In the MMO shooter Destiny, the update 2.6.0 is approaching. Here are 5 things you need to know to ensure a smooth start to the Age of Triumph.
Next Tuesday, March 28, the Age of Triumph begins. This will enhance the old raids and introduce new and revamped items, allowing you to celebrate the end of “Destiny 1” in style.
The Age of Triumph will be ushered in with the update 2.6.0. Bungie has revealed some information about this update in the past few days that you should know in advance.
When will update 2.6.0 be released?
The update 2.6.0 will not go live during the weekly reset at 11 AM but will instead be available later in the evening. This will be around 7 PM, with Destiny updates usually becoming available just a few minutes later.
PS4 and “Xbox One” guardians will be brought back to the login screen and prompted to download the update. By 11 PM at the latest, all players will be removed from their activities to obtain the update. There is no server downtime indicated.
Information about weekly activities
On March 28 at 11 AM, the weekly reset will occur, resetting the activities. However, you will not be able to play the Nightfall strike and the heroic strike playlist yet. If you try, you will see the error code “Honeydew.”
These will only be unlocked with the update 2.6.0. Once you have downloaded and installed the patch, you can play the Nightfall and weekly strikes.
The Age of Triumph introduces new rewards (Treasures of the Ages) for these activities, which you would not be able to receive this week if you completed the strikes before 2.6.0. Therefore, Bungie has implemented this restriction.
Important note: Bungie cannot implement a restriction for the weekly Crucible playlist. If you play a match between 11 AM and the release of 2.6.0, you will not be able to earn a Treasure of the Ages through this activity until the next reset.
In short: Wait until you have 2.6.0 installed before engaging in weekly activities on Tuesday.
The end of The Summit is near
If you have been putting off the Crucible quest line “Forged in the Crucible,” which culminates in “The Summit,” for months, you only have until 2.6.0 to complete it. After that, this quest will be discontinued. If you are currently in the middle of a quest step, you can still complete it after March 28, but no further steps will follow.
Please note:
To receive weekly Crucible bounties, completing The Summit is no longer necessary with the Age of Triumph.
Once this quest line is discontinued, the legendary “The Hightail” rocket launcher will no longer be available.
What fixes does 2.6.0 bring?
The full patch notes for update 2.6.0 will only be released on Tuesday around 7 PM. However, Bungie has given a preview of some of the fixes:
The software giant Blizzard has announced Starcraft Remastered for the summer. The game is set to be remade, supporting 4k. Blizzard intends to keep the gameplay of StarCraft and Brood War.
There has been buzz in the rumor mill for a while, and now it is ready, and Blizzard is putting it on the menu: Starcraft: Remastered is set to be released in the summer – this is a “graphical overhaul” of the original Starcraft and the Brood War expansion.
StarCraft and Brood War will be revamped
The game will then offer 4k graphics and 1080p cinematics. Audio will also be enhanced. There will be new cutscenes and an introduction in comic book style. However, Blizzard will change nothing about the gameplay and balance.
StarCraft was released in March 1998 and is considered one of the best real-time strategy games of all time.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
As Blizzard states: StarCraft is still incredibly popular, especially in South Korea. Despite the outdated graphics, the game remains as popular as ever. That’s why they decided to make a love letter to hardcore StarCraft fans: with StarCraft Remastered.
In addition to graphical improvements, StarCraft: Remastered will also be connected to the Blizzard app, what was recently still known as Battle.net. There will be matchmaking that pits players of similar skill levels against each other in battles.
PCGamer has published a “Before/After” pic here.
The old StarCraft and Brood War will be free
There’s an additional bonus. At the end of March, a new patch for the “old” StarCraft: Brood War will come, bringing the game to 1.18. Once that happens, StarCraft and the expansion Brood War will be free. Not free-to-play, but simply free, given away.
StarCraft: Remastered, on the other hand, will not be free, but it is set to be multiplayer compatible with the original game.
This is not the first time Blizzard has been so generous:
In Mass Effect: Andromeda the radiation on Eos (Eos Radiation) causes problems. Progress is impossible.
Many players of Mass Effect: Andromeda face a problem fairly early in the game. As soon as they reach the first planet Eos, they want to take advantage of the highly praised freedom and explore the planet at will. But soon a barrier presents itself – outside the base, the planet is irradiated. While Ryder can stay in areas with level 1 radiation for a while, level 3 radiation almost instantly causes death.
The radiation on Eos causes problems
Many players are frustrated by this situation because, for now, little of the promised exploration is visible. The solution is relatively simple: continue playing the main quest. You need to help Peebee reactivate the monoliths and then complete the quest related to the grand chamber. This will set the healing process of the planet in motion.
This is hard to accept, especially for perfectionists, but the simple truth is: the planet Eos cannot be fully completed in the first attempt. You must accept that maximum viability can only be achieved later in the game. This also applies, even though you already received quests that send you into the completely irradiated zones.
Just continue with the main and side missions in other locations. In due time, you will be informed that the base on Eos is flourishing and needs your help. From then on, the radiation on the planet has decreased enough that you can freely explore the remaining areas – the deadly radiation has disappeared.
