The studio NetEase is behind the MMO Revelation Online. However, real money is made in China as a partner of Blizzard. Hearthstone makes a fortune.
The Chinese development studio and publisher NetEase has released its financial report.
In Q1 2017, the company generated 2 billion USD. This is a 78% increase compared to the previous year, Q1 2016. The profit stands at 1.1 billion USD.
Blizzard games like Hearthstone, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft are incredibly popular in China
For many Western companies, it is challenging to establish a foothold in China. They need licenses from the Chinese government to earn money in the Middle Kingdom.
Therefore, Western companies seek local partners. NetEase is the company that distributes Blizzard’s games in China. Hit titles like World of Warcraft,Overwatch and Hearthstone.
“Hearthstone” receives special praise in NetEase’s financial report, the game has achieved record numbers in Q1.
Own mobile titles generate revenue
But also mobile titles that they have developed themselves are responsible for the successful quarter, NetEase claims. A title like “Onmyoji” has been downloaded over 200 million times worldwide.
Fantasy Westward Journey is also a popular mobile game in China.
For the future, NetEase wants to continue in the same vein. They plan to develop more mobile games and release “major Western PC titles” in China. They have set their sights on Minecraft next.
Revelation Online, the MMORPG from NetEase, which has been ported to the West, does not appear in NetEase’s financial report.
They are currently making a lot of money in China
Mein MMO says: This is a very interesting example of how Chinese companies are currently generating a lot of revenue. It works quite differently here in the West, where consoles play a significant role. They do not at all in Asia.
Moreover, Western titles on the PC like NetEase seem to be a gold mine in China. A local company with good contacts to the government seems indispensable for Western companies wanting to make money in China, even if they are as influential and powerful as Blizzard.
In Destiny, a fireteam of Guardians achieved something incredible: They mastered all raid final bosses in challenge mode at 390 – without weapons, without wipes, and without deaths. And all of this “One Take” – meaning in one recording.
A video went online just a few hours ago that will go down in Destiny’s history books. It comes from YouTuber Gladd, who has already showcased several impressive performances in the raids on his channel.
In the latest video, according to Gladd, you see one of the toughest Destiny team challenges ever: They managed to complete the raid challenges from Atheon, Oryx, Crota, and Aksis without weapons and in direct succession – “One Take”. The raids were on the highest difficulty level. There were no wipes, no deaths, no interruptions. Once a challenge was completed, the next one was started.
We embed the video here. Below, we provide the timestamps:
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It took nearly 70 hours to achieve this incredible feat. Every death meant a restart, and every failed challenge did too. According to Gladd, they had to start over extremely often, but their persistence ultimately led them to victory over the self-imposed challenge. They faced annoying glitches, unusual boss behavior, mishaps, and bad luck.
For each boss, they devised a strategy that they practiced for hours.
Atheon: Six Hunters with the Helmets Celestial Nighthawk (The Golden Gun fires a shot that deals 6x damage) and Achlyophage Symbiote (Golden Gun receives an additional shot). For Atheon, the Nighthawk was used. After that, they switched to the Symbiote to clear the Oracles and adds.
Oryx: This boss was also a job for the Hunters. Five players had the Celestial Nighthawk and one had the Achlyophage Symbiote. For the challenge, all 16 bombs had to detonate simultaneously.
Crota: The strategy was: Two Titans with the weapon bubble are responsible for placing the bubble and beating Crota with the sword. Two Sunsinger Warlocks forced Crota to his knees with Solar grenades, and two Hunters with the Nighthawk dealt with the Oversoul.
Aksis: This required six Sunsinger Warlocks who dealt damage to the final boss with their fusion grenades and the Starfire Protocol chest piece. This boss was the only one set to 380 instead of 390. The reason: The 390 version was not available this week.
The relics were not used to kill adds or deal additional damage. The relic in the Glass Throne was used solely for cleansing, and the sword was only used to deal damage to Crota, while the cannons against Aksis were only applied to the Servitors.
Ttime says: Definitely an impressive performance that most of us will probably never achieve ourselves. At least I would lack the patience and time for it. The biggest challenge is probably just finding five buddies who want to practice this run with me for 70 hours. I’d rather lean back, watch this video, and think: “Incredible!”
What is your opinion on this?
Here you can find another impressive performance in the raids:
The former console giant SEGA has announced its strategies until 2020. They want to revive old franchises, bringing games more to the West. Finally, is Phantasy Star Online 2 coming to Europe and North America?
As Gematsu reports, SEGA has presented a new strategy at the end of the financial year in a business presentation. They call it “Road to 2020”.
The main goals of SEGA are,
to come to Europe and North America by expanding existing brands and establishing new brands
to revive old “big” brands – they are talking about a revival
to enter the digital market more strongly and create “global hits”. Here too, SEGA wants to publish more games in North America and Europe
Is Phantasy Star Online 2 finally coming? (Also for PS4?)
As an example of the digital titles, SEGA mentions “Phantasy Star Online 2” – it is an MMORPG that only runs in Japan. There is also an English version in Southeast Asia, but it will be discontinued at the end of May 2017.
Phantasy Star is one of SEGA’s “old brands”. These are milestones of console RPGs. The first Phantasy Star was released on the Sega Master System. Parts II to IV were then released for the SEGA Mega Drive. Except for the mediocre Phantasy Star III, all parts are considered fantastic and outstanding for their time.
The first MMORPG, Phantasy Star Online, also enjoys cult status among fans. It is still played on private servers.
Maybe there will finally be something with Phantasy Star Online 2 for Europe?
The MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2 has been announced for the West for years, but nothing is happening. One cannot really hope for a port anymore. After all, the game is already from 2012.
However: Phantasy Star Online 2 has now also been released for the PS4. Since April 2016, a PS4 version has been running in Japan and has performed quite well there. This could be an incentive to bring the game to the West. After all, MMORPGs on the PS4 have proven to be successful in Europe and North America, as Final Fantasy XIV and The Elder Scrolls Online demonstrate.
Anyone who really wants to play Phantasy Star Online from the West can probably gain access through a VPN server and various tricks, but that might not be an option for many players.
Reviving old brands
The statement that SEGA wants to “revive old brands” arouses desires among fans. Many still have vivid memories of the 80s and 90s when SEGA established strong brands. They dream of a new contemporary “Shining Force” or a current “Phantasy Star”.
But titles like Streets of Rage, Gunstar Heroes, and many others are also mentioned by fans. We will have to wait and see what exactly comes out of this.
Elsewhere, SEGA states that Persona 5 and Total War: Warhammer sold well. They sold 10.28 million units in the last fiscal year. Thus, the figures are higher than in the previous year.
Here are more details and conspiracy theories about Phantasy Star Online 2:
Mercy often finds herself in dire situations in Overwatch. But this dance with death is unmatched.
Every week, absurd, exciting, or simply funny moments happen in Overwatch , often captured in a “Play of the Game”. We’ve searched social media and picked out three special highlights for you. Enjoy our 3 “Play of the Game” moments of the week in Overwatch!
The most beautiful kills with Lúcio are undoubtedly those where one emerges as the victor without much effort, simply knocking enemies into the abyss. This can often lead to multikills. Arupero demonstrates in a match on the Oasis map that even more than two or three enemies can meet their end. With just one click, the entire opposing team lands in the abyss, securing a team kill for the DJ all by himself. That’s how one turns up the swag.
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Time and again, Mercy holds back from fights only to dive into battle at the right moment and revive everyone. But a really good Mercy also ensures that the recently revived players stay alive! The player Share simply takes up arms and prevents the opposing McCree from taking a lunch break with “full body commitment”.
https://gfycat.com/DeadlyAntiqueBaboon
Our last clip is not really a highlight, but still incredibly funny to watch. Anyone who has played a few times on King’s Row with Mercy knows the tricky situation when you fall into an abyss and no ally is nearby to save you. But hardly anyone has as much stamina as Ashlee, who keeps trying to save herself from death again and again. Luckily, in the end, a Pharah shows mercy and helps her out of the predicament.
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Have you also experienced a particularly cool gameplay moment that you’ve captured on video? Then send us a link to the video, and maybe you’ll see your clip featured in this post next week!
In FIFA 17, there are predictions for the Serie A TOTS (Calcio A). These players could receive special cards in the Team of the Season in Ultimate Team.
Since May 12, the TOTS phase has been running in FUT 17: The “Most Consistent” Team, the Community Teams are live. If you open packs now, you have the chance to find one of these coveted blue player cards.
The TOTS phase lasts several weeks, and each week different leagues are featured for which TOTS are released. We assume that the Team of the Season for Serie A (in-game: Calcio A) will be available from June 9 to June 16. However, this date is not officially confirmed.
FUT 17 – Predictions TOTS Serie A (Calcio A)
Until the Team of the Season for Serie A is revealed, we can look at predictions for it. So forecasts of which players from the Italian league might make it into this team determined by EA Sports.
According to the Futhead site, these players have earned a spot in the TOTS for Serie A:
Starting XI:
Gianluigi Buffon – GK
Alex Sandro – LB
Kostas Manolas – CB
Leonardo Bonucci – CB
Andrea Conti – RB
Lorenzo Insigne – LW
Radja Nainggolan – CM
Paulo Dybala – CAM
Mohamed Salah – RW
Dries Mertens – ST
Gonzalo Higuain – ST
Substitutes:
Gianluigi Donnarumma – GK
Francesco Acerbi – CB
Federico Bernardeschi – LM
Marek Hamsik – CM
Jose Callejon – RW
Edin Dzeko – ST
Andrea Belotti – ST
Wojciech Szczesny – GK
Mattia Caldara – CB
Alejandro Gomez – CAM
Miralem Pjanic – CM
Mauro Icardi – ST
Each team consists of 23 players plus a 24th player who is not available in the packs. This player must be earned. Ciro Immobile could be this exclusive TOTS player.
Instead of a ticket, a Horde player from WoW found a message on his car and was lectured about the “benefits” of the Alliance.
When one starts World of Warcraft, there is usually one question that comes first: Horde or Alliance? The right (or wrong) decision determines who we meet in the game and who we perceive as virtual enemies. Sometimes this hostility is carried over the boundaries of the game. There has now been such a case on Reddit.
The user KowboyKyle proudly displayed the insignias of the Horde on his car, which was probably an eyesore to a supporter of the blue faction. In a hurry, he wrote a note and attached it to the car to enlighten him about the disadvantages of the Horde and the advantages of the Alliance:
“A friendly reminder: Orgrimmar was besieged and looted by the Alliance.
Varian died the death of a hero, while Vol’jin bled out slowly after being pierced by weak servants (like the little girl he is). Sylvanas got a beating from Genn. Alliance FTW
Oh, and Mei is love. Mei is life.”
The Horde couldn’t just let that pass and stated in numerous posts that the comparisons and lists were incorrect – and above all written on toilet paper. Apparently, Alliance players always need this with them, fearing that they might wet themselves at the sight of a Horde player.
It was definitely made clear that Orgrimmar was also besieged by the resistance of the Horde and that is why a conquest was possible. Furthermore, Varian was also stabbed by servants, only Gul’dan delivered the death blow. And Sylvanas seriously wounded Genn while he merely interrupted her in a plan – for now.
As long as such “Horde-Alliance conflicts” are carried out in such amusing ways, one can only look forward to the next episode. Perhaps more people should show their faction on their cars.
It is a technology that could revolutionize MMOs. With it, gigantic online worlds can be simulated. The company Improbable has received 502 million US dollars for SpatialOS. With cloud computing, the small studio aims to enable gigantic worlds.
Improbable is a company from London. Their technology is called “SpatialOS”, which is intended to make gigantic online worlds possible. In these, Improbable sees the future of gaming.
Investors believe in the concept so much that they are investing heavily: 502 million US dollars were invested in Improbable during the second round of financing.
Gigantic Online Worlds in Worlds Adrift or Chronicles of Elyria
the MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria – featuring the “crazy ideas” of aging heroes, which we have reported on frequently
Lazarus, a 2D shooter
Vanishing Star: Colony Wars, a real-time strategy game with multiplayer elements
Improbable sees possibilities for MMORPGs, online survival games, or mobile games with their technology.
The idea behind the technology is that future video games will rely on “gigantic virtual worlds”. This is expected to be the market of the future. Players in this world should enter meaningful relationships with each other and with the game worlds. These gigantic worlds should then attract new players to the genre.
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Game developers who work with the technology rave that:
they can focus on content without having to worry about server infrastructure
they can create gigantic worlds even with small teams, like 20-person studios
the new technology pushes the boundaries of what was previously possible
Market of the Future – Hundreds of Servers Forming a Gigantic World
The idea of SpatialOS is to connect various micro-servers in such a way that they can represent these gigantic worlds without the user noticing transitions.
SpatialOS is the platform that reorganizes the swarm of micro-servers so that this world functions. Through this, they aim to make “huge player masses simultaneously existing in one world” possible.
They rely on the power of the cloud. SpatialOS claims that one can take a swarm of conventional game engines to simulate a persistent world.
Investors Believe in the Technology, Contributing Over 500 Million US Dollars
That it is not a fantasy what the studio is planning is evident from the interest of investors.
In the second round of financing, investors invested 502 million US dollars in Improbable. Among the investors is SoftBank, a Japanese telecommunications company.
SoftBank believes that the “next big thing” will be gigantic virtual worlds that enrich human life. They will also change the way we view the real world, it is believed.
Improbable has been working in recent years to create the infrastructure for these new virtual worlds.
With the money, Improbable plans to significantly expand its offices in London and San Francisco and continue investing in the technology.
Read more about one of the games that relies on SpatialOS here:
A job posting indicates that the giant Microsoft might have plans for a Virtual Reality MMO. Or are they planning some sort of “Virtual Reality” lobby for the Xbox? Anything is possible.
Microsoft asks: Do you love MMOs?
“Do you love MMOs?” says a job ad from Microsoft. They are looking for a Senior Design Manager for something that mixes Virtual Reality and MMOs.
The whole thing is supposed to be an “exciting project”. The “Xbox Mixed Reality” team is looking for a Senior Design Manager to develop something. The design that this experienced designer is supposed to create will then be shown to every Xbox user when they use the program.
The candidate for the job should bring a lot of expertise and passion. They should have released 3 top games, have 7 years of experience in gaming, and 10 years in programming. They should assemble, build, and manage a design team, setting the direction of the project.
It is about creating a “Massively Social Gaming and Entertainment Experience” for PC and Xbox One.
Really a game or some kind of lobby?
The job description unfortunately does not reveal exactly what this is.
The question arises: Is it really a “game” in the classic sense? Or a kind of social network with platform characteristics? This is quite in vogue, would be conceivable, and would fit Microsoft.
The report currently raises more questions than answers. Ultimately, there could be all kinds of things hiding behind what the designer is supposed to build. But the clear statement: “Do you love MMOs?” certainly catches our attention. It could also be something like “Second Life.”
Microsoft is not the obvious candidate when thinking about exciting new “Virtual Reality MMOs”; there are currently other software companies that one would attribute such a thing to.
We recently reported on a “real” Virtual Reality MMORPG:
Paladins has a new patch – OB 50. In this you can expect new skins and a chest full of Nerf guns. There are also announcer packs and some exciting adjustments to the champs. We have the highlights.
Paladins is getting a new patch, OB50. This is packed with new skins for the champs and their weapons. The interface is being revamped, as are some champions. Especially fans of Androxus and Inara can look forward to their adjustments. Otherwise, there are a few bug fixes.
New Skins for Evie, Sha Lin, and Buck
With the skins, Paladins continues to upgrade significantly. Overall, there are three new legendary skins for Evie, Sha Lin, and Buck.
Starshine Evie: Evie is going funky. Her new skin is in bright neon colors and reminiscent of a roller skate girl from the 80s.
Starshine Evie – Funky!
Buck’s Rage: Buck becomes a professional wrestler with his new skin complete with impressive chest hair. This skin also includes a new emote and an MVP pose.
Buck’s Rage – Buck becomes a professional wrestler!
Superhero Sha Lin: Sha Lin receives two skins, fitting the superhero theme – with cape and mask.
Sha Lin gets two new skins and becomes the heroic superhero.
Nova-Strike Kinessa: Kinessa’s quest-skin “Nova-Strike” will no longer be available from patch OB 50. Ongoing quests may still be completed.
Rekt-Chest: A chest full of Nerf guns
In the Rekt-Chest, you will find weapons designed in the style of Nerf guns: bright orange with foam projectiles. If you hit your opponents with the projectiles, a dull sound will resonate.
There are Nerf guns for:
Androxus
Barik
Cassie
Grover
Kinessa
Sha Lin
Tyra
Viktor
May the Nerf gun battles begin!
Announcer Packs: Evie and Bomb King become announcers in OB50
Players can purchase announcer packs with OB50. If you equip these, corresponding champions will announce in-game. There are packs for:
Evie
Bomb King
Rory: Not a champ in the classical sense – Rory is the lead designer of Paladins. He is better known in the community as “DryBear”. This announcer pack can be purchased for 1 gold.
Champions – Strong buffs for Androxus and Inara
Androxus and Inara players can rejoice. Their buffs will make both significantly stronger. Drogoz has also received a revamp that could give him a boost on the tier list.
Androxus: Shots will no longer pass through Androxus’ “Reversal” when he walks backward. This may sound like a small thing at first, but it is a strong adjustment. This allows Androxus to be played a bit more cautiously and to back away. Otherwise, he is more of an “all or nothing” champion. A change in Androxus’ gameplay might be impending.
Inara: Inara’s legendary card “Mother Earth” will receive a debuff immunity. This could finally make the tank lady a bit more robust. Inara has been suffering since her release from being too quickly eliminated for a tank. She has never really been in the meta, even though she has a versatile kit. Furthermore: Inara’s “Dead End”, the stone wall, can now be placed further away and gives opponents a “knock-up”. The further away opponents stand, the less damage Inara’s spear will deal from OB50.
Drogoz: The greedy dragon has received a lag fix for his rocket launcher. An indirect buff. The Bomb King received a similar fix a few patches ago. The fix ensured that his stickies counted as direct hits, regardless of radius. Thus, the Bomb King stormed through Paladins and has been at the top of the tier list ever since. Something similar could now happen with Drogoz.
Buck: Buck receives a nerf and his health is reduced from 3000 to 2800 HP.
Will Inara become part of the meta with OB50 for the first time?
Patch OB 50 is currently on the test server. Otherwise, the interface was revamped and a few bugs were fixed. You can find the complete patch notes in our source.
A warlock of the world (of Warcraft) needs his own pit lord. Even if he could crush him with a toe.
Warlocks and hunters have always been in a curious competition in World of Warcraft. Which creature is the largest tamable being that retains its size even after taming or enslaving? For a while, it was the devilsaurs from Un’Goro, which remained gigantic due to a taming bug.
On Reddit, a user has now made a special discovery and currently holds the record for the “largest controllable creature”. The Redditor tempest_keep was exploring the Netherstorm from the expansion “The Burning Crusade” and encountered the pit lord Silroth while questing. He is an elite enemy and, like other pit lords in the game, should be immune to enslavement. But he is not. He can be found in the north, centrally located in the “Gehenna construction base”.
A size comparison – looks impressive, this “little chubby”. Image source: Imgur
Silroth can be enslaved through “Demon enslavement” for 5 minutes under the control of the warlock. He then loyally follows the player throughout the entire area. He is larger than all (currently known) demons that can otherwise be enslaved with the spell. Compared to most races, he is even so large that player characters simply “disappear into his foot”. Besides that, he has two abilities, “Chemical Flames” and “Flames of the Demon Forge”, that no other demon possesses.
However, he cannot be enslaved again if he strays too far from his spawn point. After all, he is also a quest mob required to complete a quest. And as long as a warlock carries him through the wilderness of the Netherstorm, someone somewhere cannot complete his quest – so don’t take him too far with you.
What does this bring? Not much. But if people want to buy old style armor from the PvP vendor in Area 52 again, you can storm the shop with your pocket pit lord. Their eyes will surely widen.
During the Saturn Super Sunday, you can get several games for the PS4 on sale. Leading the pack are some titles for PlayStation VR.
Saturn is celebrating its Super Sunday and you can grab some bargains. Leading the way is No Man’s Sky for the PS4 for only 15 Euros.
Although the game had to endure a lot of criticism, it generally managed to achieve decent ratings and has been improved through patches. For all fans of a sandbox game, it is definitely worth a look at this price.
The offers presented here are equipped with so-called affiliate links. When you make a purchase through one of these links, we receive a small commission from the respective provider.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The last will be the first. A bug in Overwatch turns losers into winners.
The rules in the competitive mode of Overwatch are generally quite simple. The team that captures more control points than the opponent wins the match. The team that can push the payload further than the opponent also wins. At least most of the time. A rather curious recording by YouTuber Biran de Jong has now appeared on Reddit, showing him and his team playing a match on the map “Eichenwalde”.
It’s about the “last curve” that leads to the “Throne Room”. Reinhardt’s team, “Barcode”, valiantly holds the payload and stops it at the very last second – exactly 0.01 meters before defeat. From that point on, the opponents cannot step forward, and the payload rolls back. Ultimately, the match ends, and the payload never exceeded the progress limit again. The celebration is great in Barcode’s team, having been able to defend this close match until the end.
Lost despite the lead – a rounding error?
The confusion is ultimately great when suddenly “Defeat” appears in bold on the screen. Both teams seem to not quite understand how this result came about.
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It is obviously a curious bug. On Reddit, it is already suspected that the game simply makes a rounding error here. Because the second team wins when they push the payload exactly as far as the first team. Presumably, the number 0.01 meters (which may have actually been less) was simply rounded. Generally, this error seems to be extremely rare, as it is the first time anyone has heard of it.
In any case, a bug that Blizzard should fix soon. Because in competitive games, such an outcome is particularly frustrating – at least for half of those involved.
Have you also experienced such a bug in Overwatch?
To drive away cheaters from Pokémon GO Niantic employs various strategies. Ban waves and anti-cheat functions aim to stop cheaters.
Niantic is on its way to significantly reduce one of the biggest problems in Pokémon GO. The studio behind Pokémon GO has targeted those cheaters who gain advantages in the game through unfair means. The “fair” players are often annoyed by cheaters and have expressed their frustration on Facebook and other social networks.
The problem is also known to the Pokémon GO developers, who are now finding ways to ruin the cheating for these fraudsters. With ban waves, anti-cheat functions, and specific job postings, Niantic fights on the side of fair players.
Jobs for the hunt for cheaters?
A job posting on the Niantic website now gives trainers in the Pokémon GO community hope. They are looking for a Machine Learning Engineer. People in this profession can teach systems to analyze and utilize the vast amounts of data from games like Pokémon GO or Ingress. This allows the systems to recognize certain patterns and classify actions accordingly.
The job posting does not explicitly set “detecting cheaters” as a goal. However, some users on Reddit write that machine learning is one of the best tools to recognize cheaters and their behavioral patterns. Often, hacks or bots behave in the same ways and can therefore stand out to such a system.
Niantic is looking for an expert with a Ph.D. for this position. If it succeeds in uncovering the patterns of various cheaters in Pokémon GO, we can soon expect “fairer” times where cheaters are automatically sorted out of the game.
Soft ban self-fix – no longer possible
In Pokémon GO, there is a soft ban that, unlike a “real ban”, is only viewed as a warning. Affected players are temporarily unable to catch Pokémon or collect items. Previously, players who received a soft ban could deactivate it themselves. This was done by going to a PokéStop and spinning the emblem 40 times.
As some trainers report on Reddit, this soft ban solution is now no longer available. Those who spin a PokéStop 40 times with a soft ban remain temporarily banned and must wait for the restriction to expire. Whether this self-unlocking option has now been permanently removed from the game is unclear.
Ban waves becoming more frequent
With large ban waves, the developers simultaneously target many cheaters. In April, a ban wave was active that particularly focused on bots. This was already the third wave against cheaters this year.
If Niantic sticks to this pattern, cheaters are likely to be regularly excluded from the game.
Measures against snipers
Snipers are a specific group of cheaters. Niantic is already aware of them and continues to act against them. A few days ago, the developers built in a new feature that should make it significantly harder for snipers to “play”. The system now checks not only the trainer’s location after they have caught a Pokémon, but also where the encounter with the wild Pokémon took place. Snipers will face problems if they teleport to a completely different location in the game for the encounter with a wild Pokémon.
In a few days, summer will begin in Germany. The warm temperatures will likely attract many trainers back outdoors, who paused Pokémon GO over the winter. Wandering through the streets with friends and catching wild Pokémon could become one of the main activities of the warm season.
Anyone still cheating should seriously consider if now is the time to stop this cheating. With the new features, Niantic apparently wants to take a strong stance against cheaters.
The first Guild Wars evokes a warm feeling in many players as they long for the times back then. Our author Jürgen feels the same way. He shares his story about Guild Wars, his first great online gaming love, and what makes Coop-RPG so special.
For many MMORPG players, Guild Wars 1 was a welcome alternative to World of Warcraft. ArenaNet’s online role-playing game went down radically different paths and convinced with gameplay concepts that were different from the competition.
What made Guild Wars 1 so special and where does it continue to live on in its successor Guild Wars 2?
Many players still have a special place in their hearts reserved for one game: Guild Wars! The first title in the series was released in 2005 and was different in many aspects from the then common MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.
Therefore, Guild Wars already had many fans back then who still play the game today and consistently call for an HD remake. But what exactly was so special about Guild Wars 1?
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Guild Wars 1 did many things differently than the competition. For example, it was more of a Coop-RPG than an MMO, had no subscription fees, and featured a skill system that was more inspired by Magic: The Gathering than by D&D.
Guild Wars – More of a Coop-RPG than an MMORPG
One of the unique features of Guild Wars 1 was that many players did not see it as an MMORPG. Unlike World of Warcraft and others, you only saw other players in so-called “hubs.” These were mostly cities, villages, or outposts where no monsters wandered. There were quests and you could trade and interact with other players.
However, when you went back out into the wilderness, you were alone unless you had invited other players beforehand. Alternatively, you could take along NPC henchmen and later some more powerful heroes from the story. Since every zone in the game world was strictly instantiated, you could only encounter the players you had invited.
No one could steal your loot or kills, and as long as you didn’t leave the zone, there was also no monster respawn. You could explore the region at will, and what was dead or looted remained gone. This created an extraordinarily dense atmosphere, especially as certain regions became available in different stages in later expansions. This depended on the storyline: for example, before and after the enemy army’s attack.
Guild Wars – Skillsystem akin to Magic: The Gathering
The skill system of Guild Wars was also unique at that time. Instead of dozens of usable abilities and skill trees, there were only eight slots from a pool of nearly 1,000 skills to choose from. The effectiveness of these skills was determined by points in the respective skill category, and you could additionally choose another class along with your chosen class, whose skills you could also equip (with exceptions).
With the strict limit of eight simultaneously usable skills, you had to weigh your options carefully. Changing skills was only possible in the quest hubs. However, it was precisely this limitation that led to the creation of particularly unusual and effective builds. For example, the legendary 55HP monk build that reduced his maximum health points to 55 through numerous effects.
Using a skill that reduced all incoming damage to a maximum of 10 percent of total hit points, this character would only take 5 damage from all attacks, which he could easily heal back. Such a hero was very difficult to defeat and ideal for tanking or farming. Unlike Guild Wars 2, you had complete freedom in skill selection and were not dependent on fixed slots for weapon skills or support abilities.
Guild Wars – No Subscription Costs and Epic Expansions
While today most MMORPGs are free-to-play, back then most online role-playing games still had subscription models. Guild Wars, on the other hand, was a buy-to-play game, which you could buy once and then play for as long as you wanted.
New content came in large expansions, each offering a new game world, the Asia-inspired Cantha, or the Africa-inspired region of Elona. Each expansion also introduced new heroes and game mechanics, such as the cool Ritualist and the faction battles for territories in Guild Wars: Factions.
Guild Wars – Quick in Endgame
Another cool aspect of Guild Wars: The maximum level was always 20 and was never increased. So you quickly reached the endgame, which was actually everything after the main campaign “Prophecies”. All quests and instances thereafter were thus “endgame” and gave you corresponding challenges.
Additionally, there was hardly any vertical progression in Guild Wars. You soon had an equipment set of the best quality and the necessary upgrades to optimally adapt it to your heroes. There was no arms race. New items were farmed just for their cool appearance, and in the game itself, it mattered much more what the skill of the players was rather than the equipment.
Guild Wars 1 vs. Guild Wars 2 – What’s Missing
All of this led to the typical Guild Wars gaming feeling, which in many aspects was not adopted by its successor Guild Wars 2. Part 2 instead focuses on an open MMO world where many players are in play at the same time and complete dynamic events instead of quests. Enemies constantly respawn and many challenges are only possible if you happen to be there and enough people participate.
You still select your active skills from a pool, but the skill selection is much lower, and many skills are fixed to a function in Guild Wars 2. Skills 1 to 5, for example, are always dependent on the weapon, and skill number 6 MUST be a support skill. Those who wanted to experiment freely with their build will find few friends in Guild Wars 2.
Guild Wars 1 in Guild Wars 2 – A Treat for Nostalgics
The gameplay of Guild Wars 2 differs massively from its predecessor, yet much from Guild Wars 1 remains in the successor. Especially the cool world of the game continues to exist – in a changed form – and offers many overlaps.
It even seems that with each new chapter of the Living Story in Guild Wars 2, the references to the predecessor increase further. Especially the third season of the story heavily references the first Guild Wars, including the following scenes:
You will encounter the islands of the Ring of Fire known only from GW1 early on. This is where the final battle against the lich took place in the Prophecies campaign.
In Kryta, the White Mantle rises again, a fanatic cult that troubled you throughout much of the campaign in GW1.
During the third season, the cultists even summon a corporeal Mursaat named Lazarus, who also made an appearance in Guild Wars 1.
Additionally, the next expansion of Guild Wars 2 is set to take place in the Crystal Desert and Elona. This is where the white dragon Glint – creator of the Flame Seekers Prophecies – once lived, and in the Crystal Desert, your heroes gained enlightenment back then. Since this divine state has recently been talked about more often and the gods play a significant role in the upcoming storyline, much nostalgic content from Guild Wars 1 is likely to emerge in Guild Wars 2 in the future.
Jürgen says: For me, the first Guild Wars was my first online role-playing game, and I was thrilled from the very beginning. So I do miss the free skill system and the instanced regions a bit. But the successor has its advantages as well, above all the cool, ever-evolving story in the living story. I am curious to see how it continues and which secrets from Guild Wars 1 will be revisited.
Patch 1.06 of Mass Effect: Andromeda brought many small improvements. Overall, this is clearly noticeable.
In recent days, Mass Effect: Andromeda received its second “major” patch. Patch 1.06 made many adjustments to the balance of the multiplayer mode and fixed some minor bugs. Additionally, the patch notes state that the quality of the cutscenes, especially at the beginning of the game, has been improved.
For those starting a new game and taking a look at the cutscenes, there are primarily three things to notice:
Hair is now comprehensively lit. This makes it no longer appear as a “uniform mass” but truly lifelike.
The facial animations in many sequences have been drastically revised. Where there was once lifelessness, there are now emotional expressions.
Partially, the gestures of the characters have been completely changed in the scenes. Where characters once stood stiffly, they now cross their arms, turn away, or perform other gestures.
Overall, the changes make sense and are definitely noticeable in quality. YouTuber YongYea showcases some impressive examples in the video:
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Cortyn says: I watched the first scenes of the game again “live” and must say: The improvement is clearly noticeable. Especially the slightly dramatic scenes now feel truly appropriate when Ryder looks down sadly or when other NPCs show concern and frown.
For those who have not yet looked into Mass Effect: Andromeda, now is a great time to do so. There is hardly any trace left of the “botched” cutscenes and flawed facial animations. In most cases, it has actually become really good.
The voice lines from Heroes of the Storm reveal more about D.Va’s story. And the heroine from Overwatch has a major role model: Kerrigan.
The story of Overwatch is primarily told through comics, cinematics, and small interactions of the heroes before a match begins. But now D.Va also enters the Nexus of Heroes of the Storm, where she encounters some strange meetings. Because “in the real world” D.Va was a StarCraft 2 professional player. In Heroes of the Storm she now meets numerous characters that she would otherwise only encounter as controllable units in a strategy game.
We have listed a few particularly funny interactions for you:
D.Va has a fan crush on Kerrigan – D.Va becomes a fangirl here. When they meet, she can hardly believe that Kerrigan is real and admits to being her biggest fan. Kerrigan herself is rather unimpressed.
When D.Va plays with Zagara, she makes references to a “Zerg Rush” – a popular, quick strategy used by Zerg players.
She reacts to other StarCraft characters depending on her faction. “Terrans are so OP” (Sergeant Hammer, Raynor) or “Protoss are so OP” (Zeratul, Tassadar) and of course also “Zerg are so OP” (Abathur, Dehaka) – as a true pro-gamer, there are obviously no exceptions.
Lúcio flirts with D.Va
All dialogues can already be listened to on the PTR, where D.Va is currently being tested. The YouTube channel “Hammeh – Overwatch (FailCraft)” has recorded all the sounds and put them in context with their respective dialogue partners.
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Particularly cute is the interaction with Lúcio, which shows that the DJ can also be a cheesy gentleman. Although the pun cannot be translated perfectly into German, it would sound something like this: “How is my international favorite DJ?” – “I may play a lot of music, but you are my favorite song” – D.Va’s real name is Hana Song. And yes, the slime trail reaches all the way to the Nexus.
The gaming market in South Korea is in turmoil. With Netmarble, a new “big player” enters the stage. They focus on mobile MMORPGs and challenge the established companies for market share. The company is now valued at over 11 billion dollars, more than the previous giants.
The gaming industry in South Korea was relatively stable for a long time. The focus was on online gaming and PCs. In the famous “PC Bangs,” the internet cafes in South Korea, players came together to enjoy popular online free-to-play games like Lineage, Crossfire, or Dungeon Fighter.
NCSoft and Nexon were market leaders in South Korea for a long time with MMOs
Two South Korean companies were leading the way for a long time: NCSoft with games like Lineage, Blade and Soul, or Aion, and competitor Nexon, who published games like MapleStory.
But now it’s not about PCs anymore, but about “mobile gaming.”
While Nexon and NCSoft still need to make the leap into mobile gaming, struggling to balance between PC and mobile and losing some ground, they are being overtaken by another South Korean gaming company. By Netmarble.
Netmarble’s largest IPO in 7 years
The company “Netmarble” has gone public in Seoul, marking the largest IPO in South Korea in 7 years. The company’s market value exploded as a result of the IPO. The company’s valuation is estimated at 12.2 billion US dollars – which is about 11.15 billion euros.
Thus, Netmarble has a higher value than Nexon or NCSoft. It also leaves behind western publishers like Take-Two and Ubisoft. Only giants like Activision or Electronic Arts remain ahead of Netmarble in market valuations, according to Bloomberg.
What is the story behind Netmarble?
Netmarble – an exception to the rule
Netmarble was founded in 2000 by Bang Jun-Hyuk, who dropped out of high school. Most of his competitors, however, have university degrees.
Bang, however, did not function well in the South Korean school system, which values memorization of the curriculum. He sought another way.
Things operated differently for Bang than for his established competitors. He grew up in one of the poorer neighborhoods of Seoul.
In the conservative gaming market of South Korea, Bang early on focused on online gaming. In the late 90s, Bang faced setbacks: The infrastructure in South Korea could not support his plans. Bang wanted to offer internet services and suffered setbacks. But just a few years later, the South Korean government massively expanded the country’s internet due to a financial crisis. Bang was there to take advantage and elevate Netmarble.
With then unconventional ideas, Bang established Netmarble with games like “Sudden Attack” as a successful company and early on focused on the mobile market.
In 2006, however, Bang withdrew from the gaming industry for 5 years. Officially, it’s referred to as “unknown health reasons.” It sounds as if Bang suffered from some form of burnout. He stated that he rarely rested during that time, was tired and stressed.
Without him, Netmarble went through tough times and did not meet expectations. The publishing rights to “Sudden Attack,” the hit game, were lost. Nexon has been distributing the game since then. Many of the games that Netmarble released fell short of expectations.
The outlook for Netmarble in 2011 was anything but bright.
After 5 years off, Bang returned to save his company
The 48-year-old Bang Jun-Hyuk is now regarded as the “South Korean Steve Jobs” due to these difficult circumstances.
Like Jobs returning to Apple, Bang Jun-Hyuk also returned to his company when it was facing financial difficulties and has led it to new heights.
Since he has been back at the helm, he has fully oriented Netmarble towards smartphones and mobile gaming. With mobile titles like Marvel Future Fight and the MMORPG “Lineage 2 Revolution,” Bang has likely achieved breakthrough success.
Particularly the insane success of Lineage 2 Revolution has likely fueled the IPO and explosion of market value. Netmarble has also gained the support of the Chinese giant “Tencent Games.”
When father and son have a lot of free time, funny videos are created. Like this recreation of the hero emotes from Overwatch.
When the fathers of “our generation” dare to enter the internet, most people probably put their hands to their heads and hope they will “only” leave some embarrassing comment on Facebook. But some gamers involve their fathers directly in their YouTube channels. Like Nick Luciano, who repeatedly asks his father to reenact some scenes in various videos. This time they tackled Overwatch and simply recreated a few emotes.
Since the father is neither a particularly great actor nor does he have cosplay costumes to choose from, he simply uses the things he finds around him: dog leashes, Nerf guns, brooms, and lawnmowers.
Reinhardt with full body commitment
The result is “pure gold” and incredibly entertaining. Here you can watch it in full length:
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The effort was rewarded quite quickly. After the video was posted on Reddit, the view counts shot through the roof. The post received more than 24,000 upvotes on Reddit. And the relatively small YouTube channel with just over 2,000 subscribers suddenly has more than 200,000 video views and is flooded with comments.
Cortyn says: I think it’s really cool because you can see that the father is really having fun with it. Especially cool are the details that were recreated with the most absurd things. The soap bubbles in the Symmetra representation really made me laugh – and the hand vacuum cleaner with Torbjörn was just the cherry on top. You can almost be a bit envious of such a father.
An error occurred in Runescape . The image of a future project “Next Gen” was shown in a live stream. The “leaker” anxiously worried about losing their job live.
Runescape is an MMO classic. The MMORPG has been running since January 2001 and has undergone many changes since then. Now there’s a new mini-chapter in the vast history of the MMORPG from Jagex.
At the end of a live stream of Runescape, community manager Mod Shauny seemingly pressed the wrong button. Instead of ending the stream, for a few seconds, the logo of a presumably new game was visible. Only the symbol and the text “Next Gen” were shown.
I am going to lose my job – buttons were too close together
Seconds later, the stream on Twitch was ended. However, on YouTube, the stream continued without a picture, and the distressed moderator could be heard repeatedly murmuring, “Oh God, I am going to lose my job.” His partner tried to reassure him, stating that this wouldn’t cause him any trouble, but Shauny insisted that it would cost him his job.
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On the Runescape Reddit, fans were already advocating for the mod. They argued that he should not be fired over something like this. Apparently, it was an “Honest Mistake,” a silly error resulting from two buttons being too close together in the interface.
In hindsight, one can probably laugh about the situation. A Jagex employee has already stated that nothing will happen to the leaker. It clearly happened unintentionally. The logo is from an unannounced project and from an internal live stream. There’s nothing more to report about this issue.
Some suspect that such a “leak” is staged by the publisher to generate additional attention.
Jagex has been trying to realize other projects alongside Runescape for years. However, no sequel has achieved lasting success so far. Perhaps things will be different with “Next Gen.”
The Plant Event in Pokémon GO was a competition between Team Red, Yellow, and Blue. Which team caught the most Plant Pokémon?
Until Tuesday, the Plant Event in Pokémon GO was running, promising an increase in Plant-type monsters. Trainers could fill their collections with monsters like Bulbasaur, Chikorita, or Tangela. To attract even more wild monsters, the duration of Lures was increased from 30 minutes to six hours.
What many trainers did not know: Niantic closely monitored which team caught how many Plant Pokémon and turned it into a competition. The winning team caught about 116 million Plant Monsters. The losers “only” 72 million. Can you already guess which team won?
And the winner is:
Trainers from the three different teams have long argued about which team is the better one.
Team Red – “Bravery” with leader Candela
Team Yellow – “Intuition” with leader Spark
Team Blue – “Wisdom” with leader Blanche
The result of the Plant Event could at least determine a winner among the three teams in this area. It was measured which group could catch the most Plant Pokémon during the event weekend.
In third place is Team Yellow, with 72 million Plant Monsters caught.
Second place goes to Team Red, which caught 102 million Plant Pokémon during the event.
Team Blue caught the most Plant Pokémon. The trainers of this team achieved 116 million Plant Monster catches.
Unfair result?
Many players criticize this “competition” on social media and wish for more detailed numbers regarding this event. The reason is that Team Blue has the most players and thus has a clear advantage in catching Pokémon.
Therefore, trainers suggest that Niantic should publish more accurate figures for future events. Values like “Pokémon catches per trainer from a team” could clarify which team made more of an “effort”.
Overall, the idea of comparing teams has been well received by the community so far. This increases the competitive spirit among trainers.
