sanctorum – Jump straight to the boss or deal with the mini-bosses first?
In addition to the cool new map in the Clockwork City of Sotha Sil, the highlight is the new mini-raid (trial in ESO slang) “Asylum Sanctorum”. It features two mini-bosses and a major final boss. Moreover, the story from the critically acclaimed Orsinium DLC will finally continue in it.
Especially cool: you can either complete the mini-raid in a regular way or skip the first two bosses and go straight for the main boss. However, this makes everything harder because defeating the mini-bosses weakens the big boss. The loot, however, will be more rewarding in this case. As a reward, there will be new sets and weapon skins.
The Elder Scrolls Online – Clockwork City brings reallocation of weapon traits
Equally cool and highly anticipated by many players: In Clockwork City, you can finally reallocate your weapon traits. This quality-of-life feature is especially beneficial for the many crafters in The Elder Scrolls Online, allowing them to realign their weapons.
The DLC also offers an additional game mode for the popular PvP battlegrounds. The new mode “Domination” brings scenarios where you must capture moving points. Due to the movement of the points, the battle is never static.
Finally, the client is expected to gain significant performance with the next DLC, achieving 15 to 20 percent more frames.
How do I get Coldheart in Destiny 2? How do I get the Kill Tracker Ghost? We will show you how to receive this pre-order bonus.
With “Destiny: Rise of Iron”, Bungie rewarded all pre-order customers with a special Gjallarhorn in a stylish design. This likely drove pre-orders extremely high, which is why Bungie brings this trick back to Destiny 2.
He already has his Coldheart
This time, however, pre-order customers will not receive a Gjallarhorn, but the exotic weapon Coldheart, which is called “Kaltherz” in German.
So how do you get Coldheart in Destiny 2? When starting the game, it is not handed to you by anyone, nor is it waiting in the vault. Players are already fearing that there might be a bug.
You will receive Coldheart later in Destiny 2 – Get pre-order bonus
To obtain Coldheart as a pre-order bonus, you need to fulfill two conditions:
You need to complete the entire campaign with all story missions
Then you can go to the Gunsmith – who is also not available at the beginning of Destiny 2 – and pick up the weapon.
You will need to play for a while before you can obtain the Exotic. This information comes from an official code card for Coldheart.
What is Coldheart?
Coldheart is an exotic fusion rifle. It is the first and only fusion rifle in Destiny 2, although more may come later.
The unique feature: It fires a bundled energy beam, as you can see in this trailer:
https://youtu.be/hwC1dsRHvno
According to the weapon guru of Destiny, Jon Weisnewski, Coldheart deals arc damage, it is equipped in the energy slot and is said to be great for dealing high damage to a single enemy.
Coldheart will not remain an exclusive pre-order bonus forever. Starting December 5th, all Guardians will have the opportunity to get their hands on this icy weapon.
Kill Tracker Ghost and Emote as Pre-Order Bonuses
For the Kill Tracker Ghost (digital pre-order bonus), you also need to complete the campaign and reach level 20. Then Lord Shaxx is supposed to give you the ghost.
The pre-order emote(s) can be snagged as soon as you enter the Farm for the first time. Open the vault here and go to “Collections”. There, available emotes will be listed.
The sword of the deluxe edition is expected to be available only after the campaign ends.
By the way: The veteran emblems can also be obtained in the vault under “Collections”.
