The Elder Scrolls Online: Kronenkisten öffnen erinnert an Kartenpacks in Hearthstone

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The Elder Scrolls Online has received new lockboxes called Crown Crates. What’s inside? How does it work?

The community of The Elder Scrolls Online reacted with much fanfare when Zenimax announced lockboxes for their favorite MMORPG. The boxes are now in the game – they can be purchased for “Crowns,” the premium currency.

Crown Crates in The Elder Scrolls Online – They remind us of Hearthstone

Various YouTubers and channels have taken a closer look at this in a video and are opening the boxes. Such “opening” videos are always popular with the community.

In the videos, it is noticeable that Zenimax made an effort to design it attractively. Obviously, they drew inspiration from Blizzard’s Hearthstone, adopting mechanics from there but adding Tamriel flair: A shady Khajiit appears and deals four face-down cards – sometimes there is even a fifth.

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As in Blizzard’s card game Hearthstone, the cards shimmer slightly, indicating how good the item they contain is before the player flips them over to verify.

stormaronach
The second card from the left is a grand prize – identifiable by the golden border.

Here, a YouTuber even opens Crown Crates worth $100. The crates were provided to him by a fan:

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Common Items, Grand Prizes, and a Gem Shop

The “common items” are potions, riding lessons, and consumables. Higher-tier rewards include pets, mounts, and cosmetic changes for the hero, all the way up to special chests and costumes that players are eager for.

edelsteineeso

Just like in Hearthstone, “common items” that are unwanted or duplicate cards are not such a big deal, as they can be converted into a currency that can then be used to buy specific items you want in a special shop.

So far, so good, but the community’s criticism remains spicy: Crown Crates can contain items that were once sold as “strictly limited and seasonal.” Back then, players thought, when they bought this: If I buy this now, I will be one of the few in The Elder Scrolls Online who ever owns this item.

If ESO were available in China, Zenimax would soon have to disclose the exact odds of each item:

What’s inside? Developers must disclose odds for loot boxes – in China

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Bless: In Russia they now play – in Germany it is quiet, too quiet for some

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

The Westport of the Korean MMORPG Bless is causing a stir through silence.

Update 12/19: Aeria Games has reached out to us.

Original report:

A few days ago, the Open Beta for Bless started in Russia. There is an IP barrier for the West installed – a kind of reversed Iron Curtain meant to keep us Westerners out.

Because “Aeria Games” is actually responsible for us. They received the license for the Korean AAA MMORPG, but other than the message “This is going to take a bit longer, we are working on the translation and in Korea they are revising the combat system and performance“, not much has come up yet. Aeria Games has also gone through a merger with Gamigo.

Bless-New-Race

And how the website of Bless in the West is still down

This gives some people pause, especially since the “Bless” page of Aeria Games currently displays a server error. Not exactly an encouraging signal.

Bless-Trailer

On “mmos”, an author bitterly complains in a column “Dear Aeria Games, we need to talk about Bless” that no information from Aeria Games is officially circulating. This is unprofessional. Communication is happening only through the fan site of a rival website.

The author fears that Aeria Games might just aimlessly shift employees from project to project after the merger with Gamigo, blocking the IP while everything drags on. Many are desperately longing to finally play Bless.

We think: No reason to panic

Mein-MMO says: Well, the good man is quite passionate. A sign of life from Aeria Games would surely be a nice thing, but the last one came only at the beginning of November – via the fan site. It was said: We (meaning Neowiz) need to make some significant changes to the combat system and game performance – that and the localization will probably take quite a while.

blessmissing
Just because Bless is missing here, that’s no reason to panic.

From the author’s words, it certainly speaks more of the annoyance that those in Russia can already play. Whether Aeria Games will now create its own sub-forum and kick-start the PR machine is probably of secondary importance. For us, the Western release of Bless will definitely still take a long time, partly because, as it was released in Korea, it would have hardly any chance here in the West.

Bless has made it onto our list of the Top 7 MMORPGs for 2017:

The 7 most promising MMOs and MMORPGs in 2017

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Source(s):
  1. mmos
  2. bless-source

Destiny: Red Death in Year 3 – Does it just look good or is it also effective?

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 3 minutes

In Destiny, we are looking at the exotic pulse rifle Red Death in Year 3.

In Year 1 of Destiny, Red Death was among the trending weapons in PvP. Among the best pulse rifles, this exotic pulse rifle led the way. However, over the past months and years, it had to undergo numerous balance adjustments and nerfs.

Destiny-red-death

According to the flavor text, the Vanguard urges all Guardians to destroy this weapon immediately. Is this good advice in Year 3, or should you keep it?

How to Obtain “Red Death”

Red Death is an exotic pulse rifle that you can obtain in several ways:

  • Wrath of the Machine
  • King’s Fall Raid
  • Nightfall Strike
  • Trials of Osiris
  • Xur: Sometimes the Agent of the Nine has this exotic, like this weekend.

What Makes Red Death in Destiny Special?

destiny-roter-tod-stats

Red Death is a pulse rifle with a high impact of 14 and a rate of fire of 66. Advantages include a high reload speed and magazine size. Stability is low, but this was increased from 44 to 51 in Year 2. Here are the specific stats:

The Red Death has an exciting exotic perk. Here are the bonuses:

  • Red Death: Each kill heals you and speeds up your reload.
  • Unyielding: With this weapon, aiming is easier when you’re under fire.

