The release of SMITE for PlayStation 4 is approaching, accompanied by a nice trailer.
SMITE on PS4 comes with 60 fps
After SMITE conquered the Xbox One last year, the PlayStation 4 is now on the list. Following the beta phase, HiRez’s godly MOBA will celebrate its official release tomorrow, on May 31, 2016. From then on, all players can download the MOBA for free from the PlayStation Store and dive into battles among the various pantheons.
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Throughout the beta, SMITE has experienced some improvements on Sony’s console, increasing the framerate from 30 to a constant 60, which should lead to a much smoother gaming experience.
Just at the beginning of the year, HiRez decided to further increase the number of different god pantheons. After the Romans, Hindus, Chinese, Greeks, and Mayans, the game has now been expanded with the first deities from the Japanese pantheon.
If you want to get an overview of SMITE, we recommend our comprehensive review:
Landmark will be released as a budget title on PC in 2 weeks. The game already has an exciting development history behind it, currently it is in a longer valley.
Landmark is scheduled to appear on June 10 at 7:00 PM our time. It will be a $10 title, probably costing €10 in Europe then. It all starts on June 10. Those who purchase a Founder package sometime before June 6 can start 2 days earlier: on June 8 at 7:00 PM.
A comprehensive FAQ about the launch has been promised.
When will Landmark finally take off, we asked 2 years ago? Answer: Never
Landmark was originally envisioned as a “This is how the developers do it” perspective on Everquest Next. Players were supposed to get the same tools that the developers used to create assets for the next-gen MMO. They were to be able to stake land, build houses, and even command NPCs to create their own stories.
Mein MMO says: Unusual situation. Landmark was an interesting title approximately two years ago, when the hype around EQ Next was still boiling; many probably thought “Once it’s a bit further along and goes into open beta, I’ll take a look!” However, the development speed slowed down, as did the interest in the title.
After the cancellation of Everquest Next, the “hype curve” is likely at an absolute low point. Releasing the game now, without an open beta beforehand – good. In any case, one can be curious to see how the game develops. It is an interesting title with an unusual concept – and despite the slow development speed, a lot has happened in two years.
Favorable signs certainly look different. But Landmark will probably be as close as we will ever get to the beautiful dream of Everquest Next.
In FIFA 16: FUT, two of the last teams of the season for this TOTS period come today: the “Rest of the World” TOTS and the TOTS of the Turkish Süper Lig.
The TOTS period is slowly coming to an end. Next Friday, another team of the season is expected, after which we will have to wait until about early August for the TOTS of the MLS. By then, the focus will be on FIFA 17. The first info on FIFA 17 can be found here.
However, today two more TOTS are being released: For the first time in the FIFA series, the TOTS of the Turkish Süper Lig is included. Additionally, starting tonight, the “Rest of the World” team of the season will be available.
This is the TOTS of the Turkish Süper Lig
This TOTS features some top players like Eto’o (overall 88), Mario Gomez (87), Lukas Podolski (87), and Nani (87). However, player cards with values over 90 are not found.
Starting XI
GK: Volkan Demirel – Fenerbahçe
LB: Hasan Ali Kaldırım – Fenerbahçe
CB: Douglão – Akhisar Belediyespor
CB: Yalçın Ayhan – Medipol Başakşehir
RB: Ömer Ali Şahiner – Torku Konyaspor
CDM: Oğuzhan Özyakup – Beşiktaş
RM: Edin Višća – Medipol Başakşehir
CAM: José Sosa – Beşiktaş
LF: Nani – Fenerbahçe
ST: Mario Gomez – Beşiktaş
ST: Samuel Eto’o – Antalyaspor
Substitutes
GK: Zydrunas Karcemarskas – Gaziantepspor
CB: Serdar Azuz – Bursaspor
RB: Gökhan Gönül – Fenerbahçe
CDM: Musa Çagiran – Osmanlıspor
CDM: Atiba Hutchinson – Beşiktaş
RM: Lukas Podolski – Galatasaray
ST: Hugo Rodallega – Akhisar Belediyespor
Reserves
GK: Charles Itandje – Çaykur Rizespor
CB: Simon Kjær – Fenerbahçe
CDM: Mehmet Topal – Fenerbahçe
LM: Alban Meha – Torku Konyaspor
RM: Aminu Umar – Osmanlıspor
This is the “Rest of the World” TOTS
This TOTS features players who have shown outstanding performances in the remaining leagues available in FIFA 16 Ultimate Team. However, there are no separate teams of the season for these leagues. Outstanding players are not present, though. Darijo Srna from Shakhtar Donetsk stands out with an overall rating of 88. Additionally, there are players from the leagues of Austria and Switzerland.
