The German gamigo group has taken over an English news site.
The gamigo AG, headquartered in Hamburg, has recently merged with the publisher Aeria Games. Now, they announce their next move: gamigo has taken over the online portal MMOGames.com.
The English-language website was established in 2007 and has about 800,000 page views per month, says gamigo in a statement on their homepage, which is also available in German.
gamigo aims to focus on emphasizing the monetization of the MMOGames site. The editorial team will continue to provide news, reviews, and background articles.
By integrating the portal, the gamigo group believes it can achieve various synergy effects, especially regarding marketing. Here, they have additional initiatives in the pipeline. Through its subsidiary “adspree,” gamigo wants to intensify influencer marketing, develop new campaigns, and increase the effectiveness of “User Acquisition,” i.e., acquiring new players. In cooperation with ProsiebenSat1, adspree intends to create attractive advertising packages from online and TV spaces in the gaming segment.
MMOGames is seen as “an important addition to the portal portfolio.”
US MMO site wonders if there will be problems with the journalistic integrity of their colleagues
On the US site Massivelyop, which reports on the purchase, they wish their colleagues all the best, but wonder if such a move might restrict the journalistic integrity and freedom of MMOGames.com.
The gamigo group also includes the Berlin publisher Aeria Games. They offer MMOs such as Echo of Soul, Aura Kingdom, Twin Saga, and soon the new Korean MMORPG Bless. MMOGames has previously reported on all these games and will likely continue to do so.
In For Honor, the Shogoki becomes Shrek! How he defends his swamp is shown in a cool fan video.
The Shugoki is a character in For Honor that you are reluctant to challenge to a duel. The reason for this is not only his fearsome appearance. Due to his high health and character-specific abilities, he is difficult to bring down. He can also deal significant damage.
The YouTuber Iron Pineapple has taken this somewhat clumsy hero and created a humorous Shrek parody. Shrek is the green ogre from the animated films of the same name. He lives in a swamp and enjoys being alone. The “Shrek-goki” also likes to be alone and drives off all opponents who approach his “swamp” harshly with his kanabo, a club weapon. Check it out:
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In the comments of this video, which has already received hundreds of thousands of views, the new “Swamp Meta” is declared. After all, there is no chance against Shrek. Especially not when the Shugoki is dressed in Shrek colors, as is the case at the beginning of the video.
Definitely a strong performance by Iron Pineapple, who pounds opponents into their doom with powerful blows. This Shrek in For Honor is truly OP.
By the way: In the “Shrek-goki” task force is Lord Farquaad. Farquaad is the ruler of the lands in the film, who sends Shrek to rescue the princess.
This is not the first video of the YouTuber where he brings out the Shrek mode in a game. He already created a “Shrek defends his swamp” video for Dark Souls 3, which received nearly 2 million views.
Don’t have time for such nonsense because you have to fight for glory and honor? Then check out our guides:
Conan Exiles can be played in many ways, whether on an official server, a rented device, or by setting up your own box as a server. Here you will learn how to set up and configure your own private dedicated server.
You can play Conan Exiles alone as the only barbarian in the vast wilderness, but the full barbarian feeling only comes when more naked desert dwellers roam the wilderness with stone axes and clubs. Multiplayer fans have many options, which we will outline in the following paragraph.
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Conan Exiles Multiplayer – From Coop Mode to Dedicated Private Server
If you want to play Conan Exiles online with other players, you have several options:
Host a Coop Game: You can turn your solo session into a coop game for invited players at any time. The downside: The persistent world is only active as long as you stay online as the “host”, and players can only interact within your vicinity.
Play on an unofficial server: There are thousands of unofficial servers, each with its own rule set and different maintenance and downtime schedules. So make sure to inform yourself about what to expect on which server.
Rent your own server: If you want your own barbarian world with your rules, then rent a Conan server. We have summarized everything you need to know in the link provided.
Set up your own dedicated server: If you don’t want to rent a server but have the necessary hardware, you can also set up and configure your own dedicated Conan Exiles server. You will learn how to do that in the following paragraphs.
Setting Up a Conan Exiles Dedicated Server – Here’s How!
If you want to offer your own server for Conan Exiles, you need to meet a few basics, set up a suitable machine, and configure it with the correct config file. A dedicated server refers to a machine that does nothing else but serve as a server. So you shouldn’t run the server on the same device where you also play Conan or other games.
Private Conan Server – System Requirements
If you want to run only Conan Exiles on your server, the following system requirements are necessary:
Windows 7, 8, 8.1, Server 2008, Server 2012 – 64-Bit
A quad-core processor. Two full cores are required
At least 4 gigabytes of RAM (4 GB for every full 100 players)
20 gigabytes of hard drive space for the game, but additional storage is needed for mods and more
If you have this hardware, you still need the corresponding server software. We will explain how to set it up in the following steps.
Setting Up the Server – Download Server Files
Once you have set up your server and installed Conan Exiles, you need the corresponding server files. You can get them via SteamCMD at the provided link. Then proceed as follows:
Create a dedicated folder for the Conan game server hosting files
Download the SteamCMD file from the link provided above into the folder you just created
Create a batch file named SteamCMD.bat. Batch files execute scripts and are basically just .txt files created with the editor, which you have renamed to have the .bat extension. Make sure that you have set Windows to show such files, otherwise you might not see your batch file.