It takes some time to reach 100% on Eos.
How many times have you tried to cross the irradiated wasteland of Eos with the Nomad only to fail? And did you find it hard to backtrack with unfinished business?
With Un’goro, a lot changes in Hearthstone . The new minion type “Elementals” brings its own mechanics.
With “Journey to Un’Goro”, Hearthstone not only gets new mechanics and quest cards but also a new type of minion. After there have been mechs, dragons, pirates, beasts, and murlocs, another category is joining in: Elementals.
Many Elementals come with a new mechanic, similar to the dragons and dragon allies. Elementals trigger certain effects when an Elemental was played in the previous turn.
An example of this is the legendary minion Ozruk. For each Elemental that was played in the previous round, he gains 5 additional health points via Battlecry.
Another example is the shaman minion Stone Guardian, who summons 2 additional Elementals with 2/3 and Taunt when an Elemental was played in the previous round.
To ensure there are enough Elementals, some cards will be retroactively renamed to Elementals that were introduced in previous expansions. The following cards will be retroactively “converted” to Elementals:
Water Elemental
Anomalus
Ragnaros the Lightlord
Lightspawn
Dust Devil
Unleashed Elemental
Burning Warlord
Rumbling Elemental
Earth Elemental
Fire Elemental
Neptulon
Al’Akir the Windlord
Arcane Anomaly
Icecaller
Magma Wielder
Frost Elemental
Baron Geddon
Ragnaros the Firelord
Additionally, all Elementals from the expansion “Journey to Un’goro” will come.
Ragnaros will also now be an Elemental.
However, it was a long road for the developers to get to the mechanics of the Elementals. They had many other ideas that were ultimately discarded:
Elementals should receive a bonus when a spell is cast in the round.
Elementals receive a bonus when you control another Elemental.
There was even a completely new resource, the “Elemental Charge”, which was envisioned to work like additional mana and could be used for certain Elementals.
What do you think of the Elementals? An interesting new Battlecry mechanic or rather ballast for Hearthstone?
A new ARPG Warhammer is set to release for PC and consoles. This was announced by Bigben Interactive and Games Workshop.
The collaboration between Bigben Interactive and Games Workshop has secured the license for Warhammer Fantasy Battles and is planning a new game for PC and consoles (usually referring to PS4 and Xbox One when a western title mentions “consoles”).
The plan is for a hack and slash title set in the Warhammer universe. In the Warhammer 40000 universe, Inquisitor – Martyr is featured, which we have introduced to you in the new ARPGs for 2017/2018. Currently, several hack and slash titles are in development. It’s still unknown who will succeed Blizzard’s genre leader Diablo 3.
A new Warhammer ARPG is coming from the creators of “How to Survive”
“The game immerses adventurers in the Old World, a dark and bloody continent ravaged by the wars against Chaos. Players must dive into the heart of the Warhammer story, become heroes, and fight to survive in the wasteland.”
The title is to be developed by the French developer Eko Software, known for the horror ARPG “How to Survive”. This ARPG from 2013 is well-received by fans – 83% of the 11735 reviews are positive. A good omen for the new Diablo-Warhammer? We will be surprised. The partners are optimistic about the future:
Bigben Interactive: “We are excited about the collaboration with Games Workshop and the opportunity to develop a game that captures the incredible potential of the Warhammer world. The teams at Eko Software and Bigben have been fans of the franchise for a long time, and that includes me. Warhammer Fantasy Battles will offer players some innovation in the timeless hack’n’slash genre.”
Games Workshop: “We are very pleased to begin this new partnership with Bigben. This project will create a fantastic opportunity for gamers to experience an epic story in the first hack’n’slash title set in the classic Warhammer Fantasy world. The team at Eko has done an excellent job with their How To Survive series, and we are confident that they will utilize our license to develop an outstanding game. I know that the teams at Bigben and Eko are big fans of our stories, and I can’t wait to see what they will present.”
The ACR Assault Rifle in Ghost Recon Wildlands is easy to use and has a high rate of fire. We show you the location of this rifle.
In Ubisoft’s tactical shooter, there is a huge selection of different assault rifles. In total, 23 Assault Rifles can be found in Wildlands from weapon crates or by drops from enemies. The ACR Assault Rifle is characterized by a high rate of fire and good handling.
We will show you where to find the ACR and how to best reach the corresponding weapon crate.
Where to find the ACR in Ghost Recon Wildlands?
Since the ACR is located within a UNIDAD base, it’s not easy to access the weapon crate. You should equip yourself with silenced weapons. In our test, we obtained this weapon solo and chose a stealth tactic where we eliminated individual soldiers from a distance and then cleared the base.
The ACR can be found in the north of Media Luna. In the following overview map, you can see the approximate target position to which you must head for this weapon crate.
In the test, we arrived by helicopter from the south. If you approach from the south as well, you should be careful.
About halfway through Media Luna lies the Condor Base of UNIDAD, which is equipped with four rocket launchers.
If you fly there by helicopter, you should be good at handling the aircraft, as you will have to dodge rockets multiple times.
