The Ultimate Team modes of FIFA, Madden and NHL generate around 650 million dollars for EA each year. EA’s CFO Blake Jorgensen reveals some numbers.
In the Ultimate Team mode of FIFA 16, it is possible to purchase FIFA Points through microtransactions. This allows players to open packs to quickly acquire new players and consumables. Especially during special events, such as TOTY, many microtransactions are made. This is something EA is particularly pleased about.
As reported by GamesIndustry, EA’s Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen has now laid out the role of digital content for the company:
“The extra content business is worth 1.3 billion dollars a year. About half of that is our Ultimate Team business.”
So the Ultimate Team modes of FIFA, Madden and NHL generate around an annual revenue of 650 million dollars for EA. This accounts for about 30% of all digital revenues from EA. Additional revenue from extra content is generated, for example, through season passes for Star Wars Battlefront or map packs for the Battlefield series.
The Ultimate Team mode was initially introduced in the FIFA series and quickly became one of the most popular and played modes in the game. Looking back at EA’s financial reports from the past years, one can recognize a rapid growth of this mode. By now, Ultimate Team also plays an important role in Madden and NHL.
The Ultimate Team modes have roughly the same value as EA’s entire mobile business, which is also very successful and growing steadily.
Therefore, it is not surprising that Jorgensen emphasized several times how valuable the Ultimate Team has become for EA’s digital business. One can assume that we will continue to enjoy the Ultimate Team mode in these sports titles for a long time. How it will evolve remains to be seen.
The former composer of Destiny and Halo, Marty O’Donnell, speaks in an interview about working in large teams.
Marty O’Donnell is responsible for the soundtrack to Destiny and many Halo titles, having worked for Bungie for many years. His departure and subsequent legal dispute with Bungie caused quite a stir among fans.
In an interview with Playboy, O’Donnell and his partner Jaime Griesemer discuss their new project, Haywire Studios, and the VR game Golem. Griesemer is also a Bungie veteran, having been the Design Lead for Halo 2.
The interview does not directly address Bungie, Destiny, or the reasons for the public dispute between O’Donnell and Bungie/Activision, but it does provide insights into what daily life in a game studio is like and the conflicts that arise from working for a giant like Activision in a huge team.
Activision’s unwillingness to release this soundtrack as a standalone work contributed to the rift between O’Donnell and Bungie:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkNBJsx3WLs
O’Donnell seems especially troubled by 3 things about working in a large studio:
A large studio has many power struggles and intrigues
Everything becomes impersonal. During Halo 2’s time, someone asked him how many people were working on the game, and he could visualize the office, counting how many people were sitting at each desk, coming up to 67. That was the last time he could count like that. In the end, only 9 people worked directly for him in the audio team. In the new studio, that’s the total number of employees.
Griesemer adds: When so many people work on a project, it often becomes more about power and the right to make decisions rather than actually making good decisions.
In large projects, the individual often remains anonymous
What O’Donnell further dislikes is the trend of large publishers like EA or Activision trying to keep developers anonymous and denying them recognition. This really annoys O’Donnell. After all, people do not look forward to the next “EA game”; they like a developer because they made something great.
People like Spielberg or Woody Allen have entire teams around them. They appreciate their team. Companies like EA or Activision lack the emotional connection to the brands. Yet the team is so important. Ultimately, it is always the team, not an individual, that is responsible for the success of something.
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The third thing that seems to weigh heavily on Marty O’Donnell is the lack of freedom in a large studio. You constantly have to wait for approval to do something the way you want to do it.
Often, creative and talented experts stand idly by, waiting for someone to give them permission to do things as they see fit.
It is even worse when you finally have the opportunity to present your idea that you have worked on for so long, only to hear, “Yes, that won’t work.” Or when something is accepted but later rejected.
The core points of contention as to why O’Donnell left Bungie after so many years have been highlighted in this article.
Mein MMO says:Even back then, the impression was that O’Donnell felt less valued and respected in the new huge Bungie under Activision compared to the “old Bungie times.” The soundtrack he recorded with Paul McCartney and an orchestra seemed to matter a lot to him. He really wanted to release it as a standalone work. However, Activision seemed to block that.
