Did Studio Wildcard actually design the MMORPG ARK: Survival Evolved? Another developer claims that a former employee stole technology used for the MMO.
Trendy Entertainment, known for the online game Dungeon Defenders, filed a lawsuit against Studio Wildcard last December. Trendy Entertainment claims that a former employee, designer Jeremy Stieglitz, secretly worked for Wildcard on ARK, thus breaching his contract.
As is common in the industry, Stieglitz had to agree upon leaving Trendy not to compete with his former employer for a period of time. However, during this time he contacted former colleagues to ask if they wanted to work with him on a new game.
Is ARK based on stolen technology?
Trendy informed Stieglitz that this was not permitted. According to the company, Stieglitz did not comply with the request and thus did not adhere to the contract. Furthermore, he is accused of having stolen technology he worked on during his time at Trendy, as well as trade secrets.
Technology used to develop the MMORPG ARK: Survival Evolved. This would have had a strong negative impact on Trendy’s business. The company further states that it sees ARK as a direct competitor to Dungeon Defenders.
Will ARK be taken off the market?
Wildcard, however, states that Jeremy Stieglitz was not very heavily involved in the development of ARK and was just an advisor. However, his wife is a co-founder of the ARK developer studio.
However, Trendy has now filed a lawsuit in Florida. The hearings are set for April 27. If Trendy is granted a temporary restraining order, it would have severe implications for the MMO ARK. There may be a need to completely cease work and remove the game – both in the PC version and the Xbox One version – from the market.
Wildcard urged the court not to grant the lawsuit. A response is still pending. Both companies have so far not publicly commented on this case.
A report from the US sounds almost like a secret plan
Schuhmann says: In a detailed report from Kotaku, which goes into some background, the whole case appears to be extremely tangled and complicated. Stieglitz and the head of Ark, Jesse Rapzack, are long-time friends who met in college. However, Stieglitz could not directly join Ark because a “Non-Compete” clause from his time at Trendy prevented him from doing so. However, he had already shortened it from 3 years to 1 year, it is said. This could suggest that he was already contemplating a transition to Ark during his time at Trendy Games and had prepared for it.
Stieglitz left Trendy under difficult circumstances, sensing betrayal and intrigue. Kotaku states: Many developers from Trendy indeed later moved to Ark.
There is indeed a “narrative” or perspective that, according to Kotaku’s statements, lends the whole affair a hint of “secret plan and conspiracy.” However, it is puzzling what technology Stieglitz could have taken from “Trendy Games,” known for the tower defense game Dungeon Defenders, to significantly support “Ark.”
And the co-founder of the studio, Susan Stieglitz, seems not to have much to do with the gaming industry; her other business is a bakery. This raises the suspicion that she is stepping in “on behalf of her husband.” Such ideas are at least suggested by the report from Kotaku.
The clear factual situation looks very different.
It seems to come down to the question of whether Stieglitz really played a significant role at Ark while he contractually should not have – that is the crucial question right now.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In California, an eleven-year-old warned his family about a fire because an online friend heard the smoke alarm over the voice chat of Rainbow Six Siege.
According to abc, 11-year-old Ethan Peterson was visiting his aunt and uncle in Bakersfield, California, and stayed up late at night to play Rainbow Six Siege on the PlayStation. His cousin was sleeping in the same room, and his aunt and uncle were already snoozing.
While he was gaming, his friend, with whom he was playing online, said he heard a “beeping” on his end. Ethan took off the headphones, followed the sound of the fire alarm (that was the “beeping”), and saw huge flames coming from the kitchen.
The boy then raised the alarm, and his aunt and uncle woke up and managed to escape from the house. They had to go back to get the cousin, who was sleeping particularly soundly. There were concerns about smoke inhalation, and the uncle briefly lost consciousness – it was all quite dramatic. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire.
The family thanks the boy for saving their lives. The two young daughters, who were also part of the family, were sleeping elsewhere that unfortunate night. They believe everything happens for a reason. His mother considers him a hero, and the boy said it felt good, as if he had really achieved something, as if he had saved lives.
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Mein MMO says: Somehow ironic. Rainbow Six Siege is rated 18. Normally, there’s always a “How can parents allow the boy to play this?” discussion at such points. If it turns out like this, hardly anyone asks about it. The outcomes determine the course of the discussion.
While the lesson from the story should probably not be “Let your children play online shooters,” it should be more like “Make sure you have loud smoke detectors that you can still hear in your bedroom, and maybe change the batteries from time to time.”
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, the April update is coming. The live events lead designer from Bungie talks about the details of the upcoming update.
In an interview with Gameinformer, live events lead designer Ryan Paradis discusses the details of the upcoming update, which was already presented yesterday in one of three live streams. We summarize the key statements from Paradis, who was responsible for this update, in English.
What is the goal of the April update?
Our goal with the update was to work on several fronts. Many of our fans love exploring the raid ship, our strikes, and the Prison of Elders. We wanted to revive some of these favorites while also providing new challenges and rewards.
Another important aspect of this update was to provide players with more opportunities to become powerful. Even though the raid is a great endgame option, there are players who do not want to raid regularly, so we want to offer rewarding endgame gear upgrade options in the Prison of Elders, in strikes, in the Court of Oryx, and in Crucible activities.
What is the idea behind the main story of the update?
The focus of the April update is on the Reef and what happens there after the devastation. Although the people are defeated, they are far from being extinguished, and Variks will lead you through the update. While Oryx is dead, the Taken are still as powerful as before. The story is intended to be a small continuation of the Taken King storyline and leads up to the new strike and the Prison of Elders.
Will there be new Grimoire cards?
Yes, there will be new cards for new activities, for gear, and for bosses that you will encounter.
What is the concept behind the Blighted Chalice strike?
Variks will track a new Taken threat with you. The Blighted Chalice strike is the culmination of this questline.
How will the items from the King’s Fall raid change?
With the increase in the overall light level, both difficulty modes will be adjusted to provide additional challenges and appropriate rewards. The challenge mode will still be available, but we will not add any new “encounters” otherwise.
How will the Court of Oryx change?
You can still summon enemies using the existing runes. We have improved the drops from this activity to prepare the Guardians for the other challenges in this update.
How will the Prison of Elders change?
The Prison of Elders will see plenty of updates:
A level 41 version of the Prison of Elders will be added, as players complained during House of Wolves that the 34 version was no longer a challenge.
Variks has gathered Taken for the Prison. There will be brand new bosses and mechanics.
A matchmaking system is to be available for the level 41 version.
For the “Challenge of Elders”, players must team up in a fireteam to face different versions of the Prison. Each week, they must defeat three different bosses, with new skulls and active modifications. For example, there will be a Hive Knight that flings Guardians around the Prison, and a Servitor that teleports around the arena and releases bouncing grenades.
Every week, the Guardians will face a different series of bosses, with various mechanics to strive for a high score. There are 16 weeks planned without repeats, and each weekly challenge will force players to change their builds and adapt to the challenges.
All possible actions will earn you points, such as using super, precision kills, or assists. If you equip and play appropriately, your team will earn rewards. Additionally, you will appear on your friends’ and clan’s leaderboards.
Furthermore, Variks will offer you bounties for the Prison of Elders.
What changes will the vendors in the Reef undergo?
Variks will guide you through all of this. His inventory has undergone a complete overhaul. He now has the “House of Judgement Reputation” and all his gear has received an update. More about this will be revealed in next week’s livestream.
Will there be sandbox and balance changes in the April update?
The sandbox team has been closely monitoring the players and assessing the data. More on this in the show in two weeks.
Will there be new cosmetic items?
The live team has been working hard on “vanity items” for the Guardians, including ships, sparrows, and gear that we cannot talk about yet.
What is the deal with the “Taken Guardians”?
There are some items that are “Taken-inspired” that the Guardians will encounter as part of this update. I am really not authorized to reveal more about it, but more details can be discussed next week.
In Battleborn , the open beta will start soon. We have the dates and all the important details for you.
PS4 players have an advantage in the beta
The great hope and at the same time the surprise egg, where you still don’t know how players will like it, is the hero shooter “Battleborn” from the developers of Gearbox.
Players on the PlayStation 4 get a certain lead, they can play Battleborn starting April 8.
For gamers on the Xbox One and PC, it starts 5 days later, on April 13.
In addition to the usual PvP modes, players can already experience 2 missions from the story to get a first impression of what Battleborn delivers narratively. Players can also preview other systems, such as the extensive progression system, which allows unlocking new heroes, skins, and emotes. All versions of the game will then be accessible until April 18.
However, fans should also plan some time for the download, as it can be quite substantial depending on the system:
PC: 12 GB
PS4: 8.5 GB
Xbox One: 11 GB
However, the download of the game can already begin on April 6, leaving enough time to prepare for the open beta.
Story mode – 8 episodes, complete story
At the same time, a few details about the Battleborn campaign have been released, one of the most important features that distinguish the game from other hero shooters. The campaign will be structured similarly to a TV series and will span 8 episodes, which are meant to lead the game to a worthy conclusion. It is best to check out the trailer to get a small impression of it.
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In Korea, Black Desert receives the Awakening weapon for the Valkyrie. We show it to you in moving images.
Valkyrie – Into Battle with Spear and Shield
While Black Desert was only released a few weeks ago for us, the game has already gained a lot of traction in Korea. They have started introducing the “Awakening weapons” for a while now. These provide all characters with an alternative playstyle and can be obtained from level 48 through a questline.
The latest addition, arriving today on March 24th on the Korean live servers, is the weapon of the Valkyrie, who strikes her enemies with spear and shield. Contrary to what the divine name might suggest, she also likes to stab at enemies already lying on the ground. You should check it out for yourself.
It’s certainly just a matter of time before the Awakening weapons become available in Europe as well, but Daum has not yet commented on whether they will be released all at once or gradually – at the expense of game balance.
For more news and articles about the game, you can find them on our Black Desert theme page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Four more cards for Hearthstone have been revealed, now it’s about the old god N’Zoth. We have the details.
More tentacles the world needs (or N’Zoth)
After many cards from the new Hearthstone expansion “Whispers of the Old Gods” featuring C’thun have been released in recent days, attention now turns to another ancient being. Today’s reveals include two creatures dedicated to the old god N’Zoth.
As a neutral minion and accessible to all classes, there is a cheaper version of the explosive sheep. The Tentacle of N’Zoth is a 1/1 minion that costs only 1 mana and has a deathrattle effect: Deals 1 damage to all minions. Especially warriors could benefit even more from their Enrage mechanics with this, but other classes are likely to appreciate additional area damage options as well.
Shamans can look forward to the new Legendary Hallazeal the Ascended, as this card has quite a bit up its sleeve. For 5 mana, it offers solid stats of 4/6, but the card text makes it a must-have for many spell-shamans: Whenever your spells deal damage, restore that much health to your hero. And it is as strong as it sounds: Damage spells simultaneously become powerful heals. However, whether the effect is triggered multiple times, for example when Lightning Storm hits multiple minions, remains to be seen.
For warriors, a new pirate card waits, the N’Zoth’s First Mate. For 1 mana, it is not particularly strong with 1/1, but it grants the warrior a 1/3 weapon as a battle cry, allowing small minions to be removed from the field early and making it a solid addition against rush decks – or even helping to build one.
Another neutral minion is the Faceless Shambler. This costs 4 mana, has stats of 1/1 and taunt. As a battle cry, it copies the attack and health points of another friendly minion.
What do you think of the new cards? Too powerful or just right to shake up the rusty meta?
For more news and articles about new cards and the “Whispers of the Old Gods” expansion, check out our Hearthstone topic page.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The upcoming sandbox MMO Landmark received a very extensive update, introducing many new features, but greatly disappointing fans of PvP.
The major update introduces, among other things, the possibility for players to respawn not only at their death location. There are now three additional options available that are located near the death site. This aims to provide more tactical options when choosing the respawn point and to avoid long running distances.
Furthermore, it has been announced that there will be no European servers at the launch of the MMO this spring. It is currently not clear whether this will change at a later date. Additionally, the game will only be released for Windows.
No more PvP
PvP fans need to be very strong now, as this feature has been removed. It is not clear whether PvP will be introduced at a later date. However, work is currently underway on a number of new features that they do not want to talk about yet.
They are unsure if they can implement everything and do not want to disappoint players again. Therefore, they will only talk about these features once they are truly ready for release.
Many changes
Additionally, the entire resource spawn system and harvesting have been revamped, and a new UI has been introduced. You can now place many more creatures in the world. The update is so extensive that there are many new contents to discover. This prepares Landmark for the upcoming release in spring. Numerous features are still missing and will be introduced gradually.
In Destiny we will learn today how things will continue. We are here with a live ticker in German as Bungie streams the Spring Update 2.2.0.
This evening starting at 7:00 PM will be the first time since last summer that we will talk about new gameplay content for Destiny. Bungie will present the Spring Update. The stream on Twitch is called “New Things to Do” and will be the first of 3 live streams for the patch scheduled to be released on April 12. We will embed the Twitch stream here.
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We will follow the discussion with a live ticker in German. We have done this a few times in the past. For those who don’t know: We keep it rather casual, fitting to the late hour and the format of the Twitch stream.
Guests on the stream will include Lead Designer Ryan Paradis and Senior Designer Tim Williams. Paradis is the “Live Events Lead Designer.” These are “new faces” – the “Live Team” was only established relatively late when there was an internal restructuring and is responsible for the content that comes outside of DLCs and expansions. It will probably be hosted by Community Manager DeeJ – this time without the support of a YouTuber or streamer.
The live ticker for the Destiny stream
6:05 PM: Everything indicates that something is happening with the “House of Wolves” gameplay content. DeeJ pointed out the image that we also embedded here as a title image, as “the sign he gave to the players.” The invitation to the stream ended with “See you in the Reef.” And “Urk” canceled the raids yesterday, but not the Prison of Elders. Furthermore, it has been emphasized multiple times in the past how great Variks and Petra Venj were – they hardly had anything to do in TTK. A reunion seems likely.
There is a lot to suggest that the “Prison of Elders” is returning, perhaps certain bounties, the 3 “House of Wolves” exotic weapons are also overdue – nothing is really set yet, but it strongly indicates that the April update is moving in this direction.
6:15 PM: It might be for the best that there is no community representative present. The drinking game “Take a drink every time DeeJ looks grumpy because the streamer wants to buddy up with him” reportedly claimed several victims in the past.
6:20 PM: The “Broman Prison of Wolves” massacre is probably the reason why DeeJ is no longer allowed to go live with a controller. Older players will remember.
6:30 PM: Normally, it doesn’t start exactly at 7 PM. Instead, at 7 PM a countdown starts, then there is usually some video and then it begins.
6:35 PM: Tim Williams, one of the two speakers, has actually been with Bungie for ages. In 2000, he graduated from university, then he wanted to get started with a dot-com company right away. Bad timing, the internet bubble burst in 2001. He later slowly worked his way into the industry as a kind of professional “tester and bug hunter.” He was hunting bugs in the first Halo on PC, later became a permanent member of the Bungie team and has been there since forever in various positions. In 2009, he gave an interview to Bungie.net, at that time he was a Production Engineer, and already sounded like he had been there forever.
6:55 PM: 11,000 people tuning in on Twitch right now. Timer is currently at 6:06 PM. It will be an exciting question how high the viewer counts go. They were extremely high during the last announcement streams, but it has also been a while.
7:00 PM: And already it’s 30,000. Destiny still has its pull.
7:05 PM: 60,000 want to know how things will proceed with Destiny in April. I belong to that group, because if it really is the Prison of Elders, I will act like someone who “just knows things” in the future.
7:06 PM: Ha! Video with Variks’ voice.
Prison of Elders returns
7:08 PM: The Light level rises to 335. There are new bounties, quests, new missions, and a fresh strike. The Prison of Elders gets a facelift and a challenge mode. Thus, it will be the new endgame.
7:09 PM: A new Taken strike “Rotten Chalice” is coming and the Archon Priest strike “Winter’s Run” is also returning.
7:11 PM: Variks will be the new quest giver for the update. He has captured Taken and imprisoned them in the Prison of Elders. He wants the Guardian to eliminate and examine “the new Taken.”
7:12 PM: The Prison of Elders will be designed for Level 41.
7:14 PM: Variks will distribute weekly bounties, which will reset on Tuesdays and lead players into the Prison of Elders. In the challenge mode of the raid, one has to pass through some kind of “ticket” – like with Brother Vance and the Trials of Osiris. Petra Venj has a new quest – but only for PlayStation players, which is Sony-exclusive.
7:20 PM: Many pretty pictures now, not so much information on what it will really be like.
7:22 PM: For a free update, this is already impressive. Prison of Elders as the new endgame with challenge mode, a new strike, a revised strike, quests, missions, bounties. There will be discussions about rewards and balance changes in the coming weeks.
Malok.
7:24 PM: This is Tim Williams – he is now sharing the information we had earlier. 10 years at Bungie. It’s about the Prison of Elders from Destiny.
In challenge mode, there are items up to light 335
7:26 PM: There are no more keys, you can enter the Prison of Elders as often as you like. (The challenge mode will probably be more restrictive.) Items up to light 320. – This applies to the normal mode, which we are only skimming here.
7:28 PM: In challenge mode, there will be items up to light 335. – Community Manager Cozmo first yawns at the camera, someone should have told him that he is currently on TV.
7:30 PM: There are 16 different variants for the Prison of Elders – this likely applies to the various modifiers and how they are composed. There are a total of 8 bosses. Challenge mode Prison of Elders will not have matchmaking, designed for 3 players.
Challenge mode in Destiny now consists of battling bosses and timing for points
7:32 PM: The idea for the challenge mode is “You take a kind of pass that is valid for a week” – there are 2 kinds of points that you can earn. First, “high score,” only the “best run” of that week counts. And “total score,” where the individual scores are summed up. For scoring, the “team score” is used. If the high score is high enough, there will be a weapon with a power of 335. If you beat the “total score,” there will be an armor piece with a defense value of 335.
7:34 PM: In challenge mode, there are 3 rounds – no treasure room, it’s just about points. Per round, there is one boss. It will be determined once a week how the challenge mode is structured and that will apply to everyone.
7:36 PM: It’s all about points and against a time limit. If you take too long for a round, longer than 5 minutes, you get point penalties.
7:38 PM: Cozmo continues the glorious tradition of community managers in Destiny live streams. He is being carried through by designers.
7:40 PM: You will be able to complete bounties in the Prison of Elders. The Taken count for the bounties. There are checkpoints. The enemies drop engrams. Everything should be significantly “more rewarding” than before.
7:43 PM: The challenge mode is relatively short and testers are getting through it well, so it shouldn’t be “sooo hard.” The individual rounds are basically boss fights with plenty of adds. In case of a wipe, the score resets to the value before the round. And then you can try the round again.
Elite Sigils – these are the passes for 100 Glimmer. Each week, a modifier is active, here precision kills increase the points obtained.
7:49 PM: The trick is to kill the boss only when you have enough points to surpass the high score barrier. Then go in twice more and you have the “total points” collected. It’s a question of how hard that really is. How well equipped the testers were and whether it’s really a challenge for skilled Destiny players. Likely already with the 320 gear it should get much easier quickly.
7:51 PM: There are a total of 8 bosses in the Prison of Elders.
7:51 PM: Uh, there will actually be guaranteed 335 weapons if you achieve the high score in the challenge mode in the Prison of Elders.
Archon Priest.
Summary – What is coming in the April Update
Light level rises to 335.
The “Archon Priest” strike “Winter Storm” is returning – and a completely new Taken strike “Rotten Chalice.”
New quests, bounties, and missions are coming. The focus is on the Reef and Variks.
The Prison of Elders is returning in 2 variants. The “normal” is designed for light 260 – here items drop up to 320. In challenge mode, items up to 335 can drop, and there is the possibility to receive guaranteed 2 335 items per week through “score cards” – one weapon and one armor piece.
Next Wednesday there should be a discussion about rewards. What items can players obtain? There was a sniper rifle with new, yet unknown nodes to see.
Additionally, further information: Rewards for the King’s Fall raid are also being increased. Normal drops will soon be 320, in hard mode 330 – and artifact drops at the Court of Oryx will soon be 335.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In SWTOR there are frequent false reports regarding the Squelch system, which is supposed to protect players from bots and spammers.
Timeout for 24 hours – completely unfounded
In times when gold sellers and vendors of dubious software like to flood the trading channels of games, it makes sense to provide players with a system that allows them to report and block such troublemakers.
However, in Star Wars: The Old Republic, there has now been an increase in problems with this feature. Because as always, when something can be exploited, it will be exploited.
Instead of actually punishing “bad guys” who fill chats with obscenities or dubious offers, players are using the “Squelch” function to deliberately harm other players. As soon as enough reports against a character come in (it is assumed to be between 5 and 10, exact numbers are unknown), the affected account is unable to use the chat for 24 hours. This not only affects the global chats but all forms of communication within the game.
Particularly annoying in PvP. Those who fall victim to the reports cannot even call for help – and are then insulted for it.
While many players can simply overlook the fact that they are muted for a while (which would surely be a horror for role-players), this causes significant disadvantages in PvP battlegrounds. If you are the only defender at a control point on a battlefield and cannot call for help when it is attacked, the impact is doubly devastating: not only do you lose the game, but your own team is also angry about why you didn’t report.
The Community Manager Eric Musco has now commented on this in the official forum and warns: Anyone who “squelches” players without a valid reason will face severe penalties against their own account. He specifically warns guilds with their leaders or officers: If they encourage their members to engage in such organized harassment, much harsher penalties may apply, which can extend to the permanent closure of the game account.
Those who report falsely must reckon with severe account penalties.
Finally, he points out that if you become a victim of such an incident, you should simply contact customer service. Musco strongly advises against seeking revenge and silencing the other player as well, because that would also violate the rules.
The Moba League of Legends by developer RiotGames leaves its players astonished.
This time it is not the developer’s fault that the players cannot believe their eyes, but rather the special way in which a Malzahar player achieves a pentakill and also steals Baron Nashor – his champion had already died when he performed the pentakill and Baron steal.
In the clip, you can see the player “Delogrand” playing Malzahar and searching for the opposing team, which is currently fighting Baron Nashor. Upon arrival, he finds the already weakened enemy team. He attempts to weaken them by casting one of his abilities on Heimerdinger.
The ability that Malzahar casts on Heimerdinger before his death is called “Malefic Visions” and is a DoT (damage over time) spell. The interesting thing about this spell is that it jumps to another target when the target dies while affected by Malefic Visions.
The course of the battle in detail
Malzahar casts “Malefic Visions” on Heimerdinger.
Malzahar dies by various abilities of the enemy team.
“Malefic Visions” kills Heimerdinger and jumps to one of Heimerdinger’s turrets.
The turret is destroyed by the DoT and jumps to Miss Fortune.
Baron Nashor kills Udyr – the kill is credited to Malzahar because he had previously dealt damage to Udyr.
“Malefic Visions” kills Miss Fortune and then jumps to another turret of Heimerdinger.
After the DoT has destroyed this turret as well, it jumps to Leona.
Leona dies to the DoT, which then jumps to Baron Nashor.
In the fight, there are now Orianna, Baron Nashor, and Malzahar’s “Malefic Visions” DoT attacking Baron.
Orianna fails to land the final blow on Baron, as the DoT does that.
Malzahar steals Baron through his DoT. Conveniently, Orianna is within range of the “Malefic Visions” so that the DoT can ultimately jump to her.
Orianna dies to Malzahar’s DoT, granting Malzahar a spectacular pentakill and a Baron steal.
Of course, this action required a fair amount of luck and a lot of damage from Baron Nashor. The opponents also seemed a bit overwhelmed by the situation. But in the end, that does not detract from the curious outcome. Will Malzahar still be capable of such actions after his major rework in the Mage update of LoL?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Rich Lambert, Creative Director at ZeniMax Online Studios, spoke in an interview about the transition of the MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online to a Buy2Play model, its impact on The Elder Scrolls 6, and more.
One of the “new” leading figures at The Elder Scrolls Online is Rich Lambert, the Creative Director of the game. He spoke in an interview with a PC magazine about the current state of the game.
Rich Lambert does not believe that The Elder Scrolls Online is a different game since its launch. A lot of work has been done, and naturally, many new features have been integrated, but fundamentally, the game is still the same. However, a lot of player feedback has led to a better understanding of what is important to fans and where improvements can still be made. It is especially important to show the fans that they are being heard and that their suggestions are being taken into account.
Changes Can Be Good
The biggest change to the game engine was porting it to consoles. Adapting to the controller, especially regarding the UI, was also very demanding. Additionally, the engine was ported to DirectX 11, which benefited the graphics, and many new security measures were integrated into the game.
The decision to move away from a subscription model to a Buy2Play model was made due to market conditions. Players are increasingly reluctant to commit long-term to a product. However, players have reacted very well to the transition, and an optional subscription will still be offered.
What Impact Does TESO Have on The Elder Scrolls 6?
To truly motivate players in the long term, one must regularly provide them with something new. Zenimax would keep the game fresh and provide new content as long as players continue to show support for The Elder Scrolls Online.
When asked whether TESO has any influence on a possible The Elder Scrolls 6, Rich Lambert did not want to confirm anything in this regard. However, they would work closely with Bethesda Softworks to ensure that the lore always fits well into the universe.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The online shooter Warframe is celebrating its anniversary and giving gifts to players. What to expect in your inbox and whether it’s worth it, you will find out below.
Three years of Warframe must be celebrated
The online shooter Warframe is celebrating its 3rd anniversary. During this time, the title from the Canadian developer Digital Extremes has evolved. Technical improvements, expansions of the game world, events, and new ideas keep the game interesting even after this time.
As in every year, Warframe gives its players a special gift for the anniversary, and this time you can look forward to the Dex Sybaris, a vibrant shotgun with a Lotus emblem that lights up above the barrel when the trigger is pulled.
If you are now annoyed that you missed the two gifts from previous years, let it be known that Digital Extremes is also including these in the gift box again.
Therefore, you will not only receive the Dex Sybaris but also Dex Dakra and Dex Furis. All weapons come with a built-in Orokin Catalyst and the weapon slot is also included. So, if some decided to remove these weapons from their arsenal, they will still have the three free slots.
But what can the three weapons in Dex style do? Is it even worth keeping them? The author says: Definitely!
Three times Dex
Basically, these weapons are graphic variations of already existing ones. What makes them really interesting are their improved stats, such as increased damage, precision, attack speed, or a higher critical hit chance and the like.
The Dex Furis are two handguns. They are a nice toy for newcomers since their high fire rate and resulting ammunition consumption are not necessarily suitable for higher level opponents. Nevertheless, you should definitely try them out because as long as you have ammunition, they can be quite fun.
This is what Dex Dakra and Dex Furis look like:
The two swords of the Dex Dakra are a bit more helpful when some Infested surround you. They have enough damage to withstand a bit longer.
However, the highlight so far is the Dex Sybaris, especially its critical base hit chance of 35%, making it a rather strong companion.
The gifts are not available for everyone at once
So, dear PC players, log in to Warframe by March 29, 8 PM to collect your gifts. Console Tenno unfortunately have to be a little more patient. They will receive the gifts after the upcoming update 18.5, Sands of Inaros, which is scheduled to be sent to Sony and Microsoft for certification this Friday.
Inaros in the Irish national colors – quickly grab the Clover color palette.
By the way: If you log in by tomorrow, 7 PM, you can also take home a color palette for 1 Credit at the market. This is in celebration of last week’s St. Patrick’s Day.
Now is the ideal opportunity for newcomers to take a closer look at Warframe, as the three birthday gifts alone will give you a good start. Everything else new Space Ninjas should note at the beginning can be found in our Warframe beginner’s guide.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Apparently, Ubisoft’s The Division is not safe from hackers on PC not secure. Some agents report this on reddit.
Actually, the beta testing phases of The Division were meant to eliminate occurring bugs and problems, but also potential cheats and hacks from users. However, if some reports on reddit are to be believed, there are still some hackers active on PC.
According to reddit user Glaekenn, cheating is a big problem on PC. He and his friends couldn’t play a single night without encountering at least two cheaters. They have often lost their lives, along with DZ currency and experience, because of these hackers.
These cheats appear in various forms: There are reports that some agents can “instakill” others, further cheaters have infinite ammunition and do not need to reload, “aimbots” are used, and there is a method to quickly get rid of the “manhunt status”: They can glitch into nearby safe zones or checkpoints, which would immediately cause their rogue status to expire.
The reddit user recorded this rogue-status hack on video and sent it directly to Ubisoft. However, he cannot post it in the reddit forum as it would be deleted. Apparently, posts about cheating are deleted directly, which is why he calls for more attention to be paid to this problem.
There are also some suspicious videos on YouTube that show footage of cheaters. In the following video, the cheat shows that an agent has infinite ammunition and can shoot without reloading.
https://youtu.be/snu5vhWYEmQ
Some game information is stored Client-Side
A problem that opens the door for hackers is that some game information is processed Server-Side while others are handled Client-Side. And the information on the local client can theoretically be altered by nasty players.
On the other hand, many agents in the forums also report that they have no problems with hackers at all. One user believes he hasn’t encountered a cheater in over 90 hours, but it seems inevitable to eventually encounter a hacker on PC.
An editor from GameStar conducted the experiment: How does cheating work in The Division and reached alarming results:
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In Heroes of the Storm, significant changes are coming for many heroes. We have summarized the key points for you.
Create More Uniqueness
The next big update of Heroes of the Storm brings numerous changes in the Nexus. Just yesterday, we discussed the changes regarding the ban system in Hero League, today we will take a look at the adjustments of existing heroes. In addition to numerous small adjustments, which you can see in detail in our sources, some heroes are being fundamentally reworked. We take a closer look at Kael’thas, Gazlowe, Sylvanas, Tychus, and Illidan.
Tychus – The Ex-Con with the Big Gun
The Assassin Tychus is getting some enhancements that mainly revolve around his Minigun. It no longer has a “warm-up time” and reaches its full speed immediately.
Instead, the Minigun can now also be “activated” to drain an additional 1.5% of the maximum enemy HP with each hit for 3 seconds. Along with new talents like “That’s the Stuff,” which grants healing based on the damage dealt by the Minigun, Tychus should now be significantly more resilient and finally feel more like an assassin who can also deal high spike damage. Some fun talents like “Head and Bob,” which allow him to jump up to 3 times in a row, round off the new abilities.
Gazlowe – The Architect of Orgrimmar
The Specialist Gazlowe has long been a thorn in the developers’ side because he was hardly useful in competitive mode as he took too long to “unpack”. Therefore, the changes to the Goblin Engineer are mainly buffs and improvements. Turrets, the small towers, now cost a bit more mana but have a 27% increased base range. With the new level 16 talent Superior Schematics, the turrets even deal 25% extra damage when Gazlowe is nearby.
Also exciting is the new level 20 talent “Firin’ Mah Lazorz”: When Gazlowe fires his “Deth Lazor”, all his turrets also fire such a shot!
A new level 4 talent for the “Xplodium Charge” even allows Gazlowe to place turrets more frequently: He gains 2 charges of his turrets every time the charge hits an enemy hero.
Kael’thas – The Power-Hungry Prince of the Blood Elves
The Assassin Kael’thas was given new playstyles with the update, and at least on paper, this has worked. The talent “Mana Addict” will be an exciting challenge as it rewards players in the long term. If Kael’thas manages to collect a total of 25 regeneration orbs, he gains the ability “Arcane Barrier”, allowing him to temporarily grant himself a shield to absorb damage.
Also exciting is the level 7 talent “Burned Flesh,” which modifies Flame Strike so that it burns an additional 8% of a hero’s maximum health when at least 2 enemies are affected.
As if that weren’t enough, the Living Bomb now jumps to other heroes when it explodes – but minions and buildings are no longer affected.
However, the secret highlight is the new level 20 talent “Master of Flames,” which will cause many laughs. This allows Living Bomb to jump infinitely between enemy heroes. This promises to provide fun replays.
Sylvanas – The Will of the Banshee Queen
The Specialist Sylvanas receives a new ultimate ability. Instead of being able to take over enemy minions and mercenaries, she can now inhabit enemy heroes and move them for 2.5 seconds to place them in the middle of her own team or separate them from the rest of the team. At level 20, this ability can even be upgraded to allow possessed enemies to move 100% faster for the duration. However, the old “Mind Control” for minions does not disappear – it has now simply become a level 7 talent!
The further changes to the Banshee Queen are rather minor. The functionality of many talents has been slightly adjusted and restructured, but the basic gameplay feel of the undead lady remains unchanged.
Illidan – The Warglaives of Azzinoth
Many generic talents have also been removed from the Assassin Illidan and replaced with new ones. The most important is probably Unending Hatred, a new talent at level 1. Each enemy minion killed increases the damage of automatic attacks by 0.1, and each enemy hero killed by 1. Once 20 damage has been accumulated, an additional 10 damage will be added as a bonus. At level 16, the new talent Fiery Brand awaits, allowing Illidan to cut through tanks in the future. Every 4th automatic attack that hits the same target consecutively deals an additional 6% of the opponent’s total HP as damage.
Alternatively, on the same level, “Blades of Azzinoth”: Each hit of Sweeping Strikes generates a stack of “Blades of Azzinoth”. Once 5 stacks have been reached, the ability can be activated to deal 50% bonus damage with automatic attacks for 8 seconds.
However, there is still no fixed release date for the patch. It will remain available on the test realms at least until March 29.
Have a nice Wednesday and so on. You have no idea how much Schuhmann suffers under such a lame introductory sentence, but my column, my rules! Without further ado, I want to get straight to the point: The expectations in and from games.
When reading interviews with developers over the past few years, the “Exit Point” has come up repeatedly and how to avoid them. This refers to a situation in a game that causes a player to log out and never return. While it makes sense to keep such exit points to a minimum, it also creates significant issues on the other hand.
Content too difficult? Often a possible Exit Point.
Sure, there are “Exit Points” that can be avoided, such as problems during installation, complicated account setup, and so on. But especially in game design, such an “Exit Point” often poses a challenge. When I look back (a long, long time ago), what made me refrain from starting a Batman game on the Super Nintendo for a long time? Right, big challenges that I couldn’t overcome even after hours. Or that one level in Super Mario where the countdown was so tight. Grr. To put it more dramatically (also often referred to as “clickbaiting” in modern terms): For a game to have no Exit Points, it must not have difficult challenges.
In Black Desert, not much is explained and much is overwhelming – surprisingly exciting.
What one often forgets in my view is: Too few challenges are also an Exit Point, at least for me.
That’s why – at least I suspect – a game like Black Desert as an MMORPG or Witcher 3 as an RPG is currently very successful. Many players long for not understanding things immediately, having to set off on their own, or simply spending time on something to understand it in all its facets.
Calm streaming or exciting challenge?
I don’t just want to complain (okay, caught: yes, I do!), because I also see that companies somehow need to make money and a satisfied customer is a paying customer. Who becomes desperate in a game and cannot progress, will likely not be very satisfied in the long run.
I also wouldn’t make a simple classification like “Casual = no challenge” and “Core gamer = super hard.” Because even “casuals” like to crack a nut and want to be challenged, and some core gamers would like to be guided to reach the next goal more or less directly. The question is more of an individual nature, whether you want to be “streamed” by a game or want to be challenged – relaxation can certainly provide both.
With the separation of LFR and Mythic, players are accommodated – yet both are devalued.
I believe that in today’s time the balancing act between these two groups is hardly doable anymore. WoW (as just one example) tries it with “LFR vs. Mythic”, but even with this solution, not everyone is satisfied (though I consider it the currently best option).
What do you think? Do you want to be challenged by games and are willing to accept a few “Exit Points” for it? Or do you have a solution on how to address all player types?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the upcoming mobile game Pokémon Go, a video has been released showing the first images of the gameplay. We take a look at it.
A video has appeared on YouTube showing first playable scenes from Pokémon Go. The subtitle of the video indicates that these are excerpts from a presentation by CEO John Hanke (not shown) at this month’s SxSW event. Attendees were invited to a short preview of the upcoming mobile Pokémon title from developer Niantic.
Apparently, filming was done diligently:
https://youtu.be/eHgCmnVvfTI
You can see first gameplay scenes from Pokémon Go, where a Bulbasaur is caught with a Poké Ball. This ball needs to be thrown precisely and well-timed so that you don’t miss the wild Pokémon.
Pokémon Go relies on Augmented Reality
Pokémon Go will be an augmented reality title. Unlike virtual reality, which creates a completely virtual environment, AR inserts digital elements into your actual environment in real-time. Thus, the entire world is intended to become your playing landscape. For everyone who found Kanto, Johto, etc. too small, Pokémon Go now offers our entire globe.
You will walk around with your smartphone in hand not just to catch the monsters; you can also trade them and engage in battles. The following video is meant to give you an impression of what your experience with Pokémon Go will look like:
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In the Free2Play MMORPG Blade and Soul, the first major expansion is coming today on March 23. How long will the servers be down?
As NCSoft reports, the maintenance will last approximately 4 hours and 15 minutes today. The servers should be back up around 4:15 PM our time. Blade & Soul could be playable again, if everything goes according to plan.
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Today, with the Silverfrost Mountains, the first truly major expansion from Korea is arriving: it raises the level cap of Blade and Soul to level 50, introduces 8 new dungeons, raids, an ice continent, and much more. NCSoft is really ramping up efforts to bridge the gap with the Korean version.
In The Division, the Phoenix Credit vendors always have the same blueprints after the weekly restocks. Is this intended?
The agents in The Division are currently a bit concerned about the restock of the vendors: The Phoenix Credit vendors in the Dark Zone and the Operations Base offer the same blueprints after their reset every Saturday as they did the previous week. Is this intended?
During the last “State of the Game” that streamed on Twitch during yesterday’s maintenance, developers from Massive discussed the patch notes 1.0.2 and answered questions from the community. This also included the inventory of the vendors – specifically regarding the blueprints.
The team stated about this monotonous supply of blueprints from the Phoenix Credit vendors that this is currently by design: Hamish Bode, the Community Developer, confirmed that it is intentional for the blueprints not to change during the vendor reset. All other items that are not blueprints would be replenished with each restock.
However, it was immediately added that more blueprints for the Phoenix Credit vendors are “on the way”. Further information will follow before these blueprints are released.
When and to what extent this will happen was not stated. Presumably, we will have to enjoy the old blueprints for a while longer. Perhaps fresh crafting materials will come with the April update. More info on the Year 1 content of The Division can be found here.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , the gunsmith Banshee-44 has a selection of weapons available for ordering and pickup.
Wednesday is weapon day at Destiny. We take a look at Banshee-44, who can also distribute exotic weapons to players, or rather, somewhat elaborate quests that then result in exotic weapons. The prerequisite is that he likes you well enough. And to gain his favor, you must test these weapons for him.
These are the 5 test weapons in Destiny this week
A Suros auto rifle craves precision kills.
With the Häkke pulse rifle, you need to land precision hits.
A Suros rocket launcher wants to enter the Crucible.
The Häkke shotgun targets Cabal.
A sniper rifle, also from Häkke, wants double kills.
These 5 weapons you can order this week
The most interesting weapon this week is the Suros Ari-41, an auto rifle with relatively high stability and low impact. That could be worth picking up.
The fusion rifle Thesan FR4 is also worth taking, should Bungie really change the balance. High impact, high stability.
The pulse rifle Herja-D is probably not that exciting unless Bungie boosts pulse rifles in the spring.
And then there are the two rocket launchers JLB-42 and JLB-47. If there is still demand at the moment, you should choose the 47 – better stats.
In the new patch for RiotGames Moba League of Legends there are again some heroes facing adjustments.
Also in the past weeks, there have been several champions on the various maps of League of Legends that have been labeled as “overpowered” and were almost a permanent ban. With the new patch 6.6, some champions will be “balanced” and adjusted to the game.
Changes to champions in the new patch of League of Legends
Cho’Gath:
Devour (R) – Bonus health per stack increased from 90/120/150 to 100/140/180. A surprising change for the players of LoL, as the friendly dinosaur Cho’Gath is already quite solid in the current game. With this buff, he will certainly be a popular alternative to other champions in the Rift or on other maps in the coming weeks.
Ekko:
Z Drive Resonance (Passive) – Movement speed increased from 40%/50%/60%/80% to 50%/60%/70%/80%. A small buff for Ekko, which is overall just a minor improvement.
Phase Dive (E) – Cooldown reduced from 13/11.5/10/8.5/7 seconds to 11/10/9/8/7 seconds. Individually, this buff is also fairly minor. However, in combination, these two improvements are quite strong.
Janna:
Eye of the Storm (E) – The bonus damage granted by the shield has been reduced from 14/23/32/41/50 damage to 10/17.5/25/32.5/40. The developers cited this nerf because Janna is not only a good protector through her abilities but also a strong attacker.
Monsoon (R) – The disable duration of this ability has been reduced from 0.75 seconds to 0.5 seconds.
Nidalee:
Prowl (Passive) – When “Hunting Monsters” is active, monsters are no longer rooted. A rather minor change that mainly affects junglers.
Leap (W) – Fury Strikes no longer resets Nidalee’s basic attack. However, the base damage of Leap was increased from 50/100/150/200 to 65/100/155/200. Overall, rather negative changes for Nidalee, which will likely make jungling a bit harder.
Shyvana:
Twin Bite (Q) – The scaling of this ability was significantly reduced on the earlier ranks. Originally scaling from 180%/185%/190%/195%/200%, Twin Bite now scales with only 140%/155%/170%/185%/200% total attack damage. Anyone who has faced Shyvana in League of Legends recently or played her will have noticed that her damage is indeed relatively high. With this adjustment, her early game is now easier for opponents to handle.
Items like the ZZ’Rot Portal have also been significantly revised in League of Legends
Enchant: Runeglaive – Base damage reduced from 80 to 60. One of the most popular jungler items recently is now getting a significant nerf.
Titanic Hydra – Attack damage reduced from 50 to 35. The values of the Titanic Hydra were rather suited for an all-rounder item that could somehow be used in every situation – the defensive values are retained.
ZZ’Rot Portal:
Armor reduced from 60 to 55.
Magic resistance reduced from 60 to 55.
The health of the Void Gate reduced from 300-1200 to 5. (Yes, really 5!)
Gold for destroying the Void Gate increased from 25 gold to 50 gold.
The health points of the portal now behave like a pink eye. So the 5 health points must be dealt with in 5 attacks. However, it regenerates these points if it has not been attacked for 5 seconds. In addition, there is now a clear symbol on the minimap.
