The Creative Director of Tom Clancy’s The Division, Magnus Jansén, speaks in an interview about The Division and the split-screen mode. Specifically: Why The Division will not support split-screen.
The Division is an MMO shooter with a strong focus on Coop. You can complete story missions together or explore the Dark Zone in a small group. However, this will only be available online – playing together on the couch in split-screen will not be possible.
Magnus Jansén explains in an interview with Finder why The Division has chosen against split-screen. It simply does not suit the nature of this game. You continuously improve your character in this game, allowing for seamless transitions between single and multiplayer. This is something that is best done alone, without split-screen.
The special thing about The Division is that the game world never pauses. There is always something to do in the open-world.
“You never stop playing.”
In a classic split-screen experience, there is a defined challenge that you can complete together and then finish. If your partner has to leave, you can go back to single-player and continue your game.
The Division, on the other hand, is a so constant, ongoing experience that it ruins the game to bind yourself to another person. That is why they opted out of split-screen. This allows you to freely immerse yourself in this world, where you can mess around alone or with online buddies.
However, there are also evident technical reasons why this mode was discarded. In split-screen, there are always losses in frame rate, detail, and rendering. Especially in the Dark Zone, it is advantageous to have the entire screen available to maintain overview.
In the end, Magnus Jansén admits that he is a fan of split-screen. After all, gaming together on the couch can be incredibly fun. However, this mode was simply impossible for The Division.
In the fantasy MMORPG Guild Wars 2, the expansion “Heart of Thorns” seems to be underwhelming. Fewer games were sold than expected.
This week, NCSoft released its business figures. While the 4th quarter of 2015 saw a decent increase in revenue for Guild Wars 2, the numbers fell short of the expectations of Korean publisher NCSoft, although this was not communicated explicitly.
During the conference call, which was only available verbally, an analyst asked: The sales for GW2 seem to be rather weak; what is the reason for that?
NCSoft did not dispute the claim that sales were weak and stated that they see the problem in the transition from the regular “Free2Play” contents to the “Paid” expansion Heart of Thorns. Not as many players made the switch as expected.
Compared to the number of players, the amount of money spent in the shop is “still okay.” However, the sales of the paid expansion are a problem.
The upturn in GW2 is notable, but could have been even stronger.
They plan two strategies. First, they want to create more incentives for players to acquire Heart of Thorns, possibly through events or new systems. They are investigating: What prevents purchases, and what can we eliminate?
On the other hand, they want to take another close look at the expansion: What was actually available at the launch of Heart of Thorns, and what were the user expectations? They see a gap there and want to address it, fulfilling these expectations with faster updates.
The latest patch of Tree of Savior makes leveling in a certain phase easier and presents new challenges for guilds. We have the details for you.
Bridging the drought around level 240
For the Korean version of the MMORPG “Tree of Savior,” a new update is coming soon, which aims to fix some issues during the (extremely long) leveling phase of the game. Around level 240, leveling becomes quite tough and is now going to be made more pleasant with a series of new daily tasks.
Along with the new quests, there will also be guild raids, for which certain challenges must be met. To enter them, the guild must have at least a level 4 guild tower. Those who complete the challenges will be rewarded with rare mounts and pets.
Those who want to tackle exciting battles alone will enjoy the “Challenge Tower.” This will be delivered with the first 20 levels, with a boss waiting on every 5th floor that needs to be defeated. To make things even a bit tougher, there is a time limit of 4 minutes for each level – so speed and concentration are required.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The second beta test of the highly anticipated MMORPG Black Desert is coming up and we are giving away a total of 400 access codes!
We are sending you to the desert 400 times!
Among the few great MMORPG hopes of 2016, Black Desert surely belongs. The game has already received a lot of praise for having perhaps the most extensive character creation ever seen in a video game. But Black Desert is significantly more than just “pretty pixels” and well-shaped bodies; it can also captivate players gameplay-wise. Complex and dynamic PvP battles require tactics and quick reactions, while the housing system invites you to linger and experiment.
On February 18, Black Desert will launch into “Closed Beta 2” (CBT2), which will last until February 22. Important for everyone who participated in the first beta: You need to download a new client, the old one can be safely uninstalled.
To give all interested players a chance to get an impression of Black Desert in advance, we are giving away a total of 400 beta keys. To participate in the giveaway, you only need to enter a valid email address in the field below. Multiple entries are not allowed – but feel free to tell your friends and acquaintances about this action if you want to play together!
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The deadline for participation is Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at 8 PM. After that, the 400 keys will be drawn, and the winners will be automatically informed via the registered email address.
Not sure what you think about Black Desert? Then check out our Black Desert theme page, where you will find many exciting articles such as:
In the fantasy MMORPG The Elder Scrolls Online the DLC Thieves Guild for PC, PS4, and Xbox One comes with a new skill line. We introduce it.
New game content comes to TESO in March with the DLC Thieves Guild. The namesake guild will be a new quest giver. Similar to the Mages Guild or the Fighters Guild, players will unlock a special skill line when they dedicate themselves to the pickpockets. A second skill line “Subterfuge”, closely related to thief abilities, has also been available to non-DLC buyers for some time.
Our friends from ProNDC were on the test server and present the Thieves Guild and the two skill lines associated with it in the video.
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Subterfuge – these are the thief skills in TESO that already exist
The skill line “Subterfuge” is under Open World. Skill points increase by bringing items to fences, stealing from NPCs, or picking locks. The abilities already exist.
Important: All these passive abilities can be enhanced up to 4 times
Improved Stealth – reduces stamina cost while sneaking by 10%
Light Fingers – increases the chance to steal from pockets by 10%
Slider – increases the daily interactions available to you with fences by 120%
Locksmith – improves your chances when picking locks by 10%
Bribery – reduces the costs of bounties that you voluntarily pay off to guards or fences by 10%
Thieves Guild – these are the 6 new skills
These 6 passive skills belong to the Thieves Guild. You unlock ranks and increase them by committing crimes for the guild, completing heists, or helping guild members. They are new
Finder’s Fee – Unlocks stolen goods
Quick Forgetting (4 times upgradeable) – The bounty decreases by 10 every 3 minutes. Infamy is reduced by 8 every 3 seconds.
Haggling (4 times upgradeable) – Items sold to fences fetch a price increase of 2%.
Leeway – Allows you to evade a single guard every 24 hours.
Early Escape – Thieves can use secret escape routes near hideouts
Veil of Shadows – The sight range of witnesses and the pursuit radius of guards is reduced by 10%
More information about the DLC Thieves Guild can be found in these articles:
The Dark Zone, the PvP area of The Division, is divided into areas of varying difficulty. The north is only recommended for max-level agents.
The Dark Zone in Ubisoft’s upcoming MMO shooter is a great place to test your skills and grab some loot. Not only are there other agents waiting for you, with whom you can cooperate (or you can shoot them ruthlessly in the gut), but there are also NPCs. These rarely mean well for you and attack aggressively.
These non-human enemies vary in level, depending on which area of the DZ you are in. IGN was invited by Ubisoft Massive to explore these zones a bit. The rule is: the farther you go north, the tougher it gets. They captured the deepest insight into this PvP area in the following video.
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The tester struggles quite a bit at level 16 to survive in the northern areas of the Dark Zone. Here he encounters enemies that are 1-2 levels higher than himself and heavily armored. When he faces off against a skull enemy that is at least 5 levels above him, he succumbs to it. But he says: With a group, it would be possible and there would be plenty of DZ experience.
Therefore, it is probably wise to initially avoid these places solo in the final version of The Division until you can face the computer enemies on equal footing. However, the most dangerous area in the north also has its charm: because the best loot awaits you here.
Interesting: A clever reddit user watched this video closely and noticed that the tester had 10 story missions available when he had the map open. He recognizes five missions from the medical sector, four tech missions, and one from the security.
This Guardian had the curious idea of only reaching level 40 in the first story mission in Destiny. The fun cost him over 98 hours.
Players have been complaining for some time about the MMO shooter Destiny that there is nothing left to do. New PvE content has been announced, but it will probably take a while before we can enjoy it.
A Guardian recently had the idea to tackle this boredom in Destiny with a questionable challenge, which he has successfully implemented. Judge for yourselves whether this idea is creative or bordering on madness.
98 Hours “A Guardian Rises” in Destiny
SerfaBoy, as the Guardian calls himself, spent over 98 hours in the first story mission “A Guardian Rises”. So, where you are revived by your Ghost, among all the rusty cars. His goal was: to only reach level 40 within this mission!
However, he first had to overcome numerous hurdles: because at the end of this mission you have to kill a final boss to grab the jump ship – then you automatically go to the Tower. However, the Guardian did not want that. He only wants to see the first mission, and reach level 40 only in that. He does not want to go anywhere else. So he had to come up with something.
He played the mission up to the final boss and then tried to return to orbit. However, this function is not available in the first mission yet. After all, you are not yet in possession of the ship with which you can float around casually in orbit.
The Guardian could only choose “Leave Game.” He did this and thus returned to the title screen. When he returned to the game, he spawned in a room just before the jump ship. All he had to do then was to kill everything and everyone – except for the final boss. Then back to the title screen and do the whole fun again. And then again. And then again.
Sounds crazy? You can see for yourselves in this video.
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How does one come up with such an idea? According to his own statements, he wanted to challenge himself. And he has now successfully mastered this challenge.
According to Bungie, his in-game time is 98 hours and 13 minutes. He estimates that this fun, including load times and time on the title screen, cost him over 106 hours. By the way, he has killed over 55,000 enemies.
Hopefully, it was worth it for him. What do you think about it?
Cortyn has recently been busy in the beta of Overwatch. But is the game any good? Read our first impressions here.
After the beta of Overwatch woke up from its winter sleep last week, we finally gained access to Blizzard’s hero shooter and were able to get a better impression. Over the past few days, there has been extensive shooting, blocking, hitting, and exploding – all the fun things you can experience in Overwatch. Always in more or less fair 6vs6 matches.
Is something great coming our way? Definitely. Is it perfect? Not at all.
The Entry – Incredibly Simple
If Blizzard excels at one thing, it’s designing game entrances so that players are thrown into the battle without much explanation. With just two clicks, you are in the queue, and with two more clicks, you’ve selected your hero and fight across the coherent battlefields – which feels good after just a few moments. At a glance, it’s clear how difficult the hero is to play and what their abilities do.
It’s a pity that some statements are quite vague, and specific damage numbers would be more helpful than terms like “very strong” or “powerful”. Adding to this is the annoying little detail that in the selection menu, chat is irritatingly placed above the description of the ultimate ability, but you can always check it in-game.
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Blizzard always claimed that Overwatch would be played “slower” than other shooters, but I cannot confirm that. The action is fast and brutal, and there is rarely time to think. Whether I played McCree, Widowmaker, or Reaper, the camera is yanked back and forth to keep everything in sight. Only with Reinhardt is there a bit more calm – the German knight has a strong shield that lasts quite long, allowing time to plan the next steps.
Above all, the ability to choose another hero at any time adds more fun than I expected. This means both teams are constantly changing, and there are plenty of opportunities to overcome a seemingly unbeatable team with the right combo. The various maps and game modes are all fun, even if it basically always comes down to “Hold this point” – only sometimes you have to escort a moving point across the map.
Though balancing is occasionally absent, and there are often matches where you simply run into a wall of enemies, this is probably due to the fact that it’s a beta. Since these matches usually last less than 5 minutes, it’s more bearable than it may sound.
The Big Running
However, there are also some criticisms of the game. Personally, I find the breaks between the action too long. Standing in the spawn room for a minute at the beginning of each match is only exciting for the first three matches, and the dialogues between characters become tedious quite quickly.
Yes… it can get a bit boring in the waiting room.
On most maps, the run path from the spawn point to the real action is also quite long. Sure, the path is somewhat necessary to actually feel death as a “punishment” and to give the opposing team a chance to advance. However, with sluggish heroes, the path feels excruciatingly long. You’re really glad when a Symmetra has sneaked into the team (since she can create portals).
The Community – Last Resort: Close Your Ears and Eyes!
In reality, the community should play a rather subordinate role in the first impression of a game, but in a team shooter designed for cooperation and communication, I can’t get around it. In one word, my experiences can be summarized: Good grief! What has been rattled off in the last few days in terms of wild insults through voice and text chat would make even seasoned League of Legends players and frequent visitors to the Barrens channel blush with shame. Yes, emotions seem to boil over quickly in shooters. I quickly found myself forced to mute the sound in certain matches. This was certainly not beneficial to gameplay (which led to even more insults), but it was unbearable otherwise.
Of course, I might just have been unlucky in my matchmaking, but that significantly reduced my enjoyment of the game. I just really hope that the community of the finished game is different from what I have experienced so far. Otherwise, I will only be able to enjoy Overwatch with friends.
(Preliminary) Conclusion:
Overwatch is immensely fun. The characters all feel unique and interesting; no hero is like the other. The progression system is motivating but still feels a bit unrefined – especially with increasing levels, the rewards become so rare that they are frustrating when they take so long to arrive. Hopefully, this won’t just be an incentive to generate substantial revenue through the cash shop. The community is currently more toxic than a big city sewer, but that could still be due to the “excitement” of the beta.
To summarize, I am convinced that Overwatch will be one of the major shooter titles of the coming years. Everything fits incredibly well together – apart from a few minor flaws during the beta.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The latest patch of Paladins introduces a new hero that players of SMITE may already know – the tree Grover takes up the lumberjack axe!
Paladins “borrows” from SMITE
Since February 12, the latest patch of Paladins is available. This significantly reshuffles the card system once again, but can also boast a new hero. Grover joins the zany shooting fun, a tree giant who is also fond of using an axe. We have summarized the most important changes from the “Closed Beta 14 Patch” for you.
Grover, the Wild
After Evie, the frosty sorceress with a big ego, now comes “Grover the Wild” as the new hero in the group. Players of SMITE will now be surprised, as they already know the tree giant. In the god MOBA, Grover is part of the god Sylvanus. Apparently, that was not enough fame for him, so now he rampages through the cards in Paladins (and simultaneously saves development costs for a new hero design). Let’s take a look at his abilities:
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In close combat, he ironically uses a lumberjack axe that deals massive damage.
The alternative fire mode (right-click) throws the axe and cripples the first enemy hit.
Briars and Blossoms are two auras that can be switched by pressing a button. “Briars” creates a harmful aura that damages enemies in the nearby vicinity, and “Blossoms” creates a friendly aura that slowly heals allies.
With Vine, Grover sends out a vine that attaches to the first target or surface it hits. The tree giant then pulls himself in that direction (yes, it works upwards too)!
The ultimate Whirlwind lets Grover spin quickly, causing high area damage around him.
Grover is, in summary, a very mobile support character with high burst damage.
The Card System – Back to the Drawing Board
There are also major changes to the game’s card system. Almost all heroes have had comprehensive revisions of their cards, but new is also how cards are “leveled” during a match. Instead of selecting a new card upon leveling up, players already have their 5 cards at the start.
During the match, “talent points” can then be invested into individual cards to enhance their effects further. For instance, Skye’s “Backstab” card ensures that the first attack from stealth deals 500 extra damage. This amount can be increased further in several levels.
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The random factor in card selection is now a thing of the past since the “deck” is constructed already in the lobby. After all 10 players have selected their heroes, these become visible for both teams, and afterwards, the cards are chosen. This gives you more opportunities to respond to a specific composition of the opponents and to choose cards that work particularly well against multiple tanks.
MarcoStyle, a YouTuber who claims to have unlocked all weapons in the Closed Beta of The Division, took a closer look at the weapons. And he found: They are not that different.
The following should actually be quite logical: Standard weapons are worse than Specialized weapons. Superior weapons are stronger than Specialized weapons, and High-End weapons take it a step further. All tiers are represented in different colors, making clear categorization immediately noticeable. However, sometimes it pays off to keep a green (Standard) weapon and dismantle the blue (Specialized). How is that?
MarcoStyle found that, for example, a 586 Magnum in the Standard version can deal more damage than the same weapon in the Specialized edition. But are higher-tier weapons not fundamentally better?
The damage of a weapon depends on many circumstances – mainly luck
No, higher-tier weapons do not necessarily have to be better than lower-tier weapons! At least not when it comes to the damage the weapon deals. Randomness plays a significant role; as is often the case, you just need luck with the drop.
Within a certain range, the damage value can vary when dropped. In the following table, MarcoStyle presents some values of the T821 depending on weapon tier and level.
Attention: He does not guarantee the accuracy of these values. Furthermore, it should be noted that much can change before the release.
As you can see, a Standard weapon can deal greater damage than a blue weapon, and a Standard weapon at level 4 can be equally powerful as one at level 6. Even if these numbers are not official, they at least illustrate that a higher-tier weapon does not necessarily have to be “stronger”. It depends, as so often, on luck and randomness.
What about the other properties of a weapon?
Weapons obviously have other properties than just the damage they deal. From magazine size to range and stability, the weapons have individual values.
However: These are completely independent of the level. They remain the same. Only the damage varies depending on the level, as can be seen in the following graphic.
The weapon tier is completely irrelevant for these properties. They do not change, regardless of whether they are Standard or Specialized, etc. All statistics of a weapon, except for the damage value, are therefore the same for every drop.
Are the High-End weapons like Caduceus and Cassidy unique?
A somewhat disappointing fact is that the High-End weapons are not as special as they might seem.
The Cassidy is just a slightly upgraded Double Barrel Shotgun – the statistics are identical, just differing in the damage value.
The only way to change these values is through modifications by swapping out the stock or similar parts on your weapon. Such modifications can increase stability or range, for example. There are quite a few of these additional parts, giving you many options to customize your weapon.
Higher-tier weapons fundamentally have two advantages:
Damage value: The chance for higher damage is greater than for lower-tier weapons.
“Talents”: While Standard weapons have no talents at all, Specialized weapons always have one talent that is completely random; Superior weapons have two and High-End weapons have three talents.
For pistols, the situation with talents is slightly different. They always have the talent “Expert” even in the Standard version. With this, the weapon deals 100% more damage when the target is below 30% health. According to MarcoStyle, this talent is present on every pistol, without needing other attributes. Only the pistol with which you start the game does not have the “Expert” talent.
Sniper rifles always have bonus damage on headshots. The magnitude of this bonus varies from weapon to weapon. Submachine guns also have a bonus: they possess a unique chance for critical hits.
The video from MarcoStyle is here:
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Blade & Soul started about a month ago, but what has become of the censorship allegations? Has anything really changed?
The initial excitement around Blade & Soul has slowly subsided. The western launch was successfully completed, numerous bots have been kept in check, and the servers are handling the load of players significantly better than in the first two days. However, even during the closed beta phase, there was rising criticism of the localization of the title.In this article, we dealt with the censorship allegations of Blade & Soul back then.
2p has now taken another look at the matter and comes to the somewhat sobering conclusion: Not much has really changed since the beta. The accusations remain.
The Alteration of the Story
Fans have been particularly affected by massive alterations to the story. Already during the beta, it became apparent that the multifaceted and complex characters of Blade & Soul would be somewhat trimmed. Although NCsoft stated at that time that they would “not make changes to the story,” this statement had to be revised soon by completed facts.
Jinsoyun – a bit flat in the western version…. character-wise, I mean.
Most players will not notice these circumlocutions at all. However, those who know both versions, that is the original and our western one, will have noticed that the characters here are significantly “flatter” and more clichéd than in the original. The players, as heroes of the story, embody the “good,” whereas Jinsoyun, the sexy antagonist with a strong personality (who even got her own musical), becomes a flat comic villain.
Less Naked Facts, More Fabric
In other places, one can no longer speak of “artistic freedom,” but only of open (or rather “veiling”) censorship. Numerous outfits in the game have been adjusted, exposed skin in many clothes has been covered up.
Underwear has been banned to the shop in the western version.
But not only the outfits of the player characters are affected, even NPCs are obviously not trusted to endure winter in the West without being covered up a bit. Even cut scenes have not been spared, and go even further – the camera angles in some scenes have been adjusted so that possibly “naughty” scenes are no longer present. For many players, it is incomprehensible why characters are first covered up and then the angle is also changed – double is better known.
So ist das nackte Original…
… und so die zensierte Version.
Mein-MMO thinks: Not much has changed in our original article on censorship in Blade & Soul. The localization, aside from minor cosmetic corrections, is still the same as during the beta, and the criticism of some fans has simply been swept under the rug. At least: The big shitstorm that was feared has largely not happened.
However, it must also be mentioned that Blade & Soul has developed very well despite these serious allegations. More than 2 million players are now playing in the western version of the game, and these accusations have apparently not hindered its success.
The success of the game has been hardly harmed by this.
What do you think about these changes? Do you not care because you do not know the “original” anyway? Or do you find an adjustment of the aspects under the aegis of “westernization” massively disturbing?
The Xbox players of ARK: Survival Evolved can enjoy the splitscreen mode. But does it run smoothly? What does it look like? We will show you!
Shared fun is double fun (but half the graphics)
The Xbox version of ARK: Survival Evolved, the major dino MMO hit of last year, has received a long-awaited update. New features include numerous fresh creatures on the island, performance improvements, and the long-anticipated splitscreen mode. The latter allows players to sit together in front of a console and explore the game world “shoulder to shoulder” and give their co-player a proper headbutt when they “accidentally” get their character eaten by a T-Rex. It can happen.
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However, the splitscreen mode also comes with some compromises, at least in its current state. The game’s graphics are noticeably scaled down, and still, there are significant drops in frame rate, occasionally leading to quite annoying stutters. However, one must give ARK credit for still being in a developmental stage and that experience must be gathered. It can be expected that the splitscreen mode will be further polished and expanded with more functionalities in the coming weeks and months.
The Gallimimus is now also tamable on the Xbox One.
Apart from the splitscreen mode, the patch has also brought some other highlights that had already been implemented in the PC version of the game over the past few months. Here are just some of the highlights:
Besides that, the patch is said to have improved the performance of the game on consoles by about 15%. The addressed issues include pesky memory leaks that often caused the entire game to crash.
The new MOBA Paragon launches today on February 13th with a test on the Playstation 4.
Paragon is a new MOBA that is graphically supposed to stand out significantly from the usual LoL/Dota fare. Starting today at 5:00 PM, players on the Playstation 4 can join. Thanks to a crossplay feature, players not only compete against each other but also play with and against PC players. The test will end at 1:00 AM.
And since Playstation players are still not very familiar with the MOBA genre, a trailer has been created for Paragon to clarify: this is how you play Paragon.
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The latest patch of Final Fantasy XIV 3.2. brings a truckload of game content, including a nasty fight from earlier times.
We have been reporting since Christmas about the next patch of Final Fantasy, which is patch 3.2 “Gears of Change.” In itself, this is a typical “The expansion has been out for half a year and we are continuing with the story” patch. But what would raise a shrug in other MMOs fills an 8-minute trailer in Final Fantasy XIV.
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Because in FF14, they really pack a lot into such patches. You not only have the “normal progression” that you would expect, through the main quests, raids, or new dungeons, but they also bring a lot of “side quests” up to date. There are quests with the beast tribes, they introduce new tutorials, and take care of PvP.
Calcabrina still gives FF veterans nightmares today
A special feature that may not be immediately noticeable: The boss fight against “Calcabrina” from Final Fantasy IV seems to be getting a new version in the Anti-Tower. This is a specialty of FFXIV, where they introduce references to the “past.” The Calcabrina fight is feared among gaming veterans because you had to “evenly” defeat the creatures with a certain tactic, otherwise, you were in for a nasty surprise.
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Also returning: Hildibrand, the self-proclaimed master detective, brings a unique Asian charm to FF14. He is essentially the Inspector Gadget of Eorzea.
How does Bless Online, the latest MMORPG from Korea, play during the Open Beta at the beginning of 2016?
Bless – perhaps the last big “classic” MMORPG from Korea?
Not only is the western market increasingly saying goodbye to high-priced, high-risk productions from the MMO sector. As large profit margins are increasingly being found in the mobile sector, a change in thinking has begun in Korea, the home of MMO classics like Lineage.
Even successful titles like TERA or Echo of Soul are not immune to this worrying trend and recently had to look for a new publisher rather unwillingly, as they were deemed unprofitable compared to games that are quick and cheap to produce for mobile devices.
During this time of change, Neowiz Games (Crossfire) is trying to make one last effort to mobilize the masses for a traditional MMO. The developer already announced beforehand that this would be their last game of this size.
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Thanks to reaching the Open Beta test phase, which was preceded by a two-year Closed Beta, the broad public can now find out whether the wait for the often invoked MMO savior was worth it. At first glance, Bless has everything one would expect from a classic theme park MMO.
There are a handful of races, including the small, cute Masku or the animal race of the Pantera, the familiar holy trinity of tank, healer, and damage dealer, and of course a colorful assortment of quests, dungeons, and PvP options. While this may initially sound unimpressive, in Bless it comes together to form a coherent and high-quality whole where every aspect has its justification. A bit more sand in the box would have been nice in times of ArcheAge and the like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HKTHn7EWrA
Sometimes we help farmers clear their fields of pests or shady bandits. Other times we are part of dark conspiracies aimed at the seemingly untouchable nobility. This is standard fare for MMOs, but it is told solidly. A fully voiced and exciting main story serves as the common thread, guiding us through the impressive, expansive, and highly varied landscapes.
Bless also impresses on the technical side. The developers have extracted everything from Unreal Engine 3 and crafted a world that is unmatched in the MMO sector, thanks to its complete accessibility and sheer size.
There is always something to discover and explore everywhere, and even high mountain ranges present no obstacle for the seasoned adventurer and climber.
On the next page: How does Bless play?
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
Baro Ki’Teer, the extravagant trader in Warframe, is offering some treasures again this weekend on PS4 and Xbox One. And after a three-week absence, he is also back for the PC players of the free-to-play shooter. We will tell you whether he learned anything from his previous fiasco during his time away on the quiet Void staircase.
Also: The “Emergency Exit” event has started on consoles. Below we will give you a brief overview of it.
Baro and his fans
Post from a less than thrilled Reddit user
Similar to his trading colleague Xûr from Destiny, Baro Ki’Teer does not always have it easy. Some look forward to his arrival and offers, while others curse him. The latter happened three weeks ago.
The PC player community was eagerly and mildly excited about the trader’s appearance as always. But when they saw the offer, many seemed so enraged that the developer Digital Extremes sentenced the now sad and dejected Baro to an additional week in the Void. At least that is what rumors say. Officially, it was only stated that he would need an unscheduled 7 days to come back with new, exciting items.
Therefore, let’s see if Baro Ki’Teer has more open ears for criticism than Xûr and if he will open his heart for the Tenno this Valentine’s weekend.
Timing, location, and offer from Baro on PS4, Xbox One, and PC
Since yesterday, February 12, 2016, he can be found until Sunday, February 14, 2016, at 7 PM.
Where can he be found?
PC: Larunda Relay, Mercury
PS4: Strata Relay, Earth
XboxOne: Leonov Relay, Europa
What items does he have with him?
Let’s start with the offer for console players:
And again we have, just like last week, an absolute must for anyone looking to get the maximum out of their weapon. Primed Close Quarters allows for a massive increase in damage with shotguns. Thus, you can let the bullets fly around the opponents’ heads if they survive the first shot.
Besides that, it’s time to decorate again. With the two knee plates of the Edo armor in the Prisma version and the chest plate, there are two out of three set pieces available this weekend. The left and right shoulder plates will be available next time.
Overall, a solid offer for console players, but it must be noted that Digital Extremes made last-minute changes to the offer. Originally, this week Primed Flow, Primed Quick Hands, and Prisma Edo Shoulder Plates were supposed to be on offer. Especially Primed Flow is one of the essential mods. These items will be available the next time the trader appears.
Officially, it was only stated that this change was made to make it a little more Ducat-friendly for players this time.
The comment from the official Warframe forum regarding the confusion on consoles
Sounds strongly like an internal blunder, as until now, there has never been a consideration of the potential total Ducat value if one were to want to buy all items in a week.
Item list for PC – Who is supposed to buy them all?
But let’s take a look at what Baro has found for PC players in the Void. For simplicity and clarity, in a plain table form:
Item
Ducats
Credits
Grustrag Trio Marking
200
125000
Stalker Marking
200
125000
Zanuka Hunter Marking
200
125000
Experience Booster
450
200000
Credit Booster
350
75000
Resource Booster
400
150000
Prisma Gorgon
600
50000
Eos Prime Chest Plate
125
75000
Left and Right Eos Prime Shoulder Plate
50 each
75000 each
Left and Right Eos Prime Spore
65 each
50000 each
Primed Range
300
220000
The extended Void stay seems to have prompted Baro to bring many items that he previously offered on earlier visits.
Only the markings of the three assassins of the game are a novelty. This is a one-time Death Mark, where the respective hunter appears 100% of the time. Considering that it is sometimes sufficient to send a single planet boss to the eternal hunting grounds to receive a marking from the Stalker, this is quite a waste of Ducats.
Things are slightly different with the markings from Zanuka and Grustrag Trio, as you have to run 5 invasions for the Grineer or Corpus. Whether such a marking is worth 200 Ducats is up to each person’s discretion.
The Grustrag Trio
Discrepancies in the item rotation
Now, taking into account the official comment from the community representative [DE]Drew regarding the rotation change on consoles and then looking at the current offer for PC players, it appears to be a bad joke. After all, one would have to pay a proud 3055 Ducats and 1,395,000 Credits if one wanted to acquire all the items once.
In contrast, there are 925 Ducats and 340,000 Credits for the selection that Baro Ki’Teer was supposed to have for consoles today. Anyone who believes this justification must also believe in Santa Claus.
Tactical Alert – what is that?
Fortunately, today not everything on consoles revolves around the trader. In addition to market activities, the tactical alert ‘Emergency Exit’ starts on PS4 and XboxOne. This will be live from 8 PM until next Tuesday at 8 PM.
The difference to normal alerts are the usually appearing modifiers, such as a restriction on a weapon category, a lower Conclave value, a higher enemy level, etc. Additionally, tactical alerts are also repeatable upon successful completion.
‘Emergency Exit’ – but take it easy
In ‘Emergency Exit’, you must protect a new Grineer enemy type that wants to defect to the Tenno. Just like in the recently changed deployment missions.
The twist with this renegade Grineer is that he actively rushes towards his former companions, and I mean that literally. Because he has various abilities available, such as a charge, similar to Rhino.
Additionally, it must be noted that if your new friend takes too much damage, he dies immediately and the mission is considered failed. In other words: He cannot be revived. Therefore, you should keep a close eye on the little speedster. The first time this tactical alert is launched, you need to defend your goal against 15 waves of enemies. Successful completion rewards you with an Orokin Accelerator blueprint.
Afterwards, it gets a bit trickier and more tedious, as during the second run, higher level enemies must be fended off for a total of 25 rounds. A quick exit looks different.
The Stratos Emblem
As a reward, you will receive the Stratos badge and another random reward. This could be fusion cores, resources, and various mods. So, grab a team and defend as much as you can. And don’t forget to leave Baro Ki’Teer at least some of your Ducats. Otherwise, he may have to queue up at the employment office soon.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
The release date of World of Warcraft: Legion has so far been a vague matter. The latest information now clearly narrows down the time window …
Legion right after the Warcraft movie?
Players of World of Warcraft are craving fresh content. The last major patch of Warlords of Draenor was many months ago, and the small content morsel that allowed item upgrades and more timewalking dungeons is now mercilessly exhausted. However, the news from the upcoming addon “Legion”, currently in closed alpha testing, is rather mixed. Here, new areas are only gradually being unlocked, and many contents have not made it into the game yet. If one believes the reports from the testers, the alpha is also still “far from release”.
But when exactly is the release of Legion supposed to take place? According to the current plans, the release is set for the summer of this year, with the official Blizzard site stating: The addon will be released by September 21, 2016. Strictly speaking, that means sometime in the next 7 months.
Is Legion launching right after the movie? That is at least the plan so far.
During the “Investor Call” of Activision Blizzard, this timeframe has now been somewhat tightened. According to this, the plan is to “release Legion after the theatrical release of the Warcraft movie in June.” Mike Morhaime further added that Legion should be “on the heels” of the film’s release, so shortly thereafter, in tow so to speak. The Warcraft movie is set to premiere on June 10 in the USA, making a release of Legion still likely in June or early July.
By the way, the Warcraft movie will be released in Germany two weeks earlier, starting from May 26, 2016, it will be shown in German cinemas.
Until the release of The Division, there’s still a bit to go. However, you can now prepare for the apocalypse with this skill calculator.
Compared to other shooters, The Division has pronounced RPG elements. Your level, equipment, skills, talents, and perks determine victory or defeat. In the game, it will be crucial how you combine your skills and talents to gain an advantage and carry off the victory. A clever user thought of this too and has made a skill calculator available on the web that is freely accessible.
The user Miodec has put together a tool called The Division Skill Calculator. With this, you can read through and combine available skills to identify synergy advantages in advance.
However, his work is not yet complete; the tool is still in development. More information is needed to make this tool even more productive. But since the user has recreated the interface of The Division in great detail, the operation is extremely simple and cleverly designed. Try it out for yourself if you want.
In the MMO shooter Destiny , Guardians can now easily earn a 320 Ghost.
Ghost shells with a maximum level of 320 are difficult to obtain. In the coming days, until Tuesday morning, players can easily access them.
When the rewards for the current event Crimson Week were announced, some Guardians took notice: “320 Ghosts” were to be included. Until now, they were hard to come by, as they were not part of the guaranteed rewards from the challenges in the raid. For some games, the goal is currently to reach 320. Still a difficult endeavor, as it relies on pure luck to get the missing pieces at the right strength. Thus, such an event comes just in time.
But the problem was: The event had poor drop rates and even if one received a Ghost, that didn’t necessarily mean it was 320. So players started to reluctantly grind through matches in hopes that quantity might help. Some even threw themselves to their deaths, to shorten the fights and increase their chances of a chocolate ghost.
Bungie reached out overnight from Friday to Saturday and stated: We hear you, you are right, there are too few drops, we will change that.
Surprise!
How to get a guaranteed 320 Ghost in Destiny
after the event, players who have completed 7 fights will receive a Ghost in the mail
the Ghost will either be crimson or chocolate – the chances are 50/50
the Ghost will have a 320 defense value, so 320 light
the fights must be “completed correctly,” no suicide nonsense
the Ghost is for the account, not for the character
players who succeed will receive their Ghost on February 23
those who have already completed 7 “correct fights” are on Bungie’s list, it is said.
the event only lasts until Tuesday at 10:00 AM, so you need to keep track of that
More about Crimson Week can be found in this article:
A new game aims to appeal to both Poker and Hearthstone fans. But can the concept of HoldemX succeed?
With all the buzz around Hearthstone, it’s easy to forget that there are still a whole lot of classic card games out there. Especially Poker in the “Texas Hold’em” variant is quite popular and ranks among the most played card games in online casinos.
Mediarex Sports & Entertainment now wants to bring both player groups together – or rather generate a particularly large pool of potential customers. The game HoldemX combines the typical game elements of Poker with additional card effects that players can use at specific times.
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According to the developers, the game has been tested extensively since last October, during which they invited the most experienced poker players and interviewed top players from Hearthstone and Magic The Gathering. The reactions have been quite positive… or something like that. In the quote, it sounds like this:
“Since October, the mechanics of the game have been tested by dozens of the best poker players in the world, as well as some top players from Hearthstone and Magic The Gathering. We are thrilled by the reactions, which vary between: “Wow”, “Fun”, “mmm…”, “Crazy”, “Decent”, “Challenging”, “Confusing” and “:)”. We believe we have found the right foundation to build a great franchise that unites these two communities and establishes poker-based games as a viable eSport.”
Whether HoldemX can establish itself in the market remains to be seen. The idea is certainly interesting, but so far the game still feels very unrefined – and whether poker really needs another uncontrollable random element is debatable.
This is an AI-powered translation. Some inaccuracies might exist.