When Activision did not use O’Donnell’s music for Destiny trailers but instead used its own, it triggered a chain reaction that ultimately led to his departure.
Besides personal recognition, it seems O’Donnell also missed camaraderie and connection in a small studio. It seems he has now found both again.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In a few hours, Black Desert will officially launch in Germany. We have the most important information about the release.
The first players have already been playing for 4 days, officially starting for everyone today at 5:00 PM. We answer the most important questions about the release of Black Desert.
What is the cost of Black Desert? Is it Free2Play?
Currently, there is no freely accessible demo or trial version. However, some guest keys have been distributed among buyers. With these, you can test for free for 7 days.
Where can I download the game? How do I get my bonus items?
Once you have purchased the game, you can download it from your account page. You can find this on the game’s homepage when you are logged in under “Account.” There you can also request any promo items, such as pre-order items. In early access, they sometimes arrived with a 24-hour delay.
Black Desert starts with 7 classes in Germany, with 4 more being added over time. You start with Berserker, Warrior, Valkyrie, Tamer, Ranger, Sorceress, and Witch/Mage. Only Witch/Mage are the exact same class in male and female. The other classes are subject to a so-called gender lock and can only be played with the intended gender.
All classes in Black Desert also have a “race lock” and can only be played in the designated form. It is not possible to play a “Giant Warrior” or a “Human Berserker.”
The 4 classes that will be added later are Plum and Blader, as well as Ninja and Kunoichi. They are already available in the Korean version of the game. Additionally, classes there have received an “Awakening Weapon” variant, allowing them to gain a different weapon and playstyle.
Is Black Desert also coming to Playstation 4 and Xbox One?
No. While the developers leave a backdoor of “Who knows what the future holds. We do not rule anything out,” in reality, it is unlikely that a Korean MMORPG will be released for the consoles Playstation 4 and Xbox One. There are currently no plans for that.
Black Desert is currently a pure PC game and will likely remain that way.
What are the system requirements for Black Desert? Can my PC handle it?
The minimum requirements are an Intel Core i3, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB of hard disk space, and a GTS 250, GeForce 9800 GTX, or Radeon HD 3870 X2 graphics card.
The recommended requirements are an Intel i5 processor, 6 GB of RAM, 40 GB of hard disk space, and a GTX 650/GTX 550 TI/Radeon HD 7770/Radeon HD 6670 graphics card.
Which server should I start on?
There are three European servers: Alustin, Croxus, and Jordine. On each of these large servers, there are “channels” between which you can freely switch. Therefore, the channel you choose is not that important.
There is no official German server. It’s best to coordinate with friends or acquaintances. A clear recommendation is difficult to give.
Where can I find information about Black Desert? Where are there guides and tricks?
Black Desert looks stylish but has as many details as one of those Excel spreadsheet sandbox games. It requires knowing recipes, understanding game mechanics, or even figuring out how to play at the beginning.
Since Black Desert is relatively complicated but has been on the market in Korea for a while, there are many instructions, videos, and guides in English available online. If you are proficient in English, you can check out the ‘Black Desert Bible’ as a Google document.
Otherwise, you can also feel free to ask questions about the game in the comments below this article. We have some readers who are well-versed in Black Desert Online and are happy to share their knowledge.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Tom Clancy’s The Division, the download sizes for the respective platforms are known. The beta files can be deleted.
The launch of The Division is getting closer. In the meantime, it is known when the servers will go online: in Germany on March 7 at 14:01. Gradually, more information is coming to light that the future agent needs for a smooth start.
Now the file sizes for The Division are also known, meaning how much storage you need to clear on your platforms for the MMO shooter:
Xbox One: 32, 29 GB
Playstation 4: 29, 8 GB
PC: 40 GB
According to Community Manager Natchai Stappers, it is necessary to download the entire file size. The beta content would not be patched.
So, according to Natchai, you can confidently throw away the old beta files.
There is a preload
All gamers who have to go online with a wooden connection can still breathe a sigh of relief: There is a preload. On Xbox One, it has been running since March 2, PC players can start the download on March 3 at 6 PM, and PS4 players will have their turn on March 6 at 0:01.
Actor John Boyega, Finn from the latest Star Wars film, misses the single-player campaign in Star Wars Battlefront.