Write the following code inside (make sure to specify the actual directory instead of the placeholder):
Next, you need to adjust your firewall. Allow UDP port 27015 and 27016, or whatever port you prefer, in the appropriate settings. You may also need to set up forwarding rules on your router.
Update your Conan version
Start Steam and select “View Menu” and then “Servers“
Click “Filter”, select Conan Exiles, and click “Add Server“. Then enter your IP address and join.
How to Configure Server Settings via Config File
If you want your own rules on your own server, you can set them up now. As a server administrator, you have many great options, for example, a world where all players can steal and destroy everything, where you earn experience five times faster, and meat never rots and everyone can run around naked. If you want to change these settings, open the ServerSettings file under “ConanSandboxSavedConfigWindowsServerServerSettings.ini”
Most settings should be self-explanatory, for example, if you have “DropEquipmentOnDeath=True”, the equipment of dead players stays with the corpse. “PlayerXPHarvestMultiplier=1.000000” means that you get the originally intended amount of experience points for harvesting.
If you write “5.000000” here, you would receive five times the XP amount for every resource collected. A particularly detailed description of each config setting can be found in the provided sources.
Back then, after the release of Overwatch, it only took a few weeks for the “bad players” to figure out how to counter Bastion. This time, even the pros are finding it more difficult.
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However, there are also some community members who take Blizzard’s side. In a post by user Evil_phd, it’s about how players have always complained loudly about any changes. “Symmetra will ruin the meta” and “Soldier:76 will be unstoppable now” or before the last patch “No one will play D.Va anymore.” All of that did not happen.
“Now, when something like Bastion is truly overpowered, our complaints and our whining seem like the same eternal grumbling we always emit. If we can’t get ahold of this, Blizzard has no reason to heed our concerns anyway.”
A response from Blizzard is still pending.
The new play menu, according to the fans – only Bastion. Image source: Tumblr
Cortyn says: I also spent some rounds in competitive mode yesterday and came to the conclusion that the game is not fun like this. Playing each round “Protect the Bastion!” or “Destroy the Bastion!” is not as interesting as Overwatch used to be. I can only hope that Blizzard makes some changes here, because right now the fun is massively restricted – until then, it will probably only be the Arcade.
In Overwatch there is currently only one topic: Bastion. The omnic has been buffed and is currently too strong, says the community.
In Quickplay the situation seems somewhat balanced, but in competitive mode, Overwatch has become quite distorted. The actual game objectives, like capturing a control point, are pushed into the background and replaced by one of two new goals:
Protect the Bastion with your life!
or:
Break the blockade that protects the Bastion and destroy him!
In the meantime, you even meet people in the chat who demand a certain “code of honor” that both sides refrain from playing Bastion (which usually only works in the first round before a traitor appears).
The reason for this “new gameplay experience” is the recent changes to Bastion. As long as he is in turret mode, he takes less damage and thanks to a larger magazine, he can stay in continuous fire mode longer. Although he no longer causes headshots, that is not important when he simply cannot die. Bastion now has strong self-healing that can be used while moving, and even while taking damage.
If the omnic has a healer like Ana or Mercy (or both) backing him up, with a Reinhardt as a shield in front, the matches turn out to be very, very one-sided.
Is Bastion now simply overpowered?
Even actual counter-characters are having a hard time taking down Bastion now, as he simply heals through enemy ultimates and even benefits from his weak point with the new “Ironclad” armor (which makes the concept of a weak point absurd).
Back then, after the release of Overwatch, it only took a few weeks for the “bad players” to figure out how to counter Bastion. This time, even the pros are finding it more difficult.
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However, there are also some community members who take Blizzard’s side. In a post by user Evil_phd, it’s about how players have always complained loudly about any changes. “Symmetra will ruin the meta” and “Soldier:76 will be unstoppable now” or before the last patch “No one will play D.Va anymore.” All of that did not happen.
“Now, when something like Bastion is truly overpowered, our complaints and our whining seem like the same eternal grumbling we always emit. If we can’t get ahold of this, Blizzard has no reason to heed our concerns anyway.”
A response from Blizzard is still pending.
The new play menu, according to the fans – only Bastion. Image source: Tumblr
Cortyn says: I also spent some rounds in competitive mode yesterday and came to the conclusion that the game is not fun like this. Playing each round “Protect the Bastion!” or “Destroy the Bastion!” is not as interesting as Overwatch used to be. I can only hope that Blizzard makes some changes here, because right now the fun is massively restricted – until then, it will probably only be the Arcade.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Morrowind brings battlegrounds as new PvP arenas. In an interview, Brian Wheeler, the PvP lead of Zenimax, explained how the Battlegrounds work and the state of Cyrodiil PvP.
Morrowind, the upcoming stand-alone add-on for The Elder Scrolls Online, introduces a long-awaited PvP feature to the game. The so-called Battlegrounds are manageable arenas where three teams of four compete in short skirmishes for dominance. There is a team deathmatch mode as well as Capture The Flag.
