In Destiny 2, the man behind the Titan chief Zavala is privately into Warlocks. Additionally, there’s new merchandise for Destiny 2 and a few combat scenes.
Running parallel to the Destiny 2 beta was the Comic Con in San Diego, the event where the heroes from “The Big Bang Theory” dutifully pilgrimage.
New Toys from Mega Construx
There, Destiny had a booth and a panel. In a video from “Mattel,” you can see new toys.
This time, there was an “Iron Song Ghost Shell.” This is a limited edition for Comic-Con, consisting of 400 pieces. Alongside the Ghost, Lord Saladin is portrayed with an iron Gjallarhorn. The package comes in an Engram. That, in turn, is inside a box designed in the Iron Banner style.
Titan Chief Lance Reddick (Zavala) Plays Warlock (and Titan)
In the video, there’s a short clip from the Destiny 2 panel. The clip begins with Lance Reddick, the voice behind the Titan chief Zavala, coming out as a “Warlock” player, which causes much laughter.
However, Reddick clarified: He plays about as much Warlock as he plays Titan. Reddick started as a Titan, but after getting knocked down a lot, he switched to Warlock out of frustration, thinking he would be more successful. But that didn’t really work out.
What Reddick loves about Warlock is that he can hit someone without them being able to hit back. He enjoys the increased melee range.
Game Director Luke Smith couldn’t bring himself to tell him that in Destiny 2 all three classes have the same melee range.
In the event video, you can see Commander Zavala giving some Cabal a hard time. Bungie believes: Yes, Superman is still Superman without his powers through his determination and will.
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A PC release for Red Dead Redemption 2 is something many fans desire. Take-Two says the PC market is important. However, the publisher does not want to confirm if RDR2 will be released for PC.
Western fans have hoped since the first part of Red Dead Redemption that a new installment in the series will also be released for PC. Especially since the release of the trailer for Red Dead Redemption 2, many gamers on PC want a version of the beautiful western setting.
Take-Two, publisher of Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto, states that the PC is a important platform for them. However, they do not want to confirm a PC release for RDR2.
RDR2 PC Release? Take-Two defers the question to Rockstar
Unfortunately, it is still too early to say whether Red Dead Redemption 2 will be released for PC or not. The management of Take-Two has generally talked about the PC platform during a quarterly earnings overview, classifying it as “important”.
Take-Two president Karl Slatoff stated that the PC market is large and holds a lot of potential. “It always depends on the title,” says Slatoff. Some titles like Civilization or Xcom simply fit the PC platform better. Others do not perform as well there.
The PC market evidently holds high value: “The great news is that the PC market is vibrant for us. It’s a great market. It’s a big market. It’s a core market.” For Take-Two, the PC platform is something very important, exciting, and something to focus on.
In response to the direct question of whether Red Dead Redemption 2 would also be released on PC, CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that one would have to wait for Rockstar’s own announcement. News about the corresponding titles would be published by the labels themselves, not by Take-Two.
GTA 5 first console-exclusive, then PC
After Grand Theft Auto V was also released for PC, fans hope for the PC version of RDR2. Admittedly, players had to wait a long time for GTA 5 on PC – and that was not easy for fans.
Grand Theft Auto V is a major title from Rockstar that was initially only enjoyed by console players. The game was released in September 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. About a year later, in November 2014, it was released for Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Then it took several more months before the game was released for PC in April 2015.
A long waiting time that PC players have taken on. If a PC release for RDR2 comes into question, we hope that it will occur shortly after the console release.
In Destiny 2 the Trials, the previous “Trials of Osiris”, will return in a revised form. These will blow people’s minds, believes Bungie. Are the “Trials of the Nine” coming?
The Trials of Osiris represent the hardcore PvP in Destiny. Weekly, the “sweats” and the daring casuals gather in the Crucible to fight for a trip to the Lighthouse. While some Guardians like to avoid this stressful mode, it continues to lure PvP enthusiasts back into the MMO shooter week after week.
On August 11, the last Trials of Osiris in Destiny will take place. This PvP event in Destiny 1 will come to an end. However, the Trials will return in Destiny 2 – but not immediately at launch and not in the familiar form. According to Bungie, PvP fans among you can look forward to several innovations.
Trials in Destiny 2 – What is already known?
Already in May, game director Luke Smith revealed the following about the Trials:
They won’t go live directly at launch on September 6, but definitely well before the release of the “Osiris DLC”. This is expected in the coming winter.
Smith mentioned that a lot of cool stuff is planned for the Trials, but he can’t talk about it yet.
At the beginning of August, Lars Bakken, the Crucible design lead at Bungie, made new statements about the Trials in an interview with the Daily Star. He said that players in Destiny 2 would discover some nuances of changes in the Trials. However, he currently cannot go into detail.
But: The biggest change will be the 4v4. Because until now, the Trials have always been played in 3v3.