Alternatively, you can fly around the Condor Base and take another route to the target position.
Drop off your helicopter near the base.
Then move carefully on foot towards the base.
There are various ways to enter the base.
In our test, we decided to approach the base from the south.
From a distant vantage point, you should get an overview of the base.
Many UNIDAD soldiers and snipers are just waiting for you to get too close to the base.
From the vantage point, we killed both snipers on the tower and a few soldiers who were moving individually.
Afterwards, we chose the direct route through the river.
After crossing the river, head to the dock and silently clear your way from there.
If you have worked cleanly from the vantage point, there should only be a few stationary guards left.
There are further patrols in this base. So be vigilant on your way to the crate.
The weapon crate with the ACR is located next to the dark green containers. You can see the location in more detail in the next image:
Once you’ve cleared the UNIDAD base, you can make your escape with your helicopter or take a minigun boat found at the dock.
If you escape with a helicopter, be sure to remember the Condor base with the rocket launchers and fly around it.
Comparison: ACR and MK-17
To give you an idea of the combat values of the ACR Assault Rifle, we compared it with the MK-17. Both rifles were equipped with standard parts without modifications during the comparison.
Negative
Less damage
Lower precision
Shorter range
Less penetration
Positive
Much better handling
Almost double rate of fire
More sound suppression
Notably, the handling of the ACR is much higher and it has an extremely high rate of fire. Since it has less range than the MK-17, one should avoid fights at long range or switch to a sniper rifle as a second weapon. With the high rate of fire, it is a lot of fun to eliminate groups of enemies without needing to use grenades for that.
But right now, that’s different: The shooter “PlayerUnknown’s Battleground” has only recently entered Early Access and is currently (Saturday 5 PM) with over 67,000 viewers in 3rd place between Hearthstone and Dota 2.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds currently has about 3 times as many viewers as the new heavyweight “Mass Effect: Andromeda” and 4 times as many as the previous “Battle Royale” champion H1Z1 King of the Kill.
What is the reason for this?
Battle Royale is a mode made for Twitch
The concept of “Battle Royale” on which the shooter is based is apparently incredibly appealing and exciting for viewers. It’s the same as in the movie “Hunger Games.” Players fight each other for weapons and equipment on an ever-shrinking map until only one survives and wins the round. Those who die are eliminated.
This game concept guarantees constant decisions every minute: “Do you attack the opponent or hold back? Do you seek confrontation or avoid it?” The entire match can turn at any moment when the favorite gets eliminated.
And the concept allows for finesse and varied gameplay: Players set traps for opponents, leave attractive items like a rifle in plain sight, wait for prey to be attracted, then take them out and get stronger by taking the items from the defeated.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
On the US site Polygon, streamer “Sacriel42” talks about the success formula of Battlegrounds. Sacriel 42 is one of the streamers now streaming the shooter on Twitch, and its viewership is growing.
The game principle “Battle Royale” has always been appealing, but until now it was only a mod in games like H1Z1 or Arma 3. The good mods were always developed by Brendan Greene, the PlayerUnknown.
But for a long time, the mode could only be slowly developed further; the games were not designed for it. Especially H1Z1: King of the Kill had stagnated over time. Now, there’s the Battle Royale mode from the master himself as a standalone game, and it’s taking off.
Battlegrounds is so good that streamers don’t even want to be paid to play it
Already after the launch, the streamer says, Battlegrounds captures the appeal of the Battle Royale mode and the gunplay from Arma and H1Z1 but doesn’t have all the bugs. For viewers, the constant action in Battlegrounds is incredibly attractive. Streamers are also growing their channels as a result.
Streamers don’t even have to be lured by the game developer with deals or perks – as is often common. Instead, the attractiveness of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for viewers is incentive enough to play and stream it.
The streamer interviewed by Polygon says: Recently, his team member summit1g had over 30,000 viewers on Battlegrounds. His own channel was also significantly more visited than usual.
This weekend, not only will the clocks move forward by one hour, but also the new “Formula 1” season begins. While Sebastian Vettel and co. chase the best time, you can grab the corresponding offers at Saturn. This way, you can get F1 2016 at the current best price, allowing you to reach for the World Championship crown.
F1 2016 is available for 24.99 Euros for Xbox One and PS4. Unlike F1 2015, the 2016 edition features a career mode again. This has been significantly improved and is meant to introduce you more into the life of an F1 driver. You can create your own driver and need to provide development assistance for the car as well as coordinate with your manager. Additionally, there is now finally a safety car (including the virtual safety car) and a formation lap before the start.
Overall, F1 2016 is a mix of arcade and simulation. Surely one of the best entries in the F1 series by Codemasters.
If you want to experience the ultimate racing simulation and the best racing driver feel, you should consider getting a Playseat. This is a racing chair designed so you feel like you are sitting in an F1 car. All you need is the right steering wheel, and you can stylishly go for lap times.
Currently, the only item on sale is the Playseat Revolution Racing Seat for 329 Euros. The others are not on sale but are definitely worth a look if you want the ultimate simulation.