You have the choice between:

    • Snapshot: Switch weapons faster, move faster while aiming.
    • Quickdraw: Aiming is faster.
    • Increased Caliber Rounds: Oversized rounds that stagger targets and make them flinch. The mass makes it harder to handle the weapon.
destiny_rise_of_iron_new_crucible_maps_pvp_skyline

Additionally, with Field Choke, Improved Ballistics, and Aggressive Ballistics, you can influence range, impact, and recoil.

Is the Weapon Worth It in PvE and PvP?

The weapon was once one of the best weapons in PvP, but it has lost some of its luster. It is still a good choice, but currently, pulse rifles with low impact, like the Clever Dragon, dominate.

The combination of the perks “Red Death” and Unyielding is still interesting, in both PvP and PvE. Take down enemies, regenerate health, reload faster, and thanks to Unyielding, this works even when you are under fire. However, you will need to adjust to the stability and range.

destiny-roter-tod-zwei

Conclusion: Yes, it is worth having Red Death in Year 3. It is not a top-tier weapon, but it is fun to play with. You can’t go wrong with Red Death. Additionally, the weapon receives new cool ornaments with “The Dawning”:

What do you think of Red Death in Year 3?

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Source(s):
  1. Bungie

ArcheAge: Crashes delay server opening for reboot with 3.0 [Update]

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Today, a major reopening should take place at ArcheAge . There are issues.

Today, the launch of ArcheAge 3.0 Revelation is scheduled, the servers were down for 12 hours of maintenance.

At 4:00 PM on Saturday afternoon, the ArcheAge servers with Revelation were supposed to reopen. They were gradually supposed to go back online. However, this was already delayed by half an hour to 4:30 PM. Later, Trion Worlds added another half hour, extending it to 5:00 PM. Shortly after 5:00 PM, the first servers actually started with Leviathan, Siroth, and Anthalon – and crashes followed.

As it happened in the past, the opening video froze for players. Many then closed the window and broke off. Trion Worlds advises to watch the entire films instead of escaping beforehand. Watching the film in its entirety reduces the chances of a crash.

At 5:13 PM, Trion Worlds announced they would wait before opening more servers until the issues are under control. At 5:44 PM, Trion Worlds cautiously reported via Twitter some initial progress: They had changed something and were now registering significantly fewer crash reports. At 5:49 PM, they announced: This looks good, we will now open Eanna and Dahuta. By 6 PM, two more servers, Shatigon and Kryposa, had been opened. The restart server Prophecy is still missing.

At 6:20 PM, it states: We are still waiting for final results before we open “Prophecy.” It should happen by 6:35 PM. 

7:00 PM: Everything went well, according to Trion Worlds. Revelation has been implemented – everything fits. Prophecy has immediately a queue – it is well-attended.

archeage-offenbarung-neue-rassen
Fresh Start Server Prophecy – Only with “young” accounts

ArcheAge is very “front-heavy” – in the first hours after a major change, often the course for the further development is set. In the past, there had often been difficulties at major events when many players simultaneously flooded the servers. In September 2015, the “restart” had to be aborted early and repeated at a later time.

There are a total of 9 EU servers. Especially exciting should be the opening of the “Fresh Start Server” Prophecy. Only accounts created after December 8 are allowed to participate, according to an FAQ from Trion Worlds.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Pokémon GO: Is the 2nd generation coming to the game with a special event?

Patrick Freese Patrick Freese Reading time 3 minutes

The 2nd generation of Pokémon will likely be available in the game soon. Are there special eggs or even an event in Pokémon GO?

Since July, we have been able to play the augmented reality game Pokémon GO here in Germany. So far, the game features Pokémon from the 1st generation, with the exception of legendary Pokémon like Zapdos, Moltres, or Articuno.

Anyone who has followed the Pokémon series on television or as a video game series probably remembers the 2nd generation with Pokémon like Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile. More and more evidence suggests that Pokémon from the 2nd generation will soon be available in Pokémon GO. A major event may be planned for this.

Pokémon GO: The 2nd generation is coming, but when?

Pokemon GO

For fans of the Pokémon series, it’s clear: the 2nd generation MUST be in Pokémon GO as well. But when the right time is to incorporate the many new Pokémon into the game is heavily debated on social media.

While many players can’t wait to see and catch the 2nd generation in Pokémon GO, others feel it’s still much too early for such an expansion. Some trainers would prefer to complete their collection of the 1st generation before engaging with the 2nd generation.

How strong are the Pokémon of the 2nd generation? Here are their battle stats.

There are already clear hints in the game code about the new Pokémon. During data mining, the game code is regularly checked in detail. Early November, over 100 new Pokédex entries that have not yet been activated were discovered ranging from #152 – Chikorita to #251 Celebi. In the latest version of the game, even the “screams” of the 2nd generation Pokémon were found. So it may be that the new Pokémon will soon be released. But how?

Special event for the 2nd generation of Pokémon?

Pokémon GO Christmas 2. Generation

After much speculation about the release of the 2nd generation, Niantic has now commented on this topic. At a press conference, the developers announced that on December 12th (Monday), more information about new Pokémon will be provided. Whether they will announce a release for the 2nd generation that day or discuss legendary Pokémon is still unclear. Additionally, there will be further events this month.

