As this article is being written, there are still no patch notes available. It is not yet known which issues Massive is fixing or what new features are coming.
Currently, there is also no information on when the PTS for PS4 and Xbox One will start. However, the launch should not be too far away. Last week, Massive stated that the console PTS would begin after the major bugs are fixed. This should happen with Phase 2 of the PTS.
The price of ARK Survival Evolved has risen to 70 euros on Steam. The survival MMO will be released on August 8 and is now at full price.
Studio Wildcard announced some time ago that the price of ARK would increase. This has now happened, and the dino MMO is available at the full price of 70 euros on Steam.
Studio Wildcard raised the price of ARK one month before release
ARK Survival Evolved exits Early Access on August 8 and then goes into full release. On Steam, ARK has now reached 69.99 euros at its full price – one month before the launch. On ARK’s official Twitter account, Wildcard explained that the increase was to ensure the equality of the retail price.
The PS4 and Xbox One have already received the full price a few weeks ago.
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ARK Survival Evolved has been in Early Access since 2015 and has been available for $29.99 on Steam. However, there has always been a warning on ARK’s Steam that the price in Early Access would be cheaper than the full version later.
Anyone who purchased ARK in Early Access will receive the full version at release. No additional payment is required.
The open beta of the action MMORPG “MU Legend” starts in September 2017. You are invited to test it.
Very soon you’ll have another chance to test the action MMORPG “MU Legend”. The successor to MU Online offers you hack-and-slash combat combined with MMO elements.
During the open beta, you can choose between four different classes available to try out PvE and PvP content.
Open Beta Start in September 2017
Developer WEBZEN announced today the open beta phase for MU Legend. It is set to start in September 2017 and will bring new features to the game. The open beta will be available in 6 languages, including German and English.
With its “complex story in a vibrant world,” MU Legend is designed to appeal to both single-player fans and multiplayer enthusiasts. In the action MMORPG, you can join the war between the world of MU and Pandemonium. During open-world quests, you choose the order of the missions yourself and find many side quests in the various areas.
Variety is also ensured: During the beta, you will have the four classes Dark Lord, Whisperer, Blader, and War Mage to choose from. Each class has unique abilities and gameplay mechanics that enable different play styles.
Stress Test in Summer
This summer, there will also be a server stress test where players will have the opportunity to “put the servers to the test under real conditions.” This is to investigate whether there are still vulnerabilities that need to be fixed.
When this special event will take place will be announced in the coming weeks.
Most fans would like a TV series about Overwatch .
Several months ago, Activision Blizzard already stated that they want to focus more on multimedia. This indirectly hinted at TV series that would fit perfectly into the various universes of Blizzard. Whether it’s Warcraft, Diablo, StarCraft, or the latest universe Overwatch – all would be wonderful candidates for various series.
And which provider do we think of when it comes to high-quality series nowadays? Right, Netflix. And because they have their own unique style in producing and promoting trailers, it was easy for fans to transfer this style to Overwatch.
Netflix series of Overwatch? With this trailer, yes!
The YouTube channel Lion Montages has taken on the task and merged almost all cinematics of Overwatch to create a “Netflix teaser trailer”.
While many of these “fan-made” trailers often seem poor or inappropriate, Lion Montages succeeded in presenting the possible excitement and cool characters of the “story”.
What do you think of this trailer? Cool idea and great execution? Or just a bit of “cobbled together, which anyone can do”? And much more importantly: Do you want an Overwatch TV series?
Cortyn says: I find it amazing what works fans are now capable of, even though they are “only” using Blizzard’s source material. No matter how many times I watch the trailer, it always gives me goosebumps, making me want to see the series right away. Now, there is just one thing missing: Someone needs to produce the series. Blizzard, please.
The MMO shooter Destiny 2 further expands the social space with the Farm. CoD WW2 gets its own headquarters in the new game. But what are such places actually for? Why do shooters want social meeting points now?
A social space, a place to do nothing, in a classic shooter. What is the Farm in Destiny 2 for and why is it so important for the success of the game? What is so interesting about the concept that now even Call of Duty wants to build a headquarters for its soldiers? Let’s take a look at that.
Reason 1: The Farm as a Stage for Our Success
In online games, it’s about status: The achievements in the game should be reflected in your character. Here, the virtual world is no different from the real one.
In what we call real life, we show what we have achieved: my house, my car, my boat.
In MMORPGs like WoW it has been said for 15 years or more: my mount, my weapon, my level.
In shooters like Destiny, there are also these status symbols: Rare emblems awarded for special achievements, a special shader, or a rare weapon.
Players spend a lot of time perfecting the look of their character, even if some clearly identify as a noob with a pot haircut.
In “normal” combat, these subtleties get lost. Often one is alone or in small groups in instances of the world: No one sees what you have achieved. You cannot compare yourself to others.
What good is it to be the coolest guy around, but no one is there to admire you?
In other games, developers have long recognized this problem and created “rest zones.” This idea can also be found in Destiny: In the social space, first in the Tower, in Destiny 2 at the Farm, we have the opportunity to inspect and examine others.
Model: The Capitals in WoW
Our “achievements” in the game are displayed in these rest zones. Already in 2006 it was common in WoW for the strongest players on a server to pose in front of central places in the capital and showcase their character with all those items and status symbols that remained unattainable for the common “folk.”
Initially, it was enough to just have a particularly high level (“Oh, he’s already level 60”), later came particularly rare mounts (“Where did he get that from?”) or noble weapons with effects (“Have you seen his sword? It glows”).
Later, titles could be admired, which were awarded for certain achievements. The chief of Destiny 2, Luke Smith, is still proud to have become a “Scarab Lord” in WoW 10 years ago.
All these status symbols and the opportunity to showcase these and your personal style to the public increase the motivation to actually achieve these symbols.
Even Call of Duty has now recognized that such a place is missing in the game. For the 2017 version, CoD: WW2, a “headquarters” is now being established.
In Destiny 2, the Farm is significantly expanded compared to the old social space, the Tower. More activities, more space, more people.
Reason 2: Communication and Joint Activities to Strengthen Social Bonds
But a social space is for more than just showcasing achievements.
In shooters, it’s been a long time since it was only about shooting. Developers create spaces where players can meet peacefully.
They receive emotes to communicate with each other. Sometimes small happenings or events even emerge. The demand for these is so great that players organize them, even if the developer has not actually foreseen any opportunities.
In Destiny 1, a conga line sometimes formed spontaneously, marching off to the cliff of the Tower together to leap to their deaths. Macabre, but it shows the players’ need to experience something together with rudimentary means.
In Destiny 2, players will receive a soccer field. In the first part, there was only a ball placed in the Tower to see if the Guardians would make something of it.
Such things, no matter how silly they are, promote cohesion in the community and strengthen social bonds that often keep players tied to the game when the actual content of the game cannot.
It makes the games more than a game, it makes them a hobby.
Reason 3: Practical Reasons – MMO Elements Demand NPCs, They Need to Stand Somewhere
A practical reason for a social space is the growing “MMO elements” in shooters. With these elements like quests and weapons, such central places have almost inevitably made it into the games.
Anyone with quests and items needs quest NPCs and merchants who are centrally located.
Many central reward and quest systems in Destiny are represented in the game by specific NPCs: Xûr, the inventory system with post office or the Cryptarch only work with NPCs.
These functions could be managed through a menu, but NPCs make it more “personal.” A menu item representing a game mechanic can’t be hated or loved. Xûr or Rahool can be hated, and Guardians do so passionately.
Reason 4: Waiting Area Until It Starts
The growing instancing of games has increased the need for a waiting place. One does not travel to adventures; one waits to be let in and is teleported to the destination at the start.
While waiting for an “activity” to begin, players need a place to pass the time.
So far, this was in Destiny the Orbit, where players had to wait for the action to start. In Destiny 2, this will no longer be necessary, and players can also enter activities from outside the Orbit.
Therefore, the social space as a “waiting area for passing the time” will become even more important than in Destiny 1. Accordingly, the Farm will be expanded.
Reason 5: Microtransactions Become More Attractive
Developers benefit from social spaces not only through higher player retention but also concretely.
For another advantage of these social hubs: Microtransactions become more attractive and thus the revenue of the games.
Anyone who cannot earn a “special item” in the game due to lack of time or skill can purchase it from the cash shop: a rare skin, a special light effect like chromatin.
Such items are also referred to as “vanity items”. You buy them for yourself because you want to make your Guardian look especially nice, want to treat him, and enjoy it. Or you buy them for others to let them see what you can afford.
Emotes and thus “new ways to communicate” are also available for Euros.
Destiny has managed to be among the most profitable games even in 2016, when very few game contents were released – almost solely through such microtransactions.
We want to know from you in a survey: What is most important to you about social spaces?
How the individual games implement social spaces can be read here:
In PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds up to 100 players fight until only one remains. This can lead to some absurd scenes, for instance a fistfight duel for the final victory.
No round of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is alike. In some matches, you get shot right after the jump. Or you crawl around for ages, only to fall victim to a bombardment. Or you die in bizarre motorcycle accidents.
But when only two players are left, the tension is hard to top. Both opponents stalk each other. Whoever makes the first mistake loses.
You can either join in or simply boldly challenge the opponent to a boxing match.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – “Let’s settle this with our fists!”
The player and Reddit user Ucsbaway was left with his opponent as the force fields closed in, and both players heavily armed stalked each other behind trees. The tension was enormous! Then Ucsbaway suddenly called out via internal voice chat, “Come on, let’s settle this in a fistfight! I’m dropping my weapons, please don’t mess around!”
And indeed, Ucsbaway did exactly that and put down his heavy guns. Actually a major mistake, because now he was defenseless against his enemy. But the opponent also had honor and came out unarmed and even without pants from cover, ready for the epic boxing match for the final victory!
Fists were flying, players jumped around like chickens, and in the end, Ucsbaway was beaten in a fair fight and came in second. Nevertheless, his example shows that even in merciless battle royale shooters, there are fair and honorable people. Here is the video:
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What do you think of the boxing final? Honorably and strong to engage in something like that? Or was it foolish of Ucsbaway, who might have won in a gunfight? And how would you react if you were close to victory (which is no small feat with 99 opponents) and your enemy challenged you to such a duel? Let us know in the comments.
In the PlayStation Store, you can save big again and benefit from your “PS Plus” membership. There are discounts on many PS4 games.
Today, a promotion in the PlayStation Store ended, where “PS Plus” members received double discounts. However, you need not grieve if you missed these offers, as it’s worth browsing the store now. Just yesterday, on July 5th, three new sales started!
If you don’t know what to do with your PSN credit, you can now take advantage of these PS4 offers.
Big in Japan – in the PlayStation Store
The first sale is called “Big in Japan” and includes some top titles from Japanese companies, such as Capcom, Konami, From Software, and Square Enix. The sale runs until July 20th at 00:59.
Here is a selection of the offers:
Resident Evil 7 biohazard – €37.99 (45% discount)
Final Fantasy XV – €29.99 (40% discount)
Yakuza Zero – €25.99 (56% discount with PS Plus)
Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience – €11.99 (60% discount with PS Plus)
Dark Souls III – €24.99 (50% discount)
Dragon Ball Xenoverse – €8.99 (70% discount)
PS Plus – Exclusive Discounts
This offer is valid only for “PS Plus” members. Many discounts also run only until July 20th, but for some pre-orders, you have much longer.
PaRappa the Rapper Remastered – €7.74 (48% discount)
The third sale is called “Total Digital” and includes games like Journey, Rocket League, or 101 Ways to Die. These offers also run until July 20th.
You can find the offers on your console by opening the PlayStation Store, selecting the “Offers” tab on the right side, and clicking on the respective sale. Otherwise, you can go to the PlayStation Store.
By the way: There are not only discounts on PS4 games but also on games for PS3 and PS VITA.
Patch 7.3 von World of Warcraft has more to offer than just Argus – there are also plenty of alien worlds to marvel at.
Although Patch 7.2.5 has only been active in World of Warcraft for a few weeks, all players are already talking about the next update – Patch 7.3 and our journey to Argus, the homeworld of the Eredar. There’s a new raid waiting there, a new instance, plenty of story content, and even a hidden mount. But there are also some contents that do not take place on the destroyed shell of the “new” planet, but on other worlds!
Apparently, Blizzard has realized that players are slowly but surely tired of the Fel green and has provided a bit of variety.
In Patch 7.3, there is not only the planet Argus but also a new type of content – the so-called Rifts. Here players travel to various worlds that are currently being attacked by the Burning Legion. There seem to be a total of six different locations, which currently have very unremarkable names in the game data.
Invasion Rift: Blood
Invasion Rift: Fire
Invasion Rift: Forest
Invasion Rift: Ice
Invasion Rift: Islands
Invasion Rift: Marshes
Icy Veins has already made a small exploration video about it, which gives an impression of the surroundings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZSUpxFDmUI
In these rifts, there will be a kind of mini-scenario where players have to eliminate an invasion force of the Burning Legion. Afterwards, a stronger commander of the Legion will appear
Cortyn says: At least in the preview, the worlds behind the rifts unfortunately look very generic, which bothers me a bit. I would have liked it if Blizzard had put a bit more effort into creating “alien worlds” and giving them at least some unique plants or creatures – but that would probably be too much work for such a “small” piece of content that won’t be considered in a few months.
A cash shop is almost mandatory in an online game, whether it’s a Buy2Play or Free2Play game. And in the item shop of the PvP MMORPG Crowfall, you can spend a lot of money.
Although the game has not even been released yet, the cash shop in Crowfall is already available – that’s nothing new. In the MMORPG Shroud of the Avatar, players can also buy houses, decorative items, and entire cities despite Early Access. In Crowfall, these include fortresses. These are available in various sizes and corresponding different prices.
$7,000 for a guild fortress
The smallest fortress, a fort, costs $250. With the fort, buyers receive a land parcel suitable for this building. Modular building components allow you to create the fort according to your ideas on this parcel. However, the largest fortress costs $7,000. It offers a large land parcel and everything you need to build the huge castle.
The developers now felt obligated to justify this high price. They explain that the largest fortress is only for guilds. In a guild, you could relatively quickly gather this amount from all members. So one person wouldn’t have to spend a lot, but several a little, which adds up to the total amount. The large fortress is not suitable for individual players, as it is simply far too large to manage alone.
Build entire cities in the Eternal Kingdoms
Of course, you can also buy additional parcels and buildings. A single, small parcel costs $15, a small hut $65. By purchasing several parcels and buildings, you even create entire cities.
The developers of Crowfall point out that you can only buy parcels, buildings, and other items for the Eternal Kingdoms. It is not possible to take these things into the campaign worlds!
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is far from finished and available as an early access title. Some players fear that the game will never be finished, just like DayZ. However, Creative Director Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene has a different opinion.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is, despite its status as an unfinished early access game, extremely successful and the game with the most concurrent players on Steam. Nevertheless, there are skeptical voices: “Will the game ever be finished?” or “Similar games like DayZ or H1Z1 have been in early access for ages, is PUBG going the same way?”
In an interview with Rock-Paper-Shotgun, Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene addressed the allegations.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – “We’ll have this done in 6 to 7 months!”
Anyone who has played PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will have noticed the many bugs and especially the massive lags. The game is clearly not finished yet. However, according to Brendan Greene, this will be the case very soon. In a maximum of seven months, the game is expected to be released, and Greene is completely convinced of this according to the interview with Rock-Paper-Shotgun. It is “a matter of honor” for him.
But how does the man come to such confident statements? According to Greene, Bluehole has a huge advantage with PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds over H1Z1 or DayZ. Both competing zombie titles both use their own, now quite old engine, which requires extensive maintenance, and regular updates and rewrites.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds – The Unreal Engine will fix it
With PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, however, the Unreal Engine is at work. It is constantly being developed by its own team, allowing Bluehole to focus on the essential game design and not have to constantly fiddle with the engine.
Therefore, Brendan Greene is confident that he and his team will complete PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on time and will not follow the path of DayZ, which has been in early access for years.
By the way, Greene has a soft spot for DayZ and defends it whenever someone complains about the seemingly eternal early access. “It will eventually be finished; companies do not discard a project they have worked on for so long.”
What do you think of Brendan Greene’s statements? Do you believe it is realistic that he and his team in Korea will have the game ready in half a year? Or do you think PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds will end up rotting as an endless construction site in early access? Let us know in the comments!
In FIFA 17 FUT, the FUTTIES are coming. Players with pink cards are taking over Ultimate Team. When is the voting? Are there any predictions? And what SBCs (Squad Building Challenges) are available? All cards in overview.
The era of “FUT 17” is slowly coming to an end. One of the last events in this online mode is the FUTTIES period.
The FUTTIES are considered the FUT Oscars: special player cards that are chosen by the community. EA Sports recently announced that the FUTTIES phase will kick off this Friday, on 7.7. New information is now available.
When will the FUTTIES appear in FUT 17? – Release
The FUTTIES are an annual FUT festival that has existed since FIFA 15. However, this year is different: the FUTTIES period will last a full six weeks.
From July 7 (Friday) to August 18 (Friday), everything in FUT 17 revolves around the pink player cards.
The community (including you) can vote on which players should receive upgraded pink cards with a new voting system. We will show you how this voting works here.
FUTTIES Voting – The voting for nomination SBCs
In recent years, one could vote for the FUTTIES on the EA website. EA Sports presented four players in different categories, and the community decided which of these players deserved the title.
In FUT 17, this voting process is different: The winners from 10 categories will now be determined through SBCs (Squad-Building-Challenges):
Per category, EA Sports presents three candidates.
With the completion of the respective FUTTIES nomination SBC, you vote for your favorite player.
When you complete such an SBC, you are guaranteed to receive a pink card of this player – however, this card does not have boosts on the stats.
In each category, the player with the most completed nomination SBCs wins. The winner will then be released in a separate winner SBC. This card will then have boosted values.
As soon as EA Sports begins the first voting period, you have 72 hours to participate in the SBCs. After that, the winner SBC will be live for another 72 hours. Every Friday and Tuesday, a new category will be up.
Therefore, these are the voting periods (in which nomination SBCs are active):
July 7 (Friday) to July 10 (Monday)
July 11 (Tuesday) to July 14 (Friday)
July 14 (Friday) to July 17 (Monday)
July 18 (Tuesday) to July 21 (Friday)
July 21 (Friday) to July 24 (Monday)
July 25 (Tuesday) to July 28 (Friday)
July 28 (Friday) to July 31 (Monday)
August 1 (Tuesday) to August 4 (Friday)
August 4 (Friday) to August 7 (Monday)
August 8 (Tuesday) to August 11 (Friday)
And on these days, the winner SBCs for the various categories will start:
July 10 (Monday)
July 14 (Friday)
July 17 (Monday)
July 21 (Friday)
July 24 (Monday)
July 28 (Friday)
July 31 (Monday)
August 4 (Friday)
August 7 (Monday)
August 11 (Friday)
Since, according to EA Sports, this event runs until August 18, it is likely that all winner SBCs will be available in the last week. Note: The times indicated above may still change.
What are the FUTTIES in FIFA 17’s Ultimate Team? What categories are there?
The FUTTIES are considered the FUT Oscars, as players are awarded in various categories. There will be 10 different categories, which are currently unknown. EA Sports is likely to align with those categories that existed last year. Back then there were eleven:
Strong Foundation: Best Goalkeeper
Tackling Strength: Best Tackler
Technique: Best Trickster
Long Shots: Best Long Shooter
Heading: Best Header
Two-Footed: Best Player with the Weaker Foot
Leadership: Most Loyal Player
Game Engine: Greatest Fighter
Riser: Most Improved from Last Year
The Maestro: Most Creative Player
Class is Eternal: Best Comeback
All winners receive a boost to their stats, usually by 1-2 points – and importantly: The FUTTIES cards are strikingly pink!
You can only obtain the pink cards by completing SBCs. To obtain the upgraded FUTTIES cards, you must complete the winner SBCs. Your cards will not be upgraded retroactively. The FUTTIES are not available in packs.
A player can only be awarded in one category at most.
Which players will receive pink cards? – Predictions FUTTIES
Neither the candidates nor the final categories are currently known, making it difficult to make predictions right now. However, the fifauteam page has made an attempt.
These are predictions – merely forecasts and no official information:
Strong Foundation: Jack Butland (Stoke City) Class is Eternal: Memphis Depay (Olympique Lyonnais) Game Engine: Renato Sanches (FC Bayern) Heading: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) Riser: Heung Min-Son (Tottenham Spurs) Leadership: Francesco Totti (AS Roma) Long Shots: Hatem Ben Arfa (Paris Saint-Germain) Technique: Nani (Fenerbahçe SK) Tackling Strength: Eric Bailly (Manchester United) The Maestro: Mesut Ozil (Arsenal) Two-Footed: Ivan Perisic (Inter)
Other Squad-Building Challenges during the FUTTIES period
The FUTTIES period is fully focused on SBCs. In addition to the nomination and winner SBCs, there will be these challenges:
“End of an Era” Premium SBCs: 6 players whose careers have ended will receive special SBCs during the FUTTIES.
“Best of” SBCs: For a limited time, you can complete the most popular SBCs of the year again and earn players and kits. These will be slightly modified.
Top Transfer SBCs: Some top transfers have already taken place during the current transfer period. With these SBCs, you can earn loan items of some summer transfers.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
Doomfist is probably the next character to join Overwatch . Fans have already calculated his release date.
The rumors and ideas surrounding Doomfist have been around since the first cinematic of Overwatch was introduced. Back then, he was just a glove that two kids could examine in a museum before they were catapulted directly into the action with Tracer, Winston, Reaper, and Widowmaker.
Since then, there have been recurring hints about what Doomfist might be like and what he has done. The weapon bearing his name was even temporarily transported with the payload in Numbani. However, a few months ago, it was stolen during an incident, and since then, the community hasn’t held back on the hype surrounding Doomfist.
On Reddit, user ArielleSweetSugar has put forth a theory and simply used the release of Orisa as an example. Accordingly, the following dates emerge:
The first teaser appeared on July 4, 2017.
The second should then appear on July 7, 2017.
Three days later, on July 10, the third teaser appears.
Another three days later, on July 13, would be the PTR release and possibly a cinematic.
The release of Doomfist would then take place a few weeks later – on August 1, 2017. This fits well as August 1 is a Tuesday when Overwatch patches are usually deployed.
August 2 was also the start date for the Summer Games last year! Another hint that the patch will be released on that day.
Furthermore, many fans now assume that the date of the first “teaser” release of Doomfist was already visible in Orisa’s cinematic. There’s an image in which a “7” and a “4” appear – the 4th of July. Certainly, this could just be a coincidence – but who believes in coincidences with Blizzard’s hints?
Update: Doomfist seems to be coming sooner than expected. On Thursday evening, July 6, he appeared on the PTR. Blizzard is hurrying up!
Today, on July 6th, the servers for The Division are down. A wall glitch in the Dark Zone is being addressed.
The developers at Massive are tirelessly continuing their mission to make The Division free of bugs, glitches, and problems. Today, extensive maintenance work is taking place.
At 9:30 AM our time, the servers will be shut down. The expected downtime is three hours, so you can start playing again around 12:30 PM.
This maintenance work only affects the live game servers. Currently, we have no information regarding the public test servers, the PTS.
What is changing today? – Changelog
Massive is not only working behind the scenes on the servers but is also deploying a fix for a problem in the Dark Zone:
A problem is being fixed that allowed agents to glitch into a wall in DZ02. If you log in this afternoon, this glitch should be fixed.
When will the PTS for consoles start?
For about a week now, PC agents have been on the public test servers to get a preview of the content of update 1.7 . In the weeks and months prior, Massive promised that for the first time, console agents would be able to participate in the PTS.
However:
For PS4 and Xbox One, only 10,000 agents are allowed to participate, and you can only join if you receive an invitation email.
The PTS for consoles are still not live. They are expected to go online only with “PTS Phase 2,” once the biggest problems have been resolved.
We expect to learn more about the console-PTS later today. Around 5 PM, we are anticipating the “State of the Game”, the weekly status report from the developers. The responsible community developer Hamish Bode is currently on vacation, but we expect the livestream to take place anyway – or at least an article to be published with new information about the PTS.
For the upcoming Star Wars online shooter Battlefront 2, a list of 16 playable multiplayer heroes is now known. According to a dataminer, some obscure characters like Bossk are included, while icons like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Mace Windu are currently missing.
Battlefront 2 is currently playable in an early alpha for a select group of testers. Of course, everything that happens in it is under a strict NDA, and no one is allowed to disclose anything about the game or publish images and videos.
However, the Reddit user uninspired_zebra managed to extract a list of a total of 16 playable heroes from the game’s code.
Battlefront 2 – Bossk, Grievous, Phasma – 9 new heroes known
According to the list from uninspired_zebra, in addition to the seven heroes already known from E3, nine more are included. The list of (later) playable multiplayer heroes includes the following Star Wars characters:
Boba Fett
Han Solo
Leia Organa
Luke Skywalker
Bossk
Chewbacca
Darth Vader
Emperor Palpatine
General Grievous
Iden Versio (the heroine from the solo campaign)
Kylo Ren
Lando Calrissian
Darth Maul
Captain Phasma
Rey
Yoda
Battlefront 2 – Will Obi-Wan still make it?
Interestingly, some rather obscure heroes like Bossk or Captain Phasma are in the game. Both characters were barely visible in the films. However, fan favorites like the cunning Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, the brave MaceWindu, or Obi-Wan’s master Qui–GonJinn are still missing. Since this is only a leaked alpha list of heroes, from which not all are currently playable in the alpha, there is still hope that the three Jedi Masters may yet make it into the game by release.
Bungie has introduced the new Tower in Destiny 2: the Social Space, the Farm.
Bungie reveals more facts about the game before the launch of the Destiny 2 Beta. They are doing this in collaboration with IGN. In a video, they now provide a tour of the Farm for the first time.
Destiny 2 – What is a Social Space?
The Farm will be the new Tower in Destiny 2, the place where Guardians meet and seek refuge after the Cabal destroyed the Tower from Destiny 1.
A “Social Space” in a lobby-based game like Destiny is the place where players can gather without shooting each other or having aliens around. It is a place to peacefully spend time together. You can check out each other’s gear, perhaps show off your own outfit, exchange emotes, communicate, or play a game of soccer.
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The Farm is the place where you might find vendors. The special thing is: It will change over the course of Destiny 2. The further the player progresses in the storyline of Destiny 2, the more the Farm evolves. It is a dynamic place.
It is said: The population grows, characters come and go.
Destiny 2: What we know about the Farm – The place that makes Destiny more MMO-like
In the video, the following information can be seen and heard:
Darbi 55-30, the Postmaster, is there
There will be small events that players can unlock, activities
A resident of the Farm is also: Cryptarch Tyra Karn (known from Felwinter Peak)
In the distance, a feature of the European Dead Zone can be seen
Shaxx and support staff are working on creating a kind of robot army
Humanity is rebuilding weapons, Sparrows, and spaceships
You can also see spaceships landing and taking off, Guardians are beamed aboard
Additionally, you can discover a chicken on the Farm – it has the potential to be the new cleaning robot
Players can play soccer. This is significantly more refined than the ball play in Destiny 1 – a touch of FIFA 18
The Farm will accommodate 26 players, meaning your Guardian and up to 25 others. Guardians can interact there, showcase their gear, and strut around.
It is said: Players who stay in the Farm will learn over time which activities to pursue and how to add flair to their Guardians.
A touch of The Division flows through Destiny 2
Mein-MMO says: At first glance, it looks like a good and logical evolution of the Tower. Especially the idea that the Social Space should change and populate over time could be a good idea. It reminds of the base in The Division. It also starts barren and fills up over time.
Thus, players realize that they have an influence on the world around them. Humanity is recovering, gaining ground in the fight against the overwhelming Cabal.
The soccer game shows that Bungie has noticed the playful spirit of Guardians in Destiny 1 and wants to enhance it. Even in Destiny 1, Guardians were completely ballaballa.
In the coming days before, during, and after the Beta, Bungie, along with IGN, will reveal more information about Destiny.
Hearthstone is giving out lots of bonus gold. For a few days, quests give double rewards! The Midsummer Festival is the reason.
In World of Warcraft, the Midsummer Festival has already ended, but in Hearthstone it starts today (July 5, 2017). And who could be a better Master of the Midsummer Festival than Ragnaros the Firelord? On Blizzard’s official Hearthstone page, the Elemental Lord proclaimed in classic caps lock style that “IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY FOR THE MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL.”
In plain language, this means that there will be a special card chaos featuring Ragnaros in the spotlight – but a “smaller Ragnaros” is also expected to appear.
Quests give double gold rewards
The real highlight of the event is likely to be that during this time, players will earn double the amount of gold for completing quests!
The event is expected to coincide with the start of the card chaos. This means in Europe that the event starts today, July 5, 2017, at 10:00 PM. The ending of the event is not known, but it is speculated to be on Monday – as a card chaos usually ends then.
As the next, yet unannounced expansion of Hearthstone will be released in August, players should think carefully about whether to spend their earned gold or start saving. Those who have several thousand gold saved up by the time of the next expansion’s release can either buy card packs right away or dive into the arena for a long time to earn those packs.
Or to quote Ragnaros: THE CELEBRATION WILL PURIFY YOU.
Mein-MMO says: The late announcement of the event is already causing trouble, as players who completed their quests in the last few days are understandably upset. They will likely miss out on the double rewards unless Blizzard implements a mechanism to counter this – such as spontaneously granting 3 new quests at the start of the event. It remains to be seen whether Blizzard has truly done itself a favor with this event.
A good killer must now kill in Dead by Daylight. The “point shoving” is hardly possible now.
The rank system of Dead by Daylight has caused confusion among players for months. Whether someone rises or falls has previously depended solely on the blood points earned. These can be gained for almost all actions in the game. The absurdity: both the killer and the survivors could rise at the same time if they simply play “together” and pass points to each other.
But now that is over. The Patch 1.5.3 of Dead by Daylight fundamentally revised the ranking system of the killers yesterday (04.07.2017). Whether they gain or lose a rank now depends not on the blood points, but on how many players they have sacrificed – and for how long.
To satisfy the dark entity, the killer must complete the “Killer Goals”. These are a maximum of 16 points that can be earned if there are 4 survivors.
Hanging on the hook: +1 Killer Goal
Survivor reaches Phase 2 on the hook (must defend themselves): +1 Killer Goal
Offering: +2 Killer Goals (1 for the kill, 1 for satisfying the entity)
Furthermore, there are also Killer Goals when survivors have a disconnect, so the killer does not go empty-handed.
At the end of a match, it will then be checked how many goals a killer has achieved and thus determined whether they rise or not.
7 or fewer Killer Goals: Killer drops one pip (rank point)
8 Killer Goals: Killer maintains their current rank
9 to 15 Killer Goals: Killer rises one pip
16 Killer Goals: Killer rises 2 pips
The change was introduced, according to the developers, because it was not really important for the killer whether they also killed survivors. But that should be the killer’s primary goal – after all, that’s why they have their name.
Furthermore, some items and offerings have been revised. The various “Memento Mori” offerings now allow the immediate killing of a survivor only if they have hung on the hook at least once.
In addition, the two phases on the hook have been extended by 15 seconds each. So you can “hang” for 60 seconds in Phase 1 and 60 more in the “Struggle” phase.
Cortyn says: I fear that this change will lead to even more face camping. The change to the extended “hanging on the hook” time will have little influence on that. Ambitious killers are now even more encouraged to keep their prey in sight, which usually massively disrupts the fun of the game. On the other hand, it is also not the killer’s duty to make the survivors have fun – I still find this solution unfortunate, as I expected more.
The Necromancer is already known to many of you from Diablo 2. Now the Necro is also available in Diablo 3. Which one is better?
You could already play a Necromancer in Blizzard’s last installment of the hack and slash series. However, in Diablo 2, the Necro was different from the new Necromancer in Diablo 3, which was released a few days ago.
We show you how the “old” and “new” versions of the Diablo Necromancer differ. What could the old one do better? Where does the new one excel?
Necromancer from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3 Compared
In this comparison, we will look at some differences between the two necromancers. What has “the new one” taken from the original? Was the old Necromancer better, or is the new one a worthy successor?
We will specifically focus on the pets and companions that you can count as a Necromancer in your army. But the two variants of the Necro also differ in curses and bone abilities.
Minions / Pets – Which last longer?
Summoning Skeletons
Diablo 2
With “Raise Skeleton,” the Necro can summon a skeleton from an enemy corpse to fight by his side. Due to lag issues, the limit of skeletons was reduced to 8.
Diablo 3
“Command Skeletons” creates a group of up to 7 skeletons. However, these do not need to be summoned from corpses but are generated automatically at your side. With this ability, you can control what target the skeletons should attack. With a special rune, you can further enhance this ability.
Conclusion: The advantage lies here with the new Necromancer, who can only control 7 skeletons, but has control over them and does not need corpses for that.
Golem Companions
Diablo 2
In D2, there is the Clay Golem, Fire Golem, Iron Golem, and Blood Golem. The Iron Golem is made from an equipment item and takes on its attributes. Thus, you lose an item but gain a unique Golem companion.
Diablo 3
The new Necromancer has only one Blood Golem, which, however, has five different runes. You do not have to destroy an item for the new Golem, but choose through the runes which effects the companion should have.
Conclusion: If the Iron Golem mechanic from Diablo 2 had been included in the current game, we would have another cool mechanic. Possible balance issues or the developers’ reluctance to have items destroyed could be arguments against this mechanic. Too bad!
Skeleton Mages
Diablo 2
With “Raise Skeleton Mage,” you can raise a skeleton mage from the corpse of an opponent, which masters a random elemental attack. These skeletons remain your companions until they die. There is no time limit.
Diablo 3
Here, too, you can summon a skeleton mage, but you do not need a corpse for it. The mage lasts only 6 seconds, and you can summon a maximum of 10 of them at the same time.
Conclusion: While the skeleton mages in Diablo 3 are stronger with their runes, they last only a few seconds, and you have to keep pressing the summon button to have them as “pets.” Both variants have their pros and cons – we cannot determine a clear winner.
Revive
Diablo 2
In the original necromancer, a revived ally lasts up to 3 minutes, if it survives that long. Up to 25 revived allies can be active at the same time. Here you can specifically choose which creatures you want to revive, giving you strong influence over your army of the revived.
Diablo 3
The new Necromancer can lead a maximum of 10 revived pets, which remain active for up to 15 seconds (Here, too, the duration can be increased by items or runes). With the “Reaper’s Toll” rune, the servants turn back into corpses after the 15 seconds, which you can revive again. Thus, you can theoretically keep them with you permanently.
Conclusion: We prefer the revival from Diablo 2, as there you had more influence over the revived pets. In Diablo 3, random targets within a certain radius are revived.
Bone Armor
Diablo 2
The “Bone Armor” surrounds the old Necro and can absorb a portion of the physical damage he receives. It not only looks cool but is also effective.
Diablo 3
The new “Bone Armor” has essentially only taken the name from the old one. Visually, it is a real armor made of bones that buffs your damage reduction. Through the Inarius Set, you can get a version of Bone Armor that visually resembles the surrounding armor from D2.
Corpse Explosions
Diablo 2
In the original version, the Corpse Explosion is funny and enjoyable when used. The currently targeted corpse explodes.
Diablo 3
In Diablo 3, the fun is further expanded. However, all corpses in a target area explode.
Conclusion: Because of the many explosions occurring simultaneously, we find the Corpse Explosion in D3 more fun, and it is our winner. Unfortunately, the ability currently is not as strong as we would like it to be.
Bone Prison
Diablo 2
The Bone Prison in Diablo 2 can force enemies into an area from which they must fight their way out. This allows you to keep annoying enemies at bay.
Diablo 3
The new Necro unfortunately has this skill only modified as a passive ability, which has a 30% chance to hold an enemy for 3 seconds. Enemies do not have to fight their way out; they are simply held in place for a short time.
Conclusion: We like the ability from Diablo 2 much better because you had control over it, and the skill had a much stronger impact on the gameplay.
Iron Maiden – Can Diablo 3 Keep Up?
Diablo 2
Iron Maiden is not only a great band but also one of the most well-known curses of the D2 Necromancer. When an enemy is afflicted with this curse, all damage dealt by them is reflected back on themselves.
Diablo 3
The new Necromancer unfortunately does not have this cool curse. A “similar” effect is produced by the passive ability “Forbidden Creation,” in which servants deal a percentage of your thorns damage.
Conclusion: The clear winner here is the old Necromancer. Through Iron Maiden, you had more control over the reflected damage, which in D3 is now dependent on the companions.
Other Differences – New Skills for the Necro in D3
In a video, YouTuber Rhykker explains these and other differences between the Necromancer from Diablo 2 and Diablo 3. He also discusses new skills like the Army of the Dead or Bloody Paths.
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The head of Destiny 2 talks about his raid children and the newest addition, the new raid in Destiny 2.
Luke Smith gave a bunch of interviews at E3, and new information is still coming to light from those. Before Smith became the Game Director of Destiny 2, he was the “Raid Lead Designer” and thus has a special relationship with all the raids in the game.
He says: All the raids are like his children, and each one has a specific motive, a heartbeat that the raid follows.
The heartbeat of the four raids from Destiny 1
In the first raid, The Glass Vault, it was about splitting players and then bringing them back together.
In the second raid, Crota’s End, it was all about individual players and their heroic moments: A player took the sword to save the world. All eyes were on him.
In the third raid, in King’s Fall, the theme was “Movement and Traversal”: It was about movement and proper positioning. The final battle against Oryx resembled a ballet. Players had to navigate this gigantic ship, complete jumping puzzles before facing the giant god-like opponent in the final battle.
The most recent raid, Wrath of the Machine, sought the answer to the question: “Where are the moments of glorious combat?” Players ran to safe zones, erected shields at the last moment before they would have all died. It was a “blockbuster action raid.” That was the heartbeat of the raid.
What about the new raid in Destiny 2?
And what about the latest raid that awaits us in Destiny 2? Smith says: “The idea of the raid is to build a space, a place that players believe could be real.”
When the interviewer probes further, Smith breaks into laughter; the interviewer describes it as a “man, I know a secret and it’s so good, but I can’t tell you” chuckle. Smith then concludes: “It is different from anything we have done before. The team is incredibly talented. It is a joy to work with them.”
Hmm, what do you think? Sounds like Vex, right? An illusion, a trick.
In the coming days, we can expect more information about Destiny 2; it is supposed to begin tonight:
The Chinese publisher Tencent is the owner of the League of Legends developer Riot Games and also earns well with the mobile game King of Glory. To protect minors from gaming addiction, Tencent has implemented strict protective measures for the mobile game. Are these measures also threatening League of Legends?
Tencent is a Chinese software giant that has held the majority of shares in Riot Games, the developers of League of Legends, since early 2011. By now, Riot Games fully belongs to the Chinese giant.
In China, the publisher is currently making a fortune with the mobile title King of Glory.
King of Glory has over 200 million registered players and about 80 million people play the mobile title daily at the same time – that is roughly the total population of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Thus, the game is a huge success for publisher Tencent, which generated revenues of over 883 million US dollars in the first quarter of 2017.
Among the players of King of Glory, there are also many children and teenagers who tend to overdo it. Therefore, there has been considerable trouble lately and new protective measures for children and teenagers are expected. Is this also threatening LoL?
Addicted and harmed children – Publisher is facing trouble
According to the Chinese news site Technode, about 20 percent of the players of King of Glory are under 18 and 19 percent are even under 12 years old. According to Hong Kong Free Press and Chinese state media, a 17-year-old suffered a stroke after 40 hours of continuous play of King of Glory in April.
A report from PCGamesN also mentions a 13-year-old who broke his legs after jumping out of a third-floor window. The reason: His parents had forbidden him from playing the game.
Moreover, gaming addiction, according to Hong Kong Free Press, is a problem in China: About 24 million people are addicted to online games. Parents are already putting their children into anti-gaming addiction boot camps.
All of this led to a critical newspaper article in China’s largest newspaper People’s Daily, which is also the official newspaper of the ruling party.
It accused Tencent and King of Glory of harming the Chinese people, as they are increasingly falling prey to gaming addiction. According to Technode, the article caused Tencent’s stock prices to drop by 4.44 percent to “only” 34 US dollars on Tuesday.
Tencent wants to establish the strictest anti-addiction policies in the world – also for LoL?
As stock prices indicate, large firms do not enjoy negative publicity, and Tencent has already spoken out to counter this bad press. Starting next Tuesday, extensive anti-addiction measures for King of Glory are to be implemented:
Players under 12 years old may only play for one hour per day
Players aged between 12 and 18 may only play for two hours per day
Those under 12 years old may also not log in after 9 PM and maximum real-money spending is strictly limited
So far, these measures have only been announced for King of Glory. However, if successful, they may also be applied to other Tencent games and even LoL players in the Middle Kingdom may face a limit on playtime.
What do you think of these strict protective measures against excessive gaming? Appropriate or mean harassment? Let us know in the comments!