John Boyega was one of the shooting stars from the last Star Wars film. As Stormtrooper FN-2187 or Finn, he made an impression in the film. He is also a long-time fan of the Battlefront series. As such, he misses something in the latest title of the series.
On Twitter, he now asked EA: Will you be bringing a complete offline story campaign?
EA replied: Have you tried the missions? “Yes,” Boyega said they are great. But they leave one with the longing for an opportunity to engage with the game within a narrative.
It’s clear: For Boyega, it’s confusing to kill stormtroopers online before one has first done that in a campaign, as it should be.
@EAStarWars Will fans get a full on offline story mode? It’s more of an enjoyable way to learn controls.
During the head start of Black Desert, there were numerous problems. The developers have disclosed how they intend to compensate the players.
For every little problem a column
Basically, it is a given that a lot can go wrong at the launch of an MMORPG. Hardly any system can be tested extensively in advance to find out what happens when hundreds of thousands of players flood the servers. But that is no excuse for these errors. In the official forum, a table has now been published that shows the most common problems and presents solutions aptly named the “Shitstorm Matrix” (Click to enlarge).
This is primarily a list of the steps that have been taken to avoid problems in the future or to rectify issues.
This leads to a second table that includes some compensations:
Thus, all “confused buyers” can look forward to 500 loyalty points and some potions that should make farming easier.
According to Daum in the Black Desert forum:
“We all know that every game launch comes with its problems, but that does not diminish the issues and confusions this causes for everyone. The success of Black Desert and thus the community that supports it has been and will always be our primary goal, because we know that without you there would be no Black Desert. Therefore, we want to offer an apology and a small token of our appreciation for all the problems that have occurred.”
After a long wait, ASTA is now also available in Europe. The open beta begins.
If you’ve been looking forward to the “Korean World of Warcraft,” you can now breathe easy and start the download. Because ASTA officially entered its beta phase for Europe and America yesterday, on March 2, 2016.
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At the start of the beta, the shop offers a handful of exclusive starter packs at a reduced price. These include valuable soul stones, as well as mounts and pets, which are even tradable and can thus be directly exchanged for in-game currency. Many of these items are only available during the open beta and according to the developers, “it may take a while before these items can be obtained again.”
In Black Desert , an unfortunate regulation is causing complaints.
Up until the first head start, players could buy one of three pre-order packages over the last few months, granting them the right to play Black Desert earlier, at one of three possible head start dates.
For the first head start, publisher Daum then said: Okay, that’s over now. We will continue to offer the packages, but without the head start bonus. What you are buying now are no longer pre-order packages, but regular game packages. Those who buy them now can only start at the release, on March 3rd.
However, because the packages cost the same and are structured the same, some players jumped in without looking closely. They felt misled when they realized: I can’t start yet.
As is often the case on the internet, this escalated and a controversy has arisen. A corresponding Reddit thread currently has 717 comments. The publisher is accused of malicious intent. Meanwhile, defenders say: Your own fault, pay more attention when you buy something.
What players are particularly upset about is a regulation that the purchase price will not be refunded if the game is downloaded and/or if the game client is started during the closed beta or at release.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In the upcoming MMORPG Revival , you won’t simply be able to heal with a potion; you’ll need to visit a surgeon.
If you get your leg smashed by a war hammer, you generally can’t walk. However, in MMORPGs, that’s different. You can quickly swallow a healing potion or have the healer cast a spell, and you’ll be hopping around again in no time.
First aid but no healing potions
In the upcoming MMORPG Revival, this will work differently. The game aims for a high degree of realism while not neglecting the fun of gameplay. If you are wounded in a battle, you can quickly heal minor injuries using first aid. Then you can immediately dive back into the fray. However, you may also sustain more serious injuries, like the aforementioned smashed leg. In that case, first aid won’t help anymore.
Off to the butcher, pardon me, to the doctor
In such a case, you seek out a surgeon who tries to help you with brutal, medieval methods.
Of course, one can also take on the role of a surgeon. Then you examine the patient and see their injuries based on their surgery skill. Depending on how high the skill is, you can make a more precise diagnosis.
The so-called “Fleshmending” skill plays as much of a role as the medical knowledge you have acquired in various parts of the world. The higher your knowledge and skills, the better you can examine a patient and the more precise your diagnosis will be.