After the Halloween event and the Thanksgiving event were well-received by Pokémon GO players, it is logical that more events will follow. This year, the Christmas season is particularly suitable. Will Niantic combine the release of the 2nd generation with Christmas and gift Pokémon from the 2nd generation to trainers? A possibility that would likely be well-received by players. But it wouldn’t be the only way to reward players with the new Pokémon.

2nd generation as a reward from eggs

Another way to integrate the 2nd generation into the game is through Pokémon eggs. From a certain day, you could activate the eggs that you receive as a reward at PokéStops. However, in order for you to “earn” the new Pokémon, you first need to cover a certain distance. Afterwards, you will learn which Pokémon is hiding in the egg.

Pokémon GO Egg 2nd Gen

The Reddit user MustachioEquestrian has shown his vision of these Pokémon eggs on Reddit:

So the first Pokémon of the 2nd generation could be the little Togepi. In the TV series, it already showed that although small, it has strong psychic-type abilities.

Perhaps events will also be combined with special Pokémon eggs, distributing these eggs during an event. Professor Willow might contact you and inform you about a special egg. Trainers would then need to take this egg and would receive the task of hatching it.

There are many possibilities for how the 2nd generation of Pokémon will be activated in Pokémon GO. Until there is more information on December 12th, we can only speculate. What do you think, how will the developers implement the release of these Pokémon?

The developers have changed the tracker again – friendlier for land and city?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Armored Warfare: Obsidian entlässt US-Mitarbeiter, My.com will mehr Arbeit in Moskau verrichten

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The military MMO Armored Warfare shifts parts of production to Russia. Some developers will be left unemployed.

Armored Warfare is a co-production of Ilfonic and Obsidian, two US development studios, and My.com, a Russian publisher. Obsidian (Tyranny, Pillars of Eternity) is leading the project. As Obsidian’s CEO Feargus Urquhart confirms, a portion of the developers working on Armored Warfare now has to be laid off because the publisher My.com decided to move part of the development to their headquarters in Moscow.

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They remain proud of Armored Warfare and all the work that has already gone into the game and will continue to do so. Urquhart wishes the laid-off employees all the best. They will try to find them jobs at other studios.

Armored Warfare: How does the new free-to-play tank MMO play? The Mein-MMO test

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Source(s):
  1. gamasutra

Paladins on a Victory March – More than 5 million players in the beta

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time < 1 minutes

The Hero Shooter Paladins is becoming a fan favorite. Even in beta, there are 5 million players.

Since the hero shooter from HiRez, Paladins: Champions of the Realm, launched on Steam, the game has developed wonderfully. It consistently shows solid player numbers, and the developers seem quite satisfied. As is customary nowadays, such successes need to be celebrated properly. Therefore, HiRez has released a video showcasing the current statistics from the beta.

With over 5 million players worldwide, there is certainly every reason to be happy – after all, the game hasn’t really released yet. Among the most popular characters are Skye (Elf Assassin), Fernando (Clumsy Knight), the war veteran Viktor, and the bouncing furball Pip.

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In total, 2.2 billion players have already lost their virtual lives – a number that will surely multiply in the coming months.

Paladins is a hero shooter that many see as a free alternative to Overwatch. Unlike Blizzard’s game, Paladins offers additional customization options for characters, resulting in some small gameplay differences.

Never heard of “Paladins: Champions of the Realm”? Then check out the official Steam page of Paladins and download the game for free.

Cortyn says: Even though I wasn’t too fond of the deviations from the original concept in Paladins, the game seems to slowly be finding its niche and binding an ever-growing fan base. If you’re currently not in the mood for Roadhog, Tracer, and co., you should take a look – after all, it’s free to play and thus without risks.

Paladins: Pros and Cons of the “Overwatch competitor” in the video

 
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Source(s):
  1. mmorpg.com

Shards Online: Wer will, stirbt für immer und verliert alles

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

The MMORPG Shards Online aims to bring back the past days of Ultima Online while allowing players to decide how hardcore they want the game to be.

Every player can open their own so-called shard in Shards Online. A game world that they can design themselves and whose rules they can determine. This includes whether there is open PvP or if the world focuses more on story and PvE. Of course, the arrangement of the death system also plays a role. And this is exactly what the developers talked about in a roundtable event.

Shards Online
Permadeath – Executions lead to permanent death

For over an hour, the developers showcase the latest version of the MMO and explain the death system. Because this will also be customizable. There is also the option to enable permadeath. However, they are cautious about this. The developers do not want players to “accidentally” die and lose their heroes. Therefore, there will be executions. If you are defeated in the game and your hitpoints drop to 0, you will be unconscious first. Then the opponent decides whether they want to execute you. Only then are you permanently dead.

Guards and most monsters – with the exception of some boss enemies – will never execute you. This permadeath system, combined with full loot, may result in players being able to lose everything in the game. Therefore, this mode is suitable only for those who want a real challenge.

Diablo controls are too convenient

Additionally, the developers explained that they overhauled the targeting system. Previously, a click-to-move system like in Diablo was active. Players would click on a spot with the mouse and then move directly there. This option will still be available, but the regular method is now different. When you click on something, it will be selected, but you must manually walk there. This also reduces the visible names on the screen, as only the names of the currently selected individuals are shown. The click-to-move system is considered too convenient by the developers, but they want to continue offering it as an option.