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Regarding the Battlegrounds, the colleagues at MMORPG.com interviewed Brian Wheeler from ZeniMax. Wheeler is the head of the PvP department in The Elder Scrolls Online. During the interview, a few interesting details about PvP were revealed:
There will be four to five loot sets from the Battlegrounds. These come complete with weapons, armor, and accessories. However, they will not glow or sparkle; the ESO style remains understated. Whether the new gear will only be interesting for PvP or will also please PvE fans is still uncertain, according to Wheeler.
In the Battlegrounds, you can earn medals for special actions, such as dealing crits worth 5,000 damage, killing an enemy for the first time, defeating multiple foes, or optimally defending mission objectives. These medals will enhance your rewards at the end of the skirmish. Due to different playstyles, there are different medals for deathmatches than for the CTF mode. The former rewards more kills, while the latter rewards teamwork and capture.
Items of the quality tiers green, blue, and purple will be earned depending on whether you win and how many medals you have. Even losers receive loot; only players who leave the match early will receive nothing! Leavers will also face additional penalties, such as temporary bans from PvP. A detailed concept is still in the works.
There may be more loot introduced as victory rewards. For example, resource bags like in the Imperial City. This would make PvP interesting for players who enjoy crafting and typically acquire their good resources from dungeons and raids.
The PvP rewards are expected to be bound upon equipping. So you should be able to resell or gift them.
Ladder systems are also planned later on. For that, additional rewards are expected, most likely more purple items.
ESO-PvP – Curious matchmaking and leaderboard tournaments
In addition to details about the reward system, Brian Wheeler also provided information about future content and mentioned a controversial feature of matchmaking.
More Battlegrounds after the release of Morrowind are planned, most likely as part of additional DLCs or the next chapter add-on. Among them will be asymmetric battlegrounds; the current ones, however, are quite symmetrical.
The matchmaking has a curious peculiarity. According to Brian Wheeler, it does not consider the class roles of players. This means there could be rounds where only tanks face off against a horde of healers. It remains to be seen how often this actually happens and whether ZeniMax addresses this potential issue.
Once leaderboards are implemented, there will also be tournaments. However, this will happen later after the release of Morrowind, as many players interested in PvP might be intimidated by leaderboards and ranked fights.
In the Battlegrounds, you are still members of your alliance, but you fight for one of three differently colored teams, which can include members from all three alliances. This way, the player pool is not unnecessarily divided, and everyone can participate.
Alliance PvP – Nothing new in Cyrodiil?
The Battlegrounds are clearly the new big thing in ESO PvP. However, the existing open-world PvP in Cyrodiil is still relevant. There, the focus is primarily on balance and server stability.
The server performance is an important topic, as many players simultaneously fight for the imperial throne in Cyrodiil. Especially in campaigns like “Trueflame,” where maximum-level heroes are allowed with passive champion skills, the servers can really struggle. In campaigns like Blackwater Blade or Azura’s Star, it is less severe because there would not be as many extreme player builds (Blackwater is only for players below max level, and Azura’s Star does not allow champion passives).
To enhance server performance, server resources have been better allocated. The greatest performance boost was achieved with optimized caching of important data. Since these now have their own cache, everything operates faster.
Otherwise, the focus is mainly on balance. Recently, it was implemented that captured mines and farms are worth as many points as defeating an opposing player hero. This is intended to encourage players to pay more attention to the small capture objectives on the map. These had not been attractive enough for many players so far.
Also mentioned: World bosses in PvP. However, Brian Wheeler did not want to go into detail on this, as such matters always bring significant balance issues. However, it is possible.
All in all, the Cyrodiil PvP is popular among players and is doing well.
Only a few days left, and PS4 and Xbox One owners will be able to dive into the adventures of the voxel MMO Trove!
If you own a PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, you can look forward to March 14, as the console version of Trion Worlds’ online game Trove will be released on that day.
The currently ongoing open beta has already attracted around 4 million players who explore and change the Minecraft-like pixel worlds, create their own worlds, craft items, and fight monsters together with friends to collect treasures.
Open Beta was very successful on PS4 and Xbox One
The open beta of the console version is a great success for Trion Worlds. So far, console players have built more than 1 billion blocks during their adventures in the voxel worlds and destroyed over 5 billion. The worlds can be destroyed, rebuilt, and designed according to personal preferences, similar to Minecraft.
“As Trion’s first title for the latest console generation, Trove is already at the top of the free-to-play charts, even though the official release is still a few weeks away,” said Scott Hartsman, CEO of Trion Worlds. “We have always believed that Trove would be the ideal MMO experience for consoles, and we are thrilled that so many Xbox One and PlayStation 4 gamers feel the same way.”
Get some gifts!
If you make any purchase in the in-game shop during the beta of Trove, you will receive Disaeon the Immortal, the legendary dragon, as a thank you gift.
Additionally, to celebrate reaching 1.5 million players on each console during the open beta, there will be a giveaway of rare mounts (Trovian Tumbler for Xbox One, Chromatic Cumulus for PS4). Furthermore, there will be no wipe. Your progress in the open beta will carry over after the official launch.