Subsequently, medieval tools, tinctures, and bandages are used to treat the wound. In the case of the smashed leg, you first need to realign the bone, clean the wound, cauterize and stitch it, and then apply a bandage and a splint. Depending on your skills, you might also inflict damage on the patient during the process. The entire procedure will unfold in a rather stomach-churning and brutal mini-game.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Star Wars Battlefront, the DLC “Outer Rim” is coming, bringing two extraordinary heroes.
We suspected it already, now it’s official. With the Outer Rim DLC, which will be released in March, two supporting characters from the films, Nien Nunb and Greedo, will join Battlefront as playable characters. Greedo will be a villain. He was a bounty hunter who was chasing Han Solo on behalf of Jabba. The Rebel pilot Nien Nunb will be a playable hero.
That’s not all that Outer Rim adds to Battlefront. In the new game mode “Extraction”, players will bring cargo shipments to their transport ships as rebels. As a member of the Empire, you must prevent them from doing so.
Weapons and power-ups include the Relby V-10 Rifle and the DT-12 Blaster Pistol; Scatter Gun, Dioxis Grenade, and Adrenaline Stim Star Cards are added.
New locations are factory facilities on Sullust and Jabba’s throne room on Tatooine.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny, a Guardian has set himself a very special challenge: he wanted to take down Crota solo, in Hard Mode, and without weapons, all while Crota was enraged. He succeeded, but how.
Currently, there is really nothing to do for PvE fans in Destiny. Maybe a Nightfall strike here, another Oryx down there – and just like that, you have completed your weekly tasks. Few are venturing into the old raids. Unless you create your own challenge.
Since Bungie has been stingy with PvE content lately, Guardians are setting new goals for themselves, like this eager Reddit user here. He wanted to dance with Crota again: only this time, Crota was to fall in a new, unique way, which the user himself called “the most annoying and difficult challenge yet”.
His conditions: Solo, Hard Mode, no weapons, and all during Crota’s rage. Crota is allowed to kneel only once before he must be defeated.
It reportedly took over 40 hours for the Guardian to kill Crota under these conditions. His successful run only lasted 40 seconds. You can watch it in the following video.
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The user points out several aspects that made this challenge so “insane”:
1. Every time he made a mistake, he had to wait 10 minutes to start the next attempt. This was terrible and “evil”. 2. Hard Mode means that health does not regenerate. Every OverSoul ruthlessly takes away health, even if blocking with the sword. Since no weapons are allowed, even the Red Death is useless. 3. Crota’s rage continues to spawn OverSouls one after the other, as well as Thralls and Ogres. The Bombers appear “mega aggressive”. Additionally, the user complains that the screen shook wildly and the music was very loud. 4. Perfect timing was everything: the first OverSoul takes away your Super; killing the sword bearer without weapons, grabbing his sword, dodging enemies, positioning, creating a bubble, etc. must all happen before the first OverSoul appears. You can marvel at the perfect run in the video above. 5. He also had problems with the two grenades: only about 60% of the time did they force Crota to kneel. He often failed here. 6. The buff “Weapons of Light” is needed for every sword hit. However, the user usually lost the buff before the final hit. So he had to be very quick here too.
7. Furthermore, the user often had the issue of delays with the sword hits. He suspects that this was caused by the grenades, which detonate twice. Because of this “glitch”, he almost gave up. In the end, however, he managed to complete this self-imposed challenge.
He also apologizes for the noises he makes in the video when he achieves his goal. But that moment was just so relieving.
In the MMO shooter The Division, we now know when the servers will go online and when The Division will launch.
The MMO shooter The Division will launch in Germany on March 7 at 2:01 PM. This is because it will already be 12:01 AM on March 8 in Australia. They are 10 hours ahead of us.
So from Monday afternoon at 2:01 PM, we should be able to play in Germany. Then the servers will be online.
There is a catch: At 2:01 PM on Monday, only players with a disc version of the game will be able to start. Those who have the digital version for Xbox One or Playstation 4 will not be able to play until March 8 at 12:01 AM. PC players can start The Division at 6:01 AM. This was announced by Ubisoft via Facebook.