There will also be some adjustments to the UI, which is now scalable. The MMORPG Shards Online is currently in an “Alpha Preview” phase, which will lead to a real alpha next year.

https://youtu.be/2Py8jd4LPow

More articles about Shards Online:

This is Ultima Online 2: New Shards Online video reminds of the classic

Does Shards Online get the green light on Steam?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MassivelyOP

WoW: Legion – Mehr Gruppenheilung für Paladine? Was ist mit Hexenmeistern?

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

The Game Director answers the pressing questions about the classes of WoW. Not all answers will please the players.

A few days ago, the Game Director of World of Warcraft, Ion Hazzikostas, along with Community Manager Josh Allen, answered the community’s questions. Specifically, it was about the different classes of the game and what the future looks like.

However, the biggest topic was the adjustment of secondary stats on many items and how these interact with the character: In the future, you will need more points from almost every stat to achieve the same performance in numbers. It could be that a Mage with 47% critical strike rating drops a few points after the patch.

WoW Legion Fire Mage

However, this is not a nerf, as many items now give more primary stats. The basic goal of 7.1.5 is not to nerf any class. There may be minimal differences, but significant damage changes should not occur in the end.

Little chance of changes for the Holy Paladin, major changes for the Warlock

Another question was about the Holy Paladin. A player wanted to know if they can expect an improvement in their group healing in the near future, as it currently looks quite poor. Here, Hazzikostas has no positive news, as the team is satisfied that every healer has their own niche. Paladins are indeed powerful single-target healers, and that will not change anytime soon.

WoW Legion warlock demonology

Another topic was the Warlock. Many players feel that while it is now solid in dealing damage, it simply isn’t fun. Especially Demonology is not liked by many, as you often have to empower the minions to the second to be effective. This is rather “strenuous” gameplay and not really enjoyable. Hazzikostas understands these concerns and announces that there will be “major changes,” but they will take time. Presumably, they will not come with Patch 7.1.5.

Finally, Hazzikostas points out that with 36 different specializations, they unfortunately cannot treat all of them “in one go” and some classes need to be a bit more patient. Just because there is nothing for your own class in 7.1.5 does not mean that it is not on their radar. Unfortunately, not all issues can be fixed at once.

Another major issue of 7.1.5 is the revision of the Shadow Priests.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. mmo-champion.com

ARK: Survival Evolved – Schönere Dinos – Update bringt 1080p für PS 4 Pro, fixt Bugs

Leya Jankowski Leya Jankowski Reading time < 1 minutes

The first ARK patch for PS4 is here. It provides better resolution and fixes small bugs for PlayStation players.

Since December 6, ARK: Survival Evolved has been available for PS4. The first update arrived – as promised by WildCard – shortly afterwards. The patch should particularly delight PS4 Pro owners, as it ensures improved resolution.

On the Pro, the update increases the resolution to 1080p, while the PS4 can only display the dinos and their surroundings in 720p. Additionally, a few bugs have been fixed. Since the release, there have been issues with broken fonts, invitations that didn’t work, and general crashes of the game. This should no longer be a problem. With the patch, Primitive+ also arrives in Europe.

ARK Diplodocus
ARK Diplodocus

Additionally, WildCard announced a huge update for the winter months. There will be new maps for both consoles and PC. Server and client performance should be improved through new Physx libraries.

WildCard has a lot planned and will roll out much more updates in the near future. They already announced this for the PS4 release.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. survivetheark
  2. gamepro

Destiny: The 3 “new” Strikes in the Video – Omnigul, the Nexus and Taniks-Perfected

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time < 1 minutes

In Destiny (PS 4, Xbox One) gameplay footage of the new old Strikes has been released that come with “The Dawning”.

The upcoming winter event “The Dawning” focuses on the Strikes alongside the SRL : A Strike scoring system is coming, and three revamped Strikes will be introduced to provide more variety.

destiny-hueter

These Strikes are “The Will of Crota“, where you fight against Omnigul, the Shadow Thief, that is Taniks, and the Nexus. The Nexus has been a Strike that was missed in the playlists for a long time. It returns on December 13.

But you can already watch these three Strikes in full. Many YouTubers recorded gameplay footage during the PlayStation Experience. But beware, spoilers! If you want to discover the new challenges in the Strikes yourself, do not click on the following videos.

The three revamped Strikes of “The Dawning” in Destiny

The Omnigul Strike has been revamped and is now supposed to be significantly harder than before. In the videos, you will also see the “Year 3”-Icebreaker and the exotic machine guns Abbadon and Nova Mortis:

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In the Nexus Strike, the Taken now lurk. There are two alternative endings:

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Taniks is now “Taniks Perfected”. He has been reanimated thanks to SIVA and wants to be defeated by you once more. In the Strike, you will encounter the Splicers:

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You can read more about the Strike scoring here.

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War Thunder: Nach Panzern, Schiffen und Flugzeugen … nun Infanterie?

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The military MMO War Thunder is confusing with a mysterious announcement.

Teaser trailers are supposed to make players curious about what a game brings new. However, the current trailer from Gaijin is so confusing that no one quite knows what to make of it. Is a new game planned? Is it about War Thunder? Is this a new game? What is actually going on?

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In the 16-second trailer, there’s infantry action and a note to check on a page called “Enlisted” on December 12. “Enlisted” means something like “Drafted for Military Service.”