Starting XI
GK: Roberto – Olympiacos CFP (Greece)
LB: Patrik Mráz – Piast Gliwice (Poland)
LB: Adam Mójta – Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała (Poland)
RB: Darijo Srna – Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
LM: Daryl Horgan – Dundalk FC (Rep. of Ireland)
CM: Aaron Mooy – Melbourne City (Australia)
RM: Yoric Ravet – Grasshopper Club Zurich (Switzerland)
Heroes of the Storm is celebrating its first anniversary – with experience point bonuses and unique offers in the shop!
The one-year anniversary of Blizzard’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm is coming soon. Therefore, from June 2 to June 12, there will be a bonus of 50 percent more experience for every match. Perfect for leveling up a few heroes to level 5, especially since the long-awaited new ranked system will also go live in June.
But that’s not all, to celebrate the first birthday, there’s something for the players as well. Soon, a package will be available in the shop that includes the following heroes and goodies:
The Butcher
Hammer
Xul
Morales
Uther
Kerrigan
Artanis
Arthas
7-Day Stimpack
Tyrael’s Charger
The price for the package has unfortunately not yet been announced, but if you already own any of the mentioned heroes, the package will be cheaper overall. And lastly, there will be a special portrait if you log into Heroes of the Storm during the event period from June 2 to June 12!
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
This week, the Challenge Mode of the new raid “Clear Sky” in The Division starts.
About a week ago, the Conflict Update of The Division went live and brought numerous new features, including the second raid called “Clear Sky”. This endgame group activity is currently only playable in Hard Mode and does not pose a significant challenge for many agents.
Just a few hours after the launch of Update 1.2, numerous players reported having succeeded in the raid. The general opinion on this: “Clear Sky” is fun, but it’s way too short. It can be completed in less than 15 minutes – especially when the gear is high quality and has an average score above 200. If you’re still struggling with the raid, feel free to peek into our “Clear Sky” guide.
The agents who have been yearning for truly challenging PvE challenges can now pay attention: The Challenge Mode of “Clear Sky” is coming.
What will the Challenge Mode of “Clear Sky” be like and when will it be released?
As the Community Developer Yannick Banchereau recently speculated in a livestream, “Clear Sky” in Challenging Mode will indeed be a challenge for all players. In comparison to “Falcon Lost” in Challenge Mode, it is expected to step it up a notch.
Players are currently speculating in the forums how the raid will look like in Challenging mode and whether it can deliver on its promises. Massive has already hinted that players will need to come up with a different strategy than in Hard Mode to successfully complete the raid.
Currently, the general strategy is that an agent grabs a fuse, the survival link is activated, and the others heal him on the way to the fuse box – if needed. Because a few bullets from the previous enemies’ weapons can be shrugged off quite easily.
In Challenge Mode, it is expected to be different: Here, you probably won’t be able to carry the fuse for seconds while happily taking in bullets. The previous “strategy” will likely need to be discarded.
However, it is also still unknown whether the mechanics of the Challenge Mode will function the same way as in Hard Mode. Maybe Massive will pull a Challenge Mode exclusive surprise out of the hat.
Additionally, it is currently not certain when the Challenge Mode of “Clear Sky” will actually be released. So far, it has always been said: One week after the launch of Update 1.2. This would mean tomorrow, Tuesday, May 31st. What time it starts remains to be seen. However, it may also be possible that we have to face the new challenge only next Thursday after the weekly maintenance on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Overwatch the “Play of the Game” moment is shown after each round, usually a particularly impressive action by a player. But how does the game determine which actions are worthy of such recognition?
One round of Overwatch is over and all players are still sitting in front of their screens full of anticipation, waiting for the “Play of the Game” moment. Because here it shows who had the supposedly coolest action in the last battle. For example, McCree, who takes down opponents one after the other, or an entire team that goes down in the hail of bullets from a particularly deviously positioned Bastion.
But how does Overwatch decide which of the many moments and actions in the last round deserve such mention at the end of the game? For this topic, the website Gamespot interviewed Blizzard employee and programmer Rowan Hamilton.
“Computers don’t actually know what is cool”
It is hard, Hamilton says, to let a computer decide what a cool moment is and what isn’t. Therefore, the system behind the “Play of the Game” is also complex and in constant flux. That’s why the developers regularly look at heroes who have a particularly high number of “Play of The Game” moments.
If they feel these heroes are overrepresented or the associated gameplay mechanics are simply not exciting, they change variables in their program.
Therefore, the monk Zenyatta no longer automatically gets a “Play of the Game” every time he just hovers in the air and uses his ultimate. The massive healing spike of this skill had inflated the selection algorithm every time.
Skill matters!
This algorithm includes a lot of factors and variables, so many that Hamilton can’t list them all. However, one interesting detail: The system considers both healing and the circumstances under which successes are achieved. So, for example, if one casually gives headshots to players who are AFK at the other end of the map as Widowmaker, it counts far less than if one accurately blows the head off a wildly darting Tracer.
The system is always in motion and is constantly being developed and revised. Therefore, we might soon see other “Play of the Game” moments than just Bastion in constant fire or Junkrat blowing up half the team with his tire again.
The title image and the second Bastion GIF are from this Kotaku article. It has compiled numerous “This Bastion always gets Play of the Game, while I should get it!” memes.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The new update for GTA 5 Online is really something; VIP was yesterday – become the real boss!
Regular updates are released for GTA 5 Online in online mode to provide players with more variety and fun while playing. After you already strolled through the online world of Grand Theft Auto 5 as a VIP and hired bodyguards for protection, there is now the next big step. The update Further Adventures in Finance and Felony is one of the largest and most complex updates that has ever been released for GTA Online.
The Further Adventures in Finance and Felony update for GTA 5 Online
We have already reported that Rockstar Games is planning major updates for GTA 5 Online that are supposed to create a whole new gaming experience. In the new update, which will be released on 07.06., you are not just a VIP, but you make a big leap up the career ladder. You can now expand your organization and even become the CEO of your own empire.
For this, you buy an office and special warehouses to oversee the logistics and storage of your goods. But be careful – if you trade in hot goods, not only will the LSPD be right on your heels; other criminals will also smell the potential loot.
The Pegassi Reaper – one of the new cars from the update
Further Adventures in Finance and Felony offers brand new gameplay, new special vehicles, and new features. Further details and the official trailer for the update are expected to be released later this week. So we have something to look forward to!
The latest update for the space MMO Elite Dangerous has been released with Engineers.
Engineers is part of the multi-part Horizons expansion for the online game and represents the largest update for Elite: Dangerous so far. At the same time, update 1.6 has been released for those who do not own the expansion.
Find the Engineers
With Engineers, many customization options for the spacecraft are introduced, which affect flight, trade, research, and combat. You must try to contact the mysterious Engineers who can be found on the numerous planets of the galaxy. Each Engineer has their own personality and backstory. You must get on the good side of these Engineers so that they provide you with new weapons and modules for your ships at the right price.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIYxuoYDtes
Through the crafting system, you are able to create special weapons that can, for example, bypass your enemies’ shields or disable the controls of other spacecraft. Additionally, you can find and explore shipwrecks on planetary surfaces with your SRV. The missions in the game have also been revised, making them more personal. This allows you to build relationships more easily or make important decisions. Many other gameplay improvements are also making their way into the game.
Release date of Engineers for Elite: Dangerous on Xbox One
Those who play Elite: Dangerous on Xbox One can freely configure their controls with the update and start games for private groups. The Horizons expansion will be released on June 3 for the console, but is already available for PC. Additional updates for PC and Xbox One are currently in planning.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Giving up a professional Smite game after just 90 seconds – what went wrong?
In less than 2 minutes, the game between EnVyUS and SoaR was already decided, but not by a regular win, rather by Team EnVyUs conceding after a botched gank. They had already lost the first game against SoaR in the North American Smite Pro League and were now trying to start the 2nd game in a very unusual way. When the attempt failed, tensions were high:
The poor start in the video
With the help of quick shoes, the team tries to launch a surprise attack that the opponents do not expect. The game commentators also point out that this tactic is more of an “experiment.” How this experiment turns out, you can see here:
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The result of the experiment is that EnVyUs gave 4 kills to an opposing champion, who then reached level 4. At this point, all heroes of EnVyUs were still level 1, which apparently caused so much frustration that they immediately surrendered and SoaR won. But that’s not the whole story:
By conceding before the 10-minute mark, one violates the rules of Smite, which in this case was punished with a fine. All 5 team members must each pay a fine of 500 dollars for violating this rule. The team’s owner also disapproved of his players’ behavior:
~ Even in the most frustrating times and situations, one should always give full effort as a professional.
Shortly after this event, EnVyUs announced that they would talk with team management about the situation. Shortly thereafter, players Ryan “Omega” Johnson and Evan “Snoopy” Jones left the team. Omega stated as his reason that there was a lack of will to improve within the team. He felt that the team members simply accepted finishing in 7th place and did not want to strive for 1st place.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Movie Warcraft: The Beginning has so far been a great success. Except in its home country, the USA, where the film has been predicted to achieve rather meager results and has received particularly harsh reviews.
Our collection of press reviews for the film Warcraft: The Beginning already hinted at this: America doesn’t seem to like the Warcraft film! Because with one exception, film critics from Kotaku, The Hollywood Reporter, and Variety found the movie horrible and did not hold back on their sharp comments.
Curiously, the film was successful in the rest of the world. Here, the movie about Orcs and Humans was the most successful film opening of the year with a 45% market share and an initial box office of 3.5 million US dollars. But people around the world also wanted to see the Orc epic:
The site Deadline reports that the film is number 1 in 19 out of 20 countries. Variety reports that in a total of 11 international markets, 9.3 million US dollars have already been earned at the opening.
In Russia, the film achieved a market share of 65% and was thus the second most successful film of the year. It earned 4.9 million US dollars two days after its release.
According to Variety, Warcraft: The Beginning is therefore only slightly behind Deadpool in Russia and is overall the seventh most successful film opening of all time so far.
The film also performed well in France, where 2.2 million US dollars were earned after three days.
In China, the film has yet to be released, but pre-sales have already achieved over 2 million dollars.
In contrast to the great success worldwide, the meager 25 million US dollars that the film was expected to achieve in the USA during its opening weekend, according to predictions by Variety. Apparently, one will have to concede to sequels like “Now You See Me 2” and “The Conjuring 2.” That’s the forecast; we will see how it really goes on June 10. That’s when the film will premiere in the USA.
Very promising chances for more Warcraft films
Given the good numbers from the rest of the world and the upcoming release in China, there is certainly still hope that the Warcraft film will recoup its 160 million dollar budget. Good news for everyone hoping for a sequel or even a whole film series.
Lord Saladin brings, among other things, a fusion rifle, a hand cannon, and a Titan chest piece that leads to the coveted Tier 12. The weapons are not incredibly special compared to the April Iron Banner, as hand cannons and fusion rifles are not everyone’s favorite weapons now. But they are strong to very strong weapons. We want to take a look at them.
The Ashraven’s Flight and Ironwreath-D are in the shadow of this chest armor
The fusion rifle “Ashraven’s Flight” comes from the vendor with Void damage, Hotswap, Hidden Hand, and then Guardians can choose between Enhanced Frame, Oiled Frame, or Improved Battery.
The hand cannon Ironwreath-D comes with Void damage, Hotswap, and Zen Moment. Then you have the choice between Snapshot/Enhanced Barrel/Fixated Grip.
On reddit, the Guardians are raving about the “increased drop rates.” This seems to have been carried over from the April Iron Banner by Bungie. There is a lot of drops, and as the drops now adapt to the players’ Light level, you at least have, even if the perks on the items don’t match, a decent amount of “Infusion Material.”
The end of the Iron Banner in May approaches, make sure to fill your pockets one last time
You have until Tuesday at 11:00 AM to benefit from this Iron Banner. Then Lord Saladin will pack his bags and disappear. A prolongation of the Iron Banner, due to its later start, is probably not to be expected.
A change in the loot system of Destiny has ensured that players now receive significantly higher drops than in previous months. Whether this will be maintained with new content is still uncertain. Already in Year 1, the last months showed generosity with “House of Wolves,” but then changed direction with “The Taken King.”
In a few weeks, the next expansion is expected to be announced at E3 in Los Angeles. It could be called “Rise of Iron” .
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Korean MMORPG Bless will soon only have two servers.
From a distance, it is hard to say what is going on with Bless. But the MMORPG produced with a lot of effort by Neowiz will soon undergo its second server merger in a few months. The first time it was said in February that they were switching to “Mega-Servers” for better balance.
These are certainly not great news for a newly launched MMORPG in Korea, about which surprisingly little is heard. Already after the last open beta, there were warning signs. Apparently, they were not satisfied with the feedback from testers and pushed Bless back into development.
In The Division, we present a PvP build that is primarily focused on toughness.
Since update 1.2, agents need to reorient themselves: Which gear sets should I focus on now? What build should I create? How do I best survive in the Dark Zone?
Regarding the latter question, the YouTuber MarcoStyle has found an answer: He admits that his build is not “perfect,” but it works outstandingly in the Dark Zone. Unlike many other agents, he does not rely on firearms and high DPS values. These are the “foundations” of his build:
The highest priority is on toughness. You want to become a bulletproof tank in the Dark Zone that can take a lot of damage. With the build, you achieve over 500k toughness!
Skill power plays an important role.
This build only works in a team: Since the Dark Zone is currently not recommended for solo agents, you should always organize in fireteams.
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Two aspects are crucial for high toughness values: Armor value and health. Both can be improved with the right armor pieces that boost armor and stamina. MarcoStyle utilizes four set pieces of the Tactician’s Authority and two pieces from the Final Measure set:
Chest Piece – Tactician: +721 stamina with 1781 armor. Additionally, there are bonuses for armor and “Exotic Damage” resistance. The vest has one mod slot: stamina and armor are enhanced here.
Backpack – Tactician: +819 stamina and 596 armor. Important bonuses are additional skill power and resistance to the burning status. Furthermore, the YouTuber has installed a mod with stamina and skill power.
Gloves – Tactician: +673 stamina and 475 armor.
Holster – Tactician: Here, all attributes are improved: +666 firearms, +649 stamina, +593 electronics. The armor is at 907. Additionally, there is a bonus to armor.
Mask – Final Measure: +567 firearms, +144 stamina, 604 armor. A mod also further increases stamina and armor.
Knee Pads – Final Measure: +677 stamina and 1026 armor. An important bonus here is additional armor.
The gear scores of all set pieces are 240.
The four pieces of the Tactician’s Authority provide you with the following bonuses:
2 pieces: +4000 skill power
3 pieces: +20% haste (reducing skill cooldowns)
4 pieces: Talent “Tactician’s Authority”: When dealing a total of 60k damage as a group, you gain 1% skill power up to a maximum bonus of 100%. However, the bonus decreases by 1% every second as long as the group does not deal any more damage.
Especially in the Dark Zone class 201+, you will deal enough damage as a group that this talent will be of great service. With the increase in skill power, you can distribute your attributes differently – namely to stamina.
The set bonus from the two Final Measure pieces increases resistance to Exotic Damage by 50%. This is especially beneficial in fights against the pesky flamethrowers in the Dark Zone. They currently pose significant issues for many agents as they deal extreme amounts of exotic damage.
The weapons used take a secondary role in the build. After all, you are not a damage dealer. It is not your job to deal massive damage. Therefore, you have complete freedom in choosing your weapons. How about the best weapons currently in The Division?
For skills, MarcoStyle uses different ones depending on the situation. Primarily, he relies on First Aid (Overdose) and Pulse (Tactical Scanner). However, he also utilizes the Sticky Bomb (Monstrosity Grenade) and Support Station (Charge). The personal skill is the Survival Link.
His talents are Medical Assistance, Field Medic, Chain Reaction (especially when he has Sticky Bombs equipped), and Triage. The selection of his talents strongly depends on his skills.
How the Build Performs in the Dark Zone
The advantages of this build are obvious: You can absorb an incredible amount of damage, allowing you to survive longer than other players.
The high toughness and the improved “Exotic Damage” resistance will keep you standing against the “Monsters” in DZ06, the flamethrowers. Other agents will also have a hard time taking away your health points.
Once your health points start to get low, the “Tactician’s Authority” set shines: With your increased skill power, you can effectively use the skills and, for example, recover all the valuable health points. In case of emergency, you still have medkits, which are enhanced by the selected talents.
However, there are two drawbacks:
You deal little damage with your weapons: It takes longer to defeat enemies. For this reason, the build only works well in a team so that other agents can deal the damage for you.
It is not easy to put this setup together: You will need to invest a lot of time and effort until you have all the items with the required stats – especially if you have not been in the endgame for long. You should visit the upgrade station at the Operations Base frequently for this purpose.
MarcoStyle boasts that now even some four-man groups would come out worse against him in the Dark Zone, whether he is hunting rogue agents or is rogue himself. Even during supply drops, he can steal the loot with the use of his personal skill because he just cannot be brought to his knees. He expects to wreak havoc in the Dark Zone with this build for a long time to come.
What do you think of this build? What toughness do you have?
At No Man’s Sky, a journalist and the founder of Hello Games have received death threats. The reason: The postponement of the release date.
In most cases, developers are pleased when fans passionately engage with their games and eagerly await the release dates. In the case of No Man’s Sky, however, this emotion has far exceeded the limits of good taste: Both the founder of Hello Games, Sean Murray, and Kotaku author Jason Schreier have received death threats because No Man’s Sky is being postponed. Kotaku learned of the delay early from “various sources” and was the first site to report on it.
Death threats after the release postponement of No Man’s Sky
Although Kotaku was ultimately correct and already relied on various sources for the rumors, the author of the article is now a victim of internet hate at the lowest level. Both on reddit and through private messages, he has been showered with harsh criticism and personal attacks:
The following response to the tweet shows that Murray is taking the unjustified hate with humor – they have secured the office with marbles and oil, inspired by “Home Alone.” However, such animosity is by no means a pleasant situation for those involved:
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In previous Twitter messages, Murray justified the decision that No Man’s Sky needs to be postponed. It was a tough decision, but the right one. The team is still working as intensively as possible on the game. He also apologizes for not being able to discuss the postponement earlier: This had legal and external reasons.
No Man’s Sky will be released on August 10 for PS4 and PC.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Devolver Digital and Slocap have revealed a new online melee game: Absolver. What is it about?
Absolver is being developed by the indie studio Slocap. If you haven’t heard of this French studio before, that’s not surprising: it was founded just over a year ago and has worked under the radar in secret.
However, they are making a big entrance into the gaming world: Absolver, an upcoming melee game in an online setting, will be released next year. The team, consisting of experienced programmers, designers, and artists, aims to create an outstanding online action game with a strong focus on “Martial Arts” style combat. The project has been in the works since May 2015.
Absolver takes place in a fantasy world where you will seamlessly encounter other players on your journey. The decision is then up to you: Will you fight each other to the death, or will you become allies?
With the impressive reveal trailer, you can get a first impression of Absolver:
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In Absolver, you awaken in the ruins of the fallen “Adal Empires” – with a mysterious mask on your face. This mask is a work of the “Guides”, the rulers of these lands. They test you to see if you are worthy of becoming part of the elite unit of the “Absolvers”. Apparently, you have taken certain vows and oaths in the past, which is why you must pass this admission test.
On your journey, you will meet other players from whom you can learn new combat skills, acquire weapons and equipment, and team up with them to succeed in battle arenas – unless you simply challenge them to a duel directly.
These are the featured features:
Smooth real-time fights: In real-time battles, you will need to demonstrate tactical skill and execute devastating attacks. You must dodge or parry your opponents’ offensive efforts. Stay in motion while you are in a duel or in intense 3vs3 melee combat.
Customizable combat style: Players will define their individual playstyle by choosing their combat style and weapon and designing a unique “attack flow”.
Online multiplayer action: The aspirants and “Absolvers” will seamlessly encounter other players in this world and generate unique stories dependent on the actions and decisions of the players. There should be tension in the air: It is never certain whether a fight is imminent or whether players want to interact peacefully. The encounters have lasting consequences: Will you become friends or enemies, find mentors or students?
PvP and PvE: You will explore a dynamic world that contains PvP battle arenas: Winners will be rewarded with prizes and advance in the ranks of the Absolvers. There are also PvE dungeons where players must cooperate to obtain rare loot from the depths of the “Adal Mines”.
Absolver is set to release in 2017 for PC and consoles. The specific consoles have not been announced yet, but we strongly assume that they mean PS4 and Xbox One.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
First cheats are circulating for the PC version of Overwatch .
The Aimbot from Soldier:76 and the “Wallhack” from Widowmaker are legal and are intended in the game by Blizzard as limited-time Ultimates. Both abilities are based on long-known and established cheats for shooters. The “illegal variants” seem to have made their way into the game as well.
According to the Asia-focused site 2p, an Aimbot is being offered for $30 on the largest Chinese shopping site (Taobao, something like a Chinese ebay), which has already had around 100 sales.
Image source: 2p
According to sources, the bot operates on a “subscription model.” The bot advertises with Wallhack, “Instant Auto-Reload,” recoil reduction, and auto-aiming. You can even stream with the bot; viewers do not notice it.
As noted by PcgamesN, this is likely not a problem unique to China. Comparable bots are offered for sale/subscription in “notorious forums.”
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Blizzard’s Overwatch seems to be quite unsuitable for tools whose use ends in bans, due to its high entry price. An in-game report system and other means to report cheaters are already implemented. Blizzard has also stated, that there will be no mercy towards cheaters: Once someone is caught, a permanent ban will follow.
But despite everything, it seems that a “cheater” problem is also looming for this shooter.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Blizzard and Bossland have been entangled in various legal disputes for 6 years now. Sometimes one company won, sometimes the other achieved a triumph. Blizzard and Bossland are litigating through all instances.
Is it even illegal to develop a bot?
There is debate over whether what Bossland offers is legal and that they make money from it. And whether it is legal for Blizzard to tell them that it is illegal. Who ultimately owns the games? And what can the customer do with them after purchasing? Are these terms of service that one signs even worth the digital paper they are printed on, or can they be safely ignored?
On the English IT business site venturebeat, Marian Härtel, a German lawyer specializing in IT and media law, has engaged with the topic and clarified what is at stake in October when the Federal Court deals with the issue. Many of the topics have never been legally examined at such a high level.
These are all issues that have not been legally resolved in Germany yet.
Härtel summarizes the four most exciting points:
Does using a bot really harm Blizzard’s business? Or does it help in retaining users?
Does the development of such software fall under the law of unfair competition? Or is using third-party software a matter of contract between publisher and customer?
Can games that are sold be used only privately or also for commercial purposes?
Are Blizzard’s “Terms of Service” legally binding?
Härtel believes that a BGH ruling could not only have repercussions in Germany but throughout Europe. And not just for gaming, but for software in general.
If the BGH decides in favor of Bossland, Härtel speculates that this could lead to German startup hotspots like Hamburg or Berlin welcoming new customers from around the world: companies wanting to benefit from the then liberal jurisprudence.
A hearing of the BGH is scheduled for October 8. So we will be hearing more about this story in the coming months.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
As open and enormous as the worlds in many MMORPGs are, players are usually still limited. With the MMO Dual Universe, these limitations are intended to be lifted.
The online game places you in a vast universe made up of several planets, all of which can be explored. There will be no shards, no zones, no instances, or other restrictions of the game world. All players operate in the same world. This is intended to fill the universe with millions of players who can all interact with each other. The planets will be procedurally generated.
Absolute Freedoms
The entire world will also be influenced by players. This means that landscapes can be completely changed. You can dig caves into the ground, create new places yourself, and place buildings wherever you want. Since players can change everything, it is not necessary for the developers to design the planets by hand, as players will anyway change them according to their ideas.
From the Planet to Space and Back
The freedoms also extend to what you can do. Because players determine for themselves what happens in the sandbox. You form alliances that can declare war on each other. The economy is completely controlled by the players. Therefore, crafting and trading play an important role. It is possible to build your own spaceships that you can also design yourself. With the ships, you then seamlessly fly from one planet to space and also land seamlessly on another world.
Regarding quests and battles, the development team has not yet spoken. It is also still unclear when to expect a release of the very ambitious MMORPG Dual Universe. Currently, it is in a pre-alpha.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The hero shooter Overwatch and a sales tactic from Blizzard are ringing the cash registers for retailers.
Gamestop is one of the largest retail chains, especially in the USA. Here, they are currently excited about Overwatch. Chief Operating Officer Tony Bartel stated during a conference call:
“Overwatch has exceeded our expectations. It was a very strong launch for us.”
Especially praised by the Gamestop representative is that Activision Blizzard allowed the sale of “physical”, i.e. “box games”, two days before the servers went live. Bartel notes that this is “very progressive”.
The retail chain is in favor of prioritizing box games – “a very progressive step
This allowed for two full days to sell the game before the server launch, resulting in a “significant increase, well above expectations.” However, Gamespot did not release any exact sales figures.
Bartel believes that this type of launch will spread throughout the gaming industry. It is thought that Blizzard Activision also benefited from a stronger overall sales due to this tactic.
Even at an international level, outside the USA, this phenomenon has been noted; the preference for the physical version leads to increased sales. Gamestop believes that the opposite strategy of favoring “digital sales” would have the exact opposite result: retailers and developers would sell fewer games.
Mein MMO says: Certainly, Gamestop, as a “retailer” that focuses on box sales, is tooting its own horn. In recent years, digital sales have become increasingly strong. Not only on PC, where Valve has established a dominant position with Steam, but also on consoles like PS4 and Xbox One. There, it has also become normal to download games digitally. A practice that is not embraced by everyone in Germany: fast internet is not the norm in our regions.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
With Release 30 of the selective multiplayer RPG Shroud of the Avatar, the first NPC party member was introduced.
Fiona FitzOwen is a bard that you meet in the city of Ardoris. She wants to experience the hero’s deeds live and therefore offers to accompany you. Once in a while, she comments during the journey, sings a song, and supports you a little in battles. However, only in the offline mode of the game. In online mode, Fiona also exists and talks to you, but she does not accompany the hero.
NPC companions in an MMORPG?
The way Fiona is integrated into the game raises some questions about how companions should be integrated into an RPG and also how they could function in an MMORPG. Sure, an MMO is designed for adventuring with other players. However, Shroud of the Avatar offers a single-player online mode where you explore the online world alone. Companions have now been introduced to make it easier for players who play alone. Defeating a large dragon alone is quite a challenge. This is where the NPC party members come into play.
In offline mode, you ask Fiona FitzOwen (and later others) if she wants to accompany you, and then you walk together through the world and fight dragons together. In single-player online mode, however, she does not join you, even though you face the same problem. Then you have no choice but to switch to the friends mode or open mode and ask other players for help. Not a big deal, but it’s a bit awkwardly resolved. Wouldn’t NPC companions also be nice in online mode? However, the balancing might suffer if everyone carries an NPC – especially if they’re all the same.
Companion or pet?
In offline mode, Fiona acts like a talking pet. She behaves completely independently. There is no way to manage her inventory or her skills. At least for Episode 1 of Shroud of the Avatar, this is not planned. This has led to discussions within the game’s community. Some think it’s good that you don’t have to be a “babysitter” and decide every aspect of the NPC yourself. But others find it illogical that companions always roam around with the same equipment. The hero finds better weapons and armor along the way and cannot give them to their companion?
In SotA, heated discussions are almost a daily occurrence.
Some in the community have suggested that the NPC’s AI should handle this. If you find a better weapon, the NPC wants to use it. You then hand it to the companion, and he uses the weapon or the new armor. But what happens to the old equipment? Can you take it back and sell it? Will it just be dropped? What if you want an item back? Or if you have multiple companions and want to trade items among them? Can an AI handle such things?
There’s still a lot to do
A management system for companions would therefore be beneficial and certainly necessary. If Fiona constantly runs around with her little crossbow and a dress while the hero equips a magical two-handed sword and plate armor, one wonders why Fiona doesn’t want to equip herself better…
About this system (and about several others), the developers of Shroud of the Avatar should definitely think again and expand it before the “release”. But at least the first NPC companion represents a start.
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