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Ubisoft says: This is also the earliest time that the press will have access. One should therefore not expect complete tests or reviews this early. What appears will be based at most on earlier versions.
At this time, the preload of The Division starts on Xbox One, PC, and PS4
Anyone who wants to download The Division ahead of the release can do so.
The preload starts on Xbox One today. PC players can begin the preload on Thursday at 6:00 PM. Players on Playstation 4 can start it on March 6, as soon as it turns 12:01 AM in their region.
It starts 10 hours earlier than expected. It seems to be the friendliest solution for everyone. What do you think, do you need to rearrange your plans now?
For the right start in Black Desert we have some beginner tips for you. Then nothing will stand in the way of fun even as a beginner!
10 Tips for a Good Black Desert Start
Fans have been waiting a long time for the MMORPG Black Desert, and now the Western launch has finally arrived. We have compiled a series of tips from the YouTuber Fevir for you to ensure a fun and successful game start. Enjoy!
Tip 1: Keep an eye on healing potions!
Healing potions are important and sensible in most MMORPGs, but in Black Desert they also have a pretty significant disadvantage: They weigh too much. The game’s inventory weighs all items, and healing potions are not exactly a light snack. Additionally, you often get potions thrown at you in dozens for many tasks, which quickly leads to an overly heavy inventory. Whenever you have the opportunity, you should deposit excess healing potions (and also silver) in the bank to free up storage space in the inventory for more important items.
Tip 2: Pay attention to exchangeable items!
While you grind through the game world, you will keep finding lots of junk that you can only sell. Occasionally, however, items appear that already indicate in their description that you can exchange them and what you will get in return when you have accumulated a certain number of them. By right-clicking on the item, you can select “Find NPC” to see on the world map who exactly wants these items.
Since these rewards are often very good, you should consider spending half an hour farming to complete these “bonus goals”.
Tip 3: Filter quests!
At the beginning of the game, it may still be sensible to display every single mission, but sooner or later the sheer number of quests becomes overwhelming. Therefore, it can be very useful to hide certain types of quests so that you don’t have to follow 30 objectives at the same time. For example, if you don’t want fishing or combat quests, you can simply hide these in your quest log. Moreover, many missions are also repeatable – less is often more.
On the other hand: If you feel like you are standing in the rain with no quests available, you should check to see if you might have too many filters active.
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Almost everything not related to combat in Black Desert consumes energy in one way or another. This makes energy a valuable resource that should be accumulated and increased. This is mainly achieved by benefiting from the extensive knowledge system and discovering new things. Whenever the character learns something “new” (talks to a new NPC, catches a new type of fish, cuts down an unknown tree), they learn something about the world and gain energy. Even if you are not interested in lore and story, you should still try talking to every NPC. It will pay off.
Tip 5: Make use of the family name!
Characters on an account that belong to the same family share numerous advantages. Storage, mounts, knowledge, and even maximum energy are shared among all characters – however, energy regenerates individually for each character. Therefore, second and third characters benefit greatly if the main character has already discovered quite a lot. Conversely, twinks can use their high energy to support the main character. A large family with many side characters is worthwhile!
Tip 6: Never let energy reach the maximum!
Energy regenerates over time and is an important resource for many activities in the game. For this reason, you should always ensure that energy never reaches the maximum. Because if it does, the character can no longer regenerate energy, which would be wasted energy.
So spend it before you reach the maximum – even if you are putting it in seemingly “useless” things like fishing, in the long run, it will pay off to have good energy management.
Tip 7: Increase friendships with NPCs
If you have no use for the aforementioned energy, you can also directly channel it into NPCs in the “worst case”. There you can win their trust in a small friendship mini-game and unlock new quests and other bonuses piece by piece with certain NPCs. So, if you just want to quickly “burn” your energy, you should try your luck with the NPCs.
Tip 8: You can’t do everything, ultimately achieving nothing
In Black Desert, there are seemingly endless opportunities to have fun. At every corner of the game, you’ll be tempted by other activities, and the golden rule applies: If you do a bit of everything, you end up doing nothing right. Occasionally, you should focus on certain aspects of the game, such as resource gathering, to feel real progress.
This is facilitated by leaderboards – so who is the “best fisherman” on the server can celebrate at the top of the leaderboard (and surely receive the odd whisper to catch a fish).
Tip 9: Find other players
This is actually a bit of a given in an MMORPG, but it’s worth emphasizing: Look for other players and join a guild. Black Desert is gigantic, and no list of beginner tips can match the knowledge that can be gained from other players – not to mention the nice bonuses available in a guild.
Tip 10: Tweak the graphics
Black Desert looks fantastic. In fact, sometimes so fantastic that one might feel overwhelmed by all the graphical effects. Therefore, every player should take a look at the graphics options to disable bloom effects or blurriness if they find them disturbing.
At Dragon Nest , the publisher for the EU version is changing. It’s moving from a company based in Germany to one based in Shanghai.
For a long time, Dragon Nest in Europe was managed by Shanda Games International Europe. They are located in Berlin and are part of the Chinese publisher Shanda Interactive. Now, Cherry Credits from Singapore is taking over. They have been managing the Southeast Asian version of Dragon Nest since 2011 – and are also part of the Shanda company group, as is the game’s developer Eyedentity Games.
Casually speaking, from the outside it seems: The Chinese parent company is taking the game away from its German subsidiary and handing it over to the one from Singapore.
The change is set to take place on March 16, when the “Machina” class will also be released in Europe.
In The Division, Ubisoft Germany has released a documentary series where experts comment on the catastrophe in The Division.
In less than a week, the launch of The Division will occur. Just before that, Ubisoft Germany wants to shed light on the disaster scenario in the game and question how it is possible for a smallpox virus to spread so quickly and bring entire cities to the brink of annihilation in a very short time.
The developers of The Division have spoken with experts and tried to create the most realistic setting for a pandemic. In The Division, the consequences are dramatic: public life and healthcare have collapsed in New York, the streets are deserted, electricity is only available sporadically – chaos reigns.
In the first part of the documentary series titled “The Collapse“, scientists investigate whether such a pandemic scenario is also possible for us and discuss what countermeasures governments are taking. How prepared is Germany for such a catastrophe?
Is a pandemic scenario conceivable for us?
In principle: a similar disaster scenario as in The Division cannot be excluded in reality. You can never prevent a catastrophe; you can only prepare for it.
There are only a handful of disasters that can take on global dimensions. Examples include an asteroid impact, a global nuclear war, or indeed a pandemic.
On May 8, 1980, the WHO announced that the smallpox virus, which is also addressed in The Division, had been eradicated worldwide. There are only two places where smallpox viruses are stored: in the USA and in Russia, in specialized high-security laboratories.
The smallpox virus should not be completely eradicated so that materials can be available for any re-emerging smallpox outbreaks, and vaccines can be produced – or to take countermeasures, should smallpox be used as a biological weapon.
It is not unthinkable that these smallpox viruses could fall into the wrong hands. An infected person only needs to sit on a tram for a while, and many other people could be infected. The virus would spread quickly, especially since no one is vaccinated against smallpox anymore. After all, the virus is considered eradicated worldwide.
How are we prepared for a pandemic?
Since 2005, following the outbreak of avian influenza, the WHO has called for all countries to prepare for a pandemic. Recommendations and measures have been forwarded to hospitals and doctors. Businesses have also been involved to ensure, for example, that food supply chains remain intact.
A scenario like that in The Division would declare a state of emergency in Germany, and the federal government could deploy armed forces. However, whether the Bundeswehr would be able to maintain order in the country cannot be said: controlling and possibly quarantining entire cities seems impossible. One could slow down the speed of spread, but not stop it completely. Difficult decisions must be made.
Germany is indeed prepared against smallpox, as there is a smallpox alert plan in place. We have smallpox vaccines in stock that can be quickly accessed. In addition, there are already antiviral medications in Germany that prevent the virus from spreading in the body.
It can be stated: We are prepared, but whether these protective measures would really work can only be shown in a real emergency.
In The Division, the apocalypse has broken out. But even there, there is hope, thanks to antibodies from survivors and dedicated scientists working on a vaccine. Humanity is resisting the plague.
You can watch the documentary, with all background information, in the following video:
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In the second part of the documentary, an outbreak of a deadly virus is simulated. To prevent its spread, the area must be sealed off. People, especially those who are not infected, create conflict potential in quarantine. There are no laws here; it is the law of the stronger.
The following video sheds light on the issues of containment and crisis management as an individual.
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In the third part of the documentary series, human society is examined. Humans need rules that provide them with safety and stability. In the apocalypse, a power vacuum has arisen that must be filled. Groups are forming, factions that want to enforce common interests by any means available.
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We spent some “intense hours” with the Overwatch character Roadhog. You’ll learn why it’s so much fun in this report.
Roadhog – The likable big guy with breathing problems
In the coming days and weeks, we want to report a bit more intensively on Overwatch and focus on individual characters from Blizzard’s upcoming hero shooter. Because instead of just being able to introduce the heroes through a video, we’ve now gotten a taste for it ourselves. We start with the tank Roadhog.
Roadhog, the big guy, doesn’t look like much, and I would trade him for Widowmaker or Mei at the next street corner. Still, he has become my absolute favorite. After all, it’s the inner values that count, right?
To refresh our memory, let’s take a quick look at Roadhog’s abilities:
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The shotgun has a wide spread but causes (for a tank) very high damage in close combat. In the alternative fire mode, the spread only kicks in after a few meters, making him effective at medium range as well.
The Take a Breather ability allows Roadhog to regenerate a whopping 300 hit points over 2 seconds – that’s half of his max HP!
The Chain Hook is thrown at a target. If it hits, the target is briefly stunned and pulled right in front of Roadhog’s gun.
The ultimate ability Whole Hog allows Roadhog to fire a “minigun” for 9 seconds, damaging and knocking back enemies with each hit.
The tank that doesn’t want to tank
Even though Roadhog is actually described as a tank, he lacks truly defensive abilities (aside from his self-healing). He is hardly suited to charging into enemies. If you charge in with Roadhog like with Winston or Reinhardt, you often find yourself in the respawn area. No, Roadhog is best when played cautiously and sneaks up – which is not so easy given his size.
If he has you on the hook, the game is over in most cases.
But the most satisfying moment of any match is when the Chain Hook hits. It’s that half a second when you realize that the opponent is “on the line” and the opponent knows, “Damn.” For that very brief moment, it feels as if you could look through the screen at the other player. Because what happens next is the same for almost all characters. A well-aimed hook almost always results in a precise headshot and a direct hit to the face. That takes out all offensive and support characters in 99% of cases.
The excitement about these moments is hard to put into words when you finally pull the annoying Widowmaker off her roof with the hook or drag the lousy Bastion out of his supposedly safe hideout to shoot a nice load of scrap between their eyes. The best part: You can counter almost all ultimates with it! McCree whispers again, “It’s high noon…”? Reaper rages with his “DIE! DIE! DIE!”? A hook to the face and the troublemakers are quiet. Is it brutal? A little. Is it fun? You bet!
Roadhog is fun. If you’re struggling with the fast, fragile characters like Tracer but still don’t want to be carted off to the retirement home together with Reinhardt, you should keep this character in mind or better yet, give him a chance.
Yes, Roadhog may not be the rendezvous of the century in terms of looks. But that isn’t too important because one thing you can be sure of with this big guy: He will hook you.
The MOBA Paragon gives newcomers in the MOBA genre 8 tips. These can serve as a small beginner’s guide not only for Paragon.
A MOBA requires a lot of prior knowledge and follows its own rules, which experienced players in the genre have absorbed along the way and may not even be fully conscious of, as they have become second nature to them.
But what should beginners pay attention to in a MOBA? What should they definitely know?
Epic Games now provides 8 tips for the new MOBA Paragon (PC, PS4) that can also be used as a basic guide for all MOBAs. Games like LoL or HotS largely follow the same design principles as Paragon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjTW8TmRWOc
Do not tank the tower
Tip 1. Push your lane. To win, you need to master one of the 3 lanes, take down the towers, and destroy the enemy core. It is called “pushing” a lane when you support your minions in taking out the enemy minions and destroying the towers and ultimately the core. This is the objective in a MOBA.
Tip 2: Towers are important and powerful – your own should be protected and used as a defense against enemies. Enemy towers should be taken down cautiously.
Always last-hit
Tip 3: Let your minions do the work. Especially at the beginning of the game, you should stay behind the minions and let them absorb the enemy’s hits. Also, the tower’s hits should go to minions, not to the heroes themselves. When battling enemy minions, you should definitely try to deal the final blow to them, as this grants gold and EXP.
Tip 4: Always upgrade. At the beginning, all heroes are relatively weak, but they become stronger as the game progresses, provided they remember to buy cards and upgrade abilities.
Paragon is a MOBA, not a shooter
Tip 5: Know your range. Paragon is a MOBA, not a shooter. Range is therefore important. You can tell if a skill still deals damage by checking whether the crosshair turns red or not. Red means “It still does damage.”
Tip 6: Stay alive. Better to flee cowardly than to die heroically. Because each death strengthens the enemy champions, which should be avoided.
Tip 7: It’s faster in travel mode. If you want to move a longer distance, switch to travel mode. You can recognize it by the blue “Woosh” movements around you. However, this is not a mode suitable for combat.
To bring some fresh air into Diablo 3, Blizzard’s developers have now launched a fun event.
Since today, you can use the immortal throne in the ruins of Sescheron. In the past, this throne would only give you a message stating that the time has not yet come. However, if you visit the immortal throne now, the torches there will begin to burn, and none other than Elder Kanai will rise to open a portal to his hunting grounds for you.
Muh muh …. muh?
In this portal, you will find particularly many…
… cows. Yes, it is a cow level. But not in the way you know it. In this cow level, there are no shrines, no queen, and no chests. Instead, there are plenty of cows. Additionally, Kanai will show you that he is still very good at fighting and what tricks he has learned from his barbarian friends.
It is unclear how long the event will be active – so try it out quickly before it’s too late!
Employees Wanted for Secret Diablo Project
While we’re on the topic of Diablo. On Blizzard’s career page, positions as “Senior Concept Artist”, “Senior Character Artist”, and “Lighting Artist” for a unannounced project in the Diablo universe have appeared. Looking at these job postings, it quickly becomes apparent that this new project is still far from release.
What do you think? Is it Diablo 4 that is being developed there or something completely different, but with references to Diablo?
Here is an excerpt from the job description
As is customary with Blizzard, we will probably have to wait a long time for more detailed information. Nevertheless, we are excited about what the next “hit” Blizzard has in store for us.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
In Destiny the developers will examine the Grave Ship in a live stream today.
The new policy of Destiny is: Twitch! It’s a friendly approach and provides a more personal connection to the viewers. They have now set up a dedicated streaming studio, and the wild ride of the live broadcast is set to start tonight at 20:00 our time. In German, they chose the catchy name “Grave Ship Carpool“. Now, that rolls off the tongue.
The topic of the evening will be the Grave Ship, Oryx’s “impenetrable, loot-filled fortress.” Senior Artist Andrew Hopps will explain how the concept vision for the Dreadnaught became pixel reality. How from the picture above, practically the whole area was created. Senior Designer Brian Frank will talk about gameplay and loot. There is certainly a lot to discuss, as in the first weeks after “The Taken King,” almost everything was centered around the Dreadnaught and the many quests.
With a bit of luck, it will be hosted by DeeJ.
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If you want to check that out, you can do so here. We have linked the stream above. For those who opt out, we have somewhat mediocre news: We will probably summarize the most important things in a separate article.
In our own interest: This time without a German live ticker, that will come when they present new content
At some point in the coming weeks, there should also be “concrete information” about the content expansions they are planning through the stream and the magic of the internet. They are currently keeping that under wraps.
We will accompany the “content live streams” as we did in the past, with a live ticker in German, making bad jokes and missing crucial Champions League games again. We always look forward to that here in the editorial team.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The Asia MMORPG Blade & Soul is offline for maintenance on March 2nd.
Today, on March 2nd, the second major patch for Blade and Soul is here, accompanied by server downtime.
The maintenance work started at 1:00 PM. The servers will be down for the next few hours. If you try to log in after downloading a patch, you will get “You cannot start the game. When the usage time begins, restart the launcher.”
By around 5:00 PM, at least that’s the plan, the update should be complete, and Blade and Soul and its servers should be running again, after which the usage time, which the cool kids on the street always talk about, will resume.
All [#B&S] servers will be down for maintenance. Expected duration is 3.7 hours. https://t.co/65JMVToY2v