The top comment on the video on YouTube: Looks great, but I have no idea what this actually is.

The teaser comes through the official “War Thunder” channel. The military MMO is known for its realistic air combat, and over time, the navy and tanks have also made their way into the game, or at least it’s firmly planned.

Perhaps Gaijin has found a way to send another weapon type into battle?

This is why World of Tanks and War Thunder are hits in the former Soviet Union

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. pcgamesn

FIFA 17: The TOTGS in FUT – The best players of the “Champions League” group stage

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 2 minutes

In FIFA 17, the “Team of the Group Stage” is known. From now on, these special cards are available in the packs in FUT 17.

The group stage of the Champions League is over. In a few days, the knockout stage will be drawn. This international competition of the best clubs in Europe also influences EA Sports’ FIFA 17, as new blue special cards have been released: the TOTGS in FUT 17.

In full, this team is called “European Team of the Tournaments – Group Stage”. It consists of the players who performed strongly during the Champions League group stage.

This is the Team of the Group Stage in FUT 17

fifa-totgs

The upgraded special cards are hidden in the packs until December 16. These are the cards:

Starting XI:

  • GK: Ralf Fahrmann – FC Schalke 04 (Germany) – Germany
  • RB: Dani Alves –  Juventus (Italy) – Brazil
  • LB: Filipe Luis – Atletico de Madrid (Spain) – Brazil
  • CB: Diego Godin – Atletico de Madrid (Spain) – Uruguay
  • CAM: Mesut Ozil – Arsenal (England) – Germany
  • CM: Ilkay Gündoğan – Manchester City (England) – Turkey
  • RM: Riyad Mahrez – Leicester City (England) – Algeria
  • LM: Ousmane Dembele – Borussia Dortmund (Germany) – France
  • RF: Lionel Messi – Barcelona FC (Spain) – Argentina
  • ST: Robert Lewandowski – Bayern Munich (Germany) – Poland
  • ST: Antoine Griezmann – Atletico de Madrid (Spain) – France

Substitutes:

  • GK: Kasper Schmeichel – Leicester City (England) – Denmark
  • LF: Neymar – Barcelona FC (Spain) – Brazil
  • ST: Aduriz – Athletico Club de Bilbao (Spain) – Spain
  • LF: Dries Mertens – Napoli (Italy) – Belgium
  • CM: Joshua Kimmich – Bayern Munich (Germany) – Germany
  • ST: Edin Dzeko – Roma (Italy) – Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • ST: Giuliano – Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia) – Brazil

Reserves:

  • CB: Raphael Varane – Real Madrid (Spain) – France
  • LB: Terence Kongolo – Feyenoord (Holland) – Holland
  • RM: Leon Bailey – RC Genk (Belgium) – Jamaica
  • ST: Edinson Cavani – Paris Saint-Germain (France) – Uruguay
  • LB: Djibril Sidibe – AS Monaco (France) – France

The TOTW 12 this week can be found here.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. EA Sports

Overwatch: Player spends $300 on loot boxes, ends up ruining his game with -42,000 credits

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

A player spent over $300 on Overwatch and then lost all unlocks. Even with in-game credits, he was in the negative.

overwatch-lockbox

Errors in games are simply part of everyday gaming life. However, it becomes more serious when money is involved, such as when purchasing loot boxes in Overwatch. On Xbox, the user Kaleptik enjoyed playing Overwatch and after spending nearly $300 on loot boxes during the Summer Games, he had every single item available during the event. One could be happy and satisfied with that, right?

  • On September 1, a strange error occurred. After logging into the game, Kaleptik noticed that he suddenly had 100 loot boxes in his inventory – and his credit balance had fallen to the negative value of -1,815.
  • 3 days later (September 4), the loot boxes had vanished and the credit counter continued to decline to -8,535.
  • On September 6, the next error followed: He earned a loot box in the game but received 101 boxes – Kaleptik had enough and contacted customer support. However, the support team couldn’t help him, as they had little insight into server actions on consoles – he was advised to contact Microsoft (who – surprise – also couldn’t help).
  • Shortly thereafter, on September 13, the incident reached its peak. With 42,535 credits in the negative, unlocking things was out of the question. But that wasn’t all: More than half of Kaleptik’s hero gallery was taken from him – a large portion of his unlocks disappeared.
overwatch-kaleptik-minus-credits

Kaleptik decided to do what everyone does nowadays – post the story on Reddit. Customer service representative Araxom took on the case and set many levers in motion. After extensive research, it seems the reason was a PayPal refund request that was immediately revised. The servers registered this request, but likely not the cancellation – hence, Microsoft’s customer service could not detect an error, as there was no reversal in the system, but there was an effect.

As compensation, Kaleptik received 500 fresh loot boxes – 400 of them from the “Summer Games” event, allowing him to successfully complete his collection again. He is also out of the negative credits. Lucky him, just before interest was due.

The ranking in Overwatch is now more accurate – but not all fans are happy about it.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. kotaku.com
  2. reddit.com/r/overwatch/

Call of Duty Infinite Warfare: Verkaufszahlen 50% schlechter als bei Black Ops 3

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time < 1 minutes

The shooter Call of Duty Infinite Warfare has not sold well.

According to analysts, the latest installment of Call of Duty has sold nearly 50% less compared to its predecessor, Black Ops 3, in terms of “box” sales in the USA in November. The information comes from CNBC, which obtained it from a “Wall Street” analyst who evaluated the NPD data – a major market research firm in the USA.

CoD: Infinite Warfare was released on November 4 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

The poor sales figures may have also contributed to Activision Blizzard’s stock losing 20% compared to the peak in mid-October.

Call-of-Duty-Infinite-Warfare-Lead-Image

Analyst Doug Creutz is quoted saying: Infinite Warfare has performed 17% worse than expected. The title is now close to 50% fewer units sold year-over-year.

Another anonymous source from Wall Street supports Creutz’s assessment and estimates the decline in sales to be 51% – the source wishes to remain anonymous because they are not actually allowed to reveal their firm’s research numbers. Initial figures from the UK also support these claims.

However, it should be noted: These are only the box sales, the sales that went over the counter. The figures do not account for digital sales.

Relevant to the topic:

Analyst: Destiny and The Division hurt CoD, Titanfall 2, and Watch Dogs 2

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. CNBC

Blizzard: Publishing House for Stories in the World of Diablo, Warcraft, StarCraft established

Cortyn Cortyn Reading time 2 minutes

Blizzard wants to reach fans through more media, which is why they are now establishing a publishing house. Stories set in the Diablo, Warcraft, and Starcraft universes will be told.

A while ago, we reported that Activision Blizzard wants to be represented in more media in the future, aiming to offer shows on television set in the various franchise universes. However, it seems they are not limiting themselves to videos, as Blizzard is now expanding the distribution of books as well. Under the name “Blizzard Publishing”, a dedicated publishing house has been established to excite fans (and those who are not yet fans) about the various worlds.

According to the press release, it states (translated):

“Blizzard Entertainment today announced the establishment of a book publishing house, Blizzard Publishing. Its aim is to publish new works and reissue titles that are no longer available – especially in the Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo settings, both directly and through ongoing global collaboration. Each of the Blizzard universes is inhabited by several million players, and Blizzard Publishing will help maintain the history and legacy of the first books and manga from Blizzard.

At the same time, there will be a variety of new opportunities for fans to engage with the expansive worlds and characters of Blizzard. Many of the upcoming releases from Blizzard Publishing will be available in multiple formats: for instance, printed or as audio and e-books.”

starcraft

In addition to traditional books and manga, there will also be several artbooks, such as for Hearthstone and StarCraft.

Cortyn says: While this may not be “the big announcement” that Blizzard fans have been hoping for recently, it is certainly an exciting development for all interested parties. Because who doesn’t want to read a good story in the cold winter (or at least lazily listen to it as an audiobook directly from the headset)? I can only hope that some of the books will receive at least a small revision to match the current version of the lore.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. massivelyop.com

Pokémon GO: Changes to the Tracker Again – ‘Nearby’ and ‘Sighted’

Schuhmann Schuhmann Reading time 2 minutes

Niantic changed the tracker in Pokémon GO again last night: “Nearby” and “Sighted” now share the space.

It’s an endless story with the tracker in Pokémon GO. This is the display with which trainers locate Pokémon while they walk around with their smartphones. Trainers were satisfied with the first version, but it caused server issues and had to be completely removed.

The endless story with the tracker in Pokémon GO: “Nearby” and “Sighted”

The new “San Francisco” tracker, which was tested for a long time and has just arrived in Germany, normally only displayed Pokémon that were “nearby.” This means: They are near a Pokéstop. “Sightings” of Pokémon only occurred when the player was far away from any Pokéstop, i.e., completely in the wilderness. Then Pokémon were displayed to them that were within a radius of 200 meters around them.

Pokémon GO

The problem with it: There are so many Pokéstops in the city that trainers could hunt well here. Pokéstops are based on “landmarks.” In rural areas, however, there is often only one such stop nearby, and it is quickly exhausted. Sightings were not displayed to the trainer in rural areas because there was a Pokéstop nearby.

New tracker in Pokémon GO is a compromise

Since last night, there is now a compromise: “Nearby” and “Sighted” share the space on the tracker. However, this is not always the case, as it depends on how many Pokéstops are near the trainer. This can be concluded from initial reports. Trainers with many Pokéstops nearby should not notice a difference – this specifically concerns trainers who can access “few stops” in their surroundings.

naehegesichtet
This is what it looks like now. Source: Facebook.

With this, Niantic has responded to the feedback from players. They had called for exactly, or at least very close to, such a change. However, many would have preferred that players could freely choose between “Nearby” and “Sighted” by “swiping” – at the moment, the new tracker decides for the players.

Our Poké expert Leya has dealt with the plight of the “rural trainers”:

Pokémon GO: Niantic pls – Why can’t city and rural trainers use both trackers?

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. polygon
  2. Niantic

Pokémon GO: Niantic pls – Why can’t city and country trainers use both trackers?

Leya Jankowski Leya Jankowski Reading time 3 minutes

The new tracker of Pokémon GO has disappointed most players. Players in the city and in the countryside now have different trackers available, and none has both. Fans have come up with several theories as to why this is the case.

Update: It seems like our requests have been heard: Pokémon GO: Again changes to the tracker – “Nearby” and “Sighted”

 Original report: 
 

Since the new tracker has been added to Pokémon GO, it has been controversial and heavily criticized. Especially the “Nearby”  – feature is troubling trainers. The tracker gives a listing of 9 Pokémon that are near PokéStops. In plain text, this means that the tracker only works in conjunction with PokéStops.  Players are especially angry that they cannot use the “Sighted” – feature as soon as they are near a PokéStop.

This feature is particularly useful when one is further away from PokéStops and goes hunting outside of cities. “Sighted” works as soon as one is 200 meters away from the nearest PokéStop. With the “Nearby” – feature, trainers might see the Zubat at the nearby PokéStop. They do not see the Charizard that is right next to them and run past it directly to the PokéStop. The downside of “Sighted”: One has to wander around for a long time since the exact location of the Pokémon is not displayed.

Therefore, trainers would prefer to have both trackers available at all times, regardless of the distance to the next PokéStop.

pokemon-neuer-tracker

Pokemon GO: Are advertising and marketing behind the new tracker?

The new tracker was tested for more than four months in San Francisco. It is hard to imagine that Niantic never considered during this time that players outside and inside San Francisco play different games. Because players in the countryside have almost nothing from the new tracker, as there are virtually no PokéStops outside of cities. Why can’t trainers always have both trackers?

There is a theory that marketing is the reason for the new “Nearby” – feature. By attracting trainers to certain PokéStops, certain businesses can also benefit that sponsor these stops. Niantic’s game Ingress also had sponsored areas. Players wander from PokéStop to PokéStop through the “Nearby” – tracker, which can be an art installation or a business that has a sponsorship deal with Niantic. Pokémon appearing between these stops are essentially invisible.

This business model has been tested by Niantic in various markets, and McDonald’s was one of the first companies to invest in PokéStops. Without this system, PokéStops are just PokéStops, and now specific Pokémon could be tied to the sponsored PokéStops. The marketing possibilities would be endless.

pokemon-geld

From catching Pokémon to throwing away money

YouTuber Nick recently uploaded a video on his Pokemon GO – channel “TrainerTips” where he drives to a local cinema to catch a Charizard. After he and his companion caught the Charizard, they stayed a bit longer and fed the nearby arcade machines with money. They played with a claw machine that contained Pokémon merchandise. You can observe the whole thing starting around minute 7:30. Nick himself points out the “Sponsorship theory” at that moment.

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Old tracker brought negative headlines

However, this does not explain the exclusivity of the “Sighted” – feature for players in the flat countryside. If players cannot track a trail to find Pokémon, it is at least still helpful to know which ones are in the vicinity. With the first version, which showed footprints, players kept their eyes glued to their phones. There were news of trainers simply walking into traffic because they could not lift their heads. This brought negative headlines.

Nick claims that the new “Sighted” – feature can prevent this. Niantic did not like the idea of trainers staring at their screens while hunting for Pokémon and putting themselves in danger. As long as “Sighted” is thus useless for actually tracking Pokémon, players also do not wander around in traffic or other potential dangers.

Pokemon GO Evil Caution

These are all just theories. Since the release, the tracker has been a problem, and players simply do not understand why Niantic has not yet found a satisfactory solution. There must be some reasons beyond incompetence on Niantic’s part. Monetization and safety could have an impact.

What do you think, why is Niantic having such a hard time developing a tracker that satisfies all trainers? Fans are so desperate, that they are even developing their own tracker.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. kotaku

The Division: Vendor Reset on 10.12. – The Offer This Week

Tom Rothstein Tom Rothstein Reading time 3 minutes

In The Division, the vendors come with fresh inventory starting today, on December 10th.

Once a week, on the night from Friday to Saturday, the sellers receive a new offer on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Each of them brings items with relevant gear score, which depends on your agent’s character score.

By the way: The gear value of these items also affects their price and their attribute bonuses.

The Special Equipment Vendor on December 10th

You can find this vendor in the Terminal. He requires Phoenix Credits. At World Tier 5 and with a score of 256, his primary weapons cost 1248 PCs.

  • Liberator (Assault Rifle)
  • Valkyria (Submachine Gun)
  • Historian (Precision Rifle)
  • Stubby Rhino (Pistol): 998 PCs – Expert, Experienced
  • Enhanced PP19 (Submachine Gun) – Dominant, Talented, Accelerated
  • SA-58 – Military Version (Assault Rifle) – Deadly, Vindictive, Determined
  • Super 90 SBS Tactic (Shotgun) – Persistent, Deadly, Demanding
  • SRS A1 (Precision Rifle) – Devastating, Experienced, Precise
  • MG5 (LMG): Precise, Prepared, Deadly

The Armor Parts:

  • Mask: 1x Highend, DeadEYE, AlphaBridge
  • Tactical Vest: 1x Highend, Striker, Watch’s Call
  • Backpack: 1x Highend, Nomad, Lone Hero, Final Measure, Predator’s Mark, D3-FNC.
  • Kneepads: 1x Highend
  • Holster: 1x Highend, Tactician’s Authority, Hunter’s Loyalty, Banshee.
  • Gloves: 1x Highend, FireCrest, Recuperator
division-survival-sonne

In addition to mods and jackets, he has sealed containers that you can purchase for 200 PCs.

Special Blueprint Vendor – Offer

The Blueprint vendor is also located in the Terminal. These blueprints have a max score of 256:

  • Super 90 (Shotgun): 998 PCs
  • M870 Express (Shotgun): 998 PCs
  • Electronics Backpack: 665 PCs
  • Firearms Backpack: 665 PCs

Additionally, he has these weapon mod blueprints: Vertical Grip – Leaf Green, Heavy Magazine Spring, Electronics Equipment Mod, and a Stamina Equipment Mod.

The Seller of Advanced Weapons on PS4, Xbox One, and PC

This seller is stationed in the Security Wing. He requires credits. All items come with the maximum value, the primary weapons cost 1669320 credits each at World Tier 5 and score 256:

  • Pakhan (LMG)
  • Cassidy (Shotgun)
  • Centurion (Pistol)
  • X45, First Wave Version (Pistol): 1335456 Credits – Expert, Precise
  • Enhanced AUG A3P (Submachine Gun) – Determined, Capable, Accelerated
  • Improved ACR-E (Assault Rifle) – Deadly, Prepared, Bitter
  • Sawed-off Double-barrel Shotgun – Competent, Receptive, Dominant
  • SCAR-H – Military Version (Precision Rifle) – Deadly, Devastating, Prepared
  • M249 Para Tactic (LMG) – Bitter, Thieving, Capable
division-agent-sonne

As mods, there is a high-speed magazine, a muzzle brake, a PEQ-15 laser – Orange, and a 552 holo sight.

The Offer of the Dark Zone Weapon Dealer

The weapon dealer is waiting in DZ03 in the safe room. You get his 256 weapons from rank 30. They cost 416160 DZ.

  • X45, First Wave Version (Pistol): 332928 DZ – Expert, Brutal
  • Vector .45 Caliber Series 1 (Submachine Gun) – Vindictive, Bitter, Demanding
  • Improved ACR-E (Assault Rifle) – Capable, Thieving, Malicious
  • SASG-12 K Tactic (Shotgun) – Experienced, Agile, Persistent
  • SOCOM Mk20 SSR (Precision Rifle) – Talented, Agile, Demanding
  • MG5, Infantry Version (LMG) – Experienced, Brutal, Talented

Here’s What the DZ Weapon Mod Dealer Has

The weapon mod dealer is in DZ05 in the safe room. All of his items are available from DZ rank 30 and with an object level of 34. You need Dark Zone currency.

  • Quick-Change Magazine: Reload Speed, Magazine Size, Fire Rate
  • Osprey Suppressor .45 Caliber – Earth Brown: Precision, Stability, Critical Hit Damage
  • Handstop Ochre: Reload Speed, Precision, Stability
  • Improved Open Sights: Stability, Headshot Damage, Critical Hit Damage
    division-dark-zone-extraction

The Inventory of the Dark Zone Specialties Dealer

This female dealer is in DZ06 in the safe room. She sells items from DZ rank 35 at max score. They cost 277440 DZ. One gear set part is sold from each armor piece.

  • Mask: DeadEYE
  • Armor: DeadEYE
  • Backpack: DeadEYE
  • Kneepads: Striker
  • Holster: Striker
  • Gloves: Recuperator

Additionally, you can buy a Sealed Dark Zone Container for 100000 DZ from rank 30.

You can find the effects of all weapon talents here.

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.

Ashes of Creation will das traditionelle MMO-Gameplay in die Luft jagen

Andreas Bertits Andreas Bertits Reading time 2 minutes

Ashes of Creation is a very interesting sandbox MMORPG developed by former employees of Daybreak Studios.

In an interview with MassivelyOP, Lead Designer Jeffrey Bard shared a bit more about the ambitious online game. He first explains that the game’s title would be related to the backstory. Players find themselves in a world that has arisen from the ruins of a previous, disaster-stricken world.

The game is being developed by a team of former employees of Daybreak/SOE, the creators of games like Everquest, Everquest 2, or the canceled Everquest Next. This includes Creative Director Steven Sharif, whose idea for the new studio and MMORPG it was. Intrepid Studios was founded in late 2015.

ashes-of-creation-burg
100% MMORPG yet different

Ashes of Creation is aimed at MMORPG fans, but Jeffrey Bard explains that they want to “blow up” traditional MMORPG gameplay. Nevertheless, it is intended to be 100 percent an MMORPG. What exactly that means, Jeffrey Bard did not want to reveal yet. However, they also want to attract new players with the game, not just MMO veterans. They aim to analyze again what makes an MMORPG an MMORPG. When asked whether Ashes of Creation will become what Everquest Next was supposed to be, Bard stated they do not want to jump on the same hype train. The scale of both projects would differ from each other.

At the beginning of the game, you find yourself in a world that is just recovering from a massive catastrophe. There is practically no civilization left. Your task is to rebuild civilization. You start small with a few huts and then expand them into thriving cities. You ensure that a trade system and politics are established. All game systems influence each other. PvE affects PvP, which in turn affects the economy in the game. Although PvP plays an important role, systems have been developed to minimize ganking and griefing.

Alpha in about a year

Implementing the game is very ambitious. However, the team has developed technologies that can achieve this goal. The alpha status is expected to be reached in about 12 months, and the core systems have been sufficiently completed, as well as a world in which everything can now be tested. The actual launch is still several years away. The team is also preparing a Kickstarter campaign to obtain additional funding. However, it is still unclear when this will start. Currently, a subscription model with an item shop is planned, but it will only offer cosmetic items.

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More articles on Ashes of Creation:

MMORPG Ashes of Creation promises a sandbox world in constant change

This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Source(s):
  1. MassivelyOP