If you are interested in playing an online game somewhat similar to Minecraft with many MMO elements on the PS4 or Xbox One, then Trove might be interesting for you.
WildStar is bravely being developed and improved. Therefore, a large update full of cool content is coming soon. This includes two instances, new difficulty levels, and a new progression system.
The Primordial Matrix is a force in WildStar that holds everything together and lies dormant in every being on Nexus. Once your heroes have reached the maximum level, they can harness this immense potential themselves after a brief introduction by Drusera.
To do so, you collect Uressence in dungeons, raids, and other instances, which you then expand into skills and bonuses in a complex system of Primordial Matrix interfaces. There are several essence colors, and depending on the activity, you will get one essence or another (but you can also exchange essences).
The Space Zombie Ghost Ship and the Revenge of the Cold Warlord
You can conveniently farm Uressences through the dungeon finder, with certain instances regularly promising special bonus rewards. Conveniently: This allows the developers to optimally group the few WildStar players together so that enough people come together for sufficient runs.
If you’re getting bored in the old areas and instances, you can enjoy a new expedition and a new dungeon. The expedition is called “Trouble from the Ether” and revolves around a ship of the Mordesh that was believed to be lost. Since the ship disappeared while fleeing from the contaminated homeworld of the Mordesh, pure horror should await there!
It is likely to be gruesome in the new dungeon “Cold Blood Citadel,” as the gigantic Osun prepare for the resurrection of their warlord Harizog Coldblood. You had just knocked down the giant bully in Arkterra last year, and now he’s causing trouble again. Also cool: The new difficulty level “Overwhelming” lets you experience even tougher adventures and loot better rewards.
The YouTuber Disturbed Gaming has created a build after 1.6, which he calls the “best DPS PvP build”. This is said to be fantastic all around and will quickly melt the health bars of PvP opponents.
High-end build for PvP – 1.6
This build relies exclusively on high ends and exotics. Gear sets are not used. Keep in mind that your items for “Last Stand” do not need to have maximum stat rolls, as they are normalized for this PvP mode.
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As a DPS build, the goal is mainly to ramp up the damage.
Gloves:Skulls MC Gloves (Exotic) – Damage is increased by 16% when no set bonuses are active. Additionally, bonuses for Assault Rifle and LMG damage and Critical Hit damage are applied.
Holster: High-end with Agile (When moving from cover to cover in combat, 2% of maximum health is healed for every meter traveled) with a bonus to reload speed.
Mask: High-end with Refreshing (Healing is increased by 30% when the last segment of the health bar is reached) with a bonus to skill power
Chest armor:Barret’s Bulletproof Vest (Exotic) – No skill in cooldown gives +10% skill power, 1 skill in cooldown increases damage by 5%, and two skills in cooldown provide +10% armor. Additional bonuses to health points and exotic damage resistance. Since you have less armor in 1.6 and it has lost significance, the +10% is not as strong as in 1.5. Alternatively, you can choose a Hasty Chest Armor.
Knee pads:Shortbow Championship Knee Pads (Exotic) – Your grenades explode after just 0.2 seconds, meaning they deal instant damage. Bonuses to health points.
Backpack: Specialized – 200% of firearms and stamina are added to skill power. Additionally, bonuses to health points.
In short: You have bonuses that increase your damage and improve your survivability, as health points and skill power are also enhanced. Regarding the main attributes, the YouTuber has:
the LVOA-C, which was already an outstanding weapon in 1.5 and is powerful in 1.6. The assault rifle comes with Sustained, Brutal, and Responsive.
Also the Pakhan: This exotic LMG comes with Sustained, Brutal, and Pakhan. This exotic perk is not particularly strong, but it gives you more rounds in the magazine upon kills when you reload.
First Aid with Overdose Mod: Heals more efficiently, can increase health points beyond the normal value.
Medic with Immunizer Mod: Removes status effects, makes allies immune.
Character Talents
Tactical Advantage: When you move from cover to cover, weapon damage increases by 2% per meter traveled for 5 seconds. Class with Agile.
Rescue Medic: Use first aid kit at low health points to increase damage resistance by 20% for 10 seconds.
Field Medic: Use first aid kit near allies to heal group members within 20 meters by 40%.
Precision: A headshot applies the Pulse effect for 10 seconds.
This is how you get a build that allows you to deal massive damage in PvP while also taking care of your survivability. According to the YouTuber, it’s an excellent character setup to dominate in “Last Stand”.
The developers of the upcoming online action RPG Dauntless want to develop the game together with the fans. Therefore, early feedback during the alpha and beta is important.
First, the developers explain, that the beta of Dauntless will start this fall. Then, the city of Ramsgate will be open to all who want to participate. From here, initial adventures can be planned, during which you can join friends in hunting the Behemoths – gigantic beings that threaten the inhabitants of the world of Shattered Isles.
During the beta, you can provide feedback to the developers, who will review it and make adjustments if necessary. Additionally, new content will be continuously worked on during the beta to expand the game world and provide you with new opportunities.