Bakken says: “I believe people will be blown away when they see the new Trials stuff. I wish I could talk more about it.”
Will the Trials of Osiris become the Trials of the Nine?
Bakken emphasizes that there will be other innovations besides the switch to 4v4. One can certainly look forward to new weapons and armor pieces – already in the first 3 years of Destiny, the Trials items have been renewed here and there.
Perhaps the Trials items will have a completely new design in the future: Because since mid-May, rumors persist that the Trials of Osiris will be replaced – by the Trials of the Nine – thus the Trials of the Nine.
The origin of this rumor was a leak just a few hours before the gameplay premiere of Destiny 2 in May. An anonymous user published a list of new features on reddit, which were officially confirmed the same day, such as the new weapon system. So it was indeed not a “big deal”, but a user with insider information.
At the end of the leak, he wrote that the Trials of Osiris would no longer exist. Because they would be called Trials of the Nine in the future.
Does Xur, the agent of the Nine, have his tentacles in the game?
Bungie itself has never officially mentioned the “Trials of the Nine”. So they are not officially confirmed. However, it has been noticeable in recent weeks and months: The Bungie people have never mentioned the term “Trials of Osiris” in interviews about Destiny 2, but always just the “Trials”.
The slasher Friday the 13th: The Game has sold 1.8 million copies – despite many problems and bad press. An unusual indie hit that shows the changing times. Despite reviews in the 60s range, Friday the 13th has sold millions of copies. Now it is hitting the shelves. The release date is clear!
Friday the 13th is a horror slasher to watch and thus a hit on Twitch – despite poor reviews
It is probably the surprise hit of the summer that is not a battle royale shooter. But Friday the 13th relies on similar mechanisms. The slasher hit does not need good press, does not need good reviews, it only needs streamers and YouTubers for success.
However, the success brought difficulties, as the small team was not prepared for this surge. The sales success overwhelmed the small team, and with the money that started flowing suddenly, they had to meet the growing demands.
Surprised by the hit: The servers melted
In an interview with Gamesindustry, the head of publisher “Gun Media”, Wes Keltner, talks about the success. In just two months, Friday the 13th: The Game sold over 1.8 million copies.
It was a wild ride from the beginning. After all, they had a small studio, had to get by on a fraction of the budget of AAA titles, and everything was planned much smaller.
Gun Media looked at the player numbers from the beta for the launch and added a 30% buffer. The servers and database were set up for this player count. At launch, 100,000 players came in just the first 20 minutes and the servers melted down.
The first weekend was pure chaos; the team slept at their desks. They barely had money for testing beforehand and had to improvise. When the profits flowed in, they expanded the quality assurance. A “memory issue” on Xbox One caused a lot of trouble.
Despite poor reviews, a huge hit – Twitch instead of Metacritic
Friday the 13th is an unusual hit, as much spoke against its success. The 1.8 million sales are also due to the new era.
Keltner says: The game stands at 61 on Metacritic, some reviews went as low as 40 and the press has not been kind to Friday the 13th. But the game resonates well with the fans.
In the past, Metacritic was the “lifeblood” of purchasing decisions. Not as much anymore. Players’ purchasing decisions work differently today than just a few years ago. This is due to YouTubers, streamers, and early access. Now, influencers are more important than traditional media.
The weak reviews often hung on poor performance or server issues, but not on the gameplay, Keltner believes.
Reviews in game magazines don’t matter – as long as it looks good on Twitch
Keltner says: In the past, publishers would hire simulated testers to find out what value they would later get on Metacritic. Metacritic lists the scores from international gaming press, and an average is formed from the review scores.
Today, publishers have a meeting where they ask the team: “Does our game work well as a stream?”
The current 80s boost from Netflix series like “Stranger Things” might have helped Friday the 13th, believes Keltner.
Retail launch in stores – Release date
Friday the 13th: The Game will hit the shelves on October 13, 2017 – of course a Friday the 13th. The game will be released for PS4 and Xbox One. Those who want to play it on PC must stick with the digital version.
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Two parallel gaming markets: Multiplayer for Twitch, Singleplayer for reviews
Mein MMO says: There’s a lot at stake. The type of game that works well on Twitch relies on “emergent gameplay”, meaning a drama that arises from the situation, random factors, rivals, and teammates. These are almost always multiplayer games. Traditional gaming press struggles with these – so do their readers. This is a generational issue.
“Classic games” that perform well in reviews are often based on a set story. These are mostly single-player games. Watching someone play a single-player game is only limitedly interesting because it ultimately is linear and always the same.
These are two parallel gaming markets: multiplayer and single-player. Those who love to lose themselves for 40 hours in The Witcher 3 or Civilization VI are not necessarily the target audience for 20-minute bites of “Friday the 13th” or “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” and vice versa. The games appeal to different instincts in gamers, satisfying different needs.
It is in any case a change that will accompany us in the next years.