Among the offers, you will also find the Xbox One S 1TB with Forza Horizon 3. You can get it for 279 Euros. The Xbox One S allows you to play Blu-ray movies in 4K and also features 4K upscaling. The included Forza Horizon 3 provides you with the corresponding racing action.
No racing game collection is complete without a Nintendo classic: Mario Kart. Correspondingly, there is currently the Nintendo 2DS incl. Mario Kart 7 on sale for 75 Euros. Additionally, there is Project Cars for PS4 on sale.
All offers are valid until Friday, March 31, 2017.
The offers displayed here are equipped with so-called affiliate links. By purchasing through one of these links, we receive a small commission from the respective provider.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the Infinity (Pocket Infinity) will not return with the Age of Triumph. This has now been confirmed.
On March 28, the Age of Triumph begins. With this final update in Destiny 1, the Guardians will celebrate their legend one last time. Bungie is bringing new Raid gear and new ornaments, along with some cult weapons from Year 1 – including the legendary primary weapons with elemental damage as well as the exotic guns Vex Mythoclast and Necrochasm.
From the Age of Triumph onwards, all exotic weapons from Year 1 will be in the game with maximum light level – except for one weapon: The Infinity.
The Infinity faces the same fate as the Black Spindle
In the last livestream, it was officially announced that the powerful sniper rifle “Black Spindle” from Year 1 will not return. It has finally been replaced by the Black Spindle. If you want to hold the Black Hammer again, you will have to rummage through your vault and dig it out with a low light level.
As designer Josh Hamrick recently stated via Twitter, there will also be no return of the Infinity. He was asked if we would see the “Pocket Infinity” soon at light level 400, and his clear answer was: No.
This makes the Infinity the only exotic weapon (the Black Hammer is a legendary weapon) that will forever remain in Year 1.
What is the Infinity anyway?
Many Guardians will know little or nothing about “Pocket Infinity” or “Infinity”. This exotic was a fusion rifle with solar damage in Year 1, which was obtainable through a quest surrounding a shattered memory fragment. This quest no longer exists, but you still have a way to obtain this weapon:
If Xur brings legacy engrams for special weapons, you can try your luck. The Infinity may be included.
The special perk is called Infinity: The weapon fires automatically and can return ammo to the magazine on missed shots.
For a time, the Infinity was considered a monster in PvP, which is why some Guardians write on Reddit that they are glad that this fusion rifle is not returning. But what do you think? Would you have liked to celebrate your legend with the Infinity?
WoW increases the difficulty of the dungeons, which also affects the loot received. We reveal what the loot looks like in Patch 7.2.
Next week, Patch 7.2 “The Tomb of Sargeras” for World of Warcraft: Legion will be released. Starting March 29, there will be many new things to do and explore the Broken Shore. However, one of the biggest changes concerns mythic dungeons and the loot available from them.
Mythic dungeons and their corresponding versions with the keystones will be significantly harder. To compensate for this, the rewards from the chests that can be looted at the end of a successful “Mythic+” dungeon will also increase. The new rewards from the chests are as follows:
Mythic 2-3: 870
Mythic 4-5: 875
Mythic 6-7: 880
Mythic 8-9: 885
Mythic 10+: 890
Remember that all items can still be upgraded as usual.
New item levels from the weekly reward chest
Additionally, at the start of each new week in the Order Hall, there is the usual chest whose content corresponds to the hardest dungeon completed in the previous week. The item level within the chest increases as follows (upgrades are still possible):
Mythic 2: 875
Mythic 3: 880
Mythic 4: 885
Mythic 5: 890
Mythic 6: 890
Mythic 7: 895
Mythic 8: 895
Mythic 9: 900
Mythic 10+: 905
These changes also mean that the transition chest (i.e., the one you can open this Wednesday) contains fewer keystones than usual. Since the difficulty of the keystone dungeons is increased, a “Mythic +5” after the patch will be significantly harder than a current “Mythic +7”.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
One last tip: If you can, you should complete a dungeon this week that is Mythic+10 or higher – because then there is a nice item with item level 905 on Wednesday!
The action spectacle For Honor is soon to face competition. As part of the China Hero Project, two interesting action MMOs, War Rage and Tiger Knight, are coming to PS4.
As Sony announces, 10 games from China are coming to PlayStation 4. The “China Hero Project” started in mid-2016 and aims to support Chinese developers in creating their games for the PlayStation 4. Over 400 projects were submitted, and 10 titles emerged at the end of the project.
Half of the 10 games are intended for PSVR, while the other half is for PS4.
You can see all 10 titles with short excerpts in this video:
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
For MMO fans and friends of For Honor, especially two titles are interesting, which have already made a name for themselves on PC and which we have previously introduced on Mein MMO.
Both games are from the relatively new field of “siege MMOs,” where players are part of a battle and can control and direct their troops themselves. It is a mix of strategy like in the “Total War” series and actual action in battle like in For Honor.
War Rage – Hyper-Realistic Battles
War Rage is a strategy and action MMO that has been released in beta for PC in China. The game has been in discussions since 2015, and now in 2017 it is slowly taking shape. A port to PlayStation 4 can surely help.
War Rage is considered hyper-realistic and is developed by NetEase. They also publish the Blizzard games in China.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
The other game from the China Hero Project is “Tiger Knight.” In contrast to War Rage, it has already been released in Europe and North America and has already gained some fans on PC via Steam.
Tiger Knight emphasizes the strategic aspect more than the action and gives players the opportunity to lead an army to victory.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
When War Rage and Tiger Knight will be released for PS4 is currently unknown. We also have no information about a West release. We will keep an eye on the “China Hero Project,” War Rage, and Tiger Knight.
In the code of Pokémon GO, there are early hints of redeemable codes that can reward you with candies, stardust, or coins.
Very soon, there might be a possibility in Pokémon GO to obtain additional content such as candies through promo codes. This is indicated by the latest findings from data mining. The codes could be linked to special events around the world, where they would be distributed.
In the data mining of the Pokémon GO APK 0.59.1 the lines with the redeemable codes have been noticed for the first time. We will show you what insights have been gained so far.
Promo Codes for Pokémon GO – Not for Eggs or Monsters
Data mining regularly checks the latest version of a game to find possible changes. For Pokémon GO, data mining is always interesting after an update, as changes are often found that the developers did not announce in the patch notes.
The Pokémon GO APK 0.59.1 now gives hints about redeemable codes. If you are not familiar with this system: League of Legends has a similar promo code system. In the game, there is an option to enter the codes that players receive at events like Gamescom. This way, there are cosmetic rewards in the game, for example.
A similar system might also be coming to Pokémon GO. The experts from PokemonGOHub found the message “RedeemPasscodeReward” in the code along with the terms for:
Avatar items
Pokémon candies
stardust
coins
Ingress already had similar actions that were well received by the community. It is possible that in the future, Pokémon and eggs could also be rewards for the promo codes, giving trainers who do not travel the world the chance to get regional Pokémon. So far, there is no official information on when or how this feature will be implemented in Pokémon GO.
A developer reveals why the facial animations in Mass Effect: Andromeda sometimes look so bad.
Of all the criticisms that Mass Effect: Andromeda had to endure, the facial animations are probably among the most annoying problems. But how did this issue even arise? Was it simply sloppy work, time pressure, or just incompetence on BioWare’s part?
On Twitter, developer Jonathan Cooper, who worked on Uncharted 4 and before that on Mass Effect 1 and 2, commented on the topic and provided some interesting insights.
According to him, it is unfair to compare the animations of Mass Effect: Andromeda with Uncharted. Animating an RPG is a “really, really huge undertaking – completely different from a game like Uncharted”.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
In Uncharted, for instance, almost every encounter is unique and tightly controlled, and the corresponding animations are tailored.
In an RPG of the scope of Mass Effect, it is completely different. Conversations are divided into different tiers according to their importance. The developers ask themselves different questions: Does the sequence belong to the main story? How likely is it that an average player will actually see this dialogue?
This generally leads to small dialogues from hidden, “simple” side quests being processed by an algorithm, and no developer manually touches the animations for these scenes. However, with the associated time expenditure, that just isn’t possible. Quality and quantity are weighed against each other, and “hand-animating” all dialogues in Mass Effect (with almost 1200 voice roles) would likely take months or years.
The result of this algorithm approach is unfortunately that some scenes only have lip movements while the rest of the face remains motionless.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from Twitter that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
A devastating point is also the age of the “share” buttons. This causes players to pick out the moments when the game looks exceptionally bad, thereby reaching the largest possible audience.
However, Cooper does see one positive aspect in the whole debate that has arisen:
“(…) AAA games with a lot of story should not skimp on animation quality by employing a system for it.”
At least for BioWare, this experience will likely be a lesson.
How about you? Do the sometimes “lifeless” facial animations ruin the game for you? Or do you agree with our review of Mass Effect: Andromeda that this is just a small drop in a bucket and hardly bothers you?
In Destiny and The Division, players have spent 1000 hours and are still disappointed. Why is that?
If you look in the forums for Destiny and The Division, you will repeatedly find players who have spent well over 1000 hours in the worlds but are bitterly disappointed. The criticism can be summarized as follows:
The game has so much potential, but not much is happening with it. It’s too often the same, too little development, too little new content.
Players feel that, overall, it has been a disappointment, even though they have spent so much time with the game.
In other games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, players, however, are satisfied and move on after 60 or 70 hours, raving about their time in the world and recommending it enthusiastically.
What is the reason for this? Why are players unhappy after 1000 hours of Destiny or The Division, but happy after 70 hours of Horizon: Zero Dawn?
It is because Destiny and The Division are “MMO hybrids” that lie between two game models.
Two Game Models – Movie vs. Series, Retail Game vs. Games as a Service
Traditional games like Horizon: Zero Dawn, Assassin’s Creed, or The Witcher are released according to the retail model, according to the “movie” model:
A huge hype builds up around the release – that’s the main launch
Then some DLCs, updates, and maybe a big expansion are released
And after that, it’s over – the game is no longer developed. It remains as it is.
Players wait for the sequel, the continuation of the franchise. It can take years until the next part comes – or it may never come.
This is the same model as with “movies”. The big cinematic launch is what makes the most impact, after which there are only smaller bumps when the movie is released on DVD, pay-TV, or free-TV. Maybe there will be a special edition with some additional scenes, a director’s cut, but essentially that’s it.
Players experience their gaming experience as “beginning-middle-end” and are satisfied when they reach the end.
The other approach is that taken by “MMOs” or “Games as a Service” like WoW, LoL, Final Fantasy XIV, or The Elder Scrolls Online:
The base game is released – that is the main launch
Regularly, DLCs, patches, and updates are released
After a while, a “big expansion” may be released that is almost as large as the base game.
And after that, it goes on and on – there is no end, the game continues indefinitely
This follows the same model as TV series like Game of Thrones or Breaking Bad.
In these cases, the “hype” may grow stronger over the years. Season 3 may have more viewers than Season 1 – this is also true for good “Games as a Service” games.
Destiny and The Division Lack an Ending
If things go well, players experience a “season” here as beginning-middle-end, but after the end of a season, they still want more because there are still questions unanswered.
Since Destiny and The Division lie somewhere between both models, the game is perceived as “beginning-middle-and that’s it”. An ending is missing – something players have been waiting for years. This creates dissatisfaction.
Players Expected a “Series”, Received a Movie
The problem with Destiny and The Division is that both games were marketed as a “TV series” but now play out like “movies”. The first part is over, now we are waiting for the second.
Players entered Destiny and The Division with a different expectation from the beginning. Many expected Destiny to be a game lasting 10 years.
And Destiny seems to be structured that way: Like a huge universe where so much more can happen. The game mechanics are modular, as if they are just waiting to be expanded indefinitely:
The level can still rise,
exciting, fresh weapons can be introduced,
new enemies can appear,
the story can spin infinitely.
It Could Be So Wonderful
Players imagine the future in the most wonderful colors:
There could be space battles.
You could live in your ship!
The virus could appear in London or Paris too?
Ah, all the things you could do in Destiny or The Division!
“There is so much more happening here!” both games seem to shout at us. But then nothing more happens. This contributes to the ongoing feeling of disappointment with the game.
Destiny and The Division Have Only Scratched the Surface of Their Worlds
Destiny players feel they have only scratched the surface and that at any moment there could be revelations about the Traveler, with new planets opening up, new stories about the Queen of the Awoken, and so much more.
Destiny players feel they have only seen the first season of a series for which they have been waiting for years for the continuation. But that isn’t coming.
Also, in The Division, this feeling is very present, even though The Division is much more structured like a classic game than Destiny. But even here, fans are waiting to discover new areas of New York, to enter Central Park, and to start the hunt for the rogue agent Keener.
In both games, the developers have succeeded in creating a vibrant world where players want to have adventures. But the adventures have ended. They are to be continued in both games with a “Part 2”, a sequel, and that is taking too long for the players.
Bungie Has Failed in Transitioning to a “Live Game”
In Destiny, it is clear that originally another plan was intended: Bungie wanted to develop Destiny much more like a “series”, with tightly packed releases of new content. Destiny 2 was supposed to follow Destiny 1 without a long content gap in between. But that went wrong because the individual components were delayed and they couldn’t deliver enough content quickly enough.
Bungie had no experience with a so-called “live game”, with a series. Bungie was a “film” studio that always thought from release to release. In that case, a delay isn’t the problem; players just have to wait a year longer for the new release. If a delay occurs in a “live game”, it leads to content droughts. Players are disappointed and angry.
In the past, Bungie employees could take longer breaks to recover after a release. Now it was “After the update is before the update.” It has to keep going.
What is clear is: Bungie had to transition from a studio that thought from release to release to a studio that maintains a “live game”. This requires different structures, other workflows, and a different communication with fans.
In The Division, the Developers Seem Often Lost After Year 1
In Destiny, much is known. In The Division, however, it is unclear what the original plan for the game looked like.
It is quite possible that The Division was once planned quite differently and Ubisoft wanted to steer the game toward “Destiny”, in order to also get a piece of the tasty “Games as a Service” pie after it became clear how much money Activision was making with Destiny.
Perhaps in The Division, they only wanted to apply the classic formula of “Part 1, expansions, then Part 2” and were surprised by how well the world of The Division worked.
Maybe Ubisoft even had no plans for year 2 prepared. In any case, the developers seem so lost lately that it seems obvious.
Like a Host Whose Guests Just Won’t Leave
The first years of Destiny and The Division show what happens when you promise a series, design the world accordingly, and then deliver a movie: Players spend hours upon hours in the world because they are fascinated by it, but the adventures run out. The experience feels empty and dreary, as if they’ve seen it all dozens of times.
Somewhere I read the comparison that Bungie is currently like a host who wants to go to bed, but whose guests want to stay and keep partying. But since this party doesn’t come, the guests become angry and disappointed. Even though the 1000 hours before were quite enjoyable.
What’s Next for Destiny and The Division?
The good thing about Destiny is that the sequel with Destiny 2 is now within reach, and the studio seems to have gone through this transformative process from a “film” to a “series” studio. At least Activision has been promising this between the lines for years. Bungie has significantly increased staff, apparently done a lot internally with the processes and worked hard.
Starting with Destiny 2, Activision promises a “better and more consistent flow of content.” Translated: Destiny 2 is supposed to be even more like a series.
What the future looks like for The Division is currently unclear. No signals are coming from it at all. 2 free updates in 2017 – that is far too little for the players. In The Division, it seems the big content drought that we experienced with Destiny for two years is now about to begin. It remains to be seen how The Division will deal with the new challenges. It will likely – as with Destiny – take a long time before a course correction and transformation is made.
And also with Destiny, we only have promises. Bungie still needs to deliver.
In this article, we deal with the comparison of how The Division and Destiny have developed after their release:
The new cards from Un’goro will bring a breath of fresh air to Hearthstone . Especially Hunters are looking forward to powerful minions.
With large strides, the release of the “Journey to Un’Goro” expansion for Hearthstone is approaching. More and more new cards are being released, making fans stare at the screen with drool. Especially Hunters, who want to include more wild animals in their deck, will see all their dreams come true with the new quest card.
The Marsh Queen requires the player to play a total of 7 minions that cost only 1 mana – perfect for rush decks. As a reward, the legendary minion Queen Carnassa, an 8/8 beast for just 5 mana with a powerful Battlecry: Shuffle 15 Raptors into your deck. The Raptors are also impressive, as they cost only 1 mana, have stats of 3/2 and the Battlecry: “Draw a card.” If multiple Raptors are drawn in succession, you can flood the board efficiently.
Rogues also have a quest. They must achieve The Caverns Below by playing four minions with the same name in a match, which can be made possible by various doubling effects. As a reward, the spell Crystal Core waits, which for 5 mana ensures that all Rogues’ minions become 5/5 for the rest of the turn. This even applies to targets that have been transformed into a sheep or a frog!
This task is made easier by the Rogue card Mimic Pod, which allows you to draw one card and add another copy of it to your hand – basically a little thistle tea.
But even more highlights have already been revealed. The Volcanosaur is a beast with stats of 5/6 for 7 mana, which executes the new “Adapt” mechanic twice in succession with its Battlecry.
Mages get a new secret named Mana Bind, which ensures that the next spell cast by the opponent is copied to your hand and can be played for 0 mana.
Warlocks get a cheap, delayed board clear for 2 mana. Corrupting Mist curses all minions, causing them to die at the start of your next turn. Basically, an improved Doomcaller.
Hearthstone: Priests must be familiar with the opponent’s deck
The Tol’vir Warden for Hunters should become a valuable addition for Zoo decks, giving the Hunter two 1-mana minions from the deck to their hand.
The Ice Elemental Glacial Shard is used for freezing and opens up combo opportunities.
Especially interesting is the new Priest card Curious Glimmerroot, as the Priest needs to identify which of the 3 cards in their opponent’s deck was and then receives a copy of it. A very interesting new mechanic.
The first update of Mass Effect: Andromeda introduced a new character. The krogan gladiator joins the APEX team!
Mass Effect: Andromeda was only released a few days ago, but the multiplayer team is already working on delivering new content. Similar to Mass Effect 3, there will be specific missions every few weekends that are loosely tied to a bit of story to present new content to players or give them special tasks.
It starts with the “APEX Mission 01,” which is active until March 27. Some of Drack’s krogan are missing, and it is the APEX team’s (that is, the characters in multiplayer) task to locate these missing krogan.
Recommended editorial content
At this point you will find external content from YouTube that complements the article.
I consent to external content being displayed to me. Personal data can be transmitted to third party platforms.
Read more about our privacy policy.
Primarily, this means one thing: There is a new character for the multiplayer mode. The “Krogan Gladiator” is a krogan biotic equipped with the 3 abilities “Pull,” “Annihilation,” and “Nova” to heat things up for opponents in close combat. Thanks to her krogan hammer, she can also deal a hefty blow to enemies pulled in.
The krogan gladiator must first be unlocked. She can be found in loot boxes, like all other locked characters, which can be purchased either for in-game currency or real money.
Additionally, there is temporarily the new map “Firebase Paradox,” which is only available for the duration of this event and will disappear from the rotation afterward.
Last but not least, there is a new shotgun, the Ruzad Shotgun, which can also be found in loot boxes and fires with so much force that weaker enemies are staggered by it.
At the equipment vendor in the Base, there is a mod with bonus damage for the sticky grenade
At the Dark Zone gear vendor, there is a Stamina mod with bonus to Exotic Damage Reduction.
At the advanced weapons seller, there is a Vertical Grip with optimal range, precision, and stability. Also a VX-1 Scope with headshot damage, critical hit chance, and optimal range.
Special equipment vendor: Firearms mod with bonus to Exotic Damage Reduction
The Cavern Safehouse: Stamina mod with bonus to skill power
Camp Hudson: Electronics mod with bonus to skill power
Madison’s Stand Safehouse: Stamina mod with bonus to health points
E 61st St: Reflex Sight with headshot damage, crit chance, and crit damage
E 42nd St: Mod with bonus to health points for the ballistic shield
E 40th St: Mod with bonus to damage reduction while ballistic shield is active
The offer from the special blueprint vendor
This vendor is at the terminal and has these blueprints with maximum score:
ACR
AK-47
Stamina Kneepads
Firearms Gloves
Vertical Grip with Optimal Range and two random bonuses
The PvP MMORPG Crowfall is constantly evolving, prompting the developers to look back at what has already been achieved.
Of course, the Artcraft Studios team still has a lot of work ahead of them before the MMORPG Crowfall reaches a status where it can be released.
When will Crowfall finally be released? What is the Crowfall release date?
Currently, there is no release date for Crowfall in sight. It seems to be heading towards a “soft launch”. They have adopted the “When it’s ready” philosophy.
According to the latest information from March 4, 2017, a soft launch of Crowfall is planned for “mid/late 2017”. By then, Crowfall would be playable, but not all features would be available yet.
This timeline shows which updates have been released so far. It starts on December 22, 2014, with the launch of the Play2Crush teaser site.
Recently, many sandbox titles have been announced. Crowfall is considered one of the biggest MMORPG hopes.
A constant development process
On January 6, 2015, the official announcement of Crowfall followed, and on February 24, the Kickstarter campaign began, which successfully ended on March 26 with around 1.77 million dollars.
In August 2015, the first pre-alpha was finally released, which was the “Hunger Dome”, an arena where players could fight each other until the so-called “Hunger” destroyed the arena. Regular updates have followed ever since.
And that is what the team is particularly proud of. Because with each of the updates that were actually released monthly, the game has been continuously developed.
Updates planned for many years
Crowfall has been steadily improving and is slowly becoming the game that was announced. However, not everything has gone according to plan, including issues with the experimental physics control and the development of the combat system taking longer than expected.
But overall, the team is very satisfied with the development so far and is looking forward to providing further updates for Crowfall until launch and long thereafter.
Off to the Moon is the motto in the upcoming update New Moon Order of the MMORPG Skyforge.
On the Moon Thea of the MMORPG Skyforge, you can expect new challenges soon, as with the update New Moon Order you will travel to the satellite. Mysterious enemies are said to have settled there. You are to defeat them and find out what they wanted on the Moon. And while you’re there, you may also conduct some scientific studies.
Gather resources and complete quests on the Moon
On the Moon, there are large deposits of Aelerium, a valuable resource that can unlock new class talents. You can obtain Aelerium-9 by defeating enemies or by completing certain quests. It is also possible to trade items for Aelerium-9.
You have four types of quests. The “general” ones are classic quests from an NPC that reward you with regular rewards. Additionally, you have public quests where you are to repel a mechanoid attack on one of the Aelerium-9 fields.
Use the different gravity to your advantage
Moreover, once a week you will have a weekly quest with special rewards, and the special quests will let you explore strange signals or components of unknown origin and fight against groups of monsters. However, things on the Moon Thea do not operate as you are used to from Skyforge.
Because on the Moon, gravity is lower, and there are different weather conditions. You can adapt to the gravity and even use it tactically to your advantage. In meteor showers, it is better to seek cover. However, you should examine the meteors afterwards.
When the update New Moon Order for the MMORPG Skyforge will be released is currently not known. More details are expected soon.
In the MMO shooter Destiny, the Trials of Osiris start today, on March 24th. On which map do the Trials take place?
Next Tuesday, at 7 PM, the update 2.6.0 will be deployed, heralding the Age of Triumph. This update will also address balance changes. Nerfs and buffs are coming.
The complete patch notes will only be revealed on Tuesday, but we already know that the range of hand cannons will be reduced by a few meters. The exotic rocket launcher Truth will receive the maximum reload speed and one more rocket in reserve, and No Land Beyond will receive a stronger flinch.
The Memory of Skorr, probably the best artifact in the Trials, will also be revised: From now on, you’ll need to get a kill for the effect to activate for a minute. Furthermore, there are changes to special ammo: Pistols will only have a full magazine upon respawn, and when you pick up ammo from special ammo crates, it will immediately go into the weapon. You won’t need to reload, you can fire right away.
In the Trials starting today, these changes are not yet active. They begin at 6 PM and will last until the weekly reset on Tuesday at 11 AM. It will be played on the map Shore of Time.
What are the Trials of Osiris?
In the Trials, you engage in PvP battles in the “Elimination” mode. You face off in three-player teams and try to fill your scorecard with victories. If the opposing team is fully defeated, you win a round. Fallen teammates can be revived. It’s not only about strong gear, but also about communication among the Guardians. A good knowledge of the map is advantageous.
At 5 and 7 victories, there are random rewards from Osiris’s loot pool. You should also keep an eye on Brother Vance’s bounties for extra rewards. If you’re in top form, you can reach the Mercury with a “flawless” ticket and loot the chest with the fine loot there.