A beta is not a final product
However, the beta will still contain many elements that are “in flux”. These include placeholder graphics or features that are not yet final or only implemented for testing. Throughout, the developers want to be as open as possible with the fans and discuss all changes and developments. The team does not only aim for the tastes of the broad masses. The open communication should ensure that particularly the ideas that might otherwise go unnoticed but are very interesting are heard. This is what should make Dauntless a unique game.
The developers deliberately do not want to publish a list of features that the team likes. They do not want to influence the fans, but rather give them the freedom to express their ideas about the game. Only in this way can the gaming experiences arise that are memorable. As for future announcements, there may be times when a new feature is roughly announced without the team going into details. Then the fans should express their thoughts and ideas about it.
Changes may still occur
What is best for Dauntless is always at the center, but this can also lead to larger and smaller changes that may not please everyone. However, the community will always be informed about these changes. The developers are already showing enthusiasm for the rapidly growing community and the feedback they are receiving. The team is confident that they can create something truly special with Dauntless in this way.
If you want to join the beta and help shape the action RPG Dauntless, you can register on the official website.
For more than a decade, MMORPGs have been dying. But where do these cries come from, and what fuels them? How have MMORPGs evolved since then?
My crystal ball is broken. Therefore, I cannot say for sure where this journey is heading. However, you don’t need a crystal ball to see that the MMO landscape is changing, yes, it has already been changing.
Looking into the future is difficult. However, an autopsy is easy. And since our beloved MMORPGs are constantly dying, I will take a look at the corpse-strewn path of the past to dare a glimpse into the future.
Retrospective: When did the great “dying” begin?
WoW-Killer and “feature flood”
There are turning points that leave deeper imprints in the swamp of MMO history than others. “WoW Killer” was one such buzzword, amusingly often just attributed to the community or by overly eager letter throwers.
After that came the “unique selling proposition era”, every game had at least reinvented one wheel. And what is better than one wheel? Exactly, many newly invented wheels. Titles followed that tried to offer everything that could please the heart of an MMO player. Housing, leveling weapons, PvP, micromanagement, sandbox, fishing, farming, crafting, and so on…
There was simply always one more feature than the competition. Whether the new feature was sensible or not was often a different matter. The motto was simply: “In our game, you can do everything… except pet food!” Oh, good idea we need a pet system.
Suddenly, existing MMOs with a large user base had a problem; there was competition. Much worse: some of them even had really good ideas.
The Free2Play Madness
Ultimately, an exchange of ideas was noticeable, as the games slowly approached each other. But when products no longer fundamentally differ from each other, how do you win buyers? Right, through the price.
“Oh Dan, am I really getting TWO in-game items to dye my clothes for free?”
“Yes, and that’s not all! If you act quickly, you get this donkey as well!”
But since hardly anyone is persuaded to switch their MMO because the competitor charges 2 euros less in subscription fees, “You pay not 10 euros per month, not 9 euros, not even 8 but only an incredible 7.99. Yes, you heard right,” they resorted to the ultimate marketing idea and simply slapped a Free2Play stamp on the entire package.
“Are you serious, Dan? I can play without ever having to pay? But Dan… Dan, who pays the developers? And the silly announcers? Dan? Dan, why are you crying, Dan? Dan? Two razors for one?”
Watching the success of Free2Play, long-established MMOs quickly approached the new marketing ideas. Today, there is hardly a subscription system that cannot also be acquired through game currency via in-game shops. Even Blizzard has enabled this in WoW.
Looking Ahead: What’s Next for MMOs?
And now? Is this the end? All MMOs are homogenized, and we just have to live with it? No, it’s not that bad.
The MMO landscape is constantly moving. MMORPGs are unfairly laid to rest with regular frequency. This is due to the fact that editors and players are reluctant to step out of their comfort zone. Just like the MMO landscape, its boundaries are also changing.
At the time of a World of Warcraft release, the boundaries of the term MMO were clearly defined. But the more competitors entered the market, the more those boundaries shifted.
Whether it’s The Division, Guardians of Ember, The Crew, or even a GTA5 online mode, many current games have an MMO component. Calling them an MMO is still difficult for me and many others. For hardcore MMO players, these games will never represent a full-fledged MMO. But how much relevance does the “Massively” have nowadays?
Whether there are 50, 500, or 5000 players on a server, I frankly don’t care as long as I’m struggling through dungeons with a familiar group of five friends.
Is Anyone Missing These 4 Massively Elements in MMOs?
What about the other typical MMO features?
World bosses? Thanks, but lag fests and pointless skill spamming, would I miss that?
Supply and demand in the auction house? Well, even the intern could probably program this manageable economic cycle simulation.
Vibrant believable game world? Of course, pictures of merchants standing next to 40 heavily armored knights on horses can be found on many medieval tapestries. And that there are more heroes, mages, and world saviors than farmers can only be credibly explained to me with a lot of potato schnapps.
General server chat? For me, it’s one of the strongest arguments against large MMO servers. Why should I care about the 0:2 of FC Hintertupfingen from the district league North? Mixed with the question of why there are no flying mounts and the obligatory statement that WoW is way cooler anyway, I can also thanklessly do without this feature in large part. And all of this before someone claims they are a good-looking girl and not a 42-year-old butcher master. Server chats are often so low-level that they knock my socks off.
Of course, large PvP battles and open PvP form an exception that large servers necessarily need. Castle sieges and co. with 3-5 players may not convey a truly epic gaming experience.
However, hardcore MMO players do not have to mourn either. Pure MMOs will continue to exist. Whether in the guise of an AAA title, I doubt.
The dominance of the magical three letters WoW is too overpowering for Western publishers, and the moderately successful WoW killers have been too clear. With a player count of 10 million, they only smile mildly in the Far East. Elaborate MMOs will still see the light of the rising sun; however, how far they will cater to the wishes of the Western audience remains to be seen.
No Fear of the Future
We will probably continue to hear the eternal dirge for the dying MMO. There are just as many reasons for it as there are against it. The narrower you define the term, the truer the impending death may become. Personally, I have hardly any fear of having to give up beloved game elements in the future.
Experiencing a “Witcher 3” in online mode with 5 or 10 friends in the same world is not a horror scenario for me. It simply presents new challenges for developers. Even a lobby MMO like “Skyforge” was able to impress me; I just missed a diversion besides group play and dungeons.
Where do you draw the line between Massively Multiplayer and Multiplayer? Do you really need servers with hundreds of players, or are friend lists and co. enough for you?
In Destiny, since “Rise of Iron”, some primary weapons stand out in PvE. We look at the 6 most important weapons in 2017 after Patch 2.5.0.2.
Some Guardians believe that the choice of weapon is secondary for PvE activities. You can face and defeat the Darkness with any weapon if you have a little skill.
Therefore, the Guardians primarily focus on PvP when it comes to the question of “the best weapons”. Which weapons should I rely on to not be outmatched by other Guardians? Which weapons have been dominant since the last balance patch? What is the new meta in the Crucible?
However, a quick glance at the statistics page guardian.gg reveals that certain weapons have also succeeded in PvE in recent months. Weapon choice is therefore not irrelevant in the fight “Guardians against Darkness”. Which weapons instill fear in the minions of Darkness when they see them?
Scout Rifles and Auto Rifles are top
Since update 2.5.0.2, pistols and hand cannons dominate the Crucible. Auto rifles are also seen more often. In PvE, pistols and “Hand Cannons” are used significantly less. Cross-mode, since “The Rise of Iron Lords”, Scout Rifles and Auto Rifles are outstanding.
The consistently strong green line shows all kills in percentage of Scout Rifles, while the upper pink line represents the Auto Rifles. These visibly increased since the update 2.5.0.2 in mid-February. The blue line, which is steadily declining, represents the Pulse Rifles. Notably, while the clever dragon was in the rankings before 2.5.0.2, it is now gone. The middle red line, around 10%, represents the Hand Cannons.
Our list of the six dominant weapons in PvE considers the statistics before and after 2.5.0.2 on PS4 and Xbox One. The PvE activities considered are the raid, heroic strikes, and patrols.
The Far Star – Scout Rifle
Our list has included one weapon from the Iron Banner: The Far Star. This Scout Rifle belongs to the popular MIDA archetype – low impact of 38, but with an increased rate of fire.
The Far Star comes with excellent reload speed and a high aim assist, although its other stats are below average:
In contrast to the MIDA, the Star lacks stability, which can be countered with Perfect Balance, Smallbore, or Steady Hand. Fully Automatic or Fireball are also strong perks.
Update 2.5.0.2 brought no major changes to Scout Rifles, just an increase in aerial precision. Thus, this weapon class remains solid in both PvE and PvP. And the Far Star, with strong perks, is one of the best representatives of Scout Rifles.
The space agency NASA used a screenshot from Destiny for a tweet.
The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) also has to save wherever possible.
For a tweet about a new satellite that is supposed to be as big as a loaf of bread, the space agency NASA used a screenshot that players of Destiny will likely recognize as the background: It’s an image of the orbit. In orbit, players of the shooter Destiny are waiting before entering an activity.
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The NASA Twitter account has over 22 million followers. Such things do not go unnoticed.
NASA’s Photoshop skills are not exactly intergalactic level
Under the tweet, there is a lot of mockery. It is said that NASA can’t stop playing Destiny. The next one asks: “Are you waiting for the Crucible to start?”
The space agency’s Photoshop skills are not considered “alien” good, but rather below average. Some are honestly disappointed: No real pictures, NASA?
And one already suspects that nothing stands in the way of the next moon landing.
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On reddit, the Destiny community has long discovered the NASA tweet and asks: When will the ship on the screen be available in Destiny? And how much silver will you have to pay for it?
In this week’s videos, a user already had an idea for a “Destiny and NASA” collaboration:
With the beta of the online shooter Ghost Recon Wildlands, Ubisoft was able to set a new record and even surpass the impressive numbers of The Division.
In total, more than 6.8 million players participated in the beta phases of Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Wildlands. This is more than Ubisoft could achieve with the beta of the online shooter The Division. At that time, there were 6.4 million players.
Ubisoft also announced that more than two billion minutes were played. More than 60 percent of players cooperated against enemies in the large game world. A graphic shows what players achieved during the beta.
Beta provides valuable feedback to developers
The beta included two of the 21 provinces that you can explore in the final version. Itacua represented the starting area with its mountainous landscape, while the icy Montuyo already posed significantly greater challenges.
Ubisoft states that beta participants were able to provide valuable feedback to the developers, which should be taken into account as much as possible for the official launch of the game on March 7. This is necessary as the beta of Ghost Recon Wildlands received a considerable amount of negative feedback, including concerning the less than favorable performance of the game on console.
Testers will be rewarded
Anyone who participated in the test phases, including the technical test, closed beta, or open beta, and plays the full version with the same Ubisoft account by March 31, will receive three exclusive missions in the Media Luna region as a thank you, which will be available for download after the game’s release.
In a few days we will see how Ghost Recon Wildlands plays in its full version and what changes and adjustments Ubisoft has made. On March 7, it launches on PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One.
The Warhammer shooter Eternal Crusade will become Free2Play. “Blood for the Blood God” is the developers’ justification.
For some players, this comes as a surprise; others had suspected or predicted it: Warhammer 40,000: Eternal Crusade will receive a Free2Play version in March.
For players looking to enter the battlefield in the distant future for free, there are certain limitations. The most significant is likely the drastically reduced progress. Free-2-Waaagh! players will only receive a third of the experience points, severely limiting their progress. Therefore, it will take much longer to unlock upgrades, classes, and weapons.
However, those who later decide to purchase the game for $20 (the cheapest option) will receive the difference in experience points back – the system remembers the “real” value that free players would actually earn.
The name “Free to Waaagh” originates from an earlier Free2Play concept of Eternal Crusade. According to this, free players could only play as Orks – the concept was later deemed too restrictive, but the name was retained. In an interview with mmorpg.com, Nathan Richardsson reveals that a Free2Play version has been planned for a long time, but they wanted to focus on other things and the retail version before the release.
“Ultimately: Why? The answer is simple. Blood for the Blood God and Eternal Crusade, with its four factions and large battles, fully benefits from having a Free2Play version. Even paying players benefit from free players and vice versa.”
For the future, they are staying the course. There is even a plan for a release on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, fully capable of offering “crossplay”. Then people could take each other on across all platforms and wreak havoc.
Currently, first keys for the Free2Play version are being distributed, which is now being tested. Owners of the game also receive additional bonuses, such as currency for the shop or a copy of the game that they can give to friends.
This bug caused players to become invisible in the “Capture the Rooster” mode – this is the Capture-the-Flag variant of Overwatch.
Update 2.06 fixes issues with invisible players on PS4 and Xbox One
Therefore, Blizzard temporarily disabled this mode and later reactivated it once the issue was resolved by the patch. So, 2.06 focuses on this specific arcade mode, as far as we can tell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPJMqU5L0iI
For such “smaller updates and bug fixes,” Blizzard does not release patch notes – hence patches like 2.06 often lead to questions and confusion.
The major changes to Overwatch came with 2.05 earlier. Here you can read the patch notes for that:
For almost 4 years, fans have been waiting for a continuation of the “Mass Effect” series. Slowly but surely, the latest installment “Andromeda” is coming into reach.
As the saga surrounding Commander Shepard is concluded, Andromeda largely features new characters embarking on a mission for the survival of humanity.
On Twitter, Aaryn Flynn from BioWare was asked whether unsuspecting viewers might get the impression that ME: Andromeda could be a “space porn”.
The reason for the question is that the game has received a rating of “Mature” – also because of fully nude characters. Previously, the Mass Effect titles always got by with “Partial Nudity”.
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Aaryn Flynn responded to the question: “Yes, it is absolutely a softcore space porn.” While many players recognized his irony as such, there were also numerous fans who were disappointed by the statement. They had hoped that Mass Effect relationships would be handled “better” and “more mature” and that there would be continuous development at BioWare.
Especially the Asari are popular among all races – making them earn easy money in strip clubs.
Flynn shortly thereafter retracted and apologized.
“Sorry, I gave the wrong impression. We have strong characters, great gameplay, romances, and more, all dealing with adult themes.”
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In response to the question of whether the romances and relationships would be “tasteful”, Flynn also quickly replied.
“Yes, definitely. Our developers worked hard to responsibly bring these characters to life. I apologize for my poor word choice.”
The outcry is understandable, as Mass Effect holds a special place for many RPG fans. Some relationships spanned all 3 parts and led to interesting character stories, even though these often ended in the obligatory sex scene before the final battle. Relationships were supposed to be more than just the aforementioned scene in Andromeda, which is why many fans felt dismissed.
In the Mass Effect universe, sex is generally a fairly casual topic with few limits. For example, erotic magazines can be found in the game, and there are also frequent flings between the various alien species.
Especially the purely female race of the Asari is known for their “wild escapades” since they can pair with any other species – and at the same time every other species finds them attractive. Mass Effect really knows no taboos here and even mixes the flying “tentacle monster” race Hanar with the sluggish and emotionless Elcor. Even the relationship between human and machine in the form of artificial intelligence is a theme in Mass Effect.
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Mass Effect: Andromeda releases on March 23, 2017, in Europe for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Cortyn says: In my opinion, this is again “much ado about nothing”, as it is really difficult to overlook the irony in the developer’s statement. That Mass Effect will never really be a “space porn” should be quite obvious. Ultimately, it is therefore not surprising that a developer makes a casual joke about the game when the game itself addresses this topic so openly, unprejudiced (and sometimes incredibly humorously).
The Un’Goro expansion for Hearthstone did not receive a theme song. The Game Director stepped in and created a piece himself.
With the announcement of a new expansion for Hearthstone, certain expectations from players arise. Not only are exciting new mechanics and cards desired, but also an interesting cinematic – with a cool song. “Journey to Un’Goro” breaks with Hearthstone’s tradition of presenting a song with each expansion that introduces the new content.
On Reddit and in the official forum, players have voiced their complaints loudly. Without an appropriate title song, Un’Goro would be a significantly worse expansion, regardless of the cards and mechanics yet to come.
Ben Brode, the Game Director of Hearthstone, could not let that slide and quickly grabbed the microphone to write his own song for the expansion. He soon released the piece on YouTube – and the community is thrilled.
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As some viewers noted in the comments, the perfect speed for the song would probably be 1.5x (which can be adjusted in the options). It didn’t take long before someone overlayed the song onto the cinematic. It may not match exactly with the visuals shown, but there are nonetheless some happy hits.
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In The Division, on March 2nd, there is a server maintenance. Two bugs are being fixed.
On February 28th, update 1.6 and the DLC “Last Stand” were released. However, the launch did not go smoothly: The planned maintenance had to be extended by two hours due to complications, and subsequently extended indefinitely.
Today, two days later, the next server maintenance is taking place:
At 9:30 AM, the servers on PS4, Xbox One, and PC will be shut down. The estimated downtime is three hours, so you can return to post-apocalyptic New York around 12:30 PM.
Changelog on March 2nd.
Two bug fixes will be implemented:
The DeadEYE talent was still working with scopes without zoom. That will be fixed.
A problem will be fixed where you gained too much experience in the Dark Zone. Since 1.6, only a few NPC kills were sometimes needed to level up. Those who took advantage of the time after the launch of 1.6 could quickly level up in the DZ.
Cortyn is struggling with multiboxers in the PvP of World of Warcraft. One single player controls 16 characters at the same time.
In the past few days, I played up a new class in World of Warcraft to check out the remaining class campaigns. Because I was a bit naive, I thought to myself, “Spend some time with a bit of PvP” – because I have been really enjoying it since Legion.
At least until a few days ago. Then, I encountered my worst nightmare in PvP. The opposing team had a total of 12 Death Knights and 4 Healing Shamans, all with suspiciously similar names.
Oh, boy…
And – as it had to be – they were multiboxers. This “group” took apart all the opponents solo. 12 Death Knights focusing a single player with Death Grip and any attack simply mow everything down. If things get tight, the 4 Healing Shamans take care of the problem, keeping the whole group entertained and in top health with area and chain healing.
For those who don’t know multiboxers, a quick explanation: A player does not have just one account, but several. These are all played simultaneously by one person – with 16 characters, I assume several computers are necessary. Through macros and various helper programs, the inputs from one character are transmitted to all the other characters. So when the player presses “1” for an ability on their main character, all the other characters execute that keystroke.
The group encountered me multiple times over different days, sometimes as enemies and sometimes as allies. But the matches were never really fun, as it was always just “Ah, the multiboxer is playing on side X. So side X will probably win” – and that turned out to be the case every time.
What do you think about multiboxers in MMORPGs? Is it a cool thing when one can decide entire matches almost single-handedly? Or is it rather annoying and should be prevented by developers?
The indie studio Intrepid aims to create a very interesting MMORPG with Ashes of Creation that sounds almost too good to be true. However, with a new gameplay video, the developers prove that they follow their words with actions.
The new video showcases the mage we already know from the first video. This time, however, she is traversing a beautiful forest landscape, where she must fight against numerous foes. All of this already makes a solid impression in this early version and does not need to hide behind currently available MMOs. The graphics are extremely detailed, colorful, and simply beautiful. Even the interface already appears relatively polished.
Meaningful Seasons
The area shown in the pre-alpha video is an autumn forest, representing the seasons that play a role in Ashes of Creation. Not just visually, but also gameplay-wise. In different seasons, you will encounter different monsters or be able to complete different quests. Perhaps a part of the area is inaccessible in winter, and when spring opens the pass, you can establish a new trade route. Seasons are also supposed to affect NPCs, skills, and resources.
Is the game further along than expected?
Once again, the video shows how the mage floats over an abyss with her spells and opens a dungeon. In this dungeon awaits a boss fight against a particularly dangerous and large monster. She uses many spectacular spells. Overall, the video makes a fantastic impression.
It seems that the MMORPG Ashes of Creation is already further along than initially thought. The start of an alpha this year doesn’t seem so unrealistic anymore.
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