In this article, we have examined this using the example of Anthem and Destiny:
Now that Friday the 13th is making so much money, Keltner wants to tell the fans: The money we make goes back into the game. We fix bugs and we bring new game content.
Should exclusive skins in Overwatch really remain exclusive? Or is it good if they become more accessible?
Overwatch, Blizzard’s hero shooter, has been around for a little over a year now. In a few days, the Summer Games will return on August 8, 2017. With that, many skins that were available last year will also be back. Even better: This time the skins can even be purchased with credits – last year this was not possible.
The “old” skins from 2016 are even available at a reduced price. Only the new skins have “event prices” – meaning the regular credit costs multiplied by 3.
However, on Reddit and in the official forum, the announcement is received mixed.
Should event skins remain exclusive?
A (at least loud) part of the players believes that their skins lose exclusivity when everyone gains access to them again. They earned or bought these skins last year with the assumption that the skins would remain exclusive. They feel “cheated”, even though Blizzard never said that the Summer Games would be a one-time event.
Other players, on the other hand, are happy to finally have a second chance at the skins they couldn’t get the first time. Many players particularly miss “Swiss Mercy”.
Newcomers who only started playing Overwatch after the Summer Games in 2016 feel similarly. They had no chance at all and are now looking forward to earning a huge range of new skins, emotes, and highlight intros that had been locked for them since they bought the game.
But now we want to know from our readers: What do you think? Should such exclusive event skins only be available once? Should they be earnable again every year? Or should they even always remain available?
With Red Dead Redemption 2 and an “unannounced title”, the fiscal year 2019 is expected to be a record year for the publisher Take-Two. Is there also hope for Borderlands 3?
Publisher Take-Two has now released the latest financial reports for the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 (April 1 – June 30, 2017). It seems that Take-Two is already doing very well, and this is expected to improve even more in the next fiscal year. The release of Red Dead Redemption 2 is expected to drive many sales.
Moreover, the CEO himself is providing hope for fans of the Borderlands franchise.
Net revenue now at 418.2 million dollars
The press release highlighted some numbers in particular. For instance, the net revenue for the first fiscal quarter of 2018 increased by 34% and now reaches 418.2 million dollars. In the first quarter of last fiscal year, it was still 311.6 million dollars.
The biggest contributors to these revenues were NBA 2K17, GTA 5 and GTA 5 Online, WWE 2K17 and WWE SuperCard, as well as Mafia III.
CEO says: Fiscal year 2019 will be a record! Borderlands 3?
In the press release, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick added a few words. The CEO states that the company expects a record fiscal year for 2019. The fiscal year 2019 starts on April 1, 2018, and goes until March 31, 2019.
The sales record for the year is expected to come from the release of Red Dead Redemption 2 and an unannounced “highly anticipated new title” from one of Take-Two’s biggest franchises.
“Looking ahead, we expect fiscal 2019 to be a record year for Net Sales and net cash provided by operating activities led by the launches of Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption 2 and a highly anticipated new title from one of 2K’s biggest franchises. We have a robust development pipeline and are better positioned than ever for long-term growth and margin expansion.”
Here, many gamers are already sounding the alarm: Is the CEO referring to Borderlands 3?
Currently, there is still no solid official information regarding “Borderlands 3”. However, this could change in the coming months, as the game would fit the description of an “unannounced, expected title”. Zelnick was asked during the financial discussions whether Borderlands qualifies as a Take-Two franchise.
The CEO explained that Borderlands can indeed be considered a franchise of the publisher Take-Two. Unfortunately, he did not confirm that the title in question is indeed Borderlands 3.
Anyone still needing tickets for the hype train should hurry. Although there is no “Borderlands 3 confirmed” information, the new details strongly support this title. So far, these are sadly just rumors, but hope for the title is rising significantly in the community following Take-Two’s recent statements.
Maybe we will hear some news at Gamescom soon. We shouldn’t have to wait much longer.
The summer sales in the PlayStation Store are entering the next round. From now on, there are significant discounts on many top games for the PS4.
Already on July 19, the summer sales 2017 in the PlayStation Store started. There were price reductions on numerous games, such as Ghost Recon Wildlands or Battlefield 1. Some offers ended today, August 3 at 00:59, while others are still available until August 17.
Now fresh PS4 games have been added to the summer sales, which will also last until August 17 at 00:59.
Summer Sales in the PS Store – More Games Added
Here is a selection of PS4 games that are discounted:
Horizon Zero Dawn – 33.99 Euro (43% discount with PlayStation Plus)
The Last of Us Remastered – 19.99 Euro (50% discount)
FIFA 17 Deluxe Edition – 29.99 Euro (57% discount)
Hitman – The Complete First Season – 23.99 Euro (60% discount)
Sniper Elite 4 – 29.99 Euro (57% discount)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – 24.99 Euro (37% discount)
Nioh – 28.99 Euro (51% discount with PlayStation Plus)
Tekken 7 – 49.99 Euro (28% discount)
Mass Effect Andromeda Deluxe Edition – 39.99 Euro (50% discount)
Batman: Arkham Knight – 14.99 Euro (70% discount)
There are still plenty of other summer offers in the PlayStation Store, which you can view via the provided link. Alternatively, browse the store on your console. To do this, select the “Offers” tab on the left side in the store and choose the summer sales.
Where else can you save?
If you have PlayStation Plus, there are exclusive discounts on some games, such as Horizon Zero Dawn (33.99 Euro), Nioh (28.99 Euro), Absolver pre-order (26.99 Euro), Bloodborne (16.49 Euro) or Patapon Remastered (11.99 Euro). These game offers end on various dates.
In the “Total Digital” category, you will find discounts on games like Unravel, Inside or The Witness. These offers last until August 17.
Ten years after the launch of The Lord of the Rings Online the One Ring is destroyed. The expansion Mordor is live. Here is the launch trailer.
On April 24, 2007, The Lord of the Rings Online was released. Now, on August 2, 2017, it is time: The One Ring is officially destroyed in the game.
Mordor is live, the Ring is destroyed – without direct player intervention
The destruction of the Ring happens behind the scenes of the Mordor expansion.
The Lord of the Rings Online takes Tolkien’s story seriously: Thus, the story is not twisted so that player heroes throw the Ring into Mount Doom, but that is done by Frodo, Sam, and Gollum.
If there had been a horde of weapon-wielding heroes merrily chatting in the chat, Sauron’s eye would surely have fallen on the Ring-bearer and nothing would have happened, so it remains a “special operation.” Therefore, the latest expansion “Mordor” already takes place after the end of the One Ring.
The expansion Mordor was released with a slight delay due to a technical problem, but now it is live.
What the Mordor expansion brings to The Lord of the Rings Online
The features of Mordor:
Over 300 quests – players wander into Mordor and into new adventures.
A new alliance system: Players swear allegiance to one of the many factions and reclaim the devastated land of Middle-earth.
Crafting and equipment – These have been adjusted to improve heroes even further.
The future is secured. The Lord of the Rings Online will not end anytime soon. Instead, they plan to continue the story based on Tolkien’s writings. The developers have already come up with a lot.
But for now, Mordor is here and will hopefully give players plenty to do. They have waited long enough for this moment.
Studio Wildcard announced a new dino in ARK Survival Evolved. It is expected to be introduced soon through a dino dossier – Much is not yet known about the creature. Additionally, there is an update regarding the launch and new patches. However, the community’s enthusiasm is limited.
On Friday, August 4th, Studio Wildcard will unveil a new dossier and thus also a new creature coming to the game.
Dino dossiers are notes about all the creatures that can be found in the survival MMO. The notes reveal more about the natural behavior of the dinos, letting you know whether they are more aggressive or harmless. The dossier also indicates whether survivors can tame the creatures and utilize them. Dinos are popular pets in ARK, fighting, farming, or transporting for their owners.
Here is the dossier of the Brontosaurus. Dossiers are notes that reveal quite a bit about the dinos. Survivors can find them all over the ARK.
New content leaves the community in a dilemma
Online games like ARK Survival Evolved thrive on new content. This keeps players enjoying the game even after years and prevents it from becoming boring. Whether it’s new maps, characters, or animals.
Fresh content is always welcome – Or?
In ARK Survival Evolved, the community is in a dilemma regarding new content.
The new dino dossier was announced on ARK’s official Twitter. Along with the note, there should also be a preview of the launch and new patches.
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The tweet received many hearts, a sign of approval.However, looking at the comments, there are also expressions of frustration. A comment found high up states: “How about fixing what you have first before adding more?”
This statement sparked a heated discussion among users. Some defend the developers and appreciate Wildcard for the many contents and hard work put into ARK.
Others just wish for a bug-free game, which they can enjoy without lags and bugs. These debates can be observed on Twitter, in fan forums, or also on our site in the comments.
ARK Survival Evolved is still in Early Access – Release is approaching
ARK Survival Evolved is an Early Access title. The survival MMO has held this status for about two years now. Originally, the full release of ARK was scheduled for August 8.
Wildcard frequently emphasizes that the developers want to release as much content as possible before fixing the complexities. That’s why they are still in Early Access. Whether this will indeed be accomplished by the release remains to be seen.
Now, fans can only watch in anticipation to see which new creature will make it into the dino MMO.
The next update of Overwatch is on the PTR. Although the patch is gigantic, there are only a few changes.
Those who keep the PTR client of Overwatch up to date may have noticed that Blizzard is already offering the next big patch for download in the background.
Patch 1.14 is a proud 4.18 GB in size and contains surprisingly few changes. Basically, it is just bug fixes that are supposed to fix minor issues in the game.
Improvement for Reinhardt, otherwise just minor stuff
The current patch notes include the following changes:
Bug fixes
General
A bug has been fixed that prevented the group leader from opening the training menu.
A bug has been fixed that occasionally caused the game to crash when players wanted to buy loot boxes.
Heroes
Multiple bugs have been fixed that caused Doomfist’s skins to render incorrectly.
A bug has been fixed that occasionally caused Reinhardt’s charge not to push back enemies anymore.
It is to be expected that more patch notes will follow, which will only be “unlocked” in the coming days.
Much anticipated are also the promised buffs for Junkrat. Internally, developers have already experimented with giving the explosive defensive hero 2 charges of his mine. Whether these changes will come to the PTR remains to be seen.
It will likely only take a few days for data miners to search the patch for the smallest details. Perhaps information about the next heroes or the next maps can already be found…
We want to know which champion in Paladins is the most popular. Can you help us find out? Then take part in our survey and tell us: Which champion do you like the most?
Most of the heroes in Paladins would not be expected in a “shooter”. For example, there is the little fairy Willo, who deals tremendous damage with a flower. Noble knights like Ash or Fernando would be more expected in an RPG. Most heroes seem to have sprung from a fantasy world: The dark warlord Zhin even shoots with a sword.
Paladins is full of quirky heroes that make the MOBA shooter something special in its genre.
Paladins has a colorful mix of classic soldiers and legendary figures. Battles are fought with more than just guns; there are also axes, arrows, and swords.
We were curious, which champion do you like the most in Paladins? This is about your personal taste. Perhaps you simply like the appearance of a champion or you laugh at their voice lines.
Do you have a champion that you play a lot with, even though you may not be very good with them? It could also be that your heart truly beats for the first hero you ever tried.
No matter why you think a champ is great – In this survey, you can give your hero a voice.
Paladins – In this shooter, there are devilish fairies that could have jumped straight out of a fairy tale.
Who is your very own Paladins hero?
Until the end of the week, we will keep the results secret!
You can still tell us in the comments who you voted for and why.
Battlefield 1 is currently trending, and developer DICE is rolling out a lot of content. It has been over half a year since its release, and our guest author Dennis Zühlke takes another look at the multiplayer shooter Battlefield 1. Whether he feels the urge to play again and if it is still worth it, you will find out in this article.
Ah, Battlefield is one of my favorite series among shooters, and back in the day, I spent countless hours in Battlefield 2 on the popular map called “Strike at Karkand,” and my summer holidays melted away like butter.
When I saw the new trailer for Battlefield 1 and the massive scenes from World War I, I immediately jumped on the hype train and couldn’t wait to welcome the multiplayer title to my game library.
Now it has been on the market for over half a year, and I must say: I still enjoy it after many hours. Partly because developer DICE is currently delivering a lot of content, and the next expansion is already just around the corner. It’s a good reason to check it out again and write a little article about whether Battlefield 1 is still worth it.
Classes for Everyone
Battlefield offers four main classes along with smaller subclasses like pilots.
Assault Soldier – My Favorite and Ideal for Beginners
First, we have the Assault Soldier, equipped with submachine guns and assault rifles, making it the ideal class for destroying vehicles. The gadgets of the Assault Soldier provide everything you need for a proper tank destroyer. They include the bulky anti-tank rifle, which is fired while lying down, or quickly thrown anti-tank grenades.
I must admit that I have played as the Assault Soldier almost exclusively throughout my gaming time; it’s the most fun for me. I would recommend this class for a start to immerse yourself in Battlefield 1.
The Medic – Quick Revives with a Syringe
Next, we have the Medic, who, as the name suggests, heals teammates and revives fallen soldiers. In the last installments of the shooter series, the Medic was integrated into the Assault Soldier, but in Battlefield 1, the Medic is once again an independent class. Equipped with self-loading rifles, you can not only heal allies but also take down enemies effectively.
Since you are in World War I, there are small syringes instead of defibrillators, which achieve the same effect and get your team players back on their feet. Reviving here is quite quick and pleasant.
Players who want to inflict more damage can also carry grenade launchers and attach them to their weapons.
The Support – Provides Mayhem
The third member is the Support, who creates quite a stir with his machine gun. Besides shooting, you also have the option to supply your teammates with ammunition. If desired, you can also entrench yourself as a mortar and fire shells from the rear lines. Note that while using the mortar, you have no protection and become an easy target for enemy troops; also, you will be marked on the map with every shot.
Since the Engineer from the last parts is eliminated, the Support now takes over the repair of vehicles with a wrench. Also cool: You can place sticky mines that automatically explode with a timer, ideal for enemy tanks and heavily fortified soldiers.
The Scout – Keeping Everything in Sight
Lastly, we have the Scout, who focuses on long-range engagements and eliminates enemy threats from a great distance. Equipped with various repeating rifles, an experienced player can accomplish a lot. A flare gun is used here to mark enemies, which can also set players on fire. Instead of claymores, there are tripwire mines that serve the same purpose and send enemies to the afterlife.
In addition to the four main classes, there are smaller subclasses like the Pilots or Cavalry, which can be equipped with different weapons and gadgets. Lastly, there are the newly introduced Elite Classes, which can be picked up at certain times on the map and can turn the game around.
As at the end of each week in the development of Camelot Unchained, the team at City State Entertainment has released a new newsletter. This time there are a few pieces of information that are particularly interesting.
Below, you can read a brief summary of the highlights.
We are the bots, resistance is welcomed!
After the team has revised and improved capabilities, animations, and visual effects, they let over 2000 bots compete against each other in a confined space to test performance. The result: No major lags and a FPS rate that makes the game playable at all times during the test.
Thus, one of the blockades on the way to the first beta has been overcome, “virtually destroyed”!
The bots celebrate their first day at work with new features!
Beta. Beta? Beta!
That game production does not consist of just playing is made clear by Brittany Aubert in her contribution.
Eliminating bugs that can occur repeatedly in iterations is essential for successful development. However, testing together with players is also important.
And in this context, Aubert writes: “We’re driving towards Beta 1 at full speed”. The first testing phase seems to be getting closer – this time for real.
Dense and dark forests are one of the hallmarks of Camelot Unchained
As can be seen from the newsletter, development seems to be at an sufficiently advanced stage to soon conduct initial tests with players.
Unfortunately, there is still no concrete date for when exactly the beta will begin. However, we will keep you updated as soon as there are any news!
In Destiny 2, there seems to be a deal in the works again. Buyers of energy drinks are expected to receive codes for Destiny 2. This involves gear and additional chances to win, although there was so much trouble with a similar promotion in Destiny 1.
Red Bull Codes were quite chaotic back then – Bungie is doing it again
The “Red Bull” promo from Destiny is still remembered by many Guardians.
Back then, players could find certain codes on “Red Bull” cans sold by the convenience store chain 7-Eleven.
Activision and Bungie seem to fondly remember this campaign and say to themselves: That was great. Let’s do it again!
Rockstar Energy – Gear and Motorcycle
However, not with Red Bull, but with “Rockstar Energy”. As reported by the English-speaking site Gamerant, cans have already appeared showing a Guardian without his helmet, hanging out on a can.
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The advertising part of the message is “Score Loots with Cans”, something like “Grab loot with cans.” The prizes mentioned include:
In-game gear
as well as a chance to win “Limited Edition Games”, “PlayStation 4 Pro Consoles”, and “Husqvarna Motorcycles.”
This campaign seems to be intended for Great Britain. The codes are expected to be redeemable starting September 1st, it is said.
Bungie has yet to comment on the matter. Apparently, the campaign was supposed to be announced later. However, the first cans are already in circulation, and nothing escapes the internet.
Whether the Destiny 2 promo campaign will also come to Germany this time or if there will be another can drama remains to be seen.
Speaking of deals, something is going on at Bungie:
In an exciting battle, a group of two Pokémon GO trainers defeated the legendary Pokémon “Lavados”. In the video, you can see the battle. Naturally, Tyranitar and Golem were used, which are considered strong counters against Lavados. But well-known Water Pokémon also helped to defeat the Fire Bird.
Since yesterday, you can find another part of the legendary bird trio in Pokémon GO. Lavados is now available as a raid boss in the world, having replaced the Ice Bird Articuno, which had been in the game since the Pokémon GO Fest.
Many trainers have already faced the Fire Bird Lavados since yesterday. It turned out that the battle against this monster is not “particularly difficult”. Since then, groups have been trying to win the battle with as few players as possible. A duo trainer group has now achieved victory against the legendary boss.
Defeating Lavados with Two – A Close Call!
A new video shows how much influence a perfect Pokémon team can have on the battle against Lavados. The video surfaced on Reddit, showing Lavados being attacked and defeated by two trainers. With about 5 seconds left, it becomes clear that lag would lead to failure – a remarkable achievement and a strong team of the two trainers.
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It’s Better in Threes – Golem and Tyranitar are the Favorites
The legendary Pokémon are something special in Pokémon GO, as they are only available for a limited time in the game. This means that you have a certain time window to catch each of the three birds.
Trainers who have strong counter Pokémon have it easy in raids. Effective against Lavados are Golem or Tyranitar. If the two attackers also have Stone Edge in their moveset, you can deal a lot of damage. This is also shown by the trainers in the following video, who defeated the legendary Fire Bird in a trio group.
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The following Pokémon and movesets were used in the battle:
Trainer 1 – TwoTyranitar with Bite and Stone Edge, TwoGolem with Rock Throw and Stone Edge, one Vaporeon with Water Gun and Aqua Tail, oneVaporeon with Water Gun and Hydro Pump.
Trainer 2 – One Tyranitar, two Golem, one Amoroso, two Vaporeon
Trainer 3 – One Tyranitar, three Golem, two Vaporeon
The first journalists were able to play Path of Fire, the new expansion for Guild Wars 2. ArenaNet says: this is a content expansion.
Yesterday, Path of Fire was presented, the new expansion for Guild Wars 2. The English-speaking site PC Gamer had the opportunity to try the expansion a few weeks ago.
Dynamic Events and Mini-Games in the Oasis
The information from the article:
Path of Fire takes place in the Crystal Desert in the south of Ascalon. Veterans from Guild Wars 1 already know the region – but Path of Fire is set 250 years later.
In the first zone “Crystal Oasis,” the map “The Amnoon Oasis” was shown – a wonderful city full of mini-games and dynamic events.
Although it is desert zones, there are various biomes – all kinds of desert you can imagine: crystalline steppes, toxic stuff, all sorts of things!
Heart of Thorns was a Feature Expansion – Path of Fire will be a Content Expansion
According to ArenaNet, “Heart of Thorns” was a feature expansion that restructured Guild Wars 2 to allow for new expansions. Path of Fire is now a “content expansion,” bringing much more new content. Path of Fire brings more new area than “Heart of Thorns” and the six new maps of Season 3 combined.
The mounts will NOT be limited to the new zones – however, they will not be usable in PvP or World vs World.
Season 4 starts soon in Guild Wars 2
The mastery system in Guild Wars 2 “Path of Fire” is focused only on the mounts – a benefit for one mount can also apply to all others. Thus, the 4th upgrade for the Raptor means that its passive skill counts for all four mount categories.
The “Living World” will not pause, but will continue in the same timescale. Season Four is set to begin shortly after the release of “Path of Fire.”
More information about Path of Fire and all trailers can be enjoyed in our summary of the reveal:
There is first gameplay of Justice, which is supposed to be the new martial arts MMORPG from Netease, the makers of Revelation Online. It is intended as their new flagship title.
Netease also develops video games itself: New Westward Journey Online II is a popular MMORPG in China – it generated the third most digital revenue worldwide on PC in April 2017. New Westward Journey Online II thus ranks among the very top games, even though little is known about it in the West.
The new Asian MMORPG Justice has big ambitions
Here in the West, Netease is primarily known for “Revelation Online”, the Asian MMO that launched in the West in 2017.
Currently, Netease is planning the next “big thing” – the martial arts MMORPG Justice. For the first time, gameplay has now surfaced.
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The video showcases the playable hero class “Iron Fist.” The hero beats multiple opponents at the same time, causing some items to break. According to NetEase, the gameplay scene shows how Iron Fist fights his way out of an ambush.
Justice is said to give players a lot of freedom. The player’s actions are supposed to determine how the environment and NPCs react to him.
So far, Justice has primarily stood out due to its spectacular graphics. A first trailer showcased this in February 2017:
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New screenshots of Justice: This is how beautiful Netease’s new game looks
Update: On June 25, 2017, we discovered new screenshots of Justice on this page and added them to this article.
Justice is set to enter an alpha phase in China in July 2017. The game is intended to be Netease’s next “flagship” title. It is supposed to be released for PC and deliver a “non-target” combat system. A story quality comparable to top console titles is promised.
Update August 2, 2017: Justice has completed its first alpha phase in China. However, the alpha was under NDA, so there is no information available. However, there is this new trailer of the game that we would like to show you:
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A few new cards for Hearthstone have revealed the new Shaman hero. While it is quite “RNG,” it is also really cool.
In a few weeks, the new Hearthstone expansion Knights of the Frozen Throne is set to be revealed. Streamers, developers, and fan sites are showcasing more and more cards, giving players a sneak peek at the new features. We have a few highlights for you:
The transformation of the Shaman from Hearthstone has been revealed. With Thrall, Deathseer, the player turns into an undead for 5 mana, gains 5 armor, and executes the battle cry: “Transform all your minions into random minions that cost 2 more.” But that’s not all. The hero power becomes Transmute Spirit, which specifically transforms one friendly minion into a random minion that costs 1 more.
Hunters receive a new beast, the Corpse Widow. For 5 mana, it has solid stats of 4/6 and a powerful passive effect: The cost of all Hunter deathrattle minions is reduced by 2.
A new spell for Priests is Devour Mind. For 5 mana, you copy 3 cards from the opponent’s deck and add them to your own hand. Essentially, it is a stronger but also more expensive version of Thought Steal.
Mages like it mysterious
Mages with secrets may get a revival in “Knights of the Frozen Throne.” They await a powerful spell for 8 mana – Glacial Mysteries. This spell plays one of each secret of the Mage that is in the deck.
Also for Mages is the Simulacrum. For 3 mana, the cheapest minion in your hand is copied. If you wait for the right moment, you can create really strong cards!
Rogues get an old acquaintance as a new minion. The undead Lilian Voss, who was once part of the Scarlet Crusade, returns as a card in Hearthstone. For 4 mana, she has good stats of 4/5 and an interesting battle cry: All spells in the player’s hand are replaced by random spells (of the opponent’s class).
Priests are waiting for a new, particularly powerful tank. The Obsidian Statue costs 9 mana and has stats of 4/8. However, it also has taunt and lifesteal, as well as the deathrattle effect: Destroy a random enemy minion.
Warlocks continue down the dark path of sacrifices. With the spell Unwilling Sacrifice, for 3 mana, a friendly minion is killed along with a random enemy minion.
How do you like these new cards and specifically the Shaman? Great thing or too much RNG?
Reinhardt apparently works as a jailer in Overwatch. At the very least, he locks players in places from which there is no escape.
Patch 1.13 (PC) or Patch 2.15 (PS4, Xbox One) has brought a lot of new features to Overwatch. There were some major changes to Reinhardt that were supposed to help make his charge more reliable. However, it hasn’t really worked out.
If Reinhardt drags someone with him during the charge, reaches the end of the path, and lands just before a wall, an annoying bug occurs. Instead of squashing the dragged player against the wall or releasing them, something else happens: The opposing player gets pushed into the wall!
https://gfycat.com/TemptingDefiantKillifish
Charge victims are helplessly locked in walls
Depending on the location, this leads to various issues. In some places, the victim simply falls through the floor and out of the map, leading to death – so a respawn is possible and the problem is minor.
In other cases, however, the affected player is locked in, unable to move, and can only be killed with difficulty by other players.
This bug is particularly frustrating in ranked games. It can even happen that players are marked as “afk” due to this bug, as they do not participate in any fights. Additionally, such a player is no longer useful for the team, which robs both sides of tension and enjoyment of the game.
There has been no statement from Blizzard regarding this bug yet. Given the impact it has taken, it can be assumed that the bug will be fixed in the next update – perhaps even a hotfix will be possible for it.
Have you ever been locked in a wall? Or have you locked someone up somewhere?
The team from Destiny 2 has previously sought exchanges with the experts from Blizzard. Conversations took place with the heads of Diablo 3, Overwatch, and WoW.
There are connections between Blizzard and Bungie, which has been known for some time. However, until now, this was shrouded in mystery. Now we hear from the Destiny 2 chief how it really was.
Mystery “Secret Meeting Diablo 3 and Destiny Team”
The US site Kotaku reported two years ago about a meeting. It sounded as though Activision had organized in December 2014 for the Diablo 3 team to give a presentation at Bungie to get them “on track”.
The presentation was about how Blizzard had turned Diablo 3 around with the Reaper of Souls expansion and transformed it into a success after the launch of Diablo 3 had gone somewhat poorly.
Destiny was in a similar situation in December 2014. After a rather unsuccessful launch, Bungie also needed to make a comeback.
The Diablo 3 presentation is said to have strongly inspired the Bungie staff, leading to the creation of “The Taken King”, the magnificent Destiny expansion.
It was at least suggested that Activision, as the publisher of Diablo 3 and Destiny, had its fingers in the pie.
The Meeting in Reality
The head of Destiny 2, Luke Smith, tells in an interview what really happened. As is often the case, much is based on personal connections. The Producer of Destiny 2, Mark Noseworthy, and the Game Director of Diablo 3, Josh Mosquiera, were former colleagues at Relic and have been friends since then.
That’s why Noseworthy called the head of Diablo 3 and asked, “Hey, can’t you come over and give the presentation you put together for Gamescom years ago?”
Blizzard then actually came with a small team of several Diablo 3 designers. They delivered this super presentation that was so inspiring. Afterwards, Smith and Noseworthy hung out and chatted with some of the Diablo 3 designers, Smith recalls.
Return Visit to Blizzard: Tell us how PC works
In December 2015, they set off to Blizzard for a small Bungie-Blizzard Summit. That too was a familial event. They spoke with the Hearthstone team and with Jeff Kaplan from Overwatch. Josh Mosquiera from Diablo 3 and Tom Chilton from WoW were also there.
Jeff Kaplan, the head of Overwatch.
For Smith, as an old WoW fan, it was great to talk to Jeff Kaplan, one of the pioneers of WoW, and pick his brain about certain things.
Game Directors Among Themselves: Smith Hung Out With The Heads of WoW, Diablo 3, and Overwatch
This was not a proper “consultation”, no advising, no asking for help, but rather a conversation. Kaplan drove them to dinner in his car. The Destiny heads, Luke Smith and Jason Jones, kept their ears open for tips.
Luke Smith says: “We acknowledge Blizzard as the boss in the PC space and we are taking our first steps here. Who could give us better tips than Blizzard?”
It was great to share experiences. But there was nothing “suspicious”; it was just developers talking to each other, a kind of “private developer conference.”
The connection between Bungie and Blizzard, which was delicately established at the end of 2014 and end of 2015, is now formalized. Destiny 2 will only be available on PC through Battle.net, not via Steam:
