Blizzard is considering cosmetic DLCs in StarCraft 2. Who wouldn’t want Morgan Freeman as the announcer voice?
Cooler Units for Bigger Wallets
For more and more games, it’s commonplace to sell cosmetic DLCs through an in-game shop, even if the game is actually a full-price title. Now Blizzard seems to be considering such cosmetic DLCs for StarCraft 2 as well. As several users on Reddit report, Blizzard has sent surveys to some players addressing this very topic.
The players are asked whether they would buy special skins for units to make their favorite troops look a bit more premium. Various emoticons that can be sent in chat are also under discussion. Other questions aim to gauge how agreeable players would be to the prices for such additional DLCs. A set of 10 emoticons would cost about $2.49, and a single unit skin would be available for $1.99.
But not only skins and emoticons are being considered; announcer packs, which would replace the original announcer voice in the game, are also being discussed.
Players had the opportunity to express their opinions on various voices, including not only “Blizzard characters” such as Thrall, Alarak, or Murky, but also rather… unexpected persons like Snoop Dogg or Morgan Freeman.
According to the surveys, a single announcer pack would then be offered for $3.99 (and presumably the same price in euros).
However, so far these surveys are just that – surveys. Until Blizzard presents official plans, much remains uncertain.
Would you get such DLCs? Or is that a reason to turn away from StarCraft?
Mein-MMO thinks: Even if nothing is set in stone yet, these surveys make us somewhat skeptical. We can hardly imagine that the introduction of so many paid DLCs will be particularly well-received by fans. Even though other games have proven that announcer packs can indeed be popular, Blizzard could alienate a large group of players with this move. But as always, the saying goes: let’s wait and see how things develop.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The possibilities that players will receive in the upcoming space MMO Star Citizen have been expanded once again.
Star Citizen started as a space action game. It was supposed to be inspired by Wing Commander and Privateer, but with increasing revenue, more and more things are becoming possible. Chris Roberts, founder and CEO of Cloud Imperium Games, stated that he now has the opportunity to make the game he has always wanted to develop.
Run your own kiosk
The latest monthly report discusses many of the innovations. This includes preparations for Alpha 3.0 and the possibility for players to run their own kiosks. Through this, it will be possible to sell goods to other players. However, there will still be NPC traders. A completely player-driven economy is currently not in discussion. But players should have an influence on the economy.
In addition, a new system is coming that allows you to interact with objects. For example, when standing in front of the entrance ladder of a spaceship, you have various options that cycle through and can determine whether you want to climb the ladder, climb into the co-pilot seat, or retract the ladder. In this way, players will have many more options to interact with objects in the game world. Furthermore, work continues on graphical improvements in all areas – not just on ships and planets, but also on NPC and player models as well as equipment.
You can watch the entire report here in video form:
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FIFA 17 is not only available on PS4, Xbox One, and PC, but also on PS3 and Xbox 360. However, some features are missing. We present the information on the content for the old consoles.
EA Sports recently announced the content that PS3 and “Xbox 360” gamers can expect in FIFA 17. Due to the limited performance of the last-gen consoles, some innovations will not be available, which will only be accessible on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Game modes and new fan chants for PS3 and Xbox 360
In addition to the Japanese J-League and numerous Brazilian clubs, you can also play with two new international women’s teams: Norway and the Netherlands on the old consoles.
Furthermore, you will find additional stadiums (Olympic Stadium, Riverside Stadium, and Suita City Football Stadium) and fan chants in the game that aim to enhance the atmosphere.
The following game modes are available:
FIFA 17 Ultimate Team including Squad Building Challenges
Career mode
Be a Pro – Player
Be a Pro – Goalkeeper
Tournament Mode
Women’s Tournament (international teams)
Online Season
Online Friendlies
Skill Games
Kick-off
“Play Next Fixture”
Practice Arena
What content is missing on PS3 and Xbox 360?
Basically, everything that is not listed above is missing. Nowhere is the Frostbite Engine mentioned, which is expected to provide stunning graphics on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
As mentioned above, only two features are listed among the gameplay innovations. The adaptive player intelligence and the improved physical play are missing.
In this guide, we explain how Buddy Pokémon work in Pokémon GO.
The latest update for Pokémon GO introduces a feature that the developers announced a few days ago. The Buddy System is meant to strengthen the bond between trainers and Pokémon. Additionally, there are rewards for using the system. To receive these rewards, you just need to select a Buddy Pokémon that will accompany you on your adventures. For example, you will receive candies specifically for that Pokémon.
Selecting or changing a Buddy Pokémon
To make the best use of the Buddy System, you should not only choose a Buddy Pokémon based on which Pokémon you like, but also which one you need candies for. If you choose a Pidgey as your Buddy, you will only receive Pidgey candies as a reward. However, Pidgey are quite common for most trainers, so you can simply catch more if you need candies for this Pokémon. Choosing a rare Dragonite or a Pikachu as a Buddy would be more sensible in many situations, for example.
Source: Reddit
After you have traveled a certain distance, you will be rewarded with candies. The Pokémon are categorized based on how far you must go to receive a reward. You will learn more about which categories the Pokémon are divided into later in the text.
If you are unhappy with your choice and would prefer a different Pokémon as your Buddy, you can easily change it at any time. This will reset the traveled distance and not save it. The best time to switch a Buddy Pokémon is shortly after you have received a reward.
Once you have installed Update 0.37.0 on Android or 1.7.0 on iOS, the Buddy feature will be available to you. Click on your player portrait in the lower left corner of the screen. Then click on the menu button in the bottom right corner. Next, click on the Buddy option, which is now located between Journal and Customize. Now you just need to choose a Buddy Pokémon.
Buddy Pokémon Distance Categories
As mentioned earlier, various Pokémon are categorized based on distance. You must walk this distance with your Buddy Pokémon to receive 1 candy for that Pokémon. In rare cases, you may even receive 2 candies as a reward. The system works similarly to hatching Pokémon Eggs.
Tip: If you are looking for specific Pokémon in the following categories, open the search in your browser (Ctrl+F) and enter the name of the desired Pokémon.
Rewards after 1 kilometer are available for the following Pokémon:
According to TheSilphRoad, some Pokémon that are not yet in the game already have distance values present in the code. This information about which Pokémon belongs to which category comes from this subreddit. Currently, there is various information regarding the 3 and 5 kilometer categories, so this list will be updated in the coming days.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The former head of World of Warcraft is founding a new game studio. “Bonfire” is being enabled by Riot and aims to “bring players together.”
A Team Full of Legends
Many players might still remember the developer Rob Pardo, as he has shaped the childhood of several generations. He was the lead developer of World of Warcraft at Blizzard for a long time, but also worked on Warcraft 3, Diablo 2, and the StarCraft series. Therefore, one could say that a large part of the players has already experienced his works. However, Rob Pardo left Blizzard after nearly 16 years in 2014 – and now we also know why! He is founding the new game studio “Bonfire”, which wants to focus on online games. Whether it will be about mobile or PC games is still not entirely clear.
So far, the studio is “only” founded and is still looking for new employees, but already it has landed some “big fish”. Rob has already managed to win over Nick Carpenter, who previously led Blizzard’s cinematics team, Min Kim (former CEO of Nexon America), and Josh Mosqueira, the Game Director of Diablo 3 (2011-2016).
In the official announcement from Rob Pardo, it says, almost a bit in a “Blizzard style”:
“Many game developers of my generation have a similar story. We were outsiders who had multi-colored dice in our pockets, hid our action figures in the closet, and waited weekly in front of the comic shop for the latest issue. (…) Our parents blamed us for using video games to escape reality, but these worlds gave us the opportunity to matter. To dream, to fight, to compete, and ultimately to leave our mark on the universe (even if it was just digital). Then we grew up and started creating games ourselves.
Game developers live the dream where passion and work come together. We do not see our weeks as something we have to endure to be able to “live properly” on the weekend. But developers often have to decide – do I work on a new blockbuster game where I have little personal influence or in the brave indie studio that goes largely unnoticed? Our dream is to create a studio where developers do not have to choose.”
Pardo has worked on WoW for a long time but has also led other Blizzard games. “Bonfire” thus starts with a wealth of expertise.
Bonfire will place a particularly strong focus on connecting players, which will likely strongly emphasize social interactions and dependencies.
Currently, it is all being financed by Riot, who surely have high hopes for Bonfire’s future project – even if so far it is likely still no more than a rough idea. But with such big names that have already made video game history, very solid foundations are at least laid. It remains exciting to see what the studio will have to show in a few years.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new update for Pokémon GO has introduced tricks for trainers to build a similar bond with Pikachu as Ash.
The new update for Pokémon GO brought, among other things, the Buddy System into play. However, while many players are still waiting for update 0.37.0 (Android) and 1.7.0 (iOS) to be available to them, a few players have already discovered interesting tricks that are present in the new version. For example, it is possible to carry a Pikachu on your shoulder like Ash in the Pokémon series.
Pikachu as a Buddy Pokémon
With new updates, eager players always try to discover changes that are not mentioned in the patch notes. The latest update introduced the Buddy Pokémon system, where you can select a favorite Pokémon to accompany you on your adventures. If you cover a certain distance with a Pokémon, you will be rewarded with candies for that Pokémon type. The system was discovered by data miners in the game’s code before the official announcement.
Source: Reddit
On the TheSilphRoad subreddit, they discuss Easter eggs in Pokémon GO. One of the first confirmed tricks is that you can carry Pikachu on your shoulder. Normally, Pikachu walks next to you on the ground. The trick is quite simple and easy to replicate.
You select Pikachu as your Buddy Pokémon.
It starts off normally as a buddy walking next to you.
After you have walked 10 kilometers with Pikachu, it becomes a “Shoulder Buddy Pokémon.”
This trick is purely cosmetic and does not offer the player any advantages in battles. If you are fans of the series, this Easter egg is probably just right for you.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In FIFA 17, players with the highest defensive ratings in FUT are well known. Keep an eye out for them on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
In the “Ultimate Team” mode of FIFA 17, there are thousands of player cards with individual ratings. Directly on the card, six ratings are displayed, which can be further divided into individual attributes. The six player ratings are Pace, Shooting, Passing, Dribbling, Defense, and Physicality. Depending on the position, some ratings are more significant for a player than others.
Especially for a center-back, it is important to have a high defensive rating to effectively take the ball away from opposing players. Therefore, it is not surprising that the top 10 defenders in FIFA 17 FUT are all center-backs. EA Sports recently released the top ten list.
Players for Defense
Among the best ten players with the highest defensive rating are three German players. Two center-backs from the Bundesliga are represented. Jerome Boateng from FC Bayern is even at the top.
Rank 10: Sergio Ramos
Rank 9: Per Mertesacker
Rank 8: Mats Hummels
Rank 7: Diego Godin
Rank 6: Pepe
Rank 5: Miranda
Rank 4: Andrea Barzagli
Rank 3: Thiago Silva
Rank 2: Giorgio Chiellini
Rank 1: Jerome Boateng
However, keep in mind that a high defensive rating is not the only quality criterion for a center-back. Many players pay attention to good pace to handle agile, offensive speed dribblers effectively. Additionally, the physicality and size of the player, especially in central defense, are important.
In The Division, the plans for this week are being thrown out the window. The livestream for 1.4 and the launch of the PTS are canceled.
Bad news for all agents: Tomorrow (September 13), a special report on Update 1.4 was supposed to take place, in which detailed information about the future of The Division was promised. This has now been canceled for the time being. As well as the launch of the PTS, the public test servers that were supposed to allow testing of the update in advance. When both will be made up is still unclear.
With Update 1.4, the developers aim to enhance the complete player experience. To this end, they invited representatives from the community last week to discuss the major issues and find solutions together. It was assumed that the results of these fruitful discussions would also be published in the livestream.
The show is not canceled, just postponed
The community manager Hamish Bode has now announced in the Ubi forum that the special report will be postponed. They cannot show everything they would like to present to the community tomorrow. They are not that far yet.
Instead, this week’s “State of the Game” (presumably as usual on Thursday during maintenance) will discuss a little about Update 1.4. They want to address some specific solution proposals. We will report on this.
PTS also need more time
Next Thursday, the public test servers were supposed to go live. However, they tested the build with the “Elite Task Force” and concluded that they still need to incorporate further key elements that are critical to the overall experience. In short: The PTS will also take place at a later time.
Bode emphasizes that Massive wants to continue to adhere to their transparent course. Keeping the community in the dark is not an option for them. As soon as they have more information, they will let us know.
There are new updates about the future plans for Black Desert.
Dualshockers conducted an interview with the Korean minds behind Black Desert. The dark elf race announced for the end of the year in Korea will be “female” only. However, they are considering introducing a male elf as well – the females are already finished and confirmed, while the elven males are still in the future plans.
A port of Black Desert to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is something that is being considered, but the more important priority right now is to stabilize the game on PC.
By the end of the year, we can expect snow in the game here in Europe. They had it in Korea before – we in the West are supposed to receive an “upgraded” version of that.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny not every bullet hits the target. One reason for this: “Ghost Bullets”.
A video has been circulating online for a few days that demonstrates the “Ghost Bullets” in detail. This phenomenon has been a topic in the community for some time now, which is experiencing a resurgence.
These ghost bullets are said to occur mainly with handguns, but also with other weapons with limited range, such as shotguns. A “Ghost Bullet” is a bullet that seemingly disappears the moment it leaves the weapon. Even if the skull of the enemy is directly targeted, the shot misses.
If you’re shooting with handguns from the hip, the weapon has an open reticle. In this case, it is understandable that the bullets burst wildly from the weapon, making precise shots at range impossible. However, if you press the L2 button to take aim at the enemy, you have a precise point as the reticle:
The problem with the ghost bullets is: sometimes the weapon shoots exactly where you aim, sometimes it doesn’t. The bullets miss the target not due to poor latency or bad aiming skills, but apparently due to randomness.
When Precision Is Random
The YouTuber iAM – tripleWRECK recently released the following “proof video” and has quickly garnered a whopping 160,000 views with it. What he vividly shows in it is currently making waves. See for yourself:
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The Last Word would suffer the most from the “Ghost Bullet” problem, as it has the lowest range of all handguns.
The YouTuber notes that the bullets do not simply disappear into thin air, but rather miss the target. Even when he directly aims for the head, one shot hits the wall to the left of the enemy, while another shot, which should have been a headshot, is counted as a body hit.
In other words: Even when aiming with the handgun precisely (not shooting from the hip), the weapon has an “open reticle” that is not visible. Especially at longer distances, it is therefore a matter of chance whether you hit the enemy or not, even when you have him in your sights.
Therefore, a request is directed at Bungie: Remove randomness from precision.
What do you think about this problem?
Is it really all random? Or are there just hidden numbers at play? In this article, we delve extensively into the range value in Destiny. Because the range influences precision in consecutive shots, among other things. In the above video, the Guardian also takes a lot of time between shots, and the bullet still doesn’t hit.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
If WoW players dislike one thing, it is forced PvP. However, that is exactly what exists in the Underbelly of Dalaran – apparently.
A problem where there seems to be none
With the launch of World of Warcraft: Legion, there were and still are plenty of game contents that remain a mystery to most gamers. This includes, among other things, the extensive profession quests that sooner or later require almost every profession to visit the sewer, which is also better known as the “Underbelly”. The problem for many players: The Underbelly is a pretty bizarre PvP area where the rules change practically by the minute. While you are just being protected by guards, they take their lunch break in the next moment, after which dryads, crocodiles, and exploding sheep fill the halls and players can slaughter each other.
In the “Legion Q&A,” Ion Hazzikostas addressed this and admitted that the developers could have done a better job of indicating that one never has to engage in PvP in the Underbelly. Because those who want to can hire a guard at the entrance (the tunnel at “Krasus’ Landing”) that protects the player from all PvP activities for 5 minutes. This way, everyone can peacefully complete their profession quests without being forced into PvP.
If you don’t want to fight, you can simply hire a guard. However, you need to know that.
Additionally, the Underbelly had also been plagued by some bugs until recently. For instance, the phasing did not work as intended, resulting in far too many players being in the same phase or personal guards disappearing too early.
In the future, however, these problems should be resolved, and those who have business to conduct in the Underbelly need only hire a guard for 5 gold and can then calmly go about their tasks.
The Warcraft point&click adventure “Lord of the Clans” is being released after 18 years – however, illegally.
How Thrall Gained Freedom
When thinking of the various Warcraft games, most likely World of Warcraft comes to mind first, then Warcraft 3 and the other strategy games. Only a few players think of “Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans” – especially since the game was never released. Now, the user Reidor has posted the game on the forum of “Scrolls of Lore” (a Warcraft fan site) – in a pretty solid state. This makes the point&click adventure playable for the first time in its (almost) complete form, including all cutscenes.
Thematically, the game deals with the story of the orc Thrall, and how he escapes from the fortress Durnholde to subsequently unite the clans.
Blizzard discontinued the game a long time ago, as it did not meet their quality standards, but a large part of the game data has been circulating on the internet for several years. The result can be seen in this video.
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Providing the game is likely highly illegal, and it is probably only a matter of time before Blizzard steps in. But once something is on the internet, it doesn’t go away that quickly.
Mein-MMO states: Although not legal, this is still a piece of Warcraft history and shows a rather funny side of the universe. Especially the scenes with Deathwing, who takes a puff from a hookah, cast a rather strange light on many events happening in the current lore. It’s a shame the game was never officially released. It’s definitely worth a look for fans – even if just in video form.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In PvP of WoW , you can gain artifact power, but not very much. Is it worth it?
PvP should be an alternative to other sources
It has been almost two weeks since the release of Legion, and slowly but surely, players are moving away from questing and turning to other in-game content. Especially PvP players are really getting into it and are unleashing themselves in battlegrounds to test the new PvP talents and have a good old-fashioned brawl. However, most players find the rewards from battlegrounds insufficient. A victory in (Random) BGs is currently rewarded with 50 artifact power, while a loss yields a measly 5 (both modified by artifact knowledge). There is a larger boost of 200 artifact power at every few honor levels, but that doesn’t seem really worthwhile.
This has led to cries from players: Why do I have to do world quests and dungeons if I want a strong artifact weapon in PvP? Ion Hazzikostas addressed this issue and made it clear: Yes, you should be able to obtain a reasonable amount of artifact power through PvP. However, since “random battlegrounds” and “skirmishes” can literally be “spammed,” the team wanted to be cautious about granting artifact power to see how it all plays out.
Ranked battlegrounds are expected to be considerably more rewarding, which will only be available with the start of the PvP season. By then, PvP players should be able to supply their weapon noticeably faster with artifact power, narrowing the gap to PvE players.
In Riders of Icarus there is a lot to do again, because the current patch brings the hideout of the demon Ienos, and there you get the key to tame entirely new mounts.
In Riders of Icarus, the following motto applies: “The world can never have enough mounts!” Therefore, we are also venturing into the depths of the hideout of the demon Ienos with the current patch. Sure, there is a solid lore background to it, but for most players, the demon must die simply because it drops a special item. We need that if we want to tame a particularly rare beast. And as they say, you can never have enough creatures to ride!
The hideout of Ienos is located at Parna’s Coast and is a solo instance for heroes from level 34. To reach Ienos’ living room, you must first obtain a key stone, which can be obtained from the quest giver. Those who want to enter more often during the day can buy additional key stones for one Elun each. The chance of obtaining a heroic mount at the end of the dungeon is 10 percent, so there should be such a creature every tenth run. You can find the official announcement regarding Ienos’ hideout here on the official Riders of Icarus website.
Don’t miss our hands-on report on Riders of Icarus, where we had fun with Ewoks and wild boars!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The beta of Battlefield 1 has apparently challenged the creativity of some players. Songs featuring sounds from the game have even emerged.
Until last Thursday, the open beta phase of Battlefield 1 was active. Players could get an impression of what awaits them in the main game, among other things. The developers faced some criticism for offering only one map to play during the beta. Other players unleashed their creativity on this map and demonstrated how to have more fun with the game.
“Forward, Stop, Left, Shoot!”
How do you play a shooter using voice control? Normally, the answer to this question is “Not at all!” The YouTuber Slimecicle has taken on the challenge and tested how successful one can be with voice control in Battlefield 1. Admittedly, the program he uses is not the best. Not only the delay but also the inaccuracy of the commands make this challenge particularly interesting.
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Total chaos ensues when Slimecicle tries to communicate his intentions to the game. It can happen that he stands still in the middle of the battlefield, making himself an ideal target for sniper players. Even though one wouldn’t want such a player on their team, the team managed to win a round with him nonetheless.
Seven Nation Army at Battlefield 1
A completely different form of creativity is shown by UMadBroYolo with his Battlefield 1 song. He recorded various sounds that appear in the game and made a song out of them. In the video, you can see what role the axe or the minigun plays in this song.
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Though Battlefield 1 has already funny glitches and curious scenes, I had not encountered an earworm from the vehicle until this video. We are curious to see what the game will offer in the future.
For a long time, Zenimax was hesitant to offer PvP outside of the castle battles around Cyrodiil. A planned open PvP within the justice system has been put on hold. The promised battlefields, a structured PvP, are still awaited. But in October, “man against man” duels are coming with One Tamriel.
The duels are informal and straightforward: You challenge the opponent. If they accept, the fight begins until one bites the dust. However, they are offered a free resurrection.
The actual combat takes place within a radius around a flag. Anyone who strays too far from it receives a warning and can be disqualified. Outside interference in the duel is not possible: Neither buffs nor healing spells from third parties will work.
https://youtu.be/Arl-MrOTCxc
There are three achievements newly available in ESO. For a victory, 25, and 100 victories in duels. The Hammerdeath Arena in Stormhaven has emerged as a “hotspot” where duelists meet.
In FIFA 17, we present the players with the best values in shooting and shot power in the “Ultimate Team” mode.
In football, goals are the most important thing. This is also true in FIFA 17. The longest possession and the most beautiful combinations won’t help you if no goals are being scored.
In FUT 17, there are some players who can score very well. EA Sports released two top-10 lists featuring the players with the best shooting values and the best shot power values.
“Shooting” is an attribute made up of several values, such as shot power, finishing, long shots, volleys, or penalties. Only when all these individual attributes are strong will a high shooting value be displayed on the player card.
The shot power value is not directly visible on the card. You need to go into the detailed view of the respective players to inspect all values. The shot power is a sub-aspect of the shooting attribute and determines how powerfully a player can strike.
These are the top ten of the shooting attribute
Only one player from the Bundesliga is included here: Robert Lewandowski. Lukas Podolski made it to the 10th place:
10th place: Lukas Podolski
9th place: Paulo Dybala
8th place: Gonzalo Higuain
7th place: Robert Lewandowski
6th place: Gareth Bale
5th place: Sergio Agüero
4th place: Luis Suarez
3rd place: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
2nd place: Lionel Messi
1st place: Cristiano RonaldoWhat do you think of these lists?
Clever Guardians have now also discovered a dead Ghost and a “Dormant SIVA Cluster” that can be found in a new room.
“Clovis Bray 2” Ghost Fragment on Mars
This mysterious room was discovered by reddit user “The_Path_Finder”. However, he found no way inside. Quickly, he received help from the community, and user Esoterickk eventually found a method to reliably get inside.
It is now suspected among Guardians that this is a room for a new mission or quest. However, there isn’t much to discover in the room. For one, you will find a dead Ghost, “Clovis Bray 2,” which gives you 5 Grimoire points. Additionally, a “Dormant SIVA Cluster” is hidden inside.
Below you see two videos about these discoveries:
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The PlayStation 4 Pro is not a response to the Xbox Scorpio. Rather, it sees the PC as competition.
Better graphics performance to retain players
According to TheGuardian Sony boss AndrewHouse, stated that console players often switch to PC in the middle of a console cycle to experience better graphics quality . Sony aims to keep these players within its ranks and provide them with the best and highest graphics performance on the new console. House further stated that the PS4 Pro is not a response to the Scorpio, as there was no discussion of that console when development of the PS4 Pro began.
They do not view the Xbox as a threat. Instead, they see the PC as the main competitor.
The surprisingly low purchase price of the Pro version, around €400, could be a strong buying reason for console enthusiasts. The box will be released on November 10, 2016.
The Xbox Scorpio, on the other hand, is expected in 2017.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Warframe is a niche title that many may have heard of but can’t really picture what it is. This is partly because Digital Extremes (DE), the developer behind Warframe, doesn’t market it as heavily as Activision does for Destiny, and also because of the development history of Warframe.
The Beginnings
Digital Extremes had been a developer studio for years that was hired by publishers to create games for them. They developed “Unreal” for Epic Games and worked on the Unreal series until 2004. They also helped develop BioShock and created the multiplayer for Bioshock 2. One of the last games they developed for a publisher was “The Darkness 2”.
Steve Sinclair, Creative Director at Digital Extremes, describes the feeling of being dependent on publishers as: “You’re not an employee in a publisher beast. You were hired and you can be tossed aside if needed.”
The Idea Emerges
In 2008, Digital Extremes released a game called “Dark Sector” on their own. The basic idea was to combine the intense action elements of Unreal: Tournament with character development and a persistent multiplayer universe. The actual “Dark Sector” could not fulfill the concept, but in early 2012, Digital Extremes decided to give the idea behind “Dark Sector” a second chance. So they passionately got to work and created a first prototype. DE had only a month to do this because James Schmalz, the head of Digital Extremes, wanted to present the prototype to publishers at GDC.
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The concept trailer for Dark Sector (2004) looks more like Warframe and less like the 2008 released Dark Sector.
All publishers said “No” to the idea. Most meetings were over once it became clear that Warframe had a sci-fi setting and no one wanted to see such games at the time.
Ironically, the reality today with games like “No Man’s Sky” and “Star Citizen” is completely different.
Since no western publisher was interested in their idea, they turned to a publisher in Korea. However, this one had concerns about the game’s graphics and content. “Western player-developers can’t create free-to-play games because they can’t update them,” this publisher said. “Because they spend too much time improving the graphics and developing a game that can’t grow or change.” Sinclair added, “That was his opinion that we would completely fail because our game looked too good and that we wouldn’t be able to maintain such a title.”
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The gameplay in the closed beta gives a good insight into where the journey is heading.
So Digital Extremes got to work and developed Warframe without a publisher backing them. A truly risky decision, as many employees had to be laid off as a result and the morale in the company was low.
A Fight for Survival
Without a publisher, the development of Warframe was a survival struggle for Digital Extremes. Sinclair said: “I remember that we had to buy servers because player numbers were increasing and I yelled at the people saying, ‘buy the cheap stuff because we just laid people off and we can’t spend money beyond our means.'” Luckily, there was good news as well, as the founder packages sold well and a small but loyal fanbase formed.
Consistent Content Supply
To keep players engaged, they decided to release small updates every week and occasionally bring new content into the game with large patches. As a result, existing systems are also being completely overhauled. For example, the star map has been completely redesigned, allowing players to travel through the solar system and the Void in entirely different ways.
Another significant update was the introduction of the movement and combat system 2.0. This completely turned the gameplay upside down, shaken it up, and improved it. Furthermore, Warframes, weapons, enemies, and levels are constantly being revised and updated.
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However, the strict update policy also has its drawbacks. New players, in particular, find it difficult to navigate Warframe. Digital Extremes is aware of this problem, but admits that they primarily focus on adding new content rather than revamping the player experience in the early hours. Luckily, there are guides available online – and we at Mein-MMO have a guide ready for you.
The Future of Warframe
The extraordinary success of Warframe has surprised many developers and publishers. After all, Digital Extremes has discovered a way, almost by coincidence, to lead a western free-to-play game to success. Sinclair talks about 100,000 players being online simultaneously across all platforms. And this number rises with every update. As a result, many developers reach out to DE for advice. Last year, the Tennocon was also held at the request of fans. The proceeds went to the Outward Bound Canada Foundation.
With the new update “The Inner War,” which is currently still being kept under wraps, new content will be added again.
Check it Out
If you don’t own a console but have always envied Destiny players, then Warframe is worth a look. But even if you own a console, it’s worth a detour. After all, it costs nothing. By the way, Warframe is also available on Steam.
This guest post is by our reader Lucas Kaczynski